Bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds during simulated gastrointestinal digestion of black rice (Oryza sativa L., cv. Artemide).

Black rice can be defined as a natural functional food, due to its high content of antioxidant polyphenols, particularly anthocyanins and phenolic acids. The objective of this study was to assess the fate of the main phenolic compounds in cooked black rice through in vitro digestion, defining both their soluble and insoluble fractions at the different digestive phases. The digestion significantly impacted the stability of the molecules, more specifically anthocyanins, which tend to be stable up to the gastric level and then degrade during the intestinal phase; after gastrointestinal digestion the total recovery of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, the most abundant anthocyanin, was 52.

MIRO2 promotes cancer invasion and metastasis via MYO9B suppression of RhoA activity.

Metastasis to vital organs remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, emphasizing an urgent need for actionable targets in advanced-stage cancer. The role of mitochondrial Rho GTPase 2 (MIRO2) in prostate cancer growth was recently reported; however, whether MIRO2 is important for additional steps in the metastatic cascade is unknown. Here, we show that knockdown of MIRO2 ubiquitously reduces tumor cell invasion in vitro and suppresses metastatic burden in prostate and breast cancer mouse models.

Garlic peel-based carbon quantum dots as a sustainable alternative for the sensitive and green spectrofluorometric quantification of molnupiravir in pharmaceutical capsules.

Searching for natural alternatives to replace environmentally harmful chemical reagents in analysis is just as crucial as finding easily accessible analytical tools. To reinforce these concepts, this study proposes a simple spectrofluorometric approach using natural carbon quantum dots (n-CQDs) as fluorescence probes for sensitive and environmentally friendly measurement of molnupiravir, an antiviral drug that was initially developed for influenza and has demonstrated potential efficacy against COVID-19. n-CQDs were synthesized using garlic peels (GP), a waste material, via a microwave-assisted method.

Single spike mutation differentiating XBB.1 and XBB.1.5 enhances SARS-CoV-2 cell-to-cell transmission and facilitates serum-mediated enhancement.

Introduction: The ongoing emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants poses significant challenges to existing therapeutics. The spike (S) glycoprotein is central to both viral entry and cell-to-cell transmission via syncytia formation, a process that confers resistance to neutralizing antibodies. The mechanisms underlying this resistance, particularly in relation to spike-mediated fusion, remain poorly understood.