Inhibitory effects of essential oils from Asteraceae plant against pathogenic fungi of Panax notoginseng.

AIMS: Diseases caused by pathogenic fungi was a major constrain in increasing productivity and improving quality of Panax notoginseng. The aim of this research was to evaluate the inhibitory activity of essential oils (EOs) from Asteraceae family, Chrysanthemum indicum and Laggera pterodonta, against pathogenic fungi of P. notoginseng. METHODS AND RESULTS: The antifungal activity was investigated using multiple methods, disclosing that the EOs from C. indicum and L. pterodonta are active against hypha growth of different fungi but with different degrees of potency. Checkerboard testing indicated that the combination of EOs with hymexazol had synergistic effect against Pythium aphanidermatum, and exhibited additive effects against bulk of targeted pathogenic fungi. Besides, we found that the baseline sensitivity of Fusarium oxysporum to L. pterodonta EOs was higher than those of C. indicum by means of mycelium growth rate method. Finally, the practicability of those EOs as plant pesticide was confirmed by in vivo model showing that EOs can significantly inhibit the occurrence of root rot of P. notoginseng caused by F. oxysporum. CONCLUSION: Those studies suggest that the EOs from C. indicum and L. pterodonta had the potential to develop into new pollution-free pesticides for the protection of precious Chinese herbal medicines. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study provided a new way of biological control for overcoming the frequent diseases occurrence of P. notoginseng.

Hydroxycamptothecin shows antitumor efficacy on HeLa cells via autophagy activation mediated apoptosis in cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect and the mechanism of anti-tumor agent hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT) on HeLa cells in cervical cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Autophagy and apoptosis were detected by western blotting and the transfection of GFP-LC3 shRNA as well as Hoechst staining. RESULTS: The authors found that the expression of the regulators of Beclin-1, p62, and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) upregulated and then triggered the occurrence of cell autophagy. On the other hand, HCPT could induce to the formation of autophagy and resulted in cell apoptosis after autophagy. CONCLUSION: HCPT can alter cell autophagy and then trigger cell apoptosis to achieve antitumor effects.

Toll-like receptor 4 signaling promotes the immunosuppressive cytokine production of human cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the expression of TLR-4 (toll-like receptor) on human cervical cancer and find the biological function of the TLR-4 signal system. METHODS: The immunohistochemistry method was performed to study the protein expression and distribution of TLR-4. The viability of HeLa cells was determined by cell viability assay. Cell proliferation was detected by FCM, ELISA and Western blot were used to observe the gene and protein expression of IL-6 and TGF-beta1 in Hela cell lines. RESULTS: TLR-4 was over-expressed in cervix cancer, and its activation by LPS promotes proliferation and anti-apoptosis in Hela cells in vitro. Moreover the cell line proliferation increased in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The production of IL-6 and TGF-beta1 were promoted through the activation of the NF-kappaB signaling pathway.

Microbiology rapid on-site evaluation: a better method for Mucoid Pseudomonas Aeruginosa diagnosis in bronchiectasic patients.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to find an accurate and fast method to diagnose the pathogen of bronchiectasis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ten bronchiectasic patients diagnosed with Mucoid Pseudomonas Aeruginosa (MPA) in the past two years were analyzed. Accuracy and time were compared between microbiology rapid on-site evaluation (M-ROSE) and sputum bacterial culture. RESULTS: The accuracy rate of M-ROSE in the patients is 100% consistent with bacterial culture results. The average time of M-ROSE is about 4.3 min, which is over 1000 times shorter than that of sputum bacterial culture. CONCLUSIONS: M-ROSE may be a better method for etiological diagnosis of MPA.

Cucubalugenin A, a new triterpenoid from Cucubalus baccifer.

A new triterpenoid, cucubalugenin A (1), has been isolated from the whole plant of Cucubalus baccifer. Its structure was elucidated by spectral methods.

The stereo-, regio-, and chemo-selective conversion of diterpenoids, kamebakaurin to oriaonin.

In this paper, we report the first stereo-, regio-, and chemo-selective conversion of oridonin from kamebakaurin. The overall yield in 7 steps is 9%.

The role of HE4 in ovarian cancer: inhibiting tumour cell proliferation and metastasis.

As a promising biomarker, human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) has been widely used for the early detection and differential diagnosis of ovarian cancer. This study evaluated the function of HE4 in the carcinogenesis and progression of ovarian cancer. An enzyme immunometric assay, used to detect HE4 in the serum of ovarian cancer patients, showed that the protein could discriminate between malignant and benign ovarian tumours with high specificity. An exogenous HE4 gene was transfected into ovarian cancer cell lines and an immortalized ovarian epithelial cell line. Compared with the controls, HE4 overexpression significantly promoted cell apoptosis and adhesion. Overexpression of HE4 also led to significant inhibition of cell proliferation, migration and invasiveness in vitro, as well as xenograft tumour formation in vivo. This is the first report to demonstrate the functional importance of HE4 in multiple cellular processes and indicates that HE4 may play a protective role in the progression of ovarian cancer.

Angiotensin II stimulates MCP-1 production in rat glomerular endothelial cells via NAD(P)H oxidase-dependent nuclear factor-kappa B signaling.

Angiotensin II (Ang II) plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of renal diseases. The objective of the present study was to investigate the possible inflammatory effect of Ang II on glomerular endothelial cells and the underlying mechanism. We isolated and characterized primary cultures of rat glomerular endothelial cells (GECs) and observed that Ang II induced the synthesis of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in GECs as demonstrated by Western blot. Ang II stimulation, at concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 10 microm, of rat GECs induced a rapid increase in the generation of reactive oxygen species as indicated by laser fluoroscopy. The level of p47phox protein, an NAD(P)H oxidase subunit, was also increased by Ang II treatment. These effects of Ang II on GECs were all reduced by diphenyleneiodonium (1.0 microm), an NAD(P)H oxidase inhibitor. Ang II stimulation also promoted the activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB). Telmisartan (1.0 microm), an AT1 receptor blocker, blocked all the effects of Ang II on rat GECs. These data suggest that the inhibition of NAD(P)H oxidase-dependent NF-kappaB signaling reduces the increase in MCP-1 production by GECs induced by Ang II. This may provide a mechanistic basis for the benefits of selective AT1 blockade in dealing with chronic renal disease.

CD2 identifies a monocyte subpopulation with immunoglobulin E-dependent, high-level expression of Fc epsilon RI.

BACKGROUND: Fc epsilon RI expression by monocytes can affect monocyte function via multiple mechanisms, thereby potentially influencing the generation of allergic inflammation. Previous studies on the in vivo regulation of monocyte Fc epsilon RI expression by ambient IgE have yielded conflicting results. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that monocyte Fc epsilon RI expression is limited to a specific monocyte subset, and that within that subset Fc epsilon RI surface expression is correlated to serum IgE. METHODS: Study 1: Blood was obtained from non-allergic subjects (n=14) and subjects with allergic asthma (n=18), hypereosinophilic syndrome (n=2), hyper-IgE syndrome (n=6), and helminth infection (n=4). Study 2: Blood was obtained from allergic subjects in a clinical trial of omalizumab before and during study drug treatment. Monocyte surface Fc epsilon RI expression was measured using flow cytometry. RESULTS: Fc epsilon RI expression was significantly greater in the CD2(high) vs. CD2(low) monocyte subsets (31% vs. 1.9% median Fc epsilon RI+, respectively). In asthmatic and non-atopic healthy control subjects, CD2(low) monocytes expressed little or undetectable Fc epsilon RI. In study 1, Fc epsilon RI expression was highly correlated to serum IgE in the CD2(high), but not in the CD2(low) monocyte subpopulation (R values of 0.67 and 0.41, respectively). In study 2, omalizumab, but not placebo, caused a significant and sustained decline in Fc epsilon RI expression within the CD2(high) monocyte subset. CONCLUSIONS: CD2 defines a monocyte subset with high Fc epsilon RI expression, whose magnitude is highly correlated to serum IgE. As such, this new description of CD2(high) monocytes as Fc epsilon RI-bearing cells suggests that they may be potential targets of anti-IgE immunomodulatory therapies.

Angiotensin II stimulates MCP-1 production in rat glomerular endothelial cells via NAD(P)H oxidase-dependent nuclear factor-kappa B signaling

Angiotensin II (Ang II) plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of renal diseases. The objective of the present study was to investigate the possible inflammatory effect of Ang II on glomerular endothelial cells and the underlying mechanism. We isolated and characterized primary cultures of rat glomerular endothelial cells (GECs) and observed that Ang II induced the synthesis of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in GECs as demonstrated by Western blot. Ang II stimulation, at concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 10 µm, of rat GECs induced a rapid increase in the generation of reactive oxygen species as indicated by laser fluoroscopy. The level of p47phox protein, an NAD(P)H oxidase subunit, was also increased by Ang II treatment. These effects of Ang II on GECs were all reduced by diphenyleneiodonium (1.0 µm), an NAD(P)H oxidase inhibitor. Ang II stimulation also promoted the activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB). Telmisartan (1.0 µm), an AT1 receptor blocker, blocked all the effects of Ang II on rat GECs. These data suggest that the inhibition of NAD(P)H oxidase-dependent NF-κB signaling reduces the increase in MCP-1 production by GECs induced by Ang II. This may provide a mechanistic basis for the benefits of selective AT1 blockade in dealing with chronic renal disease.