Bioimpacts最新文献

Introduction: Despite the efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, the virus remains in circulation, posing a considerable risk to populations across the globe. Hence, rapid and early detection of this infection is essential for effective disease control. The nucleocapsid (N) protein of the virus serves as a primary target for antibody response during CoV2 infections, making it a potential candidate for COVID-19 detection. This study aims to prepare and evaluate the linear epitopes of the N protein for serodiagnosis of COVID-19 infection.

Methods: The linear epitope of the N protein gene was identified using ABCpred, BCpred, and IEDB. These epitopes were subsequently amplified by RT-PCR, cloned, and expressed in soluble form in the E. coli BL21 strain. The recombinant protein was purified using the Ni-NTA column. The reactivity of purified N protein with sera from SARS-CoV-2 patients was analyzed using an ELISA assay.

Results: Sequencing analysis demonstrated the successful cloning of the linear epitopes of the N protein into the PET-28a vector, along with an n-terminal His-tag fusion. The recombinant protein was produced in E. coli BL21 and purified with a Ni-NTA column. The analysis demonstrated that the N protein linear epitopes were expressed in a soluble form and appeared as a 50 kDa band in the SDS-PAGE. Examination for the reactivity of the purified N protein with the COVID-19 patient's sera by ELISA revealed that the N protein recognizes the infection with high sensitivity and specificity.

Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that linear epitopes of the SARS-CoV-2 N protein are highly immunogenic and could be exploited for serodiagnosis of infection in patients suspected of COVID-19 infection.

Introduction: Increasing evidence has reported gene expression alterations in breast cancer (BC) tissues, necessitating their investigating to highlight the molecular basis of the disease development or progression. This study investigated the expression of miR-141, E2F3, CDK3, TP53, and KAT2B, and their association with histologic grade and metastasis in BC tissues.

Methods: The RNA expression level of miR-141, E2F3, CDK3, TP53, and KAT2B genes was analyzed in 23 BC and 23 normal tissue samples by RT-qPCR. The associations of the expression level of these genes with clinicopathological features of the BC tissue samples were evaluated. The study also explored the correlation between RNA levels of genes and miR-141.

Results: Expression of miR-141, E2F3, CDK3, and KAT2B demonstrated significantly higher levels in BC tumor than normal tissues. TP53 expression showed an increase in tumor compared to normal tissues, although it was insignificant. Moreover, increased RNA expression of miR-141, E2F3, CDK3, and KAT2B corresponded to the advanced stage and regional metastasis of BC. Additionally, the results demonstrated a significant correlation between RNA expression levels of miR-141 with CDK3 and E2F3 with KAT2B.

Conclusion: Our findings highlighted clinicopathologic indicators that were relevant to aggressive BC. Besides, Correlations between overexpression of miR-141, E2F3, CDK3, and KAT2B in BC tissues suggest regulatory effects. Taken together, it seems results of this study could provide evidence that dysregulation of gene expression contributes significantly to unveiling the underlying molecular basis of BC.

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is regarded as a serious global issue and is presently ranked second in the classification of gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies, with fast incidence and high mortality patterns. As the key "gene expression regulators", miRNAs critically contribute to tumor progression and development. For example, miR-21 (an oncomiR) and miR-143 (a tumor suppressor) are dysregulated through colorectal tumorigenesis. Accordingly, this study assesses the concomitant therapeutic impacts of "miR-21 suppression" (anti-miR-21) and "miR-143 restoration" (miR-143) on CRC cell proliferation and migration.

Methods: SW-480 cell lines (with overexpressed "miR-21" and downregulated "miR-143") were transfected via "anti-miR-21" and "miR-143" mimics, either independently or in combination. Next, cell viability assessment was performed through MTT assay. Then, apoptosis induction was examined with "Annexin V-FITC Kit", and via Propidium Iodide (PI) assay and DAPI staining. In the next step, "cell cycle condition" and "autophagy induction" were studied through flow cytometry. "Wound-healing assay" and "clonogenic assay" were employed to investigate the migration and proliferation of tumor cells. Ultimately, qRT-PCR was utilized to quantify the intensity of the effects of "anti-miR-21" and "miR-143" on gene expression profiles.

Results: Downregulation of "miR-21" expression and overexpression of "miR-143" were found to synergistically reduce the viability (while elevating apoptosis) of SW-480 cells by modulating Bcl-2 and Bax expression profiles. Combined therapy increased the number of cells in the sub-G1 phase and reduced cell proliferation by modulating expression levels of PTEN and AKT-1. Additionally, miR-21 suppression and miR-143 restoration concomitantly reduced cell migration by modulating the expression of MMP-9.

Conclusion: Considering anti-cancer effects on cell growth, survival, and migration, it can be concluded that the concomitant suppression of "anti-miR-21" and "miR-143 restoration" might be introduced as a promising method for the therapy of CRC.

Introduction: Due to the recent advances in biomedicine and the increasing understanding of the molecular mechanism of diseases, healthcare approaches have tended towards preventive and personalized medicine. Consequently, in recent decades, the utilization of interdisciplinary technologies such as microfluidic systems had a significant increase to provide more accurate high throughput diagnostic/therapeutic methods.

Methods: In this article, we will review a summary of innovations in microfluidic technologies toward improving personalized biomolecular diagnostics, drug screening, and therapeutic strategies.

Results: Microfluidic systems by providing a controllable space for fluid flow, three-dimensional growth of cells, and miniaturization of molecular experiments are useful tools in the field of personalization of health and treatment. These conditions have enabled the potential to carry out studies like; disease modeling, drug screening, and improving the accuracy of diagnostic methods.

Conclusion: Microfluidic devices have become promising point-of-care (POC) and personalized medicine instruments due to their ability to perform diagnostic tests with small sample volumes, cost reduction, high resolution, and automation.

Introduction: CRISPR-Cas9 technology has revolutionized plant genome editing, providing precise and efficient methods for genetic modification. This study focuses on the advancements and delivery of CRISPR-Cas9 in plant gene editing.

Methods: A comprehensive search in scientific databases, including PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar, was conducted to gather information on CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing and its delivery in precise gene modification in plants.

Results: The evolving landscape of CRISPR nucleases has led to the development of innovative technologies, enhancing plant research. However, successful editing is contingent on efficient delivery of genome engineering reagents. CRISPR-based gene editing in plants utilizes diverse delivery methods: Agrobacterium-mediated transformation for bacterial transfer, biolistic transformation for physical gene insertion, electroporation for direct gene entry, expression of developmental regulators for gene expression modulation, and tobacco rattle virus as a viral vector, each offering distinct advantages for precise and efficient genetic modification in plants.

Conclusion: CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing stands as a pivotal advancement in plant genetics, offering precise gene manipulation with applications in agriculture and biotechnology. The continuous refinement of reagent delivery tools reinforces CRISPR-Cas9's transformative role in plant genome editing, with significant implications for broader scientific applications.

Introduction: Ceaselessly, management of cancer has been the major global challenge for healthcare professionals. As regards, lung cancer (LC) has been introduced as the second most common form of cancer in both men and women, taking the lives of more than a million people each year, statistically holding the highest mortality rate among all cancer types. Although much effort has been made for the management of LC, current therapies are quite ineffective. With reference to the fact that the most current chemotherapeutic agents for LC are of plant origin, the authors hereby collected the acclaimed plants from the Lamiaceae family which have shown remarkable activity against LC.

Methods: The incorporated papers were published between the years of 1997 and 2023. The principal search keywords for this review article were "lung cancer", "Lamiaceae", "cytotoxic effect", "anti-tumor" and "anti-proliferative" in Medline, Springer, Scopus, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar databases.

Results: To the furthest extent, different responsible mechanism(s) of action for the anti-cancer properties of each plant are discussed. The respected IC₅₀ values for plant extracts, essential oils or pure isolated compounds are underlined as well.

Conclusion: Many plants and isolated relative phytochemicals have shown exceptional anti-cancer potency against LC; nonetheless, they still remain undisclosed. We believe that this assembled data would globally inspire scientists on the passing way of LC treatment.

Introduction: It is well established that tissues exposed to sulfur mustard (SM) generate high levels of reactive oxygen species. This leads to oxidative stress and, ultimately, damage to DNA molecules over the course of time. Additionally, SM, through its alkylating effects, is capable of directly damaging DNA on its own. In cells, these damages trigger a variety of DNA repair pathways, including the base excision repair (BER) pathway. Even so, in the long run, it remains unclear how the BER repair pathways will react.

Methods: The purpose of this study was to assess the promoter DNA methylation and the mRNA expression of 8-oxoguanine glycosylase (OGG1), one of the key components of the BER pathway, in patient PBMCs that were exposed to SM 27 years ago using methylation-sensitive high resolution melting and qPCR. The study was conducted on three groups of participants exposed to SM with mild (n = 20), moderate (n = 24), and severe (n = 20) lung complications.

Results: Our results showed significant OGG1 mRNA overexpression was observed in moderate groups compared to mild groups (P = 0.036). DNA methylation was also altered in mild-moderate and moderate-severe groups (P < 0.0001 and 0.023, respectively). Although aging was significantly associated with OGG1 mRNA expression, promoter DNA methylation of OGG1 was not associated with its mRNA expression.

Conclusion: This study revealed differences in OGG1 mRNA expression and DNA methylation among the severity groups of long-term pulmonary complications associated with SM exposure. However, there was no correlation between OGG1 DNA methylation and mRNA expression. Therefore, it appears that other mechanisms may be contributing to the dysregulation of OGG1 mRNA expression.

In pharmaceutical research and development, novel drug delivery systems represent a significant advancement aimed at enhancing the efficacy of therapeutic agents through innovative delivery mechanisms. The primary objective of these systems is to transport therapeutic compounds to specific target sites, such as tumors and afflicted tissues, with the dual purpose of mitigating side effects and toxicity associated with the drugs while concurrently augmenting therapeutic effectiveness. Numerous innovative drug delivery strategies have been scrutinized for their applicability in the context of targeted ocular drug delivery. Diverse novel carriers, including but not limited to implants, hydrogels, metal nanoparticles, Nano-liposomes, micelles, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN), emulsions, and biodegradable nanoparticles, have been harnessed to facilitate the controlled release of pharmaceutical agents to the retina and vitreous. These carriers offer distinct advantages, such as enhanced intraocular drug delivery, precise control over drug release kinetics, heightened stability, and superior entrapment efficiency. This comprehensive review seeks to elucidate the current strides made in the realm of carriers and their contemporary applications in treating diabetic retinopathy (DR). Furthermore, it underscores these carriers' pivotal role in achieving efficacious intraocular drug delivery. Additionally, this article explores the various administration routes, potential future advancements, and the multifaceted challenges confronting the domain of novel carriers in treating DR. In conclusion, novel formulations are introduced to surmount the challenges associated with intraocular drug delivery.

Introduction: The use of releasing scaffolds is promising for testes tissue engineering. Chitosan (CS) is a natural biopolymer extensively used as a delivery system. The decellularized testis provides a structure resembling natural extracellular matrix (ECM). All-trans retinoic acid (atRA) is an important factor for spermatogonia differentiation, meiosis completion, and mature sperm release. In this study, thermosensitive CS/βGP hydrogel was served as a novel atRA-releasing support for testis decellular plates (TDPs).

Methods: The CS/βGP hydrogel was evaluated for gelation time, morphology, wettability, cytocompatibility, and atRA-releasing behavior. Mouse testes were treated with 1% SDS and evaluated for decellularization efficacy through morphological assessments, DNA content assays, and DAPI staining. TDPs were obtained from the decellularized testes and placed on an atRA-releasing CS/βGP hydrogel support.

Results: The CS/βGP hydrogels were prepared with different formulations. It was found that increasing the βGP concentration significantly decreased the gelation time. The addition of atRA did not considerably affect the hydrophilicity of hydrogel. The in vitro release studies showed a sustained atRA release behavior, although an initial low burst release was recorded. Also, increasing the amount of atRA led to a decrease in the rate of drug release. The decellularization procedure successfully removed cells while preserving the ECM. The atRA-releasing CS-TDP scaffold was found to be non-toxic with good biocompatibility.

Conclusion: Results showed that the novel atRA-releasing CS-TDP scaffold can sustainably deliver atRA to the culture system and create a cytocompatible environment for testicular cells. Therefore, this scaffold may be useful in developing new tissue engineering approaches for various types of male infertility diseases.