Diverse effects of a Cyperus rotundus extract on glucose uptake in myotubes and adipocytes and its suppression on adipocyte maturation

Cyperus rotundus rhizomes have been used in longevity remedies in Thailand for nourishing good health, which led us to investigate the effect on energy homeostasis, especially glucose utilization in myotubes and adipocytes, and on inhibition of lipogenesis in adipocytes. The results showed that an ethyl acetate extract of C. rotundus rhizomes (ECR) containing 1.61%w/w piceatannol, with a half-maximal concentration of 17.76 ± 0.03 μg/mL in 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay, caused upregulation and cell-membrane translocation of glucose transporters GLUT4 and 1 in L6 myotubes but downregulation and cytoplasmic localization of GLUT4 expression in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and was related to the p-Akt/Akt ratio in both cells, especially at 100 μg/mL. Moreover, ECR (25-100 μg/mL) significantly inhibited lipid accumulation via Adenosine Monophosphate-Activated Protein Kinase (AMPK), Acetyl CoA Carboxylase (ACC), and Glycogen Synthase Kinase (GSK) pathways. Its immunoblot showed increased expression of p-AMPKα/AMPKα and p-ACC/ACC but decreased expression of p-Akt/Akt and p-GSK3β/GSK3β in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Moreover, the decreased expression of the adipogenic effectors, perilipin1 and lipoprotein lipase, in ECR-incubated adipocytes (50 and 100 μg/mL) indicated reduced de novo lipogenesis. Our study elucidated mechanisms of C. rotundus that help attenuate glucose tolerance in skeletal muscle and inhibit lipid droplet accumulation in adipose tissue.

Estimating In Vitro Protein Digestion and Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score of Chicken Breasts Affected by White Striping and Wooden Breast Abnormalities

An understanding regarding impacts of growth-related myopathies, i.e., white striping (WS) and wooden breast (WB), on the quality of dietary protein from cooked chicken breast is still limited. This study aimed at comparing protein content and in vitro protein digestion and estimating the in vitro protein digestibility corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) of cooked chicken meat exhibiting different abnormality levels (i.e., normal, WS, and WS + WB). The results show that the WS + WB samples exhibited lower protein content, greater cooking loss, and greater lipid oxidation than those of normal samples (p < 0.05). No differences in protein carbonyls or the myofibril fragmentation index were found (p ≥ 0.05). Cooked samples were hydrolyzed in vitro using digestive enzyme mixtures that subsequently mimicked the enzymatic reactions in oral, gastric, and intestinal routes. The WS + WB samples exhibited greater values of free NH2 and degree of hydrolysis than the others at all digestion phases (p < 0.05), suggesting a greater proteolytic susceptibility. The in vitro PDCAAS of the WS + WB samples was greater than that of the other samples for pre-school children, school children, and adults (p < 0.05). Overall, the findings suggest that the cooked chicken breast with the WS + WB condition might provide greater protein digestibility and availability than WS and normal chicken breasts.

Impact of a real food matrix and in vitro digestion on properties and acute toxicity of polystyrene microparticles

Although it is proved that humans ingest microplastics via food, and microplastics were found in human tissues, blood and feces, there needs to be more data on the properties and health-related effects of plastic particles that interact with food and undergo digestion. This study aimed to examine the impact of a real food matrix, milk, on the behavior and gastrointestinal fate of polystyrene microparticles (PSMP). In the presence of the food matrix, the net negative ζ-potential values of PSMP (diameter size of 1.823 μm) decreased significantly due to the formation of the corona, mostly consisting of α and β-casein fragments. Protein corona profiles and morphologies of particles incubated with whole and skim milk were found to be similar, and the protein profiles were completely altered after in vitro digestion simulation. In vitro and in vivo toxicity studies showed that neither bare PSMP nor food-interacted PSMP pose acute toxicity on the Caco-2 cell line and zebrafish embryos under the chosen experimental conditions. In summary, these results may contribute to a better understanding of changes that microplastics undergo in foods. Further studies on repeated exposure or chronic toxicity are needed to fully reveal the effect of food matrix on microplastic toxicity.

Chemical Composition, Sources, and Health Risk Assessment of PM2.5 and PM10 in Urban Sites of Bangkok, Thailand

Of late, air pollution in Asia has increased, particularly in built-up areas due to rapid industrialization and urbanization. The present study sets out to examine the impact that pollution can have on the health of people living in the inner city of Bangkok, Thailand. Consequently, in 2021, fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) and coarse particulate matter (PM₁₀) chemical composition and sources are evaluated at three locations in Bangkok. To identify the possible sources of such particulates, therefore, the principal component analysis (PCA) technique is duly carried out. As determined via PCA, the major sources of air pollution in Bangkok are local emission sources and sea salt. The most significant local sources of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ in Bangkok include primary combustion, such as vehicle emissions, coal combustion, biomass burning, secondary aerosol formation, industrial emissions, and dust sources. Except for the hazard quotient (HQ) of Ni and Mn of PM_2.5 for adults, the HQ values of As, Cd, Cr, Mn, and Ni of both PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ were below the safe level (HQ = 1) for adults and children. This indicates that exposure to these metals would have non-carcinogenic health effects. Except for the carcinogenic risk (HI) value of Cr of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀, which can cause cancer in adults, at Bangna and Din Daeng, the HI values of Cd, Ni, As, and Pb of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ are below the limit set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). Ni and Mn pose non-carcinogenic risks, whereas Cr poses carcinogenic risks to adults via inhalation, a serious threat to the residents of Bangkok.

Use of nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon nanodots (N-CNDs) as a fluorometric paper-based sensor: a new approach for sensitive determination of lead(ii) at a trace level in highly ionic matrices

This work reports a facile synthesis of nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon nanodots (N-CNDs) and their use as a fluorometric paper-based sensor for the determination of Pb²⁺ at a low concentration. Both solution-based and paper-based systems were developed. The results show that the linearity ranges for Pb²⁺ determination were 0.010-10 mg L^-1 (LOD = 0.008 mg L^-1) and 0.005-0.075 mg L^-1 (LOD = 0.004 mg L^-1) for the solution-based and the paper-based sensors, respectively. Furthermore, the developed sensors show relatively high selectivity toward Pb²⁺ over ten other metal cations of different charges including As³⁺, Hg²⁺, Cd²⁺, Mg²⁺, Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺, Fe³⁺, Cu²⁺, Ba²⁺, and Ag⁺. The mechanism of Pb²⁺ determination was also investigated. It was found that the sensors exploited the quenching of the fluorescence intensity of N-CNDs by Pb²⁺via the photo-induced electron transfer (PET) mechanism. When applied to real water and herbal medicine samples, the performance of the sensor exhibited no significant difference as compared to the results of the validation method (ICP-OES). Overall, the developed sensors, especially the paper-based one, are promising for the practical analysis of Pb²⁺ in pharmaceutical and environmental samples with a low Pb²⁺ concentration.