Modulation of antioxidant defense by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alpinia galanga</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Curcuma aromatica</Emphasis> extracts correlates with their inhibition of UVA-induced melanogenesis

Ultraviolet A (UVA) irradiation is suggested to contribute to melanogenesis through promoting cellular oxidative stress and impairing antioxidant defenses. An overproduction of melanin can be associated with melanoma skin cancer and hyperpigmentation. Therefore, developing effective antimelanogenic agents is of importance. Alpinia galanga (AG) and Curcuma aromatica (CA) are traditional medicinal plants widely used for skin problems. Hence, this study investigated the antimelanogenic effects of AG and CA extracts (3.8–30 μg/ml) by assessing tyrosinase activity, tyrosinase mRNA levels, and melanin content in human melanoma cells (G361) exposed to UVA. The roles in protecting against melanogenesis were examined by evaluating their inhibitory effects on UVA-induced cellular oxidative stress and modulation of antioxidant defenses including antioxidant enzymes, catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and intracellular glutathione (GSH). In addition, possible active compounds accountable for biological activities of the extracts were identified by thin layer chromatography (TLC)-densitometric analysis. Our study demonstrated that UVA (8 J/cm²) induced both tyrosinase activity and mRNA levels and UVA (16 J/cm²)-mediated melanin production were suppressed by the AG or CA extracts at noncytotoxic concentrations. Both extracts were able to protect against UVA-induced cellular oxidant formation and depletion of CAT and GPx activities and GSH content in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, TLC-densitometric analysis detected the presence of eugenol and curcuminoids in AG and CA, respectively. This is the first report representing promising findings on AG and CA extract-derived antityrosinase properties correlated with their antioxidant potential. Inhibiting cellular oxidative stress and improving antioxidant defenses might be the mechanisms by which the extracts yield the protective effects on UVA-dependent melanogenesis.     

Production of<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Hevea brasiliensis</Emphasis> transgenic embryogenic callus lines by<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Agrobacterium tumefaciens</Emphasis>: roles of calcium

A procedure has been established for Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated genetic transformation of Hevea brasiliensis embryogenic friable calli. Precultivation of tissues on a CaCl(2)-free maintenance medium dramatically enhanced the transient activity of the reporter gene, gusA encoding beta-glucuronidase (GUS). The increase was first noticed in highly active cells (undifferentiated or/and embryogenic), in tissues precultured for 2-8 weeks. Beyond 8 weeks of preculture, GUS activity increased again, but this time in tissues consisting of differentiated cells accumulating polyphenols. Out of five Agrobacterium strains cocultivated with CaCl(2)-free precultured tissues, only inoculation with EHA105pC2301 led to high transient GUS activity. Paromomycin proved more effective than kanamycin for the selection of transformed cells, as it inhibits the growth of non-transformed cells more radically. Five paromomycin-resistant callus lines were established. The presence of gusA and neomycin phosphotransferase ( nptII) genes in the plant genome was confirmed by DNA amplification, and by Southern hybridization. These results confirmed that A. tumefaciens is an effective system for mediating stable transformation of rubber tree calli with a low copy number of transgenes. Transgenic callus lines constitute a useful tool for studying genes of interest on a cellular level and for regenerating transgenic rubber trees.     

Alkaline subcritical water gasification of dairy industry waste (Whey)

The near-critical water gasification of dairy industry waste in the form of Whey, a product composed of mixtures of carbohydrates (mainly lactose) and amino acids such as glycine and glutamic acid, has been studied. The gasification process involved partial oxidation with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of NaOH. The reactions were studied over the temperature range from 300°C to 390°C, corresponding pressures of 9.5-24.5 MPa and reaction times from 0 min to 120 min. Hydrogen production was affected by the presence of NaOH, the concentration of H(2)O(2), temperature, reaction time and feed concentration. Up to 40% of the theoretical hydrogen gas production was achieved at 390°C. Over 80% of the Whey nitrogen content was found as ammonia, mainly in the liquid effluent.     

Effect of exogenous calcium on Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated gene transfer in Hevea brasiliensis (rubber tree) friable calli

The influence of CaCl₂ was investigated on Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated gene transfer in Hevea brasiliensis friable calli which are usually proliferated on maintenance medium (MM) containing 9 mM CaCl₂.Five A. tumefaciens strains (C58pMP90, C58pGV2260, AGL1, LBA4404 and EHA 105) and two binary vectors (pGIN and pCAMBIA2301) were tested and the strain EHA105pC2301 was selected to conduct further experiments. The calli were precultured on MM containing a range of CaCl₂ concentrations, then inoculated with Agrobacterium suspension. Transfer of friable calli from MM containing 9 mM CaCl₂ to calcium-free medium significantly enhanced the transient β-glucuronidase activity. Interestingly, the use of calcium-free Agrobacterium resuspension medium to inoculate friable calli again dramatically increased the transformation efficiency. Induction of Agrobacterium's virulence with acetosyringone remained an important factor to stimulate transformation. Received: 14 October 1999 / Revision received: 3 January 2000 / Accepted: 4 January 2000     

A Class of Pairwise Models for Epidemic Dynamics on Weighted Networks

In this paper, we study the SIS (susceptible–infected–susceptible) and SIR (susceptible–infected–removed) epidemic models on undirected, weighted networks by deriving pairwise-type approximate models coupled with individual-based network simulation. Two different types of theoretical/synthetic weighted network models are considered. Both start from non-weighted networks with fixed topology followed by the allocation of link weights in either (i) random or (ii) fixed/deterministic way. The pairwise models are formulated for a general discrete distribution of weights, and these models are then used in conjunction with stochastic network simulations to evaluate the impact of different weight distributions on epidemic thresholds and dynamics in general. For the SIR model, the basic reproductive ratio R ₀ is computed, and we show that (i) for both network models R ₀ is maximised if all weights are equal, and (ii) when the two models are ‘equally-matched’, the networks with a random weight distribution give rise to a higher R ₀ value. The models with different weight distributions are also used to explore the agreement between the pairwise and simulation models for different parameter combinations.     

Species diversity and abundance of Tabanus spp. (Diptera: Tabanidae) in different habitats of Thailand

Tabanus spp. or horse flies (Diptera: Tabanidae) are haematophagous flies of medical and veterinary importance. They are known to cause trypanosomosis or surra in domestic and wild animals in Thailand. This study conducted an entomological survey of horse flies from different sites in Thailand. Horse flies were collected from three different habitats: primary forests, secondary forests and villages using Nzi traps between April 2012 and December 2016. A total of 1835 female horse flies were collected and 45 species were identified. The five most abundant species were T. striatus (25.45%), followed by T. megalops (21.36%), T. rubidus (14.82%), T. tamthaiorum (7.90%) and T. oxybeles (6.38%). The highest proportion of horse flies was collected in villages (39.13%), followed by primary forests (34%) and secondary forests (26.87%). The species diversity of horse flies in primary forests was higher than in other habitats. The results of this study may be used for a horse fly control program.     

CFTR-mediated anion secretion in parathyroid hormone-treated Caco-2 cells is associated with PKA and PI3K phosphorylation but not intracellular pH changes or Na+/K+-ATPase abundance

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) has previously been shown to enhance the transepithelial secretion of Cl^? and HCO₃^? across the intestinal epithelia including Caco-2 monolayer, but the underlying cellular mechanisms are not completely understood. Herein, we identified the major signaling pathways that possibly mediated the PTH action to its known target anion channel, i.e., cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator anion channel (CFTR). Specifically, PTH was able to induce phosphorylation of protein kinase A and phosphoinositide 3-kinase. Since the apical HCO₃^? efflux through CFTR often required the intracellular H⁺/HCO₃^? production and/or the Na⁺-dependent basolateral HCO₃^? uptake, the intracellular pH (pH_i) balance might be disturbed, especially as a consequence of increased endogenous H⁺ and HCO₃^? production. However, measurement of pH_i by a pH-sensitive dye suggested that the PTH-exposed Caco-2 cells were able to maintain normal pH despite robust HCO₃^? transport. In addition, although the plasma membrane Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase (NKA) is normally essential for basolateral HCO₃^? uptake and other transporters (e.g., NHE1), PTH did not induce insertion of new NKA molecules into the basolateral membrane as determined by membrane protein biotinylation technique. Thus, together with our previous data, we concluded that the PTH action on Caco-2 cells is dependent on PKA and PI3K with no detectable change in pH_i or NKA abundance on cell membrane.