Abstract: Camellia oleifera seed oil (COSO), a nutritionally rich oil from a key southern Chinese woody crop, has gained significance in food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical fields. This review summarizes its high-value products, extraction technologies, chemical composition, and health benefits. High-value products include crude COSO and refined COSO, with by-products such as seed meal and shells that yield bioactive compounds for animal feed, fertilizers, and nutraceuticals. Extraction methods range from traditional mechanical pressing and solvent extraction to innovative approaches like supercritical CO₂ extraction and enzyme/ultrasound/microwave-assisted techniques. Chemically, COSO features a balanced fatty acid profile dominated by oleic acid (52.13%-86.6%), along with abundant phytosterols, squalene, α-tocopherol, and phenolic compounds, which collectively enhance its oxidative stability and antioxidant activity. Health benefits include antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects, cardiovascular protection, neuroprotection in Alzheimer's disease, anti-fatigue properties, antimicrobial activity, and osteoporosis prevention via mechanisms like NF-κB signaling modulation. In conclusion, COSO and its by-products offer nutritional, industrial, and therapeutic value, with innovative technologies promoting sustainability. Further research on large-scale optimization and by-product utilization is needed to fully exploit their potential in functional foods and healthcare.

House cricket (Acheta domesticus) oil is a potential source of the food industry, but its applications are still very limited. This study introduced a simple protocol for refining crude cricket oil and then utilized the refined oil for mayonnaise production. Physical and chemical analysis showed that refining process could eliminate most free fatty acids as well as unwanted impurities in raw material. Refined cricket oil had a very high concentration of unsaturated fatty acids (35% oleic and 28% linoleic acids) and was appropriate to replace vegetable oil in mayonnaise productions. Texture and rheology analysis were applied to compare the quality of vegetable oil-based mayonnaise and refined cricket oil-based mayonnaise. Obtained results revealed that the latter had a better structure as well as a higher viscosity.

We report that when liposomes are added to a solution of a hydrophobic water-soluble polymer, i.e., hydrophobically-modified hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HM-HPMC), a liposome cross-linked gel (LCG) is formed due to the anchoring effect of the hydrophobic groups. In this study, we investigated LCG films made of HM-HPMC cross-linked with liposomes and evaluated the internal structure and drug release properties of the resulting films. The investigation of the LCG films indicated that only LCG formulations consisting of liposomes, HM-HPMC, and either 5% or 10% glycerol (GL) were capable of forming films with moderate strength and flexibility. These results suggested that both the three-dimensional network structure of LCG and the plasticizing effect of GL are necessary for film formulation. Structural evaluations of the resulting films were performed by small-angle X-ray scattering measurements and electron microscopy observations. These analyses revealed many structures presumably derived from liposomes in the film formulations, suggesting that the liposome structure is preserved in LCG films. The evaluation of drug release properties of the resulting films was performed by calculating drug release rates from film formulations containing 1% calcein (CAL, Mw 622.53) and fluorescently labeled dextran (FD4, Mw 4,000; FD40, Mw 40,000) as model drugs. The drug release rates from the film formulations containing CAL, FD4 and FD40 were in the order of CAL ≈ FD4 > FD40. The higher molecular weight of the drug may make the drug more difficult to diffuse through the film formulation due to the three-dimensional network structure of the LCG. These results indicated LCG can form film formulations containing water-soluble polymeric drugs with moderate strength and flexibility.

In this study, the antioxidant potential and phenolic compound profiles of extracts obtained from the fruit, leaf, and seed parts of Cornus mas L. (cornelian cherry) collected from Tortum, Erzurum (Turkey) using ethanol and water solvents were evaluated. Antioxidant capacity was determined by DPPH, ABTS, and CUPRAC assays, while total phenolic content (TPC) and flavonoid content were measured spectrophotometrically. In addition, phenolic profiles were analyzed using LC-MS/MS technique. Among the extracts, those labeled “SD-MAS-H₂O” and “SD-MAS-EtOH” exhibited the highest antioxidant activities, with IC₅₀ values of 2.16±0.11 and 2.27±0.09 µg/mL for DPPH, and 1.35 and 1.47±0.05 µg/mL for ABTS, respectively. In the CUPRAC assay, these same extracts showed the strongest reducing power, with absorbance values of 0.866 and 0.828. The highest total phenolic content was found in the “SD-MAS-ETOH” extract (157.80 µg GAE/g), followed by “LF-MAS-ETOH” (113.09 µg GAE/g) and “SD-HDR” (110.76 µg GAE/g). The “SD-MAS-ETOH” extract also contained the highest total flavonoid content (586.47 µg QE/g). LC-MS/MS analysis revealed that the “SD-MAS-H₂O” extract contained high concentrations of gallic acid (443.62 mg/L), vanillic acid (484.35 mg/L), hydroxybenzaldehyde (250.52 mg/L), and hesperidin (34.74 mg/L). These compounds are considered major contributors to the observed antioxidant activity. Pearson correlation analysis showed significant negative correlations between total phenolic content and IC₅₀ values for DPPH (r = –0.7535) and ABTS (r = –0.7353), indicating a strong relationship between phenolic composition and antioxidant capacity. These findings highlight the potential of Cornus mas L. as a valuable natural antioxidant source for applications in functional foods and pharmaceutical products.

Although sigmatropic rearrangements have been widely reported, nitro group shifts have rarely been investigated. In this study, we investigated the synthesis of 4-ethoxycarbonyl-2-nitrophenols via the [1,3]-nitro shift. 4-Ethoxycarbonyl-4-nitrocyclohexanone, when subjected to I₂–DMSO system, gave the 4-nitrocyclohexa-2,5-dienenone intermediate that undergoes [1,3]-nitro shift followed by aromatization to afford 4-ethoxycarbonyl-2-nitrophenols. Although there is a room for improvement in product yield and selectivity, the development of a reaction system that facilitates [1,3]-nitro shift from readily available starting materials is noteworthy.

Magnolia officinalis Flos (Houpohua), a valued traditional Chinese medicine, suffers from inconsistent quality due to vague pharmacopeial harvesting criteria. To resolve this, we integrated multi-scale analytical approaches—including microscopic histochemistry, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and chemometrics (n=120 samples)—yielding three critical discoveries: (1) A newly established 4-stage developmental classification (S1-S4) pinpointed S1 (bud length: 4.1–6.0 cm) as the biosynthetic optimum, exhibiting peak essential oil content (0.27% w/w) and maximal oil cell density (236.35 ± 7.09 cells/mm²); (2) Spatial mapping revealed a 40.03-foldoil cell gradient between basal (115.29 ± 3.45 cells/mm²) and apical tepal regions, indicating tissue-specific accumulation patterns; (3) Multivariate analysis uncovered a developmental metabolic shift dominated by caryophyllene-to-caryophyllene oxide conversion (explaining 94.06% of PC1 variance), synchronized with oil cell maturation. Mechanistically, post-S1 yield reduction stems from cell dilution (tepal expansion) and oxidative transformation. This work not only establishes evidence-based harvesting standards but also proposes a novel quality assessment paradigm integrating structural and metabolic markers for medicinal plants.

The root of Rehmannia glutinosa is an ingredient in herbal medicine used for tonifying blood in Japanese Kampo medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. Biological investigations of the roots have been well reported; however, those of the leaves are limited. In this study, we examined the potential value of R. glutinosa leaves, focusing on their antioxidant activity and inhibition of advanced glycation end product formation. The leaf extract exhibited both antioxidant and anti-glycation activities in all assay systems, and the potencies of the leaves were stronger than those of the roots. The bioassay-guided fractionation led to the isolation of eight compounds from the ethyl acetate fraction. Among them and their related compounds, acteoside (3), luteolin (6), and echinacoside (12) exhibited DPPH radical scavenging, copper ion reduction, and SOD-like activities. Furthermore, compound 6, apigenin (7), and chrysoeriol (8) exhibited anti-glycation activities. The leaf extract tended to contain higher amounts of most analytes, especially compounds 3, 6, and 7, suggesting that these compounds contributed to the antioxidant or anti-glycation activities of R. glutinosa leaves. These findings will aid in the effective use of R. glutinosa leaves.

The incorporation of molecular assemblies into hydrogels for transdermal delivery applications may affect their morphology and the dynamics of their constituent molecules; however, such effects have not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we used bicellar mixtures composed of DPPC and DHPC as a model system to evaluate structural changes and reversibility within agarose hydrogels using depolarized dynamic light scattering (DDLS), a non-destructive method capable of analyzing morphologies of samples dispersed in an aqueous solution. To verify the performance of the DLS apparatus, standard particles and synthetic mica were measured, confirming that sufficient scattering intensity could be obtained even at an agarose concentration of 0.5 mass%. We investigated DPPC vesicles and DPPC/DHPC bicellar mixtures in aqueous solution and agarose gel, analyzing their translational and rotational diffusion coefficients. By applying a morphology-sensitive correction factor α, the aspect ratio (AR) of the bicellar assemblies was estimated to be approximately 2.0. The major and minor axes of the DPPC/DHPC bicelle mixtures were 40.0 nm and 20.0 nm in aqueous solution, and 32.7 nm and 15.0 nm in agarose gel, respectively. These differences may indicate stacking of multiple bicellar mixtures, which is consistent with the TEM image observations. In addition, although the structural transformation of bicellar mixtures in agarose gels occurred more slowly than in aqueous solution, changes induced by external stimuli (e.g., heating and stirring) and their partial reversibility were observed. These findings demonstrate that DDLS is a useful technique for evaluating the structural stability and responsiveness of molecular assemblies within agarose hydrogels, providing valuable insights for the future design of gel-embedded drug delivery systems.

This study utilized a microwave-induced in-liquid plasma (MILP) device to treat water contaminated with microplastics (MPs) and metal ions. The performance of the device was initially assessed using a rhodamine-B (RhB) aqueous dye solution in a circulation-type reactor, yielding a greater degradation efficiency compared to conventional batch treatments. Polyethylene (PE) particles (diameter, 20 μm; average molecular weight, 1.8 million) served as a model for MPs to evaluate their disposal and degradation under continuous circulation treatment. A plasma-induced polymer gel synthesis method was employed to remove metal ions, achieving over 80% removal of copper, tin, lead, and mercury within 5 minutes. These findings highlight the significant potential of MILP technology for innovative advanced water treatment applications.