A novel haemodilution chip mounted on the total thrombus-formation analysis system, a flow chamber system, enables stable analysis of platelet products under low platelet concentration/high shear conditions.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The total thrombus-formation analysis system (T-TAS) can quantitatively analyse the contribution of platelets to haemostasis using reconstituted blood samples. However, it is unsuitable in cases with low platelet counts. We introduced a haemodilution (HD) chip with a shallow chamber depth, adapted to low platelet counts and high shear conditions (1500 s-1). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Blood samples were prepared by mixing red blood cell products, standard human plasma and platelet products; the final platelet count was 50 × 103/µL. Aggregation tests were performed by using the aggregation inducers collagen, adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and ristocetin. Samples with 2-, 4- and 9-day-old platelet products (N = 10) were evaluated. RESULTS: The HD chip enabled the stable analysis of the haemostatic function of all samples at a platelet count of 50 × 103/µL. Haemostatic function was correlated with ADP aggregation (time to 10 kPa [T10]: r = -0.53; area under the curve for 30 min: r = 0.40) and storage period (T10: r = 0.44). CONCLUSION: The HD chip-mounted T-TAS can stably analyse haemostatic function under low platelet counts and high shear conditions; this approach is expected to serve as a bridge to in vivo haemostatic tests with experimental animals.

New methodological approaches for assessing thrombus formation in cardiovascular disease.

Antiplatelet therapy is the mainstay preventive strategy for cardiovascular diseases, and dual antiplatelet therapy comprising aspirin and a P2Y12 inhibitor is the standard treatment for patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention. The Total Thrombus­Formation Analysis System (T­TAS) is a microchip flow­chamber system developed to evaluate overall thrombus formation under flow conditions, which is reportedly able to assess single and combined antithrombotic therapy. Here, we focus on this new system, T­TAS, and review its characteristics together with those of the conventional systems available for evaluation of antithrombotic therapies for cardiovascular diseases.

Sensitive Detection of C-Reactive Protein by One-Step Method Based on a Waveguide-Mode Sensor.

One-step biosensing methods enable the quick and simplified detection of biological substances. In this study, we developed a sensitive one-step method on the basis of a waveguide-mode sensor, which is an optical sensor utilizing waveguide-mode resonance and evanescent light. Streptavidin-conjugated and gold-nanoparticle-conjugated antibodies were reacted with a target substance and applied onto a biotinylated sensing plate. The target substance was detected by observing changes in sensor signals caused by binding the immunocomplex to the sensing surface. Performance of the developed one-step method was examined using a C-reactive protein (CRP) as a target substance. A sensor signal corresponding to the concentration of CRP was obtained. The minimal detectable CRP concentration of the developed method was 10 pM. The developed method greatly simplifies quantitative protein detection without reducing sensitivity.

Transient receptor potential cation 3 channel regulates melanoma proliferation and migration.

Melanoma has an extremely poor prognosis due to its rapidly progressive and highly metastatic nature. Several therapeutic drugs have recently become available, but are effective only against melanoma with specific BRAF gene mutation. Thus, there is a need to identify other target molecules. We show here that Transient receptor potential, canonical 3 (TRPC3) is widely expressed in human melanoma. We found that pharmacological inhibition of TRPC3 with a pyrazole compound, Pyr3, decreased melanoma cell proliferation and migration. Similar inhibition was observed when the TRPC3 gene was silenced with short-hairpin RNA (shRNA). Pyr3 induced dephosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 5 and Akt. Administration of Pyr3 (0.05 mg/kg) to mice implanted with human melanoma cells (C8161) significantly inhibited tumor growth. Our findings indicate that TRPC3 plays an important role in melanoma growth, and may be a novel target for treating melanoma in patients.

Fermentation properties of low-quality red alga Susabinori Porphyra yezoensis by intestinal bacteria.

Susabinori (Porphyra yezoensis), a red alga, is cultured and processed into a sheet-style dried food, nori, in Japan. But significant amounts of cultured susabinori, which has a low protein content is discarded because of its low quality. The protein content of nori has been reported to be correlated inversely with the carbohydrate content. In this study, we examined the relationship between the protein content and the fermentation of nori by means of bfidobacteria. nori with a low protein content (25% on dry base) was strongly fermented by bifidobacteria, whereas nori with a high protein content (41% on dry base) was not. nori with a low protein content contained large amounts of glycerol galactoside (GG, floridoside: 2-O-glycerol-alpha-D-galactoside, isofloridoside: 1-O-glycerol-alpha-D-galactoside), more than 10% w/w in the dried condition, and GG was the main substrate for fermentation by bifidobacteria. GG was not digested by digestive enzymes, and was not absorbed in the small intestine. These results suggest that GG can be used as a substrate for fermentation by bifidobacteria, and possibility of GG as a prebiotic.

Mycosporine-like amino acids extracted from scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) ovaries: UV protection and growth stimulation activities on human cells.

Scallops (Patinopecten yessoensis) are extensively cultured and landed in Japan. During the processing of scallops, large amounts of internal organs and shells are discharged as industrial wastes. To reduce the burden on the environment, effective utilization and disposal methods of the wastes are required. Therefore, we have screened for useful materials in scallop internal organs, and found ultraviolet (UV) absorbing compounds from scallop ovaries. Based on UV absorption, electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), ESI-MS/MS, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra, three UV absorbing compounds were identified as mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs): shinorine, porphyra-334 (P-334), and mycosporine-glycine. To investigate whether MAAs can act as a UV protector for human cells, we examined the protective effects of the three MAAs on human fibroblast cells from UV irradiation. All of the three examined MAAs protected the cells from UV-induced cell death. In particular, mycosporine-glycine had the strongest effect. Further, we found a promotion effect of MAAs on the proliferation of human skin fibroblast cells. From these results, it was found that the three MAAs isolated from scallop ovaries have a protective effect on human cells against UV light. MAAs have potential applications in cosmetics and toiletries as a UV protectors and activators of cell proliferation.

Inhibitory effect of porphyran, prepared from dried "Nori", on contact hypersensitivity in mice.

Porphyran is a major component of the red algae, Porphyra tenera and P. yezoensis, which are processed into a sheet type of dried food, "Nori". Porphyran has been reported to activate murine macrophages by in vitro and i.p. injection studies. The contact hypersensitivity (CHS) reaction in mice is commonly used as a model to evaluate the anti-allergic activity of food and food components. We therefore studied the effect of porphyran on the CHS reaction in Balb/c mice to evaluate anti-allergic activity of porphyran. We found that an oral administration of porphyran (2% in drinking water) suppressed the CHS reaction (ear edema) induced by 2,4,6-trinitrochlorobenzene. We also found that porphyran suppressed the serum level of IgE and the production of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in the challenged ear lobe. We conclude from these results that the CHS reaction was suppressed by oral porphyran due to the decreased serum level of IgE and the production of IFN-gamma in the challenged ear lobe.

Dietary isohumulones, the bitter components of beer, raise plasma HDL-cholesterol levels and reduce liver cholesterol and triacylglycerol contents similar to PPARalpha activations in C57BL/6 mice.

The effects of dietary isohumulones, the main components accounting for the bitter taste of beer, on lipid metabolism were examined. Young female C57BL/6N mice were fed diets containing isomerized hop extract (IHE), which consists mainly of isohumulones. Administration of IHE with an atherogenic (high-fat and high-cholesterol) diet for 2 weeks resulted in a significant increase in plasma HDL-cholesterol (P<0.01), along with a concomitant reduction in the atherosclerosis index, an increase in liver weight and a decrease in body weight gain in a dose-dependent manner. When animals received IHE with either a cholesterol or a basal diet for 1 week, significant decreases in the liver content of cholesterol (P<0.01) and triacylglycerol (cholesterol diet, P<0.01) were observed. Quantitative analyses of hepatic mRNA levels revealed that IHE administration resulted in up-regulation of mRNA for acyl-CoA oxidase, acyl-CoA synthetase, hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA synthetase, lipoprotein lipase and fatty acid transport protein, and down-regulation of mRNA for Apo CIII and Apo AI. Administration of purified isohumulones effectively resulted in the same changes as IHE. Administration of fenofibrate, an agonist for PPARalpha, with a cholesterol diet caused marked hepatomegaly, an increase in plasma HDL-cholesterol, a decrease in hepatic cholesterol content, and alterations in hepatic mRNA levels similar to those observed in mice given IHE. Taken together, these results suggest that the modulation of lipid metabolism observed in mice fed diets containing isohumulones is, at least in part, mediated by activation of PPARalpha.