Excitatory neurons in the lateral parabrachial nucleus mediate the interruptive effect of inflammatory pain on a sustained attention task.

BACKGROUND: Attentional deficits are among the most common pain-induced cognitive disorders. Pain disrupts attention and may excessively occupy attentional resources in pathological states, leading to daily function impairment and increased disability. However, the neural circuit mechanisms by which pain disrupts attention are incompletely understood. METHODS: We used a three-choice serial reaction time task (3CSRTT) to construct a sustained-attention task model in male C57BL/6J mice. Formalin or complete Freund's adjuvant was injected into a paw to establish an inflammatory pain model. We measured changes in 3CSRTT performance in the two inflammatory pain models, and investigated the neural circuit mechanisms of pain-induced attentional deficits. RESULTS: Acute inflammatory pain impaired 3CSRTT performance, while chronic inflammatory pain had no effect. Either inhibition of the ascending pain pathway by blockade of the conduction of nociceptive signals in the sciatic nerve using the local anesthetic lidocaine or chemogenetic inhibition of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IIα (CaMKIIα) neurons in the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBN) attenuated the acute inflammatory pain-induced impairment of 3CSRTT performance, while chemogenetic activation of CaMKIIα neurons in the LPBN disrupted the 3CSRTT. Furthermore, the activity of CaMKIIα neurons in the LPBN was significantly lower on Day 2 after complete Freund's adjuvant injection than on the day of injection, which correlated with the recovery of 3CSRTT performance during chronic inflammatory pain. CONCLUSIONS: Activation of excitatory neurons in the LPBN is a mechanism by which acute inflammatory pain disrupts sustained attention. This finding has implications for the treatment of pain and its cognitive comorbidities.

Fyn-Mediated Paxillin Tyrosine 31 Phosphorylation Regulates Migration and Invasion of Breast Cancer Cells.

Metastasis is the leading cause of death in breast cancer patients due to the lack of effective therapies. Elevated levels of paxillin expression have been observed in various cancer types, with tyrosine phosphorylation shown to play a critical role in driving cancer cell migration. However, the specific impact of the distinct tyrosine phosphorylation events of paxillin in the progression of breast cancer remains to be fully elucidated. Here, we found that paxillin overexpression in breast cancer tissue is associated with a patient's poor prognosis. Paxillin knockdown inhibited the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells. Furthermore, the phosphorylation of paxillin tyrosine residue 31 (Tyr31) was significantly increased upon the TGF-ß1-induced migration and invasion of breast cancer cells. Inhibiting Fyn activity or silencing Fyn decreases paxillin Tyr31 phosphorylation. The wild-type and constitutively active Fyn directly phosphorylate paxillin Tyr31 in an in vitro system, indicating that Fyn directly phosphorylates paxillin Tyr31. Additionally, the non-phosphorylatable mutant of paxillin at Tyr31 reduces actin stress fiber formation, migration, and invasion of breast cancer cells. Taken together, our results provide direct evidence that Fyn-mediated paxillin Tyr31 phosphorylation is required for breast cancer migration and invasion, suggesting that targeting paxillin Tyr31 phosphorylation could be a potential therapeutic strategy for mitigating breast cancer metastasis.

Effect of enzymatic hydrolysis conditions on structure of soy protein isolate/gum arabic complex and stability of oil-in-water emulsion.

BACKGROUND: The emulsifying, antioxidant and foaming properties of soy protein isolate hydrolysates (SPH) can be improved by the addition of gum arabic (GA). We investigated the effects of different hydrolysis conditions on the complexation of SPH and GA, and the effects of the complex on the properties of emulsions. RESULTS: Fluorescence spectroscopy showed that the addition of GA had a stronger effect on bromelain and pepsin hydrolysates than trypsin hydrolysate, and therefore had a higher binding constant (KA ) and a larger number of binding sites (n). The addition of GA could also improve protein solubility and emulsifying ability. The emulsions prepared with complexes, especially the complex of GA and SPH obtained by pepsin hydrolysis for 3 h, had a high absolute charge value, uniform particle size distribution, stable morphology, and good storage stability. After storage, the emulsification index (CI) of the emulsion only increased to 23.08%; its 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity was 24.37 ± 1.22% and its 2,2'-Azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate) (ABTS+ ) free radical scavenging activity was largely retained. CONCLUSION: During long-term storage, pepsin-treated protein (especially protein treated for 3 h) and GA can form a stable emulsion with antioxidant properties. This work provides new ideas for the development of natural and safe emulsifiers that have antioxidant properties and can be stored long-term and used in the food industry. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Preparation of the Pt/CNTs Catalyst and Its Application to the Fabrication of Hydrogenated Soybean Oil Containing a Low Content of Trans Fatty Acids Using the Solid Polymer Electrolyte Reactor.

Pt/CNTs were synthesized with an ethylene glycol reduction method, and the effects of carboxyl functionalization, ultrasonic power and the concentration of chloroplatinic acid on the catalytic activity of Pt/CNTs were investigated. The optimal performance of the Pt/CNTs catalyst was obtained when the ultrasonic power was 300 W and the concentration of chloroplatinic acid was 40 mg/mL. The durability and stability of the Pt/CNTs catalyst were considerably better compared to Pt/C, as shown by cyclic voltammetry measurement results. The trans fatty acids content of the obtained hydrogenated soybean oil (IV: 108.4 gl2/100 g oil) using Pt/CNTs as the cathode catalyst in a solid polymer electrolyte reactor was only 1.49%. The IV of hydrogenated soybean oil obtained using CNTs as carrier with Pt loading 0.1 mg/cm2 (IV: 108.4 gl2/100 g oil) was lower than carbon with a Pt loading of 0.8 mg/cm2 (IV: 109.9 gl2/100 g oil). Thus, to achive the same IV, the usage of Pt was much less when carbon nanotubes were selected as catalyst carrier compared to traditional carbon carrier. The changes of fatty acid components and the hydrogenated selectivity of octadecenoic acid were also discussed.

Efficient Capture and Effective Sensing of Cr2O72- from Water Using a Zirconium Metal-Organic Framework.

Highly efficient decontamination of heavily toxic Cr2O72- from water remains a serious task for public health and ecosystem protection. An easily regenerative and reused sorbent with suitable porosity may address this task. Herein, a series of water-stable and ecofriendly metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with large surface areas were assessed for their ability to adsorb and separate Cr2O72- from aqueous solutions. Among these tested MOFs, NU-1000 shows an extraordinary capability to efficiently capture (within 3 min) Cr2O72- with a sorption capacity of up to 76.8 mg/g, which is the largest one for the neutral MOF-based Cr2O72- sorbents. NU-1000 also shows remarkable selectivity for Cr2O72- capture and can effectively reduce the Cr(VI) concentration from 24 ppm to 60 ppb, which is below the acceptable limit for the drinking water standard (100 ppb by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). Moreover, this adsorbent can be easily regenerated by Soxhlet extraction with an acidic methanol solution (2.5 M HCl) and can be reused at least three times without a significant loss of it adsorption ability. More intriguingly, NU-1000 can also serve as an efficient photoluminescent probe for the selective detection of Cr2O72- in aqueous media. The Cr2O72- detection limit is as low as 1.8 µM, and the linear range is from 1.8 to 340 µM. Our work shows that NU-1000 is a unique material combining both efficient sorption and exceptional fluorescent sensing of Cr2O72- in aqueous media.

Expressions and Functions of Krüppel Like Factor 5 and Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Superfamily Member 11a in Cervical Cancer Tissues and Cells.

Objective To investigate the expressions of Krüppel like factor 5 (KLF5) and tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 11a (TNFRSF11a) in cervical cancer tissues and their effect on proliferation,migration,and invasion of HeLa cells. Methods Microarray technology was used to detect the mRNA expression of gene in cytocine stimulusin cervical tissues,and the result was verified by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The expressions of KLF5 and TNFRSF11a in cervical tissues were detected by double immunofluorescence staining. HeLa cells were transfected with specific small interfering RNA to knock down the endogenous TNFRSF11a and KLF5 and were infected with adenovirus containing KLF5 to over-express KLF5,respectively. Protein level was detected by Western blot. The regulatory effect of KLF5 on candidate target gene (TNFRSF11a) was determined by dual-luciferase reporter assay. The activity of the cell proliferation,migration,and invasion was detected by using cell counting kit-8 assay and Transwell assay. Results The results of microarray technology showed that the expressions of KLF5 and TNFRSF11a were significantly higher in cervical squamous cell carcinoma tissues compared with normal cervical tissues (P=0.002,P=0.045),and real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed that the mRNA expressions of KLF5 and TNFRSF11a were significantly higher in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) Ⅰ,CINⅡ-Ⅲ and cervical squamous cell carcinoma tissues compared with normal cervical tissues (KLF5:F=32.79,P=0.018,P=0.014,and P=0.011;TNFRSF11a:F=36.72,P=0.013,P=0.010,and P=0.009) and double immunofluorescence staining showed that the protein expressions of KLF5 and TNFRSF11a were significantly higher in CIN Ⅰ,CIN Ⅱ-Ⅲ and cervical squamous cell carcinoma tissues compared with normal cervical tissues (KLF5:F=42.38,P=0.014,P=0.008,and P=0.002;TNFRSF11a:F=35.42,P=0.021,P=0.012,and P=0.004) and increased with the carcinogenesis. The experiment in vitro confirmed that KLF5 promotes proliferation,migration,and invasion of HeLa by up-regulating TNFRSF11a expression. Clinical analysis showed that the expression of TNFRSF11a mRNA was positively correlated with tumor pathological grading,clinical stage,depth of invasion,and lymph node metastasis (all P<0.05). Conclusion KLF5 and TNFRSF11a are related to cervical cancer. KLF5 promote the proliferation,migration,and invasion of cervical cancer cells partly by upregulating the transcription of TNFRSF11a.

Preparation, characterization, and binding mechanism of quercetin-loaded composite nanoparticles based on zein-soybean protein isolate.

In this study, quercetin (Que) was encapsulated for controlled release during gastrointestinal digestion using zein-soy isolate protein (SPI) composite nanoparticles that were made following an antisolvent precipitation technique. The average particle size of the composite nanoparticles ranged from 182.1 to 230.9 nm, and the polydispersity index (PDI) was small (0.105-0.323). The microstructure revealed that the composite nanoparticles were spherically distributed and that Que. was embedded on the surface of the nanoparticles. Que. has an encapsulation efficiency of up to 93.3 %. Spectrum analysis, molecular docking and zeta potential measurements revealed that the interactions between the composite nanoparticles and Que. occurred mainly through hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonding, and electrostatic interactions. Compared with single zein nanoparticles, the composite nanoparticles showed a significant and controlled release of Que. during the whole simulated gastrointestinal digestion process. This study provides a novel method for the development of a controlled-release drug delivery system for controlling the release of Que.

Effect of Paxillin Expression and Phosphorylation on Colorectal Cancer Prognosis and Metastasis.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide, and metastasis is strongly associated with poor prognosis in patients with CRC. We have previously found that the expression and phosphorylation of paxillin (PXN) play an important role in the metastatic potential of breast cancer. This study examined the potential role of PXN in CRC metastasis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Resected tumor specimens from 92 patients with CRC were subjected to immunohistochemical analysis of PXN levels. Three human CRC cell lines, HCT116, LoVo, and SW480 were used for scratch and transwell invasion assays to examine the effects of PXN over-expression. RNA sequencing was performed to obtain the expression profiles under PXN over-expression. RESULTS: High levels of PXN were significantly correlated with advanced stage, higher carcinoembryonic antigen and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels, and poorer overall survival. The migration ability of CRC cells was enhanced by exogenous PXN over-expression, but this enhancement was not observed in cells harboring exogenously mutated PXN at Tyr31 or Tyr88 phosphorylation sites. In PXN-over-expressing cells, TNF-α signaling via NF-[Formula: see text]B was positively enriched. CONCLUSION: PXN expression and phosphorylation at Tyr31 or Tyr88 may influence the migration and invasion of CRC cells. PXN expression and phosphorylation at Tyr31 or Tyr88 are promising targets for evaluating prognosis and treating CRC.

Energy structure upgrade and carbon emission reduction: evidence from Asian economies.

The reduction of carbon emissions has become an important climate issue worldwide. However, the diversity of carbon trading systems and the differentiation policy may generate incomparable carbon abatement costs across regions and countries. Based on the nonparametric model, this paper investigates the shadow price of carbon emissions and energy structure in 38 Asian countries from 1991 to 2019. The main findings of this paper are as follows: (1) The annual average shadow price of carbon emissions experienced a fluctuating decline for Asian countries during the period 1991-2000, followed by a continuous rise and then a fluctuating decline. (2) Industrialization may lead to a decline in carbon shadow price, while urbanization may lead to a rise in the opportunity cost of carbon reduction. (3) The carbon shadow price in countries of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is lower than that in non-APEC countries. (4) The structure of energy consumption is negatively related to marginal abatement costs, while on the contrary, the coefficients of the level of human resources are significantly positive. We also derive corresponding policy measures to promote intra-regional emission reduction.

Bioinformatics analysis identifies CSF1R as an essential gene mediating Neuropathic pain - Experimental research.

BACKGROUND: Neuropathic pain (NP) severely affects the quality of life; however, there is no effective long-term treatment. The spinal dorsal horn (SDH) is an essential target for studying NP mechanisms and clinical treatments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) for the datasets of SDH microarray changes in mice NP models. Bioinformatics analysis was conducted to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs), DEG enrichment pathways, and critical hub genes in the datasets. Finally, we explored the expression, function, and relevant mechanisms of the mouse NP model's most critical hub gene. RESULTS: Two SDH microarray datasets for the mice NP model were retrieved from GEO, GSE75072, and GSE111216. We found 43 overlapping DEGs in the datasets, primarily in the inflammatory and immune pathways. The most essential hub gene was the colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R). Seven days after creating the mouse NP model-spared nerve injury (SNI) model or Sham model, the expression of CSF1R and microglia increased significantly in the SDH of SNI group. PLX3397, an inhibitor of CSF1R, reduced the SDH CSF1R and microglia expression after SNI and significantly alleviated the hyperalgesia in the SNI mice. CONCLUSION: SDH CSF1R participates in regulation NP, which is related to changes in the activity of microglia in the SDH.

Improvement of protein emulsion stability through glycosylated black bean protein covalent interaction with (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate.

This study investigated the effects of covalent conjugates combined by glycosylated black bean protein isolate (BBPI-G) and (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on the emulsion stability. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy showed that covalent binding of EGCG with BBPI-G made the protein molecule unfolded. Besides, the emulsifying properties of BBPI-G were increased after combined with EGCG. BBPI-G-EGCG emulsion had lower mean particle size and higher content of interfacial protein adsorption (AP), which resulted in thicker and more impact oil-water interface. Therefore, the stability of emulsions was significantly improved. Furthermore, the emulsions prepared by BBPI-G-EGCG compounds exhibited considerable stability in storage, oxidation, thermal treatments, freeze-thaw and freeze-dried powders resolubility. This study demonstrated that the covalent bond of glycosylated protein and polyphenols could advance the emulsifying performance of protein, and BBPI-G-EGCG covalent complex was an effective emulsifier for preparing high stability emulsions.

Comparison of Different Protein Emulsifiers on Physicochemical Properties of ß-Carotene-Loaded Nanoemulsion: Effect on Formation, Stability, and In Vitro Digestion.

In this study, ß-carotene-loaded nanoemulsions are emulsified using four biomacromolecular proteins-peanut protein isolate (PPI), soy protein isolate (SPI), rice bran protein isolate (RBPI), and whey protein isolate (WPI)-in order to explore their emulsion stability and in vitro digestion characteristics. All four nanoemulsions attained high encapsulation levels (over 90%). During the three-stage in vitro digestion model (including oral, gastric, and small intestine digestion phases), the PPI-emulsified nanoemulsion showed the highest lipolysis rates (117.39%) and bioaccessibility (37.39%) among the four nanoemulsions. Moreover, the PPI-emulsified nanoemulsion (with the smallest droplet size) also demonstrated the highest stability during storage and centrifugation, while those for the RBPI-emulsified nanoemulsion (with the largest droplet size) were the lowest. In addition, all four nanoemulsions showed superior oxidation stability when compared with the blank control of corn oil. The oxidation rates of the PPI- and WPI-stabilized groups were slower than the other two groups.

The Improvement of Nanoemulsion Stability and Antioxidation via Protein-Chlorogenic Acid-Dextran Conjugates as Emulsifiers.

In this experiment, the peanut protein isolate (PPI), soybean protein isolate (SPI), rice bran protein isolate (RBPI), and whey protein isolate (WPI) were modified by linking chlorogenic acid covalently and linking dextran by Maillard reaction to prepare protein-chlorogenic acid-dextran (PCD) conjugates. As for structures, conformational changes of conjugates were determined by Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and fluorescence measurements. The molecular weights of PCD conjugates became larger, the structure became disorder, and the amino acid residues inside the protein were exposed to the polar environment when compared to protein-chlorogenic acid (PC) and native proteins (NPs). As for properties, the interfacial tension reduced and antioxidant activity of PCD conjugates enhanced in varying degrees. Based on this, PCD conjugates were used as emulsifiers in order to investigate the properties of nanoemulsions and compared with PC conjugates and NPs. The mean droplet diameters (MDD) results showed that the nanoemulsions that were stabilized by PCD conjugates had the smallest particle sizes and exhibited uniformly dispersed spherical shapes. The storage and oxidative stabilities of PCD conjugates were also significantly improved. In comparison, nanoemulsion that was stabilized by PPI-chlorogenic acid-dextran conjugate had the smallest particle size and optimal stability among four protein stabilized nanoemulsions.

KLF5 promotes cervical cancer proliferation, migration and invasion in a manner partly dependent on TNFRSF11a expression.

Although the transcription factor Krüppel-like factor 5 (KLF5) plays important roles in both inflammation and cancer, the mechanism by which this factor promotes cervical carcinogenesis remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrated a potential role for tumour necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 11a (TNFRSF11a), the corresponding gene of which is a direct binding target of KLF5, in tumour cell proliferation and invasiveness. Coexpression of KLF5 and TNFRSF11a correlated significantly with tumorigenesis in cervical tissues (P < 0.05) and manipulation of KLF5 expression positively affected TNFRSF11a mRNA and protein expression. Functionally, KLF5 promoted cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasiveness in a manner dependent partly on TNFRSF11a expression. Moreover, in vivo functional TNFRSF11a-knockdown mouse studies revealed suppression of tumorigenicity and liver metastatic potential. Notably, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α induced KLF5 expression by activating the p38 signalling pathway and high KLF5 and TNFRSF11a expression increased the risk of death in patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma. Our results demonstrate that KLF5 and TNFRSF11a promote cervical cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasiveness.

Different associations of CD45 isoforms with STAT3, PKC and ERK regulate IL-6-induced proliferation in myeloma.

In response to interleukin 6 (IL-6) stimulation, both CD45RO and CD45RB, but not CD45RA, translocate to lipid rafts. However, the significance of this distinct translocation and the downstream signals in CD45 isoforms-participated IL-6 signal are not well understood. Using sucrose fractionation, we found that phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)3 and STAT1 were mainly localized in lipid rafts in response to IL-6 stimulation, despite both STAT3 and STAT1 localizing in raft and non-raft fractions in the presence or absence of IL-6. On the other hand, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and phosphorylated ERK were localized in non-raft fractions regardless of the existence of IL-6. The rafts inhibitor significantly impeded the phosphorylation of STAT3 and STAT1 and nuclear translocation, but had little effect on (and only postponing) the phosphorylation of ERK. This data suggests that lipid raft-dependent STAT3 and STAT1 pathways are dominant pathways of IL-6 signal in myeloma cells. Interestingly, the phosphorylation level of STAT3 but not STAT1 in CD45+ cells was significantly higher compared to that of CD45- cells, while the phosphorylation level of ERK in CD45+ myeloma cells was relatively low. Furthermore, exogenously expressed CD45RO/RB significantly enhanced STAT3, protein kinase C (PKC) and downstream NF-κB activation; however, CD45RA/RB inhibited IL-6-induced ERK phosphorylation. CD45 also enhanced the nuclear localization of STAT3 but not that of STAT1. In response to IL-6 stimulation, CD45RO moved into raft compartments and formed a complex with STAT3 and PKC in raft fraction, while CD45RA remained outside of lipid rafts and formed a complex with ERK in non-raft fraction. This data suggests a different role of CD45 isoforms in IL-6-induced signaling, indicating that while CD45RA/RB seems inhibit the rafts-unrelated ERK pathway, CD45RO/RB may actually work to enhance the rafts-related STAT3 and PKC/NF-κB pathways.

Changes of TIZ expression in epithelial ovarian cancer cells.

OBJECTIVE: To study the change of TIZ expression in epithelial ovarian cancer cells. METHODS: HO8910 cells were transinfected with siRNA to inhibit the expression of TIZ. pcDNA3.1-TIZ vectors were combined to increase the TIZ expression level. The cell viability, colony forming efficiency and cycle distribution of HO8910, HO8910/NC, HO8910/pcDNA3.1-NC, HO8910/TIZ-573 and H08910/pcDNA3.1-TIZ were compared, and the invasion rate, migration rate and adhesion rate between 5 groups of cells were compared. RESULTS: Compared with those of HO8910, HO8910/NC and HO8910/pcDNA3.1-NC, the cell viability, colony forming efficiency and cell cycle distribution of HO8910/TIZ-573 were increased, while the indexes of H08910/pcDNA3.1-NC were decreased with statistical significant difference (P<0.05). There was no statistical significant difference in the invasion rate, migration rate and adhesion rate between 5 groups of cells (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The expression of TIZ can inhibit the proliferation of epithelial ovarian cancer cells.