Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic analysis of N6-benzylaminopurine residue quantity in sprouts with gold nanoparticles.

A rapid and quantitative method for the determination of N6-Benzylademine (N6-BA) was established through the application of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The Raman peak intensities of N6-BA at 1002 cm-1 positively correlated to N6-BA concentrations in sprout extracts. The R2 reached 0.99, and RSDs calculated below 10% at the concentration range of 0.1 ∼5µg mL-1. The average recoveries were 80.0% ∼ 98.2% for blank samples intentionally contaminated at differing levels of 0.04, 0.4, and 1 µg g-1. The whole procedure, including sample preparation and SERS detection, did not exceed 30 min for a set of 6 samples. This study indicates that SERS is a promising technique for rapid tracing analysis and on-site testing of N6-BA.

Gene therapy of uterine leiomyomas: adenovirus-mediated expression of dominant negative estrogen receptor inhibits tumor growth in nude mice.

BACKGROUND: Leiomyomas (fibroids) are common estrogen-dependent uterine tumors with no effective medicinal treatment; hysterectomy is the mainstay of management. STUDY DESIGN: This study was undertaken to investigate a potential therapy for leiomyoma; we used a mutated dominant-negative estrogen receptor gene delivered via an adenoviral vector (Ad-ER-DN). RESULTS: Ad-ER-DN transduction, in both human and rat leiomyoma cell lines, induced an increase in both caspase-3 levels and BAX/Bcl-2 ratio with evident apoptosis in the TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling assay. In nude mice, rat leiomyoma cells ex vivo transduced with Ad-ER-DN supported significantly smaller tumors compared with Ad-LacZ-treated cells 5 weeks after implantation. In mice treated by direct intratumor injection into preexisting lesions, Ad-ER-DN caused immediate overall arrest of tumor growth. The Ad-ER-DN-treated tumors demonstrated severely inhibited cell proliferation (BrdU index) and a marked increase in the number of apoptotic cells (TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling index). CONCLUSION: Dominant-negative estrogen receptor gene therapy may provide a nonsurgical treatment option for women with symptomatic uterine fibroids who want to preserve their uteri.