A role for taurine in mitochondrial function

The mitochondrial pH gradient across the inner-membrane is stabilised by buffering of the matrix. A low-molecular mass buffer compound has to be localised in the matrix to maintain its alkaline pH value. Taurine is found ubiquitously in animal cells with concentrations in the millimolar range and its pKa value is determined to 9.0 (25°C) and 8.6 (37°C), respectively. Localisation of such a low-molecular buffer in the mitochondrial matrix, transforms the matrix into a biochemical reaction chamber for the important matrix-localised enzyme systems. Three acyl-CoA dehydrogenase enzymes, which are pivotal for beta-oxidation of fatty acids, are demonstrated to have optimal activity in a taurine buffer. By application of the model presented, taurine depletion caused by hyperglycemia could provide a link between mitochondrial dysfunction and diabetes

An efficient, robust, and inexpensive grinding device for herbal samples like <i>Cinchona</i> bark

An effective, robust, and inexpensive grinding device for the grinding of herb samples like bark and roots was developed by rebuilding a commercially available coffee grinder. The grinder was constructed to be able to provide various particle sizes, to be easy to clean, and to have a minimum of dead volume. The recovery of the sample when grinding as little as 50 mg of crude Cinchona bark was about 60%. Grinding is performed in seconds with no rise in temperature, and the grinder is easily disassembled to be cleaned. The influence of the particle size of the obtained powders on the recovery of analytes in extracts of Cinchona bark was investigated using HPLC

A SynoviocyteModel for Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis: Response to Ibuprofen, Betamethasone, and Ginger Extract—A Cross-Sectional In Vitro Study

This study aimed at determining if synovial cell cultures from rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis (OA), and healthy controls (HC) differ and are suitable disease models in pharmacological studies, and tested their response to some anti-inflammatory drugs. Synovial cells were isolated from synovial membrane or joint fluid. Cells were cultivated and exposed to no or TNF-α stimulation without, or in the presence of, betamethasone, ibuprofen, or a standardized ginger extract. Concentrations of a panel of cytokines, growth factors, and chemokines were mapped for each culture and condition. Our cells secreted an increased amount of the cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 in response to TNF-α stimulation in all conditions. OA cells showed a higher IL-6 and IL-8 and a lower IL-1β production, when not stimulated, than RA and HC cells, which were similar. TNF-α stimulation caused similar IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 release in all groups. Ibuprofen showed no effect on cytokine production, while ginger extract was similar to betamethasone. Ginger extract was as effective an anti-inflammatory agent as betamethasone in this in vitro model. Cultured fibroblast-like synoviocytes from OA and RA subjects promise to be a useful pharmacological disease model, but further studies, to support results from such a model are needed

Absorption, conjugation and excretion of the flavanones, naringenin and hesperetin from α-rhamnosidase-treated orange juice in human subjects

We have determined the absorption, conjugation and excretion of naringenin-7-O-rutinoside (narirutin) compared to the corresponding glucoside in an orange juice matrix in human subjects. Healthy volunteers (eight men and eight women), in a double blind, randomised, crossover study, consumed orange juice with (1) natural content of naringenin-7-O-rutinoside; (2) α-rhamnosidase-treated to yield naringenin-7-O-glucoside. Blood was sampled at twelve time points and three fractions of urine were collected over 24h. The area under the plasma-time curve of naringenin from (2) α-rhamnosidase-treated orange juice was increased about 4-fold (P<0·0001), peak plasma concentration (Cmax) was 5·4-fold higher (P<0·0001) and Tmax was decreased from 311 to 92min (P=0·002) compared to untreated orange juice (1), indicating a change in absorption site from the colon to the small intestine. Furthermore, the amount in urine was increased from 7 to 47% (P<0·0001) of the dose after consumption of the α-rhamnosidase-treated orange juice (2). All urine samples contained both naringenin-7- and -4′-O-glucuronides. In addition, to examine the effect of dose and α-rhamnosidase treatment on hesperetin conjugate profiles, a further treatment where (3) orange juice fortified with three times the original content of hesperetin-7-O-rutinoside was used. Five hesperetin metabolites (3′-O-glucuronide; 7-O-glucuronide; 5,7-O-diglucuronide; 3′,7-O-diglucuronide; 3′-O-sulphate) were present after all treatments (1-3), with the same profile of the conjugates. The present data show that bioavailability of naringenin is increased by conversion from rutinoside to glucoside, but the profile of the conjugates of flavanones formed and excreted in urine is neither affected by the absorption site nor by a 3-fold change in dos

Penentuan Waktu Tanam Bawang Merah(allium Ascalonicum L) Berdasarkan Neraca Air Lahan Di Kecamatan Petang, Kabupaten Badung

The timing of planting shallots (Allium ascalonicum L). Based on Soil Water Balance Land in districts Petang, order to determine the water balance Land in Districts Petang, knowing Water balance land and crop water needs shallots so that can determine the time of planting shallots right in District Petang. This study uses the average precipitation, humidity, solar radiation, wind speed and temperature. From the average data of climate is then used to calculate potential evapotranspiration (ETo) using CropWat application for windows. ETo of calculation is used to analyze the soil water balance, using the method of Thornthwaite and Mather, (1957). The results showed that potential evapotranspiration in the evening during the year amounted to 1643 mm with actual evapotranspiration (ETA) of 1591 mm. Periods of water surplus land in the evening lasted for seven months in November - in May. Water re-charging period (recharge) to the land which has been experiencing drought occurred in November, the best planting time for the shallots in Petang is December. With increasing water needs in accordance with the increasing age of the plant, which peaked in mid-stage season stage. Thus the plants can utilize the water contained in the soil for the growth of vegetative and generative growth of these plants do not require much water and harvest is expected in February

Observation of the Early Structural Changes Leading to the Formation of Protein Superstructures.

Formation of superstructures in protein aggregation processes has been indicated as a general pathway for several proteins, possibly playing a role in human pathologies. There is a severe lack of knowledge on the origin of such species in terms of both mechanisms of formation and structural features. We use equine lysozyme as a model protein, and by combining spectroscopic techniques and microscopy with X-ray fiber diffraction and ab initio modeling of Small Angle X-ray Scattering data, we isolate the partially unfolded state from which one of these superstructures (i.e., particulate) originates. We reveal the low-resolution structure of the unfolded state and its mechanism of formation, highlighting the physicochemical features and the possible pathway of formation of the particulate structure. Our findings provide a novel detailed knowledge of such a general and alternative aggregation pathway for proteins, this being crucial for a basic and broader understanding of the aggregation phenomena.This is the author's accepted manuscript and will be under embargo until the 3rd of September 2015. The final version is published by ACS in The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters here: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jz501614e