The aim of the present study was to investigate alterations in gut microbiota associated with hypercholesterolemia and treatment with atorvastatin, a commonly prescribed cholesterol-lowering drug. In this study, seven experimental groups of rats were developed based on diets [high-fat diet (HFD) and normal chow diet (NCD)] and various doses of atorvastatin in HFD and NCD groups. 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing was used to analyze the gut microbiota. Atorvastatin significantly reduced the cholesterol level in treated rats. Bacterial diversity was decreased in the drug-treated NCD group compared to the NCD control, but atorvastatin-treated HFD groups showed a relative increase in biodiversity compared to HFD control group. Atorvastatin promoted the relative abundance of Proteobacteria and reduced the abundance of Firmicutes in drug-treated HFD groups. Among the dominant taxa in the drug-treated HFD groups, Oscillospira, Parabacteroides, Ruminococcus, unclassified CF231, YRC22 (Paraprevotellaceae), and SMB53 (Clostridiaceae) showed reversion in population distribution toward NCD group relative to HFD group. Drug-treated HFD and NCD groups both showed an increased relative abundance of Helicobacter. Overall, bacterial community composition was altered, and diversity of gut microbiota increased with atorvastatin treatment in HFD group. Reversion in relative abundance of specific dominant taxa was observed with drug treatment to HFD rats.

27 Curcumin was incorporated into three different delivery systems: free lipid droplets; lipid-loaded alginate beads;and,lipid-loaded carrageenan beads. Hydrogel beads were fabricated from polysaccharides (alginate or carrageenan)usingan injection methodcombined with ion gelation (calcium or potassium, respectively).The delivery systems were passed through a simulated gastrointestinal tract (GIT) that included mouth, 32 stomach, and small intestine phases. Light scattering and microscopy indicated that 33 carrageenanbeadshad a relatively fragile structure that was easily disrupted in the GIT and released the encapsulated lipid droplets and curcumin. Conversely, alginate beads had a robust structure that remained relatively intact throughout the GIT and retained the lipid droplets and curcumin. The rate and extent of lipid digestion decreased in the following order: free lipid droplets > carrageenan beads > alginate beads. Curcumin bioaccessibilityfollowed a similar order: free lipid droplets (73%)>carrageenan beads (33%)> alginate beads (16%). These results suggest that lipid droplets must be digested by lipasein order to release the encapsulated curcumin and to form mixed micellescapable of solubilizing the released curcumin. Overall, our results show that delivery systems with different structures and compositions can be designed to control the release of lipids and hydrophobic nutraceuticals in the GIT, which may be advantageous for the development of certain functional food products.

Hypercholesterolemia is one of the most important risk factors for development of cardiovascular diseases. The composition of gut microbiota (total microbes residing in the gut) impacts on cholesterol and lipid metabolism. On the contrary, alterations in gut microbiota in response to hypercholesterolemia or drug treatment with atorvastatin (a cholesterol-lowering agent) are rarely investigated. We performed 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing to evaluate the gut bacterial community of 15 untreated hypercholesterolemic patients (HP) and 27 atorvastatin-treated hypercholesterolemic patients (At-HP) and compared with 19 healthy subjects (HS). In total, 18 different phyla were identified in the study groups. An increase in relative abundance of Proteobacteria was observed in the HP group compared with At-HP and HS groups. The atherosclerosis-associated genus Collinsella was found at relatively higher abundance in the HP group. The anti-inflammation-associated bacteria (Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Akkermansia muciniphila, and genus Oscillospira) were found in greater abundance, and proinflammatory species Desulfovibrio sp. was observed at decreased abundance in the drug-treated HP group compared with the untreated HP group. Relative abundances of the Bilophila wadsworthia and Bifidobacterium bifidum (bile acid-associated species) were decreased in the At-HP group. The At-HP and HS clustered separately from HP in the principal coordinate analysis. Decreased bacterial diversity was observed in the atorvastatin-treated group. In conclusion, these data suggest that atorvastatin treatment of patients with hypercholesterolemia may selectively restore the relative abundance of several dominant and functionally important taxa that were disrupted in the HP. Further studies are required to investigate the putative modifying effects of hypocholesterolemic drugs on functionality of gut microbiota, and the potential downstream effects on human health.

Abstract. The number of potential applications of microbial xylanases in the pulp and paper industry is gradually increasing and several are approaching commercial use. This industry needs a xylanase, which is free of cellulase. Twenty isolated Streptomycetes strains from Egyptian soils, which produce cellulase free-xylanase and are easily grown using a low-cost agriculture waste substrate, were investigated. The two most active strains have been identified as Streptomyces albus and Streptomyces chromofuscus. Their maximum xylanase activity was 13.25, 19.31 and 32.53, 43.01 on untreated rice straw pulp and pulp treated with TiO 2 in both Streptomyces species respectively. The enzyme activity increased when both isolates were grown on yeast extract. Optimum production of xylanase was recorded after five days of fermentation. Xylanase produced with Streptomyces chromofuscus showed higher bleaching activity than that from Streptomyces albus. The enzyme enhanced the liberation of reducing sugars, which improved pulp bleachability.

Zingiber officinale Roscoe, one of the most widely used spices, has been reported to have anti‐obesity and anti‐diabetes effects. In the present study, we investigated the effects of 6‐shogaol, a bioactive compound present in ginger, on the adipogenic process in 3T3‐L1 preadipocytes. The anti‐adipogenic effects of 6‐shogaol was significantly higher than the more widely investigated 6‐gingerol, another major ginger constituent. We observed that 6‐shogaol inhibited the expression of two master regulators of adipogenesis, PPARγ and C/EBPα, and also stimulated lipolysis in mature 3T3‐L1 adipocytes. Collectively, these results suggest that 6‐shogaol, not 6‐gingerol, is the major compound present in ginger responsible for its reported anti‐adipogenic properties. Practical Applications Ginger is widely consumed all over the world, and has been associated with various health benefits. At least some of these benefits have been previously attributed to 6‐gingerol. In the present study, we observed that 6‐shogaol has more potent anti‐adipogenic effects than 6‐gingerol in 3T3‐L1 cells. This is the first study to investigate the anti‐obesity effect of 6‐shogaol in vitro, and provides a new perspective on future development of ginger‐based anti‐obesity strategies.

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