The Non-Denatured Processing of Brasenia schreberi Mucilage-Characteristics of Hydrodynamic Properties and the Effect on In Vivo Functions.

Food non-denatured processes, such as freeze-drying and grinding, are commonly applied to raw materials with good bioactive functions. Although the functional components are maintained, whether structural and physical changes impact the in vivo function is often ignored in practical situations. Brasenia schreberi mucilage (BSM) has a significant alleviation effect on DSS-induced colitis. This work focused on the influence of non-denatured manufacture on the colonic benefits of BSM-based products. First, three forms of products including fresh mucilage (FM), freeze-dried products (FS), and freeze-dried powder (FP) were prepared. Then, their in vitro physiochemical properties were compared, analyzing their influence on the gut inflammation degree, microbial composition, and SCFA production in mice. The results suggested that the water retention rate of FS and FP was decreased to 34.59 ± 3.85%, and 9.93 ± 1.76%. The viscosity of FM, FS, and FP was 20.14 Pa∙s, 4.92 Pa∙s, and 0.41 Pa∙s, respectively. The freeze-drying and grinding process also damaged the lamellar microstructure of BSM. Then, animal tests showed that colitis mice intervened with FM, FS, and FP had disease activity scores of 2.03, 3.95, and 4.62. Meanwhile, FM notably changed the gut microbial composition and significantly increased propionate and butyrate levels. It seemed that the distinct colitis alleviation efficacy of BSM-based products is attributed to different hydrodynamic properties in the gut. FM had relatively higher viscosity and correspondingly high nutritional density in the gut lumen, which stimulates Firmicutes growth and promotes butyrate production, and thereby exhibited the best efficiency on protecting from colitis.

Konjac Oligosaccharides Alleviated Ovariectomy-Induced Bone Loss through Gut Microbiota Modulation and Treg/Th17 Regulation.

Oligosaccharides from the plant Amorphophallus konjac were potentially effective in menopausal osteoporosis due to their prebiotic attributes. The present work mainly studied the regulation of konjac oligosaccharides (KOS) on menopausal bone loss. Experiments were carried out in ovariectomized (OVX) rats, and various contents of KOS were correlated with diet. After 3 months of treatment, the degree of osteoporosis was determined by bone mineral density and femoral microarchitecture. The research data showed that the 8% dietary KOS significantly alleviated bone loss in OVX rats, as it promoted the bone trabecular number by 134.2% and enhanced the bone bending stiffness by 103.1%. From the perspective of the gut-bone axis, KOS promoted gut barrier repair and decreased pro-inflammatory cytokines. Besides, KOS promoted the growth of Bifidobacterium longum and restored Treg/Th17 balance in bone marrow. The two aspects contributed to decreased osteoclastogenic activity and thus inhibited inflammation-related bone loss. This work extended current knowledge of prebiotic inhibition on bone loss and provide an alternative strategy for osteoporosis prevention.

Proteomics Analysis Reveals the Underlying Factors of Mucilage Disappearance in Brasenia schreberi and Its Influence on Nutrient Accumulation.

Brasenia schreberi J.F. Gmel (BS) is rich in mucilage, which has diverse biological activities, and is utilized in the food and pharmaceutical industries due to its nutritional value. Proteomics analysis was employed to investigate the cause of mucilage disappearance in BS and its effect on nutrient accumulation. Among the 2892 proteins identified, 840 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were found to be involved in mucilage development. By comparing the expression patterns and functions and pathway enrichment, the DEPs mainly contributed to carbon and energy metabolism, polysaccharide metabolism, and photosynthesis. Our study also revealed positive correlations between mucilage accumulation and tryptophan metabolism, with high levels of indole-3-acetic (IAA) contributing to mucilage accumulation. Furthermore, environmental changes and particularly excessive nutrients were found to be detrimental to mucilage synthesis. Overall, in the absence of various stimuli in the growing environment, BS accumulates more nutrients within the plant itself instead of producing mucilage.

Number of denatured rigor cross-bridges determines the intracellular volume shrinkage in porcine muscle fibre under PSE-inducing condition.

Earlier onset of rigor mortis is a critical physiological progress occurring in the development of pale soft and exudative (PSE) meat. However, how rigor cross-bridges denature under different physiological conditions and their impacts on water-holding capacity remains unclear. To address this scientific question, we firstly established a method to quantify the extent of rigor cross-bridge denaturation using skinned fibres prepared from porcine longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle. Effects of pH and temperature on the kinetics of rigor cross-bridge denaturation, actomyosin denaturation and shrinkage of muscle fibre were studied. We then manipulated the number of rigor cross-bridges before the denaturation condition was initiated (pH 5.5, 38 °C). Results suggested that the loss of water-holding capacity in PSE meat is determined by the number of denatured rigor cross-bridges. Physiochemical analysis on myofibrils demonstrated that increase in protein oxidation, surface hydrophobicity and loss of electrostatic repulsive force between myofibrils may be involved in the mechanism.

A special polysaccharide hydrogel coated on Brasenia schreberi: preventive effects against ulcerative colitis via modulation of gut microbiota.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a growing health concern in humans, but it can be prevented by using special dietary strategies. Young stems and leaves of Brasenia schreberi (BS) are coated with a special polysaccharide hydrogel (BS mucilage) which can be beneficial for colon health. The aim of this study was to investigate the preventive effects of BS mucilage against UC in a DSS-treated mouse model. Although containing only 0.3% solid content, our research showed that BS mucilage effectively attenuated the disease activity index (DAI) and the spleen index and downregulated IL-1ß, IL-18, IL-6 and CAT mRNA levels in DSS-treated mice, which is a promising UC alleviation function. Additionally, BS mucilage also improved the propionate and butyrate levels in mouse feces and alleviated the imbalanced gut microbiota induced by DSS. The abundance of pro-inflammatory and colorectal cancer related bacteria, such as Prevotella, Ruminococcus, Acutalibacter and Christensenella, was decreased by BS mucilage feeding, whereas the abundance of anti-inflammatory and SCFA-producing bacteria including Alistipes and Odoribacter was increased. In conclusion, the current study shows that the daily consumption of BS mucilage could be an effective way to prevent UC in mice, via modulation of gut microbiota.

Konjac Oligosaccharides Modulate the Gut Environment and Promote Bone Health in Calcium-Deficient Mice.

This study aimed to investigate the beneficial effect of konjac oligosaccharides (KOS) on bone health in calcium-deficient mice. During the experimental period, low-calcium diet-fed mice were administered with calcium chloride to simulate daily calcium supplementation. Meanwhile, different levels of KOS intervened by adding them into the diet. After 8 weeks, the calcium balance status, bone mass parameters, and gut environment modulation were evaluated. The results showed that dietary KOS intervention alleviated the negative calcium balance, significantly promoted the trabecular number and cortical thickness, and remarkably enhanced the skeletal mechanical strength. Moreover, Pearson's correlation analysis among significantly changed gut microbiota, gut metabolites, and relevant physiological indexes showed that the microbial genera of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Mucispirillum, Alistipes, and unidentified Clostridia and gut metabolites of kynurenine and testosterone were significantly associated with increased bone mass. These findings provided a new insight into the effect of prebiotics on bone health.

In vitro gastric emptying characteristics of konjac glucomannan with different viscosity and its effects on appetite regulation.

Konjac glucomannan (KGM) is associated with the satiety-enhancing property by imparting the food matrix with high viscosity. In the present study, rheology tests on KGM sol with different viscosities were conducted to understand its flow behavior as they presented in the mouth and stomach, and the in vitro gastric emptying characteristics of KGM were examined with a human gastric simulator. Then, their effects on subjective appetite, glycemia, and appetite-related hormones (insulin, GLP-1, PYY3-36, CCK-8, ghrelin) response were investigated by conducting a randomized, single-blind, crossover trial in 22 healthy adults (11 female and 11 male, mean age (years): 23.2 ± 2.0, BMI (kg m-2): 20.6 ± 2.1). The blood samples and ratings for subjective appetite were collected at regular time intervals after the subjects were fed with four test breakfasts (one control treatment and three experimental treatments) on four different days. An ad libitum lunch was provided to the subjects once they consumed the breakfasts and their food intake was recorded. As the viscosity increased, the gastric emptying rate was delayed despite a large part of the chyme viscosity lost during digestion. The satiating capacity of the test breakfast was significantly enhanced as its viscosity increased, the and subjects' sensation for hunger, fullness, desire-to-eat, and prospective food consumption differed significantly (p = 0.006, 0.000, 0.002, and 0.001, respectively) between the treatments. The secretion of glycemia and satiety-related hormones were beneficially modulated by the increased viscosity of the test meal but a small decrease in the ad libitum food intake was observed after the intervention of the viscous test breakfasts. Overall, elevating the meal viscosity moderately by using KGM could contribute to combating the challenge of hunger for people in the bodyweight management.

Development of multi-layered gastric floating tablets based on konjac glucomannan: a modified calcium supplement with enhanced bioavailability.

This study developed a gastric-floating delivery system of calcium based on konjac glucomannan (KGM). The developed calcium tablets, consisting of one core layer coated with two barrier layers, were fabricated with a facile method. The role of KGM within the tablets was evaluated from characteristics including swelling behavior, hydrated gel properties, floating ability and release profiles of calcium (Ca). The results indicated that upregulating the KGM fraction accelerated the formation of a more compact gel network in gastric conditions, which prolonged both the floating lag time and floating duration, which resulted in a more sustained swelling behavior and a slower release of calcium. Among all the formulations, a core tablet containing 20% KGM (K20) was selected as the optimized one as it could quickly float up in 7.21 s, exhibited an almost linear release and obtained a release amount of 87.73% within 12 h. Finally, a comparison of in vivo calcium bioavailability between a KGM-based calcium tablet and a commercial calcium tablet (Caltrate®) was carried out by monitoring the serum calcium concentration after administration in rabbits. The results suggested that, after having the KGM-based calcium tablet, the changes of serum calcium levels were gentler due to a sustained-release property. The difference integral value between profile K20 and the baseline was 1.4358, larger than that of Caltrate® (1.1808), suggesting the higher absorption efficiency of KGM-based calcium tablets.

Impact of plant extract on the gastrointestinal fate of nutraceutical-loaded nanoemulsions: phytic acid inhibits lipid digestion but enhances curcumin bioaccessibility.

The impact of phytic acid on lipid digestion and curcumin bioaccessibility in oil-in-water nanoemulsions was investigated using a simulated gastrointestinal tract (GIT). The size, charge, and structural organization of the colloidal particles in the system were measured as the curcumin-loaded emulsions (7 mg curcumin per g lipid) were passed through simulated mouth (pH 6.8, 2 min), stomach (pH 2.5, 2 hours), and small intestine (pH 7.0, 2 hours) stages. After the small intestine stage, the level of free fatty acids (FFAs) generated and the bioaccessibility of curcumin were measured. The total amount of FFAs released significantly decreased with increasing phytic acid level, from 105.7 ± 5.9% (control) to 78.4 ± 6.4% (0.5% phytic acid). Conversely, curcumin bioaccessibility significantly increased from 39.4 ± 3.5% (control) to 74.7 ± 2.6% (0.5% phytic acid). The inverse relationship between lipolysis and curcumin bioaccessibility was ascribed to the impact of phytic acid on droplet flocculation and the level of free calcium ions present, which affected the production of mixed micelles capable of solubilizing the nutraceutical. The knowledge obtained here might prove beneficial for the employment of phytic acid as a multifunctional ingredient that inhibits lipid digestion while boosting nutraceutical bioavailability.