Rapid and well-controlled degradation of polylactic acid materials with bio-based GEL(pectin/α-cellulose/SiO/CaCl).

Polylactic acid (PLA) has been a subject of considerable interest as a degradable polymer. However, the degradation process is slow and uncontrollable. In this work, controlled degradable PLA/bio-based GEL (pectin/α-cellulose/SiO/CaCl) hydrophilic plasticizer composite material was successfully prepared by solution blending process.

Construction of a charge-reversal polyelectrolyte nanocarrier for targeted intestinal releasing of kidney tea saponin based on sodium alginate/ε-polylysine/alliin.

Herein, a pH-responsive delivery system based on sodium alginate (ALG), ε-polylysine (PLL) and alliin (ALL) has been designed. The innovative use of the charged nature of alliin to prepare carriers loaded with kidney tea saponins has rarely been reported in the literature before. The size and morphology of the complex was quantified by dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), exhibiting a size of 141 ± 1 nm.

Fabrication and characterization of responsible approach for targeted intestinal releasing and enhancing the effectivity of kidney tea saponin upon porous starch /xanthan gum /sodium alginate-based hydrogel bead.

To enhance the intestinal targeted release of kidney tea saponins, a simple delivery system was designed through the use of porous starch (PS), sodium alginate (ALG) and xanthan gum (XG). Porous starch was prepared by hydrolysis with a combination of α-amylase and amyloglucosidase and it was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, which revealed the formation of porous structures in the starch granules. The results of one-way optimisation illustrated that this unique delivery system achieved 79.

The role of cancer-associated fibroblasts in the invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer and has ranked the third leading cause in cancerassociated death globally. Metastasis is the leading cause of death in colorectal cancer patients. The role of tumor microenvironment (TME) in colorectal cancer metastasis has received increasing attention.

Dietary intervention in depression - a review.

Depression is a mental illness that affects the normal lives of over 300 million people. Unfortunately, about 30% to 40% of patients do not adequately respond to pharmacotherapy and other therapies. This review focuses on exploring the relationship between dietary nutrition and depression, aiming to find safer and efficient ingredients to alleviate depression.

An oral hydrogel carrier for delivering resveratrol into intestine-specific target released with high encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity based on structure-selected alginate and pectin.

Resveratrol (RES) has many beneficial effects on the human body, but it is always unstable, resulting in low oral bioavailability, especially in the gastrointestinal tract. In this study, we developed an oral intestine-specific released hydrogel carrier for targeted RES release in the intestinal tract, which was composed of alginate (ALG) with a specific ratio of α-L-guluronic (G blocks) and β-D-mannuronic (M blocks) and low methoxyl pectin (LMP). The encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity of RES was 92.

Echinacoside (ECH) suppresses proliferation, migration, and invasion of human glioblastoma cells by inhibiting Skp2-triggered epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).

Background: Echinacoside (ECH) is a phenylethanoid extracted from the stems of Cistanches salsa, an herb used in Chinese medicine formulations, and is effective against glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is the cornerstone of tumorigenesis and metastasis, and increases the malignant behavior of GBM cells. The S phase kinase-related protein 2 (skp2), an oncoprotein associated with EMT, is highly expressed in GBM and significantly associated with drug resistance, tumor grade and dismal prognosis.

Correction: Poly(adenine)-mediated DNA-functionalized gold nanoparticles for sensitive detection of mercury ions in aqueous media.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/C9RA03041G.].

Phytochemicals, Pharmacological Effects and Molecular Mechanisms of Mulberry.

There are numerous varieties of mulberry, and each has high medicinal value and is regarded as a promising source of traditional medicines and functional foods. Nevertheless, the nutrients and uses of mulberry differ from species ( L., L.

Nifedipine or amlodipine? The choice for hypertension during pregnancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: There is a lack of sufficient evidence regarding efficacy and safety of amlodipine on treating hypertension during pregnancy.

Objective: To compare antihypertensive efficacy, pregnancy outcome and safety of amlodipine with nifedipine on hypertension during pregnancy.

Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, clinicaltrials.

Correction: Bilberry anthocyanin improves the serum cholesterol in aging perimenopausal rats via the estrogen receptor signaling pathway.

Correction for 'Bilberry anthocyanin improves the serum cholesterol in aging perimenopausal rats via the estrogen receptor signaling pathway' by Na Li et al., Food Funct., 2019, 10, 3430-3438, DOI.

LRa05 improves lipid accumulation in mice fed with a high fat diet regulating the intestinal microbiota, reducing glucose content and promoting liver carbohydrate metabolism.

To elucidate the anti-obesity effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus LRa05 through the analysis of gut microbiota and liver metabolomics, we investigated changes in gut microbiota and liver metabolomic phenotypes in mice by 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing and ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. C57BL/6J male mice were orally administered with LRa05 for 8 weeks. Body weight, serum lipid levels, and the lipid accumulation of liver cells and epididymal fat tissues in the mice fed with a high-fat diet were inhibited after treatment with LRa05 at 1 × 109 CFU per day per mouse.

Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides improves microbiota dysbiosis and liver metabolism imbalance and ameliorates the correlation between dihydroceramide and strains of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria in high fat diet obese mice.

Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides is widely isolated from fermented foods; however, the underlying molecular mechanism behind its anti-obesity function has rarely been studied. This study aims to explore the role of alterations in gut microbes and liver metabolites mediated by Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides (Tu) in obese mice for a period of 8 weeks through UPLC/Q-TOF-MS and 16S rRNA sequencing. Our results showed that Tu administration at a dosage of 1 × 10 CFU per day per mouse effectively attenuated the weight of mice, significantly reduced serum lipids, and markedly improved fecal lipid output.

subsp. Remodeled and Phosphatidylserine Levels and Ameliorated Intestinal Disorders and liver Metabolic Abnormalities Induced by High-Fat Diet.

is considered as a potential supplement in antiobesity treatment; however, the underlying molecular mechanism has rarely been studied. To understand the contributions of subsp. (BL21) in the prevention of obesity, we investigated alterations in the liver metabonomic phenotype and gut microbiota by ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing in C57BL/6J male mice orally administered with BL21 for 8 weeks [high-fat diet (HFD)].

Capsanthin extract prevents obesity, reduces serum TMAO levels and modulates the gut microbiota composition in high-fat-diet induced obese C57BL/6J mice.

The present study investigated the anti-obesity effects and its mechanism of capsanthin (CAP) in high-fat diet-induced obese C57BL/6J mice. Compared with untreated mice on a high-fat diet for 12 weeks, CAP at 200 mg kg reduced the body weight by 27.5%, significantly reversed glucose tolerance, effectively decreased the serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and trimethylamine N-oxide levels, markedly increased microbial diversity.

Astragaloside IV Protects Ethanol-Induced Gastric Mucosal Injury by Preventing Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress and the Activation of Mitochondrial Pathway Apoptosis in Rats.

Alcohol consumption affects gastric mucosa by multiple and complex mechanisms depending either by direct contact of ethanol or by indirect biological damage induced by its metabolite acetaldehyde. The present study aims at further investigating the mechanism of ethanol-induced gastric mucosa injury and the protective effect of astragaloside IV (AS-IV) in an aspect of mitochondrial oxidative stress and mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. Using an array of experimental approaches, we have shown that the development of mitochondrial oxidative stress and associated apoptosis play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of gastric injury induced by ethanol.

Poly(adenine)-mediated DNA-functionalized gold nanoparticles for sensitive detection of mercury ions in aqueous media.

In this work, a facile and sensitive colorimetric sensor for Hg ions based on poly (adenine)-mediated DNA-functionalized gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) is reported. One DNA sequence consisting of poly-A and T-rich DNA was designed rationally. Poly-A was used as an anchoring block to bind tightly to Au NPs, and T-rich DNA was utilized for specific recognition of Hg ions.

Bilberry anthocyanin improves the serum cholesterol in aging perimenopausal rats via the estrogen receptor signaling pathway.

With aging, there is an increasing risk for women to develop perimenopause syndrome, which is harmful to women's physical and mental health. The present study investigated the health benefits of bilberry anthocyanin (BA) on aging perimenopausal Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats that entered into perimenopause through natural aging were treated for 8 weeks with BA, and received either a low dose (LD, 35 mg per kg of bodyweight), medium dose (MD, 70 mg per kg of bodyweight), or high dose (HD, 140 mg per kg of bodyweight).

An Ultrasensitive Fluorescence Sensor with Simple Operation for Cu Specific Detection in Drinking Water.

Whether short-term or long-term, overexposure to an abnormal amount of copper ion does significant harm to human health. Considering its nonbiodegradability, it is critical to sensitively detect copper ion. Herein, a novel fluorescent strategy with a "turn-on" signal was developed for highly sensitive and specific detection of copper ion (Cu).

Implementation of cascade logic gates and majority logic gate on a simple and universal molecular platform.

Wiring a series of simple logic gates to process complex data is significantly important and a large challenge for untraditional molecular computing systems. The programmable property of DNA endows its powerful application in molecular computing. In our investigation, it was found that DNA exhibits excellent peroxidase-like activity in a colorimetric system of TMB/HO/Hemin (TMB, 3,3', 5,5'-Tetramethylbenzidine) in the presence of K and Cu, which is significantly inhibited by the addition of an antioxidant.

The effect of Astragaloside IV on ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury in rats: Involvement of inflammation.

The present study aimed to investigate the potential protective effects of Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) against ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury in rats. The animals were divided into 7 groups and pretreated with vehicle, various doses of AS-IV (1,2 and 4mg/kg, i.p.

Anthocyanins in black rice, soybean and purple corn increase fecal butyric acid and prevent liver inflammation in high fat diet-induced obese mice.

Epidemiological evidence indicates that anthocyanin consumption reduces the incidence of chronic and degenerative diseases. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine whether black rice anthocyanin (BRA), black soybean anthocyanin (BSA), and purple corn anthocyanin (PCA) could mitigate oxidative stress and inflammation associated obesity in C57BL/6 mice fed with a high-fat diet. BRA, BSA, or PCA was administered at doses of 200 mg kg throughout the 12-week experiment and reduced the bodyweight by 9.

Nanozyme-based bio-barcode assay for high sensitive and logic-controlled specific detection of multiple DNAs.

Since HCV and HIV share a common transmission path, high sensitive detection of HIV and HCV gene is of significant importance to improve diagnosis accuracy and cure rate at early stage for HIV virus-infected patients. In our investigation, a novel nanozyme-based bio-barcode fluorescence amplified assay is successfully developed for simultaneous detection of HIV and HCV DNAs with excellent sensitivity in an enzyme-free and label-free condition. Here, bimetallic nanoparticles, PtAu, present outstanding peroxidase-like activity and act as barcode to catalyze oxidation of nonfluorescent substrate of amplex red (AR) into fluorescent resorufin generating stable and sensitive "Turn On" fluorescent output signal, which is for the first time to be integrated with bio-barcode strategy for fluorescence detection DNA.

Alisol A 24-Acetate Prevents Hepatic Steatosis and Metabolic Disorders in HepG2 Cells.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is closely associated with metabolic disorders including hepatic lipid accumulation and inflammation. Alisol A 24-acetate, a triterpene from Alismatis rhizome, has multiple biologic activities such as hypolipidemic, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic. Thus we hypothesized that Alisol A 24 -acetate would have effect on NAFLD.

Free Fatty Acids Increase Intracellular Lipid Accumulation and Oxidative Stress by Modulating PPARα and SREBP-1c in L-02 Cells.

Excessive fat accumulation and increased oxidative stress contribute to the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the mechanisms underlying the development of steatosis are not entirely understood. The present study was undertaken to establish an experimental model of hepatocellular steatosis with a fat overaccumulation profile in which the effects of oxidative stress could be studied in L-02 cells.