Background: Fargesin is commonly used in the treatment of allergic rhinitis, inflammation, sinusitis and headache. Objective: The aim of the study is to investigate a new function of fargesin against melanin production and its underlying molecular mechanism. Methods: B16F10 mouse melanoma cells, Melan-a and human epidermal melanocytes were treated with different concentrations of fargesin for the indicated time. The extracellular and cellular melanin content was detected by spectrometry at 490 nm and 405 nm, respectively. RT-qPCR and Western blot analysis were used to exam the expression of melanogenic enzymes and the activities of PKA/CREB and p38 MAPK pathway components. Zebrafish was used as an in vivo model for studying the function of fargesin in regulating melanogenesis. Results: Fargesin effectively inhibited melanin production at moderate dose in mouse B16F10 melanoma cells, normal melanocyte cell lines and zebrafish. The expression of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), its downstream melanogenic enzymes and tyrosinase activity were also strongly reduced by fargesin. Moreover, the increase of melanin production induced by UVB and forskolin could be fully reversed by fargesin treatment. Fargesin also effectively inhibited the activation of PKA/ CREB and p38 MAPK as well as their interactions, which in turn is responsible for the expression of MITF and melanogenic enzymes. Conclusions: These results show that fargesin can function as an anti-melanogenic agent, at least in part, by inhibiting PKA/CREB and p38/MAPK signaling pathways. Therefore, fargesin and its derivatives may potentially be used for preventing hyperpigmentation disorders in the future.

This study investigated the effect of maceration treatment on colour‐related phenolics, sensory characteristics and volatile composition in mulberry wine. Pre‐fermentation maceration was performed for 2 days (‘short’), 6 days (‘medium’) and 8 days (‘long’), respectively, followed by the same fermentation process. Results showed that the long maceration (LM) caused higher level of anthocyanins in wine, especially cyaniding‐3‐O‐rutinoside, cyaniding‐3‐O‐glucoside and dephinidin‐3‐O‐glucoside, whereas the short maceration caused lower level of phenolic acids in wine. The medium maceration (MM) wine showed the highest level of flavonols but the lowest concentration of flavan‐3‐ol. The LM wine exhibited greater red tone and colour intensity accompanied by higher amounts of free and copigmented anthocyanins. The LM wine showed lower levels of alcohols, acids, terpenoids, benzenes and sulphur compounds, whereas the lowest level of esters was found in the MM wine. The LM wine had reduced fruity and floral aroma and overall flavour complexity compared with the other wines. Copyright © 2018 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling

In recent years, graphene aerogel (GA) has been widely used as a 3D porous stable network structure material. In order to identify the main research direction of GA, we use the bibliometric method to analyze its hot research fields and applications from the Web of Science database. First, we collected all relevant literature and analyzed its bibliometrics of publication year, country, institution, etc., where we found that China and Chinese Academy of Sciences are the most productive country and institute, respectively. Then, the three hot fields of fabrication, energy storage, and environmental protection are identified and thoroughly discussed. Graphene aerogel composite electrodes have achieved very efficient storage capacity and charge/discharge stability, especially in the field of electrochemical energy storage. Finally, the current challenges and the future development trends are presented in the conclusion. This paper provides a new perspective to explore and promote the related development of GA.