Fisetin Inhibits UVB‐induced Cutaneous Inflammation and Activation of PI3K/AKT/NFκB Signaling Pathways in SKH‐1 Hairless Mice

Solar ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation has been shown to induce inflammation, DNA damage, p53 mutations and alterations in signaling pathways eventually leading to skin cancer. In this study, we investigated whether fisetin reduces inflammatory responses and modulates PI3K/AKT/NFκB cell survival signaling pathways in UVB‐exposed SKH‐1 hairless mouse skin. Mice were exposed to 180 mJ cm^?2 of UVB radiation on alternate days for a total of seven exposures, and fisetin (250 and 500 nmol) was applied topically after 15 min of each UVB exposure. Fisetin treatment to UVB‐exposed mice resulted in decreased hyperplasia and reduced infiltration of inflammatory cells. Fisetin treatment also reduced inflammatory mediators such as COX‐2, PGE₂ as well as its receptors (EP1–EP4) and MPO activity. Furthermore, fisetin reduced the level of inflammatory cytokines TNFα, IL‐1β and IL‐6 in UVB‐exposed skin. Fisetin treatment also reduced cell proliferation markers as well as DNA damage as evidenced by increased expression of p53 and p21 proteins. Further studies revealed that fisetin inhibited UVB‐induced expression of PI3K, phosphorylation of AKT and activation of the NFκB signaling pathway in mouse skin. Overall, these data suggest that fisetin may be useful against UVB‐induced cutaneous inflammation and DNA damage.     

Synergistic effect of aluminum trihydrate and zirconium hydroxide nanoparticles on mechanical properties,flammability, and thermal degradation of polyester/jute fiber composite

Cellulose - This study focuses on the synergistic effects of hydroxide based nanoparticles namely aluminum trihydrate (ATH) and zirconium hydroxide (ZHO) on the mechanical characteristics, thermal...     

Synthesis,Electrical Conductivity,Spectral and Thermal Stability Studies on Poly(aniline-co-o-nitroaniline)

o-Nitroaniline units were incorporated in the polyaniline backbone through copolymerization with aniline. The copolymers were synthesized for 1:3 and 1:1 molar ratios of aniline and o-nitroaniline in acidic medium using potassium persulphate as oxidant and their properties were compared with that of polyaniline. The polymers showed less electrical conductivity than polyaniline. Unlike polyaniline, the presence of nitro group caused higher frequency dependence of electrical conductivity. Electronic spectra showed a blue shift in both the band of the copolymers due to the decrease in the extent of conjugation leading to lower conductivity, which could also be explained in terms of a decrease of delocalization of electron as evinced from electron para magnetic resonance (EPR) data. Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed that copolymer derived from 1:1 molar ratio showed comparable thermal stability with polyaniline and the one derived from 1:3 molar ratios is thermally less stable than polyaniline. Activation energies for thermal degradation were estimated using Broido equation. The temperature dependence of electrical conductivity suggested charge transport is mainly through variable range hopping.     

Armatans A and B,New Antimicrobial Isoflavans from Colutea armata

Chemistry of Natural Compounds - Armatans A (1) and B (2), new isoflavans, have been isolated from the EtOAc-soluble fraction of the MeOH extract of Colutea armata Hemsl. & Lace, along with...     

Classification of partially reflecting surfaces using photodetached electron spectrum

Photodetachment spectra of H^? near a partially reflecting surface is investigated by closed orbit theory. A reflection parameter K is introduced for the analysis of the photodetached‐electron spectrum. Factor K controls the spectra on the screen and strongly depends on the surface properties of a material. This parameter can effectively be used for the classification of surfaces using photodetachment microscopy. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2010     

Synthesis,Electrical, Electronic and Charge Transport Properties of Poly(aniline‐co‐p‐toluidine)

Copolymers of aniline with p‐toluidine were synthesized for different molar ratios of the respective monomers in acid medium. The electrical conductivity, charge transport and spectral characteristics upon incorporation of p‐toluidine units into the polyaniline backbone were investigated. The electrical conductivity of the copolymers showed frequency dependence which became more prominent with an increase in the number of p‐toluidine units in the polyaniline backbone. A direct relationship between the frequency dependence and electron localization was observed in the copolymers. Electronic spectra showed blue shifts in the π→π*and benzenoid→quinoid transitions revealing a decrease in the extent of conjugation in the copolymers. The protonated forms of the copolymers were soluble in DMSO giving polaron band around 400 nm. The decrease in electrical conductivity was attributed to the greater electron localizations as revealed from the broader ESR signals. Temperature dependence of electrical conductivity showed that charge transport was mainly through variable range hopping though a mixed conduction behavior was observed at higher temperature range.     

Effects of temperature and pressure on thermodynamic properties of Cd0.25Zn0.75 alloy

Thermodynamic properties of Cd_0.25Zn_0.75Se alloy are studied using quasi harmonic model for pressure range of 0 GPa-10 GPa and temperature range 0 K-1000 K. The structural optimization is obtained by self-consistent field calculations and full-potential linearized muffin-tin orbital method with GGA+U as an exchange correlation functional where U=2.3427 eV is Hubbard potential. The effects of temperature and pressure on bulk modulus, Helmholtz free energy, internal energy, entropy, Debye temperature, Grüneisen parameter, thermal expansion coefficient, and heat capacities of the material are observed and discussed. The bulk modulus, Helmholtz free energy, and Debye temperature are found to be decreased on increasing temperature while there is an increasing behavior with rise of the pressure. Whereas the internal energy has increasing trend with the rise in temperature and it almost remains insensitive to pressure. The entropy of the system increases (decreases) with rise of pressure (temperature).     

Interferences in Photodetachment of a Negative Molecular Ion

The photodetachment of a negative molecular ion is studied theoretically using a two-center model. The detached electron wave function is obtained as a superposition of two coherent waves originating from each center. The photo-detached electron flux is evaluated on a screen placed at a large distance from the negative molecular ion. The electron flux on the screen displays strong interferences, the peak positions are related to the distance between the two centers in the negative molecular ion. We a/so obtained a simple analytical formula for the total photodetachment cross section. It approaches one and two times of the cross section for the one-center system in the high and lowphoton energy limits respectively.     

Prevention of ultraviolet-B radiation damage by resveratrol in mouse skin is mediated via modulation in survivin

Nonmelanoma skin cancer is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy in the United States, and multiple exposures to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation (particularly its UV-B component, 290-320 nm), is its major cause. 'Chemoprevention' by naturally occurring agents is being appreciated as a newer dimension in the management of neoplasia including skin cancer. We recently demonstrated that resveratrol (trans-3, 5, 4-trihydroxystilbene), an antioxidant found in grapes, red wines and a variety of nuts and berries, imparts protection from acute UV-B-mediated cutaneous damages in SKH-1 hairless mice. Understanding the mechanism of resveratrol-mediated protection of UV responses is important. We earlier demonstrated that resveratrol imparts chemopreventive effects against multiple UV-exposure-mediated modulations in (1) cki-cyclin-cdk network, and (2) mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK)-pathway. This study was conducted to assess the involvement of inhibitor of apoptosis protein family Survivin during resveratrol-mediated protection from multiple exposures of UV-B (180 mJ/cm(2); on alternate days; for a total of seven exposures) radiations in the SKH-1 hairless mouse skin. Our data demonstrated that topical pre-treatment of resveratrol (10 micromol in 200 microl acetone/mouse) resulted in significant inhibition of UV-B exposure-mediated increases in (1) cellular proliferations (Ki-67 immunostaining), (2) protein levels of epidermal cyclooxygenase-2 and ornithine decarboxylase, established markers of tumor promotion, (3) protein and messenger RNA levels of Survivin, and (4) phosphorylation of survivin in the skin of SKH-1 hairless mouse. Resveratrol pretreatment also resulted in (1) reversal of UV-B-mediated decrease of Smac/DIABLO, and (2) enhancement of UV-B-mediated induction of apoptosis, in mouse skin. Taken together, our study suggested that resveratrol imparts chemopreventive effects against UV-B exposure-mediated damages in SKH-1 hairless mouse skin via inhibiting Survivin and the associated events.