Yanli Ma

The prevalence of obesity among elderly women is increasing, particularly in postmenopausal populations. This exploratory study investigated the associations between chondroitin sulfate (CS) supplementation and body weight control in ovariectomized (OVX) rats, a preclinical model for postmenopausal physiology. CS supplementation was associated with significantly reduced body weight gain and preserved adipocyte morphology. CS-treated OVX rats exhibited decreased gut microbiota diversity, with reduced abundance of Photobacterium and Rhodococcus and increased abundance of Turicibacter. Metabolomic analysis revealed elevated levels of carbohydrates, fatty acids, and their conjugates, some of which correlated with body weight parameters. Bioinformatic analysis identified enriched KEGG pathways including tyrosine metabolism, glucosinolate biosynthesis and thiamine metabolism. Collectively, these findings provide preliminary correlational evidence in an OVX rat model supporting the potential of CS as a food supplement for body weight control, although causal relationships and clinical applicability warrant further investigation in postmenopausal populations.

The extensive use of oxytetracycline (OTC) and its subsequent residue accumulation in food products pose substantial risks to public health, necessitating sensitive and reliable analytical methods. Herein, a highly sensitive and selective molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor was developed for the trace detection of OTC. The sensing platform was constructed by integrating a three-dimensional (3D) NH2-MIL-125(Ti)/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) nanocomposite with a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP). The 3D MOF/CNTs conductive network significantly enlarged the electroactive surface area and accelerated interfacial electron transfer. Subsequently, the MIP film was electropolymerized onto the modified electrode using dopamine and L-arginine as synergistic dual functional monomers, which precisely tailored the recognition cavities for OTC. Under optimal conditions, the engineered MIP sensor exhibited a broad linear response ranging from 10-11 to 10-6 mol/L and a low limit of detection of 8.3×10-12 mol/L. Furthermore, the sensor demonstrated outstanding specific selectivity against structural analogues, excellent long-term stability (92.3% signal retention after 4 weeks), and high reproducibility. Practical applicability was successfully validated in commercial milk samples with satisfactory recoveries ranging from 96.4% to 103.2%. This synergistic structural and functional design provides a robust and efficient strategy for monitoring trace antibiotic residues in complex food matrices.

In this research, the anti-hyperlipidemic effects of hawthorn polysaccharides in experimental mice fed a high-fat diet were thoroughly investigated. The findings indicated that the body and organ weights of the high-fat group (HC) mice increased significantly, fat accumulation was evident, and serum indicators showed elevated lipid levels. After 8 weeks of the intragastric administration of hawthorn polysaccharides, the data showed that the body weight of the hawthorn polysaccharide (HA) group was notably lower than that of the HC group and close to that of the NC group. In addition, the hawthorn polysaccharide intervention improved the symptoms of the mice. In particular, the hawthorn polysaccharide intervention significantly increased HDL-C levels and decreased LDL-C levels in the HA group mice. Furthermore, gut microbiota analysis demonstrated that a high-fat diet altered its structure. The intervention with hawthorn polysaccharides modulated the intestinal flora structure, lowered the F/B ratio, and increased the abundance of beneficial bacterial strains associated with lower blood lipid levels.

Acrylamide (AA), a well-known neurotoxin, shows obvious damage to the nervous system. Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G), a representative anthocyanin, is identified as a promising neuroprotective agent as its excellent antioxidant capacity. This study evaluated the mitoprotective effects of C3G against AA-mediated neurotoxicity. The results showed that pretreatment with C3G (10 μmol/L) significantly lessened the reduction in AA-induced cell survival rate, increasing cell viability by 1.31 times compared to the AA-only group. C3G reduced intracellular ROS and MDA level accumulation by 84.0% and 61.9%, respectively. Furthermore, C3G suppressed the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and Caspase-3-dependent apoptosis pathways induced by AA. Further mitochondrial analysis revealed that C3G pretreatment enhanced mitochondrial membrane potential recovery by 1.50 times and preserved the mitochondrial ultrastructure, while also restoring the aerobic respiratory capacity. PCR array demonstrated that C3G reversed the AA-induced downregulation of mitochondrial biogenesis genes PGC-1α and TFAM by 2.67-fold and 1.88-fold, respectively, and mitochondrial dynamics genes Mfn2 and Opa1 by 2.76-fold and 3.08-fold. Further in vivo studies confirmed that the blueberry anthocyanin extracts, which are mainly composed of C3G, showed neuroprotective function through maintaining mitochondrial function, alleviating inflammation, and apoptosis. This article provides new insights into the neuroprotective effects of C3G.