Sea cucumber male gonads are valuable by-products of sea cucumber processing. However, it remains unknown whether sea cucumber male gonads are capable of resisting testicular damage and spermatogenesis disorder. Animal experiments showed that sea cucumber male gonad peptide (SCSP) supplementation can promote the quality of sperm and the integrity of the blood-testis barrier (BTB) and maintain the normal morphological structure of both the testicles and epididymides. In addition, SCSP reduced testicular oxidative stress and decreased serum TNF-alpha and IL-6 levels by 42.27% and 22.60%, respectively. Immunohistochemical staining showed that SCSP facilitated the expression of Bcl-2, ZO-1, and occludin in testes. Correspondingly, SCSP significantly promoted the expression of Bcl-xl, tubulin, beta-catenin, and connexin 43 and decreased the expression of Bax, Bad, Caspase-3, and p-p38 MAPK. The findings of this study suggested that SCSP alleviated testicular damage and spermatogenesis disorder not only by inhibiting inflammation and cell apoptosis but also by promoting the recovery of the BTB structure by restraining the p38 MAPK signaling pathway. The findings provide potential value for exploiting future food in SCSP applications. (c) 2027 The authors. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Spices have been widely used in the food industry and home cooking, which significantly improve the sensory, physical, and chemical properties of food, such as aroma and color, and shelf life. There are more than 150 known natural spices in the world. Although the effects of natural spices on food flavor and quality have been reported in a few cases, the mechanism of action of natural spices is still not deep enough or systematic enough. This review summarizes the classification, characteristics, and functions of spices and discusses their application in aquatic products. The various functional properties of flavors can satisfy the needs of the aquatic products processing industry, such as flavor, deodorization, antimicrobial, and antioxidant. This review provides theoretical support for the comprehensive utilization of natural spices and the quality improvement of aquatic products.
The overconsumption of refined foods endangers human health, while the use of whole grains encounters low digestion and a tough taste or so. To explore new technologies in making full use of whole grain, the effects of alternating current electric field (ACEF) and pulsed electric field (PEF) on the structural, functional, antioxidant and digestive properties of whole mung bean flour (WMBF) were investigated. The ACEF significantly decreased the crystallinity of starch, decreased the beta-sheets and increased the alpha-helices of protein, and promoted the rearrangement of starch and protein molecular chains, thus improving the water solubility index (WSI) and water holding capacity (WHC) of the WMBF (P < 0.05). The PEF significantly reduced the crystallinity of starch, increased the proportion of disordered protein structure, and significantly improved the WSI, WHC, oil holding capacity, and swelling power of WMBF (P < 0.05). In comparison to PEF, the ACEF significantly enhanced the starch and protein digestibility of WMBF. Concurrently, the higher yield of total flavonoids and phenolics released from digesta positively affected DPPH radical, & centerdot;OH, and ABTS cation radical scavenging rates, as well as ferric ion reducing ability. (c) 2027 The authors. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Inspired by biomimetic concepts, this study aimed to screen potential calcium-chelating peptides (CCPs) from embryonic egg white (EEW) using an integrated approach combining separation-purification methods, peptidomics technology, and molecular simulation. Through separation-purification approach and molecular docking, 3 key skeleton CCPs, including MAQRASDLF, VVLRQDLMA, and LAEVSKPHAE, were identified from EEW (EEW-CCPs). These peptides, containing amino acids such as Glu and Arg, demonstrated strong calcium-binding capability. Additionally, using peptidomics combined with molecular docking, 3 vital EEW-CCPs-GRCELAAAMKR, AEVDCSRFPN, and CRPTVQAQST-containing amino acids like Arg and Ser were screened and shown to possess strong calcium chelation properties. This study provides both novel insights and a systematic comprehensive approach for screening active CCPs from food sources. (c) 2027 The authors. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Obesity and the diseases arising from it are a significant public health concern since they are multisystemic and complex. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of natural bioactive compounds have attracted considerable attention. Naringenin (NAR), a citrus flavonoid, exhibits these properties. A comprehensive review and meta-analysis on the impact of NAR on obesity-associated disorders in mouse models was conducted to provide the basis for future clinical trials and their nutraceutical formulation. A comprehensive search of the databases Scopus, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane was performed utilizing the specified keywords "naringenin, obesity, metabolic syndrome, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, insulin resistance syndrome" AND "metabolic syndrome". The retrieval query was confined to the studies on animals only, and the articles published from inception to July 2024 were retrieved. Overall, 23 articles were incorporated after adhering to specific exclusion and inclusion criteria. Analysis results showed that in the metabolic syndrome (MetS) mouse model, NAR significantly reduced blood glucose (P < 0.000 01), total cholesterol (TC) (P < 0.000 01), and triglyceride (TG) (P < 0.000 01), and improved body weight (P < 0.000 01). A significant reduction in aspartate aminotransferase (P = 0.01), alanine aminotransferase (P = 0.000 1), blood glucose (P = 0.02), TC (P = 0.01), TG (P < 0.000 1), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels (P = 0.000 1) was observed in the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) mouse model. NAR intervention elevated serum insulin (P < 0.000 1) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (P = 0.02), while reducing blood glucose (P < 0.000 01), LDL-C (P = 0.003), very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P < 0.000 1), TC (P = 0.03), and TG levels (P = 0.000 7) in the diabetes mellitus (DM) mouse model. NAR significantly ameliorated most of the indicators of obesity-related disorders, suggesting that it has a great potential role in treating MetS, NAFLD, and DM. This study provides reliable animal experimental conclusions and a theoretical basis for the clinical trials and applications of NAR in metabolic diseases. (c) 2027 The authors. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
