ABSTRACT
The fermented soy product ImmuBalance contains many active ingredients and its beneficial effects on some allergic diseases have been reported. We hypothesized that ImmuBalance could have potential effects on airway inflammation in a murine model of asthma. Mice sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin developed airway inflammation. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was assessed for inflammatory cell counts and levels of cytokines. Lung tissues were examined for cell infiltration and mucus hypersecretion. Oral administration of ImmuBalance significantly inhibited ovalbumin-induced eosinophilic inflammation and decreased Th2 cytokine levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (p < 0.05). In addition, lung histological analysis showed that ImmuBalance inhibited inflammatory cell infiltration and airway mucus production. Our findings suggest that supplementation with ImmuBalance may provide a novel strategy for the prevention or treatment of allergic airway inflammation.
Subject(s)
Asthma/therapy , Fermented Foods , Glycine max/chemistry , Inflammation/pathology , Lung/pathology , Animals , Body Weight , Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid , Cell Count , Cytokines/metabolism , Diet , Disease Models, Animal , Eosinophils/metabolism , Feeding Behavior , Female , Immunoglobulin E/blood , Inflammation/blood , Mice, Inbred BALB C , OvalbuminABSTRACT
There have been many studies investigating the application of ultrasonic treatment in vegetables and fruits to eliminate surface contaminants including dirt, microbes, and chemicals such as pesticides. Using a jet ultrasonic washer developed by us to wash food materials, we found that ultrasonic treatment prolonged the freshness of spinach. The stomata closed in the ultrasonicated spinach leaves, whereas those in spinach soaked in water remained open during 24-h storage. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the expression of Ethylene-insensitive 3 Binding F-box protein 1 and 2 (EBF1 and EBF2), which inhibit ethylene signaling, was remarkably increased by ultrasonic treatment, suggesting that the suppression of ethylene signaling allowed stomatal closure in response to abscisic acid signals in the ultrasonicated leaves. Although the precise mechanism of the induction of EBF1 and EBF2 expression by ultrasonic treatment needs to be addressed in further studies, our findings suggest that ultrasonic treatment can be applied to revive and prolong the freshness of leaf vegetables, as well as for their cleaning.
ABSTRACT
Two new merosesquiterpenes, verruculides A (1) and B (2), were isolated from a culture broth of the Indonesian ascidian-derived Penicillium verruculosum TPU1311, together with three known congeners, chrodrimanins A (3), B (4), and H (5). The structures of 1 and 2 were assigned on the basis of their spectroscopic data (1D and 2D NMR, HRMS, UV, CD, and IR). Compound 2 had a linear sesquiterpene moiety and was considered to be the derivative of the biosynthetic precursor for 1 and 3-5. Compounds 1, 3, and 5 inhibited the activity of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) with IC50 values of 8.4, 8.5, and 14.9 µM, respectively. Compound 2 showed 40% inhibition at 23.1 µM, while 4 was not active at 20.7 µM.
Subject(s)
Enzyme Inhibitors/chemistry , Penicillium/chemistry , Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Non-Receptor Type 1/antagonists & inhibitors , Sesquiterpenes/chemistry , Urochordata/microbiology , Animals , Enzyme Inhibitors/isolation & purification , Indonesia , Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy , Molecular Conformation , Penicillium/metabolism , Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Non-Receptor Type 1/metabolism , Sesquiterpenes/isolation & purificationABSTRACT
Two new octaketides, trichoketides A (1) and B (2), were isolated from a culture broth of the seawater-derived fungus Trichoderma sp. TPU1237 together with two known analogs, trichodermaketones C (3) and D (4), by ODS column chromatography followed by preparative ODS and chiral HPLC. The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated on the basis of their spectroscopic data, and absolute configurations were assigned by comparing their experimental electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra with the calculated ECD spectra. Compounds 1 and 2 were epimers at the C-8 position (α-position of dihydrofuran ring). The IC50 values of compounds 1-4 against protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B were 53.1, 65.1, 68.0 and 55.9 µM, respectively.
