The cellulose system in viscin from mistletoe berries

The cellulose system of the viscous fibrous cellulosic polysaccharide (viscan) in the viscin tissue of the European mistletoe, Viscum album L., was analyzed by chemical and physicochemical techniques including sugar analysis, optical and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray and electron diffraction together with solid state CP/MAS ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy. The results confirmed that in the elongated thin viscin cells, the cellulose microfibrils (having a diameter of around 3 nm) were tightly coiled with their axes perpendicular to the long axis of the cell. Upon stretching these cells became deformed by more than a hundred fold. In such a deformation, the cellulose microfibrils became unwound to be perfectly aligned along the stretching direction. Based on solid-state CP/MAS ¹³C-NMR spectroscopic analysis of the viscin tissue, it was found that its cellulose consisted of I and I polymorphs in the ratio 1:1.     

Choline chloride based deep eutectic solvents for the lignocellulose nanofibril production from Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica)

Cellulose - Lignocellulose nanofibrils (LCNFs) were produced from the biomass of Mongolian oak for the first time using deep eutectic solvent pretreatment and mechanical defibrillation. Three...     

Coptidis Rhizoma Extract Reverses 5-Fluorouracil Resistance in HCT116 Human Colorectal Cancer Cells via Modulation of Thymidylate Synthase

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a malignancy of the colon or rectum. It is ranked as the third most common cancer in both men and women worldwide. Early resection permitted by early detection is the best treatment, and chemotherapy is another main treatment, particularly for patients with advanced CRC. A well-known thymidylate synthase (TS) inhibitor, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), is frequently prescribed to CRC patients; however, drug resistance is a critical limitation of its clinical application. Based on the hypothesis that Coptidis Rhizoma extract (CRE) can abolish this 5-FU resistance, we explored the efficacy and underlying mechanisms of CRE in 5-FU-resistant (HCT116/R) and parental HCT116 (HCT116/WT) cells. Compared to treatment with 5-FU alone, combination treatment with CRE and 5-FU drastically reduced the viability of HCT116/R cells. The cell cycle distribution assay showed significant induction of the G0/G1 phase arrest by co-treatment with CRE and 5-FU. In addition, the combination of CRE and 5-FU notably suppressed the activity of TS, which was overexpressed in HCT116/R cells, as compared to HCT116/WT cells. Our findings support the potential of CRE as an adjuvant agent against 5-FU-resistant colorectal cancers and indicate that the underlying mechanisms might involve inhibition of TS expression.