Effect of the fungal immunomodulatory protein FIP-fve on airway inflammation and cytokine production in mouse asthma model

The allergy is dependent on the balance between Th1 and Th2. The fungal immunodulatory protein (FIP-fve) was isolated from Flammulina velutipes. FIP-fve has been demonstrated to skew the response to Th1 cytokine production. We investigated whether oral administrations of FIP-fve inhibited allergen (OVA)-induced chronic airway inflammation in the mouse asthma model. After intranasal challenge with OVA, the airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness were determined by bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) analysis and ELISA assay. Both pre-treated and post-treated with FIP-fve suppressed the airway hyperresponsiveness by methacholine challenge and significantly decreased the number of infiltrating inflammatory cells and Th2 cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and serum compared with the OVA sensitized mice. In addition, FIP-fve reduced OVA-specific IgE levels in serum. FIP-fve markedly alleviated the OVA-induced airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to inhaled methacholine. Based on lung histopathological studies using hematoxylin and Liu’s staining, FIP-fve inhibited inflammatory cell infiltration compared with the OVA-sensitized mice. Oral FIP-fve had an anti-inflammatory effect on OVA-induced airway inflammations and might posses the potential for alternative therapy for allergic airway diseases.     

Emission and Control Characteristics for Incineration of Sedum Plumbizincicola Biomass in a Laboratory-Scale Entrained Flow Tube Furnace

Experiments were conducted to investigate and control pollutant emission from incineration of Sedum plumbizincicola plants on a laboratory scale using an entrained flow tube furnace. Without control technologies, the flue gas contained 0.101 mg Nm^?3 of Cd, 46.4 mg Nm^?3 of Zn, 553 mg Nm^?3 of NOx, 131 pg Nm^?3 of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDD/Fs) and 35.4 mg Nm^?3 of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In pollutants control experiments. Al₂O₃, CaO, and kaolin were compared as adsorbents and activated carbon was used as an end-of-pipe method for the capture of pollutants. Kaolin, the most effective of the three adsorbents, removed 91.2% of the Cd in flue gas. While 97.6% of the Cd and 99.6% of the PAHs were removed by activated carbon. Incineration may therefore be regarded as a viable option for the safe disposal of the biomass of the zinc and cadmium hyperaccumulator species S. plumbizincicola.     

Adiponectin: A biomarker for rheumatoid arthritis?

Recent achievements in the biology and the function of adipose tissue have regarded white adipose tissue (WAT) as an important endocrine and secretory organ. Releasing a series of multiple-function mediators, WAT is involved in a wide spectrum of diseases, including not only cardiovascular and metabolic complications, such as atherosclerosis and type 2 diabetes, but also inflammatory- and immune-related disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA). A large number of these mediators, called adipokines, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), leptin, adiponectin, resistin, chemerin, interleukin-6 (IL-6), visfatin, and so on have been identified and studied widely. Important advances related to these proteins shed new insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms of many complicated diseases, although details of which remain unclear. Adiponectin, one of the most widely investigated adipokine, has been shown to possess both anti- and pro-inflammatory effects. RA is a chronic systemic inflammatory-related autoimmune disease. Accumulated evidence has demonstrated that cytokines and adipokines play an important role in the pathogenesis of RA. In this review, we have summarized the most recent advances in adiponectin research in the context of RA, focusing primarily on its effect on RA-related cells, its regulation on pro-inflammatory cytokines, as well as its validation as a biomarker for RA.     

The role of glycogen synthase kinase-3β in glioma cell apoptosis induced by remifentanil

The aim of malignant glioma treatment is to inhibit tumor cell proliferation and induce tumor cell apoptosis. Remifentanil is a clinical anesthetic drug that can activate the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. NMDA receptor signaling activates glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β). Discovered some 32 years ago, GSK-3β was only recently considered as a therapeutic target in cancer treatment. The purpose of this study was to assess whether remifentanil can induce the apoptosis of C6 cells through GSK-3β activation. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) was used to detect cell viability. Hoechst 33342 staining and flow cytometry were used to detect cell apoptosis. The effect of GSK-3β activation was detected using a GSK-3β activation assay kit and 4-benzyl-2-methyl-1,2,4-thiadiazolidine-3,5-dione (TDZD-8), a potent and selective small molecule inhibitor of GSK-3β. The MTT assay indicated that remifentanil induced C6 cell death in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Hoechst 33342 staining and flow cytometry showed that remifentanil significantly induced C6 cell apoptosis. The measurement of GSK-3β activation showed that remifentanil increased the cellular level of GSK-3β. All of these toxic effects can be attenuated by treatment with TDZD-8. These results suggest that remifentanil is able to induce C6 cell apoptosis through GSK-3β activation, which provides a basis for its potential use in the treatment of malignant gliomas.     

Theoretical study on aluminum carbide endohedral fullerene-Al4C@C80

The possibility of a new endohedral fullerene with a trapped aluminum carbide cluster, Al₄C @C₈₀-I _h , was theoretical investigated. The geometries and electronic properties of it were investigated using density functional theory methods. The Al₄C unit formally transfers six electrons to the C₈₀ cage which induces stabilization of Al₄C@C₈₀. A favorable binding energy, relatively large HOMO-LUMO gap, electron affinities and ionization potentials suggested the Al₄C@C₈₀ is rather stable. The analysis of vertical ionization potential and vertical electron affinity indicate Al₄C@C₈₀ is a good electron acceptor.

Effect of pH on the metabolic flux of Klebsiella oxytoca producing 2,3-butanediol in continuous cultures at different dilution rates

The efficiency of the bioconversion process and the achievable end-product concentration decides the economic feasibility of microbial 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BDO) production. In 2,3-BDO production, optimization of culture condition is required for cell growth and metabolism. Also, the pH is an important factor that influences microbial performance. For different microorganisms and substrates, it has been shown that the distribution of the metabolites in 2,3-BDO fermentation is greatly affected by pH, and the optimum pH for 2,3-BDO production seems dependently linked to the particular strain and the substrate employed. Quantification analysis of intracellular metabolites and metabolic flux analysis (MFA) were used to investigate the effect of pH on the Klebsiella oxytoca producing 2,3-BDO and other organic acids. The main objectives of MFA are the estimation of intracellular metabolic fluxes and the identification of rate-limiting step and the key enzymes. This study was conducted under continuous aerobic conditions at different dilution rates (0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 h^?1) and different pH values (pH 5.5 and 7.0) for the steady-state experimental data. In order to obtain the flux distribution, the extracellular specific rates were calculated from the experimental data using the metabolic network model of K. oxytoca. Intracellular metabolite concentration profiles were generated using ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.