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Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease are incurable diseases with progressive loss of neural function and require urgent development of effective treatments. Carnosol (CL) reportedly has a pharmacological effect in the prevention of dementia. Nevertheless, the mechanisms of CL's neuroprotection are not entirely clear. The present study aimed to investigate the effects and mechanisms of CL-mediated neuroprotection through

Numerous natural antioxidants have been developed into agents for neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) treatment. Rosmarinic acid (RA), an excellent antioxidant, exhibits neuroprotective activity, but its anti-NDs efficacy still reminds puzzled. Here, Caenorhabditis elegans models were employed to systematically reveal RA-mediated mechanisms in delaying NDs from diverse facets, including oxidative stress, the homeostasis of neural and protein, and mitochondrial disorders. Firstly, RA significantly inhibited reactive oxygen species accumulation, reduced peroxide malonaldehyde production, and strengthened the antioxidant defense system via increasing superoxide dismutase activity. Besides, RA activated Notch and Wnt signaling to promote neurohomeostasis, reduce neuronal loss, and ameliorated polyglutamine and ɑ-synuclein-mediated dyskinesia in NDs models. Further, RA enhanced proteostasis by activating insulin/insulin-like growth factor 1 signaling, mitogen activated protein kinases and heat-shock factor 1 pathways. More importantly, molecular docking results revealed that RA specifically bound huntington protein and ɑ-synuclein to prevent toxic protein aggregation, which was consistent with the data that RA diminished polyglutamine and ɑ-synuclein aggregates in nematodes. Finally, RA ameliorated mitochondrial dysfunction including increasing adenosine triphosphate and mitochondrial membrane potential levels and rescuing mitochondrial membrane proteins’ expressions and mitochondrial structural abnormalities via regulating mitochondrial dynamics genes and improving the mitochondrial kinetic homeostasis. Thus, this study systematically revealed the RA-mediated neuroprotective mechanism and promoted RA as a promising nutritional intervention strategy to prevent NDs.

Carnosic acid reduced Aβ deposition and Aβ-mediated neurotoxicity, and ameliorated cholinergic dysfunction and mitochondrial disorders in the C. elegans model of Alzheimer's disease.

Objectives The present study sought to explore how decision making is influenced by aging, framing, and social distance in the medical domain. Based on Socioemotional Selectivity Theory, we predicted that social distance would moderate age differences of framing effects as a result of older adults’ emphasis on close partners. Methods Younger and middle-aged (N = 206) and older (N = 208) adults from Shanghai, China completed 2 medical decision tasks in which they were presented with different descriptions of social distance, namely deciding for close relatives or for strangers. Participants’ risk preferences were measured. Results The results showed that framing effects were a function of social distance in older adults. Older adults showed smaller framing effects when making decisions for strangers as their preference for the riskier option was reduced in the loss-framed condition. For younger and middle-aged adults, framing effects existed consistently regardless of social distance. Discussion These findings suggest that social distance moderates age differences in framing effects in medical decision-making. It also highlights a potential way to improve older adults’ medical decision-making quality: having older adults imagine as if they are making medical decisions for a stranger.

As a phenolic terpenoid, carnosic acid (CA) mainly exists in rosemary, which can be effectively used for the treatment of degenerative and chronic diseases by taking advantage of its health-promoting bioactivities. However, the low solubility and dissolution of CA in aqueous solutions at ambient and body temperatures result in low stability and bioaccessibility during the digestion process, which limits its application scope in the functional foods industry. In this regard, a lecithin based nanoemulsion system (CA-NE) is employed in the present work to enhance the bioaccessibility and bioactivities of CA. It is revealed that the CA-NE under investigation exhibits high loading capacity (2.80 ± 0.15%), small particle size (172.0 ± 3.5 nm) with homogeneous particle distribution (polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.231± 0.025) and high repulsive force (zeta potential = −57.2 ± 0.24 mV). More importantly, the bioaccessibility of CA-NE is improved by 2.8-fold compared to that of CA in MCT oil. In addition, the cellular antioxidant assay (CAA) and cellular uptake study of the CA-NE in HepG2 cell models demonstrate a longer endocytosis process, suggesting the well-controlled release of CA from CA-NE. Furthermore, an improved anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated via the inhibition of the pro-inflammatory cytokines, nitric oxide (NO) and TNF-α production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. The results clearly demonstrated a promising application of CA-NE as a functional food.

Searching for natural and safe herbal tea with health benefits has attracted more and more attention, which is of great significance for reducing disease risk. A Chinese traditional herbal tea (HT) is rich in active ingredients extracted from natural plants. Numerous pharmacological studies showed that HT had the potential to improve health, including antidepression and antioxidant effects. In this study, we proposed a strategy to explore the role and underlying mechanism of HT in improving healthspan of a Caenorhabditis elegans model. First, we found that HT significantly prolonged the lifespan without reducing fertility in worms. Second, stress resistance (oxidative stress and heat stress) was enhanced and Aβ- and polyQ-induced toxicity was relieved significantly by HT treatment. Both fat deposition and age pigment accumulation were found to be significantly reduced in HT-treated worms. The locomotion in mid-late stages was improved, indicating that behavioral mobility was also significantly enhanced. Furthermore, the main components of HT were eighteen polyphenols and two terpenoids. Finally, it was found that this protective mechanism was positively correlated with the insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling- (IIS-) dependent manner, which went through promoting the nuclear localization of DAF-16 and its downstream SOD-3 expression. These results suggested that HT had an important role in improving health, which might serve as a promising healthy tea.

BACKGROUND As an edible and medicinal herb in Chinese folk medicine, Cyclocarya paliurus (Batal.) Iljinskaja leaves are traditionally widely used in the treatment of metabolic disorders. The vegetable Momordica charantia L. has been consumed worldwide for thousands of years as a traditional drug due to its activities against obesity and diabetes. In view of the therapeutic value of Momordica saponins (MSs) and C. paliurus polysaccharides (CPPs), an independently developed MSs- and CPPs-containing beverage (MC) was evaluated for its efficacy in controlling oxidative stress and obesity in Caenorhabditis elegans. RESULTS First, we found that MC could promote the nuclear localization of DAF-16 and the translation of SOD-3. Further exploring its antioxidant properties, the oxidative stress by-products reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde, and nonesterified fatty acids were significantly inhibited in C. elegans. Moreover, damage due to diseases related to oxidative stress (age pigments and neurodegenerative diseases) was alleviated. Furthermore, fat accumulation was significantly reduced in normal and high-fat models. Finally, the lipid-lowering effects of MC might involve reductions in the size and number of lipid droplets without impairing basic physiological functions in C. elegans. CONCLUSION These results provide promising data indicating MC as an innovative health beverage for the pharmacological management of oxidative stress and obesity. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

The extraction, purification, immunobiological activities, and structure of Agaricus bisporus polysaccharides (ABP) were investigated. Especially we purified and identified the polysaccharides with the highest in vitro immunobiological activity. The extraction conditions of ABP were optimized using single factor and orthogonal experiment. ABP Ia was screened after double purification with DEAE-52 and Sephadex G-200 and showed the best immunoregulatory activity. UV spectra analysis and high-performance gel permeation chromatography results indicated that the ABP Ia fraction did not contain any proteins or nucleotides and was a homogeneous polysaccharide with a relative molecular weight of 784 kDa. Gas chromatography mass spectroscopy results showed that ABP Ia was a heteropolysaccharide consisting of ribose, rhamnose, arabinose, xylose, mannose, glucose, and galactose at a molar ratio of 2.08:4.61:2.45:22.25:36.45:89.22:1.55. FT-IR and periodic acid oxidation analysis indicated that ABP Ia was an α-pyran polysaccharide composed of 1 → 2 and 1 → 4 glycosidic bonds, as well as a possible 1 → 3 glycosidic bond. Furthermore, atomic force microscopy revealed that ABP Ia polysaccharide chains twisted to form a rod-like architecture and, at a 5% concentration, aggregated into a tight structure similar to the shape of a stone forest. These findings identify ABP Ia as a potential functional food ingredient or pharmaceutical for immunoregulation.

Momordica saponin extract (MSE) was found to not only improve longevity and neuroprotection but also alleviate fat accumulation in Caenorhabditis elegans in our previous study. However, the lipid-lowering activity of MSE alone could not fully explain its ability to improve health, so the antistress effects of MSE were further studied. Using C. elegans as an in vivo animal, the lifespan of MSE-treated C. elegans under various stressors (H2O2, paraquat and heat) and normal conditions was studied. Furthermore, the antioxidant activities of MSE were discussed. To study the underlying mechanisms, the expression of stress resistance genes and the resistance of related mutants to H2O2 stress were tested. MSE significantly improved the lifespan of C. elegans under stress and normal conditions. Meanwhile, the mobility of C. elegans was also improved. Moreover, the activities of SOD and CAT and the ratio of GSH/GSSG were elevated. Consistently, the levels of ROS and lipid oxidation (the NEFA and MDA content) were reduced. Furthermore, MSE treatment upregulated the expression of the sod-3, sod-5, clt-1, clt-2, hsp-16.1 and hsp-16.2 genes. All biomarkers indicated that the antistress and anti-aging activities of MSE were due to its strong antioxidant activities. Finally, MSE induced nuclear DAF-16::GFP localization. Studies with mutants revealed that skn-1 and hsf-1 were involved in the activity of MSE, which might upregulate the expression of downstream stress-responsive genes. Therefore, in addition to its lipid-lowering property, the ability of MSE to improve healthspan was also attributed to the stress resistance effect. Together, MSE might serve as a lead nutraceutical in geriatric research.

Eucalyptus leaf polyphenols extract (EPE) has been proved to have various bioactivities, but few reports focus on its antioxidant mechanism in vivo. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the effect and mechanism of EPE dietary supplements on antioxidant capacity in chicken. A total of 216 chickens were randomly selected for a 40-day experiment. Four treatment groups received diets including the control diet only, the control diet + low EPE (0.6 g/kg), the control diet + moderate EPE (0.9 g/kg), and the control diet + high EPE (1.2 g/kg). Compared with control group, the glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity and glutathione (GSH) content in the breast muscle of the moderate EPE treatment group was significantly higher (p<0.05), while the malonaldehyde (MDA) content in the moderate EPE group was reduced (p<0.05). Moreover, proteomic and transcriptomic analyses of the breast muscle revealed that glutathione metabolism and the peroxisome were the two crucial metabolic pathways responsible for increased antioxidant capacity of the muscle. Accordingly, nine candidate genes and two candidate proteins were identified related to improved antioxidant status induced by EPE supplements. This research provides new insights into the molecular mechanism of antioxidant capacity in chickens treated with EPE dietary supplements.

To evaluate how eucalyptus leaf polyphenol extract (EPE) affects chicken meat color and taste, we added different levels of EPE (0%, 0.06%, 0.09%, and 0.12%) to chicken feed. The redness (a* value) and the myoglobin content of breast muscle in EPE group were remarkably higher. Furthermore, the guanosine monophosphate, histidine, and glycine muscle contents were also enhanced. Transcriptome analysis showed that 10 candidate genes related to meat quality were affected by EPE treatment. The identified genes, with functions critical to chicken meat color and taste, will help to determine the molecular mechanisms of EPE.

Obesity is a global epidemic. Recent studies have shown that Cyclocarya paliurus (C. paliurus) leaves have the potential to alleviate fat deposits. However, the fat-reducing mechanism of it remains unclear. Using Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as a model, we found that C. paliurus polysaccharide (CPP) significantly decreased fat storage in both normal and high-fat worms without affecting the movement. Moreover, the size and number of lipid droplets were reduced in CPP-treated ZXW618 worms. In energy metabolism, CPP decreased Escherichia coli (E. coli) OP50 growth and pharyngeal pumping and increased the expression of vit-2. In lipid metabolism, CPP down-regulated the expression of the sbp-1 and nhr-49 genes by modulating mdt-15 to prevent the expression of the Δ9-desaturase genes (fat-5, fat-6 and fat-7). Meanwhile, the expression of the acs-2 genes, the downstream of nhr-49, was suppressed by CPP. These findings provided insights into the CPP-induced anti-fat mechanisms, which contributed to the application of CPP in anti-obesity drugs.

Oenothein B (OEB) has various biological functions, although few studies have focused on its effect on in vivo metabolic phenotypes. In the present study, the systematic antioxidant activity of OEB was evaluated both in vitro and in vivo, and the effect of OEB on metabolic pathways related to antioxidant capacity of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) was explored. Our findings indicate that OEB exhibits great antioxidant capacity and ability to scavenge free radicals and that OEB treatment can protect RAW 264.7 macrophages from oxidative damage by increasing superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, catalase (CAT) activity and glutathione (GSH) content and the corresponding gene expression (sod2, cat, gpx1), while decreasing malonic dialdehyde (MDA) content. Moreover, OEB treatment significantly reduced ROS accumulation under oxidative stress conditions and increased glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity and decreased MDA content in C. elegans. Metabolomics analysis revealed that sixteen out of forty-two significantly altered metabolites were selected as potential biomarkers related to alterations in the antioxidant status of worms, including metabolic pathways involved in amino acid metabolism, taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, lipid metabolism, and purine metabolism. Overall, our results provide new insights into the effects of OEB treatment on antioxidant capacity and metabolism that suggest that OEB could be a potentially good source of natural antioxidants.

Cyclocarya paliurus polysaccharide (CPP) has many beneficial biological activities. Although the antioxidant activity of CPP is well-known, the stress tolerance and underlying mechanism of the activities of CPP have not been determined in vivo. In this study, we applied the emerging model of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) to observe that CPP imparted stronger resistance to stress than the positive control Astragalus polysaccharide (H2O2- and paraquat-induced oxidative stress, as well as heat stress) without threatening the growth and reproduction of worms. Further studies found that CPP-treated worms had a strong antioxidant defense system that downregulated peroxidation products (ROS, MDA, NEFAs and GSSG) and upregulated antioxidant enzymes and nonenzymatic activities (SOD, CAT, GSH-Px and GSH). The CPP-treated worms also exhibited improved physiological functions, such as inhibition of age pigment and improvement of lifespan, mobility and neuroprotection. Further exploration of the mechanism of action of CPP treatment suggested that increased resistance to CPP might activate stress-inducible genes (sod-3, sod-5, ctl-1, ctl-2, hsp-16.1 and hsp-16.2) via skn-1 and hsf-1, rather than daf-16. These findings suggest that CPP may have health benefits for humans.

A mixture of ceramide (CER) and lecithin (LEC) at specific ratios was capable of forming oleogels in sunflower oil triggered by adding a trace amount of water. It was noted that the addition of water at different temperatures (TW) resulted in different gelation behaviors and microstructures. To better illuminate the assembly mechanism at different TW, samples with water added at different TW (20 °C, 45 °C, 70 °C and 95 °C) were prepared. The viscoelastic properties, microstructures, and the crystal packing of these samples were investigated. It was observed that all samples prepared at TW of 20 °C and 95 °C formed gels, while most samples prepared at TW of 45 °C and 70 °C were too weak to form gels. Gels prepared at 95 °C were stronger but more fragile in texture compared to gels produced at 20 °C. The crystal morphology of gels drastically changed with TW. Spindle-shaped crystals were observed in gels prepared at low TW (20 °C), while gels prepared at high TW (95 °C) exhibited a network with packed oil droplets stabilized by lamellar shells together with fibrillar crystals in the bulk phase. X-ray diffractograms showed a different reflection peak (d-spacing of 14.5 Å) in gel prepared at 20 °C, compared to the d-spacing in oleogels with a single gelator (13.14 Å and 15.33 Å, respectively, for CER and LEC). Gel prepared at 95 °C showed two long-spacing characteristic peaks, which correspond to the characteristic peaks of CER gel (∼13 Å) and LEC gel (∼12 Å). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results indicated that the different gelation behaviors at different TW were mainly caused by vibrational changes in the amide bond of CER. Our hypothesized assembly mechanism can be concluded as: increasing TW resulted in the conversion of CER and LEC crystallization from co-assembly (TW = 20 °C) to self-sorting by individual gelators (TW = 95 °C). In this study, novel water-induced oleogels were produced by manipulating TW, and such information further assists the rational design of lipid-based healthy fat products.

Pentagalloyl glucose (PGG) has been studied for its valuable biological activities. However, the functional role of PGG in lipid metabolism in vivo is unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of PGG on lipid metabolism and its underlying mechanism in Caenorhabditis elegans. PGG decreased the accumulation of reactive oxygen species at 800 μM and remarkably increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes. PGG decreased significantly fat accumulation in wild-type worms (39.7 ± 5.7% in the normal group and 19.9 ± 4.5% in the high-fat group by Oil red O; 21.2 ± 2.7% in the high-fat group by Nile red; p < 0.001), but fat reduction by PGG was eliminated in the skn-1 mutant. The amount and size of lipid droplets in the ZXW618 mutant were decreased by PGG. The proportions of unsaturated fatty acids in both conditions were increased by PGG. In addition, the expression levels of fat metabolism genes were significantly changed in both conditions by PGG, which include mdt-15, pod-2, elo-2, fat-6, and fat-7 genes modulated fat synthesis; aak-2 and nhr-49 genes participated in fat consumption; and tub-1 gene regulated fat storage. However, fat-5 and acs-2 were downregulated in high-fat worms only, and vit-2 and lipl-4 were downregulated in normal worms only. Our study provided new insights into the role of PGG in alleviating fat accumulation and its underlying mechanism of action in C. elegans.

Rosmarinic acid (RA) has a wide range of biological effects, including the antioxidation and antiaging. However, the detailed mechanisms remain unclear but highly attractive. Herein, RA promoted lifespan and motoricity in a dose-dependent manner, and reduced fat store without threatening fertility in Caenorhabditis elegans. In term of antioxidant efficacy, catalase activity, glutathione peroxidas activity, reduced glutathione content, and reduced glutathione/oxidized glutathione ratio were enhanced. And malondialdehyde content was diminished significantly. Moreover, RA increased survival under acute oxidative and thermal stress, and suppressed intestinal lipofuscin accumulation. So the improvement of lifespan mediated by RA could be related with its strong antioxidant properties. Furthermore, RA was absorbed by worms. Further research in pursuit of the mechanism showed that longevity induced by RA was involved with the genes sod-3, sod-5, ctl-1, daf-16, ins-18, skn-1, and sek-1, but was independent of subcellular localization of DAF-16. These findings indicated that RA had a potential for promoting healthy lifespan.

Momordica saponins have diverse biological activities and are widely used to improve obesity. Here, we investigated the alleviation of fat accumulation and mechanism of action of the saponin-enriched ethanol extract from Momordica charantia (MSE) in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). First, MSE had a strong fat-reduction capacity in normal and high-fat worms. Second, MSE significantly increased the proportion of small lipid droplets and reduced the average particle size in ZXW618. Meanwhile, it improved lifespan and healthspan and physiological functions, such as age pigmentation and neuroprotection. Furthermore, MSE mediated fat reduction gets involved neither in energy intake nor in energy expenditure. Finally, MSE might down-regulate sbp-1 and nhr-49 via mdt-15, and up regulate age-1 via daf-2. And these targets genes together down-regulated the expression of fat-5, fat-6 and fat-7 to decrease fat accumulation. Our results provided new insights into the inhibition of fat accumulation and underlying mechanisms of Momordica saponins in C. elegans, which might be developed into a nutraceutical to ameliorate obesity.

As a phenolic terpenoid, carnosic acid (CA) mainly exists in rosemary, which can be effectively used for the treatment of degenerative and chronic diseases by taking advantage of its health-promoting bioactivities. However, the low solubility and dissolution of CA in aqueous solutions at ambient and body temperatures result in low stability and bioaccessibility during the digestion process, which limits its application scope in the functional foods industry. In this regard, a lecithin based nanoemulsion system (CA-NE) is employed in the present work to enhance the bioaccessibility and bioactivities of CA. It is revealed that the CA-NE under investigation exhibits high loading capacity (2.80 ± 0.15%), small particle size (172.0 ± 3.5 nm) with homogeneous particle distribution (polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.231± 0.025) and high repulsive force (zeta potential = -57.2 ± 0.24 mV). More importantly, the bioaccessibility of CA-NE is improved by 2.8-fold compared to that of CA in MCT oil. In addition, the cellular antioxidant assay (CAA) and cellular uptake study of the CA-NE in HepG2 cell models demonstrate a longer endocytosis process, suggesting the well-controlled release of CA from CA-NE. Furthermore, an improved anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated via the inhibition of the pro-inflammatory cytokines, nitric oxide (NO) and TNF-α production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. The results clearly demonstrated a promising application of CA-NE as a functional food.

Oenothein B (OEB) has various biological functions, although few studies have focused on its effect on in vivo metabolic phenotypes. In the present study, the systematic antioxidant activity of OEB was evaluated both in vitro and in vivo, and the effect of OEB on metabolic pathways related to antioxidant capacity of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) was explored. Our findings indicate that OEB exhibits great antioxidant capacity and ability to scavenge free radicals and that OEB treatment can protect RAW 264.7 macrophages from oxidative damage by increasing superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, catalase (CAT) activity and glutathione (GSH) content and the corresponding gene expression (sod2, cat, gpx1), while decreasing malonic dialdehyde (MDA) content. Moreover, OEB treatment significantly reduced ROS accumulation under oxidative stress conditions and increased glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity and decreased MDA content in C. elegans. Metabolomics analysis revealed that sixteen out of forty-two significantly altered metabolites were selected as potential biomarkers related to alterations in the antioxidant status of worms, including metabolic pathways involved in amino acid metabolism, taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, lipid metabolism, and purine metabolism. Overall, our results provide new insights into the effects of OEB treatment on antioxidant capacity and metabolism that suggest that OEB could be a potentially good source of natural antioxidants.

Research has identified some individual and situational factors that relate to the public's preference for autonomous vehicles (AVs) in moral dilemmas. The present study shows that people in the AV industry attach moral value to (and prefer to buy) AVs that prioritize passenger protection at all costs. By contrast, people outside the AV industry prefer utilitarian AVs programmed to minimize casualties, even though they are more likely to buy AVs that protect passengers. This study also shows that people are averse to random algorithms. It replicates gender differences, the effect of perspective, and the paradox between moral choice and AV purchase intention. This study contributes to the field by expanding our understanding of the factors that influence moral judgements on AVs; it also provides a reference for designing moral algorithms that govern AVs.

Citrus peel essential oil (CPEO) contains abundant volatile compounds and exhibits fragrance properties and beneficial pharmacological effects on humans. Herein, we aimed to investigate the effects of CPEO on the prevention of hypercholesterolemia and hepatic steatosis in high-fat diet-fed rats and identify its possible regulatory mechanisms in lipid metabolism by combining lipidomics with gene expression analysis. CPEO at effective supplementation levels of 0.5% and 0.75% significantly ameliorated hypercholesterolemia and hepatic steatosis, including decreased serum total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), hepatic TC and triglyceride (TG) levels, and hepatic lipid droplet accumulation. Lipidomics analysis revealed that the total levels of fatty acid (FFA), TG and cholesteryl ester (CE) classes in the liver tissue were remarkably decreased after 0.75% CPEO supplementation some of which (3 TGs and 4 CEs) might emerge as potential lipid biomarkers in response to the effects of CPEO. Furthermore, these lipidomics findings were associated with downregulation of lipogenesis-related genes SREBP-1c, ACC and FAS and upregulation of bile acid biosynthesis-related genes LXRα, CYP7A1 and CYP27A1 in the liver. This study indicated that CPEO could effectively prevent hypercholesterolemia and hepatic steatosis, possibly because of its mediation of lipid and cholesterol homeostasis by altering liver lipid metabolites and regulating lipid metabolism-related genes.

We extracted and purified oxyresveratrol (OXY) from Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam. and identified its structure. The kinetics and mechanisms of OXY-induced mushroom tyrosinase inhibition were studied using fluorescence spectroscopy, copper ion chelation, and circular dichroism (CD). We found that OXY significantly inhibited tyrosinase with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 0.03 mM. The inhibitory effect of OXY on tyrosinase was almost 25 times that of kojic acid, which had an IC50 of 0.78 mM. Additionally, OXY and the tyrosinase substrate L-dopa did not have a competitive relationship; OXY is a non-competitive inhibitor. Using a fluorescence quenching experiment, we determined the corresponding rate constant (Kq) values at 298, 303, and 310 K to be 2.24 × 1012, 1.08 × 1012 and 1.44 × 1012 L mol-1 s-1, respectively. The OXY and tyrosinase interaction occured mainly through van der Waals forces and a hydrogen bond between the -OH group and its amino acid residue. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of OXY on murine melanoma B16 cells and on age pigments in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). OXY decreased melanin production by inhibiting the tyrosinase activity in murine melanoma B16 cells, which decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH) and increased catalase (CAT), leading to apoptosis. The lifespan of nematodes in the 50 ml resveratrol-treated group was significantly longer than that in the blank group by 5%. The mean lifespan of nematodes in the 50 μM OXY-treated group was significantly longer than that in the blank group by 6.82%.The fluorescence intensity of C. elegans pigments decreased by 30.43%, 47.35% and 64.42% after the treatment with a low, middle, and high OXY dose, respectively, showing that OXY has a significant inhibitory effect on melanin and age pigment production.

Tangeretin (TAN) exhibited antilipogenic, antidiabetic, and lipid-lowering effects. However, the lipid biomarkers and the underlying mechanisms for antiobesity and cholesterol-lowering effects of TAN have not been sufficiently investigated. Herein, we integrated biochemical analysis with lipidomics to elucidate its efficacy and mechanisms in high-fat diet-fed rats. TAN at supplementation levels of 0.04 and 0.08% not only significantly decreased body weight gain, serum total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels but also ameliorated hepatic steatosis. These beneficial effects were associated with the declining levels of fatty acids, diacylglycerols (DGs), triacylglycerols, ceramides, and cholesteryl esters by hepatic lipidomics analysis, which were attributed to downregulating lipogenesis-related genes and upregulating lipid oxidation- and bile acid biosynthesis-related genes. Additionally, 21 lipids were identified as potential lipid biomarkers, such as DGs and phosphatidylethanolamines. These findings indicated that the modulation of lipid homeostasis might be the key pathways for the mechanisms of TAN in the antiobesity and cholesterol-lowering effects.

Searching for natural and safe herbal tea with health benefits has attracted more and more attention, which is of great significance for reducing disease risk. A Chinese traditional herbal tea (HT) is rich in active ingredients extracted from natural plants. Numerous pharmacological studies showed that HT had the potential to improve health, including antidepression and antioxidant effects. In this study, we proposed a strategy to explore the role and underlying mechanism of HT in improving healthspan of a Caenorhabditis elegans model. First, we found that HT significantly prolonged the lifespan without reducing fertility in worms. Second, stress resistance (oxidative stress and heat stress) was enhanced and Aβ- and polyQ-induced toxicity was relieved significantly by HT treatment. Both fat deposition and age pigment accumulation were found to be significantly reduced in HT-treated worms. The locomotion in mid-late stages was improved, indicating that behavioral mobility was also significantly enhanced. Furthermore, the main components of HT were eighteen polyphenols and two terpenoids. Finally, it was found that this protective mechanism was positively correlated with the insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling- (IIS-) dependent manner, which went through promoting the nuclear localization of DAF-16 and its downstream SOD-3 expression. These results suggested that HT had an important role in improving health, which might serve as a promising healthy tea.

Phyllanthus emblica (P. emblica) is a traditionally edible fruit that is good for treatment of biliary diseases, bronchitis, etc. It has obvious anti‐inflammatory activity, but few studies focus on its anti‐inflammatory active substance basis. The purpose of this study was to explore the material basis of anti‐inflammatory activity of P. emblica, purify, and identify anti‐inflammatory active monomers. Fisetin and gallic acid, which were identified after separation from ethanol extract components of P. emblica, exhibited the best anti‐inflammatory effects, markedly inhibiting nitric oxide and proinflammatory cytokine levels in LPS‐stimulated macrophages. In particular, fisetin with significant anti‐inflammatory activity was firstly identified from P. emblica. For the first time, our research systematically revealed the material basis of the anti‐inflammatory effects of P. emblica from the perspective of the composition of the bioactive substances and provided scientific research methods and ideas for researching bioactive monomers in other plant extracts., Anti‐inflammatory active monomers from Phyllanthus emblica were purified and identified. Fisetin was firstly identified from Phyllanthus emblica. Fisetin and gallic acid seem to be at least particially responsible for anti‐inflammatory effect of Phyllanthus emblica.

Pentagalloyl glucose (PGG) has been studied for its valuable biological activities. However, the functional role of PGG in lipid metabolism in vivo is unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of PGG on lipid metabolism and its underlying mechanism in

Pentagalloyl glucose (PGG) is a valuable natural compound with an array of biological activities, but the immunomodulatory effect and mechanism have not been fully validated yet. In this study, to elucidate comprehensively the function of immunomodulation and its underlying mechanism of PGG in vitro and in vivo, two model systems were conducted, which including lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages cells and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PAO1)-induced Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). Current results showed that PGG significantly inhibited secretions of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and mediator nitric oxide (NO) in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. In addition, the expression of genes nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in LPS- stimulated RAW264.7 cells was reduced by PGG. In vivo assay showed that lifespan of PAO1-induced C. elegans was enhanced significantly by 14.1% under the pre-treatment of PGG, which was abrogated in toxin sensitive mdt-15 mutant. Similarly, the PGG showed a benefit on 41.2% significant extension longevity in C. elegans under pathogenic PA14. And the nuclear localization of DAF-16 of strain TJ356 was significantly increased in PAO1-induced C. elegans by PGG. Further, PGG modulated several signaling pathways to enhance immunomodulation in C. elegans including DBL-1, DAF-2/DAF-16, and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathways. Furthermore, other genes involved in immunomodulatory response in C. elegans were remarkably regulated such as lys-1, lys-2, spp-18, egl-9, and hif-1. Our study suggested that PGG have potential to develop into novel immunomodulatory nutraceutical.

Kafirin, the major storage protein from grain sorghum, belongs to the prolamin protein family with its characteristic properties of being soluble in aqueous alcohol solutions, high proline content and high yield of ammonia upon hydrolysis. Due to its inferior nutritional quality and poor digestive performance in the human digestive tract, research efforts in recent years have been directed to its applications as novel value-added biomaterials. Recent studies revealed its unique physical properties of high hydrophobicity, good solubility in aqueous alcohol and acetic acid, elongated conformation and the ability to self-assemble into biomaterials with controlled morphology. The present review summarized the current understanding of kafirin protein in terms of its extraction, composition, structure as well as self-assembly behavior. Recent applications utilizing kafirin as an ingredient in gluten-free formulations and as novel building block for functional delivery systems are discussed. Kafirin has shown promising potential as a gluten-free ingredient and a novel value-added biodegradable polymer. Further studies are required not only to overcome the challenges of large-scale kafirin production, but also to enrich our understanding of its structural changes in different solvents and its interactions with other components to broaden its application spectrum.

The leaves of Rubus corchorifolius L. f. have been consumed as a herbal tea for a long time. In this study, two novel (1 and 5) and four known (2, 3, 4 and 6) terpenoids were isolated from the leaves of Rubus corchorifolius L. f. Structural analysis was performed using various spectroscopic methods (1H NMR, 13C NMR and MS) to identify the following six compounds: (16α)-16,17,18-trihydroxy-ent-kauran-18-O-β-D-glucoside (1), ent-16β,17-dialkyl-3-oxygen-kaurane (2), ent-kaurane-3α,16β,17-triol (3), ent-kaurane(5R,8S,9R,10R,13R,16R)-2-one-16α,17-diol (4), (16R)-16β,17,19-trihydroxy-ent-kaur-3-one (5) and ent-16α,17-dihydroxy-kauran-19-oic-acid (6). These compounds showed different inhibitory effects on various human cancer cells. Compounds 3 and 6 exhibited stronger inhibitory effects on human colon cancer HCT116 cells than the other 4 compounds. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that both compounds 3 and 6 caused cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase and induced cellular apoptosis in HCT116 cells. Compounds 3 and 6 modulated the expression levels of key signaling proteins closely related to cell proliferation and apoptosis, i.e., increasing the levels of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, p53, and p27, and decreasing the levels of EGFR, cyclin D1, CDK2 and CDK4. Overall, our findings provided insight into the anticancer components of Rubus corchorifolius L. f. leaves, which could facilitate their utilization as functional food ingredients.

A dual-band dual-polarized slot-coupled microstrip antenna is proposed in this paper. Good isolation between the two input ports and low cross-polarization radiation level are achieved, which are required for duplex applications. The element is designed for operation at 4.1 and 6.6 GHz. By loading short pins, the proposed design exhibits considerable improvement in terms of the gain at higher resonant frequency, cross-polarization level, and impedance bandwidth, compared to the original design. Each design has been fabricated and experimented.

A multimode triplex antenna with high isolation operating in the X-band is designed in this paper. The proposed antenna consists of a triangular loop, a coplanar waveguide and two tapered microstrip feedlines. Taking advantages of the triangular loop, high isolation performance is achieved in the proposed antenna. And, three different modes are excited by the coplanar waveguide and two tapered microstrip feedlines. Consequently, a multimode triplex antenna is obtained with high isolation. The optimized and measured results show that the operating frequencies of the proposed antenna are 10, 12.8 and 11.58 GHz, which are corresponding to three modes, respectively. Moreover, the isolations between each port are higher than 20 dB, and the corresponding bandwidths are 20% (8.94 GHz to 10.92 GHz), 20% (12.1 GHz to 14.6 GHz), and 12% (11 GHz to 12.45 GHz), respectively. The radiation gains are measured as 3.8, 3.3 and 3.3 dBi at three working frequencies, and cross-polarizations are 22dB, 18dB, and 16dB, respectively.

Carnosol, a phenolic diterpene, is one of the main constituents of Rosmarinus. It is known to possess a range of bioactivities, including antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties. Nevertheless, the antiaging effects of carnosol have received little attention. This study first indicated that carnosol increased the healthspan of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). First, compared with the control condition, carnosol treatment effectively decreased ROS accumulation under normal or oxidative stress condition, significantly increased several key antioxidant enzyme activities, and significantly decreased MDA content. Second, carnosol effectively prolonged lifespan under normal and stress conditions and slowed aging-related declines, including mobility, age pigmentation, and neurodegenerative disease, but had no effect on fertility and fat deposition. Finally, carnosol-mediated longevity required the upregulated expression of sod-3, sod-5, hsf-1, hsp-16.1, and hsp-16.2 and was dependent on the hsf-1 gene. Increased DAF-16 translocation was observed, but daf-16 was independent of the effects on lifespan induced by carnosol. These results suggested that carnosol might serve as a good source of natural antioxidants, and in particular, carnosol could be explored as a potential dietary supplement to slow aging.

Polymethoxyflavones (PMFs) have been shown to prevent obesity, ameliorate type 2 diabetes, and regulate lipid metabolism in vitro and in vivo. However, little is known about the contribution of 3,5,6,7,8,3',4'-heptamethoxyflavone (HMF) to prevent obesity and regulate lipid metabolism in vivo. We aimed to investigate the potential efficacy of HMF on preventing obesity and hyperlipidemia in rats fed a high-fat diet (HFD) and its underlying mechanisms. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a normal diet or an HFD with or without HMF (0.02%, 0.04% and 0.08%, w/w) for 6 weeks. The supplementation of HMF not only significantly decreased body weight gain (HFD, 336.50 ± 18.84 g; LHMF, 309.43 ± 20.74 g; MHMF, 296.83 ± 13.88 g; HHMF, 265.71 ± 19.09 g; respectively, p < 0.05) and adipose tissues weight ( p < 0.05), but also markedly lowered serum levels of total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( p < 0.05) in the sixth week in a dose-dependent manner compared with the HFD group. HMF also significantly alleviated hepatic steatosis in the liver (liver weight g/100 g body weight of HFD, 4.86 ± 0.11%; LHMF, 4.02 ± 0.33%; MHMF, 4.05 ± 0.31%; HHMF, 3.72 ± 0.34%; respectively, p < 0.05). Furthermore, transcriptome analysis and real-time quantitative RT-PCR demonstrated that HMF supplementation markedly downregulated hepatic genes related to adipogenesis transcription and inflammatory responses, and significantly upregulated genes related to fatty acid oxidation and energy expenditure. These results indicated that HMF could effectively prevent obesity and hyperlipidemia by regulation of the expression of lipid metabolism-related and inflammatory response-related genes.

While eucalyptus leaf polyphenols extract (EPE) has been evaluated for its various bioactivities, few studies thus far have focused on its systemic antioxidant activity or its effects in chickens in relation to meat quality or the intestinal microbiome. Therefore, the goal of this study was to investigate the antioxidant activity of EPE in vitro and in vivo, and to evaluate its effect on chicken meat quality and cecum microbiota. In this study, EPE scavenged DPPH free radical, ABTS free radical, and superoxide radical, and showed strong reducing power in chemical-based assay. EPE protected RAW264.7 cells from H2O2-induced oxidative damage by improving total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activity, catalase (CAT) activity and glutathione (GSH) content, decreasing malondialdehyde (MDA) content. Additionally, EPE dietary supplementation was found to increase chicken meat antioxidant levels and quality. Furthermore, chickens fed a diet supplemented with EPE had differentially changed cecal microbial compositions when compared to controls. EPE supplementation notably improved the α-diversity of the cecum. The Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and the relative abundance of Verrucomicrobia at the phylum level were clearly enhanced in the cecum with EPE supplementation (p