Oddershedeweeks1880

Acyclic terpenes, commonly found in plants, are of high physiological importance and commercial value, and their diversity was controlled by different terpene synthases. During the screen of sesquiterpene synthases from Tripterygium wilfordii, we observed that Ses-TwTPS1-1 and Ses-TwTPS2 promiscuously accepted GPP, FPP, and GGPP to produce corresponding terpene alcohols (linalool/nerolidol/geranyllinalool). The Ses-TwTPS1-2, Ses-TwTPS3, and Ses-TwTPS4 also showed unusual substrate promiscuity by catalyzing GGPP or GPP in addition to FPP as substrate. Furthermore, key residues for the generation of diterpene product, (E, E)-geranyllinalool, were screened depending on mutagenesis studies. The functional analysis of Ses-TwTPS1-1V199I and Ses-TwTPS1-2I199V showed that Val in 199 site assisted the produce of diterpene product geranyllinalool by enzyme mutation studies, which indicated that subtle differences away from the active site could alter the product outcome. Moreover, an engineered sesquiterpene high-yielding yeast that produced 162 mg/L nerolidol in shake flask conditions was constructed to quickly identify the function of sesquiterpene synthases in vivo and develop potential applications in microbial fermentation. Our functional characterization of acyclic sesquiterpene synthases will give some insights into the substrate promiscuity of diverse acyclic terpene synthases and provide key residues for expanding the product portfolio.A protein precipitation technique was optimized to produce biophysically stable 'protein microbeads', applicable to highly concentrated protein formulation. Initially, production of BSA microbeads was performed using rapid dehydration by vortexing in organic solvents followed by cold ethanol treatment and a vacuum drying. Out of four solvents, n-octanol produced the most reversible microbeads upon reconstitution. A Shirasu porous glass (SPG) membrane emulsification technique was utilized to enhance the size distribution and manufacturing process of the protein microbeads with a marketized human IgG solution. Process variants such as dehydration time, temperature, excipients, drying conditions, and initial protein concentration were evaluated in terms of the quality of IgG microbeads and their reversibility. The hydrophobized SPG membrane produced a narrow size distribution of the microbeads, which were further enhanced by shorter dehydration time, low temperature, minimized the residual solvents, lower initial protein concentration, and addition of trehalose to the IgG solution. Final reversibility of the IgG microbeads with trehalose was over 99% at both low and high protein concentrations. Moreover, the formulation was highly stable under repeated mechanical shocks and at an elevated temperature compared to its liquid state. Its in vivo pharmacokinetic profiles in rats were consistent before and after the 'microbeadification'.The integrity of the epidermal barrier and the maintenance of barrier homeostasis depend on the dynamic balance between the proliferation and differentiation of keratinocytes. Calcium (Ca2+) plays a crucial role in maintaining a balance of these two processes as well as in the formation of an epidermal permeability barrier. In this study, we showed that topical application of oat β-glucan (OG) could ameliorate epidermal hyperplasia and accelerate the recovery of the epidermal barrier by promoting epidermal differentiation. Mechanistic studies revealed a positive interaction between OG and the dectin-1 receptor, and this interaction could lead to an upregulated expression of the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) via activation of the downstream ERK and p38 pathways. This consequently increased the sensitivity of keratinocytes to extracellular Ca2+ under the condition of calcium loss following the disruption of the epidermal barrier, resulting in the maintenance of normal keratinocyte differentiation in the epidermis, and ultimately promoting the recovery of the epidermal barrier. These findings clearly demonstrated the healing effect of OG on a physically damaged epidermal barrier. Thus, OG could be considered a valuable component in the development of skin repair agents.Peppermint oil (PO) is the most prominent oil using in pharmaceutical formulations with its significant therapeutic value. In this sense, this oil is attracting considerable attention from the scientific community due to its traditional therapeutic claim, biological and pharmacological potential in recent research. An organic solvent-free and environment-friendly electrohydrodynamic assisted (EHDA) technique was employed to prepared PO-loaded alginate microbeads. The current study deals with the development, optimization, in vitro characterization, in vivo gastrointestinal tract drug distribution and ex-vivo mucoadhesive properties, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects of PO-loaded alginate microbeads. The optimization results indicated the voltage and flow rate have a significant influence on microbeads size and sphericity factor and encapsulation efficiency. All these optimized microbeads showed a better drug release profile in simulated intestinal fluid (pH 6.8) at 2 h. However, a minor release was found in acidic media (pH 1.2) at 2 h. The optimized formulation showed excellent mucoadhesive properties in ex-vivo and good swelling characterization in intestine media. The microbeads were found to be well distributed in various parts of the intestine in in vivo study. PO-loaded alginate microbeads similarly showed potential antioxidant effects with drug release. The formulation exhibited possible improvement of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in MO-induced rats. SAG agonist It significantly suppressed proinflammatory cytokines, i.e., interleukin- IL-1β, and upregulated anti-inflammatory cytokine expression, i.e., IL-10. It would be a promising approach for targeted drug release after oral administration and could be considered an anti-inflammatory therapeutic strategy for treating IBS.Plastic-based food packaging is generating a serious environmental problem by accumulating large amounts of plastic in the surroundings. Ecological and health concerns are driving research efforts for developing biodegradable films. There are few alternatives that could reduce the environmental impact; one of them is to substitute petroleum-based plastic with starch-based film. Starch has remarkable properties, including biodegradability, sustainability, abundancy, and capable of being modified or blended with other polymers. However, low mechanical strength and low water resistance restrict its application in food packaging. Nanocellulose isolated from lignocellulosic fibers has attracted tremendous interest in the field of science due to high crystallinity and mechanical strength, unique morphology along with abundancy, renewability, and biodegradability. Therefore, nano cellulose as a reinforcer proved to be a good option for fabricating biocomposites for food packaging. The current review will give a critical snapshot of the potential application of nanocellulose in food packaging and discuss new challenges and opportunities for starch biocomposites enriched with nano cellulose.