Quantitative Assessment of Phenolic Acids, Flavonoids and Antioxidant Activities of Sixteen Jujube Cultivars from China.

Increasing attention has been paid to the nutritional values and pharmacological effects of Ziziphus jujuba. Therefore, in this study, four phenolic and flavonoid fractions of 16 jujube cultivars from different geographic regions of China were separated and quantified. In addition, the antioxidant activity was evaluated using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH·) scavenging method and the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. The total phenols and flavonoids contents ranged from 253.4 to 494.9 mg GAE/100 g and 125.3 to 425.4 mg rutin/100 g, respectively. Subsquently, a total of 10 phenolic acids and two flavonoids were identified, and most quantified phenolic acids with antioxidant activity were mainly present in the glycosided and insoluble-bound phenolic fractions. The results of this study indicate that some jujube cultivars, especially Zanghuang Z. jujuba, Leling Z. jujuba, and Jiaxian Z. jujuba could be selected to promote a healthy diet due to their more plentiful nutritional and phytochemical beneficial effects.

Functional Self-Assembled Peptide Nanofibers for Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cell Encapsulation and Regeneration in Nucleus Pulposus.

Low back pain (LBP) is mainly caused by intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). Recent studies have demonstrated that the transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can regenerate regions that have undergone degeneration, and the regenerative effect can be enhanced by using a hydrogel carrier. This article describes an injectable functional hydrogel system manufactured by combining RADA16-I and RADA-KPSS (RADA-KPSS was manufactured by conjugating a bioactive motif derived from BMP-7 [KPSS] onto the C terminal of RADA16-I) at a volume ratio of 1:1. This hydrogel system can enhance the proliferation, differentiation, and chemotactic migration of BMSCs. In addition, the encapsulation of BMSCs with this system maintains cell viability for a long period after transplantation into an ex vivo cultured disc model. In conclusion, KPSS-conjugated RADKPS is an ideal encapsulation system for BMSCs in intervertebral disc (IVD) regeneration.

Optimized Extraction of Phenolics from Jujube Peel and Their Anti-inflammatory Effects in LPS-Stimulated Murine Macrophages.

The extraction of phenolics from jujube peel (PJP) was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). A Box-Behnken design was utilized to analyze the effects of NaOH concentration, temperature, and extraction time on the total phenolic content (TPC). The results showed that RSM could be an adequate approach for modeling the extraction of PJP. The optimal extraction condition for the highest TPC was obtained with 3.4 M NaOH concentration for 67 min at 50 °C. Not only PJP but also phenolics from the jujube seed (PJS) contain considerable amounts of phenolics, particularly flavonoids. Quercetin and galangin were found to be the predominant phenolics. PJP markedly down-regulated the levels iNOS and COX-2 proteins in macrophages by inhibiting the activation of NF-κB through interfering with the MAPK signaling pathways. Compared to PJS, PJP presented higher anti-inflammatory activities, reflecting increased amounts of TPC and total flavonoid content (TFC). These findings suggest that PJP could be a potential source of anti-inflammatory agents.

Age-Related Changes in Nucleus Pulposus Mesenchymal Stem Cells: An In Vitro Study in Rats.

The functions of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) appear to decline with age due to cellular senescence, which could reduce the efficacy of MSCs-based therapies. Recently, MSCs have been identified in the nucleus pulposus, which offers great potential for intervertebral disc (IVD) repair. However, this potential might be affected by the senescence of nucleus pulposus MSCs (NPMSCs), but whether or not this exists remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the age-related changes in NPMSCs. NPMSCs isolated from young (3-month-old) and old (14-month-old) Sprague-Dawley rats were cultured in vitro. Differences in morphology, proliferation, colony formation, multilineage differentiation, cell cycle, and expression of ß-galactosidase (SA-ß-gal) and senescent markers (p53, p21, and p16) were compared between groups. Both young and old NPMSCs fulfilled the criteria for definition as MSCs. Moreover, young NPMSCs presented better proliferation, colony-forming, and multilineage differentiation capacities than old NPMSCs. Old NPMSCs displayed senescent features, including significantly increased G0/G1 phase arrest, increased SA-ß-gal expression, decreased S phase entry, and significant p53-p21-pRB pathway activation. Therefore, this is the first study demonstrating that senescent NPMSCs accumulate in IVD with age. The efficacy of NPMSCs is compromised by donor age, which should be taken into consideration prior to clinical application.

[PREPARATION AND BIOCOMPATIBILITY EVALUATION OF A FUNCTIONAL SELF-ASSEMBLING PEPTIDE NANOFIBER HYDROGEL DESIGNED WITH LINKING THE SHORT FUNCTIONAL MOTIF OF BONE MORPHOGENETIC PROTEIN 7].

OBJECTIVE: To prepare of a novel functional self-assembling peptide nanofiber hydrogel scaffold RADKPS designed with linking the short functional motif of bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP-7) and to evaluate its biocompatibiity so as to provide the experimental basis for in viva studies on regeneration of degenerated nucleus pulposus tissue. METHODS: A functional self assembling peptide RADA-KPSS was designed by linking the short functional motif of BMP-7 to the self assembling peptide RADA16-I. And the novel functional self assembling peptide RADKPS was finally prepared by isometric mixing RADA16-I with RADA-KPSS. The structure characteristic of the functional self-assembling peptide nanofiber hydrogel scaffold RADKPS was evaluated by general observation and atomic force microscopy. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were isolated from 3-month-old New Zealand white rabbits and cultured. After the 3rd generation BMSCs were seeded on the peptide nanofiber hydrogel scaffold RADKPS for 7 days, the cellular compatibility of RADKPS was evaluated through scanning electron microscopy assay, cellular fluorescein diacetate/propidium iodide staining, and MTT assay. 1%RADKPS was injected into isolated intervertebral disc organs from 6-month-old New Zealand white rabbits, then the organs were cultured and the cellular activity of the intervertebral disc organs was observed. The blood compatibility of RADKPS was evaluated with hemolytic assay. After RADKPS was implanted into subcutaneous part of Kunming mice (aged 6-8 weeks) for 28 days, general observation and HE staining were carried out to evaluate the tissue compatibility. RESULTS: The functional self-assembling peptide solution RADKPS presented a homogeneous transparent hydrogel-like. Atomic force microscopy revealed that the RADKPS could self-assemble into three-dimensional nanofiber hydrogel scaffolds; the fibre diameter was (25.68 ± 4.62) nm, and the fibre length was (512.42 ± 32.22) nm. After BMSCs cultured on RADKPS for 7 days, scanning electron microscopy showed that BMSCs adhered to the scaffolds. And cell viability was maintained over 90%. MTT assay revealed that RADKPS of 0.1%, 0.05%, and 0.025% could increase the proliferation of BMSCs. The result of hemolytic assay revealed that the hemolysis rates of the RADKPS solutions with different concentrations were less than 5%, indicating that it met the requirement of hemolytic assay standard for medical biomaterials. After subcutaneous implantation, no vesicle, erythema, and eschar formation around injection site were observed. Meanwhile, HE staining showed inflammatory cells infiltration (lymphocytes), substitution of hydrogel scaffold by fibrous tissue, and good tissue compatibility. CONCLUSION: The novel functional self-assembling peptide nanofiber hydrogel scaffold RADKPS has good biocompatibility and biological reliability, which would be suitable for tissue engineering repair and regeneration of nucleus pulposus tissue.

Is surgical intervention more effective than non-surgical treatment for acute Achilles tendon rupture? A systematic review of overlapping meta-analyses.

OBJECTIVE: There is discordance in the results from meta-analyses on surgical versus non-surgical treatment for acute Achilles tendon rupture. We systematically reviewed the overlapping meta-analyses on this topic to provide information that will be helpful to decision makers when selecting treatments based on the current best available evidence. METHODS: We comprehensively searched multiple databases for systematic reviews that compared surgical and non-surgical treatments for acute Achilles tendon rupture. We only included meta-analyses that comprised randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The methodological quality and extracted data were assessed. The meta-analysis that offered the best evidence was ascertained with the Jadad decision algorithm. RESULTS: Nine meta-analyses were included in our study and all of them included RCTs with Level-II evidence. Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) scores ranged from 5 to 10 (median 7). The Jadad decision algorithm was used to select a high-quality meta-analysis with more RCTs. The results from this study showed that when functional rehabilitation was used, non-surgical intervention was similar to surgical treatment regarding the incidence of range of motion, rerupture, calf circumference and functional outcomes, and the incidence of other complications was reduced. Non-surgical intervention significantly increased the rerupture rate if functional rehabilitation was not considered. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of meta-analyses regarding surgical versus non-surgical treatment for acute Achilles tendon rupture are inconsistent. According to this systematic review of overlapping meta-analyses, the current best available evidence suggests that centers offering functional rehabilitation may prefer non-surgical intervention. Surgical treatment may be preferred at centers that do not have functional rehabilitation.