Boron Facilitates Amelioration of Hepatic Injury by the Osmolyte Glycine and Resolves Injury by Improving the Tissue Redox Homeostasis.

Background: Glycine is a conditional non-essential amino acid in human and other mammals. It is abundant in the liver and is known for a wide spectrum of characteristics including the antioxidant, antiinflammatory, immunomodulatory, and cryoprotective effects. The amino acid is a naturally occurring osmolyte compatible with protein surface interactions and has been reported in literature as a potent therapeutic immuno-nutrient for liver diseases such as alcoholic liver disease. Oral glycine administration protects ethanol-induced liver injury, improves serum and tissue lipid profile, and alleviates hepatic injury in various conditions. In recent years, sodium salt of boron (borax) has been reported for its beneficial effects on cellular stress, including the effects on cell survival, immunity, and tissue redox state. Incidentally both glycine and boron prevent apoptosis and promote cell survival under stress. Objective: This study investigates the beneficial effect of borax on liver protection by glycine. Methods: Briefly, liver toxicity was induced in rats by a single intraperitoneal injection of thioacetamide (400 mg/kg b. wt.). Results: Significant changes in oxidative stress and liver function test parameters, the molybdenum Fe-S flavin hydroxylase activity, nitric oxide and tissue histopathology were observed in thioacetamide treated positive control group. The changes were ameliorated both by glycine as well as borax, but the combinatorial treatment yielded a better response indicating the impact of boron supplementation on glycine mediated protection of liver injury in experimental animal model. Conclusions: The study has clinical implications as the hepatotoxicity caused by thioacetamide mimics features of hepatitis C infection in human.

A co-type ductile film with high tensile strength and fast self-healing properties for shaped fruit preservation.

Traditional petroleum-based plastics have high energy consumption, require professional equipment, are non-degradable after use, and lack antibacterial properties, making it impossible to achieve long-lasting freshness in fruits and vegetables. Herein, we report a novel co-type film-forming method with low energy consumption and without production equipment, which uses PVA-borax gel as a substrate and adds a certain proportion of CMC and TA to prepare multifunctional CMC/TA@PVA-borax composite hydrogels (CTPB). The dynamic borax ester bonding and hydrogen bonding in the CTPB hydrogel results in an ultra-high tensile strength of more than 5500% and rapid self-healing within 8 s. Interestingly, hydrogels can be arbitrarily shaped and stretched like play dough and thus can be stretched into ductile films by co-type film formation. The antimicrobial properties of the hydrogel film can be attributed to the synergistic effects of TA and borax. The mussel structure of TA allows the hydrogel film to adhere directly to different surfaces for more effective bacterial killing. In addition, the hydrogel film has a high level of biosafety and biodegradability and shows good performance in fruit storage. This study provides a convenient and low-energy method for the preparation of films, which in part reduces the increasing environmental pollution caused by petroleum-based plastics.

11B NMR of the Morphological Evolution of Traditional Chinese Medicine Borax.

This article applies nuclear magnetic resonance technology to the study of boron-containing traditional Chinese medicine, in order to explore the morphological evolution of boron elements in traditional Chinese medicine. Borax is a traditional Chinese medicine with anti-corrosion, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anticonvulsant effects. It is made by boiling, removing stones, and drying borax minerals like borate salts. This article introduces an 11B nuclear magnetic resonance method for identifying and characterizing boron-containing compounds in TCM. We applied this technology to borax aqueous solutions in different chemical environments and found that with boron mixed in the form of SP2 hybridization in equilateral triangles and SP3 hybridization in equilateral tetrahedra, the pH changes in alkaline environments significantly affected the ratio of the two. At the same time, it was found that in addition to the raw material peak, boron signals of other boron-containing compounds were also detected in 20 commercially available boron-containing TCM preparations. These new boron-containing compounds may be true pharmaceutical active ingredients, and adding them directly to the formula can improve quality and safety. This article describes the detection of 11B NMR in boron-containing traditional Chinese medicine preparations. It is simple, non-destructive, and can provide chemical fingerprint studies for boron-containing traditional Chinese medicine.

Potential effect dietary supplementation of calcium tetraborate in quails exposed to cadmium: Its impact on productive performance, oxidative stress, cecal microflora, and histopathological changes.

Cadmium (Cd) is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant, and Cd exposure harms human health, agriculture, and animal husbandry. The present study aimed to investigate the potential protective effect of dietary supplementation of calcium tetraborate (CTB) on productive performance, oxidative stress, cecal microflora, and histopathological changes in quail exposed to Cd. A total of one hundred twenty, 6-week-old Japanese quail (four females and two males/replicate) were divided into four groups (30 quails/group): the control group (feeding basic diet), CTB group (basic diet containing 300 mg/kg CaB4O7, 22.14% elemental B/kg diet), the Cd group (basic diet containing 100 mg/kg cadmium chloride (CdCl2) (total Cd content of 92.1 mg/kg)) and the CTB + Cd group (basic diet containing 300 mg/kg CTB and 100 mg/kg CdCl2). The results showed that Cd exposure caused decreased performance, increased the proportion of broken and soft-shelled eggs, induced oxidative stress, affected cecal microflora, epicardial hemorrhages in the heart, focal necrosis in the liver, degeneration in the kidneys, and degenerated and necrotic seminiferous tubules in the testicles. CTB prevented Cd-induced oxidative stress in liver tissue by increasing total antioxidant status and reducing total oxidant status. In addition, CTB improved egg production and feed conversion ratio (FCR). CTB protected the cecal microflora by inhibiting Enterobacteriaceae and promoting Lactobacillus. CTB also reduced Cd-induced histopathological damage in the heart, liver, kidneys, and testicles. In conclusion, these findings suggest that CTB could be used in Cd-challenged quail, and this compound provides new insights into the toxicity of environmental Cd.

Nicotinamide Riboside, a Promising Vitamin B3 Derivative for Healthy Aging and Longevity: Current Research and Perspectives.

Many studies have suggested that the oxidized form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is involved in an extensive spectrum of human pathologies, including neurodegenerative disorders, cardiomyopathy, obesity, and diabetes. Further, healthy aging and longevity appear to be closely related to NAD+ and its related metabolites, including nicotinamide riboside (NR) and nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN). As a dietary supplement, NR appears to be well tolerated, having better pharmacodynamics and greater potency. Unfortunately, NR is a reactive molecule, often unstable during its manufacturing, transport, and storage. Recently, work related to prebiotic chemistry discovered that NR borate is considerably more stable than NR itself. However, immediately upon consumption, the borate dissociates from the NR borate and is lost in the body through dilution and binding to other species, notably carbohydrates such as fructose and glucose. The NR left behind is expected to behave pharmacologically in ways identical to NR itself. This review provides a comprehensive summary (through Q1 of 2023) of the literature that makes the case for the consumption of NR as a dietary supplement. It then summarizes the challenges of delivering quality NR to consumers using standard synthesis, manufacture, shipping, and storage approaches. It concludes by outlining the advantages of NR borate in these processes.

Ferrocenium Boronic Acid Catalyzed Deoxygenative Coupling of Alcohols with Carbon- and Nitrogen-Based Borate and Silane Nucleophiles.

A boronic acid catalyzed carbon-carbon and carbon-nitrogen bond-forming reaction for the functionalization of various π-activated alcohols has been developed. Ferrocenium boronic acid hexafluoroantimonate salt was identified as an effective catalyst in the direct deoxygenative coupling of alcohols with a variety of potassium trifluoroborate and organosilane nucleophiles. In a comparison between these two classes of nucleophiles, the use of organosilanes leads to higher reaction yields, increased diversity of the alcohol substrate scope, and high E/Z selectivity. Furthermore, the reaction proceeds under mild conditions and yields up to 98%. Computational studies provide a rationalization for a mechanistic pathway for the retention of E/Z stereochemistry when E or Z alkenyl silanes are used as nucleophiles. This methodology is complementary to existing methodologies for deoxygenative coupling reactions involving organosilanes, and it is effective with a variety of organosilane nucleophile sub-types, including allylic, vinylic, and propargylic trimethylsilanes.

Dispersive solid-phase extraction of alkaloids and polyphenols using borate hypercrosslinked polymers.

In this study, a borate hyper-crosslinked polymer was synthesized by crosslinking 1-naphthalene boric acid and dimethoxymethane via the Friedel-Crafts reaction. The prepared polymer exhibits excellent adsorption performance toward alkaloids and polyphenols with maximum adsorption capacities ranging from 25.07 to 39.60 mg/g. Adsorption kinetics and isotherms model results indicated the adsorption was a monolayer and chemical process. Under the optimal extraction conditions, a sensitive method was established for the simultaneous quantification of alkaloids and polyphenols in green tea and Coptis chinensis by coupling with the proposed sorbent and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography detection. The proposed method exhibited a wide linear range of 5.0-5000.0 ng/ml with R2 ≥ 0.99, a low limit of detection (0.66-11.25 ng/ml), and satisfactory recoveries (81.2%-117.4%). This work provides a simple and convenient candidate for the sensitive determination of alkaloids and polyphenols in green tea and complex herbal products.

Making and breaking of boron bridges in the pectic domain rhamnogalacturonan-II at apoplastic pH in vivo and in vitro.

Cross-linking of the cell-wall pectin domain rhamnogalacturonan-II (RG-II) via boron bridges between apiose residues is essential for normal plant growth and development, but little is known about its mechanism or reversibility. We characterized the making and breaking of boron bridges in vivo and in vitro at 'apoplastic' pH. RG-II (13-26 µm) was incubated in living Rosa cell cultures and cell-free media with and without 1.2 mm H3 BO3 and cationic chaperones (Ca2+ , Pb2+ , polyhistidine, or arabinogalactan-protein oligopeptides). The cross-linking status of RG-II was monitored electrophoretically. Dimeric RG-II was stable at pH 2.0-7.0 in vivo and in vitro. In-vitro dimerization required a 'catalytic' cation at all pHs tested (1.75-7.0); thus, merely neutralizing the negative charge of RG-II (at pH 1.75) does not enable boron bridging. Pb2+ (20-2500 µm) was highly effective at pH 1.75-4.0, but not 4.75-7.0. Cationic peptides were effective at approximately 1-30 µm; higher concentrations caused less dimerization, probably because two RG-IIs then rarely bonded to the same peptide molecule. Peptides were ineffective at pH 1.75, their pH optimum being 2.5-4.75. d-Apiose (>40 mm) blocked RG-II dimerization in vitro, but did not cleave existing boron bridges. Rosa cells did not take up d-[U-14 C]apiose; therefore, exogenous apiose would block only apoplastic RG-II dimerization in vivo. In conclusion, apoplastic pH neither broke boron bridges nor prevented their formation. Thus boron-starved cells cannot salvage boron from RG-II, and 'acid growth' is not achieved by pH-dependent monomerization of RG-II. Divalent metals and cationic peptides catalyse RG-II dimerization via co-ordinate and ionic bonding respectively (possible and impossible, respectively, at pH 1.75). Exogenous apiose may be useful to distinguish intra- and extra-protoplasmic dimerization.

[Determination of glutathione in cells by capillary electrophoresis-laser induced fluorescence].

Glutathione (GSH) is vital for oxidative stress resistance and heavy metals detoxification. It is significant to develop a sensitive and accurate quantitative GSH approach for the toxicity mechanism for studying heavy metals in cells. A high-sensitive capillary electrophoresis-laser induced fluorescence (CE-LIF) detection approach was proposed in this study to detect GSH content in cells. The approach employed HepG2 cells as an object and 2,3-naphthalenedicarboxaldehyde (NDA) with the active group of aromatic o-dialdehyde as a labeling reagent. The effects of buffer solution types, pH, additives on the GSH reaction rate with NDA, and the sensitivity of NDA-GSH were systematically investigated. The sensitivity of NDA-GSH and the reaction rate of GSH with NDA were compared in tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris) buffer solution at pH 7.4 or 9.2 and borate-Tris buffer solution at pH 9.2. The results revealed that the NDA-GSH sensitivity was the highest and the reaction rate of GSH and NDA was the fastest in borate buffer solution at pH 9.2. The effects of the four additives on the sensitivity of NDA-GSH were further compared. The best additive was revealed to be ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD). GSH reacted with NDA to reach equilibrium within 5 min under the optimal experimental conditions, and the electrophoretic signal of NDA-GSH could be seen in 3 min. Quantitative analysis of GSH in HepG2 cells was performed using an external standard approach by determining a series of GSH standard solutions. The results revealed that the approach had a good linear relationship with the peak area vs. concentration (0.01-20.00 mmol/L) of GSH. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of GSH were determined using signal-to-noise ratios of 3 (S/N=3) and 10 (S/N=10), which were 0.006 µmol/L and 0.020 µmol/L, respectively. The approach's spiked recoveries were 95.7%-112.6%, with relative standard deviations of the approach being 3.8%-5.0% (n=3). This approach offers high sensitivity, good stability, accuracy, and reliability. To study the relationship between the toxicity of arsenic and chromium on HepG2 cells and the content of GSH in HepG2 cells, the effects of arsenic and chromium with different valences on cell viability were analyzed. The results illustrated that the cytotoxicity of potassium dichromate (Cr(Ⅵ)) was the strongest. The variations of GSH content in HepG2 cells stimulated with arsenite (As(Ⅲ)), arsenate (As(Ⅴ)), chromium chloride (Cr(Ⅲ)), and Cr(Ⅵ) were analyzed by the proposed approach and analysis of intracellular GSH imaging. The results revealed that the stimulation group i. e. analyzed doses (low-dose 2 mg/L, high-dose 5 mg/L) of As(Ⅲ), As(Ⅴ), and Cr(Ⅲ) had no obvious effect on GSH content in HepG2 cells compared with the control group, whereas high-dose Cr(Ⅵ) can significantly reduce GSH content in HepG2 cells. Considering the analysis of cytotoxicity of As(Ⅲ), As(Ⅴ), Cr(Ⅲ), and Cr(Ⅵ), it shows that the content of GSH in HepG2 cells is related to cytotoxicity, and the content of GSH will decrease with the increase in cytotoxicity.

Nail Mineral Composition Changes Do Not Reflect Bone Mineral Changes Caused by Boron Supplementation.

Nails have been found to be a non-invasive and readily available tissue whose mineral content can change because of a change in dietary mineral intake. Thus, this study was undertaken to determine whether boron (B) supplementation would change the concentrations of some mineral elements in nails and whether these changes correlated with changes induced in bone. Female New Zealand White rabbits (aged 8 months, 2-2.5 kg weight) were fed a grain-based, high-energy diet containing 3.88 mg B/kg. The rabbits were divided into four treatment groups: controls receiving no supplemental B (N: 7; C) and three groups supplemented with 30 mg B/L in drinking water as borax decahydrate (Na2B4O7∙10H2O, N: 10; BD), borax anhydrous (Na2B4O7, N: 7; Bah), and boric acid (H3BO3, N: 7; BA). Boron, calcium (Ca), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sodium (Na), sulfur (S), and zinc (Zn) concentrations in nails were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. Parametric and non-parametric multiple group comparisons and post hoc tests were performed and whether a correlation between nail and tibia and femur mineral elements concentrations were determined. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Boron was not detectable in control nails but was found in the nails of the three B supplemented groups. Boron supplementation markedly increased the Ca concentration in nails with the effect greatest in the BA and BD groups. The P and Mg concentrations also were increased by B supplementation with the effect most marked in the BA group. In contrast, B supplementation decreased the Na concentration with the effect most noticeable in the BD and Bah groups. The Zn concentration in nails was not affected by BA and BD supplementation but was decreased by Bah supplementation. Boron supplementation did not significantly affect the concentrations of Cu, Fe, Mo, K, and S in nails. No meaningful significant correlations were found between nail mineral elements and tibia and femur mineral elements found previously. Nails can be an indicator of the response to boron supplementation but are not useful to indicate changes in mineral elements in bone in response to B supplementation.

Trimetallic Chalcogenide Species: Synthesis, Structures, and Bonding.

In an attempt to isolate boron-containing tri-niobium polychalcogenide species, we have carried out prolonged thermolysis reactions of [Cp*NbCl4] (Cp* = ɳ5-C5Me5) with four equivalents of Li[BH2E3] (E = Se or S). In the case of the heavier chalcogen (Se), the reaction led to the isolation of the tri-niobium cubane-like cluster [(NbCp*)3(µ3-Se)3(BH)(µ-Se)3] (1) and the homocubane-like cluster [(NbCp*)3(µ3-Se)3(µ-Se)3(BH)(µ-Se)] (2). Interestingly, the tri-niobium framework of 1 stabilizes a selenaborate {Se3BH}- ligand. A selenium atom is further introduced between boron and one of the selenium atoms of 1 to yield cluster 2. On the other hand, the reaction with the sulfur-containing borate adduct [LiBH2S3] afforded the trimetallic clusters [(NbCp*)3(µ-S)4{µ-S2(BH)}] (3) and [(NbCp*)3(µ-S)4{µ-S2(S)}] (4). Both clusters 3 and 4 have an Nb3S6 core, which further stabilizes {BH} and mono-sulfur units, respectively, through bi-chalcogen coordination. All of these species were characterized by 11B{1H}, 1H, and 13C{1H} NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, infrared (IR) spectroscopy, and single-crystal X-ray crystallography. Moreover, theoretical investigations revealed that the triangular Nb3 framework is aromatic in nature and plays a vital role in the stabilization of the borate, borane, and chalcogen units.

Assessment of bioaccumulation of glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid in marine mussels using capillary electrophoresis with light-emitting diode-induced fluorescence detection.

Glyphosate or N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine, widely used as herbicide in agriculture to control weeds and to facilitate harvesting, has been included in Group 2A pollutants (probably carcinogenic to humans) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). In intensive agricultural areas, runoff and soil leaching are likely to drive glyphosate to surface waters, where the compound is often detected together with its main microbial metabolite, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA). In the present study a method based on capillary electrophoresis coupled with light-emitting diode-induced fluorescence detection has been developed and validated for the determination of the two compounds in whole soft mass of marine mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis). The method is based on the acidic hydrolysis of lyophilized tissue using 6 M HCl (oven at 110 °C for 22 h) to release the target analytes; their subsequent derivatization using 4-fluoro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole, was found to be suitable for the sensitive fluorescence detection. To achieve optimum separation of the analytes from the matrix and degradation reagent interferences, the background electrolyte constituted by borate buffer (pH 9.2, 30 mM) was supplemented with 10 mM heptakis(2,6-di-O-methyl)-ß-cyclodextrin. The method was validated for linearity, precision, accuracy, robustness and sensitivity showing LOQ of 0.2 and 1.0 µg/g in fresh tissues, for AMPA and glyphosate, respectively; the recovery values ranged within 88.5 - 94.6% for glyphosate and 70.4 - 76.6% for AMPA. Experimental samples of Mediterranean mussels M. galloprovincialis treated with 100 µg/L or 500 µg/L of both glyphosate and AMPA, showed a dose dependent bioaccumulation of the compounds reaching maximum level of 77.0 µg/g and 11.3 µg/g of AMPA and glyphosate, respectively. The study demonstrates for the first time M. galloprovincialis as potential sentinel organisms for the environmental occurrence of these small amphoteric pollutants.

An Arabidopsis thaliana arabinogalactan-protein (AGP31) and several cationic AGP fragments catalyse the boron bridging of rhamnogalacturonan-II.

Rhamnogalacturonan-II (RG-II) is a complex pectic domain in plant primary cell walls. In vivo, most RG-II domains are covalently dimerised via borate diester bridges, essential for correct cell-wall assembly, but the dimerisation of pure RG-II monomers by boric acid in vitro is extremely slow. Cationic 'chaperones' can promote dimerisation, probably by overcoming the mutual repulsion between neighbouring anionic RG-II molecules. Highly effective artificial chaperones include Pb2+ and polyhistidine, but the proposed natural chaperones remained elusive. We have now tested cationic peptide fragments of several Arabidopsis thaliana arabinogalactan-proteins (AGPs) as candidates. Fragments of AGP17, 18, 19 and 31 were effective, typically at ∼25 µg/ml (9-19 µM), promoting the boron bridging of 16-20 µM monomeric RG-II at pH 4.8 in vitro. Native AGP31 glycoprotein was also effective, and hexahistidine was moderately so. All chaperones tested interacted reversibly with RG-II and were not consumed during the reaction; thus they acted catalytically, and may constitute the first reported boron-acting enzyme activity, an RG-II borate diesterase. Many of the peptide chaperones became less effective catalysts at higher concentration, which we interpret as due to the formation of RG-II-peptide complexes with a net positive charge, as mutually repulsive as negatively charged pure RG-II molecules. The four unique AGPs studied here may serve an enzymic role in the living plant cell, acting on RG-II within Golgi cisternae and/or in the apoplast after secretion. In this way, RG-II and specific AGPs may contribute to cell-wall assembly and hence plant cell expansion and development.

A NIR-II light-modulated injectable self-healing hydrogel for synergistic photothermal/chemodynamic/chemo-therapy of melanoma and wound healing promotion.

The development of an injectable multifunctional hydrogel with tumor therapy, antibacterial treatment and wound healing properties is essential for simultaneously eradicating melanoma and promoting wound healing of tumor-initiated skin defects. Herein, iron ion-doped polyaniline (PANI(Fe)) tethered with guar gum (GG) chains is employed for the first time as a building unit for constructing a superior hydrogel (GG@PANI(Fe)-borax) crosslinked by borate/didiol bonds. Due to the dynamic and reversible properties of boronate ester bonds, the GG@PANI(Fe)-borax hydrogels had convenient injectability, rapid self-healing ability, and reversible gel-sol transformations under thermal- or pH-stimuli. More importantly, they took advantage of the second near-infrared (NIR-II) responsive photothermal conversion capability, accompanied by the photothermal-enhanced high cytotoxic ˙OH generation in the H2O2-enriched tumor microenvironment induced by iron-doped PANI. The as-prepared hydrogels exhibited excellent photothermal effects and controllable NIR-triggered drug release, leading to distinctly synergistic photothermal/chemodynamic/chemo-therapy effects of melanoma both in vitro (98.2%) and in vivo (98.8%). In addition, the obtained hydrogels also exhibited good anti-bacterial activity (>97.1%) against both Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria because they were based on PANI(Fe) and borax, which exhibit antibacterial activity. Furthermore, these GG@PANI(Fe)-incorporated scaffolds could improve fibroblast cell proliferation and angiogenesis for accelerating wound repair in tumor-bearing and infected wound mice. Taken together, GG@PANI(Fe)-borax hydrogels may be used simultaneously for eradication of skin-tumor cells, inhibiting infection and accelerating wound healing. This work offers an effective and facile strategy to fabricate an "all-in-one" multifunctional hydrogel platform for synergetic multimodal integrated therapy of tumors.

Guanosine-based Hydrogel Integrating Photothermal Effect of PDA-AuNPs through Dynamic Borate Bond for Photothermal Therapy of Cancer.

Photothermal therapy (PTT) has drawn extensive attention owing to its noninvasive and great tissue penetration depth. However, the physical encapsulation of photothermal agents may lead to their rapid release. Dual-functional hydrogel systems that integrate functions and carriers can potentially solve this problem. In this work, we successfully developed a dual-functional guanosine(G)-based hydrogel integrating the photothermal effect and localized delivery by introducing dynamic borate ester utilizing the photothermal property of PDA-AuNPs and the self-assembly ability of G. Both in vitro and in vivo results confirmed that the GBPA hydrogel not only exhibited excellent photothermal toxicity, stability, injectability, and biocompatibility, but also possessed high photothermal antitumor activity. These results suggested that the GBPA hydrogel could be used as a dual-functional hydrogel integrating photothermal effect and localized delivery in one system, which would possibly provide a new opportunity for the design of new dual-functional hydrogels for highly efficient cancer therapy.

Borax exerts protective effect against ferrocene-induced neurotoxicity in Oncorhynchus mykiss.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, therapeutic targets and the development of new drugs have shifted research towards inflammatory and oxidative stress pathways. Ferrocene (FcH) is a stable, small molecule that exhibits immunostimulatory and anti-tumor properties by a different mechanism and is effective at low doses in oral administration. However, it was surprising that there has been no performed investigation using FcH on aquaculture. On the other hand, recent papers reveal the key biological functions and health benefits due to daily boron intake in animals and humans. Therefore, we investigated the neurotoxic damage potential of FcH and its related neurotoxicity action mechanism in aquatic environments. In addition, the protective potential of borax (BX, or sodium borate) were evaluated againt in vivo neurotoxicity by FcH. METHODS: Neurotoxicity assessment was performed in rainbow trout brain tissue, acutely under semi-static conditions via determining a vide range of parameters including catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities as well as glutathione (GSH), myeloperoxidase (MPO), glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA levels), DNA damage (8-OHdG), apoptosis (caspase 3), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), nuclear factor erythroid-2 (Nrf-2), acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels. In addition, the LC50 96 h level of FcH was determined for the first time in rainbow trout in this study. RESULTS: In the obtained results, while FcH caused inhibition in enzyme activities, it showed an inducing effect on MDA, MPO, BDNF, Nrf2, TNF-α and IL-6 levels. It was determined that this oxidative damage related alterations were significantly different (p < 0.05) in comparison between FcH treated and controls. Again, the LC50 96 h value in rainbow trout was determined as 11.73 mg/L, which is approximately 5% less than the value given for freshwater fish (12.3 mg/L). On the contrary, it was observed that BX has a mitigating effect on FcH-induced neurotoxicity. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that borax may be useful for preventing or alleviating neurotoxicity induced by environmental contaminants or toxic chemicals.

Sodium pentaborate pentahydrate promotes hair growth through the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway and growth factors.

BACKGROUND: Boron (B) is an element involved in many physiological processes in humans and accelerates wound healing and increases angiogenesis. This study aimed to evaluate the possible effects of sodium pentaborate pentahydrate (NaB) on hair growth and reveal its effects on Wnt-1, ß-catenin, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) signaling pathways, which are important molecular mechanisms involved in hair growth. METHODS: Thirty-five Sprague-Dawley/Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into five groups: non-shaved control, shaved control, NaB 1 mg (shaved + NaB 1 mg elemental B/kg CA), NaB 2 mg (shaved + NaB 2 mg elemental B/kg CA), and NaB 4 mg (shaved + NaB 4 mg elemental B/kg CA). Hair density was measured using the trichoscopy method. Dorsal skin samples were examined histopathologically at the end of the 42nd day, and follicle count, follicle diameter, and subcutaneous tissue thickness were recorded. Wnt-1, ß-catenin, PDGF, VEGF, TGF-ß1, and collagen I levels were analyzed with the Western blot method. RESULTS: In trichoscopy measurements, hair density increased in the NaB 4 mg group (90.9%). In histopathological examination, anagen follicles were observed to increase in the NaB 1 mg and 2 mg groups (p < 0.05). Follicle diameter increased in all NaB groups (p < 0.05). The Wnt-1, ß-catenin, PDGF, VEGF, TGF-ß1, and collagen I level increased in the NaB 1 mg and 2 mg groups (p < 0.05), but they were similar in the NaB 4 mg group compared to the control groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: NaB 1 and 2 mg B/kg supplementation induces the anagen phase in rats via Wnt-1, ß-catenin, VEGF, PDGF, and TGF-ß1 signaling pathways. NaB 4 mg B/kg suppresses these pathways and adversely affects hair growth.

Metal oxide-based macroporous ordered double affinity molecularly imprinted polymer for specific separation and enrichment of glycoprotein from food samples: a co-modification of DMSA and boronate affinity.

Metal oxide-based macroporous ordered double affinity molecularly imprinted polymers (D-MIPs) were developed as solid phase extraction (SPE) adsorbents for the specific identification of ovalbumin (OVA) under physiological pH conditions prior to ultraviolet visible (UV-vis) spectrophotometric detection. Herein, macroporous alumina (MA) was used as a matrix; dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) and 3-aminophenylboric acid (APBA) were employed as dual-functional monomers; APBA is a self-polymerizing monomer. The effects of synthesis conditions, SPE conditions as well as selectivity, reproducibility, and reusability were studied. The co-modification of DMSA and boronate affinity renders the adsorbent exhibiting a high adsorption capacity (114.4 mg g-1) and short equilibrium time (30 min). The surface imprinting technology causes the adsorbent to have high selectivity towards OVA. The OVA recovery range is 91.1-99.6%. This study provides a promising method for the enrichment of OVA and other cis-diol-containing analytes in complex biological samples. A novel metal oxide-based macroporous ordered nanoparticle with a combination of DMSA and boronate affinity was successfully prepared for specific separation and enrichment of glycoprotein from complex biological samples.

Borate and phosphite treatments of potato plants (Solanum tuberosum L.) as a proof of concept to reinforce the cell wall structure and reduce starch digestibility.

Potatoes are one of the main sources of carbohydrates in human diet, however they have a high glycaemic index (GI). Hence, developing new agricultural and industrial strategies to produce low GI potatoes represents a health priority to prevent obesity and related diseases. In this work, we investigated whether treatments of potato plants with elicitors of plant defence responses can lead to a reduction of tuber starch availability and digestibility, through the induction of cell wall remodelling and stiffening. Treatments with phosphites (KPhi) and borate were performed, as they are known to activate plant defence responses that cause modifications in the architecture and composition of the plant cell wall. Data of suberin autofluorescence demonstrated that potato plants grown in a nutrition medium supplemented with KPhi and borate produced tubers with a thicker periderm, while pectin staining demonstrated that KPhi treatment induced a reinforcement of the wall of storage parenchyma cells. Both compounds elicited the production of H2O2, which is usually involved in cell-wall remodelling and stiffening reactions while only KPhi caused an increase of the total content of phenolic compounds. A two-phase digestion in vitro assay showed that treatment with KPhi determined a significant decrease of the starch hydrolysis rate in potato tubers. This work highlights the ability of cell wall architecture in modulating starch accessibility to digestive enzymes, paving the way for new agronomic practices to produce low GI index potatoes.

Borate and boric acid supplementation of drinking water alters teeth and bone mineral density and composition differently in rabbits fed a high protein and energy diet.

The reported beneficial effects of boron on mineralized tissues in animals and humans vary. Thus, a study was performed to assess whether the variability was the result of different forms of boron supplementation, method of supplementation, and increased adiposity of the rabbit experimental model. Thirty-one female New Zealand White rabbits, (aged 8 months, 2-2.5 kg weight) were fed a grain-based high energy diet containing 11.76 MJ/kg (2850 kcal/kg) and 3.88 mg boron/kg. The rabbits were randomly divided into four treatment groups: Control group was not supplemented with boron (n:7; C), and three groups supplemented with 30 mg boron/L in drinking water in the forms of borax decahydrate (Na2O4B7 10H2O, n:10; BD), borax anhydrous (Na2O4B7, n:7; Bah) or boric acid (H2BO3, n:7; BA). Cone beam micro computed tomographic (micro-CT), histological and elemental analysis was used to evaluate the bones/teeth. Results of the experiments demonstrated that boron supplementation had beneficial effects on mineralized tissue but varied with the type of treatment. Mineral density of the femur was increased by the Bah and BA treatments (p < 0.001), but only BA increased mineral density in the tibia (p = 0.015). In incisor teeth, mineral density of dentin was increased by all boron treatments (p < 0.001), and mineral density of enamel was increased by the BD and Bah treatments. Mineral analysis found that all boron treatments increased the boron concentration in tibia and femur. In the tibia, both the BD and Bah treatments decreased the iron concentration, and the BD treatment decreased the magnesium concentration. Sodium and zinc concentrations in the tibia were decreased by the Bah and BA treatments. The boron treatments did not significantly affect the calcium, copper, molybdenum, potassium phosphorus, and sulfur concentrations. The findings show that boron supplementation can have beneficial effects on mineralized tissues in an animal model with increased adiposity, which is a model of increased inflammatory stress. However, this effect varies with the form of boron supplemented, the method of supplementation, and the mineralized tissue examined.