Evaluation of the intracellular lipid-lowering effect of polyphenols extract from highland barley in HepG2 cells

Active ingredients from highland barley have received considerable attention as natural products for developing treatments and dietary supplements against obesity.In practical application,the research of food combinations is more significant than a specific food component.This study investigated the lipid-lowering effect of highland barley polyphenols via lipase assay in vitro and HepG2 cells induced by oleic acid(OA).Five indexes,triglyceride(TG),total cholesterol(T-CHO),low density lipoprotein-cholesterol(LDL-C),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),and alanine aminotransferase(ALT),were used to evaluate the lipidlowering effect of highland barley extract.We also preliminary studied the lipid-lowering mechanism by Realtime fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction(q PCR).The results indicated that highland barley extract contains many components with lipid-lowering effects,such as hyperoside and scoparone.In vitro,the lipase assay showed an 18.4%lipase inhibition rate when the additive contents of highland barley extract were 100μg/m L.The intracellular lipid-lowering effect of highland barley extract was examined using 0.25 mmol/L OA-induced HepG2 cells.The results showed that intracellular TG,LDL-C,and T-CHO content decreased by 34.4%,51.2%,and 18.4%,respectively.ALT and AST decreased by 51.6%and 20.7%compared with the untreated hyperlipidemic HepG2 cells.q PCR results showed that highland barley polyphenols could up-regulation the expression of lipid metabolism-related genes such as PPARγand Fabp4.

Fecal microbiota transplantation:whole grain highland barley improves glucose metabolism by changing gut microbiota

Highland barley(HB)is a high-altitude cereal with rich nutritional components and potential health benefits.To clarify its hypoglycemic effect and mechanism,we investigated the effect of whole grain HB and fecal microbiota transplantation(FMT)on glucose metabolism and gut microbiota in high-fat diet and streptozotocin(HFD/STZ)-induced diabetic mice.The results showed that HB(40%)significantly decreased fasting blood glucose and the area under the glucose tolerance curve,significantly increased insulin secretion and improved insulin resistance in HFD/STZ-induced diabetic mice(P<0.05).Inflammatory factors and blood lipid indices were also significantly alleviated after 12 weeks of 40%HB intervention(P<0.05).Additionally,beneficial bacteria,such as Bifidobacterium and Akkermansia,were significantly enriched in the gut of diabetic mice after whole grain HB intervention.Meanwhile,the results of further FMT experiments verified that the fecal microbiota after the 40%HB intervention not only significantly increased the relative abundance of Bifidobacterium and Akkermansia but also effectively improved glucose metabolism and alleviated the inflammatory state in HFD/STZ-induced diabetic mice.Collectively,our study confirmed the bridge role of gut microbiota in improving glucose metabolism of whole grain HB,which could promote the development of precision nutrition.

Improvement of glucose metabolism in middle-aged mice on a high-fat diet by whole-grain highland barley is related to low methionine levels

Methionine restriction(MR)is an effective dietary strategy to regulate energy metabolism and alleviate oxidative stress and inflammation in the body,especially in the middle-aged and elderly population.However,the high methionine content of meat products makes this dietary strategy impossible to combine with protein supplementation and MR.Highland barley(HB),a low-methionine cereal,not only provides the body with protein but also has improved glucose metabolism and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.Therefore,this study evaluated the feasibility of HB as a source of methionine-restricted dietary protein and the potential mechanisms.Middle-aged C57BL/6J mice were fed a control diet(CON),a high-fat diet(HFD),a whole-grain HB high-fat diet(HBHF),or a HBHF+methionine diet(HBHFmet)for 25 weeks.The results showed that the HBHF could keep the body weight,fasting glucose,insulin,homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMA-IR),blood lipids,inflammation,and oxidative stress of HFD mice at normal levels.Compared with the HFD groups,HBHF inhibited pancreatic cell apoptosis and improved insulin secretion while improving hepatic and skeletal muscle glucose metabolism.However,these efficacies were attenuated in HBHFmet group mice.These findings suggest that HBHF has an MR strategy.

Effects of different thermal processing methods on bioactive components,phenolic compounds,and antioxidant activities of Qingke(highland hull-less barley)

Qingke(highland hull-less barley)is a grain replete with substantial nutrients and bioactive ingredients.In this study,we evaluated the effects of boiling(BO),steaming(ST),microwave baking(MB),far-infrared baking(FB),steam explosion(SE),and deep frying(DF)on bioactive components,phenolic compounds,and antioxidant activities of Qingke compared with the effects of traditional roast(TR).Results showed that the soluble dietary fiber,beta-glucan and water-extractable pentosans of Qingke in dry heat processes of TR,SE,MB and FB had a higher content compared with other thermal methods and had a better antioxidant activity of hydroxyl radical scavenging and a better reduction capacity,while those in wet heat processes of BO and ST had a better antioxidant activity of ABTS radical scavenging and a better Fe^(2+) chelating ability.DF-and SE-Qingke had a higher content of tocopherol,phenolic,and flavonoid.Overall,6 free phenolic compounds and 12 bound phenolic compounds of Qingke were identified,and free phenolic compounds suffered more damage during thermal processing.Principal component analysis showed that SE had more advantages in retaining and improving the main biological active ingredients of Qingke,and it may be the best method for treating Qingke.

Assessing Crop Water Demand and Deficit for the Growth of Spring Highland Barley in Tibet, China

The aim of this study was to assess the crop water demand and deficit of spring highland barley and discuss suitable irrigation systems for different regions in Tibet, China. Long-term trends in reference crop evapotranspiration and crop water demand were analyzed in different regions, together with crop water demand and deficit of spring highland barley under different precipitation frequencies. Results showed that precipitation trends during growth stages did not benefit the growth of spring highland barley. The crop coefficient of spring highland barley in Tibet was 0.87 and crop water demand was 389.0 ram. In general, a water deficit was found in Tibet, because precipitation was lower than water consumption of spring highland barley. The most severe water deficit were in the jointing to heading stage and the heading to wax ripeness stage, which are the most important growth stages for spring highland barley; water deficit in these two stages would be harmful to the yield. Water deficit showed different characteristics in different regions. In conclusion, irrigation systems may be more successful if based on an analysis of water deficit within different growth stages and in different regions.

Optimization of Formula of Matsutake Highland Barley Biscuit by Response Surface Methodology

Taking refined flour,matsutake powder,and highland barley powder as main raw materials,this experiment studied the optimal formula of matsutake highland barley biscuit. Besides,single factor experiment was carried out for the amount of highland barley powder,white granulated sugar,and shortening. Then,the response surface optimization analysis was made on crispness and sensory score of the biscuit. The experiment indicates that taking the refined flour as the base 100 g( 100%),the formula of 20% highland barley powder,25% white granulated sugar,and 26% shortening can bake crisp biscuit with complete shape,pure flavor and high quality.

A systematic review of highland barley:Ingredients,health functions and applications

Due to its high nutritional and dietotherapy values,highland barley has attracted the attention and favor of people all over the world in recent years.It has been demonstrated that the nutritional components of highland barley are comprehensive and unique,with the characteristics of high protein,high fiber,high vitamin,lowfat,low sugar and variety of bioactive components.As the most important component in highland barley,highland barley starch not only has low digestibility,but also has good freeze-thaw stability,high solubility,good emulsion stability and superior film forming performance,which makes it have great application value in food,medicine and industrial production.The content of highland barley protein,which is rich in 18 kinds of amino acids,is higher than that of most grains,and its derivatives play an important role in medical treatment.Unfortunately,highland barley protein cannot form gluten network structure,which limits the application in daily staple food to a certain extent.Highland barley also contains a large amount of dietary fiber,especiallyβ-glucan.Long-term consumption could significantly reduce the incidence of chronic diseases and metabolic syndromes such as heart disease and diabetes.However,the research on the application of highland barley is still in the laboratory stage,which failed to achieve large-scale application in the actual production.The value of highland barley has not been brought into full play,which leads to the waste of its resources and the reduction of its added value.This paper reviewed themacronutrients,health functions and applications of highland barley,aiming to provide some reference for the development of highland barley in food and health industry.

Genome-Wide Identification of Candidate Genes Associated with β-glucan Traits in a Hulled and Hulless Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) Population

Barley grain is a valuable source ofβ-glucan,which is an important component of dietary fiber with significant human health benefits.Although the genetic basis ofβ-glucan biosynthesis has been widely studied,a genome-wide association study(GWAS)is still required for a scan of the candidate genes related to the complex quantitative trait based on the high-quality barley reference genome.In this study,a GWAS was conducted using a population composed of 87 barley landraces(39 hulled and 48 hulless,β-glucan from 2.07%to 6.56%)with 191,098 nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)markers to cover the chromosomes with the highest density.The population was divided into four sub-populations(POP1~POP4),and theβ-glucan content in POP2 was significantly higher than that in other groups,in which most of the hulless barley landraces are from Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China.Among seven SNP markers identified by GWAS,two(SNP2 and SNP3)of them showed positive correlation toβ-glucan trait and the remaining five(SNP1,SNP4,SNP5,SNP6 and SNP7)showed the negative relationship.Two candidate genes linked to SNP7,HORVU7Hr1G000320 and HORVU7Hr1G000040,belong to the nucleotide triphosphate hydrolase super-family which is probable to affect the activities ofβ-glucan synthase.Another candidate gene associated with SNP1,HORVU1Hr1G000010,is possibly involved in sugar response.In conclusion,our results provide new insights into the genetic basis ofβ-glucan accumulation in barley grains,and the discovery of new SNP markers distributed in each chromosome and the associated candidate genes will be valuable for the breeding of functional barley varieties with high β-glucan.

The Variation of β-glucan and Protein Content in Barley as Affected by Agronomic Practices

The influences of N application rate, timing, sowing date and seeding rate on β-glucan and protein content in barley grains were studied through the field experiments in Hangzhou, China during 1997 -2001. Protein content increased with N application rate and with N proportion applied at late stage. β-glucan content also responded significantly to N application rate and timing, but with different pattern with protein content. Of three N rate treatments, the medium N rate (135 kg ha-1) had the highest β-glucan content, being significantly higher than low N rate (90 kg ha-1) and no difference with high N rate (180 kg ha-1). A-mong three N timing treatments, two times of N top-dressing at both tillering and booting stage had significantly higher β-glucan content than once N top-dressing at tillering or booting stage. Sowing date has the dramatic effect on both β-glucan and protein content. Protein content decreased with the delayed sowing, and kernel weight showed opposite tendency. Either earlier or later sowing caused increased β-glucan content relative to sowing in early November, which is the normal date for barley sowing locally. Seeding rate had no significant influence on both β-glucan and protein content.

Cultivar and Environmental Effects on p-glucanase Activity in Both Barley Grain and Malt and Its Function in β-glucan Degradation

Eight two-rowed barley cultivars were grown at seven locations in the southern winter-barley zone of China. Mean grainβ-glucanase activity ranged from 39.89 U kg-1 for Suyin2 to 49.75 U kg-1 for Xi-umai3 in 8 cultivars grown at 7 locations, and from 38. 74 U kg-1 in Zhengzhou to 57. 96 U kg-1 in Putian among 7 locations on an average of all cultivars. Correspondingly, mean malt β-glucanase activity of 8 cultivars ranged from 313.33 U kg-1 for ZAU3 to 489. 89 U kg-1 for Daner Barley, and of 7 locations from 330.40 U kg-1 in Yancheng to 418. 24 U kg-1 in Putian. There were significant differences among cultivars and locations in maltβ-glucanase activities. The locations showed much larger variation in maltβ-glucanase activities than cultivars. The reduction of total β-glucan content after malting varied in both cultivars and locations, with a mean of 78.31%. The analysis of correlations showed that maltβ-glucan content was significantly positively and negatively correlated with grain β-glucan content and malt β-glucanase activity, respectively, and malt β-glucanase activity was significantly positively correlated with grain β-glucanase activity.

Frost Resistance of Magnesium Oxychloride Cement Mortar Added with Highland Barley Straw Ash

In order to study the influence of highland barley straw ash (HBSA) prepared under certain conditions on the durability of magnesium oxychloride cement mortar (MOCM) under freeze-thaw damage,rapid freeze-thaw cycle tests were carried out firstly.The relative mass evaluation parameters and the relative compressive strength evaluation parameters,which represent the degradation of freeze-thaw resistance,were used as the indices to study the degradation rule of MOCM.Secondly,nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) tests were carried out on MOCM under different freeze-thaw cycles to analyze the pore diameter changes in the freeze-thaw process.The microstructure of MOCM was tested by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR),X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM),and then the effect mechanism of HBSA on the anti-freezing performance of MOCM was revealed.Finally,the two-parameter Weibull distribution function was used to analyze the reliability of durability degradation of MOCM added with HBSA under freeze-thaw cycles.The specific conclusions are as follows:With the increase of HBSA's addition,the freeze-thaw resistance of MOCM increase firstly and then decrease.When the addition of HBSA is 10%,the decay rate of relative mass evaluation parameters and relative compressive strength evaluation parameters is the slowest,and the frost resistance is the best.The proportion of harmful pores and more harmful pores in MOCM added with 10% HBSA decreases by 25.11% and 21.34%,compared with that without HBSA before and after freeze-thaw cycles.A lot of magnesium silicate hydrate (M-S-H) gels are generated in MOCM with HBSA content of 10%,which fills part of the pores,so that the proportion of harmful pores and more harmful pores is the lowest.The Weibull function can be effectively applied to the reliability analysis of the freeze-thaw cycle of MOCM added with HBSA,and the theoretical results are in good agreement with the experimental results.

Water Requirement Rules and Production of Highland Barley in Different Sowing Time and Irrigation Levels

Water requirement rules and production of highland barley in different sowing time and irrigation levels were studied according to the data in field trial of 2016-2017.Based on analyzing the experimental results,the optimal irrigation scheduling and amount in the growth period of highland barley were proposed,which was of great significance to the unification of water saving and high yield of highland barley in the arid agricultural area of Tibet.

Influences of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation on the nutritional components,flavor property and lipid-lowering effect of highland barley

Highland barley is a well-known cereal in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau area with high nutritional value,which has been reported to be a health-promoting grain for the obesity and the diabetes.Fermentation by certain microbiota can improve the flavor property and nutritional characteristics.In the present study,Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were singly or jointly applied to ferment highland barley,and the profile of volatile substances and lipid-lowering effects of the respective extracts were analyzed.Results indicated that either L.plantarum or S.cerevisiae or co-fermentation could consume the polysaccharides of highland barley to provide energy,and dramatically increase the contents of total protein and polyphenol.Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS)analysis revealed that the presence of S.cerevisiae was critical for production of the pleasant flavors,especially for the ethyl ester substances including hexadecanoic acid ethyl,hexanoic acid ethyl ester and so on.Meanwhile,we found that fermented highland barley extracts by L.plantarum exhibited stronger lipid-lowering effects in Caenorhabditis elegans than that by S.cerevisiae,while the co-fermentation not only emitted pleasant odors but also exerted high hypolipidemic function.In all,co-fermentation by L.plantarum and S.cerevisiae was proposed to be a promising processing to improve the flavor and functional properties of highland barley.

Effects of post-heading high temperature on some quality traits of malt barley

Global change is bringing barley with more frequency of suffering from high temperature.However,little has been known about the influence of high temperature on malt quality traits.In this study,we investigated the impact of 1-wk heat stress(32°C/26°C,day/night,12 h/12 h)initiating from the 7th(HT7)and 14th(HT14)days after heading on some grain and malt quality traits of two barley cultivars.In comparison with normal temperature(24°C/18°C,day/night,12 h/12 h),heat stress significantly reduced kernel weight,seed setting rate and grains per spike:HT7 having a larger effect than HT14.Meanwhile,total protein andβ-glucan contents,andβ-amylase and limit dextrinase activities were significantly increased under high temperature,with HT7-treated plants showing larger changes.Moreover,the different changes of four protein fractions under heat stress were found in the two barley cultivars,indicating the possibility of breaking positive association between protein content and enzyme activity.

Rheological Properties of Barley and Flaxseed Composites

The newly developed barley-flaxseed composites were unique because barley provides the soluble fiber β-glucan that is beneficial for improving food texture and preventing coronary heart disease along with the health benefits of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (w-3 PUFAs) of flaxseed. The new composites of barley with flaxseeds were prepared using prowashonupana, a barley variety containing high β-glucan content, with 10, 20, and 50% flaxseed for enhancing health benefits of functional food. Besides the nutritional aspects of barley-flaxseed composites, they have improved water holding capacities, texture, and useful pasting and viscoelastic qualities measured using a Rapid Visco Analyzer (RVA) followed by an advanced rheometer. The pasting and rheological properties of the barley flour were not greatly influenced by 10% ground flaxseed replacements but showed differences at the 50% replacement level. Shear thinning properties were observed for all the composites. These functional composites could be valuable and applicable for developing new functional food products with health benefits of decreasing heart problems, diabetes, and obesity along with providing desirable texture.

The influence of increasing temperatures on highland barley yields and on the maximum cultivation altitude on the Tibetan Plateau

Highland barley(Hordeum vulgare Linn.cv.nudum Hook.f.)is the principal cereal crop over the Tibetan Plateau(TP).The response of highland barely to climate change in the past decades,especially in terms of yields still remains uncertain.In this study,its responses to climate change were investigated using daily weather data and agriculture data during 1961–2018.The results showed that the annual mean air temperature over the TP increased at 0.33°C per decade during 1961–2018,and the rate of warming increased with altitude,reaching 0.41°C per decade at altitudes of 4500–4700 m.The growing degree days(GDDs)increased by 9.6%during 2011–2018 compared with the 1960s,whereas low temperature degree days(LDDs)decreased by 40.3%over the same period,indicating that the thermal conditions for highland barley cultivation have improved.A strong relationship was observed between the yield of highland barley and LDDs(−0.76,p<0.001)than GDDs(0.58,p<0.001)in Xizang,where sufficient irrigation water is available from the melting of snow cover or glaciers.In Sichuan,with abundant precipitation,significant correlations were noticed between county-level barley yield and GDDs and LDDs(0.60,p<0.001;−0.65,p<0.001).In Qinghai,the dry regions,county-level yields were influenced significantly by temperature and precipitation.These results indicated that climate warming was beneficial to highland barley yield in most region of the TP,mainly due to decreased LDDs.The potential altitude at which highland barley cultivation is feasible increased by approximately 280–484 m during 2016–2018,compared with 1981–1983.In Xizang,highland barley could be cultivated up to an altitude of 4507 m a.s.l.between 2016 and 2018,and it increased to 4179 m a.s.l.in Qinghai.These results could help local government to take actions to adapt to global warming and improve food security.

Genetic diversity of Ustilago hordei in Tibetan areas as revealed by RAPD and SSR

Covered smut, which is caused by Ustilago hordei（Pers.） Lagerh., is one of the most damaging diseases of highland barley（Hordeum vulgare Linn. var. nudum Hook. f） in Tibetan areas of China. To understand the molecular diversity of U. hordei, a total of 27 isolates, which were collected from highland barley plants from Tibet, Sichuan, Qinghai, and Gansu provinces/autonomous region, were analyzed using random amplified polymorphic DNA（RAPD） and simple sequence repeat（SSR） markers. Among the 100 RAPD primers used, 24 primers exhibited polymorphism. A total of 111 fragments were amplified, of which 103 were polymorphic with a polymorphic rate of 92.79%. The average observed number of alleles（Na）, effective number of alleles（Ne）, Nei＇s genetic diversity（H）, Shannon＇s information index（I） and polymorphism information content（PIC） value in the RAPD markers were 1.9279, 1.5016, 0.2974, 0.4503 and 0.6428, respectively. For the SSR markers, 40 of the 111 primer pairs exhibited polymorphism and provided a total of 119 bands, of which 109 were polymorphic and accounted for 91.60% of the total bands. The Na, Ne, H, I and PIC values of the SSR markers were 1.9160, 1.4639, 0.2757, 0.4211 and 0.4340, respectively. The similarity coefficients ranged from 0.4957 to 0.9261 with an average of 0.7028 among all the 27 isolates used. The dendrogram, which was developed based on the RAPD and SSR combined marker dataset showed that the 27 U. hordei isolates were divided into 3 clusters at similarity coefficient of 0.7314. We determined that RAPD and SSR markers can be successfully used to assess the genetic variation among U. hordei isolates. The RAPD markers revealed higher levels of genetic polymorphism than did the SSR markers in this study. There existed a moderate genetic difference among isolates. The molecular variation and differentiation was somewhat associated with geographical origin but not for all of the isolates.

Genetic mapping of quantitative trait loci associated with β-amylase and limit dextrinase activities and β-glucan and protein fraction contents in barley

High malting quality of barley （Hordeum vulgare L.） relies on many traits, such as β-amylase and limit dextrinase activities and β-glucan and protein fraction contents. In this study, interval mapping was utilized to detect quantitative trait loci （QTLs） affecting these malting quality parameters using a doubled haploid （DH） population from a cross of CM72 （six-rowed） by Gairdner （two-rowed） barley cultivars. A total of nine QTLs for eight traits were mapped to chromosomes 3H, 4H, 5H, and 7H. Five of the nine QTLs mapped to chromosome 3H, indicating a possible role ofloci on chromosome 3H on malting quality. The phenotypic variation accounted by individual QTL ranged from 8.08% to 30.25%. The loci of QTLs for D-glucan and limit dex- trinase were identified on chromosomes 4H and 5H, respectively. QTL for hordeins was coincident with the region of silica eluate （SE） protein on 3HS, while QTLs for albumins, globulins, and total protein exhibited overlapping. One locus on chromosome 3H was found to be related to （J-amylase, and two loci on chromosomes 5H and 7H were found to be associated with glutelins. The identification of these novel QTLs controlling malting quality may be useful for marker-assisted selection in improving barley malting quality.

Effects of irrigation level and method on soil salt balance and crop water use efficiency in arid oasis regions

Fresh water resource scarcity and soil salt accumulation in the root-zone are two key limiting factors for sustainable agricultural development in the oasis region of arid inland basin, northwest China. The aim of this study was to explore an appropriate irrigation scheme to maintain sustainable crop cultivation in this region. The effects of four irrigation levels (full irrigation, mild deficit, moderate deficit, and severe deficit) and three irrigation methods (border, surface drip and subsurface drip) on soil water and salt dynamics, highland barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) yield, and crop water use efficiency were studied by field plot experiments. The results showed that soil salt in 0-100 cm profile was accumulated under all experimental treatments after one season of highland barley planting, but the accumulated salt mass decreased with the decrease of the lower limit of irrigation. Salt mass in 0-100 cm soil profile under subsurface drip irrigation was 16.8%-57.8% and 2.9%-58.4% less than that under border and surface drip irrigation, respectively. The grain yield of highland barley decreased first and then increased with the decrease of the lower limit of irrigation under surface drip and subsurface drip irrigation, but it was on the contrary under border irrigation. Mean grain yield for all irrigation levels under subsurface drip irrigation was 5.7% and 18.8% higher than that under border and surface drip irrigation, respectively. Water use efficiency increased with the decrease of the lower limit of irrigation, and the averaged water use efficiency of all irrigation levels under subsurface drip irrigation was 11.9% and 14.2% higher than that under border and surface drip irrigation, respectively. Considering economic benefit and irrigation water requirement, subsurface drip irrigation with the lower limit of irrigation of 50%-55% field capacity is suggested for highland barley planting in the arid oasis region.