Structural analysis and prebiotic activity of exopolysaccharide produced by probiotic strain Bifidobacterium bifidum EPS DA-LAIM.

Exopolysaccharide (EPS)-producing Bifidobacterium bifidum EPS DA-LAIM was isolated from healthy human feces, the structure of purified EPS from the strain was analyzed, and its prebiotic activity was evaluated. The EPS from B. bifidum EPS DA-LAIM is a glucomannan-type heteropolysaccharide with a molecular weight of 407-1007 kDa, and its structure comprises 2-mannosyl, 6-mannosyl, and 2,6-mannosyl residues. The purified EPS promoted the growth of representative lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacterial strains. Bifidobacterium bifidum EPS DA-LAIM increased nitric oxide production in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells, indicating its immunostimulatory activity. Bifidobacterium bifidum EPS DA-LAIM also exhibited high gastrointestinal tract tolerance, gut adhesion ability, and antioxidant activity. These results suggest that EPS from B. bifidum EPS DA-LAIM is a potentially useful prebiotic material, and B. bifidum EPS DA-LAIM could be applied as a probiotic candidate. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-022-01213-w.

Potential Probiotic Properties of Exopolysaccharide-Producing Lacticaseibacillus paracasei EPS DA-BACS and Prebiotic Activity of Its Exopolysaccharide.

Exopolysaccharide (EPS)-producing Lacticaseibacillus paracasei EPS DA-BACS was isolated from healthy human feces and its probiotic properties, as well as the structure and prebiotic activity of the EPS from this strain were examined. EPS from L. paracasei EPS DA-BACS had a ropy phenotype, which is known to have potential health benefits and is identified as loosely cell-bounded glucomannan-type EPS with a molecular size of 3.7 × 106 Da. EPS promoted the acid tolerance of L. paracasei EPS DA-BACS and provided cells with tolerance to gastrointestinal stress. The purified EPS showed growth inhibitory activity against Clostridium difficile. L. paracasei EPS DA-BACS cells completely inhibited the growth of Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Aspergillus brasiliensis, as well as showed high growth inhibitory activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Treatment of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells with heat-killed L. paracasei EPS DA-BACS cells led to a decrease in the production of nitric oxide, indicating the anti-inflammatory activity of L. paracasei EPS DA-BACS. Purified EPS promoted the growth of Lactobacillus gasseri, Bifidobacterium bifidum, B. animalis, and B. faecale which showed high prebiotic activity. L. paracasei EPS DA-BACS harbors no antibiotic resistance genes or virulence factors. Therefore, L. paracasei EPS DA-BACS exhibits anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities with high gut adhesion ability and gastrointestinal tolerance and can be used as a potential probiotic.

Comparative microbial communities in tidal flats sediment on Incheon, South Korea.

Coastal ecosystems, play critical ecological roles of which tidal flats are a significant component of coastal wetlands, such as habitat and nutrient cycling in aquatic biology. Microbial communities in tidal flats are known to play vital roles of self-purification. And the microbial ecology of the sediment is easily affected by human activities and pollution. In this paper, we applied pyrosequencing technology to investigate microbial communities in three different tidal flats (Ganghwa Island, Ongnyeon land region and Yeongjong Island) on the Incheon, Korea peninsula. A total of 16,906 sequences were obtained. We used these sequences to identify the dominant phyla in the three tidal flats: Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. The composition of the bacterial community of Ganghwa Island and the Ongnyeon region were more similar to each other than they were to the bacterial community of Yeongjong Island. Simpson's dominance index of Yeongjong Island was higher than that of the other regions, and the Shannon diversity index of this region was the lowest. Previous research of samples in these regions indicated that the three tidal flats had similar geochemical characteristics. However, their bacterial communities were rather distinct. This might be because the analysis of microbial communities and physiochemical analysis have different perspectives. Therefore, the pyrosequencing of a bacterial community with physiochemical analysis is recommended as an effective monitoring tool for the comprehensive management of tidal flats.

Macelignan inhibits histamine release and inflammatory mediator production in activated rat basophilic leukemia mast cells.

Type I allergy is characterized by the release of granule-associated mediators, lipid-derived substances, cytokines, and chemokines by activated mast cells. To evaluate the anti-allergic effects of macelignan isolated from Myristica fragrans Houtt., we determined its ability to inhibit calcium (Ca(2+)) influx, degranulation, and inflammatory mediator production in RBL-2 H3 cells stimulated with A23187 and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. Macelignan inhibited Ca(2+) influx and the secretion of ß-hexosaminidase, histamine, prostaglandin E(2), and leukotriene C(4); decreased mRNA levels of cyclooxygenase-2, 5-lipoxygenase, interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-13, and tumor necrosis factor-α; and attenuated phosphorylation of Akt and the mitogen-activated protein kinases extracellular signal-regulated kinase, p38, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase. These results indicate the potential of macelignan as a type I allergy treatment.

The effects of yellow soybean, black soybean, and sword bean on lipid levels and oxidative stress in ovariectomized rats.

Soy isoflavones have been reported to decrease the risk of atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women. However, the effects of dietary consumption of soybean have not been explored. In this study, we evaluated the effects of consuming yellow soybeans, black soybeans (Glycine max), or sword beans (Canavalia gladiate) on lipid and oxidative stress levels in an ovariectomized rat model. Forty-seven nine-week-old female rats were ovariectomized, randomly divided into four groups, and fed one of the following diets for 10 weeks: a diet supplemented with casein (NC, n = 12), a diet supplemented with yellow soybean (YS, n = 12), a diet supplemented with black soybean (BS, n = 12), or a diet supplemented with sword bean (SB, n = 11). Plasma triglyceride (TG) levels in the BS and SB groups were significantly lower than that in the NC group. Notably, the BS group had significantly lower plasma total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels than the other groups. Hepatic total lipid levels were significantly lower in the YS and SB groups, and cholesterol levels were significantly lower in the SB group than in the NC group. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities were significantly higher in the groups fed beans compared to the NC group. Hepatic thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels were also significantly lower in the BS and SB groups than the NC group. In conclusion, our results suggest that consumption of various types of beans may inhibit oxidative stress in postmenopausal women by increasing antioxidant activity and improving lipid profiles. Notably, intake of black soybean resulted in the greatest improvement in risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease.

The effect of 4-hydroxypanduratin A on the mitogen-activated protein kinase-dependent activation of matrix metalloproteinase-1 expression in human skin fibroblasts.

BACKGROUND: Exposure of ultraviolet (UV) light on the skin induces photoaging associated with up-regulated matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) activities. The MMP-1 expression due to UV irradiation can be mediated by mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) such as extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 kinase activation. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effects of 4-hydroxypanduratin A, isolated from Kaempferia pandurata Roxb., on the expression of MMP-1 and activation of MAPKs signal pathways in UV-irradiated human skin fibroblasts. METHODS: The fibroblasts were treated with 4-hydroxypanduratin A for indicated times and the cells were irradiated with UVB. MMP-1 protein expression and phosphorylation of MAPKs were determined by Western blot. Activator protein-1 (AP-1) DNA binding activity was investigated using electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). RESULTS: 4-Hydroxypanduratin A in the range of 0.001-0.1microM significantly reduced the expression of MMP-1 levels and inhibited UV-induced MAPKs activation. Moreover, inhibition of MAPKs by 4-hydroxypanduratin A resulted in decreasing c-Fos expression and c-Jun phosphorylation induced by UV, which led to inhibiting AP-1 DNA binding activity. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that 4-hydroxypanduratin A can be a potential candidate for the prevention and treatment of skin aging brought about by UV.

Inhibitory effect of panduratin A on UV-induced activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in dermal fibroblast cells.

Exposure of the skin to ultraviolet (UV) induces photoaging associated with up-regulated matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) activities and decreased collagen synthesis. We previously reported that panduratin A, a chalcone compound isolated from KAEMPFERIA PANDURATA Roxb ., decreased MMP-1 expression in UV-irradiated human skin fibroblasts. Here, we have investigated the effect of panduratin A on UV-induced activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) signaling modules such as extracellular-regulated protein kinase (ERK), Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 kinase. Treatment with panduratin A in the range of 0.001 - 0.1 microM significantly inhibited UV-induced ERK, JNK and p38 activation. Moreover, inhibition of ERK, JNK and p38 by panduratin A resulted in decreased c-Fos expression and c-Jun phosphorylation induced by UV, which led to inhibition of activator protein-1 (AP-1) DNA binding activity. Panduratin A showed stronger activity than epigallocatechin 3- O-gallate (EGCG) known as a natural anti-aging agent. The results suggest that panduratin A can down-regulate UV-induced MMP-1 expression by inhibiting the MAPKs pathways and AP-1 activation. AP-1:activator protein-1 EGCG:epigallocatechin 3- O-gallate ERK:extracellular-regulated protein kinase JNK:c-Jun N-terminal kinase MAPK:mitogen-activated protein kinase MMP:matrix metalloproteinase UV:ultraviolet.