This study explored the effects of exposure to arecoline at different concentrations (0.5, 1, 2 and 4 mg/mL) on the locomotor capacity, intestinal barrier function, energy metabolism, oxidative stress and mitochondrial function of the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans, and it also revealed the neurotoxic mechanism of arecoline. The results showed that compared with the control group, exposure to 2 mg/mL arecoline significantly decreased the locomotor capacity of C. elegans (P < 0.001), disrupted the redox balance, resulted in lipofuscin accumulation (P < 0.01) and increased the average fluorescence intensity by 29.01%. Meanwhile, it damaged intestinal barrier integrity and affected energy metabolism (P < 0.001), decreasing the levels of glucose, pyruvate, citric acid and ATP by 36.94%, 43.11%, 37.76% and 55.88%, respectively. Additionally, arecoline exposure caused neuronal damage and significantly decreased neurotransmitter levels (P < 0.01), further confirming its neurotoxicity. It also decreased significantly the number of mitochondria in C. elegans (P < 0.05) and impaired mitochondrial function. In summary, 2 mg/mL arecoline exerts significant motor neurotoxicity in C. elegans mainly by disrupting intestinal barrier function, mediating reduced energy metabolism as well as oxidative stress, and ultimately resulting in reduced locomotor capacity and neuronal damage. These findings elucidate the mechanism of the motor neurotoxicity of arecoline, providing a theoretical basis for screening active substances that mitigates this neurotoxicity.

This study was conducted in order to evaluate the ameliorative effect of polysaccharides from Chinese yam treated with the fermentation broth of Bacillus sp. to inhibit browning on acute colitis induced by 3% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in mice. The results showed that the polysaccharides significantly reduced the disease activity index (DAI) of mice with colitis (P < 0.01), alleviate colon atrophy (P < 0.05), decreased the secretion of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (P < 0.01) and colonic histopathological score (P < 0.05), and increased the diversity of intestinal flora by increasing the abundance ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes and the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria such as Roseburia and reducing the relative abundance of harmful bacteria such as Alistipes. Similar effects were observed with those from Chinese yam treated with water. Likewise, the polysaccharides from Chinese yam treated with the fermentation broth of Bacillus sp. ameliorated DSS-induced colitis in mice, and the underlying mechanism may be related to the regulation of the intestinal flora and the secretion of pro-inflammatory factors. These results provide theoretical reference for the processing of Chinese yam and the research and development of functional foods containing Chinese yam polysaccharides.

This study investigated the effects of microwave-assisted (MIC) and ultrasonic-assisted water bath (USWB) pretreatments on the extraction, structural characteristics, physicochemical properties, and thermal stability of Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim. seed protein isolates (TPI). Results showed that the color difference (ΔE) values of MIC- and USWB-treated TPI were 18.82 and 25.61, respectively. Compared with MIC-TPI, USWB-TPI exhibited a finer and rougher microstructure, a reduced proportion of β-sheet (5.2%), and a looser, more disordered molecular structure. Additionally, USWB-TPI demonstrated higher surface hydrophobicity, superior emulsion stability (19.88 min), enhanced foam stability (70.83%), and improved thermal stability (denaturation temperature (T_d) = 81.05 ℃). Overall, USWB exerted a more pronounced influence on the structural and physicochemical properties of TPI than did MIC. These findings provide valuable guidance for TPI extraction and promote its application in the food industry.