Lycium barbarum polysaccharide promotes the immunoprotective effects of a recombinant Lactobacillus plantarum vaccine expressing the Trichinella spiralis cathepsin F-like protease 1 gene.

Trichinellosis caused by Trichinella spiralis (T. spiralis) is a zoonotic disease that poses a substantial risk to human health. At present, vaccines used to prevent trichinellosis are effective, but the production of antibody levels and immunogenicity are low. Adjuvants can increase antibody levels and vaccine immunogenicity. As a result, it is critical to develop an effective adjuvant for the T. spiralis vaccine. Recent research has shown that traditional Chinese medicine polysaccharides with low-toxicity and biodegradability can act as adjuvants in vaccines. In this study, BALB/c mice were orally inoculated with a recombinant Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) vaccine expressing the T. spiralis cathepsin F-like protease 1 gene (rTs-CPF1), which was given three times at 10-day intervals. Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) was administered orally for 37 days. At 37 days after the first immunization, mice were infected with 350 T. spiralis muscle larvae (ML). Specific IgG and sIgA antibody levels against the T. spiralis CPF1 protein were increased in mice immunized with rTs-CPF1+LBP compared to those immunized with rTs-CPF1 alone. Furthermore, LBP increased IFN-γ and IL-4 expression levels, and the number of intestinal and intramuscular worms was significantly reduced in the rTs-CPF1+LBP group compared to that in the rTs-CPF1 group. In the rTs-CPF1+LBP group, the reduction rates of adult worms and muscle larvae were 47.31 % and 68.88 %, respectively. To summarize, LBP promotes the immunoprotective effects of the T. spiralis vaccine and may be considered as a novel adjuvant in parasitic vaccines.

Diterpenes from the Marine Algae of the Genus Dictyota.

Species of the brown algae of the genus Dictyota are rich sources of bioactive secondary metabolites with diverse structural features. Excellent progress has been made in the discovery of diterpenes possessing broad chemical defensive activities from this genus. Most of these diterpenes exhibit significant biological activities, such as antiviral, cytotoxic and chemical defensive activities. In the present review, we summarized diterpenes isolated from the brown algae of the genus.

Understanding and Controlling Structural Defects and Disordering in LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 Cathodes for Direct Recycling.

Despite significant progress in recycling spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), nondestructive, direct recycling methods still face untenable discrepancies in multiple cathode chemistries, which primarily originate from a variety of structure stabilities during the recycling process. Through systematic investigation of the microstructure evolution during the relithiation treatment, we observed the inevitably induced defects and Li/Mn disordering in the LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode, contributing to the sluggish Li+ transport and irreversible capacity loss. Employing a defect engineering approach to achieve twin boundaries and preferred grain orientation, we show the regenerated cathodes demonstrate a substantial enhancement of Li+ diffusion and cycling stability, retaining 97.4% capacity after 100 cycles and 87.96% after 200 cycles at C/3. This work not only elaborates on a systematic investigation of defect inducement and structural restoration mechanism but also provides an effective approach to directly recycle high-voltage spinel-type cathodes, contributing to the sustainability of next-generation LIBs.