Bimetallic SnBi catalyst in metal-organic framework for efficient electrocatalytic CO2 conversion.

Beyond simple inhibition: Unveiling the non-monotonic impact and multi-level mechanisms of aged microplastics on sludge anaerobic digestion.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a notorious bacterial pathogen causing chronic pulmonary infections in people with cystic fibrosis (CF) due to its high tolerance to antibiotics and ability to form recalcitrant biofilms. A newer approach to attenuate the virulence of P. aeruginosa in CF could be the local reinforcement of a resilient community of competing bacteria in the lung. Lactobacilli can mediate antagonistic effects against P. aeruginosa by production of organic acids, but it is not entirely clear if they can exert this beneficial effect locally at the site of infection. While the nutritional environment of the airways in CF promotes P. aeruginosa, it does not support robust growth of lactic acid bacteria, thus attenuating their probiotic potential. To overcome this obstacle, we hypothesized that prebiotic fructooligosaccharides (FOS) could selectively stimulate Lactiplantibacillus plantarum during culture in synthetic cystic fibrosis sputum medium (SCFM2). Indeed, FOS supported the growth of L. plantarum and led to increased acid production. Co-cultivation of L. plantarum and P. aeruginosa reduced biofilm formation and FOS enabled L. plantarum to grow to higher densities in dual-species biofilms. However, this came at the cost of an increased production of the cytotoxic metabolite pyocyanin by P. aeruginosa. To examine whether L. plantarum would influence the pathogenicity of P. aeruginosa, we developed a dual-bacterial species infection model using a CF - relevant airway cell line exposed to the nutritional environment of SCFM2. L. plantarum, grown in SCFM2 or SCFM-FOS, did not inhibit the adhesion of P. aeruginosa. In contrast, the presence of live as well as heat-inactivated L. plantarum, or sterile L. plantarum supernatants drastically enhanced the cell damage during coinfection with P. aeruginosa. This effect was not exclusively dependent on differences in the proliferation of P. aeruginosa or addition of SCFM2 to the cell culture medium. Our data indicate that a potential benefit of bacteriotherapy is determined by the nutritional environment of the diseased body site and that the use of L. plantarum in the context of chronic pulmonary infections must be carefully evaluated.

Many feeding strategies have been proposed to mitigate the effects of weaning; one key approach is the inclusion of dietary fiber (DF). Dietary fiber is composed of soluble fiber (SF) and insoluble fiber (IF), and its importance lies in its role in improving intestinal physiology. The aim of the present study was to conduct a physicochemical analysis of milled almond shells (AS) at different particle sizes, and to evaluate the effects of including 2.5% AS as a IF source in weaned piglet diets-[finely milled AS (FAS), geometric mean diameter (GMD): 529 µm], MAS (medium milled AS, GMD: 912 µm), and [coarsely milled AS (CAS), GMD: 1,525 µm]-in comparison with 8% wheat bran (WB). All diets were formulated to be iso-NDF, iso-energetic, and iso-nitrogenous. Outcomes assessed after 14 d post-weaning included growth performance, dry matter digestibility, intestinal morphology, relative gene expression, microbial composition, and volatile fatty acid (VFA) production. Regarding physical analyses, wheat bran showed higher swelling capacity, cold solubility, and water holding capacity than AS (P < 0.05). Piglets fed FAS, MAS, and CAS diets showed higher final body weight, average daily gain, and feed intake, along with a higher gain-to-feed ratio compared to those fed WB (P < 0.05). Histomorphology analysis revealed increased villus surface area and mucosal thickness (P < 0.05) in the jejunum and ileum of AS-fed piglets. In the colon, CAS-fed piglets exhibited greater crypt depth than those fed WB (P < 0.05). Reduced relative abundance of Proteobacteria was observed in all AS groups compared to WB. Coarsely milled AS also led to higher total VFA production, butyrate, and propionate concentrations in colonic contents relative to FAS, MAS, and WB diets (P < 0.05). These findings support the benefits of including 2.5% AS in weaned piglet diets, improving performance, intestinal morphology, microbiota composition, and particularly coarse AS improved VFA production when compared to wheat bran.

Endometritis, primarily caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli) infection, poses significant therapeutic challenges due to rising antibiotic resistance. The associated pro-inflammatory cytokines cause persistent endometrial damage, thereby leading to infertility, pregnancy loss, and other gynecological complications, which impose substantial long-term medical and socioeconomic burdens. Hyperoside, a flavonol glycoside abundant in various common fruits (e.g., hawthorn) and vegetables, exhibits significant anti-inflammatory activity, highlighting its potential as a functional food or nutraceutical. Our present study firstly demonstrated that hyperoside could alleviate E. coli-induced endometritis in mice through a gut-uterus axis mechanism. Specifically, hyperoside remodeled the gut microbiota by enriching beneficial genera, such as Lactobacillus and Prevotella, which subsequently elevated the production of the metabolite hydroxyphenyllactic acid (HPLA). Crucially, antibiotic treatment and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) experiments further confirmed that gut microbiota restructuring was essential for the anti-endometritic effect of hyperoside. Mechanistically, HPLA enters systemic circulation and targets uterine tissue, where it is directly bound to TLR4 to suppress the activation of the TLR4/NF-κB pathway and then the release of inflammatory cytokines. The present study provides the first systematic evidence of the gut-uterus axis, establishing microbiota-derived HPLA as a key effector against E. coli-induced endometritis, offering a novel nutritional intervention strategy for inflammatory reproductive disorders.

Microbial production of propionic acid through a novel β-alanine route.

A novel sustainable and microbial functional modulation strategy for directly transforming corn straw into high-value liquid biochemicals.

Advanced insights into the biodeterioration and conservation strategies of cultural heritage: A review.

Early life fecal microbiota transplantation enhances fermentation potential by changing the microbial profiles in broiler chickens.

Inducible flippase-mediated metabolic engineering of Rhodosporidium toruloides for enhanced 3-hydroxypropionic acid production from corn stover hydrolysate.

Glycolytic flux increase in Lactococcus cremoris coincides with accelerated pathway decay and reduced cumulative product yield.

Rosmarinic acid production using advanced metabolic engineering strategies.

Efficient production of ursodeoxycholic acid via a deep eutectic solvent-enabled 7α- and 7β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase cascade system with enhanced solubility of 7-keto-lithocholic acid.

Metabolic engineering of Acinetobacter baylyi ADP1 for efficient utilization of pentose sugars and production of glutamic acid.

Metabolic model-guided strain design for improved succinic acid production in Yarrowia lipolytica.

Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides alleviate non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by modulating gut microbiota against TLR4/NF-κB/MAPK pathway and activating AMPK pathway.

Background: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with sorafenib is a common therapeutic strategy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, sorafenib resistance (SFR) remains a major clinical obstacle. Evidence suggest that TACE reshapes the tumor microenvironment (TME), creating an external high-glucose (HG) and internal low-glucose (LG) niche. In this context, hyperglycemia-driven lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) production accelerates HCC progression. Moreover, intercellular communication via extracellular vesicles (EVs) has been linked to drug resistance. Despite these insights, the SFR mechanism by which HG-induced LPA regulates EV uptake and signaling is unclear. Methods: ELISA, immunohistochemistry, Western blot, CCK-8, Annexin V-7AAD, bioinformatics, and hyperglycemic models were performed to assess the HG-LPA-EV connection in cell, blood, and surgical samples. Nanoparticle characterization, confocal imaging, GST pull-down, dominant mutants, and UEA-1 blot were used to check Arf6 activation, CD147 fucosylation, and EV-stimulated signaling. Bilateral CDX models, GFP-CD63 imaging, and combinational treatments were performed to further elucidate the SFR mechanism. Results: SFR emerges in hyperglycemic HCC patients with elevated LPA levels. Mechanistically, HG-induced LPA elevation promotes the uptake of LG-derived EVs (LG-EVs), thereby driving resistance. LPA activates ADP-ribosylation factor 6 (Arf6), which enhances macropinocytosis-mediated LG-EV uptake. Further, LG conditions increase fucosyltransferase 1 (FUT1)-dependent CD147 fucosylation on EV surfaces. Uptake of CD147⁺ LG-EVs subsequently promotes SFR by activating the fucosylation-dependent AKT/mTOR/4EBP1 signaling pathway. Importantly, inhibition of LPA-Arf6-mediated EV macropinocytosis significantly improves the sorafenib efficacy. Conclusion: Our findings uncover a previously unrecognized mechanism mediated by differential TME and CD147⁺ EV macropinocytosis in HCC and highlight the LPA-Arf6-macropinocytosis as a novel targeting axis to overcome SFR in HCC.

Recent advances in hawthorn (Crataegus L.) polysaccharides for prevention and treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD): A review.

Effects of seven thermal processes on the structural properties, digestibility, in vitro hypolipidemic activity, and prebiotic potential of adlay polysaccharides.

Dual-function soybean oil as natural antifoam and metabolic substrate enhances sustainable docosahexaenoic acid biosynthesis in engineered Schizochytrium sp.