TGF-β1 induction of the adenine nucleotide translocator 1 in astrocytes occurs through Smads and Sp1 transcription factors

Background  

The adenine nucleotide translocator 1 (Ant1) is an inner mitochondrial membrane protein involved with energy mobilization during oxidative phosphorylation. We recently showed that rodent Ant1 is upregulated by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) in reactive astrocytes following CNS injury. In the present study, we describe the molecular mechanisms by which TGF-β1 regulates Ant1 gene expression in cultured primary rodent astrocytes.     

Effect of disorder on relaxation in the one-dimensional Glauber model

We study the long-time relaxation of magnetization in a disordered linear chain of Ising spins from an initially aligned state. The coupling constants are ferromagnetic and nearest-neighbor only, taking valuesJ ₀ andJ ₁ with probabilitiesp and 1–p, respectively. The time evolution of the system is governed by the Glauber master equation. It is shown that for large timest, the magnetizationM(t) varies as [exp(–₀ t](t), where ₀ is a function of the stronger bond strengthJ ₀ only, and (t) decreases slower than an exponential. For very long times, we find that ln (t) varies as –t ^1/3. For low enough temperatures, there is an intermediate time regime when ln (t) varies as –t ^1/2. The results can be extended to more general probability distributions of ferromagnetic coupling constants, assuming thatM(t) can only increase if any bond in the chain is strengthened. If the coupling constants have a continuous distribution in which the probability density varies as a power law near some maximum valueJ ₀, we find that ln (t) varies as –t ^1/3(lnt)^2/3 for large times.     

Trends and Technological Advancements in the Possible Food Applications of Spirulina and Their Health Benefits: A Review

Spirulina is a kind of blue-green algae (BGA) that is multicellular, filamentous, and prokaryotic. It is also known as a cyanobacterium. It is classified within the phylum known as blue-green algae. Despite the fact that it includes a high concentration of nutrients, such as proteins, vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids—in particular, the necessary omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids—the percentage of total fat and cholesterol that can be found in these algae is substantially lower when compared to other food sources. This is the case even if the percentage of total fat that can be found in these algae is also significantly lower. In addition to this, spirulina has a high concentration of bioactive compounds, such as phenols, phycocyanin pigment, and polysaccharides, which all take part in a number of biological activities, such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. As a result of this, spirulina has found its way into the formulation of a great number of medicinal foods, functional foods, and nutritional supplements. Therefore, this article makes an effort to shed light on spirulina, its nutritional value as a result of its chemical composition, and its applications to some food product formulations, such as dairy products, snacks, cookies, and pasta, that are necessary at an industrial level in the food industry all over the world. In addition, this article supports the idea of incorporating it into the food sector, both from a nutritional and health perspective, as it offers numerous advantages.     

Ageratum conyzoides L. and Its Secondary Metabolites in the Management of Different Fungal Pathogens

Ageratum conyzoides L. (Family—Asteraceae) is an annual aromatic invasive herb, mainly distributed over the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It owns a reputed history of indigenous remedial uses, including as a wound dressing, an antimicrobial, and mouthwash as well as in treatment of dysentery, diarrhea, skin diseases, etc. In this review, the core idea is to present the antifungal potential of the selected medicinal plant and its secondary metabolites against different fungal pathogens. Additionally, toxicological studies (safety profile) conducted on the amazing plant A. conyzoides L. are discussed for the possible clinical development of this medicinal herb. Articles available from 2000 to 2020 were reviewed in detail to exhibit recent appraisals of the antifungal properties of A. conyzoides. Efforts were aimed at delivering evidences for the medicinal application of A. conyzoides by using globally recognized scientific search engines and databases so that an efficient approach for filling the lacunae in the research and development of antifungal drugs can be adopted. After analyzing the literature, it can be reported that the selected medicinal plant effectively suppressed the growth of numerous fungal species, such as Aspergillus, Alternaria, Candida, Fusarium, Phytophthora, and Pythium, owing to the presence of various secondary metabolites, particularly chromenes, terpenoids, flavonoids and coumarins. The possible mechanism of action of different secondary metabolites of the plant against fungal pathogens is also discussed briefly. However, it was found that only a few studies have been performed to demonstrate the plant’s dosage and safety profile in humans. Considered all together, A. conyzoides extract and its constituents may act as a promising biosource for the development of effective antifungal formulations for clinical use. However, in order to establish safety and efficacy, additional scientific research is required to explore chronic toxicological effects of ageratum, to determine the probability of interactions when used with different herbs, and to identify safe dosage. The particulars presented here not only bridge this gap but also furnish future research strategies for the investigators in microbiology, ethno-pharmacology, and drug discovery.     

Crystal Structure of 3-[1-(4-Methylphenyl)-9,10-dihydro-4-azaphenanthren-3-yl]benzo[f]coumarin

Crystallography Reports - The crystal structure of the title compound is determined by single crystal X-ray structure analysis. The structure was solved by direct method and refined to a final...     

Synthesis of 4-(2-chloroethyl)-2,3-dihydro[1,4]oxazino[2,3-b]quinoline and 4-(2-chloroethyl)2,3-dihydropyrido[2,3-b][1,4]oxazine

The title compounds were synthesized from 3-[bis(2-hydroxyethyl)amino]quinolin-2(1H)-one 11a and 3-[bis(2-hydroxyethyl)amino]pyridin-2(1H)-one 18 respectively. The preparation involved a tandem chlorination/cyclization reaction.     

Strategic engineering of alkyl spacer length for a pH-tolerant lysosome marker and dual organelle localization

Long-term visualization of lysosomal properties is extremely crucial to evaluate diseases related to their dysfunction. However, many of the reported lysotrackers are less conducive to imaging lysosomes precisely because they suffer from fluorescence quenching and other inherent drawbacks such as pH-sensitivity, polarity insensitivity, water insolubility, slow diffusibility, and poor photostability. To overcome these limitations, we have utilized an alkyl chain length engineering strategy and synthesized a series of lysosome targeting fluorescent derivatives namely NIMCs by attaching a morpholine moiety at the peri position of the 1,8-naphthalimide (NI) ring through varying alkyl spacers between morpholine and 1,8-naphthalimide. The structural and optical properties of the synthesized NIMCs were explored by ¹H-NMR, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, UV-Vis, and fluorescence spectroscopy. Afterward, optical spectroscopic measurements were carefully performed to identify a pH-tolerant, polarity sensitive, and highly photostable fluoroprobes for further live-cell imaging applications. NIMC6 displayed excellent pH-tolerant and polarity-sensitive properties. Consequently, all NIMCs were employed in kidney fibroblast cells (BHK-21) to investigate their applicability for lysosome targeting and probing lysosomal micropolarity. Interestingly, a switching of localization from lysosomes to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) was also achieved by controlling the linker length and this phenomenon was subsequently applied in determining ER micropolarity. Additionally, the selected probe NIMC6 was also employed in BHK-21 cells for 3-D spheroid imaging and in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) for in vivo imaging, to evaluate its efficacy for imaging animal models.

A series naphthalimide-based fluorophores were designed by alkyl spacer length engineering to discover a pH-tolerant lysosomal marker. This approach also allows to probe lysosome-related organelles in C. elegans and communication between organelles.     

A Tailor‐Made Synthetic Polymer for Cell Encapsulation: Design Rationale,Synthesis, Chemical–Physics and Biological Characterizations

This study presents a custom‐made in situ gelling polymeric precursor for cell encapsulation. Composed of poly((2‐hydroxyethyl)methacrylate‐co‐(3‐aminopropyl)methacrylamide) (P(HEMA‐co‐APM) mother backbone and RGD‐mimicking poly(amidoamine) (PAA) moiteis, the comb‐like structured polymeric precursor is tailored to gather the advantages of the two families of synthetic polymers, i.e., the good mechanical integrity of PHEMA‐based polymers and the biocompatibility and biodegradability of PAAs. The role of P(HEMA‐co‐APM) in the regulation of the chemico‐physical properties of P(HEMA‐co‐APM)/PAA hydrogels is thoroughly investigated. On the basis of obtained results, namely the capability of maintaining vital NIH3T3 cell line in vitro for 2 d in a 3D cell culture, the in vivo biocompatibility in murine model for 16 d, and the ability of finely tuning mechanical properties and degradation kinetics, it can be assessed that P(HEMA‐co‐APM)/PAAs offer a cost‐effective valid alternative to the so far studied natural polymer‐based systems for cell encapsulation.

     

Resolution of (+/-)-ibuprofen using (-)-brucine as a chiral selector by thin layer chromatography

The enantiomeric resolution of (+/-)-ibuprofen into its enantiomers was achieved by TLC on silica gel plate using optically pure (-)-brucine as a chiral selector and acetonitrile-methanol (5:1, v/v) as the solvent system. Spots were located in an iodine chamber. The detection limit was 4.9 microg. The effect of concentration of the chiral selector, temperature and pH on resolution has been studied.