Cytogenetic effects of nine <Emphasis Type="Italic">Helichrysum</Emphasis> taxa in human lymphocytes culture

Helichrysum Mill. (Asteraceae) species have been used in folk medicine for thousands of years in the world. The in vitro cytogenetic effects in human lymphocytes of nine Helichrysum taxa used in Turkey folk medicine were investigated. Blood samples were obtained from healthy donors, non-smoking volunteers, which were incubated and exposed to increasing concentrations of methanol extracts of Helichrysum taxa (0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5 and 1 mg/mL). The inhibitory effects of H. stoechas (L.) Moench subsp. barrelieri (Ten.) Nyman, H. armenium DC. subsp. armenium, H. armenium DC. subsp. araxinum (Kirp.) Takht., H. plicatum DC. subsp. plicatum, H. compactum Boiss. and H. artvinense P.H.Davis & Kupicha on the mitotic index and replication index indicate that these taxa can have genotoxic and mutagenic effects. They should therefore not be used freely in alternative medicine although their antiproliferative activity may suggest anticarcinogenic properties. Increase effects of H. stoechas subsp. barrelieri, H. armenium subsp. armenium, H. armenium subsp. araxinum, H. chasmolycicum P.H.Davis, H. plicatum subsp. plicatum, H. compactum and H. artvinense on the micronucleus rates showed that these taxa can have genotoxic and carcinogenic effects.     

Effect of pioglitazone on the expression of ubiquitin proteasome system and autophagic proteins in rat pancreas with metabolic syndrome

The metabolic syndrome (MetS) and pathologies associated with metabolic dysregulations a worldwide growing problem. Our previous study demonstrated that pioglitazone (PGZ) has beneficial effects on metabolic syndrome associated disturbances in the heart. However, mechanism mediating the molecular alterations of Ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) and autophagy has not been investigated in rat pancreas with metabolic syndrome. For this reason, we first aimed to detect whether MetS effects on the expression of UPS (p97/VCP, SVIP, Ubiquitin) and autophagic (p62, LC3) proteins in rat pancreas. The second aim of the study was to find impact of pioglitazone on the expression of UPS and autophagic proteins in MetS rat pancreas. To answer these questions, metabolic syndrome induced rats were used as a model and treated with pioglitazone for 2 weeks. Pancreatic tissue injuries, fibrosis and lipid accumulation were evaluated histopathologically in control, MetS and MetS-PGZ groups. Apoptosis and cell proliferation of pancreatic islet cells were assessed in all groups. UPS and autophagic protein expressions of pancreas in all groups were detected by using immunohistochemistry, double-immunfluorescence and Western blotting. Compared with the controls, the rat fed with high sucrose exhibited signs of metabolic syndrome, such as higher body weight, insulin resistance, higher triglyceride level and hyperglycaemia. MetS rats showed pancreatic tissue degeneration, fibrosis and lipid accumulation when their pancreas were examined with Hematoxilen-eozin and Mallory trichrome staining. Metabolic, histopathologic parameters and cell proliferation showed greater improvement in MetS-PGZ rats and pioglitazone decreased apoptosis of islet cells. Moreover, SVIP, ubiquitin, LC3 and p62 expressions were significantly increased while only p97/VCP expression was significantly decreased in MetS-rat pancreas compared to control. PGZ treatment significantly decreased the MetS-induced increases in autophagy markers. Additionally, UPS and autophagy markers were found to colocalizated with insulin and glucagon. Colocalization ratio of UPS markers with insulin showed significant decrease in MetS rats and PGZ increased this ratio, whereas LC3-insulin colocalization displayed significant increase in MetS rats and PGZ reversed this effect. In conclusion, PGZ improved the pancreatic tissue degeneration by increasing the level of p97/VCP and decreasing autophagic proteins, SVIP and ubiquitin expressions in MetS-rats. Moreover, PGZ has an effect on the colocalization ratio of UPS and autophagy markers with insulin.

     

The Effect of Boron-Containing Nano-Hydroxyapatite on Bone Cells

Biological Trace Element Research - Metabolic diseases or injuries damage bone structure and self-renewal capacity. Trace elements and hydroxyapatite crystals are important in the development of...     

The effect of vascular complications of diabetes mellitus on human umbilical cord tissue and the number of Wharton Jelly’s mesenchymal stem cells

Molecular Biology Reports - The current study investigated the change in umbilical cord tissue and the number of markers of Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSC) in pregnant women...     

Cold storage effects on flesh quality of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum, 1792) fed diets containing different vegetable oils

The intention of this experiment was to assess the effects of different sources of dietary lipid on the fatty acid composition of the fillet and liver and the flesh quality traits of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) after a 70‐day feeding period. Four iso‐nitrogenous (approx. 51% crude protein) and iso‐lipidic (approx. 14% crude lipid) experimental diets were formulated. The control diet contained only fish oil (FO) as the primary lipid source. In the other three dietary treatments, fish oil was replaced by 100% (LO30/SO35/SFO35) and 70% (FO30/LO35/SO35 or FO30/SO35/SFO35) sesame oil (SO), linseed oil (LO), or sunflower oil (SFO). Triplicate groups of 40 rainbow trout (~46 g) held under similar culture conditions were hand‐fed daily to apparent satiation for 70 days. At the end of the feeding trials, no difference in growth performance among experimental groups was noted (P > 0.05). There were some differences in the proximate composition of fish fillets (P < 0.05): the eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels were highest in fish fed the control diet (P < 0.05); and EPA and DHA levels in fish fed the FO30/LO35/SO35 diet were closest to the control diet (P < 0.05). In contrast, fish fed the diet containing 100% plant oils (LO30/SO35/SFO35) had the highest level of total n‐6 fatty acids in the fillet and liver. In a 12‐day refrigerated storage at 1°C the thiobarbituric acid (TBA), trimethylamin nitrogen (TMA‐N) and pH values gradually increased in all dietary groups (P < 0.05). The chemical indicators of spoilage, TBA, TMA‐N, and pH values were within the limit of acceptability for human consumption.     

Selective estrogen receptor degraders with novel structural motifs induce regression in a tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer xenograft

Potent estrogen receptor ligands typically contain a phenolic hydrogen-bond donor. The indazole of the selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) ARN-810 is believed to mimic this. Disclosed herein is the discovery of ARN-810 analogs which lack this hydrogen-bond donor. These SERDs induced tumor regression in a tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer xenograft, demonstrating that the indazole NH is not necessary for robust ER-modulation and anti-tumor activity.     

Hsp42 is the general small heat shock protein in the cytosol of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Small heat shock proteins (sHsps) are ubiquitous molecular chaperones that prevent the unspecific aggregation of proteins. So far, Hsp26 was the only unambiguously identified member of the sHsp family in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We show here that the sHsp system in the cytosol of S. cerevisiae consists of two proteins, Hsp26 and Hsp42. Hsp42 forms large dynamic oligomers with a barrel-like structure. In contrast to Hsp26, which functions predominantly at heat shock temperatures, Hsp42 is active as a chaperone under all conditions tested in vivo and in vitro. Under heat shock conditions, both Hsp42 and Hsp26 suppress the aggregation of one-third of the cytosolic proteins. This subset is about 90% overlapping for Hsp42 and Hsp26. The sHsp substrates belong to different biochemical pathways. This indicates a general protective function of sHsps for proteome stability in S. cerevisiae. Consistent with this observation, sHsp knockout strains show phenotypical defects. Taken together, our results define Hsp42 as an important player for protein homeostasis at physiological and under stress conditions.     

Effect of leptin on renal ischemia-reperfusion damage in rats

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) has been established as an important mediator in renal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Leptin, a product of the ob gene, has been known to exhibit cytoprotective effects on renal tissue, but its effect on renal tissue TNF-alpha level after renal I/R injury in rats remains unknown. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of leptin on renal tissue TNF-alpha, malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyls (PCs) and total sulfydryl group (SH) levels, and plasma nitrite levels after renal I/R injury in rats. The animals were divided into three groups: control, I/R and I/R+leptin. Rats were subjected to renal ischemia by clamping the left pedicle for 45 min, and then reperfused for 1 h. The I/R+leptin group was pretreated intraperitoneally with leptin (10 microg/kg) 30 min before the induction of ischemia. Our results indicate that MDA, TNF-alpha levels, and PCs were significantly higher in the I/R group than those in the control group (p < 0.05). The administration of leptin decreased these parameters (p < 0.05) significantly. The SH level was observed to significantly decrease after I/R injury when compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Leptin treatment significantly increased tissue SH and plasma nitrite levels when compared to the I/R group (p < 0.05). Plasma nitrite levels did not change significantly in I/R when compared to the control. These results suggest that leptin could exert a protective effect on I/R induced renal damage by decreasing TNF-alpha levels and increasing nitrite level.     

An iterative calibration method with prediction of post-translational modifications for the construction of a two-dimensional electrophoresis database of mouse mammary gland proteins

Protein databases serve as general reference resources providing an orientation on two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) patterns of interest. The intention behind constructing a 2-DE database of the water soluble proteins from wild-type mouse mammary gland tissue was to create a reference before going on to investigate cancer-associated protein variations. This database shall be deemed to be a model system for mouse tissue, which is open for transgenic or knockout experiments. Proteins were separated and characterized in terms of their molecular weight (M(r)) and isoelectric point (pI) by high resolution 2-DE. The proteins were identified using prevalent proteomics methods. One method was peptide mass fingerprinting by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry. Another method was N-terminal sequencing by Edman degradation. By N-terminal sequencing M(r) and pI values were specified more accurately and so the calibration of the master gel was obtained more systematically and exactly. This permits the prediction of possible post-translational modifications of some proteins. The mouse mammary gland 2-DE protein database created presently contains 66 identified protein spots, which are clickable on the gel pattern. This relational database is accessible on the WWW under the URL: http://www.mpiib-berlin.mpg.de/2D-PAGE.