The Recombinant Lactobacillus Strains with the Surface-Displayed Expression of Amuc_1100 Ameliorate Obesity in High-Fat Diet-Fed Adult Mice.

Excessive dietary fat intake is closely associated with an increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal diseases, and certain types of cancer. The administration of multi-strain probiotics has shown a significantly beneficial effect on the mitigation of obesity induced by high-fat diets (HFDs). In this study, Amuc_1100, an outer membrane protein of , was fused with green fluorescent protein and LPXTG motif anchor protein and displayed on the surface of (pLR-GAA) and (pLP-GAA), respectively.

Characteristic terpenylated coumarins from Ferula ferulaeoides as potential inhibitors on overactivation of microglia.

A total of 37 characteristic terpenylated coumarins (1-25), including 17 undescribed compounds (1-5, 6a/6b, 7-10, 11a/11b-13a/13b), have been isolated from the root of Ferula ferulaeoides. Meanwhile, twelve pairs of enantiomers (6a/6b, 11a/11b-15a/15b, 17a/17b, 18a/18b, 20a/20b-22a/22b, and 25a/25b) were chirally purified. The structures of these new compounds were elucidated using HRESIMS, UV, NMR, and calculated C NMR with a custom DP4 + analysis.

Lycibarbarspermidine L from the fruit of Lycium barbarum L. recovers intestinal barrier damage via regulating miR-195-3p.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The fruit of Lycium barbarum L. is widely employed with the traditional effect of tonic properties. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, Gou Qi can be distributed in the meridian of stomach, as well as the liver and kidney, indicating its effect on the digestive system.

Curcumin promotes renewal of intestinal epithelium by miR-195-3p.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Turmeric (Curcuma longa) has been used to treat gastrointestinal disorders in the Indian Ayurvedic medical system. According to the theory behind traditional Chinese medicine, turmeric can be distributed in the spleen meridian, for which it has been used as a digestive aid. Curcumin (Cur), a natural polyphenol compound originally derived from turmeric, has anti-inflammatory activity and can assist in treating inflammatory bowel disease.

Screening and characterization of xenobiotics in rat bio-samples after oral administration of Shen-Wu-Yi-Shen tablet using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS combined with a targeted and non-targeted strategy.

Shen-Wu-Yi-Shen tablet (SWYST), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine prescription (TCMP), has been effectively used for treating chronic kidney disease (CKD) in clinically. However, an in-depth study of in vivo metabolism of SWYST is lacking. In this study, a targeted and non-targeted strategy based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) was developed to screen and characterize SWYST-related xenobiotics in rats.

An MMP-2 sensitive and reduction-responsive prodrug amphiphile for actively targeted therapy of cancer by hierarchical cleavage.

A hierarchically cleaved amphiphile, mPEG-pep-etcSS-CPT, was synthesized to pursue actively targeted cancer therapy through self-assembly. This micelle can respond to MMP-2 achieving dePEGylation and releasing RGD peptides to be internalized into targetable tumor cells. Inside the cell, free CPT could be released by reduction-response leading to cytotoxicity.

The application of proteomics and metabolomics to reveal the molecular mechanism of Nutmeg-5 in ameliorating cardiac fibrosis following myocardial infarction.

Background: Nutmeg-5, an ancient and classic formula in traditional Mongolian medicine comprising five kinds of traditional Chinese medicine, is widely used in the treatment of myocardial infarction (MI, called heart "Heyi" disease in Mongolian medicine). Cardiac fibrosis plays a critical role in the development and progression of heart failure after MI. However, the material basis and pharmacological mechanisms of the effect of Nutmeg-5 on cardiac fibrosis after MI remain unclear.

Emerging nanobiotechnology-encoded relaxation tuning establishes new MRI modes to localize, monitor and predict diseases.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one of the most important techniques in the diagnosis of many diseases including cancers, where contrast agents (CAs) are usually necessary to improve its precision and sensitivity. Previous MRI CAs are confined to the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) elevation of lesions for precisely localizing lesions. As nanobiotechnology advances, some new MRI CAs or nanobiotechnology-enabled MRI modes have been established to vary the longitudinal or transverse relaxation of CAs, which are harnessed to detect lesion targets, monitor disease evolution, predict or evaluate curative effect, These distinct cases provide unexpected insights into the correlation of the design principles of these nanobiotechnologies and corresponding MRI CAs with their potential applications.

Involvement of the dopamine system in paternal behavior induced by repeated pup exposure in virgin male ICR mice.

Like mothers, fathers play a vital role in the development of the brain and behavior of offspring in mammals with biparental care. Unlike mothers, fathers do not experience the physiological processes of pregnancy, parturition, or lactation before their first contact with offspring. Whether pup exposure can induce the onset of paternal behavior and the underlying neural mechanisms remains unclear.

CRF-CRFR1 system within the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex are involved in consolation deficits under acute restraint stress in mandarin voles.

Consolation is a complex empathic behavior that has recently been observed in some socially living rodents. Despite the growing body of literature suggesting that stress affects some simple form of empathy, the relationship between stress and consolation remains largely understudied. Using monogamous mandarin voles, we found that an acute restraint stress exposure significantly reduced consolation-like behaviors and induced anxiety-like behaviors.

Involvement of the dopamine system in the effect of chronic social isolation during adolescence on social behaviors in male C57 mice.

In the early stage of life, experiencing social isolation can generate long-lasting deleterious effects on behaviors and brain development. However, the effects of chronic social isolation during adolescence on social behaviors and its underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain unclear. The present study found that four weeks of social isolation during adolescence impaired social recognition ability in the three-chamber test and five-trial social recognition test, and increased aggressive-like behaviors, but reduced environmental exploration, as showed in the social interaction test.

Different baseline physical activity predicts susceptibility and resilience to chronic social defeat stress in mice: Involvement of dopamine neurons.

Physical inactivity, the fourth leading mortality risk factor worldwide, is associated with chronic mental illness. Identifying the mechanisms underlying different levels of baseline physical activity and the effects of these levels on the susceptibility to stress is very important. However, whether different levels of baseline physical activity influence the susceptibility and resilience to chronic social defeat stress (CSDS), and the underlying mechanisms in the brain remain unclear.

The relative contribution of intraspecific variation and species turnover to the community-level foliar stoichiometric characteristics in different soil moisture and salinity habitats.

Background: Trait-based approaches have been used to demonstrate the responses of plant functional traits to environmental change may manifest both among- and/or within-species. However, how community-level foliar stoichiometric characteristic variations respond to aridity and salinity is still not well-known.

Methods: We calculated community weighted means (CWMs) and non-weighted means (CMs) of foliar C, N, and P concentrations (and their ratios) in a dryland plant community respond to high (HSW) and low soil moisture and salinity (LSW).

Kellerin from Ferula sinkiangensis exerts neuroprotective effects after focal cerebral ischemia in rats by inhibiting microglia-mediated inflammatory responses.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Ferula sinkiangensis K. M. Shen is a traditional Chinese medicine that has a variety of pharmacological properties relevant to neurological disorders and inflammations.

Schrenk spruce leaf litter decomposition varies with snow depth in the Tianshan Mountains.

Seasonal snowfall, a sensitive climate factor and the main form of precipitation in arid areas, is important for forest material circulation and surface processes and profoundly impacts litter decomposition and element turnover. However, how the thickness and duration of snow cover affect litter decomposition and element release remain unclear. Thus, to understand the effects of snow on litter decomposition, fiber degradation and their relationships with soil properties, a field litterbag experiment was conducted under no, thin, medium, and thick snow cover in a Schrenk spruce (Picea schrenkiana) forest gap in the Tianshan Mountains.

Bioactive sesquiterpene coumarins from the resin of Ferula sinkiangensis targeted on over-activation of microglia.

Nine undescribed (1-4, 6-10) sesquiterpene coumarins, together with a new natural one (5) and ten known ones (11-20), were isolated from the low polarity fraction of the 95% ethanol extract of the resin of Ferula sinkiangensis. Their structures were elucidated based on the comprehensive analysis of HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR data. The absolute configurations were determined by comparison of experimental and calculated ECD spectra.

[Short Term Effects of a Changing Carbon Input on the Soil Respiration of Forests in the Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang].

The impact of exogenous carbon input changes on forest soil respiration provides the basis for an intensive analysis of the forest carbon cycle. Based on a plant residue addition and removal control experiment, this study investigated the short-term soil respiration response to carbon input changes of on the Tianshan Mountains during their growing season with five different carbon input treatments:control, double litter, no root, no litter, and no input. The results revealed that, during the entire observation period, the cumulative soil respiration rates were 3.

Kellerin alleviates cognitive impairment in mice after ischemic stroke by multiple mechanisms.

Ischemic stroke is a global disease with high disability and mortality rates. Cognitive impairment is one of the major clinical features of ischemic stroke, and microglia-mediated inflammation has been shown to be an important contributor to the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke. Kellerin, extracted from Ferula sinkiangensis, was previously shown to inhibit microglial activation and exert a strong anti-neuroinflammatory effect.

Different effects of chronic social defeat on social behavior and the brain CRF system in adult male C57 mice with different susceptibilities.

Chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) has been found to produce different impacts on anxiety-like behaviors, spatial cognitive function and memory in rodents with different susceptibilities. However, the impacts of chronic social defeat on social behaviors in adult male mice with different susceptibilities to social defeat and the underlying mechanisms in the brain remain unclear. In the present study, we found that ten days of social defeat reduced the tendency of susceptible adult male C57 mice to approach an unfamiliar individual and increased their avoidance of an unfamiliar CD-1 mouse but had no effects on resilient individuals.

The involvement of oxytocin in the effects of chronic social defeat stress on emotional behaviours in adult female mandarin voles.

Chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) can induce anxiety and depression in male rodents, but the prevalence of anxiety and depression is much higher in females, and effects of CSDS on adult females and its underlying mechanism remain unclear. Oxytocin is a stress-buffering hormone in the brain that modulates the physiological effects of stress. Strikingly, research regarding the effect of oxytocin on emotional changes caused by CSDS is still lacking in females.

The serotonin system in the hippocampus CA3 involves in effects of CSDS on social recognition in adult female mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus).

Chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) exacerbated the development of stress-related psychiatric disorders, and the social recognition dysfunction is the core feature of many psychiatric disorders. However, the effects of CSDS on female social recognition and the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear. Using highly aggressive adult female mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus) as animal model, the aim of this work is to investigate the effects of CSDS on social recognition in adult female rodents and the neurobiological mechanisms underlying these effects.

Preweaning Paternal Deprivation Impacts Parental Responses to Pups and Alters the Serum Oxytocin and Corticosterone Levels and Oxytocin Receptor, Vasopressin 1A Receptor, Oestrogen Receptor, Dopamine Type I Receptor, Dopamine Type II Receptor Levels in Relevant Brain Regions in Adult Mandarin Voles.

Although maternal separation and neonatal paternal deprivation (PD) have been found to exert a profound and persistent effects on the physiological and behavioural development of offspring, whether preweaning PD (PPD; from PND 10 to 21) affects maternal and parental responses to pups and the underlying neuroendocrine mechanism are under-investigated. Using monogamous mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus), the present study found that PPD increased the latency to approach a pup-containing ball, decreased the total durations of sniffing and contacting a pup-containing ball and walking and increased the total duration of inactivity in both sexes. Moreover, PPD decreased serum oxytocin levels and increased corticosterone levels, but only in females.