Encapsulation of hydrophobically ion-paired teduglutide in nanoemulsions: Effect of anionic counterions.

This study presents a novel method for encapsulating the bioactive peptide teduglutide to enhance its oral bioavailability using O/W nanoemulsion (NE). Recombinant teduglutide (rTGT), produced in E. coli with 93 % purity, was hydrophobically modified through ion-pairing with phytic acid (PA) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS).

Protective Effects of Compounds from against Amyloid Beta Production in Vitro and Scopolamine-Induced Memory Impairment in Vivo.

has traditionally been used as an antipyretic, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory agent and as a treatment for uterine and anal prolapse. This study has investigated the potential beneficial effects of this medicinal plant and its components on Alzheimer's disease (AD) with a focus on amyloid beta (Aβ) production and scopolamine-induced memory impairment in mice. An ethanol extract from roots decreased Aβ production in APP-CHO cells [Chinese hamster ovarian (CHO) cells stably expressing amyloid precursor protein (APP)], as determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot analysis.

Mimicking cotranslational folding of prosubtilisin E in vitro.

Nascent polypeptides are synthesized on ribosomes starting at the N-terminus and simultaneously begin to fold during translation. We constructed N-terminal fragments of prosubtilisin E containing an intramolecular chaperone (IMC) at N-terminus to mimic cotranslational folding intermediates of prosubtilisin. The IMC-fragments of prosubtilisin exhibited progressive enhancement of their secondary structures and thermostabilities with increasing polypeptide length.

Anti-Amyloidogenic Effects of Asarone Derivatives From Leaves against Beta-Amyloid Aggregation and Nitric Oxide Production.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative brain disorder associated with loss of memory and cognitive function. Beta-amyloid (Aβ) aggregates, in particular, are known to be highly neurotoxic and lead to neurodegeneration. Therefore, blockade or reduction of Aβ aggregation is a promising therapeutic approach in AD.

Cynandione A from Cynanchum wilfordii inhibits hepatic de novo lipogenesis by activating the LKB1/AMPK pathway in HepG2 cells.

Cynandione A (CA), isolated from ethyl acetate extract of Cynanchum wilfordii (CW), is a bioactive phytochemical that has been found to be beneficial for the treatment of several diseases. Hepatic de novo lipogenesis is one of the main causes of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is thought to be a hepatic manifestation of certain metabolic syndromes. However, it has not yet been reported if CA has any therapeutic value in these diseases.

Inhibitory effect of α-amyrin acetate isolated from Fraxinus rhynchophylla on Th17 polarization.

Background: T helper 17 (Th17) cells, which are differentiated from CD4 T cells, drive inflammation, leading to autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease. Therefore, inhibiting Th17 polarization could be a therapeutic target for inflammatory diseases.

Purpose: We investigated the inhibitory effect of Fraxinus rhynchophylla (Oleaceae) on Th17 differentiation and found its active component.

Envelope-deforming antiviral peptide derived from influenza virus M2 protein.

Molecules interfering with lipid bilayer function exhibit strong antiviral activity against a broad range of enveloped viruses, with a lower risk of resistance development than that for viral protein-targeting drugs. Amphipathic peptides are rich sources of such membrane-interacting antivirals. Here, we report that influenza viruses were effectively inactivated by M2 AH, an amphipathic peptide derived from the M2 protein of the influenza virus.

Constituents from Scutellaria barbata Inhibiting Nitric Oxide Production in LPS-Stimulated Microglial Cells.

The arial parts of Scutellaria barbata D. Don (Lamiaceae) efficiently inhibited NO production in BV2 microglial cells, and the active constituents were further isolated based on activity-guided isolation using silica-gel column chromatography, RP-C18 MPLC and prep-HPLC. As the results, 2 flavonoids including 6-methoxynaringenin (1) and 6-O-methylscutellarein (5), and 6 neo-clerodane diterpenes such as scutebarbatine W (2), scutebatas B (3), scutebarbatine B (4), scutebarbatine A (6), 6-O-nicotinolylscutebarbatine G (7), and scutebarbatine X (8) were isolated.

Translation-dependent mRNA cleavage by YhaV in Escherichia coli.

Many bacteria have toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems, where toxin gene expression inhibits their own cell growth. mRNA is one of the well-known targets of the toxins in the type II toxin-antitoxin systems. Here, we examined the ribosome dependency of the endoribonuclease activity of YhaV, one of the toxins in type II TA systems, on mRNA in vitro and in vivo.

Inhibitory effect of UvrD and DinG on the replication of ColE1-derived plasmids in Escherichia coli.

CspA has been identified as a major cold-shock protein in Escherichia coli. CspA binds to RNAs which are abnormally folded at low temperature and then acts as an RNA chaperone unfolding those RNAs. The dramatic expression of cspA at low temperature is contributed by posttranscriptional stability and robust translatability.

Affinity maturation of single-chain variable fragment specific for aflatoxin B(1) using yeast surface display.

As aflatoxin B1 is one of the most toxic mycotoxins, it is important to detect and to quantify aflatoxin B1 accurately by immunological methods. To enhance aflatoxin B1-binding affinity of the single-chain variable fragment, yeast surface display technique combined with fluorescence-activated cell sorting was applied. A randomly mutated scFv library was subjected to 4 rounds of fluorescence-activated cell sorting, resulting in isolation of 5 scFv variants showing an affinity improvement compared to the parental wild type scFv.

Effect of thickener type on the rheological properties of hot thickened soups suitable for elderly people with swallowing difficulty.

Flow and dynamic rheological properties of hot thickened soups for consumption by the elderly people with swallowing difficulty (dysphagia) were investigated at a serving temperature of 60°C. In this study, sea mustard soup (SMS) and dried pollock soup (DPS), which have been widely known as favorable hot soups provided in a domestic hospitals and nursing homes for dysphagic patients, were thickened with four commercial xanthan gum (XG)-based food thickeners (coded A~D) marketed in Korea. Thickened soups prepared with different thickeners showed high shear-thinning flow behaviors (n=0.

Relationship between Apparent Viscosity and Line-Spread Test Measurement of Thickened Fruit Juices Prepared with a Xanthan Gum-based Thickener.

The flow behaviors of three thickened fruit juices (orange, apple, and grape juice) prepared with a commercial instant xanthan gum (XG)-based thickener that is marketed in Korea were investigated at different thickener concentrations (1.0%, 1.5%, 2.

Soluble expression and purification of receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand using Escherichia coli.

Receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL) is a critical factor in osteoclastogenesis. It makes osteoclasts differentiate and multinucleate in bone remodeling. In the present study, RANKL was expressed as a soluble maltose binding protein (MBP)-fusion protein using the Escherichia coli maltose binding domain tag system (pMAL) expression vector system.

pH-responsive high-density lipoprotein-like nanoparticles to release paclitaxel at acidic pH in cancer chemotherapy.

Background: Nanoparticles undergoing physicochemical changes to release enclosed drugs at acidic pH conditions are promising vehicles for antitumor drug delivery. Among the various drug carriers, high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-like nanoparticles have been shown to be beneficial for cancer chemotherapy, but have not yet been designed to be pH-responsive.

Methods And Results: In this study, we developed a pH-responsive HDL-like nanoparticle that selectively releases paclitaxel, a model antitumor drug, at acidic pH.

Electrostatic interaction-induced inclusion body formation of glucagon-like peptide-1 fused with ubiquitin and cationic tag.

In an attempt to produce glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) using recombinant Escherichia coli, ubiquitin (Ub) as a fusion partner was fused to GLP-1 with the 6-lysine tag (K6) for simple purification. Despite the high solubility of ubiquitin, the fusion protein K6UbGLP-1 was expressed mainly as insoluble inclusion bodies in E. coli.

Production and solid-phase refolding of human glucagon-like peptide-1 using recombinant Escherichia coli.

Human glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), an incretin hormone with pharmaceutical potential in treating type 2 diabetes mellitus is known to be rapidly degraded when expressed in Escherichia coli. For the efficient production of the intact GLP-1 using a recombinant E. coli system, a fusion protein of GLP-1 was designed to be composed of the 6-lysine tag, ubiquitin and GLP-1 (K6UbGLP-1) in a row.

Production of membrane proteins for NMR studies using the condensed single protein (cSPP) production system.

In the Single Protein Production (SPP) method, all E. coli cellular mRNAs are eliminated by the induction of MazF, an ACA-specific mRNA interferase. When an mRNA for a membrane protein, engineered to have no ACA sequences without altering its amino acid sequence, is induced in the MazF-induced cells, E.

Comprehensive analysis of excision repair complementation group 1, glutathione S-transferase, thymidylate synthase and uridine diphosphate glucuronosyl transferase 1A1 polymorphisms predictive for treatment outcome in patients with advanced gastric cancer treated with FOLFOX or FOLFIRI.

Oxaliplatin and irinotecan have proven effective in the treatment of gastric cancer. We attempted to determine whether single nucleotide polymorphisms in ERCC1, GST, TS and UGT1A1 predicted overall survival in gastric cancer patients receiving FOLFOX and/or FOLFIRI chemotherapy. Total genomic DNA was extracted from the whole blood of patients.

Folding machineries displayed on a cation-exchanger for the concerted refolding of cysteine- or proline-rich proteins.

Background: Escherichia coli has been most widely used for the production of valuable recombinant proteins. However, over-production of heterologous proteins in E. coli frequently leads to their misfolding and aggregation yielding inclusion bodies.

Characterization of ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase 1 (YUH1) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressed in recombinant Escherichia coli.

The YUH1 gene coding for ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase 1, a deubiquitinating enzyme, was cloned from the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genomic DNA and expressed in Escherichia coli. YUH1 was fused with the 6 histidine tag at the N-terminus (H6YUH1) or C-terminus (YUH1H6) and purified by an immobilized metal affinity chromatography with high purity. By using a fluorogenic substrate, Z-Arg-Leu-Arg-Gly-Gly-AMC, the deubiquitinating activities for H6YUH1 (1.