Heterogeneously elevated branched-chain/aromatic amino acids among new-onset type-2 diabetes mellitus patients are potentially skewed diabetes predictors.

Background: The lack of specific predictors for type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) severely impacts early intervention/prevention efforts. Elevated branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs: Isoleucine, leucine, valine) and aromatic amino acids (AAAs: Tyrosine, tryptophan, phenylalanine)) show high sensitivity and specificity in predicting diabetes in animals and predict T2DM 10-19 years before T2DM onset in clinical studies. However, improvement is needed to support its clinical utility.

Ginsenoside Rb3 attenuates skin flap ischemia-reperfusion damage by inhibiting STING-IRF3 signaling.

We investigate the protective effect of ginsenoside Rb3 on skin flap microvasculature following ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury and its regulatory mechanism. We used a rat model of I/R injury with the right iliolumbar artery and oxidative stress model of human dermal microvascular endothelial cells. The effects of Rb3 on skin flap tissue and endothelial cell survival, STING-IRF3 pathway activation, and endothelial cell adhesion were measured.

Myricetin ameliorates the symptoms of collagen-induced arthritis in mice by inhibiting cathepsin K activity.

Myricetin, a common dietary flavonoid, is widely distributed in fruits and vegetables. It is known to be a food supplement contributing to human health because of its immune modulatory function, and its antioxidation, antitumor, and anti-inflammatory properties. In the present study, myricetin was shown to directly inhibit cathepsin K activity, a highly potent collagenase, which is the predominant papain-like cysteine protease expressed in osteoclasts and synovial fibroblasts.

An inhibitor of cathepsin K, icariin suppresses cartilage and bone degradation in mice of collagen-induced arthritis.

The collagenase cathepsin K has been shown important in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Icariin is the major pharmacologically active flavonol diglycoside of Herba Epimedii, an herb used in Chinese traditional medicine to treat arthritis. We investigated whether icariin can inhibit the protease activity of cathepsin K and its effects on a murine model of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA).

Characterization of Rv0394c gene encoding hyaluronidase and chondrosulfatase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

It has been demonstrated that Mycobacterium tuberculosis can utilize hyaluronan (HA) as an alternative carbon resource; however, the gene responsible for HA utilization has not been identified. We overexpressed the soluble product of the Rv0394c gene from M. tuberculosis H37Rv in Escherichia coli and purified it using affinity chromatography and anion exchange chromatography.