Hyperuricemia is an important risk factor for many diseases including hypertension and type 2 diabetes. This study investigated and compared the effects of hydrolysates of two sea cucumber species, Apostichopus japonicus and Acaudina leucoprocta, on the alleviation of diet-induced hyperuricemia and renal inflammation. The structure and abundance of oligopeptides in enzymatic hydrolysates of A. japonicus (EH-JAP) and A. leucoprocta (EH-LEU) were identified via MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS, and the anti-hyperuricemic and anti-inflammatory effects of the hydrolysates were explored in a diet-induced hyperuricemic mouse model. Both EH-JAP and EH-LEU inhibit uric acid biosynthesis and promote uric acid excretion, leading to the alleviation of the hyperuricemic phenotype. In addition, these two treatments down-regulated the transcription of pro-inflammatory cytokines, up-regulated the transcription of anti-inflammatory cytokines, and inhibited the activation of the Toll-like receptor 4/myeloid differentiation factor 88/NF-kappaB (TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB) signaling pathway, leading to the alleviation of renal inflammation. EH-JAP had better effects than EH-LEU due to differences in their regulation of uric acid biosynthesis, uric acid excretion and release of anti-inflammatory cytokines. In addition, EH-JAP and EH-LEU treatment alleviated the dysfunction of the gut microbiota by increasing the abundance of beneficial Lactobacillus and short-chain fatty acid producers and decreasing the abundance of opportunistic pathogens. This study provides a valuable reference for the development of sea cucumber applications.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) has a strong tolerance to high salt stress. It is a major reason as to why the contamination of S. aureus in salted food cannot be eradicated. To elucidate its response and survival mechanisms, changes in the morphology, biofilm formation, virulence, transcriptome, and metabolome of S. aureus were investigated. IsaA positively regulates and participates in the formation of biofilm. Virulence was downregulated to reduce the depletion of nonessential cellular functions. Inositol phosphate metabolism was downregulated to reduce the conversion of functional molecules. The MtsABC transport system was downregulated to reduce ion transport and signaling. Aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis was upregulated to improve cellular homeostasis. The betaine biosynthesis pathway was upregulated to protect the active structure of proteins and nucleic acids. Within a 10% NaCl concentration, the L-proline content was upregulated to increase osmotic stability. In addition, 20 hub genes were identified through an interaction analysis. The findings provide theoretical support for the prevention and control of salt-tolerant bacteria in salted foods.

Previous studies confirmed that dietary supplements of fish oil and krill oil can alleviate obesity in mice, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study aims to discern whether oil treatment change the structure of the gut microbiota during the obesity alleviation. The ICR mice received high-fat diet (HFD) continuously for 12 weeks after two weeks of acclimatization with a standard chow diet, and the mice fed with a standard chow diet were used as the control. In the groups that received HFD with oil supplementation, the weight gains were attenuated and the liver index, total cholesterol, triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were reduced stepwise compared with the HFD group, and the overall structure of the gut microbiota, which was modulated in the HFD group, was shifted toward the structure found in the control group. Moreover, eighty-two altered operational taxonomic units responsive to oil treatment were identified and nineteen of them differing in one or more parameters associated with obesity. In conclusion, this study confirmed the effect of oil treatment on obesity alleviation, as well as on the microbiota structure alterations. We proposed that further researches are needed to elucidate the causal relationship between obesity alleviation and gut microbiota modulation.