Partially hydrolyzed guar gum attenuates non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice through the gut-liver axis

BACKGROUND The gut-liver axis has attracted much interest in the context of chronic liver disease pathogenesis.Prebiotics such as dietary fibers were shown to attenuate non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)by modulating gut microbiota.Partially hydrolyzed guar gum(PHGG),a water-soluble dietary fiber,has been reported to alleviate the symptoms of various intestinal diseases and metabolic syndromes.However,its effects on NAFLD remain to be fully elucidated.To determine whether treatment with PHGG attenuates NAFLD development in mice through the gut-liver axis.METHODS Seven-week-old male C57BL/6J mice with increased intestinal permeability were fed a control or atherogenic(Ath)diet(a mouse model of NAFLD)for 8 wk,with or without 5%PHGG.Increased intestinal permeability was induced through chronic intermittent administration of low-dose dextran sulfate sodium.Body weight,liver weight,macroscopic findings in the liver,blood biochemistry[aspartate aminotransferase(AST)and alanine aminotransferase(ALT),total cholesterol,triglyceride,free fatty acids,and glucose levels],liver histology,myeloperoxidase activity in liver tissue,mRNA expression in the liver and intestine,serum endotoxin levels in the portal vein,intestinal permeability,and microbiota and short-chain fatty acid(SCFA)profiles in the cecal samples were investigated.RESULTS Mice with increased intestinal permeability subjected to the Ath diet showed significantly increased serum AST and ALT levels,liver fat accumulation,liver inflammatory(tumor necrosis factor-αand monocyte chemotactic protein-1)and fibrogenic(collagen 1a1 andαsmooth muscle actin)marker levels,and liver myeloperoxidase activity,which were significantly attenuated by PHGG treatment.Furthermore,the Ath diet combined with increased intestinal permeability resulted in elevated portal endotoxin levels and activated toll-like receptor(TLR)4 and TLR9 expression,confirming that intestinal permeability was significantly elevated,as observed by evaluating the lumen-to-blood clearance of fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated dextran.PHGG treatment did not affect fatty acid metabolism in the liver.However,it decreased lipopolysaccharide signaling through the gut-liver axis.In addition,it significantly increased the abundance of cecal Bacteroides and Clostridium subcluster XIVa.Treatment with PHGG markedly increased the levels of SCFAs,particularly,butyric acid,acetic acid,propionic acid,and formic acid,in the cecal samples.CONCLUSION PHGG partially prevented NAFLD development in mice through the gut-liver axis by modulating microbiota and downstream SCFA profiles.

Oxidation of Partially Hydrolyzed Polyacrylamide from Polymer Flooding Processes Using Fenton Reagents

The degradation of partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide(HPAM) found in alkaline/surfactant/polymer flooding sewage was investigated using Fenton-type reagents. Different Fenton reagent treatments for HPAM degradation were compared. The effects of pH, hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2)), ferrous ion(Fe^(2+)), and tartaric ion(C_(4)H_(4)O_(6)^(2-)) concentrations were studied. The degradation reaction occurred within a wide range of pH(3–9). The HPAM degradation performance of photo-Fenton processes using solar light and UV were compared with that of the Fenton process. The degradation rate was found to be strongly dependent on the H_(2)O_(2)/Fe^(2+)/C_(4)H_(4)O_(6)^(2-)molar ratio. The HPAM degradation efficiency was 90%, and the chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency was 85%. HPAM could be degraded into a compound with a lower molecular weight, but it was difficult to achieve complete mineralization to CO_(2). The presence of intermediate products hindered further oxidation in the Fenton process.

Deformation of Linked Polymer Coils

Linked polymer solution (LPS) is defined as the solution of linked polymer coils (LPCs) dispersed in water, composed of low concentration partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) and aluminum citrate (crosslinker). In the work, the conformational changes of LPCs under different conditions were investigated by the methods of membrane filtering under low pressure, dynamic light scattering and core flooding experiments. The results showed that in some conditions the LPCs could be compressed mechanically to 1/158.5 of their original volume because of relatively lower HPAM cross-linking. The hydration property of LPCs was similar to that of normal polymer coils. The deformation of LPCs was more restricted than that of ordinary polymer coils under the flow shear stress or the shift of hydration equilibrium caused in the variation of the electrolyte concentration which is responsible for the effective plugging in the throats of porous media when LPCs are used for deep diverting.

Characteristics and formation of [AlO_4Al_(12)(OH)_(24)(H_2O)_(12)]^(7+) in electrolysis process

[AlO4Al12(OH)24(H2O)12]7+ (Al13) formation in electrolysis process is studied. The results detected by27Al NMR spectroscopy show that high content of Al13 polymer is formed in the partially hydrolyzed aluminum solution prepared by controlled electrolysis process. In the produced electrolyte of total Al concentration ([AlT]) 2.0 mol · L?1 with a basicity (B = OH/Al molar ratios) of 2.0, the content of Al13 polymer is over 60% of total Al. Dynamic light scattering shows that the size distribution of the final electrolyte solutions ([AlT] = 2.0 mol · L?1) is trimodal with B = 2.0 and bimodal with B = 2.5. The aggregates of Al13 complexes increase the particle size of partially hydrolyzed aluminum solution.