Qixiao Zhai
Jiangnan University
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Featured researches published by Qixiao Zhai.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology | 2013
Qixiao Zhai; Gang Wang; Jianxin Zhao; Xiaoming Liu; Fengwei Tian; Hao Zhang; Wei Chen
ABSTRACT This study evaluated the protective effects of Lactobacillus plantarum CCFM8610, a selected probiotic with good cadmium binding capacity, against acute cadmium toxicity in mice. Ninety mice were divided into prevention and therapy groups. In the prevention groups, CCFM8610 was administered at 109 CFU once daily for 7 days, followed by a single oral dose of cadmium chloride at 1.8 mg cadmium for each mouse. In the therapy groups, the same dose of CCFM8610 was administered for 2 days after an identical single dose of cadmium exposure. Mice that received neither cadmium nor culture or that received cadmium alone served as negative and positive controls, respectively. The effects of both living and dead CCFM8610 on cadmium ion concentrations in feces, liver, and kidney were determined. Moreover, the alterations in reduced glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and histopathology in the liver and kidney were investigated. The results showed that compared to the mice that received cadmium only, CCFM8610 treatment can effectively decrease intestinal cadmium absorption, reduce tissue cadmium accumulation, alleviate renal and hepatic oxidative stress, and ameliorate hepatic histopathological changes. Living CCFM8610 administered after cadmium exposure offered the most significant protection. Our results suggested that CCFM8610 is more effective against acute cadmium toxicity than a simple antioxidant treatment due to its special physiological functions and that it can be considered a new dietary therapeutic strategy against acute cadmium toxicity.
Nutrients | 2015
Qixiao Zhai; Arjan Narbad; Wei Chen
Cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) are toxic heavy metals that cause adverse health effects in humans and animals. Chelation therapy, the conventional treatment for heavy metal toxicity, is reported to have a number of safety and efficacy issues. Recent studies have shown that dietary supplements play important roles in protecting against Cd and Pb toxicity. This paper reviews the evidence for protective effects of essential metals, vitamins, edible plants, phytochemicals, probiotics and other dietary supplements against Cd and Pb toxicity and describes the proposed possible mechanisms. Based on these findings, dietary strategies are recommended for people at risk of Cd and Pb exposure. The application of these strategies is advantageous for both the prevention and alleviation of Cd and Pb toxicity, as such supplements can be added easily and affordably to the daily diet and are expected to have very few side effects compared to the chelation therapy.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology | 2014
Qixiao Zhai; Gang Wang; Jianxin Zhao; Xiaoming Liu; Arjan Narbad; Yong Q. Chen; Hao Zhang; Fengwei Tian; Wei Chen
ABSTRACT Our previous study confirmed the ability of Lactobacillus plantarum CCFM8610 to protect against acute cadmium (Cd) toxicity in mice. This study was designed to evaluate the protective effects of CCFM8610 against chronic Cd toxicity in mice and to gain insights into the protection mode of this strain. Experimental mice were divided into two groups and exposed to Cd for 8 weeks via drinking water or intraperitoneal injection. Both groups were further divided into four subgroups, control, Cd only, CCFM8610 only, and Cd plus CCFM8610. Levels of Cd were measured in the feces, liver, and kidneys, and alterations of several biomarkers of Cd toxicity were noted. The results showed that when Cd was introduced orally, cotreatment with Cd and CCFM8610 effectively decreased intestinal Cd absorption, reduced Cd accumulation in tissue, alleviated tissue oxidative stress, reversed hepatic and renal damage, and ameliorated the corresponding histopathological changes. When Cd was introduced intraperitoneally, administration of CCFM8610 did not have an impact on tissue Cd accumulation or reverse the activities of antioxidant enzymes. However, CCFM8610 still offered protection against oxidative stress and reversed the alterations of Cd toxicity biomarkers and tissue histopathology. These results suggest that CCFM8610 is effective against chronic cadmium toxicity in mice. Besides intestinal Cd sequestration, CCFM8610 treatment offers direct protection against Cd-induced oxidative stress. We also provide evidence that the latter is unlikely to be mediated via protection against Cd-induced alteration of antioxidant enzyme activities.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology | 2016
Qixiao Zhai; Fengwei Tian; Jianxin Zhao; Hao Zhang; Arjan Narbad; Wei Chen
ABSTRACT The heavy metal cadmium (Cd) is an environmental pollutant that causes adverse health effects in humans and animals. Our previous work demonstrated that oral administration of probiotics can significantly inhibit Cd absorption in the intestines of mice, but further evidence is needed to gain insights into the related protection mode. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether probiotics can inhibit Cd absorption through routes other than the Cd binding, with a focus on gut barrier protection. In the in vitro assay, both the intervention and therapy treatments of Lactobacillus plantarum CCFM8610 alleviated Cd-induced cytotoxicity in the human intestinal cell line HT-29 and protected the disruption of tight junctions in the cell monolayers. In a mouse model, probiotics with either good Cd-binding or antioxidative ability increased fecal Cd levels and decreased Cd accumulation in the tissue of Cd-exposed mice. Compared with the Cd-only group, cotreatment with probiotics also reversed the disruption of tight junctions, alleviated inflammation, and decreased the intestinal permeability of mice. L. plantarum CCFM8610, a strain with both good Cd binding and antioxidative abilities, exhibited significantly better protection than the other two strains. These results suggest that along with initial intestinal Cd sequestration, probiotics can inhibit Cd absorption by protecting the intestinal barrier, and the protection is related to the alleviation of Cd-induced oxidative stress. A probiotic with both good Cd-binding and antioxidative capacities can be used as a daily supplement for the prevention of oral Cd exposure. IMPORTANCE The heavy metal cadmium (Cd) is an environmental pollutant that causes adverse health effects in humans and animals. For the general population, food and drinking water are the main sources of Cd exposure due to the biomagnification of Cd within the food chain; therefore, the intestinal tract is the first organ that is susceptible to Cd contamination. Moreover, Cd exposure causes the disruption of the intestinal barrier and further induces the amplification of Cd absorption. The present study confirms that, along with initial intestinal Cd sequestration, oral administration of probiotics can inhibit Cd absorption by protecting the intestinal barrier. A probiotic with both good Cd-binding and antioxidative capacities can be used as a daily supplement for the prevention of oral Cd exposure.
RSC Advances | 2016
Qixiao Zhai; Fengwei Tian; Gang Wang; Jianxin Zhao; Xiaoming Liu; Kathryn Cross; Hao Zhang; Arjan Narbad; Wei Chen
Heavy metal cadmium (Cd) is an environmental pollutant that causes adverse health effects in humans. This toxic metal has been detected in a wide range of fruit and vegetables. A strain of lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus plantarum CCFM8610, was screened out for its good ability to bind Cd, and this study was designed to investigate the Cd binding properties of this bacterium, and to evaluate its use for removal of Cd from fruit and vegetable juices. Electron microscopy observations and energy dispersive X-ray analysis confirmed that the majority of the Cd was bound to the surface of the bacterial cell. The Cd biosorption of L. plantarum CCFM8610 was strongly pH dependent, and carboxyl and amino groups of the bacterial surface molecules are important in the binding process. The biosorption was fast and efficient, and could be well explained by the Langmuir–Freundlich dual isotherm model (R2 = 0.99) and the pseudo second-order kinetic model (R2 = 0.99). After a 2 h incubation and a simple centrifugation, L. plantarum CCFM8610 treatment removed 67% to 82% of the Cd from nine types of fruit and vegetable juices. Long-period fermentation by L. plantarum CCFM8610 (36 h) also significantly decreased Cd concentrations in the juices (56% to 81%). Our results show that this food-grade bacterial strain could be used as a potential probiotic for Cd removal from fruit and vegetable juices.
PLOS ONE | 2015
Fengwei Tian; Yue Xiao; Xiaoxiao Li; Qixiao Zhai; Gang Wang; Qiuxiang Zhang; Hao Zhang; Wei Chen
Lactobacillus plantarum CCFM8246, which has a relatively strong copper binding capacity and tolerance to copper ions, was obtained by screening from 16 lactic acid bacteria in vitro. The selected strain was then applied to a mouse model to evaluate its protective function against copper intoxication in vivo. The experimental mice were divided into an intervention group and a therapy group; mice in the intervention group received co-administration of CCFM8246 and a copper ion solution by gavage, while mice in the therapy group were treated with CCFM8246 after 4 weeks of copper exposure. In both two groups, mice treated with copper alone and that treated with neither CCFM8246 nor copper served as positive and negative controls, respectively. At the end of the experimental period, the copper content in feces and tissues, the activity of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in serum, and oxidation stress indices in liver and kidney tissue were determined. Learning and memory ability was evaluated by Morris water maze experiments. The results indicated that treatment with CCFM8246 significantly increased the copper content in feces to promote copper excretion, reduce the accumulation of copper in tissues, reverse oxidative stress induced by copper exposure, recover the ALT and AST in serum and improve the spatial memory of mice.
RSC Advances | 2016
Yue Xiao; Qixiao Zhai; Gang Wang; Xiaoming Liu; Jianxin Zhao; Fengwei Tian; Hao Zhang; Wei Chen
Copper (Cu) is toxic to humans and animals as a result of the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) through Fenton reactions and abnormal alterations in metabolism and biological processes. For the general population, diet and drinking water are the main sources of Cu exposure, and the intestinal tract is therefore the first barrier against Cu-induced toxicity. Previous studies have demonstrated the cytotoxicity of Cu exposure with a focus on specific aspects such as oxidative stress and Cu transportation. But the information on the global response of cells to Cu exposure is limited. Metabolomic methods, featuring the high-flux detection of whole metabolites in cells and organisms, provide promising alternatives to conventional methods in the study of global cytotoxicity response. In this study, the human colon carcinoma cell line HT-29 was selected and a metabolomic method based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was adopted to investigate the alteration of the metabolomic profiles of intestinal cells after Cu exposure. The results indicated that the metabolite pools of HT-29 cells were significantly changed after Cu treatment. In total, 77 metabolites were identified as being significantly changed. Transcriptional validation by RT-qPCR was conducted to confirm metabolomic results. By combining the data from metabolomics and RT-qPCR, we concluded that the mechanisms of Cu-induced cytotoxicity in HT-29 cells were correlated with the induction of cell apoptosis, increased oxidative stress, alteration of mitochondrial β oxidation, and the configuration of lipid metabolism and energy metabolism. We expect this study to lay the foundation for the elucidation of the toxic effects of Cu exposure in the human intestinal tract.
RSC Advances | 2015
Qixiao Zhai; Yue Xiao; Fengwei Tian; Gang Wang; Jianxin Zhao; Xiaoming Liu; Yong Q. Chen; Hao Zhang; Wei Chen
Our previous study confirmed that Lactobacillus plantarum CCFM8610 has protective effects against chronic cadmium (Cd) toxicity in mice, whereas L. bulgaricus CCFM8004 fails to provide similar protection. This study was designed to evaluate the protective effects of soymilk fermented with these lactic acid bacteria, against chronic Cd toxicity in mice, and to give an insight into the mechanism of the conjunct effect of soymilk and these strains. Experimental mice were divided into five groups as control, Cd only, non-fermented soymilk plus Cd, CCFM8610-fermented soymilk plus Cd, and CCFM8004-fermented soymilk plus Cd. The treatment of all groups was carried out for 8 weeks. Levels of Cd were measured in feces and tissues, and alterations in several biomarkers of Cd toxicity were noted. The results showed that non-fermented soymilk gave limited protection against chronic Cd toxicity in mice. However, oral administration of L. plantarum CCFM8610-fermented soymilk was able to increase fecal Cd excretion, reduce tissue Cd burden, alleviate tissue oxidative stress, reverse changes in hepatic and renal damage biomarkers, and ameliorate tissue histopathological changes in mice, indicating that L. plantarum CCFM8610-fermented soymilk could be considered as a dietary therapeutic strategy against chronic Cd toxicity. The treatment of L. bulgaricus CCFM8004-fermented soymilk provided similar protection, although the effects were less significant than for CCFM8610 treatment. The conjunct effects of the strains and the soymilk may be attributed to the increased Cd excretion ability and antioxidative capacity after fermentation.
Journal of Applied Microbiology | 2018
Ying Shi; Xi Zhao-Wilson; Zhao Jianxin; Zhang Hao; Qixiao Zhai; Arjan Narbad; Wei Chen
This study evaluated the antibiotic‐induced changes in microbial ecology, intestinal dysbiosis and low‐grade inflammation; and the combined effect of four different Lactobacillus species on recovery of microbiota composition and improvement of gut barrier function in mice.
Scientific Reports | 2017
Qixiao Zhai; Yue Xiao; Jianxin Zhao; Fengwei Tian; Hao Zhang; Arjan Narbad; Wei Chen
Our previous study confirmed the protective potential of Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) strains in alleviation of cadmium (Cd) toxicity in vivo and demonstrated that the observed protection largely depended on the tolerance of the strains to Cd-induced stress. It was also observed that there were significant intra-species differences in Cd tolerance of L. plantarum strains. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of Cd induced stress response of L. plantarum strains using the isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) based comparative proteomics. L. plantarum CCFM8610 (strongly resistant to Cd) and L. plantarum CCFM191 (sensitive to Cd) were selected as target strains, and their proteomic profiles in the presence and absence of Cd exposure were compared. We propose that the underlying mechanism of the exceptional Cd tolerance of CCFM8610 may be attributed to the following: (a) a specific energy-conservation survival mode; (b) mild induction of its cellular defense and repair system; (c) an enhanced biosynthesis of hydrophobic amino acids in response to Cd; (d) inherent superior Cd binding ability and effective cell wall biosynthesis ability; (e) a tight regulation on ion transport; (f) several key proteins, including prophage P2b protein 18, CadA, mntA and lp_3327.