Improved tumor targetability of Tat-conjugated PAMAM dendrimers as a novel nanosized anti-tumor drug carrier

The generation 4-poly-amidoamine-dendrimers (PAMAM G4 dendrimer, P) was conjugated to Tat peptide (Tat, T), a cell-penetrating peptide, in search of an efficient anti-tumor drug delivery vehicle for cancer therapy. In this study, we synthesized BODIPY-labeled Tat-Conjugated PAMAM dendrimers (BPTs) as a novel nanosized anticancer drug carriers and systemically investigated their biodistribution and the tumor accumulation in Sarcoma 180-bearing mice. In addition, the uptake and the cytotoxicity to S180 cells of BPTs thereof were evaluated. The unmodified dendrimer (BP) showed a soon clearance from the blood stream and nonspecific accumulation in tumor. In contrast, the Tat-modified dendrimer, BPT(64) with appropriate particle size showed a better retention in blood and could be accumulated effectively in tumor tissue via the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. Moreover, BPTs with a high Tat modification rate was accumulated more effectively in tumor tissue. In vitro experiments, these BPTs displayed low cytotoxicity on S180 cells and high uptake to S180 cells. These findings indicate that the nanoparticulate system on the basis of Tat-conjugated PAMAM dendrimers is safer and effective in the concentration range (below 20?μg/ml) to be used as a carrier of anti-tumor drugs for tumor targeting by intravenous administration.     

Adhesive properties of water-washed cottonseed meal on four types of wood

The interest in natural product-based wood adhesives has been steadily increasing due to the environmental and sustainable concerns of petroleum-based adhesives. In this work, we reported our research on the utilization of water-washed cottonseed meal (WCM) as wood adhesives. The adhesive strength and water resistance of WCM adhesive preparations on poplar, Douglas fir, walnut, and white oak wood veneers were tested with press temperatures of 80, 100, and 130 °C. Our data indicated that raising the hot press temperature from 80 to 100–130 °C greatly increased the bonding strength and water resistance of the WCM adhesives. The general trend of the adhesive strength of WCM on the four wood species was Douglas fir > poplar ≈ white oak > walnut. The rough surface of Douglas fir with tipping features could enhance the mechanical interlocking between the wood fibers and adhesive slurry, contributing to the high adhesive strength. The dimensional swelling of the bonded wood pairs due to water soaking was in the order: thickness > width (i.e. perpendicular to the wood grain) > length (i.e. parallel to the wood grain). The greatest dimensional changes were observed in Douglas fir specimens. However, the highest decrease in adhesive strength by water soaking was with poplar wood specimens. These observations suggested that the wood dimensional changes were not dominant factors on water weakening the bonding strength of these wood pairs.     

Effects of three conventional drying methods on the lipid oxidation,fatty acids composition,and antioxidant activities of walnut (Juglans regia L.)

Three walnut (Juglans regia L.) drying methods (sun drying, direct oven drying, and intermittent oven drying) were employed, and the consequent changes in lipid oxidation attributes, such as acid value (AV), peroxide value (POV), saponification value (SV), fatty acid composition, and antioxidant activity [including reducing power, superoxide anion scavenging activity, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging activity (DPPH), lipoxygenase (LOX) activity, total phenols content (TPC), and total flavonoids content (TFC)] were investigated in this study. Sun drying resulted in the highest AV, POV, and SV, followed by direct oven drying and intermittent oven drying. Antioxidant activities and related compounds, TPC and TFC, were initially increased and then declined during drying, and a significant correlation was found between antioxidant activity and TPC and TFC. The LOX activities of all samples showed an increasing trend, although those of the sun-dried samples were the lowest. The walnuts dried with the intermittent oven drying method contained more linoleic acid than those dried by direct oven drying. Overall, intermittent oven drying appears to be a promising strategy for fresh walnut drying.     

Initial Molecular Recognition Steps of McjA Precursor during Microcin J25 Lasso Peptide Maturation

Microcin J25 (MccJ25) has emerged as an excellent model to understand the maturation of ribosomal precursor peptides into the entangled lasso fold. MccJ25 biosynthesis relies on the post‐translational modification of the precursor McjA by the ATP‐dependent protease McjB and the lactam synthetase McjC. Here, using NMR spectroscopy, we showed that McjA is an intrinsically disordered protein without detectable conformational preference, which emphasizes the active role of the maturation machinery on the three‐dimensional folding of MccJ25. We further showed that the N‐terminal region of the leader peptide is involved in interaction with both maturation enzymes and identified a predominant interaction of V43–S55 in the core McjA sequence with McjC. Moreover, we demonstrated that residues K23–Q34 in the N‐terminal McjA leader peptide tend to adopt a helical conformation in the presence of membrane mimics, implying a role in directing McjA to the membrane in the vicinity of the lasso synthetase/export machinery. These data provide valuable insights into the initial molecular recognition steps in the MccJ25 maturation process.     

生物质焦油成分分析及综合利用研究

生物质焦油是生物质热解和气化过程中产生的副产物,其成分非常复杂。实验对贵州省毕节市农机研究所设计的生物质气化炉所产生的生物质焦油进行了研究,选用混合溶剂(乙酸乙酯∶甲醇=5∶1)作萃取剂,采用GC/MS法对萃取物的化学成分进行了分析。结果表明,已定性的41种化合物大多为苯的衍生物,是重要的化工原料。     

酶法制备猪肺抗氧化肽

为了分离制备猪肺抗氧化肽,该文研究了中心组合设计和响应面分析优化猪肺抗氧化肽的提取工艺,以DPPH自由基清除率为响应值,分析了料液比、水解时间和酶浓度对制备抗氧化肽的影响,再通过葡聚糖凝胶Sephadex G-50、G-25和G-10对抗氧化肽进行分离纯化,得到了具有抗氧化活性的肽段,测定其清除DPPH自由基、超氧阴离子、ABTS自由基、羟基自由基以及金属螯合的能力。猪肺抗氧化肽的最佳提取工艺参数为:新鲜猪肺质量与水质量的比例(料液比)为1∶3,水解6 h,酶浓度为6 500 U/g,此时DPPH自由基清除率为66.89%;抗氧化活性最强的组分A5清除DPPH自由基、超氧阴离子、ABTS自由基和羟基自由基的IC50分别为0.073、0.989、0.192和1.261 g/L,金属螯合能力的IC50为6.505 g/L;其相对分子质量为175。     

四肽Trp-Gly-Gly-His的合成及其对铜离子的检测

用固相合成法,将能特异性识别Cu2+的三肽Gly-Gly-His(GGH)与具有荧光发射功能的Trp(W)偶联,得到了由天然氨基酸组成的Cu2+分子探针Trp-Gly-Gly-His(WGGH)。该探针具有水溶性好,响应时间快、无毒安全、检测窗口宽、高灵敏度和高选择性等优点。实验优化得到的最佳检测pH为7.5。该探针对Cu2+的检测范围为10~1500 nM,检测限为2 nM。