Metabolic patterns and biotransformation activities of resveratrol in human glioblastoma cells: relevance with therapeutic efficacies

Background

Trans-resveratrol rather than its biotransformed monosulfate metabolite exerts anti-medulloblastoma effects by suppressing STAT3 activation. Nevertheless, its effects on human glioblastoma cells are variable due to certain unknown reason(s).

Methodology/Principal Findings

Citing resveratrol-sensitive UW228-3 medulloblastoma cell line and primarily cultured rat brain cells/PBCs as controls, the effect of resveratrol on LN-18 human glioblastoma cells and its relevance with metabolic pattern(s), brain-associated sulfotransferase/SULT expression and the statuses of STAT3 signaling and protein inhibitor of activated STAT3 (PIAS3) were elucidated by multiple experimental approaches. Meanwhile, the expression patterns of three SULTs (SULT1A1, 1C2 and 4A1) in human glioblastoma tumors were profiled immunohistochemically. The results revealed that 100 µM resveratrol-treated LN-18 generated the same metabolites as UW228-3 cells, while additional metabolite in molecular weight of 403.0992 in negative ion mode was found in PBCs. Neither growth arrest nor apoptosis was found in resveratrol-treated LN-18 and PBC cells. Upon resveratrol treatment, the levels of SULT1A1, 1C2 and 4A1 expression in LN-18 cells were more up-regulated than that expressed in UW228-3 cells and close to the levels in PBCs. Immunohistochemical staining showed that 42.0%, 27.1% and 19.6% of 149 glioblastoma cases produced similar SULT1A1, 1C2 and 4A1 levels as that of tumor-surrounding tissues. Unlike the situation in UW228-3 cells, STAT3 signaling remained activated and its protein inhibitor PIAS3 was restricted in the cytosol of resveratrol-treated LN-18 cells. No nuclear translocation of STAT3 and PIAS3 was observed in resveratrol-treated PBCs. Treatment with STAT3 chemical inhibitor, AG490, committed majority of LN-18 and UW228-3 cells but not PBCs to apoptosis within 48 hours.

Conclusions/Significance

LN-18 glioblastoma cells are insensitive to resveratrol due to the more inducible brain-associated SULT expression, insufficiency of resveratrol to suppress activated STAT3 signaling and the lack of PIAS3 nuclear translocation. The findings from PBCs suggest that an effective anticancer dose of resveratrol exerts little side effect on normal brain cells.     

Effects of pH and calcium ions on the conformational transitions in silk fibroin using 2D Raman correlation spectroscopy and 13C solid-state NMR

Silk fibroin exists in a number of different states, such as silk I and silk II, with different properties largely defined by differences in secondary structure composition. Numerous attempts have been made to control the transitions from silk I to silk II in vitro to produce high-performance materials. Of all the factors influencing the structural compositions, pH and some metal ions play important roles. This paper focuses on the influence of pH and Ca(2+) ions on the conformational transition from silk I to silk II in regenerated (redissolved) Bombyx mori fibroin. One- and two-dimensional correlation Raman spectroscopy was used to describe qualitatively the transitions in secondary structure in silk I, silk II, and their intermediates as pH and Ca(2+) ion concentration were changed, while (13)C cross polarization magic angle spinning (CP/MAS) solid-state NMR was used to quantify these changes. We showed that conditions (low pH, pH 5.2; a defined range of Ca(2+) ion concentrations; gradual water removal) that mimic natural silk spinning promote the formations of beta-sheet and distorted beta-sheet characteristic of silk II or silk II-related intermediate. In contrast, higher pH (pH 6.9-8.0) and higher Ca(2+) ion concentrations maintain "random coil" conformations typical of silk I or silk I-related intermediate. These results help to explain why the natural silk spinning process is attended by a reduction in pH from 6.9 to 4.8 and a change in the Ca(2+) ion concentration in the gland lumen as fibroin passes from the posterior division through the secretory pathway to the anterior division.     

Single live cell imaging of chromosomes in chloramphenicol-induced filamentous Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a leading opportunistic pathogen in human infections, and it is renowned for its intrinsic resistance to structurally and functionally unrelated antibiotics. Filamentation induced by antibiotics appears to trigger bacteria to depart from a normal growth phase and enter a stationary growth phase. As antibiotic concentrations decline below a therapeutic range, filamentous bacteria begin to divide normally, leading to a more rapid regrowth of the bacteria. Furthermore, filamentous bacteria are associated with an increase in endotoxin release. Moreover, the immune system of a patient needs to cope with uncharacteristic filamentous bacteria. Thus, it is biologically and clinically significant to study and understand bacterial filamentation. In this study, we investigate the frequencies, conditions, and characteristics of a filamentous P. aeruginosa at single cell and single chromosome resolutions. Our results show that filamentous cells (elongated rods) contain multiple copies of the cell's chromosome. It appears that the unsuccessful segregation of replicated chromosomes in an individual cell accompanies the formation of undivided filamentous cells. The quantity of chromosomes and the length of the filamentous wild-type cells increase as the chloramphenicol concentration increases to 50 and 250 microg/mL, suggesting that chloramphenicol induces the filamentation. Filamentation in three strains of P. aeruginosa depends on the expression level of efflux pump (MexAB-OprM) and the minimum inhibitory concentration of chloramphenicol. This study also opens up the new possibility of real-time monitoring of modes of actions of antibiotics in live cells with both temporal and spatial resolution.     

Using nanoparticle optics assay for direct observation of the function of antimicrobial agents in single live bacterial cells

Multidrug resistance (MDR) has been reported in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, underscoring the challenge of design and screening of more efficacious new drugs. For instance, the efflux pump of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (gram-negative bacteria) can extrude a variety of structurally and functionally diverse substrates, which leads to MDR. In this study, we present a new platform that studies modes of action of antibiotics in living bacterial cells (P. aeruginosa), in real-time, at nanometer scale and single-cell resolution using nanoparticle optics and single living cell imaging. The color index of silver (Ag) nanoparticles (violet, blue, green, and red) is used as the sized index (30 +/- 10, 50 +/- 10, 70 +/- 10, and 90 +/- 10 nm) for real-time measurement of sized transformation of the cell wall and membrane permeability at the nanometer scale. We have demonstrated that the number of Ag nanoparticles accumulated in cells increases as the aztreonam (AZT) concentration increases and as incubation time increases, showing that AZT induces the sized transformation of membrane permeability and the disruption of the cell wall. The results demonstrate that nanoparticle optics assay can be used as a new powerful tool for real-time characterization of modes of action of antimicrobial agents in living cells at the nanometer scale. Furthermore, studies of mutants of WT bacteria (nalB-1 and DeltaABM), suggest that an efflux pump (MexA-MexB-OprM) effectively extrudes substrates (nanoparticles) out of the cells, indicating that the MDR mechanism involves the induction of changes in membrane permeability and the intrinsic pump machinery.     

一株放线菌代谢产物除草活性的初步研究

从土壤中分离筛选出1株编号为Z40的链霉菌菌株,其代谢产物具有明显的除草活性。室内生物测定结果表明,Z40菌株发酵液干物质的除草活性主要表现为抑制生长作用。对反枝苋的主根和主茎生长抑制中浓度(EC50)分别为276.76 mg/L和1 609.37 mg/L,对狗尾草的主根和主茎生长抑制中浓度分别为501.81mg/L和629.01 mg/L。浓度为10 000 mg/L对油菜的萌发抑制率和主茎生长抑制率均为100.00%,而对小麦的生长发育没有明显影响。田间试验结果表明,Z40菌株代谢产物对稗、狗尾草、铁苋菜的防治效果均在80%以上,抑制率分别为80.30%,81.59%和88.71%。     

中国玛蚱属研究及三新种记述(蚱总科,短翼蚱科)

记述中国玛蚱属23种,内有3新种,西藏玛蚱Mazarredis xizangensis sp.nov.、平背玛蚱 Mazarredia platynota sp.nov.及拟短背玛蚱 Mazarredia parabrachynota sp.nov.附有中国种类的分种检索表,分布和引证.模式标本保存于陕西师范大学动物研究所昆虫标本室.     

采用生态位模型预测黄顶菊在中国的潜在适生区

选取32个环境地理变量,结合黄顶菊在中国的分布记录,运用GARP、Maxent、ENFA、Bioclim和Domain5种生态位模型,模拟黄顶菊在中国的潜在适生分布区域,并利用受试者工作特征曲线(ROC)比较不同模型模拟精度.结果表明:Maxent模型的模拟精度最好.采用Maxent模型进行模拟,黄顶菊在我国有7.5%的适生面积,河北中南部、北京、天津、河南、山东、安徽和江苏具有高度潜在入侵风险.     

核磁共振技术在沉积物磷素组分及迁移转化规律研究中的应用

沉积物磷素释放是造成湖泊水体发生富营养化的主要原因之一,而磷的活性又取决于其在沉积物中的化学赋存形态.磷-31核磁共振(31PNMR)技术因可以增强研究者对环境中磷素组分信息的认识而广受关注.本文主要综述了该技术在沉积物磷素形态表征以及迁移转化规律方面的研究成果,对技术原理和分类、分析流程以及具体应用领域进行了全面阐述.目前,应用核磁共振技术分析沉积物磷素的研究主要集中于不同形态磷化合物表征、微生物对磷素迁移转化的影响和定量研究三方面,而关于提取剂和提取方法的研究也是热点之一.最后,对未来31PNMR技术在环境样品中应用研究的重点和发展趋势进行了展望.     

北细辛内生真菌的分离鉴定及代谢产物的生物活性

采用表面消毒法分别从3种北细辛中分离获得10株形态特征不同的优势内生真菌,经形态学和18S rDNA ITS分子分类学分析鉴定为小丛壳属(Glomerella sp.)、叶点霉属(Phyllosticta sp.)、柄孢壳菌属(Po-dospora sp.)、刺盘孢属(Colletotrichum sp.)和镰孢属(Fusarium sp.)。对北细辛优势内生真菌的发酵产物进行体外抗肿瘤和抗菌活性检测,结果表明:除菌株E3、E4和E10外,其余菌株均有不同程度的抗肿瘤和抗菌活性;镰孢属(Fusarium sp.)菌株E9对A549、MDA-MB-231和PANC-1肿瘤细胞抑制率达75%以上;小丛壳属(Glomerella sp.)菌株E1和叶点霉属(Phyllosticta sp.)菌株E2靶向FabI的抗菌活性较强,抑制率达59%。