Anti-adipogenic activities of pheophorbide a and pyropheophorbide a isolated from wild bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L. var. abbreviata Seringe) in vitro.

BACKGROUND: The wild bitter gourd (WBG) is a commonly consumed vegetable in Asia that has antioxidant and hypoglycemic properties. The present study aimed to investigate the anti-adipogenic activities of isolated compounds from WBG on 8-day differentiated cultures of 3 T3-L1 adipocytes that were then stained with Oil Red O (ORO) or diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI). RESULTS: ORO stains of the methanol extracts of de-seeded HM86 cultivar of WBG (WBG-M) and the ethyl acetate fractions (WBG-M-EA) showed anti-adipogenic activities against differentiated adipocytes. Two chlorophyll-degraded compounds, pheophorbide a (1) and pyropheophorbide a (2), were isolated from WBG-M-EA. Treatments with 1 (5, 10, and 20 µmol L-1 ) and 2 (2.5, 5, and 10 µmol L-1 ) showed dose-dependent reductions in lipid accumulations and reduced nuclear DAPI stains in differentiated 3 T3-L1 adipocytes. The concentrations for 50% inhibition against lipid accumulations of 1 and 2, respectively, were 16.05 and 7.04 µmol L-1 . Treatments with 1 and 2 showed enhanced lactate dehydrogenase release in the first 4-day cell mitotic clonal expansions during the differentiating cultural processes, although the effect was less on the non-differentiating cultural processes. Thus, 1 and 2 were more toxic to differentiating adipocytes than to non-differentiated pre-adipocytes, which partly resulted in anti-adipogenic activities with lowered lipid accumulations. CONCLUSION: Both 1 and 2 showed anti-adipogenic activities in cell models. These chlorophyll-degraded compounds commonly exist in several vegetables during storage or edible seaweeds, which will provide resources for further investigations aiming to test anti-obesity in animal studies. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Glycine hydroxamate inhibits tyrosinase activity and melanin contents through downregulating cAMP/PKA signaling pathways.

Among the eight amino acid hydroxamates tested, Glycine hydroxamate (GH) was the best inhibitor of mushroom tyrosinase (TYR). With L-tyrosine as substrate, the GH inhibition of the monophenolase activity of the mushroom TYR was noncompetitive. GH decreased not only TYR protein expression, but also melanin content, tyrosinase-related protein (TRP)-1, TRP-2, and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) expression in B16F10 melanoma cells while in the presence of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH). GH also significantly decreased the isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX)-induced increase in melanin content, which was not prevented by the ERK inhibitor PD98059. These results suggest GH has the potential for use in cosmetic hypopigmentation.

Inhibition of Acetylcholinesterase and Amyloid-ß Aggregation by Piceatannol and Analogs: Assessing In Vitro and In Vivo Impact on a Murine Model of Scopolamine-Induced Memory Impairment.

Currently, no drug is effective in delaying the cognitive impairment of Alzheimer's disease, which ranks as one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide. Hydroxylated stilbenes are active compounds that exist in fruit and herbal plants. Piceatannol (PIC) and gnetol (GNT), which have one extra hydroxyl group in comparison to resveratrol (RSV), and rhapontigenin (RHA) and isorhapontigenin (isoRHA), which were metabolized from PIC in vivo and contain the same number of hydroxyl groups as RSV, were evaluated for their effects on Alzheimer's disease-associated factors in vitro and in animal experiments. Among the five hydroxylated stilbenes, PIC was shown to be the most active in DPPH radical scavenging and in inhibitory activities against acetylcholinesterase and amyloid-ß peptide aggregations, with concentrations for half-maximal inhibitions of 40.2, 271.74, and 0.48 µM. The different interactions of the five hydroxylated stilbenes with acetylcholinesterase or amyloid-ß were obtained by molecular docking. The scopolamine-induced ICR mice fed with PIC (50 mg/kg) showed an improved learning behavior in the passive avoidance tests and had significant differences (p < 0.05) compared with those in the control group. The RHA and isoRHA at 10 µM were proven to stimulate neurite outgrowths in the SH-SY5Y cell models. These results reveal that nutraceuticals or functional foods containing PIC have the potential for use in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.

Vitisin B, a resveratrol tetramer from Vitis thunbergii var. taiwaniana, ameliorates impaired glucose regulations in nicotinamide/streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic mice.

Background and aim: In Taiwan, Vitis thunbergii var. taiwaniana (VTT) is used in traditional medicine and as a local tea. VTT rich in resveratrol and resveratrol oligomers have been reported to exhibit anti-obesity and anti-hypertensive activities in animal models; however, no studies have investigated type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treatments. This study aimed to investigate the anti-T2DM effects of resveratrol tetramers isolated from the VTT in nicotinamide/streptozotocin (STZ)-induced Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice. Experimental procedure: The oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was used to imitate postprandial blood glucose (BG) regulations in mice by pre-treatment with VTT extracts, resveratrol tetramers of vitisin A, vitisin B, and hopeaphenol 30 min before glucose loads. Vitisin B (50 mg/kg) was administered to treat T2DM-ICR mice once daily for 28 days to investigate its hypoglycemic activity. Results and conclusion: Mice pre-treated with VTT-S-95EE, or vitisin B (100 mg/kg) 30-min before glucose loading showed significant reductions (P < 0.001) in the area under the curve at 120-min (BG-AUC0-120) than those without pre-treatment with VTT-S-95 E E or vitisin B. Vitisin B-treated T2DM mice showed hypoglycemic activities via a reduction in plasma dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)-IV activities to maintain insulin actions and differed significantly than those of untreated T2DM mice (P < 0.05), and also reduced BG-AUC0-120 and insulin-AUC0-120 in the OGTT.These in vivo results showed that VTT containing vitisin B would be beneficial for developing nutraceuticals and/or functional foods for glycemic control in patients with T2DM, which should be investigated further.

Extracts and Scirpusin B from Recycled Seeds and Rinds of Passion Fruits (Passiflora edulis var. Tainung No. 1) Exhibit Improved Functions in Scopolamine-Induced Impaired-Memory ICR Mice.

In this paper, the seeds and rinds of passion fruit, which are the agricultural waste of juice processing, were recycled to investigate their biological activities for sustainable use. De-oiled seed powders (S) were successively extracted by refluxing 95% ethanol (95E), 50E, and hot water (HW), respectively, to obtain S-95EE, S-50EE, and S-HWE. Dried rind powders were successively extracted by refluxing HW and 95E to obtain rind-HWE and rind-95EE, respectively. S-50EE and S-95EE showed the most potent extracts, such as anti-amyloid-ß1-42 aggregations and anti-acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, and they exhibited neuroprotective activities against amyloid-ß25-35-treated or H2O2-treated SH-SY5Y cells. Scirpusin B and piceatannol were identified in S-95EE, S-50EE, and rind-HWE, and they showed anti-acetylcholinesterase activity at 50% inhibitory concentrations of 62.9 and 258.9 µM, respectively. Daily pretreatments of de-oiled seed powders and rind-HWE (600 mg/kg), S-95EE, and S-50EE (250 mg/kg) or scirpusin B (40 mg/kg) for 7 days resulted in improved learning behavior in passive avoidance tests and had significant differences (p < 0.05) compared with those of the control in scopolamine-induced ICR mice. The seeds and rinds of passion fruit will be recycled as materials for the development of functional foods, promoting neuroprotection and delaying the onset of cognitive dysfunctions.

Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Cinnamomum cassia Constituents In Vitro and In Vivo.

We have investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of Cinnamomum cassia constituents (cinnamic aldehyde, cinnamic alcohol, cinnamic acid, and coumarin) using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated mouse macrophage (RAW264.7) and carrageenan (Carr)-induced mouse paw edema model. When RAW264.7 macrophages were treated with cinnamic aldehyde together with LPS, a significant concentration-dependent inhibition of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE(2)) levels productions were detected. Western blotting revealed that cinnamic aldehyde blocked protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), nuclear transcription factor kappa B (NF-κB), and IκBα, significantly. In the anti-inflammatory test, cinnamic aldehyde decreased the paw edema after Carr administration, and increased the activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in the paw tissue. We also demonstrated cinnamic aldehyde attenuated the malondialdehyde (MDA) level and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in the edema paw after Carr injection. Cinnamic aldehyde decreased the NO, TNF-α, and PGE(2) levels on the serum level after Carr injection. Western blotting revealed that cinnamic aldehyde decreased Carr-induced iNOS, COX-2, and NF-κB expressions in the edema paw. These findings demonstrated that cinnamic aldehyde has excellent anti-inflammatory activities and thus has great potential to be used as a source for natural health products.

Antioxidant, Antinociceptive, and Anti-Inflammatory Activities from Actinidia callosa var. callosa In Vitro and In Vivo.

Actinidia callosa var. callosa has been widely used to treat antipyretic, analgesic, anti-inflammation, abdominal pain, and fever in Taiwan. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant, antinociceptive, and anti-inflammatory lipopolysaccharide-(LPS-)induced nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW264.7 macrophages and pawedema induced by λ-carrageenan activities of the methanol extract from A. callosa. In HPLC analysis, the fingerprint chromatogram of ethyl-acetate fraction of A. callosa (EAAC) was established. EAAC showed the highest TEAC and DPPH radical scavenging activities, respectively. We evaluated that EAAC and the reference compound of catechin and caffeic acid decreased the LPS-induced NO production in RAW264.7 cells. Treatment of male ICR mice with EAAC significantly inhibited the numbers of acetic acid-induced writhing response and the formalin-induced pain in the late phase. Administration of EAAC showed a concentration-dependent inhibition on paw edema development after Carr treatment in mice. Anti-inflammatory mechanisms of EAAC might be correlated to the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in vitro and in vivo. Overall, the results showed that EAAC demonstrated antioxidant, antinociceptive, and anti-inflammatory activity, which supports previous claims of the traditional use for inflammation and pain.

Involvement of Heme Oxygenase-1 Participates in Anti-Inflammatory and Analgesic Effects of Aqueous Extract of Hibiscus taiwanensis.

Anti-inflammatory effects of the aqueous extract of Hibiscus taiwanensis (AHT) were used in lipopolysaccharide (LPS-)stimulated mouse macrophage RAW264.7 cells and carrageenan (Carr-)induced mouse paw edema model. When RAW264.7 macrophages were treated with AHT together with LPS, a concentration-dependent inhibition of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE(2)) levels productions were detected. Western blotting revealed that AHT blocked protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and elevated heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), significantly. In the animal test, AHT decreased the paw edema at the 4th and the 5th h after Carr administration, and it increased the activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in the paw tissue. We also demonstrated AHT decreased the NO, TNF-α, and PGE2 levels on the serum level at the 5th h after the Carr injection. Western blotting revealed that AHT decreased Carr-induced iNOS, and COX-2, and increased HO-1 expressions at the 5th h in the edema paw. These findings demonstrated that AHT has excellent anti-inflammatory activities in vitro and in vivo and thus it has great potential to be used as a source for natural health products.

Evaluation of antioxidant and free radical scavenging capacities of polyphenolics from pods of Caesalpinia pulcherrima.

Thirteen polyphenolics were isolated from fresh pods of Caesalpinia pulcherrima using various methods of column chromatography. The structures of these polyphenolics were elucidated as gallic acid (1), methyl gallate (2), 6-O-galloyl-d-glucoside (3), methyl 6-O-galloyl-ß-d-glucoside (4), methyl 3,6-di-O-galloyl-α-d-glucopyranoside (5), gentisic acid 5-O-α-d-(6'-O-galloyl)glucopyranoside (6), guaiacylglycerol 4-O-ß-d-(6'-O-galloyl)glucopyranoside (7), 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenol 1-O-ß-d-(6'-O-galloyl) glucopyranoside (8), (+)-gallocatechin (9), (+)-catechin (10), (+)-gallocatechin 3-O-gallate (11), myricetin 3-rhamnoside (12), and ampelopsin (13). All isolated compounds were tested for their antioxidant activities in the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydroxyl, and peroxynitrite radicals scavenging assays. Among those compounds, 11, 12, and 2 exhibited the best DPPH-, hydroxyl-, and peroxynitrite radical-scavenging activities, respectively. Compound 7 is a new compound, and possesses better scavenging activities towards DPPH but has equivalent hydroxyl radical scavenging activity when compared to BHT. The paper is the first report on free radical scavenging properties of components of the fresh pods of Caesalpinia pulcherrima. The results obtained from the current study indicate that the free radical scavenging property of fresh pods of Caesalpinia pulcherrima may be one of the mechanisms by which this herbal medicine is effective in several free radical mediated diseases.

Vitisin A, a Resveratrol Tetramer, Improves Scopolamine-Induced Impaired Learning and Memory Functions in Amnesiac ICR Mice.

Resveratrol has been reported to exhibit neuroprotective activities in vitro and in vivo. However, little is known about resveratrol tetramers of hopeaphenol, vitisin A, and vitisin B with the same molecular mass in the improvement of degenerative disorders. In this study, two 95% ethanol extracts (95EE) from stem parts of Vitis thunbergii Sieb. & Zucc. (VT-95EE) and from the root (R) parts of Vitis thunbergii var. taiwaniana (VTT-R-95EE) showed comparable acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activities. It was found that VT-95EE and VTT-R-95EE showed different distribution patterns of identified resveratrol and resveratrol tetramers of hopeaphenol, vitisin A, and vitisin B based on the analyses of HPLC chromatographic profiles. The hopeaphenol, vitisin A, and vitisin B, showed AChE and monoamine oxidase-B inhibitions in a dose-dependent manner, among which vitisin B and vitisin A exhibited much better activities than those of resveratrol, and had neuroprotective activities against methylglyoxal-induced SH-SY5Y cell deaths. The scopolamine-induced amnesiac ICR mice treated with VT-95EE and its ethyl acetate-partitioned fraction (VT-95EE-EA) at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg, or vitisin A at a dose of 40 mg/kg, but not vitisin B (40 mg/kg), were shown significantly to improve the impaired learning behaviors by passive avoidance tests compared to those in the control without drug treatments (p < 0.05). Compared to mice in the control group, the brain extracts in the vitisin A-treated mice or donepezil-treated mice showed significant reductions in AChE activities and malondialdehyde levels (p < 0.05), and elevated the reduced protein expressions of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and BDNF receptor, tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB). These results revealed that vitisin A was the active constituent in the VT-95EE and VTT-95EE, and the VT medicinal plant and that the endemic variety of VTT has potential in developing functional foods for an unmet medical need for neurodegenerative disorders.

Antinociceptive activities and the mechanisms of anti-inflammation of asiatic Acid in mice.

Asiatic acid (AA), a pentacyclic triterpene compound in the medicinal plant Centella asiatica, was evaluated for antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects. Treatment of male ICR mice with AA significantly inhibited the numbers of acetic acid-induced writhing responses and the formalin-induced pain in the late phase. In the anti-inflammatory test, AA decreased the paw edema at the 4th and 5th h after λ-carrageenan (Carr) administration and increased the activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in the liver tissue. AA decreased the nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) levels on serum level at the 5th h after Carr injection. Western blotting revealed that AA decreased Carr-induced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase (COX-2), and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) expressions at the 5th h in the edema paw. An intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection treatment with AA also diminished neutrophil infiltration into sites of inflammation as did indomethacin (Indo). The anti-inflammatory mechanisms of AA might be related to the decrease in the level of MDA, iNOS, COX-2, and NF-κB in the edema paw via increasing the activities of CAT, SOD, and GPx in the liver.

Anti-inflammatory activities of tormentic acid from suspension cells of Eriobotrya Japonicaex vivo and in vivo.

Anti-inflammatory effects of tormentic acid (TA) were investigated ex vivo and in vivo. TA decreased the paw edema at the 4th and 5thhour after λ-carrageenin (Carr) administration, and increased the activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in the liver tissue. TA also significantly attenuated the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) level in the edematous paw at the 5thhour after Carr injection. TA decreased the nitric oxide (NO) levels on the serum level and diminished the serum tumour necrosis factor (TNF-α) at the 5thhour after Carr injection. Western blotting revealed that the TA decreased Carr-induced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expressions. As per results, the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of TA might be correlated to the decrease in the level of TBARS, iNOS, and COX-2 in the edema paw via increasing the activities of CAT, SOD, and GPx in the liver.

Hydrolysable Tannins Exhibit Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitory and Anti-Glycation Activities In Vitro and Learning and Memory Function Improvements in Scopolamine-Induced Amnesiac Mice.

Agricultural waste from the hulls of water caltrop (Trapa taiwanesis Nakai, TT-hull) was extracted by either steeping them in cold 95% ethanol (C95E), refluxing 95E, refluxing 50E, or refluxing hot water (HW) to obtain C95EE, 95EE, 50EE, and HWE, respectively. These four extracts showed acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activities and free radical scavenging activities, as well as anti-non-enzymatic protein glycation in vitro. Eight compounds were isolated from TT-hull-50EE and were used to plot the chromatographic fingerprints of the TT-hull extracts, among which tellimagrandin-I, tellimagrandin-II, and 1,2,3,6-tetra-galloylglucose showed the strongest AChE inhibitory activities, and they also exhibited anti-amyloid ß peptide aggregations. The scopolamine-induced amnesiac ICR mice that were fed with TT-hull-50EE or TT-hull-HWE (100 and 200 mg/kg) or tellimagrandin-II (100 and 200 mg/kg) showed improved learning behavior when evaluated using passive avoidance or water maze evaluation, and they showed significant differences (p < 0.05) compared to those in the control group. The enriched hydrolysable tannins of the recycled TT-hull may be developed as functional foods for the treatment of degenerative disorders.

Antioxidant and amine oxidase inhibitory activities of hydroxyurea.

Hydroxyurea (HU, NH(2)CONHOH), or hydroxycarbamide, is a hydroxamic acid derivative used as a drug for anti-neoplasm and sickle-cell disease. In this study, HU was found to have antioxidant activities against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and hydroxyl radicals and dose-dependent inhibitory activities against monoamine oxidase (MAO)-A, MAO-B, and semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) as compared to controls of clorgyline, deprenyl, and semicarbazide respectively. HU showed mixed-type, competitive-type, and competitive-type inhibition, respectively, with respect to substrates of MAO-A, MAO-B, and SSAO with apparent inhibition constants (Ki) of 19.46, 5.38, and 1.84 microM.

Reductions of copper ion-mediated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidations of trypsin inhibitors, the sweet potato root major proteins, and LDL binding capacities.

BACKGROUND: The root major proteins of sweet potato trypsin inhibitors (SPTIs) or named sporamin, estimated for 60 to 80% water-soluble proteins, exhibited many biological activities. The human low-density lipoprotein (LDL) showed to form in vivo complex with endogenous oxidized alpha-1-antitrypsin. Little is known concerning the interactions between SPTIs and LDL in vitro. RESULTS: The thiobarbituric-acid-reactive-substance (TBARS) assays were used to monitor 0.1 mM Cu2+-mediated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidations during 24-h reactions with or without SPTIs additions. The protein stains in native PAGE gels were used to identify the bindings between native or reduced forms of SPTIs or soybean TIs and LDL, or oxidized LDL (oxLDL). It was found that the SPTIs additions showed to reduce LDL oxidations in the first 6-h and then gradually decreased the capacities of anti-LDL oxidations. The protein stains in native PAGE gels showed more intense LDL bands in the presence of SPTIs, and 0.5-h and 1-h reached the highest one. The SPTIs also bound to the oxLDL, and low pH condition (pH 2.0) might break the interactions revealed by HPLC. The LDL or oxLDL adsorbed onto self-prepared SPTIs-affinity column and some components were eluted by 0.2 M KCl (pH 2.0). The native or reduced SPTIs or soybean TIs showed different binding capacities toward LDL and oxLDL in vitro. CONCLUSION: The SPTIs might be useful in developing functional foods as antioxidant and nutrient supplements, and the physiological roles of SPTIs-LDL and SPTIs-oxLDL complex in vivo will investigate further using animal models.

Correction to: Anti-glycation, anti-hemolysis, and ORAC activities of demethylcurcumin and tetrahydroxycurcumin in vitro and reductions of oxidative stress in D-galactose-induced BALB/c mice in vivo.

In the publication of this article (Liu et al. 2019), there was an error in the method and ethics declarations sections which were published with incorrect animal experiment approval number. The error: 'These animal experimental protocols have been reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Taipei Medical University (LAC-99-0142).' Should instead read: These animal experimental protocols have been reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Taipei Medical University (LAC-2016-0340).

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of the neuroprotective activity of Uncaria hirsuta Haviland.

The incidence of neurodegeneration leading to the conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases are on the increase, they require the approaches that focus on protection prevention rather than treatment. Plants are rich sources of many compounds which possess medicinal properties. We sought to investigate the neuroprotective effects of Uncariahirsuta and its compounds on d-galactose-induced stress in BALB/c mice as well as 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced stress in mouse nerve growth factor (mNGF)-differentiated PC12 cells. Our results demonstrate that the 95% ethanol extract of U. hirsuta reversed the d-galactose-induced learning and memory dysfunctions and decreased the malodialdehyde levels. Furthermore, the isolated compounds, 5ß-carboxystrictosidine (1) and chlorogenic acid (2), protected mNGF-differentiated PC12 cells against toxicity induced by 6-OHDA by acting as antiapoptotic agents. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) for intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging was found to be 24.5 (for 1) and 19.7 µM (for 2), and both 1 and 2 reduced intracellular calcium levels with respective IC50 values of 46.9 and 27 µM. Interestingly, both compounds inhibited caspase 3 and 9 activities with respective IC50 values of 25.6 and 24.5 µM for 1 and 19.4 and 16.3 µM for 2. Our results identify U. hirsuta and its active compounds as potential neuroprotective agents and deserve further evaluation for drug development for neuroprotection in the future.

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity and neuroprotection in vitro, molecular docking, and improved learning and memory functions of demethylcurcumin in scopolamine-induced amnesia ICR mice.

In this study, demethylcurcumin (DC), a minor constituent in curcuminoids, showed better anti-acetylcholinesterase (anti-AChE) activities, anti-amyloid ß peptide aggregation, neuroprotective activities in 6-hydroxydopamine-treated SH-SY5Y cell models, and anti-nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-treated RAW 264.7 macrophages than those of curcumin. Based on molecular docking analyses with AChE, the meta-hydroxyl group in DC, nonexistent in curcumin, showed the formation of hydrogen bonds with Ser293 and Tyr341 in the binding sites of AChE. For animal experiments, scopolamine-induced amnesia ICR mice were used to analyze the learning and memory functions of DC in comparison with the positive control donepezil. Mice fed with DC (50 mg kg-1) or donepezil (5 mg kg-1) showed improvement and a significant difference compared to those in the control group (P < 0.05, 0.01, or 0.001) in a passive avoidance test and in a water maze probe test. The brain extracts of the mice in the DC or donepezil group showed reduced AChE activities and higher ORAC activities and also showed a significant difference compared to those in the control group (P < 0.05, 0.01, or 0.001). DC might be beneficial for developing functional foods or as a lead compound for the treatment of degenerative disorders.

Controlled surface diffusion in plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of GaN nanowires.

This study investigates the growth of GaN nanowires by controlling the surface diffusion of Ga species on sapphire in a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system. Under nitrogen-rich growth conditions, Ga has a tendency to adsorb on the substrate surface diffusing to nanowires to contribute to their growth. The significance of surface diffusion on the growth of nanowires is dependent on the environment of the nanowire on the substrate surface as well as the gas phase species and compositions. Under nitrogen-rich growth conditions, the growth rate is strongly dependent on the surface diffusion of gallium, but the addition of 5% hydrogen in nitrogen plasma instantly diminishes the surface diffusion effect. Gallium desorbs easily from the surface by reaction with hydrogen. On the other hand, under gallium-rich growth conditions, nanowire growth is shown to be dominated by the gas phase deposition, with negligible contribution from surface diffusion. This is the first study reporting the inhibition of surface diffusion effects by hydrogen addition, which can be useful in tailoring the growth and characteristics of nanowires. Without any evidence of direct deposition on the nanowire surface, gallium and nitrogen are shown to dissolve into the catalyst for growing the nanowires at 900 degrees C.

Effects of different types of yam (Dioscorea alata) products on the blood pressure of spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The aim of the present study was to investigate different yam treatments, including powdered-yam-products (PYP) and liquid-yam-products (LYP), with respect to spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) blood pressure. PYP included alcohol-insoluble-solids of yam tuber, hot-air-drying (HAD) of yam tuber slices, steam-cooked once or twice followed by HAD which were subsequently powdered. LYP included water extracts of yam tuber (WEY) heated at 90 degrees C (WEY90H) or 95 degrees C for 10 min (WEY95H), and then stored at 4 degrees C for different numbers of day. PYP, WEY, and WEYH were found effectively to reduce the blood pressure of SHR and should be beneficial in food processing in the development of functional foods for blood pressure regulation.