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The mud area in the northern offshore of the Shandong Peninsula constitutes a dynamic source–sink system in China's continental shelf and is a hotspot for research. However, the provenance of the sediments remains controversial, and the depositional environment is not yet fully understood. This paper performed accelerator mass spectrometry 14C dating, grain-size analysis, clay mineralogic analysis, and geochemical analysis of the ZZ04 sediment core. The results showed that this core primarily comprises silt and clay, reflecting weak sedimentary hydrodynamic conditions and stable deposition. The clay mineral assemblage—illite, smectite, chlorite, and kaolinite—indicates strong physical weathering. The provenance of the mud area was mainly from the Yellow River, Shandong Peninsula rivers, and Yangtze River, highlighting its multi-source characteristics. The smectite/(illite + chlorite) ratio in the ZZ04 core serves as a mineralogical indicator of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). Eight significant East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) intensifications were identified, correlating with global cooling events similar to those at 1.89, 1.4, 1.03, and 0.62 thousand years ago. During the EAWM period, the coastal current and the Yellow Sea warm current play crucial roles in the transportation of matter and heat flux in the mud area. In contrast, during the EASM period, the sediments are predominantly sourced from the Shandong Peninsula rivers, contributing terrigenous materials shaped by chemical weathering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Cyclophosphamide (Cy) is a frequently used chemotherapeutic drug, but long‐term Cy treatment can cause immunosuppression and intestinal mucosal damage. The intestinal mucosal barrier and gut flora play important roles in regulating host metabolism, maintaining physiological functions and protecting immune homeostasis. Dysbiosis of the intestinal flora affects the development of the intestinal microenvironment, as well as the development of various external systemic diseases and metabolic syndrome. RESULTS: The present study investigated the influence of sciadonic acid (SA) on Cy‐induced immunosuppression in mice. The results showed that SA gavage significantly alleviated Cy‐induced immune damage by improving the immune system organ index, immune response and oxidative stress. Moreover, SA restored intestinal morphology, improved villus integrity and activated the nuclear factor κB signaling pathway, stimulated cytokine production, and reduced serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels. Furthermore, gut microbiota analysis indicated that SA increased t beneficial bacteria (Alistipes, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, Rikenella and Odoribacter) and decreased pathogenic bacteria (norank‐f‐Oscillospiraceae, Ruminococcus and Desulfovibrio) to maintain intestinal homeostasis. CONCLUSION: The present study provided new insights into the SA regulation of intestinal flora to enhance immune responses. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the potential beneficial effects of sciadonic acid (SA) on improving obesity induced by a high-fat diet in mice. Methods: Forty-eight male C57BL/6 mice were adaptively fed for one week and then randomly divided into the following groups: Control group (C), positive control group (S), model group (M), low-dose sciadonic acid group (LSA), medium-dose sciadonic acid group (MSA), and high-dose sciadonic acid group (HSA). The modeling process lasted for 16 weeks, and the low and high-dose groups were orally administered different doses of SA solution at a fixed time each day. After the modeling period, potential mechanisms of SA in regulating lipid metabolism in obese mice were explored, including aspects such as blood lipid metabolism, hepatic fat metabolism, hepatic oxidative stress, hepatic lipid synthesis, and expression of metabolism-related genes. Results: The high-dose SA intervention in obese mice significantly decreased the levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in serum, while increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (P<0.05). It inhibited weight gain, reduced epididymal fat accumulation, and improved liver tissue damage. Additionally, SA significantly increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in mice (P<0.05), and significantly reduced the production of oxidative end products MDA (P<0.05), alleviated oxidative stress in vivo, and inhibited lipid synthesis by regulating the expression of genes related to lipid metabolism to improve lipid metabolism. Conclusion: SA could improve lipid metabolism disorders in obese mice by suppressing fat accumulation, alleviate oxidative stress, regulate lipid synthesis and metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]