Object To establish an analysis method for determ in ation of irone in Iris tectorum Maxim. f. alba Makino. Methods The three isomers of irone were quantitatively analyz ed by GC-MS. Irone in I. tectorum extract was determinated by GC. Results The three isomers of irone, ?, ?, ?- irone were s p eculated according to the MS splitting decomposition law. Irone contents in the extract were 687, 238 ?g/g (n=6), which h ad much difference. Conclusion The analysis method for irone by GC-MS and GC is hig her efficiency, precise, and the analysis time is acceptable.

Human enterovirus 71 (EV71) is one of the major etiological agents for the hand, foot, and month disease (HFMD) and is causing frequent, widespread occurrence in the mainland of China. The single positive-stranded RNA genome of EV71 is translated into a single polyprotein which is autocleavaged into structural and nonstructural proteins. The functions of many nonstructural proteins characterized in the life cycle of virus are potential targets for blocking viral replication. This article reviews the studies of the structures and functions of nonstructural proteins of EV71 and the anti-enterovirus 71 drugs targeting on these nonstructural proteins.

Peptide cyclization, a pivotal approach to modifying linear precursors of proteins and pepticles, has been used to enhance their biological activities and serum stabilities. Recently, sortase A (SrtA) from Staphyloccus aureus becomes a promising new technology for efficiently incorporating site specific modifications into proteins, conjugating the cell surface and cyclizing the linear peptides. In this study, we constructed two recombinant expression systems, one with chitin binding domain and the other with six-histidine tag and chitin binding domain on the N-terminal of SrtA, separately. The results of enzymatic kinetics indicate that the two recombinant tags do not impair the transpeptidase activity of SrtA compared with the standard reaction reported under the same reaction condition. The two synthesized peptides with N-ternimal three glycines and C-terminal penta-amino acid motif, LPETG, were cyclized using immobilized and recycled SrtA. The SrtA-based cyclization promises to represent a simple method for easy and efficient enzymatic synthesis of large cyclic peptides.

The synthetic biology matures to promote the heterologous biosynthesis of the well-known drug paclitaxel that is one of the most important and active chemotherapeutic agents for the first-line clinical treatment of cancer. This review focuses on the construction and regulation of the biosynthetic pathway of paclitaxel intermediates in both Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In particular, the review also features the early efforts to design and overproduce taxadiene and the bottleneck of scale fermentation for producing the intermediates.

Objective To investigate the clinical features and diagnosis and treatment of acute fatty liver of pregnancy(AFLP). Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 12 patients with AFLP who were diagnosed and treated in Department of Infec-tious Diseases,Tongji Hospital,Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology,from April 2012 to March 2017, including general data,clinical manifestations,laboratory markers,imaging examinations,treatment,and prognosis. Results All 12 pa-tients developed AFLP in late pregnancy,and major clinical manifestations included gastrointestinal symptoms,liver failure,jaundice,and coagulation disorder. All patients were given multimodality therapy to protect the liver,improve coagulation,and reduce infection;11 pa-tients underwent cesarean section;6 underwent blood filtration;5 underwent plasma exchange. One patient died,resulting in a mortality rate of 8.3%;5 perinatal infants died,resulting in a mortality rate of 35.7%. Conclusion In patients with AFLP,early diagnosis,timely ter-mination of pregnancy,maximum symptomatic/supportive treatment,and control of infection,as well as the artificial liver support system,is the key to improving the prognosis of mothers and infants.

Following rapid social and economic development over the past several decades,pollution by heavy metals has been both serious and widespread in many areas of the world,including China.The situations of heavy metal pollution in China were reviewed,and the health risk and control policy of such pollution were also analyzed and discussed in present paper.

Millettia nitida var.hirsutissima is a Chinese herbal medicine used for the treatment of gynecological diseases.An HPLC/DAD/ESI-MSn method was established for the rapid separation and characterization of bioactive flavonoids in M.nitida var.hirsutissima.A total of 32 flavonoids were detected,of which 14 compounds were unambiguously characterized by comparing their retention time,UV,and MS spectra with those of the reference standards,and the others were tentatively identified based on their tandem mass spectrometry fragmentation data obtained in the negative ionization mode on line.Nineteen of these compounds characterized were reported from this plant for the first time.

Three cyclotides were isolated from the whole plant of Viola yedoensis in this study. The two, vary peptide E and cycloviolacin Y5, were previously reported, and a novel cycloviolacin VY1 was characterized according to the interpretation of MS/MS fragmentation of peptides which were produced from the reduced and alkylated parent peptide with the digestion of Endo Lys-C, trypsin and chymotrypsin, separately. The stability of remarkable resistance to proteolytic degradation by trypsin and chymotrypsin, and that of thermal denaturation was confirmed again. Besides, the IC50 value of cycloviolacin VYI against influenza A H1N1 virus was (2.27 +/- 0.20) microg x mL(-1). It is the first cyclotide reported with anti-influenza A H1N1 virus activity in vitro assay.

OBJECTIVETo study the influence of selenium and fluoride on apoptosis and lipid peroxidation in human hepatocytes in vitro.

METHODSThe apoptosis, cell cycle, GSH content and lipid peroxides (LPO) level in human hepatocytes, LPO level and LDH, AST and ALT activity in cell culture supernatants were investigated after hepatocytes were incubated with selenium and/or fluoride for around 12 hours periods in vitro.

RESULTSThe percentage of hepatocyte apoptosis bodies (15.557 +/- 2.056)%, the number of cells in S phase (4.823 +/- 0.454)% and LPO level in liver tissue and supernatant [(2.884 +/- 0.589) and (3.547 +/- 0.561) nmol/L MDA/mg.prot, respectively], AST and LDH activity in supernatants (91.1 +/- 36.4 and 140.4 +/- 7.6 U/L, respectively) in the fluoride treated group was higher than the control group [(10.313 +/- 1.023)%, (3.253 +/- 0.743)%, (1.473 +/- 0.401) nmol/L MDA/mg.prot, (1.694 +/- 0.443) nmol/L MDA/mg.prot, (54.5 +/- 3.2) U/L and (126.4 +/- 2.6) U/L, respectively], The GSH content in live tissue [(4.225 +/- 0.781) microgram/mg.prot] is lower than control group [(7.595 +/- 1.042) microgram/mg.prot]. Selenium treatment reduced these kinds of toxicity of fluoride through raising GSH content, reducing LPO level, LDH and AST activity and percentage of apoptosis bodies.

CONCLUSIONSSelenium can antagonist apoptosis and lipid peroxidation of hepatocytes induced by fluoride.

Alanine Transaminase ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Cell Cycle ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Fluorides ; pharmacology ; Glutathione ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Hepatocytes ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Humans ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Lipid Peroxidation ; drug effects ; Lipid Peroxides ; metabolism ; Selenium ; pharmacology ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVETo explore the DNA damage effects and apoptosis in brain cells of rats induced by sodium fluoride.

METHODSSD rats were divided into two groups, i.e. control group and fluoride treated group, which were injected intraperitoneally with distilled water and sodium fluoride (20 mg.kg(-1).d(-1)) respectively. On the hand, 5 mmol/L NaF were used in in vitro study. Single Cell Gel Electrophosis (SCGE or Comet Assay) was utilized to measured DNA damage and apoptosis was detected by the TUNEL method and Flow Cytometry (FCM).

RESULTSThe DNA damage in pallium neurons in rats of the fluoride group was much more serious compared with those of the control group, with the Ridit value being 0.351 and 0.639 respectively (P < 0.01) in vivo, and 0.384 4 and 0.650 1 respectively (P < 0.01) in vitro. TUNEL positive cells were found in pallium, hippocampus and cerebellar granule cells in rats of fluoride group, whereas those in the control group were rare. It was demonstrated by FCM results that the percentages of apoptotic cells both in pallium and hippocampus were significantly higher (P < 0.01) in rats of fluoride group (27.12 +/- 3.08, 34.97 +/- 5.46) than those in control group (4.63 +/- 0.98, 5.35 +/- 0.79), (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSodium fluoride could induce DNA damage and apoptosis in rats brain.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; genetics ; Brain ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Comet Assay ; DNA ; drug effects ; genetics ; metabolism ; Flow Cytometry ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sodium Fluoride ; pharmacology