Malyngamide 4, a new lipopeptide from the Red Sea marine cyanobacterium Moorea producens (formerly Lyngbya majuscula)

In our continuing effort to discover new drug leads from Red Sea marine organisms, a sample of the marine cyanobacterium Moorea producens (previously Lyngbya majuscula) was investigated. Bioassay-directed purification of a tumor cell-growth inhibitory fraction of the organic extract of the Red Sea cyanobacterium afforded a new compound, malyngamide 4 (1), together with five previously reported compounds, malyngamide A (2) and B (3), (S)-7-methoxytetradec-4(E)-enoic acid (lyngbic acid, 4), aplysiatoxin (5) and debromoaplysiatoxin (6). Assignment of the planar structures of these compounds was based on extensive analysis of one- and two-dimensional NMR spectra and high-resolution mass spectrometric data. The isolated compounds were evaluated for their inhibitory activity against three cancer cell lines. In addition, the antibacterial activity of the compounds against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H₃₇Rv ATCC 27294 (H₃₇Rv) was evaluated. Lyngbic acid (4) was the most active against M. tuberculosis, while malyngamides 4 (1) and B (3) moderately inhibited the cancer cell lines. The other compounds were deemed inactive at the test concentrations.     

New ellagitannin and galloyl esters of phenolic glycosides from sapwood of Quercus mongolica var. crispula (Japanese oak)

Two novel glycosides, 4,5-dimethoxy-3-hydroxyphenol 1-O-β-(6′-O-galloyl)-glucopyranoside (1) and (+)-2α-O-galloyl lyoniresinol 3α-O-β-d-xylopyranoside (2), as well as a novel ellagitannin named epiquisqualin B (3), were isolated from sapwood of Quercus mongolica var. crispula along with 19 known phenolic compounds. The structures of the novel compounds were elucidated on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic investigation. Compound 2 is the first example of a lignan galloyl ester, and 3 is the oxidation product of vescalagin, which is the major ellagitannin of this plant.     

GFP Affects Human T Cell Activation and Cytokine Production following In Vitro Stimulation

There are many Green Fluorescent Proteins (GFPs) originating from diverse species that are invaluable to cell biologists today because of their ability to provide experimental visualization of protein expression. Since their initial discovery, they have been modified and improved to provide more stable variants with emission ranges spanning a wide array of colors. Due to their ease of expression both in-vitro and in-vivo, they are an attractive choice for use as markers in molecular biology. GFPs are generally assumed to have negligible effects on the cells to which they have been introduced. However, a growing number of reports indicate that this is not always the case. Consequently, because of GFP''s ubiquitous use, it is important to document the nature and extent of unintended effects. In this report, we find that GFP affects T cell activation, leading to defects in clustering, upregulation of the activation marker CD25 and IL-2 cytokine production following stimulation in human primary T cells that also express TurboGFP. We utilized a reporter assay which has been routinely used to assay the NF-κB pathway and found reduced NF-κB activitation in stimulated HEK293 and HeLa cells that were co-transfected with TurboGFP, suggesting that GFP interferes with signaling through the NF-κB pathway. These findings indicate that the utilization of GFP-tagged vectors may negatively impact in vitro experiments in T cells, emphasizing the critical importance of controls to identify any GFP-induced effects.     

Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Crude Extracts and Essential Oils of Syzygium cumini Leaves

This research highlights the chemical composition, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of essential oils and various crude extracts (using methanol and methylene chloride) from Syzygium cumini leaves. Essential oils were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).The abundant constituents of the oils were: α-pinene (32.32%), β-pinene (12.44%), trans-caryophyllene (11.19%), 1, 3, 6-octatriene (8.41%), delta-3-carene (5.55%), α-caryophyllene (4.36%), and α-limonene (3.42%).The antioxidant activities of all extracts were examined using two complementary methods, namely diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing power (FRAP). In both methods, the methanol extract exhibited a higher activity than methylene chloride and essential oil extracts. A higher content of both total phenolics and flavonoids were found in the methanolic extract compared with other extracts. Furthermore, the methanol extract had higher antibacterial activity compared to methylene chloride and the essential oil extracts. Due to their antioxidant and antibacterial properties, the leaf extracts from S. cumini may be used as natural preservative ingredients in food and/or pharmaceutical industries.     

<i>Trichoderma</i>-Induced Improvement in Growth,Photosynthetic Pigments,Proline, and Glutathione Levels in <i>Cucurbita pepo</i> Seedlings under Salt Stress

Salt stress is one of the major abiotic stress in plants. However, traditional approaches are not always efficient in conferring salt tolerance. Experiments were conducted to understand the role of Trichoderma spp. (T. harzianum and T. viride) in growth, chlorophyll (Chl) synthesis, and proline accumulation of C. pepo exposed to salinity stress. There were three salt stress (50, 100, and 150 mM NaCl) lavels and three different Trichoderma inoculation viz. T. harzianum, T. viride, and T. harzianum + T. viride. Salt stress significantly declined the growth in terms of the shoot and root lengths; however, it was improved by the inoculation of Trichoderma spp. C. pepo inoculated with Trichoderma exhibited increased synthesis of pigments like chl a, chl b, carotenoids, and anthocyanins under normal conditions. It was interesting to observe that such positive effects were maintained under salt-stressed conditions, as reflected by the amelioration of the salinity-mediated decline in growth, physiology and antioxidant defense. The inoculation of Trichoderma spp. enhanced the synthesis of proline, glutathione, proteins and increased the relative water content. In addition, Trichoderma inoculation increased membrane stability and reduced the generation of hydrogen peroxide. Therefore, Trichoderma spp. can be exploited either individually or in combination to enhance the growth and physiology of C. pepo under saline conditions.     

Treatment of nitric oxide supplemented with nitrogen and sulfur regulates photosynthetic performance and stomatal behavior in mustard under salt stress

Nitric oxide (NO) is a hormone that connects numerous reactions in plant cells under normal and environmental stress conditions. The application of 100 µM NO as sodium nitroprusside (SNP; NO donor) applied individually or in combination with N or S in different combinations (i.e. 100 mg N or S kg⁻¹ soil applied at the time of sowing [100 N + 100S]_0d or with split, 50 mg N or S kg⁻¹ soil at the time of sowing and similar dose at 20 d after sowing [50 N + 50S]_0d + [50 N + 50S]_20d) was tested to alleviate salt stress in mustard (Brassica juncea L.). Application of 100 µM NO plus split application of N and S more significantly promoted stomatal behavior, photosynthetic and growth performance in the absence of salt stress and maximally alleviated effects of salt stress through increased N- and S-use efficiency, proline and antioxidant system. The combined application of N and S at the time of sowing was lesser effective in promoting photosynthesis and growth under salt or no salt stress conditions in presence or absence of NO. The study suggests that salt stress effects on the photosynthetic performance are mitigated more efficiently when NO was applied together with the split application of N and S given at two stages, and the photosynthetic activity was promoted under salt stress through increased N and S assimilation and antioxidant system. This strategy may be adopted in agricultural system for overcoming salt stress effects on performance of mustard.     

Melatonin ingestion after exhaustive late-evening exercise attenuate muscle damage,oxidative stress,and inflammation during intense short term effort in the following day in teenage athletes

ABSTRACT

The present study aimed to investigate whether nocturnal melatonin (MEL) ingestion has beneficial effects against exercise-induced oxidative stress and muscle damage in young athletes. Fourteen healthy-trained teenagers performed two-test sessions separated by at least, 1 week. During each session, participants completed the Running-Based Anaerobic Sprint Test (RAST) at 20:00 h. Then, they ingested a single 10-mg tablet of MEL or Placebo (PLA) in a double-blind randomized order at 22:00 h. The following morning (i.e., 07:30 h), participants performed the same test as the previous night. Blood samples were taken before and after exercise. MEL intake increased the peak power (P_peak) (p < .01), mean power (P_mean) (p < .001) and decreased the total time (TT) (p < .001) and the fatigue index (FI) (p < .05). Furthermore, MEL ingestion attenuated the hematologic parameters before and after exercise (White Blood Cells (WBC: p < .001 and p < .001, respectively); Neutrophiles (NE: p < .001 and p < .001, respectively); Lymphocytes (LY: p < .001 and p < .001, respectively)) and the ultra-sensitive C-reactive protein (us-CRP: p < .001 and p < .001; respectively) compared to PLA. Also, MEL reduced muscle and hepatic damage enzymes before and after exercise (creatine kinase (CK: p < .001 and p < .001; respectively), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH: p < .05 and p < .01; respectively), aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT: p < .01 and p < .001; respectively)), Malondialdehyde (MDA: p < .001 and p < .001; respectively) and Homocysteine (Hcy: p < .001 and p < .001; respectively)) from placebo. Plasma lactate [La] and glucose (GL) remained unchangeable during the two conditions. In summary, acute MEL ingestion after strenuous late-evening exercise attenuated transient leucocytosis and protected against lipid peroxidation and muscle damage induced by strenuous exercise the following morning in healthy male teenage athletes.     

MicroRNA signature in hepatocellular carcinoma patients: identification of potential markers

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in liver pathologies and they are potential biomarkers for diagnosis of liver diseases progression. Changes in miRNA sera expression can be used as non-invasive biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of the study was to identify the miRNome profiling of HCC and its diagnostic value in distinguishing HCC from healthy individuals. Expression profiles of miRNAs in serum samples of 20 HCC patients and 10 healthy controls were detected. Whole miRNome profiling was done using next generation sequencing. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to assess the diagnostic performance of the deregulated miRNAs for discriminating HCC cases from healthy controls. MiRNA 142 was highly expressed in HCC (P value?=?0.023) while miRNAs 191, 22, and 126 were higher in the controls (P value?=?0.005, 0.034, 0.010 respectively). We have identified 5 novel miRNAs and they were highly expressed in HCC than controls. Analysis of ROC curve demonstrated that these deregulated miRNAs can be used as a reliable biomarker for detection of HCC with high diagnostic accuracy (AUC?=?0.93). We have detected a panel of serum miRNAs that can be used as a reliable noninvasive screening biomarker of HCC. The study recommends further research to shed light on a possible role of the newly discovered novel miRNAs in HCC pathogenesis.

     

Clinical significance of plasma MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 levels as biomarkers for tumor expression in breast cancer patients in Egypt

Matrix metallopeptidase 2 (MMP-2) and matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP-9) are involved in the breakdown of extracellular matrix in normal physiological processes as well as in disease processes, such as cancer metastasis. We conducted this work to study the role of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in breast cancer by measuring their plasma concentrations before and after surgery. Also, to examine if their levels can reflect the stage of disease and prognosis. Forty-eight breast cancer patients and 13 patients with benign breast diseases were included in the study. MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels were measured by ELISA and semi-quantitative real-time PCR. MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels in plasma were determined by ELISA immediately before surgery and during 6 to 12 months after curative surgery. We observed a significant increase in the level of MMP-9 mRNA expression in breast cancer patients in comparison to their normal breast tissues and to tissues of benign breast disease. In all TNM tumor stages, the plasma levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were increased significantly before curative surgery in the studied patients with breast carcinoma and decreased significantly after surgery. Both MMP-2 and MMP-9 may be used as a possible marker for follow-up or as a marker that reflects the response of the disease to treatment.

     

Chlorogenic acid prevents hepatotoxicity in arsenic-treated mice: role of oxidative stress and apoptosis

Molecular Biology Reports - Arsenic is a potent and toxic heavy metal found in the environment that causes health problems, including liver disease, in humans and animals. Chlorogenic acid (CA) is...