Summary The gut microbiota can be altered by dietary interventions to prevent and treat various diseases. However, the mechanisms by which food products modulate commensals remain largely unknown. We demonstrate that plant-derived exosomes-like nanoparticles (ELNs) are taken up by the gut microbiota and contain RNAs that alter microbiome composition and host physiology. Ginger ELNs (GELNs) are preferentially taken up by Lactobacillaceae in a GELN lipid-dependent manner and contain microRNAs that target various genes in Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LGG). Among these, GELN mdo-miR7267-3p-mediated targeting of the LGG monooxygenase ycnE yields increased indole-3-carboxaldehyde (I3A). GELN RNAs or I3A, a ligand for aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), are sufficient to induce production of IL-22, which is linked to barrier function improvement. These functions of GELN RNAs can ameliorate mouse colitis via IL-22-dependent mechanisms. These findings reveal how plant products and their effects on the microbiome may be used to target specific host processes to alleviate disease.

The layered oxides being considered as intercalation compounds for lithium batteries display significant differences between the long-range crystal structure and local arrangements around individual atoms. These differences are important, because the local atomic environments affect Li-ion transport and, hence, the oxide’s rate capability, by determining activation barrier energies, by blocking or opening Li-diffusion pathways, etc. Traditional diffraction methods provide key information on the average crystal structure. However, no single experimental technique can unequivocally determine the average long-range crystal structure and the distribution of local environments over crystallographic distances while retaining atomic-scale resolution. Therefore, in this study, we have employed a combination of diffraction, microscopy, and spectroscopy techniques to investigate the long-range (∼1 μm) and local structure (≤1 nm) of Li1.2Co0.4Mn0.4O2, which is a model compound for layered oxides being considered for transportation applications. We find that Li1.2Co0.4Mn0.4O2 contains mostly Mn4+ in Li2MnO3-like atomic environments and Co3+ in LiCoO2-like atomic environments, which are intimately mixed over length scales of ≥2−3 nm, resulting in a Li1.2Co0.4Mn0.4O2 crystallite composition that appears homogeneous over the long-range. In addition, we observed a quasi-random distribution of locally monoclinic structures, topotaxially integrated within a rhombohedral-NaFeO2 framework. Based on these observations, we propose a dendritic microstructure model for Li1.2Co0.4Mn0.4O2 consisting of well integrated LiCoO2- and Li2MnO3-like structures.

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Lung inflammation is a hallmark of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Here, we show that mice develop inflamed lung tissue after being administered exosomes released from the lung epithelial cells exposed to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Nsp12 and Nsp13 (exosomes Nsp12Nsp13 ). Mechanistically, we show that exosomes Nsp12Nsp13 are taken up by lung macrophages, leading to activation of NF-κB and the subsequent induction of an array of inflammatory cytokines. Induction of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β from exosomes Nsp12Nsp13 activated lung macrophages contributes to inducing apoptosis in lung epithelial cells. Induction of exosomes Nsp12Nsp13 mediated lung inflammation was abolished with ginger exosome-like nanoparticle (GELN) miRNA aly-miR396a-5p. The role of GELNs in inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 induced cytopathic effect (CPE) was further demonstrated via GELN aly-miR396a-5p and rlcv-miR-rL1-28-3p mediated inhibition of expression of Nsp12 and spike genes, respectively. Together, our results reveal exosomes Nsp12Nsp13 as potentially important contributors to the development of lung inflammation and GELNs are a potential therapeutic agent to treat COVID-19.