Astaxanthin Ameliorates Skeletal Muscle Atrophy in Mice With Cancer Cachexia.

Astaxanthin (AST) is a natural marine carotenoid with a variety of biological activities. This study aimed to demonstrate the possible mechanisms by which AST improves skeletal muscle atrophy in cancer cachexia. In this study, the effects of different doses of AST (30 mg/kg b.w., 60 mg/kg b.w. and 120 mg/kg b.w.) on skeletal muscle functions were explored in mice with cancer cachexia. The results showed that AST (30, 60 and 120 mg/kg b.w.) could effectively protect cachexia mice from body weight and skeletal muscle loss. AST dose-dependently ameliorated the decrease in myofibres cross-sectional area and increased the expression of myosin heavy chain (MHC). AST treatment decreased both the serum and muscle level of IL-6 but not TNF-α in C26 tumor-bearing cachexia mice. Moreover, AST alleviated skeletal muscle atrophy by decreasing the expression of two muscle-specific E3 ligases MAFBx and MuRF-1. AST improved mitochondrial function by downregulating the levels of muscle Fis1, LC3B and Bax, upregulating the levels of muscle Mfn2 and Bcl-2. In conclusion, our study show that AST might be expected to be a nutritional supplement for cancer cachexia patients.

Ameliorative Effect of Mannuronate Oligosaccharides on Hyperuricemic Mice via Promoting Uric Acid Excretion and Modulating Gut Microbiota.

Mannuronate oligosaccharide (MOS) is α-D-mannuronic acid polymer with 1,4-glycosidic linkages that possesses beneficial biological properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the hypouricemic effect of MOS in hyperuricemic mice and demonstrate the possible protective mechanisms involved. In this research, 200 mg/kg/day of MOS was orally administered to hyperuricemic mice for four weeks. The results showed that the MOS treatment significantly reduced the serum uric acid (SUA) level from 176.4 ± 7.9 µmol/L to 135.7 ± 10.9 µmol/L (p < 0.05). MOS alleviated the inflammatory response in the kidney. Moreover, MOS promoted uric acid excretion by regulating the protein levels of renal GLUT9, URAT1 and intestinal GLUT9, ABCG2. MOS modulated the gut microbiota in hyperuricemic mice and decreased the levels of Tyzzerella. In addition, research using antibiotic-induced pseudo-sterile mice demonstrated that the gut microbiota played a crucial role in reducing elevated serum uric acid of MOS in mice. In conclusion, MOS may be a potential candidate for alleviating HUA symptoms and regulating gut microbiota.

Sun-Dried and Air-Dried Kappaphycus alvarezii Attenuates 5-Fluorouracil-Induced Intestinal Mucositis in Mice.

5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-induced intestinal mucositis (IM) often makes chemotherapy patients suffer from physical and psychological suffering. Kappaphycus alvarezii (KA) is known for its potent multiple biological activities from decades. In the current study, we explored the effect of sun-dried and air-dried Kappaphycus alvarezii as a whole food supplement on 5-FU-induced IM. Diets supplemented with sun-dried Kappaphycus alvarezii (SKA, 3%), air-dried Kappaphycus alvarezii (AKA, 3%), and 5-aminosalicylic acid (0.005%) for consecutive14 days. While intraperitoneal injection of 5-FU (50 mg/kg) induced IM for last three consecutive days, and IM was assessed by the disease activity index (DAI) and inflammatory cytokine levels. Pretreatment of KA could alleviate phenotypic index, inhibit the increase of DAI, and reverse villus/crypt ratio. On the 14th day, AKA significantly increased the weight growth rate of the mice. The intervention of SKA significantly reduced the level of TNF-α and IL-1ß (P < 0.01, P < 0.01), while the intervention of AKA significantly inhibited the level of TNF-α, IL-1ß, and LT (P < 0.01, P < 0.01, P < 0.001). Therefore, these results showed that KA as a whole food supplement might be prevent the 5-FU-induced IM. For the first time suggest that the use of AKA might be more effective than SKA despite exact mechanism still needs further study.

Dispersive solid-phase extraction cleanup combined with accelerated solvent extraction for the determination of carbamate pesticide residues in Radix Glycyrrhizae samples by UPLC-MS-MS.

Dispersive solid-phase extraction (DSPE) cleanup combined with accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) is described here as a new approach for the extraction of carbamate pesticides in Radix Glycyrrhizae samples prior to UPLC-MS-MS. In the DSPE-ASE method, 15 carbamate pesticides were extracted from Radix Glycyrrhizae samples with acetonitrile by the ASE method at 60 °C with a 5 min heating time and two static cycles. Cleanup of a 1 mL aliquot of the extract by the DSPE method used 20 mg PSA (primary secondary amine), 50 mg Al(2)O(3)-N, and 20 mg GCB (graphitized carbon black) (as cleanup sorbents) under the determined optimum conditions. The linearity of the method was in the range of 10 to 200 ng/mL with correlation coefficients (r(2)) of more than 0.996. The limits of detection were approximately 0.2 to 5.0 µg/kg. The method was successfully used for the analysis of target pesticides in Radix Glycyrrhizae samples. The recoveries of the carbamate pesticides at the spiking levels of 50, 100, and 200 µg/kg ranged from 79.7% to 99.3% with relative standard deviations lower than 10%. This multi-residue analytical method allows for a rapid, efficient, sensitive and reliable determination of target pesticides in Radix Glycyrrhizae and other medicinal herbs.

Optimization of total flavonoid compound extraction from Gynura medica leaf using response surface methodology and chemical composition analysis.

Optimization of total flavonoid compound (TFC) extraction from Gynura medica leaf was investigated using response surface methodology (RSM) in this paper. The conditions investigated were 30-60% (v/v) ethanol concentration (X(1)), 85-95 °C extraction temperature (X(2)) and 30-50 (v/w) liquid-to-solid ratio (X(3)). Statistical analysis of the experiments indicated that temperature and liquid-to-solid ratio significantly affected TFC extraction (p < 0.01). The Box-Behnken experiment design showed that polynomial regression models were in good agreement with the experimental results, with the coefficients of determination of 0.9325 for TFC yield. The optimal conditions for maximum TFC yield were 55% ethanol, 92 °C and 50 (v/w) liquid-to-solid ratio with a 30 min extraction time. Extracts from these conditions showed a moderate antioxidant value of 54.78 µmol quercetin/g dry material (DM), 137.3 µmol trolox/g DM for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 108.21 µmol quercetin/g DM, 242.31 µmol trolox/g DM for 2,2-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS(+)), respectively. HPLC-DAD-MS analysis showed that kaempferol-3-O-glucoside was the principal flavonoid compound in Gynura medica leaf.

[Determination of 11 carbamate pesticide residues in Glycyrrhizae radix et rhizoma and its extracts using ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with gel permeation chromatographic clean-up].

An ultra performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric method (UPLC-ESI MS/MS) has been developed for the determination of 11 carbamate pesticide residues in Glycyrrhizae radix et rhizoma and its extracts. After extracted by acetonitrile and cleaned up by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), the samples were determined by UPLC-ESI MS/MS. Glycyrrhizae radix et rhizoma and its extracts were analyzed as model examples. When the spiked levels were 0.02, 0.04, and 0.1 mg/kg in the samples, the average recoveries of 11 carbamate pesticides from Glycyrrhizae radix et rhizoma were obtained from 72.2% to 94.0%, the relative standard deviations (RSDs) ranged from 0.7% to 7.8%. The average recoveries of 11 carbamate pesticides in Glycyrrhizae radix et rhizoma extract ranged from 73.8% to 94.7% and the RSDs ranged from 1.5% to 12.7%. The sensitivity, accuracy, and precision of this method can meet the requirements of the pesticide residue analysis, and the method can be applied to determine carbamate pesticide residues in Glycyrrhizae radix et rhizoma, Astragali radix and their extracts.