Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) is a tropical plant grown for sugar production. We recently showed that sugarcane top (ST) ameliorates cognitive decline in a mouse model of accelerated aging via promoting neuronal differentiation and neuronal energy metabolism and extending the length of the astrocytic process in vitro. Since the crude extract consists of multicomponent mixtures, it is crucial to identify bioactive compounds of interest and the affected molecular targets. In the present study, we investigated the bioactivities of major polyphenols of ST, namely 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid (3CQA), 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid (5CQA), 3-O-feruloylquinic acid (3FQA), and Isoorientin (ISO), in human fetal neural stem cells (hNSCs)- an in vitro model system for studying neural development. We found that multiple polyphenols of ST contributed synergistically to stimulate neuronal differentiation of hNSCs and induce mitochondrial activity in immature astrocytes. Mono-CQAs (3CQA and 5CQA) regulated the expression of cyclins related to G1 cell cycle arrest, whereas ISO regulated basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors related to cell fate determination. Additionally, mono-CQAs activated p38 and ISO inactivated GSK3β. In hNSC-derived immature astrocytes, the compounds upregulated mRNA expression of PGC-1α, a master regulator of astrocytic mitochondrial biogenesis. Altogether, our findings suggest that synergistic interactions between major polyphenols of ST contribute to its potential for neuronal differentiation and astrocytic maturation.
The edible mushroom Agaricus blazei Murill is considered a health food in many countries after it was reported to be a source of antitumor and immunoactive compounds. An aqueous extract (AE) from this basidiomycete significantly enhanced the expression of the c-Jun/activator protein-1 (AP1) in the human breast cancer cell line MCF7. Incubating the cells with 17-beta-estradiol (E2), p-nonylphenol (NP), and the AE combined, or NP plus the AE, resulted in increased cell proliferation compared to the untreated control by 93 and 67%, respectively. However, incubating the cells with the extract alone did not enhance cell division. It is suggested that the enhanced proliferation of MCF7 cells in the presence of NP and the AE may be due to the involvement of an AP1 gene regulatory complex. This is the first report showing enhanced c-Jun/AP1 expression in MCF7 cells incubated with an aqueous fungal extract.
A half of the water demand for agriculture and urban water supply is covered by surface water resources even in arid land, however the capacity of the reservoirs is gradually degraded due to sedimentation. Therefore, sedimentation control in reservoirs is an important issue in the sense of sustainable surface water resource management. In the case of North African countries, due to the clear precipitation difference between rainy season in winter and dry season in summer, the flood water in rainy season is stored for irrigation and potable use in the dry season. This longer retention time than humid area causes more rapid sedimentation. In this study, the detailed behavior of turbid water which is discharged from upper catchment in rainy winter season is discussed with a numerical simulation model applied to a reservoir in northern Tunisia. Because of the low solar irradiance, thermal stratification was not found in the water body in winter and turbid water flowed along the bottom of the reservoir as a density flow. Understanding the speed and thickness of this density flow is very important for proper management of reservoirs, whether the turbid flood water can be removed by opening the spill way or other measures. The numerical simulation was carried out with some different cases of density of inflow and intake rate at the dam, which define the thickness and speed of the bottom flow.
Quercetin (QCT) and isorhamnetin (ISO), natural flavonoids, were both shown to possess antifibrotic activity in in vivo and in vitro models of hepatic fibrosis. Although ISO is a direct metabolite of QCT differing by a methyl group, it has been reported to be absorbed more adequately and eliminated slower than QCT after oral administration. Our aim of the study was to investigate biological effect of mono-methylated QCT derivatives against fibrosis using rat hepatic stellate cells (HSC-T6). All test derivatives were synthesized from QCT. HSC-T6 cells were induced by TGFβ and treated with derivatives followed by cell proliferation assay, immunofluorescence staining of αSMA, and gene expression analysis of fibrosis markers. All compounds showed a dose- and time-dependent antiproliferation effect. ISO, 3-O-methylquercetin (3MQ), and rhamnetin (RHA) reduced αSMA mRNA; 3MQ prevented the augmentation of collagen I mRNA; and compounds, except azaleatin and 3MQ, reduced Timp1 mRNA expression in TGFβ-induced HSCs. In conclusion, each compound had singular effect against different features of fibrosis depending on the position of methyl group although the further mechanism of action of compounds during fibrosis development remains to be investigated. These findings suggest that antifibrotic effect of quercetin can be enhanced by adding methyl group on functionally important position.
On the basis of transepithelial electrical resistance measurements, we momentary decrease in tight-junction (TJ) permeability followed by a complete recovery. We used proteome analysis to search for proteins that are associated with the recovery of TJ permeability in capsaicin-treated Caco-2 cells. A protein of relative molecular mass of 14 kDa was found to be expressed higher in capsaicin-treated cells than in nontreated cells. Mass spectrometry and sequence analyse revealed that the protein expressed significantly by capsaicin treatment was the ribosomal protein P2 was and its cDNA sequence was identical to that found in the human genome database. An increase in amount of cellular filamentous actin (F- actin) was shown after 8 h of incubation with capsaicin. It is reported that ribosomal protein P2 can activate elongation factor 2, which stabilizes F- actin filaments, and that the deploymerization of F-actin was associated with the decrement in TJ permeability. Consequently, these results suggest that ribosomal protein P2 plays an important role in the recovery of the TJ permeability in capsaicin-treated human intestinal Caco-2 cells.
