Proteomic Analysis of Milk Fat Globule Membrane Protein Modulation of Differently Expressed Proteins in Lactobacillus plantarum under Bile Salt Stress.

Tolerance to bile stress is a crucial property for lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to survive in the gastrointestinal tract and exert their beneficial effects. Whey powder enriched with milk fat globule membrane proteins (M-WPI) as a functional component is protective for strains under stress conditions. The current study investigated the key mechanisms of action involved in Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) CGMCC 23701 survival in the presence of bile and the protective mechanism of M-WPI. According to proteomic analysis (proteomics), there could be several reasons for the greater protective effect of M-WPI. These include promoting the synthesis of fatty acids and peptidoglycans to repair the structure of the cell surface, regulating the metabolism of carbohydrates and amino acids to release energy and produce a range of precursors, enabling the expression of the repair system to repair damaged DNA, and promoting the expression of proteins associated with the multidrug efflux pump, which facilitates the exocytosis of intracellular bile salts. This study helps us to better understand the changes in proteome of L. plantarum CGMCC 23701 under bile salt stress and M-WPI protection, which will provide a new method for the protection and development of functional LAB.

Astaxanthin nanoparticles ameliorate dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis by alleviating oxidative stress, regulating intestinal flora, and protecting the intestinal barrier.

This study aimed to develop a novel astaxanthin nanoparticle using gum arabic (GA) and whey protein powder enriched with milk fat globule membranes (MFGM-WPI) as carriers and to investigate its effect and alleviation mechanism on colitis in mice. We demonstrated that MFGM-GA-astaxanthin could improve the bioaccessibility of astaxanthin and cope with oxidative stress more effectively in a Caco-2 cell model. In vivo studies demonstrated that MFGM-GA-astaxanthin alleviated colitis symptoms and repaired intestinal barrier function by increasing the expression of mucin 2, occludin, and zonula occludens-1. This was attributed to the alleviating effect of MFGM-GA-astaxanthin on oxidative stress. Moreover, MFGM-GA-astaxanthin restored the abnormalities of flora caused by dextran sulfate sodium, including Lactobacillus, Bacteroides, Ruminococcus, and Shigella. This study provides a basis for the therapeutic effect of astaxanthin nanoparticles on colon diseases.

Tumor suppressor candidate 3 as a novel predictor for lymph node metastasis in lung cancer patients.

Tumor suppressor candidate 3 (TUSC3) was recently identified as a potential tumor suppressor gene in several cancer types. However, no data are currently available regarding the expression of TUSC3 in lung cancer. The present study investigated the expression of TUSC3 in patients with lung cancer and determined its association with the clinicopathological parameters of the disease. Cytoplasmic TUSC3 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry on tissue microarray slides, which included 35 small cell lung cancer (SCLC) specimens, 80 squamous cell lung cancer specimens (SCC), 80 adenocarcinoma lung cancer (ADC) specimens and 37 normal lung tissue specimens. Analysis showed significantly reduced TUSC3 expression in the SCLC patients, but not in the ADC and SCC patients, as compared with the normal controls. Additionally, TUSC3 expression in the patients with a degree of differentiation of 1-2 (well-moderately differentiated) was significantly higher than that in patients with a differentiation degree of 3-4 (poorly differentiated-undifferentiated). Further analysis showed that TUSC3 expression levels were negatively correlated with the degree of differentiation in the ADC and SCC patients. Notably, a marked decrease in TUSC3 expression was identified in the patients who were lymph node metastasis-positive (LNM+) compared with patients who were LNM-. Further analysis showed that significant differences in TUSC3 expression were identified among the different N stages (LNM status) in the SCLC, ADC and SCC patients. Correlation analysis also identified a negative correlation between TUSC3 expression and LNM in all three pathological types of lung cancer tested. Overall, these results indicated that a reduction in TUSC3 may be associated with a poorly-differentiated grade of lung cancer. Importantly, TUSC3 expression may be a useful predictor of LNM in lung cancer patients. A combined analysis of TUSC3 expression and the clinical variables will aid in predicting the incidence of LNM.