RESUMEN
Responsive Pickering emulsions, with unique nanoparticle interfaces and sensitivity to external stimuli, significantly enhanced the stability and applicability of Pickering emulsions. Multifunctional composite material poly((2-(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate)-b-(acrylate cyclodextrin))/Fe3O4 nanoparticles, namely P(DMAEMA-b-A-CD)/Fe3O4, with both multiresponsive characteristics and emulsifying capabilities had been designed to remove small oil droplets from water. Using the reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) method, diblock polymers P(DMAEMA-b-A-CD) were grown in a controlled manner on the surface of Fe3O4. The Fe3O4 core showed responsiveness to a magnetic field, and the block copolymers prepared via the RAFT method demonstrated reactivity to both pH and CO2. The P(DMAEMA-b-A-CD)/Fe3O4 nanoparticles exhibited the capability to form Pickering/Oxford emulsions with exceptional stabilization properties. It could be observed that the introduction of CO2, acid, and a magnetic field led to the breakage of the emulsion, while the emulsion could be restabilized by removing the CO2 and the magnetic field or by adding alkali. Measurements of interfacial tension, ζ-potential, and contact angle demonstrated that the emulsification/breakdown mechanisms associated with pH and CO2/N2 were related to the surface wettability of the nanoparticles. In addition, the emulsifier had an excellent cycling capacity with at least 10 cycles by CO2/N2. Additionally, P(DMAEMA-b-A-CD)/Fe3O4 nanoparticles exhibited excellent stability in oil phases with large polarity differences and various real oil phases with different viscosities. Importantly, the P(DMAEMA-b-A-CD)/Fe3O4 nanoparticles could serve as functional materials for efficiently separating small oil droplets from water through the application of a magnetic field. Therefore, P(DMAEMA-b-A-CD)/Fe3O4 nanoparticles held promising potential as materials with economic and commercial value for oil-water separation applications.
RESUMEN
In this study, responsive Janus nanospheres were prepared by grafting LMA and DMAEMA monomers on both sides of SiO2 nanospheres using the Pickering emulsion stencil method and RAFT polymerization. The successful synthesis was verified through infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterizations. Subsequently, Pickering emulsion was formulated using Janus nanospheres as emulsifiers. The particle size of the emulsion droplets was systematically investigated by manipulating factors such as pH, nanosphere dosage, water to oil ratio, and oil phase polarity. Notably, the Pickering emulsion exhibited responsive properties to pH, temperature, and CO2. Furthermore, Janus nanospheres exhibited excellent emulsification property for real oil phases, including canola oil, kerosene, gasoline, and diesel oil. Building upon this, a smart antibacterial Pickering emulsion was developed using Janus nanospheres, and its inhibition rate against E. coli could reach 100% within 4 h, which would be beneficial for its application in the food field.
Asunto(s)
Antibacterianos , Emulsiones , Escherichia coli , Nanosferas , Tamaño de la Partícula , Emulsiones/química , Nanosferas/química , Antibacterianos/farmacología , Antibacterianos/química , Escherichia coli/efectos de los fármacos , Escherichia coli/crecimiento & desarrollo , Dióxido de Silicio/química , Concentración de Iones de Hidrógeno , Emulsionantes/química , Emulsionantes/farmacologíaRESUMEN
The neglected tropical disease trichuriasis is caused by the whipworm Trichuris trichiura, a soil-transmitted helminth that has infected humans for millennia. Today, T. trichiura infects as many as 500 million people, predominantly in communities with poor sanitary infrastructure enabling sustained faecal-oral transmission. Using whole-genome sequencing of geographically distributed worms collected from human and other primate hosts, together with ancient samples preserved in archaeologically-defined latrines and deposits dated up to one thousand years old, we present the first population genomics study of T. trichiura. We describe the continent-scale genetic structure between whipworms infecting humans and baboons relative to those infecting other primates. Admixture and population demographic analyses support a stepwise distribution of genetic variation that is highest in Uganda, consistent with an African origin and subsequent translocation with human migration. Finally, genome-wide analyses between human samples and between human and non-human primate samples reveal local regions of genetic differentiation between geographically distinct populations. These data provide insight into zoonotic reservoirs of human-infective T. trichiura and will support future efforts toward the implementation of genomic epidemiology of this globally important helminth.
Asunto(s)
Tricuriasis , Trichuris , Animales , Estudio de Asociación del Genoma Completo , Humanos , Metagenómica , Filogenia , Primates/genética , Tricuriasis/epidemiología , Trichuris/genéticaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Two health concerns primarily related to triatomine bugs are transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi through infective feces, and allergic reactions induced by triatomine bites. In the Southwestern United States, reduviid bugs bites commonly cause insect allergy. In South China, four cases of anaphylactic shock have been reported after this bite exposure. To further classify the species of these bugs and confirm the sensitization of the triatomine saliva, we caught triatomine bugs from the region where the bites occurred and performed phylogenetic and immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis. METHODS: Triatomine bugs were collected in Donghai Island of Zhanjiang City in South China. The genomic DNA was extracted from three legs of the bugs. The fragments of mitochondrial 16S rRNA, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene and nuclear ribosomal 18S and 28S rRNA genes were obtained by PCR and sequenced. A phylogenetic tree was constructed based on the sequence of 16S rRNA gene using a maximum likelihood method with MEGA 7.0 software. Trypanosomal specific fragments and vertebrate COI genes were amplified from the fecal DNA to detect the infection of trypanosomes and analyze the blood feeding patterns, respectively. Paraffin-embedded sections were then prepared from adult triatomines and sent for IHC staining. RESULTS: We collected two adult triatomine bugs in Donghai Island. Morphological and molecular analyses indicated that the triatomines were Triatoma rubrofasciata. No fragments of T. cruzi or other trypanosomes were detected from the fecal DNA. Mitochondrial gene segments of Homo sapiens and Mus musculus were successfully amplified. The allergens which induced specific IgE antibodies in human serum were localized in the triatomine saliva by IHC assay. CONCLUSIONS: The two triatomine bugs from Donghai Island were T. rubrofasciata. They had bitten humans and mice. Their saliva should contain the allergens related to the allergic symptoms and even anaphylactic shock of exposed residents. Great consideration should be given to this triatomine bugs due to their considerable distribution and potential threat to public health in South China.
Asunto(s)
Alérgenos/inmunología , Anafilaxia/etiología , Triatoma/inmunología , Animales , China , ADN/genética , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Filogenia , ARN Ribosómico 16S/genética , ARN Ribosómico 18S/genética , ARN Ribosómico 28S/genética , Especificidad de la Especie , Triatoma/genéticaRESUMEN
IL-37 is an anti-inflammatory cytokine that was only recently identified, and it is highly expressed in tissues from patients with inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Inflammatory cytokines and inflammatory stimuli can induce the upregulation of IL-37. However, it has not been reported whether anti-inflammatory medications induce the expression of IL-37. In this work, we uncovered, for the first time, that two main bioactive components, triptolide and triptonide, from the herb Tripterygium wilfordii Hook f. (TwHF), which possess anti-inflammatory activity, upregulate the expression of IL-37, and this expression was suppressed by ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK inhibitors. Overall, our research demonstrated, for the first time, that anti-inflammatory active components (triptolide and triptonide) upregulated the expression of IL-37 most likely via activation of the ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK pathways.Cellular & Molecular Immunology advance online publication, 6 October 2014; doi:10.1038/cmi.2014.92.
Asunto(s)
Antiinflamatorios/farmacología , Diterpenos/farmacología , Regulación de la Expresión Génica/efectos de los fármacos , Interleucina-1/inmunología , Sistema de Señalización de MAP Quinasas/efectos de los fármacos , Fenantrenos/farmacología , Triterpenos/farmacología , Antiinflamatorios/química , Línea Celular Tumoral , Diterpenos/química , Compuestos Epoxi/química , Compuestos Epoxi/farmacología , Regulación de la Expresión Génica/inmunología , Humanos , Interleucina-1/biosíntesis , Sistema de Señalización de MAP Quinasas/inmunología , Proteína Quinasa 1 Activada por Mitógenos/antagonistas & inhibidores , Proteína Quinasa 1 Activada por Mitógenos/inmunología , Proteína Quinasa 1 Activada por Mitógenos/metabolismo , Proteína Quinasa 3 Activada por Mitógenos/antagonistas & inhibidores , Proteína Quinasa 3 Activada por Mitógenos/inmunología , Proteína Quinasa 3 Activada por Mitógenos/metabolismo , Fenantrenos/química , Tripterygium/química , Triterpenos/química , Proteínas Quinasas p38 Activadas por Mitógenos/antagonistas & inhibidores , Proteínas Quinasas p38 Activadas por Mitógenos/inmunología , Proteínas Quinasas p38 Activadas por Mitógenos/metabolismoRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The parasitic nematodes Ascaris lumbricoides and A. suum are of great public health and economic significance, and the two taxa were proposed to represent a single species. miRNAs are known with functions of gene regulations at post-transcriptional level. RESULTS: We herein compared the miRNA profiles of A. lumbricoides and A. suum female adults by Solexa deep sequencing combined with bioinformatics analysis and stem-loop real-time PCR. Using the A. suum genome as the reference genome, we obtained 171 and 494 miRNA candidates from A. lumbricoides and A. suum, respectively. Among which, 74 miRNAs were shared between the two taxa, 97 and 420 miRNAs were A. lumbricoides and A. suum specific. Target and function prediction revealed a significant set of targets which are related to ovarian message protein, vitellogenin and chondroitin proteoglycan of the two nematodes. Enrichment analysis revealed that the percentages of most predicted functions of the miRNA targets were similar, with some taxon specific or taxon enhanced functions, such as different target numbers, specific functions (NADH dehydrogenase and electron carrier functions), etc. CONCLUSIONS: This study characterized comparatively the miRNAs of adult A. lumbricoides and A. suum, and the findings provide additional evidence that A. lumbricoides and A. suum represent a single species. Due to the fast evolution nature of miRNAs and the different parasitic living conditions of humans and pigs, the phenomenon above might indicate a fast evolution of miRNAs of Ascaris in humans and pigs.
Asunto(s)
Ascaris lumbricoides/metabolismo , Ascaris suum/metabolismo , MicroARNs/metabolismo , Transcriptoma , Animales , Ascaris lumbricoides/genética , Ascaris suum/genética , Femenino , Regulación de la Expresión Génica , MicroARNs/genética , Reacción en Cadena en Tiempo Real de la PolimerasaRESUMEN
The whipworm, Trichuris trichiura, causes trichuriasis in â¼600 million people worldwide, mainly in developing countries. Whipworms also infect other animal hosts, including pigs (T. suis), dogs (T. vulpis) and non-human primates, and cause disease in these hosts, which is similar to trichuriasis of humans. Although Trichuris species are considered to be host specific, there has been considerable controversy, over the years, as to whether T. trichiura and T. suis are the same or distinct species. Here, we characterised the entire mitochondrial genomes of human-derived Trichuris and pig-derived Trichuris, compared them and then tested the hypothesis that the parasites from these two host species are genetically distinct in a phylogenetic analysis of the sequence data. Taken together, the findings support the proposal that T. trichiura and T. suis are separate species, consistent with previous data for nuclear ribosomal DNA. Using molecular analytical tools, employing genetic markers defined herein, future work should conduct large-scale studies to establish whether T. trichiura is found in pigs and T. suis in humans in endemic regions.
Asunto(s)
Tricuriasis/parasitología , Tricuriasis/veterinaria , Trichuris/clasificación , Trichuris/aislamiento & purificación , Animales , Análisis por Conglomerados , ADN Mitocondrial/química , ADN Mitocondrial/genética , Humanos , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Filogenia , Análisis de Secuencia de ADN , Porcinos , Trichuris/genéticaRESUMEN
Protease inhibitors play important roles in the parasitic nematodes' survival within their host, in the development and reproduction of the parasites. The present study described the isolation, identification, and characterization of a novel member of the Ascaris family of serine protease inhibitors, designated AduTIL-1, from the human hookworm Ancylostoma duodenale. AduTIL-1 is composed of a signal sequence and two trypsin inhibitor-like (TIL) domains, which showed the highest similarity with OdmCRP, a putative serine protease inhibitor with two TIL domains in Oesophagostomum dentatum. Each TIL domain of the AduTIL-1 was expressed in Escherichia coli, and their inhibitory activities against serine proteases from animals and human were characterized, respectively. Both of the two TIL domains inhibited human neutrophil elastase and pancreatic trypsin, but different in effectiveness. Although the first TIL domain of AduTIL-1 inhibited bovine pancreatic chymotrypsin (Ki=18.0 nM), both of the two domains showed no inhibitory activity against the human pancreatic chymotrypsin. Immunohistochemical studies demonstrated that AduTIL-1 was localized in esophagus, intestine, and cuticular surface of the adult worms. These results suggested that AduTIL-1 may be involved in the survival of A. duodenale in host by targeting related digestive enzymes and neutrophil elastase.
Asunto(s)
Ancylostoma/metabolismo , Proteínas del Helminto/metabolismo , Inhibidores de Serina Proteinasa/metabolismo , Secuencia de Aminoácidos , Ancylostoma/anatomía & histología , Animales , Secuencia de Bases , Sitios de Unión , Clonación Molecular , ADN Complementario/genética , Femenino , Genes de Helminto , Proteínas del Helminto/genética , Proteínas del Helminto/farmacología , Interacciones Huésped-Parásitos , Humanos , Masculino , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Neutrófilos/efectos de los fármacos , Neutrófilos/enzimología , Elastasa Pancreática/antagonistas & inhibidores , Filogenia , Conformación Proteica , Estructura Terciaria de Proteína , Proteínas Recombinantes , Inhibidores de Serina Proteinasa/genética , Inhibidores de Serina Proteinasa/farmacología , Inhibidores de Tripsina/genéticaRESUMEN
Factor VIIa-tissue factor complex (fVIIa/TF) and factor XIa (fXIa) play important roles in the initiation and amplification of coagulation, respectively. They may be good targets for the development of novel anticoagulants to treat and prevent thromboembolic disease. In this study, we cloned, expressed and identified a novel anticoagulant peptide, AcaNAP10, from the blood-feeding nematode Ancylostoma caninum. AcaNAP10 showed potent anticoagulant activity and doubled the activated partial thromboplastin and prothrombin times at estimated concentrations of 92.9 nM and 28.8 nM, respectively. AcaNAP10 demonstrated distinct mechanisms of action compared with known anticoagulants. It inhibited fXIa and fVIIa/TF with IC(50) values of 25.76+/-1.06 nM and 123.9+/-1.71 nM, respectively. This is the first report on an anticoagulant that can inhibit both fXIa and fVIIa/TF. This anticoagulant peptide may be an alternative molecule for the development of novel anticoagulants.
Asunto(s)
Ancylostoma/metabolismo , Anticoagulantes/farmacología , Factor VII/antagonistas & inhibidores , Factor XIa/antagonistas & inhibidores , Péptidos/farmacología , Secuencia de Aminoácidos , Ancylostoma/genética , Animales , Anticoagulantes/aislamiento & purificación , Clonación Molecular , ADN Complementario/genética , Humanos , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Tiempo de Tromboplastina Parcial , Péptidos/genética , Péptidos/aislamiento & purificación , Tiempo de ProtrombinaRESUMEN
A full-length cDNA encoding an anticoagulant peptide, named AduNAP4, was cloned and identified from the human hookworm Ancylostoma duodenale. AduNAP4 has 104 amino acids including a predicted 23-residue signal peptide and shows Asunto(s)
Ancylostoma/patogenicidad
, Anticoagulantes/aislamiento & purificación
, Anticoagulantes/farmacología
, Factor XIa/antagonistas & inhibidores
, Inhibidores del Factor Xa
, Proteínas del Helminto/aislamiento & purificación
, Proteínas del Helminto/farmacología
, Secuencia de Aminoácidos
, Ancylostoma/química
, Ancylostoma/genética
, Anquilostomiasis/sangre
, Anquilostomiasis/complicaciones
, Anquilostomiasis/parasitología
, Animales
, Secuencia de Bases
, Clonación Molecular
, Cartilla de ADN/genética
, ADN Complementario/genética
, ADN de Helmintos/genética
, Hemorragia Gastrointestinal/sangre
, Hemorragia Gastrointestinal/etiología
, Hemorragia Gastrointestinal/parasitología
, Proteínas del Helminto/genética
, Humanos
, Técnicas In Vitro
, Cinética
, Datos de Secuencia Molecular
, Señales de Clasificación de Proteína/genética
, Proteínas Recombinantes/genética
, Proteínas Recombinantes/farmacología
, Homología de Secuencia de Aminoácido
, Inhibidores de Serina Proteinasa/genética
, Inhibidores de Serina Proteinasa/aislamiento & purificación
, Inhibidores de Serina Proteinasa/farmacología