Chi-Tang Ho

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey | Rutgers · Department of Food Science

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is strongly associated with the gut microbiota and its metabolites, including trimethylamine- N -oxide (TMAO), formed from metaorganismal metabolism of ʟ-carnitine. Raw garlic juice, with allicin as its primary compound, exhibits considerable effects on the gut microbiota. This study validated the benefits of raw garlic...

A kind of hydroxylated polymethoxyflavone (PMFs) existing in the citrus genus, 5-Demethyltangeretin (5-DTAN), has been reported to possess several bioactivities in vitro and in vivo. The aim of this study was to investigate whether acetylation could enhance the anticancer activity and oral bioavailability of 5-DTAN. PC-3 human prostate cancer cells...

An Amadori rearrangement product (ARP) derived from ribose (Rib) and glutathione (GSH) was prepared and identified as N-(1-deoxy-d-ribulos-1-yl)-glutathione by ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and NMR. Thermal treatment of the ARP aqueous solution was conducted, and a relatively high temperature was found to accelerat...

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized by the dysregulation of hematopoietic cell proliferation, resulting in the accumulation of immature myeloid cells in bone marrow. 5-Demethylnobiletin (5-demethyl NOB), a citrus 5-hydroxylated polymethoxyflavone, has been reported to exhibit various bioactivities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory a...

Peanut (Arachis hypogeae L.) is a food resource with great nutritional and health functions. The present review summarized the nutrients (proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals), chemical components (stilbenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, phytosterols, triterpenes, and alkaloids), and biological activities of edible parts of pean...

Currently, the widely accepted method for determining policosanol contents is gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS), but measurement method validation is lacking. The validation is essential to improve measurement efficiency for greater accuracy and precision. The aim of the study purposed to validate policosanol analysis by GC–MS using sily...

Ziziphi Spinosae Semen (the dried seeds of Ziziphus jujuba Mill. var. spinosa, Rhamnaceae) is a well‐known traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with high edible and pharmaceutical value. It contains abundant phytochemicals and possesses multiple biological activities. Phytochemicals include saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids, fatty acids, and others. Am...

The fruit of Ziziphus jujuba Mill., known as Hongzao (or Hong-Zao) in Chinese and cultivated in China for more than 4000 years, has shown to have hepatoprotective property. In previous study, we have isolated and identified 27 known compounds from Z. jujuba fruits, which demonstrated anti-tumor activity. In this study, a high-performance liquid chr...

The Amadori rearrangement product derived from xylose-glycylglycine (XGG-ARP) is reactive to be attacked by another glycylglycine to generate a xylose-glycylglycine cross-linking product (XGG-CP) as a secondary product of the ARP. In this research, the role of additional glycylglycine in the XGG-ARP degradation was studied, and the dependence of gl...

Scope: Tight junctions (TJs) are a member of the intestinal epithelium barrier that provides the first line of protection against external factors. Anti-obesity and protective effects of pterostilbene (PSB) on TJs have previously been reported, but the effect of its colonic metabolite, pinostilbene (PIN), is less understood. Methods and results:...

Scope: This study aimed to investigate whether S-allylcysteine (SAC) exerts chemoprophylactic effects on foodborne carcinogenicity caused by 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) in normal human colonic mucosal epithelial cells. Methods and results: Cellular thermal shift assays showed that SAC had an affinity for the Keap1 prot...

Soy sauce secondary precipitate formed due to the B3 subunit seriously affects soy sauce's appearance quality. In this study, a prolyl endopeptidase (APE) from Aspergillus niger, which could degrade approximately 50% of the B3 subunit and increase proline content by 24% in soy sauce, was isolated and identified. The results showed that APE was an a...

Tea is a widespread functional plant resource. Phytochemicals such as tea polyphenols (TP) can interact with the intestinal flora and participate in regulating the expression and rhythm of biological clock genes. Circadian rhythm controls a variety of behaviors and physiological processes, and circadian misalignment has been found to be closely rel...

Tea as the most consumed beverage in the world has received enormous attention for its promoting health benefits. The deleterious effect of α-dicarbonyls and AGEs formed in Maillard reaction is also a long-term challenge. The connection between the two topics was the main aim of this review, to address and update the antiglycation effect and mechan...

Long-term artifi cial sweetener intake is linked to increased risk of obesity. In the present study, supplement of natural sweetener from Siraitia grosvenorii (SG) (or Momordica grosvenorii) fruit, compared with the artifi cial sweetener aspartame (ASM), was evaluated for anti-obesity effects on mice fed with high fat diet (HFD). We found that, in...

This research elucidated the reason of flavor deficiency during the thermal degradation of glutamic acid (Glu)-galactose (Gal) Amadori rearrangement product (GG-ARP) and the solution. The flavor formation from GG-ARP during the thermal degradation was investigated. Compared to the volatile compounds in Glu-Gal Maillard reaction products (GG-MRP), p...

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disrupts the intestinal micro-ecological balance, and patients often develop the intestinal disease. The gut is the largest immune organ in the human body; intestinal microbes can affect the immune function of the lungs through the gut-lung axis. It has been reported that tea polyphenols (TPs) have antiviral and...

Cup aroma refers to the volatiles emitted from an empty cup after tea infusion. In this study, gas chromatography–olfactometry (GC–O) and the odor activity value (OAV) approach were employed to investigate the composition of fermented soybean-like cup aroma from raw Pu-erh tea. Further, the aroma recombination and omission tests were performed, and...

The chemical structure of GLP-1, a novel water-soluble heteropolysaccharide purified Ganoderma leucocontextum fruiting bodies, has been characterized in our previous study. This study aimed to investigate the immunostimulatory activity of GLP-1 in vitro and in vivo by using RAW264.7 macrophages and cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressed mice mod...

Theaflavins in black tea and other fermented tea have attracted many studies because of their stronger antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects among bioactives other than catechins. However, within the four major theaflavins, namely theaflavin, theaflavin-3-O-gallate, theaflavin-3′-O-gallate and theaflavin-3,3′-O,O-digallate, their biological pro...

Momordica charantia L., a member of the Curcubitaceae family, has traditionally been used as herbal medicine and as a vegetable. Functional ingredients of M. charantia play important roles in body health and human nutrition, which can be used directly or indirectly in treating or preventing hyperglycemia-related chronic diseases in humans. The hypo...

Obesity is characterized by metabolic disorder and accompanying an altered and less diverse gut microbiota composition during a fat-enriched diet. Recent studies indicated that sulphated polysaccharide prevents high-fat diet (HFD) induced obesity, reduces metabolic disorder, and restores the gut microbiota. However, there are few studies about Ulva...

Twenty glycoside derivatives and nine flavonoids from the leaves of Pueraria (P. thomsonii) were isolated by column chromatography and characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The contents of twenty glycosides and nine flavonoids from the extract of P. thomsonii leaf (PL) were...

Obesity is a serious global health issue, and the societal interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic may have perturbed energy homeostasis, which affects the condition of obesity. Tea is a traditional beverage in Asia and has been shown to provide many beneficial health effects. Oolong tea is semifermented, with its chemical composition comprising...

Larger-leaf yellow tea (LYT) is a characteristic type of Chinese tea produced in Huoshan County, Anhui Province, which is made by mature leaves with stems. According to recent report, LYT showed competitive effects in anti-hyperglycemia in comparison to other teas such as green or black tea. However, the bioactive compounds of LYT are still undisco...

Roasting is a common manufacture technology for processing various teas. It is not only used in decreasing the water content of finished tea, but also improving the flavor of teas. In the present study, the roasted and non-roasted teas were compared by liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry and sensory evaluation. The roasted tea tasted less bitte...

The generation of pyrazines in a binary methionine/glucose (Met/Glc) mixture and corresponding methionine/glucose-derived Amadori rearrangement product (MG-ARP) was studied. Quantitative analyses of pyrazines and methional revealed that MG-ARP generated more methional compared to Met/Glc, whereas lower content and fewer species of pyrazines were ob...

Scope: S-allylcysteine (SAC) is the most abundant organosulfur molecule derived from aged garlic. We evaluated the effects of S-allylcysteine (SAC) on improving aging in naturally aged C57BL/6J male mice and mitochondrial dynamics in C. elegans and its underlying mechanisms. Methods and results: When mice had attained reproductive senescence at...

Circadian rhythm is essential to human physiological homeostasis and health. The oscillation of host circadian rhythm affects the composition and function of intestinal microbiota, meanwhile, the normal operation of host circadian rhythm depends on the diurnal changes of intestinal microbiota. The imbalance of intestinal micro-ecology or the disord...

A water-soluble heteropolysaccharide (SGP2-1) was purified from Suillus granulatus fruiting bodies by anion-exchange chromatography and gel permeation chromatography. The structural characteristics were analyzed by high-performance gel permeation chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gas ch...

Considerable evidence indicates the important role of gut microbiota in human health. Through the interaction with the host and diet, it secretes a myriad of metabolites to modulate biological processes essential for health. Cognitive impairment is a common feature of psychiatric and neurological disorders, which may seriously damage the quality of...

Background and aim Obesity is one of the complications of sedentary lifestyle and high-calorie food intake which become a global problem. Thermogenesis is a novel way to promote anti-obesity by consuming energy as heat rather than storing it as triacylglycerols. Over the last decade, growing evidence has identified the gut microbiota as a potential...

Eurotium cristatum is the predominant fungus and key contributor to the characteristics of post-fermented Fu brick tea (FBT) during manufacturing. In this study, the influence of solid-state fermentation (SSF) with E. cristatum on the chemical profile dynamic changes of dark tea was investigated. Results indicated that total phenolics, flavonoids,...

Impairment of adiponectin production and function is closely associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, which are linked to obesity. Studies in animal models have documented the anti-diabetic effects of tetrahydrocurcumin (THC). Although several possible mechanisms have been proposed, the contribution of adiponectin signaling on THC-me...

Six grades of Huangshan Maofeng (HSMF) green tea were studied by LC-MS based metabolomics combined with sensory evaluation on bitterness, astringency and sweet aftertaste. Although there was no significant correlation (p>0.05) between tea grades and the contents of total polyphenols and flavonoids, non-targeted metabolomics revealed that all grades...

Ginseng is one of the most popular traditional Chinese medicines that have been widely used in China and other Asian countries for thousands of years. Ginsenosides are the unique bioactive saponins occurring in ginseng, and their biological activities have been extensively investigated. A large amount of ginseng residue is produced as waste product...

Tea cultivar is crucial for oolong tea aroma quality. However, the aroma characteristics of oolong tea made from different cultivars have rarely been studied. The aroma profiles of fresh tea leaves and oolong teas derived from Shuixian (SX), Huangmeigui (HMG) and Zimudan (ZMD) cultivars were comprehensively analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spect...

Correction for ‘Hepatoprotective effect of piceatannol against carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis in mice’ by Wei-Lun Hung et al. , Food Funct. , 2021, DOI: 10.1039/D1FO02545G.

Low dose antibiotic residues in food potentially contribute to obesity and metabolic dysfunction. However, the effect of chronic exposure to very low-dose antibiotic residue (~1000-fold lower than the therapeutic dose) on gut microbiota and host metabolism is poorly understood. Herein the effect of exposure to a residual dose of tylosin—an antibiot...

Volatiles in four Allium tenuissimum flower samples were detected and characterized by headspace-gas chromatography-olfactometry-mass spectrometry, and odor activity values. The key aroma compounds were determined by combining the sensory analysis with the omission and recombination experiments. The results illustrated that a total of 36 volatiles...

As an electrostatic deposited coating for gelatin/sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) coacervates, chitosan was applied to improve their stability and resistance against harsh environment (extreme pH, high ionic strength and high temperature). With eugenol as the core material, gelatin/CMC microcapsules (SM) and gelatin/CMC microcapsules coated by...

The major cause of death in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients is metastasis. Moreover, lots of studies have emphasized that the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a pivotal step in metastasis. Both transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) and dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) can induce or regulate EMT, promoting the loss of intercellular a...

Abnormal glucose homeostasis is linked to a variety of metabolic syndromes, such as insulin resistance, obesity, type-2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. Maintenance of normal glucose homeostasis is important for the body to keep normal biological functions. As the major bioactive ingredient in chili peppers responsible f...

Sugarcane is one of the most important crops in the world and rich in polyphenols. In this study, quercetin, apigenin, luteolin, tricin and p-coumaric acid, the major polyphenols in sugarcane, were used to evaluate the antiproliferative activities toward MCF-7 human breast cancer cells independently and in combination. These five polyphenols all sh...

Tumor necrosis factor‐related apoptosis‐induced ligand (TRAIL) shows little or no toxicity in most normal cells and preferentially induces apoptosis in a variety of malignant cells. However, patients develop resistance to TRAIL, therefore, sensitizing agents that can sensitize the tumor cells to TRAIL‐mediated apoptosis are necessary. In this study...

As the major naturally occurring alkaloid in pepper with a pungent taste, piperine is known for its beneficial biological functions and therapeutic effects. In this work, the bioavailability and biological activities of piperine were presented and discussed. Novel delivery systems for enhancing the bioavailability of piperine were also reviewed. Th...

Scope A causal relationship between circadian misalignment and microbiota dysbiosis has been discussed recently, due to their association to pathogenesis. Herein, the possible impact of pterostilbene and resveratrol on the gut microbiota brought by chronic jet-lag in mice was investigated. Methods and results Dietary supplement of resveratrol and...

Stilbene compounds existing in edible berries have attracted much attention due to their efficacious health-promoting properties such as antioxidant, anti-aging, modulation of metabolic diseases and cancer prevention among others. Pterostilbene has superior pharmacokinetic profile over hydroxylated stilbenes such as resveratrol and oxyresveratrol....

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease, yet fundamental treatments for the disease remain sparse. Thus, the search for potentially efficacious compounds from medicinal plants that can be used in the treatment of PD has gained significant interest. Purpose: In many medicinal plants, selenium is primarily found in...

The role of amino acids and α-dicarbonyls in the flavor formation of Amadori rearrangement product (ARP) during thermal processing was investigated. Comparisons of the volatile compounds and their concentrations when N-(1-deoxy-α-d-ribulos-1-yl)-glycine reacted with different amino acids or glyoxal (GO) at 100 °C were executed. Additional amino aci...

Dietary nutrients are associated with the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) both through traditional pathways (inducing hyperlipidemia and chronic inflammation) and through the emergence of a metaorganism-pathogenesis pathway (through the gut microbiota, its metabolites, and host). Several molecules from food play an important role as CVD...

Feruloylacetone (FER) is a natural degradant of curcumin after heating, which structurally reserves some functional groups of curcumin. It is not as widely discussed as its original counterpart has been previously; and in this study, its anticancer efficacy is investigated. This study focuses on the suppressive effect of FER on colon cancer, as the...

Hydroxycinnamoyl quinic acids are important phenolic acids in tea, particularly fermented teas. However, there have been fewer studies that have confirmed their taste properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the astringent compounds in Keemun congou black tea (KBT) using a combination of mass spectrometry, turbidity analysis, and sensor...

Tetrahydrocurcumin (THC) has been well known for its superior antioxidant properties. Therefore, it is speculated that it might be effective to relieve oxidative stress-induced diseases, such as skin hyperpigmentation. In this work, an in vitro B16F10 melanoma cell model was used to study the impact of THC on the melanogenic process under stressed...

Background Tea polyphenols can be digested in the intestinal tract so as to promote the growth of helpful gut microbiota, and through the production of catechin, tryptophan, acetic acid and other active substances which involved in the modulation of circadian rhythms mechanism to improve the circadian rhythm disorders and neurological weakness, whi...

Two low-molecular-weight polysaccharides (GLP-1 and GLP-2) were purified from Ganoderma leucocontextum fruiting bodies, and their physicochemical properties and antioxidant activities were investigated and compared in this study. The results showed that GLP-1 and GLP-2 were mainly composed of mannose, glucose, galactose, xylose, and arabinose, with...

Flavor is one of the most important factors in attracting consumers and maximizing food quality, and the Maillard reaction (MR) is highly-involved in flavor formation. However, Maillard reaction products have a big drawback in their relatively low stability in thermal treatment and storage. Amadori rearrangement products (ARPs), MR intermediates, c...

Scope Epidemiological studies show a consistent and compelling association between the risk of colorectal cancer development and obesity, but its mechanisms remain poorly understood. Evidence is mounting that colorectal cancer could be prevented by nutritional supplements, such as phytochemicals. Garcinol, a polyisoprenylated benzophenone derivativ...

Feruloylacetone (FER) is a natural degradant of curcumin after heating, which structurally reserves some functional groups of curcumin. It is not as widely discussed as its original counterpart in previous studies and, therefore, its anti-cancer efficacy is investigated herein. This study focuses on the suppressive effect of FER on colon cancer, as...

Antibiotics used as growth promoters in livestock and animal husbandry can be detected in animal-derived food. Epidemiological studies have implicated that exposure to these antibiotic residues in food may be associated to childhood obesity. Herein, the effect of exposure to residual dose of tylosin, an antibiotic growth promoter, on host metabolis...

5-Demethylnobiletin (5-DMN), identified in the aged citrus peels, has received increasing attentions due to its outstanding bioactivity among citrus polymethoxyflavones (PMFs). However, the poor water solubility and high crystallinity limit its oral bioavailability. Besides, the solubility of 5-DMN in the oil is very limited, which restricts its lo...

Bladder cancer is the most common malignancy of the urinary tract and arising from the epithelial lining of the urinary bladder. Resistance to cytotoxic therapies is associated with overexpression of oncogenic proteins; including HER2, and Akt in chemotherapy resistance of bladder cancer. Various studies demonstrated that curcuminoids, the most imp...

The exploration of naturally occurring phytochemicals with antitumor potential has been the focus of many studies. Nobiletin, a polymethoxyflavone (PMF) exclusively derived from citrus peels, has been reported as a promising candidate for the prevention and/or treatment of cancers. Additionally, multiple demethylated derivatives of nobiletin from i...

Wuyi rock tea (WRT), a type of oolong tea, is famous for ‘rock flavor’ with characteristic taste and aroma. The qualitative and quantitative changes of the nonvolatile constituents and taste profiles were investigated during the WRT production process by analyzing of polyphenols, caffeine, amino acids, L-theanine and total sugar, coupled with senso...

Green tea and its bioactive components, especially polyphenols, possess many health-promoting and disease-preventing benefits, especially anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, and metabolic modulation effects with multi-target modes of action. However, the effect of tea polyphenols on immune function has not been well studied. Moreover, the u...

Tea polysaccharides (TPSs) are one of the main bioactive constituents of tea with various biological activities such as hypoglycemic effect, antioxidant, antitumor, and immunomodulatory. The bioactivities of TPSs are directly associated with their structures such as chemical composition, molecular weight, glycosidic linkages, and conformation among...

Pea protein was used to prepare the Maillard reaction products (MRPs) through enzymatic hydrolysis and further thermal reaction with reducing sugar. A pronounced saltiness improvement in NaCl solution was observed by the addition of hydrolysates and their MRPs. Low-molecular-weight pea peptides had the strongest effect of saltiness and umami enhanc...