To explore Auricularia auricula-judae polysaccharides (AAP) as natural anticoagulants for application in the functional food industry, ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) was optimized for the extraction of AAP by using a response surface methodology (RSM). The maximum extraction yield of crude AAP (14.74 mg/g) was obtained at the optimized extraction parameters as follows: Extraction temperature (74 °C), extraction time (27 min), the ratio of liquid to raw material (103 mL/g), and ultrasound power (198 W). Furthermore, the acidic AAP (aAAP) was precipitated with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) from crude AAP (cAAP). aAAP was further purified using ion exchange chromatography with a DEAE Purose 6 Fast Flow column to obtain aAAP-1. Additionally, according to the HPLC analysis, the aAAP-1 was mainly composed of mannose, glucuronic acid, glucose, galactose, and xylose, with a molar ratio of 80.63:9.88:2.25:1:31.13. Moreover, the results of the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), and thrombin time (TT) indicated aAAP-1 had anticoagulant activity, which was a synergic anticoagulant activity by the endogenous and exogenous pathway.

The increasing incidence of cardiovascular diseases has created an urgent need for safe and effective antithrombotic agents. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the structural characteristics and antithrombotic activity of a novel polysaccharide isolated from Auriculariaauricula fruiting bodies. The purified polysaccharide AAP-b2 (12.02 kDa) was composed of mannose, glucuronic acid, glucose and xylose, with a molar ratio of 89.25:30.50:4.25:1.00. Methylation and NMR analyses showed that AAP-b2 primarily consisted of →2,3)-Manp-(1→, →3)-Manp-(1→, →4)-GlcAp-(1→ and Manp-(1→. A thrombus mouse model induced by carrageenan was used in this research to evaluate its antithrombotic effect. AAP-b2 significantly inhibited platelet aggregation, reduced the black tail length and prolonged the coagulation time, including activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT) and thrombin time (TT), exerting a good inhibitory effect on thrombosis in mice. The antithrombotic activity of AAP-b2 was found to be related to the inhibition of platelet activation by regulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthases (eNOs), endothelin-1 (ET-1), prostacyclin (PGI2) and thromboxane B2 (TXB2), along with the enhancement of anticoagulant activity by affecting antithrombin III (AT-III) and protein C (PC) pathways.

As a globally cultivated and economic crop, beets are particularly important in the cane sugar and feed industries. Beet pigments are among the most important natural pigments, while various chemical components in beets display beneficial biological functions. Phenolic substances and betalains, as the main bioactive compounds, determine the functional characteristics of beets. This review categorizes the basic types of beets by the chemical composition of bioactive substances in their leaves, stems, and roots and emphatically summarizes the research progress made on the functions of two major substances in different types of beets: phenolic compounds and betalain pigments. This study provides useful insights for the comprehensive and effective application of beets in the health food and pharmaceutical industries.

To improve the deep processing and utilization of wild blueberries, this study presents a green and highly efficient method for extracting flavonoids from blueberries. The approach combines natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) with ultrasound-assisted extraction. Among the 22 tested NADES, Betaine/urea (BU), was the most effective solvent for extracting flavonoids from blueberries. The extraction parameters of ultrasound-assisted betaine/urea (UABU) were optimized using a response surface methodology (RSM). This optimization procedure yielded the optimized conditions outlined below: a molar ratio of urea to betaine of 3.3:1, a water content of 60% (m/v), an ultrasonic power of 330 W, a solid-to-liquid ratio of 1:30, an extraction temperature of 50 °C, and an ultrasonic extraction duration of 30 min. Under these conditions, the total flavonoid content (TFC) extracted using UABU reached 6.06 ± 0.024 mg_RE/g_DW, a 1.44-fold increase compared to ultrasound-assisted 70% (v/v) ethanol (UAE). Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) nontargeted metabolomics analysis revealed that the flavonoids extracted by UABU had highly relative content (RC) of Oenin, 3′-methoxy-4′,5,7-trihydroxyflavonol, Isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside and Isoquercitrin. Significant disparities exist regarding the types and RC of flavonoids obtained via UAE. Results from in vitro antioxidant assays demonstrated that UABU has superior antioxidant activity relative to UAE. This study demonstrated the feasibility of using NADESs, specifically BU, as an efficient and eco-friendly extraction medium for flavonoids from wild blueberries. The yield of flavonoids was increased by this method, and bioactive compounds were also protected—findings that underscore the potential of green solvents for application in the food industry.

Given the global risks associated with antibiotic overuse, antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) has become a widespread public health concern worldwide. Human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) and bifidobacteria are often used to prepare synbiotics to enhance their health effects. However, the synergistic effect of this combination in alleviating AAD remains unclear. In this study, lincomycin was used to establish a mouse model of AAD, and the effects of 3-fucosyllactose with 6'-sialyllactose, as well as Bifidobacterium bifidum, were evaluated. Further analyses examined the effects of HMO plus probiotics on the gut microbiota and its associated metabolites. In addition, the roles and underlying mechanisms of specific metabolites in AAD were investigated. The results indicate that HMO plus probiotics significantly ameliorate diarrheal symptoms in mice with AAD. This effect is reflected by increased body weight, markedly reduced diarrhea scores and fecal water content, significantly elevated aquaporin-3 (AQP3) expression, and substantially decreased levels of the inflammatory mediators tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β). Moreover, the combination of HMO and probiotics demonstrated superior efficacy compared with either intervention alone. Integrated microbiome-metabolomics analysis revealed that HMO plus probiotics significantly enriched Lactobacillus, a change that was potentially associated with increased levels of the gut metabolite indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). Indole-3-acetic acid plays a crucial role in intestinal barrier repair by promoting Muc2 expression and thereby enhancing the intestinal chemical barrier. Concurrently, IAA contributes to the restoration of the mechanical barrier by regulating claudin-1 protein expression. Furthermore, the effects of IAA were significantly attenuated following intervention with aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) inhibitors, indicating that IAA exerts its actions via activation of AhR. In summary, this study suggests that HMO plus probiotics may alleviate AAD by promoting IAA production via the gut microbiota, thereby activating the IAA/AhR/Muc2/claudin-1 axis. This research provides novel insights into microbiota-based interventions targeting intestinal health.