Trichosanthes kirilowii ameliorates cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in both in vitro and in vivo

The aim of this study was to explore the protective effects of Trichosanthes kirilowii ethanol extract (TKE) against cisplatin-induced acute renal failure (ARF). In the in vitro study, TKE-pretreated porcine kidney cells (PK15) exhibited enhanced cell viability after cisplatin (15 μg mL^? 1) treatment in both MTT and crystal violet assays. PK15 cells pretreated with TKE (50 μg mL^? 1) exhibited increased glutathione content, decreased reactive oxygen species production and ameliorated p53 expression. In vivo study, rats were administered with TKE for 4 weeks before cisplatin (5 mg kg^? 1) injection. TKE (100 mg kg^? 1) decreased blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels by 24% and 47%, respectively, in comparison with cisplatin-alone group. In addition, TKE pretreatment ameliorated cisplatin-induced oxidative stress, as evidenced by increased antioxidative enzyme levels and decreased lipid peroxidation levels. Moreover, TKE pretreatment reduced histopathological alterations in the kidney with decreased apoptotic cells. Taken together, TKE might be beneficial in treating cisplatin-induced ARF.     

Preface

<正>Organic photovoltaics(OPVs),especially the solutionprocessable organic photovoltaic materials and devices,have attracted great attention in recent years because of the advantages of simple device structure,low cost,light weight and flexibility of the organic solar cells(OSCs).The highest power conversion efficiency of the OSCs has been im-     

Kinetics of glass transition,crystallization and soft magnetic properties of the Fe76.5Nb3B20Cu0.5 glassy alloys

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Differential scanning calorimetry was used to investigate the non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of the Fe76.5Nb3B20Cu0.5 glassy alloys. The...     

Heat transfer coefficient distribution in inner surface of stator ventilation duct for large capacity air-cooled turbine generator

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The stator ventilation duct is the main path for fluid flowing to cool the stator bar and the core. Considering the complexity of the ventilation...     

Chemical treatments on the cuticle layer enhancing the uranium(VI) uptake from aqueous solution by amidoximated wool fibers

Urea, sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide were used to treat the cuticle layer of wool before graft copolymerization and amidoximation to enhance the uranium uptaking capacity of amidoximated wool fiber based adsorbent (Wool-g-AOs). The wool-g-AOs were used for recovery of U(VI) from aqueous solutions. The simulated nuclear industry effluent was used for investigating the selectivity and industrial applicability of Wool-g-AOs. The adsorption of uranium(VI) on Wool-g-AOs was pH dependent. The Langmuir model fitted well with the equilibrium data. Kinetic data were fitted well to pseudo second order model.

     

Cloning and Characterization of Cold-Adapted α-Amylase from Antarctic <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arthrobacter agilis</Emphasis>

In this study, the gene encoding an α-amylase from a psychrophilic Arthrobacter agilis PAMC 27388 strain was cloned into a pET-28a(+) vector and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). The recombinant α-amylase with a molecular mass of about 80 kDa was purified by using Ni²⁺-NTA affinity chromatography. This recombinant α-amylase exhibited optimal activity at pH 3.0 and 30 °C and was highly stable at varying temperatures (30–60 °C) and within the pH range of 4.0–8.0. Furthermore, α-amylase activity was enhanced in the presence of FeCl₃ (1 mM) and β-mercaptoethanol (5 mM), while CoCl₂ (1 mM), ammonium persulfate (5 mM), SDS (10 %), Triton X-100 (10 %), and urea (1 %) inhibited the enzymatic activity. Importantly, the presence of Ca²⁺ ions and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) did not affect enzymatic activity. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) analysis showed that recombinant A. agilis α-amylase hydrolyzed starch, maltotetraose, and maltotriose, producing maltose as the major end product. These results make recombinant A. agilis α-amylase an attractive potential candidate for industrial applications in the textile, paper, detergent, and pharmaceutical industries.     

Synthesis of TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanotubes using different alkaline media and their applications in photocatalysis and DSSCs

TiO₂ nanotubes (TNTs) were successfully synthesized from different alkaline media (i.e., NaOH and KOH) by using a microwave hydrothermal process. The effects of different alkaline media on the formation of TiO₂ nanotubes and their physicochemical properties were investigated. The phases of different TiO₂ nanostructures were studied by using X-ray diffraction patterns. Morphologies of the nanostructures were observed with a transmission electron microscope. The optical properties of the nanostructures were evaluated through the absorption behavior using UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activities of the TiO₂ nanostructures were evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue aqueous dye solution under the simulated solar light irradiation. Similarly, the photovoltaic efficiencies of the prepared samples were investigated by making photo-anode layers in the Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs). The results revealed that in comparison to the single layered TiO₂ nanostructures in the DSSC, creation of a double layer structure significantly enhanced the efficiency of DSSC.