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10H-3,6-Diazaphenothiazines triggered the mitochondrial-dependent and cell death receptor-dependent apoptosis pathways and further increased the chemosensitivity of MCF-7 breast cancer cells via inhibition of AKT1 pathways

Ren G, Hao X, Yang S, Chen J, Qiu G, Ang KP, et al.

J Biochem Mol Toxicol, 2020 Sep;34(9):e22544.
PMID: 32619082 DOI: 10.1002/jbt.22544

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death in cancer categories, followed by lung, colorectal, and ovarian among the female gender across the world. 10H-3,6-diazaphenothiazine (PTZ) is a thiazine derivative compound that exhibits many pharmacological activities. Herein, we proceed to investigate the pharmacological activities of PTZ toward breast cancer MCF-7 cells as a representative in vitro breast cancer cell model. The PTZ exhibited a proliferation inhibition (IC50 = 0.895 µM) toward MCF-7 cells. Further, cell cycle analysis illustrated that the S-phase checkpoint was activated to achieve proliferation inhibition. In vitro cytotoxicity test on three normal cell lines (HEK293 normal kidney cells, MCF-10A normal breast cells, and H9C2 normal heart cells) demonstrated that PTZ was more potent toward cancer cells. Increase in the levels of reactive oxygen species results in polarization of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), together with suppression of mitochondrial thioredoxin reductase enzymatic activity suggested that PTZ induced oxidative damages toward mitochondria and contributed to improved drug efficacy toward treatment. The RT2 PCR Profiler Array (human apoptosis pathways) proved that PTZ induced cell death via mitochondria-dependent and cell death receptor-dependent pathways, through a series of modulation of caspases, and the respective morphology of apoptosis was observed. Mechanistic studies of apoptosis suggested that PTZ inhibited AKT1 pathways resulting in enhanced drug efficacy despite it preventing invasion of cancer cells. These results showed the effectiveness of PTZ in initiation of apoptosis, programmed cell death, toward highly chemoresistant MCF-7 cells, thus suggesting its potential as a chemotherapeutic drug.
Novel strategy for optimizing of corn starch-based ink food 3D printing process: Printability prediction based on BP-ANN model

Jiao X, Ren G, Law CL, Li L, Cao W, Luo Z, et al.

Int J Biol Macromol, 2024 Sep;276(Pt 2):133921.
PMID: 39025175 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.133921

Although starch has been intensively studied as a raw material for 3D printing, the relationship between several important process parameters in the preparation of starch gels and the printing results is unclear. In this study, the relationship between different processing conditions and the gel printing performance of corn starch was evaluated by printing tests, rheological tests and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) tests, and a back-propagation artificial neural network (BP-ANN) model for predicting gel printing performance was developed. The results revealed that starch gels exhibited favorable printing performance when the gelatinization temperature ranged from 75 °C to 85 °C, and the starch content was maintained between 15 % and 20 %. The R2adj of the BP-ANN models were all reached 0.894, which indicated good predictive ability. The results of the study not only provide theoretical support for the application of corn starch gels in 3D food printing, but also present a novel approach for predicting the printing performance of related materials. This method contributes to the optimization of printing parameters, thereby enhancing printing efficiency and quality.
Fulltext The Evolution of Mechanical Properties and Cellular Structure of Apples During Freeze Drying Combined with Hot Air Drying (FD-HAD) Process

Li L, Yang M, Zhu L, Liu W, Li L, Cao W, et al.

Foods, 2024 Dec 07;13(23).
PMID: 39683023 DOI: 10.3390/foods13233951

Apples are one of the most popular fruits in the world and have a significant share in domestic and international fruit production. Drying is a common method used to extend the shelf life of apples. However, it also induces irregular morphological changes in apples, which are essential to maintaining the structural integrity of the material. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the effect of cellular changes at the microscopic level on the macroscopic deformation of the material during drying. In this paper, the evolution of cell wall pectin fractions and viscoelastic properties of apples during freeze drying combined with hot air drying was investigated. The findings indicated that during the HAD stage, a decrease in the relaxation modulus (E1) of the samples was observed in the compression tests when the sample temperature was significantly higher than the glass transition temperature (Tg). As the difference between the two decreased, the samples exhibited increased stiffness and higher E1. The results of the pectin content analysis showed that the HAD process accelerated the loss and degradation of water-soluble pectin in the samples with high moisture content at the transition point. Simultaneously, the esterification degree of chelator-soluble pectin increased, leading to a reduction in the support provided to the cellular structure of the samples, which consequently affected their mechanical properties. These findings may provide valuable information for the application of freeze drying combined with hot air drying in the efficient processing of dried fruit and vegetable products.
Lineage 1 PRRSVs Infection Induces Hemorrhagic Injury in Intestines of Piglets: Effects on Complement and Coagulation Cascades

Zhao Y, Wang R, Li W, Ren G, Zhang Y, Guo R, et al.

Microb Pathog, 2024 May 13.
PMID: 38750776 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2024.106682

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) causes a highly transmissible disease of significant concern in the pig industry. Previous studies have demonstrated that the XM-2020 strain (a lineage 1.8 PRRSV IA/2012/NADC30) can induce special hemorrhagic injury in the small intestines. However, the specific mechanism underlying this injurious effect remains incompletely understood. In this study, we examined the pathogenic properties of XM-2020 and YC-2020 strains (a lineage 1.5 PRRSV IA/2014/NADC34) in piglets. Animal pathogenic tests revealed that with either Lineage 1 PRRSVs strains XM-2020 or YC-2020 demonstrated pronounced intestinal hemorrhage and suppression of peripheral immunological organs, comparing to JXA1 infection. Transcriptome analysis of diseased small intestines unveiled that PRRSV infection stimulated oxidative and inflammatory reactions. Remarkably, we also observed activation of the complement system alongside a notable down-regulation of complement and coagulation cascade pathways in the Lineage 1 PRRSVs infection group. Based on these findings, we propose that the primary mechanism driving the hemorrhagic injury of the small intestine caused by Lineage 1 PRRSVs is the suppression of complement and coagulation cascades resulting from immunosuppression. This discovery deepens our understanding of the pathogenicity of PRRSV in the small intestine and provides promising ways out for the development of innovative strategies aimed at controlling PRRSV.
Effect of moisture migration on texture and viscoelasticity of Chinese yam during multi-phase microwave drying (MMD) - focusing on the evaporation-dehydration stage

Yang M, Chen X, Wang L, Ren X, Liu W, Li L, et al.

Food Chem X, 2025 Feb;26:102314.
PMID: 40115502 DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2025.102314

This study aimed to assess the correlation between moisture migration and texture, as well as viscoelasticity of Chinese yam during the evaporation stage of multiphase microwave drying (MMD). A comparison of different drying strategies (Scheme I, Scheme II, and Scheme III) revealed that the water molecule mobility decreased as drying proceeded. In samples with higher water content at the transition point, the rapid migration of water during evaporation stage could result in a more pronounced collapse of the cellular and pore structure, leading to a denser product with increased hardness. Additionally, changes in the samples' textural and viscoelastic properties were significantly correlated with the moisture states. As water mobility decreased, the movement of molecular chains was restricted, leading to increased rigidity in the sample. These findings can provide theoretical guidance for the process optimization of MMD to meet consumers' demand for high-quality dried products.
Dosage-dependent effects of Semen Ziziphi Spinosae on post-acidification inhibition, protein structure and functional properties of goat milk fermented by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum

Wang Q, Nie M, Yang T, Che H, Shi Y, Cui C, et al.

J Sci Food Agric, 2026 Nov 03.
PMID: 42978181 DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.71128

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to prepare fermented goat milk yogurt (GMY) with graded Semen Ziziphi Spinosae (SZS) supplementation (0.0-2.5 g kg-1), and to explore the regulatory effects and underlying molecular mechanisms of SZS on gel properties, physicochemical quality and protein conformation of GMY co-fermented by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum L3 and commercial starter (YO-MIX 883 containing Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus). Physicochemical and antioxidant properties were assayed. Spectroscopic measurements coupled with particle-size and zeta-potential analyses characterized protein-conformational and colloidal-structure variations.
RESULTS: All GMY exhibited post-acidification during storage. The amount of 0.5-1.0 g kg-1 SZS raised titratable acidity, while 1.5-2.5 g kg-1 restrained acid accumulation. SZS dose-dependently increased hardness and consistency and reduced cohesiveness and adhesiveness; 2.0-2.5 g kg-1 groups showed the densest gel. SZS decreased particle size and raised absolute zeta potential to stabilize casein micelles, reduced L* and elevated total color difference (ΔE), turning samples creamy yellow. It remarkably improved DPPH and ABTS scavenging capacity, with the 2.5 g kg-1 group hitting 93.30 g 100 g-1. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), Raman and intrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy verified protein secondary structure rearrangement and reconstructed intermolecular forces. It was found 2.0 g kg-1 was the optimal dosage; overdose disrupted colloidal and protein conformational stability. SZS optimized casein polysaccharide networks through hydrogen, hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions.
CONCLUSION: Appropriate SZS supplementation achieved optimal quality regulation of GMY with substantially enhanced storage stability, gel texture and antioxidant activity. This study uncovered the molecular mechanism by which natural plant bioactive compounds improve fermented milk quality via regulating protein conformation and non-covalent interactions, providing theoretical support for the targeted formulation design of functional fermented dairy products. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.