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Hepassocin (HPS) is a hepatokine associated with metabolic regulation and development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). However, previous reports on HPS are controversial and its true function is not yet understood. Here, we demonstrated that hepatic HPS expression levels were upregulated in short-term feeding and downregulated in long-term feeding in high-fat diet (HFD)-and methionine-and choline-deficient (MCD) dietfed mice, as well as in genetically obese (ob/ob) mice. HFD-and MCDinduced hepatic steatosis, inflammation, apoptosis, and fibrosis were more pronounced in HPS knockout mice than in the wild-type mice. Moreover, HPS depletion aggravated HFD-induced insulin resistance. By contrast, HPS administration improved MCD-or HFD-induced liver phenotypes and insulin resistance in HPS knockout and wild-type mice. Mechanistic studies revealed that MCD-induced hepatic oxidative stress was significantly increased by HPS deficiency and could be attenuated by HPS administration. Furthermore, palmitic acid-induced lipid accumulation and oxidative stress were exclusively enhanced in HPS knockout hepatocytes and diminished by HPS cotreatment. These data suggest that HPS ameliorates NASH in mice, at least in part, by inhibiting the oxidative stress. HPS expression levels are downregulated in human fatty liver tissues, suggesting that it may play an important protective role in NASH. Collectively, our findings provide clear genetic evidence that HPS has beneficial

In the present study, Perilla leaf essential oil (PLEO) was extracted by steam distillation and analyzed using SPME-GC-MS. We further discovered that PLEO could inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli, Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus. Then, we evaluated the impact of the addition of PLEO (0.01 and 0.03%) on the quality changes of a surimi-based food. We found that during 4 weeks of cold storage, the addition of the PLEO had minimum impact on food color and texture based on instrumental analysis and sensory panel evaluation. However, the addition of PLEO could significantly retard lipid oxidation and protein carbonylation and lower the formation of total volatile basic nitrogen. In addition, the addition of PLEO showed good antibacterial effect in this cooked surimi-based food, with the inhibitory effect of 0.03% volatile oils on the total plate count and E. coli as the best. Practical applicationsSurimi-based food is a kind of nutrient-rich and low cholesterol food, at the same time with the characteristics of tender meat, low fat, high protein and delicious taste. However, lipid and protein oxidation and microbial growth will make surimi product corrupt, affecting its shelf-life during storage period. Although synthetic antioxidants and preservatives have the advantages of low cost and high efficiency, people are worrying about synthetic food additives for their potential health risks and toxicity. The significance of this study is that Perilla leaf essential oil may be used as a natural and effective ingredient to replace the synthetic additives for the processing of healthy surimi-based foods, meanwhile develop a kind of surimi products with Perilla flavor.

A recombinant Helicoverpa armigera nucleopolyhedrovirus (HearNPV) expressing the insect-selective neurotoxin (RjAa17f) from Cuban scorpion Rhopalurus junceus was constructed by replacing the UDP-glucosyltransferase gene (egt) using λ-red homologous recombination system. Another egt deleted control HearNPV was constructed in a similar way by inserting egfp gene into the egt locus. One-step viral growth curve and viral DNA replication curve analysis confirmed that the recombination did not affect the viral growth and DNA replication in host cells. There is no discernable difference in occlusion-body morphogenesis between RjAa17f-HearNPV, Egfp-HearNPV and HZ8-HearNPV, which was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy analysis. However, the insecticidal activity of RjAa17f-HearNPV is enhanced against the third instar H. armigera larvae according to the bioassay on virulence comparison. There is a dramatic reduction (56.9%) in median lethal dose (LD ) and also a reduction (13.4%) in median survival time (ST ) for the recombinant RjAa17f-HearNPV compared to the HZ8-HearNPV, but only a 27.5% reduction in LD and 10.1% reduction in ST value when Egfp-HearNPV is compared with HZ8-HearNPV. The daily diet consumption analysis showed that the RjAa17f-HearNPV was able to inhibit the infected larvae feeding compared with the egt minus HearNPV. These results demonstrated that this novel recombinant RjAa17f-HearNPV could improve the insecticidal effect against its host insects and RjAa17f could be a considerable candidate for other recombinant baculovirus constructions.

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