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In this paper, liquid-state fermented sauce mash with salt concentrations of 12% and 18% (w/v) was used as the research object, to explore the effect of gradient heating (15 ℃-20 ℃-25 ℃-30 ℃) on the microbial counting and flavor formation of fermented sauce mash. The results showed that the yeast counts of the low-salt sauce mash sample (TC12) using the gradient heating method was about 1.0 log CFU/g higher than that of the constant temperature (30 ℃) control group (C12) at the end of fermentation, which indicated that the yeasts maintained growth and metabolism for a long time in the gradient heating group. This might be related to the fact that the lower temperature in the early stage of fermentation limited the rapid propagation of yeasts. Among them, the amino nitrogen of the fermented soy sauce from TC12 was as high as 1.14 g/100 g, which met the standard of premium-grade brewed soy sauce in China. At the same time, the content of umami (19.03 g/L) and sweet amino acids (19.32 g/L) in TC12 was high, accounting for about 60% of the total amino acids, presenting a better sweet and savory taste. The volatile compound detection data showed that the content of ethanol, ethyl phenylacetate, ethyl palmitate, 3-(methylthiopropionaldehyde) and benzaldehyde in TC12 was relatively high, and the sample showed an overall sweet-fruity aroma and ester-like aroma. On the other hand, the gradient heating sample of the high-salt group (TC18) contained more guaiacol and methyl maltol, showing a smoky incense and saucy aroma. The sensory evaluation results showed that the low-salt gradient heating fermentation samples TC12 had higher aroma and taste scores, as well as better comprehensive tastes than the constant temperature fermentation samples C12. In summary, the gradient heating method is beneficial to limit the excessive growth of yeast in low-salt (12%) fermented sauce mash in the early stage and maintaining a considerable cell count of yeast in the late stage of fermentation, so that the yeast can continuously ferment and generate more flavor substances and improve the overall flavor of low-salt fermented soy sauce.

Acylation of anthocyanin with fatty acid has been extensively applied for the improvement of their lipophilicity and stability. However, their functionalities are not fully investigated. This work prepared cyanidin-3-O-glucoside–lauric acid ester (C3G–LA) and investigated its protective effect against oxidative stress in H2O2-induced human normal liver (LO2) cells. The results indicated that C3G–LA possessed notable antioxidant activity and better protective effect than its anthocyanin precursor cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G). It protected the cells from H2O2-induced cell death and apoptosis by suppressing the overproduction of reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde, restoring superoxide dismutase activity and ameliorating mitochondrial dysfunction and membrane damage. The increase in the expression levels of phosphorylated Akt, Nrf2, HO-1 and NQO1 further indicated that the antioxidant protective effect of C3G–LA involved the PI3K/Akt-mediated activation of the Nrf2–HO-1/NQO1 pathway. The findings indicated that, in addition to improve lipophilicity and stability, acylation of anthocyanin can enhance their anti-oxidative stress activity.

Microbial inoculation in moromi fermentation has a great influence on the physicochemical and flavour properties of soy sauces. This work investigated the effect of inoculating Tetragenococcus halophilus and Wickerhamomyces anomalus on the flavour formation of early-stage moromi (30 days) fermented at a lower temperature (22 °C) by determining their physicochemical and aroma changes. The results showed that single yeast or LAB inoculation increased the production of amino nitrogen, lactic acid and acetic acid, as well as free amino acids and key flavour components. Particularly, the sequential inoculation of T. halophilus and W. anomalus produced more free amino acids and aromatic compounds, and there might be synergistic effects between these two strains. More characteristic soy sauce flavour compounds, such as benzaldehyde, HEMF, guaiacol and methyl maltol were detected in the sequentially inoculated moromi, and this sample showed higher scores in savoury, roasted and caramel intensities. These results confirmed that sequential inoculation of T. halophilus and W. anomalus could be a choice for the future production of moromi with good flavour and quality under a lower temperature.

An α-glucosidase inhibition assay showed the ethanolic extract of Fenghuang Dancong tea had potential α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. The most bioactive fraction, which was obtained via bioassay-guided isolation of the extract, was further purified to create five compounds, including three novel compounds (1–3). These compounds were analyzed and identified in detail using high-resolution-mass spectrometry and extensive one-dimensional and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy experiments. Among the compounds, compound 1 contained cis double bonds and showed the strongest α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 7.51 μM, which is significantly lower than that of compound 2 with trans double bonds. Enzyme kinetic experiments showed that 1 was a reversible non-competitive α-glucosidase inhibitor.

Acrolein (ACR), an α, β-unsaturated aldehyde, is a toxic compound formed during food processing, and the use of phenolics derived from dietary materials to scavenge ACR is a hot spot. In this study, rutin, a polyphenol widely present in various dietary materials, was used to investigate its capacity to scavenge ACR. It was shown that more than 98% of ACR was eliminated under the conditions of reaction time of 2 h, temperature of 80 °C, and molar ratio of rutin/ACR of 2/1. Further structural characterization of the formed adduct revealed that the adduct of rutin to ACR to form a cyclic hemiacetal compound (RAC) was the main scavenging mechanism. Besides, the stability of RAC during simulated in vitro digestion was evaluated, which showed that more than 83.61% of RAC was remained. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity of RAC against Caco-2 and GES-1 cells was significantly reduced compared with ACR, where the IC50 values of ACR were both below 20 μM while that of RAC were both above 140 μM. And the improvement of the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) by RAC might be one of the detoxification pathways. The present study indicated that rutin was one of the potential ACR scavengers among natural polyphenols.

Acrylamide (AA) is a food contaminant, and amino acids are suggested to mitigate its toxicity by forming adducts. The emergence of acrylamide adducts may cause underestimation of acrylamide exposure level as well as trigger new safety problems. Based on the acrylamide elimination capability of four amino acids, this study chemically synthesized six amino acid-acrylamide adducts. Their structures were analyzed, followed by content determination in 10 commercially baking foods. The Michael adduct formed by one molecule of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and acrylamide was most abundant in foods among six adducts. Furthermore, it markedly decreased the cytotoxicity of acrylamide in Caco-2 cells and GES-1 cells. This finding suggests that amino acids can be used to reduce acrylamide level in processed foods and mitigate its hazardous effects after intake.

5-(Hydroxymethyl)-2-furfural (HMF), an active furfural, widely exists in various food products and has potential safety risks. It can be eliminated by occurring aldol condensation with α-unsubstituted ketones in the presence of catalysts. However, the elimination process between HMF and ketones from food is rarely studied. In this study, the adduct formation between HMF and zingerone (ZGR) catalyzed by proline was investigated. It revealed that the adduct formation led to 99.75% of HMF being trapped under the optimized reaction condition. Moreover, the in vitro digestion stability of HMF-ZGR adduct (HMZ) and its cytotoxicity against Caco-2 cells were evaluated. The results indicated that more than 75% of HMZ was remained after a three-stage simulated digestion. Following 24 and 48 h of incubation, HMZ exhibited cytotoxicity against Caco-2 cells with IC50 values of 41.47 ± 5.33 and 25.39 ± 3.12 mM, respectively, versus 35.39 ± 4.03 and 19.17 ± 2.10 mM by HMF.

In contrast to their well-known physiological properties, phytochemicals, such as flavonoids, have been less frequently examined for their physiochemical properties (e.g., surface activity). A natural quercetin self-stabilizing Pickering emulsion was fabricated and characterized in the present study. The antisolvent precipitation method was used to modify quercetin (in dihydrate form), and the obtained particles were characterized by light microscope, atom force microscope, XRD, and contact angle. The antisolvent treatment was found to reduce the particle size, crystallinity, and surface hydrophobicity of quercetin. We then examined the effects of the antisolvent ratio, particle concentration, and oil fraction on the properties of the quercetin particle-stabilized emulsions. In addition, increasing the antisolvent ratio (1:1~1:10) effectively improved the emulsification performance of the quercetin particles. The emulsion showed good storage stability, and the particle size of the emulsion decreased with the rising particle concentration and increased with the rising oil phase ratio. The findings indicate that natural quercetin treated with antisolvent method has a good ability to stabilize Pickering emulsion, and this emulsion may have good prospective application potential for the development of novel and functional emulsion foods.

Thermally processed food always contains various types of harmful substances. Control of their levels in food is important for human health. This work used the extracts from green tea dust, old green tea, yellow tea, white tea, oolong tea, and black tea to simultaneously mitigate diverse harmful substances in fried potato chips. The six tea extracts (30 g/L) all showed considerable inhibitory effects on the formation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (reduced by 19.8%–53.2%), glyoxal (26.9%–36.6%), and methylglyoxal (16.1%–75.1%). Green tea and black tea extracts exhibited better inhibitory abilities than the other three teas and were further investigated for other harmful compounds by various concentration treatments. Finally, pre-soaking of fresh potato slices in 50 g/L extracts of green tea dust displayed, overall, the most promising inhibitory capacity of HMF (decreased by 73.3%), glyoxal (20.3%), methylglyoxal (69.7%), acrylamide (21.8%), and fluorescent AGEs (42.9%) in fried potato chips, while it exhibited the least impact on the color and texture. The high level of catechins in green tea dust may contribute most to its outstanding inhibitory effect, whereas the distinguished inhibitory effect of black tea extract was speculated to be attributable to the high levels of theaflavins and amino acids in the fully fermented tea. This study indicated that green tea dust, a predominant waste of the tea industry, had great potential to be exploited to improve food quality and safety.

Abstract The current dietary recommendations for disease prevention and management are scarce and are not well supported. Beta‐glucan or quercetin in a diet can alleviate colorectal cancer (CRC) by regulating the gut microbiota and related genes, but the effects of alternating their consumption for routine ingestion during CRC occurrence remain unknown. This study investigated the effects of alternating the consumption of β‐glucan and quercetin for routine ingestion on CRC development in mice. The mortality rate, colonic length, inflammatory cytokines, gut microbiota, and colonic epithelial gene expression in healthy and CRC mice that consumed normal and alternate diets were compared and studied. The results showed that alternating the consumption of β‐glucan and quercetin (alternating among a β‐glucan diet, a normal diet and a normal diet that was supplemented with quercetin) alleviated colon damage and reduced the mortality rate in CRC mice, with a reduction in mortality of 12.5%. Alternating the consumption of β‐glucan and quercetin significantly decreased the TNF‐α level, increased the relative abundance of Parabacteroides, and downregulated three genes (Hmgcs2, Fabp2, and Gpt) that are associated with inflammation and cancer. Alternating the consumption of some bioactive compounds, such as β‐glucan and quercetin, in food can contribute to human health. This experiment provided some experimental evidence for the dietary recommendations for disease prevention and management.

Acrolein is a highly toxic agent that may promote the occurrence and development of various diseases. Acrolein is pervasive in all kinds of foods, and dietary intake is one of the main routes of human exposure to acrolein. Considering that acrolein is substantially eliminated after its formation during food processing and re-exposed in the human body after ingestion and metabolism, the origin and fate of acrolein must be traced in food. Focusing on molecular mechanisms, this review introduces the formation of acrolein in food and summarises both in vitro and in vivo fates of acrolein based on its interactions with small molecules and biomacromolecules. Future investigation of acrolein from different perspectives is also discussed.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has affected an increasing number of people worldwide while alliin has antibiotic effects and is able to alleviate inflammation. We aim to figure out whether pre-consumption of alliin prevents IBD and better understand the mechanism. Rats were orally administrated with alliin prior to the dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. The inflammatory status, profiles of gut microbial communities and colonic epithelial cells (CECs) gene expressions were also examined. Our results showed that alliin mitigated the inflammation symptom including colon shrinkage prevention, and leukocyte and neutrophil infiltration attenuation by preserving expression of 23 genes in CECs rather than altering gut microbiota. DSS induced the differentially expressed genes related to rodent immune system, while alliin obviate the DSS-induced pathological change through other systems rather than the immune one. The value and prospect of alliin as a prevention for colitis and the potential gene targets for treating IBD are discussed.

Background: The effects of β-glucan on colitis mice are contradictory in previous reports. As a result, it is still unclear whether there is an anti-colitis effect in Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide (GLP), which is mainly composed of β-glucan. Moreover, the association between GLP function and gut microbiota remains to be elucidated. Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether GLP consumption improved rat dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis by regulating gut microbiota and altering colonic epithelial expression. Design: The disease activity index (DAI) scores and the cecal short chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels of DSS-induced colitis rats fed with a GLP diet (Group GLP, n = 6) and a control diet (Group Con, n = 6) were investigated and analyzed. Moreover, the profiles of gut microbiota and colonic epithelial expression were analyzed using metagenomics and transcriptomics. Results: GLP consumption significantly lowered animal DAI scores by producing more SCFAs by increasing SCFA-producing bacteria such as Ruminococcus_1 and reducing pathogens such as Escherichia-Shigella in both the small intestine and cecum of rat. Moreover, GLP consumption regulated 11 genes, including six upregulated (Ccl5, Cd3e, Cd8a, Il21r, Lck, and Trbv) and five downregulated (Ccl3, Gro, Il11, Mhc2, and Ptgs) genes enriched in six inflammation-related Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, resulting in enhancement of immunity and reduction of inflammatory response and colonic cancer risk. Conclusions: GLP consumption alleviated DSS-induced colitis and may have potential for ulcerative colitis relief.

Liver is the organ most frequently exposed to acrolein, a priority toxic pollutant. In the present study, whether morin can mitigate acrolein-induced cell damage in normal human hepatocyte cell line LO2 was investigated. Morin remarkably inhibited acrolein-induced apoptosis by inhibiting the expression of apoptotic markers, reducing the formation of proinflammatory cytokines, and blocking the ERK/JNK/P38-MAPK signaling pathway. The addition of equimolar morin decreased acrolein-induced cell apoptosis by 52.4%. The expression levels of apoptotic markers, BAX, Cyto-C, AIF, cleaved caspase-3/9, and PARP, decreased by 16%, 14%, 44%, 56%, 23%, and 45%, respectively. The proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor α, inducible NO synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, interleukin 1β, and IFN-ϒ were reduced by 39%, 55%, 66%, 72%, and 64%, respectively. The phosphorylation level of ERK1/2, JNK, and P38 MAPK decreased by 10%, 47%, and 26%, respectively. The present findings may provide a way to mitigate acrolein-induced hepatic injury.

The majority of components in fruits are sensitive to heat-processing. Nevertheless, fruits are becoming popular ingredients in processed foods, like bakery foods. Therefore, the fate of the components in the fruit-involved food during thermal processing is important for the assessment of their nutritional values and sensory properties. Unfortunately, comprehensive knowledge of the compositional alteration in real food products during processing is limited. In the current study, a popular bakery food, blueberry-filled pastry, was taken as the object, and a widely targeted metabolomic approach was applied to investigate the holistic compositional variation of blueberry filling during pastry preparation. Amongst the total of 630 chemicals identified, 288 chemicals were screened as differential compounds between samples collected at different processing stages. The most variation of the chemicals was observed during the process of stir-frying. A total of 197 chemicals varied significantly in concentrations during stir-frying, while only 75 chemicals altered significantly in contents during baking. Amongst 288 differential compounds, 117 belonged to the group of phenolic compounds, with the others found to be sugars and organic acids, amino acids, lipids, nucleotides, etc. The possible mechanisms of the chemical alterations during thermal processing were also discussed in the current study. The data provide comprehensive information on the compositional changes in berry-containing fillings during thermal processing, and hints and emphasis for further investigation of the underlying mechanisms.

The function of flaxseed gum (FG) on blood glucose control makes it possible for body weight loss. This experiment was to investigate the anti-obesity effect of FG and the alteration of gut microbiota. Diets with high, middle and low doses of FG were applied to feed obese rats for 5 weeks. The body weights, serum biochemical indices, body fats, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) contents and metagenomic information of gut microbiota were analyzed. The results showed the FG diet reduced body weights, body fats and total triacylglycerols, and reshaped rat’s cecal microbial compositions. The anti-obesity effect of FG could be achieved by appetite suppression by reducing the relative abundance of Firmicutes and/or the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and regulating some specific bacteria. The genus Clostridium might be the key one for the degradation of FG and production of SCFAs. SCFAs may not be involved in this weight-loss effect.

It is still uncertain whether the consumption of Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides (GLPs) alleviates the colorectal cancer (CRC) through gut microbiota. In this study, we investigated the mortality, colon length and permeability, cecal microbiota and the gene expression profile of colonic epithelial cells of healthy and CRC mice consuming GLPs. The results showed GLPs consumption prevented CRC mice’s colon shortening and reduced 30% of their mortality. GLPs consumption significantly reduced the relative abundance (RA) of cecal Oscillospira, which was first observed in CRC mice in a high RA, along with an unknown genus of Desulfovibrionaceae, and down-regulated 7 genes mainly related to the reduction of lipolysis in adipocytes. Four of 7 genes, including Acaa1b, Fabp4, Mgll and Scd1, are reportedly relative to cancer. The results indicated both specific bacteria reduction and cancer-related genes regulation by GLPs were responsible for the CRC alleviation, and their relationship is deserved to be further explored.

In the present study, the changes of polysaccharides from Gracilaria rubra (GRPS) under simulated oral, gastric and small intestine digestion conditions were firstly investigated. The results indicated that GRPS was not digested under such conditions. Then, the prebiotic property of GRPS was investigated via in vitro fermentation by human gut microbiota in mixed cultures. The results showed that GRPS was gradually degraded and utilized by gut microbiota. With the proceeding of fermentation, pH kept a downward trend and the concentration of short-chain fatty acids increased, especially acetic, propionic and isobutyric acids. Furthermore, GRPS exhibited a modulatory effect on microbial structure by lowering the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes and increasing the relative abundances of bacteria that could degrade GRPS to satisfy the growth of gut microbiota. The results suggested that GRPS had the potential to be developed as prebiotics.

Changes in composition and structure of orange cuticle during storage at 4°C or 25°C for 40 days were investigated. The total epicuticular wax content of fruits increased during storage at 4°C for 30 days and then decreased as storage time prolonged to 40 days, while it increased continuously at 25°C for 40 days. The total intracuticular wax content of fruits increased to 9.70 μg cm−2 stored at 4°C for 10 days and then decreased to 6.74 μg cm−2 for 40 days. The total intracuticular wax content of fruits was decreased to 5.17 μg cm−2 stored at 25°C for 10 days and then increased to 10.06 μg cm−2 for 30 days. Fatty acids were the most abundant component of the epicuticular wax and terpenoids were restricted to the intracuticular wax. Terpenoids were restricted to the intracuticular wax, and their amounts in the fruit stored at 4°C increased continuously during the first 20 days of storage at 4°C and then decreased as storage time increased up to 40 days. Although significant changes were found in the contents of the cutin monomer, their proportions did not change significantly during storage at 4°C or 25°C. Size of wax platelets crystals wax increased during storage of fruits at 4°C up to 30 days; however, the crystals were degraded and decreased as storage prolonged to 40 days. Furthermore, the shape of the fruit cuticle surface wax crystals changed from flattened platelets to small granulelike after storage at 25°C for 20–40 days. The obtained results provide detailed information about the changes in orange cuticle occur during storage at varying temperatures, which may help in preserving the quality of citrus fruits during storage.

Epidemiological evidence suggests that whole grain intake is associated with reduced risk of oxidative stress-related chronic disease. It remains unclear that whole grains can improve antioxidant activity in vivo. This study was to investigate the hypolipidemic and antioxidant capability of sorghum, purple rice and rhubarb rice. Our results indicated that sorghum contained the highest total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and total anthocyanin content, and had highest free radical scavenging activity and reducing power than those of the purple rice and rhubarb rice in vitro. Compared with high fat diet group, animals feeding with sorghum had a 24.47% reduction in serum cholesterol, 32.72% reduction in triglyceride, and 27.27% increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, respectively (p

A novel heteropolysaccharide fraction (HEP-W) with great immunomodulatory activity was isolated from the fruiting bodies of Hericium erinaceus. Structural characterization revealed that HEP-W had an average molecular weight of 1.59 × 104 Da and was composed of rhamnose, fucose, mannose, glucose and galactose at a molar ratio of 0.98:1.59:0.89:5.60:7.06. The main glycosidic linkage types of HEP-W consisted of (1→)-α-D-Glc, (1→3,6)-α-D-Glc, (1→2,6)-α-D-Gal, T-β-Gal, (1→3,4)-β-D-Man, (1→3)-α-Rha, and (1→2)-β-L-Fuc by periodate oxidation-Smith degradation and NMR analysis. The bioactivity tests showed that HEP-W could significantly promote the pinocytic and phagocytic capacity and increase the NO, IL-6 and TNF-α secretion by activating corresponding mRNA expression in macrophages through MyD88/IRAK-1/TRAF-6/PI3K/AKT/MAPKs signaling pathways. Meanwhile, toll-like receptor 2 and mannose receptor were found to act as synergistic PRRs to co-regulate the immunomodulatory response to HEP-W in macrophages. These findings provide a molecular basis for the application of HEP-W as a natural immunoregulatory agent in functional foods.

In this work, crude polysaccharides from Gracilaria rubra (GRPS) and its three purified fractions, GRPS-1-1, GRPS-2-1 and GRPS-3-2, were obtained through hot water extraction and chromatographic purification with DEAE-52 cellulose column and Sephadex G-50 column. The three purified fractions, being homogeneous heteropolysaccharides with average molecular weights of 1310, 691, 923 kD and sulfuric radical contents of 5.96, 8.46 and 12.03%, respectively, were all composed of galactose and fucose. GRPS-2-1 and GRPS-3-2 had little toxicity to L-02 cells. Crude GRPS and its purified fractions exhibited strong scavenging activities against ABTS and superoxide radicals and lipid peroxidation inhibition. At a cellular level, GRPS-3-2 showed the strongest protective effect on H2O2-induced oxidative injury in PC12 cells. Moreover, GRPS-3-2 exhibited a much stronger immunostimulating activity on RAW264.7 cells than GRPS-1-1 and GRPS-2-1. The results suggested that GRPS, especially GRPS-3-2, could be developed as a promising functional food supplement.

Many individuals seek to control their body weight while simultaneously being able to satisfy their appetite. It has been reported that polyphenols can restrain energy harvest by regulating gut microbiota. This study presents the co-action of a high-fat diet and polyphenols (quercetin and catechin) on rats' gut microbiota and growth. Results show that the rats that received catechin supplement had the lowest average body weight (P

Background: Ferulic acid (FA), a phenolic acid, is a potential therapy for diabetes mellitus. FA has been shown to protect against hepatic and myocardial injury and oxidative stress in obese rats with late-stage diabetes, but the mechanism of the antioxidative activity of FA is still unclear. Objective: The aim of this study was to elucidate whether FA can prevent damage to cardiomyocytes and hepatocytes caused by high glucose (HG)-induced oxidative stress and whether the protection effects of FA on these cells are related to the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE signaling pathways. Design: Cells were divided into four groups: a control group (cultured with normal medium), an HG group (medium containing 80 mmol/L glucose), an FA+HG group (medium containing 80 mmol/L glucose and 1, 5, or 10 µg/mL FA), and a dimethylbiguanide (DMBG)+HG group (medium containing 80 mmol/L glucose and 50 µg/mL DMBG). Results: FA treatment significantly increased cell viability and significantly decreased cell apoptosis compared with the HG-treated group. Moreover, FA down-regulated the expression of Keap1 protein and up-regulated the expression of Nrf2 protein and gene transcription of HO-1 and glutathione S-transferase (GST) in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion: FA alleviated the HG-induced oxidative stress and decreased cell apoptosis in hepatocytes and cardiomyocytes. These effects were associated with the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway.

Gingerols, the pungent ingredients in ginger, are reported to possess a cholesterol-lowering activity. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. The present study was to investigate how 6-gingerol (6-GN), the most abundant gingerol in fresh ginger, regulates hepatic cholesterol metabolism. HepG2 cells were incubated with various concentrations of 6-GN ranging from 50 to 200 μM for 24 h. Results showed that both cellular total cholesterol and free cholesterol decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Besides, 6-GN ranging from 100 to 200 μM increased the LDLR protein and uptake of fluorescent-labeled LDL. Moreover, the mRNA and protein expressions of cholesterol metabolism-related genes were also examined. It was found that 6-GN regulated cholesterol metabolism via up-regulation of LDLR through activation of SREBP2 as well as up-regulation of cholesterol efflux-related genes LXRα and ABCA1.

Polysaccharide is one of the important active ingredients of Cantharellus cibarius. The aims of this work were to analyze preliminary characterization and to investigate immunostimulating activity of a novel water-soluble neutral polysaccharide named JP1, which was purified from the fruiting body of Cantharellus cibarius using DEAE-FF chromatography and Sephadex G-100 chromatography. The characteristics of JP1 were determined by HPGPC, FT-IR spectra, gas chromatography, and Congo Red Method. Immunostimulating activity of JP1 was investigated in RAW264.7 cells. Results indicated that JP1 consisted of L-Arabinose, D-Mannose, D-Glucose, and D-Galactose in a molar ratio of 1 : 1.06 : 1.95 : 1.17 with a molecular weight of 336 kDa. JP1 is nontoxic to RAW264.7 cells at this concentration range (62.5–1000 μg/mL). Furthermore, JP1 can promote mouse peritoneal macrophages to secrete NO and enhance the secretion of macrophages’ cytokines IL-6 in RAW264.7 cells. These results suggested that JP1 could have potential immunostimulating activity applications as medicine or functional food.

The effect of ferulic acid on biochemical and histological properties, mRNA expression of HO-1 and GST in the liver and heart were investigated in obese, diabetes rats after ferulic acid administration for 16 weeks. The results showed that ferulic acid (60 mg/kg) decreased the activities of ALT, AST, CK, and LDH in the serum, by 53.5, 33.6, 47.8, and 405.5% respectively; and reduced cell apoptosis from 16.55 to 9.11% in the liver, and 11.27 to 5.09% in the heart. Ferulic acid significantly increased the antioxidant activity in the plasma, liver, and heart, and upregulated the mRNA expression of HO-1 and GST in the cells of liver and heart of the diabetes animals. Moreover, ferulic acid maintained the body weight, significantly decreased serum glucose and lipid, and advanced glycation end products in the plasma, liver, and heart. It can be concluded that ferulic acid can alleviate late-stage diabetes in obese rats.

1,3-Dichloro-2-propanol (1,3-DCP) is a food processing contaminant and has been shown to perturb male reproductive function. Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G), an anthocyanin antioxidant, is reported to have protective effects on many organs. However, it remains unclear whether C3G protects against chemical-induced reproductive toxicity. The present study was therefore to investigate the intervention of C3G on 1,3-DCP-induced reproductive toxicity in R2C Leydig cells. Results demonstrated that C3G inhibited the 1,3-DCP-induced cytotoxicity and cell shape damage with the effective doses being ranging from 10-40 μmol/L. In addition, 1,3-DCP (2 mmol/L) exposure significantly increased the ROS level and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) damage ratio, leading to a decrease in progesterone production, while C3G intervention reduced the ROS level, and increased the progesterone production after 24 h treatment. Most importantly, C3G intervention could up-regulate the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) level and protein expression of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD). It was concluded that C3G is effective in reducing 1,3-DCP-induced reproductive toxicity via activating steroidogenic enzymes and cAMP level.

This study selectively acylated the primary hydroxyl groups on flavonoids in antioxidant of bamboo leaves (AOB) using lauric acid with Candida antarctica lipase B in tert-amyl-alcohol. The separation and isolation of acylated derivatives were performed using silica gel column chromatography with a mixture of dichloromethane/diethyl ether/methanol as eluents. Both thin layer chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography analyses confirmed the high efficiency of the isolation process with the purified orientin-6″-laurate, isoorientin-6″-laurate, vitexin-6″-laurate, and isovitexin-6″-laurate that were obtained. The addition of AOB and acylated AOB reduced acrylamide formation in fried potato crisps. Results showed that 0.05% AOB and 0.05% and 0.1% acylated AOB groups significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the content of acrylamide in potato crisps by 30.7%, 44.5%, and 46.9%, respectively.

IntroductionAs a systemic autoimmune disorder, the prognosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is intricately linked to inflammation. This study aimed to investigate the association between the advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI), a comprehensive indicator of inflammation combined with nutritional status, and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among patients diagnosed with RA.MethodsThe 2,305 RA patients from NHANES (2001–2018) included in the analysis were categorized into three groups according to ALI tertiles. Weighted Kaplan–Meier and multivariate COX regression analyses evaluated the relationship between ALI and mortality. The time-dependent characteristic curve (ROC) was used to assess the prediction accuracy of ALI.ResultsDuring a median follow-up of 7.92 years, 591 participants died from all causes, including 197 from cardiovascular diseases. Increased ALI was associated with a decreased probability of death. The full COX model revealed lower all-cause mortality hazard risks in the T2 (HR: 0.67, 95%CI: 0.54–0.83) and T3 (HR: 0.47 95%CI: 0.33–0.67, p for tend