CM3-SII polysaccharide obtained from Cordyceps militaris ameliorates hyperlipidemia in heterozygous LDLR-deficient hamsters by modulating gut microbiota and NPC1L1 and PPARα levels.

Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that polysaccharides derived from edible fungi have lipid-lowering effects in mice. However, the lipid metabolism mechanisms in mice and humans are different. We have previously elucidated the structural characteristics of the alkali-extracted polysaccharide CM3-SII obtained from Cordyceps militaris. This study aimed to investigate whether CM3-SII could ameliorate hyperlipidemia in a heterozygous low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR)-deficient hamster model of hyperlipidemia. Our data demonstrated that CM3-SII significantly decreased total plasma cholesterol, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels in heterozygous LDLR-deficient hamsters. Unlike ezetimibe, CM3-SII could enhance the concentration of plasma apolipoprotein A1 and the expression of liver X receptor α/ATP-binding cassette transporter G8 mRNA pathway and suppress the expression of Niemann-Pick C1-like 1, which help to reduce cholesterol levels further. Moreover, the results of molecular docking analysis demonstrated that CM3-SII could directly bind to Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 with high affinity. The triglyceride-lowering mechanisms of CM3-SII were related to its downregulation of sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c and upregulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α. Importantly, CM3-SII increased the abundance of Actinobacteria and Faecalibaculum and the ratio of Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes. Thus, CM3-SII attenuated hyperlipidemia by modulating the expression of multiple molecules involved in lipid metabolism and the gut microbiota.

Triglyceride and Triglyceride-Rich Lipoproteins in Atherosclerosis.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is still the leading cause of death globally, and atherosclerosis is the main pathological basis of CVDs. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is a strong causal factor of atherosclerosis. However, the first-line lipid-lowering drugs, statins, only reduce approximately 30% of the CVD risk. Of note, atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) cannot be eliminated in a great number of patients even their LDL-C levels meet the recommended clinical goals. Previously, whether the elevated plasma level of triglyceride is causally associated with ASCVD has been controversial. Recent genetic and epidemiological studies have demonstrated that triglyceride and triglyceride-rich lipoprotein (TGRL) are the main causal risk factors of the residual ASCVD. TGRLs and their metabolites can promote atherosclerosis via modulating inflammation, oxidative stress, and formation of foam cells. In this article, we will make a short review of TG and TGRL metabolism, display evidence of association between TG and ASCVD, summarize the atherogenic factors of TGRLs and their metabolites, and discuss the current findings and advances in TG-lowering therapies. This review provides information useful for the researchers in the field of CVD as well as for pharmacologists and clinicians.

[Analysis of hydrogen-production performance in a UASB system at low pH].

This experiment used upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) with brown sugar water as fermentation substrate and sewage sludge as the initiation sludge of the reaction, which was made into granular sludge by adding activated carbon. Emphasis was placed on assessing the hydrogen production performance of the UASB hydrogen bio-production system in the stable ethanol-type fermentation. Under the conditions that the influent COD was 4000 mg x L(-1), the temperature was (35 +/- 1) degrees C and the hydraulic retention time (HRT) was 8 h, a certain amount of NaHCO3 was added to adjust pH from 3.72 to 3.80, 3.85, 3.94 and 4.04, the hydrogen production rate increased correspondingly from the initial 5.5 L x d(-1) to about 7.0, 8.0, 9.5 and 6.0 L x d(-1), which was improved by 27.27%, 45.45%, 72.73% and 9.09%, respectively. The highest hydrogen production rate and gas yield were observed at pH 3.94. The maximal gas yield was 15.83 L x d(-1), which was 1.75 times as high as the initial production. Meanwhile, the hydrogen production efficiency was 58.05%. This study broke through the lower limit pH value 4.0 in fermentative hydrogen production.

[Characteristics of 23 species of weed in northeast of China hyperaccumulating PAHs in contaminated soils].

Pot experiments were conducted to investigate the 23 species of weed accumulation characteristics of phenanthrene, as a representative of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), from soil in the northeast of China. The result indicated that among the 23 species, the bioconcentration factors of Taraxacum ohwianum K., Potentilla aiscolor B. and Chelidonium majus L. were all higher than 1, which were 1.01, 4.98, 38.24 respectively. The phenanthrene concentrations in roots were 2.83, 16.34 and 9.66 mg/kg which were lower than those in aboveground part with phenanthrene concentrations were 15.18, 74.70 and 573.62 mg/kg, respectively. The hyperaccumulators were indicated by strong conveyance of phenanthrene from root to aboveground part. The analysis of phenanthrene concentration in aboveground weed and aboveground plant biomass showed that the accumulation of phenanthrene in plant were not correlated with their biomass. It concluded that Taraxacum ohwianum K., Potentilla aiscolor B. and Chelidonium majus L. had hyperaccumulative characteristics of phenanthrene, and it is possible to screen out plants with high biomass and hyperaccumulation capability.