Epinecidin-1 and lactic acid synergistically inhibit Aeromonas hydrophila through membrane disruption.

Epinecidin-1 (Epi-1) is an antimicrobial peptide originated from fish with various pharmacological activities but carries the risk of acquiring resistance with long-term use. In the present study, we use L-lactic acid to enhance the antibacterial activity of synthesized Epi-1 against the aquaculture and food pathogen Aeromonas hydrophila. The results showed that 5.5 mmol/L lactic acid increased the inhibitory and bactericidal activity of 25 µmol/L Epi-1 against two strains of A. hydrophila. The laser confocal images proved that lactic acid pre-treatment improved the attachment efficiency of Epi-1 in A.hydrophila cells. In addition, lactic acid enhanced the damaging effect of Epi-1 on the cell membrane of A. hydrophila, evidenced by releasing more nucleic acids, proteins, and transmembrane pH ingredients decrease and electromotive force dissipation. SEM images showed that compared with the single Epi-1 treatment, the co-treatment of Epi-1 and lactic acid caused more outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) and more severe cell deformation. These findings proved that lactic acid could enhance the efficiency of Epi-1 against A. hydrophila and shed light on new aspects to avoid resistance of pathogens against Epi-1.

Analysis of Distribution of Intracranial and Extracranial Atherosclerotic Lesions and Risk Factors for Recurrence in First-Ever and Recurrent Ischemic Stroke Patients in Northeast China.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to analyze the distribution characteristics of atherosclerotic lesions and the risk factors of recurrence in patients with ischemic stroke. Methods: A total of 505 patients diagnosed with ischemic stroke from October 2016 to October 2022 were included. Divide 505 patients with ischemic stroke into old stroke group and new stroke group. Patients without old cerebral infarction were included in the first ischemic stroke group (first group), while patients with old cerebral infarction were included in the recurrent ischemic stroke group (recurrence group).Carotid artery color Doppler ultrasonography and transcranial Doppler ultrasonography were performed on all patients. Results: We compared the distribution and risk factors of atherosclerotic lesions between the first and recurrent groups (378 cases) (127 cases). Mild, moderate, and severe stenosis of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and occlusion of the intracranial vertebral artery (VA) were the most common in both groups. Intracranial artery stenosis is significantly higher than extracranial artery stenosis, and the anterior circulation artery is more affected than the posterior circulation artery. In the initial and recurrent groups, the proportion of patients with intracranial artery stenosis was significantly higher than that of patients with extracranial artery stenosis (43.4% vs. 22.5% and 53.4% vs. 22.5%), and the number of patients with anterior circulation stenosis was higher than that of other groups. Compared with the first group, the recurrence group had a higher incidence of hypertension, dyslipidemia, and insufficient physical exercise. There is a significant difference in the levels of triglycerides (TG) and platelets (PLT) between the two groups in biochemical indicators. In the first group, infarction was most common in 284 cases (75.1%) of the frontal lobe, followed by 232 cases (61.4%) of the basal ganglia, and 147 cases (38.9%) of the parietal lobe. In the recurrence group, the proportion of frontal lobe infarction [284 (74.0%)], basal ganglia infarction [232 (70.1%)], and parietal lobe infarction [147 (37.0%)] was the highest. It can be observed that the recurrence group had a higher incidence of basal ganglia infarction (70.1% vs. 61.4%), but a lower incidence of occipital lobe infarction (0.8% vs. 4.2%). Conclusions: Our study found no significant difference in the distribution of intracranial and extracranial atherosclerotic lesions between first-ever and recurrent ischemic stroke patients in China. Notably, hypertension, years of dyslipidemia, insufficient physical exercise, elevated triglyceride (TG) levels, and increased platelet (PLT) counts were identified as significant risk factors for stroke recurrence. These findings may have implications for the management and prevention of recurrent ischemic strokes in clinical practice.

Pulsed light treatment enhances starch hydrolysis and improves starch physicochemical properties of germinated brown rice.

BACKGROUND: Recently, germinated brown rice (GBR) has gained substantial attention as a functional food because of its nutritional attributes. Notably, pulsed light technology (PLT) has emerged as a promising tool for enhancing rice germination and, consequently, has improved the nutritional and functional qualities of GBR-derived products. However, further research is required to comprehensively understand the impact of PLT on GBR physicochemical properties. The present study aimed to investigate the stimulating effects of PLT on starch hydrolysis, starch structure and functional properties of GBR. RESULTS: The PLT substantially boosted α-amylase activity during brown rice germination, leading to a 10.9% reduction in total starch content and a 17.3% increase in reducing sugar content, accompanied by elevated free water levels. Structural analysis indicated no changes in starch crystalline types, whereas gelatinization temperature slightly increased. Pasting properties exhibited a significant drop in peak viscosity. Scanning electron microscopy showed surface erosion of starch granules with microstructural changes. Furthermore, correlation analysis established positive links between α-amylase activity, reducing sugar accumulation, starch structure and functional properties in GBR. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates that PLT enhanced the physicochemical properties of GBR starch, significantly improving the stability of GBR products, thereby contributing to expanded applicability of rice starch in the food industry. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Analysis of the Diagnostic Value of Transrectal Ultrasonography for Rectal Submucosal Lesions.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the diagnostic value of transrectal ultrasonography for rectal submucosal lesions. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 132 patients with rectal submucosal lesions admitted to our hospital from June 2018 to May 2022. All patients underwent colonoscopy, miniprobe endoscopic ultrasonography, and transrectal ultrasonography before surgery, obtaining definitive pathological results. The lesions displayed smooth morphological eminence of the mucosa under a colonoscope. Among the patients, there were 76 males and 56 females, with an average age of 50.6 years. Using pathology as the gold standard, the diagnostic accuracy of transrectal ultrasonography and miniprobe endoscopic ultrasonography for rectal submucosal lesions was calculated, and the difference between the two was compared using the chi-square (χ2) test. Results: The overall diagnostic accuracy of transrectal ultrasonography and miniprobe endoscopic ultrasonography for all rectal submucosal lesions was 95.5% and 74.2%, respectively. It was observed that transrectal ultrasonography was superior to miniprobe endoscopic ultrasonography, and the difference was statistically significant (χ2 = 25.48, P < .05). Conclusions: Transrectal ultrasonography demonstrates high diagnostic value for rectal submucosal lesions and may serve as the preferred choice for their examination.

Comparative multi-omics analysis of hypoxic germination tolerance in weedy rice embryos and coleoptiles.

Hypoxic germination tolerance is an important trait for seedling establishment of direct-seeded rice. Our comparative metabolomics analysis revealed that weedy rice accumulated more sugar and amino acids than cultivated rice accumulated in the embryo and coleoptile tissues under hypoxic stress. At the transcriptional level, oxidative phosphorylation activity in weedy rice was higher than in cultivated rice that likely led to more efficient energy metabolism during hypoxic stress. Based on our comparative proteomics analysis, enriched proteins related to cell wall implied that the advantages in energy metabolism of weedy rice were ultimately reflected in the formation of tissue structures. In this study, we found that most of key hypoxic germination tolerance (HGT) genes shared the same genetic backgrounds with Oryza japonica, however, several of them genetically similar to other Oryza plant also play important roles. Our findings suggest weedy rice can serve as genetic resources for the improvement of direct-seeding rice.

[Protective effect of ophiopogonin D against isoproterenol-induced cardiomyocyte injury and targets].

This study aims to unveil the effect of ophiopogonin D(OPD) on isoproterenol(ISO)-induced apoptosis of rat cardiomyocytes and the possible targets, which is expected to provide clues for further research on the myocardial protection of ophiopogonins. Cell count kit-8(CCK-8) assay was used to detect viability of cells treated with OPD and ISO, Western blot to examine the effect of OPD and ISO on the expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress-related Bip, Bax, Perk, ATF4, caspase-12, and CHOP, flow cytometry to determine cell apoptosis rate, and Hoechst 33258 and Tunel staining to observe cell apoptosis and morphological changes. In addition, the probe for calcium ion-specific detection was employed to investigate calcium ion release from the endoplasmic reticulum, and OPD-bond epoxy-activated agarose solid-phase microspheres were prepared and used as affinity matrix to capture OPD-binding target proteins in H9 c2 cell lysate. For the target proteins of OPD identified by high-resolution mass spectrometry, the related signal pathways were enriched and the potential targets of OPD against cardiomyocyte injury were discussed. The experimental result showed that 10 µmol·L~(-1) ISO can significantly induce the expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress-related proteins and promote cell apoptosis. Different concentration of OPD can prevent the damage of myocardial cells caused by ISO. According to mass spectrometry results, 19 proteins, including Fam129 a and Pdia6, were involved in multiple signaling pathways such as the unfolded protein reaction bound by the ERN1 sensor, tricarboxylic acid cycle, and Nrf2 signal transduction pathway. The above results indicate that OPD protects cardiomyocytes by regulating multiple signaling pathways of target proteins and affecting cell cycle progression.

Long noncoding RNA LINC00184 facilitates the proliferation, metastasis, and adenine metabolism of cholangiocarcinoma via modulating hsa-miR-23b-3p/ANXA2 axis.

The purpose of this article was to probe the mechanism underlying long noncoding RNA (lncRNA)-LINC00184 in cholangiocarcinoma development and to investigate the effects of LINC00184 on cholangiocarcinoma. We used bioinformatics to analyze the expression of LINC00184, microRNA (miR)-23b-3p and ANXA2 in cholangiocarcinoma tissues. The levels of LINC00184, miR-23b-3p, and ANXA2 were detected by qRT-PCR. Cell proliferation was tested by CCK8. Transwell assay was used to detect cell invasion and migration. The target connection between LINC00184, miR-23b-3p, or ANXA2 was probed by luciferase reporter assay. RNA pull-down method was employed to test the relationship among LINC00184/miR-23b-3p/ANXA2 in cholangiocarcinoma cells. The Pearson correlation coefficient analyzed was applied to analyze the correlation among LINC00184, miR-23b-3p, and ANXA2. LC-MS/M analysis was used to explore whether the changes of adenine metabolism was affected by LINC00184 in cholangiocarcinoma cells. We discovered that LINC00184 expression was heightened in cholangiocarcinoma patients and cells. Knockdown of LINC00184 repressed cell proliferation, invasion, migration and adenine metabolism in cholangiocarcinoma cells. miR-23b-3p was regarded as a target of LINC00184 and its depletion perversed the inhibitive influence of LINC00184 silencing on cholangiocarcinoma cells. ANXA2 was a target of miR-23b-3p and was negatively modulated by miR-23b-3p. Moreover, ANXA2 was positively modulated by LINC00184 via sponging miR-23b-3p. In short, silencing of LINC00184 suppressed cell proliferation, invasion and migration through over-expression of miR-23b-3p and reducing of ANXA2 in cholangiocarcinoma cells. These findings contribute to understanding the influences of LINC00184, miR-23b-3p, and ANXA2 on cholangiocarcinoma and provide basis for cholangiocarcinoma treatment.

The Electric Field Responses of Inorganic Ionogels and Poly(ionic liquid)s.

Ionic liquids (ILs) are a class of pure ions with melting points lower than 100 °C. They are getting more and more attention because of their high thermal stability, high ionic conductivity and dielectric properties. The unique dielectric properties aroused by the ion motion of ILs makes ILs-contained inorganics or organics responsive to electric field and have great application potential in smart electrorheological (ER) fluids which can be used as the electro-mechanical interface in engineering devices. In this review, we summarized the recent work of various kinds of ILs-contained inorganic ionogels and poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) as ER materials including their synthesis methods, ER responses and dielectric analysis. The aim of this work is to highlight the advantage of ILs in the synthesis of dielectric materials and their effects in improving ER responses of the materials in a wide temperature range. It is expected to provide valuable suggestions for the development of ILs-contained inorganics and PILs as electric field responsive materials.

Enhancing frozen dough quality: Investigating the impact of soy hull polysaccharide (SHP) on rheological properties and microstructure.

The effects of SHP on the texture, rheological properties, starch crystallinity and microstructure of frozen dough were investigated. The efficacy of SHP in enhancing dough quality is concentration-dependent, with frozen dough containing 1.5% SHP exhibiting hardness comparable to fresh dough without SHP (221.31 vs. 221.42 g). Even at 0.5% SHP, there is a noticeable improvement in frozen dough quality. The rheological results showed that the viscoelasticity of dough increased with higher SHP concentration. What's more, XRD and SEM results indicated that the SHP's hydrophilicity reduces the degree of starch hydrolysis, slows down the damage of starch particles during freezing, and consequently lowers the crystallinity of starch. Additionally, CLSM observations revealed that SHP enhances the gluten network structure, diminishing the appearance of holes. Therefore, the physical, chemical properties, and microstructure of frozen dough with SHP demonstrate significant enhancement, suggesting SHP's promising antifreeze properties and potential as a food antifreeze agent.

Characterization of high-internal-phase emulsions based on soy protein isolate with varying concentrations of soy hull polysaccharide and their capabilities for probiotic delivery: In vivo and in vitro release and thermal stability.

In this study, the impact of soy hull polysaccharide (SHP) concentration on high-internal-phase emulsions (HIPEs) formation and the gastrointestinal viability of Lactobacillus plantarum within HIPEs were demonstrated. Following the addition of SHP, competitive adsorption with soy protein isolate (SPI) occurred, leading to increased protein adhesion to the oil-water interface and subsequent coating of oil droplets. This process augmented viscosity and enhanced HIPEs stability. Specifically, 1.8 % SHP had the best encapsulation efficiency and delivery efficiency, reaching 99.3 % and 71.1 %, respectively. After 14 d of continuous zebrafishs feeding, viable counts of Lactobacillus plantarum and complex probiotics in the intestinal tract was 1.1 × 107, 1.3 × 107, respectively. In vitro experiments further proved that HIPEs' ability to significantly enhance probiotics' intestinal colonization and provided targeted release for colon-specific delivery. These results provided a promising strategy for HIPEs-encapsulated probiotic delivery systems in oral food applications.

Combined transcriptome and metabolome analyses reveal the mechanism of abundant bioactive compounds and high antioxidant activity in germinated weedy rice.

Germinated brown rice has recently garnered widespread attention due to its high nutritional value. Previous research demonstrated that the bioactive components and functional properties of germinated brown rice varieties exhibit significant differences. Three germinated rice cultivars weedy rice WR04-6 (WR) and two cultivated rice cultivars with superior eating quality, Koshihikari (YG) and Daohuaxiang (DHX), were analyzed using metabolites and transcriptome profiling. Widely targeted metabolomics results showed that 85.9% and 71.2% of differential metabolites for WR vs. YG and WR vs. DHX were enriched in WR, respectively. The substances mainly included amino acids and derivatives, carbohydrates and its derivatives, organic acids and its derivatives, and flavonoids. Higher antioxidant activity was detected in WR compared to cultivated rice in metabolome analysis. Transcriptome analyses indicated that 18 responsive genes played pivotal roles in the conversion of key metabolites. These findings will provide theoretical underpinnings for the development of rice germplasm resources and the formulation of functional germinated grain foods.

Combined physicochemical and transcriptomic analyses reveal the effect of the OsGA20ox1 gene on the starch properties of germinated brown rice.

Genes play a pivotal role in regulating the germination of cereal grains; however, there is limited research on the impact of germination genes on the physicochemical properties of germinated cereal starch. We investigated the effects of the OsGA20ox1 gene on the multiscale structural features and adhesion behavior of germinated brown rice starch. Compared to the knockout lines group, the wild type exhibited a decrease in double-helix content (62.74 %), relative crystallinity (47.39 %), and short-range molecular ordering (2.47 %), accompanied by enhanced erosion on the surface of starch granules. The damage to glycosidic bonds at the double-helix level and the heightened structural amorphization (90.95 %) led to reduced entanglement and interaction among starch molecules, ultimately resulting in reduced characteristic viscosity. Further transcriptomic analysis revealed that OsGA20ox1 could regulate the expression of starch-related enzyme genes in the starch metabolism pathway during germination of brown rice. This study contributes to understanding the role of germination genes in promoting the physicochemical properties of starch in germinated grains, thereby opening up new avenues for the improvement of plant-based starch, and paving the way for further research in this field.

Conformational evolution of soybean protein-polysaccharide at oil-water interface in simulated gastric environment in vitro.

The conformation and characteristics of soybean hull polysaccharide (SHP)/soy bean protein isolate (SPI) complex at oil-water interface in simulated gastric environment in vitro were discussed. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) thermodynamic results illustrated that SPI formed a complex with SHP. ζ-potential and microstructure showed a flocculation phenomenon after SPI/SHP emulsion droplet treatment (especially at 60 min), which indicated that the inter droplet steric hindrance and repulsion were reduced after the emulsion was treated. Additionally, at 60 min, in FT-IR spectrum fitting results, the contents of ß-sheet and ß-turn structure were the lowest, which might be that the polar group residues exposed in the SPI/SHP complex at the interface interacted with Na+ by ion-dipole interaction or protonated with H+. The blue shift of maximum absorption intensity also indicated that the tryptophan residues moved to the hydrophobic environment, which made the treated droplets flocculate without obvious aggregation.

Application of soy protein isolate fiber and soy soluble polysaccharide non-covalent complex: A potential way for pH-triggered release.

The non-covalent interactions between protein and polysaccharide have the potential to design responsive materials. In this study, soy protein isolate fiber/soy soluble polysaccharide (SPIF/SSPS) non-covalent complex was used to create an emulsion, and the pH-response performance was evaluated by investigating their microstructure, interfacial properties, and stability at pH values of 2.0-10.0. The SPIF/SSPS complex was relatively stable at pH 2.0 and 4.0, and the corresponding emulsions had uniform droplets that showed outstanding storage stability after 21 days. However, the SPIF/SSPS complex was dissociated gradually with the elevation of pH, especially under alkaline condition, that caused the flocculation and coalescence in emulsion. This phenomenon not only relate to electrostatic repulsion, but also relate to the disintegration of SPIF. Furthermore, the encapsulated curcumin is released rapidly from emulsion when the pH increased above 6.0. This research may provide an outstanding pH-response strategy that have the potential for pH-triggered release.

[Analysis on the degradation of optical properties of high power white LED].

One watt white light emitting diodes (LEDs) were made by GaN-based blue light chips. The chips were coated by YAG phosphor and transparent silica gel. Current of 900 mA as electrical stress was carried on the LED samples and the optical properties of the samples were observed by measuring the main optical parameters during the aging test. After 4 200 hours of aging, the luminous flux rate of LEDs declined by a factor between 15% and 18%. Changes in I-V curves indicated the increase in leakage current, which were caused by the increase in defect density. Radiant flux of the blue light drawn from the spectrogram didn't decrease while the yellow light decreased obviously, which implies the degradation of conversion efficiency of YAG phosphor. Reasons for the increase in color temperature and keeping constant in color rendering index (CRI) were theoretically analyzed. The results of the experiment will provide a reference to the illumination applications of the high power white LED.

Emodin-induced hepatotoxicity is enhanced by 3-methylcholanthrene through activating aryl hydrocarbon receptor and inducing CYP1A1 in vitro and in vivo.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. (PMT) is the most common traditional Chinese medicine used to treat multiple diseases, and the hepatotoxicity caused by PMT has made great concern around world. Recent results showed that emodin is the potential toxic components of PMT, but the molecular mechanisms of emodin on liver toxicity remain to be elucidated. METHODS: Evaluation of parent- and metabolite-induced cytotoxicity in emodin were compared in L02 cells and mouse model from the perspective of drug metabolizing enzymes. The effect and mechanism of emodin-induced hepatotoxicity were analyzed using electrophoretic mobility shift, promoter reporter, and high content screening. RESULTS: We showed that emodin treatment (360 mg/kg in mice, 50 µM in L02 cells) induced hepatotoxicity and enhanced reactive oxidative stress (ROS) level. Importantly, emodin-induced ROS accumulation and hepatotoxicity were attenuated in the condition of CH223191, a selective inhibitor of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), and aggravated by 3-methylcholanthrene, a selective activator of AhR. Interestingly, we performed the study on ROS mediated ER stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in emodin-induced hepatotoxicity, the results showed that emodin can decrease MMP and trigger ER stress with Ca2+ overloading and the expression of ATF4 increasing, further resulted with increased apoptosis in L02 cells and mice mortality rate, while the changes were alleviated by CH223191. Furthermore, the 5-hydroxyemodin, a metabolite by emodin through CYP1A2 enzyme, showed more severe hepatotoxicity compared to emodin. CONCLUSIONS: Our results validated that the metabolism of emodin to 5-hydroxyemodin by CYP1A played an important role in the hepatocellular toxicity of emodin and provided evidence that CYP1A1 and AhR could be used to predict and validate patient-specific liver injury of PMT or other herbs containing emodin.

A systematic review on the safety of Psoraleae Fructus: potential risks, toxic characteristics, underlying mechanisms and detoxification methods.

Psoraleae Fructus (PF) is an important traditional herbal medicine with a long history of clinical application. It is widely used to treat various diseases, such as osteoporosis, leucoderma and diarrhea. As a traditional nontoxic herb, it has aroused worldwide concern about the potential risks due to increasing adverse reaction events. This article reviews the botany, ancient records of medical uses, adverse reactions, toxicological research advance and detoxification methods of PF. According to clinical studies, liver injury is the most predominant in PF-related adverse reactions. The underlying mechanisms include bile acid metabolism and transport disorders, oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage, inhibition of liver cell regeneration and inflammatory reactions. Furthermore, the potential toxins of PF are summarized. Traditional methods of processing and compatibility will provide reference for reducing the toxicity of PF, which requires further research. In sum, this work systematically summarizes the reserach progress on the safety of PF, which will provide comprehensive insights into the toxicity of PF and facilitate its safe use and future development.

Combined transcriptome and metabolome analyses reveal the mechanisms of ultrasonication improvement of brown rice germination.

This study investigated the effects of ultrasonication treatment on the germination rate of brown rice. Brown rice grains were subjected to ultrasound (40 kHz/30 min) and then incubated for 36 h at 37 °C to germinate the seeds. Ultrasonic treatment increased the germination rate of brown rice by up to ∼28 % at 30 h. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses were performed to explore the mechanisms underlying the effect of ultrasonic treatment on the brown rice germination rate. Comparing the treated and control check samples, 867 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, including 638 upregulated and 229 downregulated), as well as 498 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs), including 422 up accumulated and 76 down accumulated. Multi-omics analysis revealed that the germination rate of brown rice was promoted by increased concentrations of low-molecular metabolites (carbohydrates and carbohydrate conjugates, fatty acids, amino acids, peptides, and analogues), and transcription factors (ARR-B, NAC, bHLH and AP2/EREBP families) as well as increased carbon metabolism. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms of action of ultrasound in improving the brown rice germination rate and candidate DEGs and DAMs responsible for germination have been identified.

Regain flood adaptation in rice through a 14-3-3 protein OsGF14h.

Contemporary climatic stress seriously affects rice production. Unfortunately, long-term domestication and improvement modified the phytohormones network to achieve the production needs of cultivated rice, thus leading to a decrease in adaptation. Here, we identify a 14-3-3 protein-coding gene OsGF14h in weedy rice that confers anaerobic germination and anaerobic seedling development tolerance. OsGF14h acts as a signal switch to balance ABA signaling and GA biosynthesis by interacting with the transcription factors OsHOX3 and OsVP1, thereby boosting the seeding rate from 13.5% to 60.5% for anaerobic sensitive variety under flooded direct-seeded conditions. Meanwhile, OsGF14h co-inheritance with the Rc (red pericarp gene) promotes divergence between temperate japonica cultivated rice and temperate japonica weedy rice through artificial and natural selection. Our study retrieves a superior allele that has been lost during modern japonica rice improvement and provides a fine-tuning tool to improve flood adaptation for elite rice varieties.

Up-regulation of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis system in peach species by peach aphids produces anthocyanins that protect the aphids against UVB and UVC radiation.

Conspicuous color is a common trait of foliar galls, but their relationship with gall-inducing insects is unknown. Red and green galls were taken from sunny or shady parts of peach species Prunus persica (L.) Batsch. f. rubro-plena Schneid with peach aphid Tuberocephalus momonis (Matsumura) infestation. We found that the loss of photosynthetic pigments was associated with the conspicuous coloration of green gall tissues. The concentrations of anthocyanins significantly increased following ultraviolet (UV) irradiation of green gall tissues, suggesting that accumulation of anthocyanins in red galls is related to ultraviolet B and C (UVB and UVC) radiation. The expression of structural genes related to the biosynthesis of chlorogenic acid and malic acid benzoate was increased in all gall tissues and negatively correlated with the expression profiles of certain genes associated with photosynthetic biosynthesis, indicating that the increased transcript levels of the phenylpropanoid pathway might cause loss of photosynthetic efficiency in the gall tissues. Transcriptome and quantitative reverse transcription PCR analyses revealed that MYB transcription factors that up-regulate the biosynthesis of anthocyanins in red gall tissues might be activated by both UVB and UVC exposure. Comet assays suggest that green and red gall tissues have similar DNA damage following UV irradiation. No obvious effect of the up-regulated compounds on the growth of the peach aphid was observed. Interestingly, peach aphids under leaves painted with anthocyanins had lower mortality following UV irradiation than those in controls. These results suggest that the anthocyanins in red gall tissues have a defensive function for the peach aphid, protecting it against UV radiation.