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We herein report a food-derived polysaccharide (EJP) with the effect of relieving myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury (MIRI). This novel polysaccharide was isolated from the leaf of Eriobotrya japonica , and we first found its myocardium protective effects in vitro . Then, we firstly characterized EJP with a series of analytical technologies and further tested its effect on myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury (MIRI) with the illustration of the potential mechanisms in vivo . Interestingly, in the murine model of MIRI, administration of EJP effectively improved post-I/R heart contraction and limited the infarct size. Moreover, EJP significantly attenuated IR-induced oxidative damage and inflammatory reaction, as evidenced by decreasing MDA, IL-6, and TNF-α contents and increasing SOD activity and GSH-Px expression. In addition, we proved that EJP not only had no nephrotoxicity but also demonstrated a protective effect on the kidneys through HE staining and biochemical analysis. In sum, EJP, with a significant protective effect against myocardial I/R injury by showing anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative activities, may become a meaningful drug candidate for the treatment of myocardial I/R injury.

Arabinoxylan (AX) has many beneficial health effects that are closely related to its structural characteristics. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of molecular weight (Mw) and degree of substitution (DS) on the antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities of triticale bran AX and its hydrolysates in vitro. At low and similar Mw, the antioxidant activity of AX was inversely proportional to its DS. When DS was close, the antioxidant activity of AX was inversely proportional to its Mw at high DS, but the opposite result was found at low DS. As for the hypoglycemic performance, when DS was similar, the hypoglycemic activity of AX was proportional to its Mw. At low and similar Mw, the α-glucosidase inhibitory ability and glucose adsorption ability of AX was positively correlated with DS, whereas the α-amylase inhibitory ability and glucose delayed absorption ability showed the opposite results. Mw and DS had significant effects on the antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities of AX, and these two factors often need to be combined to explain the varied effects under different conditions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there is no potential for conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The chitosan/okra powder/nano-silicon aerogel composite films were prepared by casting method and their physicochemical properties and structural characterization were studied. The results showed that the composite film had good mechanical properties, barrier properties and optical properties. The composite film has strong flexibility. The surface glossiness of C/D/S 1.5:1:0.1 film was 14.4Gu. As for the antibacterial activity, all the composite films had strong antibacterial activity against Gram-negative (E. coli) and Gram-positive (S. aureus), and the inhibition zone of C/D/S 1.5:1:0.10 against E. coli reached 551.96 mm 2 , the inhibition zone for S. aureus was 350.29 mm 2 . The composite film had uniform, non-porous, continuous and dense surface characteristics. The structural characterization confirmed that there was good compatibility between chitosan, okara powder and nano-silicon aerogel. In summary, the composite films had excellent performance and structure, which promoted the research of functional packaging films., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Zishen Yutai Pills (ZYP), a famous traditional Chinese patent medicine, has been widely applied to avoid recurrent miscarriage and treat threatened abortion. Polysaccharides of ZYP (ZYPPs) play an essential role in the theraprutic effects of ZYP. However, the complex compositions of ZYP and the complicated structure of ZYPPs have posed great challenges and barriers to the quality evaluation of ZYP., Aim of the Study: To identify and characterize the ZYPPs for better quality control of ZYP, a reliable and valid quality control system was established in this study., Materials and Methods: A multi-fingerprint profile strategy based on HPSEC-MALL-RID, FT-IR, and HPLC (complete acid digested fingerprint, partial acid digested fingerprint and enzymatically digested fingerprint) was established to identify and discriminate the chemical structure of ZYPPs. Besides, the purpose of revealing the relationships between structure and biological activity of ZYPPs, their chemical characteristics, in vitro antioxidant and anti-glycation activities were investigated and discussed., Results: The similarity evaluation of ZYPPs indicated ZYPPs from different batches showed a high similarity based on the correlation coefficient values of multi-fingerprints. Furthermore, ZYPPs exhibited remarkable antioxidant and antiglycation properties, which might be attributed to their molecular weights and the content of uronic acids., Conclusions: These results indicated that the multiple fingerprint technique was reliable and effective for the improvement of quality control of ZYPPs, suggesting the multiple fingerprint technique could also be potentially applied as a valid and feasible strategy to control the quality of polysaccharide-enriched herbal medicines., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Soil and water pollution due to nitrate are becoming increasingly serious worldwide. The government also put forward relevant governance policies, and a large number of scholars studied chemical physics and other methods to remove nitrate in water, but the cost was substantial. Studies have found that planting systems including grasses have the potential to remove nitrates. However, there are few studies on nitrate linked pathway and nitrate assimilation during its early growth., Results: We have evaluated three different feed-plant species with three levels of overnight seed nitrate treatments along with a control. The activity of different enzymes from 2 weeks old shoots was measured to get a comprehension of proline-associated pentose phosphate pathway coupled with nitrate assimilation and phenolic-linked antioxidant response system in these species under nitrate treatments. All three feed-plant species showed high nitrate tolerance during germination and early growth stages. It is perceived that the accumulation of total soluble phenolics and total antioxidant activity was high in all three feed-plant species under high nitrate treatments. In terms of high G6PDH activity along with low SDH activity in alfalfa, there may be a shift of carbon flux in this species under high nitrate treatments. Higher activity of these enzymes along with higher SOD and GPX activity was observed in alfalfa. The efficient mechanism of nitrate stress tolerance of alfalfa also correlated with higher photochemical efficiency. Perennial ryegrass also showed excellent potential under high nitrate treatments by adopting an efficient mechanism to counter nitrate-induced oxidative stress., Conclusions: Under the condition of nitrate treatment, the germination rates of the three feed-plant species are still ideal, and they have good enzyme activity and have the potential to remove nitrate.

Different methods of isolating arabinoxylans (AXs) from triticale were performed to investigate the extraction methods' effects on the physiological functions of the AXs. Structural, antioxidant, and hypoglycemic activities were determined. The molecular weights (MWs) of enzyme- or water-extracted AXs were lower than those of alkali-extracted AXs. Opposite trends were shown by the arabinose–xylose ratio. Enzyme-extracted AXs exhibited higher glucose adsorption capacity and hydroxyl radical-scavenging efficiency than alkali-extracted AXs. The α-amylase inhibition ability, DPPH radical-scavenging capacity, and metal-chelating activity of alkali-extracted AXs were higher than those of enzyme-extracted AXs. Water-extracted AXs had the highest glucose dialysis retardation index. In conclusion, extraction methods can influence the physiological function of AXs through their structural features. AXs with higher MWs and esterified ferulic acid (FA) levels had higher antioxidant ability, whereas AXs with higher solubility and free FA level exhibited higher hypoglycemic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the effects of digestion on the functional components of walnut pigment and their bioactivities, we developed an in vitro model simulating gastro-intestinal digestion. Results showed an increase in the contents of flavonoids and conjugated phenols (with retention rates higher than 100%) in husk pigment after digestion. The lowest of the 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging abilities was reached in the group with the minimum flavonoid content after digestion. Close correlation was observed between free phenol content and total reducing power, as the reducing power among different groups of husk pigment was in consistent with free phenols changes. The inhibitory effect of walnut pigment on α-amylase with/without digestion enzyme was similar. However, shell pigment showed improved inhibitory effect on α-glucosidase activity, with an increased inhibitory rate of 5.42%. In general, the antioxidant activity and hypoglycemic ability of walnut pigment were prone to chemical and enzymatic changes during simulated digestion, which were also related to the alteration of flavonoids and phenols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyphenol-gelatin binary complex and polyphenol-gelatin-pectin ternary complex were synthesized. The differences in antioxidant activity between the binary complex and ternary complex were evaluated by using ABTS, DPPH, and reducing power assays. The differences in structural characterization between the binary complex and ternary complex were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nuclear magnetic resonance (1H and 13C NMR), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The reducing power assays of the ternary complex was greater than that of the binary complex. The maximum of ABTS•+ scavenging activity of the binary complex and the ternary complex was 98.1% and 99.3%, respectively, and the maximum DPPH• scavenging activity was 84.7% and 87.6%, respectively. The results of structural characterization showed that they were very similar in structure. Both complexes are mainly composed of hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions, but the ternary complex is more tightly bound. In addition, the surface is smoother, and the gap is smaller. ► Ternary and binary complexes have excellent antioxidant properties. ► The addition of pectin increased the amount of hydroxyl groups, which improved antioxidant capacity. ► Due to the polyhydroxy structure, apple polyphenols can bind to gelatin and pectin tightly. ► Polyphenols can be used as natural and harmless cross-linking agents for macromolecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of different cooking methods (steaming, boiling, frying and microwaving) on nutrients and their bioaccessibility by an in vitro simulated digestion model. The result demonstrated that the degree of protein hydrolysis (42.84%) after digestion under microwaving was the highest. The fatty acid composition can influence the lipid digestion fate, and the stearic acid content of all samples was significantly increased, except for the methods of frying (only from 4.72 to 8.37 g/100 g). The highest bioaccessibility was discovered in Cu (83.35%, frying), and the lowest was in Fe (3.96%, frying), but Pb was not digested. Frying method caused severe losses of protein bioaccessibility but it has the highest amount of reducing sugar release and antioxidant activity. The scientific and in-depth nature of the above study provides a reference for the daily consumption of C. cornucopioides. Image 1 • The swallow and digestible particle size of C.cornucopioides is 4 mm. • The cooking methods had a great effect on nutrients value and bioaccessibility. • Cooking and digestion impact on the antioxidant capacity of C.cornucopioides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]