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The root of Stemona tuberosa Lour has been used to treat tuberculosis, scabies, and eczema. Polysaccharides are among its main bioactive ingredients. A low-molecular-weight (1819 Da) polysaccharide (SPS2-A) was obtained from the root of S. tuberosa Lour by optimizing three-phase partitioning, purified using an ion chromatography column, and its effects and mechanisms were investigated. Structural analysis revealed that SPS2-A contained arabinose, galactose (Gal), glucose (Glc), xylose, and mannose. The SPS2-A backbone structure comprised sugar residues →4)-α-D-Glcp-(1→, →4)-α-D-Galp-(1→, and →4,6)-β-D-Galp-(1→, while the side chain primarily comprised α-D-Glcp-(1 → connected to the O-6 position of the residue →4,6)-β-D-Galp-(1→. In vitro, SPS2-A downregulated the expression of interleukin-6 in lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW264.7 macrophages. In vivo, SPS2-A significantly downregulated the expression of myeloperoxidase, interleukin-6, interleukin-1β, and tumor necrosis factor-α in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and lung tissue. Western blotting analysis indicated that SPS2-A reduced lung inflammation in mice with sepsis-induced acute lung injury by activating the nuclear factor κB pathway. These results suggest that SPS2-A is a potential anti-inflammatory candidate for the treatment of sepsis-induced acute lung injury., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Allium plants, including garlic, onions, shallots, and leeks, belong to the Alliaceae family and are utilized as vegetable, medicinal, and ornamental plants. These plants are consumed both raw and cooked and are noted in traditional medicine for their antibacterial, antitumor, and diuretic properties. Allium plants are a rich source of polyphenols, organosulfur compounds, flavonoids, alkaloids, and polysaccharides, which contribute to their health benefits. As consumer interest in the association between diet and health grows, there is an increasing market demand for foods that promote health, particularly those rich in dietary fiber or non-starch polysaccharides. Allium polysaccharides (APS) have molecular weights of 1 × 10 3 -1 × 10 6  Da containing small amounts of pectin, glucofructan, or glycoproteins and large amounts of fructans. APS, despite its complex structure, is one of the principal active components of Allium plants but is often overlooked, which restricts its practical application. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the extraction and purification, structural and functional characteristics, bioactivities, structure-function relationships, and chemical modifications of APS, as well as the effects of APS processing and storage. Additionally, this paper outlines future research directions for APS, which will inform its development and application in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this study, the effects of the direct addition of curdlan on the physicochemical, structural, and functional properties of heat-induced soy protein isolate (SPI) gels were evaluated. Results demonstrated that the direct incorporation of curdlan enhanced the gel-forming performance, water-holding capacity, and gel strength of heat-induced SPI gels. The presence of curdlan reduced the free water molecules and α-helix content in the SPI structure and contributed to the construction of stable SPI gels with uniform and compact network structures, as visually proven by microstructure observations. Moreover, compared with the SPI gel alone, the curdlan-SPI composite gels presented a more pronounced viscoelastic property and thermal stability mainly due to the intermolecular hydrogen bonding interaction between curdlan and the SPI molecules. Our findings suggest that the direct incorporation of curdlan can effectively ameliorate the gelling characteristics of heat-induced SPI gels, indicating its potential application as a promising gel improver in the food industry., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Sanghuangporous vaninii, as a valuable dietary supplement and medicinal ingredient, contains abundant bioactive polysaccharides that have health-promoting effects. In the present study, four polysaccharides (SVSPs-C, SVSPs-E, SVSPs-U, and SVSPs-E/U) were extracted for the first time from S. vaninii spores by three-phase partitioning (TPP), enzyme pretreatment before TPP (E-TPP), ultrasonic pretreatment before TPP (U-TPP), and enzyme pretreatment followed by ultrasonic before TPP (E/U-TPP) methods, respectively. Their physicochemical characteristics and in vitro pharmacological functions were determined and compared. Results showed that four TPP-based extraction methods had remarkable impacts on the extraction yield, chemical properties, monosaccharide compositions, and molecular weights (M w ) of SVSPs. Specifically, SVSPs-E/U obtained by E/U-TPP showed the highest extraction yield (25.40 %), carbohydrate content (88.50 %), and the lowest protein content (0.86 %). The four SVSPs had high-M w (183.8-329.1 kDa) and low-M w (23.0-156.4 kDa) fractions and mainly consisted of galactose, glucose, and mannose with different contents. In vitro bioactivities assays indicated that SVSPs-E/U possessed stronger antioxidant, hypoglycemic, hypouricemic, immunostimulatory, and antitumor activities than those of SVSPs-C, SVSPs-E, and SVSPs-U. Therefore, our results provide an efficient and promising extraction technique for bioactive polysaccharides from S. vaninii spores, as well as SVSPs had the potential to be applied in functional food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics fields., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: The study aimed to find predictive biomarkers to evaluate donor kidney function to predict graft dysfunction as well as to assess an early signs of acute graft rejection., Method: Twenty-seven deceased donors and 54 recipients who underwent a successful kidney transplantation were enrolled in the study. An assessment was made in serum and urine from donors and recipients to measure the following biomarkers: neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 (TIMP-2) and urinary N-acetyl-b-D-glucosaminidase (uNAG). These biomarkers were used to establish a model for predicting a reduced graft function (RGF) classified as either a delayed or slow graft function., Result: Our analysis suggest that out of four tested biomarkers, the serum TIMP-2 and uNAG levels of the donors had a predictive value for RGF; the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROC) of serum TIMP-2 and uNAG were 0.714 and 0.779, respectively. The combined best fitting prediction model of serum TIMP-2, uNAG, and creatinine levels was better in predicting RGF than the serum creatinine level alone. In addition, the recipient serum TIMP-2 level on the third day post-transplantation (D3) was associated with the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) on the seventh day post-transplantation (D7; OR 1.119, 95% CI 1.016-1.233, p = 0.022). Furthermore, the ROC curve value revealed that the AUROC of TIMP-2 on D3 was 0.99 (95% CI 0.97-1, p < 0.001), and this was the best predictive value of the renal function on D7., Conclusions: Donor serum TIMP-2 and uNAG levels are useful predictive biomarkers because they can provide the donor-based prediction for RGF., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) serves as a potential target in inflammation-related diseases. Based on the bioactivity-guided separation, a new sesquiterpenoid inulajaponoid A (1) was isolated from Inula japonica with a sEH inhibitory effect, together with five known compounds, such as 1-O-acetyl-6-O-isobutyrylbritannilactone (2), 6β-hydroxytomentosin (3), 1β,8β-dihydroxyeudesma-4(15),11(13)-dien-12,6α-olide (4), (4S,6S,7S,8R)-1-O-acetyl-6-O-(3-methylvaleryloxy)-britannilactone (5), and 1-acetoxy-6α-(2-methylbutyryl)eriolanolide (6). Among them, compounds 1 and 6 were assigned as mixed and uncompetitive inhibitors, respectively. The result of immunoprecipitation (IP)-MS demonstrated the specific binding of compound 6 to sEH in the complex system, which was further confirmed by the fluorescence-based binding assay showing its equilibrium dissociation constant (K d  = 2.43 μM). The detail molecular stimulation revealed the mechanism of action of compound 6 with sEH through the hydrogen bond of amino acid residue Gln384. Furthermore, this natural sEH inhibitor (6) could suppress the MAPK/NF-κB activation to regulate inflammatory mediators, such as NO, TNF-α, and IL-6, which confirmed the anti-inflammatory effect of inhibition of sEH by 6. These findings provided a useful insight to develop sEH inhibitors upon the sesquiterpenoids., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Corbicula fluminea distillate as an important industrial by-product of C. fluminea during steaming process is rich in amino acids, proteins and polysaccharides, showing potential hepatoprotective effect. In this study, a polysaccharide (CFDP) was obtained from C. fluminea distillate by three-phase partitioning combined with (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 precipitation at a saturation of 60 %. The structural characteristics, antioxidant activity in vitro, and hepatoprotection against mice CCl 4 -induced acute liver damage of CFDP were studied. Results demonstrated that CFDP was a water-soluble homogenous polysaccharide predominantly comprising glucose (>98 %), with a weight-average molecular weight of 1.4 × 10 7  Da, and exhibiting potent antioxidant benefits in vitro. CFDP had a backbone of (1 → 4)-α-d-glucopyranosyl (Glcp) and a small amount of (1 → 4, 6)-α-D-Glcp. The branch formed at C-6 comprised by (1→)-α-D-Glcp and (1→)-α-D-N-acetylglucosamine. CFDP possessed excellent hepatoprotective activity against acute liver damage caused by CCl 4 in mice, mainly by ameliorating weight reduction and organ injures, alleviating hepatic function and serum lipid metabolism, suppressing oxidative stress and inflammatory responses, as directly verified by histopathological examination. Moreover, CFDP improved gut microbiota by up-regulating the relative abundance of total bacteria and probiotics such as Firmicutes, Bacteroidete, Rumminococcaceae, Lactobacillaceae, accompanied by promoting short chain fatty acid production. Therefore, our findings indicated that CFDP can be developed as a healthy food supplement for the prevention of chemical livery injury., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Phellinus spp. is one of the largest genera of Hymenochaetaceae with approximately 220 species, such as P. vaninii, P. buamii, P. linteus, and P. igniarius, these species are considered as precious food supplements and medicinal ingredients in China, Korea, Japan, and other Asian countries for over 2000 years. Phellinus spp. contains abundant bioactive polysaccharides and other key components (e.g., phenolics, terpenes, steroids, etc.). Pharmacological investigations have confirmed that bioactive polysaccharides and other important secondary metabolites from Phellinus spp. possess multiple health-promoting benefits, including antitumor, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects. However, comprehensive evaluations on the preparation and structural characteristics, bioactivities, and toxicology of these functional components (e.g., polysaccharides, phenolics, terpenes, steroids) from various Phellinus spp. species are very limited, which may restrict the practical application of Phellinus spp. This review summarizes the physicochemical characteristics, pharmacological activities, and possible mechanisms of bioactive components from Phellinus spp. according to published studies from 2017 to 2022. It also surveyed the toxicological assessment for safety and applications of different Phellinus spp. species. This review aims to provide useful references and promising directions for the comprehensive development and utilization of Phellinus spp. in functional foods, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

In this study, three polysaccharides (BGPs: BGPs-Z21, BGPs-Z23, and BGPs-Z31) were successively extracted from barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) grasses (BG) at different growth stages, including seedling (Z21), tillering (Z23), and stem elongation (Z31). The effects of in vitro simulated saliva-gastrointestinal digestion on the physicochemical characteristics and biological activities of BGPs were investigated and compared. Results showed that the simulated saliva-gastrointestinal digestion had considerable influences on reducing sugar content, chemical components, monosaccharide constituents, and molecular weights of BGPs but hardly affected their preliminarily structural characteristics. Moreover, the antioxidant activities of BGPs were weakened after the simulated saliva-gastrointestinal digestion, but their bile acid-binding capacities were remarkably enhanced. The digested BGPs-Z31 by gastric juice possessed better antioxidant benefit, and bile acid-binding capacity (80.33 %) than other digested products. Overall, these results indicated that BGPs obtained from BG are valuable for functional foods as promising bioactive ingredients., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this study, carboxylic curdlan (Cur-48) and negatively charged ferulic acid (FA)-grafted carboxylic curdlan (Cur-48-g-FA) were separately used to fabricate polyelectrolyte nanoparticles (PNPs: PNPs-CQ and PNPs-CFQ) with positively charged quaternized curdlan (Qcurd) for curcumin delivery. Results showed that curcumin-loaded PNPs-CQ and PNPs-CFQ had particle sizes of 338.1 and 301.3 nm, zeta potentials of -19.07 and -24.10 mV, and encapsulation efficiencies of 76.32% and 83.54%, respectively. Curcumin was properly encapsulated inside the two PNPs through electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonds. Compared with free curcumin, entrapped curcumin in the two PNPs exhibited better redispersion performance, thermo- and photostability, and sustained release property. Furthermore, FA molecules surrounding the surface of PNPs-CFQ were conductive to the entrapped curcumin's particulate characteristics, stability, release behavior, and antioxidant potentials. Therefore, our findings indicated that PNPs formulated via Cur-48-g-FA and Qcurd can provide a novel delivery platform for encapsulation of hydrophobic nutrients, including curcumin, in functional foods., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Gut bacterial β-glucuronidase (GUS) plays a pivotal role in the metabolism and reactivation of a vast of glucuronide conjugates of both endogenous and xenobiotic compounds in the gastrointestinal tract of human, which has been implicated in certain drug-induced gastrointestinal tract (GI) toxicity in clinic. Inhibitors of gut microbial GUS exhibited great potentials in relieving the drug-induced GI toxicity. In this study, Selaginella tamariscina and its major biflavonoid amentoflavone (AMF) were evaluated for their inhibitory activity against Escherichia coli GUS. Two selective probe substrates for GUS (a specific fluorescent probe substrate for GUS, DDAOG and a classical drug substrate for GUS, SN38G) were used in parallel for charactering the inhibition behaviors. Both the extract of S. tamariscina and its major biflavonoid AMF displayed evident inhibitory effects on GUS, and the IC 50 values of AMF against GUS mediated DDAOG and SN-38G hydrolysis were 0.62 and 0.49 μM, respectively. Inhibition kinetics studies indicated that AMF showed mixed type inhibition for GUS-mediated DDAOG hydrolysis, while displayed competitive type inhibition against GUS-mediated SN-38G hydrolysis, with the K i values of 0.24 and 1.25 μM, respectively. Molecular docking studies and molecular dynamics stimulation results clarified the role of amino acid residues Leu361, Ile363, and Glu413 in the inhibition of AMF on GUS. These results provided some foundations for the potential clinical utility of S. tamariscina and its major biflavonoid AMF for treating drug-induced enteropathy., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Carboxylesterase 2 (CES 2), plays a pivotal role in endobiotic homeostasis and xenobiotic metabolism. Protostanes, the major constituents of the genus Alisma, display a series of pharmacological activities. Despite the extensive studies of pharmacological activities, the investigation on inhibitory effects of protostanes against CES 2 is rarely reported. In this study, the inhibitory activities of a library of protostanes (1-25) against human CES 2 were investigated for the first time, using 6,8-dichloro-9,9-dimethyl-7-oxo-7,9-dihydroacridin-2-yl benzoate (DDAB) as the specific fluorescent probe for human CES 2. Compounds 1, 2, 7, 8, 12, 13, 18, 19, and 25 showed strong inhibitory effects towards CES 2. For the most potent compounds 1, 7, 13, and 25, the inhibition kinetics were further investigated, and these four protostanes were all uncompetitive inhibitors against human CES 2 with the inhibition constant (K i ) values ranging from 0.89 μM to 2.83 μM. In addition, molecular docking and molecular dynamics stimulation were employed to analyze the potential interactions between these protostanes and CES 2, and amino acid residue Gln422 was identified to play a crucial role in the strong inhibition of protostanes towards CES 2., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing financial interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Phytase has long been used to decrease the inorganic phosphorus (Pi) input in poultry diet. The current study was conducted to investigate the effects of Pi supplementation on laying performance, egg quality and phosphate-calcium metabolism in Hy-Line Brown laying hens fed phytase. Layers (n = 504, 29 weeks old) were randomly assigned to seven treatments with six replicates of 12 birds. The corn-soybean meal-based diet contained 0.12% non-phytate phosphorus (nPP), 3.8% calcium, 2415 IU/kg vitamin D3 and 2000 FTU/kg phytase. Inorganic phosphorus (in the form of mono-dicalcium phosphate) was added into the basal diet to construct seven experimental diets; the final dietary nPP levels were 0.12%, 0.17%, 0.22%, 0.27%, 0.32%, 0.37% and 0.42%. The feeding trial lasted 12 weeks (hens from 29 to 40 weeks of age). Laying performance (housed laying rate, egg weight, egg mass, daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio) was weekly calculated. Egg quality (egg shape index, shell strength, shell thickness, albumen height, yolk colour and Haugh units), serum parameters (calcium, phosphorus, parathyroid hormone, calcitonin and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D), tibia quality (breaking strength, and calcium, phosphorus and ash contents), intestinal gene expression (type IIb sodium-dependent phosphate cotransporter, NaPi-IIb) and phosphorus excretion were determined at the end of the trial. No differences were observed on laying performance, egg quality, serum parameters and tibia quality. Hens fed 0.17% nPP had increased (P < 0.01) duodenum NaPi-IIb expression compared to all other treatments. Phosphorus excretion linearly increased with an increase in dietary nPP (phosphorus excretion = 1.7916 × nPP + 0.2157; R2 = 0.9609, P = 0.001). In conclusion, corn-soybean meal-based diets containing 0.12% nPP, 3.8% calcium, 2415 IU/kg vitamin D3 and 2000 FTU/kg phytase would meet the requirements for egg production in Hy-Line Brown laying hens (29 to 40 weeks of age).

Cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension and cardiac failure, have become the most major and global cause for threatening human health in recent years. Uncaria rhynchophylla as a traditional Chinese medicine is widely used to treat hypertension for a long history, whereas its medicinal effective components and potential action mechanism are uncertain. Therefore, twenty-four alkaloids (1-24) isolated from U. rhynchophylla were assayed for their relaxant effects against phenylephrine (Phe)-induced contraction of rat mesenteric arteries. Among them, we surprisingly found that uncarialin A (21) exhibited most potent relaxation effect against Phe-induced contraction (IC 50  = 0.18 μM) in the manner of independent on endothelium-derived vasorelaxing factors and endothelium. All the experiments including measurement of Ca 2+ in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) by fluorescence microscopy, whole-cell path clamp, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics, demonstrated that uncarialin A (21) could significantly inhibit L-type calcium channel subunit alpha-1C (Cav1.2) via the hydrogen bond interaction with amino acid residue Met1186, allowing the inhibition of Ca 2+ inward current. Our results suggested that uncarialin A (21) could be served as a potential L-type Cav1.2 blocker in the effective treatment of cardiovascular diseases., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing financial interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Dietary supplemental nicotinamide is used to treat hyperphosphatemia in humans. However, the mechanisms of its impact on body phosphorus homeostasis remain unclear., Objective: This study was to determine effects and molecular mechanisms of 3 dietary nicotinamide concentrations on body phosphorus homeostasis in laying hens., Methods: Hy-Line Brown layers (total = 21; 40 wk old; body weight: 1,876 ± 24 g) were individually housed (n = 7) and fed a corn-soybean meal-based diet supplemented with nicotinamide at 20 (N20), 140 (N140), and 1000 (N1000) mg/kg for 21 d. Serum phosphorus and fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) concentrations, phosphorus and calcium excretion, and mRNA and/or protein of type II sodium-phosphate co-transporters (NPt2a, NPt2ab) and FGF23 and FGF23 receptors were measured in the intestines, calvaria, kidney, and liver., Results: Hens in the N1000 group had a 16% lower serum phosphorus concentration and 22% greater phosphorus excretion than those in the N20 or N140 group (P ≤ 0.05). Compared with hens in the N20 group, hens in the N140 and N1000 groups, which did not differ, had 15-21% lower serum FGF23 concentrations, 19-22% greater calcium excretion, 43-56% lower ileum NPT2b protein production, and 1.5- to 1.6-fold greater kidney NPT2a protein production, respectively (all differences at P ≤ 0.05)., Conclusions: Supplementing high concentrations of nicotinamide in diets for laying hens led to accelerated phosphorus and calcium excretions and decreased serum phosphorus and FGF23 concentrations, which were associated with downregulated intestinal NPt2b protein production. Our findings exclude kidney NPt2a protein production as a primary mechanism for the nicotinamide-induced body phosphorus loss., (Copyright © The Author(s) on behalf of the American Society for Nutrition 2020.)

The inhibition of soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is a promising therapeutic approach to treat inflammation and other disorders. In our present investigation on searching for sEH inhibitors from traditional Chinese medicines, we found that Alisma orientale displayed inhibition of sEH. We constructed a small library of protostane-type triterpenoids (1-25) isolated from A. orientale, and screened their inhibitory activities. Alismanin B (1), 11-deoxy-25-anhydro alisol E (4), 11-deoxy alisol B (5), and 25-O-ethyl alisol A (15) displayed concentration-dependently inhibitory activities against sEH with IC 50 values from 3.40 ± 0.57 μM to 9.57 ± 0.88 μM. 11-Deoxy-25-anhydro alisol E (4) and 11-deoxy alisol B (5) were defined as mixed-type competitive inhibitors with Ki values of 12.6 and 3.48 μM, respectively, based on the result of inhibition kinetics. The potential interaction mechanism of 11-deoxy alisol B (5) with sEH was analyzed by molecular docking and molecular dynamics, revealing that amino acid residues Trp336 and Tyr466 were vital for its inhibitory activity., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

β-Glucuronidase plays a vital role in the metabolism of drugs and endogenous substance. Herein, we assayed the inhibitory effects of thirty-six flavonoids (1-36) toward β-glucuronidase (Escherichia coli) using the probe reaction of DDAO-glu hydrolysis. The results showed that kushenol X (6), (2S)-farrerol (10), 5,7,2'-trihydroxy-8,6'-dimethoxy flavone (20), demethylbellidifolin (31), and gentisin (32) exhibited potent inhibitory activities toward β-glucuronidase with the IC 50 values of 2.07 ± 0.26, 8.95 ± 0.74, 4.97 ± 0.61, 0.91 ± 0.11, and 0.68 ± 0.10 μM, respectively. Furthermore, the inhibition kinetics studies indicated that demethylbellidifolin (31) and gentisin (32) exhibited mixed-type inhibiton toward β-glucuronidase, the K i values were caculated to be 4.05 and 2.02 μM, respectively. Additionally, the circular change of dichroism (CD) spectrum verified the interaction between demethylbellidifolin (31) and gentisin (32) with β-glucuronidase; following by the molecular docking and molecular dynamics further revealed the potential interaction amino acid site in β-glucuronidase. All our findings not only developed some potent novel β-glucuronidase inhibitors but also indicated the potential herb drug interaction (HDI) effects of flavonoids with some clinical drugs which had enterohepatic circulation and further revealed the vital pharamcophoric requirement of natural flavonoids for β-glucuronidase inhibition activity., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Corbicula fluminea (Asian clam), a freshwater bivalve mollusk, has been consumed in China for centuries as a health food and traditional Chinese medicine for treating liver diseases and alcoholism. This study aimed to evaluate the hepato-protective effects and potential mechanisms of a proteoglycan (PSP) from C. fluminea on alcohol-induced liver injury in mice. Results showed that PSP pretreatment significantly antagonized the increases in serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, triacylglycerides, and hepatic malondialdehyde levels; elevated the antioxidant enzyme activities and hepatic glutathione levels; and suppressed the levels of hepatic inflammatory cytokines in alcohol-induced liver injury in mice (P < 0.05). Histopathological observation further revealed the potential hepato-protective effect of PSP against alcohol damage. Particularly, PSP pretreatment resulted in significantly decreased expression of cytochrome P450 2e1 (CYP2E1) while significantly upregulating the expression of hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) (P < 0.05). These results suggested that PSP could protect the liver from hepatocyte injury induced by alcohol possibly by alleviating hepatic lipid metabolism, elevating antioxidant-enzyme activity, suppressing the immune inflammatory response, and reversing the expression levels of CYP2E1 and HO-1. Therefore, PSP may be developed as a food supplement that can be used to prevent liver diseases., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

In this study, a three-phase partitioning (TPP) system with dimethyl carbonate (DMC) as organic phase and sodium citrate (SC) as salt phase was used for partitioning of exopolysaccharide (EPS), namely, EPS-D, from fermentation broth of Phellinus baumii. Results showed that the maximum extraction yield (EY) of EPS-D was 71.02% under the following modified optimal conditions: DMC to fermentation broth ratio 0.5:1.0 (v/v), SC concentration 19% (w/v), temperature 30 °C, and pH 4.0. EPS-D had higher EY, carbohydrate, and uronic acid contents compared with the EPS, designated as EPS-T, obtained from the TPP system with t-butanol and ammonium sulfate. EPS-D and EPS-T had different chemical compositions and molecular weights; however, their preliminary chemical structures basically remained unchanged. Moreover, EPS-D exhibited stronger free radical-scavenging capability and total antioxidant capacity than EPS-T. Therefore, the TPP system with DMC as an alternative solvent for t-butanol has great potential for efficient partitioning of natural biomolecules., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this study, three-phase partitioning (TPP) was used to directly extract and separate bioactive exopolysaccharides (EPSs) from a cultured broth of Phellinus baumii. The maximum extraction yield of EPS was 52.09% under the following optimal conditions: 20% (w/v) ammonium sulfate concentration, 1.0:1.5 (v/v) ratio of cultured broth to t‑butanol, 30 min, and 35 °C. A multifrequency power ultrasound in a sequential mode coupled with TPP resulted in ~9.12% increment in extraction yield and ~80% reduction in extraction time compared with those of traditional TPP. The carbohydrate (88.21%) and uronic acid (3.37%) contents of partially purified EPS were higher than those of EPS-C obtained through conventional ethanol precipitation and separation methods. EPS and EPS-C exhibited similar preliminary structural characteristics and different monosaccharide compositions and molecular weights. The radical-scavenging abilities, antioxidant capacities, α‑amylase and α‑glycosidase inhibitory activities, and macrophage stimulation activities of EPS were also higher than those of EPS-C. Therefore, it could be concluded that TPP as a simple and green separation technique could be used to directly extract and separate bioactive EPS from the fermentation broths of mushrooms and other fungi., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) as a new replacement source of other Se forms applied in nutritional supplements have been associated with health-related issues. Pectin (PEC) as a well-known food-grade polysaccharide has been considered as a potential soft template for the preparation and stabilization of SeNPs in aqueous medium. In this study, therefore, PEC was used as a stabilizer and dispersing agent to form well-dispersed and stable SeNPs under a simple redox system of selenite and ascorbic acid. Se/PEC ratios significantly affected the color of the suspension, particle size, and surface morphology of the as-prepared SeNPs in the presence of PEC. PEC-SeNPs with a Se/PEC ratio of 1:2 appeared amorphous and exhibited a well-dispersed and stable spherical structure with an average size of ∼41 nm, which corresponds to the strong hydrogen bonding between the hydroxyl groups of PEC and SeNPs. The PEC-SeNPs (Se/PEC = 1:2) remained highly stable in different acidic solutions for at least 1 month. Small and highly stable PEC-SeNPs (Se/PEC = 1:2) possessed the strongest DPPH radical scavenging ability and antioxidant capacity among the evaluated PEC-SeNPs. They also possessed a low cytotoxic activity against cancer cells (SPCA-1 and HeLa) and normal cells (RWPE-1) in vitro. These findings suggested that pectin as a surface decorator could be effectively used to improve the stability and antioxidant capacity of SeNPs remarkably., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this study, negatively charged carboxylic curdlan (Cc) bearing a β-1,3-polyglucuronic acid structure was employed to fabricate nanosized polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) with positively charged chitosan (CS) in aqueous solution as potential carriers for 5-fluorouracil (5Fu) delivery. Nanosized CS/Cc PECs were formed by the addition of 0.5mg/mL solutions of CS and Cc with a mixing ratio of 1:1 (w/w) at pH 3.0. Under optimized conditions, the prepared CS/Cc PECs showed spherical morphology with an average size of about 180nm and a zeta potential of around 41mV. The 5Fu drug was incorporated into the nanosized CS/Cc PECs and showed excellent encapsulation efficiency (86.47%) and loading content (10.81%). The drug release data in vitro indicated that the nanosized CS/Cc PECs are promising carriers for the sustained release of 5Fu with an anomalous transport mechanism following the Ritger-Peppas model. Besides, the CS/Cc PECs exhibited low cytotoxic activity against SPCA-1 and HeLa cell lines in vitro. This finding suggested that the development of the nanosized CS/Cc PECs offered great promise as an antitumor drug platform., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A C6-carboxylated curdlan (C6-Cc) obtained from 4-acetamido-TEMPO-mediated oxidation of curdlan was used both as a reducing and stabilizing agent for green synthesis of pH-responsive AuNPs, which was carried out by controlling the pH of the C6-Cc solution at a high temperature (100°C). C6-Cc presented a semi-flexible random coil chain in the aqueous medium at pH 5.5 and became more expanded and rigid in alkaline conditions (pH 7.1-12.0), though the primary chemical structure of C6-Cc was virtually unchanged with the pH variation. The AuNPs prepared with C6-Cc at various pHs were characterized by various instrumental measurements. The shapes and sizes of AuNPs were found to be strongly dependent on the pH of the C6-Cc solution. The C6-Cc-decorated AuNPs exhibited a more well-dispersed spherical morphology with smaller particle sizes under alkaline conditions (pH 7.1-12.0). Through this study, a facile, simple, and green method has been demonstrated for preparation of stimuli-sensitive AuNPs using biocompatible polyanionic polysaccharides., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Down-regulation of intestinal P-glycoprotein (P-gp) by soybean oil-based lipid emulsion (SOLE) may cause elevated intestinal permeability of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in patients with total parenteral nutrition, but the appropriate preventative treatment is currently limited. Recently, sodium butyrate (NaBut) has been demonstrated to regulate the expression of P-gp. Therefore, this study aimed to address whether treatment with NaBut could attenuate SOLE-induced increase in intestinal permeability of LPS by modulation of P-gp in vitro. Caco-2 cells were exposed to SOLE with or without NaBut. SOLE-induced down-regulation of P-gp was significantly attenuated by co-incubation with NaBut. Nuclear recruitment of FOXO 3a in response to NaBut was involved in P-gp regulation. Transport studies revealed that SOLE-induced increase in permeability of LPS was significantly attenuated by co-incubation with NaBut. Collectively, our results suggested that NaBut may be a potentially useful medication to prevent SOLE-induced increase in intestinal permeability of LPS., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Four new megastigmane glycosides, eucomegastigsides A-D (2, 3, 5 and 7), together with three known megastigmane glycosides, (6R, 7E, 9R)-9-hydroxy-4, 7-megastigmadien-3-one-9-O-[α-l-arabinopyranosyl-(l→6)-β-d-glucopyranoside (1), foliasalacioside B 1 (4) and eleganoside A (6), were isolated from the leaves of Eucommia ulmoides Oliver. Their anti-hypertensive effect was investigated in vitro based on the inhibition of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) using HPLC. The results showed that the isolates (2, 3, 4, 5, 7) had moderate inhibitory effects on ACE in vitro compared with captopril., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this paper, the novel polysaccharide PL-A11 was purified from an ammonium oxalate extract of Phellinus linteus mycelia. Its physicochemical properties, structural characteristics, and antioxidant activities were investigated. Results showed that PL-A11 had a weight-average molecular weight (Mw) of 13.8kDa and was mainly composed of arabinose, xylose, mannose, and glucose in a molar ratio of 1.1:1.3:1.0:6.6. The backbone of PL-A11 was composed of (1→4)-α-d-glucopyranosyl, (1→2)-α-d-xylopyranosyl, and (1→3)-α-d-arabinofuranosyl residues, whereas the (1→6)-α-d-mannopyranosyl residues formed branches at the O-2 position with 1-linked-α-d-glucopyranosyl terminal residues. From the antioxidative activity tests in vivo, the administration of PL-A11 obviously enhanced the activity of antioxidant enzymes and significantly reduced the level of malondiadehyde (MDA) in the serum and liver of d-galactose-treated aging mice in a dose-dependent manner, as well as effectively stimulated the immune system of aging mice. These findings implied that PL-A11 could be developed as a potential antioxidant for applications in the functional food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic or nutraceutical industries., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Polysaccharide-functionalized silver nanoparticles (Oc-AgNPs) with a mean diameter of 15 nm were utilized as a novel and effective fluorescence-sensing platform for nucleic acid detection. Tests on the oligonucleotide sequences associated with the human immunodeficiency virus as a model system showed that the Oc-AgNPs effectively absorbed and quenched dye-labeled single-stranded DNA through strong hydrogen bonding interactions and slight electrostatic attractive interactions. The proposed system efficiently differentiated between complementary and mismatched nucleic acid sequences with high selectivity and good reproducibility at room temperature., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this study, a new non-toxic, biodegradable, biocompatible and water-soluble carboxylic curdlan bearing the dissociable COOH group in 100% purity, which was prepared by 4-acetamido-TEMPO-mediated oxidation, was hydrophobically modified by deoxycholic acid (DOCA) to attain novel amphiphilic curdlan derivatives (CCDs) for the preparation of nano-carriers for antitumor drug doxorubicin (DOX). Under the effect of ultrasonication, the carboxylic curdlan derivatives in water were self-aggregated into spherical nanoparticles with diameters ranging from 214 nm to 380 nm. The critical aggregation concentrations decreased from 0.047 mg/mL to 0.016 mg/mL with increasing DS of DOCA. DOX-loaded CCD nanoparticles were prepared in an aqueous medium with dialysis method. The DOX-CCD nanoparticles exhibited pH- and dose-dependent drug release profiles during in vitro release experiments. Moreover, the drug transport mechanism was Fickian diffusion according to the Ritger-Peppas model. The CCD nanoparticles might be explored as potential carriers for hydrophobic drugs with controlled release and delivery functions., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Cordyceps (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) sinensis , the Chinese caterpillar fungus, is a unique and precious medicinal fungus in traditional Chinese medicine which has been used as a prestigious tonic and therapeutic herb in China for centuries. Polysaccharides are bioactive constituents of C. sinensis , exhibiting several activities such as immunomodulation, antitumour, antioxidant and hypoglycaemic. As natural C. sinensis fruiting body-caterpillar complexes are very rare and expensive, the polysaccharides documented over the last 15-20 years from this fungal species were mostly extracted from cultivated fungal mycelia (intracellular polysaccharides) or from mycelial fermentation broth (exopolysaccharides). Extraction and purification of the polysaccharides is a tedious process involving numerous steps of liquid and solid phase separations. Nevertheless, a large number of polysaccharide structures have been purified and elucidated. However, relationships between the structures and activities of these polysaccharides are not well established. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the most recent developments in various aspects (i.e., production, extraction, structure, and bioactivity) of the intracellular and exopolysaccharides from mycelial fermentation of C . sinensis fungi. The contents and data will serve as useful references for further investigation, production and application of these polysaccharides in functional foods and therapeutic agents., (Copyright © 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Dietary exposure to polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) via fish consumption in two major electronic (e) waste sites: Guiyu (GY), Guangdong Province and Taizhou (TZ), Zhejiang Province, and dioxin-like activity in fish determined by H4IIE-luc bioassay. In the present study, all fish were below EU's maximum allowable concentration in muscle of fish (4 pg WHO-TEQ/g wet wt), except crucian (4.28 pg WHO-TEQ/g wet wt) and silver carps (7.49 pg WHO-TEQ/g wet wt) collected from GY rivers. Moreover, the residual concentration in bighead carp collected from GY (2.15 pg WHO-TEQ/g wet wt) was close to the EU's action level (3 pg WHO-TEQ/g wet wt) which gives "early warning" to the competent authorities and operators to take measures to eliminate contamination. In addition, results indicated that the maximum human intake of PCDD/Fs via freshwater fish consumption in GY was 4.31 pg WHO-TEQ/kg bw/day, which exceeds the higher end of the tolerable daily intake recommended by the WHO, EC-SCF and JECFA (1-4, 2 and 2.3 pg WHO-TEQ/kg bw/day respectively). Furthermore, H4IIE-luc cell bioassay provides a very sensitive and cost-efficient screening tool for assessing the overall dioxin-like toxicity in the study, and is therefore valuable for high-throughput environmental monitoring studies., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This paper reviews the levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in different environmental media, human body burdens and health risk assessment results at e-waste recycling sites in China. To provide an indication of the seriousness of the pollution levels in the e-waste recycling sites in China, the data are compared with guidelines and available existing data for other areas. The comparison clearly shows that PCDD/Fs derived from the recycling processes lead to serious pollution in different environmental compartments (such as air, soil, sediment, dust and biota) and heavy body burdens. Of all kinds of e-waste recycling operations, open burning of e-waste and acid leaching activities are identified as the major sources of PCDD/Fs. Deriving from the published data, the estimated total exposure doses via dietary intake, inhalation, soil/dust ingestion and dermal contact are calculated for adults, children and breast-fed infants living in two major e-waste processing locations in China. The values ranged from 5.59 to 105.16 pg WHO-TEQ/kg bw/day, exceeding the tolerable daily intakes recommended by the WHO (1-4 pg WHO-TEQ/kg bw/day). Dietary intake is the most important exposure route for infants, children and adults living in these sites, contributing 60-99% of the total intakes. Inhalation is the second major exposure route, accounted for 12-30% of the total exposure doses of children and adults. In order to protect the environment and human health, there is an urgent need to control and monitor the informal e-waste recycling operations. Knowledge gaps, such as comprehensive dietary exposure data, epidemiological and clinical studies, body burdens of infants and children, and kinetics about PCDD/Fs partitions among different human tissues should be addressed., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Dietary intakes of dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethanes (DDTs) of residents from two coastal cities: Guiyu (GY) and Taizhou (TZ) and one inland city: Lin'an (HZ) were investigated by collecting 73 food items (divided into 9 food groups). The oriental weatherfish and white crab (both from TZ) contained higher DDTs (112±1.81 and 70.1±1.81 ng/g wet wt, respectively) than the maximum admissible concentration (50 ng/g wet wt) set by the European Union for human consumption. Furthermore, 40% of TZ seafood, 56% of GY and 30% of HZ freshwater fish exceeded the guideline for subsistence fish eaters for DDTs (14.4 ng/g wet wt) defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). The estimated daily intakes of DDTs for TZ (52.1 ng/kg bw/day) and GZ (31.5 ng/kg bw/day) were significantly higher than for HZ (13.0 ng/g wet wt, p<0.05), these values were below the US EPA oral reference dose (500 ng/kg bw/day) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization provisional tolerable daily intake (10,000 ng/kg bw/day)., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Two different regimens of enoxaparin (40 mg once daily or 30 mg bid) have been used as control arms in trials of new oral anticoagulants. The choice of enoxaparin comparator may influence the perceived relative efficacy and safety of the newer agents, and we aimed to identify any significant differences between the two enoxaparin regimens., Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library for randomized controlled trials that compared enoxaparin to oral anticoagulant (apixaban, dabigatran, rivaroxaban) thromboprophylaxis in elective total knee or hip arthroplasty. Total VTE and bleeding events were pooled using fixed-effects meta-analysis and heterogeneity assessed with the I2 statistic. We conducted adjusted indirect comparisons of bid vs once-daily enoxaparin regimes based on new oral anticoagulants as common comparators., Results: Fourteen randomized controlled trials in hip and knee replacement surgery met the inclusion criteria. Adjusted indirect comparison showed that bid enoxaparin was significantly more effective in preventing VTE than enoxaparin once daily (relative risk [RR], 0.71; 95% CI, 0.61-0.83; P &lt; .00001). For major and clinically relevant hemorrhage, adjusted indirect comparison showed that enoxaparin bid was nonsignificantly associated with increased risk of bleeding (RR 1.27; 95% CI, 0.97-1.65; P = .08) above that of enoxaparin once daily. Subgroup analysis limited to total knee arthroplasty trials showed similar results., Conclusions: The use of once-daily enoxaparin regimen as control in clinical trials will lead to more favorable estimates of relative efficacy for the new oral anticoagulants than if enoxaparin 30 mg bid had been chosen as a comparator.

Introduction: Simultaneous recording of electrical potentials from multiple cells may be useful for physiological and pharmacological research. The present study aimed to establish an in vitro cardiac hypoxia experimental platform on the microelectrode array (MEA)., Methods: Embryonic rat cardiac myocytes were cultured on the MEAs. Following >or=90 min of hypoxia, changes in lactate production (mM), pH, beat frequency (beats per min, bpm), extracellular action potential (exAP) amplitude, and propagation velocity between the normoxic and hypoxic cells were compared., Results: Under hypoxia, the beat frequency of cells increased and peaked at around 42.5 min (08.1+/-3.2 bpm). The exAP amplitude reduced as soon as the cells were exposed to the hypoxic medium, and this reduction increased significantly after approximately 20 min of hypoxia. The propagation velocity of the hypoxic cells was significantly lower than that of the control throughout the entire 90+ min of hypoxia. The rate of depolarisation and Na(+) signal gradually reduced over time, and these changes had a direct effect on the exAP duration., Discussion: The extracellular electrophysiological measurements allow a partial reconstruction of the signal shape and time course of the underlying hypoxia-associated physiological changes. The present study showed that the cardiac myocyte-integrated MEA may be used as an experimental platform for the pharmacological studies of cardiovascular diseases in the future.