Suppression of multiple processes relevant to cancer progression by benzyl isothiocyanate may result from the inhibition of Aurora A kinase activity.

Cruciferous vegetables are good sources of phytochemicals that have the potential to prevent cancer. Benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) is the hydrolysis product of glucosinolates that are especially abundant in cruciferous vegetables. The anti-cancer activities of BITC have been studied for decades.

Vanadocene dichloride inhibits cell proliferation by targeting Aurora B.

Vanadocene dichloride (VDC) was shown to exhibit antitumor properties against a wide spectrum of tumor cell lines. Many studies have been carried out to reveal the bioactivities of VDC and the interaction mechanism of VDC with biological molecules in test tubes. One of the bioactivities of VDC is to arrest the cell cycle at the G2/M phase.

Highly sensitive sensing of hydroquinone and catechol based on β-cyclodextrin-modified carbon dots.

In the proposed study, an efficient method for a carbon dot@β-cyclodextrin (C-dot@β-CD)-based fluorescent probe was developed for the analyses of catechol (CC) and hydroquinone (HQ) at trace levels in water samples. The properties of C-dot@β-CD nanocomposites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The sensing behaviors of C-dot@β-CD toward CC and HQ were investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy.

Blue light induced reactive oxygen species from flavin mononucleotide and flavin adenine dinucleotide on lethality of HeLa cells.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a safe and non-invasive treatment for cancers and microbial infections. Various photosensitizers and light sources have been developed for clinical cancer therapies. Flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) are the cofactor of enzymes and are used as photosensitizers in this study.

Anticancer activity of Kalanchoe tubiflora extract against human lung cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.

Uncontrolled cell proliferation is a common feature of human cancer. Some of herbal extract or plant-derived medicine had been shown as an important source of effective anticancer agents. We previously reported that an n-BuOH-soluble fraction of Kalanchoe tubiflora has antiproliferative activity by inducing mitotic catastrophe.

One-pot green hydrothermal synthesis of fluorescent nitrogen-doped carbon nanodots for in vivo bioimaging.

One-pot green synthesis of fluorescent nitrogen-doped carbon nanodots (CNDs) was developed by hydrothermal treatments of biocompatible polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and glycine. The fluorescent nitrogen-doped CNDs exhibited excellent water solubility, low cytotoxicity, and good salt stability for biological imaging. UV-vis spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy were applied to confirm the optical and structural characteristics of the CNDs.

Adenovirus-mediated prothymosin α gene transfer inhibits the development of atherosclerosis in ApoE-deficient mice.

Prothymosin α (ProT) is involved in regulating expression of the oxidative stress-protective genes and it also exerts immunomodulatory activities. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic effects of ProT gene transfer on atherosclerosis in endothelial cells and in ApoE-deficient mice. Adenoviruses encoding mouse ProT (AdProT) were used for the management of atherosclerosis.

The degradation mechanism of toxic atractyloside in herbal medicines by decoction.

Atractyloside (ATR) is found in many Asteraceae plants that are commonly used as medicinal herbs in China and other eastern Asian countries. ATR binds specifically to the adenine nucleotide translocator in the inner mitochondrial membrane and competitively inhibits ADP and ATP transport. The toxicity of ATR in medical herbs can be reduced by hydrothermal processing, but the mechanisms of ATR degradation are not well understood.

Euphorbia formosana root extract induces apoptosis by caspase-dependent cell death via Fas and mitochondrial pathway in THP-1 human leukemic cells.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a very rare type of cancer, generally affects patients over 50 years old. While clinical drugs to treat advanced stages of AML exist, the disease becomes increasingly resistant to therapies. Euphorbia formosana Hayata (EF) is a native Taiwanese medicinal plant used to treat rheumatism, liver cirrhosis, herpes zoster, scabies, and photoaging, along with tumor suppression.

Diagnosis of β-lactam resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii using shotgun proteomics and LC-nano-electrospray ionization ion trap mass spectrometry.

Acinetobacter baumannii is an important nosocomial pathogen that often affects critically ill patients in intensive care units. β-Lactam antibiotics are the most commonly prescribed drugs for infectious diseases caused by A. baumannii.

Kalanchoe tubiflora extract inhibits cell proliferation by affecting the mitotic apparatus.

Background: Kalanchoe tubiflora (KT) is a succulent plant native to Madagascar, and is commonly used as a medicinal agent in Southern Brazil. The underlying mechanisms of tumor suppression are largely unexplored.

Methods: Cell viability and wound-healing were analyzed by MTT assay and scratch assay respectively.

The C-terminus of PARK2 is required for its self-interaction, solubility and role in the spindle assembly checkpoint.

PARK2, an ubiquitin ligase closely correlated with Parkinson's disease and cancer, has been shown to accumulate at centrosomes to ubiquitinate misfolded proteins accumulated during interphase. In the present study, we demonstrated that PARK2 can also localize to centrosomes in mitosis and that the protein does not fluctuate through the S- to M-phase. A C-terminal truncation of PARK2 resulted in a spindle assembly checkpoint defect, characterized by HeLa cells able to bypass mitotic arrest induced by nocodazole and form multinucleated cells when overexpressing the C-terminal truncated PARK2 protein.

Effect of colour LEDs on mycelia growth of Aspergillus ficuum and phytase production in photo-fermentations.

Aspergillus ficuum grown on plates and in liquid cultures were illuminated by a white fluorescent light and four different colour LED lights (white, blue, green and red) to evaluate the regulation of LED lights on fungal growth. Biomass conversion, pellet size and phytase activity were examined. In liquid culture, luminous intensity was highly correlated with the rate of biomass conversion but did not affect pellet size.

Inhibition of experimental lung metastasis by systemic lentiviral delivery of kallistatin.

Background: Angiogenesis plays an important role in the development and progression of tumors. Kallistatin exerts anti-angiogenic and anti-inflammatory activities that may be effective in inhibiting tumor metastasis. We investigated the antitumor effect of lentivirus-mediated kallistatin gene transfer in a syngeneic murine tumor model.

Increased apoptotic potential and dose-enhancing effect of gold nanoparticles in combination with single-dose clinical electron beams on tumor-bearing mice.

High atomic number material, such as gold, may be used in conjunction with radiation to provide dose enhancement in tumors. In the current study, we investigated the dose-enhancing effect and apoptotic potential of gold nanoparticles in combination with single-dose clinical electron beams on B16F10 melanoma tumor-bearing mice. We revealed that the accumulation of gold nanoparticles was detected inside B16F10 culture cells after 18 h of incubation, and moreover, the gold nanoparticles were shown to be colocalized with endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus in cells.

Drosophila Incenp is required for cytokinesis and asymmetric cell division during development of the nervous system.

The chromosomal passenger protein complex has emerged as a key player in mitosis, with important roles in chromatin modifications, kinetochore-microtubule interactions, chromosome bi-orientation and stability of the bipolar spindle, mitotic checkpoint function, assembly of the central spindle and cytokinesis. The inner centromere protein (Incenp; a subunit of this complex) is thought to regulate the Aurora B kinase and target it to its substrates. To explore the roles of the passenger complex in a developing multicellular organism, we have performed a genetic screen looking for new alleles and interactors of Drosophila Incenp.

Depletion of CPAP by RNAi disrupts centrosome integrity and induces multipolar spindles.

We previously identified a novel microtubule-destabilizing motif in CPAP that can disassemble microtubules. To examine further the CPAP function in human cells, we used siRNA to knockdown its expression. Our results showed that CPAP depletion arrested cells in mitosis and induced apoptosis.

RNAi analysis reveals an unexpected role for topoisomerase II in chromosome arm congression to a metaphase plate.

DNA topoisomerase II (Topo II) is a major component of mitotic chromosomes and an important drug target in cancer chemotherapy, however, its role in chromosome structure and dynamics remains controversial. We have used RNAi to deplete Topo II in Drosophila S2 cells in order to carry out a detailed functional analysis of the role of the protein during mitosis. We find that Topo II is not required for the assembly of a functional kinetochore or the targeting of chromosomal passenger proteins, nonetheless, it is essential for anaphase sister chromatid separation.