TSG6 Plays a Role in Improving Orbital Inflammatory Infiltration and Extracellular Matrix Accumulation in TAO Model Mice.

Introduction: TSG-6 plays a wide anti-inflammatory and therapeutic role in a variety of autoimmune diseases as the key mediator of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Purpose: We aimed to test whether TSG-6 could exert similar effects as MSCS in TAO via establishing TAO animal model immunized by hTSHR-A subunit plasmid. Material and Methods: We tested the expression level of TSG-6 on intraconal orbital fat from controls and patients with TAO. We established a stable thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy animal model by immunizing 6-week-old female Balb/c mice with recombination hTSHR-A subunit plasmid. After four immunizations, TSG-6 or dexamethasone was injected through the tail vein. The effects of the drugs on body weight, thyroid function, orbital inflammation, fibrosis and lipogenesis were observed. Results: The expression of TSG-6 in the orbital tissues of TAO patient is lower than that of normal people. In our animal model, mice showed weight loss, higher TT4 and TSHR antibody levels, and ocular symptoms such as inflammation and proptosis. TSG-6 can reduce ocular fibrosis and lipogenesis by inhibiting the infiltration of CD3+ T lymphocytes and macrophages in the mouse model of thyroid associated ophthalmopathy. Compared with dexamethasone, TSG-6 showed comparable anti-inflammatory effect, moreover, it has given a better performance in inhibiting adipogenesis. Conclusion: It was demonstrated that TSG-6 has a considerable positive impact on improving eye symptoms of TAO mice, which could be a novel candidate for the early treatment of TAO.

Amperometric enzyme electrodes of glucose and lactate based on poly(diallyldimethylammonium)-alginate-metal ion-enzyme biocomposites.

Sodium alginate (AlgNa) and poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) were mixed to obtain an interpenetrating polymer composite via electrostatic interaction and then cast on an Au electrode surface, followed by incorporation of metal ions (e.g. Fe(3+) or Ca(2+), to form AlgFe or AlgCa hydrogel) and glucose oxidase (GOx) (or lactate oxidase (LOx)), to prepare amperometric enzyme electrodes. The interactions of PDDA, Alg, and Fe(3+) are studied by visual inspection as well as microscopic and electrochemical methods. Under optimized conditions, the PDDA-AlgFe-enzyme/Au and PDDA-AlgCa-enzyme/Au electrodes can give good analytical performance (e.g. nM-scale limit of detection of glucose or lactate, and sensitivities > 50 µA cm(-2) mM(-1)) in the first-generation biosensing mode, which are better than the reported analogs using typical polysaccharide biopolymers as enzyme-immobilization matrices. The enzyme electrodes also worked well in the second-generation biosensing mode in the coexistence of p-benzoquione or ferrocene monocarboxylic acid artificial mediator. Biofuel cells (BFCs) with the enzyme electrodes as the bioanodes and glucose (or lactate) as the biofuel were also fabricated with satisfactory results. The proposed protocols for preparation of high performance Alg-based biocomposites may find wide applications in bioanalysis.

35 MHz quartz crystal microbalance and surface plasmon resonance studies on the binding of angiotensin converting enzyme with lisinopril.

Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) plays a pivotal role in blood pressure regulation, and its interaction with an ACE inhibitor (ACEI) is an important research topic for treatment of hypertension. Herein, a low reagent consumption, multiparameter and highly sensitive quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) at 35-MHz fundamental frequency was utilized to monitor in situ the binding process of solution lisinopril (LIS, a carboxylic third-generation ACEI) to ACE adsorbed at a 1-dodecanethiol (C12SH)-modified Au electrode. From the QCM data, the binding molar ratio (r) of LIS to adsorbed ACE was estimated to be 2.3:1, and the binding and dissociation rate constants (k(1) and k(-1)) and the binding equilibrium constant (K(a)) were estimated to be k(1)=4.1×10(6) L mol(-1) s(-1), k(-1)=7.3×10(-3) s(-1) and K(a)=5.62×10(8) L mol(-1), respectively. Comparable qualitative and quantitative results were also obtained from separate experiments of cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and surface plasmon resonance measurements.