Efficacy of enterocin S760 in treatment of mice with anthrax infection due to Bacillus anthracis M-71

The therapeutic efficacy of enterocin S760, a broad spectrum antimicrobial peptide produced by Enterococcus faecium LWP760 was tested on mice infected with Bacillus anthracis M-71 to induce anthrax (second Tsenkovsky's vaccine). Intraperitoneal four-, two- or one-fold administration of the peptide in a dose of 25 mg/kg for 10 days for prophylactic (1 hour after the contamination) and therapeutic (24 hours after the contamination) purposes prevented or cured the infection in 90-100% of the mice versus the 100-percent lethality in the control (untreated animals). The antimicrobial activity of enterocin S760 against B. anthracis M-71 in vivo correlated with activity in vitro. Enterocin S760 is considered a novel promising antimicrobial for the treatment of grampositive and gramnegative infections.     

Diarylheptanoids from Green Alder Bark and Their Potential for DNA Protection

Nine diarylheptanoids, 1 – 9 , catechin ( 11 ), and a phenolic glucoside, 10 , were isolated from the bark of green alder (Alnus viridis). Four of the isolated compounds, i.e., 2, 5, 8, 10 , are new. The structures of 1 – 11 were determined on the basis of spectroscopic data. All isolated compounds were evaluated for their in vitro protective effects on chromosome aberrations in peripheral human lymphocytes using cytokinesis‐block micronucleus (CBMN) assay. Almost all of them exerted a pronounced effect of decreasing DNA damage of human lymphocytes, acting stronger than the known synthetic protector amifostine.     

Leaf n‐Alkanes as Characters Differentiating Coastal and Continental Juniperus deltoides Populations from the Balkan Peninsula

The composition of the cuticular n‐alkanes isolated from the leaves of nine populations of Juniperus deltoides R.P.Adams from continental and coastal areas of the Balkan Peninsula was characterized by GC‐FID and GC/MS analyses. In the leaf waxes, 14 n‐alkane homologues with chain‐lengths ranging from C₂₂ to C₃₅ were identified. n‐Tritriacontane (C₃₃) was dominant in the waxes of all populations, but variations between the populations in the contents of all n‐alkanes were observed. Several statistical methods (ANOVA, principal component, discriminant, and cluster analyses) were used to investigate the diversity and variability of the cuticular‐leaf‐n‐alkane patterns of the nine J. deltoides populations. This is the first report on the n‐alkane composition for this species. The multivariate statistical analyses evidenced a high correlation of the leaf‐n‐alkane pattern with the geographical distribution of the investigated samples, differentiating the coastal from the continental populations of this taxon.     

Sequestering HMGB1 via DNA-Conjugated Beads Ameliorates Murine Colitis

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract that affects millions of people worldwide. Although the etiology of IBD is not clear, it is known that products from stressed cells and enteric microbes promote intestinal inflammation. High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), originally identified as a nuclear DNA binding protein, is a cytokine-like protein mediator implicated in infection, sterile injury, autoimmune disease, and IBD. Elevated levels of HMGB1 have been detected in inflamed human intestinal tissues and in feces of IBD patients and mouse models of colitis. Neutralizing HMGB1 activity by administration of anti-HMGB1 antibodies or HMGB1-specific antagonist improves clinical outcomes in animal models of colitis. Since HMGB1 binds to DNA with high affinity, here we developed a novel strategy to sequester HMGB1 using DNA immobilized on sepharose beads. Screening of DNA-bead constructs revealed that B2 beads, one linear form of DNA conjugated beads, bind HMGB1 with high affinity, capture HMGB1 ex vivo from endotoxin-stimulated RAW 264.7 cell supernatant and from feces of mice with colitis. Oral administration of B2 DNA beads significantly improved body weight, reduced colon injury, and suppressed colonic and circulating cytokine levels in mice with spontaneous colitis (IL-10 knockout) and with dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis. Thus, DNA beads reduce inflammation by sequestering HMGB1 and may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of IBD.     

Trends of Superoxide Dismutase and Soluble Protein of Aquatic Plants in Lakes of Different Trophic Levels in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River,China

A limnological study was carried out to determine the responses of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities and soluble protein (SP) contents of 11 common aquatic plants to eutrophication stress.Field investigation in 12 lakes in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River was carried out from March to September 2004.Our results indicated that nonsubmersed (emergent and floating-leafed) plants and submersed plants showed different responses to eutrophication stress.Both SOD activities of the non-submersed and submersed plants were negatively correlated with their SP contents (P < 0.000 1).SP contents of non-submersed plants were significantly correlated with all nitrogen variables in the water (P < 0.05),whereas SP contents of submersed plants were only significantly correlated with carbon variables as well as ammonium and Secchi depth (SD) in water (P<0.05).Only SOD activities of submersed plants were decreased with decline of SD in water (P < 0.001).Our results indicate that the decline of SOD activities of submersed plants were mainly caused by light limitation,this showed a coincidence with the decline of macrophytes in eutrophic lakes,which might imply that the antioxidant system of the submersed plants were impaired under eutrophication stress.     

调蓄河湖群菹草(Potamogeton crispus L.)功能性状特征及其与环境因子的关系

调水工程引起的多环境因子关联变化对沉水植物群落的影响机制有待深入探讨。以南水北调东线工程调蓄河湖群中菹草种群为研究对象,分析了京杭运河(YH)、高邮湖(GY)、洪泽湖(HZ)、骆马湖(LM)、南四湖上级湖(NS1)、南四湖下级湖(NS2)和东平湖(DP)7个调蓄河湖中菹草个体功能性状特征及其与环境因子间的关系。结果表明:(1)除高锰酸盐指数(COD_(Mn))、浊度(Tur)和底泥有机质含量(S_o)外,总氮(TN)、硝氮(NO_3-N)、氨氮(NH_4-N)、总磷(TP)、正磷酸盐(PO_4-P)、硅酸盐(SiO_4-Si)、叶绿素a(Chla)、总溶解性固体(TDS)、透明度(SD)、消光系数(K)、水温(T)、电导率(Cond)、酸碱度(pH)、溶解氧(DO)和底泥含水率(S_w)在河湖间差异达到了极显著水平;(2)菹草株高、茎分支数、茎节数、茎节长、茎直径、相对茎长、叶片数、叶厚、叶长、叶宽、叶面积、比叶面积、株重、茎重、叶重、茎叶比、茎干物质比、叶干物质比在河湖间差异极显著;(3)河湖群内菹草种群18个功能性状中,按变异系数从小到大依次为:叶宽、茎直径、叶长、茎干物质比、叶干物质比、叶面积、株高、茎节长、相对茎长、茎叶比、叶厚、茎节数、茎重、叶片数、株重、比叶面积、叶重、茎分支数;7个调蓄河湖间,按照所有性状变异系数平均值从大到小排序依次为:南四湖下级湖、洪泽湖和京杭运河、高邮湖、东平湖、南四湖上级湖、骆马湖;(4)环境因子共解释了功能性状方差变异的49.43%;叶性状主要受营养因子(TN、NO_3-N、SiO_4-Si)影响;茎性状与光照因子(Chla和SD)密切相关;底泥因子(S_o)对茎叶生物量分配起主要作用。     

CCL5/CCR5 axis promotes the motility of human oral cancer cells

CCL5 (previously called RANTES) is in the CC‐chemokine family and plays a crucial role in the migration and metastasis of human cancer cells. On the other hand, the effect of CCL5 is mediated via CCR receptor. RT‐PCR and flow cytometry studies demonstrated CCR5 but not CCR1 and CCR3 mRNA in oral cancer cell lines, especially higher in those with high invasiveness (SCC4) as compared with lower levels in HSC3 cells and SCC9 cells. Stimulation of oral cancer cells with CCL5 directly increased the migration and metalloproteinase‐9 (MMP‐9) production. MMP‐9 small interfering RNA inhibited the CCL5‐induced MMP‐9 expression and thereby significantly inhibited the CCL5‐induced cell migration. Activations of phospholipase C (PLC), protein kinase Cδ (PKCδ), and NF‐κB pathways after CCL5 treatment was demonstrated, and CCL5‐induced expression of MMP‐9 and migration activity was inhibited by the specific inhibitor of PLC, PKCδ, and NF‐κB cascades. In addition, migration‐prone sublines demonstrate that cells with increasing migration ability had more expression of MMP‐9, CCL5, and CCR5. Taken together, these results indicate that CCL5/CCR5 axis enhanced migration of oral cancer cells through the increase of MMP‐9 production. J. Cell. Physiol. 220: 418–426, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.