Quinic acid derivatives from Pimpinella brachycarpa exert anti-neuroinflammatory activity in lipopolysaccharide-induced microglia

Five new quinic acid derivatives (1–5), together with 10 known quinic acid derivatives (6–15), were isolated from the MeOH extract of Pimpinella brachycarpa (Umbelliferae). Their structures were established on the basis of spectroscopic analyses including extensive 2D NMR studies (COSY, HMQC and HMBC). Isolated compounds 1–15 were evaluated for their inhibitory activities on nitric oxide (NO) production in an activated murine microglial cell line. Compounds 2, 3, 8 and 11 significantly inhibited NO production without high cell toxicity in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated BV-2 cells, a microglia cell line (IC₅₀ = 4.66, 12.52, 9.04 and 12.11 μM, respectively).     

Resonance Raman-spectroscopic studies of the hapten features involved in the binding of 2,4-dinitrophenyl haptens by the mouse myeloma proteins MOPC 315 and MOPC 460.

The binding of four dinitrophenyl haptens to the mouse myeloma proteins MOPC 315 IgA (immunoglobulin A) and MOPC 460IgA was studied by resonance Raman spectroscopy. Isotopic substitution with 15N and 2H was used to assign features in the resonance Raman spectra of the free haptens. Changes in each of these features on binding to the proteins could then be attributed to interactions of the proteins' binding sites with either the p-NO2 or the o-NO2/amine regions of the haptens. The interactions between a given hapten and MOPC 315 IgA are often quite distinct from those between the same hapten and MOPC 460 IgA. Moreover, for both antibodies the nature of the R side chain in a Dnp-NHR (Dnp, 2,4-dinitrophenyl) compound appears to modify the interactions between the Dnp chromophore and the protein. Thus, with the haptens studied, there is no unique set of contacts between the Dnp group and the binding site. The contacts expected between epsilon-2,4-dinitrophenyl-L-lysine and the site on MOPC 315 IgA, on the basis of a recent model for this site [Dwek, Wain-Hobson, Dower, Gettins, Sutton, Perkins & Givol (1977) Nature (London) 266, 31--37] were not detected. However, the contacts between this hapten and the site on MOPC 460 IgA were closer to those predicted by the model for MOPC 315 IgA.     

Chemical Diversity and Antimicrobial Activity of Volatile Compounds from Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides Lam. according to Compound Classes,Plant Organs and Senegalese Sample Locations

The chemical diversity of Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides growing wild in Senegal was studied according to volatile compound classes, plant organs and sample locations. The composition of fruit essential oil was investigated using an original targeted approach based on the combination of gas chromatography (GC) and liquid chromatography (LC) both coupled with mass spectrometry (MS). The volatile composition of Z. zanthoxyloides fruits exhibited relative high amounts of hydrocarbon monoterpenes (24.3 – 55.8%) and non‐terpenic oxygenated compounds (34.5 – 63.1%). The main components were (E)‐β‐ocimene (12.1 – 39%), octyl acetate (11.6 – 21.8%) and decanol (9.7 – 15.4%). The GC and GC/MS profiling of fruit essential oils showed a chemical variability according to geographical locations of plant material. The LC/MS/MS analysis of fruit oils allowed the detection of seven coumarins in trace content. The chemical composition of fruit essential oils was compared with volatile fractions of leaves and barks (root and trunk) from the same plant station. Hexadecanoic acid, germacrene D and decanal were identified as the major constituents of leaves whereas the barks (root and trunk) were dominated by pellitorine (85.8% and 57%, respectively), an atypic linear compound with amide group. The fruit essential oil exhibited interesting antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans, particularly the alcohol fraction of the oil.     

Paracrine effect of CXCR4‐overexpressing mesenchymal stem cells on ischemic heart injury

It has been reported that CXCR4‐overexpressing mesenchymal stem cells (MSC^CX4) can repair heart tissue post myocardial infarction. This study aims to investigate the MSCCX4‐derived paracrine cardio‐protective signaling in the presence of myocardial infarction. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were divided into 3 groups: MSC only, MSC^CX4, and CXCR4 gene‐specific siRNA‐transduced MSC. Mesenchymal stem cells were exposed to hypoxia, and then MSCs‐conditioned culture medium was incubated with neonatal and adult cardiomyocytes, respectively. Cell proliferation–regulating genes were assessed by real‐time polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). In vitro: The number of cardiomyocytes undergoing DNA synthesis, cytokinesis, and mitosis was increased to a greater extent in MSC^CX4 medium‐treated group than control group, while this proproliferative effect was reduced in CXCR4 gene‐specific siRNA‐transduced MSC–treated cells. Accordingly, the maximal enhancement of vascular endothelial growth factor, cyclin 2, and transforming growth factor‐β2 was observed in hypoxia‐exposed MSC^CX4. In vivo: MSCs were labeled with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and engrafted into injured myocardium in rats. The number of EGFP and CD31 positive cells in the MSC^CX4 group was significantly increased than other 2 groups, associated with the reduced left ventricular (LV) fibrosis, the increased LV free wall thickness, the enhanced angiogenesis, and the improved contractile function. CXCR4 overexpression can mobilize MSCs into ischemic area, whereby these cells can promoted angiogenesis and alleviate LV remodeling via paracrine signaling mechanism.     

Dissecting Solidago canadensis–soil feedback in its real invasion

The importance of plant–soil feedback (PSF) has long been recognized, but the current knowledge on PSF patterns and the related mechanisms mainly stems from laboratory experiments. We aimed at addressing PSF effects on community performance and their determinants using an invasive forb Solidago canadensis. To do so, we surveyed 81 pairs of invaded versus uninvaded plots, collected soil samples from these pairwise plots, and performed an experiment with microcosm plant communities. The magnitudes of conditioning soil abiotic properties and soil biotic properties by S. canadensis were similar, but the direction was opposite; altered abiotic and biotic properties influenced the production of subsequent S. canadensis communities and its abundance similarly. These processes shaped neutral S. canadensis–soil feedback effects at the community level. Additionally, the relative dominance of S. canadensis increased with its ability of competitive suppression in the absence and presence of S. canadensis–soil feedbacks, and S. canadensis‐induced decreases in native plant species did not alter soil properties directly. These findings provide a basis for understanding PSF effects and the related mechanisms in the field conditions and also highlight the importance of considering PSFs holistically.     

A workflow of massive identification and application of intron markers using snakes as a model

Relative to the commonly used mitochondrial and nuclear protein‐coding genes, the noncoding intron sequences are a promising source of informative markers that have the potential to resolve difficult phylogenetic nodes such as rapid radiations and recent divergences. Yet many issues exist in the use of intron markers, which prevent their extensive application as conventional markers. We used the diverse group of snakes as an example to try paving the way for massive identification and application of intron markers. We performed a series of bioinformatics screenings which identified appropriate introns between single‐copy and conserved exons from two snake genomes, adding particular constraints on sequence length variability and sequence variability. A total of 1,273 candidate intron loci were retrieved. Primers for nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were designed for over a hundred candidates and tested in 16 snake representatives. 96 intron markers were developed that could be amplified across a broad range of snake taxa with high PCR successful rates. The markers were then applied to 49 snake samples. The large number of amplicons was subjected to next‐generation sequencing (NGS). An analytic strategy was developed to accurately recover the amplicon sequences, and approximately, 76% of the marker sequences were recovered. The average p‐distances of the intron markers at interfamily, intergenus, interspecies, and intraspecies levels were .168, .052, .015, and .004, respectively, suggesting that they were useful to study snake relationships of different evolutionary depths. A snake phylogeny was constructed with the intron markers, which produced concordant results with robust support at both interfamily and intragenus levels. The intron markers provide a convenient way to explore the signals in the noncoding regions to address the controversies on the snake tree. Our improved strategy of genome screening is effective and can be applied to other animal groups. NGS coupled with appropriate sequence processing can greatly facilitate the extensive application of molecular markers.     

Quantitative IR microscopy and spectromics open the way to 3D digital pathology

Currently, only mass‐spectrometry (MS) microscopy brings a quantitative analysis of chemical contents of tissue samples in 3D. Here, the reconstruction of a 3D quantitative chemical images of a biological tissue by FTIR spectro‐microscopy is reported. An automated curve‐fitting method is developed to extract all intense absorption bands constituting IR spectra. This innovation benefits from three critical features: (1) the correction of raw IR spectra to make them quantitatively comparable; (2) the automated and iterative data treatment allowing to transfer the IR‐absorption spectrum into a IR‐band spectrum; (3) the reconstruction of an 3D IR‐band matrix (x, y, z for voxel position and a 4^th dimension with all IR‐band parameters). Spectromics, which is a new method for exploiting spectral data for tissue metadata reconstruction, is proposed to further translate the related chemical information in 3D, as biochemical and anatomical tissue parameters. An example is given with oxidative stress distribution and the reconstruction of blood vessels in tissues. The requirements of IR microscopy instrumentation to propose 3D digital histology as a clinical routine technology is briefly discussed.