mtDNA amplifies beryllium sulfate-induced inflammatory responses via the cGAS-STING pathway in 16HBE cells.

Beryllium sulfate (BeSO4) can cause inflammation through the mechanism, which has not been elucidated. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a key contributor of inflammation. With mitochondrial damage, released mtDNA can bind to specific receptors (e.g., cGAS) and then activate related pathway to promote inflammatory responses. To investigate the mechanism of mtDNA in BeSO4-induced inflammatory response in 16HBE cells, we established the BeSO4-induced 16HBE cell inflammation model and the ethidium bromide (EB)-induced ρ016HBE cell model to detect the mtDNA content, oxidative stress-related markers, mitochondrial membrane potential, the expression of the cGAS-STING pathway, and inflammation-related factors. Our results showed that BeSO4 caused oxidative stress, decline of mitochondrial membrane potential, and the release of mtDNA into the cytoplasm of 16HBE cells. In addition, BeSO4 induced inflammation in 16HBE cells by activating the cGAS-STING pathway. Furthermore, mtDNA deletion inhibited the expression of cGAS-STING pathway, IL-10, TNF-α, and IFN-ß. This study revealed a novel mechanism of BeSO4-induced inflammation in 16HBE cells, which contributes to the understanding of the molecular mechanism of beryllium and its compounds-induced toxicity.

Aqueous-Cellulose-Solvent-Derived Changes in Cellulose Nanocrystal Structure and Reinforcing Effects.

Cellulose nanocrystals as reinforcing agents have received considerable interest, and their dimension mainly depends on the original sources of cellulose. We intend to manually modulate the morphology of cellulose nanocrystals by treating them with cellulose solvents so that we can explore their reinforcing capacity. In this work, waste cotton fabric was processed in two aqueous solvents (a sulfuric acid aqueous solution and a NaOH/urea aqueous solution), and the regenerated cellulose was used to produce cellulose nanocrystals using acid hydrolysis. The results revealed that the nanocrystals (RCNC-H) obtained after the treatment in sulfuric acid had a hybrid crystalline structure and a needle-like shape with an aspect ratio of about 15.2, while cotton fabric was completely dissolved in the NaOH/urea aqueous solution, and the regenerated nanocrystals (RCNC-N) displayed a typical crystalline form of cellulose II with a higher crystallinity and a shorter rod-like shape with an aspect ratio of about 6.3. The reinforcing effects of RCNC-H and RCNC-N were evaluated using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) films as a model, where the addition of RCNC-H resulted in a relatively better tensile strength and oxygen barrier property, and the PVA/RCNC-N films had a slightly lower water vapor permeability. Therefore, this work suggests a new possibility for altering the naturally formed nanostructure of cellulose for different applications.

A self-healing polymerized-ionic-liquid-based polymer electrolyte enables a long lifespan and dendrite-free solid-state Li metal batteries at room temperature.

The implementation of high-safety Li metal batteries (LMBs) needs more stable and safer electrolytes. The solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) with their advantageous properties stand out for this purpose. However, low Li/electrolyte interfacial instability and uncontrolled Li dendrites growth trigger unceasing breakage of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), leading to fast capacity degradation. In response to these shortcomings, a new type of polymer electrolyte with self-healing capacity is introduced by grafting ionic liquid chain units into the backbones of polymers, which inherits the chemical inertness against the Li anode, allowing high Li+ transport, wide electrochemical window, and self-healing traits. Benefiting from the strong external H-bonding interactions, the obtained polymer electrolyte can spontaneously reconstruct dendrite-induced defects and fatigue crack growth at the Li/electrolyte interface, and, in turn, help tailor Li deposition. Owing to the resilient Li/electrolyte interface and dendrite-free Li plating, the equipped Li|LFP batteries display a high initial specific capacity of 134.7 mA h g-1, rendering a capacity retention of 91.2% after 206 cycles at room temperature. The new polymer electrolyte will undoubtedly bring inspiration for developing practical LMBs with highly improved safety and interfacial stability.

Effects of mannoprotein on the stability and in vitro digestion of cyanidin-3-glucoside.

Although mannoprotein (MP) is known to increase the stability of anthocyanins, the MP-anthocyanin interactions and structural changes induced by the same remain underexplored. To bridge this gap, this work examined the complexation of cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) by MP and probed its effect on C3G properties. As a result, this complexation was shown to induce the static fluorescence quenching of MP and increase the thermal stability and antioxidant activity of C3G while decreasing its susceptibility to ascorbic acid, sucrose, and Fe3+-induced degradation and increasing its bioavailability during simulated in vitro digestion. Hydrogen bonding and van der Waals interactions were identified as the main complexation drivers and were demonstrated to change the self-aggregation behavior of both compounds and favor the formation of a cross-linked structure. Thus, our results show that MP addition is an efficient anthocyanin protection method and provide a theoretical basis for the utilization of MP and C3G.

Anthocyanins from Aronia melanocarpa Bound to Amylopectin Nanoparticles: Tissue Distribution and In Vivo Oxidative Damage Protection.

The in vivo applications of anthocyanins are limited by their instability. Nano-encapsulation using amylopectin nanoparticles (APNPs) stabilizes anthocyanins to deliver them to tissues to ameliorate their physiological functions. Herein, rats are fed four Aronia melanocarpa anthocyanins encapsulated with APNPs, and their subsequent distributions and bioactivity in nine tissues are revealed using UHPLC-MS. Among digestive tissues, the concentration of the APNP-protected cyanidin 3-O-arabinoside in the stomach is 134.54% of that of the free anthocyanin, while among non-digestive tissues, the APNP-protected cyanidin 3-O-glucoside concentration in the lungs improved by 125.49%. Concentration maxima "double peaks" in the liver and kidney arise from different modes of transport. Sustained release of anthocyanins from anthocyanin-APNPs and stable concentration curves suggest controlled delivery, with most APNPs consumed in the digestive system. APNPs did not affect the overall anthocyanin absorption time or tissues. The superoxide dismutase and malondialdehyde concentrations indicate that APNPs enhance the oxidative damage protection in vivo.

Proteomic analyses revealed the antibacterial mechanism of Aronia melanocarpa isolated anthocyanins against Escherichia coli O157: H7.

Aronia melanocarpa anthocyanins (AMAs), as a natural plant extract, can control pathogens and are attracting increasing attention. However, at the proteomic level, the antibacterial mechanism of AMAs against Escherichia coli O157: H7 remains unclear. In this study, the tandem mass tag (TMT) quantitative proteomics was used to elucidate the potential antibacterial mechanisms of AMAs against E. coli O157: H7 cells. Ultrastructural observation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels detection showed that AMAs destroyed the integrity of E. coli O157: H7 cell membrane, led to the aggregation of contents and caused the increase of intracellular ROS level. TMT-based proteomic analysis suggested that AMAs can enter cells through mechanosensitive channels and inhibit the activity of heat shock proteins; disturb the metabolism of carbohydrates, amino acids and lipids in cells. The results of this study provide a reference for the further development of plant-derived antimicrobial agents.

Composition and antioxidant activity of anthocyanins from Aronia melanocarpa extracted using an ultrasonic-microwave-assisted natural deep eutectic solvent extraction method.

A time-saving, efficient, and environmentally friendly ultrasonic-microwave-assisted natural deep eutectic solvent (UMAE-NADES) extraction method was developed for the extraction of anthocyanins from Aronia melanocarpa. Eight different natural eutectic solvents were screened initially, and choline chloride-glycerol was selected as the extraction solvent. The extraction conditions were optimized using the response surface methodology, and the extraction rate of anthocyanins was higher than those achieved using the traditional ethanol method, natural deep eutectic solvent extraction method, and ultrasonic-microwave-assisted ethanol method. Six anthocyanins, including cyanidin-3-O-galactoside, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, cyanidin-3-O-arabinoside, cyanidin-3-O-xyloside, cyanidin-3,5-O-dihexoside, and the dimer of cyanidin-hexoside were identified and extracted at a purity of 448.873 mg/g using high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). The compounds extracted using UMAE-NADES had higher antioxidant capacities than those extracted by the other three methods. The UMAE-NADES demonstrated significant efficiency toward the extraction of bioactive substances and has potential utility in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

TMT-Based Quantitative Proteomics Analyses Reveal the Antibacterial Mechanisms of Anthocyanins from Aronia melanocarpa against Escherichia coli O157:H7.

Aronia melanocarpa anthocyanins (AMAs), as natural plant extracts, can control pathogens and are attracting increasing attention. In this study, a tandem mass tag (TMT) quantitative proteomics method combined with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) was used to explore the antibacterial mechanism of AMAs against Escherichia coli at the protein level. The results showed that 1739 proteins were identified in E. coli treated with AMAs, of which 628 were altered, including 262 downregulated proteins and 366 upregulated proteins. Bioinformatics analysis showed that these differentially expressed proteins have different molecular functions and participate in different molecular pathways. AMAs can affect E. coli protein biosynthesis, DNA replication and repair, oxidative stress response, peptidoglycan biosynthesis, and homeostasis. These pathways induce morphological changes and cell death. The results of this study help understand the molecular mechanism of the inhibitory effect of AMAs on food-borne pathogens and provide a reference for further development of plant-derived antimicrobial agents.

Anti-inflammatory and intestinal microbiota modulation properties of high hydrostatic pressure treated cyanidin-3-glucoside and blueberry pectin complexes on dextran sodium sulfate-induced ulcerative colitis mice.

This study investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) and blueberry pectin (BP) complexes on mice with dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis before and after high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatment. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), western blotting, and 16S rDNA sequencing were used to study the expression of inflammation-related factors, activation of signal pathway-related proteins, and changes in the intestinal flora in ulcerative colitis (UC) mice. The results showed that HHP-treated C3G-BP complexes significantly relieved diarrhea and blood loss in the stool of UC mice and alleviated colon shortening. The potential mechanism of action involved reduction in intestinal oxidative stress mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory factors, improvement in anti-inflammatory factor levels, inhibition of the NF-κB signaling pathway, increased protein levels of Bcl-2/Bax and caspase-3/cleaved caspase-3 genes, and improved gut microbiota composition. Compared with other experimental groups, the HHP-treated C3G-BP complexes group exhibited the best anti-inflammatory effect on DSS-induced UC mice. The results may provide new ideas for using C3G-BP complexes for treating UC and help develop better processing methods.

Extraction of mannoprotein from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and analysis of its chemical composition and molecular structure.

The purpose of this study was to screen the method with the highest yield of mannoprotein (MP) without damaging their functional structure. The recovery rates of the extracts, protein, and mannose were determined along with the mannose/protein ratio, molecular weight and distribution, monosaccharide and amino acid compositions, and secondary structures of the three MP extracts to compare the extraction methods. The MP extracts recovery rate prepared by the thermal method was significantly higher (35.89%) than those obtained using fermentation (31.66%) and SDS treatment (19.77%). Three protein bands with similar molecular weights of 59, 47, and 34 kDa were detected in the MPs obtained via the different extraction methods. The thermally extracted MP has a broader molecular weight distribution. After purification, the proportion of mannose in the polysaccharide parts of the MPs increased from 6-7 to 90.4-91.3%. The essential amino acid content of the hot-extracted MP (170.07 mg/g) was the highest. The thermally extracted MP had similar secondary structural characteristics to that isolated at room temperature, and had a higher protein characteristic peak intensity. In general, the heating method to extract yeast mannoprotein is time-saving and efficient.

Pharmacokinetic and excretion study of Aronia melanocarpa anthocyanins bound to amylopectin nanoparticles and their main metabolites using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Anthocyanins of Aronia melanocarpa are known for their therapeutic properties; however, they are unstable and easily degrade in the environment and in vivo. Herein, we investigated the stability and bioavailability of four anthocyanins bound to amylopectin nanoparticles (APNPs) through a pharmacokinetic and excretion study using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. An EC-C18 column with methanol and 0.1% formic acid as the mobile phase was used during the analysis. After APNP treatment, anthocyanins and metabolites exhibited a marked increase, whereas their maximum oral bioavailability reached 440% and 593%, respectively. The delayed elimination half time demonstrated that APNPs had a sustained-release effect on anthocyanins. Pharmacokinetic results revealed that APNPs effectively protect anthocyanins in vivo. Excretion studies in urine and feces had shown a decrease in excretion of anthocyanins and most of the metabolites after APNP treatment. The results of excretion study further proved the protective effect of APNPs on anthocyanins in vivo.

Towards quantitative and intuitive percutaneous tumor puncture via augmented virtual reality.

In recent years, the radiofrequency ablation (RFA) therapy has become a widely accepted minimal invasive treatment for liver tumor patients. However, it is challenging for doctors to precisely and efficiently perform the percutaneous tumor punctures under free-breathing conditions. This is because the traditional RFA is based on the 2D CT Image information, the missing spatial and dynamic information is dependent on surgeons' experience. This paper presents a novel quantitative and intuitive surgical navigation modality for percutaneous respiratory tumor puncture via augmented virtual reality, which is to achieve the augmented visualization of the pre-operative virtual planning information precisely being overlaid on intra-operative surgical scenario. In the pre-operation stage, we first combine the signed distance field of feasible structures (like liver and tumor) where the puncture path can go through and unfeasible structures (like large vessels and ribs) where the needle is not allowed to go through to quantitatively generate the 3D feasible region for percutaneous puncture. Then we design three constraints according to the RFA specialists consensus to automatically determine the optimal puncture trajectory. In the intra-operative stage, we first propose a virtual-real alignment method to precisely superimpose the virtual information on surgical scenario. Then, a user-friendly collaborative holographic interface is designed for real-time 3D respiratory tumor puncture navigation, which can effectively assist surgeons fast and accurately locating the target step-by step. The validation of our system is performed on static abdominal phantom and in vivo beagle dogs with artificial lesion. Experimental results demonstrate that the accuracy of the proposed planning strategy is better than the manual planning sketched by experienced doctors. Besides, the proposed holographic navigation modality can effectively reduce the needle adjustment for precise puncture as well. Our system shows its clinical feasibility to provide the quantitative planning of optimal needle path and intuitive in situ holographic navigation for percutaneous tumor ablation without surgeons' experience-dependence and reduce the times of needle adjustment. The proposed augmented virtual reality navigation system can effectively improve the precision and reliability in percutaneous tumor ablation and has the potential to be used for other surgical navigation tasks.

Gut Microbiota Modulation by Polyphenols from Aronia melanocarpa of LPS-Induced Liver Diseases in Rats.

Aronia melanocarpa polyphenols (AMPs) can alleviate the degree of liver diseases in rats. However, the mechanism by which this is achieved through gut microbiota modulation remains unclear. Here, a rich-polyphenol extract of A. melanocarpa (AMPs) was used to treat lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced liver diseases in rats. To gain insights into the anti-LPS-induced liver disease, liver function index, expression of apoptosis proteins, inflammatory factors, and activation of inflammatory signaling pathways were determined with western blot analysis, immunohistochemistry, and 16S rRNA sequencing or quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). After AMPs treatment, the gut microbiota composition was modulated, promoting the intestinal barrier function by increasing the expression of intestinal epithelial cell tight junction proteins to reduce the LPS content in serum. The expression levels of inflammatory factors interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), and related mRNAs were reduced. These results showed that AMPs, as a bioactive substance, could enhance the intestinal barrier function and modulate the gut microbiota of LPS-induced liver diseases.

Effects of high hydrostatic pressure on the binding capacity, interaction, and antioxidant activity of the binding products of cyanidin-3-glucoside and blueberry pectin.

In this study, the effects of high hydrostatic pressure (HP) treatment on the binding capacity, interaction, and antioxidant activity of the binding products of blueberry pectin (BP) and cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) were assessed. HP was found to significantly improve the adsorption between C3G and BP. After binding, the C3G concentration was found to be the highest (382.1 ± 13.2 µg/mg for BP) when using a C3G-BP mass ratio of 1:2, a pressure of 400 MPa, and a holding time of 15 min. HP processing decreased particle size and altered the characteristics of C3G-BP complexes. The main binding form of the complexes before HP treatment was pectin-wrapped C3G by hydrogen bond interaction, while HP caused charged groups in pectin to be more exposed and improve the electrostatic interaction between C3G and BP. The antioxidant activity results showed that the presence of BP could protect the ferric-reducing antioxidant power of C3G after HP treatment.

Preparing, optimising, and evaluating chitosan nanocapsules to improve the stability of anthocyanins from Aronia melanocarpa.

The anthocyanins extracted from Aronia melanocarpa are of great interest because of their potential health-related functionalities. However, their poor stabilities have limited their use in applications. Hence, to improve their physical and oxidative stability, we optimised the chitosan nanocapsules encapsulating anthocyanins from Aronia melanocarpa, and evaluated the systems in terms of their physicochemical characteristics, physical and oxidant stability in simulated gastrointestinal digestion and different storage environments. Results show that the obtained nanocapsules present favorable particle size (197 nm) with good surface morphology, highly encapsulation efficiency (65.7%), suitable zeta potential (+42.7 mV), and low polydispersity index (0.032). Furthermore, compared with free anthocyanins, the nanoencapsulated anthocyanins exhibited significantly slower degradation and stronger antioxidant activity during the simulated gastrointestinal digestion and environmental storage. Thus, the physical and oxidative stability of anthocyanins in Aronia melanocarpa was enhanced significantly by chitosan nanoencapsulation.

Stability and structural characteristics of amylopectin nanoparticle-binding anthocyanins in Aronia melanocarpa.

The bioavailability of anthocyanins from Aronia melanocarpa is limited by their high degradation rates and poor stability. One way to protect anthocyanins is to deliver them using amylopectin nanoparticles (APNPs). In this study, we used distilled water as the reaction system, and achieved the most stable formulation of anthocyanins and APNPs using a mass ratio of 1:12, a pH of 3, and a binding time of 60 min, at which the binding rates were 81.52%, 82.67%, and 84.00%, respectively. Moreover, electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy were applied to observe microstructural changes with each combination. The observed stabilities and antioxidant activities indicated that binding played a role in protecting anthocyanins from heat, oxidization, reduction reactions, and metallic ions. Finally, our in vitro-digestion results suggested that the optimized compound can partially avoid degradation and diffusion, wherein the anthocyanin retention rate and FRAP value increased to 17.05% and 24.85%, respectively.

All-optical ultrafast polarization switching of terahertz radiation by impulsive molecular alignment.

We experimentally demonstrate ultrafast polarization switching of terahertz (THz) radiation generated by dual-color driving pulses composed of orthogonally polarized fundamental and second-harmonic waves, which can be controlled by field-free molecular alignment in air by modulating the relative phase between the two field components as a transient dynamic wave plate. By fine-tuning the time delay to properly match the molecular alignment revivals, a significant polarization modulation of the THz radiation is observed and both linearly and elliptically polarized THz radiations can be obtained.

Plasma waveguide array induced by filament interaction.

We demonstrate that interference-assisted coalescence of two noncollinearly overlapped filaments creates a wavelength-scale periodic plasma density modulation to guide the input pulses equivalently as a photonic crystal plasma waveguide. The periodic self-channeling is evidenced by the direct observation of the filament coalescence, which reveals wavelength-scale spatial widths and periodicity dependent on the crossing angles and intensity ratios between the incident filaments.

Interaction of two parallel femtosecond filaments at different wavelengths in air.

We study the interaction of two parallel-launched femtosecond filaments at their fundamental-wave and second-harmonic frequencies in air. Besides the Kerr effect within the pulse duration, the impulsive alignment of the diatomic molecules in the fundamental-wave filament leads to controllable and field-free achievable attraction, fusion, or repulsion of the second-harmonic filament. The molecular-alignment-assisted filament interaction is further confirmed by the fluorescence intensity variation and spectral modulation of the second-harmonic filament at various molecular alignment revivals.