Effects of carnitine and its congeners on eicosanoid discharge from rat cells: implications for release of TNFalpha

THE acyl carrier coenzyme A (CoA) is involved in fatty acid metabolism. The carnitine/CoA ratio is of particular importance in regulating the transport of long-chain fatty acids into mitochondria for oxidation. Also CoA has a role in the formation and breakdown of products from both the cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase pathways of the precursor arachidonic acid. In the present study the effect of 4 days feeding of 300 mg/kg/day of L-carnitine, acetyl Lcarnitine and propionyl L-carnitine on the basal and calcium ionophore (A23187) stimulated release of arachidonic acid metabolites from rat carrageenin elicited peritoneal cells was investigated. There were two series of experiments carried out. In the first, the harvested peritoneal cell population consisted of less than 90% macrophages and additional polymorphonuclear (PMN) leucocytes. The basal release of prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), 6-ketoprostaglandin F(1alpha) (6-keto-PGF(1alpha)) and leukotriene B(4) (LTB(4)) was stimulated by all treatments. The A23187 stimulated release of 6-keto-PGF(1alpha) and LTB(4) was increased by all three compounds. The 6-keto-PGF(1alpha):TxB(2) and 6-keto-PGF(1alpha):LTB(4) ratios were increased by carnitine treatment. These results suggested that carnitine could modify the macrophage component of an inflammatory site in vivo. In the second series of experiments the harvested cell population was highly purified (>95% macrophages) and none of the compounds fed to the rats caused a change of either eicosanoid or TNFalpha formation. Moreover the 6-keto-PGF(1alpha):TxB(2) and 6-keto-PGF(1alpha):LTB(4) ratios were not enhanced by any of the compounds tested. It is conceivable that in the first series the increased ratios 6-keto-PGF(1alpha):TxB(2) and 6-keto-PGF(1alpha):LTB(4) reflected the effect of carnitine or its congeners on PMN leucocytes rather than on macrophages.     

纳米载药系统在肿瘤多药耐药中的应用

当今世界,肿瘤已经成为威胁人类健康的重大疾病。在肿瘤疾病中,化疗可控制肿瘤的生长和转移,增强放疗的疗效,是治疗肿瘤疾病的主要手段之一。而肿瘤多药耐药是影响化疗药物疗效、引起化疗失败的重要原因,影响肿瘤患者的治愈效果,降低生存率。如何提高化疗的疗效,延长肿瘤患者的寿命成为医学界的难题。纳米载药系统是生物医学领域研究的热点,相对于单一药物,纳米载药体现了许多优越性,具有良好的应用前景。纳米级颗粒更有利于药代动力学,这些纳米载药颗粒通过被动和主动的机制表现出在全身血液循环寿命延长,持续的药物释放动力,使其能更好的在肿瘤细胞中积累而发挥作用,提高化疗的疗效。本文综述了肿瘤多药耐药研究中主要的纳米载体以及它们在逆转多药耐药方面的应用,并展望载药系统的有更多更好的发展趋势。     

多囊卵巢综合征伴胰岛素抵抗的研究进展

多囊卵巢综合征（polycystic ovary syndrome,PCOS）是国内外研究者、医患人员非常关心的育龄期妇女常见的内分泌代谢疾病,其主要表现为闭经、月经量减少、肥胖、不孕、体多毛等。多数伴有胰岛素抵抗（insulin resistance,IR）的发生,胰岛素抵抗（insulin resistance,IR）是指正常水平的胰岛素促进葡萄糖摄取及利用能力下降,机体各组织、器官代偿性分泌胰岛素以维持机体血糖稳定的一种代谢状态。近年来的研究不断证实PCOS患者2型糖尿病、血脂代谢紊乱及代谢综合征（metabolicsyndrome,MS）等并发症的发病率明显增高。运动能够改善2型糖尿病患者胰岛素抵抗的说法已经得到了共识,其分子机制也逐渐分明。PCOS患者胰岛素抵抗的研究目前仍处于进一步探讨阶段,但是经过近几年的努力已经有了新的进展,若在PCOS胰岛素抵抗患者的治疗过程中给予一定的运动干预,相信一定能够有新的突破。本文就PCOS患者胰岛素抵抗研究的机制、诊断及治疗方法的新进展简单做一综述。     

丝状真菌蛋白表达系统研究进展*

丝状真菌以其优秀的表达分泌能力和良好的环境适应能力,使得其在蛋白质表达领域应用越来越广泛。近几十年来,通过诱变、培养优化及遗传改造等手段,使得包含曲霉属、木霉属、青霉属等在内的丝状真菌被开发成高效表达宿主。为促进丝状真菌蛋白表达系统的开发,结合作者的研究工作,对工业上丝状真菌表达宿主、蛋白质表达元件及其改造策略进行综述,并探讨了当前丝状真菌表达系统开发过程中的不足之处,为新型丝状真菌表达系统的研究提供参考和启示。     

湖南苗族、侗族5项人类群体遗传学特征的调查

对湖南苗族、侗族共648例的5项人类群体遗传学特征(利眼、足趾长、起步类型、耳耵聍、指甲型)进行了调查。结果显示:1)两个民族的多数人属于右利眼、拇趾长于二趾、左起步、干型耵聍和长形指甲;2)两个民族的左利眼出现率和拇趾长于二趾的出现率高于国内多数人群;3)足趾长出现率存在明显的民族间差异;苗族利眼和方形指甲出现率均表现出明显的民族内性别差异;4)5项特征间的相关关系不明显。     

中药库拉索芦荟化学成分的液质定性分析

为阐明中药库拉索芦荟(Aloe barbadensis)叶的汁液浓缩干燥物的化学成分,该研究采用HPLC-DAD-ESI-IT-TOF-MSⁿ技术,结合对照品对比和文献检索,对其进行系统的定性分析。以水(A)-乙腈(B)为流动相进行梯度洗脱,流速为1.0 mL·min^-1,质谱使用ESI离子源,采用负离子模式分析液质数据。结果表明：(1)首次阐明中药库拉索芦荟中蒽醌类(芦荟大黄素、大黄素甲醚、大黄素-8-O-β-D-吡喃葡萄糖苷)、蒽酮类(芦荟素A、芦荟糖苷A)、色酮类(芦荟新苷D、7-O-甲基芦荟新苷A、altechromone A、芦荟苦素、芦荟新苷G、芦荟新苷C)、α-吡喃酮类(芦荟宁A、芦荟宁B)四类成分的主要化合物的裂解途径。蒽醌类化合物的裂解途径以失去CO₂和CO为主,蒽酮类化合物的裂解途径以己糖苷的裂解和失去CO为主,色酮类化合物的裂解途径以己糖苷的裂解和酯基的水解为主,α-吡喃酮类的裂解途径主要包括己糖苷的裂解、CO₂和H₂O的丢失等。(2)共检测到168种化学...     

湖北大戟根中的环阿尔廷型三萜

从湖北神农架地区产湖北大戟(Euphorbia hylonomaHand.-Mazz.)根中分离得到4个环阿尔廷型三萜化合物,分别鉴定为:24-烯环阿尔廷软脂酸酯(1),环阿尔廷-23-烯-3β,25-二醇-3-乙酸酯(2),环阿尔廷-25-烯-3β,24ξ-二醇(3),环阿尔廷-23-烯-3β,25,28-三醇(4)。化合物1~4均为首次从该植物中得到。     

GPCRs 组成性活性的研究进展及意义

GPCRs是体内最大的蛋白质亚家族,其活性涉及体内绝大部分重要的生理和病理进程。研究表明,GPCRs或其突变体能在无配体结合的情况下自发产生部分甚至完全活性程度的生理活性,称之为组成性活性。据此研究者提出了GPCRs激活过程中存在多个中间激活态的观点,从而丰富了配体受体相互作用的经典模型,并使组成性活性突变体(constitutive active mutant,CAM)成为研究GPCRs的新方法。本文系统介绍了组成性活性的研究历程,以及近年来利用CAM的方法研究GPCRs的结构、激活机制和活性调节的历程和进展,和体内组成性活性突变的成因和与疾病的关系,以及CAM在研究药物作用机理和新药研发中的意义。     

Context‐dependent functional dispersion across similar ranges of trait space covered by intertidal rocky shore communities

Functional diversity is intimately linked with community assembly processes, but its large‐scale patterns of variation are often not well understood. Here, we investigated the spatiotemporal changes in multiple trait dimensions (“trait space”) along vertical intertidal environmental stress gradients and across a landscape scale. We predicted that the range of the trait space covered by local assemblages (i.e., functional richness) and the dispersion in trait abundances (i.e., functional dispersion) should increase from high‐ to low‐intertidal elevations, due to the decreasing influence of environmental filtering. The abundance of macrobenthic algae and invertebrates was estimated at four rocky shores spanning ca. 200 km of the coast over a 36‐month period. Functional richness and dispersion were contrasted against matrix‐swap models to remove any confounding effect of species richness on functional diversity. Random‐slope models showed that functional richness and dispersion significantly increased from high‐ to low‐intertidal heights, demonstrating that under harsh environmental conditions, the assemblages comprised similar abundances of functionally similar species (i.e., trait convergence), while that under milder conditions, the assemblages encompassed differing abundances of functionally dissimilar species (i.e., trait divergence). According to the Akaike information criteria, the relationship between local environmental stress and functional richness was persistent across sites and sampling times, while functional dispersion varied significantly. Environmental filtering therefore has persistent effects on the range of trait space covered by these assemblages, but context‐dependent effects on the abundances of trait combinations within such range. Our results further suggest that natural and/or anthropogenic factors might have significant effects on the relative abundance of functional traits, despite that no trait addition or extinction is detected.     

吉林蛟河针阔混交林乔木幼苗组成与月际动态

以吉林省蛟河42 hm²针阔混交林动态监测样地为平台, 在样地内选取224个1 m × 1 m幼苗监测小样方, 基于2013年6至8月每月中旬的幼苗监测数据, 对乔木幼苗物种组成、数量特征、月际动态及幼苗与同种大树之间的关系进行分析。结果表明: (1)该群落共调查到乔木树种幼苗16种。物种组成在6月和7月间变化不大, 但与8月差异较大。物种组成在各样方间表现出极大的差异性, 不同种幼苗出现的样方数为1-159。(2) 6月至8月, 幼苗个体从1722株减少到1214株, 降幅达29.5%。不同种幼苗在个体数量上变异较大, 个体数超过100的幼苗有色木槭(Acer mono)、水曲柳(Fraxinus mandschurica)、紫椴(Tilia amurensis)和东北槭(Acer mandshuricum), 四者个体数之和占所有物种个体总数的84.26%; 不同种幼苗密度变异性较大, 只有色木槭、水曲柳、紫椴和东北槭密度大于1株·m^-2, 其他种幼苗密度均较低。(3)新生幼苗更新、死亡格局表现出明显的种间差异与月际间差异, 7月新生幼苗总体死亡率(48.9%)显著高于8月(28.3%); 整个调查季(6-8月), 新生幼苗总体死亡率(40.56%)明显高于多年生幼苗(7.34%)。就幼苗更新情况而言, 该研究群落一年中更新主要集中在6月。(4)色木槭、紫椴、杉松(Abies holophylla)幼苗的密度与同种成年个体的胸高断面积之和之间存在显著的正相关关系(p = 0.006、0.013、0.037), 表明三者幼苗密度随周围母树多度的增加而增加, 其他物种幼苗密度与同种个体数目或同种胸高断面积之和未表现出显著的相关关系。