Suitability of GaP nanoparticles as a surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectroscopy inorganic matrix and their soft ionization ability.

Surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SALDI-TOF-MS) using GaP nanoparticles (NPs) prepared by a gas evaporation method was investigated on poly(ethylene glycol)s (PEGs). The mass spectra of PEG and survival yield measurements suggested that larger GaP NPs have a quite high soft ionization ability.

In vivo anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of ellagitannin metabolite urolithin A.

Urolithin A is a major metabolite produced by rats and humans after consumption of pomegranate juice or pure ellagitannin geraniin. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of urolithin A on carrageenan-induced paw edema in mice. The volume of paw edema was reduced at 1h after oral administration of urolithin A. In addition, plasma in treated mice exhibited significant oxygen radical antioxidant capacity (ORAC) scores with high plasma levels of the unconjugated form at 1h after oral administration of urolithin A. These results indicate strong associations among plasma urolithin A levels, the plasma ORAC scores, and anti-inflammatory effects and may help explain a mechanism by which ellagitannins confer protection against inflammatory diseases.

A water-soluble extract from cultured medium of Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) mycelia attenuates the small intestinal injury induced by anti-cancer drugs.

The present study investigated whether a water-soluble extract from the culture medium of Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) mycelia (MAK) is able to protect the small intestine against damage induced by anti-cancer drugs. Six-week-old male B6C3F1/Crlj mice were fed a basal diet (MF) alone or with various doses of MAK or Agarics blazei Murrill (AGA) beginning one week before treatment with the anti-cancer drugs. Mice were sacrificed 3.5 days after injection of the anti-cancer drug, the small intestine was removed and tissue specimens were examined for the regeneration of small intestinal crypts. In experiment 1, the number of regenerative crypts after the administration of 5-fluorouracil (5FU) intravenously (250 mg/kg) or intraperitoneally (250 or 500 mg/kg) was compared after treatment with MAK or AGA. MAK protected against 5FU-induced small intestinal injury whereas AGA did not. In experiment 2, we investigated the protective effect of MAK against small intestinal injury induced by the anti-cancer drugs: UFT (tegafur with uracil; 1,000 mg/kg, orally), cisplatin (CDDP; 12.5 and 25 mg/kg, intraperitoneally), cyclophosphamide (CPA; 250 mg/kg, orally) and gefitinib (Iressa; 2,000 and 4,000 mg/kg, orally). UFT and CDDP decreased the number of regenerative crypts, but treatment with MAK attenuated the extent of UFT- or CDDP-induced small intestinal injury. CPA or Iressa plus MAK up-regulated crypt regeneration. The present results indicate that MAK ameliorates the small intestinal injury caused by several anti-cancer drugs, suggesting that MAK is a potential preventive agent against this common adverse effect of chemotherapy.

Differentiation of a hepatic phenotype after heterotropic transplantation of heart, kidney, brain, and skin tissues into liver in F344 rats.

While organ-specific stem cells with roles in tissue injury repair have been documented, their pathogenic significance in diseases and the factors potentially responsible for their activation remain largely unclear. In the present study, heart, kidney, brain, and skin samples from F344 transgenic rats carrying the GFP gene were transplanted into normal F344 rat liver one day after an intraperitoneal injection (i.p.) of carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) to test their differentiation capacity. The transplantation was carried out by female donors to male recipients, and vice versa. One week after transplantation, GFP antigen-positive cells with phenotypic characteristics of hepatocytes were noted. After two weeks, their extent increased, and at 4 weeks, large areas of strongly GFP-stained cells developed. All recipient livers had GFP antigen-positive hepatocyte cells. PCR analysis coupled with laser capture micro-dissection (LCM) revealed those cells to contain GFP DNA. Thus, our results indicate that tissue stem cells have multipotential ability, differentiating into hepatocytes when transplanted into an injured liver.

Decrease in size of azoxymethane induced colon carcinoma in F344 rats by 180-day fermented miso.

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of fermented miso (fermented soybean paste) on the induction of colon tumors by azoxymethane (AOM) in male F344 rats. A total of 91 rats, 6 weeks of age, were divided into 5 groups and given weekly subcutaneous injections of AOM (15 mg/kg body wt) for 3 weeks. The animals were placed on diets one week before the first AOM dose: commercial normal control MF diet or a diet containing 10% 2-year, 180-day fermented, or 3-4-day fermented miso. There were no differences in body and organ weights, and no aberrant crypt foci (ACF) among carcinogen-treated groups at week 25. The rates of tumor incidence were 45%, 85%, 75% and 60% with the 2-year, 180-day, and 3-4-day fermented miso and MF, respectively, and those for colon tumors were 34%, 55%, 60% and 55%, respectively. The size of well-differentiated adenocarcinomas and total (well differentiated and signet ring cell) adenocarcinomas in the 180-day fermented miso group was significantly smaller than that in the 2-year fermented miso and MF+AOM groups. Nuclear staining of beta-catenin in colon tumors was increased for the 3-4-day fermented miso compared to the 180-day fermented miso. Cdx2 staining tendency was decreased in colon tumors and adenocarcinomas compared to normal mucosa and ACF, which stained in 100% of cases. In addition, the PCNA index was significantly reduced in the 180-day group compared with those groups receiving the 3-4-day fermented miso and MF diet. The germinal region was also decreased. The present results indicate that dietary supplementation with 180-day fermented dietary miso could act as a chemopreventive agent for colon carcinogenesis.

Protective effects of a water-soluble extract from cultured medium of Ganoderma lucidum (Rei-shi) mycelia and Agaricus blazei murill against X-irradiation in B6C3F1 mice: Increased small intestinal crypt survival and prolongation of average time to animal death.

Radioprotective effects of a water-soluble extracts from cultured medium of Ganoderma lucidum (Rei-shi) mycelia (designed as MAK) and Agaricus blazei (Agaricus) against the shortening of survival time or the injury of crypt by X-irradiation were investigated in male B6C3F1 mice. MAK and Agaricus at three different doses were mixed into basal diet into biscuits at 5, 2.5 and 1.25% and administered from 1 week before irradiation. MAK (5% group) significantly prolonged animal survival as compared with basal diet group (control group) after 7 Gy of X-ray irradiation at a dose rate of 2 Gy min(-1). At doses of 8, 10 and 12 Gy X-irradiation at a dose rate of 4 Gy min(-1) MAK (5% group) significantly increased crypt survival as compared to other groups. These results suggest that MAK can act as a radioprotective agent.