Baicalein-corrected gut microbiota may underlie the amelioration of memory and cognitive deficits in APP/PS1 mice

Background: Baicalein is an active ingredient extracted from the root of S. baicalensis Georgi, which exhibits cardiovascular protection, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial properties. Our previous study showed that chronic treatment of Baicalein ameliorated cognitive dysfunction in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, it remains unknown whether Baicalein ameliorates cognitive deficits in AD mouse models by altering gut microbiota and its metabolites.Methods: Behavioral tests, metagenomic and untargeted metabolomics analyses were used to evaluate the effects of Baicalein on the APP/PS1 mice.Results: Our research showed that treatment of Baicalein for 2 weeks ameliorated cognition and memory in a dose-dependent manner, as indicated by the significant increases in the Discrimination index and Number of crossings and decrease in latency to the previous platform location in 8-month of age APP/PS1 mice in novel object recognition and water maze tests. The metagenomic analysis showed the abundance of the dominant phyla in all groups, including Bacteroidetes (14.59%–67.02%) and Firmicutes (20.19%–61.39%). LEfSe analysis of metagenomics identified three species such as s__Roseburia_sp_1XD42_69, s__Muribaculaceae_bacterium_Isolate_104_HZI, s__Muribaculaceae_bacterium_Isolate_110_HZI as Baicalein-treated potential biomarkers. Metabolite analysis revealed the increment of metabolites, including glutamate, thymine and hexanoyl-CoA.Conclusion: The effects of Baicalein on memory and cognition may relate to the metabolism of nucleotides, lipids and glucose

Exergy Analysis for Air Separation Process Under Off-Design Conditions

An air separation unit (ASU) represents the largest overall energy consumption (about 15-20%) in a steel production facility. Therefore, improving the operating efficiency of an ASU is an effective way to achieve energy savings and emission reductions. The exergy calculation program for an air separation process is developed, and the detailed exergy calculations and analysis for an actual ASU with capacity of 40,000 Nm 3 /h in service at Tangshan Tangsteel Gas Co. Ltd. are performed. The results show that the molar exergy contained in oxygen is the largest among all gaseous products, liquid argon contains the largest molar exergy among all liquid products, and liquid products of the same type have larger exergy values than their gaseous equivalents. In a same condition scenario (same environmental condition, same air feed mass flow at rated load operation of the expander), increasing liquids production is an effective way to enhance the process efficiency, especially by increasing liquid argon production at the rated load operation of the expander. The object efficiency of the process from the cleaning unit to production in an actual 40,000 m 3 /h ASU is 46.84%, while the simple efficiency of the cold box of the ASU is 64.31%. The largest amount of exergy loss is caused by the air compressor (AC), the packed-type air cooling tower (PACT), and the molecular sieve (MS) purifier. The cryogenic ASU itself is well operated from an exergetic viewpoint. On the basis of exergy analysis conducted, this study provides a reference for the improvement of the ASU analyzed and provides a reference for ASUs in general

Mori Ramulus (Chin.Ph.)—the Dried Twigs of <i>Morus alba</i> L./Part 1: Discovery of Two Novel Coumarin Glycosides from the Anti-Hyperuricemic Ethanol Extract

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Mori ramulus (Chin.Ph.)&#8212;the dried twigs of Morus alba L.&#8212;is extensively used as an antirheumatic agent and also finds additional use in asthma therapy. As a pathological high xanthine oxidase (XO, EC 1.1.3.22) activity is strongly correlated to hyperuricemy and gout, standard anti-hyperuremic therapy typically involves XO inhibitors like allopurinol, which often cause adverse effects by inhibiting other enzymes involved in purine metabolism. Mori ramulus may therefore be a promissing source for the development of new antirheumatic therapeutics with less side effects. Coumarins, one of the dominant groups of bioactive constituents of M. alba, have been demonstrated to possess anti-inflammatory, antiplatelet aggregation, antitumor, and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activities. The combination of HPLC (DAD) and Q-TOF technique could give excellent separating and good structural characterization abilities which make it suitable to analyze complex multi-herbal extracts in TCM. The aim of this study was to develop a HPLC (DAD)/ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS method for the identification and profiling of pharmacologically active coumarin glycosides in Mori ramulus refined extracts for used in TCM. This HPLC (DAD)/ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS method provided a rapid and accurate method for identification of coumarin glycosides&#8212;including new natural products described here for the first time&#8212;in the crude extract of M. alba L. In the course of this project, two novel natural products moriramulosid A (umbelliferone-6-&#946;-d-apiofuranosyl-(1&#8594;6)-&#946;-d-glucopyranoside) and moriramulosid B (6-[[6-O-(6-deoxy-&#945;-l-mannopyranosyl)-&#946;-d-glucopyranosyl]oxy]-2H-1-benzopyran-1-one) were newly discovered and the known natural product Scopolin was identified in M. alba L. for the first time

Biology of Peptide Transporter 2 in Mammals: New Insights into Its Function, Structure and Regulation

Peptide transporter 2 (PepT2) in mammals plays essential roles in the reabsorption and conservation of peptide-bound amino acids in the kidney and in maintaining neuropeptide homeostasis in the brain. It is also of significant medical and pharmacological significance in the absorption and disposing of peptide-like drugs, including angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, β-lactam antibiotics and antiviral prodrugs. Understanding the structure, function and regulation of PepT2 is of emerging interest in nutrition, medical and pharmacological research. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the structure, substrate preferences and localization of PepT2 in mammals. As PepT2 is expressed in various organs, its function in the liver, kidney, brain, heart, lung and mammary gland has also been addressed. Finally, the regulatory factors that affect the expression and function of PepT2, such as transcriptional activation and posttranslational modification, are also discussed