Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of Ebracteolatain A, a potential anti-cancer compound, as determined by an optimized ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method.

Ebracteolatain A is a phloroglucinol derivative from the root of Euphorbia ebracteolata Hayata, a Traditional Chinese Medicine also known as Langdu. It has been shown to have good inhibitory effects in breast cancer cells. In this study, a simple, rapid, sensitive, and specific ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated to study the pharmacokinetics (PKs) and tissue distribution of Ebracteolatain A in rats. Ebracteolatain A and Magnolol (internal standard) were extracted by the simple protein precipitation extraction technique using methanol as the precipitating solvent. Chromatographic separation was performed using the Agilent Poroshell 120 EC-C18 column with a mobile phase of acetonitrile:0.1% formic acid (70:30, v/v). The protonated analyte was quantitated in negative ionization by MS/MS via multiple reaction monitoring mode. The assay exhibited a linear dynamic range of 2-2000 ng/mL for Ebracteolatain A in biological samples. The lower limit of quantitation was 2 ng/mL. Non-compartmental PK parameters indicated that Ebracteolatain A was well absorbed into the systemic circulation. The absolute bioavailability of Ebracteolatain A was greater when administered by intraperitoneal administration than by oral administration. The tissue distribution study showed that Ebracteolatain A was distributed in the heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, brain, stomach, intestine, uterus, ovary, and breast after intravenous injection. The results of this study further our understanding of the in vivo anti-cancer activity of Ebracteolatain A, and shed light on pharmacological strategies that may be useful for the development of novel breast cancer therapeutics.

[Improving Nitrogen and Phosphorus Removal from Reclaimed Water Using a Novel Sulfur/Iron Composite Filler].

In order to improve the ability of denitrification and phosphorus removal from reclaimed water, a novel composite filler was prepared using sulfur powder and sponge iron powder, and a comparative experiment was constructed at different HRT(hydraulic retention time) and C/N(carbon-nitrogen ratio) conditions between the novel filler and the composite filler. The results showed that the efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus removal on the novel filler was higher than that on the grain filler (more than 30% higher at HRT=4 h and C/N=1). Moreover, based on the 16S rRNA gene clone library, the denitrification system in the two reactors included sulfur autotrophic denitrification bacteria and heterotrophic denitrification bacteria, while the proportion of sulfur autotrophic denitrification bacteria in the novel filler system was higher. The dominant bacteria in the novel filler and composite filler were Sulfurimonas and Acinetobacter, respectively.

[Effects of Sulfur/sponge Iron Ratio for Deep Denitrification and Phosphorus Removal of Reclaimed Water].

To study the effects of sulfur/sponge iron ratio on denitrification and phosphorus removal, a series of static experiments were conducted using different ratios of sulfur and sponge iron. The results showed that the denitrification and phosphorus removal effect of sulfur/sponge iron composite fillers was significantly higher than that of single filler, and sulfur/sponge iron ratio was one of the key factors influencing nitrogen and phosphorus removal by composite fillers. When the volume ratio was equal to or greater than 1:1, the removal efficiency of TN and TP reached 85% and 97%, respectively. The denitrification and phosphorus removal process of the composite fillers both fitted second-order kinetic equation, the denitrification was dependent on heterotrophic denitrification and sulfur autotrophic denitrification; the phosphorus removal was mainly chemical phosphorus removal caused by sponge iron corrosion.

Plant regeneration and Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Achyranthes bidentata using cotton EREBP gene

The aim of this work was to study the plant regeneration and Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Achyranthes bidentata using cotton EREBP gene. Results showed that the callus induction rate of stems from A. bidentata was the highest (100%) and bud was in approximately 70% of calli from stems. However bud differentiation rate of the callus from leaves and petioles was very low. Compared with ceftriaxone, 200mg/L cefotaxime could completely control Agrobacterium tumefaciens and had relatively less toxic action on the stems of A. bidentata. In addition, the induction rate of callus resistant to hygromycin was the highest when infected for 3 min and co-cultivated for 3 d. Six positive transgenic plants transformed with pCAMBIA1304-GhEREB2 expression vector were obtained and confirmed by PCR. The expression of target gene GhEREB2 was detected in five transgenic plants by RT-PCR. In brief, an efficient system of genetic transformation and plant regeneration was established for A. bidentata.