Puerarin Attenuates Insulin Resistance by Inhibiting Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Suppresses Inflammation by Modulating the JNK and IKKβ/NF-κB Pathways in Epididymal White Adipose Tissue of Mice on a High-Fat Diet.

Scope: Obesity is associated with insulin resistance (IR), which is characterized by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in multiple organs. ER stress in adipose tissue causes metabolic disturbances and activates inflammatory signaling pathways. Puerarin, an isoflavone extracted from Pueraria lobata, exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic effects.

Study on the mechanism of carbon nanotube-like carbon deposition in tar catalytic reforming over Ni-based catalysts.

The use of Ni-based catalysts is a common method for eliminating tar through catalytic cracking. Carbon deposition is the main cause of deactivation in Ni/ZSM-5 catalysts, with filamentous MWCNTs being the primary form of carbon deposits. This study investigates the formation and evolution of CNTs during the catalytic process of biomass tar to explore the mechanism behind carbon deposition.

Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of the Gene Family in Rapeseed ( L.).

The gene family is present in plants and is involved in biological processes such as flowering, circadian rhythm regulation, plant growth and development, and stress resistance. We identified 87, 62, 46, and 40 at the whole-genome level in , , , and , respectively. The can be classified into five groups based on evolutionary relationships, and each of these groups can be further subdivided into three subfamilies (, and ) based on function.

Catalytic characteristics of a Ni-MgO/HZSM-5 catalyst for steam reforming of toluene.

Steam reforming is a potential technology for the conversion of biomass pyrolysis tar into gaseous products. In this study, HZSM-5 was selected as the nickel-based catalyst support and toluene was chosen as the tar model compound. Ni was replaced with MgO to improve the coking resistance of the catalyst.

Loss of Adipose Growth Hormone Receptor in Mice Enhances Local Fatty Acid Trapping and Impairs Brown Adipose Tissue Thermogenesis.

Growth hormone (GH) binds to its receptor (growth hormone receptor [GHR]) to exert its pleiotropic effects on growth and metabolism. Disrupted GH/GHR actions not only fail growth but also are involved in many metabolic disorders, as shown in murine models with global or tissue-specific Ghr deficiency and clinical observations. Here we constructed an adipose-specific Ghr knockout mouse model Ad-GHRKO and studied the metabolic adaptability of the mice when stressed by high-fat diet (HFD) or cold.

APS could potentially activate hepatic insulin signaling in HFD-induced IR mice.

Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) is the main component of Astragalus membranaceus, an anti-diabetic herb being used for thousands of years in Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of APS on hepatic insulin signaling, autophagy and ER stress response in high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced insulin resistance (IR) mice. APS was intra-gastrically administrated and metformin was used as a control medicine.

Microalgal Oil from Schizochytrium sp. Prevents HFD-Induced Abdominal Fat Accumulation in Mice.

Objective: Dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), especially eicosapentaenoic acids (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are proved to be effective in obesity reduction. Microalgal oil (MO) is an important alternative source of n-3 PUFAs that effectively alleviates obesity. The aim of the present study was to explore the anti-obesity effects of microalgal oil from Schizochytrium sp.

ZiBuPiYin recipe protects db/db mice from diabetes-associated cognitive decline through improving multiple pathological changes.

Multiple organ systems, including the brain, which undergoes changes that may increase the risk of cognitive decline, are adversely affected by diabetes mellitus (DM). Here, we demonstrate that type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) db/db mice exhibited hippocampus-dependent memory impairment, which might associate with a reduction in dendritic spine density in the pyramidal neurons of brain, Aβ1-42 deposition in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus, and a decreased expression of neurostructural proteins including microtubule-associated protein (MAP2), a marker of dendrites, and postsynaptic density 95 (PSD95), a marker of excitatory synapses. To investigate the effects of the ZiBuPiYin recipe (ZBPYR), a traditional Chinese medicine recipe, on diabetes-related cognitive decline (DACD), db/db mice received daily administration of ZBPYR over an experimental period of 6 weeks.

[Improving ethanol tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae industrial strain by directed evolution of SPT3].

Directed evolution of transcription factors can be employed to effectively improve the phenotypes which are controlled by multiple genetic loci. In this study, we used error-prone PCR for the directed evolution of SPT3, which is the component of yeast Spt-Ada-Gcn5-acetyltransferase (SAGA) complex responsible for the transcription of stress-related genes, and studied its effect on the improvement of ethanol tolerance. Mutant library was constructed by ligating the error-prone PCR products with a modified pYES2.

[Directed evolution of promoter and cellular transcription machinery and its application in microbial metabolic engineering--a review].

Directed evolution, which is also called molecular evolution, or artificial evolution, combines random mutagenesis and directed selection. In previous studies, it has been extensively applied for the improvement of enzyme catalytic properties and stability, as well as the expanding of substrate specificity. In recent years, directed evolution was also employed in metabolic engineering of promoters for improving their strength and function, and the engineering of global transcription machinery.

[Ethanol tolerance in yeast: molecular mechanisms and genetic engineering].

Improvement of stress tolerance to various adverse environmental conditions (such as toxic products, high temperature) of the industrial microorganisms is important for industrial applications. Ethanol produced by yeast fermentation is inhibitory to both yeast cell growth and metabolisms, and consequently is one of the key stress elements of brewer's yeast. Research on the biochemical and molecular mechanism of the tolerance of yeast can provide basis for breeding of yeast strain with improved ethanol tolerance.