Chinese pickled cabbage is a traditional fermented food that contains abundant microbes produced during the process of fermentation. In this work, an in vivo animal study was conducted to investigate the effects of a newly isolated lactic acid bacterium (Lactobacillus plantarum CQPC11, LP-CQPC11) on d-galactose-induced oxidation and aging in mice. Analysis of the serum and tissue samples of these mice using molecular biology approaches showed that LP-CQPC11 suppressed the decrease in thymus, brain, heart, liver, spleen, and kidney indices caused by oxidation and aging. Furthermore, LP-CQPC11 increased the levels of SOD (superoxide dismutase), GSH-Px (glutathione peroxidase), and GSH (glutathione), whereas it reduced the levels of NO (nitric oxide) and MDA (malondialdehyde) in the serum, liver, and spleen of oxidation and aging mouse models. Pathological observation indicated that LP-CQPC11 alleviated the damage caused by oxidation and aging on the liver and spleen of mice. qPCR analysis indicated that LP-CQPC11 effectively upregulated the expression of nNOS (neuronal nitric oxide synthase), eNOS (endothelial nitric oxide synthase), Cu/Zn-SOD (cuprozinc-superoxide dismutase), Mn-SOD (manganese superoxide dismutase), CAT (catalase), HO-1 (heme oxygenase-1), Nrf2 (nuclear factor-erythroid 2 related factor 2), γ-GCS (γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase), and NQO1 (NAD(P)H dehydrogenase [quinone] 1), but downregulated the expression of iNOS (inducible nitric oxide synthase) in the mouse liver and spleen. Western blot analysis showed that LP-CQPC11 effectively upregulated SOD1 (Cu/Zn-SOD), SOD2 (Mn-SOD), CAT, GSH1 (c-glutamylcysteine synthetase), and GSH2 (glutathione synthetase) protein expression in mouse liver and spleen tissues. These findings suggest that LP-CQPC11 can effectively prevent d-galactose-induced oxidation and aging in mice, and the effect is even better than that of the commonly used Lactobacillus delbruechii subsp. bulgaricus (LDSB) and vitamin C in the industry. Thus, LP-CQPC11 may be potentially employed as a probiotic strain.

Bear bile was used as a traditional medicine or tonic in East Asia, and ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is the most important compound in bear bile. Further, synthetic UDCA is also used in modern medicine and nutrition; therefore, its further functional effects warrant research, in vitro methods could be used for the fundamental research of its anticancer effects. In this study, the apoptotic effects of UDCA in human oral squamous carcinoma HSC-3 cells through the activation of caspases were observed by the experimental methods of MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide) assay, DAPI (4’,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) staining, flow cytometry analysis, RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) assay and Western blot assay after HSC-3 cells were treated by different concentrations of UDCA. With 0 to 400 μg/mL UDCA treatment, UDCA had strong growth inhibitory effects in HSC-3 cells, but had almost no effect in HOK normal oral cells. At concentrations of 100, 200 and 400 μg/mL, UDCA could induce apoptosis compared to untreated control HSC-3 cells. Treatment of 400 μg/mL UDCA could induce more apoptotic cancer cells than 100 and 200 μg/mL treatment; the sub-G1 DNA content of 400 μg/mL UDCA treated cancer cells was 41.3% versus 10.6% (100 μg/mL) and 22.4% (200 μg/mL). After different concentrations of UDCA treatment, the mRNA and protein expressions of caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9, Bax, Fas/FasL (Fas ligand), TRAIL (TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand), DR4 (death receptor 4) and DR5 (death receptor 5) were increased in HSC-3 cells, and mRNA and protein expressions of Bcl-2 (B-cell lymphoma 2), Bcl-xL (B-cell lymphoma-extra large), XIAP (X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein), cIAP-1 (cellular inhibitor of apoptosis 1), cIAP-2 (cellular inhibitor of apoptosis 2) and survival were decreased. Meanwhile, at the highest concentration of 400 μg/mL, caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9, Bax, Fas/FasL, TRAIL, DR4, DR5, and IκB-α expression levels were the highest, and Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, XIAP, cIAP-1, cIAP-2, survival, and NF-κB expression levels were the lowest. These results proved that UDCA could induce apoptosis of HSC-3 cancer cells through caspase activation, and the higher concentration of UDCA had stronger effects in vitro. UDCA might be a good nutrient for oral cancer prevention.

This study mainly investigated the influences of Lactobacillus plantarum CQPC05 (CQPC05) isolated from pickled vegetables on mouse constipation caused by activated carbon water. We used 16S rDNA technology to identify the microorganism, and activated carbon to establish a mouse constipation model. After the mice received L. plantarum (10⁹ CFU/mL) by gavage, small intestine tissue sections were collected. The serum indices and small intestine-related mRNA expression were obtained. A strain of L. plantarum was identified, and named CQPC05. The body weight and activated carbon progradation rate in the mice of the CQPC05 treatment groups were significantly higher than those in the control group, and the excretion time of the first tarry stool was earlier than that of the control group. The results of serum indices indicated that serum gastrin (Gas), endothelin (ET), and acetylcholinesterase (AchE) levels in the CQPC05 treatment groups were significantly higher than those in the control group, while the somatostatin (SS) level was significantly lower. Compared to the constipation control group, the result of q-PCR demonstrated that CQPC05 could up-regulate the mRNA expression of c-Kit (stem cell factor receptor), SCF (stem cell factor), and GDNF (glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor) genes, and down-regulate the expression of TRPV1 (transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1) and iNOS (inducible nitric oxide synthase). In conclusion, L. plantarum CQPC05 can effectively alleviate constipation, and has good probiotic potential and application value.

As a traditional Chinese drink, tea is favored for its rich flavor and its medicinal functionality. In this study, the in vitro bioactivities of Wushanshencha (WST; a local tea from Chongqing, China), which is processed mainly from the leaves of the wild Malus hupehensis (Pamp.) Rehd.). We assessed the scavenging capacity of tea extracts on 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH); 2, 2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6- sulphonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS); and hydroxyl (OH) free radicals, and demonstrate the high antioxidant activity and dose-dependent relationship of these extracts. We also detail the anti-mutagenic effect of these tea extracts against the Salmonella typhimurium TA98 strain induced by the 2, 7-diaminofluorene (2, 7-AF) mutagen and the TA100 strain induced by the N-methyl-N′-nitro- N- nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) mutagen at concentrations of 1.25 and 2.50 mg/plate, respectively, with the high-dose groups showing better results. We investigated the anticancer mechanisms of WST extracts (40, 100, and 160 μg/mL) in HepG2 human hepatoma cells via 3-(4, 5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The results showed that the proliferation of HepG2 cells was significantly inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by the tea extracts. Moreover, apoptosis in HepG2 cells was induced via upregulation of Caspase-3, Caspase-7, Caspase-8, Caspase-9, p21, p53, and Bax as well as downregulation of Bcl-2 apoptosis-associated factors, as assessed via mRNA expression levels after treating with WST extracts. The expression of inflammation-related factors, e.g., NF-κB, and Cox-2, was significantly downregulated by the WST extracts, demonstrating its inflammatory properties. Together, these observations indicated that WST extracts have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. In addition, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis showed that WST extracts contained chlorogenic acid, 4-hydroxycinnamic acid, isoquercitrin, taxifolin, quercitrin, rosmarinic acid, myricetin, baicalin, neosperidin dihydrochalcone, and quercetin. As such, WST appears to be an effectively functional drink, due to its rich functional components and anti-cancer activity.