China National Centre for Food Safety Risk Assessment

ABSTRACT Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is widely recognized for its health‐promoting properties; however, its comprehensive chemical composition remains incompletely characterized. To uncover new constituents, EVOOs from diverse geographical origins were analyzed by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography–high‐definition mass spectrometry (UPLC–HDMS). A total of 340 qualitative features were detected across the EVOO samples. Among these, 125 features—characterized by accurate mass, collision cross‐section (CCS) values, and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) fragmentation patterns—were consistently present in EVOOs from all origins and were therefore considered potential intrinsic compounds of EVOO. From this set, 78 compounds were successfully identified, including 24 known compounds and 54 previously unreported compounds. The remaining 47 features could not be definitively identified. Comparative analysis revealed that EVOO contains a distinct chemical profile relative to sesame and peanut oils. Specifically, 56 compounds were found exclusively in EVOO. Additionally, EVOO exhibited a greater diversity and higher relative abundance of flavonoids and pentacyclic triterpenoids, whereas it contained fewer types and lower levels of fatty acids and fatty acid amides. EVOO is rich in a wide range of novel compounds, many of which may contribute to its documented health‐promoting properties.

Kidney injury molecule 1 (KIM-1) has emerged as a critical biomarker for renal injury, playing a pivotal role in disease diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring. Despite its clinical importance, the development of high-affinity molecular probes for KIM-1 remains challenging. Aptamers are valuable in biorecognition because of their easy synthesis, low toxicity and immunogenicity. The traditional Cell-SELEX suffers from poor cross-species compatibility, hindering its utility for KIM-1 detection. To overcome these challenges, we developed Homo-SELEX, an innovative cell-free SELEX strategy designed to screen aptamers against membrane proteins across multiple species. After 15 rounds of selection, universal aptamer S7 exhibited the highest affinity with different species of KIM-1. Aptamer S4 has specificity in identifying KIM-1 from homo sapiens and murine. The kidney tissue imaging demonstrated that S7 exhibited a better affinity than the S4. Furthermore, imaging of human clinical renal membranitis paraffin tissues, chronic kidney disease paraffin tissues of rats and acute nephrotoxic frozen tissues of mice, aptamer S7 exhibited a specific recognition of KIM-1. We also demonstrated the feasibility of S7 aptamer targeting KIM-1 in lung cancer A549 and liver injury tissues of rat and mouse, while demonstrating no binding to normal HK2 and tissue. Our works establish Homo-SELEX as a breakthrough strategy for homologous protein screening, with S7 serving as a robust, species-agnostic molecular probe for KIM-1 detection. This advancement holds significant promise for non-invasive diagnostics and targeted therapies for KIM-1-associated pathologies.

Dysregulated autophagy contributes to liver steatosis, yet its regulation under distinct metabolic contexts remains poorly defined. Here, we identify bile acids (BAs) as critical modulators of hepatic autophagy. Circulating BA levels are elevated in human subjects with liver steatosis and independently associated with increased hepatic steatosis risk. High-fat diet (HFD) feeding increases circulating BA levels, while simultaneously reducing hepatic autophagic flux in mice, whereas pharmacological inhibition of farnesoid X receptor (FXR) enhances autophagy and alleviates steatosis in the livers of HFD-fed mice. Mechanistically, circulating BAs promote hepatic acetyl-CoA production through FXR-induced acyl-CoA oxidase 1 (ACOX1), which in turn suppresses autophagy by increasing the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling. Similar to HFD feeding, prolonged fasting elevates BA levels and hepatic lipid accumulation, while concurrently upregulating hepatic miR-378, a positive regulator of BA synthesis. Although miR-378 exerts a cell-autonomous pro-autophagic effect during short-term fasting, it paradoxically drives lipid accumulation by suppressing hepatic autophagy via BA/FXR/ACOX1/acetyl-CoA axis in a non-cell-autonomous manner during either HFD feeding or prolonged fasting when BA action becomes considerable. Together, our study uncovers BAs as a previously unrecognized class of inhibitors of hepatic autophagy during prolonged fasting and in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), providing novel insights into context-dependent autophagic regulation of hepatic lipid metabolism and potential therapeutic strategies for MASLD.

The apple ermine moth Yponomeuta malinellus (Zeller, 1838) is a major pest in apple orchards, causing severe defoliation and significant yield losses in the Republic of Armenia. While chemical insecticides are effective, their environmental and health risks necessitate the development of safer alternatives. This study evaluates the efficacy of locally produced microbiological insecticides based on Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) strains (Bt JT-21, Bt AS-50, Bt SS-112) isolated from naturally deceased insect larvae during 2021-2024. The results demonstrated high biological effectiveness, with mortality rates reaching 90.2-98.2% in field trials and 100% in controlled settings. Statistical analysis confirmed the reliability of the findings, showing no significant differences between the tested culture liquids and the commercial Bt insecticide standard (BTB). Additionally, soil fertility indicators, including ammonifier populations and extracellular catalase activity, exhibited dynamic seasonal variations but were not negatively affected by Bt treatments. These findings highlight the potential of locally developed Bt-based insecticides as environmentally friendly alternatives for controlling defoliating pests in Armenian apple orchards.

The restoration of cardiac function post-myocardial infarction (MI) remains a significant clinical challenge. Emerging evidence indicates that Goji berries ("Gouqi" in Chinese) and their extracts exhibit substantial cardioprotective properties. Here, we introduce fibrin gel-loaded Gouqi-derived nanovesicles (GqDNVs-gel) as a delivery system targeted at the infarcted myocardium. The application of GqDNVs-gel resulted in a marked improvement in survival rates over a 14-day period post-MI, enhanced cardiac function, reduced infarct size, myocardial apoptosis, and excessive fibrosis, and facilitated endogenous repair. Through a combination of transcriptomics and proteomics analyses, alongside in vitro and in vivo experiments, we identified that the cardioprotective effect of GqDNVs are mediated through the inhibition of the p38 MAPK-NF-κB p65 signaling pathway. Furthermore, GqDNVs contain abundant bioactive compounds, including proteins, genetic materials, lipids, polysaccharides, and flavonoids. GqDNVs-gel intervention can reshape the post-MI cardiac environment and modulate myocardial lipid metabolism, specifically impacting glycerophospholipid and α-linolenic acid metabolic pathways. The upregulation of the peptide Arg-Thr-Ile-Glu and the downregulation of phosphatidylethanolamine in the hearts of MI mice after GqDNVs-gel intervention may play crucial roles in modulating the associated metabolic pathways. This study is the first to highlight the multifaceted therapeutic effects of GqDNVs-gel, offering a promising strategy for enhancing cardiac function post-MI.

Kyung Ok Lee, Ree Jae Kim, Jun Hyuk Kang, Hyun Jeong Park, Ju Yeon Park, Sin Young Park, and Yun Kyung Jang. Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition 2025;54:57-64. https://doi.org/10.3746/jkfn.2025.54.1.57