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Nuclear factor Y (NF-Y) is a heterotrimeric transcription factor, which plays important roles in plant growth, development and stress responses. Yet little information regarding the role of NF-Y in regulating fruit ripening is available. In this study, a total of 44 NF-Y genes (14 MaNF-YAs, 16 MaNF-YBs, and 14 MaNF-YCs) were isolated and confirmed from the banana genome. Their distribution on chromosomes, gene structures, phylogenetic relationship with other species, cis-acting elements, genome synteny and tissue-specific expression were characterized. Furthermore, it was found that expression of six MaNF-Ys, i.e. MaNF-YA5/B1/B2/C9/C11/C14, were up-regulated as harvested fruit ripened, and their expression were accelerated by ethylene, but delayed by 1-MCP. In contrast, harvested banana fruit ripening was accompanied by down-regulation of MaNF-YA1/A3/A6/B3/B6/C2/C5. Ethylene accelerated their down-regulation while 1-MCP delayed the process. These results indicated that MaNF-YA5/B1/B2/C9/C11/C14 and MaNF-YA1/A3/A6/B3/B6/C2/C5 were implicated in the regulation of harvested banana fruit ripening, functioning as transcriptional activators and repressors, respectively.

The effects of fibroin on chilling tolerance of harvested banana fruit via energy regulation were investigated after 4 d of storage at 6 °C. Chilling injury index, respiration rate and electrolyte leakage were also investigated. Application of 1 g L−1 fibroin solution reduced effectively chilling injury symptoms and delayed significantly the decreases in ATP level and energy charge (EC) of banana fruit during storage at 6 °C. Compared with the control group, the transcriptional level of MaATPase1 and MaAAC1 were up-regulated while MaAOX1 and MaUCP1 were down-regulated in fibroin-treated banana fruit after 4 d of storage. Meanwhile, fibroin treatment increased the contents of soluble sugars. The results suggested that fibroin treatment exhibited the potential for alleviating chilling injury symptoms of banana fruit during cold storage by maintaining high energy status.

The effect of sodium para-aminosalicylate (PAS-Na) on litchi pericarp browning and the potential regulating mechanism was investigated in this study. Results showed that 0.3 g L−1 PAS-Na significantly inhibited the development of pericarp browning and reduced respiration rate of litchi fruit. PAS-Na inhibited the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and decreased the expression level of senescence-related genes. Additionally, PAS-Na treatment enhanced the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), which might contribute to the scavenging of ROS. Meanwhile, PAS-Na treatment maintained membrane integrity as indicated by reduced relative membrane leakage rate and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, as well as lower activities of membrane lipids-degrading enzymes: lipase and lipoxygenase (LOX). Amino acids, especially GABA, Glu, Met contents were also significantly affected by PAS-Na treatment. Taken together, we postulated that PAS-Na treatment might be a promising method for controlling postharvest browning and prolonging shelf-life of harvested litchi fruit.

In this paper, high density nanocrystalline W with uniform dispersion of nanosized oxide particles was fabricated via a dissolution-precipitation process by well controlled high-energy ball milling of the raw powder materials of Y2O3, Ti and W and the subsequent spark plasma sintering (SPS). XRD and TEM analysis revealed that the Y2O3 and Ti were dissolved in W matrix during the high-energy ball milling and the Y2Ti2O7 particles were precipitated in the SPS process, resulting in the refinement in both W grains and oxide particles. The average grain size of W is 67 nm. The average size of particles in grain interior and at grain boundaries is 8.5 nm and 16.4 nm, respectively. The Vickers microhardness of such a nanostructured W alloy is as high as 1441 Hv, which is 2–3 times that of the ever reported W alloys. Such a dissolution-precipitation process offers a general pathway for manufacturing nanocrystalline refractory metals with dispersion of nanoscale oxides in a controllable manner.

Banana is a fruit widely accepted by people over the world. Besides having delicious taste, it shows multiple health benefits. In this work, the major polysaccharide was isolated from banana and purified. It was identified to be α-(1 → 6)- d -glucan. The in vivo immunomodulatory activity assay indicated that α-(1 → 6)- d -glucan could improve the immune status by elevating T cell proliferation, phagocytic function of macrophage, CD3+ T cell level, CD4+/CD8+ ratio, IL-6, IgG, IgM, TNF-α and hemolysin antibody levels. The immunostimulatory activities of α-(1 → 6)- d -glucan were similar to β-(1 → 3)- d -glucan, a clinical immunostimulatory drug. This work revealed that α-(1 → 6)- d -glucan was an important bioactive chemical for the immunostimulatory activity of banana. It could be used as a nutraceuticals candidate.

Soybean peptides serve as functional foods with impressive health benefits. The structure characteristics of peptides are highly related to the health benefits. The structure-activity relationship and mechanism underlined are important scientific questions in this field. To answer these questions, soybean peptides were produced by combinatory enzymatic hydrolysis in this work. Fifty-two peptide sequences were identified by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). The anti-inflammatory activities of these peptides were investigated by using a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation cell model. Soybean peptides could significantly promote cell proliferation. Additionally, soybean peptides could alleviate LPS-induced inflammation by reducing the production and expression of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Moreover, soybean peptides could promote the mRNA expression of proteins related to inflammation inhibition (IL-10) and tight junction modulation. The structure-activity relationship was addressed. The results documented the potential of soybean peptides as functional foods.

Walnut peptides are widely accepted as nutraceuticals with multiple health benefits. However, information about the structure and biological activity of walnut peptides is limited. In this work, walnut protein hydrolysate (WPH) was prepared by enzymatic hydrolysis. The total and free amino acids compositions in WPH were determined. The peptides sequence of WPH was analyzed by UPLC-MS/MS, and forty eight bioactive peptides were identified. Antioxidant activities were detected for WPH in both extracellular and intercellular assays. QGRPWG, PSRADIY and AYNIPVNIAR were the peptides that accounted for the antioxidant activity of WPH. Among them, QGRPWG showed the highest ORAC value (2801 µmol TE/g), and AYNIPVNIAR possessed the strongest protective effect against H

Prenylated stilbenoids are good candidates of nutraceuticals presented in food resources. The levels of natural prenylated stilbenoids are usually low. Biotransformation is a promising synthesis strategy to produce novel bioactive compounds. However, information regarding biosynthesis of prenylated stilbenoids is rare. In this work, prenyltransferase and geranyl diphosphate biosynthesispathway were overexpressed in E. coli. Multiple prenyltransferase genes were tested and Ambp1 was found to be effective on resveratrol geranylation. The products were identified by mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy as 4-C-geranyl resveratrol (1) and 3-O-geranyl resveratrol (2, novel chemical). By optimization of culture conditions, a yield of 36.9% was achieved for the conversion to geranylated resveratrol from resveratrol. These two compounds demonstrated good antioxidant activities with IC

The paper aims at the problem of low incipient fault detection accuracy in analog circuits, and a method based on deviation synthesis is proposed to solve this problem. In this method, the characteristic deviation and slope deviation of the frequency response curves of normal state and fault state are synthesized at each test frequency point, and the synthetic deviation is taken as the evaluation index to select the test frequencies for the analog circuit. Furthermore, the optimal test frequency set is obtained accurately by using the Greedy algorithm to remove the redundant frequencies. The optimal test stimuli not only can improve the incipient fault detection accuracy of the analog circuit, but also can reduce the operation time for test frequency generation. Meanwhile, the multifrequency test stimuli set contains fewer elements. The simulation experiment results show that the optimal test stimuli can obtain higher incipient fault detection accuracy of the analog circuit, compared with the traditional pulse stimulus.

Traumatic tracheal stenosis (TS) is a serious respiratory disease characterized by hyperplasia of airway granulation. Plumbagin (PLB) is a natural naphthoquinone component with anti-fibrotic properties. This research aimed to explore the roles of PLB in alleviating TS and the underlying mechanisms. For in vitro studies, lung fibroblasts (IMR-90 cells), with/without PLB treatment or TGF-β1 induction, were used. The viability and proliferation of IMR-90 cells were examined by CCK-8 and EdU incorporation assays. The differentiation of IMR-90 cells was assessed by detecting the mRNA and protein expression levels of collagen (COL)-1 and alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). Besides, immunofluorescence assay was conducted to evaluate the localization of α-SMA in TGF-β1-induced IMR-90 cells. Moreover, the combination of PLB with/without TβRI (SB-431,542), PI3K/Akt (Ly294002) or mTOR (rapamycin) inhibitor was pretreated on IMR-90 cells after TGF-β1 induction. For in vivo studies, a rat model of TS was established. The pathological features and severity of TS were determined by hematoxylin and eosin staining. The protein levels of TGF-β1/Smad and Akt/mTOR pathways were detected for both in vitro and in vivo models. PLB effectively inhibited the proliferation and differentiation of TGF-β1-induced IMR-90 cells, and suppressed TGF-β1/Smad and Akt/mTOR signaling pathways both in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, PLB reduced the degree of TS in rats. Taken together, our results indicate that PLB regulates lung fibroblast activity and attenuates TS in rats by inhibiting TGF-β1/Smad and Akt/mTOR signaling pathways. In conclusion, this study implies that PLB may serve as a promising therapeutic compound for TS., Graphical abstract, GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Experiments were conducted to identify the role of hydrogen water (HW) in banana fruit ripening. Banana fruit soaked with 0.8 ppm HW showed longer ripening than control fruit. HW treatment significantly reduced ethylene production and respiratory rate, and inhibited the expressions of ethylene synthesis- and signaling-related genes. Similarly, HW treatment inhibited the down-regulation of chlorophylls binding proteins and delayed the increase of chromaticity a*, b* and L* in banana peel. Furthermore, HW-treated peel exhibited lower expressions of cell wall degradation-related genes and higher levels of fruit firmness, pectin, hemicellulose and lignin. In addition, HW-treated pulp exhibited higher levels of starch, lower level of total soluble solids (TSS) and lower expression of flavor-related genes. Microstructural observation further confirmed that HW treatment delayed the degradations of starch and cell walls. Those results indicated that HW treatment delayed banana ripening via the role of ethylene in relation to degreening, flavor and softening.

The peel of Citrus reticulate ‘Chachiennsis’ (Chachi) is widely accepted as a functional food. It is generally recognized that its health benefits are dependent on storage time. However, the chemicals responsible for this phenomonon remain unclear. As bioactive polysaccharides are dominant in Chachi, Chachi polysaccharides with various storage times (5–20 years) were prepared. The monosaccharide composition was analyzed by GC-MS. NMR data revealed that Chachi polysaccharides were mainly consisted of arabinogalacturonan and another pectin with side chain of →4)-β-D-Galp-(1 → . α-L-Araf-(1→, →5)-α-L-Araf-(1→, →4)-α-D-GalpA-(1→, →4)-α-D-GalpAMe-(1→, →4)-β-D-Galp-(1→ and →4)-β-D-Glcp-(1→ were detected. The molecular weight of Chachi polysaccharides decreased along with the extension of storage time. However, the basic structure characteristics remained stable. The immumomodulatory activities of Chachi polysaccharides were improved as the storage time extended. The change of molecular weight was responsible for the improved immunomodulatory activity. The results explained how polysaccharides contributed to the enhanced health benefits of Chachi during storage.

Background Neurodegenerative diseases are becoming increasingly prevalent over the world. Therefore, drug development in this field is urgently required. Neuron impairment leads to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, while amelioration of oxidative stress can inhibit the impairment. As a traditional Chinese medicine, mulberry leaf exhibits various pharmacological properties, including neuroprotective activity. But the major components responsible for the neuroprotective activity of mulberry leaf remained unknown. Phytochemicals were potent candidates of neuroprotective drug. Prenylated phenolics are the leading phytochemicals present in mulberry leaf. Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the neuroprotective activities and mechanisms of prenylated phenolics. Methods The chemical structure of isolated compounds were elucidated by MS and NMR. UPLC-MS/MS was used to determine the contents of prenylated phenolics in fresh mulberry leaf. Neurotoxicity was induced by erastin in HT22 cells. CCK-8 assay was performed to assess cell viability. ROS production, GSH level and iron release were monitored by using DCFH-DA, monobromobimane, and FeRhoNox™-1, respectively. qRT-PCR and Western blotting assays were performed to assess gene and protein expression, respectively. Results Four prenylated phenolics, including isobavachalcone, morachalcone B, moracin N and morachalcone A were isolated and identified from mulberry leaf. Their levels in fresh mulberry leaf were in a decreasing order, moracin N > morachalcone A > morachalcone B > isobavachalcone. Moreover, moracin N showed a good neuroprotective activity with an EC50 Conclusion The results confirmed that moracin N was a good ferroptosis inhibitor, which exerted neuroprotective activity through preventing from oxidative stress.

Litchi fruit has high commercial value on the international market, but senesces rapidly after harvest. We used weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and degradome technology to investigate the molecular mechanisms of melatonin-mediated delay of litchi fruit senescence through application of exogenous melatonin and p-chlorophenylalanine (p-CPA, an inhibitor of melatonin biosynthesis) treatments. Results demonstrated that exogenous melatonin treatment delayed litchi fruit senescence while p-CPA accelerated senescence. Coupled analyses of transcriptome and physiological parameters of litchi fruit provided the correlation of network modules with dynamic changes in browning index during storage. Additionally, we found that microRNAs (miR858 and miR160a) and their targets were actively involved in melatonin-mediated delay of litchi fruit senescence. Melatonin treatment decreased abscisic acid (ABA) content but increased PP2C and F-box expression levels, suggesting the involvement of ABA signaling in melatonin-mediated antisenescence. The transcriptions of ZAT, NAC and DREB1 were activated by melatonin treatment. Moreover, the major functional genes involved in histone methylation, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) metabolism, energy production, reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and cell death were identified in the melatonin-inhibited litchi pericarp browning. Taken together, we first constructed the global map of the important regulators and pathways to delay litchi senescence and pericarp browning mediated by melatonin.

Dietary prenylated stilbenoids present in many food resources, and have good bioactivities. However, their structure-activity relationships are rarely reported. In this work, eighteen C- and O-prenylated stilbenoids were chemically semisynthesized using one-step approach. They all could inhibit sugar digestive enzymes, including α-glucosidase and α-amylase. 4-Geranyl piceatannol from jackfruit showed the strongest activity by suppressing dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) activity. The enzyme inhibition kinetics were measured and the inhibition mechanism was revealed. Evaluation of antioxidant activity highlighted that the introduction of prenyl with increasing prenyl chain length can significantly increase the antioxidant activity of stilbenoids. Our results suggested that prenylated stilbenoids could be used as functional food additives to decrease postprandial blood sugar levels by inhibiting sugar digestive enzymes and DPP-IV. Prenylated stilbenoids present remarkable DPP-IV inhibitory activity, providing more useful information for the prevention of type 2 diabetes.

Chilling injury reduces the quality and commercial value of banana. The effects of exogenous phytosulfokine α (PSKα) on chilling tolerance of banana via modulating the metabolism of polyamine, proline, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) were studied. The results showed that the chilling injury of banana was inhibited by 150 nM PSKα treatment, which was 13.6 % lower than that of the control group at the end of storage. The activities of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), arginine decarboxylase (ADC), ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), and the endogenous NO content were increased significantly by PSKα treatment. The diamine oxidase (DAO) and polyamine oxidase (PAO) activities were inhibited, leading to putrescine (Put), spermine (Spm), and spermidine (Spd) increased. Proline and GABA contents in PSKα-treated banana were also increased, which might be due to the activated biosynthesis pathway and suppressed catabolism pathway. These results demonstrated that exogenous PSKα might be maintain quality and retard chilling injury of banana.

Aluminum (Al) is considered as the most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust, being the third most abundant chemical element after oxygen and silicon. Intensive development of the Al industry (Brough and Jouhara, 2020) due to a wide use of the metal has resulted in a significant increase in environmental Al levels (Crisponi et al., 2012). The sources of human Al exposure may include diet (Tietz et al., 2019), being responsible for 95% of total body Al (Goulle and Grangeot-Keros, 2020), drinking water (Krupinska, 2020), air (Exley, 2013), as well as cosmetics (Crisponi et al., 2012, 2013) and medicinal drugs, namely antacids (Klotz et al., 2017). Involvement in Al processing industry may also result in occupational Al exposure (Skalny et al., 2018). Earlier studies demonstrated that vaccination could be considered as a source of Al exposure due to the presence of aluminium adjuvants that are currently not widely used thus reducing the risk of vaccine-associated Al exposure (Goulle and Grangeot-Keros, 2020). Being a non-essential element, Al was shown to be toxic for humans (Exley, 2013), resulting in adverse health effects (Crisponi et al., 2011) including bone pathology (Klein, 2019) and breast cancer (Darbre et al., 2013). Our data also demonstrated the association between obesity (Tinkov et al., 2019), laboratory markers of metabolic syndrome and Al exposure markers (Skalnaya et al., 2018). However, the existing data on adverse effects of Al exposure are limited (Krewski et al., 2007). Recent studies have demonstrated that the brain may be considered as the target for Al toxicity (Exley, 2014), resulting in neurodegenerative (Exley, 2013; Shaw et al., 2014) and neurodevelopmental disorders (Blaylock, 2012). Recent detailed studies by Exley and the coauthors have highlighted the association between brain Al accumulation and neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis and autism spectrum disorder (Exley and Clarkson, 2020; Mirza et al., 2017; Mold et al., 2018). Speciation analysis using hyphenated techniques demonstrated that Al exposure induces a specific bioligand response in Al-exposed neuronal cells (Polec-Pawlak et al., 2004). However, the particular mechanisms of Al neurotoxicity and their role in Al-associated neurological disorders are still debatable (Morris et al., 2017). This chapter will provide an update on the particular mechanisms of Al neurotoxicity that may be used as targets for development of therapeutic strategies. Generally, the neurotoxic effect of Al exposure is mediated by its common toxic properties including prooxidant, proinflammatory, proapoptotic activity that are reported for a variety of cell lines and tissues, as well as more specific “neurotropic” effects namely interference with neurotransmitter metabolism and neuronal cytoskeleton.

Functional foods play an important role in health care and chronic diseases prevention, particularly cancer. Prenylated flavonoids are presented in many food resources. They are recognized as neutraceuticals due to their diverse health benefits. Up to now, more than 1000 prenylated flavonoids have been identified in plants. Their food resources are reviewed in this paper. Due to the good safety and cancer prevention effect of prenylated flavonoids, this paper reviews the cancer prevention activities and mechanisms reported in last decade. The structure-activity relationship is discussed. Due to the limited availability in nature, the heterologously biosynthetic technique of prenylated flavonoids is discussed in this review. Inclusion of dietary prenylated flavonoids into human diet is highly desirable. This paper combines the up-to-date information and give a clear image regarding prenylated flavonoids as neutraceuticals.

To improve fresh-cut produce quality and shelf life, 0.5% or 1.0% MicroGARD® 730 (MG) as a natural alternative to synthetic chemical preservatives, 2.5% NatureSeal® (NS) product (vitamin/mineral-based blends), 0.5% MG combined with 2.5% NS, and 1% MG combined with 2.5% NS were used to treat fresh-cut butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata). The 240 g samples were put into food grade bags and stored at 4 or 7 °C. Microbial population, including aerobic plate counts (APCs), yeast and molds, total coliforms, and quality parameters, including head space O2 /CO2 concentration in package, pH, soluble solids, color, and conductivity, were evaluated after 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 20 days of storage. Results showed that after 6 days of storage at 7 °C, APC of check and control samples reached to 2.6 × 108 and 1.5 × 107 CFU/g, respectively; while they were kept at 104 CFU/g (3 to 4 log reduction) in the squash samples treated with 0.5% or 1% MG combined with NS at 7 °C. Similar results were found on squash samples stored at 4 °C for 9 days. The cut squash treated with MG combined with NS had APC ≤ 107 CFU/g at 4 °C for about 20 days compared to 9 days in controls or 0.5% MG-treated samples, and 12 days in 1% MG-treated or NS-treated samples, respectively. Considering overall quality and extended shelf life, MG combined with NS was recommended to apply to cut squashes stored at 4 °C. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This research provided useful information and practical treatment application for developing fresh-cut produce with good quality and extended shelf life up to 20 days at 4 °C.

Ascorbate peroxidase (APX) is a key antioxidant enzyme that is involved in diverse developmental and physiological process and stress responses by scavenging H2O2 in plants. APX itself is also subjected to multiple posttranslational modifications (PTMs). However, redox-mediated PTM of APX in plants remains poorly understood. Here, we identified and confirmed that MaAPX1 interacts with methionine sulfoxide reductase B2 (MsrB2) in bananas. Ectopic overexpression of MaAPX1 delays the detached leaf senescence induced by darkness in Arabidopsis. Sulfoxidation of MaAPX1, i.e., methionine oxidation, leads to loss of the activity, which is repaired partially by MaMsrB2. Moreover, mimicking sulfoxidation by mutating Met36 to Gln also decreases its activity in vitro and in vivo, whereas substitution of Met36 with Val36 to mimic the blocking of sulfoxidation has little effect on APX activity. Spectral analysis showed that mimicking sulfoxidation of Met36 hinders the formation of compound I, the first intermediate between APX and H2O2. Our findings demonstrate that the redox state of methionine in MaAPX1 is critical to its activity, and MaMsrB2 can regulate the redox state and activity of MaAPX1. Our results revealed a novel post-translational redox modification of APX.

Sodium p-aminosalicylic acid (PAS-Na) has been previously shown to protect the brain from manganese (Mn)-induced toxicity. However, the efficacy of PAS-Na in protecting other organs from Mn toxicity and the mechanisms associated with this protection have yet to be addressed. Therefore, here, we assessed pancreatic damage in response to Mn treatment and the efficacy of PAS-Na in limiting this effect, along with specific mechanisms that mediate PAS-Na's protection. Mn exposure led to increased blood Mn content in dose- and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, subchronic Mn exposure (20 mg/kg for 8 weeks) led to pancreatic damage in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the elevated Mn levels increased iron and decreased zinc and magnesium content in the pancreas. These effects were noted even 8 weeks after Mn exposure cessation. Mn exposure also affected the levels of amylase, lipase, and inflammatory factors such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) and interleukin-1 β (IL-1β). PAS-Na significantly inhibited the increase in Mn concentration in both blood and pancreas, restored Mn-induced pancreatic damage, reversed the Mn-induced alterations in metal levels, and restored amylase and lipase concentrations. Taken together, we conclude that in rats, PAS-Na shows pharmacological efficacy in protecting the pancreas from Mn-induced damage.

Glutaredoxins (GRXs) are disulfide oxidoreductases that are involved in various biological processes. However, little information on the role of GRXs in the regulation of fruit ripening and the response to stress is available. In this study, we isolated 64 GRX genes from banana genome. Their encoded GRX proteins could be classified into four classes: CC, CGFS, CPYC and GRL types. The distribution and synteny of these GRXs on chromosomes, the gene structures, the promoter sequences, and the possible protein subcellular localizations were characterized. Molecular interaction network analysis suggested that MaGRX might interact with glutathione reductase (GR), sulfiredoxin, peroxiredoxin (Prx), and NADPH-dependent thioredoxin reductase C (NTRC), contributing to the antioxidative defense of banana fruit. MicroRNA prediction showed that MaGRX genes might be targeted by different miRNAs. Transcriptome analysis characterized the expression profiles of different MaGRX genes during banana fruit ripening, and in response to different storage stresses. The results suggested that CC-type, CPYC-type and GRL-type MaGRXs might be more active than CGFS-type MaGRXs during banana fruit ripening and the response to stress. Moreover, MaGRX6/7/9/11/17/23/28 and MaGRL3/16/19 might play important roles in regulating fruit ripening or in response to low and high temperature, or Fusarium proliferatum infection.

Sodium p-aminosalicylic acid (PAS-Na) has been previously shown to protect the brain from manganese (Mn)-induced toxicity. However, the efficacy of PAS-Na in protecting other organs from Mn toxicity and the mechanisms associated with this protection have yet to be addressed. Therefore, here, we assessed pancreatic damage in response to Mn treatment and the efficacy of PAS-Na in limiting this effect, along with specific mechanisms that mediate PAS-Na's protection. Mn exposure led to increased blood Mn content in dose- and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, subchronic Mn exposure (20 mg/kg for 8 weeks) led to pancreatic damage in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the elevated Mn levels increased iron and decreased zinc and magnesium content in the pancreas. These effects were noted even 8 weeks after Mn exposure cessation. Mn exposure also affected the levels of amylase, lipase, and inflammatory factors such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) and interleukin-1 β (IL-1β). PAS-Na significantly inhibited the increase in Mn concentration in both blood and pancreas, restored Mn-induced pancreatic damage, reversed the Mn-induced alterations in metal levels, and restored amylase and lipase concentrations. Taken together, we conclude that in rats, PAS-Na shows pharmacological efficacy in protecting the pancreas from Mn-induced damage.

Exposure to high levels of manganese (Mn) leads to brain Mn accumulation, and a disease referred to as manganism. Activation of microglia plays an important role in Mn-induced neuroinflammation. Sodium p-aminosalicylic acid (PAS-Na) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that inhibits Mn-induced neuroinflammation. The aim of the current study was to explore the role of NF-κB in the protective mechanism of PAS-Na on Mn-induced neuroinflammation in BV2 microglial experimental model. We treated BV2 microglia with 200 μM Mn for 24 h followed by 48 h treatment with graded concentrations of PAS-Na, using an NF-kB inhibitor, JSH-23, as a positive control. MTT results established that 200 and 400 μM PAS-Na treatment increased the Mn-induced cell viability reduction. NF-κB (P65) mRNA expression and the phosphorylation of p65 were increased in Mn-treated BV2 cell, and suppressed by PAS-Na, analogous to the effect of JSH-23 pretreatment. Furthermore, PAS-Na significantly reduced the contents of the inflammatory cytokine TNF-α and IL-1β, both of which were increased by Mn treatment. The current results show that PAS-Na attenuated Mn-induced inflammation by abrogating the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathways and reduced the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Background The activation of NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome-dependent pyroptosis has been shown to play a vital role in the pathology of manganese (Mn)-induced neurotoxicity. Sodium para-aminosalicylic acid (PAS-Na) has a positive effect on the treatment of manganism. However, the mechanism is still unclear. We hypothesized that PAS-Na might act through NLRP3. Methods The microglial cell line BV2 and male Sprague-Dawley rats were used to investigate the impacts of PAS-Na on Mn-induced NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent pyroptosis. The related protein of the NF-κB pathway and NLRP3-inflammasome-dependent pyroptosis was detected by western blot. The reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial membrane potential were detected by immunofluorescence staining and flow cytometry. The activation of microglia and the gasdermin D (GSDMD) were detected by immunofluorescence staining. Results Our results showed that Mn treatment induced oxidative stress and activated the NF-κB pathway by increasing the phosphorylation of p65 and IkB-α in BV2 cells and in the basal ganglia of rats. PAS-Na could alleviate Mn-induced oxidative stress damage by inhibiting ROS generation, increasing mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP levels, thereby reducing the phosphorylation of p65 and IkB-α. Besides, Mn treatment could activate the NLRP3 pathway and promote the secretion of IL-18 and IL-1β, mediating pyroptosis in BV2 cells and in the basal ganglia and hippocampus of rats. But an inhibitor of NF-κb (JSH-23) treatment could significantly reduce LDH release, the expression of NLRP3 and Cleaved CASP1 protein and IL-1β and IL-18 mRNA level in BV2 cells. Interestingly, the effect of PAS-Na treatment in Mn-treated BV2 cells is similar to those of JSH-23. Besides, immunofluorescence results showed that PAS-Na reduced the increase number of activated microglia, which stained positively for GSDMD. Conclusion PAS-Na antagonized Mn-induced NLRP3 inflammasome dependent pyroptosis through inhibiting NF-κB pathway activation and oxidative stress.

Fruit of four litchi cultivars were stored at 25 ± 1 °C. The shelf life changed from long to short respectively was “Feizixiao (FXZ), “Jingganghongnuo (JGHN)”, “Huaizhi (HZ)” and “Nuomici (NMC)”. During pulp breakdown, marketable fruit and total soluble solids (TSS) decreased significantly, while respiratory rate increased significantly. After metabolomics analysis, a total of 179 metabolites were detected in litchi pulp, including 56 primary metabolites, 79 volatile compounds, 28 free amino acids and 16 hydrolyzed amino acids. Compared with other litchi cultivars, FZX pulp was rich in volatile alcohols and amino acids, NMC pulp was rich in soluble sugars and sesquiterpenes, and JGHN and HZ pulp were rich in sesquiterpenes. During the postharvest storage, most of volatiles and amino acids were induced in NMC pulp, while most of volatiles were reduced in JGHN and HZ pulp. The specific metabolites accumulated in a litchi pulp might be related to its shelf life and fruit quality. The increased metabolites during pulp breakdown might be also related to the resistance of litchi pulp.

Sodium p-aminosalicylic acid (PAS-Na) was reported to exhibit anti-inflammatory effect in the nervous system. However, the mechanism by which PAS-Na exhibits anti-inflammatory effects on manganese (Mn)-stimulated BV2 microglia cells remains unclear. Thus, this study investigated the role of PAS-Na in Mn-stimulated BV2 microglial cells. Microglia-like BV2 were treated with MnCl2 with or without the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug PAS-Na for 12 or 24 h to examine cell viability using MTT; for 24 or 48 h to examine levels of NLRP3, CASP1, IL-1β, and IL-18 mRNA using Real-Time quantitative PCR; for 48 h to examine levels of NLRP3 and CASP1 inflammasomes, measured by western blot analysis; and for 48 h to examine levels of inflammatory cytokines, measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The MTT assay showed that PAS-Na produced significant neuroprotective effect by preventing Mn-induced inflammation in BV2 microglial cells. PAS-Na significantly concentration and time dependently inhibited Mn-induced production of NLRP3, CASP1, IL-1β, and IL-18. Taken together, our results suggest that PAS-Na exerts anti-inflammatory effects in Mn-stimulated BV2 microglial cells via downregulation of NLRP3, CASP1, IL-1β, and I L-18. Furthermore, a high concentration and prolonged PAS-Na treatment appear necessary for its therapeutic efficacy. Taken together, we conclude that PAS-Na affords therapeutic efficacy in mitigating neurological conditions associated with neuroinflammation.

Lead is a heavy metal pollutant that is widely present in the environment. It affects every organ system, yet the nervous system appears to be the most sensitive and primary target. Although many countries have made significant strides in controlling Pb pollution, Pb poisoning continuous to be a major public health concern. Exposure to Pb causes neurotoxicity that ranges from neurodevelopmental disorders to severe neurodegenerative lesions, leading to impairments in learning, memory, and cognitive function. Studies on the mechanisms of Pb-induced nervous system injury have convincingly shown that this metal can affect a plethora of cellular pathways affecting on cell survival, altering calcium dyshomeostasis, and inducing apoptosis, inflammation, energy metabolism disorders, oxidative stress, autophagy and glial stress. This review summarizes recent knowledge on multiple signaling pathways associated with Pb-induced neurological disorders in vivo and in vitro.

Chilling injury is especially prominent in postharvest bananas stored at low temperature below 13 &deg, C. To elucidate better the relationship between cell membrane lipids and chilling injury, an untargeted lipidomics approach using ultra-performance liquid chromatography&ndash, mass spectrometry was conducted. Banana fruit were stored at 6 &deg, C for 0 (control) and 4 days and then sampled for lipid analysis. After 4 days of storage, banana peel exhibited a marked chilling injury symptom. Furthermore, 45 lipid compounds, including glycerophospholipids, saccharolipids, and glycerolipids, were identified with significant changes in peel tissues of bananas stored for 4 days compared with the control fruit. In addition, higher ratio of digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG) to monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG) and higher levels of phosphatidic acid (PA) and saturated fatty acids but lower levels of phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and unsaturated fatty acids were observed in banana fruit with chilling injury in contrast to the control fruit. Meanwhile, higher activities of phospholipase D (PLD) and lipoxygenase (LOX) were associated with significantly upregulated gene expressions of MaPLD1 and MaLOX2 and higher malondialdehyde (MDA) content in chilling injury-related bananas. In conclusion, our study indicated that membrane lipid degradation resulted from reduced PC and PE, but accumulated PA, while membrane lipid peroxidation resulted from the elevated saturation of fatty acids, resulting in membrane damage which subsequently accelerated the chilling injury occurrence of banana fruit during storage at low temperature.

Goji (Lycium barbarum L.) berry is considered the latest super fruit and widely accepted as a functional food due to its excellent nutritional and medicinal properties. Goji berries are usually consumed and marketed as dried fruit. However, they are not generally known as fresh fruit due to their highly perishable nature and lack of information about their postharvest behavior. The chapter reviews the recent research and developments on the improvement of fruit quality and postharvest storage using various technology.

Banana, an important food, incurs significant economic losses due to high storage temperature. Integrative analysis of proteome and transcriptome profiles of the banana peel stored at 20 °C (control) and 30 °C (HT) was used to investigate the molecular mechanism in response to high temperature stress. Critical proteins and genes relating to the response of banana fruit to HT stress were evaluated using partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and orthogonal signal correction partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). HT stress influenced proteins/genes related to chlorophyll metabolism, fruit firmness, signal transduction, energy metabolism, and stress response and defense. Together with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and real time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) results, it can be concluded that HT stress resulted in stay-green ripening of banana fruit. Additionally, HT stress accelerated firmness loss and senescence of banana peel, might mainly through regulating hormone signaling pathway, stress protective ability, and energy metabolism in the banana peel. Our study provided a clearer understanding of regulatory mechanisms of HT treatment on banana fruit and potential genetic resources for the improvement of high temperature-tolerant characteristics in banana fruit.

The cuticular membrane covering almost all aerial plant organs has a primary function in limiting uncontrolled water loss. The guava fruits were collected and this work was done to study the potential contribution of cuticular chemical composition to fruit transpiration after harvest. The detailed cuticular chemical composition, based on gas chromatography together with mass spectrometry, and the transpiration rate determined gravimetrically in guava fruit were characterized in the present study. The predominant wax mixtures were fatty acids and primary alcohols with homologous series of C16–C33, as well as various pentacyclic triterpenoids with abundant amounts of ursolic acid, maslinic acid and uvaol. The most prominent cutin compounds were C16 and C18‒type monomers dominated by 9(10),16-diOH-hexadecanoic acid and 9,10-epoxy-ω–OH–octadecanoic acid, respectively. Relatively high water permeability with a value of 5.1 × 10−4 m s−1 was detected for guava fruit. The lower efficiency of the cuticle as barrier to transpiration in guava fruit, as compared to that of other reported fruits, leaves, and petals, was seemingly related to the relatively short average chain-length of acyclic compounds in wax mixtures. These findings provide useful insights linking the chemical composition of the cuticular membrane that covers plant organs to putative physiological roles.

Estrogen receptors (ERs) are transcription factors highly involved in physiological development and metabolism in the human body. They also play important roles in the treatment of cancer and metabolic diseases. Chemicals that interact with ERs can be used to treat diseases and maintain health. Phytoestrogens are natural chemicals that have been documented to possess significant ER modulatory activities. However, since phytoestrogens usually exist at low quantities in nature, heterologous biosynthesis techniques have quickly developed in recent years in order meet the demands for needed therapeutic amounts. In this review, the performance of phytoestrogens as ER modulators is described along with recent advances in biosynthesis techniques.

It has been well recognized that Li2CO3 is inevitably formed at the surface of nickel rich layered compounds (NRLC) upon storage in air which is usually considered to be detrimental to the performance. Actually, its formation may have been triggered during synthesis of NRLC. However, little is known of its formation during synthesis of NRLC in air and its interaction behaviors with electrolyte during electrochemical process. Herein, we successfully tailor Li2CO3 surface phase simply by controlling calcination time during synthesis of structurally well ordered LiNi0.9Mn0.1O2 particles with great similarity in structure, morphology, size and crystallinity in air using a facile sol-gel method. The thickness of Li2CO3 layer is for the first time observed to decrease with increased calcination time, accompanied by the reduced Ni2+ at surface. More oxygen vacancies caused by more Ni2+ owing to the difficulty of oxidizing Ni2+ to Ni3+ at the surface are proposed here to be responsible for the formation of more Li2CO3 for shorter calcination times. Li2CO3 surface phase is evidenced to favor not only suppressing the H2/H3 phase transition but alleviating the interaction of LiNi0.9Mn0.1O2 with electrolyte because of the coating effect, which therefore improves the cycling stability of LiNi0.9Mn0.1O2 at low rates. Therefore, this study not only provides a new insight into the surface changes of LiNi0.9Mn0.1O2 with calcination time at high temperature during synthesis in air, but opens up a new avenue to tailoring Li2CO3 surface phase as desired by controlling the oxidization extent of Ni2+ to Ni3+ to modulate oxygen vacancies at surface through employing different oxidizing atmospheres or calcination times for performance improvement or exploration of novel preparation approaches of high performance NRLC.

Litchi fruit were exposed to 0.7 PPM hydrogen water (HW) before storage at 25 ± 1 ℃. HW treatment delayed the pericarp browning and maintained the total soluble solids (TSS) of litchi fruit. Then, a total of 25 antioxidant system-related characters were determined to evaluate the effects of HW on antioxidant system during pericarp browning. Compared with control pericarp, the pericarp of HW-treated litchi fruit exhibited higher levels of superoxide radical (O2−·) scavenging activity, glutathione (GSH), monodehydroascorbate reductase (MDHAR), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and total flavonoids during whole storage, higher levels of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), catalase (CAT), glutathione disulfide (GSSG), ascorbate oxidase (AAO) and total phenols only on day 1, and higher levels of ascorbate peroxidase (APX), total anthocyanin, glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione peroxidases (GPX) at later stage of storage. Those HW-induced antioxidant system-related characters might directly or indirectly enhanced the antioxidant capacity and delayed the pericarp browning of litchi.

Fruit ripening is governed by a complex regulatory network. Reversible histone methylation and demethylation regulate chromatin structure and gene expression. However, little is known about the involvement of histone demethylases in regulating fruit ripening. Here, we found that the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) SlJMJ6 encodes a histone lysine demethylase that specifically demethylates H3K27 methylation. Overexpression of SlJMJ6 accelerates tomato fruit ripening, which is associated with the upregulated expression of a large number of ripening-related genes. Integrated analysis of RNA-seq and chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing identified 32 genes directly targeted by SlJMJ6 and transcriptionally upregulated with decreased H3K27m3 in SlJMJ6-overexpressed fruit. Numerous SlJMJ6-regulated genes are involved in transcription regulation, ethylene biosynthesis, cell wall degradation and hormone signaling. Eleven ripening-related genes including RIPENING INHIBITOR (RIN), 1-aminocyclopropane 1-carboxylate synthase-4 (ACS4), 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase 1 (ACO1), pectate lyase (PL) and beta-galactosidase 4 (TBG4), and a DNA demethylase DML2, were confirmed to be regulated directly by SlJMJ6 through removing H3K27me3. Our results demonstrate that SlJMJ6 is a ripening-prompting H3K27me3 demethylase that activates the expression of the ripening-related genes by modulating H3K27me3, thereby facilitating tomato fruit ripening. Our work also reveals a novel link between histone demethylation and DNA demethylation in regulating fruit ripening. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the involvement of a histone lysine demethylase in the regulation of fruit ripening.