Wheat bran, rich in phenolic compounds like ferulic acid, possesses notable antioxidant properties that may contribute to cancer treatment strategies. This study examined the effects of hydrolyzed arabinoxylan oligomers (HAOs) linked with ferulic acid from hard wheat bran on three human cancer cell lines: colon cancer (SW480), liver cancer (HepG2), and cervical cancer (HeLa). Cells were cultured in a three-dimensional (3D) 0.5% PGS matrix and exposed to varying concentrations (100, 500, and 1000 μg/mL) of wheat bran antioxidants (WBA) extracts. Results show that WBA inhibited growth of SW480 cells, significantly reducing spheroid expansion and promoting dehydration. In contrast, HepG2 cells exhibited increased growth under WBA treatment, suggesting a non-toxic, growth-enhancing effect. No significant changes were observed in HeLa cell growth, with cell viability remaining high across all treatments. These findings highlight the selective influence of WBA on cancer cell behavior, underscoring its potential for targeted, personalized cancer therapies. This study provides valuable insights into the application of antioxidant-rich compounds for modulating specific cancer cell dynamics, paving the way for novel therapeutic approaches.

The utilization of synthetic dyes in food industries is a great concern for food safety and health issues. So, natural pigments can be an excellent substitute for synthetic dyes and also health-friendly for consumers. In the experiment, natural pigments were extracted from tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) and red amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor L.). Then the stability and consumer acceptance of the extracted pigments were examined. The highest amount of pigment was extracted from turmeric (2.14 ± 0.30 %) with ethanol solvent, followed by tomato (0.67 ± 0.06 %) with hexane: acetone (1:1) solvent, and red amaranth (0.78 ± 0.05 %) with acetone solvent. Turmeric pigment showed the highest stability in high temperatures and light exposure. All of the pigments were highly stable in a neutral environment; however, tomato pigment showed the highest stability index (84.33 ± 2.52) at pH 3.0, but turmeric pigment showed the highest stability (91.67 ± 1.53) at pH 5.0. The simple preference test revealed that the use of turmeric pigment in boiled rice had the highest acceptance rate, and in terms of taste and flavor, red amaranth pigments in ice cream. So turmeric pigment can be utilized in high-temperature processing and/or acidic foods, but tomato and red amaranth pigments might be in low-temperature processing foods such as the ice-cream and soft drinks processing industry.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) possess broad differentiation potential; however, efficient maturation into functional hepatocytes remains challenging, in part because conventional differentiation strategies rely on 2D culture or partially defined 3D systems that fail to recapitulate key developmental microenvironmental cues. Although 3D culture has been shown to promote hepatic specification and maturation, a fully defined platform that supports the entire differentiation process from hiPSCs in 3D has not been established. Here, we report a scalable synthetic peptide hydrogel (PepGel) platform that enables hiPSCs to self-organize into long-term, proliferative luminal cavity (LC) architectures within 3D colonies (LC-hiPSCs). These LC-hiPSCs exhibited markedly enhanced differentiation efficiency compared to hiPSC aggregates generated via scaffold-free suspension methods. Using a shear-thinning, self-healing hydrogel configuration optimized for suspension culture, we produced large quantities of LC-hiPSCs and directed their differentiation into PepGel-derived hiPSC-derived hepatocyte-like cells (PG-hiHs). PG-hiHs formed polarized, multi-luminal organoid-like structures and exhibited robust expression of hepatocyte-specific genes and proteins, high cytochrome P450 activity, and in vitro metabolic functions comparable to primary human hepatocytes (PHHs). Following live shipment and transplantation into immunocompromised mouse livers, PG-hiHs engrafted efficiently and maintained human-specific albumin and alpha-1 antitrypsin secretion at PHH-equivalent levels. Furthermore, both LC-hiPSCs and PG-hiHs retained viability, structural organization, and phenotype in complex 3D bioprinted constructs for at least 14 days. Together, this work establishes a fully defined, reproducible, and scalable 3D platform that supports the entire differentiation process, overcoming limitations in hiPSC-derived hepatic maturation and enables physiologically relevant hepatocyte-like tissues for disease modeling, regenerative medicine, and biofabrication.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) hold great potential for regenerative medicine. However, optimizing their differentiation into specific lineages within three-dimensional (3D) scaffold-based culture systems that mimic in vivo environments remains challenging. This study examined the trilineage differentiation of hiPSCs under various 3D conditions using synthetic peptide hydrogel matrices with and without embryoid body (EB) medium induction. hiPSC 3D colonies (spheroids), naturally formed from single cells or small clusters in 3D culture, were used for differentiation into the three germ lineages. Differentiated spheroids exhibited distinct morphological characteristics and significantly increased expression of key lineage-specific markers—FOXA2 (endoderm), Brachyury (mesoderm), and PAX6 (ectoderm)—compared to undifferentiated controls. Marker expression varied depending on the 3D culture conditions. Differentiation efficiency improved significantly, increasing from 16% to 71% for endoderm, 61% to 80% for mesoderm, and 35% to 48% for ectoderm, by selecting the appropriate 3D matrix and applying EB induction. Comprehensive data analysis from RT-qPCR, immunocytochemistry staining, and flow cytometry confirmed that the Synthegel Spheroid (SGS) is a viable 3D matrix for evaluating all three germ lineages using a commercial trilineage differentiation kit. While EB induction is essential for endodermal differentiation, it is not required for mesodermal and ectodermal lineages. These findings are valuable not only for screening initial differentiation potential at the lineage level but also for optimizing 3D differentiation protocols for deriving somatic cells from hiPSCs.