内容: Hemoglobin hydrolysate is derived from the enzymatic degradation of hemoglobin. This work aimed to evaluate whether hemoglobin hydrolysate promotes the absorption of non-heme iron and the safety of absorbed iron in mice by analyzing the iron binding content, iron circulation, and liver homeostasis. We found that hemoglobin hydrolysate promoted the absorption of non-heme iron with high efficiency in duodenum by spontaneously binding non-heme iron during digestion, and increased hepatic iron content by up-regulating divalent metal transporter 1, zinc transporter 14, but hepatic iron content only increased at 3 weeks. Duodenal iron entered the blood through ferroportin without restriction at 3 weeks, and excessive iron entered the liver and then affected the hepatocyte membranes permeability and lipid synthesis through oxidative stress. With the prolongation of dietary intervention, the up-regulated hepcidin acted on the ferroportin to restrict excess iron from entering the blood, and then the hepatic homeostasis recovered. In addition, hemoglobin hydrolysate enhanced the hepatic antioxidant capacity. Taken together, hemoglobin hydrolysate has a strong ability to promote the absorption of non-heme iron in vivo, and the absorbed iron is relatively safe due to the regulation of hepcidin.

内容: The aim of this study was to evaluate the factors influencing the inactivation effect of intense pulsed light (IPL) on Aeromonas salmonicida grown on chicken meat and skin, and to further develop prediction models of inactivation. In this work, chicken meat and skin inoculated with meat-borne A. salmonicida isolates were subjected to IPL treatments under different conditions. The results showed that IPL had obvious bactericidal effect in the chicken skin and thickness groups when the treatment voltage and time were 7 V combined with 5 s. In addition, the lethality curves of A. salmonicida were fitted under IPL conditions of 3.5–7.5 V. The comparison of statistical parameters revealed that the Weibull model could best fit the mortality curves and could accurately predict the mortality dynamic of A. salmonicida grown on chicken skin. And further a secondary model between the scale factor b and the treatment voltage in Weibull model was established using linear equations, which determined that the secondary model could accurately predict the inactivation of A. salmonicida. This study provides a theoretical basis for future prediction models of Aeromonas, and also provides new ideas for sterilization approaches of meat-borne Aeromonas.

内容: A Pickering emulsion based on sodium starch octenyl succinate (SSOS) was prepared and its effects on the physicochemical properties of hairtail myofibrillar protein gels (MPGs) subjected to multiple freeze-thaw (F-T) cycles were investigated. The whiteness, water-holding capacity, storage modulus (G’) and texture properties of the MPGs were significantly improved by adding 1%–2% Pickering emulsion (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, Raman spectral analysis demonstrated that Pickering emulsion promoted the transformation of secondary structure, enhanced hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions, and promoted the transition of disulfide bond conformation from g-g-g to g-g-t and t-g-t. At an emulsion concentration of 2%, the α-helix content decreased by 10.37%, while the β-sheet content increased by 7.94%, compared to the control. After F-T cycles, the structure of the MPGs was destroyed, with an increase in hardness and a decrease in whiteness and water-holding capacity, however, the quality degradation of MPGs was reduced with 1%–2% Pickering emulsion. These findings demonstrated that SSOS-Pickering emulsions, as potential fat substitutes, can enhance the gel properties and the F-T stability of MPGs.

内容: Herein, a novel interference-free surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) strategy based on magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and aptamer-driven assemblies was proposed for the ultrasensitive detection of histamine. A core-satellite SERS aptasensor was constructed by combining aptamer-decorated Fe3O4@Au MNPs (as the recognize probe for histamine) and complementary DNA-modified silver nanoparticles carrying 4-mercaptobenzonitrile (4-MBN) (Ag@4-MBN@Ag-c-DNA) as the SERS signal probe for the indirect detection of histamine. Under an applied magnetic field in the absence of histamine, the assembly gave an intense Raman signal at “Raman biological-silent” region due to 4-MBN. In the presence of histamine, the Ag@4-MBN@Ag-c-DNA SERS-tag was released from the Fe3O4@Au MNPs, thus decreasing the SERS signal. Under optimal conditions, an ultra-low limit of detection of 0.65 × 10-3 ng/mL and a linear range 10-2–105 ng/mL on the SERS aptasensor were obtained. The histamine content in four food samples were analyzed using the SERS aptasensor, with the results consistent with those determined by high performance liquid chromatography. The present work highlights the merits of indirect strategies for the ultrasensitive and highly selective SERS detection of small biological molecules in complex matrices.

内容: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the common most malignant tumors. This study aimed to determine the in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity of cordycepin and elucidate its mechanism of action. The results of in vitro and in vivo studies revealed that cordycepin inhibited proliferation and migration in HepG-2 cells and inhibited the growth of HepG-2 xenograft-bearing nude mice by inducing apoptosis. Transcriptome sequencing analysis revealed a total of 403 differential genes, which revealed that cordycepin may play an anti-HCC role by regulating Hippo signaling pathway. The regulatory effects of cordycepin on the Hippo signaling pathway was further investigated using a YAP1 inhibitor. The results demonstrated that cordycepin upregulated the expression of MST1 and LAST1, and subsequently inhibited YAP1, which activated the Hippo signaling pathway. This in turn downregulated the expression of GBP3 and ETV5, and subsequently inhibited cell proliferation and migration. Additionally, YAP1 regulated the expression of Bax and Bcl-2, regulated the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, and induced apoptosis by upregulating the expression of the caspase-3 protein. In summary, this study reveals that cordycepin exerts its anti-hepatocarcinoma effect through regulating Hippo signaling pathway, and GBP3 and ETV5 may be potential therapeutic targets for hepatocarcinoma.

内容: Wild edible Termitomyces mushrooms are popular in Southwest China and umami is important flavor qualities of edible mushrooms. This study aimed to understand the umami taste of Termitomyces intermedius and Termitomyces aff. bulborhizus. Ten umami peptides from aqueous extracts were separated using a Sephadex G-15 gel filtration chromatography. The intense umami fraction was evaluated by both sensory evaluation and electronic tongue. They were identified as KLNDAQAPK, DSTDEKFLR, VGKGAHLSGEH, MLKKKKLA, SLGFGGPPGY, TVATFSSSTKPDD, AMDDDEADLLLLAM, VEDEDEKPKEK, SPEEKKEEET and PEGADKPNK. Seven peptides, except VEDEDEKPKEK，SPEEKKEEET and PEGADKPNK were selectively synthesized to verify their taste characteristics. All these 10 peptides had umami or salt taste. The 10 peptides were conducted by molecular docking to study their interaction with identified peptides and the umami taste receptor T1R1/T1R3. All these 10 peptides perfectly docked the active residues in the T1R3 subunit. Our results provide theoretical basis for the umami taste and address the umami mechanism of two wild edible Termitomyces mushrooms.

内容: Epicatechin (EC) was used in this study to antagonize the cognitive dysfunction caused by lead (Pb) exposure in mice. Eight-week-old male Kunming mice were treated with PbCl2 (20 mg/kg) and/or EC (50 mg/kg) by gavage administration for 4 weeks. Morris water maze test showed that EC could improve memory dysfunction induced by Pb. EC antagonized Ca2+ overload, activated Nrf2 signaling pathway and reduced the accumulation of Pb in the brain and serum, which suggested that EC might alter Pb distribution in mice. In vitro, spectroscopic analysis, potentiometric titration and docking studies were applied to inquiry into the interaction between bovine serum albumin (BSA) and Pb2+ in presence or absence of EC. EC was proved to chelate Pb2+ and reduced the interaction between BSA and Pb2+. In summary, EC might protect Pb-induced cognitive impairment by activating Nrf2 signaling pathway, and suppressing Pb accumulation via interference on the binding of Pb to albumin.

内容: The in vitro digestion models mimicking the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of general population and lipid indigestion patients (with lower levels of bile salts or pancreatic lipase) were selected to investigate whether diacylglycerols (DAGs) are potential good lipid sources for these patients. Linseed oil-based DAG (LD) and linseed oil (LT) were selected. LD-based emulsion ((83.74 ± 1.23)%) had higher lipolysis degree than LT-based emulsion ((74.47 ± 1.16)%) when monitoring the GI tract of normal population as previously reported. Indigestion conditions seriously decreased the digestive degree of LT-based emulsion ((40.23 ± 2.48)%–(66.50 ± 3.70)%) while showed less influence on LD-based emulsion ((64.18 ± 2.41)%–(81.85 ± 3.45)%). As opposed to LT-based emulsion, LD-based emulsion exhibited preference for releasing unsaturated fatty acids (especially oleic acid and α-linolenic acid) due to their different glycerolipid compositions. LD-based emulsion showed potential for providing lipids and nutrients (including essential fatty acids) for lipid indigestion patients.

内容: Trimethyltin chloride (TMT) is a potent neurotoxin to cause neurodegeneration, especially in hippocampus. This study aimed to identify dietary components that can effectively attenuate TMT-induced neurodegeneration in humans. The predominant anthocyanin in human diets, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G, 5 or 50 mg/kg), was given to mice for 16 days, and TMT (2.7 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally once on the eighth day. C3G (50 mg/kg) significantly alleviated TMT-induced seizures and subsequent cognitive impairment by ameliorating hippocampal neurodegeneration and synaptic dysfunction. Furthermore, C3G treatment restored glutamate homeostasis in brain and reversed glutamine synthetase (GS) inhibition in reactive astrogliosis and neuroinflammation, which are critical for C3G’s neuroprotective effects. Notably, C3G decreased the lipopolysaccharide, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and interleukin-1β levels in the mice, which potentially by modulating the relative abundance of Atopobiaceae and Lachnospiraceae in the gut. C3G may be a promising and practical dietary component for reducing TMT-induced neurodegeneration.