Phytic Acid Treatment Research Articles

Improvement of pasting behavior and retrogradation inhibition of normal corn starch treated with phytic acid and malic acid

Phytic acid (PA) and malic acid (MA), as environmentally friendly, plant-based water-soluble acids, were applied to normal corn starch during dry heating at mildly acidic pH to improve its gelatinization and retrogradation behaviors. A significant increase in peak viscosity (5011–6338 mPa·s) was observed in starch treated with MA compared to native corn starch (1162 mPa·s). The treatment with PA and MA further increased the peak viscosity (8140–8621 mPa·s). The interactions of PA and MA with starch were analyzed using ICP-OES, FTIR, and 13C CP/MAS NMR. Swelling power and solubility increased in MA and PA + MA starches. After storage at 4 °C for 14 d, MA and PA + MA starches produced transparent and fluid gels without forming B-type crystals, which indicated inhibition of starch retrogradation by PA and MA treatments. In conclusion, dry heating with PA and MA produced starch with remarkably superior paste viscosity, swelling, and inhibition of retrogradation.

Phytic acid alleviates ochratoxin A-induced renal damage in chicks by modulating ferroptosis and the structure of the intestinal microbiota

Phytic acid (PA) is a natural antioxidant with various biological activities, providing protective effects in multiple animals. Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mold toxin commonly found in feed, which induces multi-organ damage, with kidney being the target organ of its toxicity. This study investigates the protective effects of PA on OTA-induced renal damage and its potential mechanisms in chicks. The results demonstrates that PA treatment restores OTA-induced renal pathological injuries, reverses the diminished activities of antioxidant enzymes, reduces the accumulation of malondialdehyde, and normalizes the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which confirms that PA can alleviate OTA-induced renal damage. Further investigations reveal that OTA-induced renal injury accompanied by an increase in tissue iron content and the transcription levels of ferroptosis-related genes (TFR, ACSL4, and HO-1), and a decrease in the levels of SLC7A11 and GPX4. PA treatment reverses all these effects, indicating that PA mitigates OTA-induced renal ferroptosis. Moreover, PA supplementation improves intestinal morphology and mucosal function, corrects OTA-induced changes in the intestinal microbiota. Besides, PA microbiota transplantation alleviates renal inflammation and oxidative stress caused by OTA. In conclusion, PA plays a protective role against renal damage through the regulation of ferroptosis and the intestinal microbiota, possibly providing novel insights into the control and prevention of OTA-related nephrotoxicity.

Low phosphorus-containing hydrophobic silica aerogels with high thermal stability and outstanding flame retardancy

To enhance the thermal safety of hydrophobic silica aerogel (SA), we synthesized a high thermal safety SA utilizing phytic acid (PA) as a catalyst. Tests confirmed that the SA/PA maintain low density (0.09 g/cm3) and low thermal conductivity (23.2 mW/m/K). The thermal stability and combustion characteristics of SA/PA were evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TG), gross calorific value (GCV) and cone calorimeter. The TG data clearly show that the addition of PA can greatly increase the decomposition temperature of silylmethyl by 208.1 °C and the residual char content to 92.6%. The GCV results show that a small amount of PA could greatly reduce the GCV of SA, with a maximum decrease of 51.6 %. Information from cone calorimeter data affirmed that PA can decrease the burning factors by decreasing the total heat release and peak heat release rate by 63.6% and 28.7%, respectively. The flame retardant mechanism of PA against SA was scientifically examined by thermogravimetric-infrared-mass spectrometry analysis and residual char analysis. In the gas phase, PA by capturing radicals produced during the combustion process of the material, the combustion chain reaction is quenched. In the condensed phase, PA promotes the rapid dehydration and carbonization of SA to establish a physical barrier and achieve flame retardancy. Our findings highlight the beneficial impact of PA on SA. The aerogel exhibited enhanced thermal stability and effective flame retardancy after PA treatment.

Phytic acid-mediated enhancement of Meyerozyma caribbica biocontrol of Aspergillus carbonarius infection in grape berries through regulation of ROS metabolism

Sour rot, an infection caused by Aspergillus carbonarius is one of the detrimental diseases that damage grape vines after harvest. To investigate the biocontrol of this mycotoxigenic fungus, the current study explored the efficiency of Meyerozyma caribbica pretreated with phytic acid (PA) in reducing sour rot in table grapes through the regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. The content of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2,), superoxide (O2.−) production rate, and the degree of lipid peroxidation were measured. Furthermore, antioxidant enzymes activities, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and enzymes of the ascorbate–glutathione (AsA-GSH) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) cycles were investigated. Enzymatic activity results of select genes were confirmed using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Meyerozyma caribbica pretreated with 10 μmol/mL PA (YE) was most efficient in reducing sour decay in grape berries as indicated by an 81.1 % reduction in disease incidence and 1.5 mm lesion diameter by the third day. Phytic acid treated M. caribbica showed a significant reduction in the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), H2O2, and production rate of O2.− which was complemented by a marked rise in ROS scavenging enzymes’ activities. The H2O2 content in YE was the lowest (24.09 nmol/g FW) by the third day and O2.− production rate was about half that of CK; control (4.19 mmol/min.g FW) on the same day. The SOD, POD, and CAT activities were significantly higher in YE treated fruits (6.63, 18, and 6.64 U/mg FW, respectively) compared to the CK by the fifth day. Subsequently, AsA-GSH and GPX cycles also showed higher activity in grapes inoculated with YE compared to other treatments. Genes encoding SOD, POD, CAT, DHAR, GR, and APX were significantly overexpressed in grapes inoculated with YE compared to the CK, yeast alone, and PA treatments. These findings indicate that PA likely enhances the biocontrol efficacy of M. caribbica, leading to the induction of ROS scavenging mechanisms and subsequent mortality of A. carbonarius in table grapes. Consequently, M. caribbica pre-treated with PA holds promise as a potential biological control agent for A. carbonarius in future applications

Phytic acid promotes high glucose-mediated bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells osteogenesis via modulating circEIF4B that sponges miR-186-5p and complexes with IGF2BP3

Diabetes-related hyperglycemia inhibits bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) function, thereby disrupting osteoblast capacity and bone regeneration. Dietary supplementation with phytic acid (PA), a natural inositol phosphate, has shown promise in preventing osteoporosis and diabetes-related complications. Emerging evidence has suggested that circular (circ)RNAs implicate in the regulation of bone diseases, but their specific regulatory roles in BMSC osteogenesis in hyperglycemic environments remain elucidated. In this study, in virto experiments demonstrated that PA treatment effectively improved the osteogenic capability of high glucose-mediated BMSCs. Differentially expressed circRNAs in PA-induced BMSCs were identified using circRNA microarray analysis. Here, our findings highlight an upregulation of circEIF4B expression in BMSCs stimulated with PA under a high-glucose microenvironment. Further investigations demonstrated that circEIF4B overexpression promoted high glucose-mediated BMSC osteogenesis. In contrast, circEIF4B knockdown exerted the opposite effect. Mechanistically, circEIF4B sequestered microRNA miR-186-5p and triggered osteogenesis enhancement in BMSCs by targeting FOXO1 directly. Furthermore, circEIF4B inhibited the ubiquitin-mediated degradation of IGF2BP3, thereby stabilizing ITGA5 mRNA and promoting BMSC osteogenic differentiation. In vivo experiments, circEIF4B inhibition attenuated the effectiveness of PA treatment in diabetic rats with cranial defects. Collectively, our study identifies PA as a novel positive regulator of BMSC osteogenic differentiation through the circEIF4B/miR-186-5p/FOXO1 and circEIF4B/IGF2BP3/ITGA5 axes, which offers a new strategy for treating high glucose-mediatedBMSCosteogenic dysfunction and delayed bone regeneration in diabetes.

Phytic Acid Maintains Peripheral Neuron Integrity and Enhances Survivability against Platinum-Induced Degeneration via Reducing Reactive Oxygen Species and Enhancing Mitochondrial Membrane Potential.

Phytic acid (PA) has been reported to possess anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that are critical for neuroprotection in neuronal disorders. This raises the question of whether PA can effectively protect sensory neurons against chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Peripheral neuropathy is a dose-limiting side effect of chemotherapy treatment often characterized by severe and abnormal pain in hands and feet resulting from peripheral nerve degeneration. Currently, there are no effective treatments available that can prevent or cure peripheral neuropathies other than symptomatic management. Herein, we aim to demonstrate the neuroprotective effects of PA against the neurodegeneration induced by the chemotherapeutics cisplatin (CDDP) and oxaliplatin. Further aims of this study are to provide the proposed mechanism of PA-mediated neuroprotection. The neuronal protection and survivability against CDDP were characterized by axon length measurements and cell body counting of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons. A cellular phenotype study was conducted microscopically. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was estimated by fluorogenic probe dichlorofluorescein. Likewise, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was assessed by fluorescent MitoTracker Orange CMTMRos. Similarly, the mitochondria-localized superoxide anion radical in response to CDDP with and without PA was evaluated. The culture of primary DRG neurons with CDDP reduced axon length and overall neuronal survival. However, cotreatment with PA demonstrated that axons were completely protected and showed increased stability up to the 45-day test duration, which is comparable to samples treated with PA alone and control. Notably, PA treatment scavenged the mitochondria-specific superoxide radicals and overall intracellular ROS that were largely induced by CDDP and simultaneously restored MMP. These results are credited to the underlying neuroprotection of PA in a platinum-treated condition. The results also exhibited that PA had a synergistic anticancer effect with CDDP in ovarian cancer in vitro models. For the first time, PA's potency against CDDP-induced PN is demonstrated systematically. The overall findings of this study suggest the application of PA in CIPN prevention and therapeutic purposes.

Effect of phytic acid on the structure, properties and oil absorption of wheat flour

With the different amount (0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%) of phytic acid (PA) added, the changes of structure, properties and oil absorption characteristics of wheat flour (WF) were studied. First of all, the phosphorus content in flour increased after PA treatment, which proved that the modification was successful. SEM images showed there were aggregation in the WF modified by PA (PA-WF). The surface of starch showed gradually rough, but the shape of starch particles remained relatively intact. Moreover, XRD and FTIR patterns of all samples showed no significant difference. It was proved that the degree of structural modification of flour by PA was small in the non-gelatinizing system, and it mainly occurred in the non-crystalline region. In terms of properties, the thermal stability and hydrophilicity of PA-WF were improved because the phosphate groups of PA reacted with the hydroxyl groups on the starch to form more stable covalent bonds instead of the hydrogen bonds, and the phosphate groups were hydrophilic. Not only that, the peak viscosity of PA-WF-1.5% was higher than that of the control group, and the other PA-WF were the opposite. With the increase of phosphorus content, the peak viscosity were lower than that of the control group, suggesting that the system mainly consisted of crosslinked starch rather than esterified starch. In terms of oil absorption characteristics, the total oil absorption and surface oil distribution of PA-WF were decreased after frying, which proved that using PA to modify WF was beneficial to reduce oil absorption.

Phytic acid pretreatment activate hot-dip galvanized steel to enhance the corrosion resistance of silane film

In this work, hot-dip galvanized steel were pretreated with different concentrations of phytic acid(C6H8O24P6,PA) solution to obtain more hydroxyl groups, which act as an activated site on the surface of zinc layer. Then, 3-Glycidoxypropyl methyldiethoxysilane (GPTMS)/tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) hybrid silane film was prepared. The structure and morphology of film were tested by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDS). The results indicated that phytic acid treatment at a concentration of 5 ml l−1 improved the denseness and uniformity of the silane film while increasing its thickness. The results of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) showed that the corrosion impedance of silane films under PA pretreatment was greatly improved. Furthermore, there were less rusts after 120 h salt spray test.

Combination of 1-methylcyclopropene and phytic acid inhibits surface browning and maintains texture and aroma of fresh-cut peaches

Surface browning, tissue softening, and aroma alteration are the primary quality deterioration in fresh-cut peaches. The visual appearance, textural attributes, antioxidant activity, and volatile compounds of fresh-cut peaches pre-treated with 1 μL L−1 of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) as whole fruit, and soaked in 0.05% of phytic acid (PA) for 3 min after cutting, alone or combined, were evaluated during cold storage at 0 ºC for 10 d. 1-MCP treatment of whole fruit showed minor effects on the textural attributes but restrained the production of reactive oxygen species of cut peaches. In contrast, PA treatment inhibited cut surface browning of fresh-cut peaches. The combined treatment synergistically promoted the total phenolic contents and antioxidant capacity, and inhibited the polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) activities. The ultrastructure of cell wall and plasma membrane was maintained by the combined treatment, and the malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation was restrained. E-nose and SPME GC-MS were used to assess the production of volatiles as influenced by 1-MCP and/or PA treatments. Results showed that the volatile aroma was improved by PA alone or in combination with 1-MCP especially on aldehydes, esters, and alcohols. Overall, PA mainly retarded the surface browning and improved the aroma quality of fresh-cut peaches, while 1-MCP combined with PA promoted the visual, textural, and aromatic qualities during the cold storage, suggesting the treatment can be used as a beneficial approach for the storage of fresh-cut peaches.

Phytic acid is a new substitutable plant-derived antifungal agent for the seedling blight of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica caused by Fusarium oxysporum

Phytic acid (PA) is a new substitutable plant-derived antifungal agent; however, few reports have been published regarding its antifungal effects on pathogenic fungi. The present study explored the in vitro antifungal activity of PA against four phytopathogenic fungi and found that PA was the most effective at inhibiting the growth of Fusarium oxysporum. This study aimed to investigate the in vivo and in vitro antifungal activities of PA against the seedling blight of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica caused by F. oxysporum and to determine its possible mechanism of action. The results showed that PA inhibited spore germination and mycelial growth of F. oxysporum in a concentration-dependent manner and exhibited strong inhibition when its concentration exceeded 1000 mg/L. It mainly destroyed the integrity of the cell membrane, increasing its cell membrane permeability, causing the cell contents to spill out, and impairing fungal growth. In addition, the leakage of intercellular electrolytes and soluble proteins indicated that PA used at its EC20 and EC50 increased the membrane permeability of F. oxysporum. The increase in malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide content confirmed that PA treatment at its EC20 and EC50 damaged the cell membrane of the pathogen. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that PA affected the morphology of mycelia, causing them to shrivel, distort, and break. Furthermore, PA significantly reduced the activities of the antioxidant-related enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase, as well as that of the pathogenicity-related enzymes polygalacturonase, pectin lyase, and endoglucanase (EG) in F. oxysporum (P < 0.05). In particular, EG enzyme activity was maximally inhibited in F. oxysporum treated with PA at its EC50. Moreover, PA significantly inhibited the incidence of disease, and growth indices in Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica seedling blight was determined. In summary, PA has a substantial inhibitory effect on F. oxysporum. Therefore, PA could serve as a new substitutable plant-derived antifungal agent for the seedling blight of P. sylvestris var. mongolica caused by F. oxysporum.

Vacancy engineering and hydrophilic construction of CoFe-MOF for boosting water splitting by in situ phytic acid treatment

Deliberate engineering of the structures and components of Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) can provide unlimited potential for developing efficient electrocatalysts for water splitting. Herein, we develop a green strategy to synthesize CoFe–MOF@Pa via a simple and controllable phytic acid (Pa) etching technique. The Pa etching strategy can break the M−O in CoFe–MOF to create vacancies and introduce hydrophilic groups on the surface of CoFe–MOF to enhance the hydrophilicity. The obtained porous CoFe–MOF@Pa with vacancies not only creates more active sites and facilitates charge redistribution, but also the improved hydrophilicity promotes the adequate contact of electrolytes with active sites, thereby enhancing the fast electrochemical reactions. As a result, the CoFe–MOF@Pa shows excellent OER performance (203 mV at 10 mA cm−2) and low Tafel slope (57.1 mV dec-1). Furthermore, CoFe–MOF@Pa&CoFe–MOF@Pa for water splitting, it only requires a cell voltage of 1.66 V without iR compensation at 10 mA cm−2. More importantly, CoFe–MOF@Pa also shows long-term activity and stability compared to pristine CoFe–MOF. This feasible strategy in this study is expected to provide insights into the preparation of efficient and robust electrocatalysts for water splitting.

Synergistic bactericidal effect of nisin and phytic acid against Escherichia coli O157:H7

The food industry must prevent food contamination caused by pathogenic Escherichia coli strains as they pose a severe public health threat worldwide and lead to unimaginable economic losses. In this study, the synergistic antibacterial activity in vitro of nisin and phytic acid (PA), a natural metal chelate, against 5 foodborne isolates of E. coli were evaluated by a checkerboard assay. Checkerboard assay showed that nisin and PA showed a synergistic effect (FICI <0.375) on three O157 serogroup strains and an addictive effect (0.5<FICI <0.5625) on the remaining two non-O157 serogroup strains. Then the combined bactericidal effect of these compounds against E. coli O157:H7 was investigated. Results showed the number of planktonic and biofilm cells inactivated in groups treated with a combination of 0.512 mg/mL nisin plus 1 × MIC or 2 × MIC PA was significantly higher than the sum of groups treated alone (P < 0.05). Electron scanning microscopy studies revealed that the nisin plus PA treatment had a severe effect on E. coli O157:H7, which after treatment cell morphology appeared deflated with large invaginations. The effect of nisin plus PA against E. coli O157:H7 was furthermore assessed on cold-stored beef, where a similar synergistic bactericidal effect was observed. The studies demonstrate the great potential of the food-approved nisin to control the growth of undesired E. coli pathogens in foods. We used PA to overcome the permeability barrier of the outer membrane to nisin, but other food-grade metal ion chelators such as polyphosphate most likely could be used as well.

Phytic Acid Treatment Inhibits Browning and Lignification to Promote the Quality of Fresh-Cut Apples during Storage.

Browning and lignification often occur in fresh-cut apple processing, leading to quality deterioration and limiting the shelf life of products. In this study, 0.8% (v/v) phytic acid was used to improve the quality and shelf life of fresh-cut apples. From the results, the browning was inhibited by the phytic acid treatment and the browning index (BI) of the control fruit was 1.62 times that of phytic acid treatment at 2 d of storage. The lignin content in phytic acid-treated fruit significantly decreased at 2, 4, and 6 d of storage compared to the control. Phytic acid treatment also reduced H2O2 and malonaldehyde (MDA) contents, which may indicate lighter membrane damage to apples. Compared with the control, the polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) activities decreased while superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities increased in phytic acid-treated fruit. Consistent with the lignin content, the activities of phenylpropane metabolism-related enzymes phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), cinnamate 4-hydroxylase (C4H), and 4-coumarate: CoA ligase (4CL) were inhibited by phytic acid treatment. In conclusion, phytic acid alleviated the browning and lignification of fresh-cut apples by reducing PPO and POD activities, maintaining cell membrane integrity, and inhibiting phenylpropane metabolism.

Enhanced electrochemical performance of Li1.2(Ni0.17Co0.07Mn0.56)O2 via constructing double protection layers by facile phytic acid treatment

As one of the most promising cathode materials for next-generation of lithium-ion batteries, Li-rich Mn-based oxides are still hindered by inferior cycling properties and poor rate performance. Surface modification is proved to be feasible to tackle these problems. Herein, we chose phytic acid to construct spinel and Li 3 PO 4 double protection layers on the Li 1.2 (Ni 0.17 Co 0.07 Mn 0.56 )O 2 cathode material via a simple synchronous approach. The 3 wt% phytic acid treated sample achieves markedly enhanced electrochemical performance, such as elevated initial Coulombic efficiency reaching 90.0%, increased capacity retention of 87.8% after 150 cycles at 1 C and alleviated average discharge voltage drop of 1.63 mV per cycle. These impressive electrochemical properties can be ascribed to the designed hierarchical interface, which not only can synergistically retain structural stability but also provide fast Li + transport channels. Taken together, this work employs a facile and novel route to enhance the electrochemical performance of Li 1.2 (Ni 0.17 Co 0.07 Mn 0.56 )O 2 , which may afford inspiration to the commercialization of Li-rich cathode materials.

The effect of phytic acid on enzymatic degradation of dentin.

We evaluated the effect of phytic acid on matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)- or cysteine cathepsin (CC)-mediated dentin degradation. Demineralized dentin beams were divided into five groups (n=12) and treated with 1%, 2%, or 3% phytic acid or with 37% phosphoric acid. Untreated demineralized beams served as controls. After incubation for 1 or 3wk, dry mass loss was determined and aliquots of incubation media were analysed for cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP) fragments for MMP-mediated and c-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX) for cathepsin-k-mediated degradation. The direct effect of phytic acid was evaluated using MMP activity assay. Data were analysed using repeated-measures anova. ICTP releases with 1% and 2% phytic acid treatment were statistically significantly lower than those following phosphoric acid treatment at 3wk. The CTX release for phytic acid-treated beams at 3wk was not significantly different from that of untreated control beams, but it was significantly lower than that of phosphoric acid-treated beams. Their MMP activities at 3wk were not significantly different from those of the controls but they were significantly lower than those seen for phosphoric acid-treated beams. Compared to phosphoric acid, phytic acid treatment resulted in a reduced dentinal host-derived endogenous enzymatic activity and collagen degradation.

Phosphorus-doped thick carbon electrode for high-energy density and long-life supercapacitors

Keeping outstanding electrochemical performance under high mass loading is critical to develop functional thick electrodes. Here, we report a high phosphorus-doped wood-derived carbon thick electrode for supercapacitor via phytic acid treatment, which can form hydrogen bonds with cellulose molecules in the wood. The content of phosphorus reaches up to 9.24 at% in carbonized wood with P-doping (CW-P-9.24), higher than most previously reported P-doped carbonaceous materials. CW-P-9.24 electrode (800 μm, 17.17 mg cm−2) exhibits greatly improved electrochemical performance, especially in energy density and cyclic stability. Significantly, the symmetrical supercapacitor device exhibits high areal and specific capacitance of 4.7 F cm−2 and 206.5 F g−1 at 1.0 mA cm−2 with prominent retention of 90.5% through the long-term cycling at 20 mA cm−2 for 20,000 cycles, and 0.94 mW h cm−2 (41.2 Wh kg−1) at power density of 0.6 mW cm−2 (26.3 W kg−1), and possesses excellent volumetric capacitance and energy density of 29.3 F cm−3 and 5.8 Wh cm−3, respectively. The outstanding performance can be attributed to the excellent hierarchical structure, low tortuosity, and high phosphorus doping with fast accessible channels at high current density. The extraordinary performance of CW-P has been elucidated by density functional theory calculations, which confirm the enhanced activity by P-doping. These results demonstrate that the CW-P electrode is promising for practical application in energy storage devices and encourage more investigations for thick electrode.

Finding of phytase: Understanding growth promotion mechanism of phytic acid to freshwater microalga Euglena gracilis

To better understand the promotion effect of phytic acid and its uptake mechanism in freshwater microalga Euglena gracilis, cell growth, photosynthetic pigment content and cell morphology of E. gracilis were evaluated under four conditions: phosphorus deficient group (CMP−), single phosphate treatment group (CMP+), single phytic acid treatment group (CMPA−), and phosphate-phytic acid mixed treatment group (CMPA+). The results showed that phytic acid could serve as the sole phosphorus source for the growth of E. gracilis, and phytase which catalyzes the hydrolysis of phytic acid was discovered for the first time in E. gracilis. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy combined with multivariate analysis showed the good recognition of metabolites from different culture conditions especially focusing on relative carbohydrate or lipid contents. Phytic acid derived from agro-wastes is a cheap growth promoter for E. gracilis, and this E. gracilis with high nutritional value is applicable to animal feed while minimizing environmental impact.

Phytic acid attenuates upregulation of GSK-3β and disturbance of synaptic vesicle recycling in MPTP-induced Parkinson's disease models

Heightened activity of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) is linked to the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease (PD). Phytic acid (PA), a naturally occurring compound with potent antioxidant property, has been shown to confer neuroprotection on dopaminergic neurons in PD. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In the present study, MPTP and MPP+ treatments were used to model PD in mice and SH-SY5Y cells, respectively. We observed reduced tissue dopamine, disrupted synaptic vesicle recycling, and defective neurotransmitter exocytosis. Furthermore, expression of GSK-3β was upregulated while that of β-catenin was downregulated, concentration of cytosolic calcium was increased, and expressions of two dopamine carriers, dopamine transporter (DAT) and vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) were decreased. PA treatment attenuated the MPTP-induced upregulation of GSK-3β, increase in cytosolic calcium concentration, decreases in the levels of DAT, VMAT2, tissue dopamine, and synaptic vesicle recycling. Importantly, disturbances in synaptic vesicle recycling are thought to be early events in PD pathology. These findings suggest that PA is a promising therapeutic agent to treat early events in PD.

Preventive effect of phytic acid against lead toxicity in growing rats: biochemical assays and measuring of blood and brain lead levels

Phytic acid (Inositol hexaphosphate; IP6) is a natural plant antioxidant, it is found in most grain and legumes. Although much attention has been focused on the preventive effect during critical periods of development in lead poi-soned rats. Phytic acid (1%) was administered to Wistar rats during the ges-tation period and then exposed them to lead acetate (0.2%) during the lacta-tion period. We observed a decrease in body weight in the lead intoxicated group. Phytic acid treatment reduces blood lead levels and brain lead (P&lt;0.001) compared to untreated poisoned rats. The group exposed to lead and not treated with IP6 showed an increase in liver enzyme activity (ALAT, ASAT and PAL) and electrolyte levels (Na+, K+, Cl¯). While the values of fere-mia and calcium levels decreased compared to those of control rats, batches treated with IP6 showed a significant increase in serum iron and calcium levels, whereas the value of serum Mg+2 was unchanged compared to that of the intoxicated batch. Similarly, the values of urea, creatinine and uric acid rise significantly in poisoned animals that receive only lead. Preventive treat-ment with IP6 showed a significant decrease in total cholesterol and triglyc-erides (P&lt;0.001) compared to the intoxicated lot. IP6 provides a protection against lead-induced disturbances.

Inhibitory Effect of Phytic Acid on LPS Induced BV-2 Microglia Activation

Hyperactivation of microglia is the important pathology of neurodegenerative diseases. Being naturally occurring compound, phytic acid (PA) has been found to exert anti-inflammatory effect in MPTP-induced parkinson’s disease model of mice, but mechanism needed to be further investigated. In our study, BV-2 microglia were cultured and induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to mimic inflammation models to testify the phytic acid’s effect on neuroinflammation. Methods: BV-2 microglia were cultured in vitro. After pretreatment with different doses of PA, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was added to induce the activation of BV-2 microglia. The cell survival rate was detected by MTT colorimetry, the NO release of microglia was measured by Griess assay, and the concentration of IL-6 in supernatant of cell culture was detected by ELISA assay. DAPI staining was used to detect the changes of apoptosis of activated BV-2 microglia before and after phytic acid treatment. Results: Phytic acid could inhibit the production of NO and IL-6 in BV-2 microglia activated by LPS, and block the excessive activation of BV-2 microglia stimulated by LPS. At the same time, it can promote the apoptosis of over-activated microglia. Therefore, phytic acid may play a potential role on prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases associated with its inhibition on microglial activation.