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•Porcine plasma protein hydrolysates interacted with oxidized phenolic compounds.•The interaction occurred via covalent, disulphide, and hydrogen bonds.•Modified porcine plasma ...protein hydrolysates had higher antioxidant activities.•Modified porcine plasma protein hydrolysates had higher emulsifying stability.•It also had decreased emulsifying activity due to lower surface hydrophobicity.
Physicochemical characteristics, antioxidant activities and emulsifying properties of porcine plasma protein hydrolysates (PPPH) modified with oxidized tannic acid (OTA) or oxidized chlorogenic acid (OCA) were investigated. The formation of complexes was showed by increased turbidity, and both OTA and OCA were covalently attached to PPPH as shown by the significantly decrease in free amino group contents (P < 0.05). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy also indicated cross-linking between PPPH and OTA or OCA through hydrogen bonds. More importantly, compared with PPPH alone, modification of OTA or OCA endowed PPPH with a higher emulsifying stability index and greater antioxidant activities. However, the emulsifying activity index of PPPH significantly decreased after modification (P < 0.05), which is associated with lower surface hydrophobicity. These results suggest that PPPH-OTA and PPPH-OCA complexes could be used as efficient antioxidants and potential emulsifiers in emulsion-food systems.
In any gamma-ray detector, each event produces electrical signals on one or more circuit elements. From these signals, we may wish to determine the presence of an interaction; whether multiple ...interactions occurred; the spatial coordinates in two or three dimensions of at least the primary interaction; or the total energy deposited in that interaction. We may also want to compute listmode probabilities for tomographic reconstruction. Maximum-likelihood methods provide a rigorous and in some senses optimal approach to extracting this information, and the associated Fisher information matrix provides a way of quantifying and optimizing the information conveyed by the detector. This paper will review the principles of likelihood methods as applied to gamma-ray detectors and illustrate their power with recent results from the Center for Gamma-ray Imaging.
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•Addition of OCA after emulsification induced higher stability of PPPH-stabilized emulsions.•Lipid and protein oxidation in PPPH-stabilized emulsions were inhibited by OCA.•PPPH-OCA ...complexes could provide a thicker interfacial film around oil droplets.
The stability of rapeseed oil-in-water emulsions prepared with porcine plasma protein hydrolysates (PPPH) created via limited-hydrolysis was investigated with respect to concentrations (0.1, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5%, w/w based on PPPH) of oxidized chlorogenic acid (OCA) added after emulsification. Compared to the emulsion with an absence of OCA, the incorporation of OCA induced significantly higher absolute ζ-potentials, smaller particle sizes (d3,2 and d4,3), lower flocculation factors (Ff) and lower coalescence indices (Ci) (P < 0.05). However, the emulsion with 1.0% OCA exhibited the greatest physical stability (P < 0.05), as evidenced by the partition of PPPH among the emulsions. Moreover, incorporation of OCA into PPPH-stabilized emulsions displayed an increased oxidative stability via inhibition of both lipid and protein oxidation in a concentration-dependent manner (P < 0.05). These results suggest that OCA could induce cross-linking of PPPH, which likely provided a thicker interfacial film around each oil droplet. Therefore, the addition of OCA after emulsification could increase the physical and oxidative stability of PPPH-stabilized emulsions.
Transforming growth factor—β (TGFβ) signaling drives aneurysm progression in multiple disorders, including Marfan syndrome (MFS), and therapies that inhibit this signaling cascade are in clinical ...trials. TGFβ can stimulate multiple intracellular signaling pathways, but it is unclear which of these pathways drives aortic disease and, when inhibited, which result in disease amelioration. Here we show that extracellular signal—regulated kinase (ERK) 1 and 2 and Smad2 are activated in a mouse model of MFS, and both are inhibited by therapies directed against TGFβ. Whereas selective inhibition of ERK1/2 activation ameliorated aortic growth, Smad4 deficiency exacerbated aortic disease and caused premature death in MFS mice. Smad4-deficient MFS mice uniquely showed activation of Jun N-terminal kinase—1 (JNK1), and a JNK antagonist ameliorated aortic growth in MFS mice that lacked or retained full Smad4 expression. Thus, noncanonical (Smad-independent) TGFβ signaling is a prominent driver of aortic disease in MFS mice, and inhibition of the ERK1/2 or JNK1 pathways is a potential therapeutic strategy for the disease.
Angiotensin II (AngII) mediates progression of aortic aneurysm, but the relative contribution of its type 1 (AT1) and type 2 (AT2) receptors remains unknown. We show that loss of AT2 expression ...accelerates the aberrant growth and rupture of the aorta in a mouse model of Marfan syndrome (MFS). The selective AT1 receptor blocker (ARB) losartan abrogated aneurysm progression in the mice; full protection required intact AT2 signaling. The angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi) enalapril, which limits signaling through both receptors, was less effective. Both drugs attenuated canonical transforming growth factor—β (TGFβ) signaling in the aorta, but losartan uniquely inhibited TGFβ-mediated activation of extracellular signal—regulated kinase (ERK), by allowing continued signaling through AT2. These data highlight the protective nature of AT2 signaling and potentially inform the choice of therapies in MFS and related disorders.
Zearalenone (ZEA) is produced mainly by fungi belonging to genus Fusarium in foods and feeds. Heterophil extracellular traps (HETs) are a novel defense mechanism of chicken innate immunity involving ...activated heterophils. However, the conditions and requirements for ZEA-triggered HET release remain unknown. In this study, immunostaining analysis demonstrated that ZEA-triggered extracellular fibers were composed of histone and elastase assembled on DNA skeleton, showing that ZEA can induce the formation of HETs. Further experiments indicated that ZEA-induced HET release was concentration-dependent (ranging from 20 to 80 μM ZEA) and time-dependent (ranging from 30 to 180 min). Moreover, in 80 μM ZEA-exposed chicken heterophils, reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and glutathione (GSH) content were increased. Simultaneously, ZEA at 80 μM activated ERK and p38 MAPK signaling pathways by increasing the phosphorylation level of ERK and p38 proteins. Pharmacological inhibition assays revealed that blocking nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase, ERK, and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) reduced ZEA-induced ROS levels but had no impact on HET formation. Furthermore, immunostaining analysis indicated that the heterophil underwent the formation of autophagosome based on being stained with LC3B. The pharmacological inhibition assays demonstrated that rapamycin-, wortmannin-, and 3-methyladenine (3-MA)-treatments modulated ZEA-triggered HET formation, indicating that heterophil autophagy played a key role in ZEA-induced HET formation. Further studies on energy metabolism showed that inhibition of lactate/glucose transport, hexokinase-2 (HK-2), fructose-2,6-biphosphatase 3 (PFKFB3) in glycolysis abated ZEA-induced HETs, implying that glycolysis was one of the factors influencing the ZEA-induced HET formation. Besides, inhibition of the peptidylarginine deiminase (PAD) enzyme and P2X1 significantly reduced the ZEA-induced HET formation. In conclusion, we demonstrated that ZEA-triggered HET formation, which was associated with glycolysis, autophagy, PAD enzyme, and P2X1 receptor activation, providing valuable insight into the negative effect of ZEA on chicken innate immunity.
Fumonisin B1 (FB1), a worldwide contaminating mycotoxin produced by Fusarium, poses a great threat to the poultry industry. It was reported that extracellular traps could be induced by FB1 ...efficiently in chickens. However, the relevance of autophagy and glycolysis in FB1-triggered heterophil extracellular trap (HET) formation is unclear. In this study, immunostaining revealed that FB1-induced HETs structures were composed of DNA coated with histones H3, and elastase, and that heterophils underwent LC3B-related autophagosome formation assembly driven by FB1. Western blotting showed that FB1 downregulated the phosphorylated phosphoinositide 3-kinase3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)/mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) axis and raised the AMP-activated kinase α (AMPKα) activation protein. Furthermore, rapamycin- and 3-Methyladenine (3-MA)-treatments modulated FB1-triggered HET formation according to the pharmacological analysis. Further studies on energy metabolism showed that glucose/lactate transport and glycolysis inhibitors abated FB1-induced HETs. These results showed that FB1-induced HET formation might interact with the autophagy process and relied on glucose/monocarboxylic acid transporter 1 (MCT1) and glycolysis, reflecting chicken's early innate immune responses against FB1 intake.
Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS) associates with a tissue signature for high transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling but is often caused by heterozygous mutations in genes encoding positive effectors ...of TGF-β signaling, including either subunit of the TGF-β receptor or SMAD3, thereby engendering controversy regarding the mechanism of disease. Here, we report heterozygous mutations or deletions in the gene encoding the TGF-β2 ligand for a phenotype within the LDS spectrum and show upregulation of TGF-β signaling in aortic tissue from affected individuals. Furthermore, haploinsufficient Tgfb2(+/-) mice have aortic root aneurysm and biochemical evidence of increased canonical and noncanonical TGF-β signaling. Mice that harbor both a mutant Marfan syndrome (MFS) allele (Fbn1(C1039G/+)) and Tgfb2 haploinsufficiency show increased TGF-β signaling and phenotypic worsening in association with normalization of TGF-β2 expression and high expression of TGF-β1. Taken together, these data support the hypothesis that compensatory autocrine and/or paracrine events contribute to the pathogenesis of TGF-β-mediated vasculopathies.
► Preparation of amphoteric chitosan-based flocculants. ► Notable improved solubility and salt-resistance of the amphoteric flocculants. ► Investigation of the flocculation performances at the ...laboratory and pilot scales. ► Study on the flocculation mechanism from the conformations of polymeric flocculants and flocculation kinetics.
In this study, a kind of amphoteric chitosan-based flocculants (3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (CTA) modified carboxymethyl chitosan, denoted as CMC-CTA) have been prepared. The amphoteric flocculants showed notable improvement in solubility and salt-resistance in the whole pH range compared with its precursors, i.e., chitosan and cationic chitosan. The flocculation properties of CMC-CTA were systematically studied at both the laboratory and pilot scales. At laboratory scale, kaolin suspension was employed as synthetic water in the beaker experiment. The effects of pH, temperature, and original turbidity of untreated water on the dosage and flocculation performances were investigated, respectively. At pH below and above the isoelectric point of CMC-CTA, the optimal flocculation performances were obtained with a dosage of 0.03–0.20
mg/L and 0.8–1.0
mg/L, respectively. The flocculation mechanism was discussed in detail from the morphologies of polymeric flocculants and flocculation kinetics: The shape and charge of polymer chains in the solution greatly influenced the final flocculation performances; The flocculation kinetics agreed well with the particle collision model. Moreover, raw water from the Zhenjiang part of the Yangtze River in China was used for the further investigation of the flocculation properties at the pilot scale. The influences of dosage, sedimentation time, and mechanical mixing rate to the flocculation properties were studied by orthogonal testing. The optimal experimental condition was then obtained. Compared with the currently used flocculants in the Zhenjiang Water Factory, i.e., polyferric sulfate, which has an optimal dosage around 40
mg/L, the value of CMC-CTA (1.1
mg/L) decreased greatly. Above all, the flocculation experiments at the laboratory and pilot scales both indicate that the amphoteric chitosan-based flocculants have good flocculation performances in a wide pH range.
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