Hypercholesterolemia represents a serious public health problem as it significantly increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Monacolin K (MK) in red yeast rice is an active compound that can effectively lower plasma cholesterol. To enhance the yield of MK in solid state fermentation of Monascus purpureus HNU01, the effects of different variables were systematically examined in single-factor experiments. The optimal conditions for the production of red yeast rice rich in MK were as follows: initial pH value 5.5, initial moisture content 40% w/w, glucose 50 g L⁻¹, peptone 20 g L⁻¹, MgSO₄ 0.5 g L⁻¹, KH₂PO₄ 1 g L⁻¹, variable temperature fermentation (30 °C for the first 3 days and then 24 °C for 15 days), total fermentation time of 18 days, and additional water added at day 4 at 10% w/w. Under the above optimized conditions, the MK content of red yeast rice produced by fermentation was 9.5 mg g⁻¹. No citrinin was detected in any of the batches of fermentation products. The results will be useful for the large-scale production of high-quality red yeast rice with health benefits for consumers.

Endogenous gases have attracted much attention due to their potent applications in disease therapies. The combined therapy, including gaseous molecules and other medicines that can create synergistic effects, is a new way for future treatment. However, due to the gaseous state, gas utilization in medical service is still limited. To pave the way for future usage, in this work, an amphiphilic block copolymer containing nitrobenzyl ether, 3-hydroxyflavone (3-HF) derivatives and ether linker was constructed. The nitrobenzyl ether group endows the polymer with a photo-responsive character. Upon light illumination, 3-HF derivatives can be triggered for carbon monoxide (CO) release. The ether linker can also be released emitting formaldehyde (FA). The self-assembly induced micelle can encompass medicine, e.g., doxorubicin (DOX), into it and a controlled release of DOX can be realized upon light illumination. As far as we know, there is no report on the combination donor of CO and DOX and this is the first attempt on the co-release of CO, FA and DOX.

Before fermentation with hemicellulosic hydrolysate as a substrate, it is generally necessary to detoxify the toxic substances that are harmful to microorganism growth. Cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP) is a global regulator, and mutation of its key sites may have an important impact on E. coli virulence tolerance. Using corncob hydrolysate without ion-exchange or lime detoxification as the substrate, shake flask fermentation experiments showed that CRP mutant IS5-dG (I112L, T127G, A144T) produced 18.4 g/L of xylitol within 34 h, and the OD₆₀₀ was 9.7 at 24 h; these values were 41.5% and 21.3% higher than those of the starting strain, IS5-d, respectively. This mutant produced 82 g/L of xylitol from corncob hydrolysate without ion-exchange or lime detoxification during fed-batch fermentation in a 15-L bioreactor, with a productivity of 1.04 g/L/h; these values were 173% and 174% higher than the starting strain, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the highest xylitol concentration and productivity produced by microbial fermentation using completely non-detoxified hemicellulosic hydrolysate as the substrate to date. This study also showed that alkali neutralization, high temperature sterilization, and fermentation of the hydrolysate had important effects on the xylose loss rate and xylitol production.

Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata (Fu Zi) is the processed lateral root of Aconitum carmichaelii Debx, which is widely used in emergency clinics. Poisoning incidents and adverse reactions occur with the improper intake of Fu Zi. Metabolic characteristics of aconitum alkaloids of Fu Zi may vary, and the effects of Fu Zi in healthy and Long QT syndrome (LQTS) patients is unknown. In this experiment, 24 Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: 2.0, 1.0, and 0.5 g/kg dose groups, and blood samples were collected after the oral administration of Fu Zi extract. We used an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry system to detect the concentrations of six aconitum alkaloids. Cell toxicity, calcium imaging, and patch-clamp recordings of human induced pluripotent stem cells-cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) of aconitine in healthy and LQTS were observed. We found that the AUC_(0–48h), C_max, and t_1/2 of the six compounds increased with the multiplicative dosages; those in the high group were significantly higher than those in the low group. Aconitine concentration-dependently decreased the amplitude, which has no significant effect on the cell index of normal hiPSC-CMs. Aconitine at 5.0 μM decreased the cell index between 5–30 min for LQTS hiPSC-CMs. Meanwhile, aconitine significantly increased the frequency of calcium transients in LQTS at 5 μM. Aconitine significantly shortened the action potential duration of human cardiomyocytes in both normal and LQTS groups. These results show metabolic behaviors of aconitum alkaloids in different concentrations of Fu Zi and effects of aconitine in healthy and LQTS patients.

The difficult-to-remove CaSO₄ scale layer attached to an evaporator wall is a major problem in related industries.