Protein-rich extract of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Musca domestica</Emphasis> larvae alleviated metabolic disorder in STZ-induced type 2 diabetic rat model via hepatoprotective and pancreatic β-cell protective activities

The study was designed to explore the beneficial effect of Musca domestica larvae extract (MDLE) on a metabolic disorder using a diabetic rat model. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were treated with or without MDLE. Blood glucose, insulin levels, lipid profiles, and oxidative stress markers were measured. The morphological changes in the pancreas and liver were determined, as well as insulin expression. The expression of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4), phospho-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK)/total AMPK, superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), catalase (CAT), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) were detected. Compared with untreated diabetic rats, MDLE-treated rats had decreased urine volume, food intake, and water intake, along with significantly lower levels of blood glucose, malondialdehyde (MDA), plasma triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and total cholesterol. MDLE-treated rats also had higher levels of SOD activity, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and insulin. MDLE treatment partially restored the β-cell population, improved the liver necrosis and islet cell damage, reversed the decreased expression of GLUT4, phospho-AMPK, SOD1, and CAT in the liver, skeletal muscle and pancreatic tissue, and also increased the expression of PPARγ in the liver and adipose tissue in diabetic rats. In conclusion, the obtained results suggest that MDLE could possibly be used pharmacologically as an adjuvant for the treatment of diabetes.     

Antioxidant and cytotoxic tocopheryl quinones in normal and cancer cells

We found previously that [d]--tocopherol (-T) and [d]--tocopherol (-T) are lipid antioxidants (thiobarbituric acid test) in model systems containing arachidonic acid (AA), cumene hydroperoxide, and Fe³⁺ and in smooth muscle cell (SMC) cultures challenged with AA. We now show that [d]--tocopherylquinone (-TQ), [d]-δ-tocopherylquinone (δ-TQ), and [d]-γ-tocopherylquinone (γ-TQ) are antioxidants at low concentrations and prooxidants at high concentrations in the model system. Prooxidant activity is greater with γ-TQ than either -TQ or δ-TQ. Low concentrations of -TQ, γ-TQ, and δ-TQ are also antioxidants in SMC cultures challenged with AA. Unlike -TQ, partially substituted γ-TQ and glutathione (GSH) form a Michael adduct which has been purified and characterized. We found previously that -T, γ-T, and -TQ are mitogenic in SMC. We now report that both δ-TQ and δ-TQ but not -TQ show concentration-dependent cytotoxicity (changes in morphology, propidium iodide stain) in SMC cultures. Cytotoxicity is greater with γ-TQ than δ-TQ. An acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cell line shows greater chemosensitivity (MTF and Neutral Red assays) to γ-TQ than to either doxombicin (DOX) or vinblastine (VLB). An ALL cell line resistant to both DOX and VLB retains the same chemosensitivity to γ-TQ as the drug-sensitive ALL cell line. ALL cell lines are unaffected by either -TQ or the GSH Michael adduct of γ-TQ. These data show that partially substituted tocopheryl quinones capable of forming Michael adducts are potential chemotherapeutic agents for multidrug-resistant cancer cells.     

Identification of a Novel Polymorphism in Bovine lncRNA ADNCR Gene and Its Association with Growth Traits

Adipocyte differentiation-associated long noncoding RNA (ADNCR) is a newly discovered lncRNA. It plays function by targeting miR-204 to significantly regulates the expression of the target SIRT1 gene in preadipocytes both at the level of mRNA and protein, thereby inhibiting adipogenesis. The tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system PCR (T-ARMS-PCR) strategy is fast and accuracy at a negligible cost for SNP genotyping in large samples. In the study, a novel SNP g.1263T>A in intron 1 of bovine ADNCR gene was found. Herein, the T-ARMS-PCR assay was applied to detect the genotypes of the novel SNP of bovine ADNCR gene in 1017 individuals from seven cattle breeds and validated the accuracy by DNA sequencing assay of ninety animals representing three different genotypes. The concordance between two different methods was 100%. The association analysis indicated that this locus was significantly associated with the body weight (P?=?0.010), chest girth (P?=?0.014) and rump length (P?=?0.038) in Jinnan cattle, hucklebone width (P?=?0.032) in Qinchuan cattle, the cannon circumference (P?=?0.019) in Jinjiang cattle, respectively. These novel findings may be used for marker-assisted selection (MAS) and contribute to the performance of beef cattle in the future.