Volociximab

Aronia berry has a strong unpleasant astringency, however, few approaches have been developed to modify it. This study aims to screen out the suitable proteins to mitigate astringency in aronia juice, elucidate the interaction mechanism, and evaluate the digestive stability of formed complexes. Among proteins tested, two egg white powders (original P-110 and modified M-200) were the optimal ones with 0.5 % (w/w) addition to effectively reduce astringency. At room temperature (25 °C), the interaction of proanthocyanidins (PAs) with both P-110 and M-200 was spontaneous, endothermic, and majorly driven by hydrophobic interaction. The binding affinity of PAs with M-200 is stronger than that with P-110. On the other hand, the egg white protein-PA aggregates enhanced the stability of PAs during digestion, allowing more PAs to reach gut microbiota to exert their bioactivities. This study improves fundamental understanding of egg white protein-PAs interaction and provides a practical processing approach for aronia industry.

Insulin deficiency or resistance can promote dementia and hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The formation of neurofibrillary tangles of p-TAU protein, extracellular Aβ plaques, and neuronal loss is related to the switching off insulin signaling in cognition brain areas. Metformin is a biguanide antihyperglycemic drug used worldwide for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Some studies have demonstrated that metformin exerts neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and nootropic effects. This study aimed to evaluate metformin's effects on long-term memory and p-Tau and amyloid β modulation, which are hallmarks of AD in diabetic mice. Swiss Webster mice were distributed in the following experimental groups: control; treated with streptozotocin (STZ) that is an agent toxic to the insulin-producing beta cells; STZ + metformin 200 mg/kg (M200). STZ mice showed significant augmentation of time spent to reach the target box in the Barnes maze, while M200 mice showed a significant time reduction. Moreover, the M200 group showed reduced GFAP immunoreactivity in hippocampal dentate gyrus and CA1 compared with the STZ group. STZ mice showed high p-Tau levels, reduced p-CREB, and accumulation of β-amyloid (Aβ) plaque in hippocampal areas and corpus callosum. In contrast, all these changes were reversed in the M200 group. Protein expressions of p-Tau, p-ERK, pGSK3, iNOS, nNOS, PARP, Cytochrome c, caspase 3, and GluN2A were increased in the parietal cortex of STZ mice and significantly counteracted in M200 mice. Moreover, M200 mice also showed significantly high levels of eNOS, AMPK, and p-AKT expression. In conclusion, metformin improved spatial memory in diabetic mice, which can be associated with reducing p-Tau and β-amyloid (Aβ) plaque load and inhibition of neuronal death.