Chlorogenic Acid Decreases Intestinal Permeability and Increases Expression of Intestinal Tight Junction Proteins in Weaned Rats Challenged with LPS

Chlorogenic acid, a natural phenolic acid present in fruits and plants, provides beneficial effects for human health. The objectives of this study were to investigate whether chlorogenic acid (CHA) could improve the intestinal barrier integrity for weaned rats with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. Thirty-two weaned male Sprague Dawley rats (21 ± 1 d of age; 62.26 ± 2.73 g) were selected and randomly allotted to four treatments, including weaned rat control, LPS-challenged and chlorogenic acid (CHA) supplemented group (orally 20 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg body). Dietary supplementation with CHA decreased (P<0.05) the concentrations of urea and albumin in the serum, compared to the LPS-challenged group. The levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α were lower (P<0.05) in the jejunal and colon of weaned rats receiving CHA supplementation, in comparison with the control group. CHA supplementation increased (P<0.05) villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the jejunal and ileal mucosae under condictions of LPS challenge. CHA supplementation decreased (P<0.05) intestinal permeability, which was indicated by the ratio of lactulose to mannitol and serum DAO activity, when compared to weaned rats with LPS challenge. Immunohistochemical analysis of tight junction proteins revealed that ZO-1 and occludin protein abundances in the jejunum and colon were increased (P<0.05) by CHA supplementation. Additionally, results of immunoblot analysis revealed that the amount of occludin in the colon was also increased (P<0.05) in CHA-supplemented rats. In conclusion, CHA decreases intestinal permeability and increases intestinal expression of tight junction proteins in weaned rats challenged with LPS

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals &lt;1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Properties of a Plasma-Nitrided Coating and a CrNx Coating on the Stainless Steel Bipolar Plate of PEMFC

PEMFC are considered to be the most promising for automotive energy because of their good working effect, low temperature, high efficiency, and zero pollution. Stainless steel as a PEMFC bipolar plate has unparalleled advantages in strength, cost, and processability, but it is easy to corrode in a PEMFC working environment. In order to improve the corrosion resistance, the surface modification of 316L stainless steel is a feasible solution for PEMFC bipolar plates. In the present study, the plasma-nitrided coating and CrNx coating were prepared by the plasma-enhanced balanced magnetron sputtering technology on the 316L stainless steel surface. The microstructures, phase compositions, and corrosion resistance behavior of the coatings were investigated. The corrosion behavior of the prepared plasma-nitrided coating and CrNx coating was investigated by potentiodynamic polarization, potentiostatic polarization, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in both cathodic and anodic environments. The experimental results show that corrosion resistance of the CrNx coating was better than the plasma-nitrided coating. It was indicated that the technology process of nitriding first and then depositing Cr was better than nitriding only

Corrosion behavior and electrochemical corrosion of a high manganese steel in simulated marine splash zone

The corrosion behavior of a high manganese steel in simulated marine splash zone environment was studied by dry-wet cyclic corrosion experiment and electrochemical experiment. Corrosion kinetics, composition, surface morphology, cross-section morphology, element distribution, valence state, polarization curve and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were analyzed with the aim of characterizing the characteristics of corrosion product films. The results show that in chloride-containing environment, in the initial corrosion products, Mn oxides with porous structure lead to higher corrosion rate. As corrosion extends, the formation of alloy element oxides in corrosion products changes the corrosion properties of rust layers at different stages. Mo oxides form a stable passivation film, which reduces the influence of chloride ion on corrosion. Ni oxides in the inner rust layer facilitate the transformation of goethite, and Cr oxides in the outer rust layer increase the densification of the rust layer. The stability and compactness of Fe _3 O _4 , α -FeOOH and FeCr _2 O _4 in the later corrosion products inhibit the corrosion action of manganese iron oxides and slow down the corrosion rate. With the corrosion durations, the corrosion current density of the sample with the corrosion product film first increases and then decreases, and the corrosion potential first moves negative and then shifts in a positive direction subsequently, indicating that the protective effect of the corrosion product film is gradually significant

Effects of Atrazine on the Development of Neural System of Zebrafish, Danio rerio

By comparative analysis of histomorphology and AChE activity, the changes of physiological and biochemical parameters were determined in zebrafish embryos and larvae dealt with atrazine (ATR) at different concentrations (0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, and 1 mg/L). This study showed that the development of the sarcomere and the arrangement of white muscle myofibers were affected by ATR significantly and the length of sarcomere shortened. Further analysis of the results showed that the AChE activity in juvenile fish which was treated with ATR was downregulated, which can indicate that the innervation efficiency to the muscle was impaired. Conversely, the AChE activity in zebrafish embryos which was treated with ATR was upregulated. A parallel phenomenon showed that embryonic primary sensory neurons (Rohon-Beard cells), principally expressing AChE in embryos, survived the physiological apoptosis. These phenomena demonstrated that the motor integration ability of the zebrafish was damaged by ATR which can disturb the development of sensory neurons and sarcomere and the innervations of muscle