Stable isotope-labeled carnitine reveals its rapid transport into muscle cells and acetylation during contraction.

Carnitine plays multiple roles in skeletal muscle metabolism, including fatty acid transport and buffering of excess acetyl-CoA in the mitochondria. The skeletal muscle cannot synthesize carnitine; therefore, carnitine must be taken up from the blood into the cytoplasm. Carnitine metabolism, its uptake into cells, and the subsequent reactions of carnitine are accelerated by muscle contraction.

Preparation of Sub-50 nm Colloidal Monodispersed Hollow Siloxane-Based Nanoparticles with Controlled Shell Structures.

Hollow siloxane-based nanoparticles (HSNs) have attracted significant attention because of their promising unique properties for various applications. For advanced applications, especially in catalysis, drug delivery systems, and smart coatings, high dispersibility and monodispersity of HSNs with precisely controlled shell structures are important. In this study, we established a simple method for preparing colloidal HSNs with a uniform particle size below 50 nm by the reaction of colloidal silica nanoparticles with bridged organoalkoxysilane [1,2-bis(triethoxysilyl)ethylene: (EtO)Si-CH-Si(OEt), BTEE] in the presence of a cationic surfactant.

Creation of giant two-dimensional crystal of zinc oxide nanodisk by method of single-particle layer of organo-modified inorganic fine particles.

In this study, the formation and structure of a single-particle layer of organo-zinc oxide are investigated using surface-pressure-area (π-A) isotherms, out-of-plane X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Further, techniques for achieving the solubilization of inorganic fine particles in general solvents have been proposed, and a single-particle layer has been formed using such an inorganic solution as a "spreading solution" for an interfacial film. Surface modification of ZnO is performed using a long-chain carboxylic acid.

Involvement of mitogen-activated protein kinases and protein kinase C in cadmium-induced prostaglandin E2 production in primary mouse osteoblastic cells.

We previously reported that cadmium (Cd) induced prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) biosynthesis through the activation of cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) and induction of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) in primary mouse osteoblastic cells. In the present study, we further investigated the mechanism of PGE2 production by Cd focusing on the main mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) subfamilies that mediate prostaglandin synthesis, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2 MAPK), c-jun-amino-terminal kinase (JNK MAPK) and p38 MAPK, and protein kinase C (PKC) which is activated by Cd in several kinds of cells. Cd at 2 microM and above stimulated PGE2 production in osteoblastic cells and its production was inhibited by the kinase-specific inhibitors PD98059, SB203580, curcumin, and calphostin C.