Discovery of a naturally occurring broad-spectrum inhibitor against gut bacterial β-glucuronidases from .

Gut bacterial β-glucuronidases (GUS) play an important role in deconjugation of various -glucuronides, which are tightly linked with the drug-induced intestinal toxicity. Increasing evidence has indicated that inhibition of bacterial GUS could alleviate GUS-associated intestinal toxicity, but the potent and broad-spectrum inhibitors against multiple bacterial GUS have been rarely reported. This study aimed to find potent and broad-spectrum GUS inhibitors from .

Effects of High-Fat Diet on Carcinogen-Induced Pancreatic Cancer and Intestinal Microbiota in C57BL/6 Wild-Type Mice.

Objectives: High-fat diet has been considered a risk factor for the development of pancreatic cancer. It is also shown to significantly impact composition and dysbiosis of gut microbiota in both humans and animals. However, there is little information on the effect of high-fat diet on the development of pancreatic cancer or upon the gut microbiota of patients with pancreatic cancer in humans or animal models.

Pancreatic lipase inhibitory constituents from Fructus Psoraleae.

Pancreatic lipase (PL), a crucial enzyme in the digestive system of mammals, has been proven as a therapeutic target to prevent and treat obesity. The purpose of this study is to evaluate and characterize the PL inhibition activities of the major constituents from Fructus Psoraleae (FP), one of the most frequently used Chinese herbs with lipid-lowering activity. To this end, a total of eleven major constituents isolated from Fructus Psoraleae have been obtained and their inhibition potentials against PL have been assayed by a fluorescence-based assay.

Elevated plasma soluble (pro)renin receptor levels are associated with left ventricular remodeling and renal function in chronic heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction.

Soluble (pro)renin receptor [s(P)RR], which is generated from cleavage of (P)RR, can be detected in plasma and urine. s(P)RR levels can reflect the severity of some diseases, such as renal lesions, gestational diabetes mellitus or hypertension, and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. However, the relationship between s(P)RR levels and the severity of chronic heart failure remains undetermined.

Structure-activity relationships of flavonoids as natural inhibitors against E. coli β-glucuronidase.

Bacterial β-glucuronidases play key roles in the deconjugation of a variety of endogenous and drug glucuronides, thus have been recognized as important targets to modulate the enterohepatic circulation of various glucuronides. In this study, more than 30 natural flavonoids were collected and their inhibitory effects against E. coli β-glucuronidase (EcGUS) were assayed.

Anti-Tumor Effect of Pinus massoniana Bark Proanthocyanidins on Ovarian Cancer through Induction of Cell Apoptosis and Inhibition of Cell Migration.

Pinus massoniana bark proanthocyanidins (PMBPs), an active component isolated from Pinus massoniana bark, has been reported to possess a wide range of biochemical properties. Here, we investigated the anti-tumor effect of PMBPs on ovarian cancer. The results indicated that PMBPs significantly reduced the growth of ovarian cancer cells and induced dose-dependent apoptosis.

Analysis of the bacterial community in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease sputum samples by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and real-time PCR.

Background: The Global Initiative defines COPD for chronic obstructive lung disease as an entirely preventable and treatable disease characterized by sputum production, bacterial colonisation, neutrophilic bronchial airway inflammation and poor health status. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that COPD will become the fourth-most common cause of death worldwide, just behind ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and HIV/AIDS, by 2030. The aim of this study was to determine the main structure feature of sputum potentially pathogenic microorganisms in subjects with COPD during the clinical stable state.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate induces the apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma LM6 cells but not non-cancerous liver cells.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is a constituent of green tea and has been associated with anticancer activity. In the present study, the inhibitory effect of EGCG on human hepatocellular cancer cells was examined by cell viability assay, in vitro apoptosis assay and cell cycle analysis. In addition, gene expression was measured to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of action of EGCG by mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) determination and western blot analysis.

Effect of Lactobacillus species on Streptococcus mutans biofilm formation.

Streptococcus mutans is the primary pathogen responsible for initiating dental caries and decay. The presence of sucrose, stimulates S. mutans to produce insoluble glucans to form oral biofilm also known as dental plaque to initiate caries lesion.

Gut microbe analysis between hyperthyroid and healthy individuals.

Clinicians have long recognized that thyroid hormones have some effects on the gastrointestinal tract. This study aimed to investigate the gut microbiota in hyperthyroid and assess whether there are alterations in the diversity and similarity of gut microbiota in the hyperthyroid when compared with healthy individuals. PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) with universal primers targeting V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene was employed to characterize the overall intestinal microbiota composition, and some excised gel bands were cloned for sequencing.

Fermentation supernatants of inhibit growth of human colon cancer cells and induce apoptosis through a caspase 3-dependent pathway.

Probiotic bacteria are known to exert a wide range of beneficial effects on their animal hosts. Therefore, the present study explored the effect of the supernatants obtained from fermentation (LBF) on colon cancer. The results indicated that the proliferation of LBF solution-treated colon cancer SW620 cells was arrested and accumulated in the G1 phase in a concentration-dependent manner.

Improvement of intestinal microflora balance by polysaccharide from Physalis alkekengi var. francheti.

A water‑soluble polysaccharide fraction (PPSB) was fractionated from Physalis alkekengi var. francheti and purified using DEAE‑52 Cellulose and Sephadex G‑200 chromatography. The physicochemical properties of PPSB and its molecular activities involved in the improvement of intestinal microflora balance were evaluated.

In vivo effects on the intestinal microflora of Physalis alkekengi var. francheti extracts.

This study aimed to investigate the effects on the intestinal microflora balance of Physalis alkekengi var. francheti extracts (PE) using in vivo mouse model. Luteolin-7-O-β-glycoside, Physalin J, Physalin D, and Physalin P were isolated from PE extracts and identified.

Side effects of antibiotics on the intestinal microflora by PCR-DGGE.

Antibiotics are recommended for use in the treatment of infectious diseases, but the side effects have not been thoroughly investigated, especially on the intestinal tract. Fluoroquinolones, macrolides and β-lactams were tested the side effects on the intestinal microbflora of mice in this study. The similarity and sequence analysis of the dominant bands for different drug administration periods were carried out by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profiles.

In vitro effects on intestinal bacterium of physalins from Physalis alkekengi var. Francheti.

Intestinal probiotic bacterium stimulative activity-guided fractionation of Physalis alkekengi var. Francheti calyces extract resulted in the isolation of four new physalins (1-4). Their structures were elucidated as 5α, 6β-dihydroxy-25, 27-dihydro-7-deoxyphysalin A (1), 5α, 6β-dihydroxyphysalin R (2), 3β-hydroxy-2-hydrophysalin A (3) and 5α-hydroxy-7-dehydro-25, 27-dihydro-7-deoxyneophysalin A (4) by UV, MS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy.

Protein indicators for HaCaT cell damage induced by UVB irradiation.

UVB (290-320 nm) is one major risk factor of skin diseases in human. In order to provide potential protein molecules in skin cell damage and skin diseases induced by UVB irradiation, the differentially expressed proteins in human keratinocytes cell HaCaT by UVB irradiation were screened by two-dimensional difference in-gel electrophoresis (2D DIGE) combined to high performance liquid chromatography-nano-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-nESI-MS/MS). 31 protein spots were found differentially expressed with statistical significance (p<0.

Comparison of the gut microbe profiles and numbers between patients with liver cirrhosis and healthy individuals.

Human liver was closely associated with gut through various biological mechanisms, such as bacterium-gut interactions. Alterations of gut microbiota seemed to play an important role in induction and promotion of liver damage progression. The aim of this study was to characterize the gut microbiota in liver cirrhosis patients and assess whether there are alterations in the diversity and similarity of intestinal flora in cirrhotic patients when compared with healthy individuals.

CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 expressions in medulloblastoma cells are AhR-independent and have no direct link with resveratrol-induced differentiation and apoptosis.

Resveratrol induces apoptosis and regulates CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 expression in human medulloblastoma cells. To elucidate the potential correlation of their expressions with the anti-medulloblastoma effects of resveratrol, human medulloblastoma cells, UW228-3, were treated with CYP1A1 selective inhibitor (alpha-naphthoflavone, alpha-NF), selective CYP1A1/1A2 inducer (beta-naphthoflavone, beta-NF) and their combination with resveratrol, respectively. The influences of those treatments on the expressions of CYP1A1, 1A2 and 1B1 as well as the cell growth, differentiation and death were analyzed.

Differential regulation of CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 expression in resveratrol-treated human medulloblastoma cells.

Resveratrol induces differentiation and Fas-independent apoptosis of medulloblastoma cells by a largely unknown mechanism. CYP1A1 and 1B1 are involved in resveratrol-mediated tumor suppression but their expression in medulloblastoma cells and their relevance to anti-medulloblastoma activity of resveratrol have not been described. The statuses of CYP1A1 and 1B1 in UW228-3 medulloblastoma cells without and with resveratrol treatments were elucidated in this study with ethoxyresorufin O-deethylation assay, followed by RT-PCR, immunocytochemical staining and Western blot hybridization.

Resveratrol promotes differentiation and induces Fas-independent apoptosis of human medulloblastoma cells.

Resveratrol has tumor-suppressive activities in some in vitro and in vivo experimental systems but its effect on medulloblastoma cells is still unknown. In this study, resveratrol was used to treat four human medulloblastoma cell lines (Med-3, UW228-1, -2 and -3) and its effects on cell growth, differentiation and death were examined by multiple approaches. Expression of Fas, FasL and caspase-3 in the cells without and with resveratrol treatments was examined by immunocytochemical staining and mRNA in situ hybridization and the influence of anti-Fas antibody (200 ng/ml) in cell growth and survival was determined as well.