A novel anthocyanin indicator film with rosmarinic acid copigmentation having enhanced stability and pH indicator ability for monitoring pork freshness.

BACKGROUND: Anthocyanin-based pH-sensing films have been widely fabricated for potential application in monitoring food freshness. However, the color fading of anthocyanins limits their application for the food industry due to their low stability. In addition, the color sensitivity and pH indicator ability of anthocyanin-based films currently available are not satisfied and need to be improved. RESULTS: Chitosan/xanthan gum (CX)-based colorimetric films with addition of purple cabbage anthocyanin (PAN) and different amounts of rosmarinic acid (RA) were fabricated. RA copigmentation in chitosan/xanthan gum-purple cabbage anthocyanin-rosmarinic acid (CX-P-RA) films significantly improved the stability and pH response sensitivity of PAN, and the combined copigmentation of RA and xanthan gum exhibited an additive effect. The addition of RA significantly improved the tensile strength and elongation at break, thermal stability, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of CX-P-RA films. Moreover, addition of RA enhanced the pH sensitivity and colorimetry of CX-P-RA films, which exhibited a good response to different pH values. CX-P-RA2 film was tested to monitor the freshness of pork. It showed visible color changes during the storage of pork. In addition, the ∆E of CX-P-RA2 film was highly correlated with changes in total volatile basic nitrogen in pork (R2 = 0.951). CONCLUSION: These results indicated that CX-P-RA2 film can be used as a pH-sensing indicator with good stability and high sensitivity for real-time monitoring of pork freshness. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Colorimetric indicator based on chitosan/gelatin with nano-ZnO and black peanut seed coat anthocyanins for application in intelligent packaging.

Chitosan/gelatin (CG) based intelligent pH-sensing indicator films were fabricated by incorporating zinc oxide nanoparticles (nano-ZnO) (CGZ) and different amounts of black peanut seed coat anthocyanins (BPCSA) (CGZ-h). Chitosan/gelatin showed good compatibility with anthocyanins and nano-ZnO, and the addition of nano-ZnO and BPSCA did not affect the original crystal structure of films. Addition with BPSCA simultaneously increased the tensile strength and elongation at break of CGZ-h films. BPSCA decreased the water vapor permeability, whereas they increased the UV barrier property of the CGZ-h films. CGZ-h films exerted strong antioxidant and antibacterial activities, which mainly attributed to the BPSCA and nano-ZnO, respectively. CGZ-h films presented good pH-sensing color-change properties in different buffer solutions. The CGZ-h2 film was used to monitor the freshness of shrimp at 4 °C. The result showed that distinctive color change of the CGZ-h2 film was highly correlated with the change of the total volatile basic nitrogen, pH and total viable count of shrimp. These results revealed the potential application of CGZ-h for real-time monitoring the freshness of food.

Upregulated circRNA_102231 promotes gastric cancer progression and its clinical significance.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a type of endogenous non-coding RNAs implicated in cancer progression. This study explored the expression levels, clinical implication and possible molecular mechanism of circRNA_102231 in gastric cancer (GC). Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) was used to analyze differentially expressed circRNAs. CircRNA_102231 expression was verified by qRT-PCR in GC tissues and plasma. The effects of circRNA_102231 was tested by CCK-8, colony formation, EdU and Transwell assays and xenograft tumor model. RNA pull-down and immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays were used to analyze the interaction between circRNA_102231 and IRTKS. CircRNA_102231 expression was significantly upregulated in GC tissue and plasma samples, which can be used as a biomarker for GC diagnosis and prognosis. The function assays showed that circRNA_102231 knockdown inhibited GC cell proliferation and invasion both in vitro and in vivo. CircRNA_102231 was able to bind to IRTKS, increasing IRTKS protein stability, leading to GC progression. Overexpression of IRTKS effectively rescued the reduced cell viability and invasion caused by silencing of circRNA_102231. In sum, our data demonstrate that circRNA_102231 is a novel oncogene in GC and acts as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for GC patients.AbbreviationscircRNAs: circular RNAs; GC: gastric cancer; GEO: Gene Expression Omnibus; RIP: RNA immunoprecipitation; DEGs: differentially expressed genes.

Punicic acid ameliorates obesity and liver steatosis by regulating gut microbiota composition in mice.

This study aimed to elucidate the effect of punicic acid (PUA, cis9,trans11,cis13-18 : 3) on obesity and liver steatosis in mice induced by high-fat diet (HFD), and to explore the possible mechanism. Mice were fed with either a HFD or a control diet for 8 weeks. Half of HFD-mice received daily supplementation of PUA. Supplementation with PUA ameliorated the liver steatosis and obesity in mice fed by HFD, as demonstrated by the decreased hepatic triglyceride accumulation, body weight gain and fat weight. A HFD increased the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes, whereas supplementation with PUA effectively restored it. PUA supplementation counteracted the upregulation in family Desulfovibrionaceae and Helicobacteraceae, and the downregulation in Muribaculaceae and Bacteroidaceae induced by HFD. Correspondingly, the family of Desulfovibrionaceae was positively related, whereas Muribaculaceae was negatively related to the amount of epididymal and perirenal fat, and the level of liver triglyceride and total cholesterol. The family Helicobacteraceae was also positively related to the amount of epididymal and perirenal fat. Moreover, PUA supplementation counteracted the increase in the population of Anaerotruncus, Faecalibaculim, Mucispirillum, and the decrease in the population of Lactobacillus, Roseburia, Oscillibacter at the genus level induced by HFD. These results demonstrated that PUA can at least in part ameliorate obesity and liver steatosis in mice induced by HFD by regulating gut microbiota composition.

Effect of chitosan-carvacrol coating on the quality of Pacific white shrimp during iced storage as affected by caprylic acid.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of chitosan-carvacrol coating with or without caprylic acid (CAP) on the quality of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) during 10days of iced storage. The result showed that chitosan-carvacrol coating significantly inhibited the increase in total aerobic plate count (TPC), pH and total volatile basic nitrogen content (TVB-N) of shrimp in comparison with the control. Chitosan-carvacrol coating also delayed the melanosis formation and changes of ΔE values, and improved the texture and sensory properties of shrimp. Moreover, incorporation of CAP potentiated the efficacy of chitosan-carvacrol coating in retarding the increase of TPC and TVB-N. Incorporation of CAP into chitosan-carvacrol coating also enabled the texture characteristics of shrimp to be retained greater degrees. These results suggested that chitosan-carvacrol coating may be promising to be used as active packaging for extending the shelf life, and incorporation of CAP may enhance the efficacy of the coating.

Ascorbyl palmitate/d-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate monoester mixed micelles for prolonged circulation and targeted delivery of compound K for antilung cancer therapy in vitro and in vivo.

The roles of ginsenoside compound K (CK) in inhibiting tumor have been widely recognized in recent years. However, low water solubility and significant P-gp efflux have restricted its application. In this study, CK ascorbyl palmitate (AP)/d-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate monoester (TPGS) mixed micelles were prepared as a delivery system to increase the absorption and targeted antitumor effect of CK. Consequently, the solubility of CK increased from 35.2±4.3 to 1,463.2±153.3 µg/mL. Furthermore, in an in vitro A549 cell model, CK AP/TPGS mixed micelles significantly inhibited cell growth, induced G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest, induced cell apoptosis, and inhibited cell migration compared to free CK, all indicating that the developed micellar delivery system could increase the antitumor effect of CK in vitro. Both in vitro cellular fluorescence uptake and in vivo near-infrared imaging studies indicated that AP/TPGS mixed micelles can promote cellular uptake and enhance tumor targeting. Moreover, studies in the A549 lung cancer xenograft mouse model showed that CK AP/TPGS mixed micelles are an efficient tumor-targeted drug delivery system with an effective antitumor effect. Western blot analysis further confirmed that the marked antitumor effect in vivo could likely be due to apoptosis promotion and P-gp efflux inhibition. Therefore, these findings suggest that the AP/TPGS mixed micellar delivery system could be an efficient delivery strategy for enhanced tumor targeting and antitumor effects.

Chitosan films and coatings containing essential oils: The antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, and application in food systems.

Chitosan edible films and coatings have shown great promise for their application in food preservation and also are promising systems to be used as essential oil (EO) carriers. This review reports the most recent and relevant studies concerning chitosan films and coatings containing EOs. The effect of EO incorporation on the antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal activities of chitosan films and coatings in vitro and in vivo, as well as their applications in food systems have been discussed. In general, incorporation of EOs significantly increased the antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal efficacy of chitosan films and coatings in vitro. EO-incorporated films and coatings also showed greater effectiveness against postharvest fungi and foodborne bacteria in food systems than pure films and coatings. The application of chitosan films and coatings containing EOs usually led to an extension of the shelf-life and reduction of lipid peroxidation of fish and meat products over pure chitosan films and coatings. In addition, chitosan coatings incorporated with EOs were more effective in maintaining fruit and vegetable quality, and controlling their postharvest decay during storage and shelf life than pure chitosan coatings.

Physical Properties, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity of Chitosan Films Containing Carvacrol and Pomegranate Peel Extract.

Chitosan-based active films were developed by incorporation of carvacrol (10 g/L), pomegranate peel extract (PPE, 10 g/L) and carvacrol + PPE (10 g/L of each) and their physical, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties were investigated. Incorporation of carvacrol and carvacrol + PPE into the films significantly decreased the water vapor permeability, tensile strength and percentage of elongation at break. Incorporation of carvacrol, PPE and carvacrol + PPE into the films decreased the transparency, but significantly increased the total phenol content and antioxidant activity. All the films, with the exception of PPE-incorporated film, exhibited antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. In addition, the antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus of the film incorporated with carvacrol + PPE was moderately higher than that incorporated with carvacrol or PPE alone, suggesting a synergistic action between carvacrol and PPE.

The association between expressions of Ras and CD68 in the angiogenesis of breast cancers.

OBJECTIVE: Angiogenesis is a critical step of breast cancer metastasis. Oncogenic Ras promotes the remodeling of cancer microenviroment. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are a prominent inflammatory cell population emerging in the microenviroment and facilitating the angiogenesis and metastasis. In the present study, we tried to investigate the relationship between the expression of Ras and infiltration of TAM, both of which could further promote angiogenesis. METHODS: Expressions of Ras, CD68 and CD34 were assessed by immunohistochemistry. The infiltration of macrophages was evaluated by counting the number of CD68(+) cells. Vessel endothelial cells were defined as CD34(+) cells. Angiogenesis vascularity was defined by microvessel density (MVD) assay through counting the number of vessels per field counted in the area of highest vascular density. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to estimate the overall survival (OS). Macrophages were derived from monocytes in the presence of macrophage colony-stimulating-factor (MCSF). Breast cancer cells were treated with macrophage-conditioned medium (MCM) and tested the expressions of K-, H- and N-Ras by using realtime-PCR. RESULTS: Ras positive status was correlated with ER, PR and Her-2 positivity, larger tumour size and lymph node metastasis, as well as higher TNM stages. A higher number of CD68(+) cells was correlated with larger tumour size, higher TNM stages and Her-2 positivity. Both Ras positivity and infiltration of CD68(+) macrophages correlated with poor OS. The number of CD68(+) cells was positively correlated with the expression of Ras. Treatment with MCM did not up-regulate but repressed the expression of Ras. Both up-regulation of Ras and infiltration of TAMs correlated with increased MVD. CONCLUSION: Expression of Ras and infiltration of TAM were positively correlated, and both participated in angiogenesis. Elevated Ras could be responsible for the infiltration of TAM.

Modulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR γ) by conjugated fatty acid in obesity and inflammatory bowel disease.

Conjugated fatty acids including conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and conjugated linolenic acid (CLNA) have drawn significant attention for their variety of biologically beneficial effects. Evidence suggested that CLA and CLNA could play physiological roles by regulating the expression and activity of PPAR γ. This review summarizes the current understanding of evidence of the role of CLA (cis-9,trans-11 CLA and trans-10,cis-12 CLA) and CLNA (punicic acid and α-eleostearic acid) in modulating the expression or activity of PPAR γ that could in turn be employed as complementary treatment for obesity and inflammatory bowel disease.

Conjugated linolenic acids and their bioactivities: a review.

Conjugated linolenic acid (CLNA) is a mixture of positional and geometric isomers of octadecatrienoic acid (α-linolenic acid, cis9,cis12,cis15-18:3 n-3) found in plant seeds. Three 8,10,12-18:3 isomers and four 9,11,13-18:3 isomers have been reported to occur naturally. CLNA isomers such as punicic acid, α-eleostearic acid and jacaric acid have been attributed to exhibit several health benefits that are largely based on animal and in vitro studies. This review has summarized and updated the evidence regarding the metabolism and bioactivities of CLNA isomers, and comprehensively discussed the recent studies on the effects of anti-carcinogenic, lipid metabolism regulation, anti-inflammatory, anti-obese and antioxidant activities of CLNA isomers. The available results may provide a potential application for CLNA isomers from natural sources, especially edible plant seeds, as effective functional food ingredients and dietary supplements for the above mentioned disease management. Further research, especially human randomized clinical trials, is warranted to investigate the detailed physiological effects, bioactivity and molecular mechanism of CLNA.

Effect of NaCl treatments on glucosinolate metabolism in broccoli sprouts.

To understand the regulation mechanism of NaCl on glucosinolate metabolism in broccoli sprouts, the germination rate, fresh weight, contents of glucosinolates and sulforaphane, as well as myrosinase activity of broccoli sprouts germinated under 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 mmol/L of NaCl were investigated in our experiment. The results showed that glucoerucin, glucobrassicin, and 4-hydroxy glucobrassicin in 7-d-old broccoli sprouts were significantly enhanced and the activity of myrosinase was inhibited by 100 mmol/L of NaCl. However, the total glucosinolate content in 7-d-old broccoli sprouts was markedly decreased although the fresh weight was significantly increased after treatment with NaCl at relatively low concentrations (20, 40, and 60 mmol/L). NaCl treatment at the concentration of 60 mmol/L for 5 d maintained higher biomass and comparatively higher content of glucosinolates in sprouts of broccoli with decreased myrosinase activity. A relatively high level of NaCl treatment (100 mmol/L) significantly increased the content of sulforaphane in 7-d-old broccoli sprouts compared with the control. These results indicate that broccoli sprouts grown under a suitable concentration of NaCl could be desirable for human nutrition.

Sucrose enhances the accumulation of anthocyanins and glucosinolates in broccoli sprouts.

The germination rate, fresh weight, as well as the contents of anthocyanins and glucosinolates in broccoli sprouts treated with different kinds of sugars, including sucrose, glucose, fructose, mannitol, and fructose/glucose (1:1), were investigated. The results showed that all the sugars induced the accumulation of anthocyanins and glucosinolates with sucrose being the most effective one. In accordance with the accumulation of anthocyanins and glucosinolates, the antioxidant level increased while treated with sucrose. The effect of sucrose on expression of genes related to anthocyanin and glucosinolate biosynthesis were also investigated. The genes involved in the biosynthesis and transcriptional regulation of anthocyanin as well as glucosinolate biosynthetic gene Bo-Elong were all up-regulated by sucrose within 12h after the sucrose treatment. The application of sucrose improved the nutrition value of broccoli sprouts by enhancing the biosynthesis of anthocyanin and glucosinolate at the level of transcription.

Incorporation and metabolism of punicic acid in healthy young humans.

The objective of this study was to investigate the incorporation and metabolism of punicic acid (PA, cis9,trans11,cis13-18:3) in healthy young humans. The study was a randomized controlled trial. After 7 days adaptation with sunflower seed kernels supplementation, 30 subjects were then divided into the control and test group (n = 15). The test group was supplemented with Trichosanthes kirilowii (TK) seed kernels containing 3 g of PA per day in the form of triacylglycerols for 28 days. The control group was provided with sunflower seed kernels. After consumption of TK seeds containing 3 g PA per day for 28 days, the proportion of PA was increased from 0.00 to 0.47% in plasma and 0.00 to 0.37% in red blood cell membranes (RBCM), respectively. The proportion of cis9,trans11-18:2 was increased from 0.05 to 0.23% in plasma and 0.03 to 0.17% in RBCM after 28 days of intervention, respectively. Our results suggest that PA can be effectively incorporated into human plasma and RBCM, and is also associated with the increasing proportion of cis9,trans11-18:2 in humans, presumably as a result of metabolism by a saturation reaction. Edible TK seeds could be a potential dietary source of conjugated linoleic acids.

Effects of different cooking methods on health-promoting compounds of broccoli.

The effects of five domestic cooking methods, including steaming, microwaving, boiling, stir-frying, and stir-frying followed by boiling (stir-frying/boiling), on the nutrients and health-promoting compounds of broccoli were investigated. The results show that all cooking treatments, except steaming, caused significant losses of chlorophyll and vitamin C and significant decreases of total soluble proteins and soluble sugars. Total aliphatic and indole glucosinolates were significantly modified by all cooking treatments but not by steaming. In general, the steaming led to the lowest loss of total glucosinolates, while stir-frying and stir-frying/boiling presented the highest loss. Stir-frying and stir-frying/boiling, the two most popular methods for most homemade dishes in China, cause great losses of chlorophyll, soluble protein, soluble sugar, vitamin C, and glucosinolates, but the steaming method appears the best in retention of the nutrients in cooking broccoli.

Punicic acid from Trichosanthes kirilowii seed oil is rapidly metabolized to conjugated linoleic acid in rats.

The incorporation and metabolism of orally administered punicic acid (PA), one isomer of conjugated linolenic acid (CLNA), in rat tissues and plasma were studied over a 24-hour period. The punic acid was derived from Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim seed oil, a unique PA-containing material, and identified and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results show that PA was incorporated and metabolized to 9c,11t-conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in rat plasma, liver, kidney, heart, brain, and adipose tissue. The level of PA and CLA in liver and plasma was higher than in brain, heart, kidney, and adipose tissue, and the lowest accumulation occurred in the brain. The observation that PA can be converted into 9c,11t-CLA has gained increased importance since it has been demonstrated that 9c,11t-CLA exerts many biological activities. Therefore natural resources containing CLNA, especially edible T. kirilowii seed, could be a potential dietary source of CLA, following PA metabolism. PA is expected to be used as a functional food and nutraceutical.

Cardiovascular pathogenesis in hyperhomocysteinemia.

Increased plasma homocysteine (Hcy) is a significant and independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It can cause multi-disease manifestations such as smooth muscle proliferation, premature occlusive vascular disease, progressive arterial stenosis, haemostatic changes, placental vasculopathy, spontaneous early abortion, birth defects, impaired cognitive function and dementia. This review paper summarizes the role of elevated Hcy levels in cardiovascular and other diseases and the molecular mechanisms and pathophysiology involved in the deleterious manifestations of hyperhomocysteinemia. We have collected data from MEDLINE, Current Contents and scientific journals, which included 112 publications from 1932 to 2007. Cardiovascular pathophysiology in hyperhomocysteinemia is a complicated process, possibly due to direct toxicity of Hcy on tissues, low S-adenosylmethionine, high S-adenosylhomocysteine or thrombotic events triggered by stimulation of procoagulant factors and suppression of anticoagulant factors and platelet activation, thereby enhancing oxidative stress, smooth muscle cell proliferation, formation of reactive oxygen species, hypomethylation, induction of unfolded protein responses and extracellular matrix modification. The mechanisms involved in the increased risk of cardiovascular disease still remains a mystery in many respects, and more studies are needed to elucidate this association.

Natural products and anti-inflammatory activity.

The aim of this review paper was to summarise some commonly available natural products and their anti-inflammatory activity. We have collected data from MEDLINE, Current Contents and scientific journals, which included 92 publications. There are numerous natural products detailed in this literature; however we have summarized a few of the most commonly available and potent ones. In this paper, the natural products with anti-inflammatory activity including curcumin, parthenolide, cucurbitacins, 1,8-cineole, pseudopterosins, lyprinol, bromelain, flavonoids, saponins, marine sponge natural products and Boswellia serrata gum resin were reviewed. Natural products play a significant role in human health in relation to the prevention and treatment of inflammatory conditions. Further studies are being conducted to investigate the mechanism of action, metabolism, safety and long term side effect of these natural products, as well as interactions between these natural products with food and drug components.