Direct analysis of bromine and iodine in dried serum spots by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

Rationale: Accurate quantitative analysis of bromine and iodine in serum is an important aspect of monitoring body condition, but the volatile loss of halogen in sample pretreatment is a troublesome problem. We present a validated and flexible high-throughput method for quantification of bromine and iodine in dried serum spots (DSS) using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and an external aqueous standard calibration curve. The influence of serum matrix and laser ablation (LA) conditions on the analysis of bromine and iodine in DSS was researched systematically.

A novel synthetic curcumin derivative MHMM-41 induces ROS-mediated apoptosis and migration blocking of human lung cancer cells A549.

Many curcumin derivatives were produced and characterized to improve the physiochemical instability and low solubility of curcumin. Here, MHMM-41 (a novel curcumin derivative) was used to treat non-small lung cancer cells of human (known as A549) and to identify its anti-proliferative activities. Our results suggested that MHMM-41 display no significant cytotoxicity toward normal human lung fibroblast 2BS cells and mouse embryonal fibroblast 3T3 cells.

Oxymatrine induces A549 human non‑small lung cancer cell apoptosis via extrinsic and intrinsic pathways.

Oxymatrine is one of the primary natural compounds extracted from the Sophora flavescens, and has been reported to exhibit numerous pharmacological properties including cancer‑preventive and anti‑cancer effects, however the mechanisms as to how oxymatrine exhibits anti‑proliferative activity in non‑small cell lung carcinoma cells remains uncertain. The present study aimed to explore the mechanism of its anti‑cancer effect, and whether it is due to apoptosis induction and anti‑migration in the A549 lung cancer cell line. Detection of morphological alterations, MTT analysis, Hoechst/propidium iodide dual staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assays verified that oxymatrine induced A549 cell apoptosis.

Tet methylcytosine dioxygenase 2 inhibits atherosclerosis via upregulation of autophagy in ApoE-/- mice.

Tet methylcytosine dioxygenase 2 (TET2) mediates the conversion of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC). The loss of TET2 is associated with advanced atherosclerotic lesions. Our previous study showed that TET2 improves endothelial cell function by enhancing endothelial cell autophagy.