Hepatoprotective Effect of Polyphenol-Enriched Fraction from Folium Microcos

Folium Microcos (FM), the leaves of Microcos paniculata L., shows various biological functions including antioxidant activity and α-glucosidase inhibitory effect. However, its therapeutic potential in acute liver injury is still unknown. This study investigated the hepatoprotective effect and underlying mechanisms of the polyphenol-enriched fraction (FMF) from Folium Microcos. FMF exhibited strong free radical scavenging activities and prevented HepG2/Hepa1–6 cells from hydrogen peroxide- (H2O2-) induced ROS production and apoptosis in vitro. Antioxidant activity and cytoprotective effects were further verified by alleviating APAP-induced hepatotoxicity in mice. Western blot analysis revealed that FMF pretreatment significantly abrogated APAP-mediated phosphorylation of MAPKs, activation of proapoptotic protein caspase-3/9 and Bax, and restored expression of antiapoptotic protein Bcl2. APAP-intoxicated mice pretreated with FMF showed increased nuclear accumulation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2) and elevated hepatic expression of its target genes, NAD(P)H:quinine oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) and hemeoxygenase-1(HO-1). HPLC analysis revealed the four predominantly phenolic compounds present in FMF: narcissin, isorhamnetin-3-O-β-D-glucoside, isovitexin, and vitexin. Consequently, these findings indicate that FMF possesses a hepatoprotective effect against APAP-induced hepatotoxicity mainly through dual modification of ROS/MAPKs/apoptosis axis and Nrf2-mediated antioxidant response, which may be attributed to the strong antioxidant activity of phenolic components

Chromosome-level genome assembly of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) using PacBio and Hi-C technologies

The largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) has become a cosmopolitan species due to its widespread introduction as game or domesticated fish. Here a high-quality chromosome-level reference genome of M. salmoides was produced by combining Illumina paired-end sequencing, PacBio single molecule sequencing technique (SMRT) and High-through chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) technologies. Ultimately, the genome was assembled into 844.88 Mb with a contig N50 of 15.68 Mb and scaffold N50 length of 35.77 Mb. About 99.9% assembly genome sequences (844.00 Mb) could be anchored to 23 chromosomes, and 98.03% assembly genome sequences could be ordered and directed. The genome contained 38.19% repeat sequences and 2693 noncoding RNAs. A total of 26,370 protein-coding genes from 3415 gene families were predicted, of which 97.69% were functionally annotated. The high-quality genome assembly will be a fundamental resource to study and understand how M. salmoides adapt to novel and changing environments around the world, and also be expected to contribute to the genetic breeding and other research.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Genetic Polymorphisms in Enzymes Involved in One-Carbon Metabolism and Anti-epileptic Drug Monotherapy on Homocysteine Metabolism in Patients With Epilepsy

Aims: To investigate the effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes of one-carbon metabolism (OCM) related enzymes and anti-epileptic drug (AED) monotherapy on homocysteine (Hcy) metabolism in patients with epilepsy, and to further explore specific SNPs that may increase patients' susceptibility to the effects of AEDs on the Hcy imbalance.Method: This case-control study analyzed 279 patients with epilepsy, including patients receiving monotherapy with valproate (VPA) (n = 53), oxcarbazepine (OXC) (n = 71), lamotrigine (LTG) (n = 55), or levetiracetam (LEV) (n = 35) and patients who had not taken any AEDs (controls, n = 65) for at least 6 months. Serum levels of vitamin B12 (vit B12), folate (FA) and Hcy were measured, and 23 SNPs in 13 genes of OCM-related enzymes were genotyped in all patients.Results: Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) rs1801133 was associated with elevated serum Hcy levels in patients with epilepsy (P < 0.001), and patients presenting the TT genotype exhibited higher serum Hcy levels than patients with the CC (P < 0.001) or CT (P < 0.001) genotype. A subsequent multiple linear regression analysis showed that AED monotherapy with VPA (vs. control: P = 0.023) or OXC (vs. control: P = 0.041), and genotypes of MTHFR rs1801133 TT (vs. CC: P < 0.001; vs. CT: P < 0.001), transcobalamin 2 (TCN2) rs1801198 CC (vs. GC: P = 0.039) and folate receptor 1 (FOLR1) rs2071010 AA (vs. GA: P = 0.031) were independent risk factors for higher Hcy levels. In the subgroup analysis of patients taking OXC, we found that patients with genotypes of MTHFR rs1801133 TT (vs. CC: P = 0.001; vs. CT: P < 0.001) and TCN2 rs1801198 CC (vs. GC: P = 0.021; vs. GG: P = 0.018) exhibited higher serum Hcy levels.Conclusions: VPA, OXC, and genotypes of MTHFR rs1801133 TT, TCN2 rs1801198 CC, and FOLR1 rs2071010 AA are all independent risk factors for elevated Hcy levels in patients with epilepsy. Moreover, genotypes of MTHFR rs1801133 TT and TCN2 rs1801198 CC may increase patients' susceptibility to the effect of OXC on disrupting Hcy homeostasis

Effect of surfactant addition on leaching process of weathered crust elution-deposited rare earth ores with magnesium sulfate

Surfactants were proposed to be added into magnesium sulfate solution to improve the leaching process of weathered crust elution-deposited rare earth ores (WREOs). Effects of surfactants and their concentration on the seepage of leaching solutions and the leaching efficiency of rare earth (RE) and aluminum (Al) were investigated, and the leaching kinetics, the mass transfer process, the adhesion work and the adhesion work reduction factor were analyzed to reveal its strengthening leaching mechanism. The results show that cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) has a better strengthening effect on the leaching process than dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), sodium oleate and oleic acid. In the presence of 0.04% CTAB in 0.2 mol/L solution, the permeability coefficient of WREOs increases from 0.945×10−5 to 1.640×10−5 cm·s−1, and the leaching efficiency of RE increases from 80% to 90%, confirming the promotion of surfactants on the leaching process of WREOs. Kinetic analysis shows that the leaching process conforms to the inner diffusion control model, and the leaching kinetics equations of RE and Al related to CTAB content are obtained. Mass transfer discussion shows a smaller height equivalent to theoretical plate (HETP) of RE and Al at CTAB content of 0.04%, suggesting the higher mass transfer efficiency here. According to the interfacial properties of leaching solutions, the calculated adhesion work and the adhesion work reduction factor further demonstrate the strengthening leaching effect of CTAB on the leaching process of WREOs

Transcriptome Analysis of the Innate Immunity-Related Complement System in Spleen Tissue of Ctenopharyngodon idella Infected with Aeromonas hydrophila.

The grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) is an important commercial farmed herbivorous fish species in China, but is susceptible to Aeromonas hydrophila infections. In the present study, we performed de novo RNA-Seq sequencing of spleen tissue from specimens of a disease-resistant family, which were given intra-peritoneal injections containing PBS with or without a dose of A. hydrophila. The fish were sampled from the control group at 0 h, and from the experimental group at 4, 8, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h. 122.18 million clean reads were obtained from the normalized cDNA libraries; these were assembled into 425,260 contigs and then 191,795 transcripts. Of those, 52,668 transcripts were annotated with the NCBI Nr database, and 41,347 of the annotated transcripts were assigned into 90 functional groups. 20,569 unigenes were classified into six main categories, including 38 secondary KEGG pathways. 2,992 unigenes were used in the analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs). 89 of the putative DEGs were related to the immune system and 41 of them were involved in the complement and coagulation cascades pathway. This study provides insights into the complement and complement-related pathways involved in innate immunity, through expression profile analysis of the genomic resources in C. idella. We conclude that complement and complement-related genes play important roles during defense against A. hydrophila infection. The immune response is activated at 4 h after the bacterial injections, indicating that the complement pathways are activated at the early stage of bacterial infection. The study has improved our understanding of the immune response mechanisms in C. idella to bacterial pathogens