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Summary: Nowadays, the true economic and nutritional value of food is underpinned by both origin and quality traits, more often expressed as increased quality benefits derived from the origin source. Gut microbiota contribute to food metabolism and host health, therefore, it may be suitable as a qualifying indicator of origin and quality of economic species. Here, we investigated relationships between the gut microbiota of the sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus), a valuable aquaculture species in Asia, with their origins and quality metrics. Based on data from 287 intestinal samples, we generated the first biogeographical patterns for A. japonicus gut microbiota from origins across China. Importantly, A. japonicus origins were predicted using the random forest model that was constructed using 20 key gut bacterial genera, with 97.6% accuracy. Furthermore, quality traits such as saponin, fat and taurine were also successfully predicted by random forest models based on gut microbiota, with approximately 80% consistency between predicted and true values. We showed that substantial variations existed in the gut microbiota and quality variables in A. japonicus across different origins, and we also demonstrated the great potential of gut microbiota to track A. japonicus origins and predict their quality traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Paeoniflorin is reported to possess numerous pharmacological activities. Paeoniflorin and glycyrrhizin are always used together for the treatment of disease in China clinics; however, the drug–drug interaction between glycyrrhizin and paeoniflorin is still unknown. Objective: This study investigates the effects of glycyrrhizin on the pharmacokinetics of paeoniflorin in rats. Materials and methods: The pharmacokinetics of orally administered paeoniflorin (20 mg/kg) with or without glycyrrhizin pre-treatment (at a dose of 100 mg/kg/day for 7 days) were investigated in male Sprague–Dawley rats using LC-MS/MS. Additionally, Caco-2 cell transwell model and rat liver microsome incubation experiments were also conducted to investigate its potential mechanism. Results: The results showed that when the rats were pre-treated with glycyrrhizin, the Cmax of paeoniflorin decreased from 59.57 ± 10.24 to 45.36 ± 8.61 ng/mL, and AUC0-inf also decreased from 282.02 ± 35.06 to 202.29 ± 28.28 μg·h/L. The t1/2 value of paeoniflorin decreased from 8.48 ± 2.01 to 5.88 ± 1.15 h (p < 0.05). The Caco-2 cell transwell experiments indicated that glycyrrhizin could increase the efflux ratio of paeoniflorin from 2.71 to 3.52, and the rat liver microsome incubation experiments showed that glycyrrhizin could significantly increase its intrinsic clearance rate from 53.7 ± 4.6 to 85.6 ± 7.1 μL/min/mg protein. Conclusions: These results indicated that glycyrrhizin could affect the pharmacokinetics of paeoniflorin, and it might work through decreasing the absorption of paeoniflorin by inducing the activity of P-gp or through increasing the clearance rate in rat liver by inducing the activity of CYP450 enzyme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus is an economically important marine organism, and its aquaculture has rapidly developed in China. The very large market demand puts forward higher requirements for the economically efficient breeding of sea cucumbers. Sex and the associated reproductive processes have been reported to affect the physiological characteristics of sea cucumbers. However, little is known about the metabolism differences that related to sex and the associated reproductive processes and their potential effects on the efficiency of A. japonicus aquaculture. In this study, ultra-performance liquid chromatography was applied to investigate the variations in metabolic profiles in cell-free coelomic fluids (CCFs) of sea cucumbers of different sexes and reproductive states. A total of 4435 metabolites were detected, and the metabolic profiles of A. japonicus were significantly affected by both sexes and reproductive process. The differentially abundant metabolites in CCFs of A. japonicus of different sexes and reproductive states were also screened and analyzed. The findings revealed that unsaturated fatty acid synthesis and phenylalanine metabolism were the most significantly changed pathways. Moreover, the weakest ability to synthesize capsaicin using phenylalanine was found in A. japonicus after spawning. Our study provides new insights into the metabolic response of A. japonicus during the reproductive process, and also provides valuable references for the economically efficient breeding of A. japonicus. [Display omitted] • Metabolomes in sea cucumbers with different sexes and reproductive states were compared. • Both sex and reproductive processes are associated with the metabolic profiles of sea cucumbers. • Female sea cucumbers had higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids than males. • Post-spawning sea cucumbers had the weakest ability to synthesize capsaicin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus is one of the most dominant and economically important aquaculture species in China. Saponin, which possesses notable biological and pharmacological properties, is a key determinant of the nutritional and health value of A. japonicus. In the present study, we amplified the full-length cDNA of a phosphomevalonate kinase (PMK) gene (named AjPMK) using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). Subsequently, we engineered a recombinant AjPMK (rAjPMK) protein and assessed its enzymatic activity by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Proteins that interact with rAjPMK were screened and identified via pull-down assay combined with liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). We found that the full-length cDNA of AjPMK contained 1354 bp and an open reading frame (ORF) of 612 bp. The AjPMK protein was predicted not to contain a signal peptide but to contain a phosphonolate kinase domain seen in higher eukaryotes and a P-loop with a relatively conserved nucleoside triphosphate hydrolase domain. The molecular weight of the AjPMK protein was estimated to be 23.81 kDa, and its isoelectric point was predicted to be 8.72. Phylogenetic analysis showed that AjPMK had a closer evolutionary relationship with genes from starfish than with those of other selected species. Besides, we found that rAjPMK synthesized mevalonate-5-diphosphate, interacted either directly or indirectly with crucial pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and was regulated by immune-related processes, including antioxidative reactions, stress resistance responses and enzyme hydrolysis. Moreover, AjPMK also interacted with farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase, an enzyme reported to be involved in saponin biosynthesis. Together, our findings implied that AjPMK may be directly involved in saponin biosynthesis and the regulation of various innate immune processes. • A phosphomevalonate kinase (PMK) gene was identified in sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus. • AjPMK is involved in sea cucumber saponin biosynthesis. • AjPMK might be regulated by multiple immune processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacteria communities in the aquaculture environment have been shown to greatly influence the growth of culture species. The sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus) is one of the most important aquaculture species in China, with numerous economic benefits. The growth and physiological characteristics of A. japonicus exhibit remarkable seasonal variation. However, current knowledge regarding the bacterial communities in A. japonicus culture ponds and their potential roles in the regulation of A. japonicus growth and physiology remain unclear. In the present study, Illumina sequencing based on the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was used to investigate the variations in bacterial communities in the surface water and sediment of A. japonicus culture ponds for a period of 1 year. The sediments exhibited a higher diversity of bacterial communities, and a higher abundance of microorganisms involved in sulfur metabolism; however, the surface water had a higher abundance of bacterial species associated with the degradation of organic matter. Furthermore, the bacterial communities in the water column showed a "3 + 1" monthly pattern and those in the sediments exhibited a seasonal succession. The higher abundances of bacteria associated with organic pollution degradation and functions associated with bio-active compound secretion were detected in water samples collected in April, August, and December. In contrast, bacteria that are considered to be food sources for A. japonicus were more abundant in pond sediments in autumn and spring. Finally, correlation analysis demonstrated that water temperature negatively regulated the sulfur cycling efficiency of bacterial communities in sediments of A. japonicus culture ponds. This study provides an important theoretical basis for the micro-ecological regulation of pond-cultured A. japonicus. Unlabelled Image • Microbiomes in the water and sediment of sea cucumber culture pond were compared. • Pond sediments had a higher abundance of bacteria involved in sulfur metabolism. • Water bacteria could remove more organic pollutants in April, August, and December. • Pond water bacteria could be more responsible to the degradation of organic matters. • Temperature negatively regulated the sulfur cycling of bacteria in pond sediments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amounts of abandoned non-ferrous metal tailings(NMT) piled in the open air are released under geochemistry and migrated to the surrounding environment, causing severe harm to the environment and human health. It is essential to evaluate the heavy metal pollution of NMT. In this study, RAC, I geo , EF, and RI were used to evaluate the heavy metal pollution risk of NMT. To uniformly simplify the four evaluation results into a comprehensive evaluation result that can reflect the degree of heavy metal pollution risk. Assuming heavy metals' concentration, occurrence, and mobility make the same contribution to the degree of heavy metal pollution. Score the above four evaluation results according to the pollution level, and then weigh the scores to obtain a complete integral result: CRS Mo (17) > CRS Cd (13) > CRS Pb (11) > CRS Sr (8) > CRS Mn (7) > CRS Cu (5) > CRS Ni (4) > CRS Cr (3) = CRS Zn (3). Five higher risk heavy metal elements Mo, Cd, Pb, Sr, and Mn, were found. Cu, Ni, Cr, and Zn are at lower risk. The results showed that Mo, Mn, and Sr's evaluation is more accurate. Pb and Cd have not reached the detection limit for the time being, indicating that the release of heavy metal elements in tailings is not only related to the total concentration, occurrence state, and mobility of heavy metals but also affected by the pH of the tailings. This study's most significant finding is to propose a comprehensive integration result of pollution risk levels based on RAC, I geo , EF, and RI as the comprehensive evaluation result of heavy metal pollution risk. Simultaneously, this research is also a valuable supplement to the existing risk assessment of heavy metal pollution., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)