Understanding the complexity of Tityus serrulatus venom: A focus on high molecular weight components

Tityus serrulatus scorpion is responsible for a significant number of envenomings in Brazil, ranging from mild to severe, and in some cases, leading to fatalities. While supportive care is the primary treatment modality, moderate and severe cases require antivenom administration despite potential limitations and adverse effects. The remarkable proliferation of T. serrulatus scorpions, attributed to their biology and asexual reproduction, contributes to a high incidence of envenomation. T. serrulatus scorpion venom predominantly consists of short proteins acting as neurotoxins (α and ß), that primarily target ion channels. Nevertheless, high molecular weight compounds, including metalloproteases, serine proteases, phospholipases, and hyaluronidases, are also present in the venom. These compounds play a crucial role in envenomation, influencing the severity of symptoms and the spread of venom. This review endeavors to comprehensively understand the T. serrulatus scorpion venom by elucidating the primary high molecular weight compounds and exploring their potential contributions to envenomation. Understanding these compounds' mechanisms of action can aid in developing more effective treatments and prevention strategies, ultimately mitigating the impact of scorpion envenomation on public health in Brazil.

Effects of signal peptide on secretory expression of SARS-CoV-2 S1,RBD and RBD dimer proteins in Expisf9 insect cells / 中国生物制品学杂志

@#Objective To compare the effects of different signal peptides on the secretion and expression of SARS-CoV-2S1,receptor binding domain(RBD) and RBD dimer proteins in Expisf9 insect cells.Methods The gene sequences of three proteins,SARS-CoV-2 S1(M1-E661),RBD(R319-P545) and RBD dimer(R319-K537 tandem),were selected and divided into 25 groups according to the different N-terminal signal peptide sequences(Endo,honeybee melittin(HBM),GP64,GP67,chitinase(Chi) and HIV-ENV) and C-terminal label sequences.25 recombinant baculoviruses were constructed by Bac-to-Bac system,and 25 groups of tertiary strain banks were prepared.B2 and C4 viruses were inoculated to logarithmic prestage cells(2.8 × 10~6 cells/mL) and logarithmic metaphase cells(1.2 × 10~7 cells/mL),respectively.The viruses of each group were cultured to 100 mL(500 mL shaker) for protein expression,and samples were taken for SDSPAGE electrophoresis,Western-blot and ELISA detection.Two groups with higher expression levels of S1,RBD and RBD dimer proteins were selected for repeated verification.Results When B2 and C4 were inoculated to high cell density,the secretion expression level showed no increase,while there were significant difference between 4 and 5 d after inoculation.The expression level of A7(Endo-S1-tag) was significantly lower than that of A9(HIV-ENV-S1-tag),the expression level of A4(Gp67-S1-tag) was the highest,and the secreted expression level of A1(Endo-Endo-Sl-tag) was significantly lower than that of A7(Endo-S1-tag).The secretion and expression of B6(HIV-ENV-RBD-tag) was signifi-cantly higher than that of B4(Gp67-RBD-tag) and other signal peptide groups,and C4(Gp67-RBD-dimer-tag) expression was significantly higher than that of C3(Gp64-RBD-dimer-tag).Two groups with high expression of each protein were selected separately for repeated verification(A4,A9;B4,B6;C3,C4) and the results showed that A4,B6 and C4 had the highest secretion expression levels.Conclusion The signal peptide for the highest secretion expression of S1 and RBD dimer proteins is the same,which is GP67 signal peptide,while the most suitable signal peptide for RBD protein is HIV-ENV,indicating that the N-terminal sequence can affect protein secretion,signal peptide sequence is universal to a certain extent,but is also related to the target protein sequence to be expressed.

Role of aryl hydrocarbon receptor in down-regulation of Clara cell secretory protein expression during endotoxin-induced lung injury in rats / 中华麻醉学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the role of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) in the down-regulation of Clara cell secretory protein (CCSP) expression during endotoxin-induced lung injury in rats.Methods:Twenty-four clean-grade healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats, aged 8 weeks, weighing 200-250 g, were divided into 4 groups ( n=6 each) using a random number table method: normal control group (group C), acute lung injury (ALI) group, ALI+ AhR antagonist group, and ALI+ vehicle group. Lipopolysaccharide(LPS) 1 mg/kg was intratracheally instilled to develop the model of lung injury, while the equal volume of normal saline was given instead in group C. At 2 h before LPS injection, AhR antagonist 6, 2′, 4′-trimethoxyflavone solution 5 mg/kg (diluted to 1 ml in dimethyl sulfoxide solution) was intraperitoneally injected in ALI+ AhR antagonist group, while dimethyl sulfoxide solution 1 ml was given in ALI+ vehicle group. The rats were sacrificed under anesthesia at 48 h after LPS administration. The left lung was lavaged and the broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was collected for determination of the concentrations of CCSP by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the expression of CCSP in the bronchial epithelium in right lung tissues was determined by immunohistochemistry. Results:Compared with group C, the expression of CCSP in the bronchial epithelium was significantly down-regulated, and the concentrations of CCSP in BALF were decreased in the other three groups ( P<0.05 or 0.01). Compared with ALI group and ALI+ vehicle group, the histopathological injury was significantly reduced, the expression of CCSP in the bronchial epithelium was up-regulated, and the concentrations of CCSP in BALF were increased in ALI+ AhR antagonist group ( P<0.01). Conclusions:AhR partially mediates the down-regulation of CCSP expression during endotoxin-induced lung injury in rats.

Effect of lung protective ventilation on lung ventilation function, serum serum Clara cell protein 16 level and prognosis in patients undergoing gynecological laparoscopic surgery / 中国医师进修杂志

Objective:To analyze the effect of lung protective ventilation on lung ventilation function and serum Clara cell protein 16 (CC16) level in patients undergoing gynecological laparoscopic surgery.Methods:The clinical data of 80 gynecological patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery in Yancheng City Jianhu County People′s Hospital from October 2018 to December 2020 were randomly divided into group A and group B by random number table, each group with 40 cases. The patients in group A were treated with intermittent positive-pressure ventilation, and the patients in group B were ventilated with whole course ventilation mode. The pulmonary ventilation function, CC16 level and postoperative pulmonary complications were observed before anesthesia, 10 min of pneumoperitoneum, 30 min of pneumoperitoneum, 5 min of pneumoperitoneum stop and 2 h after operation. The patients were divided into groups according to whether with pulmonary complications, and their pulmonary ventilation function and serum CC16 level were compared. The predictive value of the above indexes for pulmonary complications was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.Results:Repeated measurement analysis of variance showed that alveolar arterial oxygen differential pressure (PA-aDO 2) were significant differences in time point factors, time point interaction factors and group factors ( P<0.05); CC16 index were significant differences in time point factor and group factor ( P<0.05). According to the observation from postoperative to discharge, 4 patients (10.0%) in group A had pulmonary complications, 15 cases (37.5%) had pulmonary complications in group B, the levels of PA-aDO 2 and CC16 in patients with complications were significantly higher than those in patients without complications: group A:(332.9 ± 2.0) mmHg (1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa) vs. (290.4 ± 13.2) mmHg, (53.5 ± 1.5) μg/L vs. (39.5 ± 6.5) μg/L; group B: (339.1 ± 8.8) mmHg vs. (305.7 ± 17.9) mmHg, (41.5 ± 4.2) μg/L vs. (39.7 ± 5.8) μg/L, there were statistical differences ( P<0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve(AUC) of PA-aDO 2 and CC16 in predicting pulmonary complications in group A were 0.882 and 0.833, in group B was 0.885 and 0.731. Conclusions:Lung protective ventilation has little effect on lung ventilation function and serum CC16 in patients with gynecological laparoscopic surgery, and the probability of pulmonary complications is lower. The pulmonary ventilation function and CC16 have certain value in predicting postoperative pulmonary complications.

Secretory expression and fermentation optimization for extracellular production of pullulanase in Vibrio natriegens / 生物工程学报

Pullulanase is a starch debranching enzyme, which is difficult in secretory expression due to its large molecular weight. Vibrio natriegens is a novel expression host with excellent efficiency in protein synthesis. In this study, we achieved secretory expression of the full-length pullulanase PulA and its truncated mutant PulN2 using V. natriegens VnDX strain. Subsequently, we investigated the effects of signal peptide, fermentation temperature, inducer concentration, glycine concentration and fermentation time on the secretory expression. Moreover, the extracellular enzyme activities of the two pullulanases produced in V. natriegens VnDX and E. coli BL21(DE3) were compared. The highest extracellular enzyme activity of PulA and PulN2 in V. natriegens VnDX were 61.6 U/mL and 64.3 U/mL, which were 110% and 62% that of those in E. coli BL21(DE3), respectively. The results indicated that V. natriegens VnDX can be used for secretory expression of the full-length PulA with large molecular weight, which may provide a reference for the secretory expression of other large molecular weight proteins in V. natriegens VnDX.

Secretory expression of human thyroid stimulating hormone receptor A subunit in sf9 insect cell system / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

【Objective】 To construct the secretory expression system of insect cells to express the secretory TSHR A subunit protein in the ovarian cells of Spotoma oryzae (sf9). 【Methods】 A recombinant plasmid containing the target protein was constructed, and then the positive bacmid was screened out by the blue and white spots experiment. The verified bacmid was transfected into SF9 insect cells to obtain recombinant baculovirus. The virus was amplified, and the titer level was detected by virus plaque assay. Finally, Western blotting was used to identify the expression of the recombinant protein and optimize the expression conditions. 【Results】 During the construction of the protein expression system, PCR identification and sequencing results confirmed the correctness of the sequences of the recombinant plasmid and the recombinant bacmid. After the transfection of the bacmid, the signs of virus budding were observed in sf9 cells. The virus was collected and amplified. The titer of P1 generation virus was 2×107 pfu/m according to the plaque assay. The recombinant protein was identified by Western blotting and confirmed to be exogenous into the culture medium. The optimal condition for virus infection and protein expression was 72 h after the infection when the multiplicity of infection (MOI) was 1. 【Conclusion】 We constructed an insect cell expression system secreting TSHR 22-289 (55 ku), and the protein could be successfully glycolyzed. This system provides a preliminary basis for the construction and production of its industrial platform and also provides a useful tool for studies on TSHR protein and prevention of GO in the future.

Mechanism of quercetin regulating p38 MAPK/NF-kB/NLRP3 signaling pathway in rats with secretory otitis media / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the effect of quercetin (Que) on secretory otitis media (SOM) rats and its mechanism. Methods Forty-eight male SD rats were selected and randomly divided into control group (control), model group (model), Que group (100 mg • kg

Quality of moxa with different leaf-to-moxa ratios based on correlation analysis of thermogravimetric properties, cellulose content, and microscopic characteristics of non-secretory trichomes / 中国中药杂志

The quality of moxa is a key factor affecting the efficacy of moxibustion. Traditional moxa grades are evaluated by the leaf-to-moxa ratio, but there is a lack of support from scientific data. Scanning electron microscopy(SEM), Image Pro Plus, Van Soest method, and stimultaneous thermal analysis(TGA/DSC) were used to characterize the scientific implication of the combustion differences between moxa with different leaf-to-moxa ratios(processed by crusher). The results showed that the median lengths from non-secretory trichomes(NSTs) of natural NSTs and moxa with leaf-to-moxa ratios of 3∶1, 5∶1, 10∶1, and 15∶1 were 542.46, 303.24, 291.18, 220.69, and 170.61 μm, respectively. The cellulose content of moxa increased significantly(P<0.05) with the increase in leaf-to-moxa ratio and the combustion parameters(T_i, t_i, D_i, C,-R_p,-R_v, S, D_b, and J_(total)) all showed an increasing trend. The correlation results showed that the burning properties of moxa(T_i,-R_v, t_i, and J_2) were significantly and positively correlated with cellulose content. NSTs with a length of 1-200 μm were significantly and positively correlated with J_2. NSTs with a length of 200-600 μm were significantly and positively correlated with J_1, T_(peak2), T_(peak1), and-R_v, and negatively correlated with J_(total), T_b, and t_b. As the leaf-to-moxa ratio increases, the NSTs in the moxa become shorter and the cellulose content increases, which is more conducive to ignition performance, heat release, and a milder, longer-lasting burn. The "NSTs-cellulose-TGA/DSC" quantitative evaluation method scientifically reveals the scientific connotation of the combustion of moxa with different leaf-to-moxa ratios and provides a scientific basis for the establishment of quality evaluation methods for moxa with different leaf-to-moxa ratios.

Ultrashort wave alleviates oxygen -glucose deprivation/reoxygenation injury via up -regulation of SPCA1 expression in N2a cells / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVES@#Application of ultrashort wave (USW) to rats with cerebral ischemia and reperfusion injury could inhibit the decrease of expression of secretory pathway Ca2+-ATPase 1 (SPCA1), an important participant in Golgi stress, reduce the damage of Golgi apparatus and the apoptosis of neuronal cells, thereby alleviating cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. This study aims to investigate the effect of USW on oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) injury and the expression of SPCA1 at the cellular level.@*METHODS@#N2a cells were randomly divided into a control (Con) group, an OGD/R group, and an USW group. The cells in the Con group were cultured without exposure to OGD. The cells in the OGD/R group were treated with OGD/R. The cells in the USW group were treated with USW after OGD/R. Cell morphology was observed under the inverted phase-contrast optical microscope, cell activity was detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry, and SPCA1 expression was detected by Western blotting.@*RESULTS@#Most of the cells in the Con group showed spindle shape with a clear outline and good adhesion. In the OGD/R group, cells were wrinkled, with blurred outline, poor adhesion, and lots of suspended dead cells appeared; compared with the OGD/R group, the cell morphology and adherence were improved, with clearer outlines and fewer dead cells in the USW group. Compared with the Con group, the OGD/R group showed decreased cell activity, increased apoptotic rate, and down-regulating SPCA1 expression with significant differences (all P<0.001); compared with the OGD/R group, the USW group showed increased cell activity, decreased apoptotic rate, and up-regulating SPCA1 expression with significant differences (P<0.01 or P<0.001).@*CONCLUSIONS@#USW alleviates the injury of cellular OGD/R, and its protective effect may be related to its up-regulation of SPCA1 expression.

Mammary analogue secretory carcinoma of the parotid: An arduous maze to solve

Mammary analogue secretory carcinoma (MASC) is an unusual and rare salivary gland malignancy that recapitulates the genetic and microscopic features of secretory carcinoma of the breast (SCB) which is an equally rare entity. MASC and SCB express S-100 protein, vimentin, mammaglobin, and harbor a t (12; 15) (p13; q25) translocation which leads to ETV6-NTRK3 fusion product. The morphology of MASC is not specific and can overlap with many salivary gland tumors. S100 and mammaglobin抯 strong positivity confirm the diagnosis of MASC. The morphology along with immunohistochemical findings provides important clues for diagnosis. Recent advances in molecular pathology help in investigating both differential diagnosis and prognosis in salivary gland oncology. Molecular testing is recommended to arrive at a diagnosis of MASC. We report a case of MASC of the parotid gland in a 47-year-old male patient with his immunohistochemical profile.

Progress in diagnosis and treatment of CC16 in children pulmonary disease / 国际儿科学杂志

Clara cell secretory protein 16(CC16)is one of the most important secreted proteins of Clara cells in respiratory epithelium, which mainly exists in the lining fluid of lung epithelial cells.When the bronchoalveolus-capillary membrane barrier is damaged, a large amount of CC16 will enter the blood.It′s eventually excreted in the urine.In recent years, more and more studies have found that CC16 not only has anti-inflammatory, immune-modulating, anti-oxidation and anti-fibrosis effects, but also is a sensitive indicator of the integrity of the airway epithelium, which can predict the occurrence and development of many children′s pulmonary diseases.This article mainly summarizes the biological characteristics and functions of CC16, and summarizes the research progress of CC16 in the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric pulmonary diseases.

Secretory leukocyte peptidase inhibitor inhibits the inflammatory response and apoptosis of lipopolysaccharide-induced human proximal renal tubular cells / 中华危重病急救医学

Objective:To screen out the potential key genes of sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (AKI), and provide theoretical and experimental evidence for the treatment of sepsis-associated AKI.Methods:① Bioinformatics analysis: two gene expression datasets (GSE30718 and GSE53773) were downloaded for bioinformatics analysis from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). These two datasets recorded mRNA microarray data from kidney biopsies before and after kidney transplantation, and a subset of patients developed AKI after kidney transplantation. Differential analysis was conducted, and the genes with the same differential expression and a higher area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) in both databases were used as the target gene for subsequent cell experiments. ② Cell validation experiment: human proximal renal tubular cells HK2 were cultured in vitro, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used for establishing LPS-HK2 cell model (LPS 10 mg/L for 6 hours, LPS model group), and the blank control group was set. Then, small interfering RNA (siRNA) technology was used to knock down the target gene obtained by bioinformatics analysis in LPS-HK2 cells (gene knockdown group), and a gene negative control group was set. The real-time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) technique was used to detect the expression of the target gene in HK2 cells. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the levels of inflammatory factors in the cell supernatants. Western blotting was used to detect the expressions of key apoptosis proteins. Results:① Results of bioinformatics analysis: 325 genes in the two datasets showed the same expression trend, of which 144 were significantly down-regulated and 181 were significantly up-regulated, while the expression difference of secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) in the two datasets was both statistically significant. Further receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) analysis confirmed that the SLPI expression in GSE30718 and GSE53773 datasets had a high diagnostic efficiency for AKI, with AUC of 0.83 and 0.92, respectively. Therefore, SLPI was selected as the target gene for subsequent cell validation experiment. ② Cell validation experiment: the RT-qPCR analysis showed that the expression of SLPI in LPS-HK2 cells of the LPS model group was significantly higher than that of the blank control group (2 -ΔΔCT: 1.80±0.14 vs. 1.00±0.11, P < 0.01), and the change trend was the same with the results of bioinformatics analysis. Furthermore, knockdown SLPI gene analysis showed that the levels of inflammatory factors in LPS-HK2 cells supernatants in the gene knockdown group were significantly higher than those in the negative control group [Interleukin-6 (IL-6, ng/L): 509.58±27.08 vs. 253.87±75.83, IL-1β (ng/L): 490.99±49.52 vs. 239.67±26.97, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α, ng/L): 755.22±48.66 vs. 502.06±10.92, all P < 0.01]. The above results indicated that SLPI could inhibit the inflammatory response of HK2 cells induced by LPS. The expressions of key apoptosis proteins Bax and caspase-3 in LPS-HK2 cells in the gene knockdown group were significantly higher than those in the negative control group [Bax protein (Bax/GAPDH): 1.38±0.12 vs. 1.00±0.10, caspase-3 protein (caspase-3/GAPDH): 1.44±0.15 vs. 1.00±0.11, both P < 0.05], and Bcl-2 expression was significantly decreased (Bcl-2/GAPDH: 0.83±0.08 vs. 1.00±0.05, P < 0.05), the above results indicated that SLPI could inhibit the apoptosis of cells in the inflammatory response. Conclusion:SLPI can inhibit the inflammatory response and apoptosis of HK2 cells induced by LPS, which may be involved in the protective mechanism of renal tubular cells in the response to sepsis, and is a potential target for the treatment of sepsis-associated AKI.

Effect of oropharyngeal colostrum administration on salivary secretory IgA levels in extremely/very low birth weight infants fed by gastric tube / 中国新生儿科杂志

Objective:To study the effect of oropharyngeal colostrum administration on salivary secretory IgA (sIgA) levels in extremely/very low birth weight preterm infants fed by gastric tube.Methods:Preterm infants with birth weight <1 500 g ( n=90) hospitalized in neonatal intensive care unit of the Affiliated Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital of Southern Medical University from August 2020 to January 2021 were enrolled as research subjects. They were assigned into observation group and control group. The observation group accepted oropharyngeal administration of colostrum before being fed by gastric tube once every 3 hours for 7 days. The control group was given normal saline before each feeding. Other nursing interventions were consistent with the observation group. Saliva samples were collected at the 2 hour and 7 day after birth and the levels of slgA were tested. SPSS 26.0 statistical software was applied to analyse the data. Results:A total of 81 preterm infants completed this study. The content of salivary sIgA in observation group (42 cases) on 7 day after birth were significantly higher than those on the 2 hour after birth [15.4 (0.6, 106.7) μg/ml vs. 0.6 (0.0, 5.3) μg/ml] ( P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the sIgA levels in the saliva of the control group (39 cases) at the 7 postnatal day and 2 hour after birth [0.0 (0.0, 1.4) μg/ml vs. 0.0 (0.0, 5.2) μg/ml] ( P>0.05). The content of salivary sIgA in observation group were significantly higher than those in control group on the 7 day after birth, the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). The salivary sIgA levels in the observation group were negatively correlated with the starting time of oropharyngeal administration of colostrum ( r=-0.330, P<0.05), and positively correlated with the total number of oropharyngeal administration of colostrum ( r=0.388, P<0.05). Conclusions:Oropharyngeal colostrum administration can improve the levels of salivary sIgA of extremely/very low birth weight preterm infants fed by gastric tube.

Research advances in abnormal activation and secretion of pancreatic enzymes in acute pancreatitis / 临床肝胆病杂志

Abnormal activation and secretion of pancreatic enzymes in pancreatic acinar cells is one of the important pathogeneses of acute pancreatitis (AP) and can directly damage the pancreatic tissue to accelerate disease progression and induce severe AP. At present, the drugs inhibiting the abnormal activation and secretion of pancreatic enzymes tend to have an unsatisfactory effect in clinical practice, and therefore, it is of great importance to search for new therapeutic targets. This article summarizes the pathological events of abnormal activation and secretion of pancreatic enzymes (cytoplasmic calcium overload, colocalization of lysosomes and zymogen granules, organelle injury, obstructed apical secretion of trypsin, and increased basal secretion of trypsin), collects the molecular mechanisms of related events, and discusses the role of abnormal activation and secretion of pancreatic enzymes in the early stage of AP, so as to provide ideas for the development of targeted drugs in the future.

Immunochemical studies of Toxocara canis proteases

@#Proteases of nematodes play a crucial role in larval molting and, in addition to their active role in egg hatching, proteases are also considered a crucial factor in tissue invasion and connective tissue remodeling. In Toxocara canis, proteases play important roles throughout the complex life cycle. They can degrade components of a model of extracellular matrix, basement membranes and different physiological substrates. In the present study, measurements of the proteolytic activity of the perivitelline fluid (PF) surrounding Toxocara canis embryos at different stages of development, the hatching fluid (HF) surrounding the infective larvae, as well as the excretory secretory (ES) products of the larvae in the culture media were performed. Measurements were made using casein as substrate following the Sigma non-specific protease activity assay. The results showed that enzyme activity increased as the embryo matured. The infective larvae were found to continuously produce proteases in the surrounding HF and ES products after in vitro cultivation indicating that Toxocara canis proteases might be important for the worm in the egg and the host. Optimal enzymatic activity was found at pH 8. Incubation of the antiserum from infected mice with the HF and ES products decreased their proteolytic activities, suggesting that there may be a link between the proteases present in these fluids and the immune response.

Secretory phospholipase A2 responsiveness and in vitro anti-tumor activity of oxaliplatin-loaded liposomes modified with facial amphiphiles / 中国药科大学学报

@#Modulating drug release from liposomes at tumor sites are important for eliciting therapeutic effects of platinum drugs considering their low permeability through liposomal membranes, here a novel secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) responsive-liposome system was constructed for oxaliplatin (L-OHP).Lipid ingredients dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine and distearoyl phosphoethanolamine-PEG2k, together with facial amphiphiles (FAs) including lithocholic acid (LCA) or 3-keto lithocholic acid (kLCA) were used to prepare sPLA2 responsive-liposome (LCA-Lip or kLCA-Lip) by thin-film hydration method.The physicochemical properties, sPLA2-responsive drug release and anti-tumor activity were evaluated in vitro.The results indicated L-OHP loaded liposomes modified with FAs had similar particle sizes of approximately 100 nm and narrow size distributions (PDI < 0.11).Compared with non-FAs-containing liposomes (C-Lip), LCA-Lip or kLCA-Lip has a comparable entrapment efficiency and loading efficiency.LCA-Lip or kLCA-Lip didn't show significant higher drug leakage at the presence of 10% or 50% fetal bovine serum (FBS) in media than that in media without FBS.Treated with secretory phospholipase A2 from Colo205 cells culture conditioned medium (CCM sPLA2) for 24 h, FAs modified liposomes released about 70% of carboxyfluorescein (CF), while C-Lip only released 20% of CF.Compared to L-OHP loaded C-Lip, L-OHP-loaded FAs-included formulations had much greater anti-proliferative activity against sPLA2-secreting Colo205 cells.In summary, our results shows that LCA or kLCA promotes responsiveness of liposomes to tumor-related sPLA2 and points to a new way to develop platium drugs-loaded liposomal delivery systems with better release mechanisms.

Protective effect of excretory-secretory proteins from Trichinella spiralis muscle larvae against myocardial injury in septic mice / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the protective effect of excretory-secretory proteins from Trichinella spiralis muscle larvae (Ts-MES) on sepsis-induced myocardial injury in mice.@*METHODS@#Eighty male BALB/C mice were randomized equally into sham-operated group, myocardial injury group, Ts-MES treatment group and dexamethasone treatment group. In the latter 3 groups, sepsis-induced myocardial injury models were established by cecal ligation and perforation; the sham operation was performed by exposure of the cecum without ligation or perforation. Forty minutes after the operation, the mice were given intraperitoneal injections 150 μL PBS, 20 μg TS-MES or 0.3 mg/kg dexamethasone as indicated. At 12 h after the operation, 6 mice were randomly selected from each group for echocardiography, and 8 mice were used for observing the survival rate within 72 h. The remaining 6 mice were examined for myocardial pathologies with HE staining and serum levels of NTPro-BNP and cTnI with ELISA; the expressions of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10 and TGF-β in the serum and myocardial tissue were detected using ELISA and qRT-PCR.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the sham-operated mice, the septic mice showed significantly decreased cardiac function indexes (LVEF, LVFS, and E/A) with lowered survival rate within 72 h (P < 0.001) and significantly higher myocardial injury scores and serum levels of NTPro-BNP and cTnI (P < 0.01). Treatment with TS-MES significantly improved the cardiac function and 72-h survival rate (P < 0.05) and lowered the myocardial injury scores and serum levels of NTPro-BNP and cTnI (P < 0.05) in the septic mice. Compared with the sham-operated mice, the septic mice had obviously increased TNF-α and IL-6 levels in the serum and myocardial tissue (P < 0.001), which were significantly lowered by treatment with TS-MES (P < 0.05). TS-MES and dexamethasone both increased the levels of IL-10 and TGF-β in the septic mice, but the changes were significant only in TS-MES-treated mice (P < 0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Ts-MES are capable of protecting against myocardial injury in septic mice by reducing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and enhancing the levels of regulatory cytokines.

Eukaryotic expression and antigen epitope prediction of the LRRC15 protein in excretory secretory antigens of Taenia solium cysticercus / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To conduct eukaryotic expression of the leucine-rich repeat containing 15 (LRRC15), a differentially expressed protein in excretory secretory antigens of Taenia solium cysticercus, and predict its antigen epitope.@*METHODS@#The molecular weight, stability, amino acid sequence composition, isoelectric point and T lymphocyte epitope of the LRRC15 protein were predicted using the bioinformatics online softwares ExPASy-PortParam and Protean. The full-length splicing primers were designed using PCR-based accurate synthesis, and the LRRC15 gene was synthesized. The recombinant pcDNA3.4-LRRC15 plasmid was constructed and transfected into HEK293 cells to express the LRRC15 protein. In addition, the LRRC15 protein was characterized by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blotting.@*RESULTS@#The recombinant pcDNA3.4-LRRC15 plasmid was successfully constructed, which expressed the target LRRC15 protein with an approximately molecular weight of 70 kDa. Bioinformatics prediction with the ExPASy-PortParam software showed that LRRC15 was a hydrophilic protein, which was consisted of 644 amino acids and had a molecular weight of 69.89 kDa and an isoelectric point of 5.6. The molecular formula of the LRRC15 protein was C3073H4942N846O953S28 and had an instability coefficient is 50.3, indicating that LRRC15 was an instable protein. Bioinformatics prediction with the Protean software showed that the dominant T-cell antigen epitopes were located in 292 to 295, 353 to 361, 521 to 526 and 555 to 564 amino acids of the LRRC15 protein, and the T-cell antigen epitopes with a high hydrophilicity, good flexibility, high surface accessibility and high antigenicity index were found in 122 to 131, 216 to 233, 249 to 254, 333 to 343, 358 to 361, 368 to 372, 384 to 386, 407 to 412, 445 to 450, 469 to 481, 553 to 564, 588 to 594, 607 to 617 and 624 to 639 amino acids. Following transfection of the recombinant pcDNA3.4-LRRC15 plasmid into HEK293 cells, SDS-PAGE and Western blotting identified LRRC15 proteins in cell secretory culture media, cell lysis supernatants and sediments. The LRRC15-His fusion protein was purified from the cell culture medium, and SDS-PAGE identified a remarkable band at approximately 70 kDa, while Western blotting successfully recognized the band of the recombinant LRRC15 protein.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The eukaryotic expression and antigen epitope prediction of the LRRC15 protein in the excretory secretory antigens of T. solium cysticercus have been successfully performed, which provides insights into further understandings of its biological functions.

Advances in relationship between cell senescence and atherosclerosis / 浙江大学学报·医学版

Cellular senescence is a biological process associated with the degeneration of cell structure and function, which contribute to age-related diseases. Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that can cause a variety of cardiovascular disorders. In this article, we review the effects of cellular senescence on the development of atherosclerosis through diverse physiopathological changes, focusing on the alterations in senescent organelles and the increased senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), and exploring the relevant therapeutic strategies for atherosclerosis by clearing senescent cells and reducing SASP, to provide new insights for the treatment of atherosclerosis.