Traditionally, the carnitine pool is closely related to fatty acid metabolism. However, with increasing research, the pleiotropic effects of the carnitine pool have gradually emerged. The purpose of this review is to comprehensively investigate of the emerging understanding of the pleiotropic role of the carnitine pool, carnitine/acylcarnitines are not only auxiliaries or metabolites of fatty acid oxidation, but also play more complex and diverse roles, including energy metabolism, mitochondrial homeostasis, epigenetic regulation, regulation of inflammation and the immune system, tumor biology, signal transduction, and neuroprotection. This review provides an overview of the complex network of carnitine synthesis, transport, shuttle, and regulation, carnitine/acylcarnitines have the potential to be used as communication molecules, biomarkers and therapeutic targets for multiple diseases, with profound effects on intercellular communication, metabolic interactions between organs and overall metabolic health. The purpose of this review is to comprehensively summarize the multidimensional biological effects of the carnitine pool beyond its traditional role in fatty acid oxidation and to summarize the systemic effects mediated by carnitine/acylcarnitine to provide new perspectives for pharmacological research and treatment innovation and new strategies for the prevention and treatment of a variety of diseases.

Inflammation has been shown to trigger a wide range of chronic diseases, particularly inflammatory diseases. As a result, the focus of research has been on anti-inflammatory drugs and foods. In recent years, the field of medicinal and edible homology (MEH) has developed rapidly in both medical and food sciences, with 95% of MEH being associated with plants. Phenolic acids are a crucial group of natural bioactive substances found in medicinal and edible homologous plants (MEHPs). Their anti-inflammatory activity is significant as they play a vital role in treating several inflammatory diseases. These compounds possess enormous potential for developing anti-inflammatory drugs and functional foods. However, their development is far from satisfactory due to their diverse structure and intricate anti-inflammatory mechanisms. In this review, we summarize the various types, structures, and distribution of MEHP phenolic acids that have been identified as of 2023. We also analyze their anti-inflammatory activity and molecular mechanisms in inflammatory diseases through NF-κB, MAPK, NLRP3, Nrf2, TLRs, and IL-17 pathways. Additionally, we investigate their impact on regulating the composition of the gut microbiota and immune responses. This analysis lays the groundwork for further exploration of the anti-inflammatory structure-activity relationship of MEHP phenolic acids, aiming to inspire structural optimization and deepen our understanding of their mechanism, and provides valuable insights for future research and development in this field.

The extraction of natural products with available green and safe solvents is rather limited. Recently, deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have attracted growing interest as sustainable and safe solvents. However, few studies have applied DESs in the extraction and determination of phenolic acids. Therefore, in the present study, DESs (alcohol-based) were applied to extract rosmarinic acid and salviaflaside, which were the predominant phenolic acids in Prunella vulgaris. The extraction yield acted as the comprehensive evaluation index, and a central composite design (CCD) of the response surface liquid/solid ratio methodology (RSM) was employed to further optimize the alcohol-based DES extraction conditions. The results showed that the optimized extraction conditions included a water/DES ratio of 36% (v/v), liquid/solid ratio of 14 mL g⁻¹, extraction temperature of 86 °C and extraction time of 46 min for rosmarinic acid as well as a water/DES ratio of 30% (v/v), liquid/solid ratio of 12 mL g⁻¹, extraction temperature of 89 °C and extraction time of 32 min for salviaflaside in ChCl/ethylene glycol at 1/4 ratio. Under these conditions, the mean experimental value of the extraction yields (3.658 and 1.049 mg g⁻¹ for rosmarinic acid and salviaflaside) corresponded well with the predicted values. Moreover, these experimental values were higher and safer than those obtained from previously reported conventional extraction methods. This study suggests that DESs can be utilized as sustainable and safe extraction media for natural products.

Background. Total flavonoids content (TFC) is one of the most important quality indexes ofGinkgo bilobaleaf, and it is concerned with total antioxidant activity. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) method has showed its advantages in fast, accurate, qualitative, and quantitative analysis of various components in many quality control researches. In this study, a calibration model was built by partial least squares regression (PLSR) coupling with NIR spectrum to quantitatively analyze the TFC and total antioxidant activity ofGinkgo bilobaleaf.Results. During the model establishing, some spectrum pretreatment and outlier diagnosis methods were optimized to establish the final model. The coefficients of determination (R²) for TFC and total antioxidant activity prediction were 0.8863 and 0.8486, respectively; and the root mean square errors of prediction (RMSEP) were 2.203 mg/g and 0.2211 mM/g, respectively.Conclusion. These results showed that NIR method combined with chemometrics is suitable for quantitative analysis of main components and their activities and might be applied to quality control of relevant products.

Bile acids and their corresponding intestinal epithelial receptors, the farnesoid X receptor (FXR), the G protein-coupled bile acid receptor (TGR5), play crucial roles in the physiological and pathological processes of intestinal epithelial cells. These acids and receptors are involved in the regulation of intestinal absorption, signal transduction, cellular proliferation and repair, cellular senescence, energy metabolism, and the modulation of gut microbiota. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, employing keywords such as bile acid, bile acid receptor, FXR (nr1h4), TGR5 (gpbar1), intestinal epithelial cells, proliferation, differentiation, senescence, energy metabolism, gut microbiota, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), colorectal cancer (CRC), and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), with a focus on publications available in English. This review examines the diverse effects of bile acid signaling and bile receptor pathways on the proliferation, differentiation, senescence, and energy metabolism of intestinal epithelial cells. Additionally, it explores the interactions between bile acids, their receptors, and the microbiota, as well as the implications of these interactions for host health, particularly in relation to prevalent intestinal diseases. Finally, the review highlights the importance of developing highly specific ligands for FXR and TGR5 receptors in the context of metabolic and intestinal disorders.