The Induction of Phagocytic Activation by Mixtures of the Water Chlorination By‐Products,Dichloroacetate‐ and Trichloroacetate,in Mice after Subchronic Exposure

In this study, groups of B6C3F1 male mice were treated with dichloroacetate (DCA), trichloroacetate (TCA), and mixtures of the compounds (Mix I, II, and III) daily by gavage, for 13 weeks. The tested doses were 7.5, 15, and 30 mg DCA/kg/day and 12.5, 25, and 50 mg TCA/kg/day. The DCA: TCA ratios in Mix I, II, and III were 7.5:12.5, 15:25, and 30:50 mg/kg/day, respectively. Peritoneal lavage cells were collected at the end of the treatment period and assayed for the biomarkers of phagocytic activation, including superoxide anion and tumor necrosis factor‐alpha production, and myeloperoxidase activity. The mixtures produced nonlinear effects on the biomarkers of phagocytic activation, with Mix I and II effects were found to be additive, but Mix III effects were found to be less than additive. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J BiochemMol Toxicol 27:237‐242, 2013; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com . DOI 10.1002/jbt.21476     

Comparative immunomodulatory properties of adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem cells conditioned media from BALB/c,C57BL/6, and DBA mouse strains

Adipose tissue‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD‐MSCs) have been shown to be capable of differentiating into multiple cell type and exert immunomodulatory effects. Since the selection of ideal stem cell is apparently crucial for the outcome of experimental stem cell therapies, therefore, in this study we compared AD‐MSCs conditioned media (CM) from BALB/c, C57BL/6, and DBA mouse strains. No significant difference was found in the morphology, cell surface markers, in vitro differentiation and proliferation potentials of AD‐MSCs isolated from C57BL/6, BALB/c, and DBA mice. The immunological assays showed some variation among the strains in the cytokines, nitric oxide (NO), and indoleamine 2,3‐dioxygenase (IDO) production and immunomodulatory effects on splenocytes functions. Our results indicated a suppression of splenocytes proliferation in the presence of AD‐MSC CM from the three inbred mouse strains. However, BALB/c CM exerted a higher suppression of splenocytes proliferation. AD‐MSCs isolated from C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice produced higher levels of TGF‐β than those from DBA mice. Furthermore, IL‐17 and IDO production was higher in AD‐MSCs isolated from BALB/c mice. Our results indicated an increased production of TGF‐β, IL‐4, IL‐10, NO, and IDO by splenocytes in response to CM from BALB/c AD‐MSCs. In conclusion, our results showed that the immunomodulatory properties of mouse AD‐MSCs is strain‐dependent and this variation should be considered during selection of appropriate stem cell source for in vivo experiments and stem cell therapy strategies. J. Cell. Biochem. 114: 955–965, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Use of aged refuse-based bioreactor/biofilter for landfill leachate treatment

Sanitary landfilling is a proven way for disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) in developed countries in general and in developing countries in particular, owing to its low immediate costs. On the other hand, landfilling is a matter of concern due to its generation of heavily polluted leachate. Landfill leachate becomes more refractory with time and is very difficult to treat using conventional biological processes. The aged refuse-based bioreactor/biofilter (ARB) has been shown to be a promising technology for the removal of various pollutants from landfill leachate and validates the principle of waste control by waste. Based on different environmental and operational factors, many researchers have reported remarkable pollutant removal efficiencies using ARB. This paper gives an overview of various types of ARBs used; their efficiencies; and certain factors like temperatures, loading rates, and aerobic/anaerobic conditions which affect the performance of ARBs in eliminating pollutants from leachate. Treating leachate by ARBs has been proved to be more cost-efficient, environment friendly, and simple to operate than other traditional biological techniques. Finally, future research and developments are also discussed.     

Antimicrobial effect of different herbal plant extracts against different microbial population

This study evaluates the antimicrobial effects of ethanolic extract of five herbal plants; Guava (Psidium guajava), Sage (Salvia officinalis), Rhamnus (Ziziphusspina Christi), Mulberry (Morusalba L.), and Olive (Oleaeuropaea L) leaves against several microbial population representing Gram positive, Gram negative and Mollicutes; S. aureus, E. coli, Pasteurella multocida, B. cereus, Salmonella Enteritidis and M. gallisepticum using standard agar disc diffusion technique and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). Different extracts reveal variable results against the microorganism under study. All extracts have no antibacterial potency for Mycoplasma gallisepticum except Psidium guajava. The results of minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the extracts against the six bacteria ranged from 625 to 5000 μg/ml. The used herbal extract could inhibit the selected microorganism under study with variable minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC).     

Characterization of α-mannosidase from Erythrina indica seeds and influence of endogenous lectin on its activity

α-mannosidase from Erythrina indica seeds is a Zn²⁺ dependent glycoprotein with 8.6% carbohydrate. The enzyme has a temperature optimum of 50 °C and energy of activation calculated from Arrhenius plot was found to be 23 kJ mol^− 1. N-terminal sequence up to five amino acid residues was found to be DTQEN (Asp, Thr, Gln, Glu, and Asn). In chemical modification studies treatment of the enzyme with NBS led to total loss of enzyme activity and modification of a single tryptophan residue led to inactivation. Fluorescence studies over a pH range of 3–8 have shown tryptophan residue to be in highly hydrophobic environment and pH change did not bring about any appreciable change in its environment. Far-UV CD spectrum indicated predominance of α-helical structure in the enzyme. α-Mannosidase from E indica exhibits immunological identity with α-mannosidase from Canavalia ensiformis but not with the same enzyme from Glycine max and Cicer arietinum. Incubation of E. indica seed lectin with α-mannosidase resulted in 35% increase in its activity, while no such activation was observed for acid phosphatase from E. indica. Lectin induced activation of α-mannosidase could be completely abolished in presence of lactose, a sugar specific for lectin.     

Purification of immature neuronal cells from neural stem cell progeny

Large-scale proliferation and multi-lineage differentiation capabilities make neural stem cells (NSCs) a promising renewable source of cells for therapeutic applications. However, the practical application for neuronal cell replacement is limited by heterogeneity of NSC progeny, relatively low yield of neurons, predominance of astrocytes, poor survival of donor cells following transplantation and the potential for uncontrolled proliferation of precursor cells. To address these impediments, we have developed a method for the generation of highly enriched immature neurons from murine NSC progeny. Adaptation of the standard differentiation procedure in concert with flow cytometry selection, using scattered light and positive fluorescent light selection based on cell surface antibody binding, provided a near pure (97%) immature neuron population. Using the purified neurons, we screened a panel of growth factors and found that bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP-4) demonstrated a strong survival effect on the cells in vitro, and enhanced their functional maturity. This effect was maintained following transplantation into the adult mouse striatum where we observed a 2-fold increase in the survival of the implanted cells and a 3-fold increase in NeuN expression. Additionally, based on the neural-colony forming cell assay (N-CFCA), we noted a 64 fold reduction of the bona fide NSC frequency in neuronal cell population and that implanted donor cells showed no signs of excessive or uncontrolled proliferation. The ability to provide defined neural cell populations from renewable sources such as NSC may find application for cell replacement therapies in the central nervous system.