Jixing Peng

In this study, a robust UHPLC-MS/MS method was developed for simultaneously determining 14 organophosphate ester flame retardants (OPEs) in aquatic products. Sample extraction and clean-up procedures were optimized, and matrix effects were corrected using matrix-matched calibration with internal standards. The validated method exhibited good linearity (R² > 0.991), low detection limits (0.015–0.180 ng g⁻¹ wet weight, ww), low quantification limits (0.050–0.600 ng g⁻¹ ww), high recoveries of 70.6–119%, and good precision (relative standard deviations < 15%). Application to fish, sea cucumber, shrimp, and mussel samples confirmed the method’s high sensitivity and accuracy. Analysis of 200 aquatic product samples revealed widespread yet species- and compound-specific OPE contamination, with total concentrations up to 1429.4 ng g⁻¹ ww. Chlorinated OPEs predominated, particularly tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) and tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCIPP). TMCP, TOCP, and TMPP were reported as a combined concentration (ΣTCP) in real samples, expressed as TMCP equivalents. These findings suggest that further investigations are required to assess OPE distributions, accumulation patterns, and dietary exposure risks in aquatic products.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease with elusive etiology and limited therapeutic options, accompanied by potential side effects. In this study, to investigate the therapeutic potential of Antarctic krill oil (AKO) in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced mouse colitis model, animal experiments, molecular assays, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing were conducted. Our results revealed that supplementation of AKO significantly alleviated colitis symptoms, such as weight loss, and inflammatory responses. Moreover, multi-omics analyses demonstrated that AKO inhibited the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, remodeled beneficial gut microbiota, and reshaped metabolite profiles associated with glycerolphospholipid metabolism. Remarkably, AKO alleviated DSS-induced colitis, accompanied by coordinated changes in the gut microbiota, metabolites, and transcriptome, which were associated with suppression of key inflammatory pathways. These findings present experimental evidence for the potential of AKO as a marine-based nutritional intervention for UC, and offer novel perspectives on microbiota-targeted therapies for inflammatory diseases.

Climate change and increasing instability in coastal marine environments have intensified stressors such as elevated temperature, hypoxia, salinity variation, and pollutant exposure, posing major challenges to the survival, health, and culture performance of bivalves. As economically important aquaculture species and key components of coastal ecosystems, bivalves are highly sensitive to environmental fluctuations, making their metabolic responses highly relevant to both physiological adaptation and aquaculture sustainability. Increasing evidence indicates that metabolic remodeling is an important adaptive strategy supporting bivalve tolerance to environmental stress, with amino acid metabolic remodeling emerging as one of its most sensitive and functionally important components. This review summarizes the major response patterns, key pathways, and potential regulatory mechanisms of amino acid metabolism in bivalves under different stress conditions. Different environmental stressors induce distinct yet integrated shifts in amino acid metabolism, including enhanced catabolism, carbon–nitrogen redistribution, osmotic regulation, and antioxidant defense, thereby supporting energy homeostasis and physiological stress tolerance in bivalves. By highlighting amino acid metabolic remodeling as a central mechanism of bivalve adaptation to environmental stress, this review provides insights into adaptive responses, metabolite-based indicators for monitoring aquaculture environments and bivalve health, and management strategies for improving resilience in bivalve aquaculture.

Metabolic dysfunction‐associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a common chronic liver disease. This study investigates the anti‐MASLD effects of dietary prebiotic stachyose (STA) on disease progression identifying Butyricimonas virosa as a key bacterium boosted by STA supplementation. Oral gavage of B. virosa to high fat diet (HFD)‐fed mice significantly suppresses the progression of MASLD and modulates gut microbiota composition. Integration of metagenomic and metabolomic data demonstrates that B. virosa treatment significantly enhances the production of thiamine monophosphate (TMP), as well as its conversion to thiamine and subsequent accumulation in the liver. The accumulation of hepatic thiamine further leads to elevated thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) concentrations enhancing the activity of branched‐chain α‐keto acid dehydrogenase E1 subunit α (BCKDHA) associated with augmented degradation of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs). Administration of B. virosa compensates via production of gut bacterial‐derived TMP for hepatic TPP deficiency in mice fed a thiamine‐deficient HFD. A population‐based analysis reveals an inverse correlation between plasma thiamine levels, abundances of bacterial genes involved in thiamine synthesis and metabolism, and phenotypes associated with MASLD, suggesting that key genes involved in fecal thiamine metabolism, as well as serum thiamine determination, may potentially serve as biomarkers for the diagnosis of MASLD.

Antibiotic cocktails (ABX) serve as potent therapeutic interventions for refractory ulcerative colitis (UC), yet invariably induce gut dysbiosis. This study demonstrates that pectin oligosaccharides synergistically enhance ABX efficacy by restoring gut microbiota balance and selectively enriched antibiotic-resistant Parabacteroides goldsteinii in a colitis mouse model. Our results further indicate that the gavage administration of P. goldsteinii AM58-2XD markedly alleviated colitis via enhancing the branched-chain amino acid metabolic pathway, particularly by facilitating valine metabolism. Notably, these anticolitis effects were partially attenuated in P. goldsteinii ^ΔilvE mutants, which are defective in valine-derived isobutyrate (IBN) biosynthesis. We further demonstrated that exogenous IBN supplementation effectively alleviated colitis symptoms in mice and enhanced gut barrier function via activation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) pathway. Conditional knockout of PPARγ in Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cells markedly abrogated the IBN-induced enhancement of tight junctions, thereby substantiating the critical role of the IBN-PPARγ pathway in metabolite-mediated mucosal repair. Collectively, we delineate a prebiotic/probiotic–metabolite axis wherein P. goldsteinii facilitates mucosal repair via IBN/PPARγ-dependent epithelial metabolic reprogramming. This insight redefines antibiotic-resistant commensals as precise biotherapeutics for microbiota restoration in refractory UC management.

Paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) are widely distributed in shellfish along the coast of China, causing a serious threat to consumer health; however, there is still a lack of large-scale systematic investigations and risk assessments. Herein, 641 shellfish samples were collected from March to November 2020, and the PSTs’ toxicity was detected via liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Furthermore, the contamination status and potential dietary risks of PSTs were discussed. PSTs were detected in 241 shellfish samples with a detection rate of 37.60%. The average PST toxicities in mussels and ark shells were considerably higher than those in other shellfish. The PSTs mainly included N-sulfonylcarbamoyl toxins (class C) and carbamoyl toxins (class GTX), and the highest PST toxicity was 546.09 μg STX eq. kg⁻¹. The PST toxicity in spring was significantly higher than those in summer and autumn (p < 0.05). Hebei Province had the highest average PST toxicity in spring. An acute exposure assessment showed that consumers in Hebei Province had a higher dietary risk, with mussels posing a significantly higher dietary risk to consumers. This research provides reference for the green and sustainable development of the shellfish industry and the establishment of a shellfish toxin prevention and control system.

Bay scallops (Argopecten irradians; A. irradians) are shellfish with high nutritional and economic value. However, nutritional studies on A. irradians with different shell colors are limited. This study examines the hazardous, nutritional, and taste-contributing compounds during the growth of A. irradians with different shell colors. During the growth of A. irradians, the hazardous contents were below the standard limit. Changes in the nutritional and taste-contributing compounds between months were more significant than shell color. Bay scallops had more fats, total fatty acids, and taste-contributing compounds in August and more proteins, essential fatty acids, vitamin D, vitamin B₁₂, Cu, and Zn in September and October. In October, the golden shell color strain had more proteins, essential fatty acids, vitamin D, vitamin B₁₂, Cu, and Zn, while the purple shell color strain had more taste-contributing compounds. A. irradians had better taste in August and higher nutritional value in September and October. In October, the golden shell color strain has higher nutritional value, and the purple shell color strain has better commercial value and taste. The correlation analysis indicates that the nutritional quality of bay scallops is affected by age (months), shell color, and seawater environment.

Harmful algal blooms in Chinese waters have caused serious domoic acid (DA) contamination in shellfish. Although shellfish are at particular risk of dietary exposure to DA, there have been no systematic DA risk assessments in Chinese coastal waters. A total of 451 shellfish samples were collected from March to November 2020. The presence of DA and four of its isomers were detected using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The spatial-temporal distribution of DA occurrence and its potential health risks were examined. DA was detected in 198 shellfish samples (43.90%), with a maximum level of 942.86 μg/kg. DA was recorded in all 14 shellfish species tested and Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) showed the highest average DA concentration (82.36 μg/kg). The DA concentrations in shellfish showed distinct spatial-temporal variations, with significantly higher levels of occurrence in autumn than in summer and spring (p < 0.01), and particularly high occurrence in Guangdong and Fujian Provinces. The detection rates and maximum concentrations of the four DA isomers were low. While C. gigas from Guangdong Province in September showed the highest levels of DA contamination, the risk to human consumers was low. This study improves our understanding of the potential risk of shellfish exposure to DA-residues.