Optimization of extraction and antioxidant activities of polyphenols from honey peachkernel by ultrasonic-assisted enzymolysis approach

Objective: This study aimed to explore the potential use of honey peach kernel as a by-product of characteristic agricultural product processing. Methods: The processing technology was optimized based on a single factor test and response surface test by analyzing the effects of enzyme addition amount, ultrasonic temperature, ethanol concentration, and ultrasonic time on the extraction amount of peach kernel polyphenols. Additionally, the antioxidant activities of the extracted polyphenols were studied. Results: The results showed that the optimal extraction parameters were as follows: enzyme adding quantity 5%, ultrasonic temperature 63 ℃, ethanol concentration 60%, and ultrasonic time 37 min. Under this condition, the extraction amount of polyphenols was 8.63 mg/g. The antioxidant results showed that the scavenging rates of ABTS free radical, DPPH free radical, OH free radical, and O-2 free radical were 75.22%, 85.91%, 44.72%, and 45.76%, respectively. The IC50 of the four free radicals were 0.099, 0.098, 0.332, and 0.320 mg/mL, respectively. Conclusion: The approach of ultrasonic-assisted enzymolysis can effectively extract the polyphenols in the honey peach kernel, the polyphenols of the honey peach kernel had good antioxidant activity

Synergistic Mechanism of Rare-Earth Modification TiO2 and Photodegradation on Benzohydroxamic Acid

Rare earth elements are plentiful in Gannan area, China, and there is a large amount of wastewater from all kinds of mines. In this paper, rare-earth modification TiO2 composites (RE/TiO2, RE = La, Ce, Gd, Yb) was studied by theory computation and experimental performance. The prepared RE/TiO2 was investigated for the degradation of benzohydroxamic acid (BHA) as a typical residual reagent in wastewater from beneficiation. The crystallinity, morphology, specific surface area, light absorption, and composition of compound were investigated by various techniques. As a result of computation and experimentation, four different electron configurations of rare earth all retained the anatase phase of TiO2 and reduced the band gap of TiO2 to some degree compared with pure TiO2. Different rare-earth elements and calcination temperatures resulted in different removal effects on BHA. The optimum doping contents were 0.75% (500 °C), 0.20% (500 °C), 0.70% (500 °C) and 0.50% (450 °C) for La, Ce, Gd, Yb respectively. All the RE/TiO2 composites studied in this research still possessed good photoactivity after four runs, which supports the theoretical and practical basement for the photocatalytic treatment of mining and metallurgy wastewater

Xiaoqinglong Decoction Protects the Lungs of AECOPD Mice through the AMPK/mTOR Signaling Pathway

Background/Aim. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most common health problems around the world. Xiaoqinglong decoction (XQLD) has been clinically reported to improve lung function and shorten cough and sputum in AECOPD patients, but its mechanism is still unclear. This study aims to investigate the effects of XQLD on inflammation and apoptosis of lung tissues and explore the underlying mechanisms in acute exacerbation in COPD (AECOPD) mice. Method. Male C57BL/6J mice were used to establish AECOPD model by cigarette smoke and bacterial exposure. Mice were randomly divided into normal control (NC), AECOPD, XQLD, Compound C (Com C), Com C + XQLD, and Clarithromycin (CLA) groups. After treatment, the pulmonary function was evaluated by whole-body plethysmograph. The lung histopathology was observed by HE staining. The serum levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and COX-2 were detected by ELISA assay. The apoptotic index was measured by TUNEL assay, and the protein expressions of Bax, Bcl-2, Caspase-3, GRP78, and CHOP in the lung tissues were measured by western blot assay. Results. XQLD treatment can improve pulmonary function (PF), ameliorate lung injury, and suppress inflammation and apoptosis of lung tissues. In addition, XQLD also markedly attenuated endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and activated AMPK/mTOR pathway in the lung tissues of mice with AECOPD. However, the AMPK inhibitor Compound C decreased the protective effect of XQLD in AECOPD mice. Conclusion. These findings suggested that XQLD has protective effect against inflammation and apoptosis in AECOPD mice by attenuating ER stress via AMPK/mTOR pathway

Association of MMP-12 polymorphisms with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease risk：a protocol for systematic review and meta analysis

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a multifactorial disease with gene-environment interaction leading to airflow limitation through the respiratory tract. Reports on the association of matrix metalloproteinase 12 (MMP-12) polymorphisms with COPD have been controversial. A new systematic evaluation which could examine whether MMP-12 mutations are associated with the susceptibility to COPD is needed. Methods: We will search PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Google Scholar to obtain eligible case-control studies for meta-analysis. The time is limited from the construction of the library to July 2020. Two investigators systematically will extract relevant data within those included studies. The ORs and 95%CIs will be used to assess the genetic association between the allelic, dominant and recessive models of MMP-12 gene polymorphisms and COPD risk. Stata 12.0 software and Revman 5.3 will be adopted for statistical analysis. This protocol reported under the Preferred Reporting ltems for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) statement.Results: This study will provide a better understanding of the association between MMP-12 polymorphisms and COPD risk. Conclusion: Publishing this protocol will minimise the possibility of bias due to post hoc changes to the analysis protocol