Chili peppers are one of the most widely consumed spices worldwide. However, research on the health benefits of chili peppers and some of its constituents has raised controversy as to whether chili pepper compounds possess cancer-promoting or cancer-preventive effects. While ample studies have been carried out to examine the effect of capsaicin in carcinogenesis, the chemopreventive effect of other major components in chili pepper, including dihydrocapsaicin, capsiate, and capsanthin, is relatively unclear. Herein, we investigated the inhibitory effect of chili pepper components on malignant cell transformation. Among the tested chili pepper compounds, dihydrocapsaicin displayed the strongest inhibitory activity against epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced neoplastic transformation. Dihydrocapsaicin specifically suppressed EGF-induced phosphorylations of the p70S6K1-S6 pathway and the expression of c-Fos. A reduction in c-Fos levels by dihydrocapsaicin led to a concomitant downregulation of AP-1 activation. Further analysis of the molecular mechanism responsible for the dihydrocapsaicin-mediated decrease in phospho-p70S6K1, revealed that dihydrocapsaicin can block amino acid-dependent mechanistic targets of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1)-p70S6K1-S6 signal activation. Additionally, dihydrocapsaicin was able to selectively augment amino acid deprivation-induced cell death in mTORC1-hyperactive cells. Collectively, dihydrocapsaicin exerted chemopreventive effects through inhibiting amino acid signaling and c-Fos pathways and, thus, might be a promising cancer preventive natural agent.
UVB에 의한 MMP-1의 과발현이 카렌듈라 꽃잎을 처리하여 주면 농도의존적으로 감소하였다. 이를 통해 연화시킨 카렌듈라 꽃잎이 UVB에 의한 피부의 광노화를 억제시킬 수 있다는 것을 확인하였다. 가열과 산처리의 복합처리를 통한 카렌듈라 꽃잎의 연화에서 처리시간, 온도, pH에 따른 연화 수준을 punctual test를 통해 ...
To determine the phylogenetic relationships among hominoids and the dates of their divergence, the complete nucleotide sequences of the constant region of the immunoglobulin epsilon-chain (C epsilon 1) genes from chimpanzee and orangutan have been determined. These sequences were compared with the human epsilon-chain constant-region sequence. A molecular clock (silent molecular clock), measured by the degree of sequence divergence at the synonymous (silent) positions of protein-encoding regions, was introduced for the present study. From the comparison of nucleotide sequences of alpha1-antitrypsin and beta- and delta-globin genes between humans and Old World monkeys, the silent molecular clock was calibrated: the mean evolutionary rate of silent substitution was determined to be 1.56 X 10(-9) substitutions per site per year. Using the silent molecular clock, the mean divergence dates of chimpanzee and orangutan from the human lineage were estimated as 6.4 +/- 2.6 million years and 17.3 +/- 4.5 million years, respectively. It was also shown that the evolutionary rate of primate genes is considerably slower than those of other mammalian genes.
Abstract Rice bran was pretreated by hot air drying, steam cooking and extrusion before solvent extraction of oil. The extractions were conducted in a glass column percolator (i.d. 120 mm), packed to a depth of 90 cm and using n‐hexane at 60 C and gravity feed. Fines (defined as<0.5 mm) in raw bran were significantly reduced by steam cooking and extrusion treatments. Extruded rice bran (ERB) was pelletized and had a bulk density 1.5 times higher than the other products. Regardless of the weight of bran loaded in the percolator, extraction time to reach 1% residual oil was decreased in the order of 116, 67 and 10 min for hot air‐dried rice bran (HARB), steam‐cooked rice bran (SRB) and ERB, respectively. This was due to increases in the percolation rate of SRB by 2 times and by 9 times for ERB compared to HARB. The solvent/bran ratio for extraction to 1% residual oil was decreased by nearly half, from 3.18 for HARB and 3.12 for SRB to 1.77 for ERB.
Autophagy is an essential process that maintains physiological homeostasis by promoting the transfer of cytoplasmic constituents to autophagolysosomes for degradation. In immune cells, the autophagy pathway plays an additional role in facilitating proper immunological functions. Specifically, the autophagy pathway can participate in controlling key steps in innate and adaptive immunity. Accordingly, alterations in autophagy have been linked to inflammatory diseases and defective immune responses against pathogens. In this review, we discuss the various roles of autophagy signaling in coordinating immune responses and how these activities are connected to pathological conditions. We highlight the therapeutic potential of autophagy modulators that can impact immune responses and the mechanisms of action responsible.
한국산 맨드래미 꽃의 적색 색소인 베타시아닌 색소의 식품학적 안정성을 조사하기 위하여 온도, pH, water activity, 빛 및 공기조절에 따른 변화를 관찰하였다. 이 적색 색소는 pH4.0에서 가장 안정하였으며, 열에 대한 분해 활성화에너지 (Ea)는 17.55kcal/mol이었다. 일반적으로 당화합물의 첨가는 0.1M농도에서 색소 분해 방지효과가 있었고, 식품속에 존재하는 농도의 유기산, 금속이온 및 항산화제들은 적색 색소의 분해를 심하게 일으키지 않음으로써, 이 적색 색소는 천연식품 색소로서 이용될 가능성이 증명되었다. 【The pigment of the Korean cockscomb flower, a betacyanin, was evaluated for its stability in terms of temperature, pH, and its behavior upon exposure to water, light, and air. The pigment was the most stable at pH 4.0, and its activation energy (Ea) for degradation was shown to be 17.55Kcal/mol. In general, sugars protected against color degradation at the concentration of 0.1M. Degradation of this pigment in the presence of food constituents, such as organic acids , metal ions, or antioxidants, at the concentrations normally present in food preparations, can be kept to a minimum by selective adjustment of conditions. This pigment, therefore, has potential value as a food colorant under selected conditions.】
The identification of primary molecular targets of cancer-preventive phytochemicals is essential for a comprehensive understanding of their mechanism of action. In the present study, we investigated the chemopreventive effects and molecular targets of acacetin, a flavonoid found in Robinia pseudoacacia, also known as black locust. Acacetin treatment significantly suppressed epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced cell transformation. Immunoblot analysis revealed that acacetin attenuated EGF-induced phosphorylation of Akt and p70S6K, which are downstream effectors of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K). An immunoprecipitation kinase assay of PI3-K and pull-down assay results demonstrated that acacetin substantially inhibits PI3-K activity by direct physical binding. Acacetin exhibited stronger inhibitory effects against anchorage-dependent and -independent cell growth in cells expressing higher PI3-K activity compared with those exhibiting relatively low PI3-K activity. Binding assay data combined with computational modeling suggest that acacetin binds in an adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-competitive manner with the p110α subunit of PI3-K and interacts with Val828, Glu826, Asp911, Trp760, Ile777, Ile825, Tyr813, Ile910 and Met900 residues. Acacetin was also found to significantly reduce SK-MEL-28 tumor growth and Akt phosphorylation in vivo. Taken together, these results indicate that acacetin is an ATP-competitive PI3-K inhibitor and a promising agent for melanoma chemoprevention.
<p>Supplementary Figures and Legends - PDF file 2854K, Supplementary Figure 1. Effect of USP8 knockdown on cell viability Supplementary Figure 2. Effect of USP8 knockdown on EGFR wildtype cells and apoptosis of NSCLC and normal cells. Supplementary Figure 3. Effect of USP8 knockdown on mRNA levels of RTKs. Supplementary Figure 4. Effect of USP8 inhibitor treatment on apoptosis of NSCLC and normal cells. Supplementary Figure 5. Fluorescence Intensity Profiling Supplementary Figure 6. Effect of USP8 knockdown or an USP8 inhibitor on insulin receptor (IR) expression. Supplementary Figure 7. An USP8 inhibitor reduces ERKs and STAT3 phosphorylation levels in tumors</p>