Liji Jin

A Lysosome-Targetable and Two-Photon Fluorescent Probe for Monitoring Endogenous and Exogenous Nitric Oxide in Living Cells

A lysosome-specific and two-photon fluorescent probe, Lyso-NINO, demonstrates high selectivity and sensitivity toward NO, lower cytotoxicity, and perfect lysosomal localization. With the aid of Lyso-NINO, the first capture of NO within lysosomes of macrophage cells has been achieved using both two-photon fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry.

Antioxidant and pancreas-protective effect of aucubin on rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes

Oxidative stress has been suggested as a contributory factor in development and complication of diabetes. The aim of the present study was to determine the protective effect of aucubin on lipid peroxidation and activities of antioxidant defense systems and to conduct immunohistochemical evaluation of pancreas in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Lipid peroxidation was determined by assessing the concentration of malondialdehyde and activities of antioxidant enzymes - catalase, glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase in liver and kidneys of rats were determined. Changes of blood glucose and immunohistochemical evaluation on pancreas were also investigated as part of the pathology of diabetes. In our study, aucubin treatment lowered blood glucose. Diabetic rats exhibited an increase in the level of lipid peroxidation and decrease in activities of antioxidant enzymes in liver and kidneys as compared to control rats. Administration of aucubin to diabetic rats for 15 days significantly reversed damage associated with diabetes. In addition, diabetic rats showed an obvious decrease in insulin immunoreactivity and the number of beta cells in pancreas, but the pancreas of aucubin-treated rats were improved and the number of immunoreactive beta cells were significantly increased. These results indicated that aucubin may have value as a safe preventive or therapeutic agent against diabetes mellitus.

Enhancement of non-specific immune response in sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus) by Astragalus membranaceus and its polysaccharides.

In this study, the immunostimulatory effect of oral administration of different preparations (conventional fine powder [CP] and superfine powder [SP]) of Astragalus membranaceus root or its polysaccharides (APS) in sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus) was investigated. Sea cucumbers with an average initial weight of 49.3 +/- 5.65 g were fed with a diet containing 3% CP or SP or 0.3% APS over a period of 60 days. The non-specific humoral (phenoloxidase, lysozyme and agglutination titer) and cellular (phagocytic capacity and reactive oxygen species) responses were determined and compared with controls (no supplement) after 20, 40 and 60 days of feeding. Variation in the levels of responses was evident among different supplements. SP and APS significantly enhanced most of the immune parameters tested. Among the humoral responses, lysozyme activity significantly increased after feeding with SP-supplemented diet for 20, 40 or 60 days. Furthermore, lectin titer showed significant enhancement after 20 and 60 days of feeding with APS-supplemented diet. Significant increase in the production of reactive oxygen species was evident for all three supplements after 20 days of feeding, but no significant change in serum phenoloxidase activity was observed for any of the three supplements over the three different periods. Overall, significant modulation of the cellular responses was only noticed after 20 days of feeding with SP- or APS-supplemented diet. After 60 days, these two groups also exhibited a decrease in the cumulative symptom rates compared to the controls when challenged with Vibrio splendidus. These results indicated that dietary intake containing A. membranaceus root or its polysaccharides could enhance the immune responses of A. japonicus and improve its resistance to infection by V. splendidus.

Application of chicken egg yolk immunoglobulins in the control of terrestrial and aquatic animal diseases: a review.

Abstract Oral administration of chicken egg yolk immunoglobulin (IgY) has attracted considerable attention as a means of controlling infectious diseases of bacterial and viral origin. Oral administration of IgY possesses many advantages compared with mammalian IgG including cost-effectiveness, convenience and high yield. This review presents an overview of the potential to use IgY immunotherapy for the prevention and treatment of terrestrial and aquatic animal diseases and speculates on the future of IgY technology. Included are a review of the potential application of IgY for the treatment of livestock diseases such as mastitis and diarrhea, poultry diseases such as Salmonella, Campylobacteriosis, infectious bursal disease and Newcastle disease, as well as aquatic diseases like shrimp white spot syndrome virus, Yersina ruckeri and Edwardsiella tarda. Some potential obstacles to the adoption of IgY technology are also discussed.

The potentiation of curcumin on insulin-like growth factor-1 action in MCF-7 human breast carcinoma cells.

Curcumin has anticarcinogenic and chemopreventive properties in a variety of experimental cancer models. Our in vitro studies have shown that curcumin inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in MCF-7, a human breast carcinoma cell line. The insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) system, including IGFs (IGF-1 and IGF-2), IGF-1R (IGF-1 receptor) and IGFBPs (IGF binding proteins), has been implicated to play a critical role in the development of breast cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the growth inhibitory effects of curcumin were related to changes of the IGF-1 system in MCF-7 cells. IGF-1 at 50 microg/l in serum-free medium produced maximum proliferation and minimized apoptosis. However, curcumin exhibited a potent ability to blunt IGF-1-stimulated MCF-7 cell growth and reverse the IGF-1-induced apoptosis resistance. To determine whether curcumin intervenes in IGF-1 or IGFBP-3 secretion, MCF-7 cells were incubated in serum-free medium in the presence of various concentrations of curcumin for indicated time periods. Curcumin decreased the secretion of IGF-1 with a concomitant increase of IGFBP-3 in a dose-dependent manner. Receptor tyrosine kinase assays revealed that IGF-1-stimulated IGF-1R tyrosine kinase activation was also abrogated by curcumin in a dose-dependent manner. Real-time fluorescence quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RFQ-RT-PCR) further revealed that curcumin suppressed IGF-1R gene expression at transcriptional level. In conclusion, the inhibition of cell growth and induction of apoptosis by curcumin in MCF-7 cells might be mediated, at least partially, by its ability to down-regulate the IGF-1 axis.

Novel Bcl-2 Inhibitors: Discovery and Mechanism Study of Small Organic Apoptosis-Inducing Agents

Apoptosis as a novel target for cancer chemotherapy has generated an intense demand for new apoptosis‐inducing agents. The newly revealed role of protein families involved in the apoptosis pathway, and resistance to cytotoxic therapies have opened new avenues for the development of novel anticancer strategies. We have established a novel strategy to rapidly obtain protein‐targeted, instead of conventional DNA‐targeted, apoptosis inducers as antitumor leads. First, a novel organic non‐DNA intercalative compound S1 (8‐oxo‐3‐thiomorpholin‐4‐yl‐8H‐acenaphtho[1,2‐b]pyrrole‐9‐carbonitrile, MW=331) was found with an IC50 of 10−7–10−8 μM against diverse cancer cell lines. Further biological evaluation demonstrated that it was an apoptosis‐inducer both in vivo and in vitro. The treatment of hydroperitoneum hepatoma cells (H22 cell line) with S1 at various concentrations (from 0.01 to 10 μM) for 24 h triggered these cells to enter the apoptosis process. The antitumor efficiency was also tested in the H22 xenotransplant models in mice. At a dosage of 0.3 mg kg−1, S1 exhibited significant antitumor activity with a much longer survival time, a decrease in tumor size, and increased apoptosis cells in tumor tissue. More importantly, studies of the molecular mechanism of apoptosis induction by S1 revealed that S1 inactivated the Bcl‐2 protein by binding to it, depolarizing the mitochondrial membrane, and then activating caspase 9, followed by caspase 3. Finally, structure‐based virtual modification was performed by computer modeling. As a result, a derivative, S2 (8‐oxo‐3‐[(thienylmethyl)amino]‐8H‐acenaphtho[1,2‐b]pyrrole‐9‐carbonitrile, MW=341) was identified that possessed a lower binding energy to Bcl‐2, and demonstrated better antitumor potency, even on the Bcl‐2‐overexpressing human acute myeloid leukemia (HL‐60) cells (IC50=1.3 μM) in vitro. S1 and S2 are the well‐defined Bcl‐2 inhibitors that give us a promising platform for the development of new therapeutic agents.

Characterization of specific egg yolk immunoglobulin (IgY) against mastitis-causing Escherichia coli

The objective of this study was to estimate the in vitro activity of egg yolk immunoglobulin (IgY) against mastitis-causing Escherichia coli. Specific IgY was produced by hens immunized with formaldehyde killed E. coli O111 in long-standing immunization response (titer > or =6400 for 100 days) and was isolated from yolks with a purity of 86% by water dilution, salt precipitations and ultrafiltration. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) indicated the produced IgY specifically targeted E. coli O111 and five other E. coli strains which were isolated from mastitic cows. The growth inhibition activity of the specific IgY to bacteria was dose-dependent with an effective concentration of 20mg purified IgY per milliliter. The phagocytic activity of E. coli either by milk macrophages (MPhi) or by polymorphonuclear neutrophil leukocytes (PMN) in the presence of specific IgY was significantly higher than that with nonspecific IgY or without IgY (p<0.05), suggesting that it enhanced phagocytic activity. The current work suggests that this specific IgY has potential as a therapeutic treatment for mastitis in dairy cows.

Deer antler base as a traditional Chinese medicine: a review of its traditional uses, chemistry and pharmacology.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Deer antler base (Cervus, Lu Jiao Pan) has been recorded in the Chinese medical classics Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing 2000 years ago and is believed to nourish the Yin, tonify the kidney, invigorate the spleen, strengthen bones and muscles, and promote blood flow. In China, deer antler base has been extensively used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to treat a variety of diseases including mammary hyperplasia, mastitis, uterine fibroids, malignant sores and childrens mumps. AIM OF THE REVIEW We provide an up-to-date and comprehensive overview of the traditional uses, chemistry, pharmacology, toxicology and clinical trials of deer antler base in order to explore its therapeutic potentials and future research needs. BACKGROUND AND METHODS The pharmacological value of deer antler base was ignored for many years while researchers concentrated on the pharmacological value of velvet antler. However, more recently, scientists have carried out a great number of chemical, pharmacological and clinical studies on deer antler base. The present review covers the literature available from 1980 to 2012. All relevant information on deer antler base was collected from ancient Chinese herbal classics, pharmacopoeias, formularies, scientific journals, books, theses and reports via a library and electronic search by using PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Science Direct, and CNKI (in Chinese). KEY FINDINGS Both in vitro and in vivo pharmacological studies have demonstrated that deer antler base possess immunomodulatory, anti-cancer, anti-fatigue, anti-osteoporosis, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-stress, anti-oxidant, hypoglycemic, hematopoietic modulatory activities and the therapeutic effect on mammary hyperplasia. Although the mechanism of actions is still not clear, the pharmacological activities could be mainly attributed to the major bioactive compounds amino acids, polypeptides and proteins. Based on animal studies and clinical trials, deer antler base causes no severe side effects. CONCLUSIONS Deer antler base has emerged as a good source of traditional medicine. However, further investigations are needed to explore individual bioactive compounds responsible for these in vitro and in vivo pharmacological effects and its mechanism of actions. Further safety assessments and clinical trials in humans need to be performed before it can be integrated into medicinal practices. The present review has provided preliminary information for further studies and commercial exploitations of deer antler base.

From a BODIPY–rhodamine scaffold to a ratiometric fluorescent probe for nitric oxide

Based on a FRET scaffold bearing BODIPY and TMR fluorophores, a ratiometric fluorescent probe BRP-NO highly sensitive and selective to nitric oxide was developed and employed for imaging intracellular nitric oxide released from NOC13.

Effects of traditional Chinese medicine on immune responses in abalone, Haliotis discus hannai Ino

A traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preparation was formulated from orange peel (Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae), hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida), astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bunge), pilose asiabell root (Radix codonopsis), indigowoad root (Radix isatidis), taraxacum (Herba taraxaci) and malt (Fructus Hordei Germinatus) at a weight ratio of 1:1:1.5:1.5:1.5:1.5:2. A feeding experiment was conducted to determine the effects of TCM on innate immunity of abalone, Haliotis discus hannai Ino. Artificial diets containing 1%, 3%, 5% TCM preparation, 1% hawthorn or 1% astragalus, respectively, were fed to juvenile abalone (initial weight 10.38+/-2.51 g; initial shell length 44.15+/-4.15 mm) for 80 days. A TCM-free diet was used as a control. Each diet was fed to three replicate groups of abalone using a randomized design. The results indicated that phagocytic activity was significantly higher in abalone fed 3%, 5% TCM preparation, 1% astragalus or 1% hawthorn (P<0.05). Respiratory burst activity was significantly higher in abalone fed 1%, 3%, 5% TCM preparation, 1% astragalus or 1% hawthorn (P<0.05). Agglutination titre was significantly higher in abalone fed 5% TCM preparation (P<0.05). Weight gain ratio (WGR), daily increment in shell length (DISL), total haemocyte count (THC), plasma protein concentration, and the activity of acid phosphatase (ACP) were not significantly affected by the TCM preparation (P>0.05). These results indicate that TCM preparation can modulate the immunity of H. discus hannai, and it is very possible that TCM might be used as immunostimulants in abalone farming.