Phenolic Acid-Amino Acid Adducts Exert Distinct Immunomodulatory Effects in Macrophages Compared to Parent Phenolic Acids

Modification of hollow microporous organic network with polyethyleneimine for efficient enrichment of phenolic acids from fruit juice samples

Owning to the hydrophobic characteristics of microporous organic networks (MONs), their utilizations still largely limited in non- and weak-polar analytes. To expend their applications, here we reported the synthesis of a novel hollowed H-MON-PEI1800-2 composite via sacrifice template method and subsequent modification with polyethyleneimine (PEI) for efficient solid phase extraction of polar and ionic phenolic acid (PAs) from fruit juice samples. H-MON-PEI1800-2 exhibits large surface area, rapid extraction kinetics, remarkable chemical and thermal stabilities, and provides synergistic electrostatic, π-π, hydrogen bonding, and hydrophobic interaction sites for PAs. The developed method owns low limit of detection, wide linear range, large enrichment factors, and good reusability. The recoveries of H-MON-PEI1800-2 for PAs are 1-3 orders of magnitude higher than those of commercial adsorbents like activated carbon, C18 and Oasis HLB. This work highlights the prospects of functional H-MONs for enriching polar and ionic targets from complex sample matrices.

Macrophage variants in laboratory research: most are well done, but some are RAW

Macrophages play a pivotal role in the innate immune response. While their most characteristic function is phagocytosis, it is important not to solely characterize macrophages by this activity. Their crucial roles in body development, homeostasis, repair, and immune responses against pathogens necessitate a broader understanding. Macrophages exhibit remarkable plasticity, allowing them to modify their functional characteristics in response to the tissue microenvironment (tissue type, presence of pathogens or inflammation, and specific signals from neighboring cells) swiftly. While there is no single defined "macrophage" entity, there is a diverse array of macrophage types because macrophage ontogeny involves the differentiation of progenitor cells into tissue-resident macrophages, as well as the recruitment and differentiation of circulating monocytes in response to tissue-specific cues. In addition, macrophages continuously sense and respond to environmental cues and tissue conditions, adjusting their functional and metabolic states accordingly. Consequently, it is of paramount importance to comprehend the heterogeneous origins and functions of macrophages employed in in vitro studies, as each available in vitro macrophage model is associated with specific sets of strengths and limitations. This review centers its attention on a comprehensive comparison between immortalized mouse macrophage cell lines and primary mouse macrophages. It provides a detailed analysis of the strengths and weaknesses inherent in these in vitro models. Finally, it explores the subtle distinctions between diverse macrophage cell lines, offering insights into numerous factors beyond the model type that can profoundly influence macrophage function.

Metabolic shifts during coffee consumption refresh the immune response: insight from comprehensive multiomics analysis

Coffee, a widely consumed beverage, has shown benefits for human health but lacks sufficient basic and clinical evidence to fully understand its impacts and mechanisms. Here, we conducted a cross-sectional observational study of coffee consumption and a 1-month clinical trial in humans. We found that coffee consumption significantly reshaped the immune system and metabolism, including reduced levels of inflammatory factors and a reduced frequency of senescent T cells. The frequency of senescent T cells and the levels of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype were lower in both long-term coffee consumers and new coffee consumers than in coffee nondrinking subjects, suggesting that coffee has anti-immunosenescence effects. Moreover, coffee consumption downregulated the activities of the The Janus kinase/signal transduction and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) signaling pathways and reduced systemic proinflammatory cytokine levels. Mechanistically, coffee-associated metabolites, such as 1-methylxanthine, 3-methylxanthine, paraxanthine, and ceramide, reduced the frequency of senescent CD4+CD57+ T cells in vitro. Finally, in vivo, coffee intake alleviated inflammation and immunosenescence in imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like mice. Our results provide novel evidence of the anti-inflammatory and anti-immunosenescence effects of coffee, suggesting that coffee consumption could be considered a healthy habit.

Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Chamaecyparis obtusa (Siebold & Zucc.) Endl. Leaf Essential Oil

Chamaecyparis obtusa (Siebold & Zucc.) Endl. (C. obtusa) belongs to the Cupressaceae family and is native to East Asian regions. Essential oils extracted from the leaves, bark, branches, and roots of C. obtusa have both aesthetic and medicinal properties and are thus widely used. However, detailed analyses of the active ingredients of C. obtusa extract are lacking. In this study, the sabinene content in the hydro-distillation of C. obtusa leaf essential oil (COD) was analyzed using GC-MS, and the anti-inflammatory effect of COD was compared with that of pure sabinene. Cell viability was evaluated by MTT assay, and nitric oxide (NO) production was measured using Griess reagent. Relative mRNA and protein levels were analyzed using RT-qPCR and western blot, and secreted cytokines were analyzed using a cytokine array kit. The results showed that both COD and sabinene inhibited the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells. COD and sabinene also reduced the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-27, IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). The anti-inflammatory mechanisms of COD and sabinene partially overlap, as COD was shown to inhibit MAPKs and the JAK/STAT axis, and sabinene inhibited MAPKs, thereby preventing LPS-induced macrophage activation.

Development and characterization of an active starch-based film as a chlorogenic acid delivery system

Given its health benefits for the human body, chlorogenic acid (CA) offers promising applications in the food industry. However, the instability and low bioavailability of CA remain to be solved. In this paper, a starch-based film prepared by the homogenization and solution-casting method was used as an effective carrier to alleviate these problems. Homogenization (10-50 MPa) reduced the starch paste viscosity and its particle sizes from 21.64 to 7.68 μm, which promoted the starch recrystallization and induced chemical cross-links between starch-CA, as confirmed by the FTIR result with an appearance of a new CO peak at about 1716 cm-1. Accordingly, the rapidly digestible starch content of the film was reduced to 27.83 % and the CA encapsulation efficiency was increased to 99.08 % (from 65.88 %). As a result, the film system extended CA's release time beyond 4 h and significantly increased the heat-treated CA's antioxidant activity. Besides, the tensile strength and elastic modulus of the film were also improved to 6.29 MPa (from 1.63 MPa) and 160.98 MPa (from 12.02 MPa), respectively, by homogenization. In conclusion, the developed active starch-based film could be used as an edible film for the production of functional food or active food packaging.

Effects of Dietary Supplemental Chlorogenic Acid and Baicalin on the Growth Performance and Immunity of Broilers Challenged with Lipopolysaccharide

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary supplemental chlorogenic acid and baicalin (CAB) on the growth performance and immunity of broilers challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). This study was designed as a factorial arrangement of 2 dietary CAB treatments × 2 LPS treatments. Birds challenged with or without LPS were fed with a basic diet (CON) and (LPS), the level of CAB diet containing 500 mg/kg CAB(CAB) and (CAB + LPS). The feeding trial lasted for 42 days. Results showed that there was a negative effect on average daily weight gain (ADG) and average body weight of broilers during the animal trial with LPS challenge. The levels of diamine oxidase (DAO), lysozyme (LYZ), immunoglobulin G (IgG), and IgA in the serum, the contents of IL-1β and TNF-α in the spleen were elevated with LPS treated. Additionally, LPS treatment tended to reduce the jejunal villi height (VH) and total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) in the serum. Dietary supplemental 500 mg/kg CAB increased the body weight and ADG and improved the feed conversion ratio (FCR) during the trial period. In addition, dietary 500 mg/kg CAB elevated the ratio of VH to crypt depth in the jejunum and reduced the content of protein carbonyl. Beyond that, the levels of IgG and IgA in the serum and transforming growth factor (TGF-β) in the spleen were up-regulated with 500 mg/kg CAB supplementation. In conclusion, dietary CAB was beneficial for growth performance and immunity of broilers challenged with lipopolysaccharide.

Tea Consumption and New-Onset Acute Kidney Injury: The Effects of Milk or Sweeteners Addition and Caffeine/Coffee

Aims: To explore the relationship between tea consumption and the risk of incident acute kidney injury (AKI) and examine the effects of coffee consumption, genetic variation in caffeine metabolism, and the use of tea additives (milk and sweeteners) on this association. Methods: Using data from the UK Biobank, 498,621 participants who were free of AKI and had information on tea intake were included. Black tea is the main type consumed in this population. Dietary information was collected from standardized and validated Food-Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Outcome was incident AKI, determined via primary care data, hospital inpatient data, death register records, or self-reported data at follow-up visits. Results: After a median follow-up period of 12.0 years, 21,202 participants occurred AKI. Overall, there was a reversed J-shaped relation between tea consumption and incident AKI, with an inflection point at 3.5 cup/d (p for nonlinearity < 0.001). The relation was similar among participants with different genetically predicted caffeine metabolism (p-interaction = 0.684), while a more obvious positive association was found between heavy tea consumption and AKI when more coffee was consumed (p-interaction < 0.001). Meanwhile, there was a reversed J-shaped relationship for drinking tea with neither milk nor sweeteners, and a L-shaped association for drinking tea with milk (with or without sweeteners) with incident AKI. However, no significant association was found between drinking tea with sweeteners only and incident AKI. Conclusions: There was a reversed J-shaped relation between tea consumption and incident AKI, suggesting that light to moderate tea consumption, especially adding milk, can be part of a healthy diet.