Exploring the dietary and therapeutic potential of licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch.) sprouts.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: This research substantiates the traditional use of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. for liver health, with scientific evidence of the non-toxic and lipid-lowering properties of licorice sprout extracts. The sprouts' rich mineral and amino acid content, along with their strong antioxidant activity, reinforce their value in traditional medicine. These findings bridge ancient herbal practices with modern science, highlighting licorice's potential in contemporary therapeutic applications. AIM OF THE STUDY: The study aimed to investigate the dietary and medicinal potential of G. uralensis sprouts by assessing their safety, nutritional content, and antioxidant properties using both plant and animal models. Specifically, the study sought to determine the effects of different sizes of licorice sprouts on lipid metabolism in human liver cancer cells and their overall impact on rat health indicators. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study examined the effects of aqueous and organic extracts from G. uralensis sprouts of varying lengths on the cytotoxicity, lipid metabolism, and antioxidant activity in HepG2 cells, alongside in vivo impacts on Sprague-Dawley rats, using MTT, ICP, and HPLC. It aimed to assess the potential health benefits of licorice sprouts by analyzing their protective effects against oxidative stress and their nutritional content. RESULTS: Licorice sprout extracts from G. uralensis demonstrated no cytotoxicity in HepG2 cells, significantly reduced lipid levels, and enhanced antioxidant activities, with the longest sprouts (7 cm) showing higher mineral, sugar, and arginine content as well as increased glycyrrhizin and liquiritigenin. In vivo studies with Sprague-Dawley rats revealed weight gain and improved antioxidant enzyme activities in blood plasma and liver tissues after consuming the extracts, highlighting the sprouts' dietary and therapeutic potential. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to demonstrate that G. uralensis sprouts, particularly those 7 cm in length, have no cytotoxic effects, reduce lipids, and have high mineral and antioxidant contents, offering promising dietary and therapeutic benefits.

The Role of Zinc in Copper Homeostasis of Aspergillus fumigatus.

Copper is an essential metal ion that performs many physiological functions in living organisms. Deletion of Afmac1, which is a copper-responsive transcriptional activator in A. fumigatus, results in a growth defect on aspergillus minimal medium (AMM). Interestingly, we found that zinc starvation suppressed the growth defect of the Δafmac1 strain on AMM. In addition, the growth defect of the Δafmac1 strain was recovered by copper supplementation or introduction of the CtrC gene into the Δafmac1 strain. However, chelation of copper by addition of BCS to AMM failed to recover the growth defect of the Δafmac1 strain. Through Northern blot analysis, we found that zinc starvation upregulated CtrC and CtrA2, which encode membrane copper transporters. Interestingly, we found that the conserved ZafA binding motif 5'-CAA(G)GGT-3' was present in the upstream region of CtrC and CtrA2 and that mutation of the binding motif led to failure of ZafA binding to the upstream region of CtrC and upregulation of CtrC expression under zinc starvation. Furthermore, the binding activity of ZafA to the upstream region of CtrC was inversely proportional to the zinc concentration, and copper inhibited the binding of ZafA to the upstream region of CtrC under a low zinc concentration. Taken together, these results suggest that ZafA upregulates copper metabolism by binding to the ZafA binding motif in the CtrC promoter region under low zinc concentration, thus regulating copper homeostasis. Furthermore, we found that copper and zinc interact in cells to maintain metal homeostasis.

Response to the letter 'Absent regulation of iron acquisition by the copper regulator Mac1 in A. fumigatus'.

The answer to the letter 'Absent regulation of iron acquisition by the copper regulator Mac1 in A. fumigatus' has been prepared. We explained our data and showed supplementary information to answer the questions. And we respect the results of other groups first and explain the differences from our results.

Direct shoulder magnetic resonance arthrography for superior labral anterior-to-posterior (SLAP) and Bankart lesions: investigation into the appropriate dose and level of local anesthesia.

OBJECTIVE: To compare contrast leakage, pain score, image quality and diagnostic performance at different doses and levels of local anaesthesia for direct shoulder magnetic resonance arthrography. METHODS: Patients (n = 157) were prospectively enrolled and allocated to Group 1 (no local anaesthetic), Group 2 (local anaesthesia to subcutaneous fat level; lidocaine 1-2 ml), Group 3 (to deltoid muscle level; 3-5 ml), or Group 4 (to subscapularis muscle level; 6-8 ml). We evaluated the frequency of contrast leakage, periprocedural/postprocedural pain, contrast-to-noise ratio of the intra-articular signal, and subjective image noise/image sharpness. Radiological diagnoses of superior anterior-to-posterior (SLAP) and Bankart lesions were assessed. All data were analysed by one-way analysis of variance/Kruskal-Wall, Χ2/Fisher's exact and DeLong's tests. RESULTS: The frequency of contrast leakage from the injection path and subjective image noise were significantly lower in Groups 1 and 2 than in Groups 3 and 4 (p = 0.001-0.04). Periprocedural/postprocedural pain scores among Groups 2-4 were similar and lower than those of Group 1. The contrast-to-noise ratio (p = 0.11-0.97) and image sharpness (p = 0.12-0.43) were similar among Groups 2-4 and significantly lower than those of Group 1 (p = 0.001-0.02). The diagnostic performance for the assessment of superior anterior-to-posterior and Bankart lesions was better in Groups 2-4 than in Group 1, although there were no significant differences (p = 0.23-0.99). CONCLUSION: Local anaesthesia with 1-2 ml lidocaine at subcutaneous fat level reduced pain and provided optimal image quality in direct shoulder magnetic resonance arthrography. Advances in knowledge: This method can increase image quality, reduce periprocedural/postprocedural pain and potentially reduce the need for re-examination.

Identification of high-affinity copper transporters in Aspergillus fumigatus.

We investigated the copper metabolism of Aspergillus fumigatus, which has not been characterized well. We cloned the putative copper transporters ctrA2 and ctrC from A. fumigatus and investigated the functions of these transporters in copper metabolism. Four putative copper transporters were identified in the A. fumigatus genome; ctrA2 and ctrC complemented CTR1 functionally and localized to the plasma membrane in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. ctrA2 and ctrC single-deletion mutants and a double-deletion mutant of ctrA2 and ctrC were constructed in A. fumigatus. The ctrA2 and ctrC double-deletion mutant exhibited a growth defect on Aspergillus minimal medium (AMM) supplemented with bathocuproine disulfonic acid (BCS) and was sensitive to H2O2. Furthermore, the deletion of ctrA2 and ctrC reduced superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, laccase activity, and intracellular copper contents. The activities of the ctrA2 and ctrC genes were up-regulated by BCS treatment. In addition, the deletion of ctrA2 up-regulated ctrC and vice versa. ctrA2 and ctrC were localized to the A. fumigatus plasma membrane. Although ctrA2 and ctrC failed to affect the mouse survival rate, these genes affected conidial killing activity. Taken together, these results indicate that ctrA2 and ctrC may function as membrane transporters and that the involvement of these genes in pathogenicity merits further investigation.

Enhancement of antibody responses to Bacillus anthracis protective antigen domain IV by use of calreticulin as a chimeric molecular adjuvant.

The generation of protective humoral immune responses against the receptor-binding domain (domain IV) of protective antigen [PA(dIV)] of Bacillus anthracis represents a plausible approach against anthrax toxin. In the current study, we have developed a naked DNA vaccine encoding calreticulin (CRT) linked to PA(dIV) of Bacillus anthracis [CRT/PA(dIV)]. We transfected a human embryonic kidney cell line (HEK 293) with CRT/PA(dIV) DNA and performed Western blotting and confocal microscopy analysis. We found that linkage of CRT to PA(dIV) targets PA(dIV) to the endoplasmic reticulum, resulting in secretion of the chimeric CRT/PA(dIV) protein. We then evaluated the ability of CRT/PA(dIV) DNA to generate PA(dIV)-specific antibody responses and protective immunity against lethal anthrax toxin (PA plus lethal factor) challenge. We found that mice immunized with CRT/PA(dIV) DNA were capable of rapidly inducing significantly higher PA(dIV)-specific antibody responses than mice immunized with PA(dIV) DNA alone. Furthermore, we observed that this enhanced antibody response generated by CRT/PA(dIV) DNA was CD4 dependent, since CD4 knockout mice demonstrated a significant reduction in antibody responses. In addition, analysis of the titers and avidity maturation of the induced PA-specific antibodies revealed that vaccination with CRT/PA(dIV) DNA vaccine accelerated the avidity maturation of antibodies to PA(dIV) compared to vaccination with PA(dIV) DNA. Importantly, the enhanced antibody responses correlated to protective immunity against lethal anthrax toxin challenge. Thus, DNA vaccines encoding CRT linked to PA(dIV) may dramatically enhance PA-specific protective antibody responses. Our results have significant clinical applications for biodefense against anthrax toxin.