Formation of 3-MCPD and glycidyl esters in biscuits produced using soybean oil-based diacylglycerol stearin-shortening blends: Impacts of different baking temperatures and blending ratios.

Diacylglycerol (DAG) is commonly known as one of the precursors for 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol esters (3-MCPDE) and glycidyl esters (GE) formation. Besides, 3-MCPDE and GE are heat-induced contaminants which can be formed in fat-containing baked products during the baking process. This study attempted to replace the conventional palm-based shortening (SH) with a healthier fat, namely soybean oil-based diacylglycerol stearin (SDAG) in producing biscuits. The effects of different baking temperatures (200, 210 and 220 °C) and SDAG:SH fat blend ratios (0:100, 60:40 (D64S), 80:20 (D82S), 100:0, w/w) towards the biscuits' physical properties were evaluated. Moreover, the oxidative stability, 3-MCPDPE and GE formation in the fats extracted from the biscuits were also investigated. SDAG-produced biscuit showed slight reductions in the spread ratio compared to the SH-produced biscuit. The elevated baking temperatures resulted in biscuits with increased hardness and low moisture content. Pure SDAG and the other fat blends exhibited significant (p < 0.05) poorer oxidative stability than SH. However, D64S was found to be more oxidative stable compared to SDAG and D82S. The D64S fat blend exhibited the lowest 3-MCPDE and GE formation rates among all fat samples with the increasing baking temperatures. Furthermore, the amount of 3-MCPDE and GE detected in the fats extracted from the biscuits baked at highest temperature (220 °C) were still within the safety limit. In overall, better quality biscuits were produced when lower baking temperature (200 °C) was used as all biscuits baked with different fats showed similar textural properties (hardness and cohesiveness), higher oxidative stability and lower formation of 3-MCPDE and GE compared to biscuits baked at higher temperatures. The findings justified the potential of D64S fat blend in replacing the conventional SH in producing healthier biscuits.

Typical Characterization of Commercial Camellia Oil Products Using Different Processing Techniques: Triacylglycerol Profile, Bioactive Compounds, Oxidative Stability, Antioxidant Activity and Volatile Compounds.

The processing technique is one of the key factors affecting the quality of camellia oil. In this study, camellia oils were obtained using four different processing techniques (cold-pressed, roast-pressed, fresh-pressed, and refined), and their triacylglycerols (TAGs) profile, bioactive compound (tocopherols, sterols, squalene, and polyphenols) level, oxidative stability, and volatile compounds were analyzed and compared. To further identify characteristic components in four camellia oil products, the TAG profile was analyzed using UPLC-QTOF-MSE. Five characteristic markers were identified, including OOO (m/z 902.8151), POL (m/z 874.7850), SOO (m/z 904.8296), PPL (m/z 848.7693), PPS (m/z 852.7987). Regarding the bioactive compound level and antioxidant capacity, the fresh-pressed technique provided higher α-tocopherols (143.15 mg/kg), ß-sitosterol (93.20 mg/kg), squalene (102.08 mg/kg), and polyphenols (35.38 mg/kg) and showed stronger overall oxidation stability and antioxidant capacity. Moreover, a total of 65 volatile compounds were detected and identified in four camellia oil products, namely esters (23), aldehydes (19), acids (8), hydrocarbons (3), ketones (3), and others (9), among which pressed oil was dominated by aldehydes, acid, and esters, while refined oil had few aroma components. This study provided a comprehensive comparative perspective for revealing the significant influence of the processing technique on the camellia oil quality and its significance for producing camellia oil of high quality and with high nutritional value.

Internal Wireless Electrical Stimulation from Piezoelectric Barium Titanate Nanoparticles as a New Strategy for the Treatment of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive BC subtype with a higher metastatic rate and a worse 5-year survival ratio than the other BC. It is an urgent need to develop a noninvasive treatment with high efficiency to resist TNBC cell proliferation and invasion. Internal wireless electric stimulation (ES) based on piezoelectric materials is an emerging noninvasive strategy, with adjustable ES intensity and excellent biosafety. In this study, three different barium titanate nanoparticles (BTNPs) with different crystal phases and piezoelectric properties were studied. Varying intensities of internal ES were generated from the three BTNPs (i.e., BTO, U-BTO, P-BTO). In vitro tests revealed that the internal ES from BTNPs was efficient at reducing the proliferative potential of cancer cells, particularly BC cells. In vitro experiments on MDA-MB-231, a typical TNBC cell line, further revealed that the internal wireless ES from BTNPs significantly inhibited cell growth and migration up to about 82% and 60%, respectively. In vivo evaluation of MDA-MB-231 tumor-bearing mice indicated that internal ES not only resisted almost 70% tumor growth but also significantly inhibited lung metastasis. More importantly, in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated a favorable correlation between the anticancer impact and the intensities of ES. The underlying mechanism of MDA-MB-231 cell proliferation and metastasis inhibition caused by internal ES was also investigated. In summary, our results revealed the effect and mechanism of internal ES from piezoelectric nanoparticles on TNBC cell proliferation and migration regulation and proposed a promising noninvasive therapeutic strategy for TNBC with minimal side effects while exhibiting good therapeutic efficiency.

Wireless electrical stimulation at the nanoscale interface induces tumor vascular normalization.

Pathological angiogenesis frequently occurs in tumor tissue, limiting the efficiency of chemotherapeutic drug delivery and accelerating tumor progression. However, traditional vascular normalization strategies are not fully effective and limited by the development of resistance. Herein, inspired by the intervention of endogenous bioelectricity in vessel formation, we propose a wireless electrical stimulation therapeutic strategy, capable of breaking bioelectric homeostasis within cells, to achieve tumor vascular normalization. Polarized barium titanate nanoparticles with high mechano-electrical conversion performance were developed, which could generate pulsed open-circuit voltage under low-intensity pulsed ultrasound. We demonstrated that wireless electrical stimulation significantly inhibited endothelial cell migration and differentiation in vitro. Interestingly, we found that the angiogenesis-related eNOS/NO pathway was inhibited, which could be attributed to the destruction of the intracellular calcium ion gradient by wireless electrical stimulation. In vivo tumor-bearing mouse model indicated that wireless electrical stimulation normalized tumor vasculature by optimizing vascular structure, enhancing blood perfusion, reducing vascular leakage, and restoring local oxygenation. Ultimately, the anti-tumor efficacy of combination treatment was 1.8 times that of the single chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin group. This work provides a wireless electrical stimulation strategy based on the mechano-electrical conversion performance of piezoelectric nanoparticles, which is expected to achieve safe and effective clinical adjuvant treatment of malignant tumors.

Wireless Electrochemotherapy by Selenium-Doped Piezoelectric Biomaterials to Enhance Cancer Cell Apoptosis.

Cancer residues around the surgical site remain a significant cause of treatment failure with cancer recurrence. To prevent cancer recurrence and simultaneously repair surgery-caused defects, it is urgent to develop implantable biomaterials with anticancer ability and good biological activity. In this work, a functionalized implant is successfully fabricated by doping the effective anticancer element selenium (Se) into the potassium-sodium niobate piezoceramic, which realizes the wireless combination of electrotherapy and chemotherapy. Herein, we demonstrate that the Se-doped piezoelectric implant can cause mitochondrial damage by increasing intracellular reactive oxygen species levels and then trigger the caspase-3 pathway to significantly promote apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells in vitro. Meanwhile, its good biocompatibility has been verified. These results are of great importance for future deployment of wireless electro- and chemostimulation to modulate biological process around the defective tissue.

The antibacterial effect of potassium-sodium niobate ceramics based on controlling piezoelectric properties.

The implant infection is one of the most serious postsurgical complications of medical device implantation. Therefore, the development of biocompatible materials with improved antibacterial properties is of great importance. It might be a new insight to apply the intrinsic electrical properties of biomaterials to solve this problem. Here, potassium-sodium niobate piezoceramics (K0.5Na0.5NbO3, KNN) with different piezoelectric constants were prepared, and the microstructures and piezoelectric properties of these piezoceramics were evaluated. Moreover, the antibacterial effect and biocompatibility of these piezoceramics were assayed. Results showed that these piezoceramics were able to decrease the colonies of bacteria staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), favor the rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs) proliferation and promote the cell adhesion and spreading. The above effects were found closely related to the surface positive charges of the piezoceramics, and the sample bearing the most positive charges on its surface (sample 80KNN) had the best performance in both antibacterial effect and biocompatibility. Based on our work, it is feasible to develop biocompatible antibacterial materials by controlling piezoelectric properties.

A spatially varying charge model for regulating site-selective protein adsorption and cell behaviors.

Implanted materials that enter the body first interact with proteins in body fluids, and cells then perceive and respond to the foreign implant through this layer of adsorbed proteins. Thus, spatially specific regulation of protein adsorption on an implant surface is pivotal for mediating subsequent cellular behaviors. Unlike the surface modulation strategy for traditional biomaterials, in this research, materials with a nonuniform spatial distribution of surface charges were designed to achieve site-selective protein adsorption and further influence cell behavior by charge regulation. Spatially varying microdomains with different levels of piezoelectricity were generated via a focus laser beam-induced phase transition. In addition, after polarization, the zones with different levels of piezoelectricity showed significant differences in surface charge density. The results of scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy (SKPM) showed that the surface charge on the material exhibits a nonuniform spatial distribution after laser irradiation and polarization. Site-specific charge-mediated selective protein adsorption was demonstrated through a protein adsorption experiment. Cell behavior analysis showed that the increase in charge density was conducive to promoting cell adhesion and the formation of filopodia while the nonuniform spatial distribution of charge promoted an oriented arrangement of cells; both features accelerated cell migration. This study provides a new method for spatially regulating protein adsorption through surface charges to further influence cell behaviors.

A functional natural deep eutectic solvent based on trehalose: Structural and physicochemical properties.

In this study, the natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) based on trehalose and choline chloride have been prepared to enhance the protein thermostability. The results of fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy suggested that there were intensive hydrogen-bonding interactions between trehalose and choline chloride in TCCL3-DES and TCCL3-DES75. The physicochemical properties of TCCL3-DES and TCCL3-DES75 were investigated in the temperature range of 293.15-363.15K. Our results revealed that the thermostability of lysozyme, a model protein used in this study was dramatically increased in TCCL3-DES75, as evidenced by the disappearance of the denaturing peak from their Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) traces. The results of circular dichroism (CD) experiments further demonstrated that the lysozyme in TCCL3-DES75 unfolded partially at 90°C and recovered to the initial structure at 20°C. The study suggests that TCCL3-DES75 might be a potential solvent for stabilizing proteins.

Rapid determination of dopamine in human plasma using a gold nanoparticle-based dual-mode sensing system.

Dopamine plays a very important role in biological systems and has a direct relationship with the ability of learning and cognition, human desires, feelings and mental state, as well as motor functions. Traditional methods for the detection of dopamine are complicated and time-consuming, therefore it is necessary to explore rapid and accurate detection of dopamine with high sensitivity and specificity. Herein we report a dual-mode system of colorimetric and fluorometric analyses based on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and aptamers specifically targeting dopamine. Aptamers modified with the fluorophore were used as dopamine specific recognition probe and the sensing mechanism is based on the color change of AuNPs and the fluorescence recovery of fluorophore conjugated on the aptamers in the presence of dopamine. The addition of aptamers into AuNPs colloid solution would prevent the AuNPs from aggregation in the high-salt solution. The close distance between AuNPs and fluorophore conjugated on the aptamers would lead to the quenching of fluorescence signal. In the presence of dopamine, the conformation of the aptamers and the inter-particle distance would be changed, leading to the aggregation of AuNPs, which subsequently results in color change from red to blue and fluorescence signal recovery. The dual-mode sensing system demonstrated high specificity towards dopamine with the detection limit as low as 78.7 nM. The sensing system reflects on its simplicity as no surface functionalization is required for the nanoparticles, leading to less laborious and more cost-effective synthesis. The reaction time is only 6 min, demonstrating a simple approach for rapid analysis of dopamine. More importantly, the sensing system allows the detection of dopamine in both aqueous solution and complicated biological sample with sensitive response, illustrating the feasibility and reliability for the potential applications in clinical and biomedical analysis in the future.

Aqueous two-phase system based on natural quaternary ammonium compounds for the extraction of proteins.

Aqueous two-phase systems, based on the use of natural quaternary ammonium compounds, were developed to establish a benign biotechnological route for efficient protein separation. In this study, aqueous two-phase systems of two natural resources betaine and choline with polyethyleneglycol (PEG400/600) or inorganic salts (K2 HPO4 /K3 PO4 ) were formed. It was shown that in the K2 HPO4 -containing aqueous two-phase system, hydrophobic interactions were an important driving force of protein partitioning, while protein size played a vital role in aqueous two-phase systems that contained polyethylene glycol. An extraction efficiency of more than 90% for bovine serum albumin in the betaine/K2 HPO4 aqueous two-phase system can be obtained, and this betaine-based aqueous two-phase system provided a gentle and stable environment for the protein. In addition, after investigation of the cluster phenomenon in the betaine/K2 HPO4 aqueous two-phase systems, it was suggested that this phenomenon also played a significant role for protein extraction in this system. The development of aqueous two-phase systems based on natural quaternary ammonium compounds not only provided an effective and greener method of aqueous two-phase system to meet the requirements of green chemistry but also may help to solve the mystery of the compartmentalization of biomolecules in cells.

Enzymatic selective synthesis of 1,3-DAG based on deep eutectic solvent acting as substrate and solvent.

In this study, enzymatic selective esterification of oleic acid with glycerol based on deep eutectic solvent acting as substrate and solvent was studied. As choline chloride (ChCl) or betaine can effectively change the chemical reaction characteristics of glycerol when they are mixed with a certain molar ratio of glycerol, several factors crucial to the lipase catalytic esterification of glycerol with oleic acid was investigated. Results showed that, betaine had more moderate effects than ChCl on the lipase, and water content had an important influence of the esterification and the enzyme selectivity. Significant changes of the glyceride compositions and enzyme selectivity were found in ChCl adding system compared with pure glycerol system; optimum accumulation of DAG especially 1,3-DAG because of the eutectic effect of ChCl was found in this system. Furthermore, in a model 1,3-DAG esterification synthesis system catalyzed by Novozym 435, high content (42.9 mol%) of the 1,3-DAG could be obtained in ChCl adding system within 1 h.

Childhood obesity and food intake.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of obesity among children is growing in China at present. Childhood obesity reflects complex interactions of genetic, environmental, social and behavioral factors. Foods, nutritional components, and food intake patterns may be associated with the increasing obesity rate in children. DATA SOURCES: Articles about the relationship between childhood obesity and food intake were collected from the databases including Web of Knowledge, PubMed, Elsevier and Google Scholar. RESULTS: Foods and nutritional components such as calcium, dietary fiber are inversely related to obesity, whereas others such as vitamin B and sugar-sweeten beverages play a positive role in obesity development. The differences in food intake pattern also influence the risk of obesity. CONCLUSIONS: Food intake is an important factor influencing childhood obesity. One strategy to prevent childhood obesity is to take foods of moderate amount in a proper pattern.

Enzymatic synthesis of phytosterol esters catalyzed by Candida rugosa lipase in water-in-[Bmim]PF6 microemulsion.

A water-in-ionic liquid microemulsion ([Bmim]PF6/Tween20/H2O) was applied as reusable reaction medium to esterify phytosterols with fatty acid by Candida rugosa lipase (CRL) successfully. Two kinds of commercial CRLs, AY30 and AYS which cannot effectively catalyze esterification in conventional reaction system were found effective in the microemulsion system. Effects of reaction parameters on esterification were investigated; results showed that the conversion rate of 87.9 and 95.1 % was obtained in 24 and 48 h of reaction, respectively, under the optimized condition: the molar ratio of water to Tween 20 (w 0 value) at 5.4, Tween 20 at a concentration of 305 mM, 50 °C,pH 7.4, 10 % of enzyme loading (w/w, with respect to total reactants), and phytosterols/lauric acid molar ratio of 1:2. Moreover, by using n-hexane as the extraction agent, the lipase-encapsulated microemulsion could be reused at least seven times (>168 h) without significant changes in the conversion rate, while achieving a purpose of simple separation and purification.

Production, purification and application of polysaccharide-based bioflocculant by Paenibacillus mucilaginosus.

The production and purification of polysaccharide-based bioflocculants (PSBs) by Paenibacillus mucilaginosus GIM1.16 in metal ion-supplemented medium and basal medium were evaluated. Three purified PSB1-1, PSB2-1 and PSB3-1 possessed different monosaccharide composition and their molecular weights were 2.53 × 10(6), 7.77 × 10(6) and 13.2 × 10(6)Da, respectively. FT-IR spectrometry indicated the presence of hydroxyl, carboxyl and phosphate groups in the three samples. Scanning electron microscopy showed that they had linear structure. The potential of these PSBs on wastewater treatment was evaluated. Among them, PSB1-1 exhibited the best performance, as it had high flocculating activities (above 94%) at 0.5-4 mg/L and could achieve high flocculating activities (above 97%) in the kaolin suspensions of pH 3-9. PSB1-1 was the key factor that might explain the enhanced flocculating activity of the supernatant from metal ion-supplemented medium. The performance of PSB1-1 on industrial wastewater was also satisfactory. PSB1-1 might be a good candidate as bioflocculant.

Synthesis of structured lipids by lipase-catalyzed interesterification of triacetin with camellia oil methyl esters and preliminary evaluation of their plasma lipid-lowering effect in mice.

Structured lipids (SLCTs triacylglycerols with short- and long-chain acyl residues) were synthesized by interesterification of triacetin and fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) from camellia oil, followed by molecular distillation for purification. Different commercial immobilized lipases (Lipozyme RM IM and Novozyme 435), the substrate molar ratios of FAMEs to triacetin, the reaction temperatures and the lipase amounts were studied for their efficiency in producing SLCTs. Results showed that Novozyme 435 was more suitable for this reaction system. Moreover, the optimal reaction conditions for the highest conversion of FAMEs and the highest LLS-TAGs (triacylglycerols with one short- and two long-chain acyl residues) yields were achieved at a molar ratio of FAMEs to triacetin of 3:1, 50 °C of reaction temperature and a lipase amount of 4% (w/v). Scale-up was conducted based on the optimized reaction conditions. Results showed that after 24 h of reaction , the conversion rate of FAMEs was 82.4% and the rate of disubstituted triacetin was 52.4 mol%. The final product yield rate was 94.6%. The effects of the synthesized SLCTs on the plasma lipid level of fasting mice were also studied. The SLCTs could effectively lessen the total triacylglycerol levels in plasma compared to the triacylglycerol group in fasting NIH mice. It suggested that this type of structured lipid might be beneficial for human health, especially for the prevention of obesity.

Lotus seed epicarp extract as potential antioxidant and anti-obesity additive in Chinese Cantonese Sausage.

The antioxidative activities of a lotus seed epicarp extract in different concentrations (6.25, 12.5, 25, 50 and 100 µg.mL(-1)) in pork homogenates representative of Chinese Cantonese Sausage were evaluated using three methods: thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) values, peroxide values (POVs) and acid values (AVs). Also the cytotoxic and anti-obesity effects of the lotus seed epicarp extracts were evaluated using an in vitro 3T3-L1 preadipocyte cell model. Results showed that the lotus seed epicarp extracts were non-toxic and effective in inhibiting preadipocyte differentiation. Supplementation of pork homogenate with lotus seed epicarp extracts was effective in retarding lipid oxidation. Moreover, the antioxidative and preadipocyte differentiation inhibition effects of the lotus seed epicarp extracts were dose-dependent. Thus, the lotus seed epicarp extract might be a good candidate as an antioxidant and anti-obesity natural additive in Chinese Cantonese Sausage.

Tyrosinase inhibitory effects and antioxidative activities of novel cinnamoyl amides with amino acid ester moiety.

Nine cinnamoyl amides with amino acid ester (CAAE) moiety were synthesized by the conjugation of the corresponding cinnamic acids (cinnamic acid, 4-hydroxy cinnamic acid, ferulic acid and caffeic acid) with amino acid esters, and their inhibitory effects on the activities of mushroom tyrosinase were investigated, using l-3,4-dihydroxyl-phenylalanine (l-DOPA) as the substrate. Among these CAAE amides, ethyl N-[3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1-oxo-2-propen-1-yl]-l-phenylalaninate (b(4)) showed the strongest inhibitory activity; the IC(50) was 0.18 µM. The IC(50) values, inhibition types, inhibition mechanisms and kinetics of all these CAAE amides were evaluated. A structure-activity relationship (SAR) study found that the inhibitory effects were potentiated with the increasing length of hydrocarbon chains at the amino acid esters and also influenced by the substituents at the styrene groups. Furthermore, the hydroxyl radical scavenging and anti-lipid peroxidation activities of four CAAE derivatives were also investigated. Among these compounds, b(3) (ethyl N-[3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1-oxo-2-propen-1-yl]-l-phenylalaninate) and b(4) exhibited potential antioxidant activities.

Patterned growth of vertically aligned silicon nanowire arrays for label-free DNA detection using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

Patterning is of paramount importance in many areas of modern science and technology. As a good candidate for novel nanoscale optoelectronics and miniaturized molecule sensors, vertically aligned silicon nanowire (SiNW) with controllable location and orientation is highly desirable. In this study, we developed an effective procedure for the fabrication of vertically aligned SiNW arrays with micro-sized features by using single-step photolithography and silver nanoparticle-induced chemical etching at room temperature. We demonstrated that the vertically aligned SiNW arrays can be used as a platform for label-free DNA detection using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), where the inherent "fingerprint" SERS spectra allows for the differentiation of closely related biospecies. Since the SiNW array patterns could be modified by simply varying the mask used in the photolithographic processing, it is expected that the methodology can be used to fabricate label-free DNA microarrays and may be applicable to tissue engineering, which aims to create living tissue substitutes from cells seeded onto 3D scaffolds.

Covalent conjugation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes with proteins.

Linkage of proteins to carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is fundamentally important for applications of CNTs in medicinal and biological fields, as well as in biosensor or chemically modulated nanoelectronic devices. In this contribution, we provide a detailed protocol for the synthesis and characterization of covalent CNT-protein adducts. Functionalization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with proteins has been achieved by the initial carboxylation of MWCNTs followed by amidation with the desired proteins. Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements validated the presence of a covalent linkage between MWCNTs and proteins. The visualization of proteins on the surface of MWCNTs was furthermore achieved using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The protein-conjugated nanocomposites can also be assembled into multidimensional addressable heterostructures through highly specific biomolecular recognition system (e.g., antibody-antigen).

Effects of carbon nanotubes on the proliferation and differentiation of primary osteoblasts.

This chapter provides a detailed protocol for studying the effects of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the proliferation, differentiation, adipocytic transdifferentiation, and mineralization of primary osteoblasts. SWNTs, DWNTs, and MWNTs with the same mean length and various diameters were shown to reduce the viability of osteoblasts and inhibit the adipocytic transdifferentiation in both time- and dose-dependent manners. The order of inhibition effect is SWNTs > DWNTs > MWNTs. CNTs were found to inhibit the formation of mineralized nodules greatly and dose-dependently during the final stage of osteoblast differentiation, causing a 50% decrease in the formation of mineralized nodules at the concentration of 50 microg/mL. The expression of important proteins such as Runx-2 and Col-I in osteoblasts was also greatly inhibited by the CNTs. TEM results revealed that the effects on cellular behavior may be exerted by the CNTs from in- and outside of the cells.