Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBPs), as bioactive compounds extracted from L. barbarum L. fruit, have been widely explored for their potential health properties. The extraction and structural characterization methods of LBPs were reviewed to accurately understand the extraction method and structural and biological functions of LBPs. An overview of the biological functions of LBPs, such as antioxidant function, antitumor activity, neuroprotective effects, immune regulating function, and other functions, were summarized. This review provides an overview of LBPs and a theoretical basis for further studying and extending the applications of LBPs in the fields of medicine and food.

Traditional noninvasive blood pressure measurement methods in experimental animals are time consuming and difficult to operate, particularly for large numbers of animals. In this study, the possibility of sensing fecal odor to estimate the blood pressure status of spontaneous hypertension rats (SHRs) was explored with the aim of establishing a new method for non-invasive monitoring of blood pressure. The body weight and blood pressure of SHRs kept increasing with growth, and the odor information monitored using an E-nose varied with the blood pressure status, particularly for sensors S6 and S7. The fecal information was analyzed using principal component analysis, canonical discriminant analysis and multilayer perception neural networks (MLP) to discriminate SHRs from normal ones, with a 100% correct classification rate. For better prediction of blood pressure, the model built using multiple linear regression analysis, partial least squares regression analysis and multilayer perceptron neural network analysis were used, with coefficients of determination (R²) ranging from 0.8036 to 0.9926. Moreover, the best prediction model for blood pressure was established using MLP analysis with an R²¬ higher than 0.91. Thus, changes in blood pressure levels can be tracked non-invasively, and normotension can be distinguished from hypertension or even at different hypertension levels based on the odor information of rat feces, providing a foundation for non-invasive health monitoring. This work might provide potential instructions for functional food research aimed at lowering blood pressure.

For the evaluation of food efficacy, in vitro experiments and cell and animal models are heavily relied on, with a need for quick and non-invasive monitoring methods. In this study, the fecal odor of aging mice supplemented with goat whey powder was obtained by an E-nose, and the correlation between odor information and the antioxidant indexes, serum antibody, cytokine, and intestinal bacteria were analyzed, aiming to establish a non-invasive method for monitoring and differentiating the effect of goat whey powder. As a result, the fecal odor differed with intervention groups and intervention time, and most of the sensor responses were significantly correlated with weight gain rate, SOD activity, and MDA content. For serum antibodies, cytokines, IL-2, and IL-6 were negatively correlated with the responses of sensor S7. A strong correlation was found between the E-nose sensor responses and the dominant intestinal bacteria. The E-nose could differentiate aging mice of different intervention times and intervention groups with canonical discriminate analysis (CDA). The effective predictive model was built by multiple linear regression (MLR) and a multilayer perceptron neural network (MLP) for SOD, MDA, and weight gain rate, with R² ranging from 0.1571 to 0.6361. These results indicated that E-nose technology could be used in the tracking of goat whey powder intervention in aging mice.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the migration and distribution characteristics of trace elements in the soil–tea system in the Cuiya tea area of Meitan County, Guizhou Province. Methods: The contents of trace elements (Cd, Fe, La, Mg, Mn, Ni, Se, Pr, Sm, Zn) in tea and soil samples were determined by inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Results: The average contents of heavy metals in soil and tea from Meitan County were below the Chinese national standards, while also meeting the criteria for selenium enrichment. Within the soil–tea system, Mn in tea leaves exhibited a significant negative correlation with soil Mn, while Cd showed a significant positive correlation with soil Cd. This pattern was consistent across both the topsoil and subsoil. The tea plants exhibited a high enrichment capacity for Mn, Mg, and Zn, but a low capacity for Sm, Fe, and Cd. Among the studied areas, the enrichment effect was most pronounced in SL, XH, and MJ towns. Conclusions: Significant spatial variations were observed in the concentrations of trace elements in both tea and soil across the Meitan tea area. This study provides a scientific basis for understanding the enrichment and migration of trace elements within the soil–tea system of Meitan County, Guizhou, and for tracing the geographical origin of its tea.