Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients may be at risk of vitamin B12 and folate insufficiencies, as these micronutrients are absorbed in the small intestine, which is affected by IBD. However, a consensus has not been reached on the association between IBD and serum folate and vitamin B12 concentrations. Methods: In this study, a comprehensive search of multiple databases was performed to identify studies focused on the association between IBD and serum folate and vitamin B12 concentrations. Studies that compared serum folate and vitamin B12 concentrations between IBD and control patients were selected for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Results: The main outcome was the mean difference in serum folate and vitamin B12 concentrations between IBD and control patients. Our findings indicated that the average serum folate concentration in IBD patients was significantly lower than that in control patients, whereas the mean serum vitamin B12 concentration did not differ between IBD patients and controls. In addition, the average serum folate concentration in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) but not Crohn’s disease (CD) was significantly lower than that in controls. This meta-analysis identified a significant relationship between low serum folate concentration and IBD. Conclusions: Our findings suggest IBD may be linked with folate deficiency, although the results do not indicate causation. Thus, providing supplements of folate and vitamin B12 to IBD patients may improve their nutritional status and prevent other diseases.

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality globally. In this study, the soybean lecithin–gallic acid complex was synthesized, and its physicochemical properties were evaluated, which confirmed the complex formation. Compared with the free state of the drug, gallic acid exhibited significantly different physicochemical properties after it was complexed with soybean lecithin. To clarify the binding mode between two monomers, computational investigation was performed. From the computational data, we deduced the structure of the compound and predicted that it has a high affinity for human phosphatidylcholine transfer protein and exhibits strong pharmacological activities in vivo. The complex not only effectively ameliorated liver fibrosis, lipid peroxidation, and oxidative stress, but also reduced liver iron overload in a mouse ALD model induced by alcohol (p < 0.05). Additionally, it regulated iron metabolism by inhibiting TfR1 expression (p < 0.05) and promoting hepcidin expression (p < 0.05). These results suggest that the soybean lecithin–gallic acid complex ameliorates hepatic damage and iron overload induced by alcohol and exert hepatoprotective effects.

Much research has indicated that alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is associated with oxidative stress and inflammation induced by ethanol, and that numerous antioxidants could effectively alleviate such injuries. Moreover, recent studies have identified andrographolide (AD) as having strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, which can block oxidative damage associated with nuclear factor kappa B (NF- κ B)-mediated inflammation. However, the biological role and potential mechanism of AD in its protection against ALD have not been fully characterized. To observe the possible effect of AD, male C57BL/6J mice received ethanol through intragastrical gavage for 12 weeks in this study. The ethanol group was separated into five subgroups: (1) model group ( n = 10); (2) silymarin group (0.1 mg/g body weight [BW], n = 10); (3) AD (0.05 mg/g BW) group ( n = 10); (4) AD (0.1 mg/g BW) group ( n = 10); and (5) AD (0.2 mg/g BW) group ( n = 10). Mice in AD groups were treated orally by gavage once per day. The experimental results show that serum aminotransferase, liver lipids, lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant capacities were significantly changed in the model group after alcohol treatment, and the liver tissue histological findings showed pathological changes. Compared with the model group, treatment with AD improved serum aminotransferase, liver function, lipid accumulation, and hepatic reactive oxygen species levels. And AD decreased the hepatic NF- κ B and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF- α ) protein expression of ALD mice. This research demonstrated that AD can alleviate liver pathological injury and oxidative stress in mice exposed to ethanol by decreasing the expression of NF- κ B and TNF- α .

Lack of bioactivity has seriously restricted the development of biodegradable implants in bone tissue engineering. In this study, Bone Morphogenic Protein 2 (BMP-2) was photo-immobilized on the poly(lactide-co-glycolide)/hydroxyapatite (PLGA/HA) and pure PLGA composites via photo-reactive gelatin (Az-Gel). The results demonstrate that the Az-Gel facilitates efficient and long-term immobilization of peptides on the surface of PLGA. The immobilization of Az-Gel enhanced the adhesion and proliferation of Mouse Adipose-Derived Stem Cells (ADSCs), while HA incorporation facilitated cellular osteodifferentiation. The immobilization of BMP-2 induced the osteogenesis of the ADSCs, indicated by alkaline phosphatase activity, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis and mineralization on the deposited substrates. Furthermore, the surface immobilization of BMP-2 could not only reduce the amount of growth factor, but also have a long-term osteoinductive effect. Therefore, it is considered that the surface modification method has a great potential for the enhancement of osteointegration of biodegradable bone implants.