Renal Protective Effect of Beluga Lentil Pretreatment for Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mice were divided into four groups: normal, untreated, low- (2 mg), and high-dose (8 mg) beluga lentil treatment groups. Beluga lentil was orally administered for 2 weeks, followed by bilateral renal ischemia for 20 min and reperfusion for 30 min. Blood samples and kidney tissues were collected and analyzed to investigate renal function, histopathology, epithelial and endothelial cell damage, apoptosis, oxidative stress, and inflammatory responses. RESULTS: The pretreated groups maintained renal function, with significantly lower blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine levels, compared with the other groups. The histopathological analysis showed reduced proximal tubule injury and decreased injury-related molecule (kidney injury molecule 1 (KIM-1) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL)) secretion in the pretreated groups compared with the other groups. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling- (TUNEL-) positive cells and the secretion of apoptosis-related molecules (Fas and caspase 3) were significantly reduced in the pretreated groups compared with the other groups. The pretreated groups showed positive microvessel-associated gene (cluster of differentiation (CD31)) expression and negative adhesion molecule (intracellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1)) expression. An antioxidant effect was observed in the pretreatment groups, with reduced malonaldehyde (MDA) expression and increased antioxidant enzyme (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx)) secretion. In the pretreated groups, F4/80+ macrophages and CD4+ T cell infiltration were inhibited and proinflammatory cytokine (interleukin- (IL-) 1ß, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) α) levels decreased; however, the levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines (transforming growth factor- (TGF-) ß, IL-10, and IL-22) increased. CONCLUSIONS: Beluga lentil pretreatment demonstrated protective effects against I/R-induced renal damage, via antiapoptotic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities.

Root Bark of Paeonia suffruticosa Extract and Its Component Methyl Gallate Possess Peroxynitrite Scavenging Activity and Anti-inflammatory Properties through NF-κB Inhibition in LPS-treated Mice.

A peroxynitrite (ONOO-)-generating system induced by 3-morpholinosydnonimine, was used to evaluate the ONOO- scavenging properties of plants that have been widely used as traditional medicine in Korea for the treatment of several diseases. The most effective medicinal plants were Paeonia suffruticosa Andrew, followed in order by Lonicera japonica Thunb., Curcuma zedoaria (Christm.) Roscoe, and Pueraria thunbergiana Benth. In addition, root bark of P. suffruticosa was partitioned with organic solvents of different polarities, and the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction showed the strongest ONOO- scavenging activity. Methyl gallate, a plant-derived phenolic compound identified from the EtOAc fraction, exerted strong ONOO- scavenging activity. The in vivo therapeutic potential of methyl gallate was investigated using lipopolysaccharide-treated mice. Oral administration of methyl gallate protected against acute renal injury and exhibited potential anti-inflammatory properties through an increase in antioxidant activity and decrease in nuclear factor-kappa B activity.

Screening, isolation and evaluation of a nematicidal compound from actinomycetes against the pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus.

BACKGROUND: Bursaphelenchus xylophilus is a migratory endoparasitic nematode known to cause severe environmental damage and economic losses in pine forest ecosystems. This present study investigated the nematicidal metabolites of actinomycetes in vitro and evaluated the disease control efficacy of the active compound and metabolites under greenhouse and field conditions. RESULTS: Five thousand types of actinobacteria from Korean forest soil samples were screened to identify novel nematicidal agents against the pine wood nematode. Streptomyces sp. AN091965 showed the strongest nematicidal activity. One active compound, spectinabilin, was obtained by nematicidal asssy-directed fractionation, and it showed significant nematicidal activity against B. xylophilus, with an LC50 value of 0.84 µg mL-1 . Spectinabilin effectively suppressed the development of pine wilt disease in 5-year-old Pinus densiflora trees, even at 0.9 mg per tree under greenhouse conditions. Moreover, the acetone extract of the active strain's mycelia efficiently suppressed the development of pine wilt disease under field conditions. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this the first report to describe the nematicidal activity of spectinabilin against B. xylophilus. The cell extracts described herein merit further field studies as potential nematicides against the pine wood nematode. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Switching profiles in a population-based cohort of rheumatoid arthritis receiving biologic therapy: results from the KOBIO registry.

Despite improved quality of care for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, many still experience treatment failure with a biologic agent and eventually switch to another biologic agent. We investigated patterns of biologic treatment and reasons for switching biologics in patients with RA. Patients with RA who had started on a biologic agent or had switched to another biologic agent were identified from the prospective observational Korean nationwide Biologics (KOBIO) registry. The KOBIO registry contained 1184 patients with RA at the time of initiation or switching of biologic agents. Patients were categorized according to the chronological order of the introduction of biologic agents, and reasons for switching biologics were also evaluated. Of the 1184 patients with RA, 801 started with their first biologic agent, 228 were first-time switchers, and 89 were second-time or more switchers. Second-time or more switchers had lower rheumatoid factor and anti-CCP positivity, and higher disease activity scores at the time of enrollment than the other groups. Among these patients, tocilizumab was the most commonly prescribed biologic agent, followed by adalimumab and etanercept. The most common reason for switching biologics was inefficacy, followed by adverse events, including infusion reactions, infections, and skin eruptions. Furthermore, the proportion of inefficacy, as a reason for switching, was significantly higher with respect to switching between biologics with different mechanisms of action than between biologics with similar mechanisms. In this registry, we showed diverse prescribing patterns and differing baseline profiles based on the chronological order of biologic agents.

Fabrication and magnetic characteristics of vertical feco nanowire arrayed in Al2O3 insulator of honeycomb bulkhead structure.

High-density and uniform-sized FeCo alloy nanowires were prepared by electro deposition of Fe2+ and Co2+ into Anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates with two different diameters. These templates were fabricated with three-step anodization method. The additional anodization after the 2nd anodization step resulted in the decrease of the thickness of bottom barrier layer. It found an optimum condition to obtain a successful electrodeposition of Fe2+ and Co2+ into AAO templates. The nanowires with the diameters of 25 nm and 80 nm were homogeneously embedded in the AAO templates and their magnetic properties were strongly affected by diameters of nanowire.