Micropropagation of Acacia mearnsii from ex vitro material

Multiple shoots were produced from nodal explants, of 30-day-old in vitro grown seedlings and from pretreated 3- and 9-month-old greenhouse grown Acacia mearnsii plants, respectively. Explants were sterilized using 0.1% and 0.2% HgCl2 for 15 min for 3- and 9-month-old explants, respectively. Nodal explants were induced to form multiple shoots when placed on MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mg l –1 benzyladenine. Rooting of these shoots was achieved on MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg l –1 indole-3-butyric acid. Plantlets were acclimatized in transparent plastic containers under greenhouse conditions with a 90% success rate.     

Mechanisms of the Anticancer Action of Ganoderma lucidum （Leyss. ex Fr.） Karst.： A New Understanding

Ganoderma lucidum (Leyss. ex Fr.) Karst., a medicinal fungus called “Lingzhi” in China, has been used in traditional Chinese medicine in China for the prevention and treatment of various types of diseases, such as cancer, hepatopathy, arthritis, hypertension, neurasthenia, and chronic hepatitis. It is clear that the anticancer activity of G. lucidum is mainly due to polysaccharides and/or triterpenoids of the fungus. However, until now, the mechanism of the anticancer action of G. lucidum has not been well understood and, previously, the activation of the immune response of the host was widely considered to be the only mechanism by which G. lucidum prevented and/or treated cancer. However, recent studies reviewed in the present paper have shown that the potential mechanisms of anticancer action include not only the activation of the immune response of the host, but also the induction of cell differentiation, the induction of Phase Ⅱ-metabolizing enzymes, the inhibition of angiogenesis, and the inhibition of the expression of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and the uPA receptor in cancer cells. To further elucidate the mechanisms of action of G. lucidum, more in vivo tests and randomized controlled clinical trials should be carried out, and the molecular mechanisms should be studied intensively. Additionally, whether the anticancer compounds in G. lucidum act synergistically or independently should be further studied.     

Floral Morphogenesis of Anemone rivularis Buch.-Ham. ex DC. var.flore-minore Maxim. (Ranunculaceae) with Special Emphasis on Androecium Developmental Sequence

The floral morphogenesis and androecium developmental sequence of Anemone rivularis Buch.-Ham. ex DC. var. flore-minore Maxim. were observed under a scanning electron microscope (SEM)and by means of histological methods in order to expand our knowledge of the morphogenesis and development of the floral organs of the Ranunculaceae. The initiation of the floral elements is a centripetal spiral and the direction of the spiral is clockwise or anti-clockwise. However, the development of the androecium is highly unusual: in a longitudinal series of four stamens, the second stamen develops first from the inner to outer, then the third one, the fourth one and the first one in turn. The microsporogenesis and anther maturation follows the same developmental sequence. The tepals are different from the bracts and the stamens in both shape and size in the early developmental stage, but there is no difference between the stamens and carpels in the early developmental stage. Therefore, we established a spatio-temporal process of the floral morphogenesis of4. rivularis var.flore-minore and offer another meaning of the floral diversity patterns attributed to the level of the genus.     

Dynamic roles of angiopoietin-like proteins 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7 in the survival and enhancement of ex vivo expansion of bone-marrow hematopoietic stem cells

Recent advances in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) expansion by growth factors including angiopoietin-like proteins (Angptls) have opened up the possibility to use HSCs in regenerative medicine. However, the unavailability of true in vitro HSCs expansion by these growth factors has limited the understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanism of HSCs expansion. Here, we report the functional role of mouse Angptls 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7 and growth factors SCF, TPO, IGF-2 and FGF-1 on purified mouse bone-marrow (BM) Lineage^-Sca-1⁺(Lin^-Sca-1⁺) HSCs. The recombinant retroviral transduced- CHO-S cells that secrete Angptls in serum-free medium were used alone or in combination with growth factors (SCF, TPO, IGF-2 and FGF-1). None of the Angptls stimulated HSC proliferation, enhanced or inhibited HSCs colony formation, but they did support the survival of HSCs. By contrast, any of the six Angptls together with saturating levels of growth factors dramatically stimulated a 3- to 4.5-fold net expansion of HSCs compared to stimulation with a combination of those growth factors alone. These findings lead to an understanding of the basic function of Angptls on signaling pathways for the survival as well as expansion of HSCs in the bone marrow niche.     

Scalable Manufacturing of Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in the Vertical‐Wheel Bioreactor System: An Experimental and Economic Approach

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) hold great promise for tissue engineering applications and cell‐based therapies. Large cell doses (>1 × 10⁶ cells kg^?1) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)‐compliant processes are however required for clinical purposes. Here, a serum‐ and xenogeneic‐free (S/XF) microcarrier‐based culture system is established for the expansion of human umbilical cord matrix (UCM)‐ and adipose tissue (AT)‐derived MSC using the Vertical‐Wheel system (PBS‐0.1 MAG; PBS Biotech). UCM and AT MSC are expanded to maximum cell densities of 5.3 ± 0.4 × 10⁵ cell mL^?1 (n = 3) and 3.6 ± 0.7 × 10⁵ cell mL^?1 (n = 3), respectively, after 7 days of culture, while maintaining their identity, according to standard criteria. An economic evaluation of the process transfer from T‐flasks to PBS‐0.1 MAG shows a reduction in the costs associated with the production of a dose for an average 70 kg adult patient (i.e., 70 million cells). Costs decrease from $17.0 K to $11.1 K for UCM MSC and from $21.5 K to $11.1 K for AT MSC, proving that the transition to Vertical‐Wheel reactors provides a cost‐effective alternative for MSC expansion. The present work reports the establishment of a scalable and cost‐effective culture platform for the manufacturing of UCM and AT MSC in a S/XF microcarrier‐based system.     

Development of Microsponges for Topical Delivery of Mupirocin

The goal of the present study was to develop and evaluate microsponge-based topical delivery system of mupirocin for sustained release and enhanced drug deposition in the skin. Microsponges containing mupirocin were prepared by an emulsion solvent diffusion method. The effect of formulation and process variables such as internal phase volume and stirring speed on the physical characteristics of microsponges were examined on optimized drug/polymer ratio by 3² factorial design. The optimized microsponges were incorporated into an emulgel base. In vitro drug release, ex vivo drug deposition, and in vivo antibacterial activity of mupirocin-loaded formulations were studied. Developed microsponges were spherical and porous, and there was no interaction between drug and polymer molecules. Emulgels containing microsponges showed desired physical properties. Drug release through cellulose dialysis membrane showed diffusion-controlled release pattern and drug deposition studies using rat abdominal skin exhibited significant retention of active in skin from microsponge-based formulations by 24 h. The optimized formulations were stable and nonirritant to skin as demonstrated by Draize patch test. Microsponges-based emulgel formulations showed prolonged efficacy in mouse surgical wound model infected with S. aureus. Mupirocin was stable in topical emulgel formulations and showed enhanced retention in the skin indicating better potential of the delivery system for treatment of primary and secondary skin infections, such as impetigo, eczema, and atopic dermatitis.     

傅里叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)技术对滇龙胆组织培养的研究

野生药用植物资源的不断减少,使得寻找其原植物的合适替代品显得尤为重要。利用组培材料代替野生药用植物作为药源已取得重大进展,但利用傅里叶变换红外光谱(Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,FTIR)技术筛选合适的组培材料作为野生药用植物替代资源方面的应用鲜有报道。本研究采用FTIR结合偏最小二乘判别分析(partial least squares discriminant analysis,PLS-DA)对滇龙胆组织培养形成的愈伤组织(肉质部、茎、叶)、增殖苗(肉质部、茎、叶)、生根苗(根、茎、叶)进行比较。结果显示:(1)从原始FTIR光谱图上看,滇龙胆肉质部和根部峰形相似,茎和叶峰形相似;(2)二阶导数光谱图扩大了样品间的差异。在龙胆苦苷的主要吸收峰1612 cm-1附近,吸收峰强度依次为:生根苗叶增殖苗叶和生根苗茎增殖苗茎愈伤组织叶,愈伤组织茎及肉质部、增殖苗肉质部和生根苗根部在该处无吸收峰;(3)PLS-DA得分图表明,同一组培阶段相同组织部位样品聚集在一起,而愈伤组织、增殖苗、生根苗及其各组织部位能够较好的分开。其中:肉质部、根部与茎叶之间距离较远,表明其化学成分和含量可能差异较大;肉质部和根部样品间距离较近,茎和叶样品间距离也较近。二阶导数光谱图显示,组培材料有望代替其原植物满足药用需求;若以龙胆苦苷含量为评价对象,生根苗叶则可能具有更大的开发潜能,有望代替野生滇龙胆以缓解其资源稀缺局面。本研究结果表明,采用傅里叶变换红外光谱法可以简便有效地对药用植物不同组培阶段不同组织部位的替代潜力及开发利用进行初步评估。