HPRT Mutations in Lymphocytes from 1,3-Butadiene-Exposed Workers in China

BACKGROUND: 1,3-Butadiene (BD) is an important industrial chemical and an environmental and occupational pollutant. The carcinogenicity of BD in rodents has been proved, but its carcinogenic and mutagenic molecular mechanism(s) are not fully elucidated in humans. OBJECTIVES: In the present study, we compared the mutation frequencies and exon deletions of BD-exposed workers with that of control subjects in China to identify the characteristic mutations associated with BD exposure in the human HPRT (hypoxanthine–guanine–phosphoribosyltransferase) gene. METHODS: Seventy-four workers exposed to BD via inhalation and 157 matched controls were evaluated in Nanjing, China. Molecular analysis of HPRT mutant T lymphocytes from BDexposed workers and nonexposed control subjects was conducted to identify changes in the structure of the HPRT gene. A total of 783 HPRT mutants were analyzed by multiplex polymerase chain reaction, in which 368 HPRT mutants were isolated from BD-exposed workers and 415 mutants from control subjects. RESULTS: The BD-exposed workers showed a higher mutation frequency (18.2 ± 9.4 × 10 –6) than the control subjects (12.7 ± 7.3 × 10 –6), but the difference was not significant (p> 0.05). The frequency of exon deletions in BD-exposed workers (27.4%) was significantly higher than that in control subjects (12.5%) (p < 0.05), which mainly included multiplex exon deletions (2–8 exons). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study suggest that BD should increase the frequency of large deletions of HPRT gene in human lymphocytes This change confirms and supports the previous findings in BD-exposed workers. KEY WORDS: 1,3-butadiene, BD, exon deletion, HPRT gene, lymphocyte, occupational exposure. Environ Health Perspect 116:203–208 (2008). doi:10.1289/ehp.10353 available vi

A Novel 5-Enolpyruvylshikimate-3-Phosphate Synthase Shows High Glyphosate Tolerance in Escherichia coli and Tobacco Plants

A key enzyme in the shikimate pathway, 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) is the primary target of the broad-spectrum herbicide glyphosate. Identification of new aroA genes coding for EPSPS with a high level of glyphosate tolerance is essential for the development of glyphosate-tolerant crops. In the present study, the glyphosate tolerance of five bacterial aroA genes was evaluated in the E. coli aroA-defective strain ER2799 and in transgenic tobacco plants. All five aroA genes could complement the aroA-defective strain ER2799, and AM79 aroA showed the highest glyphosate tolerance. Although glyphosate treatment inhibited the growth of both WT and transgenic tobacco plants, transgenic plants expressing AM79 aroA tolerated higher concentration of glyphosate and had a higher fresh weight and survival rate than plants expressing other aroA genes. When treated with high concentration of glyphosate, lower shikimate content was detected in the leaves of transgenic plants expressing AM79 aroA than transgenic plants expressing other aroA genes. These results suggest that AM79 aroA could be a good candidate for the development of transgenic glyphosate-tolerant crops

High-Throughput Fabrication of Antibacterial Starch/PBAT/AgNPs@SiO2 Films for Food Packaging

In this current work, antimicrobial films based on starch, poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), and a commercially available AgNPs@SiO2 antibacterial composite particle product were produced by using a melt blending and blowing technique. The effects of AgNPs@SiO2 at various loadings (0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 wt%) on the physicochemical properties and antibacterial activities of starch/PBAT composite films were investigated. AgNPs@SiO2 particles were more compatible with starch than PBAT, resulting in preferential distribution of AgNPs@SiO2 in the starch phase. Infusion of starch/PBAT composite films with AgNPs@SiO2 marginally improved mechanical and water vapor barrier properties, while surface hydrophobicity increased as compared with films without AgNPs@SiO2. The composite films displayed superior antibacterial activities against both Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria. The sample loaded with 1 wt% AgNPs@SiO2 (SPA-1) showed nearly 90% inhibition efficiency on the tested microorganisms. Furthermore, a preliminary study on peach and nectarine at 53% RH and 24 °C revealed that SPA-1 film inhibited microbial spoilage and extended the product shelf life as compared with SPA-0 and commercial LDPE packaging materials. The high-throughput production method and strong antibacterial activities of the starch/PBAT/AgNPs@SiO2 composite films make them promising as antimicrobial packaging materials for commercial application

Vanillic Acid Suppresses HIF-1α Expression via Inhibition of mTOR/p70S6K/4E-BP1 and Raf/MEK/ERK Pathways in Human Colon Cancer HCT116 Cells

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) plays a pivotal role in tumor adaptation to microenvironmental hypoxia, and it also exerts important roles in angiogenesis and tumor development. Vanillic acid is a dietary phenolic compound reported to exhibit anticancer properties. However, the mechanisms by which vanillic acid inhibits tumor growth are not fully understood. Here, we investigated the effect of vanillic acid on HIF-1α activation. Vanillic acid significantly inhibits HIF-1α expression induced by hypoxia in various human cancer cell lines. Further analysis revealed that vanillic acid inhibited HIF-1α protein synthesis. Neither the HIF-1α protein degradation rate nor the steady-state HIF-1α mRNA levels were affected by vanillic acid. Moreover, vanillic acid inhibited HIF-1α expression by suppressing mammalian target of rapamycin/p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase/eukaryotic initiation factor 4E-binding protein-1 and Raf/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) kinase (MEK)/ERK pathways. We found that vanillic acid dose-dependently inhibited VEGF and EPO protein expressions and disrupted tube formation. The results suggest that vanillic acid effectively inhibits angiogenesis. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that vanillic acid significantly induced G1 phase arrest and inhibited the proliferation of human colon cancer HCT116 cells. In vivo experiments confirmed that vanillic acid treatment caused significant inhibition of tumor growth in a xenografted tumor model. These studies reveal that vanillic acid is an effective inhibitor of HIF-1α and provides new perspectives into the mechanism of its antitumor activity

Batch foaming of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene with supercritical carbon dioxide: Influence of temperature and pressure

This work is aimed at studying the foaming behavior of pure ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) with supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2). The effects of foaming temperature and saturation pressure on the final foam structure were investigated by using two different one-step batch foaming processes. An in-situ high-pressure observing system was used to record the crystal change of UHMWPE film during heating and cooling stages with/without pressurized CO2. The results showed that the cell size and the cell density were affected by the combined effects of crystal, temperature, and pressure. Experimental results with different foaming temperatures showed that higher foaming temperatures led to larger cells and lower cell densities. In the processes of foaming during the heating stage (Proc1) and cooling stage (Proc2), the expansion ratio increased first and then decreased with the increase of temperature. Before obtaining the maximum expansion ratio, compare with Proc2, the cell size and expansion ratio of foams were smaller, and the cell density was higher in Proc1. Experimental results with different saturation pressures showed that higher pressure led to lower cell density and larger average cell diameter in Proc1 due to the reduction of crystals and melt strength. While in Proc2, higher saturation pressure led to higher cell density due to the increase of solubility of CO2, and the cell density decreased as the pressure further increased due to cell coalescence

High-Throughput Fabrication of Antibacterial Starch/PBAT/AgNPs@SiO₂ Films for Food Packaging

In this current work, antimicrobial films based on starch, poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), and a commercially available AgNPs@SiO2 antibacterial composite particle product were produced by using a melt blending and blowing technique. The effects of AgNPs@SiO2 at various loadings (0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 wt%) on the physicochemical properties and antibacterial activities of starch/PBAT composite films were investigated. AgNPs@SiO2 particles were more compatible with starch than PBAT, resulting in preferential distribution of AgNPs@SiO2 in the starch phase. Infusion of starch/PBAT composite films with AgNPs@SiO2 marginally improved mechanical and water vapor barrier properties, while surface hydrophobicity increased as compared with films without AgNPs@SiO2. The composite films displayed superior antibacterial activities against both Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria. The sample loaded with 1 wt% AgNPs@SiO2 (SPA-1) showed nearly 90% inhibition efficiency on the tested microorganisms. Furthermore, a preliminary study on peach and nectarine at 53% RH and 24 °C revealed that SPA-1 film inhibited microbial spoilage and extended the product shelf life as compared with SPA-0 and commercial LDPE packaging materials. The high-throughput production method and strong antibacterial activities of the starch/PBAT/AgNPs@SiO2 composite films make them promising as antimicrobial packaging materials for commercial application

Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of Nanocrystalline AZ31 Magnesium Alloy Powders with Submicron TiB2 Additions Prepared by Mechanical Milling

In this work, nanocrystalline AZ31 magnesium alloy powders, reinforced by submicron TiB2 particles, were prepared via mechanical milling. It was found that TiB2 particles stimulated the fracture and welding of AZ31/TiB2 powders, leading to the acceleration of the milling process. Meanwhile, the TiB2 particles were refined to submicron-scale size during the milling process, and their distribution was uniform in the Mg matrix. In addition, the matrix was significantly refined during the milling process, which was also accelerated by the TiB2 particles. The formation of grain boundary segregation layers also led to the weakened TiB2 peaks in the XRD patterns during the mechanical milling. The grain sizes of AZ31–2.5 wt % TiB2, AZ31–5 wt % TiB2 and AZ31–10 wt % TiB2 powders were refined to 53 nm, 37 nm and 23 nm, respectively, after milling for 110 h. Under the combined effect of the nanocrystalline matrix and the well-dispersed submicron TiB2 particles, the AZ31/TiB2 composites exhibited excellent micro-hardness. For the AZ31–10 wt % TiB2 composite, the micro-hardness was enhanced to 153 HV0.5