Postharvest ripening of newly harvested corn: Weakened interactions between starch and protein.

The effects of postharvest ripening of corn on the mechanisms of starch and protein interactions were investigated using molecular dynamics and several chemical substances. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) treatment all significantly affected the starch content, molecular weight of proteins, relative crystallinity, pasting characteristics and dynamic viscoelasticity in samples before and after postharvest ripening. In the corn that had not undergone postharvest ripening, there were also significant electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonds between starch and protein. In addition, molecular dynamics had demonstrated that the forces between starch and protein in corn were mainly hydrophobic interactions, electrostatic interaction, and hydrogen bonds. Compared with zein, corn glutelin was more tightly bound to starch. The binding energy of starch to both proteins was reduced in after postharvest-ripened corn. This study laid a rationale for investigating the change mechanism of corn postharvest ripening quality and improving processing property and edible quality of corn.

Riboflavin-loaded soy protein isolate cold gel treated with combination of high intensity ultrasound and high hydrostatic pressure: Gel structure, physicochemical properties and gastrointestinal digestion fate.

Transglutaminase (TGase) was added to soy protein isolate (SPI) dispersion after the combination treatment of high intensity ultrasound (HIU) and high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) to catalyze the formation of cold gel, which was used to encapsulate riboflavin. The structure, physicochemical properties and in vitro digestion characteristics of riboflavin-loaded SPI cold gel were investigated. HIU-HHP combined treatment enhanced the strength, water retention, elastic property, thermal stability and protein denaturation degree of riboflavin-loaded SPI cold gels, and improved the gel network structure, resulting in a higher encapsulation efficiency of riboflavin and its chemical stability under heat and light treatment. HIU-HHP combined treatment reduced the erosion and swelling of SPI cold gel in simulated gastrointestinal fluid, and improved the sustained release effect of SPI gel on riboflavin by changing the digestion mode and rate of gel. In addition, HIU-HHP combined treated gels promoted the directional release of riboflavin in the simulated intestinal fluid, thereby improving its bioaccessibility, which was related to the secondary structure orderliness, tertiary conformation tightness and aggregation degree of protein during the gastrointestinal digestion. Therefore, HIU-HHP combined treatment technology had potential application value in improving the protection, sustained/controlled release and delivery of SPI cold gels for sensitive bioactive compounds.

Effect of Microwave Intermittent Drying on the Structural and Functional Properties of Zein in Corn Kernels.

Microwave intermittent drying was carried out on newly harvested corn kernels to study the effects of different microwave intermittent powers (900 W, 1800 W, 2700 W, and 3600 W) on the structural and functional properties of zein in corn kernels. The results showed that microwave drying could increase the thermal stability of zein in corn kernels. The solubility, emulsification activity index, and surface hydrophobicity increased under 1800 W drying power, which was due to the unfolding of the molecular structure caused by the increase in the content of irregular structure and the decrease in the value of particle size. At a drying power of 2700 W, there was a significant increase in grain size values and ß-sheet structure. This proves that at this time, the corn proteins in the kernels were subjected to the thermal effect generated by the higher microwave power, which simultaneously caused cross-linking and aggregation within the proteins to form molecular aggregates. The solubility, surface hydrophobicity, and other functional properties were reduced, while the emulsification stability was enhanced by the aggregates. The results of the study can provide a reference for the in-depth study of intermittent corn microwave drying on a wide range of applications of zein in corn kernels.

Research on corn starch and black bean protein isolate interactions during gelatinization and their effects on physicochemical properties of the blends.

The interaction between starch and protein during food processing is crucial for controlling food quality. This study aims to understand the interactions between corn starch and black bean protein isolate (BBPI) at various gelatinization phases and their effects on the physicochemical properties of the blends. BBPI reduced the rheological properties of the corn starch/BBPI mixed system during gelatinization, increasing light transmittance and gelatinization temperature, while decreasing total viscosity and enthalpy change. The changes in starch and protein microstructure during gelatinization indicated that BBPI adhered to the starch particle surface or partially penetrated the swollen starch particles. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) revealed that BBPI decreased the number of hydrogen bonds within starch, with no newly formed functional groups in the mixed system. Furthermore, BBPI reduced the composite relative crystallinity (RC). The effect of protein addition on water migration in the mixed system demonstrates that protein and starch compete for water during gelatinization, preventing water molecules from diffusing into starch particles.

Transglutaminase-induced soybean protein isolate cold-set gels treated with combination of ultrasound and high pressure: Physicochemical properties and structural characterization.

Soybean protein isolate (SPI) was treated by the combined exposure to ultrasound and high pressure and then subjected to transglutaminase (TGase)-catalyzed cross-linking to prepare SPI cold-set gels. The effects of combined treatments on physicochemical and structural properties of TGase-induced SPI cold-set gels were investigated. The combination of ultrasound and high pressure promoted the covalent disulfide bonds and ε-(γ-glutaminyl) lysine isopeptide bonds as well as non-covalent hydrophobic interactions, which further improved the gelation properties of SPI compared to ultrasound or high pressure alone. In particular, the 480 W ultrasound followed by high pressure treatment of gels led to higher strength (120.53 g), water holding capacity (95.39 %), immobilized water (93.92 %), lightness (42.18), whiteness (51.03), and elasticity (G' = 407 Pa), as well as more uniform and compact microstructure, thus resulting in the improved gel network structure. The combination of two treatments produced more flexible secondary structure, tighter tertiary conformation and higher denaturation degree of protein in the gels, leading to more stable gel structure. The structural modifications of SPI contributed to the improvement of its gelation properties. Therefore, the combined application of ultrasound and high pressure can be an effective method for improving the structure and properties of TGase-induced SPI cold-set gels.

Postharvest ripening of two varieties of corns: Structure, antioxidant activities and physicochemical properties of zein.

The newly harvested Jidan 66 (JD66) and Liangyu 99 (LY99) varieties of corns were stored for 56 days at constant temperature of 15 and 25 °C with relative humidity of 55%. The postharvest ripening resulted in more disordered secondary structure and less compact tertiary conformation of zein. The emulsifying activity and foaming stability reached maximum after storage of corns at 15 and 25 °C for 14 days, while the emulsifying stability and foaming capacity were the highest at two temperatures of storage for 7 days and 28 days, respectively. Furthermore, zein had the highest viscoelasticity as well as the strongest antioxidant activities after the storage of JD66 at two temperatures for 28 days and the storage of LY99 at 15 °C for 42 days and at 25 °C for 28 days. Therefore, appropriate postharvest ripening of corns changed the structure of zein, improving its antioxidant activities and physicochemical properties.

Study on physicochemical, structural, and functional properties of Zhengdan958 and Xianyu335 cornstarch from newly harvested corn under postharvest ripening conditions at ambient temperature.

The importance of starch in nutrition and industry is unquestionable. This study investigated the changes in physicochemical, structural, and functional properties of cornstarch from newly harvested Zhengdan958 (Zd958) and Xianyu335 (Xy335) corn during for 0, 20, 40, and 60 d at ambient temperature. The results showed no significant changes in the proximate components and apparent structure of Zd958 and Xy335 cornstarch under postharvest ripening conditions. Compared with 0 d, the molecular weight distribution and mass fraction of Zd958 and Xy335 cornstarch have changed significantly, the relative crystallinity (RC) has significantly increased from 26.4% to 26.5%-28.8% and 28.4%, and R1045/1022 has significantly increased from 0.828 to 0.826 to 0.843 and 0.883, respectively. The changes in structure indicated that the synthesis and rearrangement of cornstarch molecules formed highly ordered crystalline structures, and the ordered structures of long-range and short-range molecules increased. Moreover, the changes in structure affected the pasting characteristics and texture profiles of cornstarch, therefore, affecting the final food quality.

Extremely Large 3D Cages in Metal-Organic Frameworks for Nucleic Acid Extraction.

Three-dimensional (3D) cages in the mesopore regime (2-50 nm) assembled from molecular building blocks are highly desirable in biological applications; however, their synthesis in crystalline form is quite challenging, as well as their structure characterization. Here, we report the synthesis of extremely large 3D cages in MOF crystals, with internal cage sizes of 6.9, and 8.5 nm in MOF-929; 9.3 and 11.4 nm in MOF-939, in cubic unit cells, a = 17.4 and 22.8 nm, respectively. These cages are constructed from relatively short organic linkers with the lengths of 0.85 and 1.3 nm, where the influence from molecular motion is minimized, thus favoring their crystallization. A 0.45 nm linker length elongation leads to a maximum 2.9 nm increase in cage size, giving a supreme efficiency in cage expansion. The spatial arrangements of these 3D cages were visualized by both X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The efforts to obtain these cages in crystals pushed forward the size boundary for the construction of 3D cages from molecules and also exploited the limit of the area in space possibly supported per chemical bond, where the expansion efficiencies of the cages were found to play a critical role. These extremely large 3D cages in MOFs were useful in the complete extraction of long nucleic acid, such as total RNA and plasmid from aqueous solution.

Prognostic value of preoperative hematological markers in patients with glioblastoma multiforme and construction of random survival forest model.

OBJECTIVE: In recent years, an increasing number of studies have revealed that patients' preoperative inflammatory response, coagulation function, and nutritional status are all linked to the occurrence, development, angiogenesis, and metastasis of various malignant tumors. The goal of this study is to determine the relationship between preoperative peripheral blood neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte to lymphocyte ratio (MLR), systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and platelet to fibrinogen ratio (FPR). Prognostic nutritional index (PNI) and the prognosis of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients, as well as establish a forest prediction model that includes preoperative hematological markers to predict the individual GBM patient's 3-year survival status after treatment. METHODS: The clinical and hematological data of 281 GBM patients were analyzed retrospectively; overall survival (OS) was the primary endpoint. X-Tile software was used to determine the best cut-off values for NLR, SII, and PLR, and the survival analysis was carried out by the Kaplan-Meier method as well as univariate and multivariate COX regression. Afterward, we created a random forest model that predicts the individual GBM patient's 3-year survival status after treatment, and the area under the curve (AUC) is used to validate the model's effectiveness. RESULTS: The best cut-off values for NLR, SII, and PLR in GBM patients' preoperative peripheral blood were 2.12, 537.50, and 93.5 respectively. The Kaplan-Meier method revealed that preoperative GBM patients with high SII, high NLR, and high PLR had shorter overall survival, and the difference was statistically significant. In addition to clinical and pathological factors. Univariate Cox showed NLR (HR = 1.456, 95% CI: 1.286 ~ 1.649, P < 0.001) MLR (HR = 1.272, 95% CI: 1.120 ~ 1.649, P < 0.001), FPR (HR = 1.183,95% CI: 1.049 ~ 1.333, P < 0.001), SII (HR = 0.218,95% CI: 1.645 ~ 2.127, P < 0.001) is related to the prognosis and overall survival of GBM. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression showed that SII (HR = 1.641, 95% CI: 1.430 ~ 1.884, P < 0.001) is also related to the overall survival of patients with GBM. In the random forest prognostic model with preoperative hematologic markers, the AUC in the test set and the validation set was 0.907 and 0.900, respectively. CONCLUSION: High levels of NLR, MLR, PLR, FPR, and SII before surgery are prognostic risk factors for GBM patients. A high preoperative SII level is an independent risk factor for GBM prognosis. The random forest model that includes preoperative hematological markers has the potential to predict the individual GBM patient's 3-year survival status after treatment,and assist the clinicians for making a good clinical decision.

Interactions of soy protein isolate with common and waxy corn starches and their effects on acid-induced cold gelation properties of complexes.

Soy protein isolate (SPI) was mixed with different concentrations of common starch (CS) and waxy starch (WS) from corn. The interactions of SPI with CS or WS and their effects on the acid-induced cold gelation properties of complexes were investigated. Compared with WS, SPI could bind to CS more strongly and formed a tighter SPI-CS non-covalent complex, which resulted in the increased ß-sheet and a more ordered secondary structure. The gel strength, water holding capacity (WHC), viscoelasticity, hydrophobic interactions and thermal stability of SPI-CS complex gels were enhanced as increasing CS concentration, and the complex with 2% of CS had the best gelation properties. Although adding WS reduced the gel strength, rheological properties and hydrophobic interactions of SPI-WS complex gels, it improved the WHC and thermal stability of the complex gels. Therefore, CS had a broader effect on improving acid-induced cold gelation properties of SPI than WS.

Risk factors for wound healing complications after revascularization for MMD with complete Y-shaped incision.

Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a chronic occlusive cerebrovascular disease that can be treated with revascularization. Surgery increases the risk of poor wound healing (PWH) due to the impact on the blood supply to the flap. We aimed to analyze risk factors for PWH in MMD with a complete Y-shaped incision. A total of 125 patients with MMD were enrolled in this prospective observational study. The wounds were assessed and measured on the third and seventh days after surgery. The mean age of these patients was 43.3 ± 10.0 years. The ratio of male to female was 1:1.3. 15 (12.0%) patients had incision complications. 5 patients (4.0%) had redness; 2 patients (1.6%) had swelling; 2 patients (1.6%) had fat necrosis; 3 patients (2.4%) had incision infection; and 3 patients (2.4%) had flap necrosis. Student's t test showed significant differences in BMI (P = 0.040) and fever time (P = 0.050). The standard chi-squared test showed significant differences in incision infection (P = 0.010), suture mode (P = 0.047), and cutting off large branch vessels in the flap (P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested that incision infection (P = 0.026, OR 12.958), using a skin stapler (P = 0.030, OR 4.335), cutting off large branch vessels in the flap (P = 0.009, OR 5.227), and BMI (P = 0.027, OR 1.204) were risk factors. The area under the curve for risk factors for PWH on a receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.853. Incision infection, using a skin stapler, higher BMI, and cutting off large branch vessels in the flap are risk factors for PWH.

Molecular Compartments Created in Metal-Organic Frameworks for Efficient Visible-Light-Driven CO2 Overall Conversion.

We report the construction of molecular compartments by the growth of narrow-band semiconductor nanoparticles, tungsten oxide and its hydrate, in the mesopores of a metal-organic framework (MOF), MIL-100-Fe. The location of these nanoparticles in pores and their spatial arrangement across the MOF crystal are unveiled by powder X-ray diffraction and small-angle neutron scattering, respectively. Such a composition with pore-level precision leads to efficient overall conversion of gas-phase CO2 and H2O to CO, CH4, and H2O2 under visible light. When WO3·H2O nanoparticles are positioned in 2.5 nm mesopores with 24 wt %, the resulting composite, namely, 24%-WO3·H2O-in-MIL-100-Fe, exhibits a CO2 reduction rate of 0.49 mmol·g-1·h-1 beyond 420 nm and an apparent quantum efficiency of 1.5% at 420 nm. These performances stand as new benchmarks for visible-light-driven CO2 overall conversion. In addition to the size and location of semiconductor nanoparticles, the coordinated water species in the crystal are found critical for high catalytic activity, an aspect usually overlooked.

Dual-enzymatically cross-linked gelatin hydrogel promotes neural differentiation and neurotrophin secretion of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells for treatment of moderate traumatic brain injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most devastating nervous injuries. Neural tissue engineering based on stem cells and bioactive scaffold is a promising but challenging approach for neural repair. A cutting-edge system with capability to control the fate of encapsulated stem cells is attractive to enhance neural regeneration after TBI. Herein, an injectable gelatin hydrogel dual-enzymatically cross-linked by horse radish peroxidase (HRP) and choline oxidase (ChOx) was performed as the neural scaffold to load murine bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSC) for TBI treatment. The results of in vitro cellular experiments showed that low cross-linked gelatin hydrogel could obviously promote cellular viability, neural differentiation, and neurotrophins secretion of the loaded BMSC. In vivo tests on a TBI model of C57BL/6 mouse demonstrated that BMSC-laden gelatin hydrogel implants could significantly reduce the damaged area, ameliorate inflammation, attenuate neuronal apoptosis, facilitate survival and proliferation of endogenous neural cells, and promote the neurological function recovery of TBI mice. All data suggest that establishment of this three-dimensional (3D) gelatin hydrogel stem cell-loaded system is a promising therapeutic strategy for TBI or other neurological rehabilitation.

Physicochemical properties and microstructure of corn flour-cellulose fiber extrudates.

In this study, corn flour with 24% w/w moisture content was extruded, and cellulose at varied weight ratios was added in order to investigate its effect on the extrudate's physicochemical properties. Twin-screw extrusion was divided into five temperature zones, and the screw temperature profile was 60℃, 120℃, 140℃, 120℃, and 110℃, respectively, and screw speed was 150 rpm. The cellulose content was 1%-15% w/w. Results showed that the addition of cellulose led to an increase in hardness, L* and b* of the extruded samples, and a decrease in degree of expansion, a*, thermal enthalpy of the sample paste. The sample paste exhibited a solid-like characteristic. Microscopic morphology analysis showed that surface wrinkles of the sample increased with the increase of cellulose addition. The addition of cellulose can effectively increase the degree of puffing of corn flour-cellulose fiber extrudates.

Study on the differential proteomics of rat hippocampal mitochondria during deep hypothermic circulatory arrest.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the effect of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) on rat hippocampal mitochondrial protein expression and its differential proteomics, and explore the potential mechanisms behind the effect. METHODS: We used internal jugular vein reflux and tail artery perfusion methods to establish the rat cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) model. Rats were dissected to obtain the hippocampus, and the hippocampal mitochondria were purified. The mitochondrial morphology and the mitochondrial marker cytochrome C oxidase (COX) qualitatively examined via transmission electron microscopy and western-blot analysis, respectively. The qualified samples were subjected to isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ); we then established the CPB model again to obtain the rat hippocampus for cryoultramicrotomy, and used immunofluorescent double staining technique to qualitatively and semi-quantitatively verify two representative differentially expressed proteins. RESULTS: By searching the Mascot 2.2 database, 29 differentially expressed proteins were obtained with statistical significance, including 21 known proteins and 8 unknowns. The expression level of COX and monoacylglycerol lipase did not change significantly (P>0.05) during the hyperacute phase; however, their intracellular localizations were altered. CONCLUSIONS: DHCA induced the differential expression of 29 rat hippocampal mitochondrial proteins, some of which had altered intracellular localization. We speculated that the localized alteration of these proteins is one of the neuroprotection mechanisms that occurs during DHCA.

Structure and in vitro digestibility on complex of corn starch with soy isoflavone.

Rapid starch digestion rate is negative for the normal level of human blood glucose. This study investigated the protective effects of corn starch (CS) complexed with soy isoflavone (SI) on the control of starch digestibility and glycemic index (GI). The structure of the corn starch-soy isoflavone (CS-SI) complexes was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and the complexes digestibility was evaluated using in vitro digestion model. The results of FT-IR spectrum showed that, compared with corn starch, new characteristic peaks were not occurred in CS-SI complexes, and the value of R1047/1022 was decreased, which indicated the short-range structure of CS-SI complexes had been reduced. The V-shaped structure characteristic peaks occurred obviously in CS-SI complexes detected by XRD patterns, which formed a new crystalline structure. The thermal stability was improved in CS-SI complexes revealed by TGA and DTG curves that the thermal cracking temperature increased from 315°C to 320°C. The enthalpy (ΔH) of CS-SI complexes decreased from 2.34 J/g to 1.75 J/g showed by DSC data, which indicated that the ordered structure of starch was destroyed. Furthermore, the content of resistant starch increased from 10.53% to 21.78% and predicted glycemic index (pGI) reduced in CS-SI complexes. In conclusion, the digestibility and pGI of starch can be improved by complexed with soy isoflavone.

The potential biomarkers for the formation and development of intracranial aneurysm.

This study is aimed to understand the pathogenesis of intracranial aneurysm (IA), which has a risk of rupture and is the primary cause of subarachnoid hemorrhage. From Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, GSE75436 was extracted (15 IA tissues and 15 superficial temporal artery tissues). The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was conducted through limma package, which followed by the enrichment analysis. Combining STRING database, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed. The modules in PPI network were performed utilizing molecular complex detection (MCODE) algorithm. With Cytoscape software, the transcription factor-miRNA-target regulatory network was constructed. Finally, microarray dataset GSE54083 was downloaded (13 IA tissues and 10 superficial temporal artery tissues) for the verification test. A total of 1332 DEGs were screened in IA tissues compared with superficial temporal artery tissues. Besides, the up-regulated TNF, IL10, IL1B, and CTSS, as well as down-regulated IL6 were included in the top 20 nodes in the PPI networks. Furthermore, in the module A of up-regulated PPI network, TNF, IL10, IL1B, and VCAM1 were interact with each other. In the regulatory network, miR-29A/B/C targeted up-regulated genes. Besides, VCAM1 was implicated in the pathway of leukocyte transendothelial migration. In the verification analysis, between GSE75436 and GSE54083, there were 444 up-regulated and 543 down-regulated co-existence DEGs and 11 co-existence genes involved the Leukocyte transendothelial migration pathway. VCAM1, TNF, CTSS, IL10, IL1B, IL6, and miR-29A/B/C might be the potential biomarkers for the formation and development of IA.

Chemical Comparison of White Ginseng before and after Extrusion by UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS/MS and Multivariate Statistical Analysis.

Ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography Quadrupole-Orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS/MS) was used to compare the composition of ginsenosides in white ginseng (WG) and extruded white ginseng (EWG). A total of 45 saponins, including original neutral ginsenosides, malonyl-ginsenosides, and chemical transformation of ginsenosides, were successfully identified in both WG and EWG. Multivariate statistical analyses including supervised orthogonal partial least squared discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA) and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) were used to analyze components of white ginseng before and after extrusion. As a result, three ginsenosides (malonyl (M)-Rb1, M-Rb2, and M-Rc) were found to be increased in WG, while three ginsenosides (Rb2, Rc, and Rg1) were elevated in EWG. In the OPLS-DA S-plot, the different compositions of ginsenoside that were distinguished between WG and EWG were screened out. Experimental results indicate that the UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS/MS is a useful tool to characterize variations of ginsenosides in WG and EWG.

MicroRNA-128-3p Enhances the Chemosensitivity of Temozolomide in Glioblastoma by Targeting c-Met and EMT.

Temozolomide is a first line anti-tumor drug used for the treatment of patients with Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). However, the drug resistance to temozolomide limits its clinical application. Therefore, novel strategies to overcome chemoresistance are desperately needed for improved treatment of human GBM. Recent studies have demonstrated that miRNAs are closely related to resistance to cancer chemotherapy. This study aimed to further validate the biological role of miR-128-3p and to investigate whether miR-128-3p can enhance the chemosensitivity of glioblastoma to temozolomide (TMZ) and the underlying mechanisms. The effects of miR-128-3p and TMZ on the proliferation of glioblastoma cells were investigated by cell counting kit-8 (cck8). Transwell and intracerebral invasion assays were applied to determine the effects of the combination of miR-128-3p and TMZ on the invasion and migration of glioblastoma in vitro and in vivo. Flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis in each group, and immunofluorescence was used to determine the expression levels of EMT-related proteins. RT-PCR and Western-blot were applied to detect EMT-transformed proteins (c-Met, PDGFRα, Notch1, and Slug) and EMT phenotype-associated proteins (Vim, CD44, and E-cadherin) at both mRNA and protein levels. Based on the microRNA.org database, we predicted the target genes of miR-128-3p. The target-relationship between miR-128-3p and c-Met and PDGFRα was verified by dual luciferase reporter gene. The tumor volume, weight and the expression levels of the proteins described above were measured in subcutaneously transplanted tumor model in nude mice. We found that the expression of miR-128-3p was down-regulated in glioblastoma tissue samples and cell lines. miR-128-3p suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of GBM both in vitro and in vivo; miR-128-3p enhanced the therapeutic effect of TMZ via inhibition of proliferation, invasion and migration of glioblastoma cells and induction of apoptosis. Overexpression of miR-128-3p down-regulated the expression levels of EMT-transformed proteins (c-Met, PDGFRα, Notch1 and Slug) to enhance the effect of TMZ. In addition, we found that miR-128-3p targeted and bound c-Met. More importantly, the upregulation of c-Met significantly prompted U87 and U251 cell proliferation. This effect could be abolished when c-Met was silenced. The investigation in tumor bearing nude mice showed that miR-128-3p in combination with TMZ reduced tumor volume and the invasion extent, and increased the sensitivity of glioblastoma to TMZ. miR-128-3p is capable of enhancing the sensitivity of glioblastoma to TMZ through regulating c-Met/EMT.

Stability and in vitro simulated release characteristics of ultrasonically modified soybean lipophilic protein emulsion.

Natural emulsifiers such as soybean lipophilic protein (SLP) show potential as delivery systems for hydrophobic bioactive components such as vitamin E; however, the solubility of SLP is limited by its high lipid content. This study evaluated the effects of various ultrasonic conditions on the structure and properties of SLP. Using an emulsion of modified SLP, the carrier properties and in vitro digestion and release properties for vitamin E were evaluated. Biochemical and spectroscopic analyses indicated that the ultrasonic treatment mainly changed the secondary and tertiary structures of SLP. Furthermore, appropriate ultrasonic conditions significantly improved the solubility and emulsifying properties of SLP, with the highest emulsion stability and SLP encapsulation efficiency obtained using an ultrasonic power of 240 W for 20 min. An in vitro digestion simulation revealed that the emulsion prepared by ultrasonic modification of SLP was an effective delivery system for vitamin E. In particular, the emulsion protected the biological activity of vitamin E while significantly increasing the rate of lipid digestion and the bioavailability of vitamin E. These results indicate that the ultrasonically modified SLP can be used to prepare a stable emulsion for encapsulating vitamin E, which provides a new approach for the delivery of hydrophobic bioactive components.