Journal of Food Biochemistry最新文献

Background: Proinflammatory cytokines TNFα and IL1β drive esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cell proliferation. However, the underlying molecular mechanism and potential therapeutic interventions to target this inflammatory signaling remain unclear.

Methods: Plasminogen activator urokinase (PLAU) expression was analyzed using the public database (GEO and iProX) and molecular experiments (qRT-PCR and Western blotting). The DNA-binding activity of nuclear factor κB (NFκB) at the promoter of PLAU was analyzed using several online servers (AnimalTFDB, JASPAR, PROMO, Cistrome, and UCSC) and confirmed through ChIP-qPCR. The role of PLAU in ESCC proliferation was investigated through PLAU overexpression experiments, GO annotation, CCK8 assay, and 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) incorporation assay.

Results: PLAU expression was significantly higher in ESCC tissues compared to normal tissues and in ESCC cells compared to immortalized esophageal epithelial cells. Treatment with TNFα and IL1β induced NFκB binding at the PLAU promoter in ESCC cells, leading to increased PLAU expression. Conversely, treatment with BAY11-7082, an NFκB inhibitor, significantly blocked this upregulation. Overexpression of PLAU promoted ESCC cell proliferation. Thus, our findings demonstrate that the TNFα/IL1β-NFκB-PLAU axis promotes ESCC cell proliferation. Moreover, EGCG inhibited NFκB binding to the PLAU promoter, thereby preventing PLAU upregulation in TNFα/IL1β-treated ESCC cells and inhibiting ESCC cell proliferation induced by PLAU overexpression.

Conclusion: EGCG effectively blocks the inflammatory signaling TNFα/IL1β-NFκB-PLAU, thereby inhibiting ESCC cell proliferation. Our study provides new insights into blocking the pro-proliferative role of inflammation in ESCC and highlights EGCG as a potential therapeutic agent.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignancy of the digestive tract. Although chemotherapy is considered the most effective method for the treatment of CRC, these drugs have significant side effects. The identification of antitumour active ingredients with high efficiency and fewer toxic side effects from natural products is important. The effects of polyphenols from artificially cultivated Morchella sextelata (MSP) on CRC were analysed at the cellular level. The antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects of MSP on HCT 116 and HT-29 CRC cells were determined by a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, a colony formation assay, morphological observation and flow cytometry. The anti-CRC effects and their molecular mechanism were subsequently explored by RT-qPCR, Western blotting, mitochondrial membrane potential assays, reactive oxygen species (ROS) level assays and antioxidant enzyme system assays. MSP had dose-dependent cytotoxic effects as revealed by the inhibition of colony formation and induction of morphological changes and apoptosis in HCT 116 and HT-29 cells. The RT-qPCR results revealed that MSP treatment decreased the expression of Bcl-2 and upregulated the expression of Bax, caspase-3 and caspase-9, which were verified by Western blot experiments. Furthermore, MSP led to the destruction of the mitochondrial membrane potential, which suggested that MSP induced mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in these two cell types. In addition, treatment with MSP increased ROS levels and reduced the levels of the antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione S-transferase (GSH-ST) and γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase (γ-GCS) in the two cell lines. The apoptotic effects induced by MSP were significantly reversed by the ROS inhibitor N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), indicating that MSP induced apoptosis by increasing the intracellular ROS content of these two cell types. The above results indicated that MSP induced the apoptosis in the CRC cell lines HCT 116 and HT-29 through the ROS-mediated endogenous mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. The conclusions drawn from these experiments were based on in vitro cell experiments, and the results of this study provide a research basis for further in-depth experiments.

Many terrible illnesses and disorders that modern man is dealing with today were not even known to ancient man. The only factor contributing to this disastrous situation is dietary habits. Thus, by avoiding and controlling them, replacing meals high in empty calories with nutrient-dense millets helps to alleviate the combined burden of contemporary metabolic illnesses and malnutrition. Because millet contains various nutrients, including proteins, minerals, lipids, vitamins, phytochemicals, dietary fiber, and complex carbohydrates, it positively impacts the immune system. Among whole millets, little millet (Panicum sumatrense) is one nutritious millet that contributes significantly to the supply of macro- and micronutrients and bioactive substances, including phenols, tannins, and phytates. However, some processing techniques, such as germination, fermentation, milling, and extrusion, impact little millet’s nutrients and bioactive chemicals by increasing or decreasing these phytochemicals. These nutrients and bioactive substances have physiological and beneficial properties related to health, such as weight management, antioxidants, antidiabetics, anticancer, antiobesity, and cardiovascular disease potential. It is also beneficial in preventing the risk of inflammatory, antirheumatic, and chronic disorders, as it possesses various value-added bioactive compounds such as kaempferol, luteolin, and apigenin. Little millet also contains some antinutrients such as tannins, oxalate, trypsin inhibitors, and phytate. These substances bind to the necessary nutrients, rendering them unavailable or limiting their utilization. The nutrients, processing effects, bioactive compounds, and health advantages of these compounds in little millet are all summarized in this paper.

Background: Paidu powder (PDP) is a formula that is used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practices and has been demonstrated to be effective to lower blood uric acid (UA) level.

Methods: Network pharmacology was employed to probe the mechanistic basis for the beneficial effects of PDP. Then, PDP was subjected to Aspergillus oryza AS3.042 fermentation, and the primary bioactive compounds in the resultant samples were analyzed via HPLC. A clinical study was then performed to test the therapeutic effects of unfermented and fermented PDP on HUA.

Results: Network pharmacology strategies identified 122 active compounds and 924 HUA-related target genes, with 61 overlapping targets relative to PDP and HUA ultimately being selected. These target genes were associated with 474 GO biological process terms and 136 KEGG pathways. Moreover, good binding was observed between three main bioactive compounds of interest and nine primary target proteins. Notably, the levels of the top three bioactive compounds (quercetin, kaempferol, and naringenin) were significantly elevated by 308.96%, 1386.44%, and 719.21%, respectively, following fermentation. Clinical analyses indicated that both PDP and fermented PDP treatment significantly reduced UA, CRE, and BUN levels (p < 0.01), with a higher overall efficacy rate in the fermented PDP group relative to the unfermented PDP group (p < 0.01). Fewer adverse reactions were also observed in the fermented PDP group.

Conclusion: These results offer novel insights into the putative mechanisms through which PDP can exert its beneficial effects against HUA, offering a novel basis for the identification of the pharmacological effects of this popular TCM prescription.

The search for new drugs to treat ulcerative colitis (UC) is ongoing, with the use of herbal extracts emerging as a current research focus in this field. This study primarily intended to investigate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of the ethanolic extract of Thymus longicaulis subsp. chaubardii (TLC) in vitro. Secondly, we aimed to perform an acetic acid (AA)–induced rat UC model and assess the effects of TLC extract (200 mg/kg/orally/day, during three days) using ELISA test in terms of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-17, IL-10, Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase, TLR-9, MMP-3 level, caspase-3 and caspase-9, luminol, lucigenin, and SOD. In addition, we accomplished macroscopic and histological evaluations. Our phytochemical investigation revealed TLC contained secondary metabolites including total phenolic, total flavonoid, and total triterpenes in quite concentrated amounts. The extract demonstrated anti-2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity that was 2.3 times more potent than ascorbic acid, anti-2,2-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) free radical scavenging activity that was 3.28 times less potent than Trolox, and antilipoxygenase Type V (LOX-5) activity that was 1.31 times more potent than indomethacin in vitro. Due to colitis, increased luminol and lucigenin CL, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-17, TLR-9, caspase-3, caspase-9, MMP-3, and macroscopic and microscopic scores and decreased IL-10, Na+/K + -ATPase levels in colon ameliorated with TLC and sulfasalazine (as reference drug) treatments. As a result, it can be said that TLC improves UC in rats, mainly on account of its free radical scavenging activity, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic effects.

This study investigates the influence of water physicochemical properties on the growth, production, nutritional composition, and antioxidant properties of Gracilaria tenuistipitata, cultivated at two different sites (Gangamati and Hazipur) along the northern Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh. The water quality parameters were monitored weekly. Results revealed that the Gangamati site is characterized by significantly higher (p < 0.05) salinity (14.75 ± 4.89 ppt), transparency (60.50 ± 9.57 cm), and total dissolved solids (6154.90 ± 1492.50 mg/L) compared to the Hazipur site. The Gangamati site significantly (p < 0.05) outperformed the Hazipur site in terms of daily growth rate and production. Furthermore, proximate composition analysis indicated significantly higher (p < 0.05) protein (25.06 ± 0.90% DW), lipid (1.22 ± 0.05% DW), fiber (7.03 ± 0.76% DW), and carbohydrate (38.41 ± 0.80% DW) contents in seaweed from the Gangamati site. The mineral content of G. tenuistipitata was also influenced by the culture site significantly (p < 0.05). Amino acid analysis demonstrated superior protein quality in Gangamati seaweed, with significantly higher levels of essential (77.286 ± 0.06 mg/g) and nonessential (95.243 ± 0.07 mg/g) amino acids than the Hazipur site. The fatty acid profiles varied significantly between the two sites, with seaweed from the Gangamati site exhibiting higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids (41.27 ± 0.05%) compared to Hazipur, indicating superior nutritional lipid quality indices. Bioactive compounds were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in Gangamati seaweed, along with higher antioxidant activity. Overall, these results indicate that the Gangamati estuary provides a better environment for the cultivation of G. tenuistipitata, resulting in seaweed with superior nutritional and bioactive properties.

Purpose: Caffeine has been widely studied for its lipid-lowering and blood-glucose–lowering effects. This study aimed to investigate whether caffeine can regulate adipocyte autophagy through the AMPK/SIRT1 signaling pathway, both in vivo and in vitro, thereby exerting a hypoglycemic effect.

Method: Western blot analysis was conducted to assess changes in the expression levels of FASN, ACC, pACC, SIRT1, LC3II/I, and pAMPKα in 3T3-L1 cells following caffeine treatment. The size of the lipid droplets was evaluated using Oil Red O staining. Mito Tracker Red and qRT-PCR were employed to quantify the number of mitochondria in the cells. Six-week-old C57BL/6J mice were divided into three groups: control, high-fat diet (HFD), and HFD + caffeine. After 11 weeks of feeding, insulin resistance was assessed using insulin tolerance and glucose tolerance tests. The expression levels of AMPKα, SIRT1, PPARγ, P62, and LC3II/I in the adipose tissue of each group were measured using Western Blotting. Serum levels of triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and leptin were determined by Elisa. Finally, hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was performed to observe the size of adipocytes in visceral adipose tissue.

Results: Caffeine significantly inhibits the expression of proteins associated with fat synthesis and reduces lipid droplet size in 3T3-L1 cells. In addition, caffeine robustly activates the AMPK/SIRT1 signaling pathway in 3T3-L1 cells, promoting autophagy and enhancing mitochondrial biogenesis. In animal models, caffeine effectively attenuates weight gain and insulin resistance induced by a HFD while reducing serum TG and TC levels. Furthermore, caffeine suppresses leptin resistance and mitigates the increased food intake associated with a HFD. Notably, caffeine enhances AMPKα phosphorylation levels and SIRT1 expression in visceral fat, facilitating adipocyte autophagy and reducing lipid accumulation. At the cellular level, caffeine significantly promotes mitochondrial biogenesis.

Conclusion: Caffeine enhances autophagy in adipocytes by activating the AMPK/SIRT1 signaling pathway of adipocytes, contributing to antiobesity effects and improving insulin resistance.

The global drive toward transformative food systems has intensified focus on value addition and the development of functional foods from agricultural by-products. Pineapple processing significantly contributes to the food industry yet generates substantial waste, primarily in the form of peels. These by-products are often discarded, representing an untapped resource for potential functional food ingredients. This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the nutritional and chemical composition of pineapple rind flour (PRF) as a novel functional ingredient. PRF was prepared by dehydrating fresh pineapple rinds at 50°C for 12 h using a 21S01 DOOSAT air fryer oven. The flour was subjected to various analyses including proximate composition, vitamin and mineral profiling, essential amino acid quantification, phytochemical characterization, physicochemical property assessment and antioxidant capacity evaluation using standard analytical procedures. The results revealed that PRF contains significant nutritional components: 5.99% protein, 3.92% crude fibre and 3.81% ash. Furthermore, mineral analysis showed high concentrations of potassium (941 mg/100 g), zinc (16.04 mg/100 g) and iron (36.22 mg/100 g). Vitamins A (6.52 mg/100 g) and C (28.82 mg/100 g) were present in appreciable quantities, with B-vitamins ranging from 2.33 mg/100 g to 4.16 mg/100 g. Also, PRF showed significant essential fatty acid including oleic (65.77 mg/100 g), linoleic (172.00 mg/100 g) and arachidonic acids (169.04 mg/100 g). Additionally, phytochemical analysis revealed substantial amounts of total phenols (131.32 mgGAE/g), flavonoids (97.08 mgQE/g) and cardiac glycosides (64.26 mg/g). The antioxidant capacity of PRF as measured by FRAP, DPPH and ABTS was 181.31 μmol FeSO4/g), 96.47% and 88.22 μmol TE/g DW, respectively. Importantly, antinutritional factors were present in low concentrations. These findings demonstrate the potential of PRF as a nutrient-dense functional food ingredient, suggesting that its incorporation into food products could contribute to improved their nutritional profiles while concurrently offering a sustainable solution to agricultural waste management.