Hispidulin alleviates 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene and house dust mite extract-induced atopic dermatitis-like skin inflammation

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder that affects 10？20% of the world’s population. Therefore, the discovery of drugs for the treatment of AD is important for human health. Hispidulin (HPD; also known as scutellarein 6-methyl ether or dinatin) is a natural flavone that exerts anti-inflammatory effects. In the present study, the effectiveness of HPD on AD-like skin inflammation was investigated. We used a mouse AD model through repeated exposure of mice to 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene and house dust mite extract (Dermatophagoides farinae extract, DFE) to the ears. In addition, tumor necrosis factor-α and interferon-γ-activated keratinocytes (HaCaT cells) were used to investigate the underlying mechanism of HPD action. Oral administration of HPD alleviated AD-like skin inflammations: it reduced ear thickness; serum immunoglobulin (Ig)E, DFE-specific IgE, and IgG2a levels; and inflammatory cell infiltration. HPD reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines through inhibition of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 nuclear factor-κB in HaCaT cells. Taken together, these results suggest that HPD could be a potential drug candidate for the treatment of AD.

Development of a novel composite film based on polyurethane and defatted Chlorella biomass: Physical and functional characterization

Novel composite films made of polyurethane (PU) and defatted Chlorella biomass (DCB) at different mass proportions (10？70 wt%) were prepared using polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a model polyol and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI) as a coupling agent. Increasing DCB content led to a respective increase in tensile strength and elongation at break of the composites in the range of 33.9？116% and 69.6？248%, compared to the neat PU-PEG film. As confirmed by Fourier transform infrared and scanning electron microscopy analysis, such improvement in mechanical properties can be attributed to the establishment of hydrogen bonds and other molecular interactions between isocyanate groups of PEG-HMDI prepolymer and hydroxyl groups of DCB biofiller along with the uniform distribution of the incorporated DCB into the PU-PEG based matrix. DCB incorporation at the highest content of 70% increased both antioxidant activity and bulk hydrophilicity of the composites by more than 69.3 and 85.0%, respectively, compared to the neat PU-PEG.

Anti-inflammatory effect of Barringtonia angusta methanol extract is mediated by targeting of Src in the NF-κB signalling pathway

Context: Among the plants in the genus Barringtonia (Lecythidaceae) used as traditional medicines to treat arthralgia, chest pain, and haemorrhoids in Indonesia, Barringtonia racemosa L. and Barringtonia acutangula (L.) Gaertn. have demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity in systemic inflammatory models. Objective: The anti-inflammatory activity of Barringtonia angusta Kurz has not been investigated. We prepared a methanol extract of the leaves and stems of B. angusta (Ba-ME) and systemically evaluated its anti-inflammatory effects in vitro and in vivo. Materials and methods: RAW264.7 cells stimulated with LPS or Pam3CSK4 for 24？h were treated with Ba-ME (12.5, 25, 50, 100, and 150？μg/mL), and NO production and mRNA levels of inflammatory genes were evaluated. Luciferase reporter gene assay, western blot analysis, overexpression experiments, and cellular thermal shift assay were conducted to explore the mechanism of Ba-ME. In addition, the anti-gastritis activity of Ba-ME (50 and 100？mg/kg, administered twice per day for two days) was evaluated using an HCl/EtOH-induced gastritis mouse model. Results: Ba-ME dose-dependently suppressed NO production [IC50 = 123.33？μg/mL (LPS) and 46.89？μg/mL (Pam3CSK4)] without affecting cell viability. Transcriptional expression of iNOS, IL-1β, COX-2, IL-6, and TNF-α and phosphorylation of Src, IκBα, p50/105, and p65 were inhibited by Ba-ME. The extract specifically targeted the Src protein by binding to its SH2 domain. Moreover, Ba-ME significantly ameliorated inflammatory lesions in the HCl/EtOH-induced gastritis model. Discussion and Conclusions: The anti-inflammatory activity of Ba-ME is mediated by targeting of the Src/NF-κB signalling pathway, and B. angusta has potential as an anti-inflammatory drug.

The defense response involved in sweetpotato resistance to root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita: comparison of root transcriptomes of resistant and susceptible sweetpotato cultivars with respect to induced and constitutive defense responses

Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam) is an economically important, nutrient- and pigment-rich root vegetable used as both food and feed. Root-knot nematode (RKN), Meloidogyne incognita, causes major yield losses in sweetpotato and other crops worldwide. The identification of genes and mechanisms responsible for resistance to RKN will facilitate the development of RKN resistant cultivars not only in sweetpotato but also in other crops. In this study, we performed RNA-seq analysis of RKN resistant cultivars (RCs; Danjami, Pungwonmi and Juhwangmi) and susceptible cultivars (SCs; Dahomi, Shinhwangmi and Yulmi) of sweetpotato infected with M. incognita to examine the induced and constitutive defense response-related transcriptional changes. During induced defense, genes related to defense and secondary metabolites were induced in SCs, whereas those related to receptor protein kinase signaling and protein phosphorylation were induced in RCs. In the uninfected control, genes involved in proteolysis and biotic stimuli showed differential expression levels between RCs and SCs during constitutive defense. Additionally, genes related to redox regulation, lipid and cell wall metabolism, protease inhibitor and proteases were putatively identified as RKN defense-related genes. The root transcriptome of SCs was also analyzed under uninfected conditions, and several potential candidate genes were identified. Overall, our data provide key insights into the transcriptional changes in sweetpotato genes that occur during induced and constitutive defense responses against RKN infection.

Sound waves promote Arabidopsis thaliana root growth by regulating root phytohormone content

Sound waves affect plants at the biochemical, physical, and genetic levels. However, the mechanisms by which plants respond to sound waves are largely unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the effect of sound waves on Arabidopsis thaliana growth. The results of the study showed that Arabidopsis seeds exposed to sound waves (100 and 100 + 9k Hz) for 15 h per day for 3 day had significantly longer root growth than that in the control group. The root length and cell number in the root apical meristem were significantly affected by sound waves. Furthermore, genes involved in cell division were upregulated in seedlings exposed to sound waves. Root development was affected by the concentration and activity of some phytohormones, including cytokinin and auxin. Analysis of the expression levels of genes regulating cytokinin and auxin biosynthesis and signaling showed that cytokinin and ethylene signaling genes were downregulated, while auxin signaling and biosynthesis genes were upregulated in Arabidopsis exposed to sound waves. Additionally, the cytokinin and auxin concentrations of the roots of Arabidopsis plants increased and decreased, respectively, after exposure to sound waves. Our findings suggest that sound waves are potential agricultural tools for improving crop growth performance.

Real-time neurotransmitter monitoring in brain using 3D nanostructures

3D 나노 구조체 기반 신경전달물질 실시간 모니터링 기술 개발NGC001212

Comparative analysis of metabolite profiling of momordica charantia leaf and the anti-obesity effect through regulating lipid metabolism

This study investigated the effects of Momordica charantia (M. charantia) extract in obesity and abnormal lipid metabolism in mice fed high fat diet (HFD). Fruit, root, stem, and leaf extracts of M. charantia were obtained using distilled water, 70% ethanol and 95% hexane. M. charantia leaf distilled water extract (MCLW) showed the highest antioxidant activity in both 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity tests and reducing power. Metabolite profiles of M. charantia leaf extracts were analyzed for identification of bioactive compounds. HFD-fed mice were treated with MCLW (oral dose of 200 mg/kg/d) for 4 weeks. MCLW reduced lipid accumulation, body weight, organ weight, and adipose tissue volume and significantly improved glucose tolerance and insulin resistance in HFD mice. Furthermore, MCLW administration reduced serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and increased serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol compared with HFD mice. Moreover, MCLW significantly reduced the levels of serum urea nitrogen, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and aspartate aminotransferase; alleviated liver and kidney injury. MCLW decreases expression of genes that fatty acid synthesis; increase the expression of catabolic-related genes. These results indicate that MCLW has an inhibitory effect on obese induced by high fat diet intake, and the mechanism may be related to the regulation of abnormal lipid metabolism in liver and adipose tissue, suggesting that MCLW may be a suitable candidate for the treatment of obesity.

Production of recombinant miraculin protein in carrot callus via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation

Miraculin is a taste-modifying protein that interacts with human sweet-taste receptors and transforms a sour taste into sweet taste. Miraculin is extracted from the miracle fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum). Since mass production of miraculin is difficult because of regional and seasonal limitations, several attempts have been made to express miraculin in various cell systems. In this study, a binary vector containing the miraculin gene under the control of the SWPA2 promotor was introduced into carrot (Daucus carota) callus via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation to synthesize miraculin in carrot cell cultures. After 4 weeks of co-cultivation with Agrobacterium tumefaciens, 20 tentative transgenic callus (TC) lines were obtained on kanamycin selection medium. PCR analysis confirmed that 18 of these 20 lines (TC1？TC18) carried the miraculin gene, and 4 TC lines with high cell growth and gene expression (determined by RT-qPCR) were selected for further analysis. Protein analysis of these four TC lines by SDS-PAGE and Western blot showed that the miraculin protein was stably produced in TC lines. The cell growth showed no correlation with gene expression levels. The DNA content and G1 phase ratio were negatively correlated, whereas the S and G2/M phase ratios were positively correlated with gene expression. The ratio of cell cycle was determined by counting the number of cells in each step through flow cytometric analysis. These results indicate that gene expression was higher in TC lines with active cell division. Overall, our results demonstrate the feasibility of mass production of recombinant miraculin protein in transgenic cell culture systems.

The metabolite profile in culture supernatant of Aster yomena callus and its anti-photoaging effect in skin cells exposed to UVB

Aster yomena (A. yomena) extract has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-asthma, and anti-atopic effects. However, the commercial use of A. yomena extract requires a long processing time with specific processing steps (including heat treatment and ethanol precipitation), and there are various environmental problems. We aimed to build a system to produce A. yomena extract by culturing the callus in a bioreactor that can allow rapid process scale-up to test the effect of extract (AYC-CS-E) isolated from culture supernatant of A. yomena callus on photoaging of human keratinocytes (HaCaT) caused by ultraviolet B (UVB) exposure. Through screening analysis based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF-MS), 17 major metabolites were tentatively identified from AYC-CS-E for the first time. The suppression of cell proliferation caused by UVB was effectively alleviated in UVB-irradiated HaCaT cells treated with AYC-CS-E. Treatment with AYC-CS-E strongly induced the formation of type I procollagen and the inhibition of elastase in UVB-irradiated HaCaT cells and significantly reduced the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1. In addition, treatment of UVB-irradiated HaCaT cells with AYC-CS-E effectively improved various factors associated with an inflammatory reaction, skin damage recovery, skin moisture retention, and hyper-keratinization caused by photoaging, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), pro-inflammatory cytokines, transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), MMP-3, MMP-9, filaggrin, hyaluronic acid synthase 2 (HAS-2), keratin 1 (KRT-1), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) at the gene and protein levels. These results suggest that AYC-CS-E can be used as a cosmetic ingredient for various skin diseases caused by photoaging, and the current callus culture system can be used commercially to supply cosmetic ingredients.