Combined effects of micron-sized polyvinyl chloride particles and copper on seed germination of perilla.

Microplastics (MPs) and copper (Cu) pollution coexist widely in cultivation environment. In this paper, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) were used to simulate the MPs exposure environment, and the combined effects of MPs + Cu on the germination of perilla seeds were analyzed. The results showed that low concentrations of Cu promoted seed germination, while medium to high concentrations exhibited inhibition and deteriorated the morphology of germinated seeds. The germination potential, germination index and vitality index of 8 mg • L-1 Cu treatment group with were 23.08%, 76.32% and 65.65%, respectively, of the control group. The addition of low concentration PVC increased the above indicators by 1.27, 1.15, and 1.35 times, respectively, while high concentration addition led to a decrease of 65.38%, 82.5%, and 66.44%, respectively. The addition of low concentration PVC reduced the amount of PVC attached to radicle. There was no significant change in germination rate. PVC treatment alone had no significant effect on germination. MPs + Cu inhibited seed germination, which was mainly reflected in the deterioration of seed morphology. Cu significantly enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and MDA content. The addition of low concentration PVC enhanced SOD activity, reduced MDA and H2O2 content. The SOD activity of the Cu2+8 + PVC10 group was 4.05 and 1.35 times higher than that of the control group and Cu treatment group at their peak, respectively. At this time, the CAT activity of the Cu2+8 + PVC5000 group increased by 2.66 and 1.42 times, and the H2O2 content was 2.02 times higher than the control. Most of the above indicators reached their peak at 24 h. The activity of α-amylase was inhibited by different treatments, but ß-amylase activity, starch and soluble sugar content did not change regularly. The research results can provide new ideas for evaluating the impact of MPs + Cu combined pollution on perilla and its potential ecological risk.

Protective Effect of Perilla Seed Meal and Perilla Seed Extract against Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Ulcerative Colitis through Suppressing Inflammatory Cytokines in Mice.

An excessive inflammatory response of the gastrointestinal tract is recognized as one of the major contributors to ulcerative colitis (UC). Despite this, effective preventive approaches for UC remain limited. Rosmarinic acid (RA), an enriched fraction from Perilla frutescens, has been shown to exert beneficial effects on disease-related inflammatory disorders. However, RA-enriched perilla seed meal (RAPSM) and perilla seed (RAPS) extracts have not been investigated in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC in mice. RAPSM and RAPS were extracted using the solvent-partitioning method and analyzed with high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Mice with UC induced using 2.5% DSS for 7 days were pretreated with RAPSM and RAPS (50, 250, 500 mg/kg). Then, the clinical manifestation, colonic histopathology, and serum proinflammatory cytokines were determined. Indeed, DSS-induced UC mice exhibited colonic pathological defects including an impaired colon structure, colon length shortening, and increased serum proinflammatory cytokines. However, RAPSM and RAPS had a protective effect at all doses by attenuating colonic pathology in DSS-induced UC mice, potentially through the suppression of proinflammatory cytokines. Concentrations of 50 mg/kg of RAPSM and RAPS were sufficient to achieve a beneficial effect in UC mice. This suggests that RAPSM and RAPS have a preventive effect against DSS-induced UC, potentially through alleviating inflammatory responses and relieving severe inflammation in the colon.

Effect of Perilla seeds inclusion on the performance, egg quality characteristics, biochemical parameters and egg yolk fatty acid composition of laying hens.

This study investigates the effect of supplementation of Perilla seeds (PS) on the performance, egg quality, blood biochemical parameters, and egg yolk fatty acids composition in the diet of egg-laying chicken. A total of 1600 Lohmann laying hens were randomly assigned to four different groups with 4 replicates each (100 chickens/replicate) and were subjected to varying PS concentrations (PS0, PS6, PS12, and PS18; 0%, 6%, 12%, and 18%, respectively) for four weeks, including an acclimation period of one week. The results showed no significant differences among the groups for average egg weight (P > 0.005). The laying rate (%), feed conversion ratio (FCR) and average feed intake (AFI) decreased significantly for birds fed on 18% PS as compared to the other treatments (P < 0.005). Haugh unit, albumin height, egg-shape index and eggshell thickness among hens fed PS diets were greater averaging 80.53, 7.00, 1.29, 0.34 compared to 76.84, 6.86, 1.25 and 0.32 from Control hen eggs (P < 0.05). Serum analysis showed a trend towards elevated levels of glucose (Glu), total protein (TP) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) among treatments. Total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) decreased for the birds fed on 6% PS. The fatty acid composition of egg yolk showed a substantial reduction for α-linolenic acid and docosahexaenoic acid increased significantly by the incorporating PS in the diet (P < 0.001). PS incorporation in diets resulted in significant improvements in both performance indicators and greater amounts of α-linolenic acid and DHA in egg yolks. These findings indicate that PS at 6% inclusion has the potential to improve fatty acid profiles of egg yolk without any adverse effect on performance of egg quality.

An innovative Pickering W/O/W nanoemulsion co-encapsulating hydrophilic lysozyme and hydrophobic Perilla leaf oil for extending shelf life of fish products.

A Pickering water-in-oil-in-water nanoemulsion co-encapsulating lysozyme (LYS) and Perilla leaf oil (PO) was prepared using whey protein isolate-tannin acid conjugated nanoparticles (WPI-TA NPs) as emulsifiers, called LYS-PO-NE, and subsequently analyzed. The nano size and multiple phases was confirmed based on the results of confocal laser scanning microscope, scanning electron microscope, and droplet size analysis. LYS-PO-NE had high encapsulation efficiencies of 89.36 % (PO) and 43.91 % (LYS) and both could be released at a slow and continuous rate. The PO addition increased the droplet size, and the LYS addition delayed the release of PO. LYS-PO-NE also showed good storage, pH, thermal, and salt stability, and an effective combined bactericidal activity of LYS and PO against spoilage bacteria. Furthermore, the results of chilled salmon storage experiments indicated that LYS-PO-NE could extend the shelf life of chilled salmon to at least 6 days, demonstrating the potential in the shelf life for fish products.

Integrated analysis of miRNA, transcriptome, and degradome sequencing provides new insights into lipid metabolism in perilla seed.

MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small noncoding RNAs that play a crucial as molecular regulators in lipid metabolism in various oil crops. Perilla (Perilla frutescens) is a specific oil crop known for its high alpha-linolenic acid (C18:3n3, ALA) content (>65 %) in their seed oils. In view of the regulatory mechanism of miRNAs in perilla remains unclear, we conducted miRNAs and transcriptome sequencing in two cultivars with distinct lipid compositions. A total of 525 unique miRNAs, including 142 differentially expressed miRNAs was identified in perilla seeds. The 318 miRNAs targeted 7,761 genes. Furthermore, we identified 112 regulated miRNAs and their 610 target genes involved in lipid metabolism. MiR159b and miR167a as the core nodes to regulate the expression of genes in oil biosynthesis (e.g., KAS, FATB, GPAT, FAD, DGK, LPAAT) and key regulatory TFs (e.g., MYB, ARF, DOF, SPL, NAC, TCP, and bHLH). The 1,219 miRNA-mRNA regulation modules were confirmed through degradome sequencing. Notably, pf-miR159b-MYBs and pf-miR167a-ARFs regulation modules were confirmed. They exhibited significantly different expression levels in two cultivars and believed to play important roles in oil biosynthesis in perilla seeds. This provides valuable insights into the functional analysis of miRNA-regulated lipid metabolism in perilla seeds.

Generation of volatiles from heated enzymatic hydrolysates of perilla meal with coconut oil in Maillard reaction system.

Perilla meal hydrolysates (PMHs) were prepared by proteases; volatile profiles from heated mixtures of PMH and coconut oil (CO) were evaluated for their application as odor providers. Amino acids composition and degree of hydrolysis, and antioxidant activity in O/W emulsion of PMHs were assessed. PMHs were heated with different concentration of CO or with CO, xylose, and cysteine, which were non-Maillard and Maillard system, respectively. Among PMHs, double enzyme treatment using Alcalase and Flavourzyme showed higher degree of hydrolysis and antioxidant activity compared to PMHs from one type of enzymes. The presence of CO significantly increased oxygen, sulfur, and nitrogen-containing volatiles from PMHs in non-Maillard system. In case of Maillard system, PMHs with 10 % (w/w) CO contributed the formation of oxygen and nitrogen-containing volatiles such as furan and 2-methylpyrazine. PMHs might serve as an odor generator in the presence of edible oils like CO.

Assessing the Potential for Genome-Assisted Breeding in Red Perilla Using Quantitative Trait Locus Analysis and Genomic Prediction.

Red perilla is an important medicinal plant used in Kampo medicine. The development of elite varieties of this species is urgently required. Medicinal compounds are generally considered target traits in medicinal plant breeding; however, selection based on compound phenotypes (i.e., conventional selection) is expensive and time consuming. Here, we propose genomic selection (GS) and marker-assisted selection (MAS), which use marker information for selection, as suitable selection methods for medicinal plants, and we evaluate the effectiveness of these methods in perilla breeding. Three breeding populations generated from crosses between one red and three green perilla genotypes were used to elucidate the genetic mechanisms underlying the production of major medicinal compounds using quantitative trait locus analysis and evaluating the accuracy of genomic prediction (GP). We found that GP had a sufficiently high accuracy for all traits, confirming that GS is an effective method for perilla breeding. Moreover, the three populations showed varying degrees of segregation, suggesting that using these populations in breeding may simultaneously enhance multiple target traits. This study contributes to research on the genetic mechanisms of the major medicinal compounds of red perilla, as well as the breeding efficiency of this medicinal plant.

Study on Purification, Identification and Antioxidant of Flavonoids Extracted from Perilla leaves.

The flavonoids from Perilla leaves were extracted using flash extraction assisted by ultrasonic extraction with ethanol. Subsequently, macroporous resin was employed for the isolation and purification of these flavonoids, followed by an investigation into their antioxidant activity. The process conditions for the extraction of flavonoids from Perilla leaves were designed and optimized using a one-way experiment combined with a response surface methodology. The optimal extraction conditions were determined as follows: the liquid-solid ratio was 20:1, ethanol volume fraction of 60%, ultrasound temperature of 60 °C, ultrasound time of 10 min and flash evaporation time of 60 s. The optimal extraction rate of flavonoids is 9.8 mg/g. In terms of separation and purification, a high-performance macroporous resin (HPD450 resin) with high purification efficiency was selected through static analysis and adsorption experiments. The optimal enrichment conditions were as follows: loading concentration of 0.06 mg/mL, optimal loading concentration of 20 mL, elution concentration of 70% and 76 mL, providing a reference for the further development and utilization of Perilla leaf flavonoids.

Widely targeted metabolic profiling provides insights into variations in bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity of sesame, soybean, peanut, and perilla.

Oilseeds are important sources of diversified nutraceuticals with marked health attributes. Thus, a better understanding of metabolome differences between common oilseeds will be conducive to the food pharmacy. This study aimed to compare the metabolite profiles and antioxidant activity of sesame, soybean, peanut, and perilla seeds and reveal the variation in bioactive compounds. LC-MS-based widely targeted metabolic profiling identified a total of 975 metabolites, of which 753 were common to the four crops. Multivariate analyses unveiled a crop-specific accumulation of metabolites, with 298-388 DAMs (differentially accumulated metabolites) identified. Amino acid metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, and lipid metabolism were the most differentially regulated pathways. Furthermore, we revealed the variation in the relative content of 48, 20, 18, 9, 18, 11, and 6 differentially accumulated bioactive flavonoids, phenolic acids, amino acids, vitamins, terpenoids, alkaloids, and coumarins, respectively. Most of the flavonoids accumulated highly in soybean, followed by perilla. Sesame exhibited a better amino acid profile than other oilseeds. DPPH and FRAP assays showed that the antioxidant activity of perilla seed extracts was the highest, followed by soybean, peanut, and sesame. Our results provide data support for the comprehensive use of sesame, perilla, soybean, and peanut seeds in food, and pharmaceutical industries.

Therapeutic Effects of Perilla Phenols in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

The herbal medicine perilla leaf extract (PLE) exhibits various pharmacological properties. We showed that PLE inhibits the viability of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells. HPLC analysis revealed that caffeic acid (CA) and rosmarinic acid (RA) are the two main phenols in PLE, and reduced OSCC cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. The optimal CA/RA combination ratio was 1:2 at concentrations of 300-500 µM but had no synergistic inhibitory effect on the viability of OSCC cells. CA, RA, or their combination effectively suppressed interleukin (IL)-1ß secretion by OSCC OC3 cells. Long-term treatment with CA and CA/RA mixtures, respectively, induced EGFR activation, which might cause OC3 cells to become EGFR-dependent and consequently increased the sensitivity of OC3 cells to a low dose (5 µM) of the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib. Chronic treatment with CA, RA, or their combination exhibited an inhibitory effect more potent than that of low-dose (1 µM) cisplatin on the colony formation ability of OSCC cells; this may be attributed to the induction of apoptosis by these treatments. These findings suggest that perilla phenols, particularly CA and RA, can be used as adjuvant therapies to improve the efficacy of chemotherapy and EGFR-targeted therapy in OSCC.

On-Site Evaluation of Constituent Content and Functionality of Perilla frutescens var. crispa Using Fluorescence Spectra.

Perilla frutescens leaves are hypothesized to possess antioxidant and amyloid-ß (Aß) aggregation inhibitory properties primarily due to their polyphenol-type compounds. While these bioactivities fluctuate daily, the traditional methods for quantifying constituent contents and functional properties are both laborious and impractical for immediate field assessments. To address this limitation, the present study introduces an expedient approach for on-site analysis, employing fluorescence spectra obtained through excitation light irradiation of perilla leaves. Standard analytical techniques were employed to evaluate various constituent contents (chlorophyl (Chl), total polyphenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and rosmarinic acid (RA)) and functional attributes (DPPH radical scavenging activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), and Aß aggregation inhibitory activity). Correlations between the fluorescence spectra and these parameters were examined using normalized difference spectral index (NDSI), ratio spectral index (RSI), and difference spectral index (DSI) analyses. The resulting predictive model exhibited a high coefficient of determination, with R2 values equal to or greater than 0.57 for constituent contents and 0.49 for functional properties. This approach facilitates the convenient, simultaneous, and nondestructive monitoring of both the chemical constituents and the functional capabilities of perilla leaves, thereby simplifying the determination of optimal harvest times. The model derived from this method holds promise for real-time assessments, indicating its potential for the simultaneous evaluation of both constituents and functionalities in perilla leaves.

The Genome of the Korean Island-Originated Perilla citriodora 'Jeju17' Sheds Light on Its Environmental Adaptation and Fatty Acid and Lipid Production Pathways.

Perilla is a key component of Korean food. It contains several plant-specialized metabolites that provide medical benefits. In response to an increased interest in healthy supplement food from the public, people are focusing on the properties of Perilla. Nevertheless, unlike rice and soybeans, there are few studies based on molecular genetics on Perilla, so it is difficult to systematically study the molecular breed. The wild Perilla, Perilla citriodora 'Jeju17', was identified a decade ago on the Korean island of Jeju. Using short-reads, long-reads, and Hi-C, a chromosome-scale genome spanning 676 Mbp, with high contiguity, was assembled. Aligning the 'Jeju17' genome to the 'PC002' Chinese species revealed significant collinearity with respect to the total length. A total of 31,769 coding sequences were predicted, among which 3331 were 'Jeju17'-specific. Gene enrichment of the species-specific gene repertoire highlighted environment adaptation, fatty acid metabolism, and plant-specialized metabolite biosynthesis. Using a homology-based approach, genes involved in fatty acid and lipid triacylglycerol biosynthesis were identified. A total of 22 fatty acid desaturases were found and comprehensively characterized. Expression of the FAD genes in 'Jeju17' was examined at the seed level, and hormone signaling factors were identified. The results showed that the expression of FAD genes in 'Jeju17' at the seed level was high 25 days after flowering, and their responses of hormones and stress were mainly associated with hormone signal transduction and abiotic stress via cis-elements patterns. This study presents a chromosome-level genome assembly of P. citriodora 'Jeju17', the first wild Perilla to be sequenced from the Korean island of Jeju. The analyses provided can be useful in designing ALA-enhanced Perilla genotypes in the future.

Genome-wide comprehensive characterization and transcriptomic analysis of AP2/ERF gene family revealed its role in seed oil and ALA formation in perilla (Perilla frutescens).

Perilla (Perilla frutescens) is a potential specific oilseed crop with an extremely high α-linolenic acid (ALA) content in its seeds. AP2/ERF transcription factors (TFs) play important roles in multiple biological processes. However, limited information is known about the regulatory mechanism of the AP2/ERF family in perilla's oil accumulation. In this research, we identified 212 AP2/ERF family members in the genome of perilla, and their domain characteristics, collinearity, and sub-genome differentiation were comprehensively analyzed. Transcriptome sequencing revealed that genes encoding key enzymes involved in oil biosynthesis (e.g., ACCs, KASII, GPAT, PDAT and LPAAT) were up-regulated in the high-oil variety. Moreover, the endoplasmic reticulum-localized FAD2 and FAD3 were significantly up-regulated in the high-ALA variety. To investigate the roles of AP2/ERFs in lipid biosynthesis, we conducted a correlation analysis between non-redundant AP2/ERFs and key lipid metabolism genes using WGCNA. A significant correlation was found between 36 AP2/ERFs and 90 lipid metabolism genes. Among them, 12 AP2/ERFs were identified as hub genes and showed significant correlation with lipid synthase genes (e.g., FADs, GPAT and ACSL) and key regulatory TFs (e.g., LEC2, IAA, MYB, UPL3). Furthermore, gene expression analysis identified three AP2/ERFs (WRI, ABI4, and RAVI) potentially playing an important role in the regulation of oil accumulation in perilla. Our study suggests that PfAP2/ERFs are important regulatory TFs in the lipid biosynthesis pathway, providing a foundation for the molecular understanding of oil accumulation in perilla and other oilseed crops.

Development of an SNP marker set for marker-assisted backcrossing using genotyping-by-sequencing in tetraploid perilla.

High-quality molecular markers are essential for marker-assisted selection to accelerate breeding progress. Compared with diploid species, recently diverged polyploid crop species tend to have highly similar homeologous subgenomes, which is expected to limit the development of broadly applicable locus-specific single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assays. Furthermore, it is particularly challenging to make genome-wide marker sets for species that lack a reference genome. Here, we report the development of a genome-wide set of kompetitive allele specific PCR (KASP) markers for marker-assisted recurrent selection (MARS) in the tetraploid minor crop perilla. To find locus-specific SNP markers across the perilla genome, we used genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) to construct linkage maps of two F2 populations. The two resulting high-resolution linkage maps comprised 2326 and 2454 SNP markers that spanned a total genetic distance of 2133 cM across 16 linkage groups and 2169 cM across 21 linkage groups, respectively. We then obtained a final genetic map consisting of 22 linkage groups with 1123 common markers from the two genetic maps. We selected 96 genome-wide markers for MARS and confirmed the accuracy of markers in the two F2 populations using a high-throughput Fluidigm system. We confirmed that 91.8% of the SNP genotyping results from the Fluidigm assay were the same as the results obtained through GBS. These results provide a foundation for marker-assisted backcrossing and the development of new varieties of perilla.

The Role and Mechanism of Perilla frutescens in Cancer Treatment.

Perilla frutescens is an annual herb of the Labiatae family and is widely grown in several countries in Asia. Perilla frutescens is a plant that is used medicinally in its entirety, as seen in its subdivision into perilla seeds, perilla stalks, and perilla leaves, which vary more markedly in their chemical composition. Several studies have shown that Perilla frutescens has a variety of pharmacological effects, including anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, detoxifying, antioxidant, and hepatoprotective. In the absence of a review of Perilla frutescens for the treatment of cancer. This review provides an overview of the chemical composition and molecular mechanisms of Perilla frutescens for cancer treatment. It was found that the main active components of Perilla frutescens producing cancer therapeutic effects were perilla aldehyde (PAH), rosmarinic acid (Ros A), lignan, and isoestrogen (IK). In addition to these, extracts of the leaves and fruits of Perilla frutescens are also included. Among these, perilla seed oil (PSO) has a preventive effect against colorectal cancer due to the presence of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. This review also provides new ideas and thoughts for scientific innovation and clinical applications related to Perilla frutescens.

Overexpression of the Purple Perilla (Perilla frutescens (L.)) FAD3a Gene Enhances Salt Tolerance in Soybean.

The increasingly serious trend of soil salinization inhibits the normal growth and development of soybeans, leading to reduced yields and a serious threat to global crop production. Microsomal ω-3 fatty acid desaturase encoded by the FAD3 gene is a plant enzyme that plays a significant role in α-linolenic acid synthesis via regulating the membrane fluidity to better accommodate various abiotic stresses. In this study, PfFAD3a was isolated from perilla and overexpressed in soybeans driven by CaMV P35S, and the salt tolerance of transgenic plants was then evaluated. The results showed that overexpression of PfFAD3a increased the expression of PfFAD3a in both the leaves and seeds of transgenic soybean plants, and α-linolenic acid content also significantly increased; hence, it was shown to significantly enhance the salt tolerance of transgenic plants. Physiological and biochemical analysis showed that overexpression of PfFAD3a increased the relative chlorophyll content and PSII maximum photochemical efficiency of transgenic soybean plants under salt stress; meanwhile, a decreased accumulation of MDA, H2O2, and O2•-, increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbic acid peroxidase (APX), as well as the production of proline and soluble sugar. In summary, the overexpression of PfFAD3a may enhance the salt tolerance in transgenic soybean plants through enhanced membrane fluidity and through the antioxidant capacity induced by C18:3.

The revealing of a novel double bond reductase related to perilla ketone biosynthesis in Perilla frutescens.

BACKGROUND: Perilla frutescens is widely used as both a medicine and a food worldwide. Its volatile oils are its active ingredients, and, based on the different volatile constituents, P. frutescens can be divided into several chemotypes, with perilla ketone (PK) being the most common. However, the key genes involved in PK biosynthesis have not yet been identified. RESULTS: In this study, metabolite constituents and transcriptomic data were compared in leaves of different levels. The variation in PK levels was the opposite of that of isoegoma ketone and egoma ketone in leaves at different levels. Based on transcriptome data, eight candidate genes were identified and successfully expressed in a prokaryotic system. Sequence analysis revealed them to be double bond reductases (PfDBRs), which are members of the NADPH-dependent, medium-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (MDR) superfamily. They catalyze the conversion of isoegoma ketone and egoma ketone into PK in in vitro enzymatic assays. PfDBRs also showed activity on pulegone, 3-nonen-2-one, and 4-hydroxybenzalacetone. In addition, several genes and transcription factors were predicted to be associated with monoterpenoid biosynthesis, and their expression profiles were positively correlated with variations in PK abundance, suggesting their potential functions in PK biosynthesis. CONCLUSIONS: The eight candidate genes encoding a novel double bond reductase related to perilla ketone biosynthesis were identified in P. frutescens, which carries similar sequences and molecular features as the MpPR and NtPR from Nepeta tenuifolia and Mentha piperita, respectively. These findings not only reveal the pivotal roles of PfDBR in exploring and interpreting PK biological pathway but also contribute to facilitating future studies on this DBR protein family.

Preparation and characterization of a novel absorbent pad based on polyvinyl alcohol/gellan gum/citric acid with incorporated Perilla leaf oil nanoemulsion for chilled chicken packaging.

A novel absorbent pad based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/gellan gum/citric acid (CA) composite with incorporated Perilla leaf oil (PO) nanoemulsion was prepared and characterized. The esterification between PVA and CA and strong hydrogen bonds were detected. The PVA improved the tensile strength and elongation at break by 110% and 73%, respectively, whereas PO concentration ≤ 1.5 % (w/v) had little effect on the material properties. The CA and PO nanoemulsion loaded in the pads showed good antioxidant activity, and the pads with PO concentration ≥ 1.5 % (w/v) had effective antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The results of chilled chicken storage experiments indicated that the pad with 1.5% (w/v) PO nanoemulsion extended the shelf life of chicken to at least 9 days, demonstrating that the developed absorbent pads are potential materials for chilled chicken storage packing.

Perilla, sunflower, and tea seed oils as potential dietary supplements with anti-obesity effects by modulating the gut microbiota composition in mice fed a high-fat diet.

PURPOSE: Obesity has become a serious public health problem with its alarmingly increasing prevalence worldwide, prompting researchers to create and develop several anti-obesity drugs. Here, we aimed to investigate the protective effects of perilla seed oil (PSO), sunflower oil (SFO), and tea seed oil (TSO) against obesity through the modulation of the gut microbiota composition and related metabolic changes in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). METHODS: Mice were divided into six equal groups: ND (normal diet); HFD; ORL (HFD supplemented with 20 mg/kg body weight of orlistat); PSO, SFO, and TSO (HFD supplemented with 2 g/kg body weight of PSO, SFO, and TSO, respectively). RESULTS: Our findings showed that PSO, SFO, and TSO supplementation significantly reduced body weight, organ weight, blood glucose, lipopolysaccharides (LPS), insulin resistance, and improved serum lipid levels (TG, TC, LDL-C, and HDL-C). Meanwhile, the three treatments alleviated oxidative stress and hepatic steatosis and reduced liver lipid accumulation. Relative mRNA expression levels of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, and MCP-1) and lipid synthesis-related genes (PPAR-γ, FAS, and SREBP-1) were down-regulated, while ß-oxidation-related genes (PPAR-α, CPT1a, and CPT1b) were up-regulated in the liver tissue of treated mice. Besides, dietary oil supplementation alleviated HFD-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis by promoting gut microbiota richness and diversity, decreasing the Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratio, and boosting the abundance of some healthy bacteria, like Akkermansia. CONCLUSIONS: PSO, SFO, and TSO supplementation could alleviate inflammation, oxidative stress, and hepatic steatosis, likely by modulating the gut microbiota composition in HFD-fed mice.

Engineering the Staple Oil Crop Brassica napus Enriched with α-Linolenic Acid Using the Perilla FAD2-FAD3 Fusion Gene.

Modern people generally suffer from α-linolenic acid (ALA) deficiency, since most staple food oils are low in ALA content. Thus, the enhancement of ALA in staple oil crops is of importance. In this study, the FAD2 and FAD3 coding regions from the ALA-king species Perilla frutescens were fused using a newly designed double linker LP4-2A, driven by a seed-specific promoter PNAP, and engineered into a rapeseed elite cultivar ZS10 with canola quality background. The mean ALA content in the seed oil of PNAP:PfFAD2-PfFAD3 (N23) T5 lines was 3.34-fold that of the control (32.08 vs 9.59%), with the best line being up to 37.47%. There are no significant side effects of the engineered constructs on the background traits including oil content. In fatty acid biosynthesis pathways, the expression levels of structural genes as well as regulatory genes were significantly upregulated in N23 lines. On the other hand, the expression levels of genes encoding the positive regulators of flavonoid-proanthocyanidin biosynthesis but negative regulators of oil accumulation were significantly downregulated. Surprisingly, the ALA level in PfFAD2-PfFAD3 transgenic rapeseed lines driven by the constitutive promoter PD35S was not increased or even showed a slight decrease due to the lower level of foreign gene expression and downregulation of the endogenous orthologous genes BnFAD2 and BnFAD3.