Total Phospholipids Research Articles

Comparison of glycerophospholipid and sphingolipid in mature milk from different sampled regions in the Chinese human milk project (CHMP) study

Milk phospholipids (PLs) are critical components of infant growth. This study aimed to discover PL in mature human milk (HM) from China (n = 201) and mainly assessed the effect caused by sampled regions. The average total PL concentration was quantified from 3.65 to 11.25 mg per g of lipid, and the major PL class identified was sphingomyelin (SM, 38.06–47.62 %), followed by phosphatidylcholine (PC, 29.61–34.39 %), and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE, 10.54–24.46 %). In addition, the 36:2 (18:0/18:2), 38:6 (16:0/22:6), 40:1 (d18:1/22:0), and 42:2 (d18:1/24:1) were the most abundant molecular species identified in glycerophospholipid and SM molecular species respectively. Some PL molecular species were strongly related with region of sampling, like lysophosphatidylinositol 18:1 was only detected in Beijing. In conclusion, those findings showed that the PL molecular species and concentration of HM had significant regional diversity, and it will give the Chinese human milk database more accurate PL data.

Preventive effects of antenatal CDP-choline in a rat model of neonatal hyperoxia-induced lung injury.

Antenatal steroid administration to pregnant women at risk of prematurity provides pulmonary maturation in infants, while it has limited effects on incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), the clinical expression of hyperoxia-induced lung injury (HILI). Cytidine-5'-diphosphate choline (CDP-choline) was shown to alleviate HILI when administered to newborn rats. Therefore, we investigated effects of maternal administration of CDP-choline, alone or in combination with betamethasone, on lung maturation in neonatal rats subjected to HILI immediately after birth. Pregnant rats were randomly assigned to one of the four treatments: saline (1 mL/kg), CDP-choline (300 mg/kg), betamethasone (0.4 mg/kg), or CDP-choline plus betamethasone (combination therapy). From postnatal day 1 to 11, pups born to mothers in the same treatment group were pooled and randomly assigned to either normoxia or hyperoxia group. Biochemical an d histopathological effects of CDP-choline on neonatal lung tissue were evaluated. Antenatal CDP-choline treatment increased levels of phosphatidylcholine and total lung phospholipids, decreased apoptosis, and improved alveolarization. The outcomes were further improved with combination therapy compared to the administration of CDP-choline or betamethasone alone. These results demonstrate that antenatal CDP-choline treatment provides benefit in experimental HILI either alone or more intensively when administered along with a steroid, suggesting a possible utility for CDP-choline against BPD.

Deciphering factors driving soil microbial life-history strategies in restored grasslands.

In macroecology, the concept of r- and K-strategy has been widely applied, yet, there have been limited studies on microbial life-history strategies in temperate grasslands using multiple sequencing approaches. Total phospholipid fatty acid(PLFA) analysis, high-throughput meta-genomic sequencing, and GeoChip technologies were used to examine the changes in microbial life-history traits in a chronosequence of restored grasslands (1, 5, 10, 15, 25, and 30 years since restoration). Grassland restoration increased the relative abundances of Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes but reduced the relative abundances of Acidobacteria, Planctomycetes, and Chloroflexi. PLFA analysis revealed that grassland restoration reduced the fungi:bacteria and Gram-positive:Gram-negative bacteria ratios. Combined with the meta-genomic data, we found that grassland restoration shifted microorganisms from oligotrophic (K-) to copiotrophic (r-) groups, consistent with the increased rRNA operon copy number of the microbial community. Structural equation modeling showed that soil properties positively (p < 0.05) while plant properties negatively (p < 0.05) affected microbial life-history traits. We built a framework to highlight the importance of plant and soil properties in driving microbial life-history traits during grassland restoration. Finally, by incorporating meta-genomic and other microbiological data, this study showed that microbial life-history traits support the idea that rRNA operon copy number is a trait that reflects resource availability to soil microorganisms.

Use of fungal and bacterial protease preparations to enhance extraction of lipid from fish roe: Effect on lipidomic profile of extracted oil.

The present study investigated the hydrolysis of protein in hoki roe homogenate using a HT (bacterial), a FP-II (fungal) protease preparations and Alcalase (bacterial) to enhance lipid yield extraction. The degree of hydrolysis was determined at various pH, temperature and time using casein and hoki roe. Total lipid extraction and lipidomic analysis was carried out following proteolysis of hoki roe homogenate. The degree of hydrolysis and SDS-PAGE revealed that the hydrolytic capability of Alcalase was better than HT and FPII. The total extracted lipid yield was better following hydrolysis with Alcalase (19.29%), compared to HT (18.29%) and FPII (18.33%). However, the total phospholipid (PL) and n-3 fatty acid yields were better from HT hydrolysed hoki roe homogenate (PL=30.7μmol/g; n-3=10.5%), compared to Alcalase (PL=22μmol/g; n-3=5.95%). Overall, this study indicates that HT protease preparation hydrolysis of fish roe homogenate can both enhance lipid extraction and retain lipid quality.

Characterization of polar and non-polar lipids of Hermetia illucens and Tenebrio molitor meals as animal feed ingredients

Although increasingly used in animal feeding, the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens - HI) and mealworm (Tenebrio molitor - TM) larvae and pupae require the characterization and modulation of their fat profile for use in the feed industry. In this study, we provide a comprehensive fatty acid profile of the total lipid triglycerides and phospholipids, and sterol composition. For a more detailed characterization of the nutritional properties, we defined the profile of esterified fatty acids (FAs) in the sn-2 position of the triglycerides, which represents the most adsorbed fraction by animals during digestion. Twenty-four batches (12 batches per species divided into 6 batches of larvae and 6 batches of pupae) of 70 subjects were used for the analysis. For each of the developmental stages, individuals in the intermediate stage were considered (2 months and 8 days for TM larvae and pupae respectively; 9 days and 7 days for HI larvae and pupae respectively). Some fatty acids (decanoic, lauric, or myristic acid) were more abundant in HI than in TM. These FAs were produced de novo, indicating that HI produce them from carbohydrates as a source of acetyl-CoA. Hermetia illucens showed a higher level of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers, a class of fatty acids with positive health effects. In contrast, TM showed a similar fatty acid profile to the plant lipid source (such as soy and sunflower) due to the high level of linoleic acid. Analysis of the triglyceride fraction showed a different affinity for the three glyceride positions. In particular, lauric acid, polyunsaturated fatty acids n-3 and CLA isomers esterified preferentially in sn-2, and therefore were the most adsorbed by the animal during digestion. As for the phospholipids, HI showed a higher level, above all in terms of the phosphatidylethanolamine fraction. Interestingly there was no sphingomyelin in the pupae of both species. The high level of phospholipids is a useful feature for the emulsion of fats in animal feed diets. Lastly, we observed a considerable amount of phytosterol in the sterol profile of both species, which makes these insects a valid alternative to other food sources of plant origin for animal nutrition. We believe that our findings provide new nutritional information for the use of TM and HI in the animal diet.

Soil organic carbon and nitrogen fractions as affected by straw and nitrogen management on the North China Plain

Straw incorporation and nitrogen (N) application play crucial roles in regulating soil carbon (C) and N storage and availability. However, their effects on soil C and N fractions and microbial community composition, as well as the relationships between microorganisms and soil organic C (SOC) and soil organic N (SON) fractions remain largely unexplored. Here, arable soils following 5-year straw (NS, nonamended controls; AS, wheat and maize straw incorporation) and N (0, 150 and 250 kg N ha−1 applied for each crop) management were collected to determine the organic C and N fractions and microbial community composition. Compared to NS, AS significantly increased the contents of SOC and total nitrogen (TN) by 36.26 % and 24.12 %, respectively, mainly by increasing the contents of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), particulate organic carbon (POC), hydrolysable unknown-N (HUN) and acid insoluble-N (AIN). Under straw incorporation, N addition significantly improved total phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs), the contents of TN, DOC, amino acid-N (AAN), active SON and stable SON, and the ratios of POC/SOC and DOC/SOC. However, there was no significant difference in SOC pool, organic C and N fractions (except for AAN and active SON) and microbial community composition between the N150 and N250 levels under AS. Compared to straw removal, straw incorporation significantly changed the microbial community composition by increasing the accumulations of SOC, DOC, POC, and mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC). Regression analysis indicated that high relative abundances of fungi and gram-positive bacteria (GP) were more conducive to stable SON accumulation. Collectively, straw incorporation coupled with 150 kg N ha−1 per crop growing season was a sustainable field management practice for effectively improving soil fertility on the North China Plain.

Class A lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase 2 from Camelina sativa promotes very long-chain fatty acids accumulation in phospholipid and triacylglycerol.

Very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) are important industrial raw materials and can be produced by genetically modified oil plants. For a long time, class A lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase (LPAT) was considered unable to promote the accumulation of VLCFA in oil crops. The bottlenecks that the transgenic high VLCFA lines have an oil content penalty and the low amount of VLCFA in phosphatidylcholine remains intractable. In the present study, a class A LPAT2 from Camelina sativa (CsaLPAT2) promoting VLCFAs accumulation in phospholipid was found. Overexpression of CsaLPAT2 alone in Arabidopsis seeds significantly increased the VLCFA content in triacylglycerol, including C20:0, C20:2, C20:3, C22:0, and C22:1. The proportion of phosphatidic acid molecules containing VLCFAs in transgenic seeds reached up to 45%, which was 2.8-fold greater than that in wild type. The proportion of phosphatidylcholine and diacylglycerol molecules containing VLCFAs also increased significantly. Seed size in CsaLPAT2 transgenic lines showed a slight increase without an oil content penalty. The total phospholipid content in the seed of the CsaLPAT2 transgenic line was significantly increased. Furthermore, the function of class A LPAT in promoting the accumulation of VLCFAs is conserved in the representative oil crops of Brassicaceae, such as C. sativa, Arabidopsis thaliana, Brassica napus, Brassica rapa, and Brassica oleracea. The findings of this study provide a promising gene resource for the production of VLCFAs.

Milk fat globule membrane plus milk fat increase docosahexaenoic acid availability in infant formulas

PurposeMilk fat globule membrane (MFGM) has components with emulsifier properties that could affect the provision of substrates to the brain. We evaluated the effects of MFGM plus milk fat addition to infant formulas on docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) availability and gut development.MethodsIn Experiment 1, suckling piglets were divided into 3 groups: Group L1 (n = 8): fed with a vegetal fat formula with palm oil; L2 (n = 8): canola oil formula and L3 (n = 8): milk fat + canola oil + 1% Lacprodan (3% MFGM of total protein content). In Experiment 2, Group L4 (n = 7): fed with canola oil + 1% Lacprodan (3% MFGM) and Group L5 (n = 5): milk fat + canola oil + 2% Lacprodan (6% MFGM). All formulas contained 0.2% DHA and 0.2% arachidonic acid.ResultsIn Experiment 1, DHA was similar among the groups in both total fatty acids and plasma phospholipids (PL). However, 3% MFGM (L3) increased significantly the proportion of DHA and LC-PUFA n-3 in liver total fatty acids, jejunum, and also in jejunum PL respect to the other formulas. There were no changes in gut histology, cell proliferation, apoptosis, or brain DHA content. In Experiment 2, higher MFGM dose was used. Then, higher DHA was not only found in peripheral tissues of 6% MFGM (L5) piglets but also in plasma PL, while a similar trend was observed in cortex PL (p = 0.123).ConclusionIn conclusion, MFGM plus milk fat may increase DHA availability of infant formulas which could contribute to their beneficial health effects.

Biochar and nitrogen fertilizer promote rice yield by altering soil enzyme activity and microbial community structure

AbstractBiochar can significantly change soil properties and improve soil quality. However, the effects of long‐term combined application of biochar (B) and nitrogen (N) fertilizer on relationships between soil enzyme activity, microbial community structure, and crop yield are still obscure. We characterized these relationships in a long‐term (8 years) field experiment with rice, two biochar rates of 0 and 13.5 t ha−1 year−1 (B0 and B) and two N fertilizer rates of 0 and 300 kg N ha−1 year−1 (N0 and N). The repeated, long‐term combined applications of biochar and N fertilizer significantly increased microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), but biochar decreased the abundance of total bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, and gram‐positive and gram‐negative bacteria as well as the amount of total phospholipid fatty acids. The activity of leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) decreased significantly in the biochar‐amended and N fertilized treatment, but the LAP activity either remained unchanged or increased with biochar amendment at N0. The relative abundance of bacterial phylum Chloroflexi was increased in the combined biochar and N fertilizer treatment. The changes in soil organic matter and the activity of α‐1,4‐xylosidase were the major properties influencing soil bacterial community composition, whereas the structure of fungal community was governed by MBC, MBN, and LAP activities. In addition, long‐term biochar and N fertilizer applied together significantly increased rice yield (more than biochar and nitrogen fertilizer applied alone). Yield was significantly positively correlated with LAP activity, but significantly negatively correlated with the relative abundance of Chloroflexi. In conclusion, long‐term biochar and nitrogen fertilizer applications increased rice yield, which was associated with altered soil microbial community and enhanced activity of some enzymes.

Features of lipid metabolism in membranes of rat cells at experimental traumatic brain injury on the background of chronic alcohol intoxication

Introduction. Alcohol intoxication is often the cause of traumatic brain injury. The purpose of the work was to study the features of lipid metabolism in erythrocytes and mitochondria of the cerebral cortex cell membranes of rats in traumatic brain injury on the background of chronic alcohol intoxication. Materials and methods. The studies were carried out on 140 male rats of the Wistar line weighing 170-250 g. Chronic alcohol intoxication was caused by using 15% ethanol as the only source of fluid for 20 days. Reproduction of traumatic brain injury was carried out by a shock model. Statistical analysis of data was conducted by using „Primer Biostatistics 6.0”. The criteria of parametric statistics were used. The level of p &lt;0.05 was statistically significant. Results. Chronic alcohol intoxication in rats and inducing of traumatic brain injury separately causes a significant change of total phospholipids and cholesterol content, and their molar ratio in the membranes of erythrocytes and mitochondria of the cerebral cortex. Particularly pronounced were the changes in studied objects with combined pathology, meaning, traumatic brain injury on the background of chronic alcohol intoxication. Discoordination of lipid metabolism was unidirectional, manifested in a significant reduction in the content of total phospholipids, and increased total cholesterol, which led to a violation of the molar ratio of total cholesterol/phospholipids in the direction of increasing the coefficient, which is normally about 1.0. In subsequent monitoring periods, there was a gradual restoration of individual fractions of phospholipids, but on the 30th day of the study, it did not reach the control values. That means that discoordination of the metabolism of individual phospholipid fractions was so pronounced, that even on 30th day of arbitrary reproduction did not reach the initial values, which again emphasizes the severity of the morphofunctional state of red blood cells membranes’ disturbance. Conclusions. The revealed features of lipid metabolism in the membranes of erythrocytes and mitochondria of the cerebral cortex in traumatic brain injury on the background of chronic alcohol intoxication are an important component for understanding the ongoing pathophysiological processes and searching for new effective drugs with targeted action.

Anthelmintic, haematological and antioxidant potential of Spondias mombin L. in young dogs

Associated side effects and anthelmintic resistance to synthetic anthelmintics limit their use. This study evaluated the anthelmintic, haematological and antioxidant activities of Spondias mombin (SM) in young dogs. In addition, phytochemical analyses and in vitro antioxidant assays of SM’s fractions were done using standard methods. Ten Nigerian indigenous dog breed (aged 2-6 months), were randomly allocated into two groups (A and B) and pre-treated with 200 µg/kg ivermectin subcutaneously. Two weeks after, each dog was infected with 400 L3/mL Ancylostoma caninum suspension orally and topically. On day 31 post infection, Group A was administered 5 mg/kg pyrantel pamoate (PP) once, while Group B was administered 500 mg/kg aqueous SM leaf extract for two days. Their physical condition, faecal egg count, body weights (BW), haematological, antioxidant and serum biochemistry were evaluated before and two weeks post treatment (PT). Data were presented as mean ± SEM, analyzed using student t-test and Chi-square, and p-value ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. Melanic faeces voided by dogs in both groups returned to normal colour and consistency PT, with SM aqueous extract comparing well with PP. There was slight decrease in WBC (8.74±4.85 to 8.37±1.78x 103/μL), improvement in PCV (30.60±6.54 to 33.20±4.87%), serum biochemistry and antioxidant values for Group B, though not statistically significant (p=0.2). Total cholesterol and phospholipids were significantly reduced PT in Group B (p = 0.05). Nine phytochemicals were identified in SM fractions and the plant demonstrated high free radical scavenging activity. Crude aqueous extract of Spondias mombin leaf is an effective anthelminthic, which can be developed further in the management of canine helminthosis.

Contrasting effects of maize litter and litter-derived biochar on the temperature sensitivity of paddy soil organic matter decomposition.

Organic matter input regulates the rate and temperature sensitivity (expressed as Q10) of soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition by changing microbial composition and activities. It remains unclear how the incorporation of litter-made biochar instead of litter affects the Q10 of SOM decomposition. Using a unique combination of two-and three-source partitioning methods (isotopic discrimination between C3/C4 pathways and 14C labeling), we investigated: (1) how maize litter versus litter-made biochar (of C4 origin) addition influenced the Q10 of SOM (C3 origin) under 10°C warming, and (2) how the litter or biochar amendments affected the Q10 of 14C-labeled fresh organic matter (FOM) after long-term incubation. Compared with biochar addition, litter increased the rates and Q10 of mass-specific respiration, SOM and FOM decomposition, as well as the contents of SOM-derived dissolved organic C (DOC) and total phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA). Litter-amended soils have much higher activities (Vmax) of β-glucosidase, N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase, and leucine aminopeptidase, suggesting larger enzyme pools than in soils with biochar. The Q10 of enzyme Vmax (1.6–2.0) and Km (1.2–1.4) were similar between litter-and biochar-amended soils, and remained stable with warming. However, warming reduced microbial biomass (PLFA) and enzyme activity (Vmax), suggesting decreased enzyme production associated with smaller microbial biomass or faster enzyme turnover at higher temperatures. Reductions in PLFA content and enzyme Vmax due to warming were larger in litter-amended soils (by 31%) than in the control and biochar-amended soils (by 4–11%), implying the active litter-feeding microorganisms have a smaller degree of heat tolerance than the inactive microorganisms under biochar amendments. The reduction in enzyme activity (Vmax) by warming was lower in soils with biochar than in the control soil. Our modeling suggested that the higher Q10 in litter-amended soils was mainly caused by faster C loss under warming, linked to reductions in microbial biomass and growth efficiency, rather than the slightly increased SOM-originated substrate availability (DOC). Overall, using straw-made biochar instead of straw per se as a soil amendment lowers the Q10 of SOM and FOM by making microbial communities and enzyme pools more temperature-tolerant, and consequently reduces SOM losses under warming.

Human Milk Lipid Profiles around the World: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Reported breast milk lipid concentrations may vary with geographical region, postnatal age, and year of sample collection. In this review, we summarized data on the concentrations of total fat, total phospholipids, cholesterol, and fatty acids in human milk worldwide and their variation according to lactation stage, study area, and sample collection year. A systematic literature search was performed using the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Medline databases for English-language papers and Wanfang and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases for Chinese-language papers. A total of 186 studies evaluating the human milk lipid profiles were included. According to random-effects models based on worldwide data, the summarized means (95% CIs) as percentages of total fat were 42.2% (41.1%, 43.3%) for SFAs, 36.6% (35.6%, 37.5%) for MUFAs, and 21.0% (19.3%, 22.7%) for PUFAs. However, the study heterogeneity was high for most types of fatty acids (I2>99%). Human milk from Western countries had higher concentrations of MUFAs and 18:1n-9 (ω-9), but lower concentrations of PUFAs, 18:2n-6, 20:4n-6, 18:3n-3, 20:5n-3, 22:6n-3, and total n-6 PUFA compared with those from non-Western countries (P < 0.001-0.011). Significant lactation stage differences were observed for total fat and some individual fatty acids. The concentrations of SFAs and 16:0 were significantly negatively correlated with sampling year (P<0.001-0.028). In contrast, a significant positive correlation between the concentrations of 18:2n-6 and 18:3n-3 and sampling year was observed (P<0.001-0.035). Our results suggest that the pooling of data on human milk lipid profiles in different studies should be done with caution due to the high between-study heterogeneity. The concentration of lipids, including total fat, cholesterol, and specific fatty acids, differs in human milk according to lactation stage, geographical region, and year of sample collection.

Analysis of Polar Lipids in Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) By-Products by Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography and High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry.

Polar lipids were extracted from residual biomass of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) by-products with EtOH and partitioned into aqueous and chloroform fractions. The chloroform fractions were studied for their lipid composition using solid-phase extraction (SPE) followed by UHPLC/HRMS and NMR analyses. The 1H NMR and gravimetric yield of SPE indicated triacylglycerols covered ≥ 51.3% of the chloroform fraction of hemp seed hulls and hemp cake. UHPLC/HRMS analyses of remaining polar lipids led to the identification of nine diacylglycerols (DAGs), six lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs), five lysophosphatidylethanolamines (LPEs), eight phosphatidylethanolamines (PEs), and thirteen phosphatidylcholines (PCs) for the first time from hemp seed hulls. The regiospecificity of fatty acyl substitutes in glycerol backbone of individual phospholipids were assigned by analyzing the diagnostic fragment ions and their intensities. The heat-map analysis suggested that DAG 18:2/18:2, 1-LPC 18:2, 1-LPE 18:2, PE 18:2/18:2, and PC 18:2/18:2 were the predominant molecules within their classes, supported by the fact that linoleic acid was the major fatty acid covering > 41.1% of the total fatty acids determined by GC-FID analysis. The 31P NMR analysis confirmed the identification of phospholipids and suggested PC covers ≥ 37.9% of the total phospholipid present in hemp by-products. HPLC purification led to the isolation of 1,2-dilinoleoylphosphatidylcholine and 1-palmitoyl-2-linoleoylphosphatidylcholine. These two major PCs further confirmed the UHPLC/HRMS finding.

Modification of erythrocyte membrane phospholipid composition in preterm newborns with retinopathy of prematurity: The omegaROP study.

N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may prevent retinal vascular abnormalities observed in oxygen-induced retinopathy, a model of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). In the OmegaROP prospective cohort study, we showed that preterm infants who will develop ROP accumulate the n-6 PUFA arachidonic acid (ARA) at the expense of the n-3 PUFA docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in erythrocytes with advancing gestational age (GA). As mice lacking plasmalogens ―That are specific phospholipids considered as reservoirs of n-6 and n-3 PUFAs― Display a ROP-like phenotype, the aim of this study was to determine whether plasmalogens are responsible for the changes observed in subjects from the OmegaROP study. Accordingly, preterm infants aged less than 29 weeks GA were recruited at birth in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of University Hospital Dijon, France. Blood was sampled very early after birth to avoid any nutritional influence on its lipid composition. The lipid composition of erythrocytes and the structure of phospholipids including plasmalogens were determined by global lipidomics using liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). LC-HRMS data confirmed our previous observations by showing a negative association between the erythrocyte content in phospholipid esterified to n-6 PUFAs and GA in infants without ROP (rho = −0.485, p = 0.013 and rho = −0.477, p = 0.015 for ethanolamine and choline total phospholipids, respectively). Phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PtdEtn) species with ARA, namely PtdCho16:0/20:4 (rho = −0.511, p < 0.01) and PtdEtn18:1/20:4 (rho = −0.479, p = 0.015), were the major contributors to the relationship observed. On the contrary, preterm infants developing ROP displayed negative association between PtdEtn species with n-3 PUFAs and GA (rho = −0.380, p = 0.034). They were also characterized by a positive association between GA and the ratio of ethanolamine plasmalogens (PlsEtn) with n-6 PUFA to PlsEtn with n-3 PUFAs (rho = 0.420, p = 0.029), as well as the ratio of PlsEtn with ARA to PlsEtn with DHA (rho = 0.843, p = 0.011). Altogether, these data confirm the potential accumulation of n-6 PUFAs with advancing GA in erythrocytes of infants developing ROP. These changes may be partly due to plasmalogens.

The levels of plasma plasmalogen in retired female rats decrease by ovariectomy and intake of cholesterol-diet.

Plasmalogens are functional glycerophospholipids that play important biological roles in the human body and are associated with various diseases. In our previous study, plasma choline plasmalogen level was reported to be strongly associated with factors of atherosclerosis and decreases with age. In this study, we created an animal model of low plasma plasmalogen and clarified the effect of aging on plasma plasmalogen metabolism and other plasma lipids in ovariectomized rats. Consequently, in the ovariectomized model using retired rats (Retire+OVX rats), we found a reduction in the ratio of plasmalogen in total phospholipids and an increase in cholesterol in plasma. Furthermore, this was more pronounced with the intake of a high-cholesterol diet in the Retire+OVX rats and is similar to the changes in plasmalogen and cholesterol levels in human atherosclerosis. In summary, this suggests that the ovariectomy model using retired rats is a useful model for low plasma plasmalogen levels.

Fertilization Regulates Grape Yield and Quality in by Altering Soil Nutrients and the Microbial Community

Rational fertilization is a win-win strategy for rural incomes and environmental restoration in ecologically fragile regions. However, the long-term cumulative grape productivity response to soil fertility has rarely been quantified. Here, long-term fertilization experiments (over 15 years) in the desert–oasis transitional zone of Sinkiang, China, were used to evaluate the interactions among grape yield, quality, fertilization, soil nutrients, and microbial communities. There were five treatments, as follows: CK0 (no planting and no fertilizing); NP (synthetic nitrogen and phosphorus); M (manure only); NPM1 (0.25 times NP and 0.33 times M); and NPM2 (NP and 0.5 times M). The grape yield increased with the application of total nitrogen. The soluble solids and reducing sugar contents had significant positive linear correlations with grape yield, but the opposite trend was found between grape yield and titratable acidity and tannin contents. The redundancy analysis showed that fertilization, soil nutrients (soil organic carbon, available nitrogen, and dissolved organic nitrogen), and microbial communities (ratio of fungi to bacteria, ratio of Gram-negative bacteria to Gram-positive bacteria, and total phospholipid fatty acids) accounted for 31.9%, 19.7%, and 26.8% of the grape yield and nutritional ingredients, respectively. The path analysis identified that fertilization, soil nutrients, and the microbial communities were significantly positively associated with the grape yield, soluble solids, and reducing sugars, while their associations with titratable acidity, tannins, and phenols were significantly negative. These results suggested that fertilization is a viable strategy for regulating grape yields and grape quality because it alters soil fertility in ecologically fragile regions.

Influence of land‐use changes on microbial community structure and diversity in a semiarid region

AbstractLand‐use change and the conversion of land into croplands is one of the main drivers of soil degradation and the loss of soil organic carbon. Few studies have evaluated the impact of the expansion of the agricultural frontier on soil microbial communities in the Gran Chaco region in South America; therefore, the objective of this study was to explore how soil microbial communities respond to land‐use changes in a semiarid region of Argentina. The land uses selected were total and selective clearing with livestock (TC‐livestock and SC‐livestock), total clearing with agriculture (TC‐agriculture), and an undisturbed site (R‐Chancaní). Our results suggest that microbial abundances were strongly influenced by seasonal changes. In both seasons, the lowest values of total microbial biomass were observed in TC‐agriculture and TC‐livestock. In the wet season, TC‐agriculture had the lowest fungal abundance, and both total clearing sites (TC‐livestock and TC‐agriculture) had higher bacterial abundance than the other sites. Our data also showed that the Shannon and richness indices were highest at the farming sites, indicating a similar tendency in the diversity indexes in both dry and wet seasons. According to Pearson correlation analysis, humic substance (HS) content was a key driver influencing soil microbial communities, demonstrating that high HS content may significantly increase bacteria, fungi, and total phospholipid fatty acids. Microbial composition highly depended on seasonal changes. Overall, our results suggest that land‐use change altered microbial community structure and bacterial diversity, and that HS content played a crucial role in driving changes in soil microbial composition.

Vitamin B12 Attenuates Changes in Phospholipid Levels Related to Oxidative Stress in SH-SY5Y Cells.

Oxidative stress is closely linked to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and is detected peripherally as well as in AD-vulnerable brain regions. Oxidative stress results from an imbalance between the generation and degradation of reactive oxidative species (ROS), leading to the oxidation of proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids. Extensive lipid changes have been found in post mortem AD brain tissue; these changes include the levels of total phospholipids, sphingomyelin, and ceramide, as well as plasmalogens, which are highly susceptible to oxidation because of their vinyl ether bond at the sn-1 position of the glycerol-backbone. Several lines of evidence indicate that a deficiency in the neurotropic vitamin B12 is linked with AD. In the present study, treatment of the neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y with vitamin B12 resulted in elevated levels of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, sphingomyelin, and plasmalogens. Vitamin B12 also protected plasmalogens from hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative stress due to an elevated expression of the ROS-degrading enzymes superoxide-dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). Furthermore, vitamin B12 elevates plasmalogen synthesis by increasing the expression of alkylglycerone phosphate synthase (AGPS) and choline phosphotransferase 1 (CHPT1) in SH-SY5Y cells exposed to H2O2-induced oxidative stress.

Decreases of ethanolamine plasmalogen and phosphatidylcholine in erythrocyte are a common phenomenon in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and coronary artery diseases

Decreased plasma levels of plasmalogens in neurodegenerative diseases have been watched with interest. We previously reported the decreases of erythrocyte ethanolamine plasmalogen (PlsPE) of blood not only in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD), but also in coronary artery disease (CAD). In the present study, by using the same high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method, we investigated the pattern of changes in the phospholipid composition of erythrocyte membrane in AD, PD and CAD compared with healthy individuals. The common patten of changes among them was as follows: The decrease of erythrocyte PlsPE was accompanied by a decrease of phosphatidylcholine although phosphatidylethanolamine remained unchanged. The decreases of PlsPE and phosphatidylcholine were replaced by an increase of sphingomyelin (SM) in the total phospholipids. The dissociated change between PlsPE and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) may be caused by the differences in molecular structure or in location in the cell membrane. Such special changes provide another piece of biochemical evidence that these different diseases are caused by identical pathological mechanism, suggesting potential biomarkers for these chronic diseases due to aging.