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Diarrhea is one of the most common causes of death in young piglets. Porcine rotavirus (PoRV) belongs to the genus Rotavirus within the family Reoviridae, and is considered to be the primary pathogen causing diarrhea in piglets. Portulaca oleracea L. (POL) has been reported to alleviate diarrhea and viral infections. However, the antiviral effect of Portulaca oleracea L. polysaccharide (POL-P), an active component of POL, on PoRV infection remains unclear. This study demonstrated that the safe concentration range of POL-P in IPEC-J2 cells is 0–400 μg/mL. POL-P (400 μg/mL) effectively inhibits PoRV infection in IPEC-J2 cells, reducing the expression of rotavirus VP6 protein, mRNA and virus titer. Furthermore, on the basis of viral life cycle analysis, we showed that POL-P can decrease the expression of PoRV VP6 protein, mRNA, and virus titer during the internalization and replication stages of PoRV. POL-P exerts antiviral effects by increasing IFN-α expression and decreasing the expression levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10 inflammatory factors. Overall, our study found that POL-P is a promising candidate for anti-PoRV drugs.

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The effects of ocean acidification on macroalgae have been extensively studied. However, most studies focused on the adult stages, while other life cycle stages have been overlooked. To better understand the influence of the marine environment on macroalgae, their whole life cycle should be considered, especially the juvenile stage. In this study, Ulva prolifera was cultured under two CO2 concentrations (400 and 1000 ppmv) and at 10, 18, 30, and 55% of incident sunlight to assess the photosynthetic performance. Our results showed that the acidification treatment had a negative effect on growth at the juvenile stage, but a positive effect at the adult stage. The relative growth rate and effective quantum yield of PSII increased with decreased light levels, irrespective of the CO2 concentration. At the adult stage, the Chlorophyll (Chl) a, Chl b, and carotenoid contents declined under the high CO2 concentration. The protein content significantly increased at 18, 30%, and full sunlight levels under the high CO2 but not under the low CO2 concentration. Our results suggest that juveniles were less tolerant of the acidic stress compared with the adult stage, although the alga was able to increase cellular proteins in response to the acidic stress.

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