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To study the antioxidant and immune protection activity of velvet antler (VA) in cyclophosphamide-induced immunocompromised mice, BALB/c mice were intragastrically administered 100, 300, or 500 mg/(kg·d) VA for 30 days, and were intraabdominally injected with cyclophosphamide to create a hypoimmune murine model. Cellular immunity, macrophage phagocytic activity, natural killer (NK) cell activity, white blood cell count, splenic lymphocyte subsets and the mRNA expression levels of serum cytokines were analysed. We found that the IC50 for removing 2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS), OH, and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals of VA were 0.476, 4.33, and 37.92 mg/mL, respectively. VA could enhance innate and adaptive immunity of mice by improving cellular immunity, macrophage phagocytic ability, and NK cell activity; promoting the production of IL-4, IFN-γ, TNF-α and other cytokines; increasing the content and ratio of lymphocyte subsets. These results indicate that VA has good antioxidant activity and can improve the immune function of cyclophosphamide-induced immunodeficient mice.

Food for special medical purposes (FSMP) has received increasing attention as an enteral nutritional supplement. To investigate the effects of whole nutritional formula (WNF) containing dietary fiber and regular formula on nutritional supplementation and improvement of intestinal microecology, a rat malnutrition model was established with the formulations of WNF, FOS, and SDF (10, 20 g/kg bw) administered by gavage for 30 days. The results showed that the three formulations effectively improved the nutritional status of the malnourished rats, significantly increasing the level of IgG, increasing the abundance of Bacteroidetes, and affecting the content of propionic acid (PRO). The nutritional status of rats is closely related to growth performance, nutritional indexes, and immunoglobulin index, which cause changes in the composition of the intestinal flora. The above results showed that WNF positively affected the nutritional improvement, immune level, and intestinal health of rats. The comprehensive evaluation also suggested that the formulation containing ginseng water‐soluble dietary fiber (ginseng‐SDF) had the most significant effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) is an herbal medicine with polysaccharides as its important active ingredient. The purpose of this research was to identify the effects of the polysaccharides of P. quinquefolius (WQP) on rats with antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD) induced by lincomycin hydrochloride. WQP was primarily composed of galacturonic acid, glucose, galactose, and arabinose. The yield, total sugar content, uronic acid content, and protein content were 6.71%, 85.2%, 31.9%, and 2.1%, respectively. WQP reduced the infiltration of inflammatory cells into the ileum and colon, reduced the IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17A, and TNF-α levels, increased the levels of IL-4 and IL-10 in colon tissues, improved the production of acetate and propionate, regulated the gut microbiota diversity and composition, improved the relative richness of Lactobacillus and Bacteroides, and reduced the relative richness of Blautia and Coprococcus. The results indicated that WQP can enhance the recovery of the intestinal structure in rats, reduce inflammatory cytokine levels, improve short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels, promote recovery of the gut microbiota and intestinal mucosal barrier, and alleviate antibiotic-related side effects such as diarrhoea and microbiota dysbiosis caused by lincomycin hydrochloride. We found that WQP can protect the intestinal barrier by increasing Occludin and Claudin-1 expression. In addition, WQP inhibited the MAPK inflammatory signaling pathway to improve the inflammatory status. This study provides a foundation for the treatment of natural polysaccharides to reduce antibiotic-related side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food for special medical purposes (FSMP) has received increasing attention as an enteral nutritional supplement. To investigate the effects of whole nutritional formula (WNF) containing dietary fiber and regular formula on nutritional supplementation and improvement of intestinal microecology, a rat malnutrition model was established with the formulations of WNF, FOS, and SDF (10, 20 g/kg bw) administered by gavage for 30 days. The results showed that the three formulations effectively improved the nutritional status of the malnourished rats, significantly increasing the level of IgG, increasing the abundance of Bacteroidetes , and affecting the content of propionic acid (PRO). The nutritional status of rats is closely related to growth performance, nutritional indexes, and immunoglobulin index, which cause changes in the composition of the intestinal flora. The above results showed that WNF positively affected the nutritional improvement, immune level, and intestinal health of rats. The comprehensive evaluation also suggested that the formulation containing ginseng water-soluble dietary fiber (ginseng-SDF) had the most significant effect., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (© 2023 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

The present study comprehensively compared the content of chondroitin sulfate in Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum(CCP) and Cervi Cornu(CC) of different specifications and explored the feasibility of chondroitin sulfate as an indicator to distinguish between CCP and CC. Twenty-two batches of CCP of different specifications(two-branched velvet antler and three-branched velvet antler) from 15 habitats, CC from 6 habitats, and 60 batches of CCP slices prepared from different parts(wax slices, powder slices, gauze slices, and bone slices) were collected. High-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) was used to determine chondroitin sulfate content in CCP and CC of different specifications. Cluster analysis was used to classify CCP slices of different specifications. The results showed that CCP contained abundant chondroitin sulfate. The average content of chondroitin sulfate was 2.35 mg·g~(-1) in two-branched velvet antler and 1.79 mg·g~(-1) in three-branched velvet antler, significantly higher than 0.11 mg·g~(-1) in CC. Chondroitin sulfate content in wax slices, powder slices, gauze slices, and bone slices were 7.81, 8.39, 1.33, and 0.54 mg·g~(-1), respectively. Cluster analysis showed that gauze slices and bone slices could be clustered into one category and distinguished from wax slices and powder slices. CCP slices prepared from different parts could be separated well through chondroitin sulfate content. Based on the five principles of Q-marker selection, chondroitin sulfate can be used as a potential Q-marker for the identification of CCP and CC, as well as a potential quality indicator for CCP slices of different specifications(wax slices, powder slices, gauze slices, and bone slices). This research provides data support for CCP quality evaluation.

Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus in six growth stages was taken as materials to study the species and content changes of material basis, which were detected by UPLC, GC and MS chromatography, including lignans, nucleosides, aroma components and fatty acids. The results showed that the texture, color and taste of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus in six growth stages were different. On the material basis, 12 lignans were detected by UPLC-MS, and the content of total lignans was higher in the samples from late August to early September, among which the highest content of schisandrin was 0.67%±0.01%, followed by schizandrol B, angeloylgomisin H and schisandrin B, and the total content increased with the maturity of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus. Thirteen kinds of nucleosides were detected by UPLC. The total nucleoside content was the highest in late July samples, in which the contents of uridine and guanosine were higher and decreased after maturity. Aroma components and fatty acids were identified by GC-MS. A total of 53 aroma components were detected and the highest total content was appeared in late August samples, of which ylangene was higher and bergamotene was followed. A total of 24 kinds of fatty acids were detected. The fruits matured basically in August, and the content of fatty acids in the samples was the highest, among which linoleic acid content was top the list and oleic acid was the second. To sum up, the maturity of Schisandra chinensis fruit is related to the content and variety of various material bases, and the growth period has different influences on the quality of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus. Therefore, the appropriate harvesting time should be determined according to the change law of target components. The results of this study can provide reference for the quality evaluation of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus material basis.