Though the biological effects of human placental extract have been widely studied, it has limited availability and its use poses ethical problems. Thus, domestic animal placental extracts are suggested as alternatives. In this study, the protective effect of sheep placental extract (SPE) on concanavalin A (Con A)-induced liver injury was investigated. BALB/c mice were randomly divided into six groups, including one normal group and five experimental groups, which received different oral doses of SPE (0, 5, 10 and 50 mg/kg) or a mixture of amino acids for 3 days before Con A injection. Compared with Con A-induced model group, the SPE administration significantly decreased serum aminotransaminase activity, alleviated pathological changes, recovered liver antioxidant capacity and prevented the increase of nitric oxide. Secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines in serum decreased and mRNA expression of hepatic intercellular adhesion molecule-1, interferon-inducible chemokine 10 and inducible nitric oxide synthase were downregulated, while B-cell lymphoma-2 expression increased. The administration of amino acids mixture had no significant effect in most measurements compared with the model group, which indicated proteins and peptides, rather than individual amino acid, were largely responsible for the bioactivity of SPE. The results indicate SPE has potential therapeutic effects against immune-mediated hepatitis.

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The glucose analog, 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG), specifically inhibits glycolysis of cancer cells and interferes with the growth of cancer cells. However, the excellent water solubility of 2-DG makes it difficult to be concentrated in tumor cells. In this study, a targeted nano-pharmacosome was developed with folic acid-modified 2-DG (FA-2-DG) by using amino ethanol as a cleavable linker. FA-2-DG was able to self-assemble, forming nano-particles with diameters of 10–30 nm. The biological effects were evaluated with cell viability assays and flow cytometry analysis. Compared with a physical mixture of folic acid and 2-DG, FA-2-DG clearly reduced cell viability and resulted in cell cycle arrest. A computational study involving docking simulation suggested that FA-2-DG can dock into the same receptor as folic acid, thus confirming that the structural modification did not affect the targeting performance. The results indicated that the nano-pharmacosome consisting of FA-2-DG can be used for targeting in a nano-drug delivery system.

An electrochemical sensor using silver nanowires (AgNWs)-doped with a zeolite-like metal–organic framework (ZIF-67) was developed for highly sensitive and stable determination of folic acid (FA). The ZIF-67/AgNWs nanocomposite was prepared by a one-step reaction via a template method and drop-coated onto the surface of a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) to form a ZIF-67/AgNWs@SPCE electrochemical sensing platform. The electrochemical square wave voltammetry (SWV) curve for this sensing platform was measured in an electrolyte solution containing FA under the optimum experimental conditions. The redox peak current of FA (IFA) increased with increases in the FA concentration (CFA). There was a linear relationship between IFA and CFA in the range of 0.1 μM to 10 μM, and the determination limit was 30 nM. The ZIF-67/AgNWs@SPCE was used as an electrochemical sensor for FA which maintained a good stability over 7 days and showed good determination performance in real samples with a high recovery rate (100.9–102.1%, n = 6).

Folic acid has been widely introduced into nano-drug delivery systems to give nanoparticle-targeted characteristics. However, the poor water solubility of folic acid may hinder the exploitation of its ability to load antineoplastic drugs. In the present study, we designed a new folate derivative (FA-2-DG) synthesized from folic acid and 2-Deoxyglucose (2-DG). The aim of this study was to evaluate the self-assembly characteristics of FA-2-DG, and its ability of loading cisplatin. The critical micelle concentration was 7.94 × 10−6 mol L−1. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that hydrogen bonding interaction is a main driving force for the self–assembly of FA-2-DG. The particle was stable in pure water or 0.5% bovine serum albumin dispersions. By forming a coordination bond, the particles assembled from FA-2-DG can load cisplatin. The loading efficiency was maximal when the molar ratio of FA-2-DG to cisplatin was 2:1.

Phenolic acids are widely found in fruits and vegetables. The inhibitory effect of phenolic acids on α-amylase, a key enzyme for starch digestion, has attracted the attention of researchers. To further investigate the effects of different substituents on the benzene ring of phenolic acid on the inhibition of α-amylase activity, in vitro experiments and molecular docking were used. The structure-activity relationships of 17 phenolic acids with benzoic acid as the parent nucleus were analyzed by determining their half inhibitory concentration (IC50) toward α-amylase. The results showed that 2,3,4-trihydroxybenzoic acid had the strongest inhibitory effect on α-amylase with an IC50 value of 17.30 ± 0.73 mM. According to the structure-activity analysis, the hydroxyl group at the 2-position on the benzene ring had a strong positive effect on the inhibitory activity of α-amylase, while methoxylation at the 2-position and hydroxylation at the 5-position had a negative effect. Molecular docking revealed that hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions were involved in the inhibition, with hydrogen bonding being the primary force. These findings provide a more comprehensive understanding of phenolic acids as inhibitors of α-amylase and provide new ideas for the design of dietary formulations for diabetic patients.

This work aimed to evaluate the effect of covalent binding of an antioxidant, hydroxytyrosol, on the oxidative stability of linoleic acid. Hydroxytyrosol was bound to linoleic acid through an ester bond to produce hydroxytyrosol linoleate. The results of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays indicated that hydroxytyrosol linoleate retained the main antioxidant activity of hydroxytyrosol. Linoleic acid, hydroxytyrosol linoleate, and linoleic acid with 0.2 mg/g 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT) were stored under accelerated oxidation conditions (37 °C or illumination) for 9 days. Adding BHT only inhibited the oxidation of linoleic acid for 5 days. In contrast, hydroxytyrosol linoleate inhibited oxidation for 9 days. After 9 days, the peroxide, conjugated diene, thiobarbituric acid reaction substance values, and degradation rate of hydroxytyrosol linoleate were less than 26% of those of linoleic acid. The findings indicate that esterification with hydroxytyrosol can significantly improve the oxidative stability of linoleic acid.

Vitamin D plays a significant role in the physiological functions of the human body. However, the application of vitamin D in functional foods is limited due to its sensitivity to light and oxygen. Therefore, in this study, we developed an effective method to protect vitamin D by encapsulating it in amylose. In detail, vitamin D was encapsulated by amylose inclusion complex, followed by structural characterization and evaluation of its stability and release properties. The results of X−ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that vitamin D was successfully encapsulated in the amylose inclusion complex, and the loading capacity was 1.96% ± 0.02%. The photostability and thermal stability of vitamin D after encapsulation was increased by 59% and 28%, respectively. In addition, in vitro simulated digestion showed that vitamin D was protected through the simulated gastric environment and can be released gradually in the simulated intestinal fluid, implying its improved bioaccessibility. Our findings provide a practical strategy for the development of functional foods based on vitamin D.