Diarylheptanoid-myricanone isolated from ethanolic extract of Myrica cerifera shows anticancer effects on HeLa and PC3 cell lines:signalling pathway and drug-DNA interaction

OBJECTIVE： To test if myricanone （02H2405）, a cyclic diarylheptanoid, has anticancer effects on two different cancer cell lines HeLa and PC3. The present study was conducted with a note on the drug-DNA interaction and apoptotic signalling pathway. METHODS： Several studies like cytotoxicity, nuclear damage, annexin-V-fluorescein isothiocyanate （FITC）/propidium iodide （PI）-Iabelled apoptotic assay and cell cycle arrest, immunoblot and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction （RT-PCR） were used following standard protocols. Circular dichroism （CD） spectroscopy was also done to evaluate whether myricanone effectively interacted with DNA to bring about conformational changes that could strongly inhibit the cancer cell proliferation. RESULTS： Myricanone showed a greater cytotoxic effect on PC3 cells than on HeLa cells. Myricanone promoted G0/G arrest in HeLa cells and S phase arrest in PC3 cells. Nuclear condensation and annexin V-FITC/PI studies revealed that myricanone promoted apoptotic cell death. CD spectroscopic data indicated that myricanone had an interaction with calf thymus DNA that changed DNA structural conformation. RT-PCR and immunoblot studies revealed that myricanone activated the apoptotic signalling cascades through down-regulation of transcription factors like nuclear factor-KB （NF-KB） （p65）, and signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 （STAT3）; cell cycle regulators like cyclin D1, and survivin and other signal proteins like Bcl-2 and up-regulation of Bax, caspase-9 and caspase-3. CONCLUSION： Myricanone induced apoptosis in both types of cancer cells by triggering caspase activation, and suppression of cell proliferation by down-regulation of NF-KB and STAT3 signalling cascades, which makes it a suitable candidate for possible use in the formulation of therapeutic alent for combatin cancer.

Signal Transduction Pathways Mediated by Secreted and Non-Secreted Forms of Intact Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein-3 (IGFBP-3) and Its 1-97 N-Terminal Fragment in PC-3 Human Prostate Cancer Cells

Our previous results indicated that both the secreted and the intracellular form of full length and 1-97 N-terminal fragment of IGFBP-3 induce apoptosis in PC-3 human prostate cancer cells in an IGF-dependent and independent manner. This study was undertaken to delineate possible down-stream signaling pathways that are involved in this process. Intact IGFBP-3 and its N-terminal 1-97 fragments with or without a signal propeptide were fused to YFP and expressed in PC-3 human prostate cancer cells. In some cases, the putative IGF-binding site was presented in full length IGFBP-3 and its N-terminal fragment was also mutated. Extent of apoptosis was quantified using FACS. Up-regulation of total Stat-1 and activation of phospho-Stat-1 were shown by western blot. TGF-β signal was measured by luciferase reporter assay. Results from inhibitor studies indicated that both the Caspase 8 and caspase 9 pathways are involved in IGFBP-3 (non-secreted form) which induced apoptosis in PC-3 cells. Exogenous addition of IGFBP-3 to PC-3 cells increased Stat-1 protein expression/tyrosine phosphorylation. Interestingly, results also showed that knockdown of Stat-1 by siRNA potentiated the IGFBP-3 induced apoptosis in PC-3 cells. In addition, both full-length IGFBP-3 and its 1-97 Nterminal fragments inhibited TGF-β signaling in these cells. This is the first report that compares the signal transduction pathways involved in apoptotic pathways mediated by IGFBP-3 in PC-3 human prostate cancer cells. Non-secreted form of full length IGFBP-3 and its N-terminal fragments induced apoptosis in PC-3 cells via activation of caspase 8 and caspase 9. Although, only non-secreted form of IGFBP-3 is involved in inducing apoptosis in PC-3 cells via caspase 8 and caspase 9 activation pathways but both secreted and non-secreted forms of IGFBP-3 are involved in modulating Stat-1 and TGF-β pathways to induce apoptotic actions in PC-3 cells. Non-secreted intact IGFBP-3 and its N-terminal fragments induced apoptosis in PC-3 cells via activation of caspase 8 and caspase 9 pathways. Modulation in STAT-1 and TGF-β pathways may also be important for IGFBP-3 induced apoptosis in PC-3 cells in general. These studies clearly demonstrate that secreted and non-secreted FL and 1-97 N-terminal fragments induce apoptosis in PC-3 cells by regulating different mechanistic pathways.

Insight into the mechanisms and functions of spliceosomal snRNA pseudouridylation

Pseudouridines(Ψs) are the most abundant and highly conserved modified nucleotides found in various stable RNAs of all organisms. Most Ψs are clustered in regions that are functionally important for pre-m RNA splicing. Ψ has an extra hydrogen bond donor that endows RNA molecules with distinct properties that contribute significantly to RNA-mediated cellular processes. Experimental data indicate that spliceosomal sn RNA pseudouridylation can be catalyzed by both RNA-dependent and RNA-independent mechanisms. Recent work has also demonstrated that pseudouridylation can be induced at novel positions under stress conditions, suggesting a regulatory role for Ψ.

3D imaging of the mitochondrial redox state of rathearts under normal and fasting conditions

The heart requires continuous ATP availability that is generated in the mitochondria.Althoughstudies using the cell culture and perfiused organ models have been carried out to investigate thebiochemistry in the mitochondria in response to a change in substrate supply,mitochondrialbioenergetics of heart under normal feed or fasting conditions has not been studied at the tissuelevel with a sub-millimeter spatial resolution either in vivo or er vivo.Oxidation of many food-derived metabolites to generate ATP in the mitochondria is realized through the NADH/NAD+couple acting as a central electron carrier.We employed the Chance redox scanner thelow-temperat ure fluorescence scanner to image the three-dimensional(3D)spatial distribution of themitochondrial redox states in heart tissues of rats under normai feeding or an overnight star-vation for 14.5 h.Multiple consecutive sections of each heart were imaged to map three redoxindices,i.e,NADH,oxidized favoproteins Fp,including flavin adenine dinucleotide(FAD)andthe redox ratio NADH/Fp.The imaging results revealed the micro-heterogeneity and the spatial distribution of these redox indices.The quantitative analysis showed that in the fasted hearts thestandard deviation of both NADH and Fp,ie.,SD NADH and SDFp,significantly decreasedwith a p value of 0.032 and 0.045,respectively,indicating that the hearts become relatively morehomogeneous after fasting.The fasted hearts contained 28.6%less NADH(p=0.038).No sig.nificant change in Fp was foumnd(p=0.4).The NADH/Fp ratio decreased with a marginalP value(0.076).The decreased NADH im the fasted hearts is consistent with the cardiac celsreliance of fatty acids consumption for energy metabolism when glucose becomes scarce.Theexperimental o bservation of N ADH decrease induced by dietary restriction in the heart at tissuelevel has not been reported to our best knowledge.The Chance redox scanner demonstrated thefeasibility of 3D imaging of the mitochondrial redox st ate in the heart and provides a usefil toolto study heart metabolism and fiunction under normal,dietary-change and pathological con-ditions at tisue level. We would like to thank Dr.Joseph Baur for thehelpful discussion and Dr.Hui Qiao for animalpreparation and organ harvesting.

HISTORY AND PRESENT STATE OF TRANSLATIONAL ELECTRO-OPTICAL APPLICATIONS TO MEDICINE

This paper reviews the history of the optoelectric devices applied to biomedical sciences in 20th century.It describes history of Vacuum tubes and Spectroscopies with the author’s personal experiences,especially doublebeam spectroscopy.Further,the present developments of Near Infra Red(NIR)devices are described in translational biomedical applications.It includes particulary micro optoelectronics developments and present status of NIR breast cancer detection.Lastly,intrinsic molecular biomarkers are discussed especially NIR measurements of angiogenensis,hypermetabolism and heat production for cancer detection.

A Brief Overview of a Few Popular and Important Protein Databases

Database is a repository of information. In today’s world there are different types of databases available. In this present review the focus is on a few popular and most widely used biological databases that store protein sequence and structure information. The databases that are of utmost importance to do basic biological research work are PDB, SCOP, CATH and UniProt/SwissProt and GenBank. These databases have different utilities & they play important roles in different fields of biology and bioinformatics. PDB provides the structural information of proteins, protein-complexes and proteins complexed with other macromolecules. SCOP & CATH store various annotations of protein sequences and structures. UniProt is a central repository of protein sequences & functions created by joining the information contained in SwissProt, TrEMBL.

Ecological and Functional Properties of Steppe Soils under Moderate Anthropogenic Impact

Steppe soils of a small industrialized city with moderate anthropogenic impact for example Krasny Kut, Saratov region were analysed to ascertain their ecological and functional state. In the course of this work, the concentration of heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Pb, Ni, Cr and Cd) was determined in the soil samples, including the hazard coefficient (Kо) and the total contamination coefficient (Zc). Magnetic susceptibility, magnetic coefficient (Kmag), thermomagnetic effect (dk) of the soil samples were analysed together with the activity of soil enzymes (dehydrogenases, catalases, peroxidases and invertases). Using ecological and geochemical analytical methods, a widespread excess of maximum permissible concentration (MPC) of mobile forms Ni, Pb, Cu and Zn was recorded in the soil samples of Krasny Kut, and a single excess of MPC was observed for Cr and Cd. According to Zc indicator values, 4 samples were classified as soils with moderately dangerous levels of contamination and 2 samples with dangerous levels of contamination. Using petromagnetic analysis, a few samples were observed to contain a moderate amount of introduced technogenic magnetic particles and one sample with a hazardous amount of introduced technogenic magnetic particles. Medium, high and very high levels of dehydrogenase, catalase, peroxidase and invertase activities were recorded in the soil samples, indicating the absence of ecotoxicants inhibiting the enzymes. The observed peculiarities in the ecological and functional state of soils, representative of the steppe zone of the Eastern part of the European territory of Russia will be required for monitoring, reducing and forecasting the anthropogenic burden on soil ecosystems.

Establishment of a cholangiocarcinoma risk evaluation model based on mucin expression levels

BACKGROUND Cholangiocarcinoma(CCA)is a highly malignant cancer,characterized by frequent mucin overexpression.MUC1 has been identified as a critical oncogene in the progression of CCA.However,the comprehensive understanding of how the mucin family influences CCA progression and prognosis is still incomplete.AIM To investigate the functions of mucins on the progression of CCA and to establish a risk evaluation formula for stratifying CCA patients.METHODS Single-cell RNA sequencing data from 14 CCA samples were employed for elucidating the roles of mucins,complemented by bioinformatic analyses.Subse-quent validations were conducted through spatial transcriptomics and immuno-histochemistry.The construction of a risk evaluation model utilized the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression algorithm,which was further confirmed by independent cohorts and diverse data types.RESULTS CCA tumor cells with elevated levels of MUC1 and MUC4 showed activated nucleotide metabolic pathways and increased invasiveness.MUC5AC-high cells were found to promote CCA progression through WNT signaling.MUC5B-high cells exhibited robust cellular oxidation activities,leading to resistance against antitumoral treatments.MUC13-high cells were observed to secret chemokines,recruiting and transforming macrophages into the M2-polarized state,thereby suppressing antitumor immunity.MUC16-high cells were found to promote tumor progression through interleukin-1/nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells signaling upon interaction with neutrophils.Utilizing the expression levels of these mucins,a risk factor evaluation formula for CCA was developed and validated across multiple cohorts.CCA samples with higher risk factors exhibited stronger metastatic potential,chemotherapy resistance,and poorer prognosis.CONCLUSION Our study elucidates the functional mechanisms through which mucins contribute to CCA development,and provides tools for risk stratification in CCA.

Role of H3K27 methylation in the regulation of IncRNA expression

Once thought to be transcriptional noise, large non-coding RNAs （IncRNAs） have recently been demonstrated to be functional molecules. The cell-type-specific expression patterns of lncRNAs suggest that their transcription may be regulated epigenetically. Using a custom-designed microarray, here we examine the expression profile of IncRNAs in embryonic stem （ES） cells, lineage-restricted neuronal progenitor cells, and terminally differentiated fibroblasts. In addition, we also analyze the relationship between their expression and their promoter H3K4 and H3K27 methyla- tion patterns. We find that numerous lncRNAs in these cell types undergo changes in the levels of expression and promoter H3K4me3 and H3K27me3. Interestingly, lncRNAs that are expressed at lower levels in ES cells exhibit higher levels of H3K27me3 at their promoters. Consistent with this result, knockdown of the H3K27me3 methyltransferase Ezh2 results in derepression of these IncRNAs in ES cells. Thus, our results establish a role for Ezh2-mediated H3K27 methylation in lncRNA silencing in ES cells and reveal that lncRNAs are subject to epigenetic regulation in a similar manner to that of the protein-coding genes.

Binding interaction of phosphorus heterocycles with bovine serum albumin:A biochemical study

Interaction between bovine serum albumin(BSA) and phosphorus heterocycles(PHs) was studied using multispectroscopic techniques. The results indicated the high binding affinity of PHs to BSA as it quenches the intrinsic fluorescence of BSA. The experimental data suggested the fluorescence quenching mechanism between PHs and BSA as a dynamic quenching. From the UV–vis studies, the apparent association constant(K_(app)) was found to be 9.25×10~2, 1.27×10~4and 9.01×10~2L/mol for the interaction of BSA with PH-1, PH-2 and PH-3,respectively. According to the F?rster's non-radiation energy transfer(FRET) theory, the binding distances between BSA and PHs were calculated. The binding distances(r) of PH-1, PH-2 and PH-3 were found to be2.86, 3.03, and 5.12 nm, respectively, indicating energy transfer occurs between BSA and PHs. The binding constants of the PHs obtained from the fluorescence quenching data were found to be decreased with increase of temperature. The negative values of the thermodynamic parameters ΔH, ΔS and ΔG at different temperatures revealed that the binding process is spontaneous; hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interaction were the main force to stabilize the complex. The microenvironment of the protein-binding site was studied by synchronous fluorescence and circular dichroism(CD) techniques and data indicated that the conformation of BSA changed in the presence of PHs. Finally, we studied the BSA-PHs docking using Auto Dock and results suggest that PHs is located in the cleft between the domains of BSA.

Sizing of rock fragmentation modeling due to bench blasting using adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system(ANFIS)

One of the most important characters of blasting,a basic step of surface mining,is rock fragmentation because it directly effects on the costs of drilling and economics of the subsequent operations of loading,hauling and crushing in mines.Adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system(ANFIS)and radial basis function(RBF)show potentials for modeling the behavior of complex nonlinear processes such as those involved in fragmentation due to blasting of rocks.We developed ANFIS and RBF methods for modeling of sizing of rock fragmentation due to bench blasting by estimation of 80%passing size(K_(80))of Golgohar iron mine of Sirjan.Iran.Comparing the results of ANFIS and RBF models shows that although the statistical parameters RBF model is acceptable but ANFIS proposed model is superior and also simpler because ANFIS model is constructed using only two input parameters while seven input parameters used for construction of RBF model.

Bioinformatics analysis of metastasis-related proteins in hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM: To analyze the metastasis-related proteins in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and discover the biomarker candidates for diagnosis and therapeutic intervention of HCC metastasis with bioinformatics tools. METHODS: Metastasis-related proteins were determined by stable isotope labeling and MS analysis and analyzed with bioinformatics resources, including Phobius, Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG), online mendelian inheritance in man (OMIM) and human protein reference database (HPRD). RESULTS: All the metastasis-related proteins were linked to 83 pathways in KEGG, including MAPK and p53 signal pathways. Protein-protein interaction network showed that all the metastasis-related proteins were categorized into 19 function groups, including cell cycle, apoptosis and signal transduction. OMIM analysis linked these proteins to 186 OMIM entries. CONCLUSION: Metastasis-related proteins provide HCC cells with biological advantages in cell proliferation,migration and angiogenesis, and facilitate metastasis of HCC cells. The bird's eye view can reveal a global characteristic of metastasis-related proteins and many differentially expressed proteins can be identified as candidates for diagnosis and treatment of HCC.

Microbiota for production of wine with enhanced functional components

Microbial communities during winemaking are diverse and change throughout the fermentation process. Microorganisms not only drive alcohol fermentation, flavor and aroma, but also enhance wine functional components such as extraction of polyphenols from the berries, production of γ-aminobutyric acid, hydroxytyrosol and melatonin. Polyphenols such as resveratrol, catechin and quercetin determine the functional quality of the wine. Moderate wine consumption, particularly red wine has been associated with functional benefits to human health, which includes anti-inflammation, promoting healthy aging, prevention of cardiovascular diseases, cancers, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Indeed, the management of microbiota allows the production of wine with distinct features and functional components that benefits human health. This review scrutinizes the possible contributions of wine microbiota to the production of wine with enhanced functional components and highlights the contributions of Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces yeasts and bacteria to enhance wine functional components during winemaking. Thus, contributing to the dissemination of the benefits of light to moderate wine intake to human health.

QUANTITATIVE REDOX SCANNING OF TISSUE SAMPLES USING A CALIBRATION PROCEDURE

The fluorescence properties of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide(NADH)and oxidizedflavoproteins(Fp)including flavin adenine dinucleotide(FAD)in the respiratory chain are sensitive indicators of intracellular metabolic states and have been applied to the studies of mitochondrial function with energy-linked processes.The redox scanner,a three-dimensional(3D)low temperature imager previously developed by Chance et al.,measures the in vivo metabolicproperties of tissue samples by acquiring fluorescence images of NADH and Fp.The redox ratios,i.e.Fp/(Fp+NADH)and NADH/(Fp+NADH),provided a sensitive index of the mitochondrialredox state and were determined based on relative signal intensity ratios.Here we report thefurther development of the redox scanning technique by using a calibration method to quantifythe nominal concentration of the fluorophores in tissues.The redox scanner exhibited very goodlinear response in the range of NADH concentration between 165–1318µM and Fp between90–720µM using snap-frozen solution standards.Tissue samples such as human tumor mousexenografts and various mouse organs were redox-scanned together with adjacent NADH and Fpstandards of known concentration at liquid nitrogen temperature.The nominal NADH and Fpconcentrations as well as the redox ratios in the tissue samples were quantified by normalizing the tissue NADH and Fp fluorescence signal to that of the snap-frozen solution standards.This calibration procedure allows comparing redox images obtained at different time,independent of instrument settings.The quantitative multi-slice redox images revealed heterogeneity inmitochondrial redox state in the tissues.

Transcription factors specificity protein and nuclear receptor 4A1 in pancreatic cancer

Specificity protein(Sp)transcription factors(TFs)Sp1,Sp3 and Sp4,and the orphan nuclear receptor 4A1(NR4A1)are highly expressed in pancreatic tumors and Sp1 is a negative prognostic factor for pancreatic cancer patient survival.Results of knockdown and overexpression of Sp1,Sp3 and Sp4 in pancreatic and other cancer lines show that these TFs are individually pro-oncogenic factors and loss of one Sp TF is not compensated by other members.NR4A1 is also a prooncogenic factor and both NR4A1 and Sp TFs exhibit similar functions in pancreatic cancer cells and regulate cell growth,survival,migration and invasion.There is also evidence that Sp TFs and NR4A1 regulate some of the same genes including survivin,epidermal growth factor receptor,PAX3-FOXO1,α5-andα6-integrins,β1-,β3-andβ4-integrins;this is due to NR4A1 acting as a cofactor and mediating NR4A1/Sp1/4-regulated gene expression through GC-rich gene promoter sites.Several studies show that drugs targeting Sp downregulation or NR4A1 antagonists are highly effective inhibitors of Sp/NR4A1-regulated pathways and genes in pancreatic and other cancer cells,and the triterpenoid celastrol is a novel dual-acting agent that targets both Sp TFs and NR4A1.

Physio-pathological roles of transglutaminase-catalyzed reactions

Transglutaminases(TGs) are a large family of related and ubiquitous enzymes that catalyze post-translational modifications of proteins.The main activity of these enzymes is the cross-linking of a glutaminyl residue of a protein/peptide substrate to a lysyl residue of a protein/peptide co-substrate.In addition to lysyl residues,other second nucleophilic co-substrates may include monoamines or polyamines(to form mono-or bi-substituted/crosslinked adducts) or-OH groups(to form ester linkages) .In the absence of co-substrates,the nucleophile may be water,resulting in the net deamidation of the glutaminyl residue.The TG enzymes are also capable of catalyzing other reactions important for cell viability.The distribution and the physiological roles of TG enzymes have been widely studied in numerous cell types and tissues and their roles in several diseases have begun to be identified."Tissue" TG(TG2) ,a member of the TG family of enzymes,has definitely been shown to be involved in the molecular mechanisms responsible for a very widespread human pathology:i.e.celiac disease(CD) .TG activity has alsobeen hypothesized to be directly involved in the pathogenetic mechanisms responsible for several other human diseases,including neurodegenerative diseases,which are often associated with CD.Neurodegenerative diseases,such as Alzheimer's disease,Parkinson's disease,supranuclear palsy,Huntington's disease and other recently identified polyglutamine diseases,are characterized,in part,by aberrant cerebral TG activity and by increased cross-linked proteins in affected brains.In this review,we discuss the physio-pathological role of TG-catalyzed reactions,with particular interest in the molecular mechanisms that could involve these enzymes in the physio-pathological processes responsible for human neurodegenerative diseases.

REDOX IMAGING OF THE p53-DEPENDENT MITOCHONDRIAL REDOX STATE IN COLON CANCER EX VIVO

The mitochondrial redox state and its heterogeneity of colon cancer at tissue level have not been previously reported.Nor has how p53 regulates mitochondial respi ration been measured at(deep)tissue level,presumably due to the unavailability of the technology that has sufficient spatial resolution and tissue penetration depth.Our prior work demonstrated that the mito-chondrial redox state and its intnatumor heterogeneity is associated with cancer aggressiveness in human melanoma and breast cancer in mouse models,with the more metastatic tumons exhi-bit ing localized negions of more oxidized redox state.Using the Chance redox scanner with an in-plane spatial resolution of 200 pm,we imaged the mitochondrial redox state of the wild-type p53 colon tumors(HCT116 p53 ut)and the p5-deleted colon tumors(HCT116 p53-/-)by cllcting the fuorescence si gnals of nicotinamide adenine dimucleotide(NA DH)and oxidized flavoproteins [Fp,including favin adenine dinucleotide(FAD)]from the mouse xenogmafts snap frozen at low temperature.Our results show that:(1)both tumor lines have significant degree of intratumor heterogeneity of the redox state,typically exhibiting a distinct bi modal distribution that either correlates with the spatial core-rim pattern or the“hot/oold”oxida tion-roduction patches;.(2)the p531-group is significantly more beterogencous in the mitochondrial redox state and has a more oxidized turmor core compared to the p53 wt group when the tunor sizes of the two groups are matched;(3)the tumor size dependence of the redox indices(such as Fp and Fp redox ratio)is significant in the p531-group with the larger ones being more oxidized and more hetero-geneous in their redox state,particularly more oxidized in the tumor central regions;(4)the H&E staining images of tumor soctions grossly correlate with the redox images.The present work is the first to reveal at the submillimeter scale the intratumor heterogeneity pattem of the mitochon-drial redox state in colon cancer and the first to indicate that at tissue level the mitochondial redox state is p53 dependent.The findings should assist in our understanding on colon cancer pa thology and developing new imaging biomarkers for dlinical applications.

Capillary method for measuring near-infrared spectra of microlitre volume liquids

The present study theoretically explored the feasibility of the capillary method for measuring near-infrared (NIR) spectra of liquid or solution samples with microlitre volume, which was proposed in our previous studies. Lambert-Beer absorb- ance rule was applied to establish a model for the integral absorbance of capillary, which was then implemented in numerical analyses of the effects of capillary on various spectral features and dynamic range of absorption measurement. The theoretical speculations indicated that the capillary method might be used in NIR spectroscopy, which was further supported by the empirical data collected from our experiments by comparison between capillary NIR spectra of several organic solvents and cuvette cell NIR spectra.

WORKING WITH AND LEARNING FROM BRIT

I had been closely working with Dr.Britton Chance from 2005-2010 on imaging mitochondrial redox state in cancer and stem cells.I had also learned much from him in daily work and personal life.Here I would like to share some of my memories and experiences including(1)Great science is not necessarily done with top-grade expensive instruments;(2)Brit was genuinely interested in and dedicated to science;(3)Brit's attention to detail and timely action;(4)Brit's open-mindedness;and(5)Brit being modest,appreciative,and caring for others.

This research was supported by E.U.FP6 Integrated Project“Molecular Imaging”LSHG-CT-2003-503259 and E.U.FP7 Collaborative Project“FMT-XCT”.R.F.acknowledges support from the Marie Curie Program EST-MolecImag Early Stage Training MEST-CT-2004-007643.

We have imaged mitochondrial oxidation-reduction states by taking a ratio of mitochondrial fluorophores:NADH(reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide)to Fp(oxidized flavoprotein).Although NADH has been investigated for tissue metabolic state in cancer and in oxygen deprived tissues,it alone is not an adequate measure of mitochondrial metabolic state since the NADH signal is altered by dependence on the number of mitochondria and by blood absorption.The redox ratio,NADH/(Fp+NADH),gives a more accurate measure of steady-state tissue metabolism since it is less dependent on mitochondrial number and it compensates effectively for hemodynamic changes.This ratio provides important diagnostic information in living tissues.In this study,the emitted fluorescence of mouse colon in situ is passed through an emission filter wheel and imaged on a CCD camera.Redox ratio images of the healthy and hypoxic mouse intestines clearly showed significant differences.Furthermore,the corrected redox ratio indicated an increase from an average value of 0.51±0.10 in the healthy state to 0.92±0.03 in dead tissue due to severe ischemia(N=5).We show that the CCD imaging system is capable of displaying the metabolic differences in normal and ischemic tissues as well as quantifying the redox ratio in vivo as a marker of these changes.