Isotopic Tracer for Absolute Quantification of Metabolites of the Pentose Phosphate Pathway in Bacteria.

The pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) plays a key role in many metabolic functions, including the generation of NADPH, biosynthesis of nucleotides, and carbon homeostasis. In particular, the intermediates of PPP have been found to be significantly perturbed in bacterial metabolomic studies. Nonetheless, detailed analysis to gain mechanistic information of PPP metabolism remains limited as most studies are unable to report on the absolute levels of the metabolites.

Bacterial Metabolomics: Sample Preparation Methods.

Metabolomics is a comprehensive analysis of metabolites existing in biological systems. As one of the important "omics" tools, the approach has been widely employed in various fields in helping to better understand the complex cellular metabolic states and changes. Bacterial metabolomics has gained a significant interest as bacteria serve to provide a better subject or model at systems level.

Optimization of ultraviolet/ozone (UVO) process conditions for the preparation of gelatin coated polystyrene (PS) microcarriers.

The aim of this study was to develop gelatin coated polystyrene (PS) microcarriers with good cell adhesion and proliferation properties. PS microspheres, prepared using oil-in water (o/w) solvent evaporation method, were loaded with oxygen containing functional groups using an ultraviolet/ozone (UVO) system. Using water-soluble carbodiimide chemistry, gelatin was subsequently immobilized on UVO treated PS microspheres.

A study on volatile organic compounds emitted by in-vitro lung cancer cultured cells using gas sensor array and SPME-GCMS.

Background: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from exhaled breath from human bodies have been proven to be a useful source of information for early lung cancer diagnosis. To date, there are still arguable information on the production and origin of significant VOCs of cancer cells. Thus, this study aims to conduct in-vitro experiments involving related cell lines to verify the capability of VOCs in providing information of the cells.

Optimization of ultraviolet ozone treatment process for improvement of polycaprolactone (PCL) microcarrier performance.

Growing cells on microcarriers may have overcome the limitation of conventional cell culture system. However, the surface functionality of certain polymeric microcarriers for effective cell attachment and growth remains a challenge. Polycaprolactone (PCL), a biodegradable polymer has received considerable attention due to its good mechanical properties and degradation rate.

Aquilaria spp. (agarwood) as source of health beneficial compounds: A review of traditional use, phytochemistry and pharmacology.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Aquilaria spp. (agarwood) has been a part of Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine for centuries. Agarwood has also been used as a traditional medicine in Southeast Asian countries, Bangladesh and Tibet.

Effects of season and storage period on accumulation of individual carotenoids in pumpkin flesh (Cucurbita moschata).

Carotenoids are antioxidants with pharmaceutical potential. The major carotenoids important to humans are α-carotene, β-carotene, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, and β-cryptoxanthin. Some of the biological functions and actions of these individual carotenoids are quite similar to each other, whereas others are specific.

Screening of anticancer activity from agarwood essential oil.

Background: Agarwood is a priceless non-timber forest product from Aquilaria species belonging to the Thymelaeaceae family. As a result of a defence mechanism to fend off pathogens, Aquilaria species develop agarwood or resin which can be used for incense, perfumery, and traditional medicines. Evidences from ethnopharmacological practices showed that Aquilaria spp.

Gene expression analysis in MCF-7 breast cancer cells treated with recombinant bromelain.

The contributing molecular pathways underlying the pathogenesis of breast cancer need to be better characterized. The principle of our study was to better understand the genetic mechanism of oncogenesis for human breast cancer and to discover new possible tumor markers for use in clinical practice. We used complimentary DNA (cDNA) microarrays to compare gene expression profiles of treated Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7) with recombinant bromelain and untreated MCF-7.

Cytokinetic study of MCF-7 cells treated with commercial and recombinant bromelain.

Background: Breast cancer is a leading cause of death in women. The available chemotherapy drugs have been associated with many side effects. Bromelain has novel medicinal qualities including anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic, fibrinolytic and anti-cancer functions.

Metabolomics profiling of extracellular metabolites in CHO-K1 cells cultured in different types of growth media.

An efficient mammalian cell system for producing bioproducts should retain high cell viability and efficient use of energy sources rendering the need to understand the effects of various variables on the cell system. In this study, global metabolite (metabolomics) analysis approach was used to try and understand the relationships between types of media used, culture growth behavior and productivity. CHO-KI cells producing IGF-1 were obtained from ATCC and grown in T-flask (37 °C, 5 % CO2) until 70-80 % confluent in RPMI 1640 and Ham's F12, respectively.

Microarray and quantitative PCR analysis of gene expression profiles in response to treatment with tomato leaf extract in mcf-7 breast cancer cells.

We previously found cytotoxic effects of tomato leaf extract (TLE) on the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. The aim of this study was to ascertain the molecular mechanisms associated with the usage of TLE as an anticancer agent by microarray analysis using mRNA from MCF-7 breast cancer cells after treatment with TLE for 1 hr and 48 hrs. Approximately 991 genes out of the 30,000 genes in the human genome were significantly (p<0.

Comparing BRIN-BD11 culture producing insulin using different type of microcarriers.

This research was conducted to examine the growth profile, growth kinetics, and insulin-secretory responsiveness of BRIN-BD11 cells grown in optimized medium on different types of microcarriers (MCs). Comparisons were made on modified polystyrene (Hillex(®) II) and crosslinked polystyrene Plastic Plus (PP) from Solohill Engineering. The cell line producing insulin was cultured in a 25 cm(2) T-flask as control while MCs based culture was implemented in a stirred tank bioreactor with 1 L working volume.