Multi-pathways-mediated mechanisms of selenite reduction and elemental selenium nanoparticles biogenesis in the yeast-like fungus Aureobasidium melanogenum I15.

Selenium (Se) plays a critical role in diverse biological processes and is widely used across manufacturing industries. However, the contamination of Se oxyanions also poses a major public health concern. Microbial transformation is a promising approach to detoxify Se oxyanions and produce elemental selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) with versatile industrial potential. Yeast-like fungi are an important group of environmental microorganisms, but their mechanisms for Se oxyanions reduction remain unknown. In this study, we found that Aureobasidium melanogenum I15 can reduce 1.0 mM selenite by over 90% within 48 h and efficiently form intracellular or extracellular spherical SeNPs. Metabolomic and proteomic analyses disclosed that A. melanogenum I15 evolves a complicated selenite reduction mechanism involving multiple metabolic pathways, including the glutathione/glutathione reductase pathway, the thioredoxin/thioredoxin reductase pathway, the siderophore-mediated pathway, and multiple oxidoreductase-mediated pathways. This study provides the first report on the mechanism of selenite reduction and SeNPs biogenesis in yeast-like fungi and paves an alternative avenue for the bioremediation of selenite contamination and the production of functional organic selenium compounds.

Effect of male HBV infection on the outcomes of IVF/ICSI cycles: a retrospective cohort study based on propensity score matching.

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to investigate the effects of male hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection on male fertility, embryonic development, and in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) outcomes. We performed a retrospective cohort study that included 3965 infertile couples who received fresh embryo transfer cycles for the first time at the Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital (Fuzhou, China) from January 2018 to January 2021. Infertile couples were categorized based on their HBV infection status into the HBV group (HBV-positive men and HBV-negative women) and the control group (HBV-negative couples). A 1:1 propensity score matching was performed with relatively balanced covariates. Baseline characteristics, semen parameters, laboratory outcomes, clinical outcomes, and obstetric and neonatal outcomes were compared between groups. After propensity score matching, 821 couples were included in each group. Both groups had similar semen parameters and obstetric and neonatal outcomes. The HBV group showed a significantly lower live birth rate than the control group (P < 0.05). The HBV group had a significantly higher abortion rate than the control group (P < 0.05). The rates of high-quality embryos and blastocyst formation were significantly lower in the HBV group than those in the control group (both P < 0.05). In conclusion, in couples who undergo IVF/ICSI, male HBV infection reduces the live birth rate and increases the risk of miscarriage. However, the incidence of low birth weight in women with IVF/ICSI does not increase with male HBV infection.

Geniposide promotes wound healing of skin ulcers in diabetic rats through PI3K/Akt pathway.

Continuously hyperglycation-induced lesion and poor blood flow contributed to the wound incurable and susceptible to infection. About fifteen percent of people with diabetes would develop ulcers during their lifetime, especially on the feet, which could lead to severe tissue destruction and eventual amputation. Various strategies were limited to accelerate wound healing in diabetic patients for high cost and unsatisfied effects. Geniposide is well-known for its anti-inflammation and anti-apoptosis in several pathological tissues. This study is to explore the protective effect of geniposide on wound healing rate, inflammatory response, nutritional function and cellular apoptosis in diabetic rats. Diabetic rats was induced by streptozotocin and defined as plasma glucose >300 mg/dl. Western blot and immunostaining technologies were performed to mark and quantify the target proteins. The oral administration of geniposide (200 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg) could significantly promote wound healing by the increment of lesion retraction in diabetic rats compared to model group. In the apoptotic study of skin wound in diabetic rats, the TUNEL-positive cells were greatly decreased in geniposide subgroups (P < 0.05). The levels of TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6 were significantly inhibited by geniposide with the IC50 value of 470 mg/kg, 464 mg/kg and 370 mg/kg body weight respectively, which might be related to the enhancement of the phosphorylation of PI3K and Akt proteins. Geniposide enhanced the repairment of skin wound in diabetic rats by inhibiting inflammatory response and apoptosis.

First Natural Yeast Strain Trichosporon asahii HZ10 with Robust Flavonoid Productivity and Its Potential Biosynthetic Pathway.

Flavonoids are generally thought to be essential plant natural products with diverse bioactivities and pharmacological effects. Conventional approaches for the industrial production of flavonoids through plant extraction and chemical synthesis face serious economic and environmental challenges. Searching for natural robust flavonoid-producing microorganisms satisfying green and sustainable development is one of the good alternatives. Here, a natural yeast, Trichosporon asahii HZ10, isolated from raw honeycombs, was found to accumulate 146.41 mg/L total flavonoids intracellularly. Also, T. asahii HZ10 represents a broad flavonoid metabolic profiling, covering 40 flavonoids, among which nearly half were silibinin, daidzein, and irigenin trimethyl ether, especially silibinin occupying 21.07% of the total flavonoids. This is the first flavonoid-producing natural yeast strain worldwide. Furthermore, T. asahii HZ10-derived flavonoids represent favorable antioxidant activities. Interestingly, genome mining and transcriptome analysis clearly showed that T. asahii HZ10 possibly evolves a novel flavonoid synthesis pathway for the most crucial step of flavonoid skeleton synthesis, which is different from that in plants and filamentous fungi. Therefore, our results not only enrich the diversity of the natural flavonoid biosynthesis pathway but also pave an alternative way to promote the development of a synthetic biology strategy for the microbial production of flavonoids.

Anti-inflammatory action of geniposide promotes wound healing in diabetic rats.

CONTEXT: As a major active iridoid glycoside from Gardenia jasminoides J. Ellis (Rubiaceae), geniposide possesses various pharmacological activities, including anti-platelet aggregation and anti-inflammatory action. OBJECTIVES: This study explores the effect of geniposide in diabetic wound model by anti-inflammatory action. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Diabetic rodent model in Wistar rats was induced by streptozotocin combined with high-fat feed. The selected rats were divided into control group, the diabetic model group and geniposide subgroups (200, 400 and 500 mg/kg), and orally administrated once daily with saline or geniposide. Wound area and histochemical indicators were measured on day 7 after continuous administration, to assess lesion retraction, inflammatory cells and fibroblasts. RESULTS: Geniposide notably enhanced lesion retraction by 1.06-1.84 times on day 7 after surgical onset in diabetic rats (p < 0.05). In the pathological experiment by HE staining, geniposide significantly reduced inflammatory cell infiltration and proliferation of fibroblasts in the central lesion regions. In diabetic rats treated with geniposide, the levels of pro-inflammatory factors (tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß)) and IL-6 were significantly reduced (p < 0.05), followed with the increment of IL-10 in a dose-dependent manner. The IC50 of geniposide on TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6 could be calculated as 1.36, 1.02 and 1.23 g/kg, respectively. It assumed that geniposide-induced IL-10 expression contributed to inhibiting the expression of pro-inflammatory factors. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Geniposide promoted diabetic wound healing by anti-inflammation and adjusting blood glucose. Further topical studies are required to evaluate effects on antibacterial activity and skin regeneration.

Phosphorylated α-synuclein aggregated in Schwann cells exacerbates peripheral neuroinflammation and nerve dysfunction in Parkinson's disease through TLR2/NF-κB pathway.

To investigate the mechanism of peripheral neuropathy in Parkinson's disease (PD), we prepared a PD mice model by long-term exposure of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) to mimic PD pathology in humans and the sciatic nerves were taken for further research. It turned out that phosphorylated α-synuclein (p-α-syn) was significantly deposited in Schwann cells (SCs) of sciatic nerves possibly contributing to degenerated myelin SCs and atrophied axons in MPTP group. Further analysis confirmed that toll-like receptors (TLRs) were implicated with PD peripheral neuropathy, in which TLR2 exhibits the predominant expression. Increased expression of inflammatory factors about TLR2/nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) pathway was noted in MPTP group compared to saline group, with proteins on other pathways showing no changes. Moreover, MPTP-challenged mice exhibited worse motor ability and damaged nerve conduction, implicating that p-α-syn neurotoxicity might be relevant to impairments of motor and sensory nerves. After the treatment of CU-CPT22, a TLR2 antagonist, p-α-syn accumulation, motor and sensory function were ameliorated in CU-CPT22 combined with MPTP group. Thus, we demonstrated that pathological p-α-syn might combine TLR2 to affect SCs activation, inflammatory response as well as motor and sensory function through TLR2/nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathway. This study firstly demonstrates a novel mechanism of p-α-syn accumulated in SCs of peripheral nerves, which extends our understanding on SCs-mediated peripheral neuroinflammation related to TLR2/NF-κB signaling pathway and sheds light on potential new therapeutic avenues for PD.

Neuroprotective effect of targeted regulatory Nrf2 gene on rats with acute brain injury induced by carbon monoxide poisoning.

Oxidative stress has been considered as an important cause of neurocyte damage induced by carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning; however, the precise mechanisms are not fully understood. The study aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanism and the neuroprotective effect of targeted regulatory nuclear factor erythroid2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) gene on acute brain injury in CO poisoning rats. An acute CO poisoning rat model was established by CO inhalation in hyperbaric oxygen chamber and followed by the administration of Nrf2 gene-loaded lentivirus. Mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨM), the levels of Nrf2, glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and cell apoptosis were determined in brain tissue in rats. We found that CO poisoning could decrease ΔΨm of cells, slightly increase the expressions of Nrf2 and GCLC at mRNA and protein levels, reduce CAT and GSH-Px, and thus initiate apoptosis process. The Nrf2 gene treatment could obviously enhance the expressions of Nrf2 at mRNA and protein levels, and increase the concentrations of CAT and GSH-Px, maintain the ΔΨm of cells in brain tissue, significantly inhibit cell apoptosis as compared with the CO poisoning group (p < .05). These findings suggest that CO poisoning could induce oxidative stress and impair mitochondrial function of cells in brain tissue. The administration of Nrf2 gene could notably strengthen the antioxidant capacity of cells through regulating the downstream genes of Nrf2/antioxidant responsive element signal pathway, and positively protect cells against brain injury induced by acute severe CO poisoning.

Corrigendum to "Clinical Characteristics of Visual Dysfunction in Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Patients".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2020/9537360.].

Engineering a novel antibacterial agent with multifunction: Protocatechuic acid-grafted-quaternized chitosan.

As a mild cationic antibacterial agent, hydroxypropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride chitosan (HACC) could kill gram-positive bacteria and gram-positive drug-resistant bacteria without cytotoxicity. Nevertheless, it was not effective against gram-negative bacteria. Herein, protocatechuic acid (PA) with broad-spectrum antibacterial properties and pharmacological activities was grafted on HACC. PA-g-HACC showed favourable antioxidant capacity and anti-inflammatory properties. Most importantly, the results of antibacterial assay indicated that the antibacterial rates of all PA-g-HACC groups against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were above 92 %, and the antibacterial rate of PA-g-HACC against E. coli was increased with the amount of grafted PA. Furthermore, the cytocompatibility of PA-g-HACC was improved by appropriate grafting ratio of PA, while excessive grafted PA can lead to toxicity. We believe that PA-g-HACC in optimum grafting ratio of PA with favorable antibacterial properties, pharmacological activities and cytocompatibility will be potential antibacterial agent for treating infections.

Prognostic significance of long intergenic non-protein-coding RNA 511expression in malignant tumors: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: A growing number of studies have suggested that the Long intergenic noncoding RNA 00511 (LINC00511) is aberrantly expressed in multiple malignancies and is related to patient survival. Herein, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to comprehensively evaluate the prognostic significance of LINC00511 in human malignancies. METHODS: Eligible studies published by March 11, 2020 were identified in 4 electronic databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate the prognostic significance of LINC00511 expression in malignant tumors. The association between LINC00511 expression and cancer clinicopathologic features were assessed using Odds ratios (ORs) and CIs. RESULTS: A total of 13 studies, comprising 1,053 patients, were included in the meta-analysis. The calculated hazard ratio was 2.00 (95% CI: 1.59-2.52, P < .000), suggesting that higher LINC00511 expression could predict poorer overall survival in patients with malignancies. Additionally, our statistical analysis indicated that elevated LINC00511 expression closely associated with bigger tumors (OR = 2.92, 95% CI 1.65-5.18, P < .000), higher incidence of lymph node metastasis (OR = 3.46, 95% CI 2.11-5.66, P < .000) and distant metastasis (OR = 2.40, 95% CI 1.14-5.05, P = .02), poorer differentiation (OR = 1.55, 95% CI 1.11-2.16, P = .01), as well as more advanced TNM stage (OR = 3.90, 95% CI 2.70-5.63, P < .000). CONCLUSIONS: High LINC00511 expression may predict unfavorable prognosis in patients with malignancies. It should be further explored as a potential prognostic and therapeutic biomarker for human cancer.

Clinical Characteristics of Visual Dysfunction in Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Patients.

PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to analyze the clinical characteristics of visual dysfunction in patients with carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. METHODS: A total of 436 patients with CO poisoning were enrolled in our hospital from October 2012 to December 2018, including 193 patients with moderate poisoning (MP group), 165 with severe poisoning (SP group), and 78 with delayed encephalopathy (DE group). The clinical characteristics of visual dysfunction in patients with CO poisoning were analyzed through the collection of medical history, regular physical examination, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ophthalmological examination, the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ), and its influencing factors. RESULTS: Some patients in the three groups had visual dysfunction. The main ocular symptoms were local pain, eye movement disorder, and visual field defect. The key pathological factors were keratopathy, retinal nerve cell damage, optic nerve damage, retinal vascular disease, macular disease, and occipital visual center damage. The clinical symptoms of visual dysfunction after CO poisoning lasted for a long time (>12 months) and were not completely consistent with the positive results of the ophthalmological examination. A few sequelae of ophthalmology were still left after the help of medicine. CONCLUSION: The incidence of visual dysfunction in patients with CO poisoning was high, the clinical symptoms were rich and diverse, the duration of disease was long, and the prognosis was poor. Thus, the relevant ophthalmological examination and intervention treatment should be perfected as soon as possible.

Feasibility analysis of external application of Xiao-Shuan-San in preventing PICC-related thrombosis.

PURPOSE: We aim to analyze the feasibility of external application of Xiao-Shuan-Santo prevent peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) -related thrombosis. METHODS: A total of 218 patients with PICC catheterization were randomly divided into a control group (n = 103) and a treatment group (n = 115). Patients in the treatment group received additional external application of Xiao-Shuan-San. The changes of coagulation index, the incidence of PICC-related thrombosis and other complications, and the maximum blood flow rate (Vmax) of axillary vein were observed at 1 day before catheterization and 30 days after PICC. RESULTS: At 30 days after PICC, the incidence of PICC-related thrombosis and other adverse events in the treatment group were obviously lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05), and the decreased Vmax value of axillary vein in the control group (11.75±1.91 cm/s) was more visible than that in the treatment group (14.63±3.03 cm/s), accompanied by a statistical significance (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: External application of Xiao-Shuan-San could reduce the incidence of PICC-related thrombosis and other complications.

Fluorescence-based Polymerase Amplification for the Sensitive Detection of DNA Methyltransferase Activity.

DNA methyltransferase (MTase) is related to transcriptional repressor activity in biological functions. It is an essential for cancer diagnosis and therapeutics to detect DNA MTase activity sensitively. Here, a fluorescent system based on polymerase amplification has been developed to detect DNA adenine MTase (Dam) activity sensitively. The amplification is triggered by the probe DNA regions a, which are the primes of a polymerase-induced replicated reaction. They come from methylation and a digestion reaction of DNA S1-S1, including a 5'-GATC-3' sequence recognized by Dam MTase and methylation sensitive restriction endonuclease Dpn I. The intensities of fluorescence are dependent on the Dam MTase activity. The method shows fine sensitivity with a detection limit of 3.2 × 10-4 U mL-1 and specificity for Dam MTase. In human serum samples, the method has been successfully applied, and it has also been used to screen the inhibitors, which means that the developed method can be a powerful and potential tool for drug development and clinical diagnosis in the future.

Antioxidant Activity and Characterization of One New Polysaccharide Obtained from Perigord Truffle (Tuber huidongense).

As a medicinal and edible fungus parasitizing on the trees, Perigord Truffle (Tuber huidongense) is well known for its delicious taste, unique smell, and high medical value for healthcare. One new water-soluble nonstarch polysaccharide (PST-W with the yield of 0.41%) from Perigord Truffle (Tuber huidongense) was purified and identified on structural characteristics for the first time. The characterizations of PST-W were studied on physicochemical properties, main components of monosaccharide(s), and molecular structure. The monosaccharide compositions of PST-W were studied and identified as glucan, only containing D-glucoses with the molecular structure of [→6) α-D-Glcp (1 → 6) α-D-Glcp (1→] n by methylation analysis and NMR. In the determination of total reducing capacity, the reducing abilities of polysaccharide extracts could be listed as vitamin C > PST-W > crude polysaccharides-3 > crude polysaccharides-2 > crude polysaccharides-1. All of PST-W, crude polysaccharides-2, and crude polysaccharides-3 were relatively good scavenger for 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical 2,2-Diphenyl-1-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)hydrazyl radicals with IC50 of 2.81, 4.17, and 3.44 mg/mL, respectively. However, O2 (-∙) clearing abilities of PST-W and crude polysaccharides were obviously weaker. The activities of total crude extract were the worst, indicating that the impurities might negatively affect the antioxidant activity. Thus, the separation and purification of polysaccharides were significant to increase the antioxidant activity in some degree.

[Studies on flavonoids from Derris eriocarpa].

Derris eriocarpa, a traditional Chinese medicine belonging to the family of Leguminosae, is widely distributed mainly over Yunnan, Guangxi and Guizhou of China. Modern pharmacological researches on this herb showed that it had extensive bioactivities, such as promoting urination, removing dampness and cough and reducing inspissated mucus and other biological activities. The extensive studies on the chemical constituents of this plant have resulted in the isolation of triterpenoids, steroids, fatty acid and others, but the flavone compounds haven't reported before. In our further research on the ethyl acetate of this plant, nine flavone compounds were obtained by column chromatography on silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, semi-prep HPLC, polyamide column chromatography and recrystallization for separation and purification. The structures were determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis, including MS, NMR experiments and comparison with spectroscopic data in the literature, respectively, as diosmetin (1), 3, 3'-di-O-methylquercetin (2), afromosin (3), 6, 3'-dihydroxy-7, 4'-dimethoxyisoflavone (4), odoratin (5), 7, 3'-dihydroxy-8, 4'-dimethoxyisoflavone (6), 6, 4'-dihydroxy-7, 3'-dimethoxyisoflavone (7), 5, 7, 4'-trihydroxy-3, 3', 5'-trimethoxyflavone (8), and alpinumisoflavone (9). All these compounds were isolated from Derris eriocarpa How for the first time. And the in vitro assays showed that compound 2 possessed moderate inhibitory activity against human cancer cells K562 and HEL.

[Effect of Triptolide on expression of NMDAR1 and BSI-B4 binding sites in spinal dorsal horn and dorsal root ganglion in rats with adjuvant arthritis].

OBJECTIVE: To study the analgesic effect of Triptolide(TP) in rats with adjuvant and the possible mechanism. METHODS: Fifty healthy SD rats were randomly divided into normal control group (group A), model group (group B), and low(group C), middle (group D) and high(group E) dose TP treatment groups. Except the group A, each group of rats were reared by toe intradermal injection of 0. 1 mL Freund's complete adjuvant. After 14 days,rats in the C, D and E groups were taken different doses (0. 1 mg/kg group C, 0. 2mg/kg group D, and 0. 4 mg/kg group E) by intraperitoneal injection of TP for 9 days, and then thermal withdrawal latency and the expression of NMDAR1 and BSI-B4 binding sites in lumbar5 (L5) spinal dorsal horn and DRG were detected. RESULTS: Thermal withdrawal latency of rats in group B was significantly lower than that of group A (P <0. 01), while those in group C, D and E were significantly higher than those in group B (P <0. 05 or P <0. 01). TP increased the thermal pain threshold by a quantity-effect relationship; NMDAR-1 and BSI-B4 binding sites expression levels were significantly increased in group B than those in group A (P <0. 01), while those in group C, D and E were lower than those in group B. CONCLUSION: Analgesic effect of TP is related to reducing levels of expression of NMDAR1 and BSI-B4 binding sites in spinal dorsal horn and DRG in rats with adjuvant arthritis.

Diosgenin inhibits tumor necrosis factor-induced tissue factor activity and expression in THP-1 cells via down-regulation of the NF-κB, Akt, and MAPK signaling pathways.

AIM: To investigate whether diosgenin could modulate tissue factor (TF) procoagulation activity, expression, and related signal transduction pathways. METHODS: Human THP-1 monocytic cells were exposed to tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α, 10 ng·mL(-1)) with or without diosgenin (0.01, 0.1, and 1 µmol · L(-1)) for 2 h or 5 h to induce TF procoagulant activity and expression, which were determined by the simplified chromogenic assay, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), real-time quantitative PCR, and Western blotting assays. In addition, the activation of the NF-κB, Akt, and MAPK signaling pathways were also measured by Western blotting. RESULTS: Diosgenin significantly inhibited TNF-α-induced TF procoagulant activity at concentrations of 0.01 to 1 µmol · L(-1) with IC50 of 0.25 µmol · L(-1). It also reduced protein expression and mRNA accumulation of TF dose-dependently in activated THP-1 cells. TNF-α stimulated significantly phosphorylation on Ser536 of NF-κB/p65, Ser473 of Akt at 5-15 min, and activations of IKK-ß and ERK at 15-30 min. Diosgenin (1 µmol · L(-1)) could inhibit the phosphorylation of NF-κB/p65, IKK-ß, Akt, ERK, and JNK, but had no remarkable effects on IκB and p38 phosphorylation in THP-1 cells. CONCLUSION: Diosgenin inhibits TNF-α-induced TF activity and expression in monocytes, partly due to its down-regulation of the phosphorylation of NF-κB/p65, IKK-ß, Akt, ERK, and JNK.

[Epidemiological investigation on the intermediate hosts of Paragonimus in Ninghai County of Zhejiang Province].

Freshwater crabs and snails were collected from Ninghai County in Zhejiang Province, and examined respectively for Paragonimus metacercariae and cercariae. Among 97 freshwater crabs found, the prevalence was 11.3% (11/97) with a mean intensity of 1 metacercariae per crab. It was 10.2% (5/49) and 20.2% (4/20) in the groups weighted 5-15 g and 15-25 g respectively, with an average intensity of 1, and no metacercariae were found in weight group of 25-35 g. Two positive crabs were found from 20 crabs with a low weight (< 5 g). Male to female crabs ratio was 2.5:1, and there was no significant difference in prevalence between males [12.7%(7/55)] and females [9.1% (2/22)]. No cercariae or metacercariae were found in 200 snails (Semisulcospira libertino).