Singlet oxygen quenching by deoxygadusol and related mycosporine-like amino acids from phytoplankton Prorocentrum micans

Deoxygadusol (DG) and structurally related mycosporine-like amino acids, i.e. mycosporine glycine (MG) and mycosporine taurine (MT), were isolated from phytoplankton Prorocentrum micans and studied for the reactivity toward singlet oxygen. These water-soluble compounds with a cyclohexenone chromophore were all shown to be highly effective in quenching singlet oxygen

Gardenia jasminoides

Ultraviolet radiation (UV) is a major cause of photoaging, which also involves inflammatory cytokines and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP). The present study was undertaken to examine the UVB-protecting effects of yellow-colored plant extracts in cell-based assays. HaCaT keratinocytes were exposed to UVB in the absence or presence of plant extracts, and resulting changes in cell viability and inflammatory cytokine expression were measured. Of the plant extracts tested, Gardenia jasminoides extract showed the lowest cytotoxicity and dose-dependently enhanced the viabilities of UVB-exposed cells. Gardenia jasminoides extract also attenuated the mRNA expressions of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in HaCaT cells stimulated by UVB. Conditioned medium from UVB-exposed HaCaT cells was observed to stimulate MMP-1 protein expression in human dermal fibroblasts, and this effect was much smaller for the conditioned medium of HaCaT cells exposed to UVB in the presence of Gardenia jasminoides extract. Gardenia jasminoides extract also exhibited antioxidative and antiapoptotic effects in HaCaT cells exposed to UVB. These results indicated that UVB-induced injury and inflammatory responses of skin cells can be attenuated by yellow-colored plant extracts, such as Gardenia jasminoides extract

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Pomegranate Peel Extract in THP-1 Cells Exposed to Particulate Matter PM10

Epidemiological and experimental evidence support health risks associated with the exposure to airborne particulate matter with a diameter of <10 μM (PM10). PM10 stimulates the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammatory mediators. Thus, we assumed that natural antioxidants might provide health benefits attenuating hazardous effects of PM10. In the present study, we examined the effects of pomegranate peel extract (PPE) on THP-1 monocytic cells exposed to PM10. PM10 induced cytotoxicity and the production of ROS. It also increased the expression and secretion of inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and cell adhesion molecules, such as intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1). PPE at 10–100 μg mL−1 attenuated the production of ROS and the expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, MCP-1, and ICAM-1, but not VCAM-1, in THP-1 cells stimulated by PM10 (100 μg mL−1). PPE also attenuated the adhesion of PM10-stimulated THP-1 cells to EA.hy926 endothelial cells. PPE constituents, punicalagin and ellagic acid, attenuated PM10-induced monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells, and punicalagin was less cytotoxic compared to ellagic acid. The present study suggests that PPE and punicalagin may be useful in alleviating inflammatory reactions due to particulate matter

Growth differentiation factor 11 locally controls anterior-posterior patterning of the axial skeleton.

Growth and differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) is a transforming growth factor β family member that has been identified as the central player of anterior-posterior (A-P) axial skeletal patterning. Mice homozygous for Gdf11 deletion exhibit severe anterior homeotic transformations of the vertebrae and craniofacial defects. During early embryogenesis, Gdf11 is expressed predominantly in the primitive streak and tail bud regions, where new mesodermal cells arise. On the basis of this expression pattern of Gdf11 and the phenotype of Gdf11 mutant mice, it has been suggested that GDF11 acts to specify positional identity along the A-P axis either by local changes in levels of signaling as development proceeds or by acting as a morphogen. To further investigate the mechanism of action of GDF11 in the vertebral specification, we used a Cdx2-Cre transgene to generate mosaic mice in which Gdf11 expression is removed in posterior regions including the tail bud, but not in anterior regions. The skeletal analysis revealed that these mosaic mice display patterning defects limited to posterior regions where Gdf11 expression is deficient, whereas displaying normal skeletal phenotype in anterior regions where Gdf11 is normally expressed. Specifically, the mosaic mice exhibited seven true ribs, a pattern observed in wild-type (wt) mice (vs. 10 true ribs in Gdf11-/- mice), in the anterior axis and nine lumbar vertebrae, a pattern observed in Gdf11 null mice (vs. six lumbar vertebrae in wt mice), in the posterior axis. Our findings suggest that GDF11, rather than globally acting as a morphogen secreted from the tail bud, locally regulates axial vertebral patterning

Compositional assessment of carotenoid-biofortified rice using substantial equivalence

One important aspect in assessing the safety of genetically modified (GM) crops for human consumption is characterizing their nutrient composition. A β-carotene-biofortified rice was generated by inserting phytoene synthase (Psy) and carotene desaturase (Crtl) genes isolated from Capsicum and Pantoea into the genome of a conventional variety of rice (Nakdongbyeo). Nutrients (proximates, amino acids, fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins), anti-nutritive components (trypsin inhibitors and phytic acid), and ferulic acid in GM rice were compared with those in the parent line Nakdongbyeo. Statistical comparisons to test for equivalence showed that all of the analyzed components in the GM plants were equivalent to those in its non-transgenic counterpart, and most nutritional components fell within the range of values reported for other commercial lines, indicating the safety of the GM plant.Key words: Genetically modified crop, β-Carotene, Transgenic rice, Nutrient, Substantial equivalence

CD160 serves as a negative regulator of NKT cells in acute hepatic injury

[EN] CD160 and BTLA both bind to herpes virus entry mediator. Although a negative regulatory function of BTLA in natural killer T (NKT) cell activation has been reported, whether CD160 is also involved is unclear. By analyzing CD160−/− mice and mixed bone marrow chimeras, we show that CD160 is not essential for NKT cell development. However, CD160−/− mice exhibit severe liver injury after in vivo challenge with α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer). Moreover, CD160−/− mice are more susceptible to Concanavalin A challenge, and display elevated serum AST and ALT levels, hyperactivation of NKT cells, and enhanced IFN-γ, TNF, and IL-4 production. Lastly, inhibition of BTLA by anti-BTLA mAb aggravates α-GalCer-induced hepatic injury in CD160−/− mice, suggesting that both CD160 and BTLA serve as non-overlapping negative regulators of NKT cells. Our data thus implicate CD160 as a co-inhibitory receptor that delivers antigen-dependent signals in NKT cells to dampen cytokine production during early innate immune activationSIWe thank the NIH Tetramer Core Facility for providing PBS 57 ligand loaded CD1d Tetramers. Further, we thank the staffs of Gyerim Experimental Animal Resource Center for animal care and technical assistance. K.-M. Lee was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future planning (NRF-2016M3A9B6948342, NRF- 2017R1A2B3004828, and NRF-2018M3A9D3079288). S.-J. Kim was supported by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI-HI14C2640) grant funded by Korea Government. S.-J. Ha was supported by a grant from the NRF (NRF- 2018R1A2A1A05076997). T.-J. Kim was additionally supported by a grant from the NRF (NRF-2016R1A6A3A04009698

Isolation and Characterization of a Defensin-Like Peptide (Coprisin) from the Dung Beetle, Copris tripartitus

The antibacterial activity of immune-related peptides, identified by a differential gene expression analysis, was investigated to suggest novel antibacterial peptides. A cDNA encoding a defensin-like peptide, Coprisin, was isolated from bacteria-immunized dung beetle, Copris tripartitus, by using differential dot blot hybridization. Northern blot analysis showed that Coprisin mRNA was up-regulated from 4 hours after bacteria injection and its expression level was reached a peak at 16 hours. The deduced amino acid sequence of Coprisin was composed of 80 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 8.6 kDa and a pI of 8.7. The amino acid sequence of mature Coprisin was found to be 79.1% and 67.4% identical to those of defensin-like peptides of Anomala cuprea and Allomyrina dichotoma, respectively. We also investigated active sequences of Coprisin by using amino acid modification. The result showed that the 9-mer peptide, LLCIALRKK-NH2, exhibited potent antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus

Prognostic Factors and Clinical Outcomes of High-Dose Chemotherapy followed by Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients with Peripheral T Cell Lymphoma, Unspecified: Complete Remission at Transplantation and the Prognostic Index of Peripheral T Cell Lymphoma Are the Major Factors Predictive of Outcome

AbstractHigh-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (HDT/ASCT) offers a rescue option for T cell lymphoma patients with poor prognosis. However, the effectiveness of HDT/ASCT in patients with various peripheral T cell subtypes, optimal transplant timing, and the prognostic factors that predict better outcomes, have not been identified. We retrospectively investigated the clinical outcomes and prognostic factors for HDT/ASCT in 64 Korean patients with peripheral T cell lymphoma, unspecified (PTCL-U) between March 1995 and February 2007. The median age at transplantation was 44 years (range: 15-63 years). According to the age-adjusted International Prognostic Index (a-IPI) and the prognostic index of PTCL (PIT), 8 patients (12.5%) were in the high-risk group and 16 (26.6%) had the 2-3 PIT factors, respectively. After a median follow-up of 29.7 months, the 3-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 53.0% ± 7.5% and 44.3% ± 7.0%, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that poor performance status, high lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels, high a-IPI score, high PIT classes, failure to achieve complete response (CR) at transplantation, and nonfrontline transplantation were associated with poor OS. Multivariate analysis showed that failure to achieve CR at transplantation (hazard ratio [HR] 2.23; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.78-7.93) and 2-3 PIT factors (HR 3.76; 95% CI 1.02-5.42) were independent prognostic factors for OS. Failure to achieve CR at transplantation and high PIT are negative predictable factors for survival following HDT/ASCT in patients with PTCL-U

Protective Effects of Platycodon grandiflorum Aqueous Extract on Thioacetamide-induced Fulminant Hepatic Failure in Mice

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the protective activity of aqueous extract from Platycodon grandiflorum (BC703) on thioacetamide (TA)-induced hepatotoxicity in mice. We found that BC703 significantly decreased mortality and the change in serum transaminase following TA administration. The group treated with BC703 at doses of 1, 5, and 10 mg/kg produced significant hepatoprotective effects against TA-induced liver damage by decreasing the activities of serum enzymes, nitric oxide and lipid peroxidation in dose-dependent manners. Histopathological studies further substantiated the protective effect of BC703. These results show the hepatoprotective activity of aqueous extract from Platycodon grandiflorum on thioacetamide-induced fulminant hepatic failure