27-Hydroxycholesterol/liver X receptor/apolipoprotein E mediates zearalenone-induced intestinal immunosuppression: A key target potentially linking zearalenone and cancer.

Zearalenone (ZEN) is a mycotoxin that extensively contaminates food and feed, posing a significant threat to public health. However, the mechanisms behind ZEN-induced intestinal immunotoxicity remain unclear. In this study, Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were exposed to ZEN at a dosage of 5 mg/kg/day b.w. for a duration of 14 days. The results demonstrated that ZEN exposure led to notable pathological alterations and immunosuppression within the intestine. Furthermore, ZEN exposure caused a significant reduction in the levels of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) and liver X receptor (LXR) (P < 0.05). Conversely, it upregulated the levels of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) markers (P < 0.05) and decreased the presence of 27-hydroxycholesterol (27-HC) in the intestine (P < 0.05). It was observed that ApoE or LXR agonists were able to mitigate the immunosuppressive effects induced by ZEN. Additionally, a bioinformatics analysis highlighted that the downregulation of ApoE might elevate the susceptibility to colorectal, breast, and lung cancers. These findings underscore the crucial role of the 27-HC/LXR/ApoE axis disruption in ZEN-induced MDSCs proliferation and subsequent inhibition of T lymphocyte activation within the rat intestine. Notably, ApoE may emerge as a pivotal target linking ZEN exposure to cancer development.

Determination of mycobiota and aflatoxin contamination in commercial bee pollen from eight provinces and one autonomous region of China.

The co-occurrence of fungi and mycotoxins in various foods has been frequently reported in many countries, posing a serious threat to the health and safety of consumers. In this study, the mycobiota in five types of commercial bee pollen samples from China were first revealed by DNA metabarcoding. Meanwhile, the content of total aflatoxins in each sample was investigated by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The results demonstrated that Cladosporium (0.16 %-89.29 %) was the most prevalent genus in bee pollen, followed by Metschnikowia (0-81.12 %), unclassified genus in the phylum Ascomycota (0-81.13 %), Kodamaea (0-73.57 %), and Penicillium (0-36.13 %). Meanwhile, none of the assayed aflatoxins were determined in the 18 batches of bee pollen samples. In addition, the fungal diversity, community composition, and trophic mode varied significantly among five groups. This study provides comprehensive information for better understanding the fungal communities and aflatoxin residues in bee pollen from different floral origins in China.

[Mercury species analysis and tissue distribution in rats after continuous administration of Cinnabaris].

Cinnabaris is a traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) commonly used for sedation and tranquilization in clinics, and its safety has always been a concern. This study intends to investigate the species and tissue distribution of mercury in rats after continuous administration of Cinnabaris. In the experiment, 30 rats were randomly divided into the control group(equivalent to 0.5% carboxy-methyl cellulose sodium), low-dose Cinnabaris group(0.2 g·kg~(-1)), high-dose Cinnabaris group(2 g·kg~(-1)), pseudogerm-free control group(equivalent to 0.5% sodium carboxymethyl cellulose), and pseudogerm-free Cinnabaris group(2 g·kg~(-1)). They were orally administered for 30 consecutive days. Ultrasound-assisted acid extraction method combined with high performance liquid chromatography and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry(HPLC-ICP-MS) was adopted to determine inorganic mercury [Hg(Ⅱ)], methylmercury(MeHg), and ethylmercury(EtHg) in different tissue, plasma, urine, and feces of rats. The optimal detection conditions and extraction methods were optimized, and the linearity(R~2>0.999 3), precision(RSD<7.0%), and accuracy(spike recoveries ranged from 73.05% to 109.5%) of all the mercury species were satisfied, meeting the requirements of analysis. The results of mercury species detection showed that Hg(Ⅱ) was detected in all the tissue of the five experimental groups, and the main accumulating organs were the intestinal tract, stomach, and kidney. MeHg existed at a low concentration in most tissue, and EtHg was not detected in all groups. In addition, pathological examination results showed that hepatocyte vacuolar degeneration, loose cytoplasm, light staining, and mononuclear cell infiltration were observed in the high-dose Cinnabaris group, low-dose Cinnabaris group, and pseudogerm-free Cinnabaris group, with slightly milder lesions in the low-dose Cinnabaris group. Hydrous degeneration of renal tubular epithelium could be seen in the high-dose Cinnabaris group and pseudogerm-free Cinnabaris group, but there was no significant difference between the other groups and the control group. No abnormal changes were found in the brain tissue of rats in each group. This paper studied the different mercury species and tissue distribution in normal and pseudogerm-free rats after continuous administration of Cinnabaris for 30 days and clarified its effects on the tissue structure of the liver, kidney, and brain, which provided supporting evidence for the safety evaluation of Cinnabaris.

Preparation of a broad-specificity antibody against zearalenone and its primary analogues and development of immunoassay of Coicis Semen and related products.

The purpose of this study was to prepare a highly sensitive and specific zearalenone (ZEN) monoclonal antibody, which was then used to develop an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ic-ELISA) and a colloidal gold immunochromatographic assay (GICA). These techniques were used for the detection of Coicis Semen and related products (Coicis Semen flour, Yimigao, and Yishigao). Immunogens were synthesized by oxime active ester techniques and characterized via ultraviolet spectrophotometry. Immunogens were injected subcutaneously into the abdominal cavities and backs of mice. Using the prepared antibodies, we developed ic-ELISA and GICA rapid detection methods, which were then applied for the rapid detection of ZEN and its analogues from Coicis Semen and related products. For ic-ELISA, the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50 ) values for ZEN, α-zearalenol (α-ZEL), ß-zearalenol (ß-ZEL), zearalanone (ZAN), α-zearalanol (α-ZAL), and ß-zearalanol (ß-ZAL) were determined to be 1.13, 1.69, 2.06, 0.66, 1.20, and 0.94 ng•mL-1 , respectively. For GICA, the cutoff values of ZEN, α-ZEL, ß-ZEL, α-ZAL, and ß-ZAL on test strips were 0.5 ng•mL-1 in phosphate buffer saline (0.01 M, pH 7.4), while ZAN was found to be 0.25 ng•mL-1 . Furthermore, the cutoff values of test strips were between 10 and 20 µg∙kg-1 in Coicis Semen and related products. The results of these two detection methods were in good agreement with results from liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. This study provides technical support for the preparation of broad-specificity monoclonal antibodies against ZEN and lays the foundation for the simultaneous detection of multiple mycotoxins from food and herbal medicines.

Broad-specificity monoclonal antibody against neonicotinoid insecticides via a multi-immunogen strategy and development of a highly sensitive GNP-based multi-residue immunoassay in ginseng and tomato.

Neonicotinoid insecticides (NNIs) are extensively used across the agricultural products and foods. In order to meet the rapid detection requirements, a novel broad-specificity monoclonal antibody against NNIs was developed for the first time using a multi-immunogen strategy. The antibody's high affinity and its ability to bind target molecules were verified by ic-ELISA. Furthermore, molecular docking was used to evaluate the pivotal forces affecting binding affinity and to determine binding sites. Subsequently, a highly sensitive gold nanoparticle-based immunochromatographic assay was established for the rapid detection of eight NNIs and the IC50 values were 0.03-1.61 ng/mL. The limits of detection for ginseng and tomato ranged from 0.76 to 30.19 µg/kg and 0.87 to 31.57 µg/kg, respectively. The spiked recovery ranged from 72.04% to 120.74%, and the coefficient of variation were less than 9.0%. This study provides a new direction for the development of multiple NNIs residue immunoassays.

Efficient removal of phytochrome using rice straw-derived biochar: Adsorption performance, mechanisms, and practical applications.

Rice straw derived biochar was fabricated and applied as a purification agent. The adsorption kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamics for adsorbates were determined using the biochar. Adsorption kinetics and isotherms were best fitted by the pseudo-second order and Langmuir models. Biochar could effectively remove chlorophyll in 9 different solutions. Biochar was employed as a clean-up reagent for 149 pesticides detection, which revealed that biochar had a higher phytochrome removal capacity than graphitized carbon black and 123 pesticides had satisfactory recovery values. The biochar was prepared into a sample pad by electrospinning and was then used for online sample clean-up in a test strip, and it showed high ability of removing phytochrome and improving detection sensitivity. Thus, biochar could be applied as a purification agent to remove pigmentation, making it a promising candidate not only for sample pretreatment but also in the fields of food, agriculture and environment.

Residue detection and correlation analysis of multiple neonicotinoid insecticides and their metabolites in edible herbs.

In this work, a green analytical method was established for the simultaneous extraction and detection of 20 analytes-10 neonicotinoid insecticides and their 10 major toxic metabolites in edible herbs. QuEChERS and LC-MS/MS were used to analyze the 20 analytes in five edible herbs. The residues of the 20 neonicotinoid insecticides and their metabolites in 109 herbal samples were detected, of which 90 samples were positive, and the residue of total neonicotinoid insecticides ranged from 0.26 to 139.28 µg/kg. Acetamiprid (77.06 %, ≤85.95 µg/kg), imidacloprid (67.89 %, ≤32.49 µg/kg) and their metabolites (N-desmethyl-acetamiprid (44.04 %, ≤18.42 µg/kg) and desnitro imidacloprid (48.62 %, ≤16.55 µg/kg) were most frequently detected in herbs. Significant positive correlations were found between imidacloprid/acetamiprid and their metabolites in Lycii fructus and Citri reticulatae pericarpium. Therefore, more attention may be given to the neonicotinoid insecticide residues in edible herbs in the future.

CHA-based dual signal amplification immunofluorescence biosensor for ultrasensitive detection of dimethomorph.

Dimethomorph (DMM) is a widely used high-efficiency fungicide which poses unpredictable threats to the ecological environment and public health. It is significant to establish a sensitive and robust analytical method for DMM detection. Here, we fabricated a catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) - based immunofluorescence (IMF) biosensor by using single-strand DNA and DMM antibody co-modified gold nanoparticles (H0-Ab-Au) as anti-interference probes and DMM antigen coated 96-well plate as the immune recognition element and CHA reaction vessel. Parameters relevant to AuNP probes preparation and CHA reaction environment were optimized. After optimization, the LOD of 0.002 ng/mL was calculated, with a linear correlation in inverse proportion to DMM concentration ranging from 0.01 ng/mL to 50 ng/mL. In addition, the developed biosensor was successfully applied to a variety of complex matrix samples, with satisfactory recoveries over a range of 86.74%-118.60%. Moreover, the detection results of IMF biosensor have a good correlation with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Therefore, our proposed IMF biosensor exhibits ultra-high sensitivity and excellent specificity, as well as great potential for application to other hazards.

Pyrolae herba: A review on its botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and quality control.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Pyrolae herba is the dried whole plant of Pyrola calliantha H. Andres or Pyrola decorata H. Andres (Pyrolaceae). Pyrolae herba has a long history of medicinal use in China. In ancient times, it was often used to treat pain in tendons and bones, swollen sore, cough, expectoration, bleeding, and other diseases. and was commonly used in ancient times to treat pain in the tendons and bones, swollen sore, cough, expectoration, bleeding and other diseases. AIM OF THE REVIEW: This paper summarizes the botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, quality control and toxicology of Pyrolae herba, with a view to providing reference for further development and research. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The relevant information on Pyrolae herba was collected from the scientific databases including PubMed, CNKI, ScienceDirect, Wiley, Springer, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Baidu Scholar, Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China and Flora Republicae Popularis Sinicae, etc. RESULTS: At present, more than 70 compounds have been identified from Pyrolae herba, including flavonoids, phenolic glycosides, quinones, terpenoids, volatile oils and other compounds. Pharmacological studies have shown that Pyrolae herba has a variety of pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-tumor, anti-oxidation, reducing blood lipids, protective on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular, promoting osteoblast proliferation, and so on. It is used clinically in modern times to treat rheumatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, bone hyperplasia, sciatica, cervical spondylosis, lumbar spondylosis, acute and chronic bronchitis, mammary gland hyperplasia, tumor, hypertension, coronary heart disease and bleeding diseases. CONCLUSIONS: Pyrolae herba is rich in chemical constituents, diverse in pharmacological activities and abundant in resources, which is widely used in clinics from traditional to modern. However, there is a lack of research on the relationship between chemical constituents and pharmacodynamics of Pyrolae herba. In addition, the existing clinical applications suggest that Pyrolae herba has a certain therapeutic potential in the treatment of hemorrhagic diseases, but there is a lack of information on experimental studies. It is worthwhile to further investigate the Pyrolae herba in depth in the hope of making discoveries and breakthroughs.