The present study investigated the phenolic profiles and antioxidant properties of different fractions from
Royle fruits using molecular docking analysis to delineate their inhibition toward ...digestive enzymes. A total of 20 phenolics was identified and quantified. Rutin, quercetin-3-
-glucoside, and isorhamnetin-3-
-rutinoside were the major phenolic compounds in the total phenolic fraction and flavonoid-rich fraction. The anthocyanin-rich fraction mainly contained cyanidin-3-
-glucoside and cyanidin-3-
-rutinoside. All of the fractions exhibited strong radical scavenging activities and good inhibition on cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in H₂O₂-induced HepG2 cells, as evaluated by DPPH and 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) assays. Moreover, the powerful inhibitory effects of those fractions against pancreatic lipase and α-glucosidase were observed. The major phenolic compounds that were found in the three fractions also showed good digestive enzyme inhibitory activities in a dose-dependent manner. Molecular docking analysis revealed the underlying inhibition mechanisms of those phenolic standards against digestive enzymes, and the theoretical analysis data were consistent with the experimental results.
Distillers' grains are rich in protein and constitute a high-quality source of various bioactive peptides. The purpose of this study is to identify novel bioactive peptides with α-glucosidase ...inhibitory, antioxidant, and insulin resistance-ameliorating effects from distiller's grains protein hydrolysate. Three novel peptides (YPLPR, AFEPLR, and NDPF) showed good potential bioactivities, and the YPLPR peptide had the strongest bioactivities, whose IC
values towards α-glucosidase inhibition, radical scavenging rates of 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6- sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) were about 5.31 mmol/L, 6.05 mmol/L, and 7.94 mmol/L, respectively. The glucose consumption of HepG2 cells treated with YPLPR increased significantly under insulin resistance condition. Moreover, the YPLPR peptide also had a good scavenging effect on intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by H
O
(the relative contents: 102.35% vs. 100%). Molecular docking results showed that these peptides could stably combine with α-glucosidase, ABTS, and DPPH free radicals, as well as related targets of the insulin signaling pathway through hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces. This research presents a potentially valuable natural resource for reducing oxidative stress damage and regulating blood glucose in diabetes, thereby increasing the usage of distillers' grains peptides and boosting their economic worth.
Hyperuricemia (HUA) is a prevalent chronic disease, characterized by excessive blood uric acid levels, that poses a significant health risk. In this study, the preventive effects and potential ...mechanisms of ethanol extracts from Chinese sumac (
Mill.) fruits on HUA and uric acid nephropathy were comprehensively investigated. The results demonstrated a significant reduction in uric acid levels in hyperuricemia mice after treatment with Chinese sumac fruit extract, especially in the high-dose group, where the blood uric acid level decreased by 39.56%. Visual diagrams of the kidneys and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained sections showed the extract's effectiveness in protecting against kidney damage caused by excessive uric acid. Further investigation into its mechanism revealed that the extract prevents and treats hyperuricemia by decreasing uric acid production, enhancing uric acid excretion, and mitigating the oxidative stress and inflammatory reactions induced by excessive uric acid in the kidneys. Specifically, the extract markedly decreased xanthine oxidase (XOD) levels and expression in the liver, elevated the expression of uric acid transporters ABCG2, and lowered the expression of uric acid reabsorption proteins URAT1 and SLC2A9. Simultaneously, it significantly elevated the levels of endogenous antioxidant enzymes (SOD and GSH) while reducing the level of malondialdehyde (MDA). Furthermore, the expression of uric-acid-related proteins NLRP3, ACS, and Caspase-3 and the levels of IL-1β and IL-6 were significantly reduced. The experimental results confirm that Chinese sumac fruit extract can improve HUA and uric acid nephropathy in mice fed a high-purine yeast diet. This finding establishes a theoretical foundation for developing Chinese sumac fruit as a functional food or medicine for preventing and treating HUA.
This research aimed to probe the potential alleviative effects of ethanol extracts of Chinese sumac (Rhus chinesis Mill.) fruits against type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in C57BL/6 mice induced by ...high-fat/high-fructose diet (HFFD) and streptozotocin. The results showed that the ethanol extracts could significantly regulate blood glucose levels, glycosylated hemoglobin, blood lipids, insulin, and insulin resistance, while also restoring endogenous oxidative stress. Pathological and immunohistochemical analyses revealed that the extracts partially restored the physiological function of islet cells. Furthermore, Western blotting results suggested that the extracts could regulate the protein expression in IRS-1/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, and immunofluorescence findings demonstrated their potential to promote the translocation of Nrf2 into the nucleus. This study elucidated a novel finding that ethanol extracts derived from Chinese sumac fruits have the potential to alleviate symptoms of T2DM in mice. Moreover, these findings could offer valuable scientific insights into the potential utilization of R. chinensis fruits as nutritional supplement and/or functional food to prevent or ameliorate diabetes.
Mill. fruits are a kind of widely distributed edible seasoning, which have been documented to possess a variety of biological activities. However, its inhibitory effect on osteoclast formation has ...not been determined. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the fruits on osteoclast differentiation of RAW264.7 cells, induced by receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) and to illuminate the potential mechanisms using network pharmacology and western blots. Results showed that the extract containing two organic acids and twelve phenolic substances could effectively inhibit osteoclast differentiation in RANKL-induced RAW264.7 cells. Network pharmacology examination and western blot investigation showed that the concentrate essentially decreased the expression levels of osteoclast-specific proteins, chiefly through nuclear factor kappa-B, protein kinase B, and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways, particularly protein kinase B α and mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 targets. Moreover, the extract likewise directly down regulated the expression of cellular oncogene Fos and nuclear factor of activated T-cells cytoplasmic 1 proteins. Citric acid, quercetin, myricetin-3-
-galactoside, and quercetin-3-
-rhamnoside were considered as the predominant bioactive ingredients. Results of this work may provide a scientific basis for the development and utilization of
fruits as a natural edible material to prevent and/or alleviate osteoporosis-related diseases.
Acute and subacute toxicities of the ethanol extract from Epigynum auritum (EAE) wereperformed by oral administration in pathogen-free mice. Acute toxicity study was performed at a single dose of ...5000 mg/kg for 14 consecutive days, while subacute toxicity test was conducted by daily oral administration of EAE at doses of 312, 625, 1250, and 2500 mg/kg for 28 days. Acute toxicity study showed that LD50 of EAE was over 5000 mg/kg. The results of subacute toxicity showed no significant adverse effect of EAE at 312 mg/kg. Moreover, EAE exhibited toxicities to liver, spleen and kidney in mice determined by hematological, serum biochemical and histological analyses during daily oral administration of 1250 mg/kg and 2500 mg/kg EAE. The results revealed that the dose of EAE lower than 625 mg/kg can be regarded as safe.
Display omitted
•Acute & subacute toxicity of ethanol extract from aerial parts of Epigynum auritum (EAE) were assessed.•The LD50 of EAE was higher than 5000 mg/kg BW evaluated by acute toxicity.•EAE can be regarded as practically non-toxic based on acute toxicity.•EAE didn't show toxicity at 312 mg/kg by subchronic toxicity.•EAE showed toxicities to some organs at 1250 mg/kg and 2500 mg/kg.
This study systematically investigated the differences in allergenicity of casein in cow milk (CM), goat milk (GM), camel milk (CAM), and mare milk (MM) from protein structures using bioinformatics. ...Primary structure sequence analysis reveals high sequence similarity between the
-casein of CM and GM, while all allergenic subtypes are likely to have good hydrophilicity and thermal stability. By analyzing linear B-cell epitope, T-cell epitope, and allergenic peptides, the strongest casein allergenicity is observed for CM, followed by GM, and the casein of MM has the weakest allergenicity. Meanwhile, 7, 9, and 16 similar or identical amino acid fragments in linear B-cell epitopes, T-cell epitopes, and allergenic peptides, respectively, were observed in different milks. Among these, the same T-cell epitope FLGAEVQNQ was shared by κ-CN in all four different species' milk. Epitope results may provide targets of allergenic fragments for reducing milk allergenicity through physical or/and chemical methods. This study explained the underlying secrets for the high allergenicity of CM to some extent from the perspective of casein and provided new insights for the dairy industry to reduce milk allergy. Furthermore, it provides a new idea and method for comparing the allergenicity of homologous proteins from different species.
Display omitted
•Different phenolic fractions in Chinese sumac fruits (CSF) were first studied.•A total of 14 phenolics were identified and quantified.•Free phenolics were the major contributor to ...the total phenolics of CSF.•Free phenolics had the strongest lipase inhibitory effect.•Molecular docking revealed lipase inhibition mechanisms of main phenolics in CSF.
This study investigated the free, esterified, and insoluble-bound phenolics in Rhus chinensis Mill. fruits and their pancreatic lipase inhibitory activities with molecular docking analysis. Results showed that the free phenolic fraction displayed the highest total phenolic content and the strongest lipase inhibitory activity. A total of 12, 11, and 8 free, esterified, and insoluble-bound phenolics were identified and quantified, respectively. Myricitrin and quercitrin were the major phenolics in all fractions with good dose-dependent lipase inhibitory effects, and myricitrin had a stronger inhibitory effect. Molecular docking analysis showed that myricitrin bound more tightly than quercitrin to the lipase with more number and shorter distance of hydrogen bonds, which indicated myricitrin had stronger lipase inhibitory activity and was consistent with their experimental results. The present study demonstrated that the free phenolics fraction of R. chinensis Mill. fruits had a strong lipase inhibitory activity, and can potentially prevent obesity-related problems.
Display omitted
•Chinese sumac fruits effectively prevented liver injury induced by APAP in mice.•The fruits significantly inhibited the inflammation by NF-κB and MAPK pathways.•The fruits remarkably ...ameliorated oxidative stress via Nrf2/NQO1/HO-1 pathways.•The fruits significantly inhibited apoptosis via PI3K/Akt/ Caspase3 pathways.
This study aimed to investigate the effects of the phenolic-rich fraction from Chinese sumac fruits against liver injury induced by acetaminophen in mice and elucidate the potential molecular mechanisms. Results showed that the phenolic-rich fraction of the fruits significantly decreased the alanine aminotransferase and aspartate transaminase activities and malondialdehyde content, restored the superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, and reduced the glutathione content. Further analyses revealed that the fraction alleviated liver oxidative stress by upregulating the Nrf2 protein pathway to increase the HO-1 and NQO1 expression levels. It also suppressed liver inflammation by downregulating the expression levels of p-NF-κB, COX-2, p-JNK, p-ERK and p-P38 and inhibiting the secretion of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6. The fraction prevented hepatocyte apoptosis by upregulating p-PI3K, p-Akt, and Bcl-2 and downregulating Bax and cleaved Caspase 3. Thus, the phenolic-rich fraction from Chinese sumac fruits could serve as an adjuvant dietary therapy to prevent drug-induced liver injury.
Display omitted
•Prinsepia utilis Royle seeds (PRS) are rich in phenolic compounds (Ps)•A total of 19 types of Ps have been identified and quantified.•GI digestion upgraded Ps bioaccessibility and ...antioxidant activity (AA) of PRS.•Fermentation facilitated Ps bioaccessibility and AA of PRS during GI digestion.
The present work was designed to investigate the changes in the phenolic composition and antioxidant activities of native and fermented Prinsepia utilis Royle seeds during a simulated gastrointestinal digestion in vitro. Results revealed that Prinsepia utilis Royle seeds contained high phenolic content and exhibited good antioxidant activities. Gastrointestinal (GI) digestion could significantly increase the bioaccessibility of phenolics and the antioxidant activity of the native seeds. These parameters could be further increased by fungal fermentation during GI digestion compared with those of the native seed. A total of 19 phenolics were identified and quantified. Among these phenolics, vanillic acid hexoside, protocatechuic acid, primeveroside salicylic acid, and rutin were the predominant ones. The present results indicated that fermentation remarkably affected the bioaccessibility of phenolics and the bioactivities of food during GI digestion and might help maximize the potential applications of native and fermented P. utilis Royle seeds.
PDF
