Panax quinquefolius Polysaccharides Ameliorate Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhoea Induced by Lincomycin Hydrochloride in Rats via the MAPK Signaling Pathways.

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) is an herbal medicine with polysaccharides as its important active ingredient. The purpose of this research was to identify the effects of the polysaccharides of P. quinquefolius (WQP) on rats with antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD) induced by lincomycin hydrochloride. WQP was primarily composed of galacturonic acid, glucose, galactose, and arabinose. The yield, total sugar content, uronic acid content, and protein content were 6.71%, 85.2%, 31.9%, and 2.1%, respectively. WQP reduced the infiltration of inflammatory cells into the ileum and colon, reduced the IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-17A, and TNF-α levels, increased the levels of IL-4 and IL-10 in colon tissues, improved the production of acetate and propionate, regulated the gut microbiota diversity and composition, improved the relative richness of Lactobacillus and Bacteroides, and reduced the relative richness of Blautia and Coprococcus. The results indicated that WQP can enhance the recovery of the intestinal structure in rats, reduce inflammatory cytokine levels, improve short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels, promote recovery of the gut microbiota and intestinal mucosal barrier, and alleviate antibiotic-related side effects such as diarrhoea and microbiota dysbiosis caused by lincomycin hydrochloride. We found that WQP can protect the intestinal barrier by increasing Occludin and Claudin-1 expression. In addition, WQP inhibited the MAPK inflammatory signaling pathway to improve the inflammatory status. This study provides a foundation for the treatment of natural polysaccharides to reduce antibiotic-related side effects.

[Quality assessment of different forms of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum based on content of free amino acids].

In this study, we analyzed the composition and content of 25 free amino acids in 32 batches of different forms of Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum(CCP; one-branched, two-branched, and three-branched) from 15 producing areas. The clustering analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) were performed based on the content of 25 free amino acids. Potential differential metabolites were identified based on VIP value. The results showed that there were 25 free amino acids in CCP, and the average content of essential, non-essential, and total amino acids was 6.13, 32.99, and 39.12 mg·g~(-1), respectively. The clustering analysis and OPLS-DA demonstrated that 25 free amino acids had different content among the three forms of CCP, of which two-branched CCP samples were separately gathered into a group. Five differential components, including glutamic acid, tryptophan, ornithine, γ-aminobutyric acid, and hydroxylysine, were screened out as potential quality markers for the identification of different forms of CCP. This study provides a theoretical basis for the quality evaluation, processing, and utilization of different forms of CCP.

Preparation of deer oil powder and its effect on acute gastric mucosal injury in rats.

In this paper, deer oil was used as a raw material to prepare deer oil powder by microencapsulation technology to study the potential protective activity of deer oil powder on ethanol-induced acute gastric mucosal injury in rats. The results show that the best process for preparing deer oil powder is: the solids account for 25% of the system content, the wall material Whey Milk Protein Isolate-Maltodextrin ratio is 1:5, the Sodium Stearyl Lactate-Glycerides of Monostearate and Distearate compound emulsifier content is 0.8%, the ratio is 1:1, and the deer oil accounts for 30% of the solid content, and the spray drying inlet temperature is 180°C. Deer oil powder can reduce total stomach injury, gastric mucosal congestion area, and injury score index. Without affecting the blood lipid level, it can reduce the content of Myeloperoxidase, enhance the activity of Superoxide Dismutase and Glutathione Peroxidase, and has good antioxidant activity. Enhance the expression of defense factors Estradiol, Epidermal Growth Factor, and Somatostatin. At the same time, it reduces the levels of Interleukin-1ß and Interleukin-6 pro-inflammatory cytokines in gastric tissue and enhances the expression of anti-inflammatory factors Interleukin-4 and Interleukin-10. These results indicate that the gastric protection mechanism of deer oil powder may be related to the enhancement of mucosal defense factors, inhibition of inflammation, and oxidative stress. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: This study screened the optimal formula for preparing microencapsulated deer oil powder and proved for the first time that deer oil powder has a strong gastroprotective effect on ethanol-induced acute gastric injury in rats. The gastric protective mechanism of deer oil powder is mainly to reduce oxidative stress, inflammatory cytokine accumulation and to increase the content of defense factors. Therefore, deer oil powder can be used as a new source of gastric treatment drugs.

Effect of Aqueous Enzymatic Extraction of Deer Oil on Its Components and Its Protective Effect on Gastric Mucosa Injury.

In this study, deer suet fat was used as a raw material to study the effects of aqueous enzymatic extraction of deer oil on its components, followed by studies into the potential protective activity, and related molecular mechanisms of deer oil on ethanol-induced acute gastric mucosal injury in rats. The results show that aqueous enzymatic extraction of deer oil not only has a high extraction yield and has a small effect on the content of active ingredients. Deer oil can reduce total stomach injury. Without affecting the blood lipid level, it can reduce the oxidative stress, which is manifested by reducing the content of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and enhancing the activity level of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px). It also enhances the expression of defense factors prostaglandin (E2), epidermal growth factor (EGF), and somatostatin (SS), it inhibits apoptosis evidenced by the enhanced of Bcl-2 and decreased expression of cleavage of caspase-3 and Bax. At the same time, it reduces inflammation, which is manifested by reducing the expression of IL-1ß, interleukin 6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) gastric tissue pro-inflammatory cytokines, and enhancing the expression of anti-inflammatory factors IL-4 and IL-10, and inhibiting the mitogen-activated protein kinase/nuclear factor kappa B (MAPK/NF-κB) signaling pathway in gastric tissue.

Schisandrin B Attenuates Hepatic Stellate Cell Activation and Promotes Apoptosis to Protect against Liver Fibrosis.

The activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSC) plays a key role in the progression of hepatic fibrosis, it is essential to remove activated HSC through apoptosis to reverse hepatic fibrosis. Schisandrin B (Sch B) is the main chemical component of schisandrin lignan, and it has been reported to have good hepatoprotective effects. However, Schisandrin B on HSC apoptosis remains unclear. In our study, we stimulated the HSC-T6 and LX-2 cell lines with TGF-ß1 to induce cell activation, and the proliferation and apoptosis of the activated HSC-T6 and LX-2 cells were detected after treatment with different doses of Schisandrin B. Flow cytometry results showed that Sch B significantly reduced the activity of activated HSC-T6 and LX-2 cells and significantly induced apoptosis. In addition, the cleaved-Caspase-3 levels were increased, the Bax activity was increased, and the Bcl-2 expression was decreased in HSC-T6 and LX-2 cells treated with Sch B. Our study showed that Sch B inhibited the TGF-ß1-induced activity of hepatic stellate cells by promoting apoptosis.

Functional properties and antioxidant activity of gelatine and hydrolysate from deer antler base.

Gelatine was extracted from deer antler base by the hot water method and hydrolyzed with trypsin. A comparison of the properties of gelatine before and after enzymatic hydrolysis showed a decline in the surface hydrophobicity, enhanced thermal stability, broadening of the particle size distribution, a zeta potential shift to a lower pH, reduced foaming and emulsifying properties, and enhanced antioxidant activity. Hydrolysis increased the gelatine antioxidant activity in DPPH and FRAP assays. These results indicate that the functional properties of deer antler base gelatine may be affected by trypsin modification.