Humic acid biosynthesis and bacterial community evolution during aerobic composting of rice straw.

In this study, the effects of inoculum ratio, substrate particle size and aeration rate on humic acid (HA) biosynthesis during aerobic composting of rice straw were investigated, respectively. The contents of total organic carbon, total nitrogen and HA, as well as lignocellulose degradation in the composting were evaluated, respectively. It is found that the maximal HA yield of 356.9 g kg-1 was obtained at an inoculum ratio of 20%, a substrate particle size of 0.83 mm and an aeration rate of 0.3 L·kg-1 DM min-1 in the process of composting. The changes of microbial communities and metabolic functions at different stages of the composting were also analyzed through high-throughput sequencing. The result demonstrates that Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria were the dominant phyla and their relative abundance significantly varied over time (p < 0.05), and Rhizobium, Phenylobacterium, Pseudoxanthomonas and Paenibacillus were positively related to HA content in the compost. Furthermore, the metabolic function profiles of bacterial community indicate that these functional genes in carbohydrate metabolism and amino acid metabolism were involved in lignocellulose biodegradation and HA biosynthesis. This work may be conducive to explore new regulation strategy to improve bioconversion efficiency of agricultural residues to applicable biofertilizers. KEY POINTS: • Temperature, pH, TOC, TN and C/N caused a great influence on humic acids synthesis • The succession of the microbial community during the composting were evaluated • The metabolisms of carbohydrate and amino acids were involved in HA synthesis.

Regulation of cellulase production via calcium signaling in Trichoderma reesei under PEG8000 stress.

In this study, the effect of polyethylene glycol 8000 (PEG8000) stress on cellulase biosynthesis in Trichoderma reesei CICC2626 via calcium signaling was investigated, and a plausible mechanism by which intracellular Ca2+ regulates the transcription of cellulase genes was proposed. The results indicated that the total cellulase (filter paper-hydrolyzing activity [FPase]), endoglucanase (carboxymethyl cellulase activity [CMCase]), and ß-glucosidase activities of the strain were 1.3-, 1.2-, and 1.3-fold higher than those of the control (no PEG8000 addition) at a final concentration of 1.5% (w/v) PEG8000. Moreover, the transcriptional levels of cellulase genes, protein concentrations, and biomass increased. With the synergistic use of commercial cellulase and T. reesei CICC2626 cellulase to hydrolyze alkali-pretreated rice straw, the released reducing sugar concentration reached 372.7 mg/g, and the cellulose content (22.7%, 0.32 g) was significantly lower than the initial content (62.5%, 1.88 g). Transcriptome data showed that 12 lignocellulose degradation-related genes were significantly upregulated in the presence of 1.5% PEG8000. Furthermore, the addition of Ca2+ inhibitors and deletion of crz1 (calcineurin-responsive zinc finger 1-encoding gene, which is related to the calcium signaling pathway) demonstrated that calcium signaling plays a dominant role in PEG8000-induced cellulase genes overexpression. These results revealed a link between PEG8000 induction and calcium signaling transduction in T. reesei CICC2626. Moreover, this study also provides a novel inducer for enhanced cellulase production. KEY POINTS: • Cellulase biosynthesis in Trichoderma reesei could be enhanced by PEG8000 • PEG8000 could induce a cytosolic Ca2+ burst in Trichoderma reesei • The activated calcium signaling was involved in cellulase biosynthesis.

Improvement of Lignocellulolytic Enzyme Production Mediated by Calcium Signaling in Bacillus subtilis Z2 under Graphene Oxide Stress.

An increase in exoenzyme production can be enhanced by environmental stresses such as graphene oxide (GO) stress, but the link between the two events is still unclear. In this work, the effect of GO as an environmental stress factor on exoenzyme (lignocellulolytic enzyme, amylase, peptidase, and protease) biosynthesis was investigated in Bacillus subtilis Z2, and a plausible mechanism by which cytosolic Ca2+ regulates lignocellulolytic enzyme production in B. subtilis Z2 subjected to GO stress was proposed. The filter paper-hydrolyzing (FPase [representing total cellulase]), carboxymethylcellulase (CMCase [representing endoglucanase]), and ß-glucosidase activities and extracellular protein concentration of the wild-type strain under 10 µg/mL GO stress were 1.37-, 1.64-, 1.24-, and 1.16-fold those of the control (without GO stress), respectively. Correspondingly, the transcription levels of lignocellulolytic enzyme genes, cytosolic Ca2+ level, and biomass concentration of B. subtilis were all increased. With lignocellulolytic enzyme from B. subtilis used to hydrolyze alkali-pretreated rice straw, the released reducing sugar concentration reached 265.53 mg/g, and the removal rates of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin were 52.4%, 30.1%, and 7.5%, respectively. Furthermore, transcriptome data revealed that intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis played a key role in regulating the levels of gene transcription related to the synthesis of lignocellulolytic enzymes and exoenzymes. Finally, the use of Ca2+ inhibitors (LaCl3 and EDTA) and deletion of spcF (a calmodulin-like protein gene) further demonstrated that the overexpression of those genes was regulated via calcium signaling in B. subtilis subjected to GO stress. IMPORTANCE To effectively convert lignocellulose into fermentable sugars, high lignocellulolytic enzyme loading is needed. Graphene oxide (GO) has been shown to promote exoenzyme (lignocellulolytic enzyme, amylase, peptidase, and protease) production in some microorganisms; however, the regulatory mechanism of the biosynthesis of lignocellulolytic enzymes under GO stress remains unclear. In this work, the lignocellulolytic enzyme production of B. subtilis under GO stress was investigated, and the potential mechanism by which B. subtilis enhanced lignocellulolytic enzyme production through the calcium signaling pathway under GO stress was proposed. This work revealed the role of calcium signaling in the production of enzymes under external environmental stress and provided a direction to facilitate lignocellulolytic enzyme production by B. subtilis.

Co-production of biogas and humic acid using rice straw and pig manure as substrates through solid-state anaerobic fermentation and subsequent aerobic composting.

Compared with wet anaerobic digestion, solid-state fermentation possesses many merits such as low water consumption, high biogas yield and low processing cost. In this work, co-producing biogas and humic acid (HA) by two-step solid-state fermentation was innovatively investigated using rice straw and pig manure as materials. The result indicates that C/N ratio, straw particle size, and total solid content (TS%) caused significant effects on the solid-state fermentation process. At the first step for anaerobic biogas fermentation, the optimal fermentation conditions included C/N ratio of 27.5, straw particle size of 0.85 mm and TS% of 25%. The maximal biogas productivity and methane content were up to 0.43 m3/(m3·d) and 64.88%, respectively. This means that biogas production was significantly improved by adjusting C/N ratio during the co-fermentation of rice straw and pig manure. Following, the digested residue was aerobically composted for HA biosynthesis to improve the fertilizer efficiency of the fermented substrate. The optimal aeration rate of 0.75 L/min was obtained, and the volatile solid (VS) degradation rate, HA content, and the germination index (GI) value were up to 19.16%, 100.89 mg/g, and 103.07%, respectively, which indicates that HA biosynthesis and compost maturity were significantly enhanced. Therefore, the co-production of biogas and HA using rice straw and pig manure as fermentation materials was achieved by adopting the two-step solid-state fermentation, and the bioconversion efficiencies of livestock manure and straw were significantly improved.

Enhancement of biotransformation of ginsenosides in white ginseng roots by aerobic co-cultivation of Bacillus subtilis and Trichoderma reesei.

In the present work, the biotransformation of ginsenosides in white ginseng roots was innovatively investigated using the aerobic fermentation by the co-cultivation of Bacillus subtilis and Trichoderma reesei. It is found that in the co-cultivation mode, the optimal nitrogen source was corn steep liquor, and the loading of ginseng powder and inoculation proportion of B. subtilis and T. reesei were 15 g/L and 1:4, respectively. The total ginsenoside yield and production of minor ginsenosides in the co-cultivation mode obviously enhanced in comparison to the monoculture mode. Meanwhile, the maximal total ginsenoside yield of 21.79% and high hydrolase activities were achieved using the staged inoculation at the inoculation proportion of 1:4 in the co-cultivation mode, the production of minor ginsenosides such as Rg3 and Rh1, Rh2 was significantly strengthened, and the pharmacological activities of the fermented solution obviously improved. The enhancement of ginsenoside transformation can be mainly attributed to hydrolysis of the produced hydrolases and metabolism of two probiotics. This result clearly reveals that using the staged inoculation in co-cultivation fermentation mode was favor of the ginsenoside biotransformation in ginseng due to non-synchronous cell growth and different metabolic pathways of both probiotics. This work can provide a novel method for enhancing ginsenoside transformation of ginseng.Key points• Co-cultivation fermentation significantly promoted ginsenoside biotransformation.• The staged inoculation in co-culture mode was an optimal operation method.• The pharmacological activity of the co-cultured solution was significantly enhanced.

[Effect of total saponins of Clematidis Radix et Rhizoma on serum metabolic profile in adjuvant arthritis rats based on GC-TOF-MS].

To observe the effect of total saponins of Clematidis Radix et Rhizoma (TSCR) on serum metabolic profile changes in adjuvant arthritis(AA) rats, and explore its possible action mechanism for AA rats. The AA rat models were induced by Freund's complete adjuvant(FCA), and their histopathological changes were observed. Gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS), principal component analysis(PCA) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were employed to analyze the metabolic profile among normal group, AA model group and TSCR group. Potential biomarkers in the serum were screened based on the variable importance projection(VIP) value>1, P<0.05. As compared with the normal group, 17 potential biomarkers such as aspartic acid, inositol and phenylacetaldehyde were found and identified in the serum of model group rats. As compared with the model group, the above biomarkers were regulated nearly to a normal state after TSCR administration for 16 days. Metabolomic analysis revealed that the total saponins of Clematidis Radix et Rhizoma has a certain therapeutic effect for AA rats, and the mechanism may be related to regulation of lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism and energy metabolism.

[Protective effects and mechanism of congguiyishen capsules on diabetic nephropathy rats].

OBJECTIVE: To study the curative and protective effects of Congguiyishen Capsules on the diabetic nephropathy (DN) model rats. METHODS: Established the DN model rats by intraperitoneal injection of urea bacteria element (Streptozotocin, STZ). The rats were divided into six groups including normal control group, model group, positive control group, high-dosage group, medium-dosage group and low-dosage group. After oral administration for 4 weeks, determined the 24 h urinary protein, Cr, kidney mass/body mass, FBG, Ang II, AT1R, AGTRAP and CTGF in the kidney. Observed the pathological damage of kidney tissue with Masson staining. RESULTS: After treatment, Cr, kidney mass index, 24 h urine protein, FBG and Ang II were decreased signicantly (P < 0.05). And the treatment also alleviated the pathological damage of kidney tissue. CONCLUSION: Congguiyishen Capsules have protective effect for DN model rats. The mechanism may be related to the suppression of inflammatory response and down-regulating the expression of AT1R, AGTRAP and CTGF.

[Optimization of processing technology for xanthii fructus by UPLC fingerprint technique and contents of toxicity ingredient].

The experiment's aim was to optimize the processing technology of Xanthii Fructus which through comparing the difference of UPLC fingerprint and contents of toxicity ingredient in water extract of 16 batches of processed sample. The determination condition of UPLC chromatographic and contents of toxicity ingredient were as follows. UPLC chromatographic: ACQUITY BEH C18 column (2.1 mm x 100 mm, 1.7 microm) eluted with the mobile phases of acetonitrile and 0.1% phosphoric acidwater in gradient mode, the flow rate was 0.25 mL x min(-1) and the detection wavelength was set at 327 nm. Contents of toxicity ingredient: Agilent TC-C18 column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm), mobile phase was methanol-0.01 mol x L(-1) sodium dihydrogen phosphate (35: 65), flow rate was 1.0 mL x min(-1), and detection wavelength was 203 nm. The chromatographic fingerprints 16 batches of samples were analyzed in using the similarity evaluation system of chromatographic, fingerprint of traditional Chinese medicine, SPSS16.0 and SIMCA13.0 software, respectively. The similarity degrees of the 16 batches samples were more than 0.97, all the samples were classified into four categories, and the PCA showed that the peak area of chlorogenic acid, 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid and caffeic acid were significantly effect index in fingerprint of processed Xanthii Fructus sample. The outcome of determination showed that the toxicity ingredient contents of all samples reduced significantly after processing. This method can be used in optimizing the processing technology of Xanthii Fructus.

[Protective effects of Qizhen Jiangtang granules in diabetic nephropathy rats].

OBJECTIVE: To study the curative and protective effects of Qizhen Jiangtang Granules in the diabetic nephropathy (DN) model rats. METHODS: Healthy SD rats were fed a high-sucrose and high-fat diet and intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 30 mg/kg) to establish the DN model. The rats were divided into six groups including normal control group,model group, positive control group, high-dosage group(200 mg/kg), medium-dosage group (100 mg/kg), and low-dosage group(50 mg/kg). After oral administration of Qizhen Jiangtang Granules for eight weeks, FBG,TG,TC, LDL-c, HDL-c, SCr and BUN levels in rats serum were determined, while the pathological damage of kidney tissue with PAS and HE staining were observed under microscope. RESULTS: After treatment, TG, TC, LDL-c,SCr and BUN levels were significantly decreased(P <0. 05), and HDL-c level was significantly increased(P <0. 05). The treatment also alleviated the pathological damage of kidney tissue. CONCLUSION: Qizhen Jiangtang Granules have a protective effect against kidney damage in DN model rats. The mechanism may be related to the regulation of lipid and sugar levels in serum.

GeO2-SiO2-chitosan-medium-coated hollow optical fiber for cell immobilization.

A GeO(2)-SiO(2)-chitosan-medium (GSCM)-coated hollow optical fiber (HOF) is proposed. The HOF consists of three parts: the fiber core (air), cladding (SiO(2)), and coating (GSCM), which shows the highest refractive index of the three. The HOF's luminescence properties and surface morphology are investigated. Their adsorption capacity for Rhodopseudomonas palustris CQK 01 is also assayed. We discovered that when the amount of 2GeO(2)-SiO(2) sol dopant is 0.9 mass percent, the HOF exhibits the highest luminous intensity and uniform light distribution, and the adsorption capacity for the cell is 3.2 times higher than that of a normal solid optical fiber.

[Effect of Panax notoginseng saponins on cytokines in liver fibrosis rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) on cytokines production in liver fibrosis rats and its mechanism. METHODS: SD rats were randomly divided into 6 groups, including normal group, liver fibrosis model group, PNS (50, 100, 200 mg/kg) treated groups and Col group. Rat liver fibrosis was induced by CCl4 twice a week for 18 weeks. PNS were administered daily from the 9th week for 10 weeks. The IL-1, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-alpha level in serum were determined by radioimmunity. The degree of liver fibrosis was observed by HE and immuninochemistry. The expression of TGF-beta, TNF-alpha mRNA were detected by RT-PCR technology. RESULTS: Compared with the fibrotic model group, PNS (100, 200 mg/kg) could not only significantly reduce histopathological change, but also effectively decrease the level of IL-1, IL-6, NF-kappaB, TNF-alpha ,TGF-beta, and increase the level of IL-10. CONCLUSION: PNS has protective effect on liver fibrosis and it maybe related to regulating cytokine network.

[Study on preparations and fluorescent properties of rare earth complex with property of fluorescence sensor].

Europium chloride, 2-thienylformyltrifluoroacetone and sodium silicate were used to synthesize new-style rare earth complex (Eu-TNS). By adding into dichloromethane solution containing Eu-TNS, the fluorescent intensities were enhanced gradually and regularly. High-resolution mass spectrometry was used to detect the formula of Eu-TNS, which belongs to multi-core rare-earth complex. Polarity of solution increasing by adding absolute ethanol will cause Eu-TNS to dissociate, which enhances the fluoresceot intensities of Eu-TNS solution. This rare earth complex Eu-TNS can be employed as fluorescence sensor to detect the content of ethanol in organic solvent.

Surgical treatment of intermediate to high grade thymic neuroendocrine neoplasms: case series of five patients and literature review.

Background: Thymic neuroendocrine neoplasms (Th-NENs) are extremely rare. Th-NENs are divided into four pathological subtypes: typical carcinoid (TC), atypical carcinoid (AC), large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC), and small cell carcinoma (SCC). The latter three subtypes are highly aggressive with poor prognosis. There are limited reports on the optimal surgical strategies for Th-NENs. This study aims to report a case series of Th-NENs after surgical treatment and review the literatures. Methods: We report a case series of five patients diagnosed with Th-NENs and summarize their clinical characteristics. Literatures related to surgical treatment of Th-NENs were reviewed. Results: There were three males and two females, and mean age was 53.6 years. No myasthenia gravis or neuroendocrine symptoms were found. Three patients were diagnosed with AC and the other two were diagnosed with LCNEC. Two patients were stage II-b, one patient was stage III-a, and two patients were stage IV-b. One patient received preoperative chemotherapy, one patient received preoperative chemoradiotherapy, and three patients underwent surgery directly. Two patients underwent extended thymectomy via video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), two patients underwent extended thymectomy via median sternotomy, and one patient underwent resection of anterior mediastinal tumor, sternal metastases, superior vena cava and partial right atrium via median sternotomy and cardiopulmonary bypass. R0 resection was achieved in 80% (4/5) of patients. There was no postoperative 90-day complication and death. One patient had no recurrence. One patient had lymph node metastases and was still alive after somatostatin analogue therapy. One patient had no recurrence of Th-NENs but died of other tumors. Two patients had distant metastases. Median overall survival (mOS) was 49 (range, 4-134) months. A total of 22 original studies related to surgical treatment of Th-NENs were retrieved. Conclusions: Th-NENs is a very rare and extremely aggressive malignancy. Early diagnosis and surgical resection are the most important methods to improve prognosis. Radical resection and lymph node dissection are recommended for accurate staging and better prognosis. Currently, there are few clinical data on Th-NENs and several important surgical issues remain unresolved. In the future, multi-center, large-sample database and clinical studies are urgently needed to explore better treatment modality.

[Study on the dynamic model with supercritical CO2 fluid extracting the lipophilic components in Panax notoginseng].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a dynamics model for extracting the lipophilic components in Panax notoginseng with supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2). METHODS: Based on the theory of counter-flow mass transfer and the molecular mass transfer between the material and the supercritical CO2 fluid under differential mass-conservation equation, a dynamics model was established and computed to compare forecasting result with the experiment process. RESULTS: A dynamics model has been established for supercritical CO2 to extract the lipophilic components in Panax notoginseng, the computed result of this model was consistent with the experiment process basically. CONCLUSION: The supercritical fluid extract dynamics model established in this research can expound the mechanism in the extract process of which lipophilic components of Panax notoginseng dissolve the mass transfer and is tallied with the actual extract process. This provides certain instruction for the supercritical CO2 fluid extract' s industrialization enlargement.

Influence of HBV gene heterogeneity on the failure of immunization with HBV vaccines in eastern China.

The influence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) gene heterogeneity on the failure of HBV vaccination in eastern China remains unknown. Here, we assigned 78 hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-carrier mothers to two groups: 41 mothers from whom transmission of HBV to their children was successfully prevented and 37 mothers whose children were HBsAg positive 1 year after HBV vaccination. The DNA loads in mothers of the failure group (4.17E + 07 copies/ml) were significantly higher than those in the success group (8.40E + 06 copies/ml). However, no difference was found in the S gene mutation rate and genotypes between the groups. Interestingly, Thr123Ala and Gly145Arg were observed only in failure-group mothers, whereas Thr126Asn, Thr126Ser, Thr143Asn, Asp144Gly, and Asp144Ala were seen in the success group. Thus, high viral load is an important risk factor for HBV vaccination failure, which is correlated with the positions of mutations in the S gene, but not with mutant frequencies or genotypes.

[Cross-sectional study on rates and influential factors of standard medication for antiretroviral therapy in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the status of standard medication of antiretroviral therapy and identify its correlationship with preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT). METHODS: Qualitative and quantitative methods for measuring of standard medication towards antiretroviral therapy of PMTCT were used in a cross-sectional study of 167 pregnant women who had accessed to PMTCT services and 57 physicians providing service from January 2005 to June 2007 in 5 HIV epidemic counties in Yunnan province. RESULTS: A total of 167 mothers were recruited, of which 65.87% (110/167) demonstrated for standard medication. The percentage of rational selection of antivirus-therapy regimen was 88.02% (147/167). HIV positive mothers with rational using medicine during labor covered 81.37% (131/161). 87.42% (146/167) of women demonstrated good compliance. The main correlations with the standard medication level of HIV positive pregnant women and their infants were as follows: diagnose time (OR = 2.617; 95% CI: 1.184 - 5.783), place of delivery (OR = 0.064; 95% CI: 0.007 - 0.607), minorities (OR = 0.344; 95% CI: 0.162 - 0.730), understanding of HIV women for antiretroviral therapy (OR = 6.843; 95% CI: 1.449 - 32.312), and doctors' cognition about the regimen for antiretroviral therapy was not enough; 5 key knowledge points (purpose of PMTCT, the consequence of not requiring standard medication, the effect of knowing regimens, the relationship of CD4 levels and selected regimens, the side effect of the relevant medicine) score rate was 47.72% (136/285). CONCLUSION: The proportions of standard medication in PMTCT antiretroviral therapy were not high. Standard medication might be associated with multiple factors from doctors, patients and society. It is necessary to make some steps to improve standard medication of antiretroviral therapy in PMTCT.

Response of lipid biosynthesis in Chlorella pyrenoidosa to intracellular reactive oxygen species level under stress conditions.

An increase in the total lipid content in algal cells under stress conditions is often accompanied by an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the link between these two events is unclear. In this study, the regulatory mechanism of ROS formation on lipid accumulation in C. pyrenoidosa was investigated using a Fenton-like reaction. A high Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.901 was obtained between the Hydroxyl radical (OH) level and lipid content. Importantly, the increase in the total lipid content was clearly coupled with a significant increase in the intracellular OH concentration rather than increases in the H2O2 and O2- concentrations. Transcriptome data confirms that most of the differential expression genes (DEGs) involved in fatty acid and glycerolipid biosynthesis were up-regulated by the increased OH under stress conditions. These results reveal that lipid accumulation in algal cells was promoted by OH.

Biodegradability enhancement of hydrolyzed polyacrylamide wastewater by a combined Fenton-SBR treatment process.

An efficient way to solve the environmental pollution deriving from hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM)-containing drilling wastewater is urgent. This work adopted a novel method coupling Fenton oxidation with sequencing batch reactor (SBR) to treat gas-field drilling wastewater successively. This Fenton-SBR process reduced COD, HPAM, NH4+-N and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations of drilling wastewater by 98.35%, 87.58%, 94.50% and 93.52%, respectively. While simulated HPAM wastewater with similar HPAM concentration to Fenton-oxidized drilling wastewater was treated only by biological process, and the COD and HPAM removal efficiencies reached 78.26% and 62.95%. The result indicates that the biodegradability of the drilling wastewater was enhanced after Fenton oxidation. Moreover, the analysis on microbial community structure indicates the dominant bacteria in treated drilling wastewater were different from that in treated simulated-wastewater. It can be considered the Fenton-SBR process possesses potential to be applied to treating the drilling wastewater.

Rhizoma Paridis saponins ameliorates hepatic fibrosis in rats by downregulating expression of angiogenesis­associated growth factors.

Previously, we demonstrated that Rhizoma Paridis saponins (RPS), the major active component of Rhizoma Paridis, may exhibit hepatoprotective effects. The present study aimed to identify the potential mechanism of RPS on hepatic injury and improvement in hepatic fibrosis (HF). A HF model was created in Sprague­Dawley rats by administration of carbon tetrachloride. RPS was administered for treatment following creation of the HF model. The protein and mRNA expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelet­derived growth factor (PDGF), extracellular signal­regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 and α­smooth muscle actin (SMA) was detected by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis. RPS was demonstrated to improve hepatic inflammation and decrease HF severity according to hematoxylin and eosin and Masson trichrome staining. Following RPS treatment, the level of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and malondialdehyde, and expression levels of the mRNA and protein of VEGF, ERK1/2, PDGF and α­SMA in the model group was decreased. By contrast, the content of glutathione­PX and superoxide dismutase was increased. These data suggest that RPS may treat HF primarily through downregulation of the expression levels of the mRNA and phosphorylated VEGF, ERK1/2, PDGF and α­SMA proteins.

[Preparation of phycocyanin subunits liposomes and the photodynamic experiment on cancer cells].

Phycocyanin subunits liposomes (PCS-lip) were prepared and its cellular uptake and photodynamic therapy (PDT) effect on cancer cells were studied. In the experiment, film dispersion method was used to prepare phycocyanin subunits liposomes; particle size and distribution were detected by zetasizer and transmission electric microscope; the effects of liposome as carrier on cell uptake in vitro were evaluated in S180 by using fluorescence microscope; and photodynamic therapy effect was assessed with MTT method. As shown in the results, the particle size mainly ranged from 80 nm to 160 nm, and average encapsulation rate was 42.3%. In the concentration of 100 microg x mL(-1), transfection rate reached (18.5 +/- 0.8)% at 2 h, (23.1 +/- 0.9)% at 4 h, keeping a balance in 5-6 h, and its photodynamic therapy effect in vitro improved with the increasing of concentration of phycocyanin subunits liposomes. In the concentration of 200 micro x mL(-1) cell survival rate of BGC-823 and S180 reached (45 +/- 5.2)% and (36 +/- 5.5)%, respectively, and the cell survival rate differentiation between PCS-PDT group and PCS-lip-PDT group reached 7%-11% (P < 0.05). In this study film dispersion method could keep the biological activity of phycocyanin subunits very well. Phycocyanin subunits liposomes will transfect cells more quickly than phycocyanin subunits in the same concentration, and in the same conditions, phycocyanin subunits liposomes have the better PDT effect on cancer cells as they were incubated with cells for 4 h.