Impact of polyphenol-loaded edible starch nanomaterials on antioxidant capacity and gut microbiota.

Starch nanoparticles (SNPs) have the capability to adsorb polyphenol components from apple pomace efficiently, forming bound polyphenols (P-SNPs). These bound polyphenols may have potential bioactivities to affect human health positively. Therefore, in-depth in vivo observation of the antioxidant activity and evaluation of its gut microbiota regulatory function are essential. The results revealed that P-SNPs indicated significant scavenging abilities against DPPH, ABTS, and hydroxyl radicals. Furthermore, the nanomaterials exhibited non-toxic properties, devoid of hepatorenal and intestinal damage, while concurrently stimulating the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) within the gastrointestinal tract. Notably, P-SNPs significantly enhanced antioxidant capacity in serum, liver, and kidney tissues, fostering the proliferation of beneficial bacteria (Lactobacillus, Bacillus, norank_f__Muribaculaceae) while suppressing pathogenic bacterial growth (Helicobacter, Odoribacter). This study proposes a novel research concept for the scientific use of polyphenols in promoting gut health.

Investigation the nutritional properties of Auricularia auricula pulp fermented with Lactobacillus strains and their effects on gut microbiota.

BACKGROUND: Auricularia auricula is rich in bioactive components, and microbial fermentation can further dramatically increase its content and bioavailability. However, there are few studies on the relationship between fermented A. auricula pulp (FAAP) and gut microbiota. In this study, standard strains Lactobacillus plantarum 21801 and 21805 purchased from the China Center of Industrial Culture Collection were used to ferment A. auricula pulp at a ratio of 2:1, with an inoculum of 5%, a fermentation temperature of 31 °C, and a fermentation time of 22 h. The nutritional properties, aroma, and color of FAAP and their effects on the body characteristics of mice and the structure and abundance of gut microbiota are discussed. RESULTS: The results showed that, compared with A. auricula pulp, FAAP significantly increased the nutritional properties while maintaining favorable sensory quality and flavor profiles. Among them, the content of total polyphenols and total flavonoids reached 22.04 µg mL-1 and 20.56 µg mL-1 respectively, and the 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid free-radical scavenging rate increased to 73.21%. The consumption of FAAP had no negative effects on weight or liver and kidney function in mice and dramatically enhanced the antioxidant capacity in the liver and serum. The production of short-chain fatty acids in the gut was promoted, the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria (Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, norank_f__Muribaculaceae and unclassified_f__Lachnospiraceae) increased, and the growth of some pathogenic bacteria (Helicobacter, Mucispirillum, and Alloprevotella) was inhibited. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that FAAP is rich in nutrients and has unique functional properties that promote host health and regulate the gut microbiota. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Leveraging a disulfidptosis-related signature to predict the prognosis and immunotherapy effectiveness of cutaneous melanoma based on machine learning.

BACKGROUND: Disulfidptosis is a recently discovered programmed cell death pathway. However, the exact molecular mechanism of disulfidptosis in cutaneous melanoma remains unclear. METHODS: In this study, clustering analysis was performed using data from public databases to construct a prognostic model, which was subsequently externally validated. The biological functions of the model genes were then investigated through various experimental techniques, including qRT-PCR, Western blotting, CCK-8 assay, wound healing assay, and Transwell assay. RESULTS: We constructed a signature using cutaneous melanoma (CM) data, which accurately predicts the overall survival (OS) of patients. The predictive value of this signature for prognosis and immune therapy response was validated using multiple external datasets. High-risk CM subgroups may exhibit decreased survival rates, alterations in the tumor microenvironment (TME), and increased tumor mutation burden. We initially verified the expression levels of five optimum disulfidptosis-related genes (ODRGs) in normal tissues and CM. The expression levels of these genes were further confirmed in HaCaT cells and three melanoma cell lines using qPCR and protein blotting analysis. HLA-DQA1 emerged as the gene with the highest regression coefficient in our risk model, highlighting its role in CM. Mechanistically, HLA-DQA1 demonstrated the ability to suppress CM cell growth, proliferation, and migration. CONCLUSION: In this study, a novel signature related to disulfidptosis was constructed, which accurately predicts the survival rate and treatment sensitivity of CM patients. Additionally, HLA-DQA1 is expected to be a feasible therapeutic target for effective clinical treatment of CM.

Effect of different amounts of fruit peel-based activator combined with phosphate-solubilizing bacteria on enhancing phytoextraction of Cd from farmland soil by ryegrass.

To improve the uptake of heavy metals by plants and increase the effectiveness of phytoextraction, chelating agents are employed to change the speciation of heavy metals in soil and increase their bioavailability. However, the effect of a single activator is limited. In recent years, compound activators have been applied widely to improve phytoextraction efficiency. In this study, a fruit peel-based activator (OG) was prepared, containing a mixture of orange peel extracts and tetrasodium glutamate diacetate (GLDA) (1.6% v/v) in a ratio of 1:1 (v/v). The pot experiment was used to investigate the effects of different amounts of OG combined with phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (Acinetobacter pitti, AP) on the extraction of Cd from farmland soil by ryegrass (Lolium perenne L). The results indicated that the addition of OG and AP increased the pH and EC of the soil and improved the content of nutrient elements in the soil. The optimal combination of the application rates of OG and AP improved the growth of ryegrass and enhanced the phytoextraction of Cd. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that total soil nitrogen had the greatest influence on phytoextraction, with a contribution rate of 85.3%, followed by pH, with a contribution rate of 7.7%. Total nitrogen, pH, available phosphorus, alkaline nitrogen, and total organic matter were correlated positively with plant Cd, soil Cd decrease ratio, and the bioaccumulation factor but negatively with total Cd and available Cd. Based on the findings of this study, it is feasible to apply the fruit peel-based activator (amended with GLDA) and phosphate-solubilizing bacteria to enhance phytoextraction of Cd, which will provide a valuable reference for the treatment of heavy metal-contaminated soils and the reutilization of fruit peel waste. When applying the compound activator, it is recommended to consider the influence of the additional amount of compound activator on the extraction efficiency.

Evaluation of chemical composition, antioxidant activity, and gut microbiota associated with pumpkin juice fermented by Rhodobacter sphaeroides.

To prepare pumpkin juice (PJ) rich in coenzyme Q10, this study analyzed the chemical composition, antioxidant activity, and gut microbiota of pumpkin juice fermented by Rhodobacter sphaeroides (RPJ). The number of viable bacteria in the juice reached 2.8 × 108 CFU/mL; the fermentation process mainly consumed glucose and sucrose; the total sugar content was reduced, ß-carotene was reduced, and a new antioxidant substance, coenzyme Q10, appeared at a content of 12.345 mg/L; levels of volatile alcohols, esters, and ketones significantly increased; and antioxidation ability improved, particularly the ferric ion reducing antioxidant power activity. The gut microbiota of mice shifted by increasing Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium and protected the gut barrier by reducing Proteobacteria after 48 h of fermentation. Pumpkin juice fermented by Rhodobacter sphaeroides not only produces bioactive substances with antioxidant capacity but can also regulate the gut microbiota of mice.

Preparation of edible starch nanomaterials for the separation of polyphenols from fruit pomace extract and determination of their adsorption properties.

Apple polyphenols are abundantly present in apple pomace, and their applications are limited by the low efficiency of traditional extraction methods and the tendency to pollute the environment. Starch nanoparticles (SNPs) have received much attention due to their renewable, low cost and biocompatibility. The aim of this study was to prepare SNPs of different sizes from corn starch using ultrasonic-assisted chemical precipitation with adsorption of apple polyphenols, investigate the relationship between particle size and adsorption, while experiments were performed to assess antioxidant activity, simulate in vivo digestion and polyphenol release. The results showed that the smaller the particle size of SNPs the higher the adsorption of polyphenols, and the combination of characterization and adsorption kinetics showed that this adsorption was a physicochemical binding process. DPPH radical scavenging activity showed that polyphenols bound to SNPs were more stable than free polyphenols. In vitro simulation of digestion and release processes, SNPs loaded with polyphenols showed better anti-digestive properties, polyphenols are released in small amounts in gastric juices and continuously in intestinal juices. Our results provide a theoretical basis for the direct separation of polyphenols from fruit pomace polyphenol extracts using nanomaterials and the industrial utilization of polyphenol products.

Red Cell Distribution Width-to-High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Ratio (RHR): A Promising Novel Predictor for Preoperative Deep Vein Thrombosis in Geriatric Patients with Hip Fracture.

Background: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a devastating complication in geriatric patients before hip fracture surgery, and the predictive value of red cell distribution width (RDW) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) for DVTs after hip fracture remains to be established. This study aimed to assess the predictive value of RDW, HDL-C, and RDW-to-HDL-C ratio (RHR) in preoperative DVTs screening. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of geriatric patients (≥65 years old) admitted for hip fracture surgery between 2015 and 2020. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and related parameters were used to evaluate the predictive value of the biomarkers. Patients were divided into two groups according to the cutoff value of RHR, and propensity score matching (PSM) and subgroup analyses were performed to assess the true correlations between RHR and DVT. Results: Among 2566 eligible patients included, we identified RDW with the area under ROC curve (AUC) of 0.532, cut-off value of 15.89, specificity of 88.2%, sensitivity of 18.2%, HDL-C with AUC of 0.574, cut-off value of 1.20, specificity of 55.6%, sensitivity of 59.3%, and RHR with AUC of 0.578, cut-off value of 13.45, specificity of 71.3%, sensitivity of 43.4%. RHR (>13.45) was independently associated with 1.54-fold risk (95% CI: 1.11-2.14, P=0.011) of DVTs among the post-PSM cohort. And compared with the counterparts, the relative risk of RHR associated with DVT was higher in the subgroups of aged 65-79 years (1.61 vs 1.45), non-hypoproteinemia (2.70 vs 1.29), non-diabetic (1.58 vs 1.41), non-hypertension (2.40 vs 1.06), ASA score I-II (2.38 vs 1.04), and femoral neck fracture (1.70 vs 1.50). Conclusion: RDW, HDL-C and RHR were valuable biomarkers in predicting preoperative DVTs in geriatric patients with hip fracture, and RHR would be more efficient in the subgroups of younger age, better medical condition or femoral neck fracture.

Efficient removal of pefloxacin from aqueous solution by acid-alkali modified sludge-based biochar: adsorption kinetics, isotherm, thermodynamics, and mechanism.

In this paper, one kind of acid-alkali modified sludge-based biochar (ASBC) was synthesized, characterized, and employed as adsorbent for the removal of pefloxacin. The characterization results showed that the specific surface area (SSA) of ASBC (53.381 m2/g) was significantly higher than that of SBC (24.411 m2/g). ASBC had a rougher surface, larger particle distribution, lower zero point charge, and richer functional groups (e.g., C-O and O-H) than SBC. The adsorption capacity of ASBC was 1.82 times than that of SBC. After 8 adsorption cycles in reuse experiment, the adsorption capacity of ASBC for pefloxacin still reached 144.08 mg/L, indicating that ASBC has good reusability. Static experiments showed that the optimal pH value was 6.0 in the adsorption of pefloxacin on SBC and ASBC. The result of adsorption kinetics indicated that the pseudo-second-order model could describe well the adsorption process. The Freundlich model was better than the Langmuir model to describe the adsorption of pefloxacin by ASBC, indicating that the adsorption process was mainly multilayer adsorption. Thermodynamic result showed that the adsorption of pefloxacin by ASBC was spontaneous and endothermic. The removal mechanism of pefloxacin by ASBC is mainly the substitution reaction and π-π EDA interaction. In summary, acid-alkali modified biochar is an effective adsorbent for pefloxacin in aqueous solution, and has great application prospects.