Extraction,purification, and biochemical characterization of serine protease from leaves of Abrus precatorius

A protease from fresh leaves of Abrus precatorius was purified using two classical chromatography techniques: ion-exchange (DEAE-Sepharose) and Gel filtration (Sephadex G-75). The purified protease showed a molecular weight of ～?28?kDa on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The optimum pH and temperature for the purified protease was 8 and 40°C, respectively. The purified protease was stable throughout a wide temperature range from 10 to 80°C and pH from 2 to 12. Protease activity was inhibited in the presence of Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Hg²⁺, and Zn²⁺ while its activity has increased in the presence of Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺. The protease was highly specific to casein when compared to its specificity for gelatin, bovine serum albumin, hemoglobin, and defatted flour of Ricinodendron heudelotii. Its V_max and K_m determined using casein as a substrate were 94.34?U/mL and 349.07?µg/mL respectively. Inhibition studies showed that this purified protease was inhibited by both phenylmethane sulfonyl fluoride and aprotinin which are recognized as competitive inhibitors of serine proteases.     

Characterization of the sugar-binding specificity of the toxic lectins isolated from Abrus pulchellus seeds

The sugar-binding specificity of the toxic lectins from Abrus pulchellus seeds was investigated by combination of affinity chromatography of glycopeptides and oligosaccharides of well-defined structures on a lectin-Sepharose column and measurement of the kinetic interactions in real time towards immobilized glycoproteins. The lectins showed strong affinity for a series of bi- and triantennary N-acetyllactosamine type glycans. The related asialo-oligosaccharides interact more strongly with the lectins. The best recognized structures were asialo-glycopeptides from fetuin. Accordingly, the kinetic interaction with immobilized asialofetuin was by far the most pronounced. Human and bovine lactotransferrins and human serotransferrin interacted to a lesser extent. The interaction with asialofetuin was inhibited by galactose in a dose dependent manner. Lactose, N-acetyllactosamine and lacto-N-biose exhibited similar degree of inhibition while N-acetylgalactosamine was a poor inhibitor. These results suggested that the carbohydrate-binding site of the Abrus pulchellus lectins was specific for galactose and possess a remarkable affinity for the sequences lactose [-D-Gal-(14)-D-Glc], N-acetyllactosamine [-D-Gal-(14)-D-GlcNAc] and lacto-N-biose [-D-Gal-(13)-D-GlcNAc].     

Three Undescribed Flavonoids and Amide from Abrus mollis Hance with Hepatoprotective Effects

Through a phytochemical investigation of Abrus mollis Hance, a folk medicinal plant in China, we isolated and identified three undescribed compounds, including two flavonoids and one amides alkaloid, along with nine known from this plant. Their structures were elucidated by analyses of 1D, 2D NMR, HR-ESI-MS, ECD, and DP4+ analysis. Furthermore, we evaluated the hepatoprotective effects of all twelve compounds on D-GalN-induced Brl-3 A cells. According to the results, at a concentration of 25 μM, the cell survival rates were observed to be 71.92±0.34 %, 70.03±1.29 %, and 69.11±1.90 % for compound 2 , 4 , and 11 , respectively. Further experimental studies showed that compound 2 (EC₅₀ 5.76±0.37 μM) showed more significant protective activity than the bicyclol.     

Extensive changes in innate immune gene expression in obese Göttingen minipigs do not lead to changes in concentrations of circulating cytokines and acute phase proteins

The usefulness of Göttingen minipigs as models for obesity and obesity‐related pathologies is well established. The low‐grade inflammation associated with obesity involves a range of innate immune factors; however, to our knowledge, the impact of obesity on innate immune factor expression has not been studied in Göttingen minipigs. Therefore, we studied the expression of innate immune genes in liver and adipose tissues as well as serum concentrations of cytokines and acute phase proteins in obese vs. lean Göttingen minipigs. In the liver, of 35 investigated genes, the expression of nine was significantly different in obese pigs (three up‐regulated, six down‐regulated). Of 33 genes in adipose tissues, obesity was associated with changed expression of 12 genes in the visceral adipose tissue (VAT) (three up‐regulated), 11 in the abdominal retroperitoneal adipose tissue (RPAT) (seven of these up‐regulated) and eight in the subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) from the neck (five of which were up‐regulated). Obesity‐associated expression changes were observed for three genes in all adipose tissues, namely chemokine (C‐C motif) ligand 3‐like 1 (up‐regulated), CD200 molecule (down‐regulated) and interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (up‐regulated) with interleukin 1 receptor antagonist being the most highly regulated gene in both VAT and RPAT. Looking at patterns of expression across the three types of adipose tissues, obesity was associated with an increased number of acute phase proteins differentially expressed between adipose tissues and a decreased tissue‐specific expression of cytokines and chemokines. In contrast to obese humans, no changes in serum concentrations of haptoglobin, C‐reactive protein, serum amyloid A, tumor necrosis factor‐α and interleukin 6 were found in obese Göttingen minipigs.     

基于绿色低共熔溶剂法高效提取鸡骨草中的黄酮和皂苷

为了研究鸡骨草中总黄酮和总皂苷的最佳提取工艺,通过单因素试验和星点设计-响应面法,对低共熔溶剂的性质(如种类、组分摩尔比、含水量)、提取温度、提取时间、液料比等多个因素进行考察。结果显示,总黄酮的最佳提取条件为:摩尔比1∶2、含水量30%的氯化胆碱/乙二醇作溶剂,提取温度80℃,提取时间40min,液料比15∶1(mL/g);总皂苷的最佳提取条件为∶摩尔比1∶4、含水量25%的氯化胆碱/乳酸作溶剂,提取温度80℃,提取时间64min,液料比56∶1(mL/g)。在最佳条件下,总黄酮和总皂苷的提取率较传统提取溶剂分别提高了33.3%和96.4%。本研究为鸡骨草中黄酮和皂苷的高效、安全提取提供了一条新思路。     

Abruquinone A,B,D,E,F and G from the Root of Abrus precatorius

Eight flavonoids have been isolated from the root of Abrus precatorius L. Among them, six isoflavanquinones, designated (3R)-abruquinone A, B, D and E, (3S)-abruquinone F and G, are characterized by chemical and spectral means including 1H-1H COSY, 1H-13C COSY and CD methods.     

Anti-inflammatory activity of compounds isolated from the aerial parts of Abrus precatorius (Fabaceae).

Two triterpenoid saponins 1 and 2 isolated from the aerial parts of Abrus precatorius and their acetates derivatives, 3 and 4 have been tested for anti-inflammatory activity using the croton oil ear model. All the compounds exhibited anti-inflammatory activity but the acetates showed greater inhibition than the parent compounds.     

相思子属三种药材中的氨基酸分析比较

利用全自动氨基酸分析仪和高效液相色谱仪分析比较相思子属三种药材中氨基酸成分及含量。结果9个样品都检测出17种氨基酸和2种色氨酸衍生物。结论:不同样品中的氨基酸含量有所差异,但其中门冬氨酸、谷氨酸、亮氨酸和赖氨酸的含量相对较高。     

土壤干旱胁迫对毛鸡骨草幼苗生长及某些生理特性的影响

以毛鸡骨草幼苗为试验材料,测定毛鸡骨草在不同水分条件下的生长状况和相关的生理生化指标,结果表明:随着干旱胁迫的增加,毛鸡骨草幼苗的株高、茎粗、复叶长等呈递减趋势,根直径、须根数呈递增趋势;根、叶片脯氨酸含量和叶片可溶性糖的含量均呈先降低再上升的趋势,水势随干旱胁迫的加剧呈先上升后降低的趋势,根系活力随干旱胁迫的加剧呈递减趋势。但是,在严重干旱胁迫下,各生长指标的增长均受到明显的抑制。     

Identification of molecular markers for oocyte competence in bovine cumulus cells

Cumulus cells (CCs) have an important role during oocyte growth, competence acquisition, maturation, ovulation and fertilization. In an attempt to isolate potential biomarkers for bovine in vitro fertilization, we identified genes differentially expressed in bovine CCs from oocytes with different competence statuses, through microarray analysis. The model of follicle size, in which competent cumulus–oocyte complexes (COCs) were recovered from bigger follicles (≥8.0 mm in diameter) and less competent ones from smaller follicles (1–3 mm), was used. We identified 4178 genes that were differentially expressed (P < 0.05) in the two categories of CCs. The list was further enriched, through the use of a 2.5‐fold change in gene expression as a cutoff value, to include 143 up‐regulated and 80 down‐regulated genes in CCs of competent COCs compared to incompetent COCs. These genes were screened according to their cellular roles, most of which were related to cell cycle, DNA repair, energy metabolism, metabolism of amino acids, cell signaling, meiosis, ovulation and inflammation. Three candidate genes up‐regulated (FGF11, IGFBP4, SPRY1) and three down‐regulated (ARHGAP22, COL18A1 and GPC4) in CCs from COCs of big follicles (≥8.1 mm) were selected for qPCR analysis. The selected genes showed the same expression patterns by qPCR and microarray analysis. These genes may be potential genetic markers that predict oocyte competence in in vitro fertilization routines.     

Asiaticoside might attenuate bleomycin‐induced pulmonary fibrosis by activating cAMP and Rap1 signalling pathway assisted by A2AR

Asiaticoside (AS) has been reported to have protective effect on pulmonary fibrosis (PF). In this study, we aimed to explore the potential mechanism of the therapeutic role of AS and its relationship with A2AR in PF. Adenosine 2A receptor gene knockout (A2AR^?/?) mice and wild‐type (WT) mice were used to establish bleomycin (BLM)‐induced PF models and were then treated with AS (50 mg/kg/d). Pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis were observed in the PF model with much higher severity in A2AR^?/?mice than that in WT mice and AS significantly alleviated lung inflammation and fibrosis; however, it was less effective in A2AR^?/? mice than in WT mice via histopathological analysis. Using RNA sequencing analysis, we found up‐regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in BLM group were enriched in immune and inflammation‐associated pathways compared with control group. There were 242 common DEGs between down‐regulated in BLM vs control group and up‐regulated in BLM + AS vs BLM group, which were enriched in cAMP and Rap1 signalling pathways. Furthermore, the expression of five key factors of these two pathways including adenylate cyclase (ADCY1, ADCY5, ADCY8, cAMP and Rap1) were confirmed up‐regulated by AS with the presence of A2AR. Therefore, AS might attenuate BLM‐induced PF by activating cAMP and Rap1 signalling pathways which is assisted by A2AR, making it a promising therapeutic optional for PF.     

Microarray analysis of differential gene expression in sensitive and resistant pig to Escherichia coli F18

In this study, Agilent two‐colour microarray‐based gene expression profiling was used to detect differential gene expression in duodenal tissues collected from eight full‐sib pairs of Sutai pigs differing in adhesion phenotype (sensitivity and resistance to Escherichia coli F18). Using a two‐fold change minimum threshold, we found 18 genes that were differentially expressed (10 up‐regulated and eight down‐regulated) between the sensitive and resistant animal groups. Our gene ontology analysis revealed that these differentially expressed genes are involved in a variety of biological processes, including immune responses, extracellular modification (e.g. glycosylation), cell adhesion and signal transduction, all of which are related to the anabolic metabolism of glycolipids, as well as to inflammation‐ and immune‐related pathways. Based on the genes identified in the screen and the pathway analysis results, real‐time PCR was used to test the involvement of ST3GAL1 and A genes (of glycolipid‐related pathways), SLA‐1 and SLA‐3 genes (of inflammation‐ and immune‐related pathways), as well as the differential genes FUT1, TAP1 and SLA‐DQA. Subsequently, real‐time PCR was performed to validate seven differentially expressed genes screened out by the microarray approach, and sufficient consistency was observed between the two methods. The results support the conclusion that these genes are related to the E. coli F18 receptor and susceptibility to E. coli F18.     

Identification of hub genes and pathways in adrenocortical carcinoma by integrated bioinformatic analysis

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), a rare malignant neoplasm originating from adrenal cortical cells, has high malignancy and few treatments. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the molecular mechanism of tumorigenesis, screen and verify potential biomarkers, which will provide new clues for the treatment and diagnosis of ACC. In this paper, three gene expression profiles (GSE10927, GSE12368 and GSE90713) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained using the Limma package. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways were enriched by DAVID. Protein‐protein interaction (PPI) network was evaluated by STRING database, and PPI network was constructed by Cytoscape. Finally, GEPIA was used to validate hub genes’ expression. Compared with normal adrenal tissues, 74 up‐regulated DEGs and 126 down‐regulated DEGs were found in ACC samples; GO analysis showed that up‐regulated DEGs were enriched in organelle fission, nuclear division, spindle, et al, while down‐regulated DEGs were enriched in angiogenesis, proteinaceous extracellular matrix and growth factor activity; KEGG pathway analysis showed that up‐regulated DEGs were significantly enriched in cell cycle, cellular senescence and progesterone‐mediated oocyte maturation; Nine hub genes (CCNB1, CDK1, TOP2A, CCNA2, CDKN3, MAD2L1, RACGAP1, BUB1 and CCNB2) were identified by PPI network; ACC patients with high expression of 9 hub genes were all associated with worse overall survival (OS). These hub genes and pathways might be involved in the tumorigenesis, which will offer the opportunities to develop the new therapeutic targets of ACC.     

Flavonoid glycosides of Artemisia monosperma and A. herba-alba

Ten flavonoid glycosides were isolated and identified from Artemisia monosperma: vicenin-2, lucenin-2, acacetin 7-glucoside, acacetin 7-rutinoside, the 3-glucosides and 3-rutinosides of quercetin and patuletin, and the 5-glucosides of quercetin and isorhamnetin. From Artemisia herba-alba eight flavonoid glycosides were isolated and identified: isovitexin, vicenin-2, schaftoside, isoschaftoside and the 3-glucosides and 3-rutinosides of quercetin and patuletin.     

茶丽纹象甲为害诱导的茶树防御反应分析

基于转录组测序,获得了茶树新梢叶片被茶丽纹象甲为害前后的差异基因表达谱,并从信号监测与转导、转录因子、次生代谢物生成等方面分析了相关基因的表达变化情况,为进一步研究茶丽纹象甲为害诱导的茶树防御机制奠定基础。结果表明:(1)茶丽纹象甲为害茶树新梢叶片后共检测到显著上调表达基因309个,显著下调表达基因297个,这些显著差异表达基因共分成23类。(2)检测到信号监测与转导过程中合计17个单基因上调表达2.0～2.8倍,包括富含亮氨酸重复序列的类受体蛋白激酶基因、促分裂原活化蛋白激酶级联信号系统蛋白激酶基因、茉莉酸信号通路基因、钙离子信号基因、水杨酸代谢通路基因;检测到21个转录因子单基因上调表达1.8～2.8倍,包括bHLH、WRKY、bZIP、MYB、UAF等转录因子;检测到苯丙类、类黄酮及萜类物质代谢过程中合计8个单基因上调表达2.1～2.5倍,包括苯丙酮酸互变异构酶基因、肉桂酰辅酶A还原酶基因、二氢黄酮醇还原酶基因、花色素还原酶基因、法尼基二磷酸合成酶基因、法尼醇脱氢酶基因。研究认为,茶丽纹象甲为害诱导信号转导、转录因子及次生代谢过程中的基因增量表达以机械损伤作用为主,昆虫口腔分泌物对这些基因的诱导表达具有协同促进作用。     

Cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic effects of Abrus precatorius L. on human metastatic breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-231

Abrus precatorius is highly regarded as a universal panacea in the herbal medicine with diverse pharmacological activity spectra. This experimental study on the mechanism of the anticancer activity of A. precatorius leaf extracts, may offer new evidence for A. precatorius in the treatment of breast cancer in clinical practice. Cell death was determined by using MTT assay. Further analyses were carried out by doing DNA laddering, PARP cleavage, FACS, semi-quantitative RT-PCR and detection of cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) by DCFDA assay. A. precatorius showed very striking inhibition on MDA-MB-231 cells. MTT assay showed more than 75 % inhibition of the cells and treated cells indicated visible laddering pattern with thick compact band. PARP cleavage produced 89 kDa cleavage product which was associated with apoptosis. Flow cytometer exhibited a sub-G0/G1 peak as an indicative of apoptosis. mRNA expression level of apoptosis-related genes p21 and p53 was markedly increased in cells treated with the extract as compared to control. The up-regulation of p21 and p53 may be the molecular mechanisms by which A. precatorius extract which induces apoptosis. An increase in the concentration of A. precatorius extract does not generate ROS, instead it reduces ROS formation in MDA-MB-231 cells, as evident from the shift in fluorescence below untreated control. This is the first report showing that A. precatorius leaf extract exhibits a growth inhibitory effect by induction of apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells. Our results contribute towards validation of the A. precatorius extract as a potentially effective chemopreventive or therapeutic agent against breast cancer.