Yingkun Cheng

Studies on the Antidiabetic Activities of Cordyceps militaris Extract in Diet-Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Sprague-Dawley Rats

Due to substantial morbidity and high complications, diabetes mellitus is considered as the third “killer” in the world. A search for alternative antidiabetic drugs from herbs or fungi is highly demanded. Our present study aims to investigate the antidiabetic activities of Cordyceps militaris on diet-streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetes mellitus in rats. Diabetic rats were orally administered with water extract or alcohol extract at 0.05 g/kg and 2 g/kg for 3 weeks, and then, the factors levels related to blood glucose, lipid, free radicals, and even nephropathy were determined. Pathological alterations on liver and kidney were examined. Data showed that, similar to metformin, Cordyceps militaris extracts displayed a significant reduction in blood glucose levels by promoting glucose metabolism and strongly suppressed total cholesterol and triglycerides concentration in serum. Cordyceps militaris extracts exhibit antioxidative effects indicated by normalized superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase levels. The inhibitory effects on blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, uric acid, and protein revealed the protection of Cordyceps militaris extracts against diabetic nephropathy, which was confirmed by pathological morphology reversion. Collectively, Cordyceps militaris extract, a safe pharmaceutical agent, presents excellent antidiabetic and antinephropathic activities and thus has great potential as a new source for diabetes treatment.

Mitochondria Related Pathway Is Essential for Polysaccharides Purified from Sparassis crispa Mediated Neuro-Protection against Glutamate-Induced Toxicity in Differentiated PC12 Cells.

The present study aims to explore the neuro-protective effects of purified Sparassis crispa polysaccharides against l-glutamic acid (l-Glu)-induced differentiated PC12 (DPC12) cell damages and its underlying mechanisms. The Sparassis crispa water extract was purified by a DEAE-52 cellulose anion exchange column and a Sepharose G-100 column. A fraction with a molecular weight of 75 kDa and a diameter of 88.9 nm, entitled SCWEA, was obtained. SCWEA was identified with a triple helix with (1→3)-linked Rha in the backbone, and (1→2) linkages and (1→6) linkages in the side bone. Our results indicated that the pre-treatment of DPC12 cells with SCWEA prior to l-Glu exposure effectively reversed the reduction on cell viability (by 3-(4,5-cimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay) and reduced l-Glu-induced apoptosis (by Hoechst staining). SCWEA decreased the accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species, blocked Ca2+ influx and prevented depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential in DPC12 cells. Furthermore, SCWEA normalized expression of anti-apoptotic proteins in l-Glu-explored DPC12 cells. These results suggested that SCWEA protects against l-Glu-induced neuronal apoptosis in DPC12 cells and may be a promising candidate for treatment against neurodegenerative disease.

Anti‑diabetic activities of Paecilomyces tenuipes N45 extract in alloxan‑induced diabetic mice

Due to the limitations of existing anti-diabetic drugs, the treatment of diabetes mellitus remains a significant challenge. The present study aimed to investigate the hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects of Paecilomyces tenuipes N45 extracts on alloxan-induced type I diabetes mellitus in mice. Diabetic Kunming mice were orally administered with water extract (WE) at doses of 2.50, 0.25 and 0.05 g/kg) or alcohol extract (AE) at doses of 2.00, 0.20 and 0.04 g/kg, for 3 weeks, following which the levels of factors associated with blood glucose, lipids and free radicals were determined. The anti-diabetic activities of AE and WE were further confirmed via an oral glucose tolerance test. Similar to the effects of metformin, Paecilomyces tenuipes N45 extracts led to a significant reduction in blood glucose levels, increase in serum insulin concentration and normalization in the densities of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high density lipoprotein cholesterol. The Paecilomyces tenuipes N45 extracts exerted antioxidative effects, indicated by regulation in the levels of superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde and glutathione peroxidase. Taken together, the results of the present study demonstrated that Paecilomyces tenuipes N45 extract, a safe pharmaceutical agent, exerted anti-diabetic and anti-nephropathic activities and, thus, offers potential as a novel therapeutic agent in the treatment of diabetes.

Optimization of Protein Extraction from DDGS Using Response Surface Methodology and the Properties of the Protein

DDGS is the major co product generated from the fermentation of grain, but it is high in protein and an inexpensive source of protein. To optimize the extracting process of protein from DDGS, Response surface methodology (RSM) has been developed using the three influential process variables: alkali concentration, extraction time and solid-liquid ratio. The properties of the protein were further investigated by SDS-PAGE and FTIR spectroscopy. From the RSM-generated model, the optimum conditions of protein extraction were identified as alkali concentration 0.626 mol/L, extraction time 2.3 h and solid-liquid ratio 1:37(g:mL). The predicted protein extracted from DDGS with the optimum extraction conditions was 0.3691 g/2 g DDGS, the validation experiments with this optimum solution were implemented in triplicate and the average dry weight was 0.3825. The relative error between expected value and experimental value was 3.50%.

Artificial Intelligence Based Optimization of the Extracting Process of Protein from DDGS Using Alkali Method

DDGS is the major coproduct generated from the fermentation of grain, but it is high in protein and an inexpensive source of protein. To optimize the extracting process of protein from DDGS, two different artificial intelligence techniques namely artificial neural network(ANN) and genetic algorithm(GA) have been developed using the three influential process variables as model inputs and the extraction rate of protein as the model output. The correlation coefficient for the ANN model were 0.98664. The input parameters of ANN model were subsequently optimized using the GA. The ANN-GA model predicted a maximum extraction rate of 0.424 g/2 g DDGS which gave a 15.46% increase of extraction rate over the statistical optimization. It was in good agreement with the actual experiment under the optimum conditions.