Obesity has been reported to be associated with gut microbiome dysbiosis. seabuckthorn fruits are traditionally used in Tibetan foods and medicines for thousands of years. Seabuckthorn polysaccharide (SP) is one...

Sea-buckthorn flavonoids (SFs) have been used as functional food components for their bioactive potential in preventing metabolic complications caused by diet, such as obesity and inflammation. However, the protective effect of SFs on cognitive functions is not fully clear. In this study, a high-fat and high-fructose diet (HFFD)-induced obese mice model was treated with SFs for 14 weeks. It was found that the oral SF administration (0.06% and 0.31% w/w, mixed in diet) significantly reduced bodyweight gain and insulin resistance in the HFFD-fed mice. SFs significantly prevented HFFD-induced neuronal loss and memory impairment in behavioral tests. Additionally, SFs also suppressed the HFFD-induced synaptic dysfunction and neuronal damages by increasing the protein expressions of PSD-95. Furthermore, SF treatment activated the ERK/CREB/BDNF and IRS-1/AKT pathways and inactivated the NF-κB signaling and its downstream inflammatory mediator expressions. In conclusion, SFs are a potential nutraceutical to prevent high-energy density diet-induced cognitive impairments, which could be possibly explained by their mediating effects on insulin signaling and inflammatory responses in the brain.

Age-related gut barrier dysfunction and dysbiosis of the gut microbiome play crucial roles in human aging. Dietary methionine restriction (MR) has been reported to extend lifespan and reduce the inflammatory response; however, its protective effects on age-related gut barrier dysfunction remain unclear. Accordingly, we focus on the effects of MR on inflammation and gut function. We found a 3-month methionine-restriction reduced inflammatory factors in the serum of aged mice. Moreover, MR reduced gut permeability in aged mice and increased the levels of the tight junction proteins mRNAs, including those of occludin, claudin-1, and zona occludens-1. MR significantly reduced bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide concentration in aged mice serum. By using 16s rRNA sequencing to analyze microbiome diurnal rhythmicity during 24 h, we found MR moderately recovered the cyclical fluctuations of the gut microbiome which was disrupted in aged mice, leading to time-specific enhancement of the abundance of short-chain fatty acid-producing and lifespan-promoting microbes. Moreover, MR dampened the oscillation of inflammation-related TM7-3 and Staphylococcaceae. In conclusion, the effects of MR on the gut barrier were likely related to alleviation of the oscillations of inflammation-related microbes. MR can enable nutritional intervention against age-related gut barrier dysfunction.

ABSTRACT. This study evaluated the influence and mechanism of different Munziq doses on myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury (MIRI) rats with abnormal savda. Wistar rats (N = 96) were divided into the following 8 groups (12 rats each): ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) model group, high-dose, medium-dose, and low-dose Munziq groups, normal I/R group, sham model group, normal sham group, and Atorvastatin group. Changes in heart physiology and myocardial morphology after injury with MIRI were monitored in each group. Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) protein expression and serum concentrations of superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-8 were detected by using western blot and ELISA methods, respectively. The large-dose Munziq group showed the most significant changes. The VPC incurring Munziq and myocardial protection time was not delayed in the small-dose group, but the accumulative time was significantly reduced (P < 0.01). The ventricular tachycardia incurring time did not differ significantly between groups. Compared with the normal sham surgical group, the I/R groups showed significant increases in HSP70 and CGRP expression (P < 0.01) and MDA, IL-6, and IL-8 concentrations (P < 0.05) and a significant decrease in the SOD concentration (P < 0.05). Compared with the I/R groups, Munziq intervention significantly enhanced HSP70 and CGRP expression (P < 0.01), significantly decreased MDA, IL-6, and IL-8 concentrations (P < 0.05), and significantly increased the SOD concentration (P < 0.05).In conclusion, Munziq intervention improves cardiac physiological function, increases the expression of HSP70 and CGRP, and decreases the inflammatory reaction in MIRI model rats.

Astaxanthin (AST) has been shown to have neuroprotective effects, however, its bioavailability in vivo is low due to its hydrophobic properties. In this study, heat-treated lactoferrin (LF) with different temperatures...

Isorhamnetin (ISO), a flavonoid compound isolated from sea-buckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoides L.) fruit, has anti-inflammatory effects. However, the effect of ISO on neuroinflammation and cognitive function is still unclear. The purpose...