Proteomic Identification of Plasma Components in Tachypleus tridentatus and Their Effects on the Longitudinal Bone Growth Rate in Rats.

Tachypleus tridentatus (T. tridentatus) is a marine animal and traditional Chinese medicine. T. tridentatus plasma is a valuable resource for important medical and health-based functions. In this experiment, in order to evaluate the effect and mechanism of T. tridentatus plasma with respect to the promotion of bone tissue growth in rats, the processes of ultrafiltration and mass spectrometry were first used to separate and identify the components of T. tridentatus plasma. Then, a comparison of the effects of the T. tridentatus plasma samples, which each possessed different molecular weights, regarding the growth of the long bones of rats was conducted. Finally, transcriptomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics were all used to analyze the biological functions and related signaling pathways of the T. tridentatus plasma in order to promote rat bone growth. The results showed that the contents of amino acid residues in peptides are related to the growth promotion that was contained in the 10-30 kDa plasma group. Moreover, the T. tridentatus plasma samples were found to be higher in this respect than those in the whole plasma group. In addition, the 10-30 kDa plasma group could significantly promote bone growth activity in rats. The proteomic analysis showed that the proteins that were differentially expressed in the 10-30 kDa plasma group were mainly enriched in the PI3K-AKT signal pathway. Our study suggested that the T. tridentatus plasma possesses promising potential for the purposes of clinical use, whereby it can serve the role of a growth-promoting agent.

Marinoid J, a phenylglycoside from Avicennia marina fruit, ameliorates cognitive impairment in rat vascular dementia: a quantitative iTRAQ proteomic study.

CONTEXT: Fruit of Avicennia marina (Forsk.) Vierh. (Acanthaceae) is used as a Chinese herb. Studies have found that it contains marinoid J, a novel phenylethanoid glycoside (PG) compound, but its neuroprotective functions are largely unknown. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the effects of marinoid J on vascular dementia (VD) and determined its potential mechanisms of action. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The VD model was established by the ligation of the bilateral common carotid artery in Sprague-Dawley rats, who received daily intragastrically administration of saline, marinoid J (125 or 500 mg/kg body weight/d), or oxiracetam (250 mg/kg body weight/d) for 14 days (20 rats in each group). The Morris water maze (MWM) was used to evaluate cognitive performance. The hippocampus was subjected to histological and proteomic analyses. RESULTS: Marinoid J shortened the escape latency of VD rats (31.07 ± 3.74 s, p < 0.05). It also decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) (27.53%) and nitric oxide (NO) (20.41%) while increasing superoxide dismutase (SOD) (11.26%) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) (20.38%) content in hippocampus tissues. Proteomic analysis revealed 45 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in marinoid J-treated VD rats, which included angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), keratin 18 (KRT18), cluster of differentiation 34 (CD34), and synaptotagmin II (SYT2). CONCLUSIONS: Marinoid J played a role in protecting hippocampal neurons by regulating a set of proteins that influence oxidative stress and apoptosis, this effect may thereby alleviate the symptoms of VD rats. Thus, pharmacological manipulation of marinoid J may offer a novel opportunity for VD treatment.

Apoptosis effect of Aegiceras corniculatum on human colorectal cancer via activation of FoxO signaling pathway.

Aegiceras corniculatum (L.) Blanco is known to exhibit anticancer effects against different types of cancer; however, to the best of our knowledge, the anticancer activity and underlying mechanisms of action of A. corniculatum leaf extract on colorectal cancer have not been elucidated. In the present study, colony-forming assay, western blot analysis, flow cytometry, and a xenograft model were used to investigate the effects of an n-butanol extract of A. corniculatum leaves (NACL) on colorectal cancer in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that NACL inhibits the viability and proliferation of colorectal cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. Besides, NACL also induces cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest by activating Forkhead box proteins and controlling the cell cycle checkpoint pathways, which are associated with the caspase-dependent mitochondrial apoptotic cascades and Bcl-2 family proteins. More importantly, the tumour sizes in HT-29 xenograft nude mice decreased after treatment with NACL in vivo. These findings indicate that A. corniculatum leaf extracts have potent anticancer activities across different colorectal and other solid tumour cell lines, via regulation of the cell cycle and apoptosis; thus, it has the potential to be developed as an anticancer agent to enhance clinical standards of care for patients with colorectal cancer.

Four New Cyclohexylideneacetonitrile Derivatives from the Hypocotyl of Mangrove (Bruguiera gymnorrhiza).

Four new cyclohexylideneacetonitrile derivatives 1-4, named menisdaurins B-E, as well as three known cyclohexylideneacetonitrile derivatives--menisdaurin (5), coclauril (6), and menisdaurilide (7)--were isolated from the hypocotyl of a mangrove (Bruguiera gymnorrhiza). The structures of the isolates were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis. Compounds 1-7 showed anti-Hepatitis B virus (HBV) activities, with EC50 values ranging from 5.1 ± 0.2 µg/mL to 87.7 ± 5.8 µg/mL.