Studies of the microbial metabolism of flavonoids extracted from the leaves of Diospyros kaki by intestinal bacteria

Sheng-hai Zhang,Ying-zi Wang,Fan-yun Meng,You-lin Li,Cai-xia Li,Fei-peng Duan,Qing Wang,Xiu-ting Zhang,Chun-ni Zhang 대한약학회 2015 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.38 No.5

Flavonoid glycosides are metabolized byintestinal bacteria, giving rise to a wide range of phenolicacids that may exert systemic effects in the body. Themicrobial metabolism of flavonoids extracted from theleaves of Diospyros kaki (FLDK) by intestinal bacteria wasinvestigated in vitro. High-performance liquid chromatography/linear trap quadrupole orbitrap mass spectrometrywas performed to analyze the metabolites of flavonoidsin vivo using Xcalibur2.1 software. The results showed thatthe levels of flavonoid glycosides and flavonoid aglyconesdecreased rapidly in the process of microbial metabolismby intestinal bacteria in vitro, and the metabolic rate maybe related to the concentration of intestinal bacteria in theculture solution. In vivo metabolites of FLDK weredetected in rat plasma and urine after oral administration ofFLDK. Eight flavonoids were identified in the urine, andthree were identified in the plasma; however, flavonoidaglycones were not found in the plasma.

Diversity and geographic variation of endosymbiotic bacteria in natural populations of the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) in China

Zhang Li,Cao Ya,Zhang Li-Jun,Wang Meng-Yao,Wang Xiao-Tong,Yang Xing-Zhuo,Duan Ting-Yu,Yuan Ming-Long 한국응용곤충학회 2021 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.24 No.3

Bacterial symbionts in aphids are known to benefit the insect host and associated with aphid’s ecological adaptation. The pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum), an important legume pest worldwide, carries at least eight endosymbionts, providing a model system to study insect–bacteria interactions. However, species diversity and geographic variations of endosymbionts are unknown in Chinese populations; therefore, we characterized symbiont communities and diversity of 27 pea aphid samples from 13 geographic populations of China. Via amplicon high-throughput sequencing and diagnostic PCR, we found that bacterial communities of Chinese populations were dominated by Proteobacteria and Firmicutes. Among eight known endosymbionts, five (Buchnera, Serratia, Hamiltonella, Regiella, and Rickettsia) were detected by both methods, with a specific geographical distribution. The obligate symbiont, Buchnera, was present in all aphid samples, while the four facultative symbionts showed a significant geographic variation. Each population was randomly infected with distinct endosymbionts, ranging from three to five species. Serratia and Rickettsia showed relatively higher abundance in central regions of China, Regiella was predominant in eastern and western China, whereas Ham iltonella showed an extremely low abundance and was absent in four populations. Samples grouped by altitudes showed a significant diversity difference, whereas there was no significant difference between red and green body colors. Bacterial community structures of the Chinese pea aphid populations were mainly influenced by environmental factors, other than body colors. These data can guide the development of potential biocontrol techniques against this aphid.

Efficient degradation of azo dye by dual-doped photo-enhanced Fentonlike catalysts in magnetic suspension reactor

Ting Dai,Chang Li,Ning Wang,Li Yu,Meng Zhang 한국공업화학회 2021 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.104 No.-

Fenton-like catalysts have sparked enormous interest from academic to industrial fields because of theirexcellent degradability and offered a promising platform for the effective treatment of wastewater. However, it remains a grand challenge to balance their catalytic performance and corrosion resistancefor industrial application. To address this issue, we report Cr and C dual-doped photo-enhancedFenton-like catalysts (Cr, C-FeSiB) in which Cr functions as a corrosion inhibitor to improve recycling performanceand C acts as an electron transfer accelerator to raise the cycle efficiency of iron ions duringcomplex Fenton-like reactions. Moreover, we design a low energy-consumption magnetic-suspensionlikereactor in which Fenton-like catalysts can work as micro-scaled stirrers to enhance the mass transferefficiency during the Fenton-like reactions owing to their soft magnetic property.

Rapid Screening of Maize Inbred Lines Based on NIR-MIR Spectral Characteristics and Small-molecule Metabolites

Meng Ting Li,Ren Jie Yang,Hai Xue Liu,Yang Liu,Xiao Qian Zhang,Xiao Dong Xie 한국작물학회 2018 Journal of crop science and biotechnology Vol.21 No.4

Near-infrared (NIR), Mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy and Gas chromatography -mass spectrometry (GC-MS) combined with principal component analysis (PCA) were used to preliminarily select suitable maize parents that can be further employed in future breeding process. Especially, a new matrix was innovatively developed in terms of metabolic components, and used for PCA. Firstly, the quality maize seeds were selected based on the score plots from PCA of NIR, MIR, fusion of NIR and MIR, and GC-MS. Then, the potential biomarkers, including phenol, propionic acid, DL-malic acid, L-valine, which have great influence on the selection of quality maize seeds, were confirmed based on the loading plots from PCA of GC-MS and MIR spectral data. Finally, the quantitative analysis of partial biomarkers for selected parents was carried based on GC-MS method. The selected suitable maize parents were further confirmed by the difference of biomarkers contents. The results showed that NIR, MIR, and GC-MS combined with PCA are as rapid, convenient analysis methods, and can be thus employed for future maize breeding process.

Loss of MicroRNA-137 Impairs the Homeostasis of Potassium in Neurons via KCC2

Ting-Wei Mi,Xiao-Wen Sun,Zhi-Meng Wang,Ying-Ying Wang,Xuan-Cheng He,Cong Liu,Shuang-Feng Zhang,Hong-Zhen Du,Chang-Mei Liu,Zhao-Qian Teng 한국뇌신경과학회 2020 Experimental Neurobiology Vol.29 No.2

Neuropsychiatric disorders are the leading cause of mental and intellectual disabilities worldwide. Current therapies against neuropsychiatric disorders are very limited, and very little is known about the onset and development of these diseases, and their most effective treatments. MIR137 has been previously identified as a risk gene for the etiology of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism spectrum disorder. Here we generated a forebrain-specific MIR137 knockout mouse model, and provided evidence that loss of miR-137 resulted in impaired homeostasis of potassium in mouse hippocampal neurons. KCC2, a potassium-chloride co-transporter, was a direct downstream target of miR-137. The KCC2 specific antagonist VU0240551 could balance the current of potassium in miR-137 knockout neurons, and knockdown of KCC2 could ameliorate anxiety-like behavior in MIR137 cKO mice. These data suggest that KCC2 antagonists or knockdown might be beneficial to neuropsychiatric disorders due to the deficiency of miR-137.

Sensitive Wearable Sensor Based on Strong, Conductive, Anti-Freezing, and Double Network Hydrogel

Meng Zhang,Wei Li,Hongbin Yang,Ting Xu,Chuanling Si 강원대학교 산림과학연구소 2022 강원대학교 산림과학연구소 학술대회 Vol.2022 No.10

Flexible and conductive hydrogels play an important role in the design and fabrication of wearable sensors. However, the preparation of high-performance hydrogel-based sensors that can work under extreme cold conditions is still challenging. Herein, we demonstrated the preparation of a novel composite hydrogel based on polyacrylamide (PAM), LiCl, and PEDOT:PSS coated cellulose nanofibrils (PEDOT:PSS/CNF). The introduction of PEDOT:PSS/CNF increased the hydrogen bonding between the molecular chains in the micro and enhanced the mechanical strength and the conductivity of the hydrogel in the macro. Moreover, the presence of LiCl endowed the hydrogel with excellent freezing tolerance. For example, the optimized hydrogel exhibited stable mechanical properties at extreme cold conditions (e.g., −40 ℃). Finally, the composite hydrogel was used to assemble a flexible sensor, which could detect a wide range of human movement and physiological activities in a stable, fast, and accurate manner. Overall, this work provided a simple and universal approach for the preparation of flexible and anti-freezing hydrogels that can be used for flexible electronic devices.

Evaluation of porcine urine-derived cells as nuclei donor for somatic cell nuclear transfer

Yu-Ting Zhang,Wang Yao,Meng-Jia Chai,Wen-Jing Liu,Yan Liu,Zhong-Hua Liu,Xiao-Gang Weng 대한수의학회 2022 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.23 No.2

Background: Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is used widely in cloning, stem cell research, and regenerative medicine. The type of donor cells is a key factor affecting the SCNT efficiency. Objectives: This study examined whether urine-derived somatic cells could be used as donors for SCNT in pigs. Methods: The viability of cells isolated from urine was assessed using trypan blue and propidium iodide staining. The H3K9me3/H3K27me3 level of the cells was analyzed by immunofluorescence. The in vitro developmental ability of SCNT embryos was evaluated by the blastocyst rate and the expression levels of the core pluripotency factor. Blastocyst cell apoptosis was examined using a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end-labeling assay. The in vivo developmental ability of SCNT embryos was evaluated after embryo transfer. Results: Most sow urine-derived cells were viable and could be cultured and propagated easily. On the other hand, most of the somatic cells isolated from the boar urine exhibited poor cellular activity. The in vitro development efficiency between the embryos produced by SCNT using porcine embryonic fibroblasts (PEFs) and urine-derived cells were similar. Moreover, The H3K9me3 in SCNT embryos produced from sow urine-derived cells and PEFs at the four-cell stage showed similar intensity. The levels of Oct4, Nanog, and Sox2 expression in blastocysts were similar in the two groups. Furthermore, there is a similar apoptotic level of cloned embryos produced by the two types of cells. Finally, the full-term development ability of the cloned embryos was evaluated, and the cloned fetuses from the urine-derived cells showed absorption. Conclusions: Sow urine-derived cells could be used to produce SCNT embryos.

Crosstalk between gut microbiota and Sirtuin-3 in colonic inflammation and tumorigenesis

Yong Zhang,Xiao-lan Wang,Min Zhou,Chao Kang,He-dong Lang,Meng-ting Chen,Suo-cheng Hui,Bin Wang,Man-tian Mi 생화학분자생물학회 2018 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.50 No.-

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a disease involving a variety of genetic and environmental factors. Sirtuin-3 (Sirt3) is expressed at a low level in cancer tissues of CRC, but it is unclear how Sirt3 modulates colonic tumorigenesis. In this study, we found that gut microbiota play a central role in the resistance to CRC tumor formation in wild-type (WT) mice through APC (Adenomatous Polyposis Coli)-mutant mouse microbiota transfer via Wnt signaling. We also found that Sirt3-deficient mice were hypersusceptible to colonic inflammation and tumor development through altered intestinal integrity and p38 signaling, respectively. Furthermore, susceptibility to colorectal tumorigenesis was aggravated by initial commensal microbiota deletion via Wnt signaling. Mice with Sirt3-deficient microbiota transfer followed by chemically induced colon tumorigenesis had low Sirt3 expression compared to WT control microbiome transfer, mainly due to a decrease in Escherichia/Shigella, as well as an increase in Lactobacillus reuteri and Lactobacillus taiwanensis. Collectively, our data revealed that Sirt3 is an anti-inflammatory and tumor-suppressing gene that interacts with the gut microbiota during colon tumorigenesis.

3D Porous Carbon Aerogel Framework for Dendrite-free Zn Anode

Qingshuang Zhao,Meng Zhang,Yanfan Yang,Ting Xu,Chuanling Si 강원대학교 산림과학연구소 2022 강원대학교 산림과학연구소 학술대회 Vol.2022 No.10

Rechargeable Zn-ion battery is considered to be a promising new power source because of its low cost, high safety performance, environmental friendliness and high energy density. Zn-ion battery is the most competitive energy storage equipment in the future. At present, corrosion and passivation affect the development of Zn-ion battery. The growth of dendrites will pierce the diaphragm, resulting in a short circuit phenomenon and affecting the Coulombic efficiency of Zn-ion battery, severely limiting the development of Zn-ion battery. Herein, a simple strategy of depositing Zn on a 3D porous carbon aerogel (CA) by electrochemical deposition is proposed. The composite structure with low charge transfer resistance and a large electrically active area. The Zn-ion battery assembled by this composite material exhibits excellent electrochemical properties during the plating/stripping. The 3D Zn@CA anode shows lower polarization voltage, stable cycling stability and still achieve 100% Coulombic efficiency during the repeated deposition/stripping of Zn for about 13000 min. It has been proved that the material as a functional composite can effectively inhibit the growth of dendritic crystals, improve the electrochemical and cycling performance of Zn-ion battery.

Development and verification of a novel system for computed tomography scanner model construction in Monte Carlo simulations

Liu Ying,Meng Ting,Zhang Haowei,Su Qi,Yan Hao,Lu Heqing 한국원자력학회 2022 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.54 No.11

The accuracy of Monte Carlo (MC) simulations in estimating the computed tomography radiation dose is highly dependent on the accuracy of CT scanner model. A system was developed to observe the 3D model intuitively and to calculate the X-ray energy spectrum and the bowtie (BT) filter model more accurately in Monte Carlo N-particle (MCNP). Labview's built-in Open Graphics Library (OpenGL) was used to display basic surfaces, and constructive solid geometry (CSG) method was used to realize Boolean operations. The energy spectrum was calculated by simulating the process of electronic shooting and the BT filter model was accurately modeled based on the calculated shape curve. Physical data from a study was used as an example to illustrate the accuracy of the constructed model. RMSE between the simulation and the measurement results were 0.97% and 0.74% for two filters of different shapes. It can be seen from the comparison results that to obtain an accurate CT scanner model, physical measurements should be taken as the standard. The energy spectrum library should be established based on Monte Carlo simulations with modifiable input files. It is necessary to use the three-segment splicing modeling method to construct the bowtie filter model.