Potential in-vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of Martynia annua extract mediated Phytosynthesis of MnO2 nanoparticles.

The present research work describes the phyto-synthesis of Manganese dioxide nanoparticles (MnO2NPs) from the reduction of potassium permanganate using Martynia annua (M.annua) plant extract. From the literature review, we clearly understood the M.annua plant has anti-inflammatory activity. Manganese dioxides are important materials due to their wide range of applications. Their increased surface area gives them distinct capabilities, as it increases their mechanical, magnetic, optical, and catalytic qualities, allowing them to be used in more pharmaceutical applications. A detailed review of literature highlighting the issues related to this present work and its knowledge gap that none of the inflammatory activities had been done by MnO2 NPs synthesized from M.annua plant extract. So we selected this study. The product MnO2 NPs showed the wavelength centre at 370 nm and was monitored by UV-Vis spectra. The wave number around 600 cm-1 has to the occurrence of O-Mn-O bonds of pure MnO2 confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy. Transmission electron microscopy images showed the morphology of MnO2 NPs as spherical-shaped particles with average sizes at 7.5 nm. The selected area electron diffraction analysis exhibits the crystalline nature of MnO2 NPs. The obtained MnO2 NPs showed potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity was compared to the plant extract. The synthesized MnO2 NPs have a large number of potential applications in the field of pharmaceutical industries. In the future, we isolate the phytocompounds present in the M.annua plant extract and conduct a study against corona virus. MnO2 produces manganese (III) oxide and oxygen, which increases fire hazard. But further research is required to understand their environmental behaviour and safety.

Elucidation of structural and functional properties of albumin bound to gold nanoparticles.

Nanoparticle-albumin complexes are being designed for targeted drug delivery and imaging. However, the changes in the functional properties of albumin due to adsorption on nanoparticles remain elusive. Thus, the objective of this work was to elucidate the structural and functional properties of human and bovine serum albumin bound to negatively charged gold nanoparticles (GNPs). Fluorescence data demonstrated static quenching of albumin by GNP with the quenching of buried as well as surface tryptophan in BSA. The binding process was enthalpy and entropy-driven in HSA and BSA, respectively. At lower concentrations of GNP there was a higher affinity for tryptophan, whereas at higher concentrations both tryptophan and tyrosine participated in the interaction. Synchronous fluorescence spectra revealed that the microenvironment of tryptophan in HSA turned more hydrophilic upon exposure to GNP. The α-helical content of albumin was unaltered by GNP. Approximately 37 and 23% reduction in specific activity of HSA and BSA was observed due to GNP binding. In presence of warfarin and ibuprofen the binding constants of albumin-GNP complexes were altered. A very interesting observation not reported so far is the retained antioxidant activity of albumin in presence of GNP i.e. we believe that GNPs did not bind to the free sulfhydryl groups of albumin. However enhanced levels of copper binding were observed. We have also highlighted the differential response in albumin due to gold and silver nanoparticles which could be attributed to differences in the charge of the nanoparticle.

Albumin corona on nanoparticles - a strategic approach in drug delivery.

Nanomaterials have been used widely for delivery of therapeutic agents. Protein-nanoparticle (NP) complexes have gained importance as vehicles for targeted drug delivery due to increased ease of administration, stability and half-life of drug, and reduced toxic side effects. Designing of phospholipid-bovine serum albumin (BSA) complexes and stealth NPs with BSA has paved the way for drug delivery carriers with prolonged blood circulation times. Preformed albumin corona has shown to decrease non-specific association and thereby reduce the clearance rate. Albumin corona has enabled the localization of drug carriers in specific tissues such as liver and heart, thus regulating biodistribution. Tailored albumin-NP conjugates have also enabled controlled degradation of NP and drug release. However, the binding of albumin with NP is associated with conformational and functional modulations in protein as observed with silver, gold and superparamagnetic iron oxide NPs. In this review, we highlight the various potential albumin-NP hybrids as nano drug carriers.

Bioactivity of albumins bound to silver nanoparticles.

The last decade has witnessed a tremendous rise in the proposed applications of nanomaterials in the field of medicine due to their very attractive physiochemical properties and novel actions such as the ability to reach previously inaccessible targets such as brain. However biological activity of functional molecules bound to nanoparticles and its physiological consequences is still unclear and hence this area requires immediate attention. The functional properties of Human Serum Albumin (HSA) and Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) bound to silver nanoparticles (~60 nm) have been studied under physiological environment. Esterase activity, binding of drugs (warfarin and ibuprofen), antioxidant activity and copper binding by albumins was evaluated. The catalytic efficiencies of HSA and BSA diminished upon binding to silver nanoparticles. Perturbation in binding of warfarin and ibuprofen, loss of free sulphydryls, antioxidant activity and enhancement of copper binding were observed in albumins bound to nanoparticles. These alterations in functional activity of nanoparticle bound albumins which will have important consequences should be taken into consideration while using nanoparticles for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

Degradation of Chlorpyrifos by an alkaline phosphatase from the cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis.

Spirulina is a photosynthetic, filamentous, spiral-shaped, multicellular, blue-green microalga. The two most important species are Spirulina maxima and Spirulina platensis. Spirulina is considered an excellent food, lacking toxicity and having corrective properties against viral attacks, anemia, tumor growth and malnutrition. We have observed that cultures of Spirulina platensis grow in media containing up to 80 ppm of the organophosphorous pesticide, Chlorpyrifos. It was found to be due to an alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity that was detected in cell free extracts of Spirulina platensis. This activity was purified from the cell free extracts using ammonium sulphate precipitation and gel filtration and shown to belong to the class of EC 3.1.3.1 ALP. The purified enzyme degrades 100 ppm Chlorpyrifos to 20 ppm in 1 h transforming it into its primary metabolite 3, 5, 6-trichloro-2-pyridinol. This is the first report of degradation of Chlorpyrifos by Spirulina platensis whose enzymic mechanism has been clearly identified. These findings have immense potential for harnessing Spirulina platensis in bioremediation of polluted ecosystems.

Binding of lipoic acid induces conformational change and appearance of a new binding site in methylglyoxal modified serum albumin.

The binding of lipoic acid (LA), to methylglyoxal (MG) modified BSA was studied using isothermal titration calorimetry in combination with enzyme kinetics and molecular modelling. The binding of LA to BSA was sequential with two sites, one with higher binding constant and another comparatively lower. In contrast the modified protein showed three sequential binding sites with a reduction in affinity at the high affinity binding site by a factor of 10. CD results show appreciable changes in conformation of the modified protein as a result of binding to LA. The inhibition of esterase like activity of BSA by LA revealed that it binds to site II in domain III of BSA. The pH dependence of esterase activity of native BSA indicated a catalytic group with a pK(a) = 7.9 +/- 0.1, assigned to Tyr411 with the conjugate base stabilised by interaction with Arg410. Upon modification by MG, this pK(a) increased to 8.13. A complex obtained by docking of LA to BSA and BSA in which Arg410 is modified to hydroimidazolone showed that the long hydrocarbon chain of lipoic acid sits in a cavity different from the one observed for unmodified BSA. The molecular electrostatic potential showed that the modification of Arg410 reduced the positive electrostatic potential around the protein-binding site. Thus it can be concluded that the modification of BSA by MG resulted in altered ligand binding characteristics due to changes in the internal geometry and electrostatic potential at the binding site.

Malondialdehyde, a lipid-derived aldehyde alters the reactivity of Cys34 and the esterase activity of serum albumin.

Malondialdehyde (MDA), one of the key end products of lipid oxidation is elevated in a variety of diseases. It is now well established that MDA can modify proteins in vivo. This paper describes the effects of modification of albumin by MDA and peroxidized linolenic acid on the reactivity of Cys34, a crucial residue conferring antioxidant properties. BSA (10 mg/ml) was incubated with MDA (1 mM) for 72 h in phosphate buffer (100 mM, pH 7.4). BSA was also incubated for three days with lipid samples, which have already undergone peroxidation for 2, 5, 7, and 9 days respectively. The reactivity of Cys34 after modification was monitored using cystamine and 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitro benzoic acid) (DTNB). The Kobs for the reaction was found to be different between native and MDA modified protein clearly indicating that modification affects the reactivity of Cys34. The individual rate constant (K1) for reaction with DTNB varied significantly between albumin and modified albumin suggesting that loss in reactivity was due to changes at Cys34. However, (K2), the rate constant for reaction of protein with cystamine, determined from a plot of Kobs versus cystamine concentration did not change. This study further shows that modification results in significant loss of the esterase like activity of albumin. Since albumin plays a crucial role in the antioxidant defence due to its abundance (approximately 0.6 mM) in serum, these findings have implications in disease states where increased levels of MDA and oxidative stress drastically may affect the antioxidant capacity of serum.

DNA damage during glycation of lysine by methylglyoxal: assessment of vitamins in preventing damage.

Amino acids react with methylglyoxal to form advanced glycation end products. This reaction is known to produce free radicals. In this study, cleavage to plasmid DNA was induced by the glycation of lysine with methylglyoxal in the presence of iron(III). This system was found to produce superoxide as well as hydroxyl radicals. The abilities of various vitamins to prevent damage to plasmid DNA were evaluated. Pyridoxal-5-phosphate showed maximum protection, while pyridoxamine showed no protection. The protective abilities could be directly correlated to inhibition of production of hydroxyl and superoxide radicals. Pyridoxal-5-phosphate exhibited low radical scavenging ability as evaluated by its TEAC, but showed maximum protection probably by interfering in free radical production. Pyridoxamine did not inhibit free radical production. Thiamine and thiamine pyrophosphate, both showed protective effects albeit to different extents. Tetrahydrofolic acid showed better antioxidant activity than folic acid but was found to damage DNA by itself probably by superoxide generation.

Glucose, glycation and aging.

Glycation, a deleterious form of post-translational modification of macromolecules has been linked to diseases such as diabetes, cataract, Alzheimer's, dialysis related amyloidosis (DRA), atherosclerosis and Parkinson's as well as physiological aging. This review attempts to summarize the data on glycation in relation to its chemistry, role in macromolecular damage and disease, dietary sources and its intervention. Macromolecular damage and biochemical changes that occur in aging and age-related disorders point to the process of glycation as the common event in all of them. This is supported by the fact that several age-related diseases show symptoms manifested by hyperglycemia. Free radical mediated oxidative stress is also known to arise from hyperglycemia. There is evidence to indicate that controlling hyperglycemia by antidiabetic biguanides prolongs life span in experimental animals. Caloric restriction, which appears to prolong life span by bringing about mild hypoglycemia and increased insulin sensitivity further strengthens the idea that glucose via glycation is the primary damaging molecule.

Oxidative damage and altered antioxidant enzyme activities in the small intestine of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

The small intestine exhibits numerous morphological and functional alterations during diabetes. Oxidative stress, a factor implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications may contribute towards some of these alterations. We therefore investigated the occurrence of oxidative stress in the small intestine during diabetes by measuring the extent of oxidative damage as well as the status of the antioxidant defense system. Significant increases in lipid peroxidation (four-fold) as measured by TBARS and protein oxidation (38%) as measured by protein carbonyl content were observed after 6 weeks of diabetes. A distinct elevation in the activities of catalase (123.9%) and superoxide dismutase (71.9%) and a decline in the activity of glutathione peroxidase (67.7%) were also observed. The steady state mRNA levels of these enzymes measured by RT-PCR were, however, unchanged suggesting the absence of transcriptional control. In contrast, no changes in the levels of protein and non-protein thiols as well as the activities of glutathione reductase and glutathione-S-transferase were detected. Interestingly, decreases in the activities of xanthine oxidase (XO; 25.7%) and xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH; 42.6%) indicate that they do not contribute significantly to oxidative damage. The results thus reveal the occurrence of oxidative stress in the small intestine during diabetes and suggest its possible involvement in some of the accompanying functional alterations.

Regional variations in intestinal brush border membrane fluidity and function during diabetes and the role of oxidative stress and non-enzymatic glycation.

The physical state (fluidity) of lipids modulates the activities of several membrane bound enzymes and transport proteins. Alteration of brush border membrane (BBM) fluidity is one of the several changes exhibited by the small intestine during diabetes. In the present study, an investigation of the diabetes induced regional changes in fluidity, oxidative damage, non-enzymatic glycation as well as the activities and the kinetic parameters of the enzymes alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase was carried out on the intestinal BBM. At the end of 6 weeks of diabetes, significant increases in the extent of both oxidative damage and non-enzymatic glycation were observed along the length of the intestine along with a simultaneous decrease in membrane fluidity. A significant correlation between the decrease in BBM fluidity and increase in non-enzymatic glycation was observed in the duodenum and jejunum. Additionally regional variations in the activities and kinetic parameters of both the enzymes were observed.

Approaches to the treatement of diabetes mellitus: an overview.

Diabetes related complications, if not treated, can be lethal. The basis of diabetes treatment is management of these complications by different approaches with the aim of providing a healthy life to diabetics. This article gives an overview of the various approaches currently in use to control hyperglycemia like pharmacological compounds and natural products. Many natural products have been used in traditional medicine, but only a few of them are discussed here. A combination therapy appears more useful for the treatment of diabetes rather than the use of a single compound.

Antihyperglycemic effects of three extracts from Momordica charantia.

Momordica charantia (L.) (Cucurbitaceae) commonly known as bitter gourd or karela is a medicinal plant, used in Ayurveda for treating various diseases, one of which is diabetes mellitus. In this study, various extract powders of the fresh and dried whole fruits were prepared and their blood glucose lowering effect compared by administrating them orally to diabetic rats. The aqueous extract powder of fresh unripe whole fruits at a dose of 20mg/kg body weight was found to reduce fasting blood glucose by 48%, an effect comparable to that of glibenclamide, a known synthetic drug. This extract was tested for nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity and biochemical parameters such as SGOT, SGPT and lipid profile. The extract did not show any signs of nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity as judged by histological and biochemical parameters. Thus the aqueous extract powder of Momordica charantia, an edible vegetable, appears to be a safe alternative to reducing blood glucose.

Evaluation of the fluidity and functionality of the renal cortical brush border membrane in experimental diabetes in rats.

The present study was aimed at addressing the effect of hyperglycemia on the renal cortical brush border membrane. The fluidity and the functionality of the renal cortical brush border membrane have been evaluated after 6 weeks of streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats. Lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation were first performed to confirm a state of oxidative stress. The fluidity of the brush border membrane of diabetic rats decreased significantly by 15.76%. There was an increase in the amount of early (19.39%) and advanced (42.23%) glycation end-products suggesting the accumulation of significant amount of non-enzymic glycation products at 6 weeks of diabetes. Although, the activities of both gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and alkaline phosphatase of the brush border membrane decreased, that of the latter decreased to a significant extent with an increase in K(m) (81%) and no change in the V(max). A study of the activities of glutathione-dependent antioxidant enzymes in the renal cortical homogenates showed that the activities of glutathione peroxidase and glyoxalase II were altered significantly. Our study seems to suggest that increased free radical generation accompanied by non-enzymic glycation may be responsible for oxidative stress and an increased rigidity of the diabetic brush border membrane. Alkaline phosphatase may thus serve as a potentially useful marker of free radical induced damage to the renal cortical brush border membrane. The results also suggest that enhanced susceptibility to oxidative stress during early stages may be an important factor in the development of secondary complications of diabetes.

Oxidative stress and gene expression of antioxidant enzymes in the renal cortex of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

The present study was aimed at addressing the effect of hyperglycemia on antioxidant enzymes. The expression of catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, the three primary scavenger enzymes involved in detoxifying reactive oxygen species has been evaluated in the renal cortex of rats after 6 weeks of streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation in the renal cortical homogenate were first performed to confirm a state of oxidative stress. The enzyme assays showed significant and varied alterations in catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities. An opposing response of catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities to diabetes was observed. RT-PCR analysis was used to ascertain whether steady-state transcription levels were altered. While an increase in glutathione peroxidase and Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase mRNA parallels the increase in the activities of the enzymes, an increase in catalase gene expression in contrast to a decrease in enzyme activity suggests a role for post-translational modification in altering the activity of this enzyme.

Amadori product and age formation during nonenzymatic glycosylation of bovine serum albumin in vitro.

Glucose reacts with the amino groups of protein to form a Schiff base that rearranges to form a ketoamine adduct. These early products eventually undergo irreversible chemical modifications generating advanced glycation end products (AGES). We reacted various sugars and sugar phosphates with bovine serum albumin allowing the formation of Amadori and AGE products. The rates of browning, Amadori and AGE products formed during incubations at 37 and 55 degrees C were compared. The correlation between AGE fluorescence and bitopical (crosslinking) modifications in the protein have been evaluated. Pentoses generated maximum Amadori products. Sugar phosphates were found to be more potent in generating AGEs than free sugars as measured by fluorescence. Though glucose, fructose and glucose-6-P do not generate fluorescence comparable to pentoses, they generate high molecular weight aggregates. In contrast, ribose-5-P, which shows significantly higher AGE and pentosidine fluorescence than the other sugars, did not generate high molecular weight aggregates. We suggest that there may not be a direct correlation between the levels of Amadori products, AGEs and crosslinking.

Responses of intestinal and renal alpha-glycosidases to alloxan and streptozotocin-induced diabetes: a comparative study.

Experimentally induced diabetes in the rat resulted in an increased level of alpha-glycosidases in the intestine but a depression in their levels in the kidney. Rat intestine exhibited a differential stimulation of maltase, sucrase and trehalase activities. The variations depended on the duration of diabetes and the beta-cytotoxic compounds used i.e. alloxan and streptozotocin. The maximum elevation in terms of total units and specific activity was observed on the 30th day in the following order: maltase>sucrase>trehalase. A significant observation emerging from this study is that the level of intestinal enzymes increases while that of the kidney enzymes declined during the period. Although intestinal and renal alpha-glycosidases are known to be structurally and biochemically similar, their opposing responses to diabetes indicates that they are under different regulatory mechanisms in these tissues.

Purification and biochemical characterisation of human placental acid alpha-glucosidase.

An acid alpha-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.3) has been purified to electrophoretic homogeneity from the soluble fraction of the human term placenta. In the presence of SDS, two doublets of 79 and 67 kDa were seen in addition to other bands of extremely low intensity. Each of these bands was seen to cross-react with polyclonal antiserum raised to the purified enzyme, thus confirming the homogeneity of the preparation. The purified enzyme exhibited a broad substrate specificity. The kinetic data revealed the possible presence of multiple substrate binding sites. Chemical modification using group specific reagents indicated the presence of a carboxyl group and tryptophan at the active site. Based on these results a possible structure for the active site of the human term placental acid alpha-glucosidase has been proposed.

The gamma-aminobutyric acid transporter and its interaction with taurine in the apical membrane of the bovine retinal pigment epithelium.

The characteristics of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) uptake were investigated in apical membrane vesicles prepared from the bovine retinal pigment epithelium. An inwardly directed NaCl gradient stimulated GABA uptake markedly, and the time course of uptake exhibited an overshoot phenomenon indicating the presence of an active transport mechanism for GABA in these membranes. Other monovalent cations were not capable of substituting for Na+. In addition to this obligatory requirement for Na+, the GABA uptake also exhibited a Cl(-)-dependence, evident from the observations that the uptake was negligible in the presence of NaF or sodium gluconate in place of NaCl. NO3- and SCN- could substitute for Cl- to some extent. The uptake process was electrogenic, with a Na+/Cl-/GABA stoichiometry of 2:1:1 or 3:1:1. Substrate-specificity studies showed that the beta-amino acids such as taurine, hypotaurine and beta-alanine interacted with the GABA uptake process. Uptake of GABA could be completely inhibited by an excess of taurine and, similarly, uptake of taurine could be completely inhibited by an excess of GABA, suggesting that common transport processes operate in the uptake of these two compounds. However, a number of compounds which are specific inhibitors of GABA uptake inhibited taurine uptake only to a maximum of 50%. Kinetic analysis of GABA uptake in the concentration range 0.1-10 microM revealed that the uptake occurred via a single system and that taurine was a competitive inhibitor of this system. The Michaelis-Menten constant (Kt) for GABA was 0.94 microM and the apparent inhibition constant (Ki) for taurine was 230 microM. On the contrary, even though the kinetic analysis of taurine uptake in the concentration range 25-150 microM revealed participation of a single system in the uptake process, the inhibition of taurine uptake by GABA was not competitive. The presence of GABA decreased the maximal velocity of the taurine uptake process and also decreased the Kt for taurine. Based on these data, it is proposed that: (i) there are two distinct transport systems, namely the GABA transporter and the taurine transporter, in these membranes which accept both GABA and taurine as substrates, (ii) the affinities of these systems for taurine are very similar and cannot be kinetically distinguished under the experimental conditions employed, and (iii) the difference between the affinities of these system for GABA is much greater than for taurine.

UDP-GlcNAc: Gal beta 3GalNAc-mucin: (GlcNAc----GalNAc) beta 6-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase and UDP-GlcNAc: Gal beta 3(GlcNAc beta 6) GalNAc-mucin (GlcNAc----Gal)beta 3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase from swine trachea epithelium.

Two specific beta-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferases involved in the branching and elongation of mucin oligosaccharide chains, namely, a beta 1,6 N-acetylglucosaminylsaminyltransferase that transfers N-acetylglucosamine from UDP-N-acetylglucosamine to Gal beta 3GalNAc-mucin to yield Gal beta 3(GlcNAc beta 6)GalNAc-Mucin and a beta 3-N-acetylglucosaminyl transferase that transfers N-acetylglucosamine from UDP-N-acetylglucosamine to Gal beta 3(GlcNAc beta 6)GalNAc-mucin to yield GlcNAc beta 3Gal beta 3 (GlcNAc beta 6)GalNAc-Mucin were purified from the microsomal fraction of swine trachea epithelium. The beta 1,6-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase was purified about 21,800-fold by procedures which included affinity chromatography on DEAE columns containing bound asialo Cowper's gland mucin glycoprotein with Gal beta 1,3GalNAc side chains. The apparent molecular weight estimated by gel filtration was found to be about 60 Kd. The purified enzyme showed a high specificity for Gal beta 1,3GalNAc chains and the most active substrates were mucin glycoproteins containing these chains. The apparent Km of the beta 6-glucosaminyltrans-ferase for Cowper's gland mucin glycoprotein containing Gal beta 1,3GalNAc chains was 0.53 microM; for UDP-N-acetylglucosamine, 12 microM; and for Gal beta 1,3GalNAc alpha NO2 phi, 4 mM. The activity of the beta 6-glucosaminyltransferase was dependent on the extent of glycosylation of the Gal beta 3GalNAc chains in Cowper's gland mucin glycoprotein. The best substrate for the partially purified beta 3-Glucosaminyltransferase was Cowper's gland mucin glycoprotein containing Gal beta 1,3(GlcNAc beta 6)GalNAc side chains. This enzyme showed little or no activity with intact sialylated Cowper's gland mucin glycoprotein or derivatives of this glycoprotein containing GalNAc or Gal beta 1,3GalNAc side chains. The radioactive oligosaccharides formed by these enzymes in large scale reaction mixtures were released from the mucin glycoproteins by treatment with alkaline borohydride, isolated by gel filtration on Bio-Gel P-6 and characterized by methylation analysis and sequential digestion with exoglycosidases. The oligosaccharide products formed by the beta 6- and beta 3-glucosaminyltransferases were shown to be Gal beta 3(GlcNAc beta 6) GalNAc and GlcNAc beta 3 Gal beta 3(GlcNAc beta 6)GalNAc respectively. Taken collectively, these results demonstrate that swine trachea epithelium contains two specific N-acetylglucosaminyltransferases which catalyze the initial branching and elongation reactions involved in the synthesis of O-linked oligosaccharide chains in respiratory mucin glycoproteins. The first enzyme a beta 6-glucosaminyltransferase converts Gal beta 3GalNAc chains in mucin glycoproteins to Gal beta 3(GlcNAc beta 6)GalNAc chains.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)