Liposome encapsulation of curcumin: physico-chemical characterizations and effects on MCF7 cancer cell proliferation.

The role of curcumin (diferuloylmethane), for cancer treatment has been an area of growing interest. However, due to its low absorption, the poor bioavailability of curcumin limits its clinical use. In this study, we reported an approach of encapsulation a curcumin by nanoliposome to achieve an improved bioavailability of a poorly absorbed hydrophobic compound. We demonstrated that liposomal preparations to deliver curcumin increase its bioavailability. Liposomes composed of salmon's lecithin also improved curcumin bioavailability compared to those constituted of rapeseed and soya lecithins. A real-time label-free cell analysis system based on real-time cell impedance monitoring was used to investigate the in vitro cytotoxicity of liposomal preparations.

Effects of Ar-H2-N2 microwave plasma on chitosan and its nanoliposomes blend thin films designed for tissue engineering applications.

This work addresses the functionalization of chitosan thin films and its nanoliposomes blend films by a microwave-excited Ar/N2/H2 surface-wave plasma treatment which was found an effective tool to modify surface properties. Changes in the film properties (wettability, chemical composition, morphology) induced by the plasma treatment are studied using water contact angle measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning probe microscopy. The results suggest that hydrophilicity of the films is improved by plasma treatment in a plasma condition dependency manner. Water contact angle of chitosan films before and after plasma treatment are, respectively, 101° and 27°. Besides chemical changes on the surface, the nanoliposomes incorporation and plasma treatment also induce morphological modifications. Moreover, a correlation is found between the nanoliposomes composition and size, and the effects of plasma treatment. It is shown that the plasma treatment significantly improves the chitosan film functionalization. The effect of N2 content (88% and 100%) in the plasma gas mixture on the film etching is also pointed out.

Efectividad de la medicina herbolaria y su impacto en la calidad de vida de los pobladores de Curgos, Perú / Effectiveness of herbal medicine and its impact on the quality of life of the settlers of Curgos, Peru

Se determinó la efectividad de la medicina herbolaria, su relación con factores sociodemográficos y terapéuticos, así como su impacto en la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud (CVRS) de los pobladores de Curgos. Se empleó una muestra por conglomerados de 217 individuos y una Guía de Entrevista más un algoritmo ejecutado en SPSS para la obtención de los datos. De 20 dolencias tratadas, la curación ocurrió en 37,31% y el alivio en 59,50% de los casos. El nivel de efectividad estuvo significativamente relacionado al sexo y ocupación de los individuos que padecieron de inflamación genitourinaria, al área de residencia de los que sufrieron de resfrío y cólico abdominal, a la fuente de información y a la frecuencia y duración del tratamiento de los que padecieron de todas la dolencias comparadas. La mayoría de los pobladores alcanzó las condiciones de salud más adecuadas, en especial, en función física, rol emocional y función social. Las medidas estandarizadas de las dimensiones de la CVRS, salvo las de la salud general, fueron mayores de 50, especialmente las de la salud mental y vitalidad. Se concluye que la efectividad de la medicina herbolaria es elevada, siendo más frecuente el alivio y que existe asociación significativa entre el nivel de efectividad y ciertos factores estudiados. Asimismo, que el tratamiento herbolario mejora la CVRS de los pobladores de Curgos.

The effectiveness of herbal medicine, its relation with sociodemographic and therapeutic factors, as well as its impact on the heath-related quality of life (HRQL) of the settlers of Curgos was studied. A sample by conglomerates of 217 individuals was considered, along with an Interview Guide and an algorithm executed in SPSS, for obtaining the data. From 20 aliments treated, healing occurred in 37,31% and relief in 59,50% of cases. The effectiveness level was significantly related to the sex and occupation of the individuals who have had genitourinary inflammation, the residence araea of those who suffered from cold and abdominal colic, the information source and the frequency and duration of treatment of those after suffering all compared aliments. Most of the settlers reached the most suitable health conditions, especially in physical function, emotional role and social functioning. The standarized means of the HRQL dimensions, except for those of the general health, were greater than 50, especially those of mental health and vitality. It is concluded that the effectiveness of the herbal medicine is high, being more frequent the relief and that exists significant association between the effectiveness level and some selected factors. Also, the herbal treatment improves the HRQL of the settlers of Curgos.

In vivo reactions in mice and in vitro reactions in feline cells to implantable microchip transponders with different surface materials.

Tissues of mice that had had microchip transponders with surfaces made of bioglass, bioglass with a polypropylene cap, parylene C, titanium or aluminium oxide inserted were examined histologically, and the growth of two lines of feline fibroblastoid cells around these transponders was examined in vitro. The results for bioglass and aluminium oxide were similar. In vitro, there were almost no cells around or on the transponders; in vivo, there was often granulomatous inflammation in the surrounding tissue. In the case of the bioglass, this reaction seemed to be induced by petrolatum, which was added by the manufacturer for technical reasons, rather than by the bioglass itself. In some of the mice, polypropylene caused a proliferation of granulation tissue. In vitro, the cellularity around the transponders was high, but only a moderate number of cells were found on the material. In vivo, around the parylene C transponders, there were occasionally small fragments of foreign material, surrounded by a foreign body reaction; in vitro, the results for parylene C resembled those for polypropylene. In vivo, particles of titanium were sometimes visible in the connective tissue adjacent to the titanium transponders, and sometimes accompanied by a foreign body reaction; in vitro, a confluent layer of cells developed on the transponders, with a high cellularity around them.

Unusual sites of arginine methylation in Poly(A)-binding protein II and in vitro methylation by protein arginine methyltransferases PRMT1 and PRMT3.

Arginine methylation is a post-translational modification found mostly in RNA-binding proteins. Poly(A)-binding protein II from calf thymus was shown by mass spectrometry and sequencing to contain NG, NG-dimethylarginine at 13 positions in its amino acid sequence. Two additional arginine residues were partially methylated. Almost all of the modified residues were found in Arg-Xaa-Arg clusters in the C terminus of the protein. These motifs are distinct from Arg-Gly-Gly motifs that have been previously described as sites and specificity determinants for asymmetric arginine dimethylation. Poly(A)-binding protein II and deletion mutants expressed in Escherichia coli were in vitro substrates for two mammalian protein arginine methyltransferases, PRMT1 and PRMT3, with S-adenosyl-L-methionine as the methyl group donor. Both PRMT1 and PRMT3 specifically methylated arginines in the C-terminal domain corresponding to the naturally modified sites.

Purification and characterization of Go alpha and three types of Gi alpha after expression in Escherichia coli.

Complementary DNAs for the G protein alpha subunits Gi alpha 1, Gi alpha 2, Gi alpha 3, and Go alpha were expressed in Escherichia coli, and the four proteins were purified to homogeneity. The recombinant proteins exchange and hydrolyze guanine nucleotide, are ADP-ribosylated by pertussis toxin, and interact with beta gamma subunits. The rates of dissociation of GDP from Gi alpha 1 and Gi alpha 3 (0.03 min-1) are an order of magnitude slower than that from rGo alpha; release of GDP from Gi alpha 2 is also relatively slow (0.07 min-1). However, the values of kcat for the hydrolysis of GTP by rGo alpha and the three rGi alpha proteins are approximately the same, about 2 min-1 at 20 degrees C. The recombinant proteins restore inhibition of Ca2+ currents in pertussis toxin-treated dorsal root ganglion neurons in response to neuropeptide Y and bradykinin, indicating that the proteins can interact functionally with all necessary components of at least one signal transduction system. The two different receptors function with different arrays of G proteins to mediate their responses, since all four G proteins restored responses to bradykinin, while Gi alpha 2 was inactive with neuropeptide Y. Despite these results, high concentrations of activated Gi alpha proteins are without effect on adenylyl cyclase activity, either in the presence or absence of forskolin or Gs alpha, the G protein that activates adenylyl cyclase. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that G protein beta gamma subunits are primarily responsible for inhibition of adenylyl cyclase activity.

Turnover and excretion of copper in rats as measured with 67Cu.

We have examined the whole-body turnover and excretion of copper in rats, using 67Cu. Female Fischer rats, 3-4 mo of age, were injected intraperitoneally with tracer doses of 67CuCl2, and whole-body radioactivity was monitored over the next 3-6 days. The rate of loss was exponential and biphasic, with a half-life of 67 h for the first 70 h, followed by a much slower rate over the following days. A small percentage (2-7%) of the early loss was in the urine, the rest in the feces. In sexually immature animals, turnover was slower in the first and faster in the second phases. Pretreatment of rats with a large dose of copper had no significant effect on the initial turnover rate. Ligation of the common bile duct cut the rate in half, but did not block turnover. It is concluded that there are at least two pools of copper in the rat that turn over at different rates and that excretion of copper occurs via the bile and also by other intestinal routes.

Cellular location of rat muscle ferritins and their preferential loss during cell isolation.

Heart and other muscles of the rat contain two forms of ferritin separable in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The cellular location of the fast- and slow-migrating ferritins was investigated using primary cultures of hindlimb skeletal muscle, and isolated myocardial cell populations. Muscle and non-muscle cells were isolated in good yield from hearts of adult rats pretreated with large doses of iron to increase their ferritin content. In virtually all cases, the isolated muscle cells contained traces only of the fast-migrating species and the non-muscle cells contained small amounts of the slow-migrating ferritin. During cell isolation, 90-100% of both ferritins was lost and could be recovered in the perfusates and solutions employed, while one third of the total tissue protein, and a larger percentage of creatine phosphokinase, was recovered in the isolated cells. Primary cultures of thigh muscle from adult rats which had differentiated into multi-nucleated myotubes, were incubated for 1-3 days with chelated iron. These cells contained substantial amounts of the electrophoretically fast migrating ferritin, with its characteristic larger Stokes' radius (determined by quantitative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis). None of the slow-migrating ferritin species was detected, although hindlimb muscle from iron-treated rats contained both forms. It is concluded that the fast-migrating ferritin of muscle, which is much larger and more asymmetric than other ferritins, is confined to the muscle cell population, while the other form is predominantly or exclusively in the non-muscle cells. Both ferritins are lost preferentially over other proteins during procedures which injure muscle tissue.

Adjuvant 5-fluorouracil and BCNU chemotherapy in gastric cancer: 3-year results.

One hundred-three patients with a potentially curative operation of a histologically proven gastric cancer were randomly assigned to a control and chemotherapy group after stratification according to tumor stage II and III. Chemotherapy courses with 5-fluorouracil (10 mg/kg/day) and BCNU (40 mg/m2/day) for 5 days were administered eight times in 6-8 week intervals. Age, sex, and tumor location were matched in the chemotherapy and control groups. Five patients declined treatment after randomization. Three years after initiating the study, the tumor has recurred in 38 of the 103 patients. There were 21 recurrences of 54 controls and 14 recurrences of 44 patients who received chemotherapy, and 17 and ten deaths, respectively, due to tumor relapse. The results of our study to data show a high degree of statistical probability that adjuvant chemotherapy with the regime used has no influence on the recurrence-free interval and survival time in gastric cancer.