Chemopreventive Potential of Ethanolic Extracts of Luobuma Leaves (Apocynum venetum L.) in Androgen Insensitive Prostate Cancer.

Luobuma ( L. (AVL)) is a popular beverage in Asia and has been reportedly to be associated with the bioactivities such as cardiotonic, diuretic, antioxidative, and antihypertensive. However, its biofunction as chemoprevention activity is seldom addressed.

Hyaluronic acid-nimesulide conjugates as anticancer drugs against CD44-overexpressing HT-29 colorectal cancer in vitro and in vivo.

Carrier-mediated drug delivery systems are promising therapeutics for targeted delivery and improved efficacy and safety of potent cytotoxic drugs. Nimesulide is a multifactorial cyclooxygenase 2 nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug with analgesic, antipyretic and potent anticancer properties; however, the low solubility of nimesulide limits its applications. Drugs conjugated with hyaluronic acid (HA) are innovative carrier-mediated drug delivery systems characterized by CD44-mediated endocytosis of HA and intracellular drug release.

Ameliorative Effect of Curcumin-Encapsulated Hyaluronic Acid-PLA Nanoparticles on Thioacetamide-Induced Murine Hepatic Fibrosis.

In this study, we developed curcumin-encapsulated hyaluronic acid-polylactide nanoparticles (CEHPNPs) to be used for liver fibrosis amelioration. CD44, the hyaluronic acid (HA) receptor, is upregulated on the surface of cancer cells and on activated hepatic stellate cells (aHSCs) rather than normal cells. CEHPNPs could bind to CD44 and be internalized effectively through endocytosis to release curcumin, a poor water-soluble liver protective agent.

Comparison of Antioxidant Capability after Isopropanol Salting-Out Pretreatment and n-Butanol Partition Extraction, and Identification and Evaluation of Antioxidants of Sedum formosanum N.E.Br.

Crude extracts of Sedum formosanum N.E.Br.

Enzymatic synthesis of rose aromatic ester (2-phenylethyl acetate) by lipase.

Background: 2-Phenylethyl acetate (2-PEAc) is a highly valued natural volatile ester with a rose-like odour that is widely used to add scent or flavour to cosmetics, soaps, foods and drinks. In this study, 2-PEAc was synthesised enzymatically by transesterification of vinyl acetate with 2-phenethyl alcohol catalysed by immobilised lipase (Novozym(®) 435) from Candida antarctic

Results: Response surface methodology and a three-level/three-factor Box-Behnken design were used to evaluate the effects of time, temperature and enzyme amount on the molar conversion % of 2-PEAc. The results showed that temperature was the most important variable.

Quantum dot enhancement of peptide detection by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) is a rapid and sensitive tool for characterizing a wide variety of biomolecules. However, invisible "sweet spots" that form during heterogeneous cocrystallization minimize the analytical throughput and affect the reproducibility of MALDI analysis. In this study, visible "sweet spots" were generated on a metallic sample plate by quantum dots (QDs)-assisted MALDI analysis.

Folic acid-anchored PEGgylated phospholipid bioconjugate and its application in a liposomal immunodiagnostic assay for folic acid.

A folic acid-anchored, poly(ethylene glycol)-linked (PEGgylated) phospholipid and an immunoaffinity chromatographic column were prepared and employed to develop a liposomal immunodiagnostic assay for the direct determination of folic acid (FA) in this study. Distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine-poly(ethylene glycol)2000-folic acid (DSPE-PEG2000-FA) was synthesized through carbodiimide-mediated coupling of FA and DSPE-PEG2000-amine and characterized using thin layer chromatography, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry. Liposomal biolabels were constructed using the synthesized DSPE-PEG2000-FA in conjunction with other phospholipids.

Gene families encoding isoforms of two major sesame seed storage proteins, 11S globulin and 2S albumin.

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) seed has been recognized as a nutritional protein source owing to its richness in methionine. Storage proteins have been implicated in allergenic responses to sesame consumption.