The widespread occurrence of microplastics (MPLs) and nanoplastics (NPLs), collectively abbreviated as M/NPLs, has markedly affected the ecosystem and has become a global threat to human health. Multiple investigations have shown that the chronic ingestion of M/NPLs negatively affects gut barrier function but the mechanism remains unclear. Herein, this research has investigated the toxic effects of pristine polystyrene (PS) M/NPLs, negatively charged carboxylated polystyrene M/NPLs (PS-COOH) and positively charged aminated polystyrene M/NPLs (PS-NH₂) of two sizes (70 nm and 5 μm in diameter) in mice. Gavage of these PS M/NPLs for 28 days caused obvious injuries to the gut tract, leading to the decreased expression of tight junction proteins. The toxicity of the M/NPLs was ranked as PS-NH₂ > PS-COOH > pristine PS. Oral administration of these M/NPLs resulted in marked gut microbiota dysbiosis. The M/NPLs-enriched genera generally contained opportunistic pathogens which are accompanied by a deteriorated intestinal barrier function, while most M/NPLs-decreased bacteria were beneficial microbes with known tight junction-promoting functions, implicating an important indirect toxic effect of gut microbiota dysbiosis in M/NPLs-induced gut barrier dysfunction. In conclusion, this research highlights the importance of gut microbiota in the toxicity of M/NPLs exposure on gut barrier function, providing novel insights into the adverse effects of M/NPLs exposure on human health.

Hypertension is one of the most important risk factors for cardio-cerebral vascular diseases, which brings a heavy economic burden to society and becomes a major public health problem. At present, ...

Agarwood, a highly precious non-timber fragrant wood of Aquilaria spp. (Thymelaeaceae), has been widely used in traditional medicine, religious rites, and cultural activities. Due to the inflated demanding and depleted natural resources, the yields of agarwood collected from the wild are shrinking, and the price is constantly rising, which restricts agarwood scientific research and wide application. With the sustainable planting and management of agarwood applied, and especially the artificial-inducing methods being used in China and Southeast Asian countries, agarwood yields are increasing, and the price is becoming more reasonable. Under this condition, illuminating the scientific nature of traditional agarwood application and developing new products and drugs from agarwood have become vitally important. Recently, the phytochemical investigations have achieved fruitful results, and more than 300 compounds have been isolated, including numerous new compounds that might be the characteristic constituents with physiological action. However, no one has focused on the new compounds and presented a summary until now. Alongside phytochemical advances, bioactivity screening and pharmacological investigation have also made a certain progress. Therefore, this review discussed the new compounds isolated after 2010, and summarized the pharmacological progress on agarwood and Aquilaria plants.

Chronic overconsumption of TiO₂NPs-containing foods, such as gum, candy and puddings, is likely to deteriorate the gastrointestinal tract and change the structures of microbiota.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a significant global health concern. The gut microbiota plays an essential role in the onset and development of IBD. Sanghuangporus (SH), a traditional Chinese medicinal mushroom, has excellent anti‐inflammatory effects and is effective at modulating the gut microbiota. Despite these attributes, the specific anticolitic effects of SH and the mechanisms through which the gut microbiota mediates its benefits remain unclear. Herein, we demonstrated that polyphenol‐rich extract from SH effectively alleviated the pathological symptoms of dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)‐induced colitis in mice by modulating the gut microbiota. Treatment with SH distinctly enriched Alistipes, especially Alistipes onderdonkii, and its metabolite 5‐hydroxyindole‐3‐acetic acid (5HIAA). Oral gavage of live A. onderdonkii or 5HIAA potently mitigated DSS‐induced colitis in mice. Moreover, both 5HIAA and SH significantly activated the aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), and the administration of an AhR antagonist abrogated their protective effects against colitis. These results underscore the potent efficacy of SH in diminishing DSS‐induced colitis through the promotion of A. onderdonkii and 5HIAA, ultimately activating AhR signaling. This study unveils potential avenues for developing therapeutic strategies for colitis based on the interplay between SH and the gut microbiota.

Hyperlipidemia is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. In this study, we investigated the potential effects of cordycepin (3′-deoxyadenosine), a bioactive component of the fungus Cordyceps militaris, on hyperlipidemia. We found that in male Syrian golden hamsters fed a high-fat diet (HFD), daily administration of cordycepin effectively reduced the accumulation of serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) and suppressed HFD-associated increases in relative retroperitoneal fat. It also increased the levels of phospho–AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and phospho–acetyl-CoA carboxylase (phospho-ACC) in liver and retroperitoneal adipose tissues. In HepG2 cells, cordycepin stimulated robust concentration- and time-dependent AMPK activation that correlated with the activation of ACC and the suppression of lipid biosynthesis. However, pretreatment with compound C, a specific inhibitor of AMPK, substantially abolished the effects of cordycepin on AMPK activation and lipid biosynthesis inhibition. These results indicate that cordycepin prevents hyperlipidemia via activation of AMPK. Experiments on abnormal metabolic mice indicated that cordycepin can also improve insulin sensitivity effectively.