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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the highly contagious virus Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide. Finding more effective treatments has always been the focus of everyone’s attention. The study found that compared with western drugs, natural products have higher bioavailability and fewer side effects, which provides a good prospect for the development of natural product-based antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2. The role of nutritional interventions in disease management is receiving increasing attention. Therefore, we conducted a thorough analysis of the latest literature on the effects of natural products and nutrients on COVID-19, based on reports from both domestic and international sources, to elucidate their positive role in maintaining human health. In conclusion, this paper emphasizes the potential role of natural products and nutritional interventions in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2, and explores more efficient and safer SARS-CoV-2 response strategies.

Anthocyanins are often targets in polyphenol analysis. However, it's hard to effectively separate anthocyanin from copigments such as phenolic acid and flavanols due to their similar structure. Thus, a cation exchange chromatography with 001 × 7 has been developed, which is available for anthocyanins isolation both on a small and large scale. The optimal process condition of anthocyanins isolation was determined. Compared to the macroporous adsorbent resins and Strong Cation Exchange resin (SCX), 001X7 shows greater economic advantages in large-scale purification of anthocyanins. More than 95% purity of the anthocyanin fraction can be achieved through this approach. This method shows a path to provide large quantities of copigments-free anthocyanins from mulberry polyphenols for the further study of its biological effects and may be extended to other analytical methods of polyphenol isolation from other plant materials.

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of lactic acid bacteria fermentation on color expression and antioxidant activity of strawberry juice from the perspective of phenolic components. The results showed that both Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus acidophilus were able to grow in strawberry juice, promote the consumption of rutin, (+)-catechin and pelargonidin-3-O-glucoside, and increase the content of gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, caffeic acid and p-coumaric acid compared to group control. Lower pH environment in fermented juice was likely to enhance the color performance of anthocyanins and increase its parameters a* and b*, making the juice appear orange color. In addition, the scavenging capacity of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and ferric reducing antioxidant capacity (FRAP) were improved and closely related to polyphenolic substances and strain’s metabolites in fermented juice.

4-Hydroxybenzyl isothiocyanate (4-HBITC) is one of the most important secondary metabolite products in white mustard seeds. The antibacterial activity and inhibition of lipid oxidation of 4-HBITC were investigated. The results indicated that 4-HBITC had a significant antibacterial effect on Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella typhimurium, and its effect on gram-positive bacteria was superior to that on gram-negative bacteria. The combination of 4-HBITC with citric acid or ascorbic acid had a better antibacterial effect than adding them alone. The antibacterial mechanism of 4-HBITC to affect the metabolic activity rather than the integrity or the permeability of cell membranes was identified. In addition, white mustard seed extract which contains 4-HBITC was found to extend the oxidative stability of soybean oil, and this effect was also improved after the combination of 4-HBITC with citric acid. These results indicated that 4-HBITC and white mustard seed extract have potential for application as a natural preservatives in food and for improving the oxidative stability of edible oils.

In this study, eight different levels of commercial blueberry wines were studied to establish the comprehensive quality evaluation method of blueberry wine. Eleven physicochemical indexes (total carbohydrates (TC), total acids (TA), total esters (TE), total phenols (TP), total anthocyanins (ANT), color density (CD), tint (T), alcohol by volume (ABV), total soluble solids (TSS), Ph value, total dry extracts (TDE)) were used to establish the quality evaluation model and conduct the principal component analysis (PCA). Based on the results from PCA, the first three principal components accounted for 85.73% of the total quality variability. The consistent ranking of blueberry wines between quality evaluation model and sensory evaluation test verified the reliability of this model. In addition, ultrasonic-treated blueberry wine showed a higher score than the untreated group, which reflected the sensory quality changes of blueberry wine during ultrasonic treatment with high sensitivity. This study provides a theoretical basis for the comprehensive quality evaluation of blueberry wines and reasonable instruction for consumers’ choices.

Food waste is a potential source to replace fresh materials for obtaining functional ingredients. Blueberry pomace contains considerable amounts of anthocyanins. In this study, we investigated ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) of anthocyanins from blueberry pomace. We used a Box-Behnken design (BBD) to screen and optimize the important factors influencing yield. The optimum extraction conditions were a temperature of 40 °C, an ultrasonic power of 400 W and an extraction time of 40 min. The optimum yield was 108.23 mg/100 g DW. In addition, we used a cation column to separate anthocyanins, and optimized the chromatographic conditions of HPLC to analyze and identify the main anthocyanins. Thirteen anthocyanins were found in blueberry pomace, of which Malvidin-3-Galactoside (22.65 %) was the highest. These findings provide a theoretical basis and optimized process parameters for the recovery of high value-added anthocyanins from blueberry pomace with ultrasound-assisted extraction, thus facilitating the comprehensive utilization of blueberry pomace.

Gingerols including 6-gingerol, 8-gingerol and 10-gingerol are the pungent ingredients in ginger. Ginger extract and 6-gingerol have been reported to possess hypocholesterolemic activity. However, cholesterol-lowering activity of 8-gingerol and 10-gingerol has not been well investigated. The present study was to investigate effect of 8-gingerol and 10-gingerol on cholesterol level in HepG2 cells compared with 6-gingerol. HepG2 cells were incubated with 40 μM cholesterol and 4 μM 25-hydroxycholeterol with various concentrations of 6-gingerol, 8-gingerol or 10-gingerol, ranging from 0 to 100 μM for 24 h. It was found that 10-gingerol at 75 and 100 μM was more effective in decreasing cholesterol levels compared with 6-gingerol and 8-gingerol. Furthermore, 10-gingerol increased the expression of LDLR with a dose–response manner through up-regulating SREBP-2 and down-regulating PCSK9. 10-Gingerol also enhanced the expression of genes related to cholesterol efflux and bile acid expression including ABCG5/8 and ABCA1 through LXRα, PPARγ and CYP7A1 in HepG2 cells.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an environmental endocrine disruptor. Recent studies have shown an association between decreased spermatogenesis and gut microbiota alteration. However, the potential associations and mechanisms of BPA exposure on spermatogenesis, hormone production, and gut microbiota remain unknown. This study aims to investigate BPA-induced male reproductive toxicity and the potential link with gut microbiota dysbiosis. Male Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to BPA at different doses by oral gavage for thirty consecutive days. The extent of testicular damage was evaluated by basic parameters of body weight and hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining. Next, we determined the mRNA levels and protein levels of apoptosis, histone-related factors, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway in testes. Finally, 16 S rDNA sequencing was used to analyze gut microbiota composition after BPA exposure. BPA exposure damaged testicular histology, significantly decreased sperm count, and increased sperm abnormalities. In addition, BPA exposure caused oxidative stress and cell apoptosis in testes. The levels of histone (H2A, H3) were significantly increased, while ubiquitin histone H2A (ub-H2A) and ubiquitin histone H2B (ub-H2B) were markedly reduced. Furthermore, BPA activated the PI3K and AKT expression, but the protein expressions of mTOR and 4EBP1 in testes were inhibited significantly. Additionally, the relative abundance of class Gammaproteobacteria, and order Betaproteobacteriales was significantly higher when treated with a high dose of BPA compared to the control group, which was negatively correlated with testosterone level. This study highlights the relationship between BPA-induced reproductive toxicity and gut microbiota disorder and provides new insights into the prevention and treatment of BPA-induced reproductive damage.

Liver is the organ most frequently exposed to acrolein, a priority toxic pollutant. In the present study, whether morin can mitigate acrolein-induced cell damage in normal human hepatocyte cell line LO2 was investigated. Morin remarkably inhibited acrolein-induced apoptosis by inhibiting the expression of apoptotic markers, reducing the formation of proinflammatory cytokines, and blocking the ERK/JNK/P38-MAPK signaling pathway. The addition of equimolar morin decreased acrolein-induced cell apoptosis by 52.4%. The expression levels of apoptotic markers, BAX, Cyto-C, AIF, cleaved caspase-3/9, and PARP, decreased by 16%, 14%, 44%, 56%, 23%, and 45%, respectively. The proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor α, inducible NO synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, interleukin 1β, and IFN-ϒ were reduced by 39%, 55%, 66%, 72%, and 64%, respectively. The phosphorylation level of ERK1/2, JNK, and P38 MAPK decreased by 10%, 47%, and 26%, respectively. The present findings may provide a way to mitigate acrolein-induced hepatic injury.

Natural isoflavones have been reported to have a potential of antineoplastic activity. However, novel and specific isoflavones are still needed to be explored, and the underlying molecular mechanisms and the intracellular targets of these compounds remain elusive. In our study, we discovered that scandenolone, a natural isoflavonoid derivative from Cudrania tricuspidata fruit, exhibited antineoplastic activity in SK-MEL-28 cells by inducing intrinsic apoptosis and blocking autophagy flux. In addition, scandenolone significantly induced G2/M cycle arrest and inhibited cell migration. The study of the intracellular molecular targets showed that scandenolone binds directly to the active kinase and ATP-binding site of EGFR, which results in downregulating the AKT/mTOR/ERK signaling pathway. Therefore, out results indicate that scandenolone from Cudrania tricuspidata fruit, significantly sensitized SK-MEL-28 cells to apoptosis and repressed the proliferation of the cells, which showed an enormous potential to treat melanoma.

Rosa roxburghii (R. roxburghii), primarily distributed in southwest region in China, is known for its remarkable high vitamin C, SOD, and flavonoids contents. A diet rich in beneficial antioxidants such as polysaccharides, vitamin C, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and phenolics is associated with reducing risks of chronic diseases. This review examines the chemical composition in fruit of R. roxburghii and their functional properties. Recent studies showed the inhibitory effect of polysaccharides in fruit of R. roxburghii on digestive enzymes, such as α-amylase and α-glucosidase, slowing down the absorption rate of dietary carbohydrates in the small intestine, thus preventing type 2 diabetes. R. roxburghii fruit extracts showed antioxidant capacities and inhibitory effect on cancer cell growth in vitro. Thus, fruit of R. roxburghii showed its potential in developing functional food, dietary supplementation and pharmaceuticals. Research gaps in each area are identified and future research opportunities are recommended.