Wenjie Sui

Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM), a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by insulin resistance, is often accompanied by dysregulated bile acid metabolism. Although gastrodin, a bioactive compound derived from Gastrodia elata, has demonstrated potential in diabetes management, its therapeutic mechanisms remain incompletely understood. The aim of this study is to investigate the therapeutic effects and potential mechanisms of gastrodin on T2DM mice from the perspective of bile acid metabolism. In this study, we found that gastrodin could not only reduce lipid accumulation, reduce inflammation, improve antioxidant capacity, alleviate oxidative stress, change the composition of intestinal flora, and improve the disorder of flora caused by the disease in T2DM mice, but also target Yin yang 1 (YY1) to reduce the expression level of YY1 in the liver under a high-fat diet condition. At the same time, YY1 negatively regulates the expression level of Farnesoid X Receptor (FXR), which increases the expression level of FXR, inhibits the enzyme activity of Cholesterol-7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) through Small Heterodimer Partner (SHP), reduces the production of chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) in the liver, and further affects the production of secondary bile acids through liver–intestinal circulation, promoting the secretion of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) and insulin, thereby reducing blood glucose. At the same time, combined with the results of HE staining, gastrodin can reduce the pathological damage of the liver and pancreas in type II diabetic mice, repairing their normal morphology and function. It provides a direct pathological basis for the improvement of diabetes and liver complications, provides theoretical support for the subsequent research and development of precision targeted drugs, provides experimental basis for the development of new natural hypoglycemic drugs, and promotes the transformation and application of the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine in the field of metabolic diseases.

Wheat bran, as a major nutrient-rich agricultural by-product, is underutilized due to poor functional properties. This study investigated the synergistic effects of steam explosion (SE), enzymatic hydrolysis (EH), and SE combined with EH (SE-EH) on wheat bran to improve the dough properties, bread quality, and in vitro starch digestion. Results showed that SE destroyed the dense structure of wheat bran to form a porous surface morphology and promoted the conversion of insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) to soluble dietary fiber (SDF). This structural loosening facilitated further fiber degradation for subsequent EH and achieved the obvious improvements in hydration properties after combined treatment. For the dough system, the addition of SE-EH bran increased the water absorption, hardness, and viscosity, but reduced the development and stability time of the dough, in comparison with the control dough. These changes suggested that the modified bran altered dough hydration behavior and gluten network continuity, contributing to the increment of bread’s specific volume. The starch hydrolysis rate of bread adding SE-EH wheat bran was decreased; the slowly digestible starch (SDS) and resistant starch (RS) contents were 2.59-fold and 1.31-fold higher than the control group, respectively. Additionally, the incorporation of modified wheat bran delayed bread hardening during storage, with the SE-modified group showing the best effect. Wheat bran modification enhanced its processing functionality, providing a feasible approach for bread production to improve storage stability and nutritional quality.

Single-atom catalysts (SACs), with their well-defined active sites, demonstrate remarkable selectivity in biomass platform chemical conversions. However, the feature of single active site fails to synergistically regulate the divergent oxidation pathways of multiple functional groups, thereby restricting multi-step reaction efficiency. Herein, a “stepwise N-stripping” strategy is developed via lignin-derived N-doped carbon matrices, which achieves controlled evolution from isolated Co-N ₄ single site to multi-scale atomic/cluster Co synergistic sites by precisely modulating the pyrolysis pathways of lignin-Co precursors. Theoretical and experimental evidence elucidates a synergy-enhanced tandem dual-site catalytic mechanism that single Co atoms with Co-N ₂ configuration selectively activate aldehyde groups to drive sequential carboxylation (5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furancarboxylic acid (HMFCA) and 5-formyl-2-furoic acid (FFCA) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA)), while Co clusters enhance oxygen activation for accelerated hydroxymethyl oxidation (HMFCA to FFCA). As expected, the optimized Co-N ₂ /Co ₄ dual-site catalyst achieves 98.76% FDCA yield at 55 °C, surpassing most reported supported metal catalysts, alongside robust cycling stability (6 cycles with > 97% FDCA yield). This work establishes a biomass-tailored paradigm for constructing atomic/cluster hybrid catalysts and unravels the dynamic cooperation mechanism between distinct active sites in multi-step oxidation, advancing the rational design of efficient systems for biomass valorization.

To efficiently, sustainably, and rapidly extract bioactive compounds, steam explosion (SE) technology was tried to use for the first time as a pretreatment of Potentilla discolor Bunge (PDB) stems. This study systematically investigated the effects of SE on stem structure, total phenolic content, composition and bioactivities. Macroscopic observation showed that SE-treated stems became darker and deeper in color. Microscopic analysis indicated a reduction in hemicellulose and lignin contents, while the basic skeletal structure remained intact, which facilitated the release of active compounds. This structural modification was directly linked to an enhancement in biological activity. Compared with the untreated group, total phenolic content in SE-treated stems increased 1.11–1.94 times. Correspondingly, antioxidant and hypoglycemic activities were enhanced by 1.35–7.19 times, demonstrating a clear relationship between the structural changes and the improved bioactivity. HPLC analysis showed specific changes in chemical composition, with increased levels of total phenolic content, particularly phenolic acids and flavonoids. Compositional analysis using Q Exactive HF LC-MS and standard comparison revealed that complex macromolecules, such as flavonoid glycosides and polyphenols, were hydrolyzed into smaller, more bioavailable molecules, such as quercetin. Overall, SE pretreatment represents a sustainable and effective approach for improving the extraction of bioactive compounds from PDB stems. These active compounds hold significant potential for applications in functional foods, nutraceuticals, and natural health products, offering an innovative strategy to enhance the bioavailability and bioactivity of plant-derived compounds.

To improve the bioavailability of yak by-products, novel antioxidant peptides were prepared and identified from yak skin hydrolysate. The results showed that the ultrafiltration fraction of a molecular weight of less than 1 kDa had the strongest free radical scavenging activity. A total of 219 novel peptides were identified by mass spectrometry and five antioxidant peptides were screened based on molecular docking with Keap1 (LMGPR, GFDGD, FGFDGDF, GHNGLDGL, and GPAGPQGPR). These peptides may bind with Keap1 competitively and exert antioxidant effects by activating the Nrf2/ARE pathway. After synthesis, FGFDGDF showed a better free radical scavenging ability and protective effect on H₂O₂-induced oxidative damage of HepG2 cells among these peptides. The pretreatment of peptides could enhance the activity of intracellular antioxidant enzymes and reduce the level of malondialdehyde and IL-8. This study provides a scientific basis for the application of yak skin peptide as a novel antioxidant in functional food.

Fruits and vegetables represent important dietary sources of soluble dietary fiber (SDF), a functionally essential component that contributes substantially to human health maintenance. The molecular structure of SDFs in fruits and vegetables is influenced by food processing techniques, which can contribute to improving the physiological activities of SDFs and promoting health benefits. This article presents a systematic review of the effects of common processing methods mainly involving drying, heating, powdering, fermentation, etc., on the structural and nutritional properties of SDFs, particularly focused on structural changes in molecular weight, monosaccharide composition, and functional groups, as well as nutritional functions including obesity prevention, hypolipidemic and hypoglycemic properties, etc. Processing-induced structure variations in SDFs inevitably change their fermentability and gelling ability, promote the growth of beneficial bacteria and the production of short-chain fatty acids, enhance immunity, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. This highlights the prebiotic efficacy and metabolic disease intervention potential of processing methods to moderate SDFs by altering their structure. This paper comparatively summarizes the effects of physical, physicochemical, and biological processing technologies on the common structural and nutritional properties of SDFs, aiming to provide theoretical guidance for the application of SDFs in the food industry. This paper not only provides a theoretical basis for the precise application of SDFs in functional foods but also reveals the potential mechanisms involved in regulating the structure of SDFs through processing technology to achieve nutritional intervention in metabolic diseases, which is an important guiding value for the development of food ingredients with specific health effects.