Bioactivity of proteins isolated from Lactobacillus plantarum L67 treated with Zanthoxylum piperitum DC glycoprotein.

Lactobacilli in the human gastrointestinal tract have beneficial effects on the health of their host. To enhance these effects, the bioactivity of lactobacilli can be fortified through exogenous dietary or pharmacological agents, such as glycoproteins. To elucidate the inductive effect of Zanthoxylum piperitum DC (ZPDC) glycoprotein on Lactobacillus plantarum L67, we evaluated the radical-scavenging activity, anti-oxidative enzymes (SOD, GPx and CAT), growth rate, ATPase activity and ß-galactosidase activity of this strain. When Lact. plantarum L67 was treated with ZPDC glycoprotein at different concentrations, the intensities of a few SDS-PAGE bands were slightly changed. The amount of a 23 kDa protein was increased upon treatment with increasing concentrations of ZPDC glycoprotein. The results of this study indicate that the radical-scavenging activity for O2(-) and OH¯, but not for the DPPH radical, increased in a concentration-dependent manner after treatment with ZPDC glycoprotein. The activation of anti-oxidative enzymes (SOD, GPx and CAT), growth rate and ß-galactosidase activity also increased in a concentration-dependent manner in response to ZPDC glycoprotein treatment, whereas ATPase activity was decreased. In summary, ZPDC glycoprotein stimulated an increase in the bioactivity of Lact. plantarum L67. Significance and impact of the study: This study demonstrated that Lactobacillus plantarum L67 possesses anti-oxidative activity. This strain of lactic bacteria has been known to have various probiotic uses, such as yogurt starters and dietary additional supplements. We found, through this experiment, that the protein has a strong anti-oxidative character, and the activity can be enhanced by treatment with Zanthoxylum piperitum DC (ZPDC) glycoprotein. This study may be application of Lact. plantarum L67 treated by ZPDC glycoprotein in yogurt fermentation. It could be one of the avenues of minimizing yogurt postacidification during storage. In addition, it can be manufactured and incorporated in food products without losing viability and functionality of Lact. plantarum L67.

The proteins (12 and 15 kDa) isolated from heat-killed Lactobacillus plantarum L67 induces apoptosis in HT-29 cells.

A number of scientific studies have revealed that Lactobacillus strains have beneficial bioactivities in the gastrointestinal tract. In this study, the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the amounts of intracellular calcium, protein kinase C activity, cytochrome c, Bid, Bcl-2, Bax and the apoptosis-mediated proteins [caspase-8, caspase-3 and poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP)] were evaluated to understand the induction of programmed cell death in HT-29 cells by Lactobacillus plantarum L67. The results obtained from this study indicated that the relative intensities of the apoptotic-related factors (intracellular ROS and intracellular calcium) and of apoptotic signals (Bax and t-Bid) increased with increasing concentrations of the membrane proteins isolated from heat-killed L. plantarum L67, whereas the relative intensities of cytochrome c, Bcl-2, caspase-8, caspase-3 and PARP decreased. This study determines whether proteins (12 and 15 kDa) isolated from heat-killed L. plantarum L67 induce programmed cell death in HT-29 cells. Proteins isolated from L. plantarum L67 can stimulate the apoptotic signals and then consequently induce programmed cell death in HT-29 cells. The results in this study suggest that the proteins isolated from L. plantarum L67 could be used as an antitumoural agent in probiotics and as a component of supplements or health foods.

Glycoprotein isolated from Solanum nigrum L. inhibits the DNA-binding activities of NF-kappaB and AP-1, and increases the production of nitric oxide in TPA-stimulated MCF-7 cells.

Solanum nigrum L. (SNL) has been used in traditional folk medicine to treat numerous cancers. We isolated a glycoprotein (150 kDa) from SNL and tested its effect on the modulation of transcriptional factors (NF-kappa B and AP-1) and iNO production in TPA induced-MCF-7 cells, which are part of the human breast cancer cell line, without estrogen receptors. However, the mechanism of SNL glycoprotein in pharmacological and biochemical actions in cancer cells has not been studied. To test the effect of SNL glycoprotein on the DNA-binding activities of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) and activator protein-1 (AP-1), and nitric oxide (NO) production, these experiments were carried out using electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA), western blot analysis, and the Griess method. Results in this experiment showed that SNL glycoprotein inhibits 12-O-Tetra decanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA; 100 nM)-induced DNA-binding activities of NF-kappaB and AP-1, and enhances NO production in MCF-7 cells. That is, our results indicated that SNL glycoprotein has the capacity to modulate the TPA-induced DNA-binding activities of transcription factors and NO production, which play a critical role with respect to cytotoxicity in MCF-7 cells. Therefore, SNL glycoprotein might be one of the agents that blocks TPA-mediated signal responses in tumor cells.

Antitumorigenic and cytotoxic properties of an ethanol extract derived from Rhus verniciflua Stokes (RVS).

In this study, the antioxidant, cytotoxic, and antitumorigenic activities of a fractionated, ethanol extract derived from Rhus verniciflua Stokes (RVS), a plant indigenous to Korea, China, and Japan, were determined. Physicochemical analysis and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) results indicated that the active component of a Sephadex G-150-fractionated RVS extract (PII fraction) was a copper-containing glycoprotein, possibly a plant laccase. Antioxidant activity of the fractionated RVS extract, observed in both aqueous and lipid in vitro oxidation reactions using 1,1-diphenyl 2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, site-specific Fenton-reaction deoxyribose, and a model lipid emulsion test system, indicated an affinity for protection against hydroxyl and peroxyl radicals. Cultured mouse brain neurons were protected against glucose oxidase-induced hydroxyl radical in the presence of the fractionated RVS extract (e.g., 58% protection at 4.9 microM and 95% protection with 22.7 microM RVS). RVS was further shown to protect against in vitro Fenton-reaction-induced single- and double-strand scission in supercoiled plasmid DNA. Further testing for bioactivity of the fractionated RVS extract was based on the affinity to inhibit cell proliferation in cultured HeLa and CT-26 tumor cells. The presence of RVS resulted in 70% cell death after 24 h of incubation in both cell lines at a minimum concentration of 2.48 microM RVS. Data demonstrate multiple bioactive chemopreventative properties of a Sephadex G-150-fractionated extract derived from RVS.

Antioxidant activity of a Rhus verniciflua Stokes ethanol extract.

A fractionated ethanol extract derived from Rhus Verniciflua Stokes (RVS) was assessed in both organic and aqueous media for the purpose of characterizing the mechanisms of antioxidant activity. RVS, an indigenous plant to Korea, was initially extracted with ethanol and characterized to contain a 90 KDa-ABTS reactive protein possessing 0.662 ng/mg copper. This characterization suggested that a primary component of RVS was Laccase, an oxidase enzyme complex. RVS exhibited a significant (P < 0.01) concentration-dependent inhibition of linoleic acid oxidation in an emulsion system up to 48 hours of incubation. Free radical scavenging activity of both a stable radical (e.g DPPH) and hydroxyl (e.g. *OH) radical followed a concentration-dependent pattern in different model systems. Using a liposome model with peroxyl radicals generated by AAPH, a significant extension of both the lag phase and a reduction of peak propagation of peroxyl radicals by RVS over a concentration range of 1 to 10 microg/ml was observed. RVS ethanol extract was also found to protect human low-density lipoprotein (LDL) from oxidative modification, mediated by cupric ion at 37 degrees C. Finally, RVS was found to be effective at protecting against plasmid DNA strand breakage induced by peroxyl free radicals in an aqueous medium. Our findings show that the ethanol fraction derived from RVS contained significant antioxidant activity in both polar and non-polar mediums.