To enhance the application value of lactoferrin (LF) in the health field by exploiting nutrient interactions, this study explored the covalent binding potential between LF and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). The aim is to augment the biological efficacy of LF while concurrently reducing its production costs. The effects of different durations of covalent reaction on the structure, thermal stability, and osteogenic activity of LF-EGCG complexes were investigated using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, endogenous fluorescence spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results revealed that a 0.5 h covalent reaction between EGCG and LF led to significant structural changes in LF, while reducing the surface hydrophobicity to 1 304.00 (85.03% lower than that of LF). Furthermore, the resulting complex at a concentration of 100 μg/mL significantly promoted osteoblast proliferation (which increased the proliferation rate to 1.43 after 24 hours) and enhanced alkaline phosphatase activity (after treatment for 7 days, the enzyme activity increased to 15.27 U/g, 56.61% higher compared with the control group). This study provides new ideas for the functional modification of LF and lays the foundation for its application in the field of bone health.

In this study, the effects of different tea polyphenol treatments, direct addition of antioxidant on the surface of dried scallop (traditional) and after antioxidant addition allowing it to stand, leaving antioxidant both on the surface and inside of dried scallop (improved), on the oxidation stability of dried scallops were evaluated in terms of oxygen consumption, primary oxidation products, secondary oxidation products, free radical intensity and oxidation-induced substrate loss. A shelf-life prediction model of dried scallops was established to evaluate the effect of different tea polyphenol treatments on the predicted shelf life of dried scallops. The results showed that compared with the traditional one, the improved treatment significantly prolonged the induction period of oxidation of dried scallop, and effectively reduced peroxide value (PV), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) value, free radical intensity, and the loss of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid contents, and it could extend the shelf life of dried scallop by up to 10.23 days. This study provides a theoretical basis and methodological guidance for the development of high-efficiency antioxidants for and maintaining the nutritional quality of dried marine animal products.

Two selenium (Se)-containing peptides from Se-enriched rice, TSeMMM and SeMDPGQQ, possess neuroprotective potency against lead (Pb²⁺)-induced cytotoxicity. However, the crosstalk between mRNA and microRNAs (miRNA) involved in the neuroprotection mechanism remains to be elucidated. In this study, RNA-sequencing and miRNA-sequencing were used to independently identify differentially expressed mRNAs and small RNAs profi les in Pb²⁺-treated primary fetal rat cortical neurons and then the correlated miRNA-mRNA target pairs were obtained. It was found that 34 mRNAs related to oxidative phosphorylation could be reversed by pretreatment of TSeMMM and SeMDPGQQ. The protective effect of TSeMMM and SeMDPGQQ was mediated by upregulation of miR-107-3p, which downregulates the ATPase H⁺ transporting V₀ subunit e1 (Atp6v0e1) mRNA level. A zebrafish model was applied to verify the relevance between the targeted mRNA and miRNA by real-time quantitative PCR. The results indicated that miR-107-3p was a potential therapeutic target to achieve neuroprotection of Se-containing peptides via stimulation of Atp6v0e1.