International Journal of Biological Macromolecules最新文献

Rice with high resistant starch (RS) exhibits the potential to improve glucose metabolism, insulin sensitivity. In this study, using two rice varieties-Samgwang, a medium-amylose rice, and Dodamssal, a high-amylose rice containing RS-we analyzed the composition and molecular structural characteristics of brown rice and its starch and the effects on fasting blood glucose levels, fecal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA), and gut microbiota after 8 weeks of consumption in mice. The amylose content of heat-treated Samgwang (HS) and -Dodamssal (HD) was 21.0 ± 0.2 and 47.5 ± 0.3 %, respectively, while RS contents were 0.8 ± 0.0 and 14.7 ± 1.0 %. HD exhibited a C-type starch crystallinity with a lower proportion of short chains and a higher proportion of long chains compared to HS. HD-fed mice exhibited lower fasting blood glucose levels and the highest SCFA levels in their feces. They also had the highest abundance of Ruminococcus bromii, an RS-degrading bacterium, the highest positive correlation with Faecalicatena fissicatena (r = 0.9), and the highest negative correlation with Lachnoclostridium scindens and Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus (r = -0.8). Overall, HD consumption can improve glucose metabolism by increasing intestinal SCFA production and can serve as a prebiotic dietary ingredient to improve obesity and diabetes.

Ultra-high pressure (UHP) treatment is considered a non-thermo physical treatment technology with a "clean label". Starch is an ideal stabilizer for food-grade Pickering emulsions. This study aimed to investigate the effects of ultra-high pressure (UHP) modification of rice starch on its structure, water/oil absorption, and emulsification properties under different pressure treatments (100-500 MPa), the results showed that the morphology of the starch granules and crystalline structure did not change significantly at lower pressures. Conversely, the particle size of starch increased significantly from 4.85 to 110.13 μm, the relative crystallinity (RC) obviously decreased from 18.89 % to 9.18 %, and the starch granules were destroyed and formed more fragments at higher pressure (500 MPa). The results of water/oil absorption indicated that the oil absorption slightly increased under UHP treatment, but water absorption intensively increased under higher pressure (500 MPa). The emulsifying capacity was significantly enhanced at 500 MPa after 8, 16, and 24 min. The UHP treatment induced swelling and disruption of starch granules at higher pressure (500 MPa). The starch fragments and the released starch molecules stabilized the droplets. This study provides a reference for the application of UHP processing in the starchy foods.

Rabbit meat, recognized for its nutritional value, is gaining global attention. However, the inferior functional properties of rabbit myofibrillar proteins lead to quality degradation during the production process. Glycosylation represents an effective method for enhancing protein functionality. This study investigated the glycosylation modification of rabbit myofibrillar proteins. The results demonstrated that solubility of glucose-glycosylated products increased by 34 %, while the reduction capacity improved from 0.15 mg/mL to 1.6 mg/mL. The OH free radical scavenging ability increased from 63.94 % to 94.21 %. β-Glucan-glycosylated products exhibited the highest thermal stability, and their DPPH free radical scavenging rate increased from 19.68 % to 76.21 %. Glycosylation also induced changes in protein conformation, characterized by a 10-30 °C increase in thermal denaturation peak temperature, gradual attenuation of endogenous fluorescence intensity, gradual enhancement of λ_max redshift, and a 30-40 % decrease in surface hydrophobicity. Molecular docking simulations revealed that the primary interactions between glucose, lactose, and β-Glucan with myofibrillar proteins involve hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces. In conclusion, glycosylation can effectively improve the functional properties of proteins, contributing to the development and production of high-quality, stable, and nutritious rabbit meat products.

Dictyophora indusiata (D. indusiata) is an elegant fungus known as the "mushroom queen" because of its rich nutritional value and resemblance to dancers wearing clean white dresses. Due to the harsh growth environment, the yield of D. indusiata is relatively low. Polysaccharides are the most abundant component among them and it is valued for its unique physiological function. Multiple extraction and purification methods have been used to separate and purify polysaccharides from D. indusiata. These polysaccharides have demonstrated strong biological activities in vitro and in vivo, including anti-inflammatory, anti-tumour, immunomodulatory, antioxidant and anti-hyperlipidemic effects. In addition, D. indusiata polysaccharides have shown promising potential for development and application in the areas of food, healthcare products, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Recent advances in the extraction, purification, structural characterization, biological activities and application prospects of D. indusiata polysaccharides were summarized. This review may enrich the knowledge about bioactive polysaccharides from D. indusiata and provide a theoretical basis. Due to diverse potential health-promoting properties of D. indusiata polysaccharides, further development for their application in functional foods and pharmaceuticals is expected.

Lignin-based dye dispersants (LDD), as one of the most common lignin resource end-application product, is difficult to meet the rapidly developing needs of modern fiber dyeing due to their inherent structural defects. The efficient upgrading and modification of LDD is of great significance to the value-added application of lignin resources and the expansion of LDD sinking market. In this study, using industrial kraft lignin as raw material, cashew phenol was introduced into lignosulfonate in the form of CC bonds by ingenious utilizing the structural characteristics of lignin disordered condensation. Aromatic ring in cashew phenol could provide sufficient sulfonic acid group grafting sites, while C₁₅ fatty chain could enhance steric hindrance effect. In the dispersibility test, the dispersing power showed 99.09 %, and the low/high temperature dispersion (LTD/HTD) were 5 s/4 and 6 s/4, respectively, higher than the dispersibility level of LDD in the market, has great commercial value and industrial potential. Combined with FTIR, ¹H NMR, GPC and ICP, the structural properties of lignin were analyzed in detail, and the degree of sulfonation-condensation was balanced-optimized. The CC bond condensation process between cashew phenol and lignin was revealed, and the mechanism of action on dye particles was elucidated.

Stretchable bioelectronics advancements have placed higher demands on conductive elastic film. However, the high conductivity of elastomers largely relies on the substantial content of costly conductive fillers while being environmentally unfriendly. Herein, in order to achieve a win-win situation for the economy and the environment, guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride (CGG) was introduced in epoxy natural rubber (ENR) to prepare biobased conductive film. During film-forming, CGG is selectively fixed around the latex particles, thereby forming a continuous segregated network. This structure can be transformed into nanofluidic channels upon hygroscopic, resulting in low volume resistance of 211 Ω·cm (≈280 times decrease). Simultaneously, the toughness of the film is increased to 10.8 MJ/m³ (≈20 times increase) due to the "reinforced concrete structure" effect of the network of CGG. Notably, the presence of segregated network also improved the response to strain (gauge factor of 19.1) and humidity (relative resistance change of 95.9 %). Therefore, the material can be used as wearable flexible sensors. This study not only reveals the formation process of segregated structures in detail but also has significantly advanced our comprehension of biosourced conductive film.

Modification of chitosan has been achieved by the reaction of chitosan with 4- nitro-benzaldehyde via the sol-gel method, resulting in a Schiff base. A novel magnetic Graphitic Carbon Nitride/chitosan-Schiff base/N_iFe₂O₃ (SBIV@NiFe/g-C₃N₄) adsorbent was synthesized by hydrothermal route for the adsorption of Cu(II) and Hg(II) ions from the aquatic environment. The synthesized SBIV@NiFe/g-C₃N₄ was characterized using infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), with a surface area of approximately 13.657 m²/g. It was anticipated by the results that magnetic SBIV@NiFe/g-C₃N₄ would be effectively synthesized. On Cu(II) and Hg(II) adsorption, the impacts of significant variables, including pH solution, contact duration, metal ion concentration, adsorbent dosage, and co-existing ions, were examined. Under ideal circumstances, the optimum adsorption capacities of Cu(II) and Hg(II) ions were 889.76 mg/g and 703.21 mg/g, respectively. Furthermore, the SBIV@NiFe/g-C₃N₄ material exhibited the beneficial property of simple separation, permitting the continuation of high removal effectiveness for heavy metals like Cu (II) and Hg(II) despite experiencing many reuse cycles. In summary, there are a lot of opportunities for the effective elimination of Cu (II) and Hg (II) from different water sources shortly with the use of SBIV@NiFe/g-C₃N₄, a new adsorbent. The as-synthesized SBIV@NiFe/g-C₃N₄ displayed better antibacterial activity against highly lethal bacteria like S. aureus and P. vulgaris.

This research introduces a pioneering porous sponge composed of sodium alginate/gellan gum polymers manufactured via the freeze-drying method. Bromelain was encapsulated in H. italicum nanoemulsion and sprayed using a spray device containing a glass gun with a 0.2 μm nozzle. Physicochemical properties, including swelling capacity (1570.48 ± 54.2), porosity (88.860 ± 5.7), biodegradability (98.21 ± 8), shape memory, FTIR, and SEM analyses were performed. Blood absorption (1465 ± 82 %), anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial activity against various pathogens (35 mm S. aureus, 23 mm E. coli, 21 mm P. aeruginosa) also were investigated. SA/GG/BR/NEHro sponge showed excellent anti-inflammatory (89.34 ± 4.2) and demonstrated effective antibacterial properties, which can help safeguard the wound against bacterial infection. FTIR analysis correctly confirms the presence of bromelain and oil nanoemulsion and SEM micrograph analysis showed high porosity of sponges containing H. italicum oil nanoemulsion. SA/GG/BR/NEHro exhibited remarkable compressive flexibility, mechanical stability, and shape memory properties. The results also show that bromelain helped reduce inflammation, promote tissue repair, and accelerate wound closure. In vitro and in vivo wound healing studies revealed that the sponges exhibited excellent homeostasis. Notably, the SA/GG/BR/NEHro sponge achieved complete closure of full-thickness wounds (100 %), underscoring its exceptional performance in wound repair and regeneration.

Yellow tepal is a unique trait of the American lotus (Nelumbo lutea), and all yellow lotus cultivars in the market possess genetic material from the American lotus. However, the formation of yellow tepals in lotus and the genetic mechanism of their formation remain unclear. In this study, we identified a transposon DNA/hAT-Ac, located within the promoter region of an R2R3-MYB transcription factor, MYB12, by comparing the insertion patterns of transposons in the genomes of American and Asian lotus (Nelumbo nucifera). The transposon was found exclusively in yellow lotus cultivars and not in red or white lotus. The insertion of DNA/hAT-Ac facilitated the specific expression of MYB12 in the yellow lotus tepals. Transient expression in lotus tepals, dual-luciferase, and yeast one-hybrid assays demonstrated that MYB12 promotes the accumulation of carotenoids and flavonols by activating the expression of genes involved in carotenoid and flavonols biosynthesis, and it directly binds to the promoters of PSY and FLS. Our results indicated that the transposon DNA/hAT-Ac-mediated specific expression of MYB12 is crucial for the formation of yellow tepals in lotus, and the findings provide a theoretical basis for the breeding of yellow lotus cultivars.

The global concern over microbial resistance, particularly the emergence of antibiotic resistance, underscores the imperative for novel antimicrobial strategies. Plant essential oils and biopolymers offer promising alternatives to conventional drugs for bacterial and fungal infections. The objective was to achieve optimized antibacterial activity and to identify the phytochemical component of the essential oil. The essential oils passed the screening confirmed by Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The synthesized hydrogel was prepared by freeze drying polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/gum Arabic (GA) with the addition of a crosslinker. The Essential oils compounds' antimicrobial effectiveness was confirmed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis upon their integration into the hydrogel membrane. Furthermore, scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis was performed to investigate the morphological structure of the hydrogel membranes, and the results indicated that the material was successfully loaded. The antibacterial efficacy was evaluated against two gram positive and gram-negative bacteria strain. The best results of the antibacterial study for the synthesized hydrogels were obtained with the addition of 0.2 mL of Schinus Molle Essential Oil (SMEO) to the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/gum Arabic (GA) hydrogels of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis), which were 10.2±0.16 mm and 9.3 ± 0.3 mm, respectively, while those of 0.4 mL were 8.2 ±0.21 mm and 8.2±0.3 mm, respectively. Additionally, with 0.2 mL of Schinus Molle Essential Oil (SMEOs), the moisture retention capacity (MRC) and water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) were 93.12 % and 32.73 g/m²h, respectively. The results of this research study suggested that the phytochemical component of the essential oil and the synthesized hydrogel membrane exhibit greater antibacterial activity and physical features, making it suitable for use in various biomedical applications.