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To identify novel antioxidant peptides from egg‐white protein and investigate antioxidant mechanism, the hydrolysate of egg‐white protein was purified by ultrafiltration and a Sephadex G‐15 column. The peptides VYLPR, EVYLPR, VEVYLPR and VVEVYLPR were identified from the fraction with the highest antioxidant activity. The Results showed that the peptide VYLPR exhibited the strongest protective effect on HEK‐293 cells. The viability of cells recovered to 97.45 ± 1.98% with pre‐treatment of 20 μm VYLPR. We further investigated antioxidant mechanism. The results showed VYLPR could inhibit lipid peroxidation process, maintain cell membrane integrity, inhibit intracellular LDH activity, reduce MDA content, and improve the activity of antioxidant enzyme T‐SOD and GSH‐Px. This work could help researchers in understanding antioxidant mechanism of peptides and also contribute to developing functional egg‐white product.

Triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC) is one of the most aggressive subtypes of breast cancer with negativity for oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2). Non‐coding RNAs (ncRNAs) make up most of the transcriptome and are widely present in eukaryotic cells. In recent years, emerging evidence suggests that ncRNAs, mainly microRNAs (miRNAs), long ncRNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs), play prominent roles in the tumorigenesis and development of TNBC, but the functions of most ncRNAs have not been fully described. In this review, we systematically elucidate the general characteristics and biogenesis of miRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs, discuss the emerging functions of these ncRNAs in TNBC and present future perspectives in clinical practice.

Microwave- and ultrasound-assisted methods based on a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe sample preparation approach followed by high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry were developed for the simultaneous determination of eight bisphenol analogues in serum and sediment. The developed methods provided satisfactory extraction efficiency for the energy provided by microwaves and ultrasound. Compositions of commercial sorbents (primary secondary amine, MgSO4 , octadecyl-modified silica, and graphitized carbon black) were evaluated. The ultrasound-assisted method was suited for serum using primary secondary amine, MgSO4 , and octadecyl-modified silica as sorbents and a mixture of hexane and ethyl acetate as extraction solvent. The microwave-assisted method worked better for sediment with tetrahydrofuran and methanol as solvents and primary secondary amine, MgSO4 , octadecyl-modified silica, and graphitized carbon black as sorbents. Other experimental parameters, such as extraction temperature and time, were also optimized. The inter- and intraday relative standard deviations ranged from 2.7 to 5.5%. The limits of detection were between 0.1 and 1.0 ng/mL for serum and between 0.1 and 0.5 ng/g dry weight for sediment. The proposed methods were successfully applied to seven sediment and 20 human serum samples. The results showed that the developed methods were practical for the analysis and biomonitoring of bisphenols in sera and sediment.

NF90 is a novel host antiviral factor that regulates PKR activation and stress granule formation in influenza A virus (IAV)-infected cells, but the precise mechanisms by which it operates remain unclear. We identified NF90 as a novel interacting protein of IAV nonstructural protein 1 (NS1). The interaction was dependent on the RNA-binding properties of NS1. NS1 associated with NF90 and PKR simultaneously; however, the interaction between NF90 and PKR was restricted by NS1. Knockdown of NF90 promoted inhibition of PKR phosphorylation induced by NS1, while coexpression of NF90 impeded reduction of PKR phosphorylation and stress granule formation triggered by NS1. In summary, NF90 exerts its antiviral activity by antagonizing the inhibitory role of NS1 on PKR phosphorylation.

Phellinus igniarius has antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidative, antitumor, and antimutagenic effects. In this study, an integrative pattern recognition approach using principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis was successfully applied for the rapid analysis of natural compounds in traditional Chinese medicine. An ultra high performance liquid chromatography with synapt high-definition mass spectrometry method and MassLynx software was used. This method employed gradient elution to rapidly analyze and characterize chemical constituents and metabolites after the oral administration of a P. igniarius ethanol extract. There were 24 peaks within 10 min of the analysis time and 20 of these were identified or tentatively characterized on the basis of their fragmentation behaviors. In the S-plot of the orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis, 27 ions were extracted to make the serum. Among them, nine absorbed the prototype components and 18 metabolites were identified in vivo. Glucuronidation, oxidation, and methylation were the major metabolic reactions. This study is the first systematic analysis and characterization of the chemical constituents and metabolites in an ethanol extract of P. igniarius. This method can be applied to the rapid analysis and characterization of constituents in rat serum after the oral administration of other compounds used in traditional Chinese medicines.

International audience; This work studied differences between expected (calculated from pedigree) and realized (genomic, from markers) relationships in a real population, the influence of quality control on these differences, and their fit to current theory. Data included 4940 pure line chickens across five generations genotyped for 57,636 SNP. Pedigrees (5762 animals) were available for the five generations, pedigree starting on the first one. Three levels of quality control were used. With no quality control, mean difference between realized and expected relationships for different type of relationships was ≤ 0.04 with standard deviation ≤ 0.10. With strong quality control (call rate ≥ 0.9, parent-progeny conflicts, minor allele frequency and use of only autosomal chromosomes), these numbers reduced to ≤ 0.02 and ≤ 0.04, respectively. While the maximum difference was 1.02 with the complete data, it was only 0.18 with the latest three generations of genotypes (but including all pedigrees). Variation of expected minus realized relationships agreed with theoretical developments and suggests an effective number of loci of 70 for this population. When the pedigree is complete and as deep as the genotypes, the standard deviation of difference between the expected and realized relationships is around 0.04, all categories confounded. Standard deviation of differences larger than 0.10 suggests bad quality control, mistakes in pedigree recording or genotype labelling, or insufficient depth of pedigree.

The metabolism of gentiopicroside (GPS) in vivo was studied for the first time by LC-MS following picolinoyl derivatization. Incubation of erythrocentaurin, one of the main in vitro metabolites of GPS by intestinal bacteria, with liver microsome indicated that GPS might be metabolized to a final metabolite 3,4-dihydro-5-(hydroxymethyl)isochroman-1-one (HMIO) in vivo. After hydrolysis with sulfatase, HMIO was successfully detected in rat plasma after oral administration of GPS by LC-MS following picolinoyl derivatization. 4-Methoxyphenyl methanol was used as an internal standard to quantify HMIO in rat plasma. A metabolic pathway of GPS in rats is proposed. The monoterpene compound GPS was found to be metabolized to dihydroisocoumarin, which may be responsible for the pharmacological effect of GPS.

The metabolism of swertiamarin (STM) in vivo was studied by LC/MS following picolinoyl derivatization. Incubation of erythrocentaurin (ECR), one of the main in vitro metabolites of STM by intestinal bacteria, with liver microsome indicated that STM may be metabolized to the final metabolite 3,4-dihydro-5-(hydroxymethyl) isochroman-1-one (HMIO) in vivo. After hydrolyzation with sulfatase, HMIO was successfully detected in rat plasma after oral administration of STM by LC/MS following picolinoyl derivatization. 4-Methoxyphenyl methanol was used as the internal standard to quantify HMIO in rat plasma. The full metabolic pathway of STM in rats is proposed. STM is first hydrolyzed by bacterial β-glucusidase to give aglycone, which is readily converted to ECR and nitrogen-containing metabolite. ECR is further reduced to HMIO by both liver and intestinal bacteria and HMIO is finally converted to the new sulfate conjugate metabolite. The monoterpene compound STM was found to be metabolized to dihydroisocoumarin and alkaloid compounds in vivo, which may be responsible for the pharmacological effect of STM. The results may shed light on clinical efficacy of STM and the new analytical method developed may assist in studies of the metabolism of other natural iridoids and secoiridoids in vivo. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Zhibai dihuang pill is a famous traditional Chinese medicine formula containing the herbal medicine Phellodendri amurensis cortex. In this work, an integrative pattern recognition approach including principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squared discriminant analysis based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to MS was successfully applied for the rapid discovery of natural compounds from herbal medicines. In a 24 min analysis, 93 compounds were identified or tentatively characterized from Zhibai dihuang pill based on their fragmentation behaviors, 23 of which were from Phellodendri amurensis cortex. A total of 26 metabolites in plasma were identified from Phellodendri amurensis cortex in Zhibai dihuang pill formula, among them, 12 prototypes and 14 metabolites through metabolic pathways of demethylation, methylation, hydrolysis, sulfate conjugation, and glucuronide conjugation, which were seven metabolites more than that of the single drug, suggesting the importance of the compatibility of traditional Chinese medicine. The present study provided important structural information on the metabolism of Zhibai dihuang pill. Furthermore, the results of this work have demonstrated the feasibility of ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to MS for the rapid and reliable characterization of metabolites from herbal medicines. Based on these results, this method could be a novel approach for identifying potentially bioactive components in other traditional Chinese medicines.

Pulmonary vascular remodelling, mainly characterized by arterial medial thickening, is an important pathological feature of broiler ascites syndrome (AS). Since vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) form the major cellular component of arterial medial layer, we speculate that VSMC proliferation is one of the causes of pulmonary arterial medial thickening in ascitic broilers. Hence, the present study was designed to investigate the role of VSMC proliferation in pulmonary vascular remodelling in development of AS induced by low ambient temperature. Broilers in control group (22 +/- 1.5 degrees C) and low temperature group (11 +/- 2 degrees C) were sampled every week at 15-50 days of age. Proliferative indexes of VSMC in pulmonary arteries were assessed with proliferating cell nuclear antigen, and the relative medial thickness (RMT) and relative wall area (RWA), as indexes of pulmonary vascular remodelling, were examined by computer-image analysing system. The results showed that the high incidence (18.75%) of AS was induced by low temperature, and a significantly increased VSMC proliferation was observed in pulmonary arteries in the low temperature group at 22-50 days of age (P < 0.05). In addition, RMT and RWA in pulmonary arteries were significantly elevated in the low temperature group from 36 days of age (P < 0.05), indicating that pulmonary vascular remodelling occurred following VSMC proliferation in AS. Our data suggest that proliferation of VSMC may facilitate pulmonary vascular remodelling and have a pivotal role in AS induced by low ambient temperature.

Right ventricular hypertrophy and failure is an important step in the development of ascites syndrome (AS) in broiler chickens. Cytoplasmic calcium concentration is a major regulator of cardiac contractile function and various physiological processes in cardiac muscle cells. The purpose of this study was to measure the right ventricular pressure and investigate the precise ultrastructural location of Ca(2+) and Ca(2+)-ATPase in the right ventricular myocardium of chickens with AS induced by low ambient temperature. The results showed that the right ventricular diastolic pressure of ascitic broilers was significantly higher than that of control broilers (P < 0.01), and the maximum change ratio of right intraventricular pressure (RV +/- dp/dt(max)) of ascitic broilers was significantly lower than that of the controls (P < 0.01). Extensively increased calcium deposits were observed in the right ventricular myocardium of ascitic broilers, whereas in the age-matched control broilers, calcium deposits were much less. The Ca(2+)-ATPase reactive products were obviously found on the sarcoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial membrane of the control right ventricular myocardium, but rarely observed in the ascitic broilers. The data suggest that in ascitic broilers there is the right ventricular diastolic dysfunction, in which the overload of intracellular calcium and the decreased Ca(2+)-ATPase activity might be the important factors.