Efficacy of forming biofilms by naphthalene degrading Pseudomonas stutzeri T102 toward bioremediation technology and its molecular mechanisms

In natural environments, bacteria often exist in close association with surfaces and interfaces. There they form "biofilms", multicellular aggregates held together by an extracellular matrix. The biofilms confer on the constituent cells high resistance to environmental stresses and diverse microenvironments that help generate cellular heterogeneity. Here we report on the ability of Pseudomonas stutzeri T102 biofilm-associated cells, as compared with that of planktonic cells, to degrade naphthalene and survive in petroleum-contaminated soils. In liquid culture system. T102 biofilm-associated cells did not degrade naphthalene during initial hours of incubation but then degraded it faster than planktonic cells, which degraded naphthalene at a nearly constant rate. This delayed but high degradation activity of the biofilms could be attributed to super-activated cells that were detached from the biofilms. When the fitness of T102 biofilm-associated cells was tested in natural petroleum-contaminated soils, they were capable of surviving for 10 wk; by then T102 planktonic cells were mostly extinct. Naphthalene degradation activity in the soils that had been inoculated with T102 biofilms was indeed higher than that observed in soils inoculated with T102 planktonic cells. These results suggest that inoculation of contaminated soils with P. stutzeri T102 biofilms should enable bioaugmentation to be a more durable and effective bioremediation technology than inoculation with planktonic cells

Brazilian propolis extract increases leptin expression in mouse adipocytes

We investigated the anti-obesity effects of Brazilian green propolis ethanol extract using a mouse model of obesity. Repeated intraperitoneal injection of propolis (100 mg/kg twice a week) caused feeding suppression in C57BL/6 mice, whereas this treatment had negligible effects on C57BL/6 ob/ob mice. Since C57BL/6 ob/ob mice have a missense mutation in the Lep gene, leptin is likely to contribute to the propolis-induced feeding suppression. We found that propolis treatment indeed clearly increased leptin mRNA production in the visceral adipose tissues. Moreover, propolis extract directly elevated leptin expression in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Artepillin C, an important organic compound found in Brazilian green propolis, failed to induce leptin mRNA in 3T3-L1 cells. Compounds other than artepillin C in Brazilian propolis must thus cause leptin induction in adipocytes, possibly resulting in the suppression of feeding and obesity

Propolis Ethanol Extract Stimulates Cytokine and Chemokine Production through NF-κB Activation in C2C12 Myoblasts

Myoblast activation is a triggering event for muscle remodeling. We assessed the stimulatory effects of propolis, a beehive product, on myoblasts. After an 8 h treatment with 100 μg/mL of Brazilian propolis ethanol extract, expression of various chemokines, including CCL-2 and CCL-5, and cytokines, such as IL-6, increased. This propolis-induced cytokine production appears to depend on NF-κB activation, because the IKK inhibitor BMS-345541 repressed mRNA levels of CCL-2 by ~66%, CCL-5 by ~81%, and IL-6 by ~69% after propolis treatment. Supernatant from propolis-conditioned C2C12 cells upregulated RAW264 macrophage migration. The supernatant also stimulated RAW264 cells to produce angiogenic factors, including VEGF-A and MMP-12. Brazilian green propolis therefore causes myoblasts to secrete cytokines and chemokines, which might contribute to tissue remodeling of skeletal muscle

Propolis Ethanol Extract Stimulates Cytokine and Chemokine Production through NF-κB Activation in C2C12 Myoblasts

Myoblast activation is a triggering event for muscle remodeling. We assessed the stimulatory effects of propolis, a beehive product, on myoblasts. After an 8 h treatment with 100 μg/mL of Brazilian propolis ethanol extract, expression of various chemokines, including CCL-2 and CCL-5, and cytokines, such as IL-6, increased. This propolis-induced cytokine production appears to depend on NF-κB activation, because the IKK inhibitor BMS-345541 repressed mRNA levels of CCL-2 by ~66%, CCL-5 by ~81%, and IL-6 by ~69% after propolis treatment. Supernatant from propolis-conditioned C2C12 cells upregulated RAW264 macrophage migration. The supernatant also stimulated RAW264 cells to produce angiogenic factors, including VEGF-A and MMP-12. Brazilian green propolis therefore causes myoblasts to secrete cytokines and chemokines, which might contribute to tissue remodeling of skeletal muscle

Macrophage ubiquitin-specific protease 2 modifies insulin sensitivity in obese mice

We previously reported that ubiquitin-specific protease (USP) 2 in macrophages down-regulates genes associated with metabolic diseases, suggesting a putative anti-diabetic role for USP2 in macrophages. In this study, we evaluate this role at both cellular and individual levels. Isolated macrophages forcibly expressing Usp2a, a longer splicing variant of USP2, failed to modulate the insulin sensitivity of 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Similarly, macrophage-selective overexpression of Usp2a in mice (Usp2a transgenic mice) had a negligible effect on insulin sensitivity relative to wild type littermates following a three-month high-fat diet. However, Usp2a transgenic mice exhibited fewer M1 macrophages in their mesenteric adipose tissue. Following a six-month high-fat diet, Usp2a transgenic mice exhibited a retarded progression of insulin resistance in their skeletal muscle and liver, and an improvement in insulin sensitivity at an individual level. Although conditioned media from Usp2a-overexpressing macrophages did not directly affect the insulin sensitivity of C2C12 myotubes compared to media from control macrophages, they did increase the insulin sensitivity of C2C12 cells after subsequent conditioning with 3T3-L1 cells. These results indicate that macrophage USP2A hampers obesity-elicited insulin resistance via an adipocyte-dependent mechanism