Quantitative skin surface hydration measurement by visible optical image processing: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Skin barrier function is significantly impacted by skin moisture. Most non-invasive evaluation techniques to measure skin surface hydration relying on its electrical properties, which are limited in scope and have unstable operations. Applying image processing for skin hydration assessment is uncommon, with an emphasis on skin-capacitive pictures and near-infrared images in general, which demand a certain spectrum. As a result, there is an increasing need for wide-area skin hydration evaluation and mapping. OBJECTIVE: The study aims to propose a quantitative evaluation algorithm for skin surface hydration from visible-light images. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three devices were applied to measure skin hydration: skin image capture device and two recognized commercial skin devices. A digital image processing system creates a new index, called GVR, to symbolize skin surface moisture. The CLAHE algorithm was applied to enhance the contrast of skin image, and after calculating it with the monochrome image, the skin reflectance image was segmented. The GVR was estimated using the values of the individual sites and the entire skin. The correlation coefficient between the three methods was examined using statistical analysis to assess the performance of GVR. RESULTS: Skin hydration estimated from visible-light images is influenced by the entire facial structure in addition to specific areas. The electrical and visible image evaluations showed a strong association with a significant difference. CONCLUSION: It was discovered that reflecting measures from visible images provide a quick and efficient way to quantify the moisture of the skin's surface.

Long-term effects of iopamidol as a contrast medium for computed tomography in Cloudy Catsharks Scyliorhinus torazame.

OBJECTIVE: The use of computed tomography (CT) in aquarium animals, including elasmobranchs, has increased dramatically. To take advantage of CT, contrast medium is used to enhance internal organs and provide contrast since elasmobranchs lack visceral fat. In this study, the contrast effects of iopamidol were examined for up to 260 days after intravenous administration to establish the time course of the CT values for the target organs in eight mature Cloudy Catsharks Scyliorhinus torazame. METHODS: A micro-CT system was used to measure the CT values of the designated region of interest in the target organs (ventricular cavity, kidneys, liver, gallbladder, ovarian follicles, uterine horn cavity) over time and the eggs laid, following administration of iopamidol (700 mg of iodine/kg). RESULT: The CT values of the ventricular cavity and kidneys peaked at 30 min and showed low values after day 22. The CT values for the liver increased over time and peaked at day 200, whereas values for the gallbladder and ovarian follicles peaked on day 6, with the gallbladder showing a low value and the ovarian follicles still showing a high value on day 260. Computed tomography images with identifiable enhancement within bilateral uterine horns were followed from days 1 to 35. The mean and maximum CT values of yolk and jelly in eggs laid after day 30 were significantly higher than the values for eggs laid up to day 29; embryonic development was confirmed in 88.7% of the eggs. CONCLUSION: There was no mortality or morbidity of the sharks during the experiment, indicating that the administration of iopamidol at 700 mg of iodine/kg did not result in any adverse effects for 260 days. This is the first study to describe the long-term contrast effects of iopamidol, thus contributing new information about the application of contrast studies in Cloudy Catsharks.

Contrast-enhanced CT features of pyloric lesions in 17 dogs: Case series.

Pyloric outflow obstructions can be caused by several types of lesions. When a thickened gastric wall and pyloric mass are detected, malignant neoplasia must be differentiated from chronic hypertrophic pyloric gastropathy. CT can characterize gastric tumors. However, based on the authors' review of the literature, there is limited information about the CT findings of pyloric lesions. The purpose of this retrospective case series study was to assess the CT findings of canine pyloric lesions. The following CT parameters were recorded: anatomical area, involved area, lesion shape, growth patterns of wall thickening lesions, enhancement pattern of the lesion in the early and delayed phases, lymphomegaly, and pulmonary metastasis. Seventeen dogs were included in this study and had the following final diagnoses: hyperplasia (five dogs), adenoma (five dogs), adenocarcinoma (three dogs), gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST; two dogs), polyposis (one dog), and pyogenic granuloma (one dog). Hyperplasia, adenoma, and polyposis formed mass lesions that involved the mucosal layer. Lymphomegaly was detected in two Jack Russell terriers with hyperplasia; however, the causes were unknown because we did not perform biopsies. All adenocarcinomas formed wall-thickened lesion that involved the outer layer, with lymphomegaly. All GISTs formed mass lesion that involved the outer layer. The pyogenic granulomas formed symmetric wall-thickened lesion that involved the mucosal and outer layers. CT facilitated the characterization of canine pyloric lesions using contrast enhancement, based on the involved area and lesion shape. However, polyposis may require caution in diagnosis based on CT findings alone.

Single-modality palliative radiotherapy versus palliative radiotherapy after chemotherapy failure for cats with nasal lymphoma.

Published studies describing outcomes for cats with nasal lymphoma (NLSA) receiving first-line palliative radiation (PRT) versus PRT after chemotherapy failure are currently lacking. The aims of this retrospective observational study were to compare outcomes for cats with NLSA that were treated with these two methods. A total of 48 cats were included in analyses; 32 receiving PRT alone and 16 receiving PRT after chemotherapy failure. The treatment response, progression-free survival (PFS), disease-specific survival (DSS), overall survival (OS), and incidence rate of systemic disease were compared between the two groups. The overall response rate (ORR) was calculated from the same target lesions between pre-RT (within a week before starting PRT) and post-RT (on date of PRT completion) by computed tomography (CT) imaging. The ORR was 94% in cats that received PRT alone, 13 had a complete response (CR) and 17 had a partial response (PR). The ORR was 88% in cats that received PRT after chemotherapy failure, with five having CR and nine with PR. There were no significant differences in the ORR between the two groups. The PFS, DSS, and OS significantly increased in the cats that received PRT alone compared to the cats that received PRT after chemotherapy failure (median PFS: 336 vs 228 days, P = 0.0012, median DSS: 360 vs 242 days, P = 0.0025, median OS: 346 vs 242 days, P = 0.0036, respectively). The incidence rate of systemic disease significantly increased in 75% (12/16) of cats receiving PRT after chemotherapy failure compared to 41% (13/32) of cats receiving PRT alone. The results suggested that clinical outcomes may improve in cats with NLSA with first-line PRT compared to PRT after chemotherapy failure.

Objective and quantitative measurement of skin micro-relief by image analysis and application in age-dependent changes.

BACKGROUND: Skin micro-relief has been researched by a variety of devices and methods, which usually are expensive or complicated. On the other hand, skin micro-relief relates to quite a few parameters, and it is hard to evaluate all of them at the same time. In the study, all parameters related to skin micro-relief are extracted and evaluated by image analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Skin micro-relief evaluation was divided into four aspects: (a) Tamura features method was used to evaluate skin surface. (b) Morphological transform was applied to extract skin pores. (c) Watershed transform was applied to extract skin furrows. (d) labeling operation was used to evaluate the number, area and average area of skin closed polygons. Then, cheek images from 163 healthy Japanese females (0-70 years old) are analyzed to explore the age-dependent changes. RESULTS: Most parameters increased as age went on with significant differences, such as skin surface coarseness, contrast, skin pore number, area, average area, skin furrow width, skin closed polygon area and skin closed polygon average area. Skin coarseness has a strong correlation with pore area. CONCLUSION: The method proposed in the study provided a comprehensive and effective assessment of skin micro-relief.

Acute hematogenous pelvic osteomyelitis: appropriate timing for magnetic resonance imaging.

BACKGROUND: The precise time of appearance of bone marrow edema in acute hematogenous pelvic osteomyelitis (AHPO) is unknown. The purpose of the present research is to clarify the time of appearance of bone marrow edema on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in AHPO. Our hypothesis was that onset is slower than in long-bone osteomyelitis. METHODS: We selected 12 patients (mean, 11.8 years) with MRI findings and clinical diagnosis of AHPO. The signal ratios of bone marrow (BM) and gluteus maximus muscle (M, BM/M ratio) in fat-suppressed T2- and T1-weighted images (T2WI, T1WI) were calculated to evaluate changes in bone-marrow signals. The correlation between BM/M ratios and days from onset was evaluated statistically and compared with lower extremity osteomyelitis. RESULTS: Bone marrow/M ratio of T2WI increased over time after the onset of the primary symptom in all patients and showed a statistically positive correlation (r = 0.36). In seven patients in whom an MRI scan was conducted twice, all showed higher values for the second MRI, and changes were more pronounced over time. The mean BM/M ratio of T2WI was 4.1 when 7 days or less had elapsed from the primary symptom, and 6.4 when more than 7 days had elapsed. The BM/M ratios in the sacroiliac joint group were lower than in the non-sacroiliac joint group. CONCLUSIONS: Unlike long-bone osteomyelitis, it took 1 week before findings for AHPO became fully evident. A definitive diagnosis can be made in patients with suspected sacroiliitis by performing a further MRI scan at 7 days or later.

Nutritional intervention after an early assessment by a flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing is associated with a shorter hospital stay for patients with acute cerebral infarction: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: It is important to evaluate the swallowing function of patients with acute cerebral infarction. The effects of nutritional intervention after an early assessment by a flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) were evaluated. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: This retrospective study included 274 patients who were hospitalized for acute cerebral infarction and underwent a FEES between 2016 and 2018. The effects of early nutritional intervention after an assessment by a FEES within 48 h from admission were evaluated. The patients were divided into a shorter hospital stay group (<30 days) and a longer group (≥30 days). A multivariate analysis was performed to identify the predictive factors for a shorter hospital stay. RESULTS: The overall patient characteristics were as follows: 166 men; median age, 81 years old; and median body mass index (BMI), 21.1 kg/m2. No significant differences in the age, sex, or BMI were found between the shorter and longer hospital stay groups. A FEES within 48 h of admission (odds ratio [OR], 2.040; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.120-3.700; p=0.019), FILS level ≥6 at admission (OR, 2.300; 95% CI, 1.190-4.440; p=0.013), and an administered energy dose of ≥18.5 kcal/kg on hospital day 3 (OR, 2.360; 95% CI, 1.180-4.690; p=0.015) were independently associated with a hospital stay <30 days. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with acute cerebral infarction are more likely to have a shorter hospital stay (<30 days) if they undergo a FEES early after admission and receive optimal nutritional intervention.

Amino-acid selective isotope labeling enables simultaneous overlapping signal decomposition and information extraction from NMR spectra.

Signal overlapping is a major bottleneck for protein NMR analysis. We propose a new method, stable-isotope-assisted parameter extraction (SiPex), to resolve overlapping signals by a combination of amino-acid selective isotope labeling (AASIL) and tensor decomposition. The basic idea of Sipex is that overlapping signals can be decomposed with the help of intensity patterns derived from quantitative fractional AASIL, which also provides amino-acid information. In SiPex, spectra for protein characterization, such as 15N relaxation measurements, are assembled with those for amino-acid information to form a four-order tensor, where the intensity patterns from AASIL contribute to high decomposition performance even if the signals share similar chemical shift values or characterization profiles, such as relaxation curves. The loading vectors of each decomposed component, corresponding to an amide group, represent both the amino-acid and relaxation information. This information link provides an alternative protein analysis method that does not require "assignments" in a general sense; i.e., chemical shift determinations, since the amino-acid information for some of the residues allows unambiguous assignment according to the dual selective labeling. SiPex can also decompose signals in time-domain raw data without Fourier transform, even in non-uniformly sampled data without spectral reconstruction. These features of SiPex should expand biological NMR applications by overcoming their overlapping and assignment problems.

Objective measurement and comparison of human facial skin color in East Asian females.

BACKGROUND: Skin color is an important physiological index of human skin that has essential significance in cosmetology and dermatological diagnoses and aesthetics, especially in East Asian culture, where the beauty standard is the whiter the skin, the more beautiful a person is. However, there has been a lack of objective comparisons of facial skin color in East Asian females. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Skin color at the cheek site was measured in 445 healthy females, including 362 Chinese women in Beijing and 83 Japanese women in Tokyo, all aged 18-50 years. The parameters consisted of L* , a* , b* , individual typology angle (ITA°), and hue angle and were determined using noninvasive skin measurement instruments. RESULTS: The skin color categories in East Asians ranged from very light (I) to brown (V), and the dark (VI) category was not observed; the main categories were light (II), intermediate (III), and tan (IV). The facial skin color of Chinese individuals was brighter, more reddish, and less yellowish than that of Japanese individuals. With age, L* values decreased, and a* values and hue angle increased in East Asians with significant differences. Chinese women showed the same differences as Japanese women for all parameters in all age groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides objective skin color measurements and examines significant differences with respect to geographic location and age.

NMR characterization of the interaction between Bcl-xL and the BH3-like motif of hepatitis B virus X protein.

Hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) possesses a BH3-like motif that directly interacts with the anti-apoptotic proteins, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. Here we report the interaction between the HBx BH3-like motif and Bcl-xL, as revealed by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Our results showed that this motif binds to the common BH3-binding hydrophobic groove on the surface of Bcl-xL, with a binding affinity of 89 µM. Furthermore, we examined the role of the tryptophan residue (Trp120) in this motif in Bcl-xL binding using three mutants. The W120A mutant showed weaker binding affinity (294 µM) to Bcl-xL, whereas the W120L and W120F mutants exhibited almost equivalent binding affinity to the wild-type. These results indicate that the bulky hydrophobic residues are important for Bcl-xL binding. The findings will be helpful in understanding the apoptosis networks between viral proteins and host factors.

Identification of a Hexenal Reductase That Modulates the Composition of Green Leaf Volatiles.

Green leaf volatiles (GLVs), including six-carbon (C6) aldehydes, alcohols, and esters, are formed when plant tissues are damaged. GLVs play roles in direct plant defense at wound sites, indirect plant defense via the attraction of herbivore predators, and plant-plant communication. GLV components provoke distinctive responses in their target recipients; therefore, the control of GLV composition is important for plants to appropriately manage stress responses. The reduction of C6-aldehydes into C6-alcohols is a key step in the control of GLV composition and also is important to avoid a toxic buildup of C6-aldehydes. However, the molecular mechanisms behind C6-aldehyde reduction remain poorly understood. In this study, we purified an Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) NADPH-dependent cinnamaldehyde and hexenal reductase encoded by At4g37980, named here CINNAMALDEHYDE AND HEXENAL REDUCTASE (CHR). CHR T-DNA knockout mutant plants displayed a normal growth phenotype; however, we observed significant suppression of C6-alcohol production following partial mechanical wounding or herbivore infestation. Our data also showed that the parasitic wasp Cotesia vestalis was more attracted to GLVs emitted from herbivore-infested wild-type plants compared with GLVs emitted from chr plants, which corresponded with reduced C6-alcohol levels in the mutant. Moreover, chr plants were more susceptible to exogenous high-dose exposure to (Z)-3-hexenal, as indicated by their markedly lowered photosystem II activity. Our study shows that reductases play significant roles in changing GLV composition and, thus, are important in avoiding toxicity from volatile carbonyls and in the attraction of herbivore predators.

Outcomes of Intermittent Infusion Hemodiafiltration in Patients with Cardiac Hypofunction on Maintenance Hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND: Following the onset of heart failure symptoms, fluid removal is usually intensified, but patients with decreased cardiac function may develop sudden hypotension due to poor plasma refilling and functional impairment of the mechanisms that maintain blood pressure. In these patients, removal of fluids then becomes difficult. Impairment of the mechanisms that maintain blood pressure can be treated with vasopressors, but intermittent infusion hemodiafiltration (I-HDF) may be effective for managing poor plasma refilling. Thus, here I-HDF was performed in patients with cardiac hypofunction who were undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (HD) in order to assess the clinical effects. SUMMARY: Participants were 5 patients with cardiac hypofunction on maintenance HD. HD and I-HDF were performed for a total of 6 months each. A comparison was made of changes in dry weight (DW) and cardiothoracic ratio (CTR), blood test results, echocardiography findings, plasma -refilling rate (PRR), and tissue blood flow. During I-HDF, a decrease in DW was achieved and CTR was significantly improved. Echocardiographic findings showed that left ventricular diameter improved significantly during I-HDF. Higher PRR values and increased tissue blood flow were -observed during I-HDF compared with HD. Intermittent infusions during I-HDF prevented organ ischemia and suppressed the De Jager-Krogh phenomenon. This may be associated with the promotion of stable plasma refilling. Key Messages: Excessive fluid retention is a cause of heart failure symptoms. I-HDF facilitates removal of excessive fluid and thereby possibly contributes to the improvement of cardiac function.

Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio elevation in renal dysfunction is caused by distortion of leukocyte hematopoiesis in bone marrow.

OBJECTIVE: We investigate the mechanism of neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) elevation, a useful prognostic marker in patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). METHODS: In this clinical study, we retrospectively searched for factors associated with NLR elevation in cardiovascular outpatients. In animal experiments using mice with adenine-induced nephropathy, we further examined the hematopoietic process in bone marrow and explored the mechanism of NLR elevation. RESULT: In patients with CVDs or their risk factors, multiple regression analysis revealed that decrease in estimated glemerular filtration rate and increase in white blood cell count were significantly associated with increase in NLR. In mice with adenine-induced nephropathy, NLR and serum indoxyl sulfate (IS) levels were increased. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting revealed the increase in the number of myeloid progenitors and decrease in the number of common lymphoid progenitors, suggesting biased granulocyte side in the hematopoietic process in bone marrow. Treatment with oral charcoal adsorbent AST-120 decreased serum concentration of IS and normalized NLR and bone marrow abnormalities in mice with adenine-induced nephropathy. CONCLUSION: Renal function was a strong determinant of NLR in cardiovascular outpatients. NLR elevation due to renal impairment is caused by distortion of the hematopoietic process in bone marrow. IS plays a significant role in these processes.

Contrast-enhanced computed tomography may be helpful for characterizing and staging canine gastric tumors.

In humans, computed tomography (CT) is a widely performed technique for the diagnosis and staging of gastric tumors. The purpose of this retrospective case series study was to describe CT findings in a group of dogs with confirmed gastric tumors. For each included dog, the following CT parameters were recorded: gastric tumor location, tumor shape, gastric involvement pattern, tumor enhancement pattern in early and late phases, presence and location of lymphadenopathy, gastric tumor attenuation values, attenuation values of enlarged lymph nodes, maximum short-axis diameter (mm) of enlarged lymph node, maximum long-axis diameter (mm) of enlarged lymph node, and short-axis diameter to long-axis diameter ratio (short axis/long axis). A total of 16 dogs met inclusion criteria and had the following final diagnoses: five lymphoma, six adenocarcinoma, three inflammatory polyps, and two leiomyoma. In the early- and delayed-phase postcontrast images, the mean CT attenuation value for lymphoma was lower than that of other gastric tumors. Lymphadenopathy was widespread in lymphomas and regional in adenocarcinomas. Lymphadenopathy was not detected in leiomyomas. Lymph node measurements in lymphoma were larger than lymph node measurements in adenocarcinoma. Although there were overlapping findings for the different types of gastric tumors, contrast-enhanced CT provided helpful information for characterizing gastric tumors based on the following criteria: early and late enhancement patterns, the site of origin of the mass lesion, and extent of local invasion and distant metastases. Lymphoma should be considered for canine gastric tumors with low mean attenuation values during early- and delayed-phase postcontrast images, and widespread, bulky, and rounded lymphadenopathy.

Inhibition of tumor formation and metastasis by a monoclonal antibody against lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor 1.

Although cancer metastasis is associated with poor prognosis, the mechanisms of this event, especially via lymphatic vessels, remain unclear. Lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor 1 (LYVE-1) is expressed on lymphatic vessel endothelium and is considered to be a specific marker of lymphatic vessels, but it is unknown how LYVE-1 is involved in the growth and metastasis of cancer cells. We produced rat monoclonal antibodies (mAb) recognizing the extracellular domain of mouse LYVE-1, and investigated the roles of LYVE-1 in tumor formation and metastasis. The mAb 38M and 64R were selected from hybridoma clones created by cell fusion between spleen cells of rats immunized with RH7777 rat hepatoma cells expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP)-fused mouse LYVE-1 proteins and mouse myeloma cells. Two mAb reacted with RH7777 and HEK293F human embryonic kidney cells expressing GFP-fused mouse LYVE-1 proteins in a GFP expression-dependent manner, and each recognized a distinct epitope. On immunohistology, the 38M mAb specifically stained lymphatic vessels in several mouse tissues. In the wound healing assay, the 64R mAb inhibited cell migration of HEK293F cells expressing LYVE-1 and mouse lymphatic endothelial cells (LEC), as well as tube formation by LEC. Furthermore, this mAb inhibited primary tumor formation and metastasis to lymph nodes in metastatic MDA-MB-231 xenograft models. This shows that LYVE-1 is involved in primary tumor formation and metastasis, and it may be a promising molecular target for cancer therapy.

A novel neuropilin-1-binding sequence in the human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 envelope glycoprotein.

Entry of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) into host cells is mainly mediated by interactions between the viral envelope glycoprotein surface unit (SU) and three host receptors: glucose transporter type 1, heparin/heparan sulfate proteoglycan, and neuropilin-1 (Nrp1). Here, we analyzed the interaction between HTLV-1 SU and Nrp1 using nuclear magnetic resonance and isothermal titration calorimetry. We found that two SU peptides, residues 85-94 and residues 304-312, bound directly to the Nrp1 b1 domain with affinities of 7.4 and 17.7 µM, respectively. The binding modes of both peptides were almost identical to those observed for Tuftsin and vascular endothelial growth factor A binding to the Nrp1 b1 domain. These results suggest that the C-terminal region of HTLV-1 SU contains a novel site for direct binding of virus to the Nrp1 b1 domain. Our biophysical characterization of the SU peptides may help in developing inhibitors of HTLV-1 entry.

Structure of a plant ß-galactosidase C-terminal domain.

Most plant ß-galactosidases, which belong to glycoside hydrolase family 35, have a C-terminal domain homologous to animal galactose and rhamnose-binding lectins. To investigate the structure and function of this domain, the C-terminal domain of the rice (Oryza sativa L.) ß-galactosidase 1 (OsBGal1 Cter) was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. The free OsBGal1 Cter is monomeric with a native molecular weight of 15kDa. NMR spectroscopy indicated that OsBGal1 Cter comprises five ß-strands and one α-helix. The structure of this domain is similar to lectin domains from animals, but loops A and C of OsBGal1 Cter are longer than the corresponding loops from related animal lectins with known structures. In addition, loop A of OsBGal1 Cter was not well defined, suggesting it is flexible. Although OsBGal1 Cter was predicted to be a galactose/rhamnose-binding domain, binding with rhamnose, galactose, glucose, ß-1,4-d-galactobiose and raffinose could not be observed in NMR experiments.

Suppression of SOX7 by DNA methylation and its tumor suppressor function in acute myeloid leukemia.

SOX7 belongs to the SOX (Sry-related high-mobility group [HMG] box) gene family, a group of transcription factors containing in common a HMG box domain. Its role in hematologic malignancies and, in particular, acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is completely unknown. Here, we showed that SOX7 expression was regulated by DNA hypermethylation in AML but not in acute lymphoblastic leukemia or normal bone marrow cells. In cell lines (KG1, ML2, and K562) and in primary CD34(+) AML samples, SOX7 expression could be induced by the DNA demethylating agent 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine. Overexpression of SOX7 in K562 cells inhibited cell proliferation, with cell cycle delay in S/G2/M phases and reduced clonogenic activity. Apoptosis was unaffected. Ectopic expression of SOX7 in K562 and THP-1 cells, as well as primary CD33(+)CD34(+) AML cells, abrogated leukemia engraftment in xenogeneic transplantation. SOX7 expression inhibited the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway through direct protein binding to ß-catenin, and the antileukemia effects of SOX7 in THP-1 cells were significantly reduced by deletion of its ß-catenin binding site. The results provided unequivocal evidence for a novel tumor suppressor role of SOX7 in AML via a negative modulatory effect on the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

Gerontoxanthone B from Maclura cochinchinensis var. gerontogea exhibits anti-inflammatory potential as an aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-dependent transcriptional factor belonging to the basic helix-loop-helix-Per-Ahr/Arnt-Sim family. In this study, we evaluated the AhR agonistic activities of 12 xanthones isolated from the roots of M. cochinchinensis var. gerontogea using HepG2 cells transfected with pX4TK-Luc reporter plasmids. Gerontoxanthone B (GXB) showed the most potent activity at a concentration of 10µM, and the activity was inhibited by AhR antagonists such as GNF-351. GXB also increased cytochrome P450 1A1 mRNA and protein levels in HepG2 cells. Similar to the AhR agonist 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, however, GXB suppressed the IL-1ß-induced mRNA level of SAA1, an acute-phase response gene that is up-regulated AhR-dependently but XRE-independently. Thus, GXB shows XRE-dependent transcriptional activity and XRE-independent activity involving AhR.