Structural modification induced by heat treatments improves the emulsifying attributes of lacquer seed protein isolate.

The lacquer seed oil has received extensive attention in the food industry due to its health function, such as regulating blood lipids. But its by-product, lacquer seed meal, is often used as a low-value-added product such as animal feed. Lacquer seed meal contains about 20 % protein, which has amphiphilic properties, and there is limited attention to its emulsifying properties. In this study, the impact of heat treatment on the emulsifying properties of lacquer seed protein isolate (LSPI) was investigated. The EAI and ESI of the 120 °C heated LSPI increased by 77.1 % and 55.2 %, respectively. The emulsions prepared using heat-modified LSPI (120 °C) further showed lower hydroperoxide, TBARS and protein carbonyl contents (only 61.3 %, 61.0 % and 58.6 % of control) after storage. This result indicates that heat-treated LSPI retarded lipid and protein oxidation in LSPI-stabilized emulsions during storage. Changes in protein structure showed that increasing heating temperature resulted in the depolymerization of tertiary structure, higher surface hydrophobicity and lower contents of α-helix of LSPI. These changes in protein structure made the heated LSPIs have better emulsifying properties. Therefore, these findings developed a new use of LSPI and greatly enhanced the potential of LSPI as a natural emulsifier in the food industry.

Resveratrol inhibits lipid and protein co-oxidation in sodium caseinate-walnut oil emulsions by reinforcing oil-water interface.

Lipid-protein co-oxidation often causes nutrition loss, texture changes, and shortened shelf-life of emulsions. In this study, resveratrol significantly prevented lipid-protein co-oxidation in sodium caseinate (NaCas)-walnut oil emulsions, and the underlying mechanisms were explored in physical and chemical aspects. NaCas-walnut oil emulsions stabilized by resveratrol exhibited excellent physical stability at 55 °C for 12 days or at room temperature for 10 months due to forming a stable interfacial layer composed of resveratrol-modified NaCas. Furthermore, resveratrol binding caused NaCas structure's partial unfolding and a âˆ¼ 8% increase in hydrophobicity, in turn enhancing NaCas' emulsification properties and electrostatic repulsion. Besides, more than 90% of resveratrol was loaded at the interface and enhanced NaCas' Fe2+ chelating, DPPH scavenging abilities, and O2 quenching by âˆ¼ 22.6%, 5.26 times, and 31.84%, respectively. Simultaneously, resveratrol significantly improved NaCas' oxidative stability, as reflected by the decrease in adsorbed NaCas' intrinsic fluorescence loss and protein carbonyls gain by âˆ¼ 30% and 37%, respectively. Simultaneously, lipid hydroperoxides and TBARS were reduced by âˆ¼ 30% and 20% in the NaCas-walnut oil emulsions containing 6 mM resveratrol than the control. Our findings contribute to further understanding of the possible interaction among lipid, protein, polyphenols, and their oxidative products at the oil-water interface, minimizing lipid-protein co-oxidation and extending functional oils' shelf life. Finally, walnut oil emulsions with high physical and oxidative stabilities using resveratrol were prepared, further broadening resveratrol's application in the food industry.

The Neuroprotective Effect of Amitriptyline on Radiation-Induced Impairment of Hippocampal Neurogenesis.

The radioprotective effect of amitriptyline, an inhibitor of acid sphingomyelinase (ASMase), on radiation-induced impairment of hippocampal neurogenesis, loss of interneuron, and animal weight changes was investigated in BALB/c mice by immunostaining of biomarkers for cell division (Ki67), immature neurons (doublecortin or DCX), and interneurons (parvalbumin or PV) in the dentate gyrus (DG) of hippocampus. The results indicated that preirradiation (with 10 mg/kg, 2 times per day, for 7 consecutive days) or postirradiation (with 10 mg/kg, 2 times per day, for 14 consecutive days) treatment (pretreatment or posttreatment) with intraperitoneal injection of amitriptyline prevented the loss of newly generated neurons, proliferating cells, and interneurons in the subgranular zone of the DG. At the molecular level, pretreatment or posttreatment inhibited the expression of sphingomyelin phosphodiesterase 1 (SMPD1) gene which codes for ASMase. The pretreatment for 7 days also prevented radiation-induced weight loss from 2 to 3 weeks, but not within 1 week after irradiation. On the other hand, the posttreatment with amitriptyline for 14 days could improve animal weight gain from 4 to 6 weeks after irradiation. The present study suggests that amitriptyline may be a promising candidate radio-neuroprotective drug to improve radiation-induced impairment of hippocampal neurogenesis and relevant neurological and neuropsychological disorders.

[The preliminary research on the gap junction mechanisms for synergistic effects of liuwei di-huang pill containing serum on suicide gene therapy of melanoma].

OBJECTIVE: To study the gap junction mechanisms for synergistic effects of liuwei di-huang pill (LDP) containing serum on HSV-tk/GCV suicide gene therapy of mouse malignant melanoma B16 cells. METHODS: The LDP containing serum (2.5% LDP serum group, 5.0% LDP serum group, and 10.0% LDP serum group) and the control serum group were set up. The effects of LDP on mRNA expressions of Cx26 and Cx43 in mouse malignant melanoma B16 cells were detected by RT-PCR assay. The effects of LDP on protein expressions of Cx26 and Cx43 in B16 cells were detected using Western blot and indirect immunofluorescence assay. The interference efficiencies of Cx26-309, Cx26-337, Cx26-367, Cx26-2098 SiRNA on Cx26 gene in B16 cells were detected using RT-RCR technique. Cx26-2098 SiRNA, due to the optimal interference efficiency, was chosen to interfere Cx26 gene, and the bystander effect of LDP + HSV-tk/GCV was observed. The effects of the gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) inhibitor glycyrrhetinic acid on the killing of LDP + HSV-tk/GCV system to B16 cells were detected by MTT assay. In this experiment, the control serum group, 2.5% LDP serum group, 5. 0% LDP serum group, 10.0% LDP serum group, the control serum combined GCV group, 2.5% LDP serum combined GCV group, 5.0% LDP serum combined GCV group, 10.0% LDP serum combined GCV group, 2.5% LDP serum combined GCV + glycyrrhetinic acid group, 5.0% LDP serum combined GCV + glycyrrhetinic acid group, 10.0% LDP serum combined GCV + glycyrrhetinic acid group were set up. The final concentration of GCV was 20 micromol/L. The final concentration of glycyrrhetinic acid was 50 micromol/L. RESULTS: LDP containing serum could increase the protein and mRNA expressions of Cx43 in B16 cell in a dose-dependent manner. It had bi-directional regulation on the Cx26 protein and mRNA expressions. The low dose LDP had inhibition while high dose LDP could up-regulate its expression. After SiRNA interfered Cx26 gene, there was no obvious change in the bystander effect of LDP combined suicide gene therapy between before and after interference. There was significant reduction in the inhibition rate between before (48.75%, 59.39%, and 69.28%) and after blockage (29.14%, 38.71%, and 58.13%) of glycyrrhetinic acid in the 2. 5%, 5.0%, 10.0% LDP serum combined GCV groups (P <0.01). CONCLUSION: The synergistic effects of LDP containing serum on HSV-tk/GCV suicide gene therapy in mouse malignant melanoma B16 cells were correlated with the gap junction mechanisms, which might be achieved through increasing the expressions of Cx26 and Cx43.