Roles of Adinandra nitida(Theaceae) and camellianin A in HCl/ethanol-induced acute gastric ulcer in mice

Gastric ulcer is a global health concern nowadays. Adinandra nitida, known as Shibi tea, is a flavonoidrich plant found in South China. A. nitida possesses many healthy properties, such as antioxidation and reducing blood pressure. However, its effects on gastric ulcer have not been investigated. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the Shibi tea water extract(STE) and its main flavonoid camellianin A(CA) in hydrochloric acid(HCl) and ethanol(Et OH)-induced acute gastric ulcer in mice. Administration of CA and STE for continuous two days after stimulation by HCl/Et OH significantly attenuated the deterioration of gastric mucosal damage by lowering the gross gastric mucosal index, histopathological injury index, the oxidative stress, the expression of the inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6, and the expression of inflammatory mediators i NOS and COX-2. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry analysis showed that CA and STE regulated the inflammatory signaling pathway protein levels of IκB-α and NF-κB. Taken together, our study verified that CA and STE have antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects in gastric ulcer mice. We propose that A. nitida should be developed as natural functional food for acute gastric ulcer patients base on the gastroprotective effects of STE and its main flavonoid CA.

Walnut-derived peptide PPKNW alleviate polystyrene microparticles-induced growth inhibition of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG

Microplastic(MP)is ubiquitous and makes human exposure inevitable through the consumption of food.The impact of MP on the gut microbiome and human health is still unclear.Here,we investigated the ability of food derived peptides to counteract the inhibitory effect of polystyrene microplastic(PS-MP)on probiotics and elucidated the underlying mechanism.Pro-Pro-Asn-Lys-Trp(PW5,100μg/mL),derived from walnut-protein,significantly reversed the growth inhibition of Lactobacillus rhamnosus by PS500(Area under the curve increased by 13.74%,p<0.01).Furthermore,the effectiveness of orally administered PW5 was explored by NMR,our results suggest that the intact peptide is necessary for the observed activity of PW5.PW5 and PS500 primarily interact through hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces to form new complexes.Together,our data demonstrated the potential mechanism by which food-derived peptides bind to PS-MP to reduce the inhibitory effect of MP on probiotic growth,and opens a new perspective for the application of food-derived bioactive peptides in reducing the growing health risks posed by MP.