The Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb 761) protects and rescues hippocampal cells against nitric oxide-induced toxicity: involvement of its flavonoid constituents and protein kinase C

An excess of the free radical nitric oxide (NO) is viewed as a deleterious factor involved in various CNS disorders. Numerous studies have shown that the Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761 is a NO scavenger with neuroprotective properties. However, the mechanisms underlying its neuroprotective ability remain to be fully established. Thus, we investigated the effect of different constituents of EGb 761, i.e., flavonoids and terpenoids, against toxicity induced by NO generators on cells of the hippocampus, a brain area particularly susceptible to neurodegenerative damage. Exposure of rat primary mixed hippocampal cell cultures to either sodium nitroprusside (SNP; 100 microM) or 3-morpholinosydnonimine resulted in both a decrease in cell survival and an increase in free radical accumulation. These SNP-induced events were blocked by either EGb 761 (10-100 microg/ml) or its flavonoid fraction CP 205 (25 microg/ml), as well as by inhibitors of protein kinase C (PKC; chelerythrine) and L-type calcium channels (nitrendipine). In contrast, the terpenoid constituents of EGb 761, known as bilobalide and ginkgolide B, as well as inhibitors of phospholipases A [3-[(4-octadecyl)benzoyl]acrylic acid (OBAA)] and C (U-73122), failed to display any significant effects. Moreover, EGb 761 (50 microm) CP 205 (25 microg/ml), and chelerythrine were also able to rescue hippocampal cells preexposed to SNP (up to 1 mM). Finally, EGb 761 (100 microg/ml) was shown to block the activation of PKC induced by SNP (100 microM). These data suggest that the protective and rescuing abilities of EGb 761 are not only attributable to the antioxidant properties of its flavonoid constituents but also via their ability to inhibit NO-stimulated PKC activity.     

银杏开发造园模式的探讨

根据银杏生物学特性和生产栽培目的的不同以及目前银杏的生产状况,阐述了银杏开发的重要意义,概述了叶材兼用银杏园、果叶兼用银杏园、果材兼用银杏园的立地选择、栽培密度和抚育管理等方面的技术要求,分析了各类园的利弊,并对低效的银杏园提出了改造的建议。     

银杏无性繁殖位置效应的研究

对银杏无性繁殖的位置效应进行了研究。方差分析结果表明,位置效应在无性繁殖过程中能保持稳定,在品种之间有一定差异。随母树及接穗年龄的增长,位置效应越明显。不同无性繁殖方法有相似的位置效应,并具有显著的重现性。在自然状态下,当年生枝条生长的异质性可分为３个枝段。从嫁接到大量结实后,位置效应可经过强－弱－强阶段。采用基生复干作接穗或插条,或用修剪、复壮和扶梢等方法可以控制或消除位置效应,而且效果明显。     

ADA-LacZ融合基因直接注射导入小鼠皮肤组织后的表达

将ADA－LacZ融合基因经直接注射导入小鼠皮肤组织,用注射点处的皮肤组织制作冰冻切片,经组织化学方法显示：此融合基因可在皮肤成纤维细胞中表达一种具有腺苷脱氨酶（ADA）和β-半乳糖昔酶（β-gal）双重酶活性的融合蛋白,这种直接将融合基因导入体内进行表达的方式．为在基因治疗和基因疫苗研究中探索一条新的简便可行的外源基因在体内表达的途径,提供了有益的实验依据。     

参麦注射液抗心肌缺氧-再给氧损伤实验研究

采用Ｌａｎｇｅｎｄｏｒｆ离体心脏灌注模型,对大鼠心肌缺氧—再给氧损伤中抗自由基酶ＳＯＤ和ＧＳＨ－Ｐｘ,过氧化产物ＭＤＡ、心肌酶ＣＰＫ和心肌细胞超微结构进行了观察、同时探讨了参麦注射液的保护作用机理。结果表明：（１）心肌缺氧灌注４０ｍｉｎ,富氧再灌５ｍｉｎ,与正常对照组比较,心肌细胞超微结构损伤严重,线粒体数目减少,大部分空泡变性,嵴消失,糖原颗粒减少,心肌收缩结构受到严重破坏。同时ＣＰＫ活性明显升高,ＳＯＤ及ＧＳＨ－Ｐｘ活性明显降低,ＭＤＡ含量明显升高（Ｐ＜０．０１）。（２）预先给不同剂量参麦注射液进行灌注,与模型组比较,心肌超微结构损伤明显减轻,线粒体数目较多,嵴密集,未见肿胀变形,糖原颗粒丰富,心肌收缩结构基本正常。ＣＰＫ活性明显降低,心肌ＳＯＤ及ＧＳＨ－Ｐｘ活性明显增高,心肌ＭＤＡ含量明显降低（Ｐ＜０．０１）。且参麦大剂量组疗效优于复方丹参液（Ｐ＜０．０５）。我们推测其保护作用机理可能是稳定心肌细胞膜,保护心肌线粒体,增加能量供应,提高抗自由基酶活性,从而减轻氧自由基对心肌的损害     

Ginkgo biloba Expresses Calreticulin,the Major Calcium-Binding Reticuloplasmin in Eukaryotic Cells

Calreticulin, the main Ca²⁺ binding protein in the endoplasmic reticulum of eukaryotic cells, was characterized in Ginkgo biloba L. pollen and seeds. Electrophoretic analysis of the partly purified extracts showed the presence of two protein bands of 57 and 50kDa apparent molecular masses, which strongly cross-reacted with antibodies against plant calreticulins. Amino acid sequence comparison with other plant and animal calreticulins revealed a much higher similarity of the N-terminus of Ginkgo calreticulins with the homologue from angiosperms rather than with that from mammals. The finding of calreticulin in Ginkgo is indicative of the conservation also in gymnosperms of Ca²⁺ homeostatic mechanisms, which seem to rely on the same molecular components as all eukaryotic cells.     

Transient expression of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) and human erythropoietin (hEPO) genes in milk after direct introduction into ewe

Ｅｘｐｒｅｓｓｉｏｎｏｆｍｉｌｋｐｒｏｔｅｉｎｇｅｎｅｓｉｓｉｎｖｏｌｖｅｄｉｎａｈｕｇｅｎｅｔｗｏｒｋｏｆｒｅｇｕｌａｔｏｒｙｃｉｒｃｕｉｔｓｗｈｉｃｈａｒｅｌｉｎｋｅｄｔｏｔｈｅｉｎｔａｃｔｄｅｖｅｌｏｐｉｎｇｍａｍｍａｒｙｇｌａｎｄ,ａｎｄｈｏｍｅｏｓｔａｓｉｓｄｕｒｉｎｇｐｕｂｅｒｔｙ,ｐｒｅｇｎａｎｃｙ,ｌａｃｔａｔｉｏｎａｎｄｉｎｖｏｌｕｔｉｏｎ.Ａｎａｌｙｓｉｓｏｆｐｕｔａｔｉｖｅｒｅｇｕｌａｔｏｒｙｅｌｅｍｅｎｔｓａｎｄｈｙｂｒｉｄｇｅｎｅｉｎｔｉｓｓｕｅｃｕｌｔｕｒｅｓｙｓｔｅｍｓ…     

Weekly osimertinib dosing prevents EGFR mutant tumor cells destined to home mouse lungs

The recently conducted ADAURA trial concludes daily dosing of adjuvant osimertinib, a third-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), improves disease-free survival with stage IB/II/IIIA EGFR -mutated non-small cell lung cancer patients in comparison to placebo. We have developed a preclinical orthotopic mouse model, using luciferase tagged lung adenocarcinoma cells harboring EGFR TKI sensitive exon 19 deletion to model and extend trial implications comparing a weekly vs daily dosing outcome of osimertinib to a first-generation TKI- erlotinib. We find that 100% of mice in both the groups receiving osimertinib daily or weekly before injection of cells show a complete absence of homing of cells in mice''s lungs from day three until day 18 post-injection of cells. On the other hand, 25% and 75% of mice receiving erlotinib daily and weekly before injecting cells show homing of cells to the lungs. The tumors observed in the lungs, when dissected at day 30, confirmed the colonization of the injected cells homing to the organ. Thus, our study establishes the efficacy of pretreatment with osimertinib in reducing tumor cells'' homing to mouse lungs in an in vivo mouse model.     

Intracellular fate of liposome-encapsulated DNA in mouse liver. Analysis using electron microscope autoradiography and subcellular fractionation

Transient expression of liposome-encapsulated DNA in liver after intravenous injection to rats and mice has raised questions concerning the intracellular fate of this DNA. Electron microscope autoradiography shows that at 10 min after injection the highest concentration of liposomal DNA which is taken up by the liver is associated with lysosomes and vesicles. The proportion of DNA associated with the mitochondria steadily increases for 1 h after injection, up to 48% of the exogenous DNA found in the tissue. Part of this DNA follows the subcellular fractionation profile of the mitochondrial matrix marker, malate dehydrogenase. In contrast, 14% of the liposomal DNA taken up by the liver is found in the nuclei at 3 min after injection, and this percentage decreases over a period of 1 h. These results permit us to establish the distribution of liposome-encapsulated DNA among subcellular organelles in liver at different times after injection.     

Aerated subsurface irrigation water gives growth and yield benefits to zucchini, vegetable soybean and cotton in heavy clay soils

Inadequate oxygen concentration in the root zone is a constraint to plant performance particularly in heavy, compacted and/or saline soils. Sub-surface drip irrigation (SDI) offers a means of increasing oxygen to plant roots in such soils, provided irrigation water can be hyper-aerated or oxygenated. Hydrogen peroxide (HP) at the rate of 5 litre ha⁻¹ at the end of each irrigation cycle was injected through SDI tape to a field-grown zucchini (courgette) crop (Cucurbita pepo) on a saturated heavy clay soil in Queensland, Australia. Fruit yield, number and shoot weight increased by 25%, 29% and 24% respectively due to HP treatment compared to the control. Two pot experiments with vegetable soybean (Glycine max) and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) compared the effectiveness of HP and air injection using a Mazzei air injector (a venturi), throughout the irrigation cycle in raising crop yield in a heavy clay soil kept at saturation or just under field capacity. Fresh pod yield of vegetable soybean increased by 82–96% in aeration treatments compared with the control. The yield increase was associated with more pods per plant and greater mean pod weight. Significantly higher above ground biomass and light interception were evident with aeration, irrespective of soil water treatment. Similarly cotton lint yield increased by 14–28% in aeration treatments compared with the control. The higher lint yield was associated with more squares and bolls per plant which accompanied greater above ground biomass and an increase in root mass, root length and soil respiration. Air injection and HP effected greater water use, but also brought about an enhancement of water use efficiency (WUE) for pod and lint yield, and increased leaf photosynthetic rate in both species but had no effect on transpiration rate and stomatal conductance per unit leaf area. Aeration-induced enhanced root function was arguably responsible for greater fruit set and yield in all three crops, while in vegetable soybean greater canopy cover, radiation interception and total vegetative biomass were responsible for additional yield benefit. Increased aeration of the root zone in heavy clay soils employing either air injection or HP proved beneficial to SDI irrigated crops, irrespective of the soil water conditions, and can add value to grower investments in SDI.