Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Induction of Apoptosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Cholangiocarcinoma Cell Lines by Thymoquinone

Thymoquinone (TQ), a plant-based bioactive constituent derived from the volatile oil of Nigella sativa, has been shown to possess some anti-neoplastic activities. The present study aimed to investigate the mitochondria and apoptosis observed when TQ is applied against hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) and cholangiocarcinoma (HuCCT1) cells, two of the most common primary tumors of the liver. All cell lines were treated with increasing concentrations of TQ for varying durations. The anti-proliferative effect of TQ was measured using the methoxyphenyl-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) assay and resulted in dose- and time-dependent growth inhibition in both cell lines. Cell cycle, apoptosis, and assessment of mitochondria viability by morphology assessment and evaluation of the mitochondrial membrane potential were investigated. The present study confirms that TQ caused cell cycle arrest at different phases and induced apoptosis in both cell lines. A systematic review of rodent animal models was also carried out. Overall, our data seem to represent the most robust results, suggesting that TQ possesses promising therapeutic potential as an anti-tumor agent for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma.     

Electronic structure of dinuclear gold(i) complexes

Cyclic voltammetry (CV) experiments on LL(AuSR *)(2) complexes [LL = diphenylphosphinomethane (dppm), diphenylphosphinopentane (dpppn); R(*) = p-SC(6)H(4)CH(3)] show anodic sweeps that broaden by about 25 mV on going from the longer (dpppn) to the shorter (dppm) bidentate phosphine ligand. Changing concentrations had no effect on the shape of the waveform. The result suggests a weak intramolecular metal-metal interaction in dppm(AuSR *)(2) that correlates well with rate acceleration occurring in the reaction of dppm(AuSR *)(2) with organic disulfides. Quantum yields for cis-dppee(AuX)(2) [dppee = 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethylene; X = Cl, Br, I] complexes, (disappearance) Phi , are significantly higher in complexes with a softer X ligand, a trend that correlates well with aurophilicity. This result also suggests that electronic perturbation caused by Au(I)-Au(I) interactions is important in explaining the reactivity of some dinuclear gold(I) complexes. The crystal structure for cis-dppee(Aul)(2) shows short intramolecular Au(I)-Au(I) interactions of 2.9526 (6) A degrees , while the structure of trans-dppee(AuI)(2) , shows intermolecular Au(I)-Au(I) interactions of 3.2292 (9) A degrees . The substitution of .As for P results in a ligand, cis-diphenylarsinoethylene (cis-dpaee), that is photochemically active, in contrast to the cis-dppee ligand. The complexes, cis-dpaee(AuX)(2), are also photochemically active but with lower quantum yields than the cis-dppee(AuX)(2) complexes.     

In Vitro Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Spanish Honeys

Sixty-seven Spanish honeys from different floral origins, nectars and honeydews, were examined for potential antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Antioxidant capacities were determined in terms of their antiradical capacity using the stable free radical DPPH?. The bacterial species Micrococcus luteus and Staphylococcus aureus were used as the resistant microorganism in the antibacterial assays. The results showed that honeydew honeys presented higher antioxidant capacities than nectar honeys. On the other hand, honey capacity to inhibit Micrococcus luteus and Staphylococcus aureus was firstly evaluated by an agar diffusion method. Secondly, the active samples were tested with a spectrophotometic method to quantify their “non-peroxide” antimicrobial capacity to inhibit Staphylococcus aureus . We did not observed any relationship between the physicochemical parameters of the samples, and their ability to inhibit these microorganisms. The results obtained by the spectrophotometric method show that this method is easy and useful in the evaluation of the antibacterial capacity of honeys.     

Numerical simulation model for the preliminary design of hybrid electric city bus power train with polymer electrolyte fuel cell

A hybrid power train, consisting of a Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell (PEFC) system and batteries, which feeds an electric motor for city bus propulsion, can be dimensioned ad hoc respect to the performed route, avoiding his oversizing in the greater energy rationalization optic.     

PLAGER-VG: platform for managing educational multiplayer video games

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Information and communication technologies, in general, and multimedia systems, in particular, are currently incorporated into the learning processes with...     

Indolyl Septanoside Synthesis for In Vivo Screening of Bacterial Septanoside Hydrolases

Building-up and breaking-down of carbohydrates are processes common to all forms of life. Glycoside hydrolases are a broad class of enzymes that play a central role in the cleavage of glycosidic bonds, which is fundamental to carbohydrate degradation. The large majority of substrates are five- and six-membered ring glycosides. Our interest in seven-membered ring septanose sugars has inspired the development of a way to search for septanoside hydrolase activity. Described here is a strategy for the discovery of septanoside hydrolases that uses synthetic indolyl septanosides as chromogenic substrates. Access to these tool compounds was enabled by a route where septanosyl halides act as glycosyl donors for the synthesis of the indolyl septanosides. The screening strategy leverages the known dimerization of 3-hydroxy-indoles to make colored dyes, as occurs when the β-galactosidase substrate X-Gal is hydrolyzed. Because screens in bacterial cells would enable searches in organisms that utilize heptoses or from metagenomics libraries, we also demonstrate that septanosides are capable of entering E. coli cells through the use of a BODIPY-labeled septanoside. The modularity of the indolyl septanoside synthesis should allow the screening of a variety of substrates that mimic natural structures via this general approach.     

Using geolympus to create a pervasive game experience in the higher education context

Universal Access in the Information Society - The number of game experiences based on the player's location has increased recently due to proliferation of and innovation in related...     

Voltammetric response of iron hydroxide layers precipitated on platinum electrodes in alkaline solution

Voltammograms of thin and thick iron hydroxide layers chemically precipitated on platinum were obtained. The influence of the precipitation conditions of iron hydroxide was studied. Different types of combined potential/time perturbation programmes were employed to correlate the anodic and cathodic voltammetric peaks and to detect possible ageing-like effects. The electrochemical response of the iron hydroxide layer depends considerably on the layer thickness and precipitation conditions. The voltammetric behaviour of the precipitated iron hydroxide layer is interpreted in terms of the complex structure involving an inner poorly hydrated layer and an outer porous layer recently proposed from in situ ellipsometry data.