The in vitro digestive and fermentation properties of Sargassum pallidum polysaccharide (SPP) after ultrasound degradation were investigated. The results showed that SPP and its degraded fractions were not affected by human saliva, but slightly degraded by breaking glycosidic bonds under simulated gastrointestinal digestion. The DPPH radical scavenging activity, α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, and bile acid-binding capacity of SPP and its degraded fractions were decreased after digestion, which was attributed to the reduction of molecular weights (MWs) and viscosity. Furthermore, in vitro fermentation assay indicated that SPP and its degraded fractions showed good fermentability. The predominant compositional monosaccharides including arabinose, galactose, glucose, xylose, and uronic acid were significantly decreased, and the degraded SPP fractions were more easily fermented and utilized by gut bacteria. SPP and its degraded fractions could modulate gut health by decreasing the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and increasing the relative abundances of some beneficial genera, such as Prevotella, Dialister, Phascolarctobacterium, Ruminococcus, and Bacteroides. These findings suggested that SPP and its degraded fractions exhibited similar influence on gut microbiota community, but appropriate degraded SPP fractions were more easily fermented by gut microbiota.The microbiota-gut-brain axis includes a two-way communication pattern between the microorganisms that live in our gut and our brain function and behavior. Intestinal flora disorders not only induce related metabolic diseases, but also have an important relationship with neurodegenerative diseases. The present studies have shown that natural polysaccharides are important for maintaining the steady status of intestinal flora. This review aims to summarize the two-way relationship between the gut microbiota and the brain, and the modulatory effect of plant polysaccharides on gut flora, which provides new ideas for the prevention and treatment of the neurodegenerative diseases.Deoxynivalenol (DON) is the most common trichothecene distributed in food and feed. So far, much work has focused on investigating the cytotoxicity of DON, while there is few researches aimed at intervening in the toxic impacts on humans and livestock posed by DON. The objective of this study is to investigate the underlying mechanism of biomacromolecules mannan/β-glucans from yeast cell wall (BYCW) for their potency to impede the cytotoxicity and apoptosis caused by DON with porcine jejunum epithelial cell lines (IPEC-J2) used as a cell injury model. We analyzed the cell morphology, cell activity, oxidative stress, fluorescence intensity and expressions of proteins relevant to autophagy, apoptosis and PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathway by using inverted microscopy, MTS, reactive oxygen species (ROS), glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) assay, Annexin V-FITC / propidium iodide (PI) double staining and Western blot assay. The consequent data demonstrated that in the presence of BYCW, the cell morphology and activity were relatively ameliorated and that the oxidation damage was attenuated with DON-induced autophagy concomitantly decreased, which, furthermore, was found involved in the positive regulation on PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathway by BYCW. In a word, BYCW possess an ability to repress the cytotoxicity and apoptosis induced by DON through the inhibition of autophagy via activating PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathway.The extraction process of Paeoniae radix alba polysaccharides (PRAP) was optimized as the liquid-solid ratio of 10.65 mL/g, the extraction time of 2.10 h, and the 2 extraction repetitions through a response surface methodology. The chemical profiles of the obtained PRAP were characterized by measuring the contents of total carbohydrates, total phenolics, uronic acid and protein, and by analyzing the FT-IR spectrum and monosaccharide composition. To determine the therapeutic effects of PRAP on experimental autoimmune hepatitis (EAH), we established an EAH mice model. After treated with PRAP, liver and spleen injuries were reduced, and hepatocyte regeneration and liver function were improved. Further study of the mechanism by which PRAP treats EAH showed that PRAP significantly inhibited oxidative stress in the livers of EAH model mice. More importantly, PRAP inhibited immune inflammatory reactions in EAH model mice, including the hepatic infiltration of inflammatory CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, as well as overexpression of inflammatory cytokines IL-2, IL-6 and IL-10, via inhibition of the NF-κB signaling pathway.α-Amylase inhibitors (α-AIs) target α-amylases and interfere with the carbohydrate digestion of insects. Among different classes of α-AIs, a knottin-type inhibitor from Amaranthus hypochondriacus (AhAI) was found to be specific against coleopteran storage pests. In this report, we have characterized three previously unidentified knottin-type α-AIs from various Amaranthaceae plants namely, Amaranthus hypochondriacus (AhAI2), Alternanthera sessilis (AsAI) and Chenopodium quinoa (CqAI). They contain a signal peptide, pro-peptide, and mature peptide. The mature peptides of the new α-AIs shared 68 to 78% identity with AhAI and have highly variable pro-peptide regions. Along with the cystine-knot fold, they showed conservation of reactive site residues. All recombinant α-AIs were successfully expressed in their active form and native state using an oxidative cytoplasmic environment. Inhibition studies against various amylases revealed that these inhibitors showed selective inhibition of coleopteran recombinant insect α-amylases viz., Tribolium castaneum, and Callosobruchus chinensis. Tribolium castaneum α-amylase inhibition potency was highest for AhAI2 (Ki ~ 15 μM) followed by AsAI (Ki ~ 43 μM) and CqAI (Ki ~ 61 μM). Interaction analysis of these inhibitors illustrated that the reactive site of inhibitors make several non-covalent interactions with the substrate-binding pocket of coleopteran α-amylases. The selectivity of these inhibitors against coleopteran α-amylases highlights their potential in storage grain pest control.To obtain the synergistic antimicrobial potential of nano-composites conjugated with graphene oxide (GO), an alternative approach was developed throughout the hybridization of chitosan (CS) or ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) with GO. The synthesized GO-nanocomposites were identified by XRD, HRTEM, SEM, FTIR, Zeta potential, and Raman spectroscopy. The antimicrobial activity of GO, GO-CS, and GO-EDTA was investigated against some pathogenic bacteria and Candida sp. Results showed that nano-composites looked flattened and clear, with some lines and folds on the exterior part. SEM images show the basic morphology of GO which owns remarkable holes, crevasses, and indeclinable internal structure. GO-EDTA and GO-CS possess a promising antimicrobial activity against all pathogenic microbes. In-vitro ZOI result verified that they exhibited activity against Escherichia coli (22.0 mm for GO-EDTA and 11.0 mm for GO-CS), Staphylococcus aureus (15.0 mm for GO-EDTA and 10.0 mm for GO-CS) and Candida albicans (22.0 mm for GO-EDTA and 16.0 mm for GO-CS). Microbial cells may be ultimately-damaged when they interact with GO-based nanocomposites due to different mechanisms such as oxidative and membrane stress and wrapping isolation. This work provides revolutionary GO-nanocomposites for increasing the antimicrobial activity against some pathogenic microbes with a cost-effective and eco-friendly approach.The study aimed to investigate the potential attenuation effect of chitosan in liver ischemia/reperfusion injury (I/R), and its relevant protective mechanisms. Chitosan (200 mg/kg) has been administered orally for 30 days, later animals underwent liver 45 min ischemia and reperfusion for 60 min. Following treatment with chitosan, the levels of serum aminotransferases and lactate dehydrogenase were significantly reduced. Similarly, hepatic (GSH, SOD, CAT, GST and GPx) were enhanced, and the level of tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) was decreased. In addition, inflammatory cytokinesis (TNF-α and TGF-β) have recorded a significant decrease in their mRNA expression and protein levels using qPCR and ELISA respectively. Marked reduction of apoptosis has been indicated by the elevation in BCL2, and decreasing in BAX, Caspace-3 and Cytochrome-c expression levels, which furthermore confirmed by DNA fragmentation assay. The enhancement of the previous parameters resulted in a marked improvement in the liver architectures after chitosan administration. In conclusion, chitosan has proved its efficiency as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent through its inhibitory effect of cytokines and reducing ROS respectively. In addition, chitosan could modulate the changes in histological structure and alleviate apoptosis induced by liver I/R, which recommend it as an efficient agent for protection against liver I/R injury.Gentamicin (GM) is a well know antibiotic and drug of choice for various infections and is available in the form of parenteral and topical formulations. Gentamicin has no oral dosage form due to its enzymatic degradation and poor bioavailability. This study was designed to optimize controlled release oral dosage form of GM using poly lactic co-glycolic acid (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) which were surface modified with chitosan. Nanoparticles were characterized for size, potential, scanning electron microscopy and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Drug concentration in plasma samples was determined by microbiological assay against Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 9372). In vitro release pattern was studied and the best formulation was administered to healthy rabbits for pharmacokinetic studies. Various pharmacokinetic parameters determined for oral formulation were area under the curve (AUC) 43.2 ± 2.16 h.mg/L, volume of distribution (Vd) 1.54 ± 0.25 L, half-life phase-1 (t1/2α) 0.59 ± 0.12 h, mean residence time (MRT) 11.22 ± 0.42 h, time to reach maximum concentration (Tmax) 2.56 ± 0.09 h and maximum concentration (Cmax) was 3.49 ± 0.10 mg/L. It is concluded that chitosan modified GM loaded PLGA NPs has potential for oral absorption and can be used for achieving therapeutic benefits.The aim of this work is to examine the adsorption performance and mechanism of phosphorus (P) onto polyethyene polyamine (PEPA) grafted chitosan-zirconium(IV) composite beads (CS-Zr-PEPA) from aqueous solutions. The morphology, functional groups, and surface area of the CS-Zr-PEPA beads were characterized by SEM, FTIR, and BET analysis. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted via different operating parameters such as solution pH, initial phosphate concentration, co-existing anions and temperature. The adsorption kinetics, equilibrium isotherms and adsorption stability of the adsorbent were scrutinized. In comparison with other CS-based beads, the CS-Zr-PEPA had a greater affinity towards P and exhibited a maximum adsorption capacity of 103.96 mg-P/g predicted by Langmuir mode. The reusability studies of CS-Zr-PEPA beads were carried out. The CS-Zr-PEPA beads exhibit preferable sequestration of P through specific interactions, as further demonstrated by studying physicochemical characteristics of the virgin beads and P-adsorbed beads using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).