Antioxidant Activity and Anti-Apoptotic Effect of the Small Molecule Procyanidin B1 in Early Mouse Embryonic Development Produced by Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer

The Complexities of Interspecies Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer: From Biological and Molecular Insights to Future Perspectives

For nearly three decades, interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT) has been explored as a potential tool for cloning, regenerative medicine, and wildlife conservation. However, developmental inefficiencies remain a major challenge, largely due to persistent barriers in nucleocytoplasmic transport, mitonuclear communication, and epigenome crosstalk. This review synthesized peer-reviewed English articles from PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, spanning nearly three decades, using relevant keywords to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying iSCNT inefficiencies and potential improvement strategies. We highlight recent findings deepening the understanding of interspecies barriers in iSCNT, emphasizing their interconnected complexities, including the following: (1) nucleocytoplasmic incompatibility may disrupt nuclear pore complex (NPC) assembly and maturation, impairing the nuclear transport of essential transcription factors (TFs), embryonic genome activation (EGA), and nuclear reprogramming; (2) mitonuclear incompatibility could lead to nuclear and mitochondrial DNA (nDNA-mtDNA) mismatches, affecting electron transport chain (ETC) assembly, oxidative phosphorylation, and energy metabolism; (3) these interrelated incompatibilities can further influence epigenetic regulation, potentially leading to incomplete epigenetic reprogramming in iSCNT embryos. Addressing these challenges requires a multifaceted, species-specific approach that balances multiple incompatibilities rather than isolating a single factor. Gaining insight into the molecular interactions between the donor nucleus and recipient cytoplast, coupled with optimizing strategies tailored to specific pairings, could significantly enhance iSCNT efficiency, ultimately transforming experimental breakthroughs into real-world applications in reproductive biotechnology, regenerative medicine, and species conservation.

Optimization of Ultrasonic-Enzyme Synergistic Extraction of Proanthocyanidins from Jujube: Purification, Characterization, and Bioactivity Study

Proanthocyanidins have received extensive attention due to their high functional value, but their sources are limited. Therefore, this experiment studied the preparation, biological activities, and characterization of proanthocyanidins from Chinese jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill. cv. Muzao) at different periods, aiming to explore a new source of proanthocyanidins and enhance their utilization value. Through ultrasonic-assisted enzymatic extraction, the optimal extraction conditions for PC from Muzao were determined, yielding a proanthocyanidin content of 2.01%. Purification using AB-8 macroporous resin increased the proanthocyanidin content by 11 times. The bioactivity results indicated that proanthocyanidins demonstrated significant in vitro antioxidant activity (scavenging rate ≥ 83.4%) and blood glucose-lowering activity (inhibition rate ≥ 84.7%). Both activities decreased with maturity, while the degree of polymerization also exhibited a positive effect. Mass spectrometry identified a total of 102 compounds, with cyanidin-based compounds being the most abundant, comprising 28 species. The comprehensive research results indicate that the oligomeric proanthocyanidins extracted, purified, and isolated from Muzao during the young fruit stage exhibit diverse biological activities and are abundant in content. They can be utilized for the extraction and purification of proanthocyanidins, offering a reference for the expansion of natural sources of proanthocyanidins and the development of functional foods.

Procyanidin B1 Promotes PSMC3-NRF2 Ubiquitination to Induce Ferroptosis in Glioblastoma

NRF2 signaling is a crucial antioxidant defense mechanism against ferroptosis in tumors, and targeting NRF2 is essential for tumor therapy. However, the effectiveness of NRF2 inhibitors remains unexplored. The active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine serve as important sources of NRF2 inhibitors. In this study, we established an intracranial glioblastoma (GBM) orthotopic model and observed the effects of procyanidin B1 on tumor growth and ferroptosis. Using protein-small-molecule docking, z-stack assay of laser confocal imaging, surface plasmon resonance assay, immunoprecipitation, mass spectrometry, and western blotting, we detected the binding between procyanidin B1 and NRF2 and the effect of PSMC3 on the ubiquitin-dependent degradation of NRF2 in GBM cells. Our results showed that procyanidin B1 acted as a novel NRF2 inhibitor to suppress GBM cell proliferation and prolonged the survival of GBM-bearing mice; it also mediated the interaction between PSMC3 and NRF2 to promote ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation of NRF2, which induced ferroptosis in GBM cells. In addition, we found that procyanidin B1 enhanced H₂O₂ accumulation by downregulating NRF2 during ferroptosis in GBM cells. The botanical agent procyanidin B1 induced ferroptosis and exerted anti-tumor effects through PSMC3-mediated ubiquitin-dependent degradation of NRF2 proteins, providing a potential drug candidate for adjuvant therapy in patients with GBM.

A Comprehensive Analysis of Diversity, Structure, Biosynthesis and Extraction of Biologically Active Tannins from Various Plant-Based Materials Using Deep Eutectic Solvents

This paper explores the emerging subject of extracting tannins from various plant sources using deep eutectic solvents (DESs). Tannins are widely used in the food and feed industries as they have outstanding antioxidant qualities and greatly enhance the flavor and nutritional content of a wide range of food products. Organic solvents are frequently used in traditional extraction techniques, which raises questions about their safety for human health and the environment. DESs present a prospective substitute because of their low toxicity, adaptability, and environmental friendliness. The fundamental ideas supporting the application of DESs in the extraction of tannins from a range of plant-based materials frequently used in daily life are all well covered in this paper. Furthermore, this paper covers the impact of extraction parameters on the yield of extracted tannins, as well as possible obstacles and directions for future research in this emerging subject. This includes challenges such as high viscosity, intricated recovery of compounds, thermal degradation, and the occurrence of esterification. An extensive summary of the diversity, structure, biosynthesis, distribution, and roles of tannins in plants is given in this paper. Additionally, this paper thoroughly examines various bioactivities of tannins and their metabolites.

A study for quality evaluation of Lysimachiae herba from different origins based on fingerprint-activity relationship modeling and multi-component content determination

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Lysimachiae Herba (LH), called Jinqiancao in Chinese, is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine in clinical practice. Doctors in the Qing Dynasty recorded that it tastes bitter, sour, and slightly cold, and it belongs to the liver, gallbladder, kidney, and bladder meridians. It has the effects of removing dampness and jaundice, eliminating gallstones, and reducing blood stasis. Because of its potent pharmacological effects, it is extensively utilized in the treatment of hepatobiliary and urinary system stones, jaundice, hepatitis, and cholecystitis. Although LH is included in "Sichuan authentic Chinese herbal medicine records", the quality of it from different origins still lacks reliable evaluation methods, which is difficult to reflect the high quality of LH from Sichuan.

AIMS OF THE STUDY

This study aimed to establish a fingerprint-activity relationship model between the fingerprint of LH and its protective effect on cholestatic liver injury, and to evaluate the quality of LH from Sichuan and Guizhou by multivariate statistical analysis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

20 batches of LH samples were collected from Sichuan and Guizhou. Characteristic fingerprints of samples were established by UHPLC-Triple TOF-MS/MS and the chemical pattern recognition analysis was carried out by HCA. Then, a rat model of cholestatic liver injury was established by intragastric administration of ANIT. Combined with the common peak information of fingerprint and pharmacodynamic index results, GCA and BCA were used to screen the efficacy markers. Finally, based on UHPLC-QTRAP-MS/MS, the content of efficacy markers was simultaneously determined, and the overall quality of LH from two origins was evaluated by PCA and TOPSIS.

RESULTS

In the fingerprint of 20 batches of LH, 15 common peaks were identified in the negative ion mode, and the similarity was between 0.887 and 0.981. Pharmacological results showed that, compared with the control group, the content of AST, ALT, ALP, TBA, TBIL, and MDA in serum increased, and the content of GSH and SOD activity decreased after 48 h of ANIT administration. In addition, compared to the model group, different doses of LH from the two origins could decrease the serum levels of AST, ALT, ALP, TBA, TBIL, and MDA, raise the levels of GSH and SOD activity, reduce the infiltration range of inflammatory cells, and improve the cholestatic liver injury in rats. Among them, the pharmacodynamic indices of the SCHD group were significantly better. GCA and BCA showed that a total of 7 constituents related to the efficacy were screened, which were proanthocyanidin B1, ferulic acid, hyperoside, astragalin, nicotiflorin, afzelin, and kaempferol. Besides, the content of 7 active constituents in samples from Sichuan was higher than that from Guizhou, indicating that the quality of samples from Sichuan may be better, consistent with the result of the pharmacological experiment.

CONCLUSION

The quality and efficacy of LH from different origins were stable, and all of them had protective effects on cholestatic liver injury in rats. The method established in this study is accurate and reliable, and it can be used to comprehensively evaluate the internal quality of LH.

First investigation of the chemical composition, antioxidant, antimicrobial and larvicidal activities of the essential oil of the subspecies Ononis angustissima Lam. subsp. filifolia Murb

This study is the first to explore the essential oil of Ononis angustissima Lam. subsp. filifolia Murb., a subspecies growing in the Algerian northeastern Sahara. The chemical composition was evaluated by GC/GC-EIMS. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using two methods. Thirty-four (91.6%) individual components were identified. The main constituents were linalool (12.6%), hexahydrofarnesylacetone (8.4%), β-eudesmol (6.6%), α-cadinol (6.4%) and T-cadinol (6.1%). The findings provide a chemical basis for understanding relationships between North African subspecies, supporting botanical and genetic classification. The oil exhibited moderate scavenging activity against DPPH radicals (IC50 = 102.30 µg/ml) and high activity in the β-carotene bleaching assay (91.346%). Antimicrobial tests revealed effectiveness against Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and ATCC 43300), limited impact on Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922), and good inhibition against Aspergillus niger and Scedosporium apiospermum. A notable larvicidal activity was observed against Date Moth, particularly on L2 larvae.

Comparative analysis of flavonoid metabolites from different parts of Hemerocallis citrina

BACKGROUND

Hemerocallis citrina Baroni is a traditional medical and edible plant. It is rich in flavonoid compounds, which are a kind of important bioactive components with various health benefits and pharmaceutical value. However, the flavonoid metabolomics profile and the comparison of flavonoid compounds from different parts of H. citrina is scarce.

RESULTS

In this study, flavonoid metabolites were investigated from roots, stems, leaves and flowers of H. citrina. A total of 364 flavonoid metabolites were identified by UPLC-MS/MS based widely targeted metabolomics, and the four plant parts showed huge differences at flavonoid metabolic level. Compared to roots, 185, 234, and 119 metabolites accounted for upregulated differential flavonoid metabolites (DFMs) in stems, leaves, and flowers, respectively. Compared to stems, 168 and 29 flavonoid metabolites accounted for upregulated DFMs in leaves and flowers, respectively. Compared to leaves, only 29 flavonoid metabolites accounted for upregulated DFMs in flowers. A number of 35 common flavonoid metabolites were observed among six comparison groups, and each comparison group had its unique differential metabolites. The most abundant flavonoid metabolites in the four parts are flavonols and flavones, followed by flavanones, chalcones, flavanols, flavanonols, anthocyanidins, tannin, and proanthocyanidins. 6,7,8-Tetrahydroxy-5-methoxyflavone, 7,8,3',4'-tetrahydroxyflavone, 1-Hydroxy-2,3,8-trimethoxyxanthone, Farrerol-7-O-glucoside, 3',7-dihydroxy-4'-methoxyflavone, 3,3'-O-Dimethylellagic Acid, 5-Hydroxy-6,7-dimethoxyflavone, Nepetin (5,7,3',4'-Tetrahydroxy-6-methoxyflavone), (2s)-4,8,10-trihydroxy-2-methoxy-1 h,2 h-furo[3,2-a]xanthen-11-one are dominant in roots. Isorhamnetin-3-O-(6''-malonyl)glucoside-7-O-rhamnoside, 7-Benzyloxy-5-hydroxy-3',4'-methylenedioxyflavonoid, 3-Hydroxyphloretin-4'-O-glucoside are dominant in stems. Chrysoeriol-7-O-glucoside, Epicatechin glucoside, Kaempferol-3-O-rhamnoside (Afzelin)(Kaempferin)*, Azaleatin (5-O-Methylquercetin), Chrysoeriol-5-O-glucoside, Nepetin-7-O-glucoside(Nepitrin), 3,5,7,2'-Tetrahydroxyflavone; Datiscetin, Procyanidin B2*, Procyanidin B3*, Procyanidin B1, Isorhamnetin-3-O-(6''-acetylglucoside) are dominant in leaves. kaempferol-3-p-coumaroyldiglucoside, Delphinidin-3-O-sophoroside-5-O-glucoside, Limocitrin-3-O-sophoroside, Kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside(Nicotiflorin), Luteolin-7-O-(6''-malonyl)glucoside-5-O-rhamnoside are dominant in flowers.

CONCLUSION

There was significant difference in flavonoid metabolites among different parts of H. citrina. Leaves had relative higher metabolites contents than other parts. This study provided biological and chemical evidence for the different uses of various plant parts of H. citrina, and these informations are important theoretical basis for the food industry, and medical treatment.

Astaxanthin enhances the development of bovine cloned embryos by inhibiting apoptosis and improving DNA methylation reprogramming of pluripotency genes

Low cloning efficiency limits the wide application of somatic cell nuclear transfer technology. Apoptosis and incomplete DNA methylation reprogramming of pluripotency genes are considered as the main causes for low cloning efficiency. Astaxanthin (AST), a powerfully antioxidative and antiapoptotic carotenoid, is recently shown to improve the development of early embryos, however, the potential role of AST during the development of cloned embryos remains unclear. This study displayed that treating cloned embryos with AST significantly increased the blastocyst rate and total blastocyst cell number in a concentration dependent manner, and also alleviated the damage of H2O2 to the development of cloned embryos. In addition, compared with the control group, AST significantly reduced the apoptotic cell number and rate in cloned blastocysts, and the significantly upregulated expression of anti-apoptotic gene Bcl2l1 and antioxidative genes (Sod1 and Gpx4) and downregulated transcription of pro-apoptotic genes (Bax, P53 and Caspase3) were observed in the AST group. Moreover, AST treatment facilitated DNA demethylation of pluripotency genes (Pou5f1, Nanog and Sox2), in accompany with the improved transcription levels of DNA methylation reprogramming genes (Tet1, Tet3, Dnmt1, Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b) in cloned embryos, and then, the significantly upregulated expression levels of embryo development related genes including Pou5f1, Nanog, Sox2 and Cdx2 were observed in comparison with the control group. In conclusion, these results revealed that astaxanthin enhanced the developmental potential of bovine cloned embryos by inhibiting apoptosis and improving DNA methylation reprogramming of pluripotency genes, and provided a promising approach to improve cloning efficiency.

Revealing of Intracellular Antioxidants in Dendrobium nobile by High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

The medicinal plant Dendrobium nobile is an important natural antioxidant resource. To reveal the antioxidants of D. nobile, high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was employed for metabolic analysis. The H₂O₂-induced oxidative damage was used in human embryonic kidney 293T (H293T) cells to assess intracellular antioxidant activities. Cells incubated with flower and fruit extracts showed better cell survival, lower levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and higher catalase and superoxide dismutase activities than those incubated with root, stem, and leaf extracts (p < 0.01). A total of 13 compounds were newly identified as intracellular antioxidants by association analysis, including coniferin, galactinol, trehalose, beta-D-lactose, trigonelline, nicotinamide-N-oxide, shikimic acid, 5'-deoxy-5'-(methylthio)adenosine, salicylic acid, isorhamnetin-3-O-neohespeidoside, methylhesperidin, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, and cis-aconitic acid (R² > 0.8, Log₂FC > 1, distribution > 0.1%, and p < 0.01). They showed lower molecular weight and higher polarity, compared to previously identified in vitro antioxidants in D. nobile (p < 0.01). The credibility of HPLC-MS/MS relative quantification was verified by common methods. In conclusion, some saccharides and phenols with low molecular weight and high polarity helped protect H293T cells from oxidative damage by increasing the activities of intracellular antioxidant enzymes and reducing intracellular ROS levels. The results enriched the database of safe and effective intracellular antioxidants in medicinal plants.

Treatments of Porcine Nuclear Recipient Oocytes and Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer-Generated Embryos with Various Reactive Oxygen Species Scavengers Lead to Improvements of Their Quality Parameters and Developmental Competences by Mitigating Oxidative Stress-Related Impacts

This study investigated the antioxidant effects of β-cryptoxanthin (BCX), hesperetin (HES), and icariin (ICA), and their effects on in vitro maturation of porcine oocytes and subsequent embryonic development of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Treatment with 1 μM BCX (BCX-1) increased the developmental rate of porcine oocytes more than treatment with 100 μM HES (HES-100) or 5 μM ICA (ICA-5). The glutathione level and mRNA expression of antioxidant genes (NFE2L2, SOD1, and SOD2) were more increased in the BCX-1 group than in the HES-100 and ICA-5 groups, while the reactive oxygen species level was more decreased. Moreover, BCX improved the developmental capacity and quality of SCNT embryos. The total cell number, apoptotic cell rate, and development-related gene expression were modulated in the BCX-1 group to enhance embryonic development of SCNT. These results show that the antioxidant effects of BCX enhance in vitro maturation of porcine oocytes and subsequent embryonic development of SCNT.

Molecular Mechanism and Application of Somatic Cell Cloning in Mammals-Past, Present and Future

Thus far, nearly 25 mammalian species have been cloned by intra- or interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) [...].