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Objective This study was aimed to investigate the effect of fresh and dried hydrolyzed Cordyceps militaris (CM) mushroom with proteolytic enzymes; bromelain (CMB), flavorzyme (CMF), and mixture of bromelain: flavorzyme (CMBF) on quality properties of spent hen chicken. Methods Mushroom extract (CME) were combined with three proteolytic enzyme mixtures that had different peptidase activities; stem bromelain (CMB), flavorzyme (CMF), and mixture of stem bromelain:flavorzyme (CMBF) at (1:1). The effect of these hydrolysates was investigated on spent hen breast meat via dipping marination. Results Hydrolyzation positively alters functional properties of CM protease. in which bromelain hydrolyzed group (CMB) displayed the highest proteolytic activity at 4.57 unit/mL. The antioxidant activity had a significant increment from 5.32% in CME to 61.79% in CMB. A significantly higher emulsion stability index and emulsification activity index compared to CME were another result from hydrolyzation (p

Background Certain cancers present challenges for treatment because they are resistant to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), attributed to low tumor mutational burden and the absence of T cell-inflamed features. Among these, glioblastoma (GBM) is notoriously resistant to ICB. To overcome this resistance, the identification of T cells with heightened stemness marked by T-cell factor 1 (TCF1) expression has gained attention. Several studies have explored ways to preserve stem-like T cells and prevent terminal exhaustion. In this study, we investigate a target that triggers stem-like properties in CD8 T cells to enhance the response to ICB in a murine GBM model.Methods Using Fcgr2b−/− mice and a murine GL261 GBM model, we confirmed the efficacy of anti-programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) immunotherapy, observing improved survival. Analysis of immune cells using fluorescence-activated cell sorting and single-cell RNA sequencing delineated distinct subsets of tumor-infiltrating CD8 T cells in Fcgr2b−/− mice. The crucial role of the stem-like feature in the response to anti-PD-1 treatment for reinvigorating CD8 T cells was analyzed. Adoptive transfer of OT-I cells into OVA-expressing GL261 models and CD8 T cell depletion in Fcgr2b−/− mice confirmed the significance of Fcgr2b−/− CD8 T cells in enhancing the antitumor response. Last, S1P1 inhibitor treatment confirmed that the main source of tumor antigen-specific Fcgr2b−/− CD8 T cells is the tumor-draining lymph nodes (TdLNs).Results In a murine GBM model, anti-PD-1 monotherapy and single-Fc fragment of IgG receptor IIb (FcγRIIB) deletion exhibit limited efficacy. However, their combination substantially improves survival by enhancing cytotoxicity and proliferative capacity in tumor-infiltrating Fcgr2b−/− CD8 T cells. The improved response to anti-PD-1 treatment is associated with the tumor-specific memory T cells (Ttsms) exhibiting high stemness characteristics within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Ttsms in the TdLN thrives in a protective environment, maintaining stem-like characteristics and serving as a secure source for tumor infiltration. This underscores the significance of FcγRIIB ablation in triggering Ttsms and enhancing ICB therapy against GBM.Conclusions Deletion of FcγRIIB on CD8 T cells leads to the generation of a Ttsms, which is localized in TdLN and protected from the immunosuppressive TME. Incorporating these highly stemness-equipped Ttsms enhances the response to anti-PD-1 therapy in immune-suppressed brain tumors.

Although the incidence of Mycobacterium abscessus infection has recently increased significantly, treatment is difficult because this bacterium is resistant to most anti-tuberculosis drugs. In particular, M. abscessus is often resistant to available macrolide antibiotics, so therapeutic options are extremely limited. Hence, there is a pressing demand to create effective drugs or therapeutic regimens for M. abscessus infections. The aim of the investigation was to assess the capability of isoegomaketone (iEMK) as a therapeutic option for treating M. abscessus infections. We determined the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of iEMK for both reference and clinically isolated M. abscessus strains. In addition to time-kill and biofilm formation assays, we evaluated iEMK’s capability to inhibit M. abscessus growth in macrophages using an intracellular colony counting assay. iEMK inhibited the growth of reference and clinically isolated M. abscessus strains in macrophages and demonstrated effectiveness at lower concentrations against macrophage-infected M. abscessus than when used to treat the bacteria directly. Importantly, iEMK also exhibited anti-biofilm properties and the potential to mitigate macrolide-inducible resistance, underscoring its promise as a standalone or adjunctive therapeutic agent. Overall, our results suggest that further development of iEMK as a clinical drug candidate is promising for inhibiting M. abscessus growth, especially considering its dual action against both planktonic bacteria and biofilms.

Objective This study aimed to characterize the effect of pre-treated black garlic (BG) extracts addition into retorted Korean ginseng chicken soup (Samgyetang) on the fatty acid composition and flavour-related indexes. Methods Four different treatments; Samgyetang made with a 5% (w/w) addition of garlic (G), fresh BG (FBG), oven-dried BG (DBG), or encapsulated BG (EBG) extracts were developed and compared to negative control (NC) without any extract addition. Prepared samples were cooked via retorting at 121.1°C, 1.5 kgf/cm2 for 1 h. Results The BG treated samples were higher in C18:3n3 and C18:2n6 fatty acids, with thrombogenic index was 18% to 20% lower than the NC. EBG yielded the highest umami-related nucleotides (5′-guanosine monophosphate and 5′-inosine monophosphate) and modified some free amino acid (alyne, phenylalanine and leucine) thus possessed the highest equivalent umami concentration among samples. Some individual aldehydes (pentanal, hexanal, and heptanal) were lower, while furans and volatile sulfur compounds were higher than the NC and G treatment group, indicating a potential suppression of unpleasant flavour alongwith the intensificiation of favourable flavour from the addition of BG extracts into retorted Samgyetang. Conclusion Taken together, the synergistic results of this study indicate that incorportating suitable pre-treatment of BG extract could be of critical importance for the development of the retorted Samgyetang with improved flavour and functionalities.

This study investigated the utilization of detoxified Rhus verniciflua (RV) extract as a natural antioxidant to extend the shelf life of chicken breast meat during storage. Pre-heating at (35°C, 100°C, 120°C, and 140°C) was conducted on heartwood of RV prior to extraction to improve its antioxidant activity and remove the allergenic compound urushiol. The antioxidant activity was the highest when RV pre-heated at 120°C with the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) scavenging activity observed at 62.29 EC50 µg/mL and 12.11 IC50 mg/mL, respectively. Pre-heating also significantly increased the total phenolic content (TPC), with the highest improvement was seen at 120°C, 100°C, and 140°C respectively, wherein 35°C shared no difference with the raw RV (RRV). Urushiol content was vanished following pre-heating at 120°C and 140°C. With respect to these result, pre-heating treatment at 120°C was applied before the extraction of the heartwood of RV. Prepared breast meat sample was dipped into distilled water as a negative control, 0.02% butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) as positive control, and a solution containing detoxified RV extract (0.10%, 0.25%, 0.50%, 1.00%) at 4°C for 60 min. Treatment group with 0.50% and 1.00% addition increased the redness and yellowness value on day 6 and day 3 of storage respectively (p < 0.05). The pH value of breast meat was also increased in treatment of 0.50% and 1.00% on day 0, but subsequently lower until end of storge day compared to control negative (p < 0.05). Furthermore, 0.50% treatment exhibited a higher antioxidant activity, stronger inhibition of the microbial growth evaluated by total viable count and maintaining a lower total volatile basic nitrogen among treatments (p < 0.05), unless for BHT and 1.00% treatment groups (p > 0.05). It indicates a similar efficacy of detoxified RV extract with that of positive control treated with BHT. The results of this study suggested that dipping chicken breast meat into a solution containing 0.50% of previously pre-heated RV heartwood at 120°C could be a promising natural antioxidant for extending the shelf life, and at the same time improve its quality during storage.

Mycobacterium peregrinum (Mpgm) is a rapidly growing mycobacteria that is classified as a nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) and is commonly found in environmental sources such as soil, water, and animals. Mpgm is considered an opportunistic pathogen that causes infection in immunocompromised individuals or those with underlying medical conditions. Although there have been clinical reports on Mpgm, reports of the immune response and metabolic reprogramming have not been published. Thus, we studied standard Mpgm-ATCC and two clinical strains (Mpgm-S and Mpgm-R) using macrophages and mouse bone marrow-derived cells. Mpgm has two types of colony morphologies: smooth and rough. We grew all strains on the 7H10 agar medium to visually validate the morphology. Cytokine levels were measured via ELISA and real-time PCR. The changes in mitochondrial function and glycolysis in Mpgm-infected macrophages were measured using an extracellular flux analyzer. Mpgm-S-infected macrophages showed elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-6, IL-12p40, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, compared to Mpgm-ATCC- and Mpgm-R-infected macrophages. Additionally, our findings revealed metabolic changes in Mpgm-ATCC and two clinical strains (Mpgm-S and Mpgm-R) during infection; significant changes were observed in the mitochondrial respiration, extracellular acidification, and the oxygen consumption of BMDMs upon Mpgm-S infection. In summary, within the strains examined, Mpgm-S displayed greater virulence, triggered a heightened immune response, and induced more profound shifts in bioenergetic metabolism than Mpgm-ATCC and Mpgm-R. This study is the first to document distinct immune responses and metabolic reorganization following Mpgm infection. These findings lay a crucial foundation for further investigations into the pathogenesis of Mpgm.

ABSTRACT: The combined effects of pretreated black garlic (BG) extract and various cooking methods were investigated. The chicken breast was prepared at a uniform size of 5 × 5 × 1.5 cm and randomly allocated into 12 treatment groups that were placed in solutions containing fresh BG extract (1:4, w/v) (positive control), distilled water (negative control), oven-dried BG, and encapsulated BG extract. They were subjected to cooking via sous-vide (SV), boiling, and retorting, for 1 h. Both the BG extract and the different cooking methods modified the physicochemical, antioxidative, and fatty acid profiles of the chicken breast. The antioxidative value was 1.83 to 11.59 times higher than the negative control, with extensive protection from lipid oxidation observed in the oven-dried BG extract, compared the fresh BG treatment. The maltodextrin-encapsulated extract prolonged the protection of the antioxidant BG compounds under high-temperature cooking, and thus, produced the highest antioxidative values. The increase in SFA percentage is a consequence of high-temperature cooking, mainly from the increased proportion of palmitic and stearic acids. A higher percentage of monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids was observed under the SV cooking treatments that had BG extract prepared at any pretreatments. The BG lightly protected the linoleic acid during the retorting process. The BG extract treatment improved meat quality by lowering cooking loss (CL), improving water holding capacity (WHC), and provided better visual attributes. This study suggests that an appropriate cooking method, together with the addition of oven-dried BG extract in an either raw or encapsulated form, can improve the functional quality of chicken breast.

Objective: This study was aimed to investigate the effect of fresh and dried hydrolyzed Cordyceps militaris (CM) mushroom with proteolytic enzymes; bromelain (CMB), flavorzyme (CMF), and mixture of bromelain: flavorzyme (CMBF) on quality properties of spent hen chicken. Methods: Mushroom extract (CME) were combined with three proteolytic enzyme mixtures that had different peptidase activities; stem bromelain (CMB), flavorzyme (CMF), and mixture of stem bromelain:flavorzyme (CMBF) at (1:1). The effect of these hydrolysates was investigated on spent hen breast meat via dipping marination. Results: Hydrolyzation positively alters functional properties of CM protease. in which bromelain hydrolyzed group (CMB) displayed the highest proteolytic activity at 4.57 unit/mL. The antioxidant activity had a significant increment from 5.32% in CME to 61.79% in CMB. A significantly higher emulsion stability index and emulsification activity index compared to CME were another result from hydrolyzation (p<0.05). Texture properties along with the shear force value and myofibrillar fragmentation index were notably improved under CMB and CMBF in fresh condition. Marination with CM mushroom protease that was previously hydrolyzed with enzymes was proven to also increase the nucleotide compounds, indicated by higher adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP) and inosine 5'-monophosphate (IMP) in hydrolysate groups (p<0.05). The concentration of both total and insoluble collagen remained unchanged, meaning less effect from CM protease. Conclusion: This study suggested the hydrolyzation of CM protease with bromelain or a mixture of bromelain:flavourzyme to significantly improve functional properties of protease and escalate the taste-related nucleotide compounds and texture profiles from spent hen breast meat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to characterize the effect of pre-treated black garlic (BG) extracts addition into retorted Korean ginseng chicken soup (Samgyetang) on the fatty acid composition and flavour-related indexes. Methods: Four different treatments; Samgyetang made with a 5% (w/w) addition of garlic (G), fresh BG (FBG), oven-dried BG (DBG), or encapsulated BG (EBG) extracts were developed and compared to negative control (NC) without any extract addition. Prepared samples were cooked via retorting at 121.1°C, 1.5 kgf/cm² for 1 h. Results: The BG treated samples were higher in C18:3n3 and C18:2n6 fatty acids, with thrombogenic index was 18% to 20% lower than the NC. EBG yielded the highest umamirelated nucleotides (5′-guanosine monophosphate and 5′-inosine monophosphate) and modified some free amino acid (alyne, phenylalanine and leucine) thus possessed the highest equivalent umami concentration among samples. Some individual aldehydes (pentanal, hexanal, and heptanal) were lower, while furans and volatile sulfur compounds were higher than the NC and G treatment group, indicating a potential suppression of unpleasant flavour alongwith the intensificiation of favourable flavour from the addition of BG extracts into retorted Samgyetang. Conclusion: Taken together, the synergistic results of this study indicate that incorportating suitable pre-treatment of BG extract could be of critical importance for the development of the retorted Samgyetang with improved flavour and functionalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Fabry disease (FD) is a lysosome storage disease (LSD) characterized by significantly reduced intracellular autophagy function. This contributes to the progression of intracellular pathologic signaling and can lead to organ injury. Phospholipid–polyethyleneglycol-capped Ceria-Zirconia antioxidant nanoparticles (PEG-CZNPs) have been reported to enhance autophagy flux. We analyzed whether they suppress globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) accumulation by enhancing autophagy flux and thereby attenuate kidney injury in both cellular and animal models of FD. Results Gb3 was significantly increased in cultured human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2) and human podocytes following the siRNA silencing of α galactosidase A (α-GLA). PEG-CZNPs effectively reduced the intracellular accumulation of Gb3 in both cell models of FD and improved both intracellular inflammation and apoptosis in the HK-2 cell model of FD. Moreover these particles attenuated pro fibrotic cytokines in the human podocyte model of FD. This effect was revealed through an improvement of the intracellular autophagy flux function and a reduction in reactive oxygen species (ROS). An FD animal model was generated in which 4-week-old male B6;129-Gla tm1Kul /J mice were treated for 8 weeks with 10 mg/kg of PEG-CZNPs (twice weekly via intraperitoneal injection). Gb3 levels were reduced in the kidney tissues of these animals, and their podocyte characteristics and autophagy flux functions were preserved. Conclusions PEG-CZNPs alleviate FD associated kidney injury by enhancing autophagy function and thus provide a foundation for the development of new drugs to treat of storage disease. Graphical Abstract

The physicochemical characteristics and flavor-related compounds of thigh meat derived from diverse Korean native chickens (KNC), namely Hanhyup No. 3 (HH3), Woorimatdag No 1 (WRMD 1), and Woorimatdag No 2 (WRMD 2), under fresh and frozen-thawed conditions were studied and compared with those of commercial broilers (CB). Regardless of the breed, KNC showed a higher (p < 0.05) percentage of linoleic and arachidonic acid. The highest proportion of docosahexaenoic acid was observed in WRMD 2. Despite having a higher collagen content, thigh meat derived from KNC maintained a similar texture profile in comparison to that of CB. The concentrations of most free amino acids (FAA), except for taurine, tryptophan, and carnosine, were higher in frozen-thawed meat than in fresh meat. Regarding volatile organic compounds (VOC), following freezing, the concentration of favorable VOCs increased in CB, but decreased in WRMD 1, suggesting a loss of pleasant flavor in frozen-thawed meat. This study indicated that changes in VOCs, including hydrocarbons (d-limonene, heptadecane, hexadecane, naphthalene, pentadecane, 3-methyl-, tridecane), esters (arsenous acid, tris(trimethylsilyl) ester, decanoic acid, ethyl ester, hexadecanoic acid, ethyl ester), alcohol (1-hexanol, 2-ethyl-), ketones (5,9-undecadien-2-one, 6,10-dimethyl-), and aldehydes (pentadecanal-, tetradecanal, tridecanal), may be a promising marker for distinguishing between fresh and frozen-thawed chicken thigh meat. These findings are of critical importance as preliminary data for developing high-quality chicken meat products.