To introduces the body process of iridoid in gardenia and effect of biological activity of enzymes systematically and discusses the mechanism of these compounds on the basis of the domestic and foreign recent literatures. It also provides a literature basis for the instruction of rational clinical prescription, reform of dosage forms, and development and utilization.
Animals ; Enzyme Activation ; drug effects ; Enzymes ; metabolism ; Gardenia ; chemistry ; Humans ; Iridoids ; metabolism ; pharmacology

This study is to investigate the effects of ceramide on GSTA1 expression in Caco-2 cells. After being exposed to ceramide for a fixed time, GSTA1 protein expression was detected by Western blotting analysis; GSTA1 mRNA expression was detected by real time PCR; dual luciferase assay was used to analyze GSTA1 transcriptional activity and GSTA1 activity was determined toward androstanedione (AD) as substrate. The data showed that ceramide can significantly induce the expression of protein and GSTA1 mRNA, and increase transcriptional activity and enzyme activity of GSTA1. The results demonstrated that ceramide may increase resistance to chemotherapeutics in Caco-2 cells by up-regulating the expression of GSTA1.
Caco-2 Cells ; Enzyme Activation ; drug effects ; Glutathione Transferase ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Sphingosine ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Transcriptional Activation ; drug effects ; Up-Regulation

In order to evaluate the effect of sodium selenite on the activation of NFkappaB during selenite-induced apoptosis in NB4 cells, Western blot was used to measure the level of P65 in nuclear extraction of NB4 cells treated with sodium selenite to reflect the activation of NFkappaB; the apoptosis of NB4 cells was determined by morphological observation, DNA ladder electrophoresis and flow cytometry; and MTT test was used to measure the growth inhibition of cells. Results showed that sodium selenite (>/=5 micro mol/L) suppressed the cell growth, induced apoptosis and inhibited the activation of NF kappaB in a concentration- and time-dependency pattern. It was concluded that inhibition of NF kappaB might be one of the mechanisms in selenite-induced apoptosis in NB4 cells.
Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Division ; drug effects ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Enzyme Activation ; drug effects ; Humans ; NF-kappa B ; antagonists & inhibitors ; metabolism ; Sodium Selenite ; pharmacology

Gap junctions mediate direct communication between cells; however, toxicological cascade triggered by nonessential metals can abrogate cellular signaling mediated by gap junctions. Although cadmium (Cd) is known to induce apoptosis in organs and tissues, the mechanisms that underlie gap junction activity in Cd-induced apoptosis in BRL 3A rat liver cells has yet to be established. In this study, we showed that Cd treatment decreased the cell index (a measure of cellular electrical impedance) in BRL 3A cells. Mechanistically, we found that Cd exposure decreased expression of connexin 43 (Cx43), increased expression of p-Cx43 and elevated intracellular free Ca2+ concentration, corresponding to a decrease in gap junctional intercellular communication. Gap junction blockage pretreatment with 18β-glycyrrhizic acid (GA) promoted Cd-induced apoptosis, involving changes in expression of Bax, Bcl-2, caspase-3 and the mitochondrial transmembrane electrical potential (Δψm). Additionally, GA was found to enhance ERK and p38 activation during Cd-induced activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases, but had no significant effect on JNK activation. Our results indicated the apoptosis-related proteins and the ERK and p38 signaling pathways may participate in gap junction blockage promoting Cd-induced apoptosis in BRL 3A cells.
Animals ; Apoptosis/*drug effects ; Cadmium/*toxicity ; Calcium/metabolism ; Cell Communication/drug effects ; Connexin 43/genetics ; Enzyme Activation/drug effects ; Gap Junctions/*drug effects ; Gene Expression Regulation/drug effects ; Hepatocytes/cytology/*drug effects ; Rats ; Signal Transduction/drug effects

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of Tongfeng trace elements nutrient balance agent on the various growth indicators, physiological indicators, and the contents of liquiritin and glycyrrhizic acid in one-year old Glycyrrhiza uralensis.

METHODThe plants of G. uralensis growing in Chifeng of Inner Mongolia and medicinal garden of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine were fertilized for two times, respectively. The photosynthetic physiological indicators were measured by LI-6400 photosynthetic instrument. The pigments and antioxidase activities of the leaves were determined. Then contents of liquiritin and glycyrrhizic acid in the plants were determined by HPLC.

RESULTThe application of this trace element nutrient balance agent could significantly improve the height, chla and chlb, and the photosynthetic physiology indicator such as P(n), C(i), and G(s). Similarly, it could significantly increase the fresh weight of shoots and dry weight of the roots. Compared with control block (CK), the fertilizer which was diluted by 300 times (T(1)) and 600 times (T(2)) significantly increased the content of glycyrrhizic acid by 24.72% and 20. 23%. There was significant difference between different treatments (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe Tongfeng trace elements nutrient balance agent could promote growth, physiology and the content of active constituents of G. uralensis, especially the effect of T(1) was superior to T(2).

Enzyme Activation ; drug effects ; Fertilizers ; Flavanones ; metabolism ; Glucosides ; metabolism ; Glycyrrhiza uralensis ; drug effects ; growth & development ; physiology ; Glycyrrhizic Acid ; metabolism ; Oxidoreductases ; metabolism ; Photosynthesis ; drug effects ; Trace Elements ; pharmacology

Lignin peroxidase (LiP) hosted in Brij 30/cyclohexane/water nonionic reversed micelle could express its catalytic activity, but in Triton X-100/n-pentanol/cyclohexane/water nonionic reversed micelle LiP didn't show any catalytic activity. Some key factors that affected the catalytic activity of LiP in Brij 30 reversed micelle were studied at 20 degrees C. The optimum conditions were:omega0 = 8.5, pH = 2.2, [Brij30] = 600 mmol/L; under these conditions the half time of LiP was ca. 50 hours. As compared with the properties of LiP in aqueous solution, the activity of LiP hosted in Brij 30 reversed micelle dropped, but its stability improved greatly. To reveal the role of normal alcohol, which was a necessary component for forming Triton X-100 reversed micelles, the effect of n-pentanol on the catalytic activity of LiP in Brij 30 reversed micelle was investigated. Results indicated that high concentration of the alcohol deactivated LiP. So it was deduced that the phenomenon that LiP hosted in the Triton X-100 reversed micelles could not express its activity was mainly due to the alcohol co-surfactant.
Catalysis ; Cyclohexanes ; chemistry ; Enzyme Activation ; drug effects ; Micelles ; Octoxynol ; chemistry ; Pentanols ; chemistry ; Peroxidases ; metabolism ; Surface-Active Agents ; chemistry

OBJECTIVEGenistein, a major soy isoflavone metabolite (SIF), inactivates oxidation activity of bovine lactoperoxidase (LPO). Modification of the heme moiety of LPO by nitrogen-containing compounds has been shown to inactivate LPO. In contrast, SIF mediated inactivation of LPO does not involve a heme modification and the mechanism of SIF inhibition is poorly understood.

METHODSAfter inactivation of LPO by genistein in the presence of H(2)O(2), trypsin-digested LPO peptide fragments were collected and analyzed by MALDI-TOF-MS to characterize the chemical binding of genistein(s) to LPO.

RESULTSThe heme moiety of LPO was not modified by genistein. A covalent binding study showed that (3)H-genistein bound to LPO with a ratio of ∼12 to 1. After HPLC analysis and peak collection, trypsin-digested peptide fragments were analyzed by MALDI-TOF-MS. The 3H-genistein co-eluted peptide fragments (RT=24 min) were putatively identified as 199IVGYLDEEGVLDQNR214 with two bound genistein molecules or a genistein dimer (2 259 Da), 486TPDNIDIWIGGNAEPMVER504 with two bound genistein molecules or a genistein dimer (2 663 Da), and 161ARWLPAEYEDGLALPFGWTQR182 with three bound genistein molecules or a genistein trimer (3 060 Da). The fragment with a mass of 1 792 Da (RT=36 min) was identified as 132CDENSPYR139 with three genistein molecules or a genistein trimer.

CONCLUSIONSThe results suggest that LPO was inactivated by irreversible covalent binding of genistein or genistein polymers to particular peptide fragments constituting regions of the outward domain. No genistein interaction with the prosthetic heme moiety of LPO was observed.

Animals ; Cattle ; Enzyme Activation ; drug effects ; Genistein ; metabolism ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; pharmacology ; Isoflavones ; pharmacology ; Lactoperoxidase ; metabolism ; Placental Lactogen ; Protein Binding

[Strengthening body resistance and archaeus herbs are those medicines used on asthenia syndrome of tumor, which can harmonize yin and yang, replenish deficiency of qi and blood, and improve entrails function, enhance physical capacity, and improve immunity function. They are intimate manifestation of strengthening body resistance and archaeus method on clinic. Study shows that strengthening body resistance and archaeus herbs have many effects, such as improving and adjusting immunity function, protecting bone marrow, improving haematogenesis function, raising digest and absorb function, improving substance metabolism, preventing gene mutation, inhibiting tumor cell proliferation, inducing tumor cell differentiation or apoptosis, resisting tumor invasion and metastasis, inhibiting formation of tumor vessel and activity of telomerase, etc. It's possibly the result of synergistic effect by multi-pathway and multi-target. Because strengthening body resistance and archaeus herbs are of variety and different herbs have different specificity, further research is needed to reveal the precise mechanism of them.
Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Bone Marrow ; drug effects ; Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Enzyme Activation ; drug effects ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; Telomerase ; metabolism

The loss of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) with aging is related to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This study was conducted to investigate the mechanism of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) induced cell death in a human retinal pigment epithelial cell line, ARPE-19. Hydrogen peroxide was added at different concentrations to ARPE-19 cells and cultured. The cytotoxicity was assayed by mitochondrial function using 3- (4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) -2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) testing. The patterns of cell damage were assessed using an acridine orange-ethidium bromide differential staining method, in situ end labeling (ISEL) assay and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Catalase, a major antioxidant, was used to prevent cell death. The cleavage of procaspase 3 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) was determined by western blot analysis. Hydrogen peroxide significantly induced cell death in ARPE-19 cells, whereas pretreatment of the cells with catalase prevented cell death. Application of the ISEL assay and acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining demonstrated that the H2O2-induced cell death occurred by an apoptotic mechanism at lower concentrations of H2O2 (400, 500, 600 microM), whereas higher concentrations of H2O2 induced necrosis rather than apoptosis. Caspase 3 was associated with the apoptotic pathway in human RPE cell death. Western blot analysis confirmed caspase 3 activation and cleavage of substrate proteins in ARPE-19 cells treated with an H2O2 concentration of 600 microM. These results indicate that treatment with H2O2 induces apoptotic and necrotic cell death in ARPE-19, and that caspase 3 is associated with apoptotic cell death. Therefore, H2O2 may induce the destruction of RPE cells in AMD by the combined effects of apoptosis and necrosis.
Apoptosis ; Caspases/metabolism ; Catalase/pharmacology ; Cell Line ; Cell Survival/drug effects ; Enzyme Activation ; Human ; Hydrogen Peroxide/*pharmacology ; Necrosis ; Pigment Epithelium of Eye/*drug effects/enzymology/pathology/*physiology

BACKGROUNDNicotine, a major component of tobacco, is the main cause of smoking addiction. It was found that asthmatic patients who smoke were insensitive to glucocorticoid treatment. In this paper, we investigated whether nicotine could inhibit histone deacetylase 6 activity (HDAC6) and chaperone-dependent activation of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in A549 cells. Furthermore, the expression level of heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) was determined.

METHODSQuantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the levels of RNA transcription, and Western blotting was applied to analyze the levels of protein expression of HDAC6, GR, and HSP90 in A549 cells. Moreover, the effects of dexamethasone and trichostatin A were observed in A549 cells.

RESULTSA549 cell proliferation was inhibited in the presence of nicotine, and the level of RNA and protein expression of HDAC6 and GR were down-regulated.

CONCLUSIONSNicotine could inhibit HDAC6 activity and chaperone-dependent activation of GR. This might be the main reason why asthmatic patients who smoke show insensitivity to the glucocorticoid treatment.

Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Enzyme Activation ; drug effects ; Histone Deacetylase 6 ; Histone Deacetylases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Nicotine ; pharmacology ; Receptors, Glucocorticoid ; genetics ; metabolism