Effectiveness of Chitosan as a Dietary Supplement in Lowering Cholesterol in Murine Models: A Meta-Analysis

This study presents a meta-analysis of studies that investigate the effectiveness of chitosan administration on lifestyle-related disease in murine models. A total of 34 published studies were used to evaluate the effect of chitosan supplementation. The effect sizes for various items after chitosan administration were evaluated using the standardized mean difference. Using Cochran’s Q test, the heterogeneity of effect sizes was assessed, after which a meta-ANOVA and -regression test was conducted to explain the heterogeneity of effect sizes using the mixed-effect model. Publication bias was performed using Egger’s linear regression test. Among the items evaluated, blood triglyceride and HDL-cholesterol showed the highest heterogeneity, respectively. Other than blood HDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglyceride in feces, most items evaluated showed a negative effect size with high significance in the fixed- and random-effect model (p < 0.0001). In the meta-ANOVA and -regression test, administering chitosan and resistant starch was revealed to be most effective in lowering body weight. In addition, chitosan supplementation proved to be an effective solution for serum TNF-α inhibition. In conclusion, chitosan has been shown to be somewhat useful in improving symptoms of lifestyle-related disease. Although there are some limitations in the results of this meta-analysis due to the limited number of animal experiments conducted, chitosan administration nevertheless shows promise in reducing the risk of cholesterol related metabolic disorder.     

Inhibitory activity of Ecklonia stolonifera and its isolated phlorotannins against Cu2+-induced low-density lipoprotein oxidation

Since the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is one of the main causes of atherosclerosis, Cu²⁺-induced LDL oxidation and conjugated diene formation is currently being explored for the development of pharmaceutical drugs or functional foods for the treatment of atherosclerosis. The present work investigated the inhibitory effects on in vitro Cu²⁺-induced human LDL oxidation and conjugated diene formation of the methanol (MeOH) extract of the edible brown alga (Ecklonia stolonifera) and its different solvent-soluble fractions, as well as the phlorotannins isolated from them. The most active ethyl acetate fraction was selected for chromatographic separation to isolate six phlorotannins: phloroglucinol (1), dioxinodehydroeckol (2), eckol (3), phlorofucofuroeckol A (4), dieckol (5), and 7-phloroeckol (6). Compounds 3?C6 showed potent inhibitory activity against Cu²⁺-induced LDL oxidation as compared with probucol, a well-known clinical therapeutic agent for hypercholesterolemia. Moreover, when compound 5 (at levels of 9 and 4.5???M) was used in combination with probucol (4.5???M), they additively inhibited Cu²⁺-induced LDL oxidation. In addition, 3?C5 significantly prolonged the lag time of conjugated diene formation at 10???M. These results suggest that the potent antiatherosclerotic effects of E. stolonifera and its isolated phlorotannins may be partly attributed to the inhibition of Cu²⁺-induced LDL oxidation and conjugated diene formation.     

Soil Contamination Caused by Emergency Bio-Reduction of Catastrophic Livestock Mortalities

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution - The variations of tropospheric ozone levels was assessed for the first time in the Boukornine National Park (N.E. Tunisia) by detection of leaf injury development...     

Regiospecific flavonoid 7-O-methylation with Streptomyces avermitilis O-methyltransferase expressed in Escherichia coli

O-Methylation, commonly found in synthesis of secondary metabolites of plants and micro-organisms, appears to transfer a methyl group to the hydroxyl group of the recipient which increases the hydrophobicity of the recipient. O-Methyltransferase (OMT), , was isolated and characterized from Streptomyces avermitilis MA-4680. Its amino acid sequence showed 68% similarity with antibiotic C-1027 OMT and 53% similarity with the carminomycin 4-OMT. was expressed in E. coli as a His-tag fusion protein and showed that the methyl was transferred onto the 7-hydroxyl group of the isoflavones, daidzein and genistein, and the flavones, kaempferol and quercetin, as well as the flavanone naringenin. NMR and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry were used to confirm the location of the methyl group on the recipient compound of naringenin, which was biotransformed into sakuranetin by E. coli transformant expressing (E. coli Sa-2). Therefore, E. coli Sa-2 would be used for the synthesis of the antifungal flavonoid, sakuranetin, through biotransformation.     

(−)-Loliolide Isolated from Sargassum horneri Abate UVB-Induced Oxidative Damage in Human Dermal Fibroblasts and Subside ECM Degradation

Ultraviolet (UV) B exposure is a prominent cause of skin aging and a contemporary subject of interest. The effects are progressing through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that alter cell signaling pathways related to inflammatory responses. The present study evaluates the protective effects of (7aR)-6-hydroxy-4,4,7a-trimethyl-6,7-dihydro-5H-1-benzofuran-2-one (HTT) isolated from the edible brown algae Sargassum horneri against UVB protective effects in human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs). HTT treatment dose-dependently suppressed intracellular ROS generation in HDFs with an IC₅₀ of 62.43 ± 3.22 µM. HTT abated UVB-induced mitochondrial hyperpolarization and apoptotic body formation. Furthermore, UVB-induced activation of key nuclear factor (NF)-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling proteins were suppressed in HTT treated cells while downregulating pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1β, 6, 8, 33 and tumor necrosis factor-α). Moreover, HTT treatment downregulated matrix metalloproteinase1, 2, 3, 8, 9 and 13 that was further confirmed by the inhibition of collagenase and elastase activity. The evidence implies that HTT delivers protective effects against premature skin aging caused by UVB exposure via suppressing inflammatory responses and degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) components. Extensive research in this regard will raise perspectives for using HTT as an ingredient in UV protective ointments.     

Development of a Research Platform for Dissecting Phenotype–Genotype Associations in Rice (Oryza spp.)

We present an overview of a research platform that provides essential germplasm, genotypic and phenotypic data and analytical tools for dissecting phenotype–genotype associations in rice. These resources include a diversity panel of 400 Oryza sativa and 100 Oryza rufipogon accessions that have been purified by single seed descent, a custom-designed Affymetrix array consisting of 44,100 SNPs, an Illumina GoldenGate assay consisting of 1,536 SNPs, and a suite of low-resolution 384-SNP assays for the Illumina BeadXpress Reader that are designed for applications in breeding, genetics and germplasm management. Our long-term goal is to empower basic research discoveries in rice by linking sequence diversity with physiological, morphological, and agronomic variation. This research platform will also help increase breeding efficiency by providing a database of diversity information that will enable researchers to identify useful DNA polymorphisms in genes and germplasm of interest and convert that information into cost-effective tools for applied plant improvement.     

Comparison of clinical and inflammatory parameters in dogs with pyometra before and after ovariohysterectomy

This study aimed to identify potential biomarkers of canine pyometra and their correlations with clinical parameters. First, 90 dogs with pyometra and 26 healthy female dogs were compared. Then, paired samples (before and after ovariohysterectomy) from 22 dogs with pyometra and 9 healthy controls from the initial cohort were compared.Concentrations of acute inflammatory proteins, C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A (SAA), and cell-free DNA (cfDNA), were significantly higher in dogs with pyometra than in clinically healthy dogs. Cell-free DNA was the most sensitive biomarker for systemic inflammation, based on the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis (area under the curve = 0.959). In addition, cfDNA and CRP were significantly associated with inflammation and organ injury-related clinical parameters.Following the surgical removal of the inflamed uterus, interleukin-6 (IL-6), high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), and procalcitonin (PCT) significantly decreased, whereas changes in CRP, SAA, and cfDNA were not significant. These findings indicate that cfDNA, CRP, and SAA are potential clinical biomarkers of systemic inflammation in dogs with pyometra and PCT, IL-6, and HMGB1 are potential biomarkers of clinical recovery.     

Molecular cloning and characterization of LPS-binding protein/bactericidal permeability-increasing protein (LBP/BPI) from olive flounder,Paralichthys olivaceus

A lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-binding protein/bactericidal permeability-increasing protein (LBP/BPI) homolog was isolated from peripheral blood leukocytes cDNA library of olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus. The isolated LBP/BPI cDNA is 2806 bp in length with a 1419 bp open reading frame (ORF) that encodes a protein of 472 amino acid residues. The LPS-binding domain is well conserved in the N-terminal barrel, showing high sequence identities with other teleost LBP/BPI as well as those of mammals. RT-PCR analysis revealed that mRNA expression of LBP/BPI was significantly elevated in all tested tissues (liver, gill, intestine, head kidney, and spleen) after intraperitoneal injection of the gram-negative bacterium Edwardsiella tarda or the gram-positive bacterium Streptococcus iniae. This expression pattern profile corresponded to that of acute inflammatory cytokines, suggesting that it plays a role in the innate immune response, in particular, the acute phase response.