Abstract To study the exact effect of purple wheat (PW) on dyslipidaemia in rats so as to lay the foundation of a dietary therapy for hyperlipidaemia. A total of 42 rats were randomly divided into two groups: normal control group (NC) consisting of 12 rats were fed with standard diet in the whole testing process, the other group rats were fed with high-fat diet to induce dyslipidaemia. The dyslipidaemic rats were averagely divided into three groups: dyslipidaemia control group (DC) with 60% common wheat flour, PW1 group with diet containing 60% purple wheat Jizimai1 flour, PW3 group with 60% purple wheat Jizimai3 flour. Six weeks later, the weight-gain-ratio of the rats in PW1 and PW3 groups were lower as compared to the rats in DC and NC groups. Further, we found that the levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein in the PW1 and PW3 groups were significantly reduced to almost that of normal levels. Finally, the results of hematoxylin and eosin staining showed that intaking of Jizimai1 and Jizimai3 could repair hepatocyte steatosis and kidney injury due to dyslipidaemia. Purple wheat diet therapy reduced lipid metabolism disorders and the liver tissue and renal injury in hyperlipidaemic rats.

Abstract Oridonin, a terpenoid with various biological functions, has limited uses in the functional food and pharmaceutical industries owing to its low water solubility. Previous studies have used cyclodextrin inclusion to improve its solubility. Herein, the effects of different cyclodextrins on the inclusion of oridonin were investigated using phase solubility and molecular docking tests. The binding constants of α-cyclodextrin, β-cyclodextrin, and γ-cyclodextrin with oridonin were 22.6, 298.6, and 317.4, respectively. The corresponding binding energies were -6.49, -6.76, and -7.53 kcal/mol, respectively, suggesting that the interaction between γ-cyclodextrin and oridonin was the strongest, thereby improving the solubility of oridonin to the greatest extent. Further experiments indicated that no new unsaturated bonds formed after oridonin complexed with γ-cyclodextrin. In addition, the complexation of oridonin with γ-cyclodextrin, led to its complete dispersal in an amorphous state that was thermally stable. This study promotes the application of oridonin in food and medicines.

Abstract The modification of zein with sodium trimetaphosphate (STMP) as a cross-linking agent was studied. The effects of the mass ratio of STMP to zein (RS/Z), pH, reaction temperature and time on the rheological properties of modified zein solution (Z-SP) were evaluated. By using response surface methodology, the optimal modification conditions were also determined as following: RS/Z 0.03, pH 6.8, reaction time 2 h, reaction temperature 25 °C. Under these conditions, the observed shear stress of Z-SP solution was 35.0025 Pa, close to the predicted value. Compared with natural zein, the viscosity of Z-SP increased with the increasing shear rate, which was attributed to the structural changes, as evidenced by circular dichroism (CD) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis.

Abstract Using fig leaves as raw materials, extraction time, extraction temperature, solid to liquid ratio, and ultrasonic power were selected as influencing factors to analyze their effects on the yield of fig leaf polysaccharides (FLPS). The response surface methodology was carried out to optimize the extraction parameters. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity of FLPS was studied. The experimental results show that the optimum extraction conditions are: extraction time of 121 min, extraction temperature of 72 °C, solid to liquid ratio of 1: 48 g/mL, and ultrasonic power of 250 W. In this case, the measured extraction rate of FLPS was 11.78%, which was in agreement with the theoretical extraction rate. Response surface analysis was used to accurately and reliably optimize the extraction of FLPS. The results of the antioxidant activity showed that FLPS had antioxidant activity. It has the best scavenging effect on ABTS radical cation (ABTS+·), and it also has ability to scavenge DPPH radical (DPPH·), hydroxyl radical (·OH), superoxide anion radical (·O2-), and ferric reducing activity. This study laid a theoretical foundation for the further development and application of FLPS.

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide. TRPV4 belongs to the ‘transient receptor potential' (TRP) superfamily. It has been identified to profoundly affect a variety of physiological processes, including nociception, heat sensation, and inflammation. Unlike other TRP superfamily channels, its roles in cancers are unknown. Here, we elucidated the effects of TRPV4 and molecular mechanisms in human lung cancer cells. The levels of TRPV4 were detected in human lung cancer tissues and the paired paracarcinoma tissues by real-time PCR and western blotting analysis. The proliferation of human lung cancer cells was determined by MTT assay. Cell apoptosis was determined by FACS assay. The results demonstrated that low levels of TRPV4 were detected in clinical lung carcinoma specimens. Over-expression of TRPV4 induced cell death and inhibited cell proliferation and migration in A549 cells and H460 cells. Moreover, over-expression of TRPV4 enhanced the activation of p38 MAPK signal pathway. Inhibition of p38 MAPK abolished the effects of TRPV4 on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and migration in A549 cells. Collectively, our findings indicated that TRPV4 induced apoptosis via p38 MAPK in human lung cancer cells and suggested that TRPV4 was a potential target for therapy of human lung cancers.