Lina Chen

α-Amylase and α-glucosidase are complementary therapeutic targets in type 2 diabetes; simultaneous inhibition provides a dual-blockade strategy to suppress postprandial hyperglycemia. Dipyridamole, a conventional antiplatelet drug with proven anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiproliferative effects and a favorable safety profile, is a candidate for repurposing. This study assessed in vitro antioxidant activity and inhibitory actions against both enzymes, and employed molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations to elucidate mechanisms. Dipyridamole showed EC₅₀ values of 589.7 μM (ABTS+·), 652.2 μM (·OH), and 1607.1 μM (DPPH·), and IC₅₀ values of 257.6 μM (α-amylase) and 348.8 μM (α-glucosidase). Molecular docking yielded binding free energies of −6.5 and −6.0 kcal/mol for α-amylase and α-glucosidase, respectively, with binding mediated mainly by hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that, under the present simulation conditions, both the apo forms of α-amylase and α-glucosidase and their respective dipyridamole complexes exhibited relatively stable dynamical behavior throughout the course of the trajectories. Overall, dipyridamole showed not only moderate free radical scavenging capacity but also inhibitory activity against α-amylase and α-glucosidase, suggesting that this molecule may serve as a promising lead compound for further relevant drug development and functional exploration.

This study explores an innovative approach based on deep eutectic solvent (DES)-synergistic ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) of anthocyanins from blueberry pomace (BP). Choline chloride–lactic acid (ChCl-LA, 1:2) was identified as the most efficient DES and provided the highest anthocyanin recovery. The optimal conditions for ChCl-LA-synergistic UAE (ChCl-LA-UAE) were obtained as follows: ultrasonic power of 270 W, extraction time of 30 min, liquid-to-solid ratio of 35:1, and water content in ChCl-LA of 40%, achieving a total anthocyanin content (TAC) of 3.5168 mg/g, with R² = 0.9860. This value was significantly higher than those obtained with 70% ethanol (3.1962 mg/g) and pure water (1.9137 mg/g). SEM images revealed that ChCl-LA-UAE disrupted the surface structure of the samples, thereby promoting anthocyanin release. COSMO-RS simulations confirmed that ChCl-LA significantly enhanced the interaction between the solvent and the representative anthocyanin (cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, C3G), resulting in higher extraction efficiency. In vitro antioxidant assays further demonstrated that the synergistic system exhibited stronger antioxidant activity. Overall, ultrasonic-synergistic DES extraction could be an eco-friendly method for recovering high-value compounds from blueberry and its byproducts.

In this study, the Box–Behnken Design (BBD) was adopted to optimize the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) conditions of polyphenols from Hericium erinaceus (H. erinaceus) on the basis of single-factor experiments, with extraction time, solid–liquid ratio and ethanol concentration as the key investigation factors. The optimal extraction parameters were determined as follows: extraction time of 56.85 min, solid–liquid ratio of 1:56.71 g/mL and ethanol concentration of 44.64%, under which the actual yield of the total polyphenol crude extract (TPCE) reached 0.9985 ± 0.03%, which was highly consistent with the theoretical predicted value of 0.9960%, verifying the good fitting degree of the established model. Taking L-ascorbic acid as the positive control, the antioxidant activity of TPCE was evaluated by determining its scavenging capacity against ABTS·⁺, ·OH and DPPH· free radicals, and the half-maximal effective concentration (EC₅₀) values were measured to be 0.8850, 0.9490 and 4.198 mg/mL, respectively. With acarbose as the reference drug, the inhibitory effects of TPCE on α-amylase and α-glucosidase related to carbohydrate metabolism were assayed, and the corresponding half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) values were 0.0135 and 130.3 mg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS) was employed for the tentative identification of bioactive components in TPCE, and a total of 48 and 64 chemical constituents were characterized in negative and positive ion modes, respectively, providing a chemical basis for the biological activities of TPCE. This study confirmed that UAE is an efficient and feasible technology for extracting polyphenols from H. erinaceus, which lays a theoretical foundation for the development and utilization of its polyphenols, and also provides novel insights into the development of natural functional ingredients and potential therapeutic agents for the intervention of type 2 diabetes. Additionally, the findings further validate edible fungi as a valuable reservoir of natural bioactive substances, with promising application prospects in the research and development of functional foods and pharmaceuticals targeting metabolic diseases.

Mancozeb (MCZ), a widely used fungicide in agricultural production, has been reported as an environmental endocrine disruptor, posing serious risks to ecosystems and human health. In this work, multivalent Co-MOF nanozymes (MVCM) with excellent oxidase-like activity were synthesized, which can promote the oxidation of 2,2′-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) into a blue oxidative product (ABTS^•+), with an obvious absorption peak at 415 nm. With the addition of MCZ, the ABTS^•+ was reduced to colorless ABTS through the REDOX reactions between MCZ and ABTS^•+. Based on the unique reducing behavior of MCZ, a nanozyme-based colorimetric detection platform was proposed for the detection of MCZ, with a linear range of 3–27 μM and a detection limit (LOD) of 0.15 μM. Furthermore, the sensor was integrated with smartphones and test strips, establishing a portable smartphone-based platform for the real-time, on-site, and visual quantitative detection of MCZ. The detection concentration range was 15–90 μM, with LOD as low as 15 μM. The assay exhibited high adaptability in practical applications. In summary, this work provided a simple, accurate, and low-cost approach for visual determination of MCZ without complicated instruments and procedures.