<Emphasis Type="Italic">Teucrium polium</Emphasis> Complex with Molybdate Enhance Cultured Islets Secretory Function

Islet transplantation has become a promising treatment in the therapy of type 1 diabetes. Its function improvement, after isolation and before transplantation, is crucial because of their loss both in number and function of islets after isolation procedures. Trace elements sodium orthovanadate (SOV) and sodium molybdate (SM), as well as medicinal plant Teucrium polium L. (TP), showed and possessed high beneficial antioxidative potential and even hypoglycemic properties via their effect on islets. We evaluated the effect of these components in combination on cultured islet function in order to improve pancreatic islet transplantation. Rat pancreatic islets were cultured for 24 h then incubated with different concentrations of TP (0.01 and 0.1 mg/mL) alone and in combination with SOV (1 mM) or SM (1 mM). Insulin concentration in buffer media was measured as islet secretory function. Administration of TP (0.01 mg/mL), SM, and SOV alone or in combination with each other significantly increased insulin secretion at high glucose concentration (16.7 mM); insulin secretion was significantly greater in the group containing both TP and SM than other treated groups (p < 0.05). The combination of the mentioned trace elements especially molybdate with TP could improve islet cells function before transplantation.     

Can transposable element copy number distribution parameters be estimated from natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster?

The copy frequency distribution of a transposable element family in a Drosophila melanogaster natural population is generally characterised by the values of the Charlesworths' model parameters α and β (Charlesworth & Charlesworth, 1983). The estimation of these parameters is made using the observed distribution of the occupied sites in a population sample. Several results have been interpreted as due either to the influence of stochastic factors or to deterministic factors (transposition, excision, selection…). The accuracy of this method was tested by estimations performed on samples from simulated populations. The results show that with the sample size usually used for natural population studies, the confidence intervals are too large to reasonably deduce either the element copy number distribution or the values of transposition and excision rate and selective coefficients.     

Hybrid nanoreservoirs based on dextran-capped dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles for CD133-targeted drug delivery

In this study, the chemical features of dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (DMSNs) provided the opportunity to design a nanostructure with the capability to intelligently transport the payload to the tumor cells. In this regard, doxorubicin (DOX)-encapsulated DMSNs was electrostatically surface-coated with polycarboxylic acid dextran (PCAD) to provide biocompatible dextran-capped DMSNs (PCAD-DMSN@DOX) with controlled pH-dependent drug release. Moreover, a RNA aptamer against a cancer stem cell (CSC) marker, CD133 was covalently attached to the carboxyl groups of DEX to produce a CD133-PCAD-DMSN@DOX. Then, the fabricated nanosystem was utilized to efficiently deliver DOX to CD133+ colorectal cancer cells (HT29). The in vitro evaluation in terms of cellular uptake and cytotoxicity demonstrated that the CD133-PCAD-DMSN@DOX specifically targets HT29 as a CD133 overexpressed cancer cells confirmed by flow cytometry and 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide assay. The potentially promising intelligent-targeted platform suggests that targeted dextran-capped DMSNs may find impressive application in cancer therapy.     

Effect of Foliar Application of Silicon and Salicylic Acid on Regulation of Yield and Nutritional Responses of Greenhouse Cucumber Under High Temperature

Plant nutrition management is known as an efficient strategy to control environmental constraints. This experiment was conducted in a climate control greenhouse with a hydroponic system. The high temperature (36 °C?±?1) was imposed on the pots after fruit formation. The studied factors were silicon in 2 concentrations (0 and 4 parts per thousand (ppt)) and salicylic acid in 3 concentrations (0, 0.5, and 1 mM). They were sprayed on cucumber plants 3 times and under high-temperature conditions to evaluate if they can regulate and improve the yield and quality of cucumber fruit under high-temperature conditions or not. The results showed that all treatments significantly improved the nutritional status, total yield, and fruit quality (including marketable yield (i.e., fruits that can be sold due to their good shape) and nitrate content). Under high-temperature conditions, foliar application of silicon had the highest effect on the increase of total yield and marketable fruit yield (respectively, 36.14% and 40.29% increase compared to the control treatment). Micro-nutrients concentrations in the leaf were significantly increased by Si but a reverse status happened for salicylic acid. Under high temperatures, both treatments also significantly decreased the nitrate content of the fresh matter of fruit but silicon was the superior treatment. Silicon and salicylic acid, respectively, had positive effects on mitigation of adverse effects of high temperature on cucumber plants. These findings suggest the use of these treatments under high-temperature conditions in greenhouse cucumber production.

Graphical Abstract

N–No₃ content in dry matter of leaf (left) and fresh matter of fruit (right) affected by different treatments. *SaA0–SiA4: 4 ppt Si; SaA0.5–SiA0: 0.5 mM SA; SaA0.5–SiA4: 0.5 mM SA?+?4 ppt Si; SaA1–SiA0: 1 mM SA; SaA1–SiA4: 1 mM SA?+?4 ppt Si; control: without any SA and Si applications. Means in the same column followed by the same letter are not significantly different according to DMRT at (P?≤?0.05)

     

Specificity of the interaction of furfural with DNA

Furfural or 2-furaldehyde is a dietary mutagen and is present in various frequently consumed food products. The alkaline unwinding assay and protection of cleavage sites from the action of various restriction enzymes was used to study the interaction of furfural with DNA. Alkaline unwinding experiments showed the formation of an increasing number of strand breaks in duplex DNA both with increasing furfural concentration and with time of reaction. Treatment of lambda phage DNA with furfural protected cleavage with restriction endonucleases DraI and SspI but not with ApaI, BssHII and SacII. These results indicate that under the conditions used furfural reacts exclusively with AT base pairs. A minimum of 3-4 consecutive AT base pairs are required for this reaction. This was determined by the use of several restriction enzymes whose hexanucleotide recognition sequences contain subsets of AT base pairs.     

Basal prostaglandin synthesis by the isolated perfused rat kidney

In order to assess the main characteristics of the prostaglandin (PG) biosynthesis by the isolated perfused rat kidney, the urinary and venous outputs of PGE2, PGF2alpha, 6-keto-PGF1alpha and of thromboxane (Tx)B2 were followed during 120 min after an equilibration period of 30 min. Single pass kidneys were perfused with a Krebs-Henseleit solution added with Polygeline at a constant flow rate providing a perfusion pressure about 90 mm Hg. From the beginning of the study, major differences could be observed in the renal biosynthetic rate of the 4 PG studied which were mainly excreted into the venous effluent. During the perfusion, urinary and venous outputs of PGE2, PGF2alpha and of TxB2 remained stable whereas those of 6-keto-PGF1alpha sharply increased and were found inversely related to the glomerular filtration rate (r = -0.95; p n 0.001). Finally, the urinary and venous outputs of each of the four PGs studied were found positively related. It is concluded that the isolated perfused rat kidney is a valuable preparation for studying the biosynthesis of PGs and that, at least in thi model, the urinary excretion of PGs is a good index of their renal synthesis.     

Effect of alkylated and intercalated DNA on the generation of superoxide anion by riboflavin

Superoxide anion (O ₂ ^.– ) was photogenerated upon illumination of riboflavin in fluorescent light. The rate of O ₂ ^.– formation was stimulated by double stranded DNA but not by denatured DNA or RNA. Depurinated DNA, which was predominantly depleted in guanine residues, did not exhibit the stimulatory effect, indicating an interaction of riboflavin, or active oxygen species derived from it, with guanine bases. Also, the stimulation of O ₂ ^.– photogeneration was not observed with ethidium bromide but was seen with proflavin-intercalated DNA. Since ethidium bromide intercalates preferentially between purines and pyrimidines, and proflavin prefers dA-dT rich sites, these results were interpreted to suggest that the interaction of riboflavin with DNA is mainly with GC or CG base pairs.