Chicory polysaccharides alleviate high-fat diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease via alteration of lipid metabolism-and inflammation-related gene expression

Administration of chicory polysaccharides(CP) can modify lipid metabolism, improve dyslipidemia, and reduce liver inflammation, all of which may help alleviate non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD). However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to gain further understanding of the potential molecular mechanisms that mediate the protective effects of CP against NAFLD via transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses. Hepatic RNA-sequencing analysis demonstrated that long-term intake of CP restored expression of lipid metabolism-related genes Xbp1, Insig2, and Cth in NAFLD rats, thereby inhibiting de novo lipogenesis. Moreover, CP consumption restored expression levels of genes involved in pro-inflammatory responses, such as Irf1. In addition, metabolic data confirmed that CP treatment increased levels of L-palmitoylcarnitine and hexadecanoyl-Co A, implying that CP administration can promote hepatic fatty acid β-oxidation. The present results demonstrate the underlying mechanisms of CP in high-fat dietinduced NAFLD rats and suggest that CP treatment might provide a dietary therapeutic tool for the treatment of NAFLD in humans.

Interspecific hybridization between Bursaphelenchus xylophilus and Bursaphelenchus mucronatus

Bursaphelenchus xylophilus is the pathogen that causes pine wilt disease, which has greatly damaged forests and ecosystems in countries of East Asia and Europe.Bursaphelenchus mucronatus is closely related to B. xylophilus in morphology and host plant specificity. A longrunning debate has existed regarding whether these two species can successfully produce hybrid offspring. In the present study, we performed in the laboratory, hybridization of two B. xylophilus nematode isolates from China and Japan and three B. mucronatus isolates from China, Japan and France. Nematode isolates of B. xylophilus were successfully crossed with B. mucronatus isolates, and the rate of hybridization was relatively high; however, some hybrid offspring died. Successful hybridization occurred between B. xylophilus and B. mucronatus isolates from China, and 22 generations of hybrids were produced. All F1 hybrids could be backcrossed with their parents and produce offspring. Variation in mucro length among the hybrid offspring and their parents was observed. The hybrid offspring and their parents were inoculated into 3-months-old black pine(Pinus tunbergii) seedlings. Weaker pathogenicity of hybrid offspring was observed compared with that of their parents, and significantly fewer offspring nematodes than parents were reisolated from pines. Therefore, the offspring of B. xylophilus and B. mucronatus may exist in the forest and could influence disease epidemics.