Effect of Furostanol Glycosides from Dioscorea deltoidea on Redox State of Alfalfa Cells In Vitro

Russian Journal of Plant Physiology - The effect of exogenous furostanol glycosides (FG) on the activity of redox enzymes was investigated in suspension cell culture of alfalfa (Medicago sativa...     

Adaptogenic action of the complex of phenylpropanoids on Dioscorea deltoidea cell culture under abiotic stress

Biological activity of the extract from golden root (Rhodiola rosea L.) roots, containing the complex of phenylpropanoids (CPP), was studied on the cell culture of yam (Dioscorea deltoidea Wall) under normal conditions and abiotic stress. The high radical-binding capacity of CPP relative to anion- and hydroxyl-radicals was observed. Having a high level of antiradical protection, CPP at a high concentration(100 μM) exerted prooxidant effect, causing a decrease in D. deltoidea cell viability and a decrease in the activities of antioxidant enzymes: superoxide dismutase, guaiacol-dependent peroxidase, and catalase, with the exception of ascorbate peroxidase. At treatment with 100 μM CPP, oxidase (prooxidant) activity of peroxidase increased by three times. The low CPP concentration (2 μM) did not induce substantial changes in the activities of tested enzymes and also a substantial increase in the oxidase activity of peroxidase. Under conditions of oxidative stress induced by paraquat and high temperature, CPP manifested adaptogenic action, increasing cell viability; however, under hyperosmotic stress, it was not efficient. CPP was most efficient at a low concentration after cell pre-incubation with it for 5 days. In this case, the amount of primary and secondary POL products increased. Shortening pre-cultivation with CPP reduced its defensive effect.     

Detection of nanodiamonds in biological samples by EPR spectrometry

In model experiments in vitro, the applicability of the EPR spectrometry method for the detection of modified nanodiamonds (MNDs) in blood and homogenates of mouse organs has been established. A characteristic signal (g = 2.003, ΔH ≈ 10 G) is observed in the samples of biomaterials containing MNDs, the intensity of which increases linearly with the concentration of nanoparticles in the range of 1.6–200 μg MNDs per 1 mL of the sample. The EPR method in biomaterials reveals the presence of intrinsic paramagnetic centers, signals from which are superimposed on the signal from the MNDs. However, the intensity of these signals is small, which makes it possible to register the MNDs using EPR spectrometry with the necessary accuracy. The data obtained open up the prospects of using the EPR method for studies of the interorgan distribution, accumulation, and elimination of MNDs during their intravenous injection into experimental animals.     

Genetics of host response to Leishmania tropica in mice - different control of skin pathology, chemokine reaction, and invasion into spleen and liver

Background

Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by protozoan parasites of genus Leishmania. The frequent involvement of Leishmania tropica in human leishmaniasis has been recognized only recently. Similarly as L. major, L. tropica causes cutaneous leishmaniasis in humans, but can also visceralize and cause systemic illness. The relationship between the host genotype and disease manifestations is poorly understood because there were no suitable animal models.

Methods

We studied susceptibility to L. tropica, using BALB/c-c-STS/A (CcS/Dem) recombinant congenic (RC) strains, which differ greatly in susceptibility to L. major. Mice were infected with L. tropica and skin lesions, cytokine and chemokine levels in serum, and parasite numbers in organs were measured.

Principal Findings

Females of BALB/c and several RC strains developed skin lesions. In some strains parasites visceralized and were detected in spleen and liver. Importantly, the strain distribution pattern of symptoms caused by L. tropica was different from that observed after L. major infection. Moreover, sex differently influenced infection with L. tropica and L. major. L. major-infected males exhibited either higher or similar skin pathology as females, whereas L. tropica-infected females were more susceptible than males. The majority of L. tropica-infected strains exhibited increased levels of chemokines CCL2, CCL3 and CCL5. CcS-16 females, which developed the largest lesions, exhibited a unique systemic chemokine reaction, characterized by additional transient early peaks of CCL3 and CCL5, which were not present in CcS-16 males nor in any other strain.

Conclusion

Comparison of L. tropica and L. major infections indicates that the strain patterns of response are species-specific, with different sex effects and largely different host susceptibility genes.     

Wittina gen. n., a New Genus of Neotropical Moths (Lepidoptera,Megalopygidae)

Entomological Review - A new genus, Wittinia gen. n., is proposed for Megalopygidae moths restricted to the Western Hemisphere. Two species are included: Wittinia cremor sp. n., the type species...     

Molecular Diagnostics of the Involvement of Visually Normal Mucosa in the Malignancy Process in Urothelial Bladder Cancer

Molecular Biology - Immunofluorescent method by flow cytometry was used to quantify the expression of the tumor-associated protein βIII-tubulin (TUBB3) in the tissue of urothelial bladder...     

Structure prediction for peptides capable of inducing antibody formation in mice

A simple method for the sequence prediction of peptides capable of the in vivo stimulation of antibody production in mice without conjugation with protein carriers was proposed on the basis of literature data on the structure of T-helper epitopes active in vivo. According to this approach, a potentially active peptide should contain a nine-membered sequence with a hydrophobic amino acid residue in the first position and a positively charged residue in the ninth position. The efficiency of this approach was confirmed by the presence of such sequences in the previously described synthetic peptides with immune activities, by the application of this approach to the choice of immunogenic fragments within the sequences of various proteins that exhibited further the specific activity, and by the construction of immunogenic peptides on the basis of inactive natural sequences.