Effect of Yuzu (Citrus junos) Seed Limonoids and Spermine on Intestinal Microbiota and Hypothalamic Tissue in the Sandhoff Disease Mouse Model.

The effect of limonoids and spermine (Spm) extracted from yuzu (Citrus junos) seeds on the gut and the brain in a mouse model with Sandhoff disease (SD) was investigated. Wild-type and SD mice were fed a normal diet, or a diet supplemented with limonoid, Spm, or limonoid + Spm for 14-18 weeks, and then 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing with extracted DNA from their feces was executed. For SD control mice, intestinal microbiota was mostly composed of Lactobacillus and linked to dysbiosis. For SD and wild-type mice fed with limonoids + Spm or limonoids alone, intestinal microbiota was rich in mucin-degrading bacteria, including Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia, and Firmicutes, and displayed a higher production of short-chain fatty acids and immunoglobulin A. Additionally, SD mice fed with limonoids + Spm or limonoids alone had less inflammation in hypothalamic tissues and displayed a greater number of neurons. Administration of limonoids and/or Spm improved the proportions of beneficial intestinal microbiota to host health and reduced neuronal degeneration in SD mice. Yuzu seed limonoids and Spermine may help to maintain the homeostasis of intestinal microbiota and hypothalamic tissue in the SD mouse model.

Amelioration of Alzheimer's Disease by Gut-Pancreas-Liver-Brain Interaction in an App Knock-In Mouse Model.

In this study, we observed disease progression, changes in the gut microbiota, and interactions among the brain, liver, pancreas, and intestine in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD), in addition to attempting to inhibit disease progression through the dietary supplementation of L-arginine and limonoids. Wild-type mice (WC) and AD mice were fed a normal diet (AC), a diet supplemented with L-arginine and limonoids (ALA), or a diet containing only limonoids (AL) for 12-64 weeks. The normal diet-fed WC and AC mice showed a decrease in the diversity of the gut microbiota, with an increase in the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, and bacterial translocation. Considerable bacterial translocation to the pancreas and intense inflammation of the pancreas, liver, brain, and intestinal tissues were observed in the AC mice from alterations in the gut microbiota. The ALA diet or AL diet-fed mice showed increased diversity of the bacterial flora and suppressed oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in hepatocytes and pancreatic cells, bacterial translocation, and neurodegeneration of the brain. These findings suggest that L-arginine and limonoids help in maintaining the homeostasis of the gut microbiota, pancreas, liver, brain, and gut in AD mice.

On-line preconcentration of phosphate onto molybdate form anion exchange column.

In this paper, we describe an automated flow injection system for measuring the concentration of phosphate based on a fluorescence quenching reaction between Rhoadamine 6G and phosphomolybdate with a preconcentration column, which was packed with a molybdate-form ion exchange resin to collect and preconcentrate the phosphate in the sample solution. Rhodamine 6G was chosen because the reaction with phosphomolybdate was fast and did not require heat. For the construction of a stable flow injection system, an aqueous methanol solution was used as the cleaning reagent to overcome the precipitation of ion-associated complexes between Rhodamine 6G and phosphomolybdate or Rhodamine 6G and molybdate. For the preconcentration and collection of the phosphate ions in a water sample, a preconcentration column, which was packed with a molybdate-form ion exchange resin, was combined with the proposed flow injection system and applied to natural water samples containing low concentrations of phosphate.