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β-glucan is an important functional active component with relatively high content in barley. It is reported to possess various biological activities, including anti-oxidative stress, but its mechanism of action remains obscure. In the current study, C. elegans was used as an in vivo animal model to explore its anti-oxidative stress mechanism. We found that both RBG (raw barley β-glucan) and FBG (fermented barley β-glucan) could significantly reduce the ROS level in C. elegans under oxidative emergency conditions. In addition, both FBG and RBG had positive effects on SOD and CAT enzyme activity, and FBG treatment obviously reduced the MDA content in nematodes under oxidative stress. Moreover, FBG and RBG pretreatment could extend the median lifespan of C. elegans under oxidative stress. The CB1370 and CF1038 mutants further confirmed that daf-2 and daf-16 were necessary for FBG or RBG to participate in anti-oxidative stress, and the RT-PCR results also evidenced that β-glucans resist oxidative stress in C. elegans partially through the daf-2/daf-16 pathway. In summary, barley β-glucan has high potential to defense oxidative stress as a natural polysaccharide., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Bisphenol S (BPS) has been gradually used in all kinds of productions. Our previous study has demonstrated that BPS increases the obesogenic effects of a high-glucose diet through regulating lipid metabolism in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). Whether the effects pass on to the next generations remains uncovered. In the present study, C. elegans was selected as the model organism to investigate the effects of BPS on lipid metabolism in multiple generations. Oil Red O staining and triglyceride assays showed that multi-generational exposure to BPS in C. elegans significantly increased the fat accumulation in wild type worms, while not in the daf-16 gene-deficient worms. In addition, BPS affected the expressions of fat-7 and acs-2 in four generations of C. elegans. Furthermore, BPS promotes fat storage in C. elegans of multiple generations by the daf-16/nhr-49-mediated signaling pathway., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Bisphenol S (BPS), a structural analog of Bisphenol A (BPA), has been widely used as a substitute for epoxy resin, food packaging materials, and other products due to the limited application of BPA. Studies in vivo and in vitro have indicated that BPA could induce fat accumulation like an obesogen. The main goal of this study was to investigate the role and mechanism of BPS in lipid metabolism using Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as a model. Results showed that both the overall fat deposition and the triglyceride level were significantly increased in a non-monotonically increasing trend, and the low dose of BPS (0.01 μM) exhibited a stronger influence. Additionally, BPS enhanced fat synthesis depending on daf-16, fat-5, fat-6 and fat-7, and inhibited fatty acid oxidation via nhr-49 and acs-2. This study further indicate that fat accumulation induced by BPS requires nhr-49, which also mediated the nuclear hormone signaling pathway., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Barley contains a relatively high concentration of the mixed-linkage (1 → 3) (1 → 4) β-glucan, which has been reported to be a functional food with prebiotic potential. In the current study we compared the properties of two neutral barley β-glucans, obtained from raw barley: raw barley β-glucan (RBG) and Lactobacillus plantarum dy-1-fermented barley (FBG)., Results: Molecular characteristics revealed that the molecular weight of barley β-glucan decreased from 1.13 × 10 5 D to 6.35 × 10 4 D after fermentation. Fermentation also improved the water / oil holding capacity, solubility, and swelling capacity of barley β-glucan. Both RBG and FBG significantly improved the locomotive behavior of nematodes, thereby increasing their energy consumption and reducing fat deposition - the effect was more significant with FBG. These effects could potentially depend on nhr-49, TGF-daf-7 mediated pathways and so on, in which nhr-49 factor is particularly required., Conclusion: These results suggested that fermentation may enhance in vitro physiological activities of barley β-glucan, thereby altering the effects on the lipid metabolism in vivo. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Bioactive peptides derived from mussels have multiple healthcare functions. Herein, we aimed to examine the effects of mussel peptide preparation on lifespan, stress resistance, apoptosis and aging in Caenorhabditis elegans. Lifespan was determined by counting the number of surviving nematodes daily. ROS level and lipofuscin were measured using a fluorescent microscope. The mussel protein was prepared and hydrolyzed, and then fractionated by ultrafiltration. The fraction (<3 kDa) was purified by gel filtration to obtain the bioactive peptides, and the peptide sequences included in the fractions were identified, which were mostly composed of peptides with <20 amino acid residues. Mussel peptides treatment was found to significantly increase oxidative stress resistance and extend the lifespan of C. elegans. Moreover, this treatment also reduced endogenous ROS level and aging pigments accumulation in C. elegans as well as apoptosis. Collectively, these findings demonstrated that mussel peptides could contribute to healthspan extension of C. elegans through regulating mRNA expression of daf-2 and daf-16. These results highlighted the important role of mussel peptides for food and pharmaceutical industries to develop new nutraceuticals and functional foods.

Barley, a kind of cereal, is rich in polysaccharides, phenols, proteins, β‐glucan, etc. Our previous studies discovered that extracts from Lactobacillus plantarum dy‐1‐fermented barley (LFBE) held strong anti‐obesity property in obese rats through inhibiting inflammation and suppressing the differentiation in 3T3‐L1 preadipocytes; however, the precise mechanism of LFBE regulating lipid metabolism remains elusive. Results suggested LFBE and its main active components, especially the total phenols, exhibited fat‐lowering effects in glucose treated Caenorhabditis elegans at a certain concentration. Additionally, LFBE and the main components changed related genes in the insulin signaling pathway, fatty acid oxidation, and synthesis. Following verification study using mutants confirmed that the daf‐2 gene rather than the daf‐16 gene was required in LFBE and main components regulating lipid metabolism, which also involved in the process of fatty acid β‐oxidation and unsaturated fatty acid synthesis. Results demonstrated that LFBE and its main bioactivate compounds inhibited fat accumulation partly in a daf‐2‐dependent mechanism. Practical applications: Our previous studies have reported that extracts of fermented barley exhibited anti‐obesity activity. However, little is known about which functional factors play a leading role in decreasing fat deposition and its precise mechanism. Results indicated that daf‐2 mediated signaling pathways involved in the fat‐lowering effects of LFBE and its main components. Our findings are beneficial to understand the main nutritional ingredients in LFBE which are ideal and expected in functional foods for the obese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbendazim, as a fungicide, was commonly used to control fungal diseases in agriculture, forestry, and veterinary medicines. In this study, the acute and reproductive toxicity of carbendazim was assessed using Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as a model in order to preliminarily evaluate the potential risks of this fungicide in agricultural production and application. The results showed that the growth of C. elegans was inhibited by 0.01 μg/L carbendazim. The treatment of 0.1 μg/L carbendazim caused a significant decrease in locomotion behavior and significant damage to the reproductive and antioxidant system, causing the lifespan of nematodes to be drastically shortened. These results provide a better understanding of the environmental risk of carbendazim and raise new concerns about safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a typical endocrine disruptor. Bisphenol S (BPS) has been widely used as a substitute for various plastic materials due to the limited application of BPA. However, it does not mean that BPS is a safe substitute due to the lack of effective evaluation of BPS. In this study, the clinical model of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) was used to study the effects of BPS on the locomotion behavior, growth, reproduction, lifespan and antioxidant system. Our study found that C. elegans exposed to 0.01 μM BPS could have significantly inhibited locomotion behavior and growth, as well as damaged reproductive and antioxidant systems and lifespan. It is interesting to note that in multi-generational exposure studies, we found that BPS exhibits complex genotoxicity. With the transmission to the offspring, BPS showed more significant inhibition of the head thrashes of the nematode, while the effect on the body bends and body length was gradually weakened. The effect of BPS on the brood size shows different rules according to different concentrations and offsprings. Therefore, the safety of BPS still needs further evaluation, especially the multi-generational genotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]