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Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces... Jun 2024The structure-property relationship of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)/CaCO nanocomposites is investigated by all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. MD simulation...
The structure-property relationship of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)/CaCO nanocomposites is investigated by all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. MD simulation results indicate that the dispersity of nanofillers, interfacial bonding, and chain mobility are imperative factors to improve the mechanical performance of nanocomposites, especially toughness. The tensile behavior and dissipated work of the PVC/CaCO model demonstrate that 12 wt % CaCO modified with oleate anion and dodecylbenzenesulfonate can impart high toughness to PVC due to its good dispersion, favorable interface interaction, and weak migration of PVC chains. Under the guidance of MD simulation, we experimentally prepared a transparent PVC/CaCO nanocomposite with good mechanical properties by polymerization of monodispersed CaCO in vinyl chloride monomers. Interestingly, experimental tests indicate that the optimum toughness of a nanocomposite (a 368% increase in the elongation at break and 204% improvement of the impact strength) can be indeed realized by adding 12 wt % CaCO modified with oleic acid and dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid, which is remarkably consistent with the MD simulation prediction. In short, this work provides a proof-of-concept of using MD simulation to guide the experimental synthesis of PVC/CaCO nanocomposites, which can be considered as an example to develop other functional nanocomposites.
PubMed: 38902198
DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c01435 -
Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology Jun 2024Ovarian somatic cells support the maturation and fertility of oocytes. Metabolic desaturation of fatty acids in these cells has a positive paracrine impact on the...
BACKGROUND
Ovarian somatic cells support the maturation and fertility of oocytes. Metabolic desaturation of fatty acids in these cells has a positive paracrine impact on the maturation of oocytes. We hypothesized that the enzyme stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) in granulosa cells regulates the lipid cargo of exosomes secreted from these cells by maintaining the balance between saturated and unsaturated lipids. We investigated the effect of SCD1 on exosome lipid content in a cumulus-granulosa cell model under physiologically relevant in vitro conditions.
METHODS
Non-luteinized human COV434 granulosa cells were subjected to treatment with an inhibitor of SCD1 (SCDinhib) alone, in combination with oleic acid, or under control conditions. Subsequently, the exosomes were isolated and characterized via nanoparticle tracking analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and Western blotting. We used liquid chromatography mass spectrometry to investigate the lipidomic profiles. We used quantitative PCR with TaqMan primers to assess the expression of genes involved in lipogenesis and control of cell cycle progression.
RESULTS
A trend toward exosome production was observed with a shift toward smaller exosome sizes in cells treated with SCD1inhib. This trend reached statistical significance when SCDinhib was combined with oleic acid supplementation. SCD1 inhibition led to the accumulation of saturated omega-6 lipids in exosomes. The latter effect was reversed by oleic acid supplementation, which also improved exosome production and suppressed the expression of fatty acid synthase and Cyclin D2.
CONCLUSION
These findings underscore the critical role of de novo fatty acid desaturation in the regulation of the export of specific lipids through exosomes, with potential implications for controlling intercellular communication within the ovary.
PubMed: 38901632
DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2024.112317 -
Materials (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024One of the most effective strategies for modifying the surface properties of nano-fillers and enhancing their composite characteristics is through polymer grafting. In...
Epoxidized Soybean Oleic Acid/Oligomeric Poly(lactic acid)-Grafted Nano-Hydroxyapatite and Its Role as a Filler in Poly(L-lactide) for Potential Bone Fixation Application.
One of the most effective strategies for modifying the surface properties of nano-fillers and enhancing their composite characteristics is through polymer grafting. In this study, a coprecipitation method was employed to modify hydroxyapatite (HAP) with epoxidized soybean oleic acid (ESOA), resulting in ESOA-HAP. Subsequently, oligomeric poly(lactic acid) (OPLA) was grafted onto the surface of ESOA-HAP, yielding OPLA-ESOA-HAP. HAP, ESOA-HAP, and OPLA-ESOA-HAP were comprehensively characterized. The results demonstrate the progressive grafting of ESOA and OPLA onto the surface of HAP, resulting in enhanced hydrophobicity and improved dispersity in organic solvent for OPLA-ESOA-HAP compared to HAP. The vitality and adhesion of Wistar rat mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were assessed using HAP and modified HAP materials. Following culture with MSCs for 72 h, the OPLA-ESOA-HAP showed an inhibition rate lower than 23.0% at a relatively high concentration (1.0 mg/mL), which is three times lower compared to HAP under similar condition. The cell number for OPLA-ESOA-HAP was 4.5 times higher compared to HAP, indicating its superior biocompatibility. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of the OPLA-ESOA-HAP/PLLA composite almost remained unaltered ever after undergoing two stages of thermal processing involving melt extrusion and inject molding. The increase in the biocompatibility and relatively high mechanical properties render OPLA-ESOA-HAP/PLLA a potential material for the biodegradable fixation system.
PubMed: 38893884
DOI: 10.3390/ma17112620 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024The growing interest in fermented dairy products is due to their health-promoting properties. The use of milk kefir grains as a starter culture made it possible to... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
The growing interest in fermented dairy products is due to their health-promoting properties. The use of milk kefir grains as a starter culture made it possible to obtain a product with a better nutritional and biological profile depending on the type of milk. Cow, buffalo, camel, donkey, goat, and sheep milk kefirs were prepared, and the changes in sugar, protein, and phenol content, fatty acid composition, including conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs), as well as antioxidant activity, determined by ABTS and FRAP assays, were evaluated and compared. The protein content of cow, buffalo, donkey, and sheep milk increased after 24 h of fermentation. The fatty acid profile showed a better concentration of saturated and unsaturated lipids in all fermented milks, except buffalo milk. The highest content of beneficial fatty acids, such as oleic, linoleic, and C18:2 conjugated linoleic acid, was found in the cow and sheep samples. All samples showed a better antioxidant capacity, goat milk having the highest value, with no correlation to the total phenolic content, which was highest in the buffalo sample (260.40 ± 5.50 μg GAE/mL). These findings suggested that microorganisms living symbiotically in kefir grains utilize nutrients from different types of milk with varying efficiency.
Topics: Animals; Kefir; Milk; Nutritive Value; Antioxidants; Fatty Acids; Cattle; Goats; Buffaloes; Sheep; Fermentation; Phenols; Camelus; Equidae
PubMed: 38893583
DOI: 10.3390/molecules29112710 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a significant hepatic condition that has gained worldwide attention. Kaempferol (Kae), renowned for its diverse biological...
BACKGROUND
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a significant hepatic condition that has gained worldwide attention. Kaempferol (Kae), renowned for its diverse biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-aging, and cardio-protective properties, has emerged as a potential therapeutic candidate for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Despite its promising therapeutic potential, the precise underlying mechanism of Kae's beneficial effects in NASH remains unclear. Therefore, this study aims to clarify the mechanism by conducting comprehensive in vivo and in vitro experiments.
RESULTS
In this study, a murine model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) was established by feeding C57BL/6 female mice a high-fat diet for 12 weeks. Kaempferol (Kae) was investigated for its ability to modulate systemic inflammatory responses and lipid metabolism in this model (20 mg/kg per day). Notably, Kae significantly reduced the expression of NLRP3-ASC/TMS1-Caspase 3, a crucial mediator of liver tissue inflammation. Additionally, in a HepG2 cell model induced with palmitic acid/oleic acid (PA/OA) to mimic NASH conditions, Kae demonstrated the capacity to decrease lipid droplet accumulation and downregulate the expression of NLRP3-ASC/TMS1-Caspase 3 (20 µM and the final concentration to 20 nM). These findings suggest that Kae may hold therapeutic potential in the treatment of NASH by targeting inflammatory and metabolic pathways.
CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that kaempferol holds potential as a promising therapeutic intervention for ameliorating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Topics: Kaempferols; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Animals; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein; Mice; Humans; Signal Transduction; Caspase 3; Female; Neutrophils; Disease Models, Animal; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Liver; Hep G2 Cells; Diet, High-Fat
PubMed: 38893506
DOI: 10.3390/molecules29112630 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024This study investigates the chemical composition, nutritional, and biological properties of extracts obtained from berries using different extraction methods and...
This study investigates the chemical composition, nutritional, and biological properties of extracts obtained from berries using different extraction methods and solvents. Hydrodistillation and supercritical fluid extraction with CO allowed us to isolate fruit essential oil (HD) and fixed oil (SFE), respectively. A phenol-enriched extract was obtained using a mild ultrasound-assisted maceration with methanol (UAM). The HD most abundant component, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS), was italicene epoxide (17.2%), followed by hexadecanoic acid (12.4%), khusinol (10.5%), limonene (9.7%), dodecanoic acid (9.7%), and (E)-anethole (6.1%). Linoleic (348.9 mg/g of extract, 70.5%), oleic (88.9 mg/g, 17.9%), and palmitic (40.8 mg/g, 8.2%) acids, followed by α-linolenic and stearic acids, were the main fatty acids in SFE determined using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode array detector and an evaporative light scattering detector (HPLC-DAD/ELSD). HPLC-DAD analyses of SFE identified β-carotene as the main carotenoid (1.7 mg/g), while HPLC with fluorescence detection (FLU) evidenced α-tocopherol (1.2 mg/g) as the most abundant tocopherol isoform in SFE. Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-MS (LC-ESI-MS) analysis of UAM showed the presence of quercetin-sulfate (15.6%, major component), malvidin 3--(6--p-coumaroyl) glucoside-4-vinylphenol adduct (pigment B) (9.3%), di-caffeoyl coumaroyl spermidine (7.6%), methyl-epigallocatechin (5.68%), and phloretin (4.1%), while flavonoids (70.5%) and phenolic acids (23.9%) emerged as the most abundant polyphenol classes. UAM exerted a complete inhibition of the cholesterol oxidative degradation at 140 °C from 75 μg of extract, showing 50% protection at 30.6 μg (IA). Furthermore, UAM significantly reduced viability (31-48%) in A375 melanoma cells in the range of 500-2000 μg/mL after 96 h of incubation (MTT assay), with a low toxic effect in normal HaCaT keratinocytes. The results of this research extend the knowledge of the nutritional and biological properties of berries, providing useful information on specific extracts for potential food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical applications.
Topics: Plant Extracts; Fruit; Photinia; Humans; Antioxidants; Fatty Acids; Oils, Volatile; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Phytochemicals
PubMed: 38893452
DOI: 10.3390/molecules29112577 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024Metabolic reprogramming mediates antibiotic efficacy. However, metabolic adaptation of microbes evolving from antibiotic sensitivity to resistance remains undefined....
Metabolic reprogramming mediates antibiotic efficacy. However, metabolic adaptation of microbes evolving from antibiotic sensitivity to resistance remains undefined. Therefore, untargeted metabolomics was conducted to unveil relevant metabolic reprogramming and potential intervention targets involved in gentamicin resistance. In total, 61 metabolites and 52 metabolic pathways were significantly altered in gentamicin-resistant . Notably, the metabolic reprogramming was characterized by decreases in most metabolites involved in carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism, and accumulation of building blocks for nucleotide synthesis in gentamicin-resistant . Meanwhile, fatty acid metabolism and glycerolipid metabolism were also significantly altered in gentamicin-resistant . Additionally, glycerol, glycerol-3-phosphate, palmitoleate, and oleate were separately defined as the potential biomarkers for identifying gentamicin resistance in . Moreover, palmitoleate and oleate could attenuate or even abolished killing effects of gentamicin on , and separately increased the minimum inhibitory concentration of gentamicin against by 2 and 4 times. Furthermore, palmitoleate and oleate separately decreased intracellular gentamicin contents, and abolished gentamicin-induced accumulation of reactive oxygen species, indicating involvement of gentamicin metabolism and redox homeostasis in palmitoleate/oleate-promoted gentamicin resistance in . This study identifies the metabolic reprogramming, potential biomarkers and intervention targets related to gentamicin resistance in bacteria.
Topics: Gentamicins; Escherichia coli; Oleic Acid; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Metabolomics; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Reactive Oxygen Species; Up-Regulation
PubMed: 38893378
DOI: 10.3390/molecules29112504 -
Nutrients May 2024In this study, we prepared fermented products of isoflavone-enriched soybean leaves (IESLs) and analyzed their nutrients, isoflavones, anti-obesity efficacy, and effects...
In this study, we prepared fermented products of isoflavone-enriched soybean leaves (IESLs) and analyzed their nutrients, isoflavones, anti-obesity efficacy, and effects on gut microbiota. Fermented IESLs (FIESLs) were found to be rich in nutrients, especially lauric acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid. In addition, the concentrations of most essential free amino acids were increased compared to those of IESLs. The contents of bioactive compounds, such as total phenolic, total flavonoid, daidzein, and genistein, significantly increased as well. In addition, FIESLs administration in a high-fat diet (HFD) animal model improved the final body weight, epididymal fat, total lipid, triglyceride, total cholesterol, blood glucose, and leptin levels, as well as reverting microbiota dysbiosis. In conclusion, these findings indicate that FIESLs have the potential to inhibit obesity caused by HFDs and serve as a modulator of gut microbiota, offering the prevention of diet-induced gut dysbiosis and metabolite diseases associated with obesity.
Topics: Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Glycine max; Animals; Plant Leaves; Fermentation; Isoflavones; Obesity; Male; Diet, High-Fat; Anti-Obesity Agents; Lactic Acid; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice; Dysbiosis
PubMed: 38892626
DOI: 10.3390/nu16111693 -
Nutrients May 2024Breast milk (BM) plays a crucial role in providing essential fatty acids (FA) and energy for the growing infant. When the mother's own BM is not available, nutritional...
Breast milk (BM) plays a crucial role in providing essential fatty acids (FA) and energy for the growing infant. When the mother's own BM is not available, nutritional recommendations suggest donor milk (DM) in clinical and home practices. BM was collected from a variety of donor mothers in different lactation stages. Holder pasteurization (HoP) eliminates potential contaminants to ensure safety. FA content of BM samples from the Breast Milk Collection Center of Pécs, Hungary, were analyzed before and after HoP. HoP decreases the level of C6:0, C8:0, C14:1n-5c, C18:1n-9c, C18:3n-6c, C18:3n-3c, and C20:4n-6c in BM, while C14:0, C16:0, C18:1n-9t, C22:0, C22:1n-9c, C24:0, C24:1n-9c, and C22:6n-3c were found in elevated concentration after HoP. We did not detect time-dependent concentration changes in FAs in the first year of lactation. BM produced for girl infants contains higher C20:2n-6c levels. In the BM of mothers who delivered via cesarean section, C12:0, C15:0, C16:0, C17:0, C18:0, C18:1n-9t, C22:1n-9c levels were higher, while C18:2n-6c, C22:0, C24:0, and C22:6n-3c concentrations were lower compared to mothers who gave birth spontaneously. FAs in BM are constant during the first year of lactation. Although HoP modifies the concentration of different FAs, pasteurized DM provides essential FAs to the developing infant. Current data providing information about the FA profile of BM gives origination to supplementation guidelines.
Topics: Humans; Milk, Human; Female; Pasteurization; Fatty Acids; Infant; Adult; Infant, Newborn; Sex Factors; Pregnancy; Lactation; Delivery, Obstetric; Hungary; Milk Banks
PubMed: 38892622
DOI: 10.3390/nu16111689 -
International Journal of Molecular... May 2024Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a clinicopathological syndrome characterized by diffuse hepatocellular steatosis due to fatty deposits in hepatocytes,...
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a clinicopathological syndrome characterized by diffuse hepatocellular steatosis due to fatty deposits in hepatocytes, excluding alcohol and other known liver injury factors. However, there are no specific drugs for the clinical treatment of NAFLD. Therefore, research on the pathogenesis of NAFLD at the cellular and molecular levels is a promising approach to finding therapeutic targets and developing targeted drugs for NAFLD. Pin1 is highly expressed during adipogenesis and contributes to adipose differentiation, but its specific mechanism of action in NAFLD is unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of Pin1 in promoting the development of NAFLD and its potential mechanisms in vitro and in vivo. First, Pin1 was verified in the NAFLD model in vitro using MCD diet-fed mice by Western Blot, RT-qPCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays. In the in vitro study, we used the oleic acid (OA) stimulation-induced lipid accumulation model and examined the lipid accumulation in each group of cells by oil red O staining as well as BODIPY staining. The results showed that knockdown of Pin1 inhibited lipid accumulation in hepatocytes in an in vitro lipid accumulation model and improved lipid indices and liver injury levels. Moreover, in vivo, WT and Pin1-KO mice were fed a methionine-choline deficient (MCD) diet for 4 weeks to induce the NAFLD model. The effects of Pin1 on lipid accumulation, hepatic fibrosis, and oxidative stress were evaluated by biochemical analysis, glucose and insulin tolerance tests, histological analysis, IHC, RT-qPCR and Western blot assays. The results indicate that Pin1 knockdown significantly alleviated hepatic steatosis, fibrosis and inflammation in MCD-induced NAFLD mice, improved glucose tolerance and alleviated insulin resistance in mice. Further studies showed that the AMPK/ACC1 signalling pathway might take part in the process by which Pin1 regulates NAFLD, as evidenced by the inhibition of the AMPK/ACC1 pathway. In addition, immunofluorescence (IF), coimmunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and GST pull-down experiments also showed that Pin1 interacts directly with ACC1 and inhibits ACC1 phosphorylation levels. Our study suggests that Pin1 promotes NAFLD progression by inhibiting the activation of the AMPK/ACC1 signalling pathway, and it is possible that this effect is achieved by Pin1 interacting with ACC1 and inhibiting the phosphorylation of ACC1.
Topics: Animals; NIMA-Interacting Peptidylprolyl Isomerase; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Mice; Male; Mice, Knockout; Hepatocytes; Humans; Lipid Metabolism; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Disease Models, Animal; Protein Binding; Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase
PubMed: 38892011
DOI: 10.3390/ijms25115822