The potential role of extracellular vesicles in bioactive compound-based therapy: A review of recent developments

Recent studies have explored the field of extracellular vesicles (EVs), driving an increasing interest in their application to human health. EVs have unique physicochemical traits to participate in intercellular communication, thus fostering the idea of using EVs to yield synergistic, preventive, and therapeutic effects. Many reports have shown that EVs contain natural bioactive compounds, such as lipids, proteins, RNA, and other active components that regulate biological processes, thereby contributing to human health. Therefore, in this review, we comprehensively elucidate various facets of the relationship between EVs and bioactive compounds that modulate EVs contents, including RNAs and proteins, discussing different forms of biological regulation. The use of EVs for cargo-loading bioactive compounds to exert biological functions and methods to load bioactive compounds into EVs are also discussed. This review highlighted the effect of EV-delivered bioactive compounds on several therapeutic mechanisms and applications, providing new insight into nutrition and pharmacology.

Effects of Dietary Glycerol Monobutyrate Supplementation on Egg Performance, Biochemical Indices, and Gut Microbiota of Aged Hens

This experiment aimed to determine the effect of dietary supplementation with glycerol monobutyrate (GMB) on egg-laying performance, biochemical indicators, and gut microflora at the late stage of laying hens. A total of 252 healthy Dawu Golden Phoenix laying hens with no difference in body weight were selected and randomly divided into two groups: (1) control group (CG), corn-soybean meal diet, (2) 500 mg glycerol monobutyrate/kg added to the basal diet. Six replicates were set up for each treatment group, with 21 birds per replicate. The trial started at week 55 and lasted for 8 weeks. Compared to the control group, the supplementation with GMB increased egg weight (P = 0.03), shell thickness (P = 0.03) and decreased egg breaking rate (P = 0.04). There was no significant difference in egg production rate, feed-to-egg ratio, egg shape index, eggshell strength, and Haugh unit between the two groups. In addition, dietary GMB decreased the levels of aspartate aminotransferase (P = 0.03) and total bilirubin (P = 0.02) in serum, and increased total antioxidant capacity (P = 0.03) and total superoxide dismutase (P = 0.02). However, alpha diversity indices (Ace, Chao1, Shannon, Simpson, goods_coverage, and PD_whole tree) were not different between the two groups. Notably, dietary GMB significantly decreased the abundances of Proteobacteria at the phylum level and the abundances of Enterobacter at the genus level (P < 0.01), but there was no significant difference in the composition of other cecal microbiota. In summary, the present study revealed that supplementation with 500 mg/kg glycerol monobutyrate improved egg weight, eggshell quality, and antioxidant capacity in serum, but its effect on cecal microbiota composition was limited.

The galloyl moiety enhances inhibitory activity of polyphenols against adipogenic differentiation in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes

Previous studies have proved that the characteristic galloyl moiety in polyphenols is crucial for their biological activities. However, whether the presence of the galloyl moiety in the structure of polyphenols has a great contribution to their inhibition of adipogenic differentiation is not clear. Therefore, in this study, seven polyphenols with different galloylation degrees were chosen for exploring the contribution of the galloyl group to the lipid-lowering property of polyphenols and its molecular mechanism. Our results showed that the existence of the galloyl moiety in the structure of polyphenols was necessary for their inhibition of adipogenic differentiation, which could help to delay cells from entering the G2/M phase as well as to hinder the MCE process in the early stage of differentiation and the downstream PPARγ and C/EBPα related MAPK signaling pathway, probably via binding to IR and disturbing the α-helix in its conformation. Our finding highlighted that the existence of galloyl groups in polyphenols was crucial for their anti-adipogenic activity, and provided new insights into the mechanism by which galloylated polyphenols suppress adipocyte differentiation.

Gas-phase ion migration spectrum analysis of the volatile flavors of large yellow croaker oil after different storage periods

The large yellow croaker, a species of fish found in the northwestern Pacific, is favored by consumers because of its prevalence in saltwater bodies, golden yellow abdomen, high calcium content, high protein, high fat content, and a flavor that originates from its lipids and volatile components. Volatile organic compounds significantly affect the aroma of food. In this work, electronic nose and headspace gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry were applied to analyze the flavor differences in fish oil durations. Through electronic nose system analysis, sensors W1C, W3S, W6S, and W2S directly affected fish oil flavor, and their flavor components were different. Gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry identified 26 volatile components (19 aldehydes, 3 ketones, 2 alcohols, 1 furan, and 1 olefin). (E,E)-2,4-hexadienal (D), (E,E)-2,4-hexadienal (M), 2,4-heptadienal (M), (E)-2-octenal, 2-propanone, 2-heptanone (M), 3-pentanone (D), and 1-octen-3-ol were the key flavor components of the fish oil. In conclusion, the combination of GC-IMS and PCA can identify the differences in flavor changes of large yellow croaker oil during 0–120 days storage. After 60 days storage, the types and signals of 2-propanone, 2-heptanone (M) components increase significantly. When 120 days storage, at this time, (E,E)-2,4-hexadienal (D), (E,E)-2,4-hexadienal (M), 2,4-heptadienal (M), (E)-2-octenal,(E)-2-octenal significantly. It has become the main flavor substance of fish oil. In summary, as the storage period increases, the components increase, and the oxidizing substances will increase, resulting in the deterioration of fish oil.

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The oxidation state of Large yellow croaker oil in different storage periods was investigated.

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The volatile compounds of Large yellow croaker oil were studied by GC-IMS.

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The effects of storage period on the composition of large yellow croaker oil samples were tested.

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We believe GC-IMS will play a crucial role in controlling the flavor of fish oil.

Microbiology rapid on-site evaluation: a better method for Mucoid Pseudomonas Aeruginosa diagnosis in bronchiectasic patients

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to find an accurate and fast method to diagnose the pathogen of bronchiectasis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Ten bronchiectasic patients diagnosed with Mucoid Pseudomonas Aeruginosa (MPA) in the past two years were analyzed. Accuracy and time were compared between microbiology rapid on-site evaluation (M-ROSE) and sputum bacterial culture.

RESULTS

The accuracy rate of M-ROSE in the patients is 100% consistent with bacterial culture results. The average time of M-ROSE is about 4.3 min, which is over 1000 times shorter than that of sputum bacterial culture.

CONCLUSIONS

M-ROSE may be a better method for etiological diagnosis of MPA.

[Contrastive analysis about the postoperative clinical characteristics of elderly patients with colorectal cancer in different age groups]

Objective: To explore the postoperative clinical characteristics of elderly patients with colorectal cancer at different ages. Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 720 elderly patients with Colorectal Cancer in Beijing Hospitals from January 2012 to December 2019. There were 411 males and 309 females with a median age of 74 years. We divided the patients into young-old, old-old, oldest-old colorectal cancer patient groups and used chi-square comparative analysis of different groups of patients with clinical disease characteristics. Results: The oldest-old colorectal cancer patients tended to have normal body mass index (BMI), and the site of the disease shifted to the right. The incidence of concomitant diseases such as heart disease and hypertension increases gradually with age, and the incidence of diabetes is highest in old-old colorectal cancer patients. The proportion of open surgery was higher in the oldest-old group, but the operation time was shorter than the other two groups. In addition, the incidence of postoperative complications in elderly patients with colorectal cancer gradually increases with age, especially cardiac complications and other complications such as pneumonia, deep venous thrombosis of lower limbs, urinary retention, urinary tract infection, renal failure, cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral infarction, and so on. Conclusions: The BMI of the oldest-old patients tended to be normal, and the site of the disease shifted to the right. The incidence of heart disease, hypertension, and other concomitant diseases and postoperative complications in elderly patients with colorectal cancer gradually increase with age. Thus, the choice of treatment should be more individualized for elderly patients with colorectal cancer, and more attention should be paid to perioperative management.

Exploring Lorentz Invariance Violation from Ultrahigh-Energy γ Rays Observed by LHAASO

Recently, the LHAASO Collaboration published the detection of 12 ultrahigh-energy γ-ray sources above 100 TeV, with the highest energy photon reaching 1.4 PeV. The first detection of PeV γ rays from astrophysical sources may provide a very sensitive probe of the effect of the Lorentz invariance violation (LIV), which results in decay of high-energy γ rays in the superluminal scenario and hence a sharp cutoff of the energy spectrum. Two highest energy sources are studied in this work. No signature of the existence of the LIV is found in their energy spectra, and the lower limits on the LIV energy scale are derived. Our results show that the first-order LIV energy scale should be higher than about 10^{5} times the Planck scale M_{Pl} and that the second-order LIV scale is >10^{-3}M_{Pl}. Both limits improve by at least one order of magnitude the previous results.

Comparison the Structural, Physicochemical, and Prebiotic Properties of Litchi Pomace Dietary Fibers before and after Modification

Litchi pomace, a by-product of litchi processing, is rich in dietary fiber. Soluble and insoluble dietary fibers were extracted from litchi pomace, and insoluble dietary fiber was modified by ultrasonic enzymatic treatment to obtain modified soluble and insoluble dietary fibers. The structural, physicochemical, and functional properties of the dietary fiber samples were evaluated and compared. It was found that all dietary fiber samples displayed typical polysaccharide absorption spectra, with arabinose being the most abundant monosaccharide component. Soluble dietary fibers from litchi pomace were morphologically fragmented and relatively smooth, with relatively high swelling capacity, whereas the insoluble dietary fibers possessed wrinkles and porous structures on the surface, as well as higher water holding capacity. Additionally, soluble dietary fiber content of litchi pomace was successfully increased by 6.32 ± 0.14% after ultrasonic enzymatic modification, and its arabinose content and apparent viscosity were also significantly increased. Further, the soluble dietary fibers exhibited superior radical scavenging ability and significantly stimulated the growth of probiotic bacterial species. Taken together, this study suggested that dietary fiber from litchi pomace could be a promising ingredient for functional foods industry.

Synergistic effect of extrusion and polyphenol molecular interaction on the short/long-term retrogradation properties of chestnut starch

The retrogradation properties of starch are closely related to the processing quality of starch-based foods. In this study, the synergistic effects of extrusion and the presence of polyphenols on the water distribution, rheological properties and short-term (1 day)/long-term (21 day) retrogradation of chestnut starch paste were investigated. Post extrusion complexation with catechins (CC)/proanthocyanidins (PC), the short- and long-term retrogradation were both inhibited and the anti-retrogradation rates (AR) during 1 and 21 days were as high as 100% and 44.17-69.30%, respectively. Owing to the destruction of starch chains by extrusion and interaction between starch and polyphenol molecules, the approach, entanglement and aggregation tendencies of starch molecules were all inhibited, which decreased the relative crystallinity (RC), flow resistance and storage modulus of starch paste and also increased the water-holding capacity. The starch retrogradation was thus suppressed. These results are beneficial for the development of starch-based products with high quality and lower retrogradation rate.

Characterization of PCS-2A, a polysaccharide derived from chestnut shell, and its protective effects against H2O2-induced liver injury in hybrid grouper

PCS-2A is a 34,023-Da acidic polysaccharide purified from chestnut shell consisting of rhamnose, arabinose, galactose, glucose, ribose, and galacturonic acid subunits at a molar ratio of 0.019:0.044:0.059:0.052:0.197:0.628. FTIR, methylation, and NMR analyses suggest the following backbone, (→4)-α-d-GalAp-(1 → 2,4)-α-l-Rha-(1→), with the branch chain composed of arabinose on O-2 with 2,4)-α-l-Rha-(1→). CCK-8 assay indicated PCS-2A treatment offset the reduction in cell viability inflicted by H₂O₂. Furthermore, histological signs of recovery in hepatocytes and liver tissue and a decreased level of AST and ALT occurred following administration of PCS-2A, indicating anti-liver lesion capability. In addition, we found that PCS-2A effectively alleviated H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress via activation of the NRF2 signaling pathway, evidenced by the downregulation of ROS content and upregulation of Nrf2 expression, as well as its corresponding antioxidant enzymes. The antioxidative effect elicited by PCS-2A further ameliorated NF-κB-mediated inflammation, as evidenced by lower mRNA levels of inflammatory cytokines, higher IκB in vitro, and reduced gene expression and activities of proinflammatory cytokines in vivo. Furthermore, in vitro apoptosis-related indicators revealed that P53-mediated apoptosis was alleviated via oxidative stress modulation. In summary, these results suggest that PCS-2A may elicit a protective effect against H₂O₂-induced liver injury via upregulation of the NRF2 signaling pathway.

Changes of Volatile Flavor Compounds in Large Yellow Croaker (Larimichthys crocea) during Storage, as Evaluated by Headspace Gas Chromatography-Ion Mobility Spectrometry and Principal Component Analysis

The large yellow croaker is one of the most economically important fish in Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province, and is well known for its high protein and fat contents, fresh and tender meat, and soft taste. However, the mechanisms involved in its flavor changes during storage have yet to be revealed, although lipid oxidation has been considered to be one important process in determining such changes. Thus, to explore the changes in the flavor of large yellow croaker fish meat during different storage periods, the main physical and chemical characteristics of the fish meat, including the acid value, peroxide value, p-anisidine value, conjugated diene value, and identities of the various flavor substances, were investigated and analyzed by multivariable methods, including headspace gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) and principal component analysis (PCA). It was found that after 60 d storage, the types and contents of the aldehyde and ketone aroma components increased significantly, while after 120 d, the contents of ketones (2-butanone), alcohols (1-propanethiol), and aldehydes (n-nonanal) decreased significantly. More specifically, aldehyde components dominated over ketones and lipids, while the n-nonanal content showed a downward trend during storage, and the 3-methylbutanol (trimer), 3-methylbutanol (dimer, D), 3-pentanone (D), and 3-pentanone (monomer) contents increased, whereas these compounds were identified as the key components affecting the fish meat flavor. Furthermore, after 120 d storage, the number of different flavor components reached its highest value, thereby confirming that the storage time influences the flavor of large yellow croaker fish. In this context, it should be noted that many of these compounds form through the Maillard reaction to accelerate the deterioration of fish meat. It was also found that after storage for 120 d, the physical indices of large yellow croaker meat showed significant changes, and its physicochemical properties varied. These results therefore demonstrate that a combination of GC-IMS and PCA can be used to identify the differences in flavor components present in fish meat during storage. Our study provides useful knowledge for understanding the different flavors associated with fish meat products during and following storage.

Dendrobium officinale Polysaccharide Alleviates Intestinal Inflammation by Promoting Small Extracellular Vesicle Packaging of miR-433-3p

Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide (DOP) attenuates inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but its role in regulating cross-talk between intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) and macrophages against IBD is unclear. This study aimed to investigate DOP protective effects on the intestinal inflammatory response through regulation by miRNA in small extracellular vesicles (sEVs). Our results show that DOP interfered with the secretion of small extracellular vesicles (DIEs) by IEC, which reduced the levels of inflammatory mediators. Increased miR-433-3p expression in DIEs was identified as an important protector against intestinal inflammation. DOP regulated the loading of miR-433-3p by hnRNPA2B1 into the intestinal sEV to increase the abundance of miR-433-3p. DIEs delivered miR-433-3p to lipopolysaccharide-induced macrophages and targeted the MAPK8 gene, leading to inhibition of the MAPK signaling pathway and reduced production of inflammatory cytokines. One protective mechanism of DOP is mediated by intestinal sEV containing miR-433-3p, which is a potential therapeutic agent for the prevention of inflammatory factor accumulation from excessive intestinal macrophage activity and for restoring homeostasis in the intestinal microenvironment.

Active sites of peptides Asp-Asp-Asp-Tyr and Asp-Tyr-Asp-Asp protect against cellular oxidative stress

The protective effects of the peptides Asp-Asp-Asp-Tyr (DDDY) and Asp-Tyr-Asp-Asp (DYDD) against AAPH-induced HepG2 cells are unclear. Our objective was to investigate the active sites of these peptides and their cellular antioxidant mechanism. DDDY and DYDD show a direct free radical scavenging effect in reducing ROS levels and maintained cellular antioxidant enzymes at normal levels. The quantum chemistry analysis of the electronic properties of antioxidant activity showed that DYDD has a greater energy in the highest occupied molecular orbital than DDDY, and O₅₈-H₅₉ and N₁₀-H₁₂ were identified as the active antioxidant sites in DYDD and DDDY, respectively, indicating that the inconsistent arrangement of amino acids affects the distribution of the highest occupied orbital energy as well as the active sites; thus, influences the antioxidant activity of peptides. It provide valuable insights into the antioxidant active sites of peptides.

Peta-electron volt gamma-ray emission from the Crab Nebula

The Crab Nebula is a bright source of gamma rays powered by the Crab Pulsar's rotational energy through the formation and termination of a relativistic electron-positron wind. We report the detection of gamma rays from this source with energies from 5 × 10^-4 to 1.1 peta-electron volts with a spectrum showing gradual steepening over three energy decades. The ultrahigh-energy photons imply the presence of a peta-electron volt electron accelerator (a pevatron) in the nebula, with an acceleration rate exceeding 15% of the theoretical limit. We constrain the pevatron's size between 0.025 and 0.1 parsecs and the magnetic field to ≈110 microgauss. The production rate of peta-electron volt electrons, 2.5 × 10³⁶ ergs per second, constitutes 0.5% of the pulsar spin-down luminosity, although we cannot exclude a contribution of peta-electron volt protons to the production of the highest-energy gamma rays.