The Effect of BNR17 on Postmenopausal Symptoms in Ovariectomized Rats.

Clinical and preclinical studies have reported that BNR17, a probiotic bacterial strain isolated from human breast milk, reduces body weight and white adipose tissue volume. In order to further explore the actions of BNR17, we investigated the anti-menopausal effects of BNR17 in an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model. The serum alanine aminotransferase levels of the rats in the OVX-BNR17 group were lower than those of the rats in the OVX-vehicle only (OVX-Veh) group.

Effects of Polygonatum sibiricum rhizome ethanol extract in high-fat diet-fed mice.

Context: The rhizome of Polygonatum sibiricum Redoute (Liliaceae) has long been used to treat diabetes-associated complications. However, the pharmacological mechanism of P. sibiricum on metabolic disorders is not clear.

ID1201, the ethanolic extract of the fruit of Melia toosendan ameliorates impairments in spatial learning and reduces levels of amyloid beta in 5XFAD mice.

A previous study has demonstrated the anti-amyloidogenic effects of the ethanolic extract of Meliae Fructus (ID1201) using cell lines with stably expressed human Swedish mutant APP695 and β-secretase 1, and 5Xfamilial AD (FAD) mice carrying five mutations. Here, we investigated the effects of ID1201 on cognitive impairment in 5XFAD mice. Daily administration of ID1201 was commenced at 3 months of age and continued for 3 months.

Anti-amyloidogenic effects of ID1201, the ethanolic extract of the fruits of Melia toosendan, through activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway.

Amyloid beta (Aβ) peptides, which are generated from amyloid precursor protein (APP), are thought to play a major role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study investigated the anti-amyloidogenic effects of the ethanolic extract of Meliae Fructus (ID1201) using human embryonic kidney 293 cells with stably expressed human wild-type or Swedish mutant APP695 and β-secretase 1. ID1201 treatment enhanced the non-amyloidogenic metabolism of APP; increases in soluble APPα levels and decreases in soluble APPβ and Aβ levels resulted from the α-secretase activation through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway.

Potential neuroprotective flavonoid-based inhibitors of CDK5/p25 from Rhus parviflora.

Rhus parviflora (Anacardiaceae) is an indigenous medicinal shrub found in South Asia with flavonoid rich edible fruit. This study examined flavonoid derivatives of R. parviflora fruit with CDK5/p25 inhibition activity.

Isolation of megastigmane sesquiterpenes from the silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) droppings and their promotion activity on HO-1 and SIRT1.

The silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) droppings were extracted with 80% aqueous MeOH, and the concentrated extract was partitioned in succession with EtOAc, n-BuOH, and H(2)O. From the EtOAc fraction, five megastigmane sesquiterpenes were isolated through repeated silica gel and ODS column chromatography.

Flavonoids from silkworm droppings and their promotional activities on heme oxygenase-1.

A new flavane glucoside, 7,2'-dihydroxy-8-hydroxyethyl-4'-methoxyflavane-2'-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (3), along with three known flavonoids, 7,2'-dihydroxy-8-prenyl-4'-methoxyflavane (1), euchrenone a(7) (2), and 7,2'-dihydroxy-8-prenyl-4'-methoxy-2'-O-β-d-glucopyranosylflavane (4), was isolated from silkworm droppings. The structures of the compounds were elucidated on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic analyses and optical rotational characteristics. The compounds isolated from silkworm droppings were evaluated for their effects on heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) activity.

Effects of peptides derived from BACE1 catalytic domain on APP processing.

One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the deposition of beta-amyloid (Abeta) peptides in neuritic plaques. Abeta peptides are derived from sequential cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP) by beta- and gamma-secretases. beta-APP cleaving enzyme-1 (BACE1) has been shown to be the major beta-secretase and is a primary therapeutic target for AD.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of 5-arylamino-6-chloro-1H-indazole-4,7-diones as inhibitors of protein kinase B/Akt.

A series of 5-arylamino-6-chloro-1H-indazole-4,7-diones were synthesized and evaluated for their inhibitory activity on protein kinase B/Akt. The compounds exhibited a potent Akt1 inhibitory activity. Further mechanistic study revealed that they might have dual inhibitory effects on both activity and phosphorylation of Akt1 in PC-3 tumor cell line.

Rapid identification of potentially probiotic Bifidobacterium species by multiplex PCR using species-specific primers based on the region extending from 16S rRNA through 23S rRNA.

This study aimed at developing a novel multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primer set for identification of the potentially probiotic Bifidobacterium species B. adolescentis, B. animalis subsp.

Rapid identification of probiotic Lactobacillus species by multiplex PCR using species-specific primers based on the region extending from 16S rRNA through 23S rRNA.

This study aimed to develop a novel multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primer set for the identification of seven probiotic Lactobacillus species such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus gasseri, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus reuteri and Lactobacillus rhamnosus. The primer set, comprising of seven specific and two conserved primers, was derived from the integrated sequences of 16S and 23S rRNA genes and their rRNA intergenic spacer region of each species. It was able to identify the seven target species with 93.