Betulinic acid protects against ovarian impairment by decreasing F-2 toxin-induced oxidative stress and inflammation associated with the downregulation of p38 expression in mice

F-2 toxin is an estrogenic mycotoxin that causes reproductive disorders in animals.Betulinic acid(BA)is a natural pentacyclic lupane-structure triterpenoid that has diverse pharmacological activities.In this study,the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of BA and its underlying mechanism are explored in F-2 toxin-triggered mouse ovarian damage.We found that BA alleviated the F-2 toxin-induced ovarian impairment by stimulating follicle growth,reducing inflammatory cell infiltration,repairing damaged mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum.Simultaneously,BA not only reversed F-2 toxin-induced reduction of follicle stimulating hormone(FSH)and luteinizing hormone(LH)levels in the serum,but also restrained the protein expression of the estrogen receptors a(ERa)and ERβ.Moreover,BA restored the balance of F-2 toxin-induced ovarian redox system disorders.Subsequently,we found that 0.25 mg/kg BA played an anti-inflammatory role in the F-2 toxin-induced ovarian impairment by decreasing interleukin-1β(IL-1β).IL-6,and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)mRNA expression,as well as inhibiting p38 protein expression.These data demonstrated that BA exerts its protective effect on F-2 toxin-induced ovarian oxidative impairment and inflammation by inhibiting p38 expression,which implies a natural product-based medicine to ameliorate F-2 toxin-caused female reproductive toxicity and provides a detoxifying method for food contaminated by mycotoxin.

Lipophilization of Phenolic Acids through Esterification Using p-toluenesulfonic Acid as Catalyst

Lipophilic antioxidants are used in edible oils and oleaginous foods. Therefore, development of novel lipophilic antioxidant is very important. p-toluenesulfonic acid(PTSA) catalyzed esterification of dihydrocaffeic acid(DHCA) with hexanol was selected as model reaction to investigate the synthesis of lipophilic antioxidant. The highest yield of hexyl dihydrocaffeate was achieved under the following optimum conditions: 1 mol% PTSA, 1:30 molar ratio of dihydrocaffeic acid to hexanol without molecular sieves at 80 ℃ in 2 h. The relationship between temperature and the forward rate constant gave the activation energy of 22.6 k J/mol, which indicated that PTSA possessed high catalytic activity in the synthesis of hexyl dihydrocaffeate. In addition, the activity of PTSA was not inhibited by the water produced during esterification process. Importantly, this esterification could even proceed smoothly when initial water content was below 5%. In addition, the esterification of a set of phenolic acids could take place efficiently under the same conditions affording the corresponding esters in good to excellent yields. This established method will provide an efficient method for produce lipophilic antioxidants from various natural phenolic acids.

18β-glycyrrhetinic acid inhibits proliferation of gastric cancer cells through regulating the miR-345-5p/TGM2 signaling pathway

BACKGROUND Gastric cancer(GC)is a common gastrointestinal malignancy worldwide.Based on cancer-related mortality,the current prevention and treatment strategies for GC still show poor clinical results.Therefore,it is important to find effective drug treatment targets.AIM To explore the molecular mechanism of 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid(18β-GRA)regulating the miR-345-5p/TGM2 signaling pathway to inhibit the proliferation of GC cells.METHODS CCK-8 assay was used to determine the effect of 18β-GRA on the survival rate of GES-1 cells and AGS and HGC-27 cells.Cell cycle and apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry,cell migration was detected by a wound healing assay,the effect of 18β-GRA on subcutaneous tumor growth in BALB/c nude mice was investigated,and the cell autophagy level was determined by MDC staining.TMT proteomic analysis was used to detect the differentially expressed autophagy-related proteins in GC cells after 18β-GRA intervention,and then the protein-protein interaction was predicted using STRING(https://string-db.org/).MicroRNAs(miRNAs)transcriptome analysis was used to detect the miRNA differential expression profile,and use miRBase(https://www.mirbase/)and TargetScan(https://www.targetscan.org/)to predict the miRNA and complementary binding sites.Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the expression level of miRNA in 18β-GRA treated cells,and western blot was used to detect the expression of autophagy related proteins.Finally,the effect of miR-345-5p on GC cells was verified by mir-345-5p overexpression.RESULTS 18β-GRA could inhibit GC cells viability,promote cell apoptosis,block cell cycle,reduce cell wound healing ability,and inhibit the GC cells growth in vivo.MDC staining results showed that 18β-GRA could promote autophagy in GC cells.By TMT proteomic analysis and miRNAs transcriptome analysis,it was concluded that 18β-GRA could down-regulate TGM2 expression and up-regulate miR-345-5p expression in GC cells.Subsequently,we verified that TGM2 is the target of miR-345-5p,and that overexpression of miR-345-5p significantly inhibited the protein expression level of TGM2.Western blot showed that the expression of autophagy-related proteins of TGM2 and p62 was significantly reduced,and LC3II,ULK1 and AMPK expression was significantly increased in GC cells treated with 18β-GRA.Overexpression of miR-345-5p not only inhibited the expression of TGM2,but also inhibited the proliferation of GC cells by promoting cell apoptosis and arresting cell cycle.CONCLUSION 18β-GRA inhibits the proliferation of GC cells and promotes autophagy by regulating the miR-345-5p/TGM2 signaling pathway.

Influence of Ca/P ratio on the catalytic performance of hydroxyapatite for decarboxylation of itaconic acid to methacrylic acid

Methacrylic acid,an important organic chemical,is commercially manufactured starting from fossil feedstock.The decarboxylation of itaconic acid derived for biomass is a green route to the synthesis of methacrylic acid.In view of the problems existing in the researches on this route such as use of noble metal catalyst,harsh reaction conditions and low desired-product yield,we prepared a series of hydroxyapatite catalysts with different Ca/P molar ratios and evaluated their catalytic performance.The results showed that the hydroxyapatite catalyst with a Ca/P molar ratio of 1.58 had the best catalytic activity.The highest yield of MAA up to 61.2%was achieved with basically complete conversion of itaconic acid under the suitable reaction conditions of 1 equivalent of NaOH,2 MPa of N_(2),250℃,and 2 h.On this basis,a reaction network for the decarboxylation of itaconic acid to methacrylic acid catalyzed by hydroxyapatite was established.With the aid of catalyst characterization using X-ray powder diffraction,NH3/CO2 temperature-programmed desorption,N_(2)physisorption,inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry,and scanning electron microscopy,we found that the distribution of surface acid sites and basic sites,crystal growth orientation,texture properties and morphology of hydroxyapatite varied with the Ca/P molar ratio.Furthermore,the change of the crystal growth orientation and its influence on the surface acidity and alkalinity were clarified.

Creation of cytochrome P450 catalysis depending on a non-natural cofactor for fatty acid hydroxylation

Cytochrome P450 enzymes catalyze diverse oxidative transformations at the expense of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate(NADPH),however,their applications remain limited largely because NADPH is cost-prohibitive for biocatalysis at scale yet tightly regulated in host cells.A highly challenging task for P450 catalysis has been to develop an alternative and biocompatible electrondonating system.Here we engineered P450 BM3 to favor reduced nicotinamide cytosine dinucleotide(NCDH)and created non-natural cofactor-dependent P450 catalysis.Two outstanding mutants were identified with over 640-fold NCDH preference improvement and good catalytic efficiencies of over15,000 M^(-1)s^(-1)for the oxidation of the fatty acid probe 12-(para-nitrophenoxy)-dodecanoate.Molecular docking analysis indicated that these mutants bear a compacted cofactor entrance.Upon fusing with an NCD-dependent formate dehydrogenase,fused proteins functioned as NCDH-specific P450catalysts by using formate as the electron donor.Importantly,these mutants and fusions catalyzed NCDH-dependent hydroxylation of fatty acids with similar chain length preference to those by natural P450 BM3 in the presence of NADPH and also similar regioselectivity for subterminal hydroxylation of lauric acid.As P450 BM3 and its variants are catalytically powerful to take diverse substrates and convey different reaction paths,our results offer an exciting opportunity to devise advanced cell factories that convey oxidative biocatalysis with an orthogonal reducing power supply system.

HPLC法测定广西不同产地八角茴香中4种有机酸的含量

[目的]建立八角茴香中莽草酸、原儿茶酸、对羟基苯甲酸、对甲氧基苯甲酸的含量测定方法。[方法]采用高效液相色谱法对八角茴香进行测定,色谱柱为Kromasil 100-5-C_(18)(250 mm×4.6 mm,5μm),流动相为乙腈-3%磷酸水溶液(梯度洗脱),流速为1.0 ml/min,进样量为10μl,检测波长为254 nm,柱温为40℃。[结果]广西11个不同产地的八角茴香中莽草酸含量为6.34%~7.41%,原儿茶酸含量为0.28%~0.98%,对羟基苯甲酸含量为0.73%~1.90%,对甲氧基苯甲酸含量为0.07%~0.23%。[结论]本研究建立的方法操作简单,稳定性强,重复性好,可用于八角茴香中有效成分的含量测定。

18β-glycyrrhetinic acid promotes gastric cancer cell autophagy and inhibits proliferation by regulating miR-328-3p/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3

BACKGROUND Gastric cancer(GC)is one of the most common cancer types worldwide,and its prevention and treatment methods have garnered much attention.As the active ingredient of licorice,18β-glycyrrhetinic acid(18β-GRA)has a variety of pharmacological effects.The aim of this study was to explore the effective target of 18β-GRA in the treatment of GC,in order to provide effective ideas for the clinical prevention and treatment of GC.AIM To investigate the mechanism of 18β-GRA in inhibiting cell proliferation and promoting autophagy flux in GC cells.METHODS Whole transcriptomic analyses were used to analyze and screen differentially expressed microRNAs(miRNAs)in GC cells after 18β-GRA intervention.Lentivirus-transfected GC cells and the Cell Counting Kit-8 were used to detect cell proliferation ability,cell colony formation ability was detected by the clone formation assay,and flow cytometry was used to detect the cell cycle and apoptosis.A nude mouse transplantation tumor model of GC cells was constructed to verify the effect of miR-328-3p overexpression on the tumorigenicity of GC cells.Tumor tissue morphology was observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining,and microtubule-associated protein light chain 3(LC3)expression was detected by immunohistochemistry.TransmiR,STRING,and miRWalk databases were used to predict the relationship between miR-328-3p and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3)-related information.Expression of STAT3 mRNA and miR-328-3p was detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qPCR)and the expression levels of STAT3,phosphorylated STAT3(p-STAT3),and LC3 were detected by western blot analysis.The targeted relationship between miR-328-3p and STAT3 was detected using the dual-luciferase reporter gene system.AGS cells were infected with monomeric red fluorescent protein-green fluorescent protein-LC3 adenovirus double label.LC3 was labeled and autophagy flow was observed under a confocal laser microscope.RESULTS The expression of miR-328-3p was significantly upregulated after 18β-GRA intervention in AGS cells(P=4.51E-06).Overexpression of miR-328-3p inhibited GC cell proliferation and colony formation ability,arrested the cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase,promoted cell apoptosis,and inhibited the growth of subcutaneous tumors in BALB/c nude mice(P<0.01).No obvious necrosis was observed in the tumor tissue in the negative control group(no drug intervention or lentivirus transfection)and vector group(the blank vector for lentivirus transfection),and more cells were loose and necrotic in the miR-328-3p group.Bioinformatics tools predicted that miR-328-3p has a targeting relationship with STAT3,and STAT3 was closely related to autophagy markers such as p62.After overexpressing miR-328-3p,the expression level of STAT3 mRNA was significantly decreased(P<0.01)and p-STAT3 was downregulated(P<0.05).The dual-luciferase reporter gene assay showed that the luciferase activity of miR-328-3p and STAT33’untranslated regions of the wild-type reporter vector group was significantly decreased(P<0.001).Overexpressed miR-328-3p combined with bafilomycin A1(Baf A1)was used to detect the expression of LC3 II.Compared with the vector group,the expression level of LC3 II in the overexpressed miR-328-3p group was downregulated(P<0.05),and compared with the Baf A1 group,the expression level of LC3 II in the overexpressed miR-328-3p+Baf A1 group was upregulated(P<0.01).The expression of LC3 II was detected after intervention of 18β-GRA in GC cells,and the results were consistent with the results of miR-328-3p overexpression(P<0.05).Additional studies showed that 18β-GRA promoted autophagy flow by promoting autophagosome synthesis(P<0.001).qPCR showed that the expression of STAT3 mRNA was downregulated after drug intervention(P<0.05).Western blot analysis showed that the expression levels of STAT3 and p-STAT3 were significantly downregulated after drug intervention(P<0.05).CONCLUSION 18β-GRA promotes the synthesis of autophagosomes and inhibits GC cell proliferation by regulating the miR-328-3p/STAT3 signaling pathway.

Vitamin A regulates mitochondrial biogenesis and function through p38 MAPK‑PGC‑1α signaling pathway and alters the muscle fiber composition of sheep

Background Vitamin A(VA)and its metabolite,retinoic acid(RA),are of great interest for their wide range of physiological functions.However,the regulatory contribution of VA to mitochondrial and muscle fiber composition in sheep has not been reported.Method Lambs were injected with 0(control)or 7,500 IU VA palmitate into the biceps femoris muscle on d 2 after birth.At the age of 3 and 32 weeks,longissimus dorsi(LD)muscle samples were obtained to explore the effect of VA on myofiber type composition.In vitro,we investigated the effects of RA on myofiber type composition and intrinsic mechanisms.Results The proportion of type I myofiber was greatly increased in VA-treated sheep in LD muscle at harvest.VA greatly promoted mitochondrial biogenesis and function in LD muscle of sheep.Further exploration revealed that VA elevated PGC-1αmRNA and protein contents,and enhanced the level of p38 MAPK phosphorylation in LD muscle of sheep.In addition,the number of type I myofibers with RA treatment was significantly increased,and type IIx myofibers was significantly decreased in primary myoblasts.Consistent with in vivo experiment,RA significantly improved mitochondrial biogenesis and function in primary myoblasts of sheep.We then used si-PGC-1αto inhibit PGC-1αexpression and found that si-PGC-1αsignificantly abrogated RA-induced the formation of type I myofibers,mitochondrial biogenesis,MitoTracker staining intensity,UQCRC1 and ATP5A1 expression,SDH activity,and enhanced the level of type IIx muscle fibers.These data suggested that RA improved mitochondrial biogenesis and function by promoting PGC-1αexpression,and increased type I myofibers.In order to prove that the effect of RA on the level of PGC-1αis caused by p38 MAPK signaling,we inhibited the p38 MAPK signaling using a p38 MAPK inhibitor,which significantly reduced RA-induced PGC-1αand MyHC I levels.Conclusion VA promoted PGC-1αexpression through the p38 MAPK signaling pathway,improved mitochondrial biogenesis,and altered the composition of muscle fiber type.

绝经后骨质疏松患者血清DPP-4、UA、P、25(OH)D_(3)水平变化及其与骨代谢指标的相关性

目的检测绝经后骨质疏松患者血清二肽基肽酶-4(DPP-4)、尿酸(UA)、孕酮(P)、25羟维生素D_(3)[25(OH)D_(3)]水平,并分析其与骨代谢指标的相关性。方法选择2022年2月至2023年2月西安医学院第一附属医院收治的320例绝经后骨质疏松患者作为观察组,并选择同期在我院接受体检的300名健康绝经女性作为对照组,比较两组受检者的血清DPP-4、UA、P、25(OH)D_(3)水平及骨代谢指标[骨钙素(OC)、I型前胶原氨基末端前肽(PINP)、β-胶联降解产物(β-CTX)及骨碱性磷酸酶(BALP)],并采用Pearson法分析血清DPP-4、UA、P、25(OH)D_(3)水平与骨代谢指标的相关性。结果观察组患者的血清DPP-4水平为(183.41±21.49)IU/L,明显高于对照组的(125.82±13.04)IU/L,UA、P、25(OH)D_(3)水平分别为(252.83±21.69)μmol/L、(1.23±0.18)nmol/L、(21.21±3.72)ng/mL,明显低于对照组的(304.34±25.77)μmol/L、(1.70±0.22)nmol/L、(32.74±3.51)ng/mL,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05);观察组患者OC、PINP、β-CTX、BALP分别为(8.02±1.18)μg/L、(225.34±34.02)ng/mL、(0.75±0.09)ng/mL、(21.76±3.05)μg/L,明显高于对照组的(5.57±0.84)μg/L、(175.06±26.71)ng/mL、(0.45±0.06)ng/mL、(15.80±2.43)μg/L,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05);经Pearson相关性分析结果显示,血清DPP-4与OC、PINP、β-CTX、BALP均呈正相关(P<0.05),UA、P、25(OH)D_(3)与OC、PINP、β-CTX、BALP均呈负相关(P<0.05)。结论绝经后骨质疏松患者血清DPP-4水平升高,UA、P、25(OH)D_(3)水平降低,且均与骨代谢指标具有明显相关性,临床上应予以密切关注。

MicroRNA-502-3p regulates GABAergic synapse function in hippocampal neurons

Gamma-aminobutyric acid(GABA)ergic neurons,the most abundant inhibitory neurons in the human brain,have been found to be reduced in many neurological disorders,including Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease-related dementia.Our previous study identified the upregulation of microRNA-502-3p(miR-502-3p)and downregulation of GABA type A receptor subunitα-1 in Alzheimer's disease synapses.This study investigated a new molecular relationship between miR-502-3p and GABAergic synapse function.In vitro studies were perfo rmed using the mouse hippocampal neuronal cell line HT22 and miR-502-3p agomiRs and antagomiRs.In silico analysis identified multiple binding sites of miR-502-3p at GABA type A receptor subunitα-1 mRNA.Luciferase assay confirmed that miR-502-3p targets the GABA type A receptor subunitα-1 gene and suppresses the luciferase activity.Furthermore,quantitative reve rse transcription-polymerase chain reaction,miRNA in situ hybridization,immunoblotting,and immunostaining analysis confirmed that overexpression of miR-502-3p reduced the GABA type A receptor subunitα-1 level,while suppression of miR-502-3p increased the level of GABA type A receptor subunitα-1 protein.Notably,as a result of the overexpression of miR-502-3p,cell viability was found to be reduced,and the population of necrotic cells was found to be increased.The whole cell patch-clamp analysis of human-GABA receptor A-α1/β3/γ2L human embryonic kidney(HEK)recombinant cell line also showed that overexpression of miR-502-3p reduced the GABA current and overall GABA function,suggesting a negative correlation between miR-502-3p levels and GABAergic synapse function.Additionally,the levels of proteins associated with Alzheimer s disease were high with miR-502-3p overexpression and reduced with miR-502-3p suppression.The present study provides insight into the molecular mechanism of regulation of GABAergic synapses by miR-502-3p.We propose that micro-RNA,in particular miR-502-3p,could be a potential therapeutic to rget to modulate GABAergic synapse function in neurological disorders,including Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's diseaserelated dementia.

Cu-Sn-P/stearic acid(lauric acid,BTA)化学镀层制备和性质研究

本文研究了在稳定剂存在的条件下,在钢铁表面制备了Cu-Sn-P多元合金化学镀层,讨论了镀液成分和沉积条件等对镀层性质的影响.采用了硬脂酸、月桂酸和苯并三氮唑对Cu-Sn-P镀层表面进行再处理,从而形成致密保护膜,得到Cu-Sn-P/stearic acid(lauric acid,BTA)镀层,并研究了其性能.

加味生化妇康颗粒的HPLC指纹图谱和含量测定

目的采用高效液相色谱,结合多元统计分析,建立加味生化妇康颗粒的HPLC指纹图谱,对羟基苯甲酸,香蒲新苷,刺芒柄花苷和甘草酸的含量测定方法。方法以对羟基苯甲酸为参照,绘制10批样品的指纹图谱,相似度评价,确定共有峰,运用SPSS 19.0、SIMCA 13.0软件进行聚类分析、主成分分析;最后测定4种主要成分的含量。结果10批样品共有18个共有峰,相似度均大于0.85;共指认了对羟基苯甲酸、香蒲新苷、刺芒柄花苷和甘草酸4个共有峰。结果显示,10批加味生化妇康颗粒样品可聚为3类,3个主成分的累积方差贡献率为91.0%。对羟基苯甲酸,香蒲新苷,刺芒柄花苷和甘草酸质量浓度分别在4.80~48.00、13.14~134.00、3.20~32.00、12.60~126.00 mg·L^(-1)内与峰面积呈良好的线性关系,相关系数分别为0.9997、0.9996、0.9995、0.9996,平均回收率分别为92.9%、94.3%、96.9%和95.4%;RSD分别为2.7%、2.1%、2.4%和2.8%(n=9)。结论建立的分析方法结合多元统计分析和含量测定适用于加味生化妇康颗粒质量质量评价。

基于AHP法结合正交试验法优选参麻益智方水提工艺

目的优选参麻益智方最佳水提工艺。方法以溶剂倍数(A)、煎煮时间(B)、煎煮次数(C)为考察因素,以天麻素转移率、对羟基苯甲醇转移率、阿魏酸转移率和出膏率作为评价指标,多指标层次分析法(AHP)结合单因素试验和正交试验优化水提工艺。结果通过层次分析法确认各指标权重系数,通过综合评分优选出最佳水提工艺为加水提取3次,第1次10倍量水2 h,第2次8倍量水1 h,第3次8倍量水1 h。此工艺条件下的天麻素转移率为108.10%,对羟基苯甲醇转移率为39.12%,阿魏酸转移率为74.45%,出膏率为20.21%,综合评分97.68分。结论该工艺简单、稳定、提取率高,适用于工业化大生产,同时为参麻益智方的开发利用提供了试验依据。

绿原酸对肾癌A498和769-P细胞增殖、迁移和侵袭的影响

目的探讨绿原酸对肾癌A498和769-P细胞增殖、迁移和侵袭的影响以及其可能的分子机制。方法取人肾癌A498或769-P细胞培养,分为对照组和绿原酸(2μL,1μmol/L)组,培养72 h。采用MTT法检测细胞增殖能力;Transwell小室法检测细胞侵袭能力;划痕实验检测细胞迁移能力;ELISA法检测细胞上清液中IL-1β水平;qRT-PCR法检测细胞EPAS-1表达;Western blot检测细胞AKT/P65信号通路相关蛋白表达。结果绿原酸能抑制胃癌A498或769-P细胞增殖、侵袭和迁移的能力,降低细胞上清液中IL-1β水平。qRT-PCR和Western blot检测结果显示,与对照组比较,加入anti-IL-1β后,肾癌A498或769-P细胞中EPAS-1 mRNA及p-AKT、p-P65蛋白表达水平降低;与对照组比较,绿原酸组肾癌A498或769-P细胞中EPAS-1 mRNA及p-AKT、p-P65蛋白表达水平降低(P<0.05)。结论绿原酸能抑制肾癌细胞增殖、侵袭及迁移,其机制可能与抑制细胞IL-1β的分泌,从而抑制AKT/P65/EPAS-1通路有关。

Glycyrrhizic acid attenuates CCl_4-induced hepatocyte apoptosis in rats via a p53-mediated pathway

AIM: To investigate the effect of glycyrrhizic acid (GA) on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatocyte apo-ptosis in rats via a p53-dependent mitochondrial path-way. METHODS: Forty-five male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly and equally divided into three groups, the control group, the CCl4 group, and the GA treatment group. To induce liver fibrosis in this model, rats were given a subcutaneous injection of a 40% solution of CCl4 in olive oil at a dose of 0.3 mL/100 g body weight biweekly for 8 wk, while controls received the same isovolumetric dose of olive oil by hypodermic injection, with an initial double-dose injection. In the GA group,rats were also treated with a 40% solution of CCl4 plus 0.2% GA solution in double distilled water by the intraperitoneal injection of 3 mL per rat three times a week from the first week following previously published methods, with modifications. Controls were given the same isovolumetric dose of double distilled water. Liver function parameters, such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were de-termined. Pathologic changes in the liver were detected by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Collagen fibers were evaluated by Sirius red staining. Hepatocyte apoptosis was investigated using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine 5-triphosphate nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay and the cleaved caspase-3 immunohistochemistry assay. The expression levels of p53 and apoptosis-related proteins were evaluated by immunohistochemistry or Western blotting analysis. RESULTS: After 8 wk of treatment, GA significantly re-duced serum activity of ALT (from 526.7 ± 57.2 to 342 ± 44.8, P<0.05) and AST (from 640 ± 33.7 to 462.8 ± 30.6, P<0.05), attenuated the changes in liver his-topathology and reduced the staging score (from 3.53 ± 0.74 to 3.00 ± 0.76, P<0.05) in CCl4 -treated rats. GA markedly reduced the positive area of Sirius red and the ratio of the hepatic fibrotic region (from 7.87% ± 0.66% to 3.68% ± 0.32%, P<0.05) compared with the CCl4 group. GA also decreased the expression level of cleaved caspase-3 compared to the CCl4 group. TU-NEL assay indicated that GA significantly diminished the number of TUNEL-positive cells compared with the CCl4 group (P<0.05). GA treatment clearly decreased the level of p53 (P<0.05) detected by immunohis-tochemistry and Western blotting analysis. Compared with the CCl4 group, we also found that GA reduced the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio (P<0.05), the expression of cleaved caspase-3 (P<0.05), cleaved caspase-9 (P<0.05), and inhibited cytochrome C and second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases (Smac) release from mito-chondria to cytoplasm, i.e. , GA reduced the expressionlevel of Smac, which inhibited c-IAP1 activity (P<0.05), ultimately inhibiting the activity of caspase-3, according to Western blotting analysis. As a result, GA suppressed activation of the caspase cascades and prevented he-patocyte apoptosis.

Poly (Acrylamide-co-Acrylic Acid) Hydrogel Induced by Glow-Discharge Electrolysis Plasma and Its Adsorption Properties for Cationic Dyes

In this paper, poly （acrylamide-co-acrylic acid） （P（AM-co-AA）） hydrogel was pre- pared in an aqueous solution by using glow-discharge electrolysis plasma （GDEP） induced copoly- merization of acrylamide （AM） and acrylic acid （AA）, in which N,N＇-methylenebisacrylamide （MBA） was used as a crosslinker. A mechanism for the synthesis of P（AM-co-AA） hydrogel was proposed. To optimize the synthesis condition, the following parameters were examined in detail： the discharge voltage, discharge time, the content of the crosslinker, and the mass ratio of AM to AA. The results showed that the optimum pH range for cationic dyes removal was found to be 5.0-10.0. The P（AM-co-AA） hydrogel exhibits a very high adsorption potential and the ex- perimental adsorption capacities for Crystal violet （CV） and Methylene blue （MB） were 2974.3 mg/g and 2303.6 mg/g, respectively. The adsorption process follows a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. In addition, the adsorption mechanism of P（AM-co-AA） hydrogel for cationic dyes was also discussed.

NATURAL PRODUCTIVITY OF ACRYLIC ACID AND DIMETHYL SULPHIDE DURING A SUMMER BLOOM OF PHAEOCYSTIS POUCHETII IN ANTARCTIC COASTAL WATER

Water samples were collected over P. ponchetii bloom period beginning in November 1988, in 15m water column, from 10km offshore of Davis Station, Vestfold Hill, Antarctica. The concentrations of acrylic acid and dimethyl sulphide (DMS), which are toxic compounds in the water samples, were determined by HPLC and GC. The result shows that the concentration of acrylic acid varies in 0. 001 - 0. 510μmol ?L-1 and the concentration of DMS in 0. 003-0. 588 μmol ?L-1 during P. pouchetii bloom. Both the increased since late December 1988 and reached the highest concentration in early January 1989, then they decreased rapidly and returned to lower level from middle January to February in agreement with variation in cell number of the unicell alga P. pouchetii. The correlation coefficients between acrylic acid and P. pouchetii and between DMS and P. pouchetii are all 0. 998. It is undoubted that P. pouchetii produced acrylic acid and DMS. The highest productivity of acrylic acid and DMS were 9. 76X 10-8 umol cell-1 and 13. 09 ×10-8 μmol ?cell-1, respectively, during P. pouchelii bloom. A cellular product, dimethylsulphonium propionate (DMSP), is decomposed into acrylic acid and DMS, and the formation of DMSP is probably from methionine which could be utilized by P. pouchelii.

Erucic acid from Isatis indigotica Fort. suppresses influenza A virus replication and inflammation in vitro and in vivo through modulation of NF-kB and p38 MAPK pathway

Isatis indigotica Fort.(Ban-Lan-Gen)is an herbal medicine prescribed for influenza treatment.However,its active components and mode of action remain mostly unknown.In the present study,erucic acid was isolated from Isatis indigotica Fort.,and subsequently its underlying mechanism against influenza A virus(IAV)infection was investigated in vitro and in vivo.Our results demonstrated that erucic acid exhibited broad-spectrum antiviral activity against IAV resulting from reduction of viral polymerase transcription activity.Erucic acid was found to exert inhibitory effects on IAV or viral(v)RNA-induced pro-inflam-matory mediators as well as interferons(IFNs).The molecular mechanism by which erucic acid with antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties was attributed to inactivation of NF-kB and p38 MAPK signaling.Furthermore,the NF-kB and p38 MAPK inhibitory effect of erucic acid led to diminishing the transcriptional activity of interferon-stimulated gene factor 3(ISGF-3),and thereby reducing IAV-triggered pro-inflammatory response amplification in IFN-β-sensitized cells.Additionally,IAV-or vRNA-triggered apoptosis of alveolar epithelial A549 cells was prevented by erucic acid.In vivo,erucic acid administration consistently displayed decreased lung viral load and viral antigens expression.Meanwhile,erucic acid markedly reduced CD8+cytotoxic T lymphocyte(CTL)recruitment,pro-apoptotic signaling,hyperactivity of multiple signaling pathways,and exacerbated immune inflammation in the lung,which resulted in decreased lung injury and mortality in mice with a mouse-adapted A/FM/1/47-MA(H1N1)strain infection.Our findings provided a mechanistic basis for the action of erucic acid against IAV-mediated inflammation and injury,suggesting that erucic acid may have a therapeutic potential in the treatment of influenza.

Anacardic acid(6-pentadecylsalicylic acid) induces apoptosis of prostate cancer cells through inhibition of androgen receptor and activation of p53 signaling

Anacardic acid （AA） is a mixture of 2-hydroxy-6-alkylbenzoic acid homologs. It is widely regarded as a non-specific histone acetyltransferase inhibitor of p300. The effects and the mechanisms of AA in LNCaP cells （prostate cancer cells） remain unknown. To investigate the effect of AA on LNCaP cells, we had carried out several experiments and found that AA inhibits LNCaP cell proliferation, induces G1/S cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of LNCaP cell. The mechanisms via which AA acts on LNCaP cells may be due to the following aspects. First, AA can regulate p300 transcription and protein level except for its mechanisms regulating function of p300 through post-translational modification in LNCaP cells. Second, AA can activate p53 through increasing the phosphorylation of p53 on Serl 5 in LNCaP cells. AA can selectively activate p21 （target genes of p53）. Third, AA can down-regulates androgen receptor （All） through supressing p300. Our study suggests that AA has multiple anti-tumor activities in LNCaP cells and warrants further investigation.

[Zn(PCPA)_(2)(IMZ)_(2)]配合物的合成、晶体结构及性质研究

采用溶剂挥发法合成了一个新的锌(Ⅱ)配合物Zn(PCPA)_(2)(IMZ)_(2)(PCPA=对氯苯乙酸,IMZ=咪唑)。采用单晶X射线衍射、红外光谱、粉末X射线衍射、热重分析、紫外光谱、荧光光谱等方法,对配合物进行了表征。单晶衍射分析结果表明,该配合物属于三斜晶系,P1空间群。荧光光谱分析结果表明,配合物的最强激发峰和发射峰分别在381nm和466nm。热稳定性分析结果表明,配合物在室温下稳定。