Impact of β-glucan on the Fecal Water Genotoxicity of Polypectomized Patients

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of β-glucan on the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of polypectomized patient's fecal water (FW). Polypectomized volunteers (n = 69) were randomly assigned to consume bread with or without β-glucan, for 3 months. FW was collected at the beginning (t = 0), the 30th and 90th day and 2 wk after the intervention. Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity were estimated on Caco-2 cells, using trypan blue exclusion test and comet assay, respectively. Gastrointestinal symptoms were recorded and subjects kept a 3-day food diary at baseline and after completion. Trypan blue exclusion test revealed cell survival of approximately 87% after incubation with FW. The FW samples showed 49% genotoxicity at the baseline. Genotoxicity in the intervention group decreased during the trial reaching statistical significance on the 90th day compared to control. An increase was noticed 2 wk after the trial, but it still remained significantly lower compared to control. Group-specific analysis for β-glucan also revealed significant decrease in the genotoxicity on the 90th day compared to baseline. β-glucan ingestion in polypectomized patients significantly decreased the genotoxicity of their FW. Our findings suggest that β-glucan consumption could possibly provide protection against colon cancer development.     

Derivatives of human β-Casein fragments (54–59) exhibit highly potent immunosuppressant activity

Human β-casein fragment (54–59) having the amino acid sequence Val–Glu–Pro–Ile–Pro–Tyr, has shown potent immunostimulant activity. Several analogs of this hexapeptide have been synthesized with modification at the N-terminal region and two analogs, viz. peptide I and peptide II have shown significant immunosuppressant activity in-vivo mouse model. Effect on cell mediated immunity (CMI) and humoral immunity was studied in mouse/SRBC model. Both the peptides failed to stimulate immune response in vivo and showed inhibition of CMI and humoral response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC). Peptides showed inhibition in alloantigen induced lymphocyte proliferation, i.e., mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) in vitro. Treatment with peptides inhibited the production of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and increased the production of interleukin-4 (IL-4) as well as improved the skin graft survival. Cyclosporine a known immunosuppressant showed similar effect on mouse model. Present study thus provides a lead for the development of safe and effective immunosuppressant.     

潘生丁增强氨甲蝶呤的抗肿瘤作用

外源性核苷能抵消抗代谢药对肿瘤细胞的杀伤作用;核苷转运抑制剂潘生丁则能阻断核苷的这种抵消作用,从而增强抗代谢药的细胞毒性。本研究证明,胸苷和次黄嘌呤可明显抵消氨甲蝶呤对L1210细胞的杀伤作用,潘生丁则能有效地阻断核苷的抵消作用;潘生丁和两性霉素B合用可明显增强氨甲蝶呤对小鼠S180肉瘤的抑制作用,但不增强氨甲蝶呤对动物的毒性。提示潘生丁有可能应用于肿瘤联合化疗。     

抗生素C3221-A的分离及结构鉴定

对嗜热放线菌X3221的发酵液进行溶剂萃取、Sephadex LH-20柱分离、中压控纯化,得到一具有抗菌和抗肿瘤活性的抗生素C3221-A。通过理化性质比较和结构单定确定其为Thermorubin A。     

栝楼子挥发油的成分分析及其生物活性的初步研究

目的:分析栝楼子挥发油成分并检测其生物活性。方法:采用水蒸汽蒸馏法提取,气相色谱-质谱联用法进行成分分析,并分别用测A值和MTT法检测其抑菌和细胞毒生物活性。结果∶从分离的挥发油化合物中,鉴定出42个化合物,占挥发油总相对含量的79.434%。挥发油对金黄色葡萄球菌、大肠杆菌有较好的抑制作用;对真菌红酵母有显著的抑制作用,在800μg·mL^-1时抑制率达到90.91%;对肿瘤胃癌细胞株SGC-7901细胞也有显著的细胞毒活性,浓度为50μg·mL^-1时,抑制率高达86.13%。结论:首次从挥发油的角度来研究栝楼的药理作用,其挥发油有抑菌活性和对胃癌细胞株SGC-7901细胞有很好的细胞毒活性。     

Genetic diversity of the Leptospiral immunoglobulin-like (Lig) genes in pathogenic Leptospira spp.

Recent serologic, immunoprotection, and pathogenesis studies identified the Lig proteins as key virulence determinants in interactions of leptospiral pathogens with the mammalian host. We examined the sequence variation and recombination patterns of ligA, ligB, and ligC among 10 pathogenic strains from five Leptospira species. All strains were found to have intact ligB genes and genetic drift accounting for most of the ligB genetic diversity observed. The ligA gene was found exclusively in L. interrogans and L. kirschneri strains, and was created from ligB by a two-step partial gene duplication process. The aminoterminal domain of LigB and the LigA paralog were essentially identical (98.5 ± 0.8% mean identity) in strains with both genes. Like ligB, ligC gene variation also followed phylogenetic patterns, suggesting an early gene duplication event. However, ligC is a pseudogene in several strains, suggesting that LigC is not essential for virulence. Two ligB genes and one ligC gene had mosaic compositions and evidence for recombination events between related Leptospira species was also found for some ligA genes. In conclusion, the results presented here indicate that Lig diversity has important ramifications for the selection of Lig polypeptides for use in diagnosis and as vaccine candidates. This sequence information will aid the identification of highly conserved regions within the Lig proteins and improve upon the performance characteristics of the Lig proteins in diagnostic assays and in subunit vaccine formulations with the potential to confer heterologous protection.     

重组人免疫缺陷病毒Ⅰ型逆转录酶的纯化及其动力学性质

目的纯化重组人免疫缺陷病毒Ⅰ型逆转录酶（ＨＩＶ－１ＲＴ），筛选新的ＨＩＶ－１ＲＴ抑制剂。方法在适宜的培养条件下诱导工程菌Ｅ．ｃｏｌｉＪＭ１０９（ＰＫＲＴ２）可高效表达重组人免疫缺陷病毒Ⅰ型（ＨＩＶ－１）逆转录酶（ＲＴ）。应用ＤＥＡＥ－纤维素和磷酸纤维素离子交换柱层析法从细菌裂解液中分离、纯化重组ＲＴ。结果１升细菌培养液可得到１．１ｍｇ产物。ＳＤＳ－聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳分析显示所纯化的重组ＲＴ为由两个分子量分别为６６ｋＤ和５１ｋＤ的亚基组成的杂二聚体。酶活性测定结果表明，经纯化的重组ＲＴ具有很高的逆转录酶活性（比活力为１．４×１０４ｕｍｇ）。结论本文通过对ＲＴ反应条件的研究，优化了ＲＴ反应系统，并测定了磷甲酸钠（ＰＦＡ）对重组ＲＴ的抑制效应，结果表明ＰＦＡ对重组ＲＴ的抑制反应动力学机制与天然ＲＴ相同，从而进一步说明用此法纯化的重组ＲＴ可直接用于抗ＨＩＶ药物的筛选与评价。     

北柴胡β-香树脂醇合酶基因家族成员鉴定及功能验证

目的 从转录组层面对北柴胡Bupleurum chinense β-香树脂醇合酶（β-amyrin synthase,β-AS）基因家族成员进行鉴定,并对其表达及功能进行分析验证,以期为解析柴胡皂苷的合成和调控提供基础。方法 基于全长转录组数据挖掘北柴胡β-AS基因家族成员（BcBASs）,利用在线软件对各基因进行生物信息学分析,利用大肠杆菌和烟草验证关键基因的功能。结果 从北柴胡转录组数据中挖掘到不冗余的β-AS基因6个,可分为3个亚家族,它们都具有典型保守区域DCTAE、MWCYCR和QW。进化分析表明,BcBAS1、BcBAS2、BcBAS4、BcBAS5、BcBAS6可能为单功能β-AS基因,BcBAS3可能为多功能β-AS基因,表达分析表明各基因在根和叶中的表达模式有差异。在大肠杆菌中成功表达了BcBAS1可溶性重组蛋白,相对分子质量约87 000,烟草瞬时表达表明BcBAS1编码蛋白具有β-AS功能,能促进β-香树脂醇的积累。结论 对北柴胡中6个不冗余的β-AS基因家族成员进行了鉴定和生物信息学分析,获得了BcBAS1可溶性重组蛋白,在烟草中验证了BcBAS1为有功能的β-AS,为柴胡皂苷合成调控机制和生物合成研究奠定了基础。