OBJECTIVES: To study whether diatoms can enter the body through the lymphatic system of the digestive tract. METHODS: Twenty experimental rabbits were divided into the test group and the control group randomly, and intragastric administration was performed with 20 mL water sample from the Pearl River and 20 mL ultrapure water, respectively. After 30 min, lymph, lungs, livers and kidneys were extracted for the diatom test. The concentration, size and type of diatoms were recorded. RESULTS: The concentration of diatoms of the test group was higher than that of the control group (P<0.05). In the test group, Stephanodiscus, Coscinodiscus, Cyclotella, Melosira, Nitzschia, Synedra, Cymbella, and Navicula were detected; in the control group, Stephanodiscus, Coscinodiscus and Cyclotella were detected. The long diameter and the short diameter of diatoms of the test group were higher than those of the control group (P<0.05). In the test group, 1-2 diatoms were detected in 3 lung samples and 2 liver samples, which were Stephanodiscus or Cyclotella, and no diatoms were detected in the kidney samples; in the control group, 1-2 diatoms were detected in 2 lung samples and 3 liver samples, which were Stephanodiscus or Coscinodiscus, and no diatoms were detected in the kidney samples. CONCLUSIONS Diatoms can enter the body through the lymphatic fluid, which is one of the reasons for the presence of diatoms in tissues and organs of non-drowning cadavers.
Animals ; Diatoms ; Drowning ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Lung ; Lymphatic System ; Rabbits ; Water/metabolism*

This study aimed to elucidate the digestive characteristics of flavonoid components in Xiaoer Chiqiao Qingre Granules(XECQ) in the gastrointestinal environment of infants. An in vitro model was established to simulate the gastric and intestinal environment of infants. UPLC was used to analyze the content change of flavonoid components in XECQ, and their overall content was integrated through the mass fraction weight coefficient method. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS was employed to determine the digestive products of flavonoid components in gastrointestinal fluids and their metabolic pathways. The results showed that in the process of digestion, 11 digestion products were generated by oxidation, reduction, deglycosylation, methylation and other phase Ⅰ metabolism. From flavonoid content and component changes, it was found that the flavonoid components in XECQ were relatively stable in the gastric fluid, while their content in the intestinal fluid was first increased and then maintained stable. This was mainly because flavonoid components were released from proteins, polysaccharides and other macromolecular substances during gastrointestinal digestion. In addition, phase Ⅰ metabolism occurred, but with relatively low metabolic rate, resulting in their stable content. This study preliminarily explored the digestive characteristics of flavonoid components in XECQ in the infant gastrointestinal environment, which laid a foundation for further studying the absorption, transport and metabolism of pharmacodynamics components in XECQ, and facilitated the study of the biopharmaceutical pro-perties of pediatric Chinese medicine.
Infant ; Humans ; Child ; Flavonoids/metabolism* ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Intestines ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/metabolism* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid

Immunoglobulin Y (IgY) is an effective orally administered antibody used to protect against various intestinal pathogens, but which cannot tolerate the acidic gastric environment. In this study, IgY was microencapsulated by alginate (ALG) and coated with chitooligosaccharide (COS). A response surface methodology was used to optimize the formulation, and a simulated gastrointestinal (GI) digestion (SGID) system to evaluate the controlled release of microencapsulated IgY. The microcapsule formulation was optimized as an ALG concentration of 1.56% (15.6 g/L), COS level of 0.61% (6.1 g/L), and IgY/ALG ratio of 62.44% (mass ratio). The microcapsules prepared following this formulation had an encapsulation efficiency of 65.19%, a loading capacity of 33.75%, and an average particle size of 588.75 μm. Under this optimum formulation, the coating of COS provided a less porous and more continuous microstructure by filling the cracks on the surface, and thus the GI release rate of encapsulated IgY was significantly reduced. The release of encapsulated IgY during simulated gastric and intestinal digestion well fitted the zero-order and first-order kinetics functions, respectively. The microcapsule also allowed the IgY to retain 84.37% immune-activity after 4 h simulated GI digestion, significantly higher than that for unprotected IgY (5.33%). This approach could provide an efficient way to preserve IgY and improve its performance in the GI tract.
Alginic Acid/chemistry* ; Chitin/chemistry* ; Chitosan ; Delayed-Action Preparations ; Digestion ; Drug Compounding ; Drug Liberation ; Gastrointestinal Tract/metabolism* ; Immunoglobulins/metabolism* ; Oligosaccharides

Animals ; Cells, Cultured ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; metabolism ; Neuroglia ; metabolism ; Neurons ; metabolism ; Peptide Fragments ; metabolism ; Peptides ; metabolism ; Proteins ; metabolism ; Rats

Gut microbiota have been known to play an essential role in host immunity and metabolism. Dysbiosis is associated with various gastrointestinal (GI) and other diseases such as cancers, metabolic diseases, allergies, and immunological disorders. So far, the role of gut microbiota has been studied mainly in lower GI disease but has recently been reported in upper GI diseases other than Helicobacter pylori infection, including Barrett's esophagus, esophageal carcinoma, gastric cancer, functional dyspepsia, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced small intestinal mucosal injury. Probiotics have some beneficial effect on these diseases, but the effects are strain specific.
Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal ; Barrett Esophagus ; Dysbiosis ; Dyspepsia ; Gastrointestinal Diseases ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Helicobacter Infections ; Helicobacter pylori ; Hypersensitivity ; Metabolic Diseases ; Metabolism ; Microbiota ; Probiotics ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Upper Gastrointestinal Tract

Bile acids are major constituents of bile and known to help absorb dietary fat and fat-soluble vitamins in the gastrointestinal tract. In the past few decades, many studies have shown that bile acids not only play a role in fat digestion but also function as broad range of signal transduction hormones by binding to various receptors present in cell membranes or nuclei. Bile acid receptors are distributed in a wide range of organs and tissues in the human body. They perform multitudes of physiological functions with complex mechanisms. When bile acids bind to their receptors, they regulate fat and glucose metabolism in a tissue-specific way. In addition, bile acids are shown to inhibit inflammation and fibrosis in the liver. Considering the roles of bile acids as metabolic regulators, bile acids and their receptors can be very attractive targets in treating metabolic disorders. In the future, if roles of bile acids and their receptors are further clarified, they will be the novel target of drugs in the treatment of various metabolic diseases.
Bile Acids and Salts* ; Bile* ; Cell Membrane ; Dietary Fats ; Digestion ; Fibrosis ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Glucose ; Human Body ; Inflammation ; Liver ; Metabolic Diseases ; Metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; Vitamins

The aim of the present study was to accurately evaluate the association of Sox2 expression with the survival of patients with digestive tract cancers. Relevant literatures were identified by comprehensively searching databases including the Pubmed, Embase, CBMdisc, and Wanfang (up to October 2014). A meta-analysis was performed to clarify the association between Sox2 expression and overall survival or clinicopathological parameters of patients with digestive tract cancers (esophageal, gastric, and colorectal cancers). The results showed a significant association between high Sox2 expression and poor overall survival in patients with digestive tract carcinomas (HR=1.55, 95% CI=1.04-2.31), especially for patients with esophageal cancer (HR=2.04, 95%CI=1.30-3.22), colorectal cancer (HR=1.40, 95% CI=1.04-1.89), and digestive tract adenocarcinoma (HR=1.80, 95% CI=1.12-2.89), for Europeans (HR=1.98, 95% CI=1.44-2.71) or patients who did not receive neoadjuvant treatment (HR=1.73, 95% CI=1.10-2.72). Furthermore, Sox2 over-expression was highly correlated with vascular invasion (OR=1.86, 95% CI=1.25-2.77) and poor differentiation (OR=1.88, 95% CI=1.14-3.08), especially in esophageal and colorectal cancers. In conclusion, Sox2 expression may serve as a novel prognostic factor for patients with digestive tract cancers. Over-expression of Sox2 that is correlated with vascular invasion and poor differentiation suggests poor outcomes of patients with digestive tract cancers.
Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; genetics ; metabolism ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; mortality ; pathology ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; mortality ; pathology ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; metabolism ; pathology ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; methods ; Neoplasm Grading ; Neoplasms, Vascular Tissue ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; mortality ; secondary ; Prognosis ; SOXB1 Transcription Factors ; genetics ; metabolism ; Stomach Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; mortality ; pathology ; Survival Analysis

Alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG) is a key molecule in the Krebs cycle determining the overall rate of the citric acid cycle of the organism. It is a nitrogen scavenger and a source of glutamate and glutamine that stimulates protein synthesis and inhibits protein degradation in muscles. AKG as a precursor of glutamate and glutamine is a central metabolic fuel for cells of the gastrointestinal tract as well. AKG can decrease protein catabolism and increase protein synthesis to enhance bone tissue formation in the skeletal muscles and can be used in clinical applications. In addition to these health benefits, a recent study has shown that AKG can extend the lifespan of adult Caenorhabditis elegans by inhibiting ATP synthase and TOR. AKG not only extends lifespan, but also delays age-related disease. In this review, we will summarize the advances in AKG research field, in the content of its physiological functions and applications.
Adenosine Triphosphate ; Adult ; Bone and Bones ; Caenorhabditis elegans ; Citric Acid Cycle ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Glutamic Acid ; Glutamine ; Humans ; Insurance Benefits ; Metabolism ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Muscles ; Nitrogen ; Proteolysis

OBJECTIVETo systematically review the updated information about the gut microbiota-brain axis.

DATA SOURCESAll articles about gut microbiota-brain axis published up to July 18, 2016, were identified through a literature search on PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science, with the keywords of "gut microbiota", "gut-brain axis", and "neuroscience".

STUDY SELECTIONAll relevant articles on gut microbiota and gut-brain axis were included and carefully reviewed, with no limitation of study design.

RESULTSIt is well-recognized that gut microbiota affects the brain's physiological, behavioral, and cognitive functions although its precise mechanism has not yet been fully understood. Gut microbiota-brain axis may include gut microbiota and their metabolic products, enteric nervous system, sympathetic and parasympathetic branches within the autonomic nervous system, neural-immune system, neuroendocrine system, and central nervous system. Moreover, there may be five communication routes between gut microbiota and brain, including the gut-brain's neural network, neuroendocrine-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, gut immune system, some neurotransmitters and neural regulators synthesized by gut bacteria, and barrier paths including intestinal mucosal barrier and blood-brain barrier. The microbiome is used to define the composition and functional characteristics of gut microbiota, and metagenomics is an appropriate technique to characterize gut microbiota.

CONCLUSIONSGut microbiota-brain axis refers to a bidirectional information network between the gut microbiota and the brain, which may provide a new way to protect the brain in the near future.

Animals ; Brain ; metabolism ; physiology ; Central Nervous System ; metabolism ; physiology ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; physiology ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; microbiology ; Humans ; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System ; metabolism ; physiology ; Pituitary-Adrenal System ; metabolism ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo better comprehend the molecular structure and physiological function of the housefly larval peritrophic matrix (PM), a mass spectrometry approach was used to investigate the PM protein composition.

METHODSThe PM was dissected from the midgut of the third instar larvae, and protein extracted from the PM was evaluated using SDS-PAGE. A 1D-PAGE lane containing all protein bands was cut from top to bottom, the proteins in-gel trypsinised and analysed via shotgun liquid chromatography- tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

RESULTSIn total, 374 proteins, with molecular weights varying from 8.225 kD to 996.065 kD and isoelectric points ranging from 3.83 to 11.24 were successfully identified, most identified proteins were mainly related to immunity, digestion, nutrient metabolism and PM structure. Furthermore, many of these proteins were functionally associated with pattern binding, polysaccharide binding, structural constituent of peritrophic membrane and chitin binding, according to Gene Ontology annotation.

CONCLUSIONThe PM protein composition, which provides a basis for further functional investigations of the identified proteins, will be useful for understanding the housefly larval gut immune system and may help to identify potential targets and exploit new bioinsecticides.

Animals ; Chitin ; metabolism ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; metabolism ; Houseflies ; metabolism ; Insect Proteins ; metabolism ; Larva ; metabolism ; Proteomics