Osteopontin (OPN) is an important protein to mediate improvements in the biocompatibility of C ion-implanted silicone rubber.

Medical device implants are drawing increasing amounts of interest from modern medical practitioners. However, this attention is not evenly spread across all such devices; most of these implantable devices can cause adverse reactions such as inflammation, fibrosis, thrombosis, and infection. In this work, the biocompatibility of silicone rubber (SR) was improved through carbon (C) ion implantation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) results confirmed that these newly generated carbon-implanted silicone rubbers (C-SRs) had large, irregular peaks and deep valleys on their surfaces. The water contact angle of the SR surface decreased significantly after C ion implantation. C ion implantation also changed the surface charge distribution, silicone oxygen rate, and chemical-element distribution of SR to favor cell attachment. The dermal fibroblasts cultured on the surface C-SR grew faster and showed more typical fibroblastic shapes. The expression levels of major adhesion proteins, including talin-1, zyxin, and vinculin, were significantly higher in dermal fibroblasts cultured on C-SR coated plates than in dermal fibroblasts cultured on SR. Those same dermal fibroblasts on C-SRs showed more pronounced adhesion and migration abilities. Osteopontin (OPN), a critical extracellular matrix (ECM) protein, was up-regulated and secreted from dermal fibroblasts cultured on C-SR. Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) activity was also increased. These cells were highly mobile and were able to adhere to surfaces, but these abilities were inhibited by the monoclonal antibody against OPN, or by shRNA-mediated MMP-9 knockdown. Together, these results suggest that C ion implantation significantly improves SR biocompatibility, and that OPN is important to promote cell adhesion to the C-SR surface.

[XPS and Raman studies of diamond-like carbon films prepared by various deposition techniques].

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were deposited on a silicon chip substrate by a metal pulsed magnetic filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition technique, a direct current magnetron sputtering technique and a pulsed glow discharge plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. And the characteristics of DLC films were investigated using laser Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The spectra of diamond like carbon were collected using Raman spectrometers with 325 nm flters. It was found that DLC films prepared by various deposition technique have different G-peak, D-peak, T-peak, the full width at half maximum(FWHM)of G-peak, D-peak and T-peak, the intensity ratio I(D)/I(G) and I(T)/I(G) and the sp3 content. Among them, the films grown by metal pulsed magnetic filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition technique have the largest G-peak wave number and the intensity ratio I(T)/I(G), the minimum of the intensity ratio I(D)/I(G), G-FWHM and the maximum sp3 content; those grown by the direct current magnetron sputtering technique have the 2nd largest G-peak wave number, the intensity ratio I(D)/I(G) and I(T)/I(G) and sp3 content, however, they have the largest G-FWHM, while those grown by the pulsed glow discharge plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique have the minimum G-peak wave number and the intensity ratio I(T)/I(G) and sp3 content, and the maximum intensity ratio I(D)/I(G).

Xylomexicanins A and B, new Delta14,15-mexicanolides from seeds of the Chinese mangrove Xylocarpus granatum.

Two new mexicanolide-type limonoids, named xylomexicanin A (1) and xylomexicanin B (2), were isolated from seeds of the Chinese mangrove Xylocarpus granatum. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods. Compound 1 exhibited antiproliferative activity against human breast carcinoma cells (KT), while 2 did not show inhibitory effects on eleven human tumour cell lines tested.

Chemical constituents of plants from the genus Symplocos.

The chemical constituents of Symplocos genus were reviewed with 90 structures and 28 references cited. These constituents include triterpenoids, flavonoids, lignans, phenols, steroids, alkaloids, and iridoids. Triterpenoids are the dominant constituents within the genus Symplocos, some of them exhibited antiproliferative effects. Some phenolic glycoside derivatives showed inhibitory activity against snake-venom phosphodiesterase I and human nucleotide pyrophosphatase phosphodiesterase.