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BACKGROUND: Punicalagin has a wide range of effects and high safety, but its effect on osteoblasts and postmenopausal osteoporosis is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of punicalagin on osteoblasts and postmenopausal osteoporosis. METHODS: The effect of punicalagin on the proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells was detected. Punicalagin was added to the osteogenic induction medium to detect its effect on osteogenic differentiation. Punicalagin was used to treat ovariectomized rats and Micro CT scan and serum procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide test were performed after 3 months to detect the therapeutic effect. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Cell counting kit-8 assay showed that punicalagin could promote the proliferation of osteoblasts (P < 0.05). The results of qRTPCR and western blot showed that punicalagin could promote the mRNA and protein expressions of alkaline phosphatase and Runx2 in osteoblasts (P < 0.05). The results of Micro CT scan and serological test showed that punicalagin could improve bone mineral density, bone volume fraction, trabecular thickness, trabecular number and procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide level of ovariectomized rats. To conclude, punicalagin can promote osteoblast proliferation and differentiation, and have therapeutic effects in postmenopausal osteoporosis rats [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Advanced Textile Technology is the property of Zhejiang Sci-Tech University Magazines and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this study, the co-culture system of Caco-2 and HaCaT cells was established, and the inhibitory effect of punicalagin on cyclobutene pyrimidine dimers (CPD) which was one major type of UVB-induced DNA lesions was evaluated by immunofluorescence. Then the effects of punicalagin on transcription and expression levels of nucleotide excision repair (NER) related genes was further investigated by quantitative real-time PCR, immunoprecipitation and western-blotting. The results showed that punicalagin reduced CPD level in HaCaT cells, upregulated xeroderma pigmentosum group C (XPC) mRNA level and attenuated XPA acetylation in a SIRT1-dependent manner. This showed, punicalagin's efficacy against UVB-induced photodamage in the co-culture system of Caco-2 and HaCaT cells was probably activated by the NER related XPC/ XPA which depended on the deacetylation activity of SIRT1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Food Research & Development is the property of Food Research & Development Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Shipin Kexue/ Food Science is the property of Food Science Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Food Research & Development is the property of Food Research & Development Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Food Safety & Quality is the property of Journal of Food Safety & Quality Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Chitosan is the only natural cation polysaccharides derived from shrimp and crab shell, which displays some bioactive functions and antibacterial properties with a narrow antimicrobial spectrum. Here, we investigated in situ synthesis of nano-silver particles to enhance the antibacterial properties of chitosan. The chitosan/nano-silver particles (CS/AgNPs) sol was prepared by reducing silver nitrate in situ synthesis within chitosan using punicalagin as a green reducing agent, and then its antibacterial properties and mechanism were investigated. The preparation of CS/AgNPs sol was optimized by single factor experiments. The effects of the preparation conditions pH, temperature and reaction time, with concentration of chitosan, silver nitrate and punicalagin solution were evaluated by characteristic ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry of nano-silver particles. The existence AgNPs in CS/AgNPs sol was confirmed by UV-visible spectra, Turbiscan Lab, XRD diffraction patterns and TEM images. The optimal conditions to prepare CS/AgNPs sol were found as follows. Every 100 mL of chitosan at pH value 5 in concentration of 0.5% - 1% blended well with 250 mL of silver nitrate in concentration of 0.6 mol/L, and then chelated for 30 min at room temperature. The silver nitrate in this mixture was reduced by adding 800 μL of punicalagin solution in concentration of 1%, bathing at 25℃ and stirring for 6 h. Consequently, a kind of stable CS/AgNPs sol with high content of AgNPs was produced. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images indicated that the AgNPs nanoparticles were between 8 and 11 nm in diameter dispersed uniformly in the sol. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that AgNPs formed in a type of face-centered cubic structure reflected by the enhanced diffraction intensity of Ag. And the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed that -NH2 groups of chitosan chelated with Ag+ in the CS/AgNPs. We used methods of disc agar diffusion and liquid medium dilution to study the bacteriostasis. For disc agar diffusion, the experiment was modified that the filters would be replaced by the fabric, so as to improve the diffusion ability of chitosan in agar. The results indicated that the CS/AgNPs sol could inhibit the two typical species of bacteria (E.coli and S.aureus) which caused infection. The inhibition zone of the S.aureus was 5.5 mm, slightly higher than the inhibition zone of the E.coli, when soaked in the fabric. The inhibitory rate of CS/AgNPs sol on E. coli and S. aureus was 95.5% and 97.6% after a 24 h-incubation respectively. The antibacterial effect of CS/AgNPs sol was tested by the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC). The results showed that the MIC for both E.coli and S.aureus were 0.096 μL/mL detected by resazurin test for the CS/AgNPs sol taking punicalagin as the reducing agent, which was moderately better than that taking sodium borohydride as the reducing agent from which the MIC for both E.coli and S.aureus were 0.19 μL/mL by resazurin test. The bacteriostatic mechanism of this kind of composites was explored. The SEM scanning and cell contents leakage experiments of the cultures after a 24 h-incubation showed that the CS/AgNPs sol can adsorb to bacterial cells, disrupted the cell membrane, and increased the cell permeability and then inhibited the cell growth. The CS/AgNPs sol prepared by the green reducing reagent punicalagin showed a good performance on technical parameters and bacteriostatic. This article provides a theoretical basis for the application in the future, which could be used in food preservative or as the medical material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatic lipid deposition is one of the basic manifestations of obesity, and nowadays pharmacological treatment is the most important tool. Punicalagin(PU), a polyphenol derived from pomegranate peel, is a potential anti-obesity substance. In this study, 60 C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into a normal group and a model group. After establishing a model of simple obesity with a high-fat diet for 12 weeks, the successfully established rat models of obesity were then regrouped into a model group, an orlistat group, a PU low-dose group, a PU medium-dose group, and a PU high-dose group. The normal group was kept on routine diet and other groups continued to feed the high-fat diet. The body weight and food intake were measured and recorded weekly. After 8 weeks, the levels of the four lipids in the serum of each group of mice were determined by an automatic biochemical instrument. Oral glucose tole-rance and intraperitoneal insulin sensitivity were tested. Hemoxylin-eosin(HE) staining was applied to observe the hepatic and adipose tissues. The mRNA expression levels of peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor γ(PPARγ) and C/EBPα were determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(Q-PCR), and the mRNA and protein expression levels of adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase(AMPK), anterior cingulate cortex(ACC), and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A(CPT1A) were determined by Western blot. Finally, the body mass, Lee's index, serum total glyceride(TG), serum total cholesterol(TC), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C) levels were significantly higher and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C) levels were significantly lower in the model group as compared with the normal group. The fat deposition in the liver was significantly increased. The mRNA expression levels of hepatic PPARγ and C/EBPα and the protein expression level of ACC were increased, while the mRNA and protein expression levels of CPT-1α(CPT1A) and AMPK were decreased. After PU treatment, the above indexes of obese mice were reversed. In conclusion, PU can decrease the body weight of obese mice and control their food intake. It also plays a role in the regulation of lipid metabolism and glycometabolism metabolism, which can significantly improve hepatic fat deposition. Mechanistically, PU may regulate liver lipid deposition in obese mice by down-regulating lipid synthesis and up-regulating lipolysis through activation of the AMPK/ACC pathway.