Long-Term Impact of Acute Retinoic Acid Supplementation at the Young Age on Testicular Architecture of Wistar Albino Rats

Introduction: Inappropriate and excess vitamin supplementation, particularly for vitamin A, is increasingly recognized as a public health problem in developed countries. On the other hand, blind supplementation of vitamin A, for children in developing countries is a subject of controversy in the literature. The crucial role of vitamin A in the process of spermatogenesis in adult rodents is well established, but only a few publications are consecrated to the long-term effect of vitamin A intake at a young age on testicular development and differentiation. Objectives: Our study aimed to evaluate the long-term effects of acute supplementation at an early age, in the post-natal period, on spermatogenesis and testicular trophicity at adult age. Material and Methods: Young Wistar Albinos rats of 22 days received an acute high dose of supplementation of vitamin A (retinyl palmitate). The control group, group 1, received only extra virgin olive oil, Group 2 a dose of 7000 IU/kg of retinyl palmitate, group 3, 14,000 IU/kg, and Group 4 a dose of 28,000 IU/kg. At 10 weeks of age, the testes’ testosterone levels were measured by ELISA. For histological assessment, sections were stained with Hematoxylin eosin, and the Johnsen score was used to evaluate spermatogenesis in the seminiferous tubules. Results: The average testicular weights of rats were significantly lower in group 4 (p < 0.05), and so was the testosterone level in the testis compared to the control group (p .01). Most of the seminiferous tubules were concerned by an arrest of spermatogenesis and the Johnsen score was decreased with a mean score of 5.96 ± 1.60 (p .001) in that Group. In Group 3, Johnsen’s score was significantly better than the one obtained with the control. Conclusion: We observed a negative effect in the long term with a high acute dose of supplementation of retinyl palmitate at a young age, on testicular development and differentiation. Despite a return to normal diet after that supplementation, during childhood, impaired spermatogenesis was identified at the adult age with an arrest of spermatogenesis. The reversibility of that lack of differentiation by a return to a normal diet is questionable and would need more investigation.

旋覆花杀菌活性成分的分离与鉴定

以小麦赤霉病菌(FusariumgraminearumSchw)和小麦白粉病菌(ErysiphegraminisDC)为活性跟踪菌种,从旋覆花(InulabritanicaL.)花中分离得到3种杀菌活性化合物。经波谱分析并与标准图谱比较,鉴定化合物 为倍半萜类化合物1-O-Acetylbritannilactone,化合物 和 分别为三萜类化合物Taraxasterylpalmitate和Taraxasterolacetate。

Synthesis of Vitamin A Esters by Immobilized Candida sp. Lipase in Organic Media

Vitamin A ester was synthesized in organic solvents with immobilized lipase from Candida sp. The types of lipases, influences of solvent, the molar ratio of substrates, the reaction temperature and the water activity in the reaction were studied in detail in order to obtain the optimum conditions for Vitamin A palmitate synthesis. In a system of hexane, 100mg immobilized Candida sp. lipase was used in the presence of 1.2mmol vitamin A acetate and 3.6mmol palmitic acid. The yield of vitamin A palmitate reached 81% in 12h at 25℃. The immobilized Candida sp. lipase was prepared by adsorbing Cand/da sp. fermentation broth on pretreated textile and could be reused for at least six batches.

Lipase-Catalyzed Synthesis of Sn-2 Palmitate: A Review

Human milk fat(HMF)is an important source of nutrients and energy for infants.Triacylglycerols(TAGs)account for about 98%of HMF and have a unique molecular structure.HMF is highly enriched in palmitic acid(PA)at the sn-2 position of the glycerol backbone(more than 70%)and in unsaturated fatty acids at the sn-1,3 position.The specific TAG structure in HMF plays a valuable function in infant growth.Sn-2 palmitate(mainly 1,3-dioleoyl-2-palmitoyl-glycerol)is one of the structured TAGs that is commonly supplemented into infant formula in order to enable it to present a similar structure to HMF.In this review,the development of the lipase-catalyzed synthesis of sn-2 palmitate over the last 25 years are summarized,with a focus on reaction schemes in a laboratory setting.Particular attention is also paid to the commercialized sn-1,3 regioselective lipases that are used in structured TAGs synthesis,to general methods of TAG analysis,and to successfully developed sn-2 palmitate products on the market.Prospects for the lipase-catalyzed synthesis of sn-2 palmitate are discussed.

High fat diet dysregulates microRNA-17-5p and triggers retinal inflammation:Role of endoplasmic-reticulum-stress

AIM To elucidate how high diet-induced endoplasmic reticulum-stress upregulates thioredoxin interacting protein expression in Müller cells leading to retinal inflammation. METHODS Male C57Bl/J mice were fed either normal diet or 60% high fat diet for 4-8 wk. During the 4 wk study, mice received phenyl-butyric acid(PBA); endoplasmic reticulum-stress inhibitor; for 2 wk. Insulin resistance was assessed by oral glucose tolerance. Effects of palmitate-bovine serum albumin(BSA)(400 μmol/L) were examined in retinal Müller glial cell line and primary Müller cells isolated from wild type and thioredoxin interacting protein knock-out mice. Expression of thioredoxin interacting protein, endoplasmic reticulum-stress markers, mi R-17-5p m RNA, as well as nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein(NLRP3) and IL1β protein was determined.RESULTS High fat diet for 8 wk induced obesity and insulin resistance evident by increases in body weight and impaired glucose tolerance. By performing quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, we found that high fat diet triggered the expression of retinal endoplasmic reticulum-stress markers(P < 0.05). These effects were associated with increased thioredoxin interacting protein and decreased mi R-17-5p expression, whichwere restored by inhibiting endoplasmic reticulumstress with PBA(P < 0.05). In vitro, palmitate-BSA triggered endoplasmic reticulum-stress markers, which was accompanied with reduced mi R-17-5p and induced thioredoxin interacting protein m RNA in retinal Müller glial cell line(P < 0.05). Palmitate upregulated NLRP3 and IL1β expression in primary Müller cells isolated from wild type. However, using primary Müller cells isolated from thioredoxin interacting protein knock-out mice abolished palmitate-mediated increase in NLRP3 and IL1β.CONCLUSION Our work suggests that targeting endoplasmic reticulumstress or thioredoxin interacting protein are potential therapeutic strategies for early intervention of obesityinduced retinal inflammation.

Repression of PKR mediates palmitate-induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells through regulation of Bcl-2

The present study shows that double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase （PKR） regulates the protein expres- sion level and phosphorylation of Bcl-2 and plays an anti-apoptotic role in human hepatocellular carcinoma ceils （HepG2）. In various types of cells, saturated free fatty acids （FFAs）, such as palmitate, have been shown to induce cellular apoptosis by several mechanisms. Palmitate down-regulates the activity of PKR and thereby decreases the level of Bcl-2 protein, mediated in part by reduced activation of the NF-KB transcription factor. In addition to the level of Bel-2 protein, the phosphorylation of Bcl-2 at different amino acid residues, such as Ser70 and Ser87, is also important in regulating cellular apoptosis. The decrease in the phosphorylatiou of Bcl-2 at Ser70 upon exposure to palmitate is mediated by inhibition of PKR and possibly by c-Jun N-terminal kinase （JNK）, whereas the phosphory- lation of Bcl-2 at Ser87 is unaffected by palmitate or PKR. In summary, PKR mediates the regulation of the protein level and the phosphorylation status of Bel-2, providing a novel mechanism of palmitate-induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells.

Defect of insulin signal in peripheral tissues: important role of ceramide

In healthy people,balance between glucose production and its utilization is precisely controlled.When circulating glucose reaches a critical threshold level,pancreaticβcells secrete insulin that has two major actions:to lower circulating glucose levels by facilitating its uptake mainly into skeletal muscle while inhibiting its production by the liver.Interestingly,dietary triglycerides are the main source of fatty acids to fulfill energy needs of oxidative tissues.Normally,the unconsumed fraction of excess of fatty acids is stored in lipid droplets that are localized in adipocytes to provide energy during fasting periods.Thus,adipose tissue acts as a trap for fatty acid excess liberated from plasma triglycerides.When the buffering action of adipose tissue to store fatty acids is impaired,fatty acids that build up in othertissues are metabolized as sphingolipid derivatives such as ceramides.Several studies suggest that ceramides are among the most active lipid second messengers to inhibit the insulin signaling pathway and this review describes the major role played by ceramide accumulation in the development of insulin resistance of peripherals tissues through the targeting of specific proteins of the insulin signaling pathway.

Structural and electronic effects boosting Ni-doped Mo_(2)C catalyst toward high-efficiency C-O/C-C bonds cleavage

The selective cleavage of C-O and C-C is facing a challenge in the field of catalysis.In the present work,we studied the influence of doped Ni on the structure and electronic properties,as well as the selective C-O/C-C bond cleavages in the hydrodeoxygenation of palmitic acid over Ni-Mo_(2)C catalyst.The catalytic activity on Ni doped Mo_(2)C with TOF of 6.9×10^(3)h^(-1)is much superior to intrinsic Mo_(2)C catalyst,which is also higher than most noble metal catalysts.Structurally,the doped Ni raises the active particle dispersion and the coordination numbers of Mo species(Mo-C and Mo-O),improves the graphitization degree to promote the electron transfer,and increases the amount of Lewis and Br?nsted acid,which are responsible for the excellent hydrodeoxygenation performance.The Ni promotes simultaneously C-O and C-C bonds cleavage to produce pentadecane and hexadecane owing to the increase of electron-rich Mo sites after Ni doping.These findings contribute to the understanding of the nature of Ni-doped Mo_(2)C on the roles as catalytic active sites for C-O and C-C bonds cleavage.

Nerve growth factor protects against palmitic acid- induced injury in retinal ganglion cells

Accumulating evidence supports an important role for nerve growth factor （NGF） in diabetic retinopathy. We hypothesized that NGF has a protective effect on rat retinal ganglion RGC-5 cells injured by palmitic acid （PA）, a metabolic factor implicated in the development of dia- betes and its complications. Our results show that PA exposure caused apoptosis of RGC-5 cells, while NGF protected against PA insult in a concentration-dependent manner. Additionally, NGF significantly attenuated the levels of reactive oxygen species （ROS） and malondialde- hyde （MDA） in RGC-5 cells. Pathway inhibitor tests showed that the protective effect of NGF was completely reversed by LY294002 （PI3K inhibitor）, Akt VIII inhibitor, and PD98059 （ERK1/2 inhibitor）. Western blot analysis revealed that NGF induced the phosphorylation of Akt/FoxO1 and ERK1/2 and reversed the PA-evoked reduction in the levels of these proteins. These results indicate that NGF protects RGC-5 cells against PA-induced injury through anti-oxidation and inhibition of apoptosis by modulation of the PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2 signaling pathways.

Retardation of 4-Hydroxy-2-Transnonenal (HNE), a Toxic Aldehyde Formation by Antioxidants in Heat-Treated Corn Oil at Frying Temperature

The antioxidative properties of four antioxidants such as rosemary extracts (RE), tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), ascorbyl palmitate (AP), citric acid (CA) and their mixtures were investigated on the formation of 4-hydroxy-2-transnonenal (HNE) in commercial corn oil heated at 185°C for up to 6 hours. Among the antioxidants 100 ppm RE and a mixture of 200 ppm tertiary butylated hydroquinone (TBHQ) + 100 ppm ascorbyl palmitate (AP) + 50 ppm citric acid (CA) exhibited excellent antioxidative activity, as determined by the thiobarbituric acid reaction (TBARS) assay, measuring the formations of the secondary lipid oxidation products and by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), measuring the formation of the toxic α, β-unsaturated hydroxyaldehyde HNE after heat treatment of corn oil at 185°C up to 6 hours. TBHQ, AP and CA alone did not show much protective properties. The synergistic effects of TBHQ + AP + CA mixture shown to reduce the formation of HNE after 6 hours heat-treated corn oil by 27%. RE 100 ppm was also found to be a very effective antioxidant, reducing the formation of HNE after 6 hours heat-treated corn oil in the same condition by 29%.

Lipase-catalyzed regioselective synthesis of palmitolyglucose ester in ionic liquids

Candida antarctica lipase B (CAL-B) was used as a catalyst in the synthesis of palmitolyglucose ester in the ionic liquids, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium triflu- oromethanesulfonate ([Bmim][TfO]), with glucose as a substrates and palmitic acid vinyl ester as the acyl donor. The effect of substrate ratio, lipase content, and temperature on the activity and stability of lipase was studied. The reaction conditions in [Bmim][TfO] re- sulting in the highest yield of the sugar ester were a temperature of 50?C, enzyme concentration of 50 mg/ mL, and a molar ratio of glucose/vinyl palmitate of 1:3. The major reaction product was purified and char- acterized by FT-IR, HPLC, MS and NMR, as being 6-O-palmitolyglucose ester. The advantages of ionic liquid vs. organic solvent were noted.

Reaction kinetics of isopropyl palmitate synthesis

In this study, the kinetics of isopropyl palmitate synthesis including the reaction mechanism was studied based on the two-step noncatalytic method. The liquid-phase diffusion effect on the reaction process was eliminated by adjusting the stirring rate. The results showed that the two-step reaction followed a tetrahedral mechanism and conformed to second-order reaction kinetics. Nucleophilic attack on the carbonyl carbon afforded an intermediate, containing a tetrahedral carbon center. The intermediate ultimately decomposed by elimination of the leaving group, affording isopropyl palmitate. The experimental data were analyzed at different temperatures by the integral method. The kinetic equations of the each step were deduced, and the activation energy and frequency factor were obtained. Experiments were performed to verify the feasibility of kinetic equations, and the result showed that the kinetic equations were reliable. This study could be very signi ficant to both industrial application and determining the continuous production of isopropyl palmitate.

Eicosane, pentadecane and palmitic acid: The effects in in vitro wound healing studies

Objective: To examine the wound healing properties of eicosane, pentadecane and palmitic acid by evaluating in term of anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, proliferation, migration and collagen synthesis. Methods: Anti-microbial activities of Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were evaluated by carrying out disk diffusion and agar well diffusion methods. Growth rate of tested bacteria was also evaluated for 8 h in conjunction with the sample drugs. Besides, U937 cell lines were used as model study for realtime mRNA genes expression studies of TNF-毩 and IL-12 under the treatment. Proliferation, migration and collagen content synthesis were carried out on human dermal fibroblast. Results: None of the sample drugs possessed significant inhibition of bacteria tested in this study both in disk diffusion and agar well diffusion methods. In contrary, significantly low expressed mRNA gene expression levels of TNF-毩 and IL-12 were found under the treatment of respective drugs. Meanwhile in proliferation, migration and hydroxyproline content analysis, all the sample drugs showed no significant positive stimulation. Conclusions: This study therefore explains that apart from their potential in downregulating pro-inflammatory cytokines, these three compounds which were examined individually may not be good candidates in promoting wound healing.

Palm oil and the heart:A review

Palm oil consumption and its effects on serum lipid levels and cardiovascular disease in humans is still a subject of debate. Advocacy groups with varying agenda fuel the controversy. This update intends to identify evidence-based evaluations of the influence of palm oil on serum lipid profile and cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, it suggests a direction for future research. The sources of information were based on a Pub Med, Google Scholar, African Journal online and Medline search using key words including: palm oil, palmitic acid, saturated fatty acids and heart disease. Published animal and human experiments on the association of palm oil and its constituents on the serum lipid profile and cardiovascular disease were also explored for relevant information. These papers are reviewed and the available evidence is discussed. Most of the information in mainstream literature is targeted at consumers and food companies with a view to discourage the consumption of palm oil. The main argument against the use of palm oil as an edible oil is the fact that it contains palmitic acid, which is a saturated fatty acid and by extrapolation should give rise to elevated total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. However, there are many scientific studies, both in animals and humans that clearly show that palm oil consumption does not give rise to elevated serum cholesterol levels and that palm oil is not atherogenic. Apart from palmitic acid, palm oil consists of oleic and linoleic acids which are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated respectively. Palm oil also consists of vitamins A and E, which are powerful antioxidants. Palm oil has been scientifically shown to protect the heart and blood vessels from plaques and ischemic injuries. Palm oil consumed as a dietary fat as a part of a healthy balanced diet does not have incremental risk for cardiovascular disease. Little or no additional benefit will be obtained by replacing it with other oils rich in mono or polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Similarity of Binding Potentials Between Plant DUF538 and Animal Lipocalin: Cholesterol Binding Ability of DUF538

Objective DUF538(domain of unknown function 538) domain containing proteins are known as putative hypothetical proteins in plants. Until yet, there is no much information regarding their structure and function. Methods In the present research work, the homologous structures and binding potentials were identified between plant/mammalian lipocalins and plant DUF538 protein by using bioinformatics and experimental tools including molecular dynamics simulation, molecular docking and recombinant technology-based techniques. Results Molecular docking analysis of their interactions with lipidic ligands including cholesterol and palmitic acid revealed the similar and comparable binding potentials between DUF538 and lipocalin proteins. Both the test proteins were found to have more affinity to cholesterol molecule in compare to palmitic acid. By using recombinant technology-based experiments, the heterologously expressed and purified fused product of DUF538 protein exhibited about 61% cholesterol binding ability. Conclusion As a conclusion, plants DUF538 protein family was predicted to be the structural and may be the functional homologues of plants/animals lipocalin superfamily.

Dihydroartemisinin ameliorates palmitate-induced apoptosis in cardiomyocytes via regulation on miR-133b/Sirt1 axis

Excessive fat ectopically deposited in the non-adipose tissues is considered as one of the leading causes of myopathy.The aim of this study was to investigate the role of Dihydroartemisinin(DHA)in palmitate(PAL)-incubated H9c2 cells(lipotoxicity-induced cell injury model).Cell viability of PAL-treated cells was determined by MTT assay,and apoptotic regulators were examined by qRT-PCR and western blot analysis,in the absence or in the presence of DHA,respectively.Expression levels of miR-133b and Sirt1 were also evaluated by qRT-PCR and western blotting examination.PAL decreased the viability of H9c2 cells and enhanced the expression of apoptotic genes.DHA reversed the effect of PAL on cell viability and lowed the level of Caspase3 and Bax.It also lowered the expression of miR-133b,while enhanced the expression of Bcl-2.Sirt1 was revealed as target of miR-133b through transcriptional regulation and the process was affected by DHA.DHA partially protected against the PAL-induced lipotoxicity by influencing the expression of miR-133b that hindered the activity of Sirt1.DHA may be used as a potential treatment in clinical management for lipotoxicity induced heart complications.

Scavenger receptor A-mediated nanoparticles target M1 macrophages for acute liver injury

Acute liver injury(ALI)has an elevated fatality rate due to untimely and ineffective treatment.Although,schisandrin B(SchB)has been extensively used to treat diverse liver diseases,its therapeutic efficacy on ALI was limited due to its high hydrophobicity.Palmitic acid-modified serum albumin(PSA)is not only an effective carrier for hydrophobic drugs,but also has a superb targeting effect via scavenger receptor-A(SR-A)on the M1 macrophages,which are potential therapeutic targets for ALI.Compared with the common macrophage-targeted delivery systems,PSA enables site-specific drug delivery to reduce off-target toxicity.Herein,we prepared SchB-PSA nanoparticles and further assessed their therapeutic effect on ALI.In vitro,compared with human serum albumin encapsulated SchB nanoparticles(SchB-HSA NPs),the SchB-PSA NPs exhibited more potent cytotoxicity on lipopolysaccharide(LPS)stimulated Raw264.7(LAR)cells,and LAR cells took up PSA NPs 8.79 times more than HSA NPs.As expected,the PSA NPs also accumulated more in the liver.Moreover,SchB-PSA NPs dramatically reduced the activation of NF-κB signaling,and significantly relieved inflammatory response and hepatic necrosis.Notably,the high dose of SchB-PSA NPs improved the survival rate in 72 h of ALI mice to 75%.Hence,SchB-PSA NPs are promising to treat ALI.

Paliperidone palmitate-induced facial angioedema:A case report

BACKGROUND Paliperidone palmitate is a once-monthly injectable,atypical antipsychotic.To our knowledge,there has been only one report of paliperidone palmitate-induced angioedema presenting with acute laryngeal edema with subsequent respiratory arrest.Here,we present a case report of paliperidone palmitate-induced angioedema with a relatively mild clinical presentation compared with the previously reported case,and the patient's condition was not complicated by lifethreatening anaphylaxis.CASE SUMMARY A 79-year-old female,who had a major neurocognitive disorder due to Alzheimer's disease with behavioral disturbances.Paliperidone palmitate was offlabel used to control her aggression,irritability,and psychosis.After induction doses(150 mg and 100 mg intramuscularly,given 1 wk apart),she developed intermittent swelling of the face,eyelids,and lips on day 17 after the initial dose,and the edema was explicitly seen on day 20.The diagnosis was paliperidone palmitate-induced angioedema.The monthly injection dose was discontinued on day 33 after the initial dose.The angioedema was subsequently alleviated,and it had completely resolved by day 40 after the initial dose.CONCLUSION Paliperidone palmitate-induced angioedema is a rare condition and can present with a mild,intermittent facial edema,which may be overlooked in clinical practice.

HPLC Quantification of Dexamethasone Palmitate in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid of Rat after Lung Delivery with Large Porous Particles

A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed and validated for the determination of dexamethasone palmitate (DXP) in bronchoalveolar fluid lavage samples (BALF). DXP in rat BALFs containing the internal standard (IS), testosterone decanoate (TD), was extracted using a mixture of chloroform and methanol (9:1, v/v). Extracts were then centrifuged, dried and dissolved in acetonitrile. A chromatographic separation based on an isocratic elution was done using acetonitrile and water (85:15, v/v) as a mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.2 mL/min. The graph of the developed method was linear within the tested calibration range of 0.5 - 40 μg/mL. The overall extraction recovery of DXP from BALF samples was 84.3% ± 1.6%. The accuracy (relative error) and precision (coefficient of variation) values were within the pre-defined limits of ≤15% at all concentrations. This methodology has been applied to determine levels of DXP in BALF samples collected from rats treated with DXP large porous particles. The measured concentrations were successfully evaluated using a non-compartment pharmacokinetic model. Since the developed method requires only a microvolume (100 μL) of BALF sample for analysis, it is therefore particularly suitable for the evaluation of drug biodistribution in lung.