The Alleviating Effect of Lagerstroemia indica Flower Extract on Stretch Marks through Regulation of Mast Cells

Striae distensae (SD) or stretch marks are common linear scars of atrophic skin with disintegrating extracellular matrix (ECM) structures. Although fibroblasts contribute to the construction of ECM structure in SD, some studies have reported that mast cell degranulation causes the disruption of ECM in early SD lesions. Lagerstroemia indica flower (LIF) has traditionally been used in India as a diuretic. However, little is known about the effect and molecular action of Lagerstroemia indica flower extract (LIFE) on alleviating SD. This study evaluated the effects of LIFE on mast cell degranulation and the synthesis of ECM components in fibroblasts. LIFE inhibits the adhesion of rat basophilic leukemia (RBL) cells, RBL-2H3 on fibronectin (FN) and the expression of integrin, a receptor for FN, thereby reducing focal adhesion kinase (FAK) phosphorylation. In addition, LIFE attenuated the allergen-induced granules and cytokine interleukin 3 (IL-3) through the adhesion with FN. Moreover, the conditioned medium (CM) of activated mast cells decreases the synthesis of ECM components, and LIFE restores the abnormal expressions induced by activated mast cells. These results demonstrate that LIFE suppresses FN-induced mast cell activation and promotes the synthesis of ECM components in fibroblast, which indicates that LIFE may be a useful cosmetic agent for SD treatment.     

Preparation of functional spherical polysilsesquioxane/gold nanoparticle composites and their applications in DNA assay

Functional spherical solid and hollow particles of polysilsesquioxanes (PSQs) containing amine, thiol, and vinyl groups were prepared by polymerizing organotrialkoxysilanes (OTASs) containing corresponding chemical groups. Fluorescent PSQ particles were prepared by physically entrapping Rhodamine 6G, Coumarin 7, and Fluoresceine sodium salts. The intensity of fluorescent light increased initially with increasing amount of entrapped fluorophores and then leveled off or decreased slightly after reaching a maximum value. PSQ particles containing gold nanoparticles (GNPs), both inside and on the surface, were prepared by the in situ reduction of gold ions by the PSQ particles. When the reduction reaction was carried out for extended periods of time, the GNP that had formed inside the poly(3-mercaptopropyl)silsesquioxane (PMPSQ) and polyvinylsilsesequioxane (PVSQ) particles underwent interesting morphological changes. PSQ particles containing amine and thiol groups fixed the GNPs on the surface, which could be utilized further in binding amine-modified oligo-DNA strands. The aggregation of PSQ/GNP particles combined with complementary oligo-DNA strands was examined to demonstrate that these particles could be applied to DNA assays and isolation. The particles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, solid state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, ultraviolet/visible spectroscopy, and fluorescence microscopy.     

Microfluidic Study on the Two-Phase Fluid Flow in Porous Media During Repetitive Drainage-Imbibition Cycles and Implications to the CAES Operation

Transport in Porous Media - Compressed air energy storage (CAES) technology has been re-emerging as a viable energy storage option to address challenges coming from the mismatch between renewable...     

Structure and transmittance behavior of sol–gel silica nanoparticles synthesized using pH-stable alkanolamines

Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology - Although sol–gel silica nanoparticles are widely used in academic and industrial applications, only a few studies have focused on amine catalysts...     

Inorganic species formation in a discharged water generating system

Inorganic species formation in a discharged water generating (DWG) system consisting of a plane-to-plane electrode arrangement with a 20 kV, 20 mA and 1 kHz power source has been investigated. The DWG system is able to produce the various oxidants HNO₂, HNO₃ and O₃, as well as OH radicals and many other unconfirmed radicals. These products can play an important role in the advanced oxidation of organic compounds and in rot protection. The pH of water discharged from the system for 20 min during inflow of natural air was about 3, nitrogen concentrations of nitrite and nitrate were 4.6 mg/L and 7.9 mg/L, respectively, residual dissolved ozone concentration was 0.7 mg/L and the oxidation power as measured by KI titration methods was approximately equivalent to 46 mg-O₃/L.     

Generation and detection of the radical cation and the dication derived from 4,9‐diethyl[1,4]dihydrodithiino[5,6‐f]benzotrithiole and its 5‐oxide

4,9‐Diethyl[1,4]dihydrodithiino[5,6‐f]benzotrithiole (DTBT) gave a radical cation, DTBT(•+), and a dication, DTBT(2+), on treatment with a single‐electron oxidizing reagent. Both compounds showed an ESR signal, whereas the dication, generated by this procedure, was silent for ¹H NMR. Hydrolysis of DTBT(2+) gave DTBT 1‐oxide (DTBT 1‐O) and 2‐oxide (DTBT 2‐O) together with DTBT and a mixture of several dioxides. A singlet‐state dication, DTBT(2+)‐S, which was generated upon treatment of DTBT 5‐oxide (DTBT 5‐O) with concentrated D₂SO₄, was detected by ¹H and ¹³C NMR. After 20 h, the NMR signals disappeared while the solution was active for ESR. The results suggest that (i) a species generated from DTBT by oxidation with the single‐electron oxidizing reagent is a triplet‐state dication, DTBT(2+)‐T, and (ii) DTBT(2+)‐S, initially generated, gradually isomerizes to DTBT(2+)‐T in the solution, and DTBT(2+)‐T forms a partial spin pair. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 19:394–401, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/hc.20445     

Bioconversion of fumarate to succinate using glycerol as a carbon source

In this study, a facultative bacterium that converts fumarate to succinate at a high yield was isolated. The yield of biocon version was enhanced about 1.2 times by addition of glucose into culture medium at an initial concentration of 6 g/L. When the initial cell density was high (2 g/L), the succinate produced at pH 7.0 for initial fumarate concentrations of 30, 50, 80, and 100 g/L were 29.3, 40.9, 63.6, and 82.5 g/L, respectively, showing an increase with the initial fumarate concentration. The high yield of 96.8%/mole of fumarate in just 4 h was obtained at the initial fumarate concentration of 30 g/L. Comparing these values to those obtained with low cell culture (0.2 g/L), we found that the amount of succinate produced was similar, but the production rate in the high cell culture was about three times higher than was the case in the low cell culture. This strain converted fumarate to succinate at a rate of 3.5 g/L·h under the sparge of CO₂.