The proprotein convertase PC5/6 is protective against intestinal tumorigenesis: in vivo mouse model

BACKGROUND: The secretory basic amino acid-specific proprotein convertases (PCs) have often been associated with cancer/metastasis. By controlling the cleavage of cancer-associated proteins, PCs play key roles in multiple steps of cancer development. Most analyses of the implication of PCs in cancer/metastasis relied on the use of in vitro overexpression systems or inhibitors that can affect more than one PC. Aside from the role of furin in salivary gland tumorigenesis, no other in vivo genetic model of PC-knockout was reported in relation to cancer development. RESULTS: Since PC5/6 is highly expressed in the small intestine, the present study examined its in vivo role in intestinal tumorigenesis. Analysis of human intestinal tumors at various stages showed a systematic down-regulation of PC5/6 expression. Since gene inactivation of PC5/6 leads to lethality at birth, we generated mice lacking PC5/6 in enterocytes and analyzed the impact of the presence or absence of this PC in the mouse ApcMin/+ model that develops numerous adenocarcinomas along the intestinal tract. This resulted in viable mice with almost no expression of PC5/6 in small intestine, but with no overt phenotype. The data showed that by themselves ApcMin/+ tumors express lower levels of PC5/6 mRNA, and that the lack of PC5/6 in enterocytes results in a significantly higher tumor number in the duodenum, with a similar trend in other intestinal segments. Finally, the absence of PC5/6 is also associated with a premature mortality of ApcMin/+ mice. CONCLUSION: Overall, these data suggest that intestinal PC5/6 is protective towards tumorigenesis, especially in mouse duodenum, and possibly in human colon.This work was supported by Canadian Institutes of Health Research grant # 44363, a Canada Chair # 201652, and a Strauss foundation grant

Induction, par Trichoderma harzianum, de la résistance des plantes de lentille contre Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lentis

La souche antagoniste Trichoderma harzianum T-ADS protège totalement les plantes de lentille contre l’agent pathogène Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lentis MR84. Le filtrat de culture de Trichoderma harzianum T-ADS est également capable de protéger les plantes à un niveau élevé. Malgré son inoculation séparée de l’agent pathogène, Trichoderma harzianum protège encore les plantes tandis que son filtrat de culture ne les protège plus. Ces résultats suggèrent que l’antagoniste T-ADS protège les plantes même en absence de son interaction directe avec le pathogène, sans doute par induction de la résistance des plantes. Les métabolites secrétés dans le filtrat de culture de cet antagoniste ne sont pas responsables de cette induction mais agissent directement sur le pathogène

Growth, proline and ion accumulation in sugarcane callus cultures under drought-induced osmotic stress and its subsequent relief

Calli obtained from two sugarcane cultivars (R570 and CP59-73) were exposed to different osmotic stress intensities followed by a period of stress relief. Relative rate growth, callus water content and changes in organic and inorganic solutes were determined at the end of stress and relief periods. After the stress period, calli derived from both cultivars showed a decrease in RGR, but at lesser extent in R570 than CP59-73 cultivar. Same tendency was recorded in the callus water content under mannitolinduced osmotic stress. The inorganic solutes seemed to have no contribution in the osmotic adjustment in mannitol-stressed calli since K+ and Ca2+ concentrations decreased drastically while Na+ and Mg2+ concentrations were not affected. The accumulation of proline occurred in both cultivars and was more marked in CP59-73 than R570 cultivar. At the end of the relief period, we observed that all the considered parameters have recovered completely to reach the control levels. According to these results, we conclude that the drought stress-induced changes are reversible, at the least at the cellular level, in sugarcane cultivar

Optimization and Comparison of Ultrasound and Microwave-Assisted Extraction of Phenolic Compounds from Cotton-Lavender (Santolina chamaecyparissus L.)

The interest in natural phenolic compounds has increased because of their attractive use especially as antioxidant and antimicrobial agents in foods. The large content in phenolic compounds of interest in Santolina chamaecyparissus L. (S. chamaecyparissus) makes this plant a target source that is worthy of note. In this work, new extraction technologies comprising ultrasound (UAE) and microwave (MAE) assisted extraction of the phenolic compounds in S. chamaecyparissus have been developed, optimized, and compared. Several extraction factors have been optimized based on a Box-Behnken design. Such optimized factors include the percentage of methanol in water (25-75%), the temperature (10-70 degrees C), the ultrasound amplitude (20-80%), the ultrasound cycle (0.2-1 s), the solvent pH (2-7) and the solvent-sample ratio (5/0.2-15/0.2 mL/g) with regard to UAE, while the percentage of methanol in water (50-100%), the temperature (50-100 degrees C), the pH (2-7) and the solvent-sample ratio (5/0.2-15/0.2 mL/g) were optimized for MAE. The solvent composition was the most influential parameter both on MAEs (64%) and UAEs (74%). The extraction optimum time was established as 15 min for MAE and 25 min for UAE. Five major phenolic compounds were detected and identified by Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole Time of Flight-Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-QToF-MS) in the extracts: chlorogenic acid, quercetin 3-O-galactoside, quercetin 3-O-glucoside, isoorientin, and cynarin. With the exception of chlorogenic acid, the other four compounds have been identified for the first time in S. chamaecyparissus. The findings have confirmed that MAE is a significantly more efficient extraction method than UAE to extract phenolic compounds from S. chamaecyparissus

Antimicrobial activity of essential oils extracted from leaves of native Moroccan plants against clinical bacterial isolates

Introduction: Medicinal plants are plentiful of bioactive molecules effective against multi-resistance bacteria. The aims of this study were to assess the in vitro antimicrobial activities of essential oils extracted from three Moroccan aromatic plants. Methodology: Analysis of essential oils of Origanum compactum, Rosmarinus officinalis and Pelargonium asperum, collected from different localities in Morocco, were performed using a GC-MS spectrophotometry. Antibacterial activity was evaluated in vitro for five clinical multi-resistant isolates. Results: Origanum showed strong antibacterial activity against tested strains except Pseudomonas aeruginosa while Rosmarinum showed a bactericidal effect against Acinetobacter baumanii, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Pelargonium presented only slight growth inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus on solid medium, but provided bactericidal effect against Acinetobacter baumanii and Staphylococcus aureus. Interestingly, fractions F7 and F8 of Pelargonium which represented only 0.3% and 0.1% of the total mass were found bactericidal respectively against Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Conclusions: Ours results showed that the antimicrobial activities were variables depending on the chemical composition of essential oils, the fraction used and the microorganism tested.Essential oils fractionation allows detection of bioactive substances, especially those owning antimicrobial activity, present in small quantities

Epidemiology of Celiac Disease in Northern Morocco in 2018–2021: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease caused by gluten. This retrospective cross-sectional study with descriptive and analytical aims was conducted over three years, from 2018 to 2021. The participants were 280 patients diagnosed with celiac disease registered in the Gluten Intolerant and Allergic Association of the North in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region. The prevalence and incidence of celiac disease in this region were 1/135 and 1/253, respectively. The average age was 21.18 ± 1.13, and the first symptoms appeared between 10 and 25 years. The data showed a female predominance of 68% versus 32% for males, with a male/female sex ratio of 0.45. The clinical signs of celiac disease manifested more in gastrointestinal symptoms. This study obtained data on 22.6% of microcytic hypochromic anemia patients and 40.7% of Helicobacter pylori infections. In addition to celiac disease, the patients showed other pathologies with different rates: repeated spontaneous abortions (2.14%), type 1 diabetes mellitus (1.42%), autism (1.42%), dermatitis herpetiformis (0.72%), cancer(0.72%), and epilepsy (0.35%). Serologically, anti-transglutaminase antibodies were positive in 47.2% of patients. Analyses of histological data from intestinal biopsies from 141 patients were positive in 50.8% of patients. There was a minor correlation between the serological profile and the degree of atrophy

Effectiveness of composts and Trichoderma strains for control of Fusarium wilt of tomato

Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (FOL) is a major limiting disease in tomato production in Morocco. Commercial and locally produced Moroccan composts and peat were found to reduce Fusarium wilt in tomato plants. We explored the presence of Trichoderma strains in these materials, and in six soils sampled in the North West of Morocco, where a low incidence of Fusarium wilt had been previously observed. The most abundant Trichoderma-like fungus was selected from each soil, compost or peat sample. Twelve Trichoderma strains were isolated and identified molecularly. Trichoderma asperellum CT9 and Trichoderma virens ST11 showed the greatest overall antagonistic activity against FOL, Rhizoctonia solani, Botrytis cinerea and Pythium ultimum. The three strains evaluated in in planta tests, CT9, ST11 and T. virens ST10, reduced tomato Fusarium wilt, and strain ST11  also promoted growth of tomato plants