Inhibition of co-occurring weeds and young sugarcane seedling growth by perennial sugarcane root extract.

Allelopathy is a process whereby a plant directly or indirectly promotes or inhibits growth of surrounding plants. Perennial sugarcane root extracts from various years significantly inhibited Bidens pilosa, Digitaria sanguinalis, sugarcane stem seedlings, and sugarcane tissue-cultured seedlings (P < 0.05), with maximum respective allelopathies of - 0.60, - 0.62, - 0.20, and - 0.29. Allelopathy increased with increasing concentrations for the same-year root extract, and inhibitory effects of the neutral, acidic, and alkaline components of perennial sugarcane root extract from different years were significantly stronger than those of the control for sugarcane stem seedlings (P < 0.05). The results suggest that allelopathic effects of perennial sugarcane root extract vary yearly, acids, esters and phenols could be a main reason for the allelopathic autotoxicity of sugarcane ratoons and depend on the type and content of allelochemicals present, and that allelopathy is influenced by other environmental factors within the rhizosphere such as the presence of old perennial sugarcane roots. This may be a crucial factor contributing to the decline of perennial sugarcane root health.

Honokiol targeting ankyrin repeat domain of TRPV4 ameliorates endothelial permeability in mice inflammatory bowel disease induced by DSS.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: As a classic traditional Chinese medicine, Magnolia officinalis (M. officinalis) is widely used in digestive diseases. It has rich gastrointestinal activity including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treatment, but the mechanism is not clear. AIM OF THE STUDY: In recent years, there has been a growing interest in investigating the regulatory effects of herbal compounds on transient receptor potential (TRP) channel proteins. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4), a subtype involved in endothelial permeability regulation, was discussed as the target of M. officinalis in the treatment of IBD in the study. Based on the targeting effect of TRPV4, this study investigated the active ingredients and mechanism of M. officinalis extract in treating IBD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To reveal the connection between the active ingredients in M. officinalis and TRPV4, a bioactivity-guided high performance liquid chromatography system coupled with mass spectrometry identification was utilized to screen for TRPV4 antagonists. TRPV4 siRNA knockdown experiment was employed to validate the significance of TRPV4 as a crucial target in regulating endothelial permeability by honokiol (HON). The interaction of the active ingredient representing HON with TRPV4 was confirmed by molecular docking, fluorescence-based thermal shift and live cell calcium imaging experiments. The potential binding sites and inhibitory mechanisms of HON in TRPV4 were analyzed by molecular dynamics simulation and microscale thermophoresis. The therapeutic effect of HON based on TRPV4 was discussed in DSS-IBD mice. RESULTS: Our finding elucidated that the inhibitory activity of M. officinalis against TRPV4 is primarily attributed to HON analogues. The knockdown of TRPV4 expression significantly impaired the calcium regulation and permeability protection in endothelial cells. The mechanism study revealed that HON specifically targets the Q239 residue located in the ankyrin repeat domain of TRPV4, and competitively inhibits channel opening with adenosine triphosphate (ATP) binding. The immunofluorescence assay demonstrated that the administration of HON enhances the expression and location of VE-Cadherin to protect the endothelial barrier and attenuates immune cell infiltration. CONCLUSIONS: The finding suggested that HON alleviates IBD by improving endothelial permeability through TRPV4. The discovery provides valuable insights into the potential therapeutic strategy of active natural products for alleviating IBD.

Treatment of high-phosphorus load wastewater by column packed with non-burning compound filler/gravel/ceramsite: evaluation of performance and microorganism community.

Cost-effective and environmental-friendly substrates are essential for the constructed wetlands (CWs). In this study, the column test was used to explore the differences in pollutant purification performance, microbial community structure and abundance between non-burning compound filler and conventional CWs substrates (i.e. gravel and ceramsite) at low temperature (0-15℃). It was found that the maximum phosphorus removal efficiency of compound filler (99%) was better than gravel (18%) and ceramsite (21%). Besides, the proportion of aerobic heterotrophic bacteria capable of ammonium oxidation, nitrification and denitrification (i.e. Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, and Acetoanaerobium) was enhanced by compound filler, which has an excellent potential for nitrogen removal in the subsequent purification process. These results demonstrated that the self-made non-burning compound filler was a potential substrate for CWs, which was of great significance for the resource utilization of solid wastes such as polyaluminum chloride residue.

Brain Functional Connectivity in the Resting State and the Exercise State in Elite Tai Chi Chuan Athletes: An fNIRS Study.

This study aimed to reveal the characteristics of multi-circuit brain synergy between elite tai chi chuan athletes in resting and exercise states and to provide neuroimaging evidence of improvements in brain function by motor skill training. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to compare the brain activity of professional tai chi chuan athletes (expert group) and beginners (novice group) in resting and exercise states, and to assess functional connectivity (FC) between the prefrontal lobe and the sensorimotor zone. In the resting state, the FC between the left prefrontal lobe and the right sensorimotor area in the expert group was significantly lower than that in the novice group (P < 0.05). In the exercise state, the patterns of FC between the left prefrontal lobe and right sensorimotor area, the right prefrontal lobe and left sensorimotor area, and the left and right sensorimotor areas in the expert group were significantly lower than that in the novice group (P < 0.05). From the resting state to the locomotor state, the expert group experienced a greater absolute value of functional connection increment between the left prefrontal cortex and right sensorimotor area, and between the left sensorimotor area and right sensorimotor area (P < 0.05). This was positively correlated with the self-evaluation results of motor performance behavior. Under sports conditions, professional athletes' multi-circuit brain FC strength is significantly reduced, and their elite motor skill performance supports the neural efficiency hypothesis. This may be related to the high adaptation of the brain to specific tasks and the improvement of the integration of somatic perception processing and motor function.

Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of Leucomeris decora Kurz (Asteraceae).

Leucomeris decora is a traditional medicinal plant that is listed as an endangered species in China. Recently, L. decora has become locally rare. Here the complete chloroplast genome of L. decora was assembled and reported for the first time. Its plastome was 151,491 bp in length, including a large single-copy region (LSC; 83,155 bp), a small single-copy region (SSC; 18,216 bp), and a pair of inverted repeated regions (IRa and IRb; 25,060 bp). The overall GC content was 37.8%, and the genome contains 134 genes, including 92 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNA genes, and 34 tRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis of thirteen representative species from the family of Asteraceae showed that L. decora is clustered into one clade with Gerbera jamesonii with high bootstrap values, indicating a close relationship between these two species.

Nomogram to Predict Incomplete Cytoreduction for Pseudomyxoma Peritonei.

BACKGROUNDS: The completeness of cytoreduction is one of the most important prognostic factors for patients with pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP). To date, no nomograms have been established to predict incomplete cytoreduction (IC) for patients with PMP. The current study therefore proposed a nomogram to predict individual IC risk for PMP patients. METHODS: Between 1 June 2013, and 22 November 2019, 144 consecutive PMP patients who underwent cytoreductive surgery (CRS) combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for the first time in our center were included in a retrospective study. Possible predictors of cytoreducibility were analyzed using logistic regression modeling to predict IC for PMP patients. A nomogram was developed based on the multivariate analysis and further investigated for internal validation. RESULTS: After CRS, the 144 participants were divided into complete CRS (CCRS) (n = 46) and IC (n = 98) subgroups. Four independent predictors (sex, disease duration, anemia, and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 199)) were included in the prediction model. Then, a nomogram predicting IC was established based on the aforementioned variables, which demonstrated good predictive accuracy (C-index, 0.837; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 0.764-0.894). The predicted probability was close to the actual observed outcome according to the calibration plot. CONCLUSIONS: The current work led to the development of a nomogram capable of predicting IC for PMP patients who demonstrated good performance. Risk stratification by the established nomogram had ability to optimize individual IC prediction and help physicians to establish meticulous preoperative plans.

Targeting the Endocannabinoid/CB1 Receptor System For Treating Major Depression Through Antidepressant Activities of Curcumin and Dexanabinol-Loaded Solid Lipid Nanoparticles.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study investigated the underlying mechanisms of the antidepressant effects of curcumin and dexanabinol-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles in corticosterone-induced cell and mice depression models. METHODS: Curcumin and dexanabinol-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (Cur/SLNs-HU-211) were synthesized via an emulsifcation and low-temperature solidification method. Antidepressant activities of nanoparticles in a corticosterone-induced major depression model were investigated by MTT assay, cellular uptake by flow cytometry, behaviour by Forced Swimming Test and rotarod test, neurotransmitters by High Performance Liquid Chromatography, Western blotting, qPCR and immunofluorescence. RESULTS: Treatment with Cur/SLNs-HU-211 induced greater dopamine (DA)/5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) release with reduced corticosterone-induced apoptotic cell death in PC12 cells. Additionally, in vivo Cur/SLNs-HU-211 significantly induced recovery from depressive behaviour with increased DA/5-HT levels, CB1 mRNA levels and CB1, p-MEK1 and p-ERK1/2 protein expression levels in the hippocampus and striatum. Cur/SLNs-HU-211 improved CB1 expression and inspired the proliferation of astrocytes in the hippocampus and striatum, exerted neuroprotective effects by preventing corticosterone -induced BDNF/NeuN expression reduction. CONCLUSION: Our study implies that Cur/SLNs-HU-211 may be a useful approach for treatment of major depression.

Curcumin-Loaded TPGS/F127/P123 Mixed Polymeric Micelles for Cervical Cancer Therapy: Formulation, Characterization, and InVitro and InVivo Evaluation.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide, and existing treatments cause severe side effects and great burdens. Thus, the development of safe, inexpensive therapeutic agents is necessary. Curcumin (Cur), a well-known natural product, exerts promising anti-cancer activities against various cancer types. However, its therapeutic efficacy is severely restrained due to rapid degradation, poor aqueous solubility, and low bioavailability. The objective of this study was to investigate the therapeutic potential of novel curcumin-loaded TPGS/F127/P123 mixed polymeric micelles (Cur@NPT100) for cervical cancer treatment. The Cur@NPT100 exhibited an average size of approximately 19 nm, a zeta potential of around -4 mV, a drug loading of 8.18 ± 0.36%, and an encapsulation efficiency of 79.38 ± 4.65%. Unlike free Cur, Cur@NPT100 are readily dispersed in aqueous medium, showing enhanced stability and a sustained release profile over a 6-day period. In vitro cell culture experiments revealed that TPGS/F127/P123 mixed polymeric micelles (NPT100) based nanocarriers substantially promoted the selective cellular uptake of Cur into HeLa cells rather than by non-cancerous NIH3T3 cells, inducing higher cytotoxicity and greater apoptosis and significantly increasing the percentage of cells arrested at the G2/M phase of the cell cycle. Additionally, the Cur@NPT100 facilitated more Cur accumulation in the mitochondria and decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential. In addition, western blot assays demonstrated that Cur@NPT100 were more potent than free Cur at activating the mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway. In vivo results further confirmed that Cur@NPT100 exhibited a much higher antitumor efficacy than free Cur and had excellent biocompatibility. In conclusion, Cur@NPT100 might be an effective therapeutic agent for cervical cancer.

Antidepressant effects of curcumin and HU-211 coencapsulated solid lipid nanoparticles against corticosterone-induced cellular and animal models of major depression.

Major depression is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder with few treatment approaches. The use of nontargeted antidepressants induced many side effects with their low efficacy. A more precise targeting strategy is to develop nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems; hence, we employed solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) to encapsulate HU-211 and curcumin (Cur). The antidepressant effects of the dual-drug nanoparticles (Cur/SLNs-HU-211) for major depression treatment were investigated in corticosterone-induced cellular and animal models of major depression. Cur/SLNs-HU-211 can effectively protect PC12 cells from corticosterone-induced apoptosis and can release more dopamine, which may be associated with the higher uptake of Cur/SLNs-HU-211 shown by cellular uptake behavior analysis. Additionally, Cur/SLNs-HU-211 significantly reduced the immobility time in forced swim test, enhanced fall latency in rotarod test, and improved the level of dopamine in mice blood. Cur/SLNs-HU-211 can deliver more Cur to the brain and thus produce a significant increase in neurotransmitters level in brain tissue, especially in the hippocampus and striatum. The results of Western blot and immunofluorescence revealed that Cur/SLNs-HU-211 can significantly enhance the expression of CB1, p-MEK1, and p-ERK1/2. Our study suggests that Cur/SLNs-HU-211 may have great potential for major depression treatment.

Rational Design of Multifunctional Dendritic Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles to Load Curcumin and Enhance Efficacy for Breast Cancer Therapy.

Breast cancer is the primary reason for cancer-related death in women worldwide and the development of new formulations to treat breast cancer patients is crucial. Curcumin (Cur), a natural product, exerts promising anticancer activities against various cancer types. However, its therapeutic efficacy is hindered as a result of poor water solubility, instability, and low bioavailability. The aim of this work is to assess the curative effect of a novel nanoformulation, i.e., Cur-loaded and calcium-doped dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles modified with folic acid (Cur-Ca@DMSNs-FA) for breast cancer therapy. The results manifested that Cur-Ca@DMSNs-FA dispersed very well in aqueous solution, released Cur with a pH-responsible profile, and targeted efficiently to human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. Further investigations indicated that Cur-Ca@DMSNs-FA effectively inhibited cell proliferation, increased intracellular ROS generation, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, and enhanced cell cycle retardation at G2/M phase, leading to a higher apoptosis rate in MCF-7 compared to free Cur. Moreover, the Western blotting analysis demonstrated that Cur-Ca@DMSNs-FA were more active than free Cur through suppression of PI3K/AKT/mTOR and Wnt/ß-catenin signaling, and activation of the mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway. In addition, hemolysis assay showed that the Ca@DMSNs-FA exhibited good biocompatibility. Last, in vivo studies indicated that when Cur was encapsulated in Ca@DMSNs-FA, the Cur concentration in blood serum and tumor tissues was increased after 1 h intraperitoneal injection. In conclusion, Cur-Ca@DMSNs-FA might act as a potential anticancer drug formulation for breast cancer therapy.

The triplet state of tanshinone I and its synergic effect on the phototherapy of cancer cells with curcumin.

The excited triplet state of tanshinone I (Tan I) extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge was characterized by laser flash photolysis. The synergic effect of Tan I on the phototherapy of cancer cells with curcumin (Cur) was also investigated by MTT assay because the excited energy transfer from the triplet state of Tan I ((3)Tan I(∗)) to Cur occurred. At the same time, the characteristic absorption spectra of (3)Tan I(∗) were recorded, and its molar absorption coefficient and rate constants for several excited energy transfers were obtained. The photo-therapeutic effect of Cur is enhanced by combination with Tan I.

Anti-inflammatory activity of curcumin-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles in IL-1ß transgenic mice subjected to the lipopolysaccharide-induced sepsis.

Sepsis is a significant public healthcare problem, affecting millions of people worldwide each year, killing one in four, and increasing in incidence. Thus, advanced therapeutic strategies are required to treat sepsis patients. Curcumin (Cur) is a promising anti-inflammatory agent for various inflammatory disorders. However, the therapeutic efficacy of Cur is limited due to poor aqueous solubility, rapid degradation, and low bioavailability. The aims of this study were to evaluate the therapeutic potential of Cur-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (Cur-SLNs) for sepsis treatment. A firefly luciferase transgenic mouse was used to monitor real time interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß) expression in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced sepsis model to examine the protective effect of Cur-SLNs, and to elucidate its underlying molecular mechanisms. Mice (female or male) were intraperitoneally administered with free Cur or Cur-SLNs (30 mg/kg) before the intraperitoneal delivery of LPS (3 mg/kg). Our results indicated that Cur-SLNs can effectively reduced levels of IL-1ß expression compared to free Cur, especially at 3 h after LPS injection. Also, Cur-SLNs significantly decreased the expression of serum pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1ß as compared with free Cur, but augmented anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 by ELISA assay. Further, marked alleviation of the sepsis-induced damage to organs, including kidney, liver, and heart was observed with Cur-SLNs treatment as determined by hematoxylin/eosin-staining. Western blot analyses revealed that Cur-SLNs can significantly lower the expression levels of TLR4, TLR2, and TNF-α in lymph node tissues. Meanwhile, it showed suppressions of NF-κB activation and IκBα degradation levels. In conclusion, we suggested that Cur-SLNs may be used as an effective and safe therapeutic agent in treating sepsis in high-risk patient groups.

The enhanced immune response of hepatitis B virus DNA vaccine using SiO2@LDH nanoparticles as an adjuvant.

Various approaches have been used to improve systemic immune response to infectious disease or virus, and DNA vaccination has been demonstrated to be one of these effective ways to elicit protective immunity against pathogens. Our previous studies showed that layered double hydroxides (LDH) nanoparticles could be efficiently taken up by the MDDCs and had an adjuvant activity for DC maturation. To further enhance the immune adjuvant activity of LDH, core-shell structure SiO2@LDH nanoparticles were synthesized with an average diameter of about 210 nm. And its high transfection efficiency in vitro was demonstrated by using GFP expression plasmid as model DNA. Exposing SiO2@LDH nanoparticles to macrophages caused a higher dose-dependent expression of IFN-γ, IL-6, CD86 and MHC II, compared with SiO2 and LDH respectively. Furthermore, in vivo immunization of BALB/c mice indicated that, DNA vaccine loaded-SiO2@LDH nanoparticles not only induced much higher serum antibody response than naked DNA vaccine and plain nanoparticles, but also obviously promoted T-cell proliferation and skewed T helper to Th1 polarization. Additionally, it was proved that the caveolae-mediated uptake of SiO2@LDH nanoparticles by macrophage lead to macrophages activation via NF-κB signaling pathway. Our results indicate that SiO2@LDH nanoparticles could serve as a potential non-viral gene delivery system.

Enhanced bioavailability and efficiency of curcumin for the treatment of asthma by its formulation in solid lipid nanoparticles.

Curcumin has shown considerable pharmacological activity, including anti-inflammatory, but its poor bioavailability and rapid metabolization have limited its application. The purpose of the present study was to formulate curcumin-solid lipid nanoparticles (curcumin-SLNs) to improve its therapeutic efficacy in an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic rat model of asthma. A solvent injection method was used to prepare the curcumin-SLNs. Physiochemical properties of curcumin-SLNs were characterized, and release experiments were performed in vitro. The pharmacokinetics in tissue distribution was studied in mice, and the therapeutic effect of the formulation was evaluated in the model. The prepared formulation showed an average size of 190 nm with a zeta potential value of -20.7 mV and 75% drug entrapment efficiency. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the amorphous nature of the encapsulated curcumin. The release profile of curcumin-SLNs was an initial burst followed by sustained release. The curcumin concentrations in plasma suspension were significantly higher than those obtained with curcumin alone. Following administration of the curcumin-SLNs, all the tissue concentrations of curcumin increased, especially in lung and liver. In the animal model of asthma, curcumin-SLNs effectively suppressed airway hyperresponsiveness and inflammatory cell infiltration and also significantly inhibited the expression of T-helper-2-type cytokines, such as interleukin-4 and interleukin-13, in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid compared to the asthma group and curcumin-treated group. These observations implied that curcumin-SLNs could be a promising candidate for asthma therapy.

Comparative transmembrane transports of four typical lipophilic organic chemicals.

Transmembrane transports of four kinds of lipophilic organic chemicals (LOCs) on suspending multilamellar liposomes (SML) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) were investigated, where both anthracene and phenanthrene were accorded to the lipid-water partition law and Sudan I and III to the Langmuir isothermal adsorption. Less than half of phenanthrene is transported into E. coli, where more than 60% are located in the cytoplasm. About 60% of anthracene entered the E. coli where only 10% was released into the cytoplasm. The partition coefficients of phenanthrene and anthracene partitioning from the extracellular liquid into membrane are 502 and 1190L/kg but their inverse partition coefficients are only 0.180 and 0.018kg/L. Over 60% of Sudan I and less than 40% of Sudan III accumulated on E. coli where most of them remained on the membrane. The transmembrane impedance effect (TMIE) is proposed for evaluating the cell-transport of polar LOCs.

[Studies on the effect of extracts of several Chinese herbal medicines and other medicines on alcohol dehydrogenase activity].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of water and alcohol extracts of several Chinese herbal medicines and other medicines on alcohol dehydrogenase activity in order to provide enzymology basis on new medicine. METHODS: Water or alcohol extracts of Chinese herbal medicine and other medicine were tested on the effects of alcohol dehydrogenase activity by Valle and Hoch method. RESULTS: Among them, 8 were found to have the effect of activation on alcohol dehydrogenase. They were water extracts of Amomum kravanh and Pueraria flowers, the alcohol extracts of Pueraria flowers, compound hepatcare Chinese medicine and compound Pueraria medicine, L-cysteine, notoginseng saponin. Others had inhibiting action. CONCLUSION: To decrease alcohol concentration in the body through activating the activity of ADH may be one of the mechanisms for some traditional Chinese herbal medicine in neutralizing the effect of alcohol drink.