Branched-chain

INTRODUCTION: Enteral nutrition (EN) involves replacing all or part of a person's habitual diet with a nutritional formula. The impact of varying doses of EN on the gut microbiome remains understudied. METHODS: Healthy adults replaced all (100% EN) or part (85% EN, 50% EN and 20% EN) of their energy requirements with EN for 7 days. Faecal samples were collected before and on day 7 of interventions. Faecal pH, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs) and 16S rRNA sequencing were performed...

6-(Methylsulfinyl)hexyl isothiocyanate (6-MSITC), a derivative of glucosinolate with a six-carbon chain, is a compound found in wasabi and has diverse health-promoting properties. The biosynthesis of glucosinolates from methionine depends on a crucial step catalyzed methylthioalkylmalate synthases (MAMs), which are responsible for the generation of glucosinolates with varying chain lengths. In this study, our primary focus was the characterization of two methylthioalkyl malate synthases, MAM1-1 and MAM1-2, derived from Eutrema japonicum, commonly referred to as Japanese wasabi...

In the context of climate change and the reduction of mineral nitrogen (N) inputs applied to the field, winter oilseed rape (WOSR) will have to cope with low-N conditions combined with water limitation periods. Since these stresses can significantly reduce seed yield and seed quality, maintaining WOSR productivity under a wide range of growth conditions represents a major goal for crop improvement. N metabolism plays a pivotal role during the metabolic acclimation to drought in Brassica species by supporting the accumulation of osmoprotective compounds and the source-to-sink remobilization of nutrients...

In order to develop flexible thermoelectric materials with thermoelectric and mechanical properties, in this study, we designed and synthesized polythiophene derivatives with branched ethylene glycol polar side-chains named P3MBTEMT, which were used in combination with single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) to prepare composite thin films and flexible thermoelectric devices. A comparison was made with a polymer named P3(TEG)T, which has a polar alkoxy linear chain. The UV-vis results indicated that the larger steric hindrances of the branched ethylene glycol side-chain in P3MBTEMT could inhibit its self-aggregation and had a stronger interaction with the SWCNTs compared to that of P3(TEG)T, which was also confirmed using Raman spectroscopy...

The pepper mutants ('221-2-1a' and '1559-1-2h') with very low pungency were genetically characterized. The Pun4 locus, responsible for the reduced pungency of the mutant fruits, was localized to a 208 Mb region on chromosome 6. DEMF06G16460, encoding 3-ketoacyl-CoA synthase, was proposed as a strong candidate gene based on the genetic analyses of bulked segregants, DEG, and expression analyses. Capsaicinoids are unique alkaloids present in pepper (Capsicum spp.), synthesized through the condensation of by-products from the phenylpropanoid and branched-chain fatty acid pathways, and accumulating in the placenta...

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly aggressive form of pancreatic cancer, known for its challenging diagnosis and limited treatment options. The focus on metabolic reprogramming as a key factor in tumor initiation, progression, and therapy resistance has gained prominence. In this review we focus on the impact of metabolic changes on the interplay among stromal, immune, and tumor cells, as glutamine and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) emerge as pivotal players in modulating immune cell functions and tumor growth...

Probiotics can exert direct or indirect influences on various aspects of health claims by altering the composition of the gut microbiome and producing bioactive metabolites. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus IDCC3201 on skeletal muscle atrophy in dexamethasone-induced C2C12 cells and a mouse animal model. Dexamethasone treatment significantly reduced C2C12 muscle cell viability, myotube diameter, and levels of muscle atrophic markers (Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1). These effects were alleviated by conditioned media (CM) and cell extract (EX) derived from L...

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM), one of the most serious complications of diabetes mellitus, has become recognized as a cardiometabolic disease. In normoxic conditions, the majority of the ATP production (>95%) required for heart beating comes from mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation of fatty acids (FAs) and glucose, with the remaining portion coming from a variety of sources, including fructose, lactate, ketone bodies (KB) and branched chain amino acids (BCAA). Increased FA intake and decreased utilization of glucose and lactic acid were observed in the diabetic hearts of animal models and diabetic patients...

Aflatoxins (AFs) are produced by fungi such as Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus and are one of the most toxic mycotoxins found in agricultural products and food. Aflatoxin contamination, which requires the control of A. flavus , remains problematic because of the lack of effective strategies and the exploration of new compounds that can inhibit A. flavus growth and mycotoxin production is urgently required to alleviate potential deleterious effects. Acetohydroxy acid synthase (AHAS) and dihydroxy acid dehydratase are important enzymes in the biosynthetic pathways of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), including isoleucine, leucine, and valine...

The human gut microbiome establishes and matures during infancy, and dysregulation at this stage may lead to pathologies later in life. We conducted a multi-omics study comprising three generations of family members to investigate the early development of the gut microbiota. Fecal samples from 200 individuals, including infants (0-12 months old; 55% females, 45% males) and their respective mothers and grandmothers, were analyzed using two independent metabolomics platforms and metagenomics. For metabolomics, gas chromatography and capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry were applied...

BACKGROUND: Higher levels of plasma glycine are linked to a reduced risk, while increased levels of total branched-chain amino acids (tBCAAs) are associated with a higher risk of essential hypertension (HTN) and coronary heart disease (CHD). As these metabolic components are interconnected, analyzing the tBCAAs/glycine ratio may help to understand their interplay in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. METHODS: The Cox regression approach was combined with the development of novel genetic tools for assessments of associations between plasma metabolomic data (glycine, tBCAAs, and tBCAAs/glycine ratio) from the UK Biobank and the development of hypertension and CHD...

Three sweet potato varieties grew in natural high temperature (HT) and low temperature (LT) field soils. Their starch physicochemical properties were affected similarly by HT and LT soils. Compared with LT soil, HT soil induced the increases of granule size D[4,3] from 18.0-18.7 to 19.9-21.8 μm and amylopectin average branch-chain length from 21.9-23.1 to 24.1-24.7 DP. Starches from root tubers grown in HT and LT soils exhibited CA - and CC -type XRD pattern, respectively. Starches from root tubers grown in HT soil exhibited stronger lamellar peak intensities (366...

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Ischemic heart diseases (IHD), characterized by metabolic dysregulation, contributes majorly to the global morbidity and mortality. Glucose, lipid and amino acid metabolism are critical energy production for cardiomyocytes, and disturbances of these metabolism lead to the cardiac injury. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), widely used for treating IHD, have been demonstrated to effectively and safely regulate the cardiac metabolism reprogramming. AIM OF THE REVIEW: This study discussed and analyzed the disturbed cardiac metabolism induced by IHD and development of formulas, extracts, single herb, bioactive compounds of TCM ameliorating IHD injury via metabolism regulation, with the aim of providing a basis for the development of clinical application of therapeutic strategies for TCM in IHD...

BACKGROUND: The increase in circulating insulin levels is associated with the onset of type 2 diabetes (T2D), and the levels of branched-chain amino acids and aromatic amino acids (AAAs) are altered in T2D, but whether AAAs play a role in insulin secretion and signaling remains unclear. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the effects of different AAAs on pancreatic function and on the use of insulin in finishing pigs. METHODS: A total of 18 healthy finishing pigs (Large White) with average body weight of 100 ± 1...

BACKGROUND: The perforator flap has garnered significant interest since its inception due to its advantage of not needing a vascular network at the deep fascial level. Perforator flaps are commonly utilized in different flap transplant surgeries, and the thigh flap is presently the most widely used perforator flap. Is it possible for the calf to replace the thigh as a more suitable site for harvesting materials? Currently, there is a lack of relevant anatomical research. This study aims to address this question from an anatomical and imaging perspective...

SCOPE: The global prevalence of obesity has significantly increased, presenting a major health challenge. High-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity is closely related to the disease severity of psoriasis, but the mechanism is not fully understood. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study utilizes the HFD-induced obesity model along with an imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis-like mouse model (HFD-IMQ) to conduct transcriptomics and metabolomic analyses. HFD-induced obese mice exhibits more severe psoriasis-like lesions compared to normal diet (ND)-IMQ mice...

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) seriously threatens human health, mostly developed from liver fibrosis or cirrhosis. Since diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4 )-induced HCC mouse model almost recapitulates the characteristic of HCC with fibrosis and inflammation, it is taken as an essential tool to investigate the pathogenesis of HCC. However, a comprehensive understanding of the protein expression profile of this model is little. In this study, we performed proteomic analysis of this model to elucidate its proteomic characteristics...

OBJECTIVE: The potential role of dietary branched-chain amino acids on circulating branched-chain amino acid levels and their relationship with metabolic health are complex, and the literature is inconsistent. We aimed to explore the dynamic effects of branched-chain amino acid supplementation on glucose and lipid homeostasis at different stages of insulin resistance in high-fat diet-fed mice. METHODS: Male C57BL/6J mice were fed with a normal chow diet, high-fat diet, or high-fat diet supplemented with 100% branched-chain amino acids for 12 or 24 wk...

The precise impact of species and strain diversity on fungal-bacterial interactions and the overall community functioning has remained unclear. First, our study revealed how Debaryomyces hansenii influences diverse bacteria to accumulate key metabolites in a simulated fermented food system. For flavor, D. hansenii promoted the accumulation of branched-chain esters in Staphylococcus xylosus by promoting growth and facilitating the precursor branched-chain acids transformations but hindered the accumulation of Staphylococcus equorum ...

Fatty acid oxidation (FAO) releases the energy stored in fat to maintain basic biological processes. Dehydrogenation is a major way to oxidize fatty acids, which needs NAD+ to accept the released H+ from fatty acids and form NADH, which increases the ratio of NADH/NAD+ and consequently inhibits FAO leading to the deposition of fat in the liver, which is termed fatty liver or steatosis. Consumption of alcohol (ethanol) initiates simple steatosis that progresses to alcoholic steatohepatitis, which constitutes a spectrum of liver disorders called alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD)...