Association of Age and Sex with Metabolic Syndrome in Taiwanese Adults.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the association of age and sex with metabolic syndrome (MS) in Taiwanese adults. METHODS: We extracted information of 4307 men and 4783 women aged 30-70 from the Taiwan Biobank. RESULTS: The interaction between age and sex on MS was significant (p-value = 0.0001). After stratification by sex, men and women aged 50-70 years (reference: 30≤age<50 years) had a higher risk of MS. The odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (CI) was 2.316, 1.936-2.772 in men and 3.101, 2.561-3.754 in women. After stratification by age, men aged 50-70 years had a lower risk of MS compared to women (OR, 95% CI = 0.713, 0.598-0.851). CONCLUSION: The interaction between age and sex on MS was significant. Sex-wise, both men and women aged 50-70 years had a higher likelihood of MS. Age-wise, men aged 50-70 years had a lower risk of MS compared to women.

Interaction of Osteoarthritis and BMI on Leptin Promoter Methylation in Taiwanese Adults.

Leptin (LEP) regulates glucose metabolism and energy storage in the body. Osteoarthritis (OA) is associated with the upregulation of serum LEP. LEP promoter methylation is associated with obesity. So far, few studies have explored the association of BMI and OA with LEP methylation. We assessed the interaction between body mass index (BMI) and OA on LEP promoter methylation. Data of 1114 participants comprising 583 men and 558 women, aged 30-70 years were retrieved from the Taiwan Biobank Database (2008-2015). Osteoarthritis was self-reported and cases were those who reported having ever been clinically diagnosed with osteoarthritis. BMI was categorized into underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity. The mean LEP promoter methylation level in individuals with osteoarthritis was 0.5509 ± 0.00437 and 0.5375 ± 0.00101 in those without osteoarthritis. The interaction between osteoarthritis and BMI on LEP promoter methylation was significant (p-value = 0.0180). With normal BMI as the reference, the mean LEP promoter methylation level was significantly higher in obese osteoarthritic individuals (ß = 0.03696, p-value = 0.0187). However, there was no significant association between BMI and LEP promoter methylation in individuals without osteoarthritis, regardless of BMI. In conclusion, only obesity was significantly associated with LEP promoter methylation (higher levels) specifically in osteoarthritic patients.

Involvement of the antioxidative property of morusin in blocking phorbol ester-induced malignant transformation of JB6 P+ mouse epidermal cells.

Chemoprevention has been acknowledged as an important and practical strategy for managing cancer. We have previously synthesized morusin, a prenylated flavonoid that exhibits anti-cancer progression activity. In the present study, we evaluated the anti-cancer promotion potential of morusin by using the mouse epidermal JB6 P+ cell model. Extensive evidence shows that tumor promotion by phorbol esters is due to the stimulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Therefore, the effect of morusin on 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced ROS production was assessed. Noncytotoxic concentrations of morusin were found to dose-dependently reduce TPA-induced ROS production. Moreover, morusin inhibited TPA-induced activator protein-1 (AP-1) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation, which can mediate cell proliferation and malignant transformation. Furthermore, morusin inhibited the TPA upregulation of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), which may be regulated by AP-1 and NF-κB. In addition, noncytotoxic concentrations of morusin reduced the TPA-promoted cell growth of JB6 P+ cells and inhibited TPA-induced malignant properties, such as cytoskeletal rearrangement and cell migration of JB6 P+ cells. Similar to the effects of glutathione (GSH) pretreatment, morusin inhibited TPA-induced expression of N-cadeherin and vimentin, which are malignant cell surface proteins. Finally, morusin treatment dose-dependently suppressed the TPA-induced anchorage-independent cell transformation of JB6 P+ cells. In conclusion, our results evidence that morusin possesses anti-cancer promotion potential because of its antioxidant property, which mediates multiple transformation-associated gene expression.

Phenolic compositions and antioxidant attributes of leaves and stems from three inbred varieties of Lycium chinense Miller harvested at various times.

Antioxidant components and properties (assayed by scavenging DPPH radicals, TEAC, reducing power, and inhibiting Cu(2+)-induced human LDL oxidation) of leaves and stems from three inbred varieties of Lycium chinense Miller, namely ML01, ML02 and ML02-TY, harvested from January to April were studied. Their flavonoid and phenolic acid compositions were also analyzed by HPLC. For each variety, the leaves and stems collected in higher temperature month had higher contents of total phenol, total flavonoid and condensed tannin. Contents of these components in the samples collected in different months were in the order: April (22.3°C)>March (18.0°C)>January (15.6°C)>February (15.4°C). Antioxidant activities of the leaves and stems for all assays also showed similar trends. The samples from different varieties collected in the same month also possessed different phenolic compositions and contents and antioxidant activities. Their antioxidant activities were significantly correlated with flavonoid and phenolic contents.

Effects of roasting temperature and duration on fatty acid composition, phenolic composition, Maillard reaction degree and antioxidant attribute of almond (Prunus dulcis) kernel.

Roasting treatment increased levels of unsaturated fatty acids (linoleic, oleic and elaidic acids) as well as saturated fatty acids (palmitic and stearic acids) in almond (Prunus dulcis) kernel oils with temperature (150 or 180 °C) and duration (5, 10 or 20 min). Nonetheless, higher temperature (200 °C) and longer duration (10 or 20 min) roasting might result in breakdown of fatty acids especially for unsaturated fatty acids. Phenolic components (total phenols, flavonoids, condensed tannins and phenolic acids) of almond kernels substantially lost in the initial phase; afterward these components gradually increased with roasting temperature and duration. Similar results also observed for their antioxidant activities (scavenging DPPH and ABTS(+) radicals and ferric reducing power). The changes of phenolic acid and flavonoid compositions were also determined by HPLC. Maillard reaction products (estimated with non-enzymatic browning index) also increased with roasting temperature and duration; they might also contribute to enhancing the antioxidant attributes.

Inhibitory effects of scutellarein on proliferation of human lung cancer A549 cells through ERK and NFκB mediated by the EGFR pathway.

High expression levels of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) contribute a strong proliferative ability to human lung cancer cells, and this function is link to the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway, which was mediated by extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB). In this study, scutellarein, a flavonoid compound, was screened for proliferation inhibition at different concentrations (0, 5, 25 and 50 µM) at 24 h or 48 h in human lung cancer cell line A549. Results showed that A549 cell proliferation was inhibited by 50 µM scutellarein treatment in 24 h and 48 h of treatment. The expression levels of phosphorylated EGFR, phosphorylated ERK, phosphorylated NFκB and COX-2 were reduced in a dose-dependent manner after 24 h scutellarein treatments at different concentrations. Further, ERK inhibitor U0126 and NFκB inhibitor MG132 also inhibited A549 cell proliferation similar to 50 κM scutellarein treatment from 24 h to 48 h. The experimental results showed that scutellarein could inhibit proliferation of the human lung cancer cell line A549 through ERK and NFκB mediated by the EGFR pathway.

Electrochemical sensing of hepatocyte viability.

We investigated the use of amperometric and chronoamperometric methods with a double mediator system and screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) for the electrochemical sensing of hepatocyte viability. Cell counts were determined based on measuring cellular respiration via interaction of electroactive redox mediators. The oxidation currents of chronoamperometric measurement were proportional to the concentrations of ferrocyanide which was produced via interaction of cellular respiration, succinate and ferricyanide. The integrated oxidation charges increased linearly with the density of the cultured primary rat hepatocytes over a range of 1 × 10(5) to 5 × 10(5) cells per well (slope = 1.98 (±0.08) µC per 10(5) cells; R(2) = 0.9969), and the detection limit was 7600 (±300) cells per well based on S/N = 3. Each density of cells was cultured in triple replicates and individual cell samples were evaluated. The results of the cytotoxic effect of the chronoamperometric method are comparable to those of the tetrazolium-based colorimetric assay. The chronoamperometric method with ferricyanide and succinate mediators is an efficient, alternative method for assessing the viability of primary hepatocytes which can be completed in 20 min. Succinate did not provide an efficient electron shuttle between cytosolic respiratory redox activity of cancer cells and extracellular ferricyanide, an effect that may be useful for distinguishing hepatocarcinoma cells from healthy hepatocytes.

Intrinsically fluorescent PAMAM dendrimer as gene carrier and nanoprobe for nucleic acids delivery: bioimaging and transfection study.

This study successfully evaluated gene delivery and transfection toward rat C6 glioma cell lines mediated by intrinsic blue fluorescent poly(amido amine) (PAMAM) dendrimer. We used three antisense oligonucleotides, (AS-ODN) p75, NGF1, and NGF2 for knocking down specific protein expressions. The three oligonucleotides were electrostatically associated with the photoluminescent amino-terminated PAMAM dendrimer to yield fluorescent complexes at various nitrogen-to-phosphorus (N/P) ratios. Compared with pristine PAMAM dendrimer and hyperbranched polyethylenimine (PEI), the fluorescent PAMAM dendrimer revealed lower in vitro cytotoxicity toward C6 cells, allowing us to transfect the cells with the AS-ODN complexes under a higher N/P ratio. Due to the intrinsic fluorescence, cellular uptake behavior could be directly analyzed by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry, without additional fluorescence labeling. As expected, the result clearly suggested that the uptake efficiency increased as the N/P value increased. Furthermore, the quantified data obtained from flow cytometry indicated relatively higher uptake efficiency for the p75 complex, which is mainly due to different association patterns between the fluorescent dendrimer and AS-ODNs. At N/P = 20, atomic force microscopic analysis confirmed that the p75 complex formed well-condensed, spherical particles with dimensions less than 200 nm, but that NGF2 AS-ODN associated poorly with the dendrimer. Finally, Western blot analysis indicated that these complexes were capable of knocking down the specific protein expression to a certain level, being comparable to the hyperbranched PEI-mediated gene transfection. Our preliminary results clearly indicated that intrinsic fluorescent PAMAM dendrimers show promise as gene vehicles that can achieve delivery, transfection, and bioimaging at the same time.

Determination of carotenoids in Dunaliella salina cultivated in Taiwan and antioxidant capacity of the algal carotenoid extract.

A simple HPLC method with good separation efficiency was developed to determine all-trans and cis forms of carotenoids in Dunaliella salina cultivated in Taiwan. The analysis used a C30 column (250×4.6mm, 5µm) and an isocratic solvent system (flow rate=1mL/min) mixing methanol-acetonitrile-water (84/14/2, v/v/v) and methylene chloride, (75/25, v/v). Carotenoids were detected at 450nm. Moreover, the antioxidant capacities of the algal carotenoid extract were also evaluated with Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assay, reducing power and 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl hydrate (DPPH) radical scavenging assay. Results showed that 7 carotenoids in the algal extract could be separated simultaneously within 30min and the total amount of them was 290.77mg/g algae. The contents of all-trans-ß-carotene and 9- or 9'-cis-ß-carotene, the major carotenoids in the algae, were 138.25 and 124.65mg/g algae, respectively. The contents of all-trans-lutein, all-trans-zeaxanthin, 13- or 13'-cis-ß-carotene, all-trans-α-carotene and 9- or 9'-cis-α-carotene were 6.55, 11.27, 4.95, 2.69, and 2.41mg/g algae, respectively. The algal carotenoid extract had significantly higher antioxidant activity than all-trans forms of α-carotene, ß-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin in all antioxidant assays. The cis forms of carotenoids, especially 9- or 9'-cis-ß-carotene, might play crucial roles for the antioxidant capacities of the algal extract.

Enhancement of esculetin on Taxol-induced apoptosis in human hepatoma HepG2 cells.

The potential use of low dose chemotherapy has been appealing since lower dosages are more attainable during cancer therapy and cause less toxicity in patients. Combination therapy of Taxol, a promising frontline chemotherapy agent, with natural anti-tumor agents that are considerably less toxic with a capability of activating additional apoptotic signals or inhibiting survival signals may provide a rational molecular basis for novel chemotherapeutic strategies. Esculetin, a well-known lipoxygenase inhibitor, showed an inhibitory effect on the cell cycle progression of HL-60 cells in our previous study. In this report, the effects of a concomitant administration of esculetin and Taxol were investigated in human hepatoma HepG2 cells. Firstly, esculetin alone could exert an antiproliferation effect together with an inhibitory effect on the activation of ERKs and p38 MAPK. As compared to the treatment with Taxol only, a co-administration with esculetin and Taxol could result in a further enhancement of apoptosis as revealed by DNA fragmentation assay and Annexin-V-based assay. Meanwhile, immunoblotting analysis also showed that the co-administration of esculetin and Taxol could increase the expression of Bax and the cytosolic release of cytochrome C and enhance the expression of Fas and Fas ligand while the activation of caspase-8 and caspase-3 was also increased. Finally, the ERK cascade was proven to be involved in the enhancement of esculetin on the Taxol-induced apoptosis.

Effects of CAPE-like compounds on HIV replication in vitro and modulation of cytokines in vivo.

OBJECTIVES: Five CAPE-like compounds, namely caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), methyl caffeate (MC), ethyl 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)acrylate (EC), phenethyl dimethyl caffeate (PEDMC) and phenethyl 3-(4-bromophenyl)acrylic (BrCAPE) were tested for their anti-HIV replication in vitro and immune modulation effects in vivo. METHODS: Short-term cytotoxicity was assessed by Trypan Blue stain and MTT assay. For antiviral assays, M-tropic (strain JRCSF), T-tropic (strain NL-4-3) and dual tropic (strain 89.6) HIV isolates were used in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) culture. RESULTS: None of these CAPE-like compounds showed significant cytotoxicity in the treatment of PBMCs. By P24 EIA tests, CAPE, MC and EC significantly inhibited HIV replication in PBMC cells, but PEDMC and BrCAPE showed only slightly inhibitory effects. The in vivo modulatory effects on six cytokines [interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-6, interferon (IFN)-gamma, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and soluble Fas] were analysed. BALB/c mice treated with different doses or not treated with these CAPE-like chemicals showed that cytokines were increased to different extents by the different treatments. However, the concentrations of IL-6 and GM-CSF were not significantly affected by administration of any of these compounds (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The different effects of treatments on anti-HIV replication and cytokine modulation suggested that these compounds affect virological and immunological response via different mechanisms. The virological and immunological mechanisms and response to these treatments need to be elaborated in further studies in order to derive the structural features of more effective compounds. Since neither death nor pathological change in the mice were observed in this study, these CAPE-like compounds are worth studying further as potential chemotherapy agents for anti-HIV infection and cytokine modulation.