The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of soybean 7S and 11S globulins on the stability and antioxidant capacity of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G) in the simulated gastrointestinal environment, and further to elucidate their interaction mechanism. The stability and total content of anthocyanins (ACNs) before and after simulated digestion were determined by Ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopic and pH differential methods, respectively, and free radical scavenging activity of C3G after simulated digestion were measured using ABTS and DPPH assays. The interaction mechanism was further investigated using molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation. The analysis results showed that soybean 7S and 11S globulins had a protective effect on the stability of C3G during simulated digestion and improved the antioxidant capacity of C3G after simulated digestion. Soybean 11S globulin had a better effect than soybean 7S globulin in protecting the stability and antioxidant capacity of C3G against simulated gastrointestinal environment. In silico results showed that the binding interactions between C3G and 7S and 11S globulins were mainly hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces, followed by hydrophobic interactions. Among them, ASN69 and THR101 are the key amino acid residues for 7S–C3G binding, and THR82 and PRO86 are the key amino acid residues for 11S–C3G binding. The results suggested that it may be helpful to use soybean 7S and 11S globulins as carriers to improve the stability and antioxidant activity of ACNs.

Studies have proven that alkaline water has a protective effect on gastric diseases. However, the underlying mechanism is not clear. Moreover, in some countries, especially in China, purified water (distilled water) is also an important form of drinking water, while its protective effect on gastric diseases is still unknown. This study aimed to compare the effects of distilled water (pH = 5.6 ± 0.3) and alkaline natural mineral water (pH = 9.3 ± 0.6) on ethanol-induced gastric ulcers in mice and to further clarify the underlying mechanisms. Pepsin activity, prostaglandin E-2 (PGE2) and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), superoxide dismutase (SOD), reduced glutathione (GSH), and malondialdehyde (MDA), as well as the oxidative stress pathway related proteins such as nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and NADH quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) were measured. After alkaline natural mineral water treatment, the levels of PGE2 and HSP70 were significantly increased (p < 0.05). Antioxidant indexes (SOD, GSH, and MDA) and Western blot results (Nrf2, HO-1, and NQO1) showed that alkaline natural mineral water did not alleviate gastric ulcers by improving oxidative stress. Pepsin activity assay displayed that the pepsin activity was significantly declined after alkaline natural mineral water treatment compared with the distilled water treatment (p < 0.05). This study indicated that alkaline natural mineral water may alleviate the ethanol-induced gastric ulcers in mice by inhibiting the pepsin activity and increasing the levels of PGE2 and HSP70.

This study investigated the formation and molecular interaction mechanism of chestnut starch nanocrystal (SNC)/macadamia protein isolate (MPI) complexes and their application in edible oil-in-water Pickering emulsion (PE). SNC/MPI complexes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and particle size analyzer. The PEs stabilized by SNC/MPI complexes were characterized by confocal laser scanning microscopy and rheological measurement. The results showed that hydrogen bonds between the two particles significantly affected the secondary structure and assembly of SNC/MPI complexes at the oil/water interface. The optimal mass ratio of SNC to MPI in the complexes with the best stability was determined as 20:1. The formation of edible oil-in-water PEs stabilized by SNC/MPI complexes significantly improved the oxidative and storage stability of different edible oils (olive oil, walnut oil, edible tea oil, and macadamia oil). These different edible oil-in-water PEs stabilized by SNC/MPI could be used as effective carriers of quercetin with their loading rates higher than 93%.