Enhanced Protein Adsorption,Cell Attachment,and Neural Differentiation with the Help of Amine Functionalized Polycaprolactone Scaffolds

Today, neurodegenerative diseases are very common among people. As a result, researchers are investigating methods for treatment of these diseases. One therapeutic approach is differentiating stem cells into neural cells to replace damaged areas of the brain. Cell attachment is the first, necessary step for the process of differentiation. Hence, we tried to enhance cell adhesion and proliferation of bone marrow stem cells on poly(?-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffolds through modifying this substrate with amine functional groups. The presence of amine groups was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR). Protein adsorption was measured at 280 nm via UV-spectrometry. The proliferation of differentiated neurons was assessed by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-Yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide (a dye) and cresyl violet staining. Finally, the morphology of differentiated neurons was shown by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results showed that amine modification of PCL scaffolds enhanced protein absorption and, consequently, cell adhesion and proliferation.     

Recent Development of Brain Organoids for Biomedical Application

Over the years, scientists have studied the behavior and anatomy of many animals to understand the own species. However, despite the continuous efforts, it is often difficult to know for certain how the brain works due to the differences between the brains of animals and the human brain. While the use of animal models for research continues, the origin of human cognition and neurological disorders needs further elucidation. To that end, in vitro organoids that exhibit in vivo characteristics of the human brain have been recently developed. These brain-like organoids enable researchers to dive deeper into understanding the human brain, its neurological structures, and the causes of neurological pathologies. This paper reviews the recent developments in the regeneration of brain-like organoids using Matrigel and other alternatives. Further, gel-free methods that may enhance the regeneration process of organoids are discussed. Finally, the vascularized brain organoid growth and development in both in vitro and in vivo conditions are detailed.     

Discovery and SAR Studies of Potent Modulators of BMI-1 Expression

In our efforts to identify molecules that selectively reduce the expression of BMI1, a stem cell gene, we discovered and characterized the first-in-class series of small molecules that modulate the expression of BMI1 protein in cancer cells. Structure–activity and structure–property relationships associated with this series were investigated through medicinal chemistry efforts. These studies revealed important structural features required for achieving anti-tumor activity and acceptable pharmacokinetic properties within this series. The 4-CF₃−Ph at the left-side of the molecule, a proper placement of the N-atom on the six-membered heterocycle in the middle, combined with a properly substituted C(2)-methyl benzimidazole on the right-hand side were required to achieve potency, microsomal stability, and exposure upon oral dosing. A compound (PTC-02) with acceptable pharmacological properties and efficacious in vivo in several tumor animal models was identified.     

Bioactive chemical constituents from Hyptis suaveolens stem

Our previous studies have found that the aerial part of Hyptis rhomboides and the seed of Hyptis suaveolens contain xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitors, inspiring us to investigate the chemical constituents of H. suaveolens stem. The EtOH extract of H. suaveolens stem was fractionated by liquid-liquid partitioning, followed by separation over Sephadex LH-20, silica gel, and reverse-phase column chromatography, centrifugal partition chromatography, and semi-preparative RP-HPLC, to give 17 bioactive isolates. Of these, dimethyl melitrate A ( 9 ) is a new natural product, 10 is likely (7″ E)-9′-methyl melitrate A, only caffeic acid ( 2 ) is the same as those isolated from the seed of the same plant, and only nepetoidins A ( 14 ) and B ( 11 ) are the same as those from H. rhomboides stem. Nepetoidin B ( 11 ) showed the best anti-XO activity. Rosmarinic acid ( 3 ) is the most abundant (>661 ppm; w/w, dried stem), while melitric acid ( 12 ) (>277 ppm), caffeic acid ( 2 ; >125 ppm), and methyl rosmarinate ( 4 ; >81 ppm) are the major ones. This outcome could serve as a good basis for chemotaxonomy of the Hyptis plants and is beneficial for developing H. suaveolens stem as anti-hyperuricemic nutraceutical.     

Migration of human neural stem cells toward an intracranial glioma

Many in vivo and in vitro studies have demonstrated the targeted migration of neural stem cells (NSC) to infiltrating brain tumors, including malignant glioma, highlighting a potential therapeutic approach. However, there is not enough information to apply this approach to clinical therapy. The most important things in stem cell therapy for brain tumors involve selecting the appropriate neural progenitor type and optimizing the efficiency of the cell engraftment. By histological analysis using two different live-dyes, human NSCs were shown to migrate away from the transplanted site in the direction of the expanding C6 glioma and to intermix with the tumor bed, especially with the tumor core. This intermixing occurred within 7 days when NSCs were implanted into glioma model. The time course of migratory HB1.F5 with the greatest mobility of three NSC lines was as follows. As early as 3 days after transplantation, several NSCs were found leaving the implant site, primarily approaching microsatellites and frontier cells located near the site of NSC implantation. Through 7 days post-transplantation, massive numbers of NSCs continued to be attracted to and interspersed with C6 glioma, and were finally distributed extensively throughout the whole tumor bed, including the core and penumbra of the tumor mass. However, NSCs appeared to penetrate into the tumor mass very well, whereas normal fibroblast cells could not migrate. These findings strengthen the potential for human NSCs as attractive vehicles to improve therapeutic gene delivery to cancer or glioma if they are optimized to selectively kill neoplastic cells.     

AC electrokinetic isolation and detection of extracellular vesicles from dental pulp stem cells: Theoretical simulation incorporating fluid mechanics

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived nanoscale vesicles involved in intracellular communication and the transportation of biomarkers. EVs released by mesenchymal stem cells have been recently reported to play a role in cell-free therapy of many diseases. However, the demand for better research tools to replace the tedious conventional methods used to study EVs is getting stronger. EVs' manipulation using alternating current (AC) electrokinetic forces in a microfluidic device has appeared to be a reliable and sensitive diagnosis and trapping technique. Given that different AC electrokinetic forces may contribute to the overall motion of particles and fluids in a microfluidic device, EVs' electrokinetic trapping must be examined considering all dominant forces involved depending on the experimental conditions. In this paper, AC electrokinetic trapping of EVs using an interdigitated electrode arrays is investigated. A 2D numerical simulation incorporating the two significant AC electrokinetic phenomena (Dielectrophoresis and AC electroosmosis) has been performed. Theoretical predictions are then compared with experimental results and allow for a plausible explanation of observations inconsistent with DEP theory. It is demonstrated that the inconsistencies can be attributed to a significant extent to the contribution of the AC electroosmotic effect.     

东北寒地水稻茎秆纤维素含量近红外光谱反演

在水稻抗倒伏育种中,水稻茎秆纤维素含量作为重要的作物性状表现型数据,用传统方法获取时受人力成本和时间成本的约束,采集群体大小有限。利用高光谱技术能够实现对作物性状信息的快速、无损检测。为探究水稻茎秆纤维素含量近红外光谱反演模型,以田间小区试验的方式,采集水稻灌浆期至成熟期茎秆基部倒2、3节作为实验样本,并在实验室内使用NIRQuest512型号高光谱仪测得茎秆近红外反射光谱数据;采用标准变量正态变换（SNV）、连续小波变换（CWT）及两种方法结合（SNV-CWT）对原始近红外光谱进行预处理,经对比分析,原始光谱经SNV处理后再通过CWT对应6尺度分解最优,然后采用联合区间偏最小二乘法（SiPLS）、迭代保留信息变量法（IRIV）对最优预处理（SNV-CWT）的光谱特征曲线进行光谱特征变量筛选,分别提取了64个和16个特征变量;为优化模型并提高其模型精度,采用IRIV算法对SiPLS所选的特征变量进行二次筛选,得到6个特征变量,特征波长为1 200, 1 207, 1 325, 1 470, 1 482和1 492 nm,最后基于优选出的特征变量分别建立水稻茎秆纤维素含量的支持向量机回归（εSVR）和核极限学习机（KELM）预测模型,模型参数（惩罚系数C,核函数系数γ和不敏感参数ε）分别采用灰狼算法（GWO）、差分进化灰狼算法（DEGWO）和自适应差分进化灰狼算法（SaDEGWO）进行优化选择。结果表明,采用SNV-CWT方法光谱预处理后,经SiPLS-IRIV方法筛选的特征变量构建的SaDEGWO优化的SVR模型精度最高,模型参数Ｃ,γ,ε分别为302.838 2,0.087 7,0.070 8,测试集的决定性系数（R2_p）为0.880,均方根误差（RMSE_P）为15.22 mg·g-1,剩余预测残差（RPD）为2.91,表明模型具有较好的预测能力,可为水稻茎秆纤维素含量预测提供参考。     

Preparation of Mitochondria- and Epigenetics-Targeting Nanoparticles for Suppression of Cancer Metastasis

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of carcinoma cells is a promising target for cancer therapy since it is closely related to tumor metastasis and therapeutic resistance. The process of EMT is strongly associated with epigenetic alterations in cancer cells. In addition, recent accumulating evidence suggests that EMT also has a significant influence on inducing cancer stem cells (CSCs). In this study, novel polymer core–lipid shell nanoparticles (PLNPs) are prepared to suppress cancer EMT by the combined effects of the antioxidant activity of core-encapsulated Mn imidazolium porphyrin (MnImP) and the epigenetic control by histone acetyltransferase-encoding plasmid DNA (pHAT) hybridized onto the shell surface. PLNPs show the ability to control the expression of EMT-related markers, resulting in the suppression of EMT in lung epithelial cancer cells (paraquat-treated A549 cells). Furthermore, PLNPs suppress the levels of intracellular mitochondrial ROS and the transformation to CSCs. The results of this study may provide a novel therapeutic strategy against tumor metastasis and treatment resistance.