Myricetin Loaded Solid Lipid Nanoparticles Upregulate MLKL and RIPK3 in Human Lung Adenocarcinoma

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - Beneficial effects of MYC such as antioxidant, cytoprotective and antimicrobial activity have been investigated in various studies. The...     

Plant regeneration through callus cultures derived from immature-cotyledon explants of oleaster (Elaeagnus angustifolia L.)

Efficient plant regeneration was achieved from callus derived from immature-cotyledon explants of oleaster (Elaeagnus angustifolia L.). Calli were obtained on MS media containing 3% sucrose and different concentrations of TDZ. The highest rate of green, compact and nodular callus was formed on MS medium supplemented with 1 mg/l of TDZ. Shoot organogenesis was achieved when the callus was transferred onto MS media containing 3% sucrose and BA alone (05–4 mg/l) or BA (0.5 and 1 mg/l) combined with NAA or IAA (0.5 and 1 mg/l). Maximum organogenesis was obtained with 1 mg/l BA in combination with 0.5 mg/l NAA. Rooting of the shoots was achieved on MS medium supplemented with 0.2 mg/l IBA. Regenerated plantlets were acclimatized and successfully transplanted to soil.     

Age, growth and reproduction of the Caspian roach (Rutilus rutilus caspicus) in the Anzali and Gomishan wetlands, North Iran

The hypothesis of environmentally related life history variations between two Rutilus rutilus caspicus populations was investigated by comparing Gomishan and Anzali populations along the southern shores of the Caspian Sea. The roach growth rate in the Anzali wetland was higher than in the Gomishan wetland. There were significant differences in growth patterns between males and females from both wetlands, however the sex ratios were not significantly different. Fecundity or reproductive investment (Gonadosomatic index – GSI) of the Gomishan roach was significantly more than the Anzali roach. In both areas the absolute fecundity was significantly positive correlated to age and total length.     

Habitat associations of wild goat in central Iran: implications for conservation

Wild goat (Capra aegagrus) is one of the highly valued but threatened ungulates of Iran. Seasonal habitat use of wild goat was studied from October 2006 to September 2008 in Haftad Gholleh Protected Area, central Iran. We developed averaged logistic regression models based on Akaike Information Criterion weights for each season. The obtained habitat suitability models showed high sensitivity (greater than 88%) for all evaluation datasets. Wild goat habitat use was positively related with steep slopes, areas near rocky substrates and water sources, west-facing slopes and areas far from roads in all seasons. Core zones of protected area covered nearly 70% of suitable habitats for wild goats, predicted by logistic regression models. Northern core zone covered more than 61% of predicted suitable habitats, which should receive more attention in management actions. The southern core zone boundaries should be considered to increase the encompassed suitable habitats. There was a substantial overlap between seasonal suitable habitats with the highest overlap observed between spring and summer and summer and fall.     

Petal: a reliable explant for direct bulblet regeneration of endangered wild populations of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fritillaria imperialis</Emphasis> L.

Wild populations of Fritillaria imperialis L. are facing extinction and need urgent conservation. This paper presents an efficient system for in vitro direct bulblet regeneration of these populations by petal culturing of flower buds. Petals at different developmental stages, green-closed flower bud (before nectar secretion) and red-closed flower bud (beginning of nectar secretion), were used as explants, and the effects of various proportions of cytokinin to auxin on direct bulblet regeneration pathway were evaluated. More explants switched on direct regeneration pathway in combination of auxins (0.6 mg l⁻¹ NAA + 0.4 mg l⁻¹ IAA) with higher level of cytokinin (1 mg l⁻¹ BAP). In contrast, auxins (0.6 mg l⁻¹ NAA + 0.4 mg l⁻¹ IAA) with lower level of cytokinin (0.1 mg l⁻¹ BAP) produced more bulblets per regenerated explant. In green-closed flower bud stage, direct bulblets regenerated from the end of petal where it was connected to the receptacle, while nectar secretion site was the place of bulblet formation in red-closed flower bud stage. In addition, genotype-dependency of direct bulblet regeneration pathway was investigated by using two different wild populations of Fritillaria imperialis. This plant regeneration procedure was applicable to different Fritillaria genotypes and regenerated bulblets were normal.     

Naked Eye Detection of Cr3+ and Co2+ Ions by Gold Nanoparticle Modified with Azomethine

This paper reports the synthesis of azomethine-modified gold nanoparticles with azomethine (azomethine-AuNPs) in aqueous media, which were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), dynamic light scattering (DLS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The azomethine-AuNPs were employed as colorimetric for Cr³⁺ and Co²⁺ ions at pH 6.2–7.5 and 8.1–9.1, at room temperature in aqueous solution. In the presence of Cr³⁺ and Co²⁺, the azomethine-AuNPs induce aggregation of the nanoparticles. Upon aggregation, the surface plasmon absorption band red-shifts so that the nanoparticle solution appears a blue color. The sensitivity of azomethine-AuNPs towards other metal ions, Mg²⁺, Mn²⁺, Cr⁶⁺, Na⁺, Ni²⁺, Ag⁺, Al³⁺, Ca²⁺, Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺, Hg²⁺, Cd²⁺, K⁺, Co³⁺, Ni²⁺, Pb²⁺, and Zn²⁺ are negligible. This highly selective sensor allows a direct quantitative assay of Co²⁺ and Cr³⁺ with colorimetric detection limits of 83.22 and 108 nM, respectively.

     

New immunological investigations on Helicobacter pylori‐induced gastric ulcer in patients

Although Helicobacter pylori (Hp) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of chronic gastritis and gastric ulcer, little is known about the probable mechanisms of these types of gastrointestinal damage. To determine the precise mechanisms involved in ulcer formation, immune responses in patients with gastric ulcer (GUP) caused by Hp infection (Hp⁺) were compared with those of other gastritis patients (GP). The sensitivity and proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNCs) obtained from patients were evaluated by 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay against exposure with complex Hp crude antigen (HPCA) and mitogen (phytohemagglutinin, PHA). Production of inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)‐1β and IL‐8, in serum and supernatants of PBMNCs were then measured by ELISA. It was found that, after stimulation with PHA, both IL‐8 and IL‐1β concentrations in sera and supernatants as well as proliferation and sensitivity were statistically greater in GUP Hp⁺ than GP Hp^?. Furthermore, HPCA inhibited the proliferation of PBMNCs dose‐dependently; however, it stimulated IL‐8 and IL‐1β production in supernatants of mononuclear cells. Therefore, the up‐regulated concentrations of IL‐8 and IL‐1β may have been caused by increase in the size of mononuclear cell subpopulations or in their cytokine secretory activity, indicating the greatest cell responsiveness in GUP Hp⁺ patients. These results suggest that tissue damage and ulcers occur in patients who produce more IL‐8 and IL‐1β than patients who do not develop ulcers; the former consequently have more activated immune cells at the site of infection. Therefore, both host responses and Hp virulence factors may be involved in the development of gastric ulcers.

     

Folate receptor-targeted multimodal fluorescence mesosilica nanoparticles for imaging,delivery palladium complex and in vitro G-quadruplex DNA interaction

New folic acid-conjugated mesoporous silica nanoparticles were synthesized. The effect of calcination at 400°C on the fluorescence characteristics of mesoporous silica nanoparticles were studied in this work. The formed carbon dots (CDs) from calcination were used as the source of fluorescence. 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane was then used to amine-functionalized the fluorescent surface of mesoporous silica nanoparticles. The amine fluorescence mesoporous silica nanoparticles (amine-FMSNs) were coupled with folic acid (FA) as the target ligand (FA-amine-FMSNs). A palladium complex was also synthesized and encapsulated in the FA-amine-FMSNs yielded fluorescent property with therapeutic effect. The in vitro release of an entrapped palladium complex from FA-amine-FMSNs was studied under physiological conditions. According to the cell viability assay on HeLa (positive FR) and Hep-G2 (negative FR) cells, the targeted delivery system inhibited the growth of positive FR with higher selectivity compared with negative FR cells. Also, the emission CDs were used for fluorescence microscopic imaging. To confirm anti-cancer activity of the palladium complex, the interaction between palladium complex and G-quadruplex DNA were investigated with multi-spectroscopic methods and molecular modeling. The molecular docking studies showed a partial intercalation mode with a 4.27 × 10⁵ M^?1 binding constant.     

Strategies for optimizing DNA hybridization on surfaces

Specific and predictable hybridization of the polynucleotide sequences to their complementary counterparts plays a fundamental role in the rational design of new nucleic acid nanodevices. Generally, nucleic acid hybridization can be performed using two major strategies, namely hybridization of DNA or RNA targets to surface-tethered oligonucleotide probes (solid-phase hybridization) and hybridization of the target nucleic acids to randomly distributed probes in solution (solution-phase hybridization). Investigations into thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of these two strategies showed that hybridization on surfaces is less favorable than that of the same sequence in solution. Indeed, the efficiency of DNA hybridization on surfaces suffers from three constraints: (1) electrostatic repulsion between DNA strands on the surface, (2) steric hindrance between tethered DNA probes, and (3) nonspecific adsorption of the attached oligonucleotides to the solid surface. During recent years, several strategies have been developed to overcome the problems associated with DNA hybridization on surfaces. Optimizing the probe surface density, application of a linker between the solid surface and the DNA-recognizing sequence, optimizing the pH of DNA hybridization solutions, application of thiol reagents, and incorporation of a polyadenine block into the terminal end of the recognizing sequence are among the most important strategies for enhancing DNA hybridization on surfaces.     

Development of an indirect sandwich ELISA for detection of urinary antigen,using Legionella pneumophila PAL protein

Legionella pneumophila peptidoglycan-associated lipoprotein (PAL) protein is an extremely conserved antigen among Legionella species. In this study, rabbit and rat anti-PAL immunoglobulin G antibodies were produced by immunization with purified, recombinant PAL (r-PAL) protein of L. pneumophila serogroup 1 and used as capture and detection antibodies in the PAL antigen-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect urinary PAL antigen. Urine samples were obtained from rats experimentally infected with L. pneumophila serogroup 1. The PAL antigen was measured in urine samples of 40 infected and 40 uninfected rats. After choosing the cut-off value of 0.192, the sensitivity and specificity of the PAL antigen-based ELISA were 87.5 and 97.5 %, respectively. The results obtained by PAL antigen base ELISA were compared with those obtained by Biotest. The PAL antigen was detected efficiently by both of the assays and all of the control human urine samples were negative by the ELISA test. The PAL antigen-based ELISA assay was relatively simple to perform, precise, highly sensitive and specific, and reproducible. Based on our data the PAL antigen-based ELISA described here is the first indirect sandwich ELISA for urinary antigen detection which could easily be applied for diagnosis of Legionnaires disease.