Zingerone Alleviates Morphine Tolerance and Dependence in Mice by Reducing Oxidative Stress-Mediated NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation.

Morphine (MPH) is widely used for pain management; however, long-term MPH therapy results in antinociceptive tolerance and physical dependence, limiting its clinical use. Zingerone (ZIN) is a natural phenolic compound with neuroprotective effects. We investigated the effects of single and repeated doses of ZIN on MPH-induced tolerance, dependence, and underlying biochemical mechanisms. After a dose-response experiment, tolerance was developed to MPH (10 mg/kg, i.p.) for seven days. In the single-dose study, ZIN was administered on day seven. In the repeated-dose study, ZIN was administered for seven days. Naloxone (5 mg/kg, i.p., 120 min after MPH) was injected to assess withdrawal signs on day seven. The levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), nitric oxide (NO), total thiol (TT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were measured in the prefrontal cortex. The protein levels of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß) and NLRP3-ASC-Caspase-1 axis were assessed by ELISA and Western blotting, respectively. Results showed that ZIN (100 mg/kg) had no antinociceptive activity, and subsequent experiments were performed at this dose. Repeated ZIN reversed MPH antinociceptive tolerance, whereas single ZIN did not. Single and repeated ZIN attenuated naloxone-induced jumping. In addition, repeated ZIN significantly inhibited weight loss. Repeated ZIN suppressed the MPH-induced increase in TBARS, NO, IL-1ß, NLRP3, ASC, and Caspase-1. It also inhibited MPH-induced TT and GPx reduction. In contrast, single ZIN had no effect. Findings suggest that ZIN reduces MPH-induced tolerance and dependence by suppressing oxidative stress and NLRP3 inflammasome activation. This study provides a novel therapeutic approach to reduce the side effects of MPH.

Synthesis of new trypanocidal agents from the hybridisation of metronidazole and eugenol analogues.

Nitroimidazole compounds are well-known bioactive substances, and the structural activity relationship has been reported whereby the position of the nitro group within the imidazole ring has a large influence on the activity. This study focuses on synthesising new trypanocidal agents from the hybridisation of metronidazole with different natural phenols (eugenol, dihydroeugenol and guaiacol). Two different coupling methodologies have been explored in order to analyse the influence of the connector on bioactivity: i) classic direct esterification (AD compounds) and ii) "click" chemistry using a triazole connector (AC compounds). The in vitro trypanocidal tests show good results for both AC and AD hybrid compounds against both epimastigote and trypomastigote forms of T. cruzi. In silico studies showed positive data for most of the synthesised compounds and, in general present low toxicological risks. The AC compounds present lower ClogP (lipophilicity) values than those found for the AD series and higher TPSA (topological polar surface area) values, suggesting lower lipophilicity may be related to the presence of the triazole connector. The AD series compounds have higher Drug Score values than the AC series derivatives, suggesting better general properties for a pharmacological action.

Decoding the synergistic potential of MAZ-51 and zingerone as therapy for melanoma treatment in alignment with sustainable development goals.

Melanoma, an invasive class of skin cancer, originates from mutations in melanocytes, the pigment-producing cells. Globally, approximately 132,000 new cases are reported each year, and in South Africa, the incidence stands at 2.7 per 100,000 people, signifying a worrisome surge in melanoma rates. Therefore, there is a need to explore treatment modalities that will target melanoma's signalling pathways. Melanoma metastasis is aided by ligand activity of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-ß1), vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) and C-X-C chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) which bind to their receptors and promote tumour cell survival, lymphangiogenesis and chemotaxis. (3-(4-dimethylaminonaphthelen-1-ylmethylene)-1,3-dihydroindol-2-one) MAZ-51 is an indolinone-based molecule that inhibits VEGF-C induced phosphorylation of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 (VEGFR-3). Despite the successful use of conventional cancer therapies, patients endure adverse side effects and cancer drug resistance. Moreover, conventional therapies are toxic to the environment and caregivers. The use of medicinal plants and their phytochemical constituents in cancer treatment strategies has become more widespread because of the rise in drug resistance and the development of unfavourable side effects. Zingerone, a phytochemical derived from ginger exhibits various pharmacological properties positioning it as a promising candidate for cancer treatment. This review provides an overview of melanoma biology and the intracellular signalling pathways promoting cell survival, proliferation and adhesion. There is a need to align health and environmental objectives within sustainable development goals 3 (good health and well-being), 13 (climate action) and 15 (life on land) to promote early detection of skin cancer, enhance sun-safe practices, mitigation of environmental factors and advancing the preservation of biodiversity, including medicinal plants. Thus, this review discusses the impact of cytostatic cancer drugs on patients and the environment and examines the potential use of phytochemicals as adjuvant therapy.

Cytotoxicity Activity of Some meso-Dihydroguaiaretic Acid Derivatives and Mode of Action of the Most Active Compound.

The aim of this study was to screen sixteen meso-1 semi-synthetic derivatives bearing ether, esther, carbamate, phosphate or aminoether functional groups against five cancer cell lines: MCF-7 (breast), A549 (lung), HepG2 (liver), HeLa (cervix), and DU145 (prostate) at 25 µM using the MTT assay. Results from the screening showed that two derivatives had the lowest percentage of cell viability at 25 µM, the aminoether derivative meso-11 and the esther derivative meso-20 against A549 (44.15±0.78 %) and MCF-7 (41.60±0.92 %), respectively. Then, it was determined the IC50 value of each compound against their most sensitive cancer cell line. Results showed that aminoether derivative meso-11 showed potent cytotoxicity against A549 (IC50 =17.11±2.11 µM), whereas it resulted more cytotoxic against the LL-47 lung normal cell line (IC50 =9.49±1.19 µM) having a Selective Index (SI) of 0.55. On the other hand, the esther derivative meso-20 exhibited potent activity against MCF-7 (IC50 =18.20±1.98 µM), whereas it displayed moderate cytotoxicity against the MCF-10 breast normal cell line (IC50 =41.22±2.17 µM) with a SI of 2.2. Finally, studies on the mechanism of action of meso-20 indicated disruption of MCF-7 plasma membrane in vitro and the AMPK activation in silico.

Gigantol protects retinal pigment epithelial cells against high glucose-induced apoptosis, oxidative stress and inflammation by inhibiting MTDH-mediated NF-kB signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE: As a frequent complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), diabetic retinopathy (DR) is now one of the major causes of blindness. Recent reports have shown that retinal pigment epithelial cell (RPEC) damage plays an essential part in DR development and progression. This work intended to explore the potential effects of Gigantol on high glucose (HG)-stimulated RPEC damage and identify potential mechanisms. METHODS: Cell viability, cell damage, and cell apoptosis were evaluated by CCK-8, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and flow cytometry assays. The levels of oxidative stress biomarkers and pro-inflammatory cytokines were assessed using corresponding commercial kits and ELISA. Additionally, the levels of MTDH and NF-kB signaling pathway-related proteins were detected by western blotting. RESULTS: Gigantol dose-dependently enhanced cell viability and decreased apoptosis in HG-challenged ARPE-19 cells. Also, Gigantol notably relieved oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in ARPE-19 cells under HG conditions. Gigantol dose-dependently suppressed MTDH expression. In addition, MTDH restoration partially counteracted the protective effects of Gigantol on ARPE-19 cells subject to HG treatment. Mechanically, Gigantol inactivated the NF-kB signaling pathway, which was partly restored after MTDH overexpression. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggested that Gigantol protected against HG-induced RPEC damage by inactivating the NF-kB signaling via MTDH inhibition, offering a potent therapeutic drug for DR treatment.

Iron oxyhydroxide catalyzes production of artificial humic substances from waste biomass.

Production of artificial humic substances (AHS) from waste biomass will contribute to environmental protection and agricultural productivity. However, there is still a lack of a faster, more efficient and eco-friendly way for sustainable production. In this study, we proposed a method to accelerate the production of AHS from cotton stalks by mild pyrolysis and H2O2 oxidation in only 4 hours, and investigated the formation of AHS during biomass transformation. We found that the process increased the aromatic matrix and facilitated biomass transformation by enhancing the depolymerization of lignin into micromolecular phenolics (e.g., guaiacol, p-ethyl guaiacol, etc.). The optimum conditions of pyrolysis at 250 °C and oxidation with 6 mL H2O2 (5 wt%) yielded up to 19.28 ± 1.30 wt% artificial humic acid (AHA) from cotton stalks. In addition, we used iron oxyhydroxide (FeOOH) to catalyze biomass transformation and investigated the effect of FeOOH on the composition and properties of AHS. 1.5 wt% FeOOH promoted the increased content of artificial fulvic acid (AFA) in AHS from 10.1% to 26.5%, eventually improving the activity of AHS. FeOOH raised the content of oxygen-containing groups, such as carboxylic acids and aldehyde, and significantly increased polysaccharide (10.94%-18.95%) and protein (1.95%-2.18%) derivatives. Polymerization of amino acid analogs and many small-molecule carbohydrates (e.g., furans, aldehydes, ketones, and their derivatives) promoted AFA formation. Finally, carbon flow analysis and maize incubation tests confirmed that AHS were expected to achieve carbon emission reductions and reduce environmental pollution from fertilizers. This study provides a sustainable strategy for the accelerated production of AHS, which has important application value for waste biomass resource utilization.

A key O-demethylase in the degradation of guaiacol by Rhodococcus opacus PD630.

Rhodococcus opacus PD630 is a high oil-producing strain with the ability to convert lignin-derived aromatics to high values, but limited research has been done to elucidate its conversion pathway, especially the upper pathways. In this study, we focused on the upper pathways and demethylation mechanism of lignin-derived aromatics metabolism by R. opacus PD630. The results of the aromatic carbon resource utilization screening showed that R. opacus PD630 had a strong degradation capacity to the lignin-derived methoxy-containing aromatics, such as guaiacol, 3,4-veratric acid, anisic acid, isovanillic acid, and vanillic acid. The gene of gcoAR, which encodes cytochrome P450, showed significant up-regulation when R. opacus PD630 grew on diverse aromatics. Deletion mutants of gcoAR and its partner protein gcoBR resulted in the strain losing the ability to grow on guaiacol, but no significant difference to the other aromatics. Only co-complementation alone of gcoAR and gcoBR restored the strain's ability to utilize guaiacol, demonstrating that both genes were equally important in the utilization of guaiacol. In vitro assays further revealed that GcoAR could convert guaiacol and anisole to catechol and phenol, respectively, with the production of formaldehyde as a by-product. The study provided robust evidence to reveal the molecular mechanism of R. opacus PD630 on guaiacol metabolism and offered a promising study model for dissecting the demethylation process of lignin-derived aromatics in microbes.IMPORTANCEAryl-O-demethylation is believed to be the key rate-limiting step in the catabolism of heterogeneous lignin-derived aromatics in both native and engineered microbes. However, the mechanisms of O-demethylation in lignin-derived aromatic catabolism remain unclear. Notably, guaiacol, the primary component unit of lignin, lacks in situ demonstration and illustration of the molecular mechanism of guaiacol O-demethylation in lignin-degrading bacteria. This is the first study to illustrate the mechanism of guaiacol metabolism by R. opacus PD630 in situ as well as characterize the purified key O-demethylase in vitro. This study provided further insight into the lignin metabolic pathway of R. opacus PD630 and could guide the design of an efficient biocatalytic system for lignin valorization.

Peroxidase activity of rice (Oryza sativa) hemoglobin: distinct role of tyrosines 112 and 151.

Five non-symbiotic hemoglobins (nsHb) have been identified in rice (Oryza sativa). Previous studies have shown that stress conditions can induce their overexpression, but the role of those globins is still unclear. To better understand the functions of nsHb, the reactivity of rice Hb1 toward hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) has been studied in vitro. Our results show that recombinant rice Hb1 dimerizes through dityrosine cross-links in the presence of H2O2. By site-directed mutagenesis, we suggest that tyrosine 112 located in the FG loop is involved in this dimerization. Interestingly, this residue is not conserved in the sequence of the five rice non-symbiotic hemoglobins. Stopped-flow spectrophotometric experiments have been performed to measure the catalytic constants of rice Hb and its variants using the oxidation of guaiacol. We have shown that Tyrosine112 is a residue that enhances the peroxidase activity of rice Hb1, since its replacement by an alananine leads to a decrease of guaiacol oxidation. In contrast, tyrosine 151, a conserved residue which is buried inside the heme pocket, reduces the protein reactivity. Indeed, the variant Tyr151Ala exhibits a higher peroxidase activity than the wild type. Interestingly, this residue affects the heme coordination and the replacement of the tyrosine by an alanine leads to the loss of the distal ligand. Therefore, even if the amino acid at position 151 does not participate to the formation of the dimer, this residue modulates the peroxidase activity and plays a role in the hexacoordinated state of the heme.

Proposal of a novel subspecies: Alicyclobacillus hesperidum subspecies aegles.

Alicyclobacillus sp. DSM 11985T was isolated from geothermal soil but had not yet been classified at the species level. The strain produced guaiacol, which is of interest from the viewpoint of food spoilage in the food industry. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that strain DSM 11985T was closely related (99.6 % similarity) to Alicyclobacillus hesperidum DSM 12489T. However, strains of A. hesperidum did not produce guaiacol; therefore, we performed the taxonomic characterization of strain DSM 11985T. The results showed that strain DSM 11985T and strains of A. hesperidum showed different phenotypic characteristics in biochemical/physiological tests including guaiacol production. Average nucleotide identity values between strain DSM 11985T and strain DSM 12489T were 95.4-95.9 %, and the in silico DNA-DNA hybridization value using the Genome-to-Genome Distance Calculator between strains DSM 11985T and DSM 12489T was 65.5 %. These values showed that strain DSM 11985T was genetically closely related but separated from strains of A. heparidum. From the above results, a novel subspecies of A. hesperidum, named Alicyclobacillus hesperidum subsp. aegles subsp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is DSM 11985T (=FR-12T=NBRC 113041T).

Molecular-Scale Investigation on the Formation of Brown Carbon Aerosol via Iron-Phenolic Compound Reactions in the Dark.

Brown carbon (BrC) is one of the most mysterious aerosol components responsible for global warming and air pollution. Iron (Fe)-induced catalytic oxidation of ubiquitous phenolic compounds has been considered as a potential pathway for BrC formation in the dark. However, the reaction mechanism and product composition are still poorly understood. Herein, 13 phenolic precursors were employed to react with Fe under environmentally relevant conditions. Using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry, a total of 764 unique molecular formulas were identified, and over 85% of them can be found in atmospheric aerosols. In particular, products derived from precursors with catechol-, guaiacol-, and syringol-like-based structures can be distinguished by their optical and molecular characteristics, indicating the structure-dependent formation of BrC from phenolic precursors. Multiple pieces of evidence indicate that under acidic conditions, the contribution of either autoxidation or oxygen-induced free radical oxidation to BrC formation is extremely limited. Ligand-to-Fe charge transfer and subsequent phenoxy radical coupling reactions were the main mechanism for the formation of polymerization products with high molecular diversity, and the efficiency of BrC generation was linearly correlated with the ionization potential of phenolic precursors. The present study uncovered how chemically diverse BrC products were formed by the Fe-phenolic compound reactions at the molecular level and also provide a new paradigm for the study of the atmospheric aerosol formation mechanism.

Characterization of alkylguaiacol-degrading cytochromes P450 for the biocatalytic valorization of lignin.

Cytochrome P450 enzymes have tremendous potential as industrial biocatalysts, including in biological lignin valorization. Here, we describe P450s that catalyze the O-demethylation of lignin-derived guaiacols with different ring substitution patterns. Bacterial strains Rhodococcus rhodochrous EP4 and Rhodococcus jostii RHA1 both utilized alkylguaiacols as sole growth substrates. Transcriptomics of EP4 grown on 4-propylguaiacol (4PG) revealed the up-regulation of agcA, encoding a CYP255A1 family P450, and the aph genes, previously shown to encode a meta-cleavage pathway responsible for 4-alkylphenol catabolism. The function of the homologous pathway in RHA1 was confirmed: Deletion mutants of agcA and aphC, encoding the meta-cleavage alkylcatechol dioxygenase, grew on guaiacol but not 4PG. By contrast, deletion mutants of gcoA and pcaL, encoding a CYP255A2 family P450 and an ortho-cleavage pathway enzyme, respectively, grew on 4-propylguaiacol but not guaiacol. CYP255A1 from EP4 catalyzed the O-demethylation of 4-alkylguaiacols to 4-alkylcatechols with the following apparent specificities (kcat/KM): propyl > ethyl > methyl > guaiacol. This order largely reflected AgcA's binding affinities for the different guaiacols and was the inverse of GcoAEP4's specificities. The biocatalytic potential of AgcA was demonstrated by the ability of EP4 to grow on lignin-derived products obtained from the reductive catalytic fractionation of corn stover, depleting alkylguaiacols and alkylphenols. By identifying related P450s with complementary specificities for lignin-relevant guaiacols, this study facilitates the design of these enzymes for biocatalytic applications. We further demonstrated that the metabolic fate of the guaiacol depends on its substitution pattern, a finding that has significant implications for engineering biocatalysts to valorize lignin.

Sustainable Electropolymerization of Zingerone and Its C2 Symmetric Dimer for Amperometric Biosensor Films.

Polymeric permselective films are frequently used for amperometric biosensors to prevent electroactive interference present in the target matrix. Phenylenediamines are the most commonly used for the deposition of shielding polymeric films against interfering species; however, even phenolic monomers have been utilized in the creation of these films for microsensors and biosensors. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the performances of electrosynthesized polymers, layered by means of constant potential amperometry (CPA), of naturally occurring compound zingerone (ZING) and its dimer dehydrozingerone (ZING DIM), which was obtained by straight oxidative coupling reaction. The polymers showed interesting shielding characteristics against the main interfering species, such as ascorbic acid (AA): actually, polyZING exhibited an AA shielding aptitude comprised between 77.6 and 99.6%, comparable to that obtained with PPD. Moreover, a marked capability of increased monitoring of hydrogen peroxide (HP), when data were compared with bare metal results, was observed. In particular, polyZING showed increases ranging between 55.6 and 85.6%. In the present work, the molecular structures of the obtained polymers have been theorized and docking analyses were performed to understand their peculiar characteristics better. The structures were docked using the Lamarckian genetic algorithm (LGA). Glutamate biosensors based on those polymers were built, and their performances were compared with biosensors based on PPD, which is the most widespread polymer for the construction of amperometric biosensors.

Purification and characterization of avocado (Persea americana) polyphenol oxidase by affinity chromatography.

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzyme was purified from avocado (Persea americana) by ammonium sulfate precipitation 0-80%, dialysis and affinity chromatography. Characterization studies were performed with catechol (0.10 M, pH: 7.2, 37 °C), 4-methyl catechol (0.10 M, pH: 6.0, 37 °C), pyrogallol (0.02 M, pH: 8.5, 5 °C), chlorogenic acid (0.20 M, pH: 6.8, 10 °C) and caffeic acid (0.20 M, pH: 8.5, 10 °C), respectively. Vmax and KM values were determined for catechol (15789.96 U*mL-1*min-1, 10 mM), 4-methyl catechol (6768.40 U*mL-1*min-1, 2 mM), pyrogallol (6802.72 U*mL-1*min-1, 4 mM), chlorogenic acid (1377.97 U*mL-1*min-1, 14.29 mM) and caffeic acid (2567.24 U*mL-1*min-1, 5 mM). PPO was purified as 147.73-fold and 154.00-fold by Sepharose 4B-L-Tyrosine-p-aminobenzoic acid and Sepharose-6B-L-Tyrosine-p-aminobenzoic acid, respectively. 4B isolated PPO gave two bands at 35 and 50 kDa in SDS-PAGE while visible and slightly visible bands at 50-70 kDa and 100 kDa in Native-PAGE. 6B isolated PPO gave bands as distinctively at 50 kDa and unclearly at around 35 kDa in SDS-PAGE while visible and slightly visible bands at 50-70 and 100 kDa in Native-PAGE. The synthesis of original 6B-affinity gel and no any study found in literature on affinity purification of avocado PPO show importance of our study.

Fast and Efficient Atmospheric NO2 Collection for Isotopic Analysis by a 3D-Printed Denuder System.

Being major species of atmospheric reactive nitrogen, nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO + NO2) have important implications for ozone and OH radical formation in addition to nitrogen cycles. Stable nitrogen isotopes (δ15N) of NOx have been sought to track NOx emissions and NOx chemical reactivities in the atmosphere. The current atmospheric NOx collection methods for isotopic analysis, however, largely suffer from unverified collection efficiency and/or low collection speed (<10 L/min). The latter makes it difficult to study δ15N(NOx) in pristine regions with low NOx concentrations. Here, we present a three-dimensional (3D)-printed honeycomb denuder (3DP-HCD) system, which can effectively collect atmospheric NO2 (a major part of NOx) under a variety of laboratory and field conditions. With a coating solution consisting of 10% potassium hydroxide (KOH) and 25% guaiacol in methanol, the denuder system can collect NO2 with nearly 100% efficiency at flow rates of up to 70 L/min, which is 7 times higher than that of the existing method and allows high-resolution (e.g., diurnal or finer resolution) NO2 collection even in pristine sites. Besides, the δ15N of NO2 collected by the 3DP-HCD system shows good reproducibility and consistency with the previously tested method. Preliminary results of online NO oxidation by a chrome trioxide (CrO3) oxidizer for simultaneous NO and NO2 collection are also presented and discussed.

Peroxidase Activity of Myoglobin Variants Reconstituted with Artificial Cofactors.

Myoglobin (Mb) can react with hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ) to form a highly active intermediate compound and catalyse oxidation reactions. To enhance this activity, known as pseudo-peroxidase activity, previous studies have focused on the modification of key amino acid residues of Mb or the heme cofactor. In this work, the Mb scaffold (apo-Mb) was systematically reconstituted with a set of cofactors based on six metal ions and two ligands. These Mb variants were fully characterised by UV-Vis spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and native mass spectrometry (nMS). The steady-state kinetics of guaiacol oxidation and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP) dehalogenation catalysed by Mb variants were determined. Mb variants with iron chlorin e6 (Fe-Ce6) and manganese chlorin e6 (Mn-Ce6) cofactors were found to have improved catalytic efficiency for both guaiacol and TCP substrates in comparison with wild-type Mb, i. e. Fe-protoporphyrin IX-Mb. Furthermore, the selected cofactors were incorporated into the scaffold of a Mb mutant, swMb H64D. Enhanced peroxidase activity for both substrates were found via the reconstitution of Fe-Ce6 into the mutant scaffold.

The Catabolic System of Acetovanillone and Acetosyringone in Sphingobium sp. Strain SYK-6 Useful for Upgrading Aromatic Compounds Obtained through Chemical Lignin Depolymerization.

Acetovanillone is a major aromatic monomer produced in oxidative/base-catalyzed lignin depolymerization. However, the production of chemical products from acetovanillone has not been explored due to the lack of information on the microbial acetovanillone catabolic system. Here, the acvABCDEF genes were identified as specifically induced genes during the growth of Sphingobium sp. strain SYK-6 cells with acetovanillone and these genes were essential for SYK-6 growth on acetovanillone and acetosyringone (a syringyl-type acetophenone derivative). AcvAB and AcvF produced in Escherichia coli phosphorylated acetovanillone/acetosyringone and dephosphorylated the phosphorylated acetovanillone/acetosyringone, respectively. AcvCDE produced in Sphingobium japonicum UT26S carboxylated the reaction products generated from acetovanillone/acetosyringone by AcvAB and AcvF into vanilloyl acetic acid/3-(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-oxopropanoic acid. To demonstrate the feasibility of producing cis,cis-muconic acid from acetovanillone, a metabolic modification on a mutant of Pseudomonas sp. strain NGC7 that accumulates cis,cis-muconic acid from catechol was performed. The resulting strain expressing vceA and vceB required for converting vanilloyl acetic acid to vanillic acid and aroY encoding protocatechuic acid decarboxylase in addition to acvABCDEF successfully converted 1.2 mM acetovanillone to approximately equimolar cis,cis-muconic acid. Our results are expected to help improve the yield and purity of value-added chemical production from lignin through biological funneling. IMPORTANCE In the alkaline oxidation of lignin, aromatic aldehydes (vanillin, syringaldehyde, and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde), aromatic acids (vanillic acid, syringic acid, and p-hydroxybenzoic acid), and acetophenone-related compounds (acetovanillone, acetosyringone, and 4'-hydroxyacetophenone) are produced as major aromatic monomers. Also, base-catalyzed depolymerization of guaiacyl lignin resulted in vanillin, vanillic acid, guaiacol, and acetovanillone as primary aromatic monomers. To date, microbial catabolic systems of vanillin, vanillic acid, and guaiacol have been well characterized, and the production of value-added chemicals from them has also been explored. However, due to the lack of information on the microbial acetovanillone and acetosyringone catabolic system, chemical production from acetovanillone and acetosyringone has not been achieved. This study elucidated the acetovanillone/acetosyringone catabolic system and demonstrates the potential of using these genes for the production of value-added chemicals from these compounds.

Degradation of salicylic acid to catechol in Solanaceae by SA 1-hydroxylase.

The hormone salicylic acid (SA) plays crucial roles in plant defense, stress responses, and in the regulation of plant growth and development. Whereas the biosynthetic pathways and biological functions of SA have been extensively studied, SA catabolism is less well understood. In this study, we report the identification and functional characterization of an FAD/NADH-dependent SA 1-hydroxylase from tomato (Solanum lycopersicum; SlSA1H), which catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of SA to catechol. Transcript levels of SlSA1H were highest in stems and its expression was correlated with the formation of the methylated catechol derivatives guaiacol and veratrole. Consistent with a role in SA catabolism, SlSA1H RNAi plants accumulated lower amounts of guaiacol and failed to produce any veratrole. Two O-methyltransferases involved in the conversion of catechol to guaiacol and guaiacol to veratrole were also functionally characterized. Subcellular localization analyses revealed the cytosolic localization of this degradation pathway. Phylogenetic analysis and functional characterization of SA1H homologs from other species indicated that this type of FAD/NADH-dependent SA 1-hydroxylases evolved recently within the Solanaceae family.

Zingerone suppresses proliferation, invasion, and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by the inhibition of MTDH-mediated PI3K/Akt pathway.

PURPOSE: Previous studies have proved that zingerone was a therapeutic agent for many tumors. Metadherin (MTDH) acts as an oncogene and is involved in tumorigenesis. The purpose of this study was to explore the underlying mechanism of zingerone that regulates MTDH to affect hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. METHODS: CCK-8 assay was performed to detect HCC cell proliferation. The invasion and migration abilities of HCC cells were evaluated using Transwell assay. The mRNA and protein levels in cells and tissues were measured using qRT-PCR and Western blot assays. Moreover, we established the HCC xenografts nude mice to evaluate the effect of zingerone on tumor growth. RESULTS: We found that zingerone treatment significantly inhibited HCC cell malignant phenotype and tumor growth. Moreover, MTDH was highly expressed in HCC tissues and cell lines and was positively associated with poor overall survival of patients with HCC. Knockdown of MTDH notably suppressed the proliferation, invasion, and migration capacities of HCC cells. Mechanistically, inhibition of MTDH by zingerone impeded the malignant biological behavior of HCC cells by inactivating the PI3K/Akt pathway. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that zingerone served as an effective therapeutic agent in HCC via blocking the MTDH-mediated PI3K/Akt pathway.

The Effect of Pristine and Hydroxylated Oxide Surfaces on the Guaiacol HDO Process: A DFT Study.

The acid-base character of oxide supports is crucial for catalytic reactions. In this work, the acid-base properties of five oxide surfaces common in heterogeneous catalysis were investigated and related to their interaction with monolignol compounds derived from lignin. We have used density functional theory simulations also to understand the role of the surfaces' hydroxylation state. The results show that moderate hydroxyl coverage on the amphoteric γ-Al2 O3 (110) slightly strengthens the oxy-compounds' adsorption due to an increase in Lewis acidity. Similarly, low hydroxyl coverage on the reducible TiO2 (101) enlarges its adsorption capacity by up to 42 % compared with its clean surface. The higher affinity is attributed to the more favourable interaction between the surface-OH groups and the aromatic rings. Overall, the results indicate that hydroxyl coverage enhances the amphoteric and reducible adsorption capacity towards aromatic species.

Investigating the Efficacy of Zingerone on Mesothelioma and the Role of TRPV1 in This Effect.

Mesothelioma is a highly lethal cancer developing in the lung, heart, and abdominal membranes. Zingerone, a capsaicin-like bioactive compound, has been shown to have anticancer properties. Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) is an ion channel involving in the cytotoxicity of capsaicin. In the present study, we aimed at determining the cytotoxicity of zingerone on a mesothelioma cell line and to evaluate the role of TRPV1 in this effect. For this purpose, H2452 was used as the mesothelioma cell line and MTS was performed to calculate zingerone cytotoxicity. Moreover, TRPV1 was inhibited by capsazepeine while TRPV1 production was reduced through shRNA treatment. Besides, wound healing and clonogenic assays were performed to measure the migration and colony forming abilities, respectively. As a result, IC50 value of zingerone was calculated as 11.49 mM. Capsazepine treatment or lowered TRPV1 gene expression did not appear to affect zingerone cytotoxicity (p > 0.05) even though the migration rate and colony forming abilities of the zingerone treated cells decreased significantly compared to the control (p < 0.05). Therefore, we concluded that zingerone was less cytotoxic to H2452 cells than the most cancer types and TRPV1 did not seem to have a role in its cytotoxicity.