內(nèi)容: Amazake is a sweet and non-alcoholic beverage with a long history in Japan. There are two types of amazake, koji amazake produced from rice koji and sakekasu amazake made from sake lees. Amazake has been suggested to be a functional food with various health benefits and cosmetic effects. The efficacy of both koji amazake and sakekasu amazake in improving bowel movements and defecation has been well studied. Amazake may be useful as a food with constipation relieving effects. Furthermore, beneficial effects of amazake on skin barrier function and skin water content in humans have been well established in randomized controlled trials. The findings of amazake effects on gut microbiota, intestinal environment and gut barrier function, mainly demonstrated in animal models, suggest a role of substances contained in amazake as prebiotics. Preliminary evidence indicates the potential value of amazake in the management of obesity, metabolic syndrome and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Long-term and excessive intake tests have demonstrated that the consumption of koji amazake is safe. There are few concerns regarding weight gain or increases in blood sugar levels. The functional compounds and mechanisms involved in the health effects of amazake need to be identified in future research.

內(nèi)容: Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) is a natural homologous substance of medicine and food. Polysaccharide, as one of its primary active components, has very superior biological activity and can be used as a dietary supplement for functional foods, with good commercial prospects. Although initial progress has been made in the study of sea buckthorn polysaccharides, related studies have been fragmented and lacked systematic and generalization. This manuscript presents a critical analysis and systematic summary of the extraction and purification methods, structural characterization and physicochemical properties, biological activity and potential mechanisms, and structure-activity relationships of sea buckthorn polysaccharides. Accumulating evidence has indicated that sea buckthorn polysaccharides, which were widely prepared by water extraction and column chromatography purifications, exhibited exhibit superior biological activities in vitro and in vivo, including antioxidant, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, hepatorenal protective, antibacterial, antiviral, and prebiotic activities. After analysis, it was concluded that there is a correlation between the relevant activities of sea buckthorn polysaccharides and that the structure of sea buckthorn polysaccharides has a great influence on their biological activity. We reviewed the challenges and limitations of sea buckthorn polysaccharides, summarized the critical aspects, and provided suggestions for potential breakthroughs in the research and application of sea buckthorn polysaccharide.

內(nèi)容: A systematic review and meta-analysis study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of probiotic/prebiotic/synbiotic supplementation on the effects of cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) based on data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We searched electronic databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science to identify clinical trials published up to 31 March 2023. Data was pooled using a random-effects model if significant heterogeneity (I2 > 50%), otherwise use a fixed-effects model. Fifty-six trials that included 3 317 patients were enrolled for analysis. Meta-analysis reported that probiotic/prebiotic/synbiotic supplementation significantly reduced systolic blood pressure (SBP) (weighted mean difference (WMD): ?3.57 mmHg, 95% confidence interval (CI): ?5.36, ?1.78; P = 0.000), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (WMD: ?2.05 mmHg, 95% CI: ?3.07, ?1.04; P = 0.000), triglycerides (TG) (WMD: ?16.10 mg/dL, 95% CI: ?20.16, ?12.05; P = 0.000), total cholesterol (TC) (WMD: ?14.00 mg/dL, 95% CI: ?20.46, ?7.55; P = 0.000), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (WMD: ?7.03 mg/dL, 95% CI: ?9.25, ?4.81; P = 0.000), fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (WMD: ?16.57 mg/dL, 95% CI: ?20.39, ?12.74; P = 0.000), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (WMD: ?0.44%, 95% CI: ?0.68, ?0.20; P = 0.000), insulin (standardized mean difference (SMD): ?0.37, 95% CI: ?0.53, ?0.21; P = 0.000), homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (WMD: ?1.05, 95% CI: ?1.56, ?0.54; P = 0.000), C-reactive protein (CRP) (SMD: ?0.35, 95% CI: ?0.57, ?0.13; P = 0.002), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (SMD: ?1.07, 95% CI: ?1.57, ?0.56; P = 0.000), interleukin-6 (IL-6) (SMD: ?0.37, 95% CI: ?0.61, ?0.13; P = 0.003) levels, they also increased the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (WMD: 3.70 mg/dL, 95% CI: 1.80, 5.60; P = 0.000) levels in T2DM patients, as compared to the placebo groups. This meta-analysis supports the use of probiotic/prebiotic/synbiotic supplementation as an adjunctive therapy to improve blood pressure, glycemic control parameters, lipid profile and inflammatory markers in patients with T2DM, which are well-known cardiovascular risk factors.

內(nèi)容: Medicinal and dietary plants provide numerous nutritional and functional compounds and also have various potential health benefits to humanity. The specific and efficient techniques for accurate identification of nutritional compounds and functional metabolites is crucial for the development of functional foods from medicinal and dietary plants. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS) are indispensable and essential technologies that provide an unsurpassed wealth of untargeted identification, quantitative and qualitative analysis, and structural information in the study of food and plant products. In the past decade, the rapid development of modern analytical technology has led to the emergence of new approaches and strategies for natural products discovery. Especially the application of novel NMR- and MS-based identification and dereplication strategies aided by artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms have brought about a significant shift in the natural products discovery process. These developments and changes in the natural products filed have given us insights into how to accurately target and mining nutritional, functional, and bioactive compounds. Thus, we have summarized recent research on novel NMR and MS based strategies and methods focusing on functional compounds, accurate identification and efficient discovery mainly in medicinal and dietary plants. This review could provide a comprehensive perspective for a better understanding of novel strategies and methods based on NMR and MS technologies, which could provide valuable insights and ideas for functional compounds mining.

內(nèi)容: Plant-based milks are on the rise due to an increased awareness of their sustainability and health benefits. Currently, dairy milk is the most nutritionally complete beverage, but it suffers from the presence of indigestible lactose and allergenic proteins. Coconut milk has been around for a long time, but its application is limited due to a perceived lack of specific nutrients, high saturated fat levels, and low acceptability. Recent evidence indicates, however, that the saturated fat and other plant-based components found in coconut milk are good for metabolic outcomes and brain health. The conversion of coconut milk to yoghurt will further improve its functionality by boosting its existing nutritional qualities. In this article, the nutritional value of coconut milk, as well as its potential downsides, its application as yoghurt, and suggestions for enhancing its nutritional functionality will be examined.

內(nèi)容: Mucin 2 (MUC2) is a critical component of the intestinal mucus barrier. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains can improve mucosal homeostasis. In this study, we determined the expression of Muc2 induced by dead bacteria and cell-free conditioned medium (CM) of 50 LAB strains in the human goblet cell line, LS174T. Dead bacteria or CM of LAB affected the Muc2 expression in a species- and strain-specific manner under homeostasis. Next, LAB strains with different regulatory abilities were selected, gavaged into mice, and exposed to dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) after 1 week. Different LAB strains inhibited intestinal injury to different degrees, with Lactobacillus acidophilus FCQHC4L1 exerting the most potent effect. FCQHC4L1 significantly decreased the secretion of pro-inflammatory factors, promoted the expression and secretion of mucin, and inhibited colitis development. This strain also regulated the gut microbiota and increased the secretion of butyric acid. Moreover, CM of FCQHC4L1 inhibited endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and ameliorated the abnormal expression of MUC2 by suppressing the activation of the GRP78/ATF6 and GRP78/IRE1/XBP1 signaling pathways. Our results highlight the potential of FCQHC4L1 as a therapeutic agent for strengthening the mucus barrier and improving the gut health.

內(nèi)容: Food contaminants, particularly insecticides, are important factors contributing to obesity and other adverse effects. As the most widely used diamide insecticide worldwide, chlorantraniliprole (CP) is ubiquitous in food and the environment. However, the influence of CP on obesity and the gut microbiota remains unknown. In this study, we administered CP/carboxymethyl cellulose sodium to C57BL/6J mice with a high-fat diet (HFD) via gavage for 13 weeks. The CP exposure induced significant increases in body weight gain, fat mass, serum total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Moreover, CP aggravated the imbalance in the gut microbiota by increasing the relative abundance of obesity-associated bacteria and reducing the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria. Based on untargeted metabolomics analysis, CP was found to be involved in the regulation of pathways including Alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism and Arginine and proline metabolism. Notably, CP exposure primarily induced alterations in microbial metabolites within these pathways, such as L-(+)-aspartic acid and L-glutamic acid. Additionally, individual metabolites, such as the lipid mediator (oleoyl ethanolamide), also demonstrated alterations upon CP exposure. Furthermore, Spearman correlation analysis revealed several noteworthy associations between microbial alterations, metabolite changes, and phenotypes. The results of the study demonstrate a connection between microbiota, metabolites, and the effects of CP exposure on HFD-induced obesity, elucidating the critical role of the gut microbiota and its metabolites in the toxic effects of CP.

內(nèi)容: Intestinal oxidation-reduction balance is essential to protect host health. Research on the underlying mechanisms of oxidation homeostasis can provide conditions to the treatment or protection of intestinal oxidative stress. Therefore, the mechanism of polysaccharide (MBP) with alkali-extracted from mung bean skin in alleviating oxidative damage induced by H2O2-induced in intestinal epithelial cells (IEC)-6 cells was explored. Results indicated that MBP effectively mitigated the H2O2-induced decrease in IEC-6 cell viability, restored superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, lowered malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) level. Western blotting showed that MBP may mitigate oxidative damage through NF-κB, MAPK and Nrf2 signaling pathway, and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis confirmed that MBP can protect cells by regulating MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways. Moreover, the results of the inhibitor experiment also support the above hypothesis. These results verified that MBP has the capacity to mitigate oxidative damage induced by H2O2 in IEC-6 cells through MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathway. The study showed that MBP can assist preventing intestinal diseases relating to oxidative stress, which could facilitate the development of functional foods.

內(nèi)容: The purpose of this study was to investigate the hypoglycemic effect and mechanism of Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide (DOP) on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) mice established by high-fat diet and streptozotocin. The results showed that DOP improved glycolipid metabolism and serum inflammation levels, and inhibited intestinal-derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS) translocation, suggesting that inhibiting LPS-mediated intestinal barrier damage may be a key target for DOP to alleviate T2DM. Interestingly, the study found that DOP reduced intestinal inflammation and oxidative stress levels, significantly up-regulated the mRNA expression of tight junction proteins Claudin-1, Occludin and zonula occluden-1 (ZO-1), and ameliorated intestinal epithelial damage. In addition, DOP strongly inhibited the intestinal pathogenic bacteria and LPS-producing bacteria Helicobacter, Enterococcus and Desulfovibrio with a reduction rate of 95%, 73% and 9%, respectively, and promoted the proliferation of anti-inflammatory bacteria Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus by 139% and 8%, respectively. Taken together, the hypoglycemic effect of DOP was related to the protection of intestinal mucosal barrier, and its underlying mechanism lied in its excellent anti-inflammatory and gut microbiota-modulatory effects, providing a theoretical basis for developing DOP as a novel prebiotic in functional food for diabetes.

內(nèi)容: Oxidative stress is considered as a critical factor in the process of pathological diseases, and mitochondria are considered as vital target organelles for disease intervention. The purpose of this study was aimed to evaluate the antioxidant efficacy of mitochondria-targeted astaxanthin nanoparticle on hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative damage. As expected, mitochondria-targeted nanoparticle showed excellent mitochondria co-localization ability with higher Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r = 0.88). In vitro experiments suggested that the mitochondria-targeted astaxanthin nanoparticle could promote cell viability and increase antioxidant-related enzyme activities. Simultaneously, metabolomics analysis indicated that mitochondria-targeted astaxanthin nanoparticle could alleviate oxidative stress by regulating amino acid metabolism and energy metabolism. Altogether, all these results strongly confirmed the mitochondria-targeted strategy for astaxanthin delivery could relieve oxidative stress and had great promise in the application of disease intervention.