Effect of chicken manure amendment on lead burden in mice : exposure to lead-spiked soil

Purpose Adding organic soil amendments, like animal manure, can alleviate the mobility of lead (Pb). However, there is a scarcity of in vivo studies examining the impact of animal manure as a soil amendment on mammals. Methods Six C57BL/6 mice per group were raised for 30 and 98 days on soil containing 3000 mg Pb/kg. On Pb-spiked soil, chicken manure (40 t/ha) was applied as an immobilizer. Pb concentrations in the tissues were analyzed using ICP-MS after microwave digestion. RT-PCR was used to measure the mRNA expression of antioxidant and cell apoptosis genes in the liver, kidneys, and brain. Results When chicken manure was used as the immobilizer in Pb-spiked soil, Pb concentrations in the brain, kidneys, and lungs at day 30 were significantly different (p < 0.05) with reduction percentages of 28.58, 26.63, and 25.62, respectively. The brain, kidneys, liver, and bone, except for the lungs and trachea, also showed a similar reducing phenomenon on day 98, with percentages of 11.82, 4.63, 29.87, and 14.54, respectively. There was a significant difference in the levels of Nrf2, HMOX1, SOD1, CAT, BCL2, and Bax in the brain between Pb-exposed and remediated groups after 98 days of exposure. Conclusions This study highlights that the utilization of chicken manure reduced Pb accumulation in tissues (6.25-28.58% at 30 days and 4.63-29.87% at 98 days). This reduction in Pb accumulation subsequently alleviated the body burden by activating antioxidant genes in the brain, notably HMOX1, SOD1, and CAT

Method to Convert Stem Cells into Cancer Stem Cells

The cancer stem cell (CSC) hypothesis suggests that tumors are sustained exclusively by a small population of the cells with stem cell properties. CSCs have been identified in most tumors and are responsible for the initiation, recurrence, and resistance of different cancers. In vitro CSC models will be of great help in revisiting the mechanism of cancer development, as well as the tumor microenvironment and the heterogeneity of cancer and metastasis. Our group recently described the generation of CSCs from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which were reprogrammed from normal cells, and/or embryonic stem cells (ESCs). This procedure will improve the understanding of the essential niche involved in cancer initiation. The composition of this cancer-inducing niche, if identified, will let us know how normal cells convert to malignant in the body and how, in turn, cancer prevention could be achieved. Further, once developed, CSCs demonstrate the ability to differentiate into endothelial cells, cancer-associated fibroblasts, and other phenotypes establishing the CSC niche. These will be good materials for developing novel cancer treatments. In this protocol, we describe how to handle mouse iPSCs/ESCs and how to choose the critical time for starting the conversion into CSCs. This CSC generation protocol is essential for understanding the role of CSC in cancer initiation and progress