The effects of Alisol B 23-acetate in hepatocellular carcinoma via inducing cell apoptosis and inhibiting cell migration and invasion.

Alisol B 23-acetate (AB23A) is a natural triterpenoid isolated from Chinese herbal medicine and has a variety of biological functions, especially anti-cancer effects. However, the effects and mechanisms of AB23A in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. Cell viability, invasion and migration were measured by MTT, Transwell and wound healing assays, respectively. To detect cell cycle and apoptosis, a flow cytometry assay was used. Tumor xenograft experiment was performed to measure tumor growth. The enzymatic assay was used to determine the activity of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and -9. Furthermore, the mRNA and protein levels of Bcl-2, Bax, Caspase-3/-9, MMP-2/-9 and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) were detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting assays. AB23A suppressed cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner, blocked cell cycle, and induced apoptosis via up-regulating Bax, Caspase-3 and Caspase-9, and down-regulating Bcl-2 in HCC cells both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, AB23A inhibited cell invasion and migration through down-regulating MMP-2/-9 activities. The effects of AB23A might be associated with the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in HCC cells. Taken together, the present data demonstrated that AB23A might play a role in suppressing the progression of HCC, revealing the value of AB23A for hepatocellular carcinoma treatment in clinic.

Measurement uncertainty assessment of magnesium trisilicate column for determination of Sudan colorants in food by HPLC using C8 column.

This study aimed to conduct measurement uncertainty assessment of a new method for determination of Sudan colorants (Sudan I, II, III and IV) in food by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Samples were extracted with organic solvents (hexane, 20% acetone) and first purified by magnesium trisilicate (2MgO·3SiO2). The Sudan colorants (Sudan I-IV) were also initially separated on C8 by gradient elution using acetonitrile and 0.1% (v/v) formic acid aqueous solution as the mobile phases and detected with diode-array detector (DAD). The uncertainty of mathematical model of Sudan I, II, III and IV is based on EURACHEM guidelines. The sources and components of uncertainty were calculated. The experiment gave a good linear relationship over the concentration from 0.4 to 4.0 µg/mL and spiked recoveries were from 74.0% to 97.5%. The limits of determination (LOD) were 48, 61, 36, 58 µg/kg for the four analytes, respectively. The total uncertainty of Sudan colorants (Sudan I, II, III and IV) was 810±30.8, 790±28.4, 750±27.0, 730±50.0 µg/kg, respectively. The recovery uncertainty was the most significant factor contributing to the total uncertainty. The developed method is simple, rapid, and highly sensitive. It can be used for the determination of trace Sudan dyes in food samples. The sources of uncertainty have been identified and uncertainty components have been simplified and considered.

Individual differences in dopamine efflux in nucleus accumbens shell and core during instrumental learning.

Combined activation of dopamine D1- and NMDA-glutamate receptors in the nucleus accumbens has been strongly implicated in instrumental learning, the process in which an individual learns that a specific action has a wanted outcome. To assess dopaminergic activity, we presented rats with two sessions (30 trials each) of a one-lever appetitive instrumental task and simultaneously measured dopamine efflux in the shell and core accumbens subareas using in vivo microdialysis. Dopamine efflux was increased during each session in all areas. The behavioral performance of the rats in the second session led us to divide them into a learning group (>90% correct trials) and a non-learning group. In the first session, the rats of the learning group showed significantly higher increases. The difference was most pronounced in the shell. In the second session, the dopamine increase was similar in both groups, although the learning groups now pressed the lever about three times more often and consequently obtained more rewards. We conclude that task-related activation of dopamine efflux is different between learning and non-learning rats only during the learning phase. These results support the pharmacological evidence that dopamine is of particular importance during the instrumental learning process.

Hybrid dynamic coating with n-dodecyl beta-D-maltoside and methyl cellulose for high-performance carbohydrate analysis on poly(methyl methacrylate) chips.

Hybrid dynamic coating using n-dodecyl beta-d-maltoside (DDM) and methyl cellulose (MC) has been developed for suppression of analyte adsorption and electroosmotic flow (EOF) in a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) channel. The adsorption of APTS-labeled sugars in a PMMA channel was obviously suppressed with DDM dynamic coating; however, EOF was reduced only by a factor of approximately 25%, resulting in irreproducible separations. In contrast, both analyte adsorption and EOF in a PMMA channel were efficiently minimized with MC coating; however, concentrated MC above 0.3% was required to achieve high-performance separations, which greatly increased viscosity of the solution and caused difficulties during buffer loading and rinsing. In addition, n-dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride did not show observable effects on reducing analyte adsorption, although it has the same hydrophobic alkyl chain as DDM. These results strongly indicated that the polysaccharide moiety of surface modifiers has a specific affinity to surface charges and is crucial to achieving efficient and stable dynamic coating on the PMMA surface. Hybrid dynamic coating with 0.25% DDM and 0.03% MC was found to minimize both analyte adsorption and EOF in a PMMA channel to a negligible level, while still keeping a low viscosity of the solution. High-speed and high-throughput profiling of the N-linked glycans derived from alpha1-acid glycoprotein, fetuin, and ribonuclease B was demonstrated in both single-channel and 10-channel PMMA chips using DDM-MC hybrid coating. We propose that DDM-MC hybrid coating might be a general method for suppressing analyte adsorption and EOF in polymer MCE devices. The current MCE-based method might be a promising alternative for high-throughput screening of carbohydrate alterations in glycoproteins.