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In this study, the effect of 18 weeks of dietary supplementation of porcine submaxillary gland mucin (PSM) as an abundant source of N-hydroxyacetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) on the expression of proteins involved in the nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathway in the liver, serum interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), serum amyloid A protein (SAA) and the gut microbiota in cytidine-5’-monophosphate-N-acetylneuraminic acid knockout (Cmah-/-) mice was investigated. Meanwhile, the effect of gender on Neu5Gc-induced inflammation in Cmah-/- mice was analyzed. The results showed that Neu5Gc activated the NF-κB signaling pathway and significantly increased the serum concentration of IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α and SAA in both male and female mice when compared with normal controls. In the PSM-treated male mice, the ratio of Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes (B/F) significantly increased, the relative abundance of Muribaculaceae and Prevotellaceae significantly decreased, and the relative abundance of Clostridia UCG-014 and Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group, which are positively associated with intestinal inflammation, significantly increased. In the PSM-treated female mice, the richness of gut microbiota significantly decreased, and so did the relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae and Oscillospiraceae. In conclusion, Neu5Gc in PSM could promote inflammatory responses in Cmah-/- mice through significantly down-regulating the abundance of relevant bacterial communities, facilitating the growth of bacterial communities positively associated with intestinal inflammation, leading to structural disorders of gut microbiota, activating the NF-κB signaling pathway and increasing the secretion of serum inflammatory cytokines, and inflammatory response induced in mice by Neu5Gc was affected by gender. Our study provides a reference for a healthy diet.

This study investigated how to reduce the content of N-hydroxyacetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) in pork. By using Neu5Gc standard solution, porcine submandibular gland mucin (PSM) solution, meat pieces and minced meat as experimental subjects, and high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) for quantitative analysis, the effect of pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment (with 50 cycles of electric shock at 1–4 kV/cm) on the content of total and free Neu5Gc and eating quality attributes (pH, color difference and texture quality) in pork was explored. The results showed that the content of free Neu5Gc in Neu5Gc standard solution showed a decreasing trend as PEF intensity increased, and significantly decreased at PEF intensity of 3 and 4 kV/cm (P 0.05). Therefore, PEF can effectively reduce the content of Neu5Gc in pork and the chewiness and elasticity of pork pieces, but it also shows an adverse effect on the pH and color of pork.

Tetratoluene has the following three isomers: durene (DR), prehnitene (PR), and isodurene (IR). DR and PR often coexist during the separation of C10 heavy aromatics at different levels. They are both important organic chemical raw materials and their separation is the key to the high-efficiency industrial utilization of C10 heavy aromatics. In this paper, six metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), including ZU-61, MIL-101, UIO-66, UIO-66-NH2, Mg-MOF-74, and MIL-53(Al), were used as the adsorbents of DR and PR. Their skeletons were structurally optimized using VASP software (latest v. 6.4.3). The adsorption capacity and isosteric heats of both pure components and mixtures (the molar ratio was 1:1) in gas were calculated using Grand Canonical Monte Carlo simulation from 10 kPa to 300 kPa at 298 K. The results indicated that all adsorption processes were physical. ZU-61, UIO-66, UIO-66-NH2, and Mg-MOF-74 presented suitable capacity differences for DR and PR at 300 kPa. The selectivity values of these frameworks were all above 1.5. Thus, the four MOFs were prepared using the solvothermal method and characterized by SEM and XRD. Then, the competitive adsorption of DR and PR in liquid on the four MOFs was carried out as well. The results showed good agreement with the simulation in general, with a lower adsorption attained capacity due to the different phase states of both DR and PR. This study can guide the separation of tetratoluene isomers in C10 heavy aromatics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, there is increasing interest in the commercial utilization of probiotics isolated from traditional fermented food products. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the probiotic potential of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) Z22 isolated from naturally fermented mustard. The results suggest that L. plantarum Z22 exhibits good adhesion ability, antibacterial activity, safety, and tolerance to acidic conditions and bile salts. We further determined the anti-inflammatory mechanism and properties of L. plantarum Z22 and found that L. plantarum Z22 could significantly reduce the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and the expression of the pro-inflammatory mediator cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. In addition, L. plantarum Z22 also effectively inhibited the signaling pathways of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). This effect can be attributed to a decrease in the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and increased heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) expression. Moreover, whole-genome sequencing revealed that L. plantarum Z22 contains gene-encoding proteins with anti-inflammatory functions, such as beta-glucosidase (BGL) and pyruvate kinase (PK), as well as antioxidant functions, including thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), tyrosine-protein phosphatase, and ATP-dependent intracellular proteases ClpP. In summary, these results indicated that L. plantarum Z22 can serve as a potential candidate probiotic for use in fermented foods such as yogurt (starter cultures), providing a promising strategy for the development of functional foods to prevent chronic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solubility of nicotinohydrazide in two binary solvents were determined by a static weight method from 293.15 to 318.15 K. It found that the solubility of nicotinohydrazide was influenced by temperature, solvent polarity, and solvent composition. Meanwhile, the TG-DSC analysis was used to obtain the weight change and thermal effect of nicotinohydrazide. The XRD analysis indicated that the crystal morphology of nicotinohydrazide was coincident in five different solvents. Furthermore, the models including modified Apelblat equation, Van't Hoff equation, Jouyban-Acree model, and CNIBS/R-K model were used to fit the experimental data. It was concluded that the four models were reliable in fitting the experimental data. Then the dissolution apparent thermodynamic was obtained, which explained well the dissolution of nicotinohydrazide. This study could help optimize and control the industrial crystallization of nicotinohydrazide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycylglycine (Gly–Gly) is a crucial biochemical reagent widely used in cosmetics, food additives, and medicine. Using the equilibrium method, the solubility data of Gly–Gly in four binary solvents (ethanol/isopropanol/ethanediol/acetone + water) were investigated at temperatures over a range of 288.15–328.15 K under 101.3 kPa, as well as in the binary solvent of acetic acid + water from 293.15 to 333.15 K. The solubility data were correlated by Apelblat-Jouyban Acree, Van't Hoff-Jouyban Acree, and CNIBS/Redlich-Kister models. Additionally, the radial distribution function was obtained through molecular dynamic simulation. It presented the unusual dissolution behavior of Gly–Gly in acetic acid and water mixture. The apparent thermodynamic properties, including standard enthalpy, Gibbs free energy, and entropy change of dissolution, were obtained accordingly. This article could help the industrial crystallization of Gly–Gly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, UiO‐66 was employed for the first time as an adsorbent to separate phenolic acid analogues, specifically 4‐hydroxyisophthalic acid and salicylic acid, from impurities. Synthesized in‐house, UiO‐66 was shown to exhibit high selectivity towards 4‐HIPA/4‐HBA and SA/4‐HBA when a molar equivalent of acetic acid modulator to terephthalic acid was set at 44. The adsorption capacities for 4‐HBA, 4‐HIPA, and SA were determined to be 56.34, 55.02, and 60.34 mg/g, respectively. Furthermore, it was observed that after six regeneration cycles, the adsorption capacity for 4‐HBA remained nearly unchanged, whereas those for 4‐HIPA and SA decreased by 5.6% and 2.6%, respectively. FTIR and XPS analyses revealed that all three compounds were adsorbed at the same dominant Zr cluster site on UiO‐66, primarily through hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interaction. Dynamic adsorption experiments revealed that 4‐HBA was the first to elute, maintaining the residual contents of 4‐HIPA and SA below 0.1 wt%. Compared to traditional separation techniques, this paper provided a simple and effective method to purify industrial grade 4‐hydroxybenzoic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insufficient milk supply is a widespread issue faced by women globally and associated with a higher risk of health problems in infants and mothers. Hemerocallis citrina Baron, commonly known as daylily, is a perennial edible plant often used in traditional Asian cuisine to promote lactation. However, the active compound(s) and mechanism of its lactation-promoting effect remain unclear. This study aimed to confirm the traditional use of daylily in promoting lactation and investigate its potential active components and underlying molecular mechanisms. Our results showed that the aqueous extracts of H. citrina Baroni (HAE) significantly enhanced milk production, and the serum levels of lactation-related hormones, and promoted mammary gland development in lactating rats, as well as increased the levels of milk components in bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMECs) (p < 0.05). UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS analysis revealed that hexamethylquercetin (HQ) is the representative flavonoid component in HAE, accounting for 42.66% of the total flavonoids. An integrated network pharmacology and molecular docking analysis suggested that HQ may be the potential active flavonoid in HAE that promotes lactation, possibly supporting lactation by binding to key target proteins such as STAT5A, PIK3CA, IGF1R, TP53, CCND1, BCL2, INS, AR, and DLD. Cell experiments further demonstrated that HQ could promote cell proliferation and the synthesis of milk proteins, lactose, and milk fat in BMECs. Transcriptomic analysis combined with a quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) revealed that both HAE and HQ exert a lactation-promoting function mainly through regulating the expression of key genes in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

m-Cresol and p-cresol are widely used in medicine and pesticides as important chemical intermediates. They are generally produced as a mixture in industry and are difficult to separate due to the similarities in both chemical structures and physical properties. The adsorption behaviours of m-cresol and p-cresol on zeolites (NaZSM-5 and HZSM-5) with different Si/Al ratios have been compared by static experiments. Selectivity on NaZSM-5(Si/Al = 80) could be greater than 6.0. Adsorption kinetics and isotherms were investigated in detail. The kinetic data was correlated by PFO, PSO, and ID models, the NRMSE of which were 14.03%, 9.41%, and 21.11%, respectively. In the meanwhile, according to the NRMSE of Langmuir (6.01%), Freundlich (57.80%), D-R (1.1%), and Temkin (0.56%) isotherms, adsorption on NaZSM-5(Si/Al = 80) was mainly a monolayer and chemical adsorption process. It was endothermic for m-cresol and exothermic for p-cresol. The Gibbs free energy, entropy, and enthalpy were calculated accordingly. The adsorption of cresol isomers on NaZSM-5(Si/Al = 80) were both spontaneous, and it was exothermic (ΔH = −37.11kJ/mol) for p-cresol while endothermic (ΔH = 52.30kJ/mol) for m-cresol. Additionally, ΔS were respectively −0.05 and 0.20 kJ·mol−1·K−1for p-cresol and m-cresol, which were both close to zero. The adsorption was mainly driven by enthalpy. The result of breakthrough further demonstrated m-cresol and p-cresol could be separated effectively by NaZSM-5(Si/Al = 80). Additionally, the selectivity increased from 7.53 to 14.72 after four cycles regeneration with 9.95% and 53.96% decreases in the adsorption amounts for m-cresol and p-cresol, respectively. In conclusion, NaZSM-5(Si/Al = 80) could be a feasible adsorbent for the separation of m-cresol and p-cresol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are commonly consumed as probiotics to improve gut barrier function and boost the immune system. This study aimed to screen LAB with high immunomodulatory activity using RAW264.7 macrophages. According to the results, Limosilactobacillus reuteri AUc2301 was selected from 84 screened strains that can stimulate RAW264.7 cell proliferation. Limosilactobacillus reuteri AUc2301 significantly enhanced the phagocytosis activity of RAW264.7 cells. In the ELISA test, Limosilactobacillus reuteri AUc2301 significantly promoted the release of interleukin-6, IL-1β, the tumor necrosis factor, and nitric oxide in RAW264.7 macrophages. In addition, Limosilactobacillus reuteri AUc2301 significantly inhibited the excessive release of IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, prostaglandin E2 as well as NO and the high expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in RAW264.7 macrophages induced by lipopolysaccharide. In further mechanism studies, Limosilactobacillus reuteri AUc2301 could regulate the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway in RAW264.7 macrophages. Collectively, the screened Limosilactobacillus reuteri AUc2301 showed good immunomodulatory activity in vitro, and it has the potential to be developed as a novel probiotic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]