The rapid spread of antibiotic resistance and lack of effective drugs for treating infections caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria in animal and human medicine have forced us to find new antibacterial strategies. Natural products have served as powerful therapeutics against bacterial infection and are still an important source for the discovery of novel antibacterial drugs. Curcumin, an important constituent of turmeric, is considered safe for oral consumption to treat bacterial infections. Many studies showed that curcumin exhibited antibacterial activities against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. The antibacterial action of curcumin involves the disruption of the bacterial membrane, inhibition of the production of bacterial virulence factors and biofilm formation, and the induction of oxidative stress. These characteristics also contribute to explain how curcumin acts a broad-spectrum antibacterial adjuvant, which was evidenced by the markedly additive or synergistical effects with various types of conventional antibiotics or non-antibiotic compounds. In this review, we summarize the antibacterial properties, underlying molecular mechanism of curcumin, and discuss its combination use, nano-formulations, safety, and current challenges towards development as an antibacterial agent. We hope that this review provides valuable insight, stimulates broader discussions, and spurs further developments around this promising natural product.

This study investigates the protective effect of baicalein on carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)-induced acute liver injury and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Mice were orally administrated baicalein at 25 and 100 mg/kg/day for 7 consecutive days or ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1) at 10 mg/kg was i.p. injected in mice at 2 and 24 h prior to CCl₄ injection or the vehicle. Our results showed that baicalein or Fer-1 supplementation significantly attenuated CCl₄ exposure-induced elevations of serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase, and malondialdehyde levels in the liver tissues and unregulated glutathione levels. Baicalein treatment inhibited the nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) pathway, activated the erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) pathway in liver tissues, and markedly improved CCl₄-induced apoptosis, inflammation and ferroptosis in liver tissues exposed with CCl₄. In vitro, baicalein treatment improved CCl₄ -induced decreases of cell viabilities and knockdown of Nrf2 and arachidonate 12-lipoxygenase (ALOX12) genes partly abolished the protective effect of baicalein on CCl₄ -induced cytotoxicity in HepG2 cells. In conclusion, our results reveal that baicalein supplementation ameliorates CCl₄-induced acute liver injury in mice by upregulating the antioxidant defense pathways and downregulating oxidative stress, apoptosis, inflammation and ferroptosis, which involved the activation of Nrf2 pathway and the inhibition of ALOX12 and NF-κB pathways.

Food additives play an important role in the food supply, and it has been a food safety topic of great concern to the public. There has been no systematic research on Chinese consumers’ concerns, attitudes, feelings, or opinions on supervision and media coverage of food additives in the past decade, which is an area worth exploring. This study was carried out to deeply understand consumers’ cognition of food additives and formulate food safety risk communication strategies of food additives in China. Big data of consumers’ online public opinion of China on food additives from 2011 to 2020 was collected and cleaned up using Haina Network Public Opinion Monitoring System version 2.0 (HNPOMS V2.0), followed by data analysis and visual display with the Ansi Food Safety Risk Communication System version 2.0 (AFSRCS V2.0). The results showed that the types of food additives of concern to the public have changed from 2011 to 2020, but the amount of food additives has always been of concern. The type of incident that the public is most concerned about is the illegal addition or abuse of additives. The public’s confidence in food production enterprises has been insufficient, but the functions of market supervision are becoming clearer and clearer, and their expectations are constantly increasing. Consumers’ cognition level increases with the strengthening of publicity and popular science, but the influence of “self-media” on public cognition is increasing day by day, and there is cognitive deviation, making it easy to mislead the public. Consumers’ cognition of food additives is the basis of risk communication. Combined with the research results, this paper puts forward corresponding suggestions on the market and social supervision measures, network media guidance strategy and risk communication strategy of China, respectively.