Antioxidant Activity, Antiproliferation of Colon Cancer Cells, and Chemical Composition of Grape Pomace

Chardonnay and Tinta Cao grape pomaces were generated by the winemaking process. The pomaces were extracted with 50% acetone and tested for antioxidant capacities using the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay, DPPH□EC50 , and ABTS.+ scavenging capacity tests. Cytotoxicity and antiproliferative activities against Caco-2 and HT-29 human colon cancer cell lines were also analyzed. The quantitative detection of caspase-3 activity during the early apoptotic process was evaluated by fluorometric immunosorbent enzyme assay (FIENA). Induction of late stage apoptosis was analyzed by DNA fragmentation. Total phenolic content (TPC), individual phenolic acids, total oil, and fatty acid profile were also analyzed. The Tinta Cao pomace had the highest antioxidant capacity in all tests with an ORAC value of 386.5 μmol trolox equivalents (TE) per g pomace (μmol TE/g), its DPPH□EC50 value was 94.6 mg equivalents/L, and its ABTS.+ value was 806.7 μmol TE/g, which was more than twice as high as the Chardonnay. Both Tinta Cao and Chardonnay grape pomace extracts appear to contain components that inhibit the proliferation of Caco-2 and HT-29 cancer cells, at least in part, by triggering apoptosis. Expression of caspase-3 was induced by Tinta Cao and Chardonnay pomace extracts at 3 g/L after 4 hours of treatment with a 308% and 229% increase compared to control, respectively. An increase in DNA fragmentation was also observed with both grape pomace treatments. This study demonstrated that these tested grape pomaces were potent scavengers of free radicals and may provide some level of protection against certain cancers.

Leukocyte function-associated antigen-1 deficiency impairs responses to polymicrobial sepsis

AIM: To determine the role of leukocyte functionassociated antigen-1(LFA-1) in polymicrobial sepsis model in mice.METHODS: Cecal ligation and puncture model was used to study polymicrobial sepsis in wild type and LFA-1 knockout(KO)(= CD11 a KO) mice. Their survivals were examined. Neutrophil recruitment to the abdominal cavity, bacterial tissue load and bacterial killing by neutrophils, tissue cytokine profiles, and serum cytokines were examined. Apoptosis of tissues was assessed using cleaved-caspase 3 and TUNNEL staining. The recruitment of neutrophils to various tissues was assessed using myeloperoxidase staining or measuring myeloperoxidase activity. RESULTS: LFA-1 deficiency significantly decreased survival(P = 0.0024) with the reduction of neutrophil recruitment to the abdominal cavity and higher bacterial load in blood. It was also associated with increased apoptosis in spleen and more organ injuries probed by interleukin-6 m RNA level. However, the deficiency of LFA-1 did not prevent neutrophil recruitment to lung, liver, spleen or kidney, which suggested the existence of LFA-1 independent recruitment mechanism in these organs. CONCLUSION: LFA-1 deficiency did not attenuate neutrophil recruitment to various organs to adequately mitigate secondary tissue injury in sepsis. It was associated with decreased neutrophil recruitment to the abdominal cavity, higher bacterial load, leading to increased mortality in an abdominal, polymicrobial sepsis.

Stem cells in infantile hemangioma

Background:Infantile hemangioma(IH)is the most common tumor of infancy and the pathogenesis is still unclear.Recent new evidences have been shown that IH arises from stem cells.Data sources:Based on recent original publications from Pub Med,Elsevier and Google Scholar,a large number of articles about pathogenesis and treatment of IH were selected by their titles and abstracts.Results:The hemangioma-derived stem cells expressed stem cell-specific marker CD133 and mesenchymal markers CD29,CD44,and comprised between 0.1%and 1%of the cells in proliferating-phase IH.During the proliferative phase,stem cells differentiated into large amounts of endothelial cells and pericytes;while during the involuting phase,stem cells became less and predominantly differentiated toward adipocytes.Signaling pathways like VEGF/VEGFR,Notch signaling,were found to be related to these processes.Corticosteroids,Rapamycin and propranolol had a significant effect on stem cells by inhibiting the cell growth or differentiation,or participating in maintaining the cell stability.Conclusions:Stem cells derived from hemangioma play an important role in the pathogenesis of IH,and may be important targets of therapy.

Anesthetic-Induced Developmental Neurotoxicity

1 IntroductionMillions of newborn and infants receive anesthetic,sedative and analgesic drugs for surgery and painful procedures on a daily basis.Recent laboratory reports clearly demonstrate that anesthetic and sedative drugs induced both neuroapoptosis and