Liposome-embedded SOD attenuated DSS-induced ulcerative colitis in mice by ameliorating oxidative stress and intestinal barrier dysfunction.

Oxidative stress is generally considered inseparable from the development and exacerbation of ulcerative colitis (UC). Therefore, reducing oxidative stress has become a possible way to alleviate UC. In this study, the therapeutic effects of different doses of liposome-embedded superoxide dismutase (L-SOD) on mice with DSS-induced UC were systematically investigated. The results showed that L-SOD significantly attenuated the signs of colitis in mice, including colonic shortening, diarrhoea, bloody stools, and histopathological changes. L-SOD ameliorated DSS-induced oxidative damage, increased SOD, catalase (CAT), and glutathione (GSH) activities, and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. In addition, L-SOD ameliorated the inflammatory response by inhibiting the expression of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and pro-inflammatory cytokines and protected barrier function by promoting the expression of the tight junction proteins occludin and ZO-1 in the colon. Importantly, the results demonstrated a bell-shaped distribution of therapeutic effects relative to the administered dose, with an optimal dose of 150 000 U kg-1. These results indicate that L-SOD has great potential as an ingredient in functional foods for the prevention and mitigation of UC.

Glucose-lowering effects of orally administered superoxide dismutase in type 2 diabetic model rats.

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is an enzyme found in most food sources, might be a candidate to reduce oxidative damage to intestinal barrier, thereby ameliorating the vicious circle between hyperglycemia and the oxidative damage. Here we report the oral administration of SOD, liposome-embedded SOD (L-SOD), and SOD hydrolysate to type 2 diabetic model rats to confirm this hypothesis. Oxidative damage severity in model rat intestine was indicated by malondialdehyde level, GSSG/GSH ratio, and antioxidant enzyme activity. The damage was significantly repaired by L-SOD. Furthermore, blood glucose and related indexes correlated well not only with oxidative damage results but also with indexes indicating physical intestinal damage such as colon density, H&E staining, immunohistochemical analysis of the tight junction proteins occludin and ZO-1 in the colon, as well as lipopolysaccharide and related inflammatory cytokine levels. The order of the magnitude of the effects of these SOD preparations was L-SOD > SOD > SOD hydrolysate. These data indicate that orally administered SOD can exhibit glucose-lowering effect via targeting the intestine of diabetic rats and systemic lipopolysaccharide influx.

Heat-induced structural changes in fish muscle collagen related to texture development in fish balls: Using eel ball as a study model.

In order to elucidate the substantial effect and underlying mechanism of endogenous collagen on the texture development of fish balls, the structural and gelling properties of eel muscle collagen (EMC) under different heat treatments, as well as their effects on texture of eel ball, were investigated. EMC resulted in significant improvement of eel ball texture via gelling ability, filler effect, and interaction with starch. Under mild heating below 90°C for 30 min, the structural and physicochemical changes of EMC varied gradually, resulting in improved storage modulus of starch-containing myofibrillar gel, a mimic of eel ball. However, overheating (100°C, 30 min) induced EMC degradation and significantly decreased the gel formation and the improvements in textural properties. Supplementation of EMC to eel balls significantly improved its gel strength, springiness, cohesiveness, and chewiness, as well as uniformity and tightness of the microstructure. These results suggest the texture development of eel ball can be regulated by heat-induced structural changes, as well as structure-function relationship of collagen, compared with previous studies on myofibrillar proteins and exogenous gelatin; and they may provide texture-related insights to the quality control of fish balls and diverse heat-treated products of surimi containing collagen.

The Meridian Tropism and Classification of Red Yeast Rice Investigated by Monitoring Dermal Electrical Potential.

Red yeast rice is a traditional Chinese medicine and food that has been purported to color food, ferment, and lower cholesterol. In order to study the antioxidative capacity of red yeast rice and the effects on electrical potential difference (EPD) of 12 acupuncture meridians, the pH value, oxidation reduction potential (ORP), ABTS, FRAP, T-SOD, and particle size distribution of red yeast rice were analyzed. 20 volunteers were recruited and randomly divided into two groups, the red yeast rice group (10 g red yeast rice and 40 g water) and control CK group (50 g water). The left 12 acupuncture meridians' EPD was real-time monitored. Samples were taken at the 10th minutes. The whole procedure continued for 70 minutes. It is shown that the pH value of the red yeast rice was 4.22, the ORP was 359.63 mV, the ABTS was 0.48 mmol Trolox, the FRAP was 0.08 mmol FeSO4, the T-SOD was 4.71 U, and the average particle size was 108 nm (7.1%) and 398.1 nm (92.9%). The results of 12 acupuncture meridians' EPD showed that the red yeast rice can significantly affect the EPD of stomach, heart, small intestine, and liver meridians.

Polysaccharide Nanoparticles from Isatis indigotica Fort. Root Decoction: Diversity, Cytotoxicity, and Antiviral Activity.

It has been revealed that numerous nanoparticles are formed during the boiling preparation of traditional Chinese medical decoctions and culinary soups. They may possess physiological effects different from those of constituent components and are worth paying attention to but are barely noticed and investigated as of yet. In this study, six groups of nanoparticles, whose size ranged from 57 to 300 nm, were successfully isolated from the decoction of Isatis indigotica Fort. root, according to their particle size by the means of size-exclusive chromatography. All of the obtained nanoparticles have a high content of polysaccharides, which distinguishes them from the disclosed BLG protein nanoparticles. They also have high similarities in other compositions, surface charge, and stimuli responses. However, four out of these six nanoparticles (F2, F3, F4, and F5) exhibited significant antiviral activity against influenza virus H1N1, and their antiviral activities and cytotoxicity towards MDCK cells varied with their sizes. It suggested that the antiviral efficacy of BLG decoction could also be from its nanoparticles besides its well-known antiviral phytochemicals. It also implied that the biological effects of these polysaccharide nanoparticles, including cytotoxicity and antiviral activity, may be correlative with the physicochemical properties, especially the particle size.

Effects of TAT-SOD at Acupoints on Essential Hypertension by Monitoring Meridians Electrical Potential.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect on essential hypertension of the topical application of TAT-Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase (TAT-SOD) at left acupoint Zusanli (ST 36), and to observe whether the change of electrical potential difference (EPD) can be related to the change of blood pressure. METHODS: Sixteen patients with essential hypertension and 16 healthy subjects were included in the study. EPD between the left acupoints of Yanglingquan (GB 34) and Qiuxu (GB 40) was firstly screened out for the EPD detection. An intracellular superoxide quenching enzyme, TAT-SOD, was topically applied to the acupoint ST 36 within an area of 1 cm2 once a day, and the influence on EPD was investigated. The dosage applied to TAT-SOD group (n=8) was 0.2 mL of 3000 U/mL TAT-SOD cream prepared by adding purified TAT-SOD to a vehicle cream, while placebo group (n=8) used the vehicle cream instead. The left acupoints of Yanglingquan (GB 34) and Qiuxu (GB 40) were selected for EPD measurement after comparing EPD readings between 5 acupoints on each of all 12 meridians. RESULTS: EPDs between the left acupoints of GB 34 and GB 40 for 16 patients of essential hypertension and 16 healthy subjects were 44.9±6.4 and 5.6±0.9 mV, respectively. Daily application of TAT-SOD for 15 days at ST 36 of essential hypertension patients significantly decreased systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 179.6 and 81.5 mm Hg to 153.1 and 74.1 mm Hg, respectively. Responding to the change in blood pressure, EPD between the left acupoints of GB 34 and GB 40 also declined from 44.4 to 22.8 mV with the same trend. No change was observed with SBP, DBP and EPD between the left acupoints of GB 34 and GB 40 with the daily application of the placebo cream. CONCLUSION: Enzymatic scavenging of the intracellular superoxide at ST 36 proved to be effective in decreasing SBP and DBP. The results reconfirm the involvement of superoxide anions and its transportation along the meridians, and demonstrate that EPD between acupoints may be an indicator to reflect its functioning status. Moreover, preliminary results suggest a close correlation between EPD and blood pressure readings, implying a possibility of using EPD as a sensitive parameter for blood pressure and to monitor the effect of antihypertensive treatment.

Visualising reactive oxygen species in live mammals and revealing of ROS-related system.

Of all the aerobic respiration by-products, cytotoxic superoxide derived from mitochondrial-leaked electrons, is the only one known to be disposed of intracellularly. Is this fate the only destiny for mitochondrial-leaked electrons? When Cynomolgus monkeys were injected intravenously with reactive oxygen species (ROS) indicators, the connective tissues of dura mater, facial fascia, pericardium, linea alba, dorsa fascia and other body parts, emitted specific and intense fluorescent signals. Moreover, the fluorescent signals along the linea alba of SD rats, did not result from the local presence of ROS but from the interaction of ROS indicators with electrons flowing through this tissue. Furthermore, the electrons travelling along the linea alba of mice were revealed to originate from mitochondria. These data suggest that mitochondrial-leaked electrons may be transported extracellularly to a hitherto undescribed system of connective tissues, which is pervasively networked, electrically conductive and metabolically related.

Boiling-induced nanoparticles and their constitutive proteins from Isatis indigotica Fort. root decoction: Purification and identification.

Colloidal particles are essential components of sun-dried Isatis indigotica Fort. roots (Ban-Lan-Gen in Chinese, BLG) decoction. Nanoparticles (NPs) were isolated from BLG decoction with size exclusion chromatography and characterized. Their average diameter is ∼120 nm, reversibly responding to pH and temperature changes. They promoted the growth of normal cells but suppressed that of cancerogenic cells and macrophages. Two constitutive glycated proteins were identified from the NPs, namely BLGP1 and BLGP2. Their N-terminal amino acid sequences were V-X-R-E-V-V-K-D-I and V-V-R-E-V-V-K-D-I-A-G-A-V-Q-T-N-E-Q-Y. Their full-length cDNA sequences were cloned to obtain the highly homological amino acid sequences of non-glycated proteins, whose theoretical molecular weights are 21831.64 Da and 21841.67 Da. Using pepsin hydrolysis and mass spectrometry, four possible glycation adducts were identified in BLGP1, whereas one in BLGP2. To conclude, bioactive nanoparticles isolated from the herbal decoction are intelligent nanoassemblies composed of a new boiling-stable protein. Glycation plays a critical role in heat-induced formation of these nanoassemblies. The novel, intelligent, safe and stable nano-carriers for drug delivery may be developed using BLG NPs as prototype.

Topical Application of TAT-Superoxide Dismutase in Acupoints LI 20 on Allergic Rhinitis.

Reactive oxygen species are products of cellular metabolism and assigned important roles in biomedical science as deleterious factors in pathologies. In fact, some studies have shown that the therapeutic benefits of taking antioxidants were limited and the potential for therapeutic intervention remains unclear. New evidences showed that ROS have some ability of intercellular transportation. For treating allergic rhinitis, as a novel intracellular superoxide quencher, TAT-SOD applied to acupoints LI 20 instead of directly to nasal cavity can be used to test that. TTA group apply TAT-SOD cream prepared by adding purified TAT-SOD to the vehicle cream to acupoints LI 20, while placebo group used the vehicle cream instead. TTN group applied the same TAT-SOD cream directly to nasal cavity three times daily. Symptom scores were recorded at baseline and days 8 and 15. For the overall efficacy rate, TTA group was 81.0%, while placebo group was 5.9% and TTN was 0%. Malondialdehyde levels decreased observably in TTA group, and superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase levels remained basically unaffected. Enzymatic scavenging of the intracellular superoxide at acupoints LI 20 proved to be effective in treating allergic rhinitis, while no improvement was observed with the placebo group and TTN group.

Monitoring the Effects of Acupoint Antioxidant Intervention by Measuring Electrical Potential Difference along the Meridian.

Previous studies suggest that superoxide anions are possibly traveling along acupuncture meridians. The electrical potential difference (EPD) between acupoints may be related to the movement. To test the above hypothesis, we conducted a study investigating the effects of acupoint antioxidant interventions on the meridian EPD. Firstly, ST39 (L) and ST44 (L) were screened out for the EPD detection along the stomach meridian, and ST36 (L) was selected for interventions including acumassage with the control cream, as well as the TAT-SOD cream for 30 minutes, or injection with reduced glutathione sodium. The EPD between ST39 and ST44 was recorded for 80 minutes and measured again 48 h later. While the EPD increased during the acumassage, the acumassage with TAT-SOD cream and the glutathione injection generated waves of EPD increased, indicating the migration or removal from the visceral organ of a greater quantity of superoxide. Remarkably lower EPD readings 48 h later with both antioxidant acupoint interventions than the mere acumassage imply a more complete superoxide flushing out due to the restored superoxide pathway at the acupoint after interventions. The results confirm superoxide transportation along the meridians and demonstrate a possibility of acupoint EPD measurement as a tool to monitor changes in the meridians and acupoints.

catena-Poly[[[aqua-[3-(3-hy-droxy-phen-yl)prop-2-enoato]samarium(III)]-bis-[µ(2)-3-(3-hy-droxy-phen-yl)prop-2-enoato]] monohydrate].

The title Sm(III) compound, {[Sm(C(9)H(7)O(3))(3)(H(2)O)]·H(2)O}(n), was obtained under hydrothermal conditions. Its structure is isotypic with the analogous Eu complex. The latter was reported incorrectly in space group P1 by Yan et al. [J. Mol. Struct. (2008), 891, 298-304]. This was corrected by Marsh [Acta Cryst. B65, 782-783] to P-1. The Sm(III) ion is nine-coordinated by O atoms from one coordinating water molecule and the remaining ones from the 3-(3-hy-droxy-phen-yl)prop-2-enoatate anions (one bidentate, two bidentate and bridging, two monodentate bridging), leading to a distorted tricapped trigonal-prismatic coordination polyhedron surrounded by solvent water mol-ecules. In the crystal, extensive intermolecular O-H⋯O hydrogen-bonding inter-actions and π-π inter-actions [centroid-centroid separation = 3.9393 (1) Å] lead to the formation of a three-dimensional supra-molecular network.

Tetrakis[µ-3-(3-hy-droxy-phen-yl)propenoato]bis-{aqua-(2,2'-bipyridine)-[3-(3-hy-droxy-phen-yl)propenoato]neodymium(III)} 2,2'-bipyridine disolvate dihydrate.

The dinuclear title compound, [Nd(2)(C(9)H(7)O(3))(6)(C(10)H(8)N(2))(2)]·2C(10)H(8)N(2)·2H(2)O, was synthesized under hydro-thermal conditions. The centrosymmetric complex consists of two nine-coordinated Nd(3+) cations, six 3-hy-droxy-cinnamate anions and two chelating 2,2'-bipyridine mol-ecules. The coordination geometry around the cations can be best described as distorted tricapped trigonal-prismatic. The carboxyl-ate groups show different coordination and bridging modes. Two of them chelate to one Nd(3+) cation, two bridge the two cations in a bis-monodentate fashion, and two chelate to one and bridge monodentately to the symmetry-related Nd(3+) cation. The dinuclear mol-ecule is surrounded by two 2,2'-bipyridine solvent and two water mol-ecules. Extensive O-H⋯O and O-H⋯N hydrogen-bonding inter-actions between the components lead to the formation of a three-dimensional network.

Effects of intracellular superoxide removal at acupoints with TAT-SOD on obesity.

TAT-SOD is a recombinant protein of superoxide dismutase fused with TAT peptide. By pure accident, we discovered that topical application of TAT-SOD to acupoints could result in acupuncture-like action. This study aimed to validate the accidental discovery by investigating the effect on simple obesity of the topical application of TAT-SOD to acupoints in comparison with acupuncture. 90 subjects were divided into 3 groups for 12-week treatments. Regular hospital acupuncture treatment was given to Acupuncture Group 3 times a week. TAT-SOD Group were instructed first to locate acupoints and apply 0.1ml of 5000u SOD/ml TAT-SOD cream in an area of 1cm(2) to each of the same set of acupoints, which they then conducted at home three times daily. Placebo Group applied the vehicle cream the same manner as TAT-SOD Group. Both TAT-SOD and acupuncture treatments decreased adiposity with overall clinical effective rates of 60.0% and 76.7%, respectively. The placebo group showed no improvement. The results validate that the enzymatic removal of the intracellular superoxide at acupoints could generate acupuncture-like effects, and indicate a possibility of the new method as a simple substitute to acupuncture and an insight of superoxide modulation along meridians for acupuncture mechanism.