Biochemistry Research International最新文献

Dissotis rotundifolia is a plant in the family Melastomataceae. The methanolic extract of the whole plant is reported to be rich in C-glycosylflavones such as vitexin and orientin. Though there are several reports on the ethnomedicinal use of this plant extract in stomach ulcers, experimental-based data is unavailable. The drive for carrying out this research was to obtain data on the possible ameliorative effect of the whole plant extract of Dissotis rotundifolia (DRE) in gastric ulcerations induced by ethanol in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. SD rats were pretreated with 100, 300, and 500 mg/kg of DRE for 14 days after which an ulcerogen-ethanol was administered. Gross examinations of the stomach lining and histological analysis of gastric lesions were carried out coupled with an assessment of the antioxidant activity of gastric mucosa using MDA, GSH, CAT, and SOD as indicators. The data suggested a significant attenuation in gastric mucosal damage in DRE-pretreated ethanol-induced gastric ulcer reflected in the antioxidant status. There was also a reduction or absence of hemorrhage, edema, and leucocytes infiltration in DRE-treated groups compared to the negative control group. DRE conserved glutathione (GSH) levels, reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and enhanced catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme levels. The present study shows that DRE possess protective effects against ethanol-induced ulcer damage in the stomach of rats, which could be attributed to its antioxidant activity.

Background: Energy requirements must be estimated before nutritional care can be provided for patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). However, the recommended caloric intake for patients has not been conclusively determined because of insufficiently large sample sizes.

Method: This cross-sectional observational study recruited patients undergoing long-term HD from multiple centers as well as people in the general population without chronic kidney disease. People from both groups were matched by sex and age. Resting energy expenditure (REE) was estimated using an indirect calorimeter. Two commonly used equations for estimating REE and daily energy requirement recommended by the National Kidney Foundation's Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI) were chosen.

Results: This study had 154 HD patients and 33 matched HD-control group pairs. Age (r = -0.36, p < 0.01) and dry body weight after dialysis (r = -0.36, p < 0.01) and dry body weight after dialysis (.

Conclusions: Age and dry body weight are the main factors affecting the energy expenditure of HD patients. Furthermore, predicting the energy expenditure of HD patients by measuring the energy expenditure of their sedentary counterparts in the general population with the same sex, age range, and weight may yield better results than using traditional equations for predicting TEE. In East Asian populations, the TEE values were 32 and 30 kcal/kg dry weight for those aged <65 and ≥65 years, respectively. Future prospective cohort studies with larger sample sizes are needed.

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a common neuropathic pain that seriously affects the daily life of patients. Many invasive treatments are currently available for patients who respond poorly to oral carbamazepine or oxcarbazepine. Among them, radiofrequency (RF) treatment is a viable option with reliable initial and long-term clinical efficacy. The long-term analgesic effects of radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFT) at high temperatures (≥80°C) are not superior to those at relatively low temperatures (60-75°C). In contrast, the higher the temperature, the greater the risk of complications, especially facial numbness, masticatory muscles weakness, and corneal hypoesthesia. Some patients even experience irreversible lethal complications. Therefore, we recommend low-temperature RFT (60-75°C) for treatment of TN. The therapeutic effects of pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) are controversial, whereas PRF (≤75°C) combined with RFT can improve long-term effects and decrease the incidence of complications. However, large-scale clinical trials are needed to verify the efficacy of the combination of PRF and RFT.

Methylated flavonols form a special group with modulating biological activities in comparison with kaempferol and quercetin. The present study isolated ten compounds including two kaempferol methyl ethers: 5-hydroxy-3,7,4'-trimethoxyflavone (1), 3-hydroxy-5,7,4'-trimethoxyflavone (6); four quercetin methyl ethers: retusin (5-hydroxy-3,7,3',4'-tetramethoxyflavone) (4), 3,5-dihydroxy-7,3',4'-trimethoxyflavone (5), 3,4'-dihydroxy-5,7,3'-trimethoxyflavone (7), and 3,5,7,3',4'-pentamethoxyflavone (9); β-sitosterol (2); 5-hydroxy-1-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)eicosan-3-one (3); p-hydroquinone (8); and vanillic acid (10) from the rhizomes and fruit of Amomum koenigii J.F.Gmel. (Zingiberaceae). Their structures were determined by MS, NMR, and X-ray spectroscopic techniques. Among the methylated flavonols, 1, 4-7, and 9 were isolated for the first time from the rhizomes, while 1, 4, and 5 were isolated from the fruit. Compounds 2, 3, 7, 8, and 10 were reported for the first time from the species. Three main methylated flavonols 1, 4, and 5 were quantitatively analyzed in the rhizomes of A. koenigii by RP-HPLC-DAD; their contents were determined to be 1.81% (1), 1.38% (4), and 1.76% (5). The antimicrobial assay against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium oxysporum, Candida albicans, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae and antioxidant DPPH scavenging test were performed for the isolated methylated flavonols.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in 3'UTR of XPO5 gene and the occurrence of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), and to further explore the regulatory mechanism of miRNAs in NIHL on XPO5 gene and the occurrence of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), and to further explore the regulatory mechanism of miRNAs in NIHL on.

Methods: We conducted a case-control study involving 1040 cases and 1060 controls. The effects of SNPs on XPO5 gene and the occurrence of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), and to further explore the regulatory mechanism of miRNAs in NIHL on.

Results: We genotyped four SNPs (rs2257082, rs11077, rs7755135, and rs1106841) in the XPO5 gene and the occurrence of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), and to further explore the regulatory mechanism of miRNAs in NIHL on XPO5 gene and the occurrence of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), and to further explore the regulatory mechanism of miRNAs in NIHL on XPO5 gene and the occurrence of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), and to further explore the regulatory mechanism of miRNAs in NIHL on XPO5. Conclusion. The genetic polymorphism, rs11077, within XPO5 is associated with the risk of noise-induced hearing loss in a Chinese population.XPO5 gene and the occurrence of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), and to further explore the regulatory mechanism of miRNAs in NIHL on.

Ras analog in brain (Rab) proteins are small guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases) that belong to the Ras-like GTPase superfamily, and they can regulate vesicle trafficking. Rab proteins alternate between an activated (GTP-bound) state and an inactivated (GDP-bound) state. Early endosome marker Rab5 GTPase, a key member of the Rab family, plays a crucial role in endocytosis and membrane transport. The activated-state Rab5 recruits its effectors and regulates the internalization and trafficking of membrane receptors by regulating vesicle fusion and receptor sorting in the early endosomes. In this review, we summarize the role of small Rab GTPases Rab5 in membrane receptor trafficking and the activation of signaling pathways, such as Ras/MAPK and PI3K/Akt, which ultimately affect cell growth, apoptosis, tumorigenesis, and tumor development. This review may provide some insights for our future research and novel therapeutic targets for diseases.

The treatment of osteochondral defects (OCD) remains a great challenge in orthopaedics. Tissue engineering holds a good promise for regeneration of OCD. In the light of tissue engineering, it is critical to establish an appropriate animal model to evaluate the degradability, biocompatibility, and interaction of implanted biomaterials with host bone/cartilage tissues for OCD repair in vivo. Currently, model animals that are commonly deployed to create osteochondral lesions range from rats, rabbits, dogs, pigs, goats, and sheep horses to nonhuman primates. It is essential to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each animal model in terms of the accuracy and effectiveness of the experiment. Therefore, this review aims to introduce the common animal models of OCD for testing biomaterials and to discuss their applications in translational research. In addition, we have reviewed surgical protocols for establishing OCD models and biomaterials that promote osteochondral regeneration. For small animals, the non-load-bearing region such as the groove of femoral condyle is commonly chosen for testing degradation, biocompatibility, and interaction of implanted biomaterials with host tissues. For large animals, closer to clinical application, the load-bearing region (medial femoral condyle) is chosen for testing the durability and healing outcome of biomaterials. This review provides an important reference for selecting a suitable animal model for the development of new strategies for osteochondral regeneration.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic joint function disorder with characteristics of chondrocytes reduction and extracellular matrix (ECM) components destruction. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and the SDF-1/CXCR4 axis are essential factors of chondrocyte apoptosis and ECM degeneration. However, very few studies have investigated the correlation between miRNAs and the SDF-1/CXCR4 axis in osteoarthritis so far. Here, through miRNAs microarray and bioinformatics analyses, we identified miR-142-5p as a CXCR4-targeted and dramatically downregulated miRNA in cartilage from OA patients, as well as in SDF-1-induced OA chondrocytes in vitro. In SDF-1-treated primary human OA chondrocytes that were transfected with a miR-142-5p mimic or inhibitor, the expression of CXCR4 was found to be inversely correlated with the expression of miR-142-5p. The dual luciferase reporter assay further verified the target relationship between miR-142-5p and CXCR4. Overexpression of miR-142-5p alleviated OA pathology by suppressing chondrocyte apoptosis, even in CXCR4 overexpressed OA chondrocytes. This was associated with decreased cartilage matrix degradation, reduced cartilage inflammation, and inactivated MAPK signaling pathway. Our study suggests that upregulated expression of CXCR4-targeted miR-142-5p can inhibit apoptosis, inflammation, and matrix catabolism and inactivate the MAPK signaling pathway in OA chondrocytes. Our work provides important insight into targeting miR-142-5p and the SDF-1/CXCR4 axis in OA therapy.

Background: Despite a substantial scientific progress over the past two decades, malaria continues to be a worldwide burden. Evergrowing resistance towards the currently available antimalarial drugs is a challenge to combat malaria. Medicinal plants are a promising source of new drugs to tackle this problem. Thus, the present study aimed at evaluating the antiplasmodial activity of Terminalia brownii in Plasmodium berghei infected mice.

Methods: A 4-day suppressive test was employed to evaluate the antimalarial effect of 80% methanol and aqueous bark extracts of T. brownii against P. berghei in Swiss albino mice.

Results: The in vivo acute toxicity test indicated that both extracts of T. brownii against p < 0.001) compared to negative control. The maximum level of chemosuppression (60.2%) was exhibited at 400 mg/kg dose of 80% methanol extract. Moreover, the 80% methanol extract showed a significant (p < 0.001) compared to negative control. The maximum level of chemosuppression (60.2%) was exhibited at 400 mg/kg dose of 80% methanol extract. Moreover, the 80% methanol extract showed a significant (.

Conclusion: The present study indicated that hydromethanolic and aqueous bark extracts of T. brownii possess a promising antimalarial activity, with higher effect exhibited by the hydromethanolic extract.T. brownii against.

Label-free detection methods such as the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) are well suited to the analysis of molecular interactions in complex mixtures such as crude botanical extracts. In the present study, the binding characteristics of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and crude green tea extract solutions to bovine serum albumin (BSA) have been investigated. The adsorbed mass levels onto BSA-functionalized surfaces were measured at various solution concentrations. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were used to model the adsorption data. The Langmuir isotherm better described the adsorption behavior with correlations of 0.68 and 0.70 for the EGCG and the crude extract solutions, respectively. The better fit of the Langmuir model indicates that adsorption occurs homogeneously and that aggregation is negligible. The mass saturation is estimated to be 58% higher for the crude green tea solution as compared to the pure EGCG solution (7.9 ng/cm² for green tea and 5 ng/cm² for EGCG). The increased adsorption for the crude extract indicates that the additional tea chemical constituents are binding to alternate sites on the protein molecule and that competitive binding is a nondominant effect. However, a reduced adsorption rate for the crude extract was also observed, indicating some presence of competitive mechanisms. The results demonstrate the utility of the QCM for the analysis of protein binding in crude mixtures as well as pure compounds.