Tanshinone IIA May Inhibit Gastric Cancer via Affecting the Intestinal Microbiome.

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) belongs to a type of the most deadly cancer in the world, and the incidence rate of GC will increase in the coming decades. Tanshinone IIA (Tan IIA) is an active component that separated from Danshen. Tan IIA may also exert its therapeutic effects in disease with intestinal dysbacteriosis, at least partially, via regulating the intestinal microbiome. Nevertheless, it is obscure whether Tanshinone IIA affects the intestinal dysbacteriosis and plays antitumor roles. This research was designed to explore Tanshinone IIA potential on the intestinal dysbacteriosis of GC xenograft mice. Methods: Mouse xenograft GC tumor models were built and treated by Tan IIA. The tumor growth as well as microbiome in the intestinal were compared. Western blot was used to detect the phosphorylation of the NF-κB and expressions of the downstream cytokines IL-6 and IL-1ß. Results: Microbiome in the intestinal was changed in xenograft tumor mice in comparison with the control mice. What is more, Tan IIA could influence the microbiome in the intestinal of the tumor mice. Tan IIA hinders the growth of xenograft tumor and change the microbiome in the intestinal, but intestinal dysbacteriosis condition partially blocked Tan IIA-stimulated antitumor effects. In addition, intestinal dysbacteriosis abrogated Tan IIA-stimulated decrease in the NF-κB signaling in xenograft tumor mice. Conclusions: Tanshinone IIA may inhibit GC tumor growth via affecting the intestinal microbiome through regulating the NF-κB signaling.

A comparison for the effects of raw, smoked, and smoked and brined areca nut extracts on the immune and inflammatory responses in the Kunming mice.

Chewing of areca nuts is quite popular in various regions worldwide. Previous studies have demonstrated the pharmacological and toxicological effects of fresh areca nuts. However, processed areca nuts, which are popular in the Hunan province of China, have not been extensively studied for its biological effect. This study aimed at investigating the impact of the acrea nut extracts (ANE) prepared from the raw material, the semi-product, and the final product on the immune system and inflammation-related markers in the Kunming mice. The mice were assigned to seven different groups and administered different ANE at two concentrations (1X and 5X) for four weeks. Total body weight gain and organ coefficient of the liver, spleen, and kidney, as well as the immune system and inflammation-related markers were evaluated. The results revealed that processed areca nuts have a much milder effect on the mice immune system and some inflammatory markers than fresh areca nut in the Kunming mice. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Chewing various forms of areca nuts is popular in China, Southeast Asia, and other regions. People from Hunan, China prefer to chew a processed areca nut, which has rarely been studied. This manuscript explores the effects of three kinds of areca nut extracts on the immune system- and inflammation-related indicators in Kunming mice. The obtained results revealed that processed areca nuts had significantly milder effects than the raw nut/nut extract, particularly on the body weight, immune responses, and inflammatory markers. The results of the present study provide some new directions for the areca nut industry and raise public awareness for the undesirable effects of areca nuts.

Analysis of oral microorganism diversity in healthy individuals before and after chewing areca nuts using PCR-denatured gradient gel electrophoresis.

To analyze oral microbial diversity in the saliva of 8 healthy individuals before and after chewing areca nuts. Saliva samples were collected before chewing areca nuts, after chewing areca nuts for 5 min and after chewing areca nuts for 30 min. DNA was extracted, and microbial diversity was examined using PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE). When examining DGGE profiles collectively, the bands associated with Streptococcus and Veillonella were the most intense, making them the most prevalent bacteria. Furthermore, the band intensities did not decrease after chewing areca nuts for 5 or 30 min; thus, these bacteria were unaffected. However, when examining some individuals, the band intensities for Streptococcus and Veillonella became more intense after 5 min of chewing and then returned to the pre-chewing level. This difference may be attributed to the mechanical movements of the oral cavity or individual differences. Other bacteria, such as Neisseria, Actinomycetes, and Rothia dentocariosa, were also found to have an increased or decreased prevalence following areca nut-chewing. Since the predominant species that are present following areca nut-chewing include Streptococcus and Veillonella, it would seem likely that these bacteria play an important role in the periodontal diseases associated with areca chewing.

Recombinant Passenger Proteins Can Be Conveniently Purified by One-Step Affinity Chromatography.

Fusion tag is one of the best available tools to date for enhancement of the solubility or improvement of the expression level of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli. Typically, two consecutive affinity purification steps are often necessitated for the purification of passenger proteins. As a fusion tag, acyl carrier protein (ACP) could greatly increase the soluble expression level of Glucokinase (GlcK), α-Amylase (Amy) and GFP. When fusion protein ACP-G2-GlcK-Histag and ACP-G2-Amy-Histag, in which a protease TEV recognition site was inserted between the fusion tag and passenger protein, were coexpressed with protease TEV respectively in E. coli, the efficient intracellular processing of fusion proteins was achieved. The resulting passenger protein GlcK-Histag and Amy-Histag accumulated predominantly in a soluble form, and could be conveniently purified by one-step Ni-chelating chromatography. However, the fusion protein ACP-GFP-Histag was processed incompletely by the protease TEV coexpressed in vivo, and a large portion of the resulting target protein GFP-Histag aggregated in insoluble form, indicating that the intracellular processing may affect the solubility of cleaved passenger protein. In this context, the soluble fusion protein ACP-GFP-Histag, contained in the supernatant of E. coli cell lysate, was directly subjected to cleavage in vitro by mixing it with the clarified cell lysate of E. coli overexpressing protease TEV. Consequently, the resulting target protein GFP-Histag could accumulate predominantly in a soluble form, and be purified conveniently by one-step Ni-chelating chromatography. The approaches presented here greatly simplify the purification process of passenger proteins, and eliminate the use of large amounts of pure site-specific proteases.