Allergens in red ginseng extract induce the release of mediators associated with anaphylactoid reactions

Abstract Background Anaphylactoid reactions induced by preparations containing red ginseng have been reported. The aim of this study is to evaluate the allergenicity and screen potential allergens in red ginseng extract thoroughly. Methods Red ginseng extract (RGE) and different fractions of RGE were prepared and evaluated by measuring the degranulation and viability of rat basophilic leukemia 2H3 (RBL-2H3) cells. Potential allergens were screened by RBL-2H3 cell extraction and allergenicity verified in RBL-2H3 cells, mouse peritoneal mast cells, Laboratory of Allergic Disease 2 (LAD2) human mast cells and mice, respectively. Results 80% ethanol extract of red ginseng extract induced mast cell degranulation with less cytotoxicity, but 40% ethanol extract could not. Ginsenoside Rd and 20(S)-Rg3 could induce a significant increase in β-hexosaminidase release, histamine release and translocation of phosphatidylserine in RBL-2H3 cells. Ginsenoside Rd and 20(S)-Rg3 also increased β-hexosaminidase release and the intracellular Ca2+ concentration in mouse peritoneal mast cells and LAD2 cells. In addition, histamine levels in serum of mice were elevated dose-dependently. Conclusions Ginsenoside Rd and 20(S)-Rg3 are potential allergens that induce the release of mediators associated with anaphylactoid reactions. Our study could guide optimization of methods associated with Rd/20(S)-Rg3-containing preparations and establishment of quality standards for safe application of Traditional Chinese Medicines

Method Comparison for Simulating Non-Gaussian Beams and Diffraction for Precision Interferometry

In the context of simulating precision laser interferometers, we use several examples to compare two wavefront decomposition methods—the Mode Expansion Method (MEM) and the Gaussian Beam Decomposition (GBD) method—for their precision and applicability. To assess the performance of these methods, we define different types of errors and study their properties. We specify how the two methods can be fairly compared and based on that, compare the quality of the MEM and GBD through several examples. Here, we test cases for which analytic results are available, i.e., non-clipped circular and general astigmatic Gaussian beams, as well as clipped circular Gaussian beams, in the near, far, and extremely far fields of millions of kilometers occurring in space-gravitational wave detectors. Additionally, we compare the methods for aberrated wavefronts and their interaction with optical components by testing reflections from differently curved mirrors. We find that both methods can generally be used for decomposing non-Gaussian beams. However, which method is more accurate depends on the optical system and simulation settings. In the given examples, the MEM more accurately describes non-clipped Gaussian beams, whereas for clipped Gaussian beams and the interaction with surfaces, the GBD is more precise

DT-13 Ameliorates TNF-α-Induced Vascular Endothelial Hyperpermeability via Non-Muscle Myosin IIA and the Src/PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway

DT-13(25(R,S)-ruscogenin-1-O-[β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)][β-d-xylopyranosyl-(1→3)]-β-d-fucopyranoside) has been identified as an important factor in TNF-α-induced vascular inflammation. However, the effect of DT-13 on TNF-α-induced endothelial permeability and the potential molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Hence, this study was undertaken to elucidate the protective effect of DT-13 on TNF-α-induced endothelial permeability and the underlying mechanisms in vivo and in vitro. The in vivo results showed that DT-13 could ameliorate endothelial permeability in mustard oil-induced plasma leakage in the skin and modulate ZO-1 organization. In addition, the in vitro results showed that pretreatment with DT-13 could increase the transendothelial electrical resistance value and decrease the sodium fluorescein permeability coefficient. Moreover, DT-13 altered the mRNA and protein levels of ZO-1 as determined by real-time PCR, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence analyses. DT-13 treatment decreased the phosphorylations of Src, PI3K, and Akt in TNF-α-treated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Further analyses with PP2 (10 µM, inhibitor of Src) indicated that DT-13 modulated endothelial permeability in TNF-α-induced HUVECs in an Src-dependent manner. LY294002 (10 µM, PI3K inhibitor) also had the same effect on DT-13 but did not affect phosphorylation of Src. Following decreased expression of non-muscle myosin IIA (NMIIA), the effect of DT-13 on the phosphorylations of Src, PI3K, and Akt was abolished. This study provides pharmacological evidence showing that DT-13 significantly ameliorated the TNF-α-induced vascular endothelial hyperpermeability through modulation of the Src/PI3K/Akt pathway and NMIIA, which play an important role in this process

Knockdown of YY1 Inhibits <i>XIST</i> Expression and Enhances Cloned Pig Embryo Development

The technique of cloning has wide applications in animal husbandry and human biomedicine. However, the very low developmental efficiency of cloned embryos limits the application of cloning. Ectopic XIST-expression-induced abnormal X chromosome inactivation (XCI) is a primary cause of the low developmental competence of cloned mouse and pig embryos. Knockout or knockdown of XIST improves cloning efficiency in both pigs and mice. The transcription factor Yin yang 1(YY1) plays a critical role in XCI by triggering the transcription of X-inactive specific transcript (XIST) and facilitating the localization of XIST RNA on the X chromosome. This study aimed to investigate whether RNA interference to suppress the expression of YY1 can inhibit erroneous XIST expression, rescue abnormal XCI, and improve the developmental ability of cloned pig embryos. The results showed that YY1 binds to the 5′ regulatory region of the porcine XIST gene in pig cells. The microinjection of YY1 siRNA into cloned pig embryos reduced the transcript abundance of XIST and upregulated the mRNA level of X-linked genes at the 4-cell and blastocyst stages. The siRNA-mediated knockdown of YY1 altered the transcriptome and enhanced the in vitro and in vivo developmental efficiency of cloned porcine embryos. These results suggested that YY1 participates in regulating XIST expression and XCI in cloned pig embryos and that the suppression of YY1 expression can increase the developmental rate of cloned pig embryos. The present study established a new method for improving the efficiency of pig cloning