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Our current research aims to evaluate the efficiency of a flavor enhancer, maltol (produced by heating ginseng) against cisplatin‐evoked cardiotoxicity by establishing cisplatin‐induced heart injury in vivo and H9C2 rat cardiomyocyte model. The cisplatin‐treated mice at 3 mg/kg for four times on the 7th, 9th, 11th and 13th day, and in them appeared a serious cardiac damage accompanied with the increase in indicators of heart damage. Multiple exposure of 3 mg/kg for four times of cisplatin increased cardiac cells apoptosis with increased expression of Bax and cleaved‐caspase 3, and decreased expression of Bcl‐2. Interestingly, supplement of maltol at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg for 15 days significantly suppressed the cardiac disturbance. In cultured H9C2 cells, maltol enhanced PI3K/Akt expression level during cisplatin treatment, and reduced cisplatin‐induced apoptosis. Notably, inhibition of PI3K/Akt by LY294002 and HY‐10249A lessened the efficacy of maltol. In mice, maltol apparently induced PI3K/Akt in heart tissues and protected against cisplatin‐induced cardiotoxicity. In conclusion, maltol exerted the protective effects against cisplatin‐induced cardiotoxicity, at least partially by inhibiting the activation of PI3K/Akt signaling pathways in cardiomyocytes, to ease oxidative stress, and alleviate reactive oxygen species‐mediated apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat stress (HS) reaction is a stress response caused by adverse conditions. Currently, the incidence of reproductive malignancies particularly in males has been constantly increasing. This work investigated the effects of saponins derived from the stems and leaves of Panax ginseng (GSLS) on testicular injury induced by scrotal hyperthermia in mice. GSLS (150, 300 mg/kg) were administered intragastrically to mice for 14 days, then exposed to a single scrotal heat treatment at 43°C for 18 min on seventh day. HS induced a significant loss of multinucleate giant cells, desquamation of germ cells in destructive seminiferous tubules. Moreover, HS reduced the serum testosterone, testicular tissue superoxide dismutase activity and glutathione (GSH) content, while significantly enhanced the production of malondialdehyde (p <.05). GSLS exhibited the protective potential against HS‐induced injury not only by modulating Bcl‐2 family and caspase protease family, but also by suppressing the protein levels of heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1), heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), hypoxia inducible factor‐1α (HIF‐1α) and activation of Mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways (p <.05). In conclusion, we clearly demonstrated that GSLS exhibited a significant protective effect against HS‐induced testicular dysfunction, mainly the inhibition of oxidative stress associated apoptosis partly via regulation of the MAPK signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Esteya vermicola, an endoparasitic fungus of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, the pinewood nematode (PWN), exhibits great potential as a biological control agent against this nematode. E. vermicola produces blastospores in liquid media and aerial conidia on solid media. The agent was mass-produced using two kinds of culture media: S (50 % wheat bran and 50 % pine wood powder), L (0.5 g wheat bran and 0.5 g pinewood powder in 200 ml of potato dextrose broth), and two controls: SC (potato dextrose agar), LC (potato dextrose broth). Yields, multiple stress tolerance, storage life, new generation conidial number, and PWN mortality rates of the spores were measured in each of these four media and compared. The spore yields, new generation conidial number, and nematode mortality rates of blastospores were higher than those of conidia. Nevertheless, the conidia had a higher germination rate than the blastospores during the storage process and multiple stress treatments. Considering the number of spores surviving from the process of the storage and multiple stress treatments per unit of mass media, the blastospores from L survived most. Comprehensive analysis indicates that the L culture medium is the most optimal medium for mass production relatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many dietary polysaccharides have been shown to protect against various harmful external stimuli by protecting the integrity of the intestinal barrier. Arabinogalactan (AG) is a high molecular weight polysaccharide composed of arabinose and galactose, which has good immunomodulatory, antioxidant and intestinal conditioning activities. Gastrointestinal injury caused by cisplatin (CP) is an inevitable damage during CP chemotherapy. This research explored the ameliorative effect of AG on cisplatin-induced intestinal toxicity and its possible molecular targets and mechanisms. The results showed that AG (200, 400 mg/kg) could significantly reverse the intestinal histopathological changes and oxidative stress injury caused by CP. Meantime, AG could target the IRE1α/JNK axis to inhibit the expression of apoptosis-related proteins and block the apoptotic cascade, thus reducing intestinal damage. In vitro , AG (10, 20, and 40 μg/mL) could regulate the IRE1α/JNK axis, inhibit apoptosis, and restore the antioxidant defense system damaged by CP to play a protective role in the intestine. In addition, 4-phenylbutyrate (4-PBA), a specific inhibitor of endoplasmic reticulum stress, was used to verify that AG also affected protein expression levels by regulating the IRE1α/JNK pathway-mediated endoplasmic reticulum stress signaling pathway, thereby alleviating CP-induced gastrointestinal dysfunction. Therefore, AG may be a potential drug to prevent CP-induced intestinal damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Esteya vermicola, an endoparasitic fungus of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, the pinewood nematode (PWN), exhibits great potential as a biological control agent against this nematode. E. vermicola produces blastospores in liquid media and aerial conidia on solid media. The agent was mass-produced using two kinds of culture media: S (50 % wheat bran and 50 % pine wood powder), L (0.5 g wheat bran and 0.5 g pinewood powder in 200 ml of potato dextrose broth), and two controls: SC (potato dextrose agar), LC (potato dextrose broth). Yields, multiple stress tolerance, storage life, new generation conidial number, and PWN mortality rates of the spores were measured in each of these four media and compared. The spore yields, new generation conidial number, and nematode mortality rates of blastospores were higher than those of conidia. Nevertheless, the conidia had a higher germination rate than the blastospores during the storage process and multiple stress treatments. Considering the number of spores surviving from the process of the storage and multiple stress treatments per unit of mass media, the blastospores from L survived most. Comprehensive analysis indicates that the L culture medium is the most optimal medium for mass production relatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]