Low-molecular-weight fucoidan inhibits the proliferation of melanoma via Bcl-2 phosphorylation and PTEN/AKT pathway

Fucoidan,a sulfate polysaccharide obtained from brown seaweed,has various bioactive properties,including anti-inflammatory,anti-cancer,anti-viral,anti-oxidant,anti-coagulant,anti-thrombotic,anti-angiogenic,and anti-Helicobacter pylori properties.However,the effects of low-molecular-weight fucoidan(LMW-F)on melanoma cell lines and three dimensional(3D)cell culture models are not well understood.This study aimed to investigate the effects of LMW-F on A375 human melanoma cells and cryopreserved biospecimens derived from patients with advanced melanoma.Ultrasonic wave was used to fragment fucoidan derived from Fucus vesiculosus into smaller LMW-F.MTT and live/dead assays showed that LMW-F inhibited cell proliferation in both A375 cells and patientderived melanoma explants in a 3D-printed collagen scaffold.The PTEN/AKT pathway was found to be involved in the anti-melanoma effects of fucoidan.Western blot analysis revealed that LMW-F reduced the phosphorylation of Bcl-2 at Thr 56,which was associated with the prevention of anti-apoptotic activity of cancer cells.Our findings suggested that LMW-F could enhance anti-melanoma chemotherapy and improve the outcomes of patients with melanoma resistance.

Evaluation of non-point source pollution reduction by applying Best Management Practices using a SWAT model and QuickBird high resolution satellite imagery

This study evaluated the reduction effect of non-point source pollution by applying best management practices （BMPs） to a 1.21 km^2 small agricultural watershed using a SWAT （Soil and Water Assessment Tool） model. Two meter QuickBird land use data were prepared for the watershed. The SWAT was calibrated and validated using dally streamflow and monthly water quality （total phosphorus （TP）, total nitrogen （TN）, and suspended solids （SS）） records from 1999 to 2000 and from 2001 to 2002. The average Nash and Sutcliffe model efficiency was 0.63 for the streamflow and the coefficients of determination were 0.88, 0.72, and 0.68 for SS, TN, and TP, respectively. Four BMP scenarios viz. the application of vegetation filter strip and riparian buffer system, the regulation of Universal Soil Loss Equation P factor, and the fertilizing control amount for crops were applied and analyzed.

Short-Term Effects of Experimental Warming and Precipitation Manipulation on Soil Microbial Biomass C and N, Community Substrate Utilization Patterns and Community Composition

Soil microorganisms are major drivers of soil carbon(C) cycling;however,the response of these microorganisms to climate change remains unclear.In the present study,we investigated how 18 months of multifactor climate treatments(warmed air temperature by 3℃ and decreased or increased precipitation manipulation by 30%) affected soil microbial biomass C and nitrogen(N),community substrate utilization patterns,and community composition.Decreased and increased precipitation significantly reduced microbial biomass C by 13.5% and 24.9% and microbial biomass N by 22.9% and 17.6% in unwarmed plots,respectively(P<0.01).Warming enhanced community substrate utilization by 89.8%,20.4%,and 141.4% in the natural,decreased,and increased precipitation plots,respectively.Particularly,warming significantly enhanced the utilization of amine and carboxylic acid substrates among all precipitation manipulation plots.Compared with the natural air temperature with natural precipitation treatment,other treatments affected fungal community richness by -0.9% to 33.6% and reduced the relative abundance of the dominant bacterial and fungal groups by 0.5% to 6.8% and 4.3% to 10.7%,respectively.The warming and/or precipitation manipulation treatments significantly altered Zygomycota abundance(P<0.05).Our results indicate that climate change drivers and their interactions may cause changes in soil microbial biomass C and N,community substrate utilization patterns,and community composition,particularly for the fungal community,and shifts in the microorganism community may further shape the ecosystems function.