Pharmacological and Pathological Effects of Mulberry Leaf Extract on the Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Mice.

This study investigated the pharmacological and pathological effects of aqueous mulberry leaf extract on type 1 diabetes mellitus mice induced with an intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ). Diabetic mice were randomized into six groups: control (normal group), model, metformin-treated mice, and high-dose, medium-dose, and low-dose mulberry. The mulberry-treated mice were divided into high-, medium-, and low-dose groups based on the various doses of aqueous mulberry leaf extract during gavage. The efficacy of the six-week intervention was evaluated by measuring levels of fasting plasma glucose, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate transaminase, blood urea nitrogen, gamma-glutamyl transferase, glucose, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, lactate dehydrogenase, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and recording body weight. Results revealed that mulberry leaf extract exhibited an ideal hypoglycemic effect, and the high-dose group was the most affected. Histology analysis, glycogen staining and apoptosis detection were used to study the extract's effects on the liver, kidney, and pancreatic cells of diabetic mice, enabling the assessment of its effectiveness and complications on a clinical and theoretical basis. It was shown that a certain concentration of aqueous mulberry leaf extract repaired the islet cells of type 1 diabetes mellitus mice, promoting normal insulin secretion. Herein, it was confirmed that mulberry leaf could be used to develop new hypoglycemic drugs or functional health food with broad applicability.

Study on Process Optimization and Antioxidant Activity of Polysaccharide from Bletilla striata Extracted via Deep Eutectic Solvents.

Taking the extraction yield of Bletilla striata polysaccharide (BSP) as the index and taking the type of deep eutectic solvents (DESs), extraction time, extraction temperature, DES water content, and solid-liquid ratio as the investigation factors, single-factor and Box-Behnken response surface tests were carried out to optimize the extraction process of BSP. Thus, the antioxidant activity of BSP on DPPH radicals, ABTS radicals and ferric reducing antioxidant power were determined. The results showed that the most suitable deep eutectic solvent was DES-2, namely choline chloride-urea. The optimal extraction conditions for BSP were an extraction time of 47 min, extraction temperature of 78 °C, water content of 35%, and solid-liquid ratio of 1:25. Under this optimized condition, the extraction yield of BSP was able to reach (558.90 ± 8.83) mg/g, and recycling studies indicated the good cycle stability of the DES. Antioxidant results showed that BSP had superior antioxidant activity and had a dose-response relationship with drug concentration. Compared with Bletilla striata polysaccharide obtained via conventional hot water extraction (BSP-W), the extraction yield of BSP obtained through this method (BSP-2) increased by 36.77%, the scavenging activity of DPPH radicals increased by 24.99%, the scavenging activity of ABTS radicals increased by 41.16%, and the ferric reducing antioxidant power increased by 49.19%. Therefore, DESs as new green reagents and BSP extracted with DESs not only had a high yield but also had strong antioxidant activity.

The influence of residual pectin composition and content on nanocellulose films from ramie fibers: Micro-nano structure and physical properties.

In this study, cellulose nanofibril (CNF) films from ramie fibers were prepared with different pectin compositions and contents, and the influence of residual pectin on the overall performances of CNF films was evaluated. There was no significant effect of the residual pectin composition on the properties of obtained CNF films. However, when the content of residual pectin was increased from 0.45 % to 9.16 %, the surface area and water absorption of CNF films were increased from 0.2223 to 0.3300 m2/g, and from 93.51 % to 122.42 %, respectively. Pectin covers the CNF surface and act as a physical barrier between the cellulose fibrils; thus the nanocellulose films with high pectin content will have a loose and porous structure, resulting in a high surface area and a high water absorption. Besides, with the residual pectin content decreasing from 9.16 % to 0.45 %, the UVA light transmittance and tensile strength of CNF films were increased from 30.6 % to 59.9 %, and from 37.67 to 100.26 MPa, respectively. After removal of amorphous pectins in CNFs, the low pectin containing CNFs are able to pack more compactly to form a strong and thin film. This paper provides guidance for the preparation of CNF films with different performance requirements.

Two-year immune effect differences between the 0-1-2-month and 0-1-6-month HBV vaccination schedule in adults.

BACKGROUND: The short-term 0-1-2-month hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination schedule was previously implemented in the adult population; however, its long-term immune effect remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate (1) the 2-month and 2-year immune effects of HBV vaccination and (2) the compliance rate between the 0-1-2-month and 0-1-6-month vaccination schedules in adults. METHOD: A total of 1281 subjects tested for hepatitis B surface antigen HBsAg(-) and hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs)(-) were recruited. Participants from two distant counties were inoculated with the hepatitis B yeast vaccine at 10 µg per dose, with vaccination schedules of 0, 1, and 2 months (n = 606) and 0, 1, and 6 months (n = 675); sequential follow-up was performed at 2 months and 2 years after the 3rd injection. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the anti-HBs seroconversion rates between the those in the 0-1-2-month and 0-1-6-month vaccination schedule groups at 2 months (91.96% vs. 89.42%, p = 0.229) and 2 years (81.06% vs. 77.14%, p = 0.217). The quantitative anti-HBs level in those in the 0-1-2-month vaccination schedule group was not different from that in those in the 0-1-6-month vaccination schedule group at 2 months (anti-HBs1) (342.12 ± 378.42 mIU/ml vs. 392.38 ± 391.96 mIU/ml, p = 0.062), but it was higher at 2 years (anti-HBs2) (198.37 ± 286.44 mIU/ml vs. 155.65 ± 271.73 mIU/ml, p = 0.048). According to the subgroup analysis, the 0-1-2-month vaccination schedule induced better maintenance (p = 0.041) and longer reinforcement (p = 0.019) than the 0-1-6 vaccination schedule. The 0-1-2-month vaccination schedule group also had a higher 3rd injection completion rate (89.49% vs. 84.49%, p = 0.010). CONCLUSION: The 0-1-2-month vaccination schedule was associated with a similar short-term immune effect and might induce better long-term immune memory and a higher completion rate in the adult population. Trial registration None.