Alternating current enhanced bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soils.

In this work, bioremediation was applied with sinusoidal alternating current (AC) electric fields to remove petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) for soil remediation. Applying AC electric field with bioremediation (AC+BIO) could efficiently remove 31.6% of the TPH in 21 days, much faster than that in the BIO only system (13.7%) and AC only system (5.5%). When the operation time extended to 119 days, the AC+BIO system could remove 73.3% of the TPH. Applying AC electric field (20-200 V/m) could maintain the soil pH at neutral, superior to the direct current electric field. The maximum difference between soil temperature and the room temperature was 1.9 °C in the AC (50 V/m) +BIO system. The effects of AC voltage gradient (20-200 V/m) on the microorganisms and TPH degradation efficiency by AC+BIO were investigated, and the optimized AC voltage gradient was assessed as 50 V/m for lab-scale experiments. The microbial community structures in the BIO and AC+BIO systems were compared. Although Pseudomonas was the dominant species, Firmicutes became more abundant in the AC+BIO system than the BIO system, indicating their adaptive capacity to the stress of the AC electric field. Real petroleum-contaminated soil was used as a reaction matrix to evaluate the performance of AC+BIO in the field. The initial current density was about 0.2 mA/cm2, voltage gradient was about 20 V/m, and the average TPH degradation rate was 8.1 µg/gdry soil per day. This study provided insights and fundamental supports for the applications of AC+BIO to treat petroleum-polluted soils.

The chemical profiling of aqueous soluble fraction from Lagopsis supina and its diuretic effects via suppression of AQP and RAAS pathways in saline-loaded rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Lagopsis supina (Steph.) Ik. -Gal. ex Knorr. has been widely used as a remedy treatment for diuresis and edema in China over 2500 years. Our previous results showed that the aqueous soluble fraction from L. supina (LSB) possessed acute diuretic effect. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of this study was to appraise the acute (6 h) and prolonged (7 d) diuretic effects, underlying mechanisms, and chemical profiling of LSB. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The chemical profiling of LSB was performed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-qTOF-MS/MS). Then, oral administration of LSB (40, 80, 160 and 320 mg/kg) and furosemide (10 mg/kg) once daily for 7 consecutive days to evaluate the diuretic effects in saline-loaded rats. The body weight, food consumption, and water intake were recorded once daily. The urinary volume, pH and electrolyte concentrations (Na+, K+, Cl-, and Ca2+) were measured after administration drugs for acute and prolonged diuretic effects. In addition, the serum levels of Na+-K+-ATPase, angiotensin II (Ang II), anti-diuretic hormone (ADH), aldosterone (ALD), atriopeptin (ANP), aquaporins (AQPs)-1, 2 and 3 were determined by ELISA kits. The mRNA expressions and protein levels of AQPs-1, 2 and 3 were analyzed by real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot assays, respectively. RESULTS: 30 compounds were identified in LSB based on accurate mass and MS/MS fragmentation compared to literature, among which phenylpropanoids and flavonoids could be partly responsible for the major diuretic effect. Daily administration of LSB (160 or 320 mg/kg) prominently increased urinary excretion volume after the 2 h at the first day of treatment, remaining until the 7th day. LSB did not cause Na+ and K+ electrolyte abnormalities, and has minor effect on Cl- and Ca2+ concentrations at 320 mg/kg. Furthermore, LSB observably suppressed renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) activation, including decreased serum levels of Ang II, ADH, and ALD, and prominently increased serum level of ANP in rats. LSB treatment significantly down-regulated the serum levels, mRNA expressions and protein levels of AQP1, AQP2, and AQP3. CONCLUSION: LSB has a prominent acute and prolonged diuretic effects via suppression of AQP and RAAS pathways in saline-loaded rats, and support the traditional folk use of this plant. Taken together, LSB might be a potential diuretic agent.

Plantanone D, a new rare methyl-flavonoid from the flowers of Hosta plantaginea with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities.

Flowers of Hosta plantaginea have been used for the treatment of inflammation-related diseases in traditional Chinese medicine with limited scientific validation. In the present work, we reported one new rare methyl-flavonoid, plantanone D (1) and one known compound 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (2) from the flowers of H. plantaginea. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of chemical and spectral evidence, as well as by comparison with literature data. To the best of our knowledge, the methyl-flavonoid skeleton have not been reported from any species in Liliaceae family, compound 2 was isolated from the genus Hosta for the first time. The anti-inflammatory activities against cyclooxygenases (COX-1 and COX-2) and antioxidant activities in vitro results revealed that 1 exhibited significant COX-1 inhibition and moderate COX-2 inhibition compared to the reference celecoxib. Additionally, 1 displayed significant antioxidant activity compared to the positive control L-ascorbic acid.

Oridonin inhibits gefitinib-resistant lung cancer cells by suppressing EGFR/ERK/MMP-12 and CIP2A/Akt signaling pathways.

Oridonin (Ori), a diterpenoid compound extracted from traditional medicinal herbs, elicits antitumor effects on many cancer types. However, whether Ori can be used in gefitinib-resistant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells remains unclear. This study investigated the antitumor activity and underlying mechanisms of Ori. Results demonstrated that this compound dose-dependently inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and migration of the gefitinib-resistant NSCLC cells in vitro. Ori also significantly downregulated the phosphorylation of EGFR, ERK, Akt, expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase-12 (MMP-12), and the cancerous inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2A (CIP2A). In addition, Ori upregulated protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) activity of gefitinib-resistant NSCLC cells. Ori combined with docetaxel synergistically inhibited these cells. Ori also inhibited tumor growth in murine models. Immunohistochemistry results further revealed that Ori downregulated phospho-EGFR, MMP-12, and CIP2A in vivo. These findings indicated that Ori can inhibit the proliferation, invasion, and migration of gefitinib-resistant NSCLC cells by suppressing EGFR/ERK/MMP-12 and CIP2A/PP2A/Akt signaling pathways. Thus, Ori may be a novel effective candidate to treat gefitinib-resistant NSCLC.