Radical Scavenging Activity of Black Currant (\u3ci\u3eRibes nigrum\u3c/i\u3e L.) Extract and Its Inhibitory Effect on Gastric Cancer Cell Proliferation via Induction of Apoptosis

A black currant extract (BCE) was prepared and its antiproliferative activity against gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells was investigated. Strong 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) radical scavenging activities and a high reducing power were confirmed with BCE. BCE inhibited the proliferation of SGC-7901 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and the IC50 were 12.7, 10.2 and 9.0 mg/mL for 12, 24 and 48 h, respectively. Morphologic observations with inverted and fluorescence microscopes yielded vivid evidence of cell shrinkage, formation of cytoplasmic filaments, condensation of nuclear chromatin, and cell apoptosis in the presence of BCE. Flow cytometric analysis also showed that BCE treatment at concentrations of 10–20 mg/mL resulted in marked reductions of viable cells. The high concentration of phenolic compounds present in the BCE (12.2 mg/mL), including six prominent anthocyanins identified by HPLC–ESI-MS2, appeared to be responsible for BCE’s antiradical activity and anticancer effects. These findings of inhibition of SGC-7901 cells and induction of apoptosis suggest that black currant may contribute to the reduction in gastric cancer risk

Predictive value of MRI-detected tumor deposits in locally advanced rectal cancer

BackgroundAlthough tumor deposits (TDs) are not the same as lymph nodes, the prognosis of patients with TDs is similar or worse than that of patients with metastatic lymph nodes. TDs are mostly assessed by the histology of samples after surgery, thus, not helpful for preoperative treatment strategies. The primary objective of this study was to detect TDs by MRI and evaluate its predictive value.Materials and methodsA total of 114 patients with rectal cancer were retrospectively analyzed. Clinicopathological and MRI data mainly including MRI- detected TDs (mTDs), tumor border configuration (TBC) on MRI, MRI-detected extramural vascular invasion (mEMVI), MRI-detected lymph node metastasis (mLN), MRI T stage, MRI N stage, the range of rectal wall involved by the tumor, peritoneal reflection invasion, tumor length, tumor location, cord sign at the tumor edge, nodular protrusion at the tumor edge, maximal extramural depth and pathology-proven lymph node involvement (pLN) were evaluated. The correlation of MRI factors with postoperative distant metastasis (PDM) and pLN were analyzed by univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis, and nomograms were established based on the latter. The diagnostic efficiency was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and area under the curve (AUC).ResultsA total of 38 cases of pLN, 13 of PDM and 17 of pathology-proven TDs (pTDs) were found. Ten cases of PDM and 22 cases of pLN in 30 mTDs cases were also found. Chi-square test showed that mTDs, mLN, TBC, mEMVI, MRI T stage, nodular protrusion, cord sign, maximal extramural depth and peritoneal reflection invasion were correlated with PDM and pLN (P<0.05). mTDs and peritoneal reflection invasion were independent risk factors for PDM (odds ratio: 10.15 and 8.77, P<0.05), mTDs and mLN were independent risk factors for pLN (odds ratio: 5.50 and 5.91, P<0.05), and Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed that the results of two models were not statistically significant, suggesting that the fit was good. On this basis, two nomograms for predicting PDM and pLN were confirmed by Bootstrap self-sampling, and the C-indices of the two nomograms were 0.837 and 0.817, respectively. The calibration curves and ROC curves of the two nomograms showed that the correlation between the predicted and the actual incidence of PDM and pLN was good. The DeLong test showed that the predictive efficiency of the nomogram in predicting pLN was better than that of mLN (P=0.0129).ConclusionmTDs are a risk factor for PDM and lymph node metastasis. The two nomograms based on mTDs showed a good performance in predicting PDM and lymph node metastasis, possessing a certain clinical value

Orexin-A protects against oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation-induced cell damage by inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated apoptosis via the Gi and PI3K signaling pathways

The neuropeptide orexin-A (OXA) has a neuroprotective effect, acting as an anti-apoptotic factor in response to multiple stimuli. Apoptosis induced by endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) underlies oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation (OGD/R)-induced cell damage, an in vitro model of ischemia/reperfusion injury. However, that OXA inhibits ERS-induced apoptosis in the OGD/R model has not been reported. In the present study, we investigated the neuroprotective effect of OXA (0.1 μM) on OGD/R-induced damage in the human neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y. After OXA treatment following 4 h oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) and then 4 h reoxygenation (R), cell morphology, viability, and apoptosis were analyzed by histology, Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, and flow cytometry, respectively. Western blotting was used to measure expression levels of ERS- and apoptosis-related proteins. To determine signaling pathways involved in OXA-mediated neuroprotection, the Gi pathway inhibitor pertussis toxin (PTX; 100 ng/mL) and PI3K inhibitor LY294002 (LY; 10 μM) were added. In addition, in order to prove the specificity of these characteristics, the OXA antagonist Suvorexant (DORA; Ki of 0.55 nM and 0.35 nM for OX1R and OX2R) was used for intervention. Our results showed that OGD/R induced cell damage, manifested as morphological changes and a significant decrease in viability. Furthermore, Western blotting detected an increase in ERS-related proteins GRP78, p-IRE1α, p-JNK, and Cleaved caspase-12, as well as apoptosis-related proteins Cleaved caspase-3 and Bax, and a decrease in the anti-apoptosis factor Bcl-2. OXA intervention alleviated the degree of cellular damage, and protein expression was also reversed. In addition, the protective effect of OXA was reduced by adding PTX and LY. Meanwhile, after the use of DORA, changes in the expression of related proteins were detected, and it was found that the protective effect of OXA was weakened. Collectively, our results indicate that OXA has a neuroprotective effect on OGD/R-induced cell damage by inhibiting ERS-induced apoptosis through the combined action of Gi and PI3K signaling pathways. These findings help to clarify the mechanism underlying the neuroprotective action of OXA, which should aid the development of further candidate drugs, and provide a new therapeutic direction for the treatment of ischemic stroke

The Effectiveness of Konjac Flour on the Physicochemical and Rheological Properties of the Myofibrillar Proteins of the Common Carp (Cyprinus Carpio)

The effects of konjac flour (KF) on the emulsifying properties, turbidity, rheological properties, gel strength, gel water-binding capacity (WBC), and gel microstructure of the myofibrillar protein (MP) of the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) were investigated. The results showed that the emulsifying activities and gel strength of MP increased first and then decreased with increasing KF concentrations, achieving the highest values at 0.1% KF (P<0.05). Increased KFconcentrations were accompanied by an enhanced gel WBC and increased susceptibility to thermal aggregation (P<0.05). The addition of KF markedly enhanced G' over the entire heating temperature range, and the “peak†G′ values of the 2.0% KF sample were 3.6 times than those of the control samples. The reduced G′′/G′ at the end of the heating process (80°C) revealed that KF addition improved the gel elastic quality and increased the gelling ability of MP. It was determined by observing the gel microstructure that addition of KF reduced empty spaces and produced a more compact and homogeneous MP gel network structure. Overall, these results suggest that KF addition offers an effective approach for improving the MP gel formation ability of the common carp muscle

Effect of different wood species on heterocyclic aromatic amine level in Harbin red sausages

The influence of different wood species (in the form of wood chips) on the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) in smoked Harbin red sausages was investigated. Four common species of wood (pear, oak, apple, beech) were used for smoking. The smoking process significantly affected the moisture content, water activity, pH, lipid oxidation (thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances), protein oxidation (carbonyl content) and HAA content. It was found that the wood species significantly influenced the contents of HAAs in the smoked samples. Total HAA contents were highest in samples smoked using wood chips produced from pear, followed by oak, beech and apple. The contents of Norharman and Harman were much higher than those of the other HAAs. Lipid oxidation and protein oxidation were significantly associated with the formation of total HAAs in samples. It is shown that the type of wood chips used for smoking is one of the critical parameters affecting the contamination of HAAs in smoked meat products

Research Progress on the Formation and Chromogenic Mechanism of Zinc Protoporphyrin and Its Replacement for Nitrite in Meat Products

Nitrite has been used widely in meat products because of its unique properties, especially its role in promoting the color development of meat products and its bacteriostatic effect. Searching for nitrite alternatives has become an urgent topic for the meat industry due to consumers’ concerns about the potential health risk associated with nitrite and consumers’ demand for natural products with a clean label. As a natural pigment substance, zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP) has a significant advantage in promoting the color development of meat products. This paper introduces the properties, formation mechanism, quantitative analysis and distribution in meat products of ZnPP, with a focus on the factors influencing ZnPP formation. Finally, future prospects for the application of ZnPP are discussed in order to provide new ways for the development of the low-nitrate meat processing industry

Deterioration Mechanism of and Improvement Strategies for Frozen Meat

During the freezing, storage, and thawing process, physicochemical changes occur in raw meat, which will inevitably lead to quality deterioration mainly including decreased water-holding capacity and the deterioration of color and texture. The quality deterioration can be effectively reduced by novel freezing and its assistive technologies. This article summarizes the quality deterioration mechanism of raw meat during freezing and frozen storage, and reviews the approaches for improving frozen meat quality, such as novel freezing techniques, cryoprotectants, novel packaging techniques and novel thawing techniques, which will provide a theoretical basis and technical guidance for improving the quality of frozen meat

Orexin-A protects against cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury by inhibiting excessive autophagy through OX1R-mediated MAPK/ERK/mTOR pathway

Orexin A (OXA) is a neuroprotective peptide that exerts protective effects on multiple physiological and pathological processes. Activation of autophagy is linked to the occurrence of cerebral ischemia–reperfusion injury (CIRI); however, its function remains incompletely understood. In this study, OXA was sought to exert its neuroprotective role by regulating autophagy in oxygen and glucose deprivation and reoxygenation (OGD/R) model and middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model of rats, and to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms. Acridine orange (AO) staining was used to evaluate autophagic vacuoles. Cell viability was measured by CCK8. The levels of p-ERK1/2, t-ERK1/2, p-mTOR, LC3B, Beclin 1, and p62 were evaluated by western blotting. Apoptosis rate was detected by Hoechst 33342 staining and Terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase–mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL). OXA treatment alleviated neuronal apoptosis and significantly inhibited autophagy activity. Mechanistically, OXA exerted its neuroprotective effects in vivo and in vitro by suppressing over-activated autophagy by modulating OX1R-mediated MAPK/ERK/mTOR pathway. The results of this study elucidate the roles of autophagy in CIRI and the mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective action of OXA. Our findings could facilitate the development of novel therapeutics for ischemic stroke

Fabrication and Antibacterial Performance of Pea Protein Isolate/Pullulan/Allicin Composite Electrospun Nanofibers

Using pea protein isolate (PPI) and pullulan (PUL) as raw materials and allicin (AC) as an antibacterial substance, nanofiber materials were prepared by electrospinning technology. The influence of allicin concentration on the structural and morphological characteristics, diameter distribution and antibacterial effects of nanofibers were investigated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) indicated that allicin was wrapped in the composite nanofibers. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that spherical structures of different sizes appeared around the nanofibers due to the addition of allicin. The size of the spherical structures increased (P < 0.05) with an increase in allicin concentration, while the nanofiber diameter gradually decreased (P < 0.05). With increasing allicin concentration up to 15%, the elastic modulus and tensile strength of the composite nanofibers gradually increased (P < 0.05), and the elongation at break gradually decreased (P < 0.05). Additionally, the composite nanofibers with more than 10% allicin exhibited an obvious bacteriostatic effect, and it was strongest at allicin concentrations of 15% and 20%, with inhibition zone diameters of 16.5 and 12.8 mm against E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. This research will provide data support and a theoretical basis for the development and application of new green food packaging nanomaterials

Genetic Mapping of Head Size Related Traits in Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio)

Head size is important economic trait for many aquaculture fish which is directly linked to their carcass yield. The genetic basis of head size trait remains unclear in many widely cultured fish species. Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) is one of the most widely studied fish due to its importance on both economic and environmental aspects. In this study, we performed genome-wide association study using 433 Yellow River carp individuals from multiple families to identify loci and genes potentially associated with head size related traits including head length (HL), head length/body length ratio (HBR), eye diameter (ED), and eye cross (EC). QTL mapping was utilized to filter the effects of population stratification and improve power for the candidates identification in the largest surveyed family with a published genetic linkage map. Twelve SNPs showed significant for head size traits in GWAS and 18 QTLs were identified in QTL mapping. Our study combining both GWAS and QTL mapping could compensate the deficiency from each other and advance our understanding of head size traits in common carp. To acquire a better understanding of the correlation between head size and body growth, we also performed comparisons between QTLs of head size traits and growth-related traits. Candidate genes underlying head size traits were identified surrounding the significant SNPs, including parvalbumin, srpk2, fsrp5, igf1, igf3, grb10, igf1r, notch2, sfrp2. Many of these genes have been identified with potential functions on bone formation and growth. Igf1 was a putative gene associated with both head size and body growth in Yellow River carp. The teleost-specific igf3 was a candidate head size related gene, related to both HL and HBR. Our study also indicated the importance of Igf signaling pathway for both growth and head size determination in common carp, which could be potentially used in future selective breeding in common carp as well as other species