[Establishment of a rapid detection method of colloidal gold immunochromatographic competition assay for organophosphorus pesticides].

Objective To establish a colloidal gold immunochromatography and develop the corresponding test strip for detecting organophosphorus compounds including omethoate, phoxim, dipterex, and parathion in fruits, vegetables and drinking water. Methods Artificial antigen molecules of organophosphorus compounds were synthesized using N-hydroxysuccinimide esters. Acetylcholinesterase antigen was prepared and purified, and the serum containing the corresponding antibody was prepared, purified, and labeled. The working parameters of the test strip were optimized, and the performance evaluation of it was conducted. Results The titer of the antisera ranged from 1:32 to 1:64, with a protein content of approximately 2 mg/mL. The purified polyclonal antibodies displayed target bands at relative molecular masses (Mr) of 25 000 and 55 000, indicating satisfactory purity. The reaction time of the test strips was between 5 to 10 minutes, with a detection limit for samples at 200 ng/mL. Both specificity and accuracy were satisfactory, and the test strip remained valid for 6 months. Conclusion A simple and rapid colloidal gold immunochromatography is established successfully for detecting several organophosphorus compounds and may be useful for on-site preliminary screening of samples in large quantities.

Enhancing the photodegradation of tetracycline in aquaculture wastewater via iron(III)-alginate: Degradation pathway transformation and toxicity reduction.

Tetracycline's (TC) incomplete self-photolysis by light irradiation generally produces toxic intermediate products, which posing serious harm to the aqueous environment. In order to diminish the environmental risks of TC self-photolysis, an iron(III)-alginate (Fe-SA) hydrogel assisted photocatalytic method was developed and the underlying mechanisms was also analyzed in this work. Under simulated sunlight, the photo-degradation efficiency of TC was 61.1% at pH 7.0 within 2 h. Importantly, four of the seven intermediate products that identified during the self-photolysis of TC were found toxic based on QSAR analysis. In contrast, the removal efficiency of TC could be improved to 87.4% by adding Fe-SA under the same conditions. Moreover, only two relatively weakly toxic intermediate products were detected after exposing to the Fe-SA photocatalytic system, indicating a significant reduction of the potential ecological risks caused by TC self-photolysis. Furthermore, the determination of reactive oxidation species (ROS) demonstrated that the addition of Fe-SA primarily facilitated the degradation of TC and the related toxic intermediate products through assisting the free radical (∙OH and ∙O2-) photocatalytic degradation pathway. Additionally, the photocatalytic application under actual sunlight conditions and the reusability experiments of Fe-SA further confirmed its effectiveness and low cost in removing TC. This study revealed the photodegradation mechanisms of TC from the perspective of the self-photolysis process, and also offering new insights into the removal of TC pollution in the environment.

Insight into Nephrotoxicity and Processing Mechanism of Arisaema erubescens (Wall.) Schott by Metabolomics and Network Analysis.

Background: Arisaematis Rhizome (AR) has been used as a damp-drying, phlegm-resolving, wind-expelling, pain-alleviating, and swelling-relieving drug for thousands of years. However, the toxicity limits its clinical applications. Therefore, AR is usually processed (Paozhi in Chinese) prior to clinical use. In this study, the integration of ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/ time-of-flight mass spectrometry-based metabolomics and network analysis was adopted to investigate the metabolic shifts induced by AR and explore the processing mechanism. Materials and Methods: Extracts of crude and processed AR products (1g/kg) were intragastrically administered to rats once daily for four consecutive weeks. The renal function was evaluated by blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), malondialdehyde (MDA), super oxide dismutase (SOD), the ratio of glutathione/glutathione disulfide (GSH/GSSH), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and histopathological examination. Furthermore, the chemical composition of AR was clarified by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/ time-of-flight mass spectrometry, after which the integration of metabolomics and network analysis was adopted to investigate the metabolic shifts induced by AR and explore the processing mechanism. Results: Crude AR caused renal damage by stimulating inflammation and oxidative stress, as confirmed by the increased production of IL-1ß, TNF-α and MDA, and decreased levels of SOD, GSH/GSSH and GSH-Px. Processing with ginger juice, alumen and bile juice alleviated the damage to kidney. Metabolomics results showed that a total of 35 potential biomarkers enriched in amino acid metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, fatty acid-related pathways, etc. were deduced to be responsible for the nephrotoxicity of AR and the toxicity-reducing effect of processing. Conclusion: This work provided theoretical and data support for the in-depth study of the processing mechanism, showing that processing reduces AR nephrotoxicity through multiple metabolic pathways.

Altered spontaneous brain activities in maintenance hemodialysis patients with cognitive impairment and the construction of cognitive function prediction models.

OBJECTIVE: The brain neuromechanism in maintenance hemodialysis patients (MHD) with cognitive impairment (CI) remains unclear. The study aimed to probe the relationship between spontaneous brain activity and CI by using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data. METHODS: Here, 55 MHD patients with CI and 28 healthy controls were recruited. For baseline data, qualitative data were compared between groups using the χ2 test; quantitative data were compared between groups using the independent samples t-test, ANOVA test, Mann-Whitney U-test, or Kruskal-Wallis test. Comparisons of ALFF/fALFF/ReHo values among the three groups were calculated by using the DPABI toolbox, and then analyzing the correlation with clinical variables. p < .05 was considered a statistically significant difference. Furthermore, back propagation neural network (BPNN) was utilized to predict cognitive function. RESULTS: Compared with the MHD-NCI group, the patients with MHD-CI had more severe anemia and higher urea nitrogen levels, lower mALFF values in the left postcentral gyrus, lower mfALFF values in the left inferior temporal gyrus, and greater mALFF values in the right caudate nucleus (p < .05). The above-altered indicators were correlated with MOCA scores. BPNN prediction models indicated that the diagnostic efficacy of the model which inputs were hemoglobin, urea nitrogen, and mALFF value in the left central posterior gyrus was optimal (R2 = 0.8054), validation cohort (R2 = 0.7328). CONCLUSION: The rs-fMRI can reveal the neurophysiological mechanism of cognitive impairment in MHD patients. In addition, it can serve as a neuroimaging marker for diagnosing and evaluating cognitive impairment in MHD patients.

Refining feasibility assessment of endoscopic ear surgery: a radiomics model utilizing machine learning on external auditory canal CT scans.

BACKGROUND: Feasibility assessment of endoscopic ear surgery (EES) relies solely on subjective evaluation by surgeons. OBJECTIVE: Extracting radiomic features from preoperative CT images of the external auditory canal, we aim to classify EES patients into easy and difficult groups and improve accuracy in determining surgery feasibility. METHODS: 85 patients' external auditory canal CT scans were collected and 139 radiomic features were extracted using PyRadiomics. The most relevant features were selected and three machine learning algorithms (logistic regression, support vector machine, and random forest) were compared using K-fold cross-validation (k = 5) to predict surgical feasibility. RESULTS: The best-performing machine learning model, the support vector machine (SVM), was selected to predict the difficulty of EES. The proposed model achieved a high accuracy of 86.5%, and F1 score of 84.6%. The area under the ROC curve was 0.93, indicating good discriminatory power. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: The proposed machine learning model provides a reliable and accurate method for classifying patients undergoing otologic surgery based on preoperative imaging data. The model can help clinicians to better prepare for challenging surgical cases and optimize treatment plans for individual patients.

Combined toxic effects of nanoplastics and norfloxacin on mussel: Leveraging biochemical parameters and gut microbiota.

Antibiotics and nanoplastics (NPs) are among the two most concerned and studied marine emerging contaminants in recent years. Given the large number of different types of antibiotics and NPs, there is a need to apply efficient tools to evaluate their combined toxic effects. Using the thick-shelled mussel (Mytilus coruscus) as a marine ecotoxicological model, we applied a battery of fast enzymatic activity assays and 16S rRNA sequencing to investigate the biochemical and gut microbial response of mussels exposed to antibiotic norfloxacin (NOR) and NPs (80 nm polystyrene beads) alone and in combination at environmentally relevant concentrations. After 15 days of exposure, NPs alone significantly inhibited superoxide dismutase (SOD) and amylase (AMS) activities, while catalase (CAT) was affected by both NOR and NPs. The changes in lysozyme (LZM) and lipase (LPS) were increased over time during the treatments. Co-exposure to NPs and NOR significantly affected glutathione (GSH) and trypsin (Typ), which might be explained by the increased bioavailable NOR carried by NPs. The richness and diversity of the gut microbiota of mussels were both decreased by exposures to NOR and NPs, and the top functions of gut microbiota that were affected by the exposures were predicted. The data fast generated by enzymatic test and 16S sequencing allowed further variance and correlation analysis to understand the plausible driving factors and toxicity mechanisms. Despite the toxic effects of only one type of antibiotics and NPs being evaluated, the validated assays on mussels are readily applicable to other antibiotics, NPs, and their mixture.

Establishment and characterization of a HER2-enriched canine mammary cancerous myoepithelial cell line.

BACKGROUND: Canine mammary tumors (CMTs) have a poor prognosis, along with tumor recurrence and metastasis. Cell lines are vital in vitro models for CMT research. Many CMT epithelial cell lines were reported. However, canine mammary myoepithelial cells, the contractile component of the canine mammary tissue were overlooked. This study aimed at establishing such a cell line. CMT-1 cell line was obtained from a canine mammary tumor CMT-1 and characterized molecularly through qPCR, western blotting, immunochemistry and immunofluorescence. Its doubling time, cytogenetic analysis and migration rate were evaluated using growth study, karyotype analysis and wound healing assay respectively. To determine its tumorigenesis, xenograft transplantation was performed. RESULTS: CMT-1 tumor was a complex canine mammary carcinoma that stained negative to estrogen receptors (ER) and progesterone receptors (PR), but positive to human epidermal growth receptor-2 (HER2), defined as HER2-enriched subtype. In this study, a CMT-1 cell line obtained from CMT-1 tumor was immune-positive to vimentin, α-SMA, p63 and negative to E-cadherin (E-cad), indicating CMT-1 cells were myoepithelial cells. It was successfully cultured for more than 50 passages showing the same immunoreactivity to ER, PR, and HER2 as the primary canine tumor. The doubling time of CMT-1 cell line was 26.67 h. The chromosome number of CMT-1 cells ranged from 31 to 64. A potential spontaneous epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) was noticed during cell cultures. Potential EMT-induced CMT-1 cells showed no significance in migration rate compared to the original CMT-1 cells. CMT-1 cells was able to grow on a 3D culture and formed grape-like, solid, and cystic mammospheres at different time period. Inoculation of CMT-1 cells induced a complex HER2-enriched mammary tumor with metastasis in mice. CONCLUSIONS: A canine cancerous HER2-enriched myoepithelial cell line was successfully established and a canine mammosphere developed from myoepithelial cells was documented in this study. We are expecting this novel cell line and its associated mammospheres could be used as a model to elucidate the role of myoepithelial cells in CMT carcinogensis in the future.

Establishment methods and research progress of livestock and poultry immortalized cell lines: A review.

An infinite cell line is one of the most favored experimental tools and plays an irreplaceable role in cell-based biological research. Primary cells from normal animal tissues undergo a limited number of divisions and subcultures in vitro before they enter senescence and die. On the contrary, an infinite cell line is a population of non-senescent cells that could proliferate indefinitely in vitro under the stimulation of external factors such as physicochemical stimulation, virus infection, or transfer of immortality genes. Cell immortalization is the basis for establishing an infinite cell line, and previous studies have found that methods to obtain immortalized cells mainly included physical and chemical stimulations, heterologous expression of viral oncogenes, increased telomerase activity, and spontaneous formation. However, some immortalized cells do not necessarily proliferate permanently even though they can extend their lifespan compared with primary cells. An infinite cell line not only avoids the complicated process of collecting primary cell, it also provides a convenient and reliable tool for studying scientific problems in biology. At present, how to establish a stable infinite cell line to maximize the proliferation of cells while maintaining the normal function of cells is a hot issue in the biological community. This review briefly introduces the methods of cell immortalization, discusses the related progress of establishing immortalized cell lines in livestock and poultry, and compares the characteristics of several methods, hoping to provide some ideas for generating new immortalized cell lines.

Construction of a Macrophage Infiltration Regulatory Network and Related Prognostic Model of High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer.

BACKGROUND: High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) carries the highest mortality in the gynecological cancers; however, therapeutic outcomes have not significantly improved in recent decades. Macrophages play an essential role in the occurrence and development of ovarian cancer, so the mechanisms of macrophage infiltration should be elucidated. METHOD: We downloaded transcriptome data of ovarian cancers from the Gene Expression Omnibus and The Cancer Genome Atlas. After rigorous screening, 1566 HGSOC were used for data analysis. CIBERSORT was used to estimate the level of macrophage infiltration and WGCNA was used to identify macrophage-related modules. We constructed a macrophage-related prognostic model using machine learning LASSO algorithm and verified it using multiple HGSOC cohorts. RESULTS: In the GPL570-OV cohort, high infiltration level of M1 macrophages was associated with a good outcome, while high infiltration level of M2 macrophages was associated with poor outcomes. We used WGCNA to select genes correlated with macrophage infiltration. These genes were used to construct protein-protein interaction maps of macrophage infiltration. IFL44L, RSAD2, IFIT3, MX1, IFIH1, IFI44, and ISG15 were the hub genes in the network. We then constructed a macrophage-related prognostic model composed of CD38, ACE2, BATF2, HLA-DOB, and WARS. The model had the ability to predict the overall survival rate of HGSOC patients in GPL570-OV, GPL6480-OV, TCGA-OV, GSE50088, and GSE26712. In exploring the immune microenvironment, we found that CD4 memory T cells and activated mast cells showed that the degree of infiltration was higher in the high-risk group, while M1 macrophages were the opposite, and HLA molecules were overexpressed in the high-risk group. CONCLUSION: We constructed a macrophage infiltration-related protein interaction network that provides a basis for studying macrophages in HGSOC. Our macrophage-related prognostic model is robust and widely applicable. It predicts overall survival in HGSOC patients and may improve HGSOC treatment.

Construction of a Phenylboronic Acid-Functionalized Nano-Prodrug for pH-Responsive Emodin Delivery and Antibacterial Activity.

In this study, a pH-responsive nano-prodrug was fabricated by conjugating emodin to the PEGylated polyethyleneimine (mPEG-PEI) with acid-sensitive boronate ester bonds. 1H NMR spectra results showed that emodin was effectively bonded to mPEG-PEI, and acid-sensitive assay further confirmed the formation of boronate ester bonds. The size and morphology of the nano-prodrug were ascertained through transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS), which showed that the prodrug has a sphere-like shape with hydrodynamic size around 102 nm at pH 7.4. Subsequently, a drug-release behavior assay was carried out to carefully investigate the acid-sensitive drug-delivery property of the prodrug. Moreover, in vitro cell viability assay confirmed the superior cytotoxic effect of the nano-prodrug against HeLa cells compared to free emodin. Furthermore, the antibacterial study showed that the nano-prodrug could inhibit the bacterial (both Gram-positive and Gram-negative) growth more effectively than free emodin. Overall, this study provides a promising paradigm of the multifunctional nano-prodrug for pH-responsive tumor therapy and antibacterial activity.

Mirabilite with Ice Pack after Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Randomized Controlled Trial Study.

BACKGROUND: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a well-established procedure for end-stage arthritis of the knee with complications such as swelling and pain. The aim of this study is to estimate the effect of mirabilite with ice pack versus ice pack in relieving pain, swelling, range of motion (ROM), and serum CRP level on patients after TKA. METHODS: Eighty patients undergoing primary unilateral TKA were randomly assigned to two groups (MIP group and WIP group). We used VAS to measure knee pain at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h after the surgery, respectively. Knee swelling degree was evaluated by measuring the girth of the leg at the center of the patella and 10 cm above and below it at the same frequency. The active ROM of the knee was measured by using a universal goniometer of plastic material at 72 h postoperatively. The serum CRP level was also measured at 72 h postoperatively. RESULTS: The MIP group showed statistically significant lower knee girth at 48 h (p < 0.05) and 72 h (p < 0.05) postoperatively and VAS score at 72 h (p=0.018) postoperatively after TKA than the WIP group. The ROM of the MIP group was significantly wider than the WIP group (p=0.024). The CRP level (p=0.036) and length of stay (LOS) (p=0.037) of the MIP group were significantly lower than the WIP group. CONCLUSION: Mirabilite with ice pack after TKA showed superiority in relieving pain, reducing swelling, and improving ROM than ice pack only.

Network Pharmacology to Uncover the Biological Basis of Spleen Qi Deficiency Syndrome and Herbal Treatment.

Spleen qi deficiency (SQD) syndrome is one of the basic traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes related to various diseases including chronic inflammation and hypertension and guides the use of many herbal formulae. However, the biological basis of SQD syndrome has not been clearly elucidated due to the lack of appropriate methodologies. Here, we propose a network pharmacology strategy integrating computational, clinical, and experimental investigation to study the biological basis of SQD syndrome. From computational aspects, we used a powerful disease gene prediction algorithm to predict the SQD syndrome biomolecular network which is significantly enriched in biological functions including immune regulation, oxidative stress, and lipid metabolism. From clinical aspects, SQD syndrome is involved in both the local and holistic disorders, that is, the digestive diseases and the whole body's dysfunctions. We, respectively, investigate SQD syndrome-related digestive diseases including chronic gastritis and irritable bowel syndrome and the whole body's dysfunctions such as chronic fatigue syndrome and hypertension. We found innate immune and oxidative stress modules of SQD syndrome biomolecular network dysfunction in chronic gastritis patients and irritable bowel syndrome patients. Lymphocyte modules were downregulated in chronic fatigue syndrome patients and hypertension patients. From experimental aspects, network pharmacology analysis suggested that targets of Radix Astragali and other four herbs commonly used for SQD syndrome are significantly enriched in the SQD syndrome biomolecular network. Experiments further validated that Radix Astragali ingredients promoted immune modules such as macrophage proliferation and lymphocyte proliferation. These findings indicate that the biological basis of SQD syndrome is closely related to insufficient immune response including decreased macrophage activity and reduced lymphocyte proliferation. This study not only demonstrates the potential biological basis of SQD syndrome but also provides a novel strategy for exploring relevant molecular mechanisms of disease-syndrome-herb from the network pharmacology perspective.

Kinesio tape reduces pain in patients with lateral epicondylitis: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of Kinesio tape (KT) in lateral epicondylitis (LE) is widely discussed, but the results of these studies are conflicting. We perform this meta-analysis from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in order to evaluate the efficacy and safety of KT in the treatment of LE. METHODS: A comprehensive search of the published literature in PUBMED, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases was implemented. Only English RCTs were included in this study. The outcome measures included visual analogue scale (VAS), grip strength, modified Mayo performance index, Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score and adverse events. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was also utilized to evaluate the risk of bias. Data analysis was performed with STATA version 13.0 (Statacorp, college station, Tex). RESULTS: Five studies with a total of 168 patients were included. The present meta-analysis demonstrated that KT yielded statistically superior pain scores, grip strength, Modified Mayo performance index and DASH score. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of adverse events. CONCLUSION: KT is effective in relieving pain, restoring grip strength, and improving functionality in patients with LE undergoing rehabilitation.

Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Effects of Acetyl-L-Carnitine on Atherosclerotic Rats.

BACKGROUND The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the regulatory effects of acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR) on atherosclerosis in Wister rats and to explore its anti-atherosclerotic mechanism. MATERIAL AND METHODS We randomly divided 32 Wister rats into 4 groups: a normal diet group (control group, n=8), a normal diet+ALCAR group (ALCAR group, n=8), an atherosclerosis group (AS group, n=8), and an atherosclerosis+ALCAR group (AS+ALCAR group, n=8). The serum lipid distribution, oxidative stress, inflammatory factors and adiponectin (APN) in the blood, and heart and aortic tissues were determined using the standard assay kits, xanthine oxidase method, and ELISA, respectively. HE staining was performed to observe aortic pathology structure change, and the level of angiotensin II (AngII) in the aorta was assessed using radioimmunoassay. In addition, real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot analysis were applied to detect the expression of iNOS, IL-1ß, TNF-alpha, and CRP in the aortic and heart tissues. RESULTS Compared with the AS group, the levels of serum TC, TG, LDL, and VLDL in rats decreased significantly, while HDL level significantly increased in the AS+ALCAR group. ALCAR administration enhanced the SOD and GSH-Px activities and decreased MDA activity. APN level was significantly elevated in the AS group, but ALCAR had no significant effect on APN. Further, ALCAR reduced the expressions of inflammation factors TNF-alpha, IL-1ß, iNOS, and CRP, and the concentration of AngII in serum, aortic, and heart tissues. CONCLUSIONS ALCAR can inhibit the expressions of inflammatory factors and antioxidation to suppress the development of atherosclerosis by adjusting blood lipid in the myocardium of AS rats.

Network Pharmacology to Unveil the Biological Basis of Health-Strengthening Herbal Medicine in Cancer Treatment.

Health-strengthening (Fu-Zheng) herbs is a representative type of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) widely used for cancer treatment in China, which is in contrast to pathogen eliminating (Qu-Xie) herbs. However, the commonness in the biological basis of health-strengthening herbs remains to be holistically elucidated. In this study, an innovative high-throughput research strategy integrating computational and experimental methods of network pharmacology was proposed, and 22 health-strengthening herbs were selected for the investigation. Additionally, 25 pathogen-eliminating herbs were included for comparison. First, based on network-based, large-scale target prediction, we analyzed the target profiles of 1446 TCM compounds. Next, the actions of 166 compounds on 420 antitumor or immune-related genes were measured using a unique high-throughput screening strategy by high-throughput sequencing, referred to as HTS². Furthermore, the structural information and the antitumor activity of the compounds in health-strengthening and pathogen-eliminating herbs were compared. Using network pharmacology analysis, we discovered that: (1) Functionally, the predicted targets of compounds from health strengthening herbs were enriched in both immune-related and antitumor pathways, similar to those of pathogen eliminating herbs. As a case study, galloylpaeoniflorin, a compound in a health strengthening herb Radix Paeoniae Alba (Bai Shao), was found to exert antitumor effects both in vivo and in vitro. Yet the inhibitory effects of the compounds from pathogen eliminating herbs on tumor cells proliferation as a whole were significantly stronger than those in health-strengthening herbs (p < 0.001). Moreover, the percentage of assay compounds in health-strengthening herbs with the predicted targets enriched in the immune-related pathways (e.g., natural killer cell mediated cytotoxicity and antigen processing and presentation) were significantly higher than that in pathogen-eliminating herbs (p < 0.05). This finding was supported by the immune-enhancing effects of a group of compounds from health-strengthening herbs indicated by differentially expressed genes in the HTS² results. (2) Compounds in the same herb may exhibit the same or distinguished mechanisms in cancer treatment, which was demonstrated as the compounds influence pathway gene expressions in the same or opposite directions. For example, acetyl ursolic acid and specnuezhenide in a health-strengthening herb Fructus Ligustri lucidi (Nv Zhen Zi) both upregulated gene expressions in T cell receptor signaling pathway. Together, this study suggested greater potentials in tumor immune microenvironment regulation and tumor prevention than in direct killing tumor cells of health-strengthening herbs generally, and provided a systematic strategy for unveiling the commonness in the biological basis of health-strengthening herbs in cancer treatment.

Mixed fermentation of Spirulina platensis with Lactobacillus plantarum and Bacillus subtilis by random-centroid optimization.

Spirulina platensis is a high-nutrient blue-green alga with a long history as a food supplement. In this study, the mixed fermentation of Spirulina with Lactobacillus plantarum and Bacillus subtilis was investigated using random-centroid optimization to improve deodorization of off-flavor and hydrolysis of protein. Fermented Spirulina with the maximum total viable counts of both organisms achieved best sensory characteristics and degree of proteolysis among those with different maximum biomass. The mixed fermentation noticeably reduced the volatile compounds of Spirulina, and yielded the highest relative contents (>85%) of acetoin and other odorants collectively producing a creamy aroma. Approximately one-third of the Spirulina proteins were hydrolyzed, yielding over 16% polypeptides and increasing the ratio of essential amino acids to total free amino acids to 1.5-fold compared with unfermented Spirulina. Fermentation with B. subtilis and L. plantarum effectively improved the odor and protein availability of Spirulina.

Effects of IQP, VEP and Spirulina platensis hydrolysates on the local kidney renin angiotensin system in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the antihypertensive effects of the bioactive Spirulina platensis peptides Ile­Gln­Pro (IQP), Val­Glu­Pro (VEP), as well as Spirulina platensis hydrolysates (SH), and assessed whether the synthesis of components of the myocardial and renal local renin angiotensin system (RAS) are regulated differentially in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). The SHR were administrated with IQP, VEP and SH respectively (10 mg/kg/day) for 6 weeks and received continuous monitoring of blood pressure (BP) for two more weeks. During the trial, the rats' kidney tissues were removed from these rats and collected at weeks 3, 6 and 8. The expression of the main components of local kidney RAS was measured at the mRNA levels by reverse transcription­quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and at the protein levels by ELISA or western blotting. Oral administration of IQP, VEP and SH into SHR resulted in marked antihypertensive effects. IQP, VEP and SH decreased rats' BP by affecting the expression of local kidney RAS components via downregulating the angiotensin­converting enzyme (ACE), Ang II and angiotensin II (Ang II) and angiotensin type­1 receptor (AT 1), while upregulating ACE2, Ang (1­7), Mas and AT 2. The comparisons of SH effects on local tissue RAS demonstrated that local kidney RAS regulated BP via the ACE­Ang II­AT 1/AT 2 axis and the ACE2­Ang (1­7)­Mas axis primarily at the mRNA level, while the local myocardium RAS mainly at the protein level. This preliminary study suggests that the main components of local RAS presented different expression levels in myocardium and kidney, which is important to the development of bioactive peptides targeting for lowering BP by changing the levels of some components in local RAS in specific tissues.

Thiol-dependent DNA cleavage by aminomethylated Beaucage's reagent.

Aminomethylated Beaucage's reagent 1 was found to be more potent than 3H-1,2-benzodithiol-3-one 1,1-dioxide (Beaucage's reagent) in causing DNA cleavage. The current study demonstrated the importance of the amino functionality in enhancing DNA-cleaving activities, and such findings may facilitate development of novel sulfur-containing DNA-cleaving molecules in cancer therapy.