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Journal of Hazardous Materials Aug 2024We present a new method for investigating the oxidation and emission behavior of air-permeable materials. Employing this method, a differentiated statement can be made...
We present a new method for investigating the oxidation and emission behavior of air-permeable materials. Employing this method, a differentiated statement can be made about the extent to which critical volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acrolein are contained in the material as impurities or formed by thermo-oxidative degradation of the polymer matrix in the use phase. The parameters affecting methods of VOC analysis are reviewed and considered for the developed method. The molecular mechanisms of VOC formation are discussed. Toxicological implications of the reaction kinetics are put into context with international guidelines and threshold levels. This new method enables manufacturers of cellular materials not only to determine the oxidative stability of their products but also to optimize them specifically for higher durability. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATION: Cellular materials are ubiquitous in the technosphere. They play a crucial role in various microenvironments such as automotive interiors, building insulation, and cushioning. These materials are susceptible to oxidative breakdown, leading to the release of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acrolein. The ecotoxicological profiles of these compounds necessitate monitoring and regulation. The absence of reproducible and reliable analytical methods restricts research and development aimed at risk assessment and mitigation. This work significantly enhances the toolbox for optimizing the oxidative stability of any open-cell cellular material and evaluating these materials in terms of their temperature-dependent oxidation and emission behavior.
PubMed: 38843638
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134747 -
PloS One 2024Drought stress is a prominent abiotic factor that adversely influences the growth and development of Bupleurum chinense during its seedling stage, negatively impacting...
Drought stress is a prominent abiotic factor that adversely influences the growth and development of Bupleurum chinense during its seedling stage, negatively impacting biomass and secondary metabolite production, thus affecting yield and quality. To investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the response of B. chinense seedlings under drought stress, this study employed comprehensive physiological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses. The results revealed that under drought stress, the root soluble sugar and free proline content in B. chinense seedlings significantly increased, while the activities of SOD, POD, and CAT increased in the leaves. These findings indicate the presence of distinct response mechanisms in B. chinense to cope with drought stress. Integrated analysis further identified significant correlations between genes and metabolites related to amino acid biosynthesis in the leaves, as well as genes and metabolites associated with acetaldehyde and dicarboxylic acid metabolism. In the roots, genes and metabolites related to plant hormone signaling and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle showed significant correlations. These findings provide vital views into the molecular-level response mechanisms of B. chinense under drought stress. Moreover, this study establishes the groundwork for identifying drought-tolerant genes and breeding drought-resistant varieties, which could improve the drought tolerance of medicinal plants and have broader implications for agriculture and crop production in water-scarce areas.
Topics: Bupleurum; Seedlings; Droughts; Stress, Physiological; Metabolomics; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Transcriptome; Plant Roots; Plant Leaves; Gene Expression Profiling; Metabolome
PubMed: 38843246
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304503 -
International Journal of Nanomedicine 2024, a dual-purpose food and medicine, displays limited efficacy in alcohol detoxification and liver protection, with previous research primarily focused on puerarin in its...
PURPOSE
, a dual-purpose food and medicine, displays limited efficacy in alcohol detoxification and liver protection, with previous research primarily focused on puerarin in its dried roots. In this study, we investigated the potential effects and mechanisms of fresh root-derived exosome-like nanovesicles (P-ELNs) for mitigating alcoholic intoxication, promoting alcohol metabolism effects and protecting the liver in C57BL/6J mice.
METHODS
We isolated P-ELNs from fresh root using differential centrifugation and characterized them via transmission electron microscopy, nanoscale particle sizing, ζ potential analysis, and biochemical assays. In Acute Alcoholism (AAI) mice pre-treated with P-ELNs, we evaluated their effects on the timing and duration of the loss of the righting reflex (LORR), liver alcohol metabolism enzymes activity, liver and serum alcohol content, and ferroptosis-related markers.
RESULTS
P-ELNs, enriched in proteins, lipids, and small RNAs, exhibited an ideal size (150.7 ± 82.8 nm) and negative surface charge (-31 mV). Pre-treatment with 10 mg/(kg.bw) P-ELNs in both male and female mice significantly prolonged ebriety time, shortened sobriety time, enhanced acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity while concurrently inhibited alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity, and reduced alcohol content in the liver and serum. Notably, P-ELNs demonstrated more efficacy compared to P-ELNs supernatant fluid (abundant puerarin content), suggesting alternative active components beyond puerarin. Additionally, P-ELNs prevented ferroptosis by inhibiting the reduction of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) and reduced glutathione (GSH), and suppressing acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4 (ACSL4) elevation, thereby mitigating pathological liver lipid accumulation.
CONCLUSION
P-ELNs exhibit distinct exosomal characteristics and effectively alleviate alcoholic intoxication, improve alcohol metabolism, suppress ferroptosis, and protect the liver from alcoholic injury. Consequently, P-ELNs hold promise as a therapeutic agent for detoxification, sobriety promotion, and prevention of alcoholic liver injury.
Topics: Animals; Pueraria; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Exosomes; Mice; Male; Alcoholic Intoxication; Plant Roots; Liver; Ethanol; Plant Extracts; Alcoholism; Isoflavones
PubMed: 38828197
DOI: 10.2147/IJN.S462602 -
JMIR Public Health and Surveillance May 2024Alcohol-induced facial flushing phenotype (flushing) is common among East Asians. Despite a small intake of alcohol, they experience heightened levels of acetaldehyde, a...
BACKGROUND
Alcohol-induced facial flushing phenotype (flushing) is common among East Asians. Despite a small intake of alcohol, they experience heightened levels of acetaldehyde, a group-1 carcinogen, which in turn causes unpleasant symptoms such as redness, acting as a robust protective mechanism against consuming alcohol. However, some individuals with this genetic trait exhibit weakened alcohol restraint, which increases the risk of developing alcohol-related cancers, such as esophageal and head/neck cancer, by more than ten times. Although this flushing phenomenon is crucial for public health, there is a paucity of studies that have comprehensively investigated the effect of flushing or its genotype on alcohol consumption in a large group of East Asians while controlling for various sociodemographic and health-related variables at a country level.
OBJECTIVE
This two-year cross-sectional study aimed to explore the effect of flushing on drinking behavior in Koreans and to examine whether the effect varies across sociodemographic and health-related factors.
METHODS
We used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2019-2020 conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Our sample comprised 10,660 Korean adults. The study investigated the association of 26 variables, including flushing, with drinking frequency and amount. The effect of flushing was examined with and without adjusting for the other 25 variables using multinomial logistic regression analysis. Additionally, we tested the interaction effect with flushing and conducted a simple effect analysis. To ensure unbiased results, we employed complex sample design elements, including strata, clusters, and weights, to obtain unbiased results for the Rao-Scott χ2 test, t-test, and multinomial logistic regression analysis.
RESULTS
The suppressive effect of flushing was significant across all pronounced categories of alcohol consumption at the significance level of .001 in 2019. The ranges of the standardized regression slopes and odds ratios were -6.70 ≥ ≥ -11.25 and 0.78 ≥ OR ≥ 0.50 for frequency; -5.37 ≥ ≥ -17.64 and 0.73 ≥ OR ≥ 0.36 for amount, respectively. The effect became somewhat stronger when adjusted for confounders. The effect also exhibited an overall stronger trend as the severity of alcohol consumption increased. The betas and odds ratios were consistently smaller in 2020 compared to the previous year. A simple effect analysis revealed a diminished alcohol-suppressive effect of flushing on alcohol consumption for specific groups (e.g., those with low levels of education, limited family support, physical labor, or health-related issues).
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that flushing suppresses drinking in Koreans overall but has little or no effect in certain vulnerable populations. Therefore, health authorities should conduct targeted epidemiological studies to assess drinking patterns and disease profiles, particularly regarding alcohol-related cancers, and establish effective preventive measures tailored to this population.
PubMed: 38796304
DOI: 10.2196/49826 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024Multiplex sampling, so far mainly used as a tool for S/N ratio improvement in spectroscopic applications and separation techniques, has been investigated here for its...
Multiplex sampling, so far mainly used as a tool for S/N ratio improvement in spectroscopic applications and separation techniques, has been investigated here for its potential suitability for time-resolved monitoring where chromatograms of transient signals are recorded at intervals much shorter than the chromatographic runtime. Different designs of multiplex sample introduction were developed and utilized to analyze lithium-ion battery degradation products under normal or abuse conditions to achieve fast and efficient sample introduction. After comprehensive optimization, measurements were performed on two different GC systems, with either barrier discharge ionization detection (BID) or mass spectrometric detection (MS). Three different injector designs were examined, and modifications in the pertinent hardware components and operational conditions used. The shortest achievable sample introduction time was 50 ms with an interval of 6 s. Relative standard deviations were lower than 4% and 10% for the intra- and inter-day repeatability, respectively. The sample introduction system and column head pressure had to be carefully controlled, as this parameter most critically affects the amount of sample introduced and, thus, detector response. The newly developed sample introduction system was successfully used to monitor volatile degradation products of lithium-ion batteries and demonstrated concentration changes over the course of time of the degradation products (e.g., fluoroethane, acetaldehyde and ethane), as well as for solvents from the battery electrolyte like ethyl carbonate.
PubMed: 38792043
DOI: 10.3390/molecules29102181 -
Biomedicines May 2024Prolonged ethanol (EtOH) consumption is associated with male infertility, with a decreased spermatogenesis rate as one cause. The defective maturation and development of...
Rats Orally Administered with Ethyl Alcohol for a Prolonged Time Show Histopathology of the Epididymis and Seminal Vesicle Together with Changes in the Luminal Metabolite Composition.
Prolonged ethanol (EtOH) consumption is associated with male infertility, with a decreased spermatogenesis rate as one cause. The defective maturation and development of sperm during their storage in the cauda epididymis and transit in the seminal vesicle can be another cause, possibly occurring before the drastic spermatogenesis disruption. Herein, we demonstrated that the cauda epididymis and seminal vesicle of rats, orally administered with EtOH under a regimen in which spermatogenesis was still ongoing, showed histological damage, including lesions, a decreased height of the epithelial cells and increased collagen fibers in the muscle layer, which implicated fibrosis. Lipid peroxidation (shown by malondialdehyde (MDA) levels) was observed, indicating that reactive oxygen species (ROS) were produced along with acetaldehyde during EtOH metabolism by CYP2E1. MDA, acetaldehyde and other lipid peroxidation products could further damage cellular components of the cauda epididymis and seminal vesicle, and this was supported by increased apoptosis (shown by a TUNEL assay and caspase 9/caspase 3 expression) in these two tissues of EtOH-treated rats. Consequently, the functionality of the cauda epididymis and seminal vesicle in EtOH-treated rats was impaired, as demonstrated by a decreases in H NMR-analyzed metabolites (e.g., carnitine, fructose), which were important for sperm development, metabolism and survival in their lumen.
PubMed: 38790972
DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12051010 -
Frontiers in Pharmacology 2024Roxb. (named tufuling in Chinese, SGR) has both medicinal and edible value. SGR has obvious pharmacological activity, especially in anti-inflammation and treating...
BACKGROUND
Roxb. (named tufuling in Chinese, SGR) has both medicinal and edible value. SGR has obvious pharmacological activity, especially in anti-inflammation and treating immune system diseases. This study investigated differential protein expression and its relationship with immune infiltration in hypertension treated with SGR using proteomics and bioinformatics.
METHODS
N-Nitro L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) was used to replicate the hypertension model, with SGR administered by gavage for 4 weeks, and the systolic and diastolic blood pressure in each group of rats was measured using the tail-cuff method every 7 days. Furthermore, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine the serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) expressions in each group, followed by the detection of protein expression in rat liver samples using the tandem mass tag (TMT) technique. Additionally, hub targets were output using Cytoscape 3.9.1 software, and ALDH2 expression in the liver and serum in each group of rats was detected by ELISA. Moreover, R4.3.0 software was used to evaluate the relationship between acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) and immune cells, and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was performed to identify the components of SGR. Furthermore, the association between components of SGR and ALDH2 was analyzed with molecular docking and LigPlot1.4.5 software.
RESULTS
Compared with the model group (L-NAME), SGR at high and medium doses reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure while reducing TC, TG, and LDL-C levels and increasing HDL-C levels in hypertensive rats ( < 0.05). Moreover, 92 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified using TMT. These DEPs participated in peroxisome functioning, fatty acid degradation, and other signaling pathways, with ALDH2 being the core target and correlated with various immune cells. In addition, 18 components were determined in SGR, with 8 compounds binding to ALDH2. Molecular docking was performed to confirm that SGR played a role in hypertension based on the combined action of multiple components.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, SGR has an antihypertensive effect on L-NAME-induced hypertension, with ALDH2 as its hub target. SGR may regulate neutrophil, regulatory T cell, and other cells' infiltration by targeting ALDH2, thereby contributing to the treatment of hypertension.
PubMed: 38783958
DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1360829 -
Journal of the American Society For... Jun 2024We investigated the applicability of proton transfer reaction-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (PTR-TOF-MS) for quantitative analysis of mixtures comprising glycerin,...
We investigated the applicability of proton transfer reaction-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (PTR-TOF-MS) for quantitative analysis of mixtures comprising glycerin, acetol, glycidol, acetaldehyde, acetone, and propylene glycol. While PTR-TOF-MS offers real-time simultaneous determination, the method selectivity is limited when analyzing compounds with identical elemental compositions or when labile compounds present in the mixture produce fragments that generate overlapping ions with other matrix components. In this study, we observed significant fragmentation of glycerin, acetol, glycidol, and propylene glycol during protonation via hydronium ions (HO). Nevertheless, specific ions generated by glycerin (/ 93.055) and propylene glycol (/ 77.060) enabled their selective detection. To thoroughly investigate the selectivity of the method, various mixtures containing both isotope-labeled and unlabeled compounds were utilized. The experimental findings demonstrated that when samples contained high levels of glycerin, it was not feasible to perform time-resolved analysis in HO mode for acetaldehyde, acetol, and glycidol. To overcome the observed selectivity limitations associated with the HO reagent ions, alternative ionization modes were investigated. The ammonium ion mode proved appropriate for analyzing propylene glycol (/ 94.086) and acetone (/ 76.076) mixtures. Concerning the nitric oxide mode, specific / were identified for acetaldehyde (/ 43.018), acetone (/ 88.039), glycidol (/ 73.028), and propylene glycol (/ 75.044). It was concluded that considering the presence of multiple product ions and the potential influence of other compounds, it is crucial to conduct a thorough selectivity assessment when employing PTR-TOF-MS as the sole method for analyzing compounds in complex matrices of unknown composition.
Topics: Mass Spectrometry; Volatile Organic Compounds; Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems; Nicotiana; Propylene Glycol; Acetaldehyde; Acetone; Glycerol; Hot Temperature; Epoxy Compounds; Propanols
PubMed: 38780179
DOI: 10.1021/jasms.4c00062 -
The American Journal of Pathology May 2024Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a fatal interstitial lung disease, is characterized by fibroblast activation and aberrant extracellular matrix accumulation. Effective...
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a fatal interstitial lung disease, is characterized by fibroblast activation and aberrant extracellular matrix accumulation. Effective therapeutic development is limited because of incomplete understanding of the mechanisms by which fibroblasts become aberrantly activated. Here, we show acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) in fibroblasts as a potential therapeutic target for pulmonary fibrosis. A decrease in ALDH2 expression was observed in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and bleomycin-treated mice. ALDH2 deficiency spontaneously induces collagen accumulation in the lungs of aged mice. Furthermore, young ALDH2 knockout mice exhibited exacerbated bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis and increased mortality compared with that in control mice. Mechanistic studies revealed that transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 induction and ALDH2 depletion constitute a positive feedback loop that exacerbates fibroblast activation. TGF-β1 down-regulated ALDH2 through a TGF-β receptor 1/Smad3-dependent mechanism. The subsequent deficiency in ALDH2 resulted in fibroblast dysfunction that manifested as impaired mitochondrial autophagy and senescence, leading to fibroblast activation and extracellular matrix production. ALDH2 overexpression markedly suppressed fibroblast activation, and this effect was abrogated by PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1) knockdown, indicating that the profibrotic effects of ALDH2 are PINK1- dependent. Furthermore, Alda-1-induced ALDH2 activation reversed the established pulmonary fibrosis in both young and aged mice. In conclusion, ALDH2 expression inhibits the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. Strategies to up-regulate or activate ALDH2 expression could be potential therapies for pulmonary fibrosis.
PubMed: 38777148
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2024.04.008 -
Microbial Cell Factories May 2024Zymomonas mobilis is well known for its outstanding ability to produce ethanol with both high specific productivity and with high yield close to the theoretical maximum....
BACKGROUND
Zymomonas mobilis is well known for its outstanding ability to produce ethanol with both high specific productivity and with high yield close to the theoretical maximum. The key enzyme in the ethanol production pathway is the pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) which is converting pyruvate to acetaldehyde. Since it is widely considered that its gene pdc is essential, metabolic engineering strategies aiming to produce other compounds derived from pyruvate need to find ways to reduce PDC activity.
RESULTS
Here, we present a new platform strain (sGB027) of Z. mobilis in which the native promoter of pdc was replaced with the IPTG-inducible P allowing for a controllable expression of pdc. Expression of lactate dehydrogenase from E. coli in sGB027 allowed the production of D-lactate with, to the best of our knowledge, the highest reported specific productivity of any microbial lactate producer as well as with the highest reported lactate yield for Z. mobilis so far. Additionally, by expressing the L-alanine dehydrogenase of Geobacillus stearothermophilus in sGB027 we produced L-alanine, further demonstrating the potential of sGB027 as a base for the production of compounds other than ethanol.
CONCLUSION
We demonstrated that our new platform strain can be an excellent starting point for the efficient production of various compounds derived from pyruvate with Z. mobilis and can thus enhance the establishment of this organism as a workhorse for biotechnological production processes.
Topics: Zymomonas; Pyruvate Decarboxylase; Metabolic Engineering; Ethanol; Lactic Acid; Escherichia coli; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; Alanine; Pyruvic Acid; Fermentation
PubMed: 38773442
DOI: 10.1186/s12934-024-02419-9