[Impact of deep slow-wave sleep deprivation on oxidative stress response of the testis tissue in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of deep slow-wave sleep deprivation on the oxidative stress of testicular tissue in rats. METHODS: Thirty-six 5-week-old male Wistar rats were equally randomized into deep slow-wave sleep deprivation group (SD1), deep slow-wave sleep and duration sleep deprivation group ( SD2), and a cage control group (CC). The rat model of deep slow-wave sleep deprivation was established using the flowerpot technique. The rats in the SD1 group were interfered every 24 minutes and deprived of 12 hours of sleep at night, those in the SD2 group deprived of 8 minutes of sleep at an interval of 24 minutes and 12 hours of sleep at night, and those in the CC group exposed to 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. After 28 days, all the rats were executed for measurement of the testis volume and protein content, determination of the methane dicarboxylic aldehyde (MDA) level and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and observation of the pathological changes in the testicular tissue under the microscope. RESULTS: Compared with the CC group, the rats in the SD1 and SD2 groups showed significantly reduced body weight (ï¼»268.5 ± 1.6ï¼½ vs ï¼»248.1 ± 25.1ï¼½andï¼»232.9 ± 10.1ï¼½g, P<0.05) and increased relative testis mass (ï¼»50.0 ± 1.3ï¼½ vs ï¼»57.9 ± 6.1ï¼½ and ï¼»54.9 ± 3.5ï¼½ ×10⁻², P<0.05). Statistically significant differences were found between the CC and SD2 groups in the contents of protein (ï¼»6.3 ± 1.4ï¼½ vs ï¼»4.5 ± 0.9ï¼½ gpro/L, P<0.05) and MDA (ï¼»1.1 ± 0.1ï¼½ vs ï¼»1.3 ± 0.3ï¼½ nmol/mgpro, P<0.05) and the activities of SOD (ï¼»104.3 ± 33.1ï¼½ vs ï¼»135.2 ± 26.9ï¼½ U/mgpro, P<0.05) and GSH-Px (ï¼»15.6 ± 4.0ï¼½ vs ï¼»21.7 ± 4.3ï¼½ U/mgpro, P<0.05), but not between the CC and SD1 groups (P>0.05). The lumens in the testis were narrowed, with obvious hyperplasia, hyperemia and edema in the peripheral interstitial tissue, but no significant pathologic changes were observed in the testis tissue of the SD1 group. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term deprivation of deep slow-wave sleep impairs the structure of the testis tissue and induces oxidative stress response in rats.

Anti-inflammatory properties of yellow and orange pigments from Monascus purpureus NTU 568.

The Monascus species has been used in foods for thousands of years in China. In this study, 10 azaphilone pigments, including four yellow and six orange pigments, were isolated from the fermented rice and dioscorea of Monascus purpureus NTU 568. By employing lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells, we determined the inhibitory activities of these pigments on nitric oxide (NO) production. As a result, four orange pigments, monaphilols A-D, showed the highest activities (IC50 = 1.0-3.8 µM), compared with the other two orange pigments, monascorubrin (IC50 > 40 µM) and rubropunctatin (IC50 = 21.2 µM), and the four yellow pigments ankaflavin (IC50 = 21.8 µM), monascin (IC50 = 29.1 µM), monaphilone A (IC50 = 19.3 µM), and monaphilone B (IC50 = 22.6 µM). Using Western blot and ELISA kits, we found that treatments with 30 µM of the yellow pigments and 5 µM of the orange pigments could down-regulate the protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and suppress the production of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). We also used two animal experiments to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of these pigments. In a 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced ear edema model, eight of these pigments (0.5 mg/ear) could prevent ear edema against TPA administrations on the ears of BALB/c mice. In an LPS-injection mice model, several of these pigments (10 mg/kg) could inhibit the NO, TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 levels in the plasma of BALB/c mice. As concluded from the in vitro and in vivo studies, six azaphilonoid pigments, namely, ankaflavin, monaphilone A, and monaphilols A-D, showed high potential to be developed into chemopreventive foods or drugs against inflammation-associated diseases.

Antiinflammatory and Antioxidant Flavonoids and Phenols from Cardiospermum halicacabum ( Dào Dì Líng).

Seventeen compounds, quercetin-3-O-α-l-rhamnoside (1), kaempferol-3-O-α-L-rhamnoside (2), apigenin-7-O-ß-D-glucuronide (3), apigenin 7-O-ß-D-glucuronide methyl ester (4), apigenin 7-O-ß-D-glucuronide ethyl ester (5), chrysoeriol (6), apigenin (7), kaempferol (8), luteolin (9), quercetin (10), methyl 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate (11), p-coumaric acid (12), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (13), hydroquinone (14), protocathehuic acid (15), gallic acid (16), and indole-3-carboxylic acid (17), were isolated from the ethanol extract of Taiwanese Cardiospermum halicabum. All chemical structures were determined by physical and extensive spectroscopic analyses such as (1) H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (NMR), (13)C NMR, (1)H-(1)H Correlation spectroscopy ((1)H-(1)H COSY), Heteronuclear Multiple Quantum Coherence spectroscopy (HMQC), Heteronuclear Multiple-bond Correlation spectroscopy (HMBC), and Nuclear Overhauser Effect spectroscopy (NOESY), as well as comparison with literature values. Furthermore, the High-Performance Liquid Chromatography- Photodiode Array Detector (HPLC-DAD) fingerprint profile was established for the determination of major constituents in the EtOAc extract and retention times of the isolated compounds. All isolated compounds were also evaluated for antiinflammatory and antioxidant activities.

Protective effect of deferricoprogen isolated from Monascus purpureus NTU 568 on citrinin-induced apoptosis in HEK-293 cells.

Monascus species have traditionally been used in Asian food, with rice as their fermentation substrate. Red mold rice (RMR) contains citrinin, a nephrotoxic agent capable of exerting oxidative stress and cellular apoptosis. We investigated the components in RMR that could minimize the adverse effects of citrinin. Combining chemical separations and bioactivity assays, we identified an antioxidative component called deferricoprogen (DFC) in the fermented rice of Monascus purpureus NTU 568. The DFC structure was confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectra analysis. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free-radical-scavenging activity of DFC was similar to that of vitamin E. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and flow cytometric analysis showed the effect of DFC and citrinin on cell viability and cell cycle. DFC was found to be protective against the cytotoxicity and cell death induced by citrinin on human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cells. DFC also demonstrated anti-apoptotic property in preventing citrinin-induced apoptosis.

Induction of apoptosis in human breast adenocarcinoma cells MCF-7 by monapurpyridine A, a new azaphilone derivative from Monascus purpureus NTU 568.

A new azaphilonidal derivative, monapurpyridine A (MPA), has recently been isolated from the fermented products of Monascus purpureus NTU 568. The structure of MPA was elucidated by nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, COSY, HMQC, and HMBC) and other spectroscopic analyses. Biological evaluation revealed that MPA could induce cell death in human breast adenocarcinoma cells MCF-7, and it has no significant toxicity to normal mammary epithelial cells M10. The MTT assay and flow cytometric analysis were employed to investigate cell viability and cell cycle influenced by MPA. Moreover, we used Western blot and caspase activity assay to demonstrate the activation of caspase-3, -8 and -9 resulted from MPA. All evidence supported that MPA was suitable for developing into a chemotherapeutic or chemopreventive agent against breast cancer.

New bioactive orange pigments with yellow fluorescence from Monascus-fermented dioscorea.

Red mold dioscorea (RMD) is a fermented product of Monascus purpureus NTU 568 using dioscorea as culture substrate. To investigate the bioactive components of RMD, six orange pigments including four new azaphilones with yellow fluorescence, monapilol A-D (1-4), and known monascorubrin (5) and rubropunctatin (6) were isolated and characterized. Structural elucidation of new isolates was based on nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, COSY, HMQC, and HMBC) and other spectroscopic analyses. The structures of monapilols (1-4) were similar to those of monascorubrin (5) and rubropunctatin (6); however, the hydroxyl group (8-OH) in compounds 1-4 substituted for the C-8 carbonyl in compounds 5 and 6. Biological evaluation indicated that compounds 1-4 inhibited nitric oxide (NO) production on lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Compounds 1-4 also exhibited antiproliferative activities against human laryngeal carcinoma (HEp-2) and human colon adenocarinoma (WiDr).

Anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory properties of ankaflavin and monaphilone A from monascus purpureus NTU 568.

An azaphilonidal derivative monaphilone A (MA) was recently isolated from the fermented products of Monascus purpureus NTU 568 by our laboratory. We report here the exploration of apoptosis-related and anti-inflammatory properties of MA and ankaflavin (AK) by some experiments about inducing death of human laryngeal carcinoma cell line HEp-2 and reducing inflammatory responses on murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. We employed a ssDNA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit to investigate the nuclear changes of early apoptosis induced by AK and MA on HEp-2 cells and used a western blot and an enzyme activity assay to demonstrate the activation of caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9 by MA and AK. Our studies revealed that AK and MA may decrease lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory responses, including nitrite productions and expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) in RAW 264.7 cells. All evidence support that azaphilonidal derivatives from M. purpureus NTU 568, such as AK and MA, are suitable for the development of chemotherapy or chemopreventive agents.

New anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative constituents from fermented red mold rice Monascus purpureus NTU 568.

Six azaphilonoid derivatives, including two new blue fluorescent monapurfluores A (1) and B (2), two known pyridine-containing molecules, monascopyridines C (3) and D (4), and two known monasfluores A (5) and B (6), were isolated and characterized from red mold rice fermented by Monascus purpureus NTU 568. Structural elucidation of new isolates was based on nuclear magnetic resonance (1H- NMR, 13C-NMR, COSY, HMQC, and HMBC) and other spectroscopic analyses. Bioactivity evaluation indicated that 1-6 possessed anti-inflammatory activities with dose-dependent relationships for lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide production. Furthermore, 1-4 also showed moderate antiproliferative effects against human laryngeal carcinoma (HEp-2) (IC(50) = 14.81~20.06 µg/mL) and human colon adenocarcinoma (WiDr) (IC(50) = 12.89~21.14 µg/mL).

Monaphilones A-C, three new antiproliferative azaphilone derivatives from Monascus purpureus NTU 568.

Monascus purpureus NTU 568 was a mutant strain from M. purpureus HM105. The methanol extract of red mold rice fermented by this strain exhibited four major yellow pigment signals on HPLC profile. By repeated chemical chromatography methods, three new azaphilone derivatives, namely, monaphilone A (1), B (2) and C (3), along with the known pigments ankaflavin (4) and monascin (5), were isolated and characterized. Based on spectroscopic analyses, mainly 1D and 2D NMR data, the structures of compounds 1-3 were completely elucidated; in addition, 1-3 were determined to be new azaphilone structures, due to the decrease of carbon monoxide for producing a gamma-lactone ring, compared with other azaphilone derivatives. Biological evaluations showed that monaphilone A (1) and B (2) exhibited an antiproliferative effect against HEp-2 (human laryngeal carcinoma cell line) and WiDr (human colon adenocarcinoma cell line), and none of the five compounds had toxicity to normal human lung cell lines (WI-38 and MRC-5) at 70 muM.

Enhanced density control of Al:ZnO nanowires via one-by-one coupling of nanowires and pyramids.

Al doped ZnO nanowire arrays with controlled growth densities were fabricated on silicon without using catalysts via sputtering followed by thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy results show that the Al:ZnO single-crystalline nanowires synthesized by CVD prefer growing epitaxially on the tips of the ZnO pyramids pre-synthesized by sputtering with the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate. Consequently, the densities of the as-grown Al:ZnO nanowires were controllable by changing the particle densities of the pre-grown ZnO seed layers. The Al concentration of the Al:ZnO nanowires were measured to be around 2.63 at.% by electron energy loss spectrum. Field-emission measurements show the turn-on fields of the Al:ZnO nanowire arrays with controllable area densities are tunable. Room-temperature cathodoluminescence spectra of the Al:ZnO nanowires show relatively strong and sharp ultraviolet emissions centered at 383 nm and broad green emissions at around 497 nm. This work provides a simple method to control the field emission and luminescence densities of Al doped ZnO nanowire arrays, which also shows good potential for developing nano-pixel optical devices.

Labdane diterpenoid glycosides from Alpinia densespicata and their nitric oxide inhibitory activities in macrophages.

Four new labdane diterpene glycosides (1-4) named alpindenosides A, B, C, and D, two new norditerpene glycosides (5, 6) named noralpindenosides A and B, and three known flavonoid glycosides (7-9) have been isolated from the stems of Alpinia densespicata. Structural elucidation of compounds 1-6 was based on spectroscopic data. Compounds 1-9 all exhibited moderate NO inhibitory activities, whereas they were noncytotoxic at 20 microM against several human tumor cell lines.

Cytotoxic constituents from Podocarpus fasciculus.

A new diterpene, 16-hydroxy communic acid (1), along with thirty one known compounds including five norditerpenes (2-6), twenty two flavonoids containing four biflavonoids (7-10), nine monoflavonoids (11-19) and nine flavanoid glycosides (20-28), as well as four phenolic constituents (29-32) were isolated from the 95% ethanolic extract of Podocarpus fasciculus. The structure of 1 was elucidated using spectral methods. Of these isolates, nagilactone C (2) showed the most significant inhibitory effects against DLD cells (human colon carcinoma) (ED(50)=2.57 microg/ml) and compounds 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12 had moderate cytotoxic activity against human KB (human oral epithelium carcinoma), Hela (human cervical carcinoma), Hepa (human hepatoma), DLD (colon carcinoma), and A-549 (human lung carcinoma) tumor cell lines. Preliminary structure-activity relationship studies of the isolated diterpenoids and biflavonoids are discussed.

Recent patents on fabrication of nanowires.

Nanowires are the building blocks of future nanodevices and thus methods for fabricating nanowires of various materials in various forms are fundamentally important. Although nanowires have been intensively studied, there are only a few methods that showed promising characteristics for practical applications. Here, we intend to review those patents, which enable nanowire growth to be more controllable and feasible for applications. Various methods for fabricating metal, semiconductor and organic nanowires with promising features are reviewed, where some emphasize the characteristics of individual nanowires, others address the uniformity and alignment of an array of nanowires as a whole. The patents for fabricating nanowires of various materials are introduced in the first part. In the second part, the patents to improve crystalline quality, morphology, uniformity of nanowires are introduced. Finally, the patents for growing aligned nanowire arrays and aligning dispersed nanowires are reviewed.