Comparative study of the cytotoxicity of the nanosized and microsized tellurium powders on HeLa cells

To compare the cytotoxicity on HeLa cells induced by nanosized and microsized tellurium powders, HeLa cells were exposed to different concentrations of tellurium powders (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 μg/mL) for 12 h. In this study, detection of a series of biomarkers, including reactive oxygen species (ROS), glutathione (GSH), 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), in addition to DNA and protein crosslink (DPC) and MTTassay, were conducted to evaluate the cytotoxicity. It is indicated that compared with the control group, there was no significant difference in the induced cytotoxicity at concentrations lower than 50 μg/mL for both nanosized and microsized tellurium powders. While there appears a significant difference in the induced cytotoxicity for nanosized tellurium powders when the concentration is higher than 100 μg/mL as well as for microsized tellurium powders when the concentration is higher than 200 μg/mL. Moreover, it is found that the cytotoxicity induced on HeLa cells exhibits a certain dose-effect relationship with the concentration of tellurium powders. A conclusion has been reached that the toxicity on HeLa cells can be induced by both nanosized and microsized tellurium powders, and the toxicity of the nanosized tellurium powders is significantly greater than the microsized one.     

Phe27Cys polymorphism of the human delta opioid receptor predisposes cells to compromised calcium signaling

Scorpion and its organs have been used to cure epilepsy, rheumatism, and male impotency since medieval times. Scorpion venom which contains different compounds like enzyme and non-enzyme proteins, ions, free amino acids, and other organic inorganic substances have been reported to posses antiproliferative, cytotoxic, apoptogenic, and immunosuppressive properties. We for the first time report the apoptotic and antiproliferative effects of scorpion venom (Odontobuthus doriae) in human neuroblastoma cells. After exposure of cells to medium containing varying concentrations of venom (10, 25, 50, 100, and 200 μg/ml), cell viability decreased to 90.75, 75.53, 55.52, 37.85, and 14.30%, respectively, after 24 h. Cells expressed morphological changes like swelling, inhibition of neurite outgrowth, irregular shape, aggregation, rupture of membrane, and release of cytosolic contents after treatment with venom. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level increased in 50 and 100 μg/ml as compared to control, but there was no significant increase in LDH level at a dose of 10 and 20 μg/ml. Two concentrations viz. 50 and 100 μ/ml were selected because of the profound effect of these concentrations on the cellular health and population. Treatment with these two concentrations induced reactive nitrogen intermediates and depolarization in mitochondria. While caspase-3 activity increased in a concentration-dependent manner, only 50 μg/ml was able to fragment DNA. It was interesting to note that at higher dose, i.e., 100 μg/ml, the cells were killed, supposedly by acute necrosis. DNA synthesis evidenced by bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation was inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner. The cells without treatment incorporated BrdU with high affinity confirming their cancerous nature whereas very less incorporation was noticed in treated cells. Our results show apoptotic and antiproliferative potential of scorpion venom (O. doriae) in human neuroblastoma cells. These properties make scorpion venom a valuable therapeutic agent in cancer research.     

绵羊皮肤成纤维细胞对G418及Blasticidin S抗性的研究

抗生素常被用于对转基因动物、植物及微生物细胞进行筛选。在进行抗生素抗性筛选前,需要摸索合适的抗生素使用浓度,其原因在于:过低的筛选浓度无法抑制非转基因细胞的生长;反之,过高的筛选浓度会导致转基因细胞死亡。为了摸索绵羊皮肤成纤维细胞(sheep skin fibroblasts, SSFs)对G418及Blasticidin S的抗性,本实验以体外培养的SSFs为实验材料,采用不同浓度的上述两种抗生素处理SSFs,采用活细胞计数的方式检测SSFs对上述两种抗生素的抗性。单独使用G418或Blasticidin S导致SSFs全部死亡的最低致死浓度分别为200μg/mL及4μg/mL;当两种抗生素联合使用时,其最低致死浓度为100μg/mL G418+3μg/mL Blasticidin S或150μg/mL G418+2μg/mL Blasticidin S。该实验为采用这两种抗生素筛选转基因SSFs提供了理论基础。     

Effects of copper sulphate concentrations during in vitro maturation of bovine oocytes

The objectives were to evaluate

1) copper (Cu) concentrations in plasma and follicular fluid (FF) from cattle ovaries; 2) the effects of supplemental Cu during in vitro maturation (IVM) on DNA damage of cumulus cells and glutathione (GSH) content in oocytes and cumulus cells; and 3) supplementary Cu during IVM on subsequent embryo development. Copper concentrations in heifer plasma (116 ± 27.1 μg/dL Cu) were similar (P > 0.05) to concentrations in FF from large (90 ± 20.4 μg/dL Cu) and small (82 ± 22.1 μg/dL Cu) ovarian follicles in these heifers. The DNA damage in cumulus cells decreased with supplemental Cu concentrations of 4 and 6 μg/mL (P < 0.01) in the IVM medium (mean ± SEM index of DNA damage was: 200.0 ± 27.6, 127.6 ± 6.0, 46.4 ± 4.8, and 51.1 ± 6.0 for supplementation with 0, 2, 4, and 6 μg/mL Cu respectively). Total GSH concentrations increased following supplementation with 4 μg/mL Cu (4.7 ± 0.4 pmol in oocytes and 0.4 ± 0.04 nmol/10⁶ cumulus cells) and 6 μg/mL Cu (5.0 ± 0.5 pmol in oocytes and 0.5 ± 0.05 nmol/10⁶ cumulus cells, P < 0.01) compared with the other classes. Cleavage rates were similar (P ≥ 0.05) when Cu was added to the IVM medium at any concentration (65.1 ± 2.0, 66.6 ± 1.6, 72.0 ± 2.1, and 70.7 ± 2.1 for Cu concentrations of 0, 2, 4, and 6 μg/mL). Percentages of matured oocytes that developed to the blastocyst stage were 18.7 ± 0.6, 26.4 ± 0.03, and 29.0 ± 1.7% for 0, 2, and 4 μg/mL Cu, and was highest (33.2 ± 1.6 %) in oocytes matured with 6 μg/mL Cu (P > 0.01). There was an increase (P > 0.05) in mean cell number per blastocyst obtained from oocytes matured with 4 and 6 μg/mL Cu relative to 0 Cu (IVM alone) and 2 μg/mL Cu. In conclusion, Cu concentrations in the FF and plasma of heifers were similar. Adding copper during oocyte maturation significantly increased both intracellular GSH content and DNA integrity of cumulus cells. Since embryo development was responsive to copper supplementation, we inferred that optimal embryo development to the blastocyst stage was partially dependent on the presence of adequate Cu concentrations during IVM.     

Highly sensitive electrochemical detection of potential cytotoxicity of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots using neural cell chip

Cell chip was recently developed as a simple and highly sensitive tool for the toxicity assessment of various kinds of chemicals or nano-materials. Here, we report newly discovered potential cytotoxic effects of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) on intracellular redox environment of neural cancer cells at very low concentrations which can be only detected by cell chip technology. Green (2.1 nm in diameter) and red (6.3 nm in diameter) QDs capped with cysteamine (CA) or thioglycolic acid (TA) were found to be toxic at 100 μg/mL when assessed by trypan blue and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). However, in case of concentration-dependent cytotoxicity, toxic effects of TA-capped QDs on human neural cells were only measured by DPV method when conventional MTT assay did not show toxicity of TA-capped QDs at low concentrations (1-10 μg/mL). Red-TA QDs and Green-TA QDs were found to decrease electrochemical signals from cells at 10 μg/mL and 5 μg/mL, respectively, while cell viability decreased at 100 μg/mL and 50 μg/mL when assessed by MTT assay, respectively. The relative decreases of cell viability determined by MTT assay were 15% and 11.9% when cells were treated with 5-50 μg/mL of Red-TA QDs and 5-30 μg/mL of Green-TA QDs, respectively. However, DPV signals decreased 37.5% and 39.2% at the same concentration range, respectively. This means that redox environment of cells is more sensitive than other components and can be easily affected by CdSe/ZnS QDs even at low concentrations. Thus, our proposed neural cell chip can be applied to detect potential cytotoxicity of various kinds of molecular imaging agents simply and accurately.     

玉竹多糖对酒精诱导的HepG2细胞损伤的保护作用及其机制*

目的: 探究玉竹多糖对酒精诱导HepG2细胞损伤的保护作用及潜在的分子机制。方法: 通过噻唑蓝(MTT)法筛选酒精处理HepG2细胞的合适浓度和玉竹多糖干预浓度后,将HepG2细胞按照不同干预浓度(200 μg/L、400 μg/L和600 μg/L)的玉竹多糖分组,并设未添加玉竹多糖的空白组,预处理1 h后,再用4%酒精处理24 h,每组设置3个复孔,检测细胞内丙氨酸氨基转移酶(ALT)和天冬氨酸氨基转移酶(AST)活性,检测细胞内活性氧(ROS)、丙二醛(MDA)、谷胱甘肽(GSH)、白介素1β(IL-1β)和肿瘤坏死因子α(TNF-α)水平,检测细胞Kelch 样环氧氯丙烷相关蛋白-1(Keap1)、磷酸化核因子E2相关因子 2(p-Nrf2)、磷酸酰胺腺嘌呤二核苷酸醌氧化还原酶-1(NQO1)、B淋巴细胞瘤-2(Bcl-2)、Bcl-2相关X蛋白(Bax)和半胱氨酸天冬氨酸蛋白酶3(cleaved-caspase-3)蛋白表达。结果: 与4%酒精处理后的HepG2细胞对比,各浓度玉竹多糖的干预能有效下调酒精诱导HepG2细胞内ALT和AST活性(P＜0.05);200 μg/L浓度玉竹多糖组的IL-1β和TNF-α水平明显下降(P＜ 0.05),而GSH水平明显上升(P＜0.01);400 μg/L和600 μg/L浓度玉竹多糖组的ROS、MDA、IL-1β和TNF-α水平明显下降(P＜0.05或P＜ 0.01),而GSH水平明显上升(P＜0.01)。玉竹多糖在有效上调酒精诱导HepG2细胞内p-Nrf2和NQO1蛋白表达的同时也下调Bax/ Bcl-2指数(P＜0.05),抑制Keap1和cleaved-caspase-3蛋白表达(P＜0.05)。结论: 玉竹多糖能通过调控Nrf2/ Keap1通路改善酒精诱导HepG2细胞氧化应激损伤,从而降低HepG2细胞炎症指数和细胞凋亡水平,其中400 μg/L和600 μg/L玉竹多糖的干预效果较好。     

桦褐孔菌提取物对胃癌MGC-803细胞株的抗增殖与诱导凋亡作用

探讨了桦褐孔菌提取物对胃癌MGC - 80 3细胞株的抗增殖、诱导凋亡作用及对凋亡相关基因表达的影响。MTT比色法结果显示 ,桦褐孔菌提取物在 0 .5～ 16 0 μg/mL范围内 (其IC50 为 4 μg/mL)对胃癌MGC- 80 3细胞株均有抑制作用 ,并表现出浓度依赖性关系 ;凋亡形态学观察结果 ,药物浓度 2 μg/mL ,作用时间 12～ 2 4h后 ,细胞核染色质固缩并凝结成块 ,聚集在核膜周边 ,凋亡小体形成 ;TUNEL法检测结果 ,不同浓度药物均诱导胃癌MGC - 80 3细胞株凋亡 ,细胞凋亡率随药物浓度增加而上升 ,显示明显的量效关系。Ki- 6 7抗原检测结果 ,不同浓度药物均抑制胃癌MGC - 80 3细胞株增殖 ,表现出浓度、时间依赖性关系 ;2μg/mL桦褐孔菌提取物作用胃癌MGC - 80 3细胞株 4 8h之后 ,明显下调Bcl - 2基因蛋白表达。因此 ,通过此项研究可得出 ,桦褐孔菌提取物对胃癌MGC - 80 3细胞株有抗增殖作用和诱导凋亡作用 ,其凋亡的分子生物学机制可能与下调凋亡抑制基因Bcl 2表达有一定关系。     

Pharmacokinetics and distribution of fluvoxamine to the brain in rats under oxidative stress

The effects of oxidative stress (OS) on the pharmacokinetics of fluvoxamine (FLV), particularly on FLV distribution in the plasma, were studied in ferric-nitrilotriacetate-induced OS rat models (OS rats). The study protocol involved a continuous FLV infusion (25.0 μg/kg/min). The resulting mean plasma FLV concentration measured in steady state OS rats was 0.13?±?0.01 μg/mL, which was significantly lower than plasma concentrations measured in control rats (0.19?±?0.01 μg/mL). Moreover, the mean FLV concentration in the OS rat brain (0.51?±?0.08 μg/g) was determined to be approximately half the concentration in control rat brains (0.95?±?0.11 μg/g). The FLV concentrations in both the unbound fraction of plasma and erythrocytes of OS rats were significantly greater than that of control rats. These results suggest the potential attenuation of FLV's pharmacological effects in patients under OS.     

Fatty acid lithium salts from Cunninghamella echinulata have cytotoxic and genotoxic effects on HL‐60 human leukemia cells

Polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially gamma linolenic acid (GLA), are potentially useful agents in the treatment of cancer. Cunninghamella echinulata, a fungus species that is able to synthesize GLA, when cultivated under nitrogen‐limited conditions in a medium having glucose as carbon and energy source, accumulated 32–35% of lipids containing 11–18% GLA. The conversion yield of glucose to lipid was around 0.11 g per gram of glucose consumed while the lipid production was 5 g/L. Fatty acid lithium salts (FALS) were prepared from the total Cunninghamella lipids and studied for their effects on HL‐60 human leukemic cells. Cytotoxicity of FALS on HL‐60 leukemic cells was linearly related to the FALS concentration. High FALS concentration (i.e. 15 and 20 μg/mL) induced DNA fragmentation, while concurrent treatment of cells with H₂O₂ (at 100 μM) and FALS resulted in enhanced cytotoxicity of H₂O₂. However, when FALS were employed at low concentrations (i.e. 5 and 10 μg/mL), they demonstrated a protective effect on HL‐60 cells against H₂O₂ genotoxicity, whereas at 20 μg/mL FALS enhanced the ability of H₂O₂ to induce DNA fragmentation. It is concluded that FALS derived from C. echinulata lipids could be an effective preparation against HL‐60 human leukemic cells.     

Arrest of Chinese hamster cells in G 2 following treatment with the anti-tumor drug bleomycin

Upon addition of bleomycin (BLM) to suspension cultures of Chinese hamster cells (line CHO), cells closer to prophase than 56 minutes continue dividing at the normal rate, whereas cells at earlier positions in the cell cycle either fail to reach mitosis altogether (at 200 μg/ml) or enter mitosis and divide at a reduced rate at lower drug concentrations. At 100 μg/ml of BLM (the rate of cell division slowed to a doubling time of 167 hours), initiation and termination of DNA synthesis occur at normal rates, resulting in an accumulation of cells with a G₂ DNA content in the first 130 minutes of G₂. Bleomycin effects are not readily reversible. The rates of incorporation of leucine, uridine, or thymidine into cells treated for six hours with 100 μg/ml of BLM were 90, 85, and 80%, respectively, of the values obtained in control cultures, suggesting that the effects of BLM on cell-cycle traverse cannot be correlated with gross inhibition of macromolecular synthesis.     

Effects of the microbial secondary metabolites pyrrolnitrin, phenazine and patulin on INS-1 rat pancreatic β-cells

The effects on pancreatic β-cell viability and function of three microbial secondary metabolites pyrrolnitrin, phenazine and patulin were investigated, using the rat clonal pancreatic β-cell line, INS-1. Cells were exposed to 10-fold serial dilutions (range 0-10 μg mL(-1)) of the purified compounds for 2, 24 and 72 h. After 2 h exposure, only patulin (10 μg mL(-1)) was cytotoxic. All compounds showed significant cytotoxicity after 24 h. None of the compounds altered insulin secretion with 2 and 20 mM glucose after 2 h. However, after 24 h treatment, phenazine and pyrrolnitrin (10 and 100 ng mL(-1)) potentiated insulin production and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, whereas patulin had no effect. Exposure (24 h) to either phenazine (100 ng mL(-1)) or pyrrolnitrin (10 ng mL(-1)) caused similar increases in the Ca(2+) content of INS-1 cells. The outward membrane current was inhibited after 24 h exposure to either phenazine (100 ng mL(-1)) or pyrrolnitrin (10 or 100 ng mL(-1)). This study presents novel data suggesting that high concentrations of pyrrolnitrin and phenazine are cytotoxic to pancreatic β-cells and thus possibly diabetogenic, whereas at lower concentrations these agents are nontoxic and may be insulinotropic. The possible role of such agents in the development of cystic fibrosis-related diabetes is discussed.     

Pharmacokinetics and distribution of fluvoxamine to the brain in rats under oxidative stress

Abstract

The effects of oxidative stress (OS) on the pharmacokinetics of fluvoxamine (FLV), particularly on FLV distribution in the plasma, were studied in ferric-nitrilotriacetate-induced OS rat models (OS rats). The study protocol involved a continuous FLV infusion (25.0 μg/kg/min). The resulting mean plasma FLV concentration measured in steady state OS rats was 0.13?±?0.01 μg/mL, which was significantly lower than plasma concentrations measured in control rats (0.19?±?0.01 μg/mL). Moreover, the mean FLV concentration in the OS rat brain (0.51?±?0.08 μg/g) was determined to be approximately half the concentration in control rat brains (0.95?±?0.11 μg/g). The FLV concentrations in both the unbound fraction of plasma and erythrocytes of OS rats were significantly greater than that of control rats. These results suggest the potential attenuation of FLV's pharmacological effects in patients under OS.     

Cytotoxicity and apoptotic effects of nickel oxide nanoparticles in cultured HeLa cells

The aim of this study was to observe the cytotoxicity and apoptotic effects of nickel oxide nanoparticles on human cervix epithelioid carcinoma cell line (HeLa). Nickel oxide precursors were synthesized by an nickel sulphate-excess urea reaction in boiling aqueous solution. The synthesized NiO nanoparticles (<200 nm) were investigated by X-ray diffraction analysis and transmission electron microscopy techniques. For cytotoxicity experiments, HeLa cells were incubated in 50-500 μg/mL NiO for 2, 6, 12 and 16 hours. The viable cells were counted with a haemacytometer using light microscopy. The cytotoxicity was observed low in 50-200 μg/mL concentration for 16 h, but high in 400-500 μg/mL concentration for 2-6 h. HeLa cells' cytoplasm membrane was lysed and detached from the well surface in 400 μg/mL concentration NiO nanoparticles. Double staining and M30 immunostaining were performed to quantify the number of apoptotic cells in culture on the basis of apoptotic cell nuclei scores. The apoptotic effect was observed 20% for 16 h incubation.     

牛樟芝多糖对HepG2细胞酒精性氧化损伤的保护作用

研究了不同剂量(100、200和400μg/mL)的牛樟芝粗多糖(CP)和醇提物后的水提物(WEE)对酒精诱导的HepG2细胞氧化损伤的保护作用.研究结果表明:与模型组比较,各剂量组的CP和200、400μg/mL的WEE均能极显著提高HepG2细胞的细胞活力.100μg/mL的CP和WEE均能极显著降低细胞培养液的A...     

Strategies for adaptation to antibiotics in wild type <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas aeruginosa</Emphasis> and in the strains with small colony phenotype

Emergence of ciprofloxacin stress-induced mutants in the cultures of a collection strain Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 and of two strains with a small colony phenotype, which were isolated from a swimming pool biofilm, was studied. In biofilm cultures of the small colony phenotype strains, which were already resistant to hypochlorite, prolonged incubation (up to 16 days) with sublethal ciprofloxacin concentrations was shown to result in emergence of the cells, which are resistant to the antibiotic and form colonies on media with rifampicin (100 μg/mL) and streptomycin (50 μg/mL). Under the same conditions, the mechanisms of temporary adaptation are switched on in the cells of strain ATCC 27853, which enabled its shortterm survival at an average level in liquid media and provided for colony formation on solid medium with ciprofloxacin (0.2 μg/mL). Only 20% of these colonies remained viable when transferred to a higher antibiotic concentration (2 μg/mL).     

N-nitrosodiethylamine genotoxicity evaluation: a cytochrome P450 induction study in rat hepatocytes

In rats, N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) induces tumors mainly in the liver. This could be because various enzymes are responsible for the metabolic activation of NDEA, besides the hepatic NDEA metabolizing enzyme, CYP2E1. We examined NDEA genotoxicity and cytotoxicity in primary cultures of female rat hepatocytes; we also looked at how it affected CYP mRNA expression. Single incubation with 0.9% NaCl resulted in a mean of 0.2% apoptotic cells, which doubled with 105 μg NDEA/mL. The frequency of necrosis with NDEA treatment was also doubled. Besides the cytotoxic effects, there was also a 4-fold decrease in mitotic index and a 3-fold decrease in the percentage of cells with micronuclei. A significant increase in micronucleus cells when hepatocytes were incubated with 2.1 μg NDEA/mL suggests that DNA repair was inactive. The chromosomal aberration evaluation revealed a discrete dose-response curve. Treatment with NDEA induced increases in CYP mRNA: CYP2B2 (1.8 times) and CYP2E1 (1.6 times) with non-cytotoxic NDEA concentrations (0.21-21 μg/mL). CYP2B1 mRNA levels decreased at 0.21 μg NDEA/mL (2.5-fold), while CYP4A3 mRNA decreased 1.3-fold. NDEA treatment at 2.1 μg/ mL induced a 1.9-fold increase in CYP3A1 mRNA. Understanding the cumulative effects in target cells during precarcinogenesis is crucial to understanding the mode of action of potential carcinogens and in order to develop comprehensive chemical toxicity profiles.     

Cu-induced mitochondrial dysfunction is mediated by abnormal mitochondrial fission through oxidative stress in primary chicken embryo hepatocytes

BackgroundExcess copper (Cu) is an oxidative stress factor which associates with a variety of diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Cu in primary chicken embryo hepatocytes (CEHs).MethodsCEHs were isolated from 13 days old chicken embryos and followed by different concentration Cu (0, 10, 100, 200 μM) and/or ALC treatment (0.3 mg/mL) for 12 or 24 h. The effects of Cu exposure in CEHs were determined by detecting reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and ATP levels. The expression of mitochondrial dynamics-related genes and proteins were also detected.ResultsResults showed that Cu treatment (100 or 200 μM) significantly decreased CEHs viability, MMP and ATP levels, increased ROS and MDA levels in 12 or 24 h. The up-regulated mitochondrial fission genes and protein in 100 and 200 μM Cu groups suggested Cu promoted mitochondrial division but not fusion. However, the co-treatment of ALC and Cu alleviated those changes compared with the 100 or 200 μM Cu groups.ConclusionIn conclusion, we speculated that Cu increased the oxidative stress and induced mitochondria dysfunction via disturbing mitochondrial dynamic balance in CEHs, and this process was not completely reversible.     

Transition metal complexes with N, S donor ligands as synthetic antioxidants: synthesis, characterization and antioxidant activity

Transition metal complexes containing bidentate N, S donor ligands i.e., carvone thiosemicarbazone [(RS)-5-isopropenyl-2-methylcyclohex-2-en-1-one thiosemicarbazone (IPMCHTSC)] and carvone N(1)-phenylthiosemicarbazone [(RS)-5-isopropenyl-2-methylcyclohex-2-en-1-one phenylthiosemicarbazone (IPMCHPhTSC)] have been synthesized. All the metal complexes (1-8) have been characterized by elemental analysis, molar conductance measurement and various spectral studies [infrared (IR), electronic, fast-atom bombardment (FAB) mass and NMR (for ligands)] and thermogravimetric analysis. FAB mass spectroscopic studies of (1), (3), (4), (5), (6) (7), and (8) suggest their monomeric nature. Metal complexes are [M(LH)Cl(2)] and [M(LH)(2)Cl(2)] type, where M?=?Fe(III), Co(II), and Cu(II) and LH?=?IPMCHTSC and IPMCHPhTSC. The proposed geometries of the complexes were octahedral for 1:2 complexes, square planar for 1:1 complexes and distorted octahedral for Cu(II) complexes (1:2). The free radical scavenging activity of ligands (IPMCHTSC and IPMCHPhTSC) and their metal complexes have been determined at the concentration range of 10-400 μg/mL by means of their interaction with the stable free radical 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 5-200 μg/mL by 2,2'-Azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid. All the compounds have shown encouraging antioxidant activities.     

Effect of increasing zinc sulphate concentration during in vitro maturation of bovine oocytes

The objective was to investigate the effects of supplementary zinc (Zn) during in vitro maturation (IVM) of bovine oocytes. The DNA damage in cumulus cells was low with supplemental Zn concentrations of 1.1 and 1.5 μg/mL in the IVM medium (mean ± SEM index of DNA damage was 67.52 ± 9.32, 68.52 ±13.34, 33.80 ± 4.89, and 34.65 ± 7.92 for supplementation with 0, 0.7, 1.1, and 1.5 μg/mL Zn, respectively; P < 0.01). Total glutathione concentrations did not differ following Zn supplementation of 1.1 and 1.5 μg/mL (3.7 ± 0.4 vs. 4.0 ± 0.5 pmol, respectively, in oocytes; and in cumulus cells, 0.5 ± 0.04 nmol/10⁶ cells, combined for both treatments), but were greater (P < 0.01) than supplementation with 0.7 μg/mL (1.8 ± 0.5 pmol in oocytes and 0.2 ± 0.02 nmol/10⁶ cumulus cells). Cleavage rate increased (P < 0.05) when Zn was added to the IVM medium at any concentration (67.16 ± 1.17, 73.15 ± 1.15, 74.05 ± 1.23, and 72.76 ± 0.74 for 0, 0.7, 1.1, and 1.5 μg/mL Zn). For these concentrations, subsequent embryo development to the blastocyst stage was 17.83 ± 2.15, 21.95 ± 0.95, 27.65 ± 1.61, and 30.33 ± 2.78%, highest (P < 0.01) in oocytes matured with 1.5 μg/mL Zn. There was an increase (P < 0.05) in mean cell number per blastocyst obtained from oocytes matured with 1.1 and 1.5 μg/mL Zn relative to 0 Zn (IVM alone) and 0.7 μg/mL Zn. In conclusion, Zn during oocytes maturation significantly affected intracellular GSH content and DNA integrity of cumulus cells, and improved preimplantational embryo development. We inferred that optimal embryo development to the blastocyst stage was partially dependent on the presence of adequate Zn concentrations.