Dietary phenethylisothiocyanate attenuates bowel inflammation in mice

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Phenethylisothiocyanate (PEITC) is produced by Brassica food plants. PEO is a <b>P</b>EITC <b>E</b>ssential <b>O</b>il containing >95% natural PEITC. PEITC is known to produce various health benefits but its effect in alleviation of ulcerative colitis signs is unknown.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In two efficacy studies (acute and chronic) oral administration of PEO was effective at remitting acute and chronic signs of ulcerative colitis (UC) in mice. Disease activity, histology and biochemical characteristics were measured in the treated animals and were compared with appropriate controls. PEO treatment significantly improved body weights and stool consistency as well as decreased intestinal bleeding. PEO treatment also reduced mucosal inflammation, depletion of goblet cells and infiltration of inflammatory cells. Attenuation of proinflammatory interleukin1β production was observed in the colons of PEO-treated animals. Expression analyses were also carried out for immune function related genes, transcription factors and cytokines in lipopolysaccharide-activated mouse macrophage cells. PEO likely affects an intricate network of immune signaling genes including a novel concentration dependent reduction of total cellular Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 1 (STAT1) as well as nuclear phosphorylated-STAT1 (activated form of STAT1). A PEO-concentration dependent decrease of mRNA of C-X-C motif ligand 10 (a STAT1 responsive chemokine) and Interleukin 6 were also observed.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>PEO might be a promising candidate to develop as a treatment for ulcerative colitis patients. The disease attenuation by PEO is likely associated with suppression of activation of STAT1 transcription and inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines.</p

Slowing down in the three-dimensional three-state Potts glass with nearest neighbor exchange ± J: A Monte Carlo study

PACS. 64.60.Cn Order-disorder transformations; statistical mechanics of model systems - 75.50.Lk Spin glasses and other random magnets - 02.70.Lq Monte-Carlo and statistical methods,

Effects of methylmercury and trimethyltin on cardiac, platelet, and aorta eicosanoid biosynthesis and platelet serotonin release

NRC publication: Ye

Dynamics of DiPGME-Water Mixtures in Mesoporous Silica

In this study, we have combined dielectric spectroscopy and H-2 NMR to elucidate the molecular dynamics of aqueous solutions of dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether (DiPGME) confined into 2.8 nm pores of MCM-41. The results show that the concentration dependence of the dynamics is completely different compared to the corresponding bulk solutions, where a pronounced nonmonotonic concentration dependence was observed for the glass transition and its related a-relaxation. In the confinement, both the cooperative alpha-relaxation and the more local beta-relaxation are almost unaffected by the water concentration. The main reasons for this seem to be that there is a preferential hydration of the inner pore surfaces, leading to a strong concentration gradient in the pores, as well as ice formation at higher water concentrations (45 wt % and above during heating), also leading to less water and a weaker concentration dependence in DiPGME-rich regions. The beta-process is observed in the DS measurements even for confined DiPGME, without any water. This implies that the beta-relaxation is strongly enhanced, compared to the alpha-relaxation, in the confinement, since it could not be clearly observed in the bulk liquid. A beta-relaxation due to water was observed in the bulk solutions, but this process was rapidly speeding up with increasing water concentration, while it is basically concentration independent in the confinement. From the NMR measurements, it was also possible to conclude that the a-relaxation of the confined solutions is composed of a number of consecutive small-angle elementary rotational jumps, and that the beta-process is related to a spatially restricted motion

Effects of Mutant Ubiquitin on ts1 Retrovirus-Mediated Neuropathology

ts1 is a temperature-sensitive mutant of Moloney murine leukemia virus that induces a rapid spongiform encephalopathy in mice infected as newborns. The pathological features include the formation of ubiquitinated inclusions resembling Lewy bodies. To determine how perturbation of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway might affect ts1-mediated neurodegeneration, the virus was introduced into transgenic mice in which the assembly of ubiquitin chains was compromised by the expression of dominant-negative mutant ubiquitin. The onset of symptoms was greatly delayed in a transgenic mouse line expressing K48R mutant ubiquitin; no such delay was observed in mice expressing a wild-type ubiquitin transgene or K63R mutant ubiquitin. The extended latency was found to correlate with a delayed increase in viral titers. Pathological findings in K48R transgenic mice at 60 days were found to be similar to those in the other strains at 30 days, suggesting that while delayed, the neurodegenerative process in K48R mice was otherwise similar. These data demonstrate the sensitivity of retroviral replication to the partial disruption of ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis in vivo, a finding that may have therapeutic potential