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Multiple functional coating is urgently needed in complex service surroundings to meet various requirements. In this work, a brush-like amphiphilic copolymer of poly methacryloxyethyl dimethyl butyl ammonium bromide-polydimethylsiloxane (pMDBAB-PDMS) was synthesized to construct an environment-adaptive multifunctional coating based on the copolymer via the UV-curing method. The special molecule chains of the copolymer assembled predominately on the coating surface in different surroundings, which rendered the surface with various functions. In water-rich surroundings, the hydrophilic quaternary ammonium groups in the coating endow the coating surface with antifogging, oleophobicity underwater, self-cleaning, antibacteria, triboelectric resistance, and super lubrication properties. In dry air surroundings, the long, flexible, low surface energy molecular PDMS chains tend to distribute on the top of the coating surface, which gives a low friction coefficient and antioil properties. This work presents a strategy to construct environmental adaptive coating that has an important application prospect in the field of optical lens.

Oleuropein is the main active substance in foods or functional foods produced from olive (Olea europaea L.) leaves. In the present study, the combinative technology off line of HSCCC-PHPLC based on dual wavelength was used to separate highly purified oleuropein from oleuropein extract. Response surface methodology was used to optimize the conditions of HSCCC. Furthermore, a large amount of higher purified oleuropein was obtained through HSCCC at the wavelength of 254 nm, and oleuropein with the purity greater than 98.5% was obtained by PHPLC at the wavelength of 300 nm. Finally, the purity and structure identification of highly purified oleuropein were determined by various methods and its stability was investigated. As a result, oleuropein was stable in solution, and had good stability under the condition of dark storage at 4°C within a week or under the condition of dark storage at -20°C within one year. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: In this study, an efficient method for purification and refining of oleuropein by combinative technology off line of HSCCC-PHPLC based on dual wavelength was established. Oleuropein with the purity greater than 98.5% was macro-obtained via the technology. The highly purified oleuropein could be used to control the quality of olive products.

Here, a comprehensive approach, based on chromatographic profiles and chemometric methods, was developed for the simultaneous qualitative and quantitative determinations of goji berry. High-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD) was employed to acquire the fingerprints of 67 water extracts of goji berries of different varieties and growing years. The results indicated that the correlation coefficients among the samples of the same varieties and growing years were ˃ 0.900, although they varied from 0.726 to 0.986 among samples of different varieties and growing years. Based on these data, the chemometric analysis was applied. Further, principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA), and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were applied for the discrimination of the varieties and the growing years. Moreover, nine marker compounds were obtained as potential references for goji berries of different growing years and 10 other marker components contributed significantly to the varieties differentiation. Precisely, the goji berries of Ningqi No. 7 (N7) and Ningqi No. 9 (N9) were of higher contents than the other three varieties (Ningqi No. 1 (N1), Ningqi No. 5 (N5), and Zhongke Luchuan (ZKLC)), indicating that N7 and N9 were of higher qualities than the others. Conclusively, the chromatographic fingerprint, combined with chemometric methods, could be employed to differentiate the raw materials of different varieties and growing years. Additionally, it could be employed as a rapid and reliable tool for the quality control (QC) of goji berries.

The purpose of this research is to study the effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide on ethanol-induced liver injury and its mechanism. The cell survival rate, the apoptosis rate, and the intracellular ROS level was detected by MTT assay, flow cytometry, laser confocal microscopy, and fluorescence spectrophotometry, respectively. The antioxidative indices were determined by ELISA kits and the protein level was detected by western blot. The result showed Lycium barbarum polysaccharide could protect ethanol-induced cell injury by reducing cell apoptosis and regulating the levels of indicators related to oxidative stress, such as ROS, MDA, SOD, etc. In addition, LBP could increase the nuclear expression of Nrf2 protein and significantly up-regulate the expression levels of Nrf2 protein and its downstream proteins, such as HO-1, NQO1, and GCLC in the cell nucleus. Therefore, Lycium barbarum polysaccharide has a protective effect on ethanol-induced liver cell injury and it plays the role in cell apoptosis pathway and oxidative stress pathway. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Lycium barbarum is a kind of food that can be used as food and medicine in China. The result showed that Lycium barbarum polysaccharide could protect ethanol-induced liver cell injury, which is beneficial to the application of LBP in functional food.

In the present work, we investigated the effect of Lycium barbarum L. polysaccharides (LBPs) on L‐02 cells exposed to alcohol exploring the potential molecular mechanisms. Our results suggested that LBPs significantly prevented alcohol‐induced hepatotoxicity with dose‐dependent effect, indicated by both cell viability and diagnostic indicators of liver damage. Moreover, alcohol induced excessive oxidative stress, as evidenced by an increase of the malondialdehyde level and reactive oxygen species production, while reducing antioxidant enzymes (T‐SOD, CAT, and GPx) in liver, were inhibited by administration of LBPs. Furthermore, LBPs reversed the cell apoptosis and increased the mitochondrial membrane potential in alcohol‐treated liver cell. Studies of underlying mechanisms revealed that LBPs increased expression levels of Nrf2 expression, which in turn blocked proapoptotic signaling events, restoring the balance between proapoptotic Bax and antiapoptotic Bcl‐2 proteins, suppressing activities of cytochrome C (Cyto c), caspase‐3, and caspase‐9 in L‐02 cells stimulation by ethanol. In general, the results showed that the inhibition of alcohol‐caused liver damage by LBPs is due at least in part to its antioxidant and antiapoptosis activity via Nrf2 signaling pathway., In the present work, we investigated the effect of polysaccharides from Lycium barbarum (LBPs) on L‐02 cells exposed to ethanol exploring the potential molecular mechanisms. Our results suggested that the inhibition of ethanol‐induced apoptosis by LBPs is due at least in part to its antioxidant and antiapoptosis activity via Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Poly(styrene–divinylbenzene)-based adsorption resin has the advantages of high specific surface area, adjustable pore size and other advantages, and has been widely used in the separation and purification of natural products and sewage treatment. However, its adsorption selectivity for specific compounds is poor. Therefore, to improve the selectivity of poly(styrene–divinylbenzene), the boric acid–functionalized monodisperse poly(styrene–divinylbenzene) was synthesized by seed swelling method by adding boric acid–functionalized polymerized monomer in the swelling stage. The static adsorption results showed that this polymer was pH–responsive. When pH> 9.5, the adsorption reached the maximum, and it could be desorbed with a pH

In the present work, we investigated the effect of Lycium barbarum L. polysaccharides (LBPs) on L-02 cells exposed to alcohol exploring the potential molecular mechanisms. Our results suggested that LBPs significantly prevented alcohol-induced hepatotoxicity with dose-dependent effect, indicated by both cell viability and diagnostic indicators of liver damage. Moreover, alcohol induced excessive oxidative stress, as evidenced by an increase of the malondialdehyde level and reactive oxygen species production, while reducing antioxidant enzymes (T-SOD, CAT, and GPx) in liver, were inhibited by administration of LBPs. Furthermore, LBPs reversed the cell apoptosis and increased the mitochondrial membrane potential in alcohol-treated liver cell. Studies of underlying mechanisms revealed that LBPs increased expression levels of Nrf2 expression, which in turn blocked proapoptotic signaling events, restoring the balance between proapoptotic Bax and antiapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins, suppressing activities of cytochrome C (Cyto c), caspase-3, and caspase-9 in L-02 cells stimulation by ethanol. In general, the results showed that the inhibition of alcohol-caused liver damage by LBPs is due at least in part to its antioxidant and antiapoptosis activity via Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Oleuropein is an important natural compound with many biological activities. How to get high purity oleuropein is an urgent issue to be solved. This study provided a method for separating and purifying high purity oleuropein from olive leaves using boric acid affinity resin and a novel solvent system. And the experimental kinetic and adsorption isotherm data of boric acid affinity resin were well–fitted pseudo–first–order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm model, respectively. The dynamic desorption experiments showed that ethanol was the most efficient eluent while had the lowest oleuropein purity. However, after the novel solvent system treated only one cycle of adsorption and desorption, the purity of oleuropein increased by 5.55 folds from 12.31 ± 0.42% – 68.30 ± 2.08 %. The results can guide the separation and purification of high purity catechol natural products using boric acid affinity resin and mixed solvent systems.

A novel quantitative antioxidant activity assay based on cellular metabolomics, named cellular metabolomics antioxidant activity (CMAA) assay, was established and applied in this paper. CMAA assay evaluates antioxidant activity by considering the change rules of the cellular metabolites of different treatment groups of human liver carcinoma cell line HepG2 cells subjected to oxidative stress. This assay considers cellular metabolites as the main analytical index, principal components analysis (PCA), and orthogonal projections to latent structures discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) as the main multi- and megavariate data analysis method and vitamin E (VE) as a standard substance to quantify antioxidant activities. The antioxidant activities of flavonoids extracted from Cynomorium songaricum Rupr. (CS) were measured by the CMAA assay. The results showed that the antioxidant activity of flavonoids extracted from CS was successfully evaluated using the CMAA assay, and the antioxidant activity of flavonoids extracted from CS was about 1/5 of the same concentration of VE. It indicated that the proposed approach, as an effective tool for evaluating the antioxidant capacity, was feasible.

In the separation of strongly polar antioxidant compounds from natural products using high-speed counter-current chromatography that is target-guided by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl high-performance liquid chromatography experimentation, low adsorption ability is encountered due to the strong polarity of the target compounds. In this study, a strategy of novel partition coefficient value calculation was proposed for overcoming this problem. The partition coefficient value was expressed as the ratio of the antioxidant activities of the upper phase and the lower phase. This strategy was used in high-speed counter-current chromatography with a hydrophilic organic/salt-containing aqueous two-phase system for bioassay-guided separation of strongly polar antioxidant compounds from Lycium barbarum L. The antioxidant activity was determined via the radical scavenging activity method using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals. A hydrophilic organic/salt-containing aqueous two-phase system of 95% EtOH - sat. (NH4)2SO4 (1:1.8, v/v) was successfully used to separate Lycium barbarum L. extract. Five fractions were collected via high-speed counter-current chromatography separation. The antioxidant activity of the third fraction was the highest. Three compounds were separated via MCI gel column chromatography and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography from the third fraction, and their antioxidant activities were determined. The antioxidant activities of the three compounds were higher than that of the third fraction. These results demonstrate that this strategy can be used to separate strongly polar antioxidant compounds from natural products.

Resins have been modified with many functional groups by Friedal − Crafts alkylation reaction. In this research, a Friedal − Crafts acylation reaction in combination with commercial BNKX − 5 was first used to synthesize the boric acid − based macroporous resin named BNKX − 5−BA. The adsorption results of the experiments showed that the adsorption capacities of BNKX − 5 and BNKX − 5−BA were all affected by pH, and the adsorption capacities of all target compounds on BNKX − 5−BA increased as the pH value increase, meanwhile opposite results observed for BNKX − 5. Furthermore, the polymers had larger adsorption capacity for larger molecular weight compounds. Adsorption isotherms of taxifolin on BNKX − 5−BA were fitted better to Freundlich model and adsorption kinetic process followed the pseudo–first–order equation. The boric acid affinity, hydrogen bonding, π−π interactions and molecular sieving effect may have been the possible adsorption driving forces. The resin could be absolutely desorbed by 50 %, pH

A series of novel organic–inorganic hybrid porous materials were synthesized using the method of suspension polymerization. As content of oleic acid-coated TiO2 introduced increased, the surface area, pore volume, and average pore diameter increased, and meantime macropores appeared. The adsorption efficiencies of the porous materials for (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and caffeine (CAF) were enhanced, due to synergistic effect of surface area, pore volume, average pore diameter, and several driving forces such as charge induced force, π–π stacking, and hydrogen bond. Adsorption kinetic analysis indicated that pseudo-second-order kinetics can reasonably depict the adsorption process, and intraparticle diffusion became more obvious after a contact time of 30 min. Adsorption isotherm analysis indicated Freundlich isotherm could be used to describe the adsorption process. Charge induced force, π–π stacking, hydrogen bond, and sieving effect of pores were the main driving forces for the adsorption of EGCG and CAF by the organic–inorganic hybrid porous materials. This study will open possibility of expanding number and types of porous materials and provide assistance in tailoring corresponding physical–chemical properties, according to specific analytes. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 55:2414–2422, 2015. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers

Porous materials with carboxyl-modified multi-walled carbon nanotube (C-CNT) were prepared and applied to enrich oleuropein. Surface area, pore volume, and average pore diameter increased with increasing C-CNT content, and adsorption capacity was greatly enhanced. The results indicated that pseudo-second-order kinetics could describe the whole adsorption process, while intraparticle diffusion model fit the experimental data for the second stage (10–300 min). It suggested Freundlich isotherm model could describe the adsorption process. It showed that the porous materials exhibited excellent reusability and during six adsorption-desorption cycles, adsorption capacities showed no obvious loss. The high adsorption capacities, easy desorption, and remarkable reusability made the prepared porous materials as novel adsorbents for the enrichment of oleuropein. This study indicates porous materials with carboxyl group, large surface area, pore volume, and average pore diameter are favorable for oleuropein enrichment, providing an idea to design porous materials with carboxyl groups for oleuropein enrichment.

Metabolomics is frequently used in the analysis of the dynamic changes within small molecules in response to the disturbance in an organism. It has been extensively used in various fields involving human diseases. To better evaluate the antioxidant capacity, cells subjected to oxidative stress were cultured, and the intracellular metabolites were prepared using HSDE (high-speed shear dispersing emulsifier)-assisted extraction. The metabolites were then analyzed under optimized chromatographic conditions. Partial least squares discriminate analysis was used to analyze the data. A new intracellular metabolomic approach was established, and four potential metabolic biomarkers for repairing oxidative stress were found. The antioxidant activities of Cynomorium songaricum was successfully evaluated using the intracellular metabolomic approach, indicating the feasibility of the proposed approach as an effective tool for evaluating the antioxidant capacity.

The in vitro effect of small peptides on the nonspecific immune response of sea cucumber, Apostichopus japonicus , coelomocytes was studied. Coelomocytes were cultured in L-15 medium containing different concentrations of small peptide (0, 5, 25, and 100 µg/mL). Coelomocytes were incubated with the above immunostimulant for 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 h. Coelomocytes incubated in the medium without immunostimulants were taken as controls at each incubation time. After exposure to small peptides, the coelomocytes were sampled and immune parameters namely, phagocytosis activity, respiratory burst activity, as well as activities of acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (AKP), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were determined. All immune parameters were significantly ( P in vitro .

By combining the advantages of ionic liquids with those of interpenetrating polymer networks, a novel ionic liquid modified adsorbent with a structure of an interpenetrating polymer network (PS/PVIm) was prepared and then used to enrich oleuropein to investigate the interactive forces between the adsorbent and oleuropein. The effects of contact time, initial concentration and temperature on the adsorption behaviour were systematically studied. The results of a static adsorption experiment showed that the adsorption process of the original resin (PS–CH2Cl) for oleuropein obeyed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, whereas that of the PS/PVIm towards oleuropein could be well depicted by pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models, indicating the different adsorption behaviours of both the adsorbents. The Freundlich isotherm model could reasonably depict the adsorption process. Adsorption thermodynamics analysis indicated that the adsorption process was spontaneous and feasible. A dynamic adsorption and desorption experiment further validated the high affinity of PS/PVIm for oleuropein and the introduction of an ionic liquid imidazolium group and interpenetration polymer network can improve the adsorption efficiency. However, the adsorption rate decreased. The results of the present study have a significant importance in designing and preparing appropriate resins with ionic liquids and high adsorption efficiency to enrich oleuropein from olive leaves extract.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of polysaccharide from Enteromorpha prolifera (PEP2) on the non-specific immune responses of sea cucumber. The non-specific humoral and cellular responses were determined, and sea cucumbers were challenged by Vibrio splendidus. The results indicate that PEP2 had no significant effect on the total coelomocyte counts. Both phagocytic capacity and respiratory burst activity were significantly increased by PEP2. Among the humoral responses, the activities of acid phosphatase, catalase and superoxide dismutase of sea cucumber were significantly enhanced by PEP2. However, no difference in alkaline phosphatase activity was observed between the experimental and control groups. In the challenge test, we found that PEP2 decreased the mortality rate of sea cucumbers and enhanced their resistance to V. splendidus. Thus, PEP2 could enhance the non-specific immune activity of sea cucumbers. PEP2 exhibited potent immunomodulatory properties and can be explored as a novel potential immunostimulant of sea cucumber.

Under bubble with air compressor, macroporous adsorption resin was functionalized with amino and acetyl groups. The method avoided the fragmentation of the resin during modification. Alizarin yellow GG (AYGG) was used as an adsorbate to investigate adsorption kinetics of the modified resins. It showed that pseudofirst-order and pseudosecond-order kinetics cannot reasonably express the adsorption process. A new kinetic model, multi-layer adsorption model, showed much better fit to the adsorption kinetic data and corresponding kinetic parameters could predict adsorption mechanism. Meantime, AYGG can be easily recovered, and the resins can be regenerated. Due to π–π, electrostatic force and hydrogen bond interaction between the resin and carboxyl, phenolic hydroxyl, and azo groups of AYGG, the resin with amino group showed higher adsorption capacity than the other resins used in this study. Steric hindrance and decrease in electrostatic force were unfavorable for the enrichment of AYGG by the resin with acetyl group. Response surface model combining with central composite design was used to determine effects of pH and initial concentration on adsorption. It showed that a second-order polynomial regression model could reasonably express the experimental data and optimum adsorption conditions were obtained. The design provided an effective methodology to optimize an adsorption process. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:1960–1968, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers

Eupolyphaga sinensis Walker is an important insect used in Chinese traditional medicine. In this study, we purified a 72-kDa anticancer protein, designated as EPS72, from this species using ammonium sulfate precipitation, ultrafiltration, CM Sepharose Fast Flow cation exchange, Q Sepharose High Performance (HP) anion exchange, Butyl Sepharose HP hydrophobic chromatography, and Superdex 75 gel filtration chromatographic techniques. EPS72 exhibited a potent anticancer activity against the human lung cancer A549 cell line (IC50, 18.76 μg/mL). Further study showed that EPS72 could induce A549 cell detachment and apoptosis, inhibit cell adhesion to fibronectin and collagen IV, and restrain cell migration and invasion. Moreover, EPS72 significantly decreased the expression of β1-integrin. This study suggests that EPS72 could potentially be developed as a novel anticancer therapeutic agent due to its possible antimetastatic activity.

Previous study in our laboratory confirmed that a novel polypeptide, CS5931 derived from Ciona savignyi possesses potent antitumor activity. In the present study, the full length cDNA of CS5931 precursor, termed Cs-pgrn-1 was cloned. The complete cDNA sequence of this gene consists of 685 bp containing an open reading frame (ORF) of 522 bp (173 amino acid residues). In silico analysis revealed that the polypeptide consists of two identical domains, similar with granulin (GRN) found in other species, and each of the domain encodes a polypeptide identical with CS5931. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that CS5931 shares high homology with Ciona intestinalis GRN and is conserved during evolution. The polypeptide also shows high similarity with human GRN A, B, and C. Prediction of 3D protein structure revealed the 3D structure of CS5931 is very similar with human GRN A. The CS5931 was expressed using a prokaryotic expression system and the purified polypeptide inhibited the growth of several tumor cell lines in vitro via apoptotic pathway. Our study revealed that CS5931 has the potential to be developed as a novel antitumor agent.

Vibrio spp. are pathogens of many bacterial diseases which have caused great economic losses in marine aquaculture. The strategy of alternative medical treatment that is utilised by herbalists has expanded in the past decade. The aim of our study is to discover the antibacterial molecules against Vibrio spp. Bacterial growth inhibition, membrane permeabilisation assessment and DNA interaction assays, as well as agarose gel electrophoresis, were employed to elucidate the antibacterial activity of hydroxytyrosol acetate. Results showed that hydroxytyrosol acetate had antibacterial activity against Vibrio spp. and it played the role via increasing bacterial membrane permeabilisation. The DNA interaction assay and agarose gel electrophoresis revealed that hydroxytyrosol acetate interacted with DNA. Hydroxytyrosol acetate enhanced the fluorescent intensity of DNA binding molecules and mediated supercoiled DNA relaxation. The present study provides more evidence that hydroxytyrosol acetate is a novel antibacterial candidate against Vibrio spp.

Oxidative stress has a close relationship with various pathologic physiology phenomena and the potential biomarkers of oxidative stress may provide evidence for clinical diagnosis or disease prevention. Metabolomics was employed to identify the potential biomarkers of oxidative stress. High-performance liquid chromatography–diode array detector, mass spectrometry and partial least squares discriminate analysis were used in this study. The 10, 15 and 13 metabolites were considered to discriminate the model group, vitamin E-treated group and l-glutathione-treated group, respectively. Some of them have been identified, namely, malic acid, vitamin C, reduced glutathione and tryptophan. Identification of other potential biomarkers should be conducted and their physiological significance also needs to be elaborated.

Mere15 is a novel antitumor polypeptide purified from Meretrix meretrix Linn. (Veneridae). Previous studies have shown that the polypeptide induced cell death via intrinsic mitochondrial pathway.In the present study, the effects of Mere15 on cell adhesion, migration, invasion, as well as secretion and expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) were studied in human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells.The effect of Mere15 on cell adhesion, migration and invasion were studied by cell adhesion and transwell assay. The expression of MMPs was determined by gelatin zymography and RT-PCR analysis.The ability of cell adhesion was decreased by 86.74% at the concentration of 12.0 μg/mL of Mere15. And the migration and invasion of A549 cells were decreased with the inhibition ratio of, 69.22 and 53.84% when treated with 15.0 μg/mL of Mere15. Further study also revealed that treatment of the cancer cells with Mere15 (15.0 μg/mL), the secretion of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were down-regulated with the inhibition ratio of 72.00 and 93.24% and the inhibition rate of mRNA expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 was 57.54 and 91.22%, respectively.The study demonstrates that Mere15 inhibits tumor growth via both pro-apoptotic and antimetastasis pathways, and the polypeptide has potential to be developed as a multi-target therapeutic agent for the treatment of human lung cancer.

Meretrix meretrix Linnaeus has long been used as traditional Chinese medicine in oriental medicine. The angiogentic activity of the extract of M. meretrix was investigated in this study, using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Extract of M. meretrix Linnaeus (AFG-25) was prepared with acetone and ethanol precipitation, and further separated by Sephadex G-25 column. The results show that AFG-25 promoted proliferation, migration, and capillary-like tube formation in HUVECs, and in the presence of eNOS inhibitor NMA, the tube formation induced by AFG-25 is inhibited significantly. Moreover, AFG-25 could also promote the activation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and the resultant elevation of nitric oxide (NO) production. The results suggested that M. meretrix contains active ingredients with angiogentic activity and eNOS/NO signal pathway is in part involved in the proangiogenesis effect induced by AFG-25.

A moderately halophilic fungus F1 was isolated from a marine solar saltern in Weihai, China. The identification of the fungus F1 was performed by the morphological characteristics, physiological and biochemical tests as well as phylogenetic analysis based on ITS (internal transcribed spacer)-5.8S rDNA region sequence comparison. The strain was identified as belonging to the genus Aspergillus and designated as Aspergillus sp. nov. F1. Furthermore, Aspergillus sp. nov. F1 grew well in 3-15 % (w/v) NaCl, and with increasing of salinity, the generation of secondary metabolites with cytotoxicity was also augmented. Three compounds with cytotoxicity were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of the whole broth and mycelia of Aspergillus sp. nov. F1, and identified as ergosterol, rosellichalasin and cytochalasin E, respectively. Especially, ergosterol showed high potent cytotoxic activity to human colon cancer cell line RKO with IC(50) of 3.3 ± 0.5 μM. Considering the high cytochalasin production and the simple and economical fermentation of Aspergillus sp. nov. F1, the strain could be used as potential strain for large scale production of the cytochalasin E and rosellichalasin.

Oleanolic acid (OA), a pentacyclic triterpenoid, exhibits potential anti-tumor activity against many tumor cell lines. This study aims to examine the anti-tumor activity of OA on pancreatic cancer cells and its potential molecular mechanism. The results showed that the proliferation of Panc-28 cells was inhibited by OA in a concentration-dependent manner, with an IC50 (The half maximal inhibitory concentration) value of 46.35 mu g ml-1, as determined by MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. The cell cycle was arrested in S phase and G2/M phase by OA. The study also showed that OA could induce remarkable apoptosis, evidenced by an increased percentage of early/late apoptotic cells, DNA ladder and nuclear morphology change. Further study revealed that OA could induce Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) generation, mitochondrial depolarization, release of cytochrome C, lysosomal membrane permeabilization and leakage of cathepin B. The expression of apoptosis-correlated proteins was also affected in cells treated with OA, including activation of caspases-3/9 and cleavage of PARP. Further study confirmed that ROS scavenger vitamin C could reverse the apoptosis induced by OA in Panc-28 cells. Our results provide evidence that OA arrests the cell cycle and induces apoptosis, possibly via ROS-mediated mitochondrial and a lysosomal pathway in Panc-28 cells. Copyright (c) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A novel polypeptide (Mere15) was purified from Meretrix meretrix Linnaeus by ammonium sulfate fractionation, ion exchange, gel filtration and reversed phase chromatography. Mere15 exhibited selective cytotoxicity to several human cancer cells. In vivo study showed that Mere15 significantly suppressed the growth of human lung adenocarcinoma A549 xenograft in nude mice. The mechanism was associated with a G2/M phase arrest followed by apoptosis, including membrane blebbing, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, externalization of phosphatidylserine, chromosome condensation and DNA fragmentation. Western blot analysis showed that the intrinsic pathway was involved in Mere15-induced apoptosis. These results suggest that Mere15 may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of non-small-cell lung carcinoma.

Aims. We present a newly identified zero-age main-sequence (ZAMS) active double-lined spectroscopic binary, HD 146875, based on the analysis of our 45 high-resolution spectra obtained between 2005 and 2008 at Xinglong Observatory, NAOC. Methods. From spectroscopic analysis and abundance analysis, we derived the accurate orbital parameters of the binary and determined the stellar atmospheric parameters of the two components. Results. Our results indicate that HD 146875 is a ZAMS active double-lined spectroscopic binary of age between 100 and 150 Myr. We derived the accurate orbital parameters of the binary and determined the stellar atmospheric parameters of the two components. The photometric observations taken in 2008 show a variation of about 0.057 mag caused by large spots most probably on the primary component of the binary rather than any ellipsoidal distortion. Furthermore, the radial velocity curve and the light curve imply that HD 146875 is already a synchronous system. We also studied the chromospheric activity of the components.

We have investigated galaxies near the giant radio source DA 240 in a study of the source's environment. Spectroscopic observations were obtained with the 2.16 m optical telescope of the National Astronomical Observatories of China. We have measured the redshifts of 26 objects, and find that 16 have nearly the same value as the DA 240 galaxy, and hence form a substantial group. Most of the others have lower redshifts and are probably outlying members of the Zwicky cluster Zw 0756.1+5616. We note that the radio galaxy host dominates the group. Ten of the galaxies in the group are aligned with the lobes of the radio source, and eight are projected on the components. We suggest that there may be a causal relationship, and find some evidence for enhanced activity among these galaxies. Moreover, there is a gradient in their velocities along the source axis. Whatever its explanation, we suggest that it establishes a dynamic timescale of some 109 yr. This may have been the time since the last merger, which triggered the giant radio source. The individual galaxy spectra are also presented and briefly discussed.

Cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) have been used as a traditional Chinese medicinal herb for thousands of years. Cloves possess antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties, but their potential anticancer activity remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the in vitro and in vivo antitumor effects and biological mechanisms of ethyl acetate extract of cloves (EAEC) and the potential bioactive components responsible for its antitumor activity. The effects of EAEC on cell growth, cell cycle distribution, and apoptosis were investigated using human cancer cell lines. The molecular changes associated with the effects of EAEC were analyzed by Western blot and (qRT)-PCR analysis. The in vivo effect of EAEC and its bioactive component was investigated using the HT-29 tumor xenograft model. We identified oleanolic acid (OA) as one of the components of EAEC responsible for its antitumor activity. Both EAEC and OA display cytotoxicity against several human cancer cell lines. Interestingly, EAEC was superior to OA and the chemotherapeutic agent 5-fluorouracil at suppressing growth of colon tumor xenografts. EAEC promoted G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment with EAEC and OA selectively increased protein expression of p21WAF1/Cip1 and γ-H2AX and downregulated expression of cell cycle-regulated proteins. Moreover, many of these changes were at the mRNA level, suggesting transcriptional regulation by EAEC treatment. Our results demonstrate that clove extract may represent a novel therapeutic herb for the treatment of colorectal cancer, and OA appears to be one of the bioactive components.

The effects of polysaccharides from Enteromorpha prolifera (PEP) on cell-mediated immunity, humoral immunity and mononuclear phagocytic system function were evaluated to assess the immunomodulatory potential of these macromolecules. Relevant immunological mechanisms were verified by biochemical assays and western blot analysis. Results showed that PEP could induce splenocyte proliferation. In vivo experiments on Kunming mice confirmed that PEP could improve cell-mediated immunity, humoral immunity and mononuclear phagocytic system function. To illustrate the mechanism, we determined several immune-related enzymes in the thymus and spleen. The results indicated that PEP could enhance the activities of alkaline phosphatase, superoxide dismutase and lactate dehydrogenase. PEP could also increase the level of NF-κB. These results suggested that PEP exhibited potent immunomodulatory properties and could be used as a novel potential immunostimulant in food and pharmaceutical industries.

Biomarkers involved in alcohol-induced oxidative stress play an important role in alcoholic liver disease prevention and diagnosis. Alcohol-induced oxidative stress in human liver L-02 cells was used to discover the potential biomarkers. Metabolites from L-02 cells induced by alcohol were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Fourteen metabolites that allowed discrimination between control and model groups were discovered by multivariate statistical data analysis (i.e. principal components analysis, orthogonal partial least-squares discriminate analysis). Based on the retention time, UV spectrum and LC-MS findings of the samples and compared with the authentic standards, eight biomarkers involved in alcohol-induced oxidative stress, namely, malic acid, oxidized glutathione, γ-glutamyl-cysteinyl-glycine, adenosine triphosphate, phenylalanine, adenosine monophosphate, nitrotyrosine and tryptophan, were identified. These biomarkers offered important targets for disease diagnosis and other researches.

A moderately halophilic actinomycetes strain, designated as WH26, was isolated from Weihai Solar Saltern in China. The identification of the strain WH26 was performed by its morphological characteristics, physiological and biochemical tests as well as phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA sequence comparison. The results showed that the nucleotide sequence of the 16S rRNA gene (1,677 bp) of the strain WH26 exhibited close similarity (97-99 %) with other Streptomyces 16S rRNA genes and the strain WH26 was identified to belong to the genus Streptomyces. An ethyl acetate extraction of Streptomyces sp. nov. WH26 demonstrated significant cellular toxicity. Two compounds, 8-O-methyltetrangulol and naphthomycin A were isolated from the extract via silica gel column chromatography and HPLC. These two compounds showed potent cytotoxic activity against several human tumor cell lines including A549, HeLa, BEL-7402 and HT-29. The present studies suggest that moderately halophilic actinomycetes may be a novel biological source for the discovery of anticancer agents.

The antitumor activity of oleanolic (OA) has attracted attention due to its marked antitumor effects and pharmacological safety. In the present study, the effects of the combination of OA and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) on Panc-28 human pancreatic cells were studied. The results showed that combined use of OA and 5-FU synergistically potentiated cell death effects on Panc-28 cells, and the pro-apoptotic effects were also increased. Further study revealed that the combined treatment could enhance mitochondrial depolarization, lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP) and leakage of cathepin D, while the release of cytochrome C did not display significant changes. The expression of apoptosis related proteins was also affected in cells treated with the combination of OA and 5-FU, including activation of caspases-3 and the expression of Bcl-2/Bax, survivin and NF-κB. Our results provide evidence that combination of OA and 5-FU may serve as a novel strategy for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Oleanolic acid (OA), a pentacyclic triterpenoid, exhibits potential anti-tumor activity against many tumor cell lines. This study aims to examine the anti-tumor activity of OA on pancreatic cancer cells and its potential molecular mechanism. The results showed that the proliferation of Panc-28 cells was inhibited by OA in a concentration-dependent manner, with an IC50 (The half maximal inhibitory concentration) value of 46.35 µg ml(-1) , as determined by MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. The cell cycle was arrested in S phase and G2/M phase by OA. The study also showed that OA could induce remarkable apoptosis, evidenced by an increased percentage of early/late apoptotic cells, DNA ladder and nuclear morphology change. Further study revealed that OA could induce Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) generation, mitochondrial depolarization, release of cytochrome C, lysosomal membrane permeabilization and leakage of cathepin B. The expression of apoptosis-correlated proteins was also affected in cells treated with OA, including activation of caspases-3/9 and cleavage of PARP. Further study confirmed that ROS scavenger vitamin C could reverse the apoptosis induced by OA in Panc-28 cells. Our results provide evidence that OA arrests the cell cycle and induces apoptosis, possibly via ROS-mediated mitochondrial and a lysosomal pathway in Panc-28 cells.

Aims. We have gathered optical spectra of 8 long-duration GRB host galaxies selected from the archival data of VLT/FORS2. We investigated whether or not Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars can be detected in these GRB host galaxies. We also tried to estimate the physical properties of GRB host galaxies, such as metallicity. Methods. We identified the WR features in these spectra by fitting the WR bumps and WR emission lines in blue and red bumps. We also identified the subtypes of the WR stars, and estimated the numbers of stars in each subtype, then calculated the WR/O star ratios. The (O/H) abundances of GRB hosts were estimated from both the electron temperature (Te) and the metallicity-sensitive strong-line ratio (R23), for which we have broken the R23 degeneracy. We compared the environments of long-duration GRB host galaxies with those of other galaxies in terms of their luminosity (stellar mass)-metallicity relations (LZ, MZ). Results. We detected the presence of WR stars in 5 GRB host galaxies having spectra with relatively high signal-to-noise ratios (S/N). In the comparison of LZ, MZ relations, it shows that GRB hosts have lower metallicities than other samples with comparable luminosity and stellar mass. The presence of WR stars and the observed high WR/O star ratio, together with low metallicity, support the core-collapsar model and implie the first stage of star formation in the hosted regions of GRBs., 12 pages, 4 figures, A&A 514, A24 (2010)

International audience; The variability of HD 239276 was suspected photometrically nearly twenty years ago, but was confirmed with new observations obtained in 2001 during a two-site photometric campaign carried out from Spain, in uvbybeta Strömgren-Crawford photometry, and China, using the Johnson V filter. Two low-dispersion spectra were also collected. The results establish this star as a new multiperiodic gamma Dor-type pulsator with deficiency in metallicity. Its possible lambda Boo nature is discussed. The frequency analysis shows three pulsational frequencies as significant, but some more are probably present among the residuals. The method based on phase shifts and amplitude ratios in multicolour photometry is used to identify the excited modes with non-adiabatic time-dependent convection models. A very good agreement between the theoretical and observed amplitude ratios is obtained and the two main modes are identified as l=1 modes. Nevertheless, our results do not allow us to discriminate between a solar abundance and a metal deficient nature for this star. The frequency ratio method is further used for the identification of the modes. The results suggest low metallicity for this star, but a lambda Boo nature may be not ruled out.

Aims. We present our optical multiband (B and R) observations of BL Lacertae, which were acquired over 20 nights from May 26 to August 3, 2011, and analyse our data to study the optical emission variability properties of BL Lac. Methods. The simultaneous photometric observations were carried out using the 0.8 m Tsinghua-NAOC Telescope (TNT) at the Xinglong Observatory of National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC). TNT is equipped with the Princeton Instrument CCDand standard Johnson-Cousin UBVRIfilters.Exposure timeswerewell chosen tomake agood compromise between high precision and high temporal density. Results. A multipeak outburst was observed in 2011 observing season. The brightest magnitudes for BL Lac during our observations were B = 14.48 mag and R = 12.89 mag at JD =2455709.2810 (May 27). One of the most rapid variations was detected on July 9, when a flux increase of about 0.34 mag occurred over 2.8 h. In general, both the amplitude of variability and the variation rate are higher at the shorter wavelength. A colour analysis shows that the colour variability processes are apparently complicated. A bluerwhen-brighter trend was detected during the outburst. These trends may be the interactive contribution from a “mildly-chromatic” component and a “strongly-chromatic” one. Meanwhile, intra-night variability in B and R bands was found to be correlated, without any time delay exceeding 2.5 min.

Context. There is a group of about twenty galaxies around the giant radio galaxy (GRG) DA 240 which we are studying to investigate the environment of the radio source. We have noted that 11 members are aligned with the radio emission (Peng et al. 2004, A&A, 415, 487). The alignment occurs within a small angle similar to the width of the GRG radio lobes, and there may be some physical causal relationship. After finishing observations of the four candidates not included in Paper I, we have completed our study of the brighter members of the sample of galaxies around DA 240. Aims. We aim to see if more galaxies have similar redshifts to the host galaxy of DA 240, to confirm the galaxy grouping and further study their distribution. Methods. Spectra of the four candidate galaxies were obtained with the 2.16 m spectroscopic telescope at XingLong observing station of the NAOC, and the galaxies’ positions were established with respect to the radio emission. We have discovered two more members associated with the group of galaxies around DA 240. In addition, the work of other researchers provides one other new member. Results. The number of confirmed galaxies associated with the DA 240 group has increased by almost a quarter to 20. There are now 14 galaxies (including the host) lying along the major axis of the radio source. We further consider the relationship of the group to adjacent galaxy associations, noting that it may form a binary pair with the slightly closer UGC 3957 group. They both lie on the periphery of the much more substantial cluster, Abell 576.