An acidic polysaccharide (AGC3) isolated from North American ginseng () suspension culture as a potential immunomodulatory nutraceutical.

Polysaccharides isolated from roots are widely used as nutraceuticals due to their immunomodulatory properties. Despite their popularity, several challenges exist in isolating ginseng root polysaccharides such as batch-to-batch structural inconsistencies and bacterial endotoxin contamination. A plant tissue culture-based platform offers a potential solution to isolate natural polysaccharide fractions with consistent chemical characteristics and reduced endotoxin content.

Identification of Anti-tuberculosis Compounds From Aurone Analogs.

The emergence of multidrug-resistant () strains has made tuberculosis (TB) control more difficult. Aurone derivatives have demonstrated promising anti-bacterial activities, but their effects against have not been thoroughly determined. In this study, we aimed to develop anti-TB compounds from aurone analogs.

The classification of Cannabis hemp cultivars by thermal desorption direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry (TD-DART-MS) with chemometrics.

Cannabis has been cultivated as a source of food, fiber, and medicine globally, so the classification of Cannabis cultivars based on their chemical fingerprints is important to standardize and control the quality of Cannabis, ensure that patients receive a full and consistent spectrum of therapeutic benefits, and promote the further implementation of Cannabis-based products in clinical uses. In this study, a high-throughput analytical method, thermal desorption direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry (TD-DART-MS), was employed to classify various Cannabis hemp cultivars with multivariate analysis. Cannabis plant materials from four cultivars were analyzed directly by TD-DART-MS without solvent extraction.

Inhibition of Herpes Simplex Viruses, Types 1 and 2, by Ginsenoside 20(S)-Rg3.

Infections by herpes simplex viruses have an immense impact on humans, ranging from selflimiting, benign illness to serious, life-threatening diseases. While nucleoside analog drugs are available, resistance has been increasing and currently no vaccine exists. Ginsenosides derived from have been documented to inhibit several viruses and bolster immune defenses.

Characterization of the Furfural and 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) Metabolic Pathway in the Novel Isolate Pseudomonas putida ALS1267.

The genes involved in the aerobic bacterial metabolism of furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) have been characterized in two species, Pseudomonas putida Fu1 and Cupriavidus basilensis HMF14. A third furan-metabolizing strain, Pseudomonas putida ALS1267, was recently identified that grows robustly on both furfural and HMF as sole carbon sources, with a growth rate of 0.250 h on furfural and 0.

The ability of salts to stabilize proteins or intracellularly correlates with the Hofmeister series of ions.

Numerous studies have been conducted on the ability of salts to stabilize proteins using purified proteins demonstrating the fact that the ability of salts to stabilize proteins correlates with the Hofmeister series of ions. Using the well characterized bacterial aqueous cytosolic β-galactosidase and catechol 2,3-dioxygenase enzymes, we demonstrated that salts can stabilize proteins or intracellularly as well and that the ability of salts to stabilize these two proteins intracellularly also correlates with the Hofmeister series of ions. NaSO and NaHPO were very effective at stabilizing both proteins, followed by NaCl, NHCl and (NH)HPO, while NHCHCO, (NH)SO and NaCHCO did not stabilize either of the proteins.

Panax quinquefolius (North American ginseng) cell suspension culture as a source of bioactive polysaccharides: Immunostimulatory activity and characterization of a neutral polysaccharide AGC1.

In this study, we propose the use of a plant tissue culture-based system for the production of polysaccharides with consistent chemical characteristics and reduced endotoxin content. Polysaccharides were isolated from suspension cultures of Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng), a widely used medicinal herb. A neutral fraction, AGC1, purified by anion exchange and size exclusion chromatography, displayed immunostimulatory activity in vitro and ex vivo.

Nonfunctional Missense Mutants in Two Well Characterized Cytosolic Enzymes Reveal Important Information About Protein Structure and Function.

The isolation and characterization of 42 unique nonfunctional missense mutants in the bacterial cytosolic β-galactosidase and catechol 2,3-dioxygenase enzymes allowed us to examine some of the basic general trends regarding protein structure and function. A total of 6 out of the 42, or 14.29% of the missense mutants were in α-helices, 17 out of the 42, or 40.

Glucose can be transported and utilized in Escherichia coli by an altered or overproduced N-acetylglucosamine phosphotransferase system (PTS).

Escherichia coli Δglk ΔmanZ ΔptsG glucose strains that lack the glucose phosphotransferase system (PTS) and the mannose PTS as well as glucokinase have been widely used by researchers studying the PTS. In this study we show that both fast- and slow-growing spontaneous glucose revertants can be readily obtained from Δglk ΔmanZ ΔptsG glucose strains. All of the fast-growing revertants either altered the N-acetylglucosamine PTS or caused its overproduction by inactivating the NagC repressor protein, which regulates the N-acetylglucosamine PTS, and these revertants could utilize either glucose or N-acetylglucosamine as a sole carbon source.

Evaluation of extracts prepared from 16 plants used in Yao ethnomedicine as potential anticancer agents.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Medicines of the Yao ethnic group in China are a special branch of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and are well documented for use in disease prevention. According to an ethnopharmacological survey, there are 1392 species of medicinal plants that have been documented as Yao ethnomedicines and 104 of these species are used routinely. This study evaluated a partial collection of these 104 core plant species for their potential as anticancer agents.

Synthesis, biological evaluation and mechanism studies of matrine derivatives as anticancer agents.

A total of five matrine derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their anti-proliferation activity using a panel of four human cancer cell lines, including A549 lung, BT20 breast, MCF-7 breast and U2OS osteosarcoma cells. The YF3-5, YF3-7 and YF3-9, three novel compounds, demonstrated increased anti-proliferation activity compared with matrine, of which YF3-5 revealed the strongest anti-proliferation activity with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration value of 15.49-16.

Glucose consumption in carbohydrate mixtures by phosphotransferase-system mutants of Escherichia coli.

Escherichia coli lacking the glucose phosphotransferase system (PTS), mannose PTS and glucokinase are supposedly unable to grow on glucose as the sole carbon source (Curtis SJ, Epstein W. J Bacteriol 1975;122:1189-1199). We report that W ptsG manZ glk (ALS1406) grows slowly on glucose in media containing glucose with a second carbon source: ALS1406 metabolizes glucose after that other carbon source, including arabinose, fructose, glycerol, succinate or xylose, is exhausted.

Evaluation of Fourteen Aurone Derivatives as Potential Anti-Cancer Agents.

Background: Aurones are a sub-set of the flavone family that possess a number of biological activities, including anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-parasitic and anti-viral. Due to their high availability, simple synthesis, and generally low toxicity, aurones could be attractive candidates for safer cancer drugs. This study aims to evaluate the anti-proliferation and anti-metastasis activity of a series of synthesized aurone derivatives.

The Promiscuous sumA Missense Suppressor from Salmonella enterica Has an Intriguing Mechanism of Action.

While most missense suppressors have very narrow specificities and only suppress the allele against which they were isolated, the sumA missense suppressor from Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is a promiscuous or broad-acting missense suppressor that suppresses numerous missense mutants. The sumA missense suppressor was identified as a glyV tRNA Gly3(GAU/C) missense suppressor that can recognize GAU or GAC aspartic acid codons and insert a glycine amino acid instead of aspartic acid. In addition to rescuing missense mutants caused by glycine to aspartic acid changes as expected, sumA could also rescue a number of other missense mutants as well by changing a neighboring (contacting) aspartic acid to glycine, which compensated for the other amino acid change.

Transcriptional analysis and adaptive evolution of Escherichia coli strains growing on acetate.

Eighteen strains of Escherichia coli were compared for maximum specific growth rate (μ MAX) on 85 mM acetate as the sole carbon source. The C strain ATCC8739 had the greatest growth rate (0.41 h(-1)) while SCS-1 had the slowest growth rate (0.

In vitro antitumor effects of two novel oligostilbenes, cis- and trans-suffruticosol D, isolated from Paeonia suffruticosa seeds.

Naturally derived stilbenes have been shown to elicit cytotoxic, anti-steroidal, anti-mutagenic, anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor bioactivities. Previous phytochemical studies revealed that the seeds of Paeonia suffruticosa are rich in natural stilbenes. In this study the antitumor effects and mechanism of action of the oligostilbene isomers, cis- and trans-suffruticosol D, isolated from the seeds of P.

Isolation and Characterization of Bacteria That Use Furans as the Sole Carbon Source.

Five bacterial strains were isolated from wastewater treatment facilities which were able to use furfural as the sole carbon source. Based on 16S rRNA phylogenetic analysis, these strains were identified as Cupriavidus pinatubonensis (designated ALS1280), Pigmentiphaga sp. (ALS1172), Pseudomonas sp.

Bioassay Guided Fractionation Identified Hederagenin as a Major Cytotoxic Agent from Cyclocarya paliurus Leaves.

An ethanol extract prepared from the leaves of Cyclocarya paliurus, also known as sweet tea, which is one of the most popular teas utilized in traditional Chinese medicine, exhibited significant cytotoxicity against human lung and breast cancer cells. Using a bioassay-guided fractionation, we purified a pentacyclic triterpenoid, hederagenin, which exhibited superior and selective cytotoxicity against human breast and lung cancer cells. Evaluation of the structure-activity relationship between hederagenin and seven other pentacyclic triterpenoids revealed that the C3 hydroxyl group, the C17 carboxyl group and the Δ (12,13) double bond could be important active groups for the bioactivity of pentacyclic triterpenoids, whereas introduction of a hydroxyl group at C2 or C23 might reduce their bioactivity.

The antidiabetic compound 2-dodecyl-6-methoxycyclohexa-2,5-diene-1,4-dione, isolated from Averrhoa carambola L., demonstrates significant antitumor potential against human breast cancer cells.

2-Dodecyl-6-methoxycyclohexa-2,5-diene-1,4-dione (DMDD) is a cyclohexanedione found in the roots of Averrhoa carambola L., commonly known as starfruit. Researchers have shown that DMDD has significant therapeutic potential for the treatment of diabetes; however, the effects of DMDD on human cancers have never been reported.

The resveratrol oligomers, cis- and trans-gnetin H, from Paeonia suffruticosa seeds inhibit the growth of several human cancer cell lines.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Paeonia suffruticosa Andrews (PSE) is a well-known Chinese medicine that has been widely used as an anti-tumor, anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory agent. cis- and trans-gnetin H are two resveratrol oligomers isolated from the seeds of PSE. Although resveratrol is widely considered to be one of the most valuable natural chemopreventive agents and there are numerous studies on the antitumor activities of resveratrol, little is known about the antitumor properties of cis- and trans-gnetin H.

Adaptation of Escherichia coli to elevated sodium concentrations increases cation tolerance and enables greater lactic acid production.

Adaptive evolution was employed to generate sodium (Na(+))-tolerant mutants of Escherichia coli MG1655. Four mutants with elevated sodium tolerance, designated ALS1184, ALS1185, ALS1186, and ALS1187, were independently isolated after 73 days of serial transfer in medium containing progressively greater Na(+) concentrations. The isolates also showed increased tolerance of K(+), although this cation was not used for selective pressure.

Effect of overexpressing nhaA and nhaR on sodium tolerance and lactate production in Escherichia coli.

Background: Like other bacteria, Escherichia coli must carefully regulate the intracellular concentration of sodium ion (Na+). During the bacterial production of any organic acid, cations like Na+ invariably accumulate during a process which must maintain a near neutral pH. In this study, the E.

Lactate and acrylate metabolism by Megasphaera elsdenii under batch and steady-state conditions.

The growth of Megasphaera elsdenii on lactate with acrylate and acrylate analogues was studied under batch and steady-state conditions. Under batch conditions, lactate was converted to acetate and propionate, and acrylate was converted into propionate. Acrylate analogues 2-methyl propenoate and 3-butenoate containing a terminal double bond were similarly converted into their respective saturated acids (isobutyrate and butyrate), while crotonate and lactate analogues 3-hydroxybutyrate and (R)-2-hydroxybutyrate were not metabolized.

Simultaneous utilization of glucose, xylose and arabinose in the presence of acetate by a consortium of Escherichia coli strains.

Background: The efficient microbial utilization of lignocellulosic hydrolysates has remained challenging because this material is composed of multiple sugars and also contains growth inhibitors such as acetic acid (acetate). Using an engineered consortium of strains derived from Escherichia coli C and a synthetic medium containing acetate, glucose, xylose and arabinose, we report on both the microbial removal of acetate and the subsequent simultaneous utilization of the sugars.

Results: In a first stage, a strain unable to utilize glucose, xylose and arabinose (ALS1392, strain E.