Cheng-Kuang Hsu

Apoptotic effects of protocatechuic acid in human breast, lung, liver, cervix, and prostate cancer cells: potential mechanisms of action.

Apoptotic effects of protocatechuic acid (PCA) at 1, 2, 4, 8 micromol/L on human breast cancer MCF7 cell, lung cancer A549 cell, HepG2 cell, cervix HeLa cell, and prostate cancer LNCaP cell were examined. Results showed that PCA concentration-dependently decreased cell viability, increased lactate dehydrogenase leakage, enhanced DNA fragmentation, reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, and lowered Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity for these cancer cells (P < 0.05). PCA also concentration-dependently elevated caspase-3 activity in five cancer cells (P < 0.05), but this agent at 2-8 micromol/L significantly increased caspase-8 activity (P < 0.05). PCA concentration-dependently decreased intercellular adhesion molecule level in test cancer cells (P < 0.05) but significantly inhibited cell adhesion at 2-8 micromol/L (P < 0.05). PCA also concentration-dependently lowered the levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 in five cancer cells (P < 0.05), but this agent at 2-8 micromol/L significantly suppressed vascular endothelial growth factor production (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that PCA is a potent anticancer agent to cause apoptosis or retard invasion and metastasis in these five cancer cells.

Improving the antioxidant activity of buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricm Gaertn) sprout with trace element water

Trace element water (TEW) (100, 200, 300, 400 and 500ppm) was used to grow buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricm Gaertn) to evaluate whether the beneficial effects of trace elements on the antioxidant activity could be accomplished with the supplement of TEW. At 300ppm, TEW significantly increased the Cu, Zn and Fe contents in buckwheat sprout, but not the Se and Mn contents. The levels of rutin, quercitrin and quercetin did not differ between buckwheat sprouts grown in TEW and de-ionized water (DIW). The ethanolic extract from buckwheat sprout grown in 300ppm TEW showed higher DPPH radical scavenging activity, ferrous ion chelating activity, superoxide anion scavenging activity and inhibitory activity toward lipid peroxidation than that grown in DIW. The extract of the TEW group also enhanced intracellular superoxide dismutase activity and resulted in lower level of reactive oxygen species in human Hep G2 cells.

Solannm Lyratum extract affected immune response in normal and leukemia murine animal in vivo

Solanum lyratum Thunberg (Solanaceae) has been used as a folk medicine for treating liver, lung and esophagus in the Chinese population. Our previous studies have shown that the crude extract of S. lyratum Thunberg (SLE) induced apoptosis in colo 205 human colon adenocarcinoma cells; however, there is no report to show SLE affect immune responses in vivo. In this study, the in vivo effects of SLE on leukemia WEHI-3 cells and immune responses such as phagocytosis and natural killer (NK) cell activity in normal and leukemia mice were investigated. The SLE treatment decreases surface markers of CD3 and Mac-3 in normal and leukemia mice but promoted the cell markers of CD19 and CD11b in normal mice and CD11b in leukemia mice indicating that the precursors of T cells was inhibited and B cells and macrophage were promoted. The SLE treatment promoted the activity of macrophage phagocytosis in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and peritoneal cells from normal and leukemia mice. The results also showed that NK cells from the normal and leukemia mice after treatment with SLE can kill the YAC-1 target cells. Therefore, the SLE treatment increased macrophage and NK cell activities. These consistent results indicate SLE could be a potent immune responses agent.

Effect of thermal treatments on anti-nutritional factors and antioxidant capabilities in yellow soybeans and green-cotyledon small black soybeans

BACKGROUND The effects of different thermal processes on the anti-nutritional factors (tannins, phytic acids and trypsin inhibitors) and antioxidant capacity of yellow soybeans (YS) and green-cotyledon small black soybeans (GCSBS) were investigated. The soybean samples were subjected to roasting, microwaving and boiling as the thermal treatments. RESULTS Sixty-minute boiling was most effective for eliminating the tannins in both YS and GCSBS, and also resulted in the maximal reduction of phytic acids. Trypsin inhibitors were most effectively reduced (76.92-97.91%) by microwaving, and boiling was least favourable for retaining total phenolic content. The total flavonoid content was significantly (P < 0.05) decreased by all thermal processes, and particularly by employing 60-min boiling. The total anthocyanin content of GCSBS was higher than that of YS, but significantly declined upon boiling (P < 0.05). Roasting did not significantly affect the DPPH free radical scavenging activity of GCSBS (P > 0.05). Microwaving increased the FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) of GCSBS up to 6.07%. CONCLUSION Our raw GCSBS possesses much better antioxidant capacity than raw YS. Microwaving resulted in a substantial reduction of the trypsin inhibitors of our soybean samples. Dry thermal treatments caused slight increase of FRAP in GCSBS.

Improving antioxidant status in aged mice by 50% ethanol extract from red bean fermented by Bacillus subtilis.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 50% ethanol extracts from red bean non-fermented (RBE) and fermented by Bacillus subtilis (RBNE) on the antioxidant status of aged ICR mouse. RESULTS Compared to 2-month-old ICR mouse, the plasma total antioxidant status (TAS) in 12-month-old ICR mouse decreased about 57%, while malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the liver and brain of 12-month-old ICR mouse increased 56% and 30%, respectively. Orally administration of RBE or RBNE could completely recover the changes of MDA and plasma TAS levels due to the aging process. Vitamin E contents declined 88% in the liver and 74% in the brain of aged ICR mouse. At a level of 0.3 or 0.6 g kg(-1) body weight, RBNE raised vitamin E content in the liver and brain; however, RBE showed no significant influence. All antioxidant enzymes activities in the liver and brain of aged ICR mouse decreased compared to those activities in 2-month-old ICR mouse. RBNE could significantly enhance the superoxide dismutase activity in the brain of aged ICR mouse. CONCLUSION Oral administration of RBE or RBNE could improve antioxidant status in aged ICR mouse. Fermentation by Bacillus subtilis could enhance the antioxidant properties of red bean.

Red Bean Extract Inhibits Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammation and H2O2-Induced Oxidative Stress in RAW 264.7 Macrophages

Red bean (Phaseolus radiatus L. var. Aurea) is a leguminous seed and mainly used as one of the popular ingredients in oriental desserts. The objective of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of 50 g/kg ethanolic extract of red bean (RBE) by measuring lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced expressions of nitric oxide (NO), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in RAW 264.7 macrophages. On the other hand, the antioxidant activity of RBE was determined by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances method and comet assay using H2O2-induced macrophages. The results showed that RBE at the concentrations of 50-200 μg/mL can significantly suppress the inflammatory responses in LPS-stimulated macrophages through the reduction of cellular NO and downregulation of the gene expressions of iNOS, COX-2, TNF-α, and IL-6 in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, RBE can diminish H2O2-induced oxidative damage in RAW 264.7 macrophage. Phenolic compounds and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside from BRE may have efficacy as overall in vitro anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents. Red bean exerts an anti-inflammatory response and has potential as a health-promoting ingredient.

Influence of preheating on antioxidant activity of the water extract from black soybean and color and sensory properties of black soybean decoction.

BACKGROUND Our previous study indicated that black soybean (BS) tea (BST) made from preheated BS showed a significant protective effect against CCl4 -induced liver damage in Sprague Dawley rats due to BSs antioxidant activity. In this study, we investigated three different preheating methods on the antioxidant activity of water extract from BS (WBS) (Glycine max (L.) Merrill), as well as on the color and sensory properties of BST. RESULTS WBS baked at 130 °C for 5 min showed high total phenol, flavonoid and anthocyanin contents among three preheating methods, as well as high DPPH radical-scavenging activity, ferrous ion chelating ability and reducing power. BST baked at 130 °C for 5 min had higher polyphenol oxidase activity and L*, a* and b* values but lower peroxidase activity then BST made from unheated BS. Sensory evaluation indicated that BST made from baked BS produced better aroma and flavor than the tea made from unheated BS or a commercial preheated BS. CONCLUSION An appropriate preheating process improved the amount of extractable antioxidant and the antioxidant activity in WBS. BST baked at 130 °C for 5 min had good flavor properties, as well as high amount of antioxidant.

Anthocyanin contents in the seed coat of black soya bean and their anti-human tyrosinase activity and antioxidative activity.

The seed coat of black soya bean (SCBS) contains high amount of anthocyanins and shows antioxidant and anti‐mushroom tyrosinase activities. The objectives of this study were to analyse the anthocyanins in SCBS with different solvents and to find the relationship between anthocyanin profile with anti‐human and anti‐mushroom tyrosinase activities.

A Novel Feature with Dynamic Time Warping and Least Squares Adjustment for Protein Structure Alignment

Protein structure alignment is of importance in protein study. In general, such a task can be divided into two categories, i.e., global and local structure alignments. In this paper, one-dimensional features are extracted first from the original protein structures. A hybrid approach combining dynamic time warping and least squares adjustment is proposed for global alignment of protein 3D structures in an iterative fashion, where dynamic time warping is responsible for coarse alignment of two structures and least squares adjustment handles the fine matching of amino acid residues. The residuals of matched pairs are utilized to calculate the weights to accelerate the convergence of coarse-to-fine matching. The preliminary results have demonstrated the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed approach. However, there is still a room for improvement in terms of accuracy and memory usage.

Combination of Deoxidized Water and Sterilized Packaging to Improve the Quality of Cooked Rice Stored at Room Temperature

The objective of this study was to extend the shelf life of cooked rice stored at room temperature using the combination of deoxidized water and sterilized packaging. The color, firmness, microbial load, peroxide value, TBA value, and sensory quality of treated cooked rice stored at 25°C and 38°C were monitored up to 2 months. The pure nitrogen gassing out method could significantly reduce the oxygen saturation of tap water from 96.3 g/100 g to 0.2 g/100 g in 12 min. Although ascorbic acid could also be used to remove oxygen from tap water, it promoted unwanted yellowness in cooked rice. The rice in sterilized package treated with deoxidized water had significantly better color, firmness, and sensory properties than the rice treated with tap water, indicating that the combination of deoxidized tap water and sterilized packaging was a promising approach to maintain the quality of cooked rice products.