Biochemistry Research International最新文献

Artemisia princeps (family Asteraceae) is a natural product broadly used as an antioxidative, hepatoprotective, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory agent in East Asia. In the present study, eupatilin, the main constituent of Artemisia princeps, was investigated as an antihyperlipidemic agent. Eupatilin inhibited 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl (HMG)-CoA reductase (HCR), an enzyme that is a therapeutic target for hyperlipidemia, in an ex vivo assay using rat liver. In addition, oral administration of eupatilin significantly lowered the serum levels of total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides (TG) in corn oil-induced and Triton WR-1339-induced hyperlipidemic mice. These results suggest that eupatilin can alleviate hyperlipidemia by inhibiting HCR.

Essential oils are known to possess many biological properties such as antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Plumeria alba flowers are used in traditional remedies for diarrhea, cough, fever, and asthma treatment. This work evaluated the chemical composition and the biological activities of essential oils obtained from the flowers and leaves of Plumeria alba. The essential oils were extracted using the Clevenger-type apparatus and characterized using GC-MS. In the flower essential oil, a total of 17 compounds were identified, with linalool (23.91%), α-terpineol (10.97%), geraniol (10.47%), and phenyl ethyl alcohol (8.65%) being abundant. In the leaf essential oil, a total of 24 compounds were identified, with benzofuran, 2,3-di, hydro-(3.24%), and muurolol (1.40%) being present. Antioxidant activities were assessed using hydrogen peroxide scavenging, phosphomolybdenum, and 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical-scavenging assays. Antimicrobial activities were assessed through a microdilution assay. The essential oil showed antimicrobial activity against test microorganisms with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 25.0 to 50.0 mg/mL. Biofilm inhibition ranged from 27.14 ± 1.0 to 58.99 ± 0.6 mg/mL. The essential oil exhibited total antioxidant capacities which ranged from 17.5 μg/g AAE to 83 μg/g AAE in the phosphomolybdenum assay. The IC₅₀ values in the DPPH and hydrogen peroxide radical scavenging assays for both flowers and leaves ranged from 18.66 μg/mL to 38.28 μg/mL. Both essential oils also displayed good antibiofilm activities, with the concentration required for half-maximal inhibition of biofilm formation being ∼60 mg/mL for both oils. This study shows that essential oils of Plumeria alba possess good antioxidant and antimicrobial activities and could be used as a source of natural antioxidants and antimicrobial agents.

Background: Infertility is a common issue affecting a large number of Iraqi women of reproductive age. The relationship between vitamin D deficiency and infertility has previously drawn the attention of gynecologists, and an increasing number of vitamin D testing has been requested.

Methods: 120 women were enrolled in this study between April 2019 and April 2020. Patients were divided into two groups comprising sixty women complaining of infertility, with the other 60 women being fertile and enrolled as controls. All patients were assessed for vitamin D level.

Results: In the fertile study group, patients with deficient, insufficient, and sufficient level of vitamin were 28%, 23%, and 48%, respectively (these numbers were rounded to the nearest whole digit, as the numbers for the infertile group were given with that level of precision), whereas the infertile study group showed a statistically significant (p value = 0.002) distribution of vitamin levels with 50%, 35%, and 15% of women being deficient, insufficient, and sufficient, respectively.

Conclusions: Vitamin D is significantly deficient in infertile patients which suggests a possible, positive impact if vitamin D is considered in the management of female infertility. Further study with more participants is highly recommended.

Aluminum (Al) is known to be a nephrotoxic metal that can cause renal toxicity in both humans and animals. The use of functional foods has been reported to have significance in managing the toxic effects associated with such metals. This study aimed to assess the potential protective effects of caffeine, vanillin, and their combination in mitigating AlCl₃-induced renal toxicity in adult male Wistar rats. A total of thirty (30) adult male Wistar rats weighing between 150 and 200 g were randomly divided into five groups, each consisting of six rats (n = 6). Group 1 served as the control, while the remaining treatment groups received a daily oral dose of 100 mg/kg AlCl₃ for a duration of 21 days. In addition, groups 3-5 were coadministered 50 mg/kg body weight (bw) of caffeine, vanillin, and a combination (50/50 mg/kg bw) of both substances, respectively. In the results, AlCl₃-treated showed a significant (p < 0.05) increase in serum biomarkers such as ALT, ALP, urea, and creatinine, and a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in serum total proteins (TPs). The renal tissue's antioxidant system, including SOD, CAT, GPx, and GSH, exhibited a significant (p < 0.05) reduction, accompanied by an elevated MDA level. However, the administration of caffeine, vanillin, and their combination resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in serum ALT, ALP, urea, and creatinine, and a significant (p < 0.05) increase in serum TP. Furthermore, following the treatment, there was a significant (p < 0.05) increase in renal SOD, CAT, GPx, and GSH levels, along with a reduction in the MDA level. In addition, the treatment for 21 days caused a significant (p < 0.05) reversal to the altered histomorphological architecture. These findings suggest that caffeine, vanillin, and their combination could potentially be an effective regimen in managing AlCl₃-induced renal toxicity.

Pili (Canarium ovatum Engl.), an indigenous tree found in the Philippines, is highly regarded for its fruit due to its high economic value. During processing, the pulp is often discarded as waste but contains considerable amounts of oil and bioactive minor lipid components. The present study explored the antioxidant and antibacterial properties of saponified diethyl ether extract of pili pulp oil and related this activity to the nature of compounds present in the extract through GCMS. The extract indicated the elution of 18 major compounds which are mostly cyclic triterpenic (α-and β-amyrin, lupenone, and β-amyrone) and phytosterol (β-sitosterol, brassicasterol, and stigmasterol) class of compounds. Characterization of the bioactivity of the extract showed high antioxidant activities measured by DPPH radical scavenging (EC₅₀: 74.45 ± 1.29 μg/mL) and lipid peroxidation inhibition (EC₅₀: 3.02 ± 0.06 μg/mL) activities that were comparable with that of α-tocopherol. Moreover, an observed bactericidal activity was demonstrated by the extract against E. coli and S. typhi with MIC values of 40 and 35 μg/mL, respectively. The observed bioactivity of the pili pulp oil extract can be attributed to these compounds which may provide desirable health benefits.

Cellulase is a biocatalyst that hydrolyzes cellulosic biomass and is considered a major group of industrial enzymes for its applications. Extensive work has been done on microbial cellulase but fungi are considered a novel strain for their maximum cellulase production. Production cost and novel microbial strains are major challenges for its improvement where cheap agro wastes can be essential sources of cellulose as substrates. The researcher searches for more cellulolytic microbes from natural sources but the production level of isolated strains is comparatively low. So genetic modification or mutation can be employed for large-scale cellulase production before optimization. After genetic modification than in silico molecular modeling can be evaluated for substrate molecule's binding affinity. In this review, we focus not only on the conventional methods of cellulase production but also on modern biotechnological approaches applied to cellulase production by a sequential study on common cellulase-producing microbes, modified microbes, culture media, carbon sources, substrate pretreatment process, and the importance of optimum pH and temperature on fermentation. In this review, we also compare different cellulase activity determination methods. As a result, this review provides insights into the interrelationship between the characteristics of optimizing different culture conditions, genetic modification, and in silico enzyme modeling for the production of cellulase enzymes, which may aid in the advancement of large-scale integrated enzyme manufacturing of substrate-specific enzymes.

Background: Exosomes have been proven to play important diagnostic, regulatory, or communication roles in tumorigenesis, tumor progression, or metastasis; in recent studies, lots of molecules, including miRNAs, were found to be aberrantly expressed in tumor exosomes and were correlated with tumor development. However, studies about the expression, relationship, or control mechanisms of miRNAs in exosomes in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are scarce and urgently needed. The aim of this article was to identify and investigate abnormally expressed miRNAs in PDAC exosomes in vivo and in vitro.

Methods: Microarray studies were used to detect aberrantly expressed miRNAs in PDAC exosomes, and miR-210 expression in cells or exosomes was further analyzed by qRT-PCR. Bioinformatics analyses, dual-luciferase assays, WB, and other assays were utilized to explore the miRNA molecular mechanisms. The living cell coculture model and immunofluorescence analysis were employed to image the communication between PDAC cells and endothelial cells. Other biological experiments in the study include a real-time intravital imaging system, EdU, transwell, xenograft models, and so on.

Results: miR-210 is significantly expressed in PDAC exosomes and malignant cells. High miR-210 significantly facilitated tumor angiogenesis, cell invasion, and proliferation in PDAC cells. Further mechanistic detection revealed that miR-210 negatively regulated EFNA3 expression and participated in the PI3K/AKT/VEGFA or Wnt/Β-catenin/RHOA pathways, thus promoting tumor angiogenesis and cellular permeability. PDAC cells promote endothelial angiogenesis or permeability via miR-210 transmission by tumor exosomes. Exosomal miR-210 promotes PDAC progression in vivo. Further detection of PDAC plasma exosomal miR-210 suggests that exosomal miR-210 expression was high and significantly associated with vascular invasion and TNM stage and was an independent risk factor for PDAC overall survival.

Conclusions: PDAC cell-secreted exosomes could promote angiogenesis and cellular permeability of neighboring endothelial angiogenesis or permeability via miR-210 transmission. Exosomal miR-210 may play important roles in tumor biology and may be a useful prognostic marker in PDAC.

Heart failure (HF) affects millions of patients in the world. Shexiang Baoxin Pills (SXB) are extensively applied to treat coronary artery diseases and HF in Chinese hospitals. However, there are still no explanations for why SXB protects against HF. To assess the protective role, we created the HF model in rats by isoproterenol (ISO) subcutaneous injection, 85 milligrams per kilogram body weight for seven days. Four groups were implemented: CON (control), ISO (HF disease group), CAP (captopril, positive drug treatment), and SXB groups. Echocardiography was used to evaluate rats' HF in vivo. The human CaV1.2 (hCaV1.2) channel currents were detected in tsA-201 cells by patch clamp technique. Five different concentrations of SXB (5, 10, 30, 50, and 100 mg/L) were chosen in this study. The results showed that SXB increased cardiac systolic function and inhibited rats' cardiac hypertrophy and myocardial fibrosis induced by ISO. Subsequently, it was found that SXB was inhibited by the peak amplitudes of hCaV1.2 channel current (P < 0.01). The SXB half inhibitory dosage was 9.09 mg/L. The steady-state activation curve was 22.8 mV depolarization shifted; while the inactivation curve and the recovery from inactivation were not affected significantly. In conclusion, these results indicated that SXB inhibited ISO-induced HF in rats and inhibited the hCaV1.2 channel current. The present study paved the way for SXB to protect itself from HF.

Natto, a traditional soy food fermented by Bacillus subtilis, is made by steaming or cooking soaked soybean seeds, inoculating them with the bacteria, and then letting them sit for an incubation period. Natto soya has grown popular because of its nutritional importance and health advantages. As a result, farmers have more opportunities, thanks to the natto soybean market. For the natto soybean market to remain stable and grow, improved soybean cultivars with enhanced natto quality traits are essential. Natto's high-quality attributes are influenced by the bacteria strain, processing parameters, and soybean variety. Natto has a specific flavor and aroma with a slimy, sticky consistency. Natto possesses various therapeutic potentials and contains a range of essential nutrients and bioactive compounds, i.e., nattokinase, soybean isoflavone, γ-polyglutamic acid, vitamin K₂, and biogenic amines. Bacterial species, processing conditions, and cultivars of soybean determine the quality characteristics of natto. Natto food is higher in menaquinone-7 and contains 100 times more menaquinone-7 than most cheeses. The present review highlights the production technology, microbiology, nutritional composition, and therapeutic potentials of natto.

Background: A large proportion of elderly people suffer from hypovitaminosis D, and depending on the severity of the condition, they develop complications that are detrimental to their health.

Objective: To determine the consistency between the results of the vitamin D level in the blood compared to the result with the score of a simple questionnaire (Physician Vitamin D Status Predictor - VDSP) for elderly patients. Subjects and methods. This is a cross-sectional study conducted during the period between October 2018 and November 2019 in 3 primary health care centres (PHCCs) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The subjects for this study were patients aged 60 or older. Data were collected in two phases: a questionnaire approach as the first phase, while the second phase involved blood testing for vitamin D levels. The validated questionnaire used in this study was the Physician`s Vitamin D Status Predictor (VDSP).

Results: The study included 335 participants who ranged between 60 and 107 years old with a mean age of 68.2 years and standard deviation (SD) of 7.3 years. Females represented 66.9% of the total participants. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was 60.8%; among them, 7.2% were categorized as severe deficiency, whereas the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency was 29.9%. The outcomes of VDSP survey were not directly associated with serum 25(OH)D levels in elderly people, except for the number of medications. In addition, vitamin D supplementation was associated with serum 25(OH)D levels among those patients.

Conclusion: Vitamin D supplementation was significantly associated with serum 25(OH)D levels. Moreover, this study showed a significant association between serum 25(OH)D levels and the number of medications taken by the participants.