Resveratrol is a naturally occurring stilbene, a kind of polyphenolic compounds, found in a limited number of plant species such as grape, peanut, and pine. It has been considered as a phytoalexin in plants, and many studies have also shown its health benefits such as antioxidant activities, cancer prevention, blood thinning, and life span extension. This paper reviews the characteristics of resveratrol in aspects of synthesis, extraction, purification, and determination. In particular, the new outcomes of physiology function and the transgenic approaches have been presented. The challenges and chances for genetic engineering and health-related industries were also discussed.
Genetic Engineering ; Plants ; chemistry ; Stilbenes ; chemical synthesis ; metabolism ; pharmacology

The porous foams were prepared by the solvent-casting and particulate-leaching technique using poly(DL-lactide) (PDLLA), poly(DL-lactide)/hydroxyapatite (PDLLA/20wt%HA), and poly(DL-lactide)/beta-tricalcium phosphate(PDLLA/20wt% beta-TCP) respectively. Observations by scanning electron microscopy indicated that the HA and beta-TCP were homogeneously dispersed in the polymer matrix, and the pores of the foams are interconnected, resulting in continuous pore structures. The porosity of PDLLA/HA and PDLLA/beta-TCP foams was lower than that of the pure PDLLA foams, but the compression strength was higher than that of the pure PDLLA foams. The results of the degradation in vitro showed that both HA and beta-TCP had significant inhibitory effects on the degradation of PDLLA, especially the HA. It is expected that the composite foams are of use as scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.
Biocompatible Materials ; chemistry ; Bone Substitutes ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; Calcium Phosphates ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; Durapatite ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; Polyesters ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; Polymers ; chemistry ; Porosity ; Tissue Engineering

The neotype of amphiphilic oligopeptide (C16 H31 O-AAAGGGGDDIKVAV) was synthesized. The framework of three-dimensional and porous hydrogel self-assembly from the amphiphilic oligopeptide on different conditions was explored. The peptide, whose molecular weight (MW) and purity were detected by Mass Spectrometer (MS) and High Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC) respectively, was synthesized in solid phase methods. Peptide was dissolved in 0.1 mol/L Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) solution. 200 microl of 10, 2, 1, 0.5 wt% peptide solutions, which were prepared respectively, were added into the same volume of DMEM/F12, or placed into the vapor of 10 mol/L Hydrochloric acid (HCl), or were used to coat in the surface of coverslip and set into the baking oven at 37 degrees C. The self-assembly hydrogel was examined with transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). MS showed that peptide MW was 1438.31. HPLC testified that the peptide purity was 96%. The peptide solution was self-supported into hydrogel triggered with DMEM/F12 in few seconds, or the thin hydrogel after two hours in the vapor of 10 mol/L HCl, or not hydrogel in the baking oven at 37 degrees C. SEM showed that the hydrogel self-assembly from 10 wt% peptide solution was composed of nanofibers that ranked in layers where there were thick voids. TEM showed that the hydrogel self-assembly from 2, 1, 0.5 wt% peptide solution comprised woven network nanofibers, that the nanofibers of hydrogel self-supported from 1 wt% peptide solution varied from 3 to 6 nm in diameter and 100 nm to 1.5 um in length, that the nanofibers of hydrogel self-supported from 2 wt% peptide solution ranked closely, and there were big voids within the thin nanofibers of hydrogel self-supported from 0.5 wt% peptide solution. The amphiphilic oligopeptide was synthesized and self-organized successfully into porous hydrogel characterized as "intelligent" tissue engineering scaffolds containing the bioactive ligand, which was triggered by DMEM/F12.
Biocompatible Materials ; Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; Peptides ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; Porosity ; Tissue Engineering ; methods ; Tissue Scaffolds ; chemistry

Strontium added into porous hydroxyaptite ceramics has the functions of improving its osseointegration, decreasing its dissolution rate and improving the bone density. Strontium-containing hydroxyaptite (Sr-HA) ceramics has been used as bone replacement and scaffold to treat the osteoporosis and bone default in clinic, but the mechanism of interfacial tissue response caused by the trace element Sr in Sr-HA ceramics still remains to be further studied. Four types of Sr-HA ceramic samples with different contents of Sr were prepared by microwave plasma sintering for testing the response of the soft tissue implanted in dog muscles in our laboratory. The contents of Sr element in the samples are 0 mol%, 1 mol%, 5 mol%, and 7 mol%, respectively. The samples were implanted in the muscle of the dogs for 4 weeks, 8 weeks and 12 weeks, respectively. The histological observations at the end of each period showed that the irritant ranking increased with the content of Sr in Sr-HA ceramics at the end of 12 weeks, and there were rich bone tissue in Sr-HA ceramic samples with 5 mol% Sr element. The overdose of element Sr is harmful to soft tissues. When the content of Sr in Sr-HA ceramic was below 5 mol%, the soft tissue response was very slight and the new bones were induced to grow well.
Animals ; Bone Substitutes ; chemical synthesis ; Ceramics ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; Dogs ; Durapatite ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; Female ; Male ; Muscle, Skeletal ; surgery ; Osseointegration ; physiology ; Porosity ; Prostheses and Implants ; Strontium ; chemistry ; Tissue Engineering

The advances of industrial biotechnology highly depend on the development of industrial bioprocess researches. In China, we are facing several challenges because of a huge national industrial fermentation capacity. The industrial bioprocess development experienced several main stages. This work mainly reviews the development of the industrial bioprocess in China during the past 30 or 40 years: including the early stage kinetics model study derived from classical chemical engineering, researching method based on control theory, multiple-parameter analysis techniques of on-line measuring instruments and techniques, and multi-scale analysis theory, and also solid state fermentation techniques and fermenters. In addition, the cutting edge of bioprocess engineering was also addressed.
Bioengineering ; history ; Bioreactors ; Biotechnology ; Chemical Engineering ; China ; Fermentation ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century

Several complexes with different mass ratios of hyaluronic acid to pectin were studied using AFM and IR at the room temperature kept by air conditioning. The results showed that hyaluronic acid and pectin were in the state of being complex and were consistent when the concentrations of hyaluronic acid and pectin were above 1 mg/ml and 5 mg/ml respectively, and the mass ratio was 1 : 5. The complex self-assembled to composite grain-shaped film. In comparison with simple hyaluronic acid, the viscosity of hylauronic acid and pectin complex was stronger, and water-solubility was lower. The complex has the bio-function of both hylauronic acid and pectin and has wide application potential in the field of biomedical engineering.
Chemical Phenomena ; Hyaluronic Acid ; chemistry ; Pectins ; chemistry ; Solubility ; Tissue Engineering ; Viscosity

Gene synthesis is the most fundamental and widely used technique in biological research. The synthesis of DNA encoding regulatory elements, genes, pathways and entire genomes provides powerful ways to both test biological hypotheses and harness biology for our use. The emerging field of synthetic biology is generating insatiable demands for synthetic genes. And the past couple of years witnessed exciting new developments in microchip-based gene synthesis technologies. This review discusses the current methods of chemical DNA synthesis and gene assembly, as well as the latest engineering tools, technologies and trends which could potentially lead to breakthroughs in the development of accurate, low-cost and high-throughput gene synthesis technology. These new technologies are leading the field of synthetic biology to a higher level.
DNA ; chemical synthesis ; genetics ; Genes, Synthetic ; genetics ; Genetic Engineering ; methods ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis

For energy security, air pollution concerns, coupled with the desire to sustain the agricultural sector and revitalize the rural economy, many countries have applied ethanol as oxygenate or fuel to supplement or replace gasoline in transportation sector. Because of abundant feedstock resources and effective reduction of green-house-gas emissions, the cellulosic ethanol has attracted great attention. With a couple of pioneers beginning to produce this biofuel from biomass in commercial quantities around the world, it is necessary to solve engineering problems and complete the economic assessment in 2015-2016, gradually enter the commercialization stage. To avoid "competing for food with humans and competing for land with food", the 1st generation fuel ethanol will gradually transit to the 2nd generation cellulosic ethanol. Based on the overview of cellulosic ethanol industrialization from domestic and abroad in recent years, the main engineering application problems encountered in pretreatment, enzymes and enzymatic hydrolysis, pentose/hexose co-fermentation strains and processes, equipment were discussed from chemical engineering and biotechnology perspective. The development direction of cellulosic ethanol technology in China was addressed.
Biofuels ; Biomass ; Biotechnology ; Cellulose ; chemistry ; Chemical Engineering ; China ; Ethanol ; chemistry ; Fermentation ; Hydrolysis

Self-assembly of peptides is ubiquitous in the body of creatures. The molecules of peptides combine with each other to form proteins with different functions through self-assembly. The formation of a specific conformation of one type of protein is owing to the self-assembly of its compositive amino acids. So, researchers can design self-assembly of peptides at the molecular level and can control its formation and configuration. It has the potential for application in the preparation of new medicines and biomaterials. In recent years, self-assembling peptides have been increasingly high-lighted and used to simulate the function of natural biomolecules, to synthesize peptide-medicine, and to serve as the carriers of medicine.
Biocompatible Materials ; chemical synthesis ; Molecular Conformation ; Nanotechnology ; methods ; Peptides ; chemistry ; Protein Engineering ; methods

The term "blood substitutes" includes plasma substitutes and blood cell substitutes in the broad sense, but in its narrow sense, it means red blood cell (RBC) substitutes, platelet substitutes and white blood cell (WBC) substitutes. The RBC substitutes includes perfluorocarbon, hemoglobin-based and encapsuled substitutes. The hemoglobin-based substitutes which was widely researched in the world includes human hemoglobin-based, animal hemoglobin-based and gene recombined hemoglobin based substitutes. The function and immunology of WBC is very complicated, so it is rarely used in clinic. Nowadays the platelet substitutes pursued by the researches and developments includes mainly the liposome and collagenic fiber species substitutes.
Blood Substitutes ; chemical synthesis ; Fluorocarbons ; chemistry ; Hemoglobins ; chemistry ; Humans ; Recombinant Proteins ; chemistry ; Tissue Engineering ; methods