High Solubility Research Articles

Detection of Ferric Ion by Fluorescent Carbon Nano Dots Synthesized from Forsythia Residue.

To fully utilize the wastes of the traditional Chinese herbs, a highly functionalized fluorescent carbon nano dots (CDs) based ferric ion sensor was prepared from forsythia residue via a one-step hydrothermal method. Under transmission electron microscope (TEM), the CDs were observed to be spherical with the diameter in the range of 5-20nm. Comprehensive analyses documented the CDs' favorable morphology, diverse functional groups, high water solubility, remarkable optical properties, and exceptional stability under various environmental conditions. Moreover, the CDs exhibited good optical properties with vivid green photoluminescence (PL) when they were exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light. Furthermore, the prepared CDs demonstrated selective fluorescence quenching behavior towards ferric ions with satisfactory sensitivity and a low limit of detection (LOD) of 4.3 µM. Additionally, the CDs displayed good selectivity towards Fe3+ and the least interference with several other metal ions. Consequently, this strategy could be effectively applied to real water samples, demonstrating its potential for broader applications.

Quantitative analysis of excipients to the permeability of BCS class III drugs.

BCS III drugs exhibit high solubility and low permeability, and some excipients were reported to increase their permeability. Although some permeability-enhancing excipients were investigated, permeability-enhancing strategy still need to be improved. Firstly, we established a database and analyzed the possible effects of excipients. Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) was found to be the most-used permeability-enhancing excipients. Moreover, the quantitative models for predicting Papp and Peff of BCS III drugs with SLS were developed, and statistically meaningful descriptors include molecular weight (MW), pKa, logP, solubility, hydrogen bond (HB) count, rotatable bond count (RBC), and topological polar surface area. The models demonstrated a good fit and effective predictive capability with all the correlation R2 values over 0.7. Hydrogen bonding remains the most significant factor in enhancing drug permeability with SLS, while hydrophilicity is also vital in this process. It was also found that MW, logP, pKa, and RBC play significant roles in paracellular transport. In summary, current research did the systematic and quantitative analysis of BCS III drugs and their excipients, which may accelerate formulation research on BCS III products.

Stable self-assembled oral metformin-bridged nanocochleates against hepatocellular carcinoma.

Despite its established anti-diabetic activity, Metformin hydrochloride (MET) has been repurposed for the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Owing to MET high aqueous solubility and poor oral permeability, a novel nanoplatform is sought to overcome the current challenges of traditional formulations. In this study, we developed MET-bridged nanocochleates (MET-CO) using a direct bridging method followed by optimization and assessment using various in-vitro and in-vivo pharmacokinetic methods. The optimized nanocochleates MET-CODCP 19, containing dicetyl phosphate (DCP), displayed uniform snail-shaped nano-rolls measuring 136.41 ± 2.11nm with a PDI of 0.241 ± 0.005 and a highly negative ζ-potential of -61.93 ± 2.57 mV. With an impressive MET encochleation efficiency (> 75%), MET-CODCP 19 exhibited a controlled biphasic release profile, with minimal initial burst followed by prolonged release for 24h. Importantly, they showed significant MET permeation in both in-vitro Caco-2 and ex-vivo intestinal models compared to non-DCP containing formula or MET solution. The in-vivo oral bioavailability study demonstrated pronounced improvements in the pharmacokinetic parameters with a 5.5 relative bioavailability compared to MET solution. Notably, a significant reduction in IC50 values in HepG2 cells after 24h of treatment was observed. Furthermore, the optimized formulation showed a significant downregulation of anti-apoptotic and cancer stemness genes, with 12- and 2-fold lower expression compared to MET solution. These promising results highlight the efficacy of the novel MET-bridged nanocochleates as a stable nanoplatform for enhancing the oral bioavailability of MET and boosting its anticancer potential against HCC.

Au‐Free Ti/Al/Ni/TiN Ohmic Contact to AlGaN/GaN Heterostructure: Ti/Al Thicknesses at an Optimized Ratio

Although a few studies report that tuning Ti/Al thicknesses at a fixed ratio can further improve the Ohmic contact to AlGaN/GaN heterostructure, systematic physical mechanisms have not been reported. In this work, after determining the optimal Ti/Al ratio of 1/4, two metal stacks with varying Ti/Al thicknesses and fixed Ni/TiN thicknesses are deposited to investigate how tuning Ti/Al thicknesses at an optimized ratio enhances the Ohmic contact performance. At the optimal annealing condition (950 °C, 45 s) of samples with Ti/Al thicknesses of 20/80 nm, samples with Ti/Al thicknesses of 35/140 nm exhibit a reduction of 48% in contact resistance and 70% in specific contact resistivity (ρc). By correlating the results from ρc–T measurements, time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, and high‐resolution X‐ray diffraction, it has been determined that this method effectively enables N‐vacancies doping into the heterostructure, thereby increasing the carrier concentration and reducing both the height and width of the interfacial potential barrier, achieving a more efficient carrier transport. By avoiding the use of Au with high solubility and ductility, this approach significantly improves contact performance without adversely affecting the electrode surface morphology, demonstrating good adaptability for optimizing Au‐free Ohmic contacts.

Engineered vildagliptin-loaded polymeric nanoparticles via microfluidic and spray drying for enhanced antidiabetic activity

Abstract Background Vildagliptin (VLG), an antidiabetic agent, presents a potential solution to this widespread affliction. It exhibits notable attributes, such as a high solubility and a shorter elimination half-life. The current study uses a microreactor to fabricate sustained-release VLG-encapsulated cross-linked chitosan–dextran sulfate nanoparticles (VLG-CDNPs). The fabrication was systematically optimized using the design of experiment approach. Results The optimized VLG-CDNPs had an average particle size of 217.4 ± 12.3 nm and an encapsulation efficiency of 78.25 ± 3.0%. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the nanoparticles had a smooth spherical shape. Spray drying was used for drying, and the reconstitution ability was close to ideal (~ 1.33). In vitro studies revealed sustained VLG release over 12 h, with ~ 58% in acidic and ~ 83% in basic conditions. Cell viability remained at 80% even at 100 μg/mL, and glucose uptake in L6 cells was significantly enhanced with VLG-CDNPs (78.34%) compared to pure VLG (60.91%). VLG-CDNPs also showed moderate inhibitory activity against α-amylase (41.57%) and α-glucosidase (63.48%) compared to pure VLG, which had higher inhibition levels. Conclusion The study’s outcome suggested that the optimized VLG-CDNPs may serve as an effective and promising nanoformulation for managing diabetes mellitus.

The chlorination and separation of aluminum using low-temperature sulfur chloride reagents

ABSTRACT There is currently no strategy for the permanent waste disposal or recycling for used nuclear fuels from research reactors. For this reason, low-temperature reactions have been developed for the chlorination of the Al alloys and subsequent separation from used nuclear fuels to reduce the volume of high-level waste in storage. Three sulfur chloride reagents – S2Cl2, SOCl2, and SO2Cl2—were tested, and two were found to quantitatively chlorinate Al metal and Al alloys under mild conditions. These low-temperature reactions proceed between 298 and 411 K, and up to 5 g of metal is chlorinated in 1–3 h. Preliminary results indicate that the reactivity and exothermicity of the reaction between the Al and sulfur chloride reagents is highly dependent on the surface area-to-volume ratio of the metal and the volume of solvent. Elemental S is produced as a by-product during the chlorination with S2Cl2 but can be quantitatively rechlorinated under mild conditions to regenerate the initial chlorination reagent. Therefore, in this case, chlorine is the only element consumed in the reaction, thus minimizing the waste generated during the chlorination process. The AlCl3 may then be separated from other materials present in Al 6061 or Al 8001 because of its high solubility in the sulfur chloride reagents. This process may also be extended to chlorinate Al from research reactor fuels.

Quasi-Solid-State Conversion with Fast Redox Kinetics Enabled by a Sulfonamide-Based Electrolyte in Li-Organic Batteries.

The serious dissolution of organic electrode materials (e.g., perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride, PTCDA) in electrolytes is a major challenge, deteriorating their electrochemical performances and hindering the interpretation of the fundamental redox reaction mechanisms including the intrinsic kinetics and the solvent cointercalation. To address these issues, we propose a rationally designed sulfonamide-based electrolyte to enable a quasi-solid-state conversion (QSSC) of the PTCDA cathode by effectively suppressing its dissolution in the electrolyte. Benefiting from the QSSC, the Li||PTCDA cells can retain ∼95.8% of the original capacity after 300 cycles with both high and stable energy efficiencies >95%, even comparable to the layered transition-metal oxide cathodes, greatly outperforming an ether-based electrolyte with a high PTCDA solubility. The high energy efficiencies indicate that the QSSC of PTCDA has intrinsic fast redox kinetics. Furthermore, the solvent cointercalation mechanism was investigated by density functional theory/molecular dynamic calculations. This work develops a strategy for designing electrolytes for highly stable and efficient Li-organic batteries.

Effective Stabilization of Organic Cathodes Through Formation of a Protective Solid Electrolyte Interface Layer via Reduction.

2,5-Dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone (DHBQ) is a promising cathode material, but its high solubility in electrolytes leads to rapid capacity degradation. This study investigates the dilithium salt of DHBQ, Li2DHBQ, as a cathode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Despite minimal solubility, Li2DHBQ cathodes suffer rapid capacity decay due to severe morphological damage within the voltage range of 1.5-3.0 V. To stabilize morphology, we promoted a protective solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer on Li2DHBQ particles by lowering the discharge cutoff voltage. Cycling the battery with a 0.5 V discharge cutoff voltage achieved an optimal SEI layer, significantly improving Li2DHBQ's morphological stability. Consequently, the battery maintained 170 mAh g-1 with a low decay rate of 0.16% within a voltage range of 0.5-3.0 V after 200 cycles at 500 mA g-1. Furthermore, initial cycling at a 0.5 V discharge cutoff for 20 cycles to form an SEI layer, followed by cycling at a normal 1.5 V discharge cutoff, retained a higher capacity of 187 mAh g⁻¹ after 200 cycles. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of forming a cathode SEI layer at low discharge voltages as a new approach to stabilizing organic cathode materials.

Fast Dissolution of Chitin in Amino Acids Based Deep Eutectic Solvents Under the Assistance of Microwave.

Due to the abundant hydrogen bond networks, high crystallinity, and high molecular weight of chitin, it is difficult to dissolve chitin in most solvents. Meanwhile, most of the existing solvent systems have the disadvantages of high toxicity, low solubility, and high cost. Therefore, the efficient and rapid dissolution of chitin using green solvents is urgently needed. In this work, ternary DES with amino acids, urea, and 1,8-Diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) is prepared at first. Then chitin can be dissolved fastly with the assistance of a microwave. Compared with the conventional heating process (110°C, 6-8h), the microwave process can be shortened to only 3-10min. The successful dissolution of chitin is verified by means of fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), rheology studies, and optical light microscope, and the dissolution mechanism contributed to the synergistic destroying of the hydrogen bond networks of chitin by amino acids and DBU. The DES solvent can be well recovered with the remaining of its dissolving ability to chitin.

Graphene‐Induced Surface Softening and Nanostructure Evolution of Platinum Foils

While it has been previously accepted that graphene growth on metal films by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) protects the surfaces by stiffening and hardening, in this study, an unusual opposite effect is reported. Herein, we use nanoindentation to study the mechaniported. Herein, we use nanoindentation to study the mechanical behavior of graphene‐covered platinum foils. Two graphene growth recipes using undiluted and diluted methane flow are studied, aiming to achieve a bulk or a surface‐mediated graphene growth mechanism, respectively. Contrary to previous reports, a 17% decrease is observed in the elastic modulus of the Pt surfaces when covered by graphene compared to graphene‐free regions for both recipes, when using the real indentation contact area extracted via atomic force microscopy (AFM) for the estimation. By performing cross‐sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM), subsurface multilayers responsible for the decrease in stiffness are revealed and these observations and the mechanism of layer formation are explained. Hence, in this study, it is highlighted that surface stiffening of metals by graphene CVD has exceptions, especially in the case of metals with high carbon solubility. Moreover, in this study, approaches for combining cross‐sectional TEM, topological scans from AFM, and raw load–displacement data from nanoindentation to provide a complete, multiscale elucidation of the mechanical behavior of a material surface are described.

Encapsulating taurine into liposomes: A promising therapeutic for liver fibrosis.

We summarize the mechanism by which taurine (Tau) inhibits autophagy and induces iron apoptosis in hepatic stellate cells. Tau interacts with autophagy regulates multifunctional proteins, microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 Beta, and autophagy-related gene 5 to inhibit autophagy, binds to ferritin heavy chain 1 and nuclear receptor coactivator 4 to trigger ferritin autophagy, and interacts with glutathione peroxidase 4 to promote iron apoptosis. There is a solid rationale for developing Tau-based therapies targeting autophagy and ferroptosis regulation. From a pharmaceutical point of view, there are certain requirements for Tau protein delivery systems, such as loading efficiency, stability, and targeting. Nanomaterials should also contain a hydrophilic motif similar to Tau to optimize loading efficiency. Since Tau is a hydrophilic molecule with high water solubility, liposomes, micelles, and amphiphilic polymer nanoparticles may represent a superior choice. The nanostructure of the liposome includes a water region and a lipid membrane to sequester hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs, respectively, whereas Tau is expected to be loaded into the water region. In addition, a representative method of actively targeting hematopoietic stem cells is introduced. A Tau-based method for the treatment of liver fibrosis is proposed based on the formulation of common liposomes (lecithin plus cholesterol).

Computational design and evaluation of a polyvalent vaccine for viral nervous necrosis (VNN) in fish to combat Betanodavirus infection

Viral nervous necrosis (VNN) poses a significant threat to the aquaculture industry, causing substantial losses and economic burdens. The disease, attributed to nervous necrosis viruses within the Betanodavirus genus, is particularly pervasive in the Mediterranean region, affecting various fish species across all production stages with mortality rates reaching 100%. Developing effective preventive measures against VNN is imperative. In this study, we employed rigorous immunoinformatics techniques to design a novel multi-epitope vaccine targeting VNN. Five RNA-directed RNA polymerases, crucial to the lifecycle of Betanodavirus, were selected as vaccine targets. The antigenicity and favorable physicochemical properties of these proteins were confirmed, and epitope mapping identified cytotoxic T lymphocyte, helper T lymphocyte, and linear B lymphocyte epitopes essential for eliciting a robust immune response. The selected epitopes, characterized by high antigenicity, non-allergenicity, and non-toxicity, were further enhanced by adding PADRE sequences and hBD adjuvants to increase immunogenicity. Two vaccine constructs were developed by linking epitopes using appropriate linkers, demonstrating high antigenicity, solubility, and stability. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed stable interactions between the vaccine constructs and Toll-like receptors (TLRs), essential for pathogen recognition and immune response activation in fish. Notably, vaccine construct V2 exhibited superior stability and binding affinity with TLR8, suggesting its potential as a promising candidate for VNN prevention. Overall, our study presents a comprehensive approach to VNN vaccine design utilizing immunoinformatics, offering safe, immunogenic, and effective solutions across multiple Betanodavirus species. Further experimental validation in model animals is recommended to fully assess the vaccine’s efficacy. This research contributes to improved vaccine development against diverse fish pathogens by addressing emerging challenges and individualized immunization requirements in aquaculture.

Physicochemical Properties and Metal Ion-Binding Capacity of Thermal-Induced Antarctic Krill Protein Aggregates under Different pH Conditions.

Protein properties can be modified by thermal treatment at different pH values, resulting in the formation of protein aggregates with diverse morphologies and functionalities. This study investigated the morphology of aggregates of Antarctic krill protein (AKPS) formed by thermal treatment (90 °C, 15 min) at pH 2, 3, 4, and 6-12, characterized the different morphologies of AKPS, and determined the metal ion (Ca2+, Fe2+, and Zn2+)-binding capacities. Results showed that heat treatment with different pH values generated various AKPS with distinct morphology and metal ion-binding abilities. AKPS have formed fibrils at pH ≤ 3, particles at pH 4-7, and amorphous aggregates at pH ≥ 8. Fibrous AKPS (pH 2) exhibited a high solubility (80.36%) and strong reducing effect on iron. The binding capacities of Ca2+ and Fe2+ reached 36.08% and 66.75%. Particulate AKPS (pH 6 and 7) primarily only showed Zn2+-binding capacity similar to that of casein phosphopeptide (17.33%). Amorphous AKPS (pH 9-11) displayed the optimal capacity to bind Zn2+ and Fe2+ (26.90% and 74.94%). The alterations in morphology and functional characteristics of AKPS permit the design of various nanostructures for food-derived mineral supplements, thus developing their potential for application in functional foods.

SQ31f is a potent non-tuberculous mycobacteria antibiotic by specifically targeting the mycobacterial F-ATP synthase.

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infection presents a growing global health problem and requires new antibiotics targeting enzymes that are essential for the pathogens under various metabolic conditions, with high target specificity, good solubility and with attractive combinatory potency. SQ31f was synthesized by a simplified synthesis protocol, and its effect on growth inhibition of fast- and slow-growing NTM and clinical isolates, whole-cell ATP depletion, ex vivo macrophages and its potency in combination with other antibiotics were evaluated. Molecular docking studies were employed to assess SQ31f's binding mode. We present- squaramide SQ31f as a novel anti-NTM inhibitor targeting the NTM F1FO-ATP synthase, essential for ATP formation, regulation of ATP homeostasis and proton motive force under multiple growth conditions. The potency of SQ31f in growth inhibition of fast- and slow-growing NTM and clinical isolates correlates with whole-cell ATP depletion, which is not caused by altered oxygen consumption. SQ31f's high aqueous solubility enables binding to the waterfilled cytosolic proton half channel in the subunits a-c interface of the FO domain. As presented for the fast-growing Mycobacterium abscessus, the compound is active against intracellular-residing M. abscessus. Importantly, SQ31f shows an additive effect of the anti-M. abscessus drugs clofazimine, rifabutin or amikacin, and an attractive potentiation of linezolid, clarithromycin, or the oral pair tebipenem and avibactam. SQ31f represents an attractive inhibitor to tackle the issues associated with NTM drug tolerance and toxicity. Its combinatory potency with anti-M. abscessus drugs holds potential for overcoming resistance, while also reducing intensive compound synthesis and associated costs.

Deep Eutectic Solvents for Next-generation Cyclodextrin Science

Abstract In cyclodextrin science, water has been almost exclusively employed as solvent, and this imposes non-negligible limitations to the scope of applications. Accordingly, deep eutectic solvents, constructed from hydrogen-bonding donors and acceptors, have been attracting much interest as important substitutes of water. This review comprehensively covers chemical and physicochemical features of cyclodextrins in these eco-friendly solvents. In one category, cyclodextrins or their derivatives are dissolved as solutes in conventional deep eutectic solvents. All of α-, β-, and γ-cyclodextrins efficiently form inclusion complexes with various guest molecules, exactly as observed in water. Notably, chemically modified cyclodextrins (e.g., 2-hydroxypropyl-cyclodextrins) form still more stable inclusion complexes than native cyclodextrins. Alternatively, deep eutectic solvents are prepared by combining cyclodextrins with other hydrogen-bonding components. The cyclodextrin units in these mixtures also form inclusion complexes with guest molecules. It has been proposed that enhanced flexibility of cylindrical structures of cyclodextrins allows effective induced-fit to stabilize inclusion complexes. The applications of these systems widely range from catalysis for organic synthesis to extraction, analysis, pharmaceutics, and many other fields. High solubilities of CDs and various chemicals in these solvents guarantee high productivity of target transformation, and unprecedentedly novel functions are promising for these unique systems.

A Study on the Stability of High Drug Solubility Characteristics of Hydroxyphenyl Adhesives under the Interference of CPEs.

Novel hydroxyphenyl adhesives (HP-PSAs) could significantly increase drug solubility and control drug release through a doubly ionic hydrogen bond (DIH bond) in the patch. However, chemical penetration enhancers (CPEs) always destroy the performance of most adhesives. As a result, this work investigated the stability of both the HP-PSA features and the DIH bond under the interference of the CPEs. Donepezil (DON) was chosen as the model drug, and CPEs with hydroxyl, carboxyl, amido, and ester groups were selected as model CPEs. Unlike the commonly used neutral H-bond, the DIH bond between DON and the HP-PSA was still stable under the interference of the CPEs, resulting in the 2-3-fold drug solubility in the HP-PSA, which was higher than that in the nonfunctional PSA, which reduced the drug crystallization risk and the difficulty of formulation design. FT-IR, 1H NMR, XPS, dynamic simulation, and molecular docking revealed the mechanism of the stability feature of both the DIH bond and the high drug solubility of the HP-PSA, which was that the formed neutral H-bond interaction caused by CPEs is weaker than that of the DIH bond between DON and the HP-PSA. Furthermore, the drug release, skin permeation, and CPE release study showed that the newly formed weak H-bond and strong ionic H-bond interaction promoted or controlled both DON and CPE release, respectively, thereby influencing drug skin permeation, which provided a theoretical basis for drug release regulation. To summarize, besides the reversible, strong features of the DIH bond in our previous study, the stability of the interaction made the HP-PSA's high drug solubility potential to be applied in the TDDS.

Structure and functionality of Pleurotus geesteranus protein isolate as a function of pH.

Edible mushroom proteins hold great potential for food applications, but those extracted using the alkaline extraction-acid precipitation method typically exhibit poor solubility in neutral water, with the structural changes during acid precipitation remaining unclear. In this study, Pleurotus geesteranus protein isolate (PGPI) with high water solubility was prepared with alkaline extraction, followed by dialysis and freeze-drying, and the effects of pH on the structural and functional properties of PGPI were systematically investigated. PGPI was enriched in essential and aromatic amino acids, and the molecular weight of bands in the sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis profile was mainly distributed below 45kDa. The zeta potential of PGPI changed from +16.84 to 17.58mV when the pH increased from 2 to 9, with a pI of 4.3. At pH 7, PGPI showed a size of 232.7nm. Away from pH 7, the particle size of PGPI increased. When the pH decreased from 7 to 2, PGPI exhibited a lower α-helix structure content and a higher β-sheet content and a gradual decrease in fluorescence intensity. In addition, as the pH approached 4, H0 and the content of SS group increased to a peak. These results indicated that lowering the pH induced the development of more ordered protein structure, which could be the primary reason for the poor water solubility of P. geesteranus protein obtained through alkaline extraction and acid precipitation. Additionally, these structural changes result in alterations to its functional properties, including water-holding capacity, oil-holding capacity, foaming capacity, foaming stability, emulsion activity index, and emulsion stability index.

Leveraging computer-aided design and artificial intelligence to develop a next-generation multi-epitope tuberculosis vaccine candidate

BackgroundTuberculosis (TB) remains a global public health challenge. The existing Bacillus Calmette–Guérin vaccine has limited efficacy in preventing adult pulmonary TB, necessitating the development of new vaccines with improved protective effects. MethodsComputer-aided design and artificial intelligence technologies, combined with bioinformatics and immunoinformatics approaches, were used to design a multi-epitope vaccine (MEV) against TB. Comprehensive bioinformatics analyses were conducted to evaluate the physicochemical properties, spatial structure, immunogenicity, molecular dynamics (MD), and immunological characteristics of the MEV. ResultsWe constructed a MEV, designated ZL12138L, containing 13 helper T lymphocyte epitopes, 12 cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitopes, 8 B-cell epitopes, as well as Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists and helper peptides. Bioinformatics analyses revealed that ZL12138L should exhibit excellent immunogenicity and antigenicity, with no toxicity or allergenicity, and had potential to induce robust immune responses and high solubility, the immunogenicity score was 4.14449, the antigenicity score was 0.8843, and the immunological score was 0.470. Moreover, ZL12138L showed high population coverage for human leukocyte antigen class I and II alleles, reaching 92.41% and 90.17%, respectively, globally. Molecular docking analysis indicated favorable binding affinity of ZL12138L with TLR-2 and TLR-4, with binding energies of −1173.4 and −1360.5 kcal/mol, respectively. Normal mode analysis and MD simulations indicated the stability and dynamic properties of the vaccine construct. Immune simulation predictions suggested that ZL12138L could effectively activate innate and adaptive immune cells, inducing high levels of Type 1 T helper cell cytokines. ConclusionsThis study provides compelling evidence for ZL12138L as a promising TB vaccine candidate. Future research will focus on experimental validation and further optimization of the vaccine design.

Structural and physicochemical properties of corn starch modified by phosphorylase b, hexokinase and alkaline phosphatase

To improve the functional properties of corn starch, phosphorylase b (PB), hexokinase (HK), and alkaline phosphatase (AP) were used to produce enzyme-modified starches (PBMS, HKMS, and APMS). The results showed that enzyme-modified starches had different phosphorus contents and degrees of substitution. The presence of PO bonds and P-O-C bonds further demonstrated that phosphate groups were grafted into starch. The proportions of monostarch phosphate in PBMS, HKMS, and APMS were 77.05 %, 79.33 % and 85.88 %, respectively. The introduction of phosphate groups affected the functional properties of starch. The swelling powers of PBMS, HKMS and APMS increased from 0.99 % to 12.86 %, 10.83 % and 5.95 %, respectively. Compared to native starch (1820 mPa·s), the peak viscosities of PBMS, HKMS and APMS increased to 2655, 2838, and 2021 mPa·s, respectively. Meanwhile, the introduction of phosphate groups endowed phosphorylated starch with better freeze-thaw stability, larger paste transparency, higher solubility, and slower retrogradation rate.

Lactobacillus plantarum LP1 Fermentation Effects on Aegle marmelos Mucilage: Physicochemical, Structural, and Bioactive Properties

Fermentation is a promising technique for altering the structure of fruit mucilage, leading to enhanced health benefits. In this study, we explored the impact of fermenting Aegle marmelos mucilage using Lactobacillus plantarum LP1 on its physicochemical, structural, and bioactive properties. The findings revealed a decrease in total sugar (39.45±0.23% to 34.67±0.45%) and glucuronic acid content (20.80±0.31% to 14.34±0.37%) post-fermentation, while protein content increased (1.80±0.32% to 2.14±0.24%). In addition, fermented mucilage exhibited a decrease in particle size (178.4±5.06 to 146.3±4.18nm), more negative zeta potential (−16.4±1.13mV to −25.31±1.15mV), and higher solubility (89.36±1.69 to 92.13±1.42%) compared to non-fermented mucilage. Structural characterization revealed alterations in surface morphology, but minimal changes in the fundamental mucilage structure were observed. Additionally, fermented mucilage showed an increased ability to scavenge free radicals and stimulate macrophages to secrete NO and IL-6 in RAW 264.7 cells compared to non-fermented mucilage. Overall, the findings suggest that fermentation with Lactobacillus plantarum LP1 can improve the functional properties and bioactivities of bael fruit mucilage, thereby enhancing its potential applications in various industries.