Effects of glutaraldehyde and povidone-iodine on apoptosis of grass carp liver and hepatocytes.

Since disinfectants are used all over the world to treat illnesses in people and other animals, they pose a major risk to human health. The comprehensive effects of disinfectant treatments on fish liver, especially the impacts on oxidative stress, toxicological effects, transcriptome profiles, and apoptosis, have not yet been fully analyzed. In the current investigation, healthy grass carp were exposed to 80 µg/L glutaraldehyde or 50 µg/L povidone-iodine for 30 days. First, the findings of enzyme activity tests demonstrated that the administration of glutaraldehyde could considerably increase oxidative stress by lowering T-SOD, CAT, and GPx and raising MDA. Furthermore, KEGG research revealed that exposure to glutaraldehyde and povidone-iodine stimulated the PPAR signal pathway. To further elucidate the transcriptome results, the relative expressions of related DEGs in the PPAR signal pathway were verified. Glutaraldehyde induced apoptosis in liver tissue of grass carp; however, it activated cytotoxicity and apoptosis in grass carp hepatocytes when exposed to glutaraldehyde or povidone-iodine. According to the current study, disinfectants can cause the impairment of the immune system, oxidative stress, and attenuation of the PPAR signal pathway in the liver of grass carp, making them detrimental as dietary supplements for grass carp, particularly in the aquaculture sector.

Antibacterial and anticancer activities of green-synthesized silver nanoparticles using Photinia glabra fruit extract.

Aims: We prepared Photinia glabra (PG) aqueous fruit extract, utilized it to synthesize silver nanoparticles (PG-Ag NPs) and evaluated the antibacterial and anticancer activities of the nanoparticles (NPs). Materials & methods: Silver nitrate aqueous solution was reduced to PG-Ag NPs using aqueous PG fruit extract. NP shape, size, composition and functionalization were determined using transmission electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared and x-ray diffraction. Results & conclusions: PG-Ag NPs were spherical, approximately 39-77 nm-sized, functionalized surfaces with notable antibacterial activity against both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, with an MIC <30 ug/ml and cytotoxicity toward esophageal cancer cells, with IC50 values less than 20 ug/ml. PG-Ag@rt NPs have been shown to be a potent antibacterial and anticancer agent, and their enriched particle surfaces can be conjugated with other compounds for multibiomedical applications.

The present study reports for the first time the preparation of Photinia glabra (PG) aqueous fruit extract and its use for the synthesis of smaller silver particles (PG-Ag NPs) from bulk aqueous silver nitrate solution (AgNO₃). The preparation followed the reduction ability of PG fruit extract phytochemical under different preparation conditions: at room temperature (PG-Ag@rt), at 70°C (PG-Ag@70) and in the presence of cerium oxide at 70°C (PG-Ag+CeO₂@70). The prepared smaller particles were found using transmission electron microscopy to be spherical in shape with sizes 39, 77 and 44 nm for PG-Ag@rt, PG-Ag@70 and PG-Ag+CeO₂@70, respectively. The NPs contained different functional groups on their surfaces due to the capping ability of PG fruit extract components. Among all, PG-Ag@rt NPs showed strongest antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus with MIC 7.0 µg/ml and 28.0 µg/ml, respectively, and commendable anticancer activity toward Eca-109 cancer cells with IC₅₀ less than 20 ug/ml.

Whole brain inputs to major descending pathways of the anterior lateral motor cortex.

The anterior lateral motor cortex (ALM) is critical to subsequent correct movements and plays a vital role in predicting specific future movements. Different descending pathways of the ALM are preferentially involved in different roles in movements. However, the circuit function mechanisms of these different pathways may be concealed in the anatomy circuit. Clarifying the anatomy inputs of these pathways should provide some helpful information for elucidating these function mechanisms. Here, we used a retrograde trans-synaptic rabies virus to systematically generate, analyze, and compare whole brain maps of inputs to the thalamus (TH)-, medulla oblongata (Med)-, superior colliculus (SC)-, and pontine nucleus (Pons)-projecting ALM neurons in C57BL/6J mice. Fifty-nine separate regions from nine major brain areas projecting to the descending pathways of the ALM were identified. Brain-wide quantitative analyses revealed identical whole brain input patterns between these descending pathways. Most inputs to the pathways originated from the ipsilateral side of the brain, with most innervations provided by the cortex and TH. The contralateral side of the brain also sent sparse projections, but these were rare, emanating only from the cortex and cerebellum. Nevertheless, the inputs received by TH-, Med-, SC-, and Pons-projecting ALM neurons had different weights, potentially laying an anatomical foundation for understanding the diverse functions of well-defined descending pathways of the ALM. Our findings provide anatomical information to help elucidate the precise connections and diverse functions of the ALM.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Distinct descending pathways of anterior lateral motor cortex (ALM) share common inputs. These inputs are with varied weights. Most inputs were from the ipsilateral side of brain. Preferential inputs were provided by cortex and thalamus (TH).

Dietary supplementation with anthocyanin attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced intestinal damage through antioxidant effects in yellow-feathered broiler chicks.

This study investigated the protective effects of anthocyanin (AC) supplementation on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged yellow-feathered broiler chicks. A total of 480 1-d female broiler chicks were randomly assigned to 4 treatment groups: basal diet (CON), basal diet + LPS-challenge (LPS), supplementation with 100 or 400 mg/kg AC + LPS-challenge (AC100, AC400). On d 17 and d 19, birds in LPS, AC100 and AC400 received an intramuscular dose of LPS, while birds in CON received saline. The result showed that (1) LPS injection significantly decreased (P < 0.05) body weight on d 21 and average daily gain of broiler chicks from 1 to 21 days of age, and supplementation with 100 mg/kg AC increased (P < 0.05) those of LPS-challenged broilers. (2) There were no differences among the treatments (P > 0.05) in relative weights of immune organs. (3) Supplementation with AC (AC100 and AC400) increased (P < 0.05) the jejunal villus height and villus height/crypt depth ratio (AC100) of LPS-challenged birds. Challenge with LPS decreased the relative expression of OCLN (Occludin), ZO-1, JAM2, and MUC2 in jejunal mucosa of broilers, and supplementation with AC offset the relative expression of ZO-1, JAM2 (AC100 and AC400), and OCLN (AC400) in LPS-injected broilers. (4) LPS-induced increase in the malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration and decreases in activity of total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), and expression of SOD1, CAT and GPX in jejunal mucosa, were attenuated by dietary AC supplementation. In conclusion, in yellow-feathered broiler chicks, dietary supplementation with AC alleviated LPS-induced declined growth performance and mucosal damage of the intestine through antioxidant effects.

Comprehensive Evaluation of the Effectiveness and Safety of Placenta-Targeted Drug Delivery Using Three Complementary Methods.

No effective treatments currently exist for placenta-associated pregnancy complications, and developing strategies for the targeted delivery of drugs to the placenta while minimizing fetal and maternal side effects remains challenging. Targeted nanoparticle carriers provide new opportunities to treat placental disorders. We recently demonstrated that a synthetic placental chondroitin sulfate A binding peptide (plCSA-BP) could be used to guide nanoparticles to deliver drugs to the placenta. In this protocol, we describe in detail a system for assessing the efficiency of drug delivery to the placenta by plCSA-BP that employs three separate methods used in combination: in vivo imaging, high-frequency ultrasound (HFUS), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Using in vivo imaging, plCSA-BP-guided nanoparticles were visualized in the placentas of live animals, while HFUS and HPLC demonstrated that plCSA-BP-conjugated nanoparticles efficiently and specifically delivered methotrexate to the placenta. Thus, a combination of these methods can be used as an effective tool for the targeted delivery of drugs to the placenta and development of new treatment strategies for several pregnancy complications.

A Pd-catalyzed, boron ester-mediated, reductive cross-coupling of two aryl halides to synthesize tricyclic biaryls.

Tricyclic biaryls are important scaffold structures in many natural products and lead compounds in drug discovery. The formation of a biaryl unit is often the key step for the synthesis of tricyclic biaryls. Despite significant progress toward the synthesis of biaryl compounds in recent years, the direct cross-coupling of two different aryl halides is still challenging and robust methods are lacking. Herein we report a direct cross-coupling of two different aryl halides in the presence of a palladium catalyst and boron ester, which provides a new and useful complementary method to synthesize tricyclic biaryls.