Soy Protein Isolate Gel Subjected to Freezing Treatment: Influence of Methylcellulose and Sodium Hexametaphosphate on Gel Stability, Texture and Structure.

Freezing affects texture and induces the loss of gel quality. This study investigated the effects of methylcellulose (MC) (0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%) and sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) (0.15%, 0.3%) on the gel textural and structural properties of SPI gels before and after freezing, and explores the synergistic enhancement of gel texture and the underlying mechanisms resulting from the simultaneous addition of SHMP and MC to SPI gels. It was revealed that MC improved the strength of SPI gels through its thickening properties, but it could not inhibit the reduction of SPI gels after freezing. The 0.4% MC-SPI gel exhibited the best gel strength (193.2 ± 2.4 g). SHMP inhibited gel reduction during freezing through hydrogen bonding and ionic interactions; it enhanced the freezing stability of SPI gels. The addition of 0.15% SHMP made the water-holding capacity in SPI gels reach the highest score after freezing (58.2 ± 0.32%). The synergistic effect of MC and SHMP could improve the strength and the freezing stability of SPI gels. MC facilitated the release of ionizable groups within SPI, causing negatively charged SHMP groups to aggregate on the SPI and inhibit the freezing aggregation of proteins. These results provide a strong basis for the improvement of cryogenic soy protein gel performance by SHMP and MC.

Paraquat Inhibits Autophagy Via Intensifying the Interaction Between HMGB1 and α-Synuclein.

Paraquat, a widely used herbicide, is associated with an increased risk of Parkinson's disease (PD). PQ induces upregulation and accumulation of α-synuclein in neurons, which is one of the major pathological hallmarks of PD. Autophagy, as the major mechanism for the clearance of α-synuclein, is disrupted upon pesticide exposure as well as in PD patients. Meanwhile, HMGB1 is involved in autophagy dysfunction and particularly relevant to PD. However, whether PQ exposure affects HMGB1, α-synuclein, and autophagy function have rarely been reported. In this study, we found that PQ exposure impaired autophagy function via disturbing the complex formation of HMGB1 and Beclin1. Moreover, the expression of α-synuclein is modulated by HMGB1 and the interaction between HMGB1 and α-synuclein was intensified by PQ exposure. Taken together, our results revealed that HMGB1-mediated α-synuclein accumulation could competitively perturb the complex formation of HMGB1 and Beclin1, thereby inhibiting the autophagy function in SH-SY5Y cells.

Synthesis of a g-C3N4-Cu2O heterojunction with enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity by PEG.

A g-C3N4-Cu2O was successfully synthesized in the presence of PEG-400 surfactant via a hydrothermal method and high-temperature calcination method. Based on the results of TEM, XPS, EPR, and other techniques, it was verified that a heterojunction was formed. The synthesized g-C3N4-Cu2O show excellent photocatalytic activity and stability was confirmed through cycling experiments, XRD and XPS. At a suitable addition amount, the value of band gap of g-C3N4-Cu2O is reduced to 1.87 eV, the PL intensity decreases effectively, the specific surface area is increased to 12.8114 m2/g, and the photocatalytic degradation rate is increased to 94%. Adding the surfactant PEG-400 in the precursor solutions leads to a reduction in the crystallite size, which can improve the morphology and specific surface area to form abundant heterojunction interfaces as channels for photo-generated carrier separation, and improve its light utilization and quantum efficiency.