Wheat seedlings extract ameliorates sarcopenia in aged mice by regulating protein synthesis and degradation with anti-inflammatory and mitochondrial biogenesis effects.

BACKGROUND: Chronic inflammation, which becomes more prevalent during aging, contributes to sarcopenia by reducing muscle mass and strength. PURPOSE: Wheat seedlings extract (WSE) is known for its various physiological activities, including anti-inflammation and antioxidant effects. However, its efficacy against sarcopenia is not well documented. STUDY DESIGN: 8-week-old and 50-week-old C57BL/6 J mice were used as young control (YC group) and aged controls (AC group), respectively. Then, aged mice were randomly divided into 5 groups (WSE100mg/kg, WSE200mg/kg, WSE400mg/kg, and schizandrin as a positive control) and fed each experimental diet for 10 weeks. METHOD: We investigated the effects of WSE on muscle quality and protein homeostasis pathways based on improvements in mitochondrial function and chronic inflammation. We then used TNFα-treated C2C12 to investigate the effects of isoorientin (ISO) and isoschaftoside (ISS), the active substances of WSE, on the myogenic pathway. RESULTS: We administered WSE to aging mice and observed an increase in muscle mass, thickness, protein content, and strength in mice treated with WSE at a dose of 200 mg/kg or 400 mg/kg. Furthermore, the administration of WSE led to a reduction in inflammatory factors (TNFα, IL-1, and IL-6) and an increase in mitochondrial biogenesis (p-AMPK/SIRT3/PGC1α) in muscle. This effect was also observed in TNFα-induced muscle atrophy in C2C12 cells, and we additionally identified the upregulation of myogenic regulatory factors, including Myf5, Myf6, MyoD, and myogenin, by WSE, ISO, and ISS. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that WSE could function as a dietary anti-inflammatory factor and mitochondrial activator, potentially exerting modulatory effects on the metabolism and mechanical properties of skeletal muscles in the aging population. Furthermore, Our results demonstrate the potential value of ISO and ISS as functional food ingredients for preventing muscle atrophy.

Preparation of catechin-starch nanoparticles composites and its application as a Pickering emulsion stabilizer.

Starch is a biopolymer commonly used for nanoparticle synthesis. Starch nanoparticles (SNPs) have potential as encapsulation agents and Pickering emulsion stabilizers. Here, we prepared SNPs by dry heating under mildly acidic conditions to encapsulate catechin. Catechin (30 mg) and SNPs (50-150 mg) were dispersed in distilled water and freeze-dried to prepare catechin-SNP composites. Isothermal titration calorimetry and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that the binding of catechin to SNP may involve spontaneous hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. SNPs exhibited encapsulation efficiency for catechin, with 100 % catechin retention when 150 mg of SNP was used to prepare the composites. The catechin-SNP composites had a particle size of 54.2-74.9 nm. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the formation of small amounts of inclusion complexes in catechin-SNP composites. As the amount of SNPs added for encapsulation increased, the catechin encapsulated in the SNP composites exhibited higher water solubility and UV stability than the pure catechin. The catechin-SNP composite with 150 mg of catechin exhibited the highest contact angle (51.37°) and formed a stable emulsion without notable droplet size changes. Therefore, catechin-SNP composites improved the encapsulation efficiency, water-solubility, stability of catechins, and Pickering emulsion stability.

Wide-field optical coherence tomography deviation map for early glaucoma detection.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study aimed to establish a wide-field optical coherence tomography (OCT) deviation map obtained from swept-source OCT (SS-OCT) scans. Moreover, it also aimed to compare the diagnostic ability of this wide-field deviation map with that of the peripapillary and macular deviation maps currently being used for the detection of early glaucoma (EG). METHODS: Four hundred eyes, including 200 healthy eyes and 200 eyes with EG were enrolled in this retrospective observational study. Patients underwent a comprehensive ocular examination, including wide-field SS-OCT (DRI-OCT Triton; Topcon, Tokyo, Japan). The individual wide-field scan was converted into a uniform template using the fovea and optic disc centres as fixed landmarks. Subsequently, the wide-field deviation map was obtained via the comparison between individual wide-field data and a normative wide-field database that had been created by combining images of healthy eyes into a uniform template in a previous study. The ability of the new wide-field deviation map to distinguish between EG and healthy eyes was assessed by comparing it with conventional deviation maps based on the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). RESULTS: The wide-field deviation map obtained using the normative wide-field database showed the highest diagnostic ability for the diagnosis of EG (AUC=0.980 and 961 for colour-coded pixels presenting <5% and <1%, respectively) among various deviation maps. Its AUC was significantly superior to that of most conventional deviation maps (p<0.05). The wide-field deviation map demonstrated early structural glaucomatous damage well over a wider area. CONCLUSION: The wide-field SS-OCT deviation map exhibited good performance for distinguishing between eyes with EG and healthy eyes. The visualisation of the wider damaged area on the wide-field deviation map could be useful for the diagnosis of EG in clinical settings.

Comprehensive genome- and transcriptome-wide analyses of mutations associated with microsatellite instability in Korean gastric cancers.

Microsatellite instability (MSI) is a critical mechanism that drives genetic aberrations in cancer. To identify the entire MS mutation, we performed the first comprehensive genome- and transcriptome-wide analyses of mutations associated with MSI in Korean gastric cancer cell lines and primary tissues. We identified 18,377 MS mutations of five or more repeat nucleotides in coding sequences and untranslated regions of genes, and discovered 139 individual genes whose expression was down-regulated in association with UTR MS mutation. In addition, we found that 90.5% of MS mutations with deletions in gene regions occurred in UTRs. This analysis emphasizes the genetic diversity of MSI-H gastric tumors and provides clues to the mechanistic basis of instability in microsatellite unstable gastric cancers.