New insights into redox regulation of stem cell self-renewal and differentiation.

Background: Reactive oxygen species (ROS), the natural byproducts of aerobic metabolism, are precisely orchestrated to evoke diverse signaling pathways. To date, studies have focused mainly on the detrimental effects of ROS in stem cells. Recently, accumulating evidence has suggested that ROS also function as second messengers that modulate stem cell self-renewal and differentiation by regulating intricate signaling networks.

Adsorption of Cr(VI) and speciation of Cr(VI) and Cr(III) in aqueous solutions using chemically modified chitosan.

A new type of grafting chitosan (CTS) was synthesized using 2-hydroxyethyl-trimethyl ammonium chloride (HGCTS). The adsorption of Cr(VI) on HGCTS was studied. The effect factors on adsorption and the adsorption mechanism were considered.

Adsorption behavior of Fe(II) and Fe(III) ions on thiourea cross-linked chitosan with Fe(III) as template.

A new type of thiourea cross-linked chitosan with Fe(III) as template (TCCTS template) was synthesized. The adsorption of Fe(II) and Fe(III) on this TCCTS template was studied. The factors affecting adsorption such as pH and contact time were considered.

Synthesis, identification and anti-cancer activity of 1-(4-methylpent-2-enyl)-2-(4-phenylbut-2-enyl)disulfane.

In this study, we synthesized 1-(4-methylpent-2-enyl)-2-(4-phenylbut-2- enyl)disulfane using sodium sulfide, 1-bromine-4-methyl-2-amylene and 1-(4-bromine-2- butylene)benzene as raw materials. The yield rate of target product was 84%. The structure of the target product was confirmed by GC-MS, 1H-NMR and elemental analysis.

Synthesis and effect on human HepG2 cells of 1,2-bis-(2-methylallyl)disulfane.

1,2-bis(2-methylallyl)disulfane was synthesized from sodium sulfide and 3-chloro-2-methylpropylene. The structure of the target product was confirmed by GC-MS, 1H-NMR and elemental analysis. Cell viability assay, flow-cytometric analysis and protein expression results showed that 1,2-bis(2-methylallyl)disulfane could significantly inhibit the proliferation, and induce the apoptosis of human HepG2 cells.

The roles of p38MAPK and caspase-3 in DADS-induced apoptosis in human HepG2 cells.

Objectives: To explore the function of p38MAPK and caspase-3 in DADS-induced apoptosis in human HepG2 cells, and discuss the signal transduetion mechanism of HepG2 cells in the apoptosis process induced by DADS by using the inhibitors of p38MAPK (SB203580) and caspase-3 (Z-DEVD-FMK).

Methods: After the human HepG2 cells had been treated with the DADS and inhibitors for 24 h, cell viability was determined by the MTT method, apoptosis was evaluated by flow cytometry (FCM) and the expressions of p38MAPK and caspase-3 were measured by western-blot.

Results: Our results indicated that DADS activities the p38MAPK and caspase-3, but the inhibitors, SB203580 and Z-DEVD-FMK (for p38MAPKand for caspase-3, respectively), both have the effect of inhibitory activity on P38MAPK and caspase-3.

Quantitative proteomics identification of phosphoglycerate mutase 1 as a novel therapeutic target in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide with poor prognosis due to resistance to conventional chemotherapy and limited efficacy of radiotherapy. There is an urgent need to develop novel biomarkers for early diagnosis, as well as to identify new drug targets for therapeutic interventions.

Patients And Methods: 54 paired HCC samples and 21 normal liver tissues were obtained from West China Hospital of Sichuan University.

Influence of hydroxylation and glycosylation in ring A of soybean isoflavones on interaction with BSA.

In this paper, the influence of hydroxylation and glycosylation of soybean isoflavones in ring A on the interaction with BSA was investigated. Two soybean isoflavone aglycones (daidzein and genistein) and their glycosides (daidzin and genistin) were used to study their ability to bind BSA by quenching the BSA intrinsic fluorescence in solution. The hydroxylation and glycosylation of soybean isoflavones in ring A significantly affected the binding/quenching process; in general, the hydroxylation increases the binding affinity and the glycosylation decreased the binding affinity.

A fluorescent chemical sensor for Hg(II) based on a corrole derivative in a PVC matrix.

A fluorescent chemical sensor for Hg(II) using 5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrole (H(3)(tpfc)) as fluorophore is described in this paper. The response of the sensor is based on the fluorescence quenching of H(3)(tpfc) by coordination with Hg(II). H(3)(tpfc) based sensor shows a linear response towards Hg(II) in the concentration range from 1.

Influence of B-ring hydroxylation on interactions of flavonols with bovine serum albumin.

The B-ring substitution pattern of flavonols is a significant structural feature for their function as free radical scavengers and antioxidants. In this paper, four differently substituted B-ring hydroxylation flavonols (galangin, kaempferol, quercetin, and myricetin) and a flavonol glycoside (quercitrin) were studied for their ability to bind BSA by quenching the protein intrinsic fluorescence. From the spectra obtained, the biomolecular quenching constants, the apparent static binding constants, and the binding site values were calculated.

[Simultaneous resolution and determination of tyrosine, tryptophan and phenylalanine by alternating penalty trilinear decomposition algorithm coupled with 3D emission-excitation matrix fluorometry].

A new method using alternating penalty trilinear decomposition algorithm coupled with excitation-emission matrix fluorometry has been developed for simultaneous resolution and determination of tyrosine, phenylalanine and tryptophan. Their correlation coefficients were 0.9987, 0.

Analysis of binding interaction between puerarin and bovine serum albumin by multi-spectroscopic method.

The interaction of puerarin and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated by means of fluorescence spectroscopy, resonance light-scattering spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and synchronous fluorescence spectra. The apparent binding constants (K(a)) between puerarin and BSA were 1.13 x 10(4) (20 degrees C), and 1.

A fluorescent chemosensor for copper(II) based on a carboxylic acid-functionalized tris(2,2'-bipyridine)-ruthenium(II) complex.

In this research, bis(2,2'-bipyridine)(4-methyl-2,2'-bipyridine-4'-carboxylic acid)ruthenium(II).2PF(6)- complex (1), was first used as a fluorescent chemosensor to recognize Cu(II) in EtOH/H(2)O (1:1, v/v) solution. The response of the sensor is based on the fluorescence quenching of complex 1 by binding with Cu(II).

Use of sodium lauroyl sarcosinate in a high-sensitivity protein assay by resonance light scattering technique.

A simple and high-sensitivity method has been developed for the determination of proteins in aqueous solutions by resonance light scattering (RLS) technique. At pH 3.4 and ionic strength 1.

Study of adsorption behavior of bilirubin on human-albumin monolayer using a quartz crystal microbalance.

The quartz crystal microbalance was employed to study the adsorption behavior of bilirubin on human-albumin layer, which was chemically bound to the self-assembled monolayer of 4-aminothiophenol on the surface of a gold electrode of the crystal via glutaraldehyde. A long-time adsorption process of bilirubin that took place on a human-albumin-modified surface was observed, and the adsorption kinetic parameters were estimated from the in situ frequency measurements. The amount of adsorbed bilirubin increased with increasing of both hydrogen ions and bilirubin concentration and was larger than that estimated based on the conclusion that there are two affinity sites for bilirubin per albumin molecule.