Trans-cinnamaldehyde inhibits Penicillium italicum by damaging mitochondria and inducing apoptosis mechanisms

Plant-derived essential oils have excellent antifungal effects and can be used for the preservation of fresh foods such as fruits and vegetables, but the detailed mechanism has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of trans-cinnamaldehyde on Penicillium italicum, a common pollution fungus in citrus, and explored the antifungal mechanism of trans-cinnamaldehyde by detecting fungal oxidative damage, mitochondrial metabolism, and cell apoptosis. These results showed that transcinnamaldehyde made the carboxylic acid cycle deregulated by altering the related enzyme activities(succinate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase) and mid product. Moreover, the level of reactive oxygen species rose sharply while the redox level was out of regulation. The mitochondrial membrane potential collapsed, leading to the leakage of cytochrome c, and then triggering the activation of apoptotic protease, which was further confirmed by the significant increase in caspase-3 activity from(3.6 ± 0.6) U to(8.8 ± 1.1) U(P < 0.05). The cytochrome c in mitochondria was detected by confocal Raman microspectroscopy, the characteristic intensity index(I750/I2944) was decreased, indicating that the cytochrome c in mitochondria was reduced and leakage. Besides, the strong negative correlation between Raman intensity and the amount of cytochrome c leakage was established with the correlation coefficient of-0.981 7. This study revealed that destroying the integrity of the mitochondrial membrane, activating the mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis pathway was the in-depth antifungal mechanism of trans-cinnamaldehyde;and Raman spectroscopy technology provided new ideas to study this process with high sensitivity determination of cytochrome c.

Anti-fatigue activity of Brassica rapa L.extract and correlation among biochemical changes in forced swimming mice

Brassica rapa L.is an edible and medical plant in China used for treating various diseases,especially in the Tibet region.In this study,the chemical constituents of Brassica rapa L.extract(BE)was clarified by UHPLC-MS and anti-fatigue ability of BE was assessed through the behavior test and weight-loaded forced swimming test in mice.Then we determined several biochemical parameters related to fatigue to explore possible reasons.Results indicate that BE could significantly enhance exercise performance in mice,and there was a significant improvement in both grip-strength and the time on rota-rods.Meanwhile,BE showed significant anti-fatigue effects by decreasing the blood lactic acid(BLA),blood urea nitrogen(BUN),and creatine kinase(CK)levels and increasing the lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)and malondialdehyde(MDA)levels.Increases in superoxide dismutase(SOD)and glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px)were observed and reactive oxygen species(ROS)levels was regulated.Liver and muscle glycogen levels and adenosine triphosphate(ATP)levels were also significantly increased.Pearson correlation analysis indicates that fatigue-related indexes including metabolites and energy-related indexes were significantly correlated with antioxidant levels.In conclusion,BE possesses remarkable anti-fatigue activity,thereby shows great potential for improving exercise performance and alleviating physical fatigue and can be considered as a functional food supplement for further development.