The Innate Immune Glycoprotein Lactoferrin Represses the Helicobacter pylori cag Type IV Secretion System

Chronic infection with Helicobacter pylori increases risk of gastric diseases including gastric cancer. Despite development of a robust immune response, H. pylori persists in the gastric niche. Progression of gastric inflammation to serious disease outcomes is associated with infection with H. pylori strains which encode the cag Type IV Secretion System (cag T4SS). The cag T4SS is responsible for translocating the oncogenic protein CagA into host cells and inducing pro-inflammatory and carcinogenic signaling cascades. Our previous work demonstrated that nutrient iron modulates the activity of the T4SS and biogenesis of T4SS pili. In response to H. pylori infection, the host produces a variety of antimicrobial molecules, including the iron-binding glycoprotein, lactoferrin. Our work shows that apo-lactoferrin exerts antimicrobial activity against H. pylori under iron-limited conditions, while holo-lactoferrin enhances bacterial growth. Culturing H. pylori in the presence of holo-lactoferrin prior to co-culture with gastric epithelial cells, results in repression of the cag T4SS activity. Concomitantly, a decrease in biogenesis of cag T4SS pili at the host-pathogen interface was observed under these culture conditions by high-resolution electron microscopy analyses. Taken together, these results indicate that acquisition of alternate sources of nutrient iron plays a role in regulating the pro-inflammatory activity of a bacterial secretion system and present novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of H. pylori-related disease.     

The Esterase PfeE,the Achilles’ Heel in the Battle for Iron between Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli

Bacteria access iron, a key nutrient, by producing siderophores or using siderophores produced by other microorganisms. The pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa produces two siderophores but is also able to pirate enterobactin (ENT), the siderophore produced by Escherichia coli. ENT-Fe complexes are imported across the outer membrane of P. aeruginosa by the two outer membrane transporters PfeA and PirA. Iron is released from ENT in the P. aeruginosa periplasm by hydrolysis of ENT by the esterase PfeE. We show here that pfeE gene deletion renders P. aeruginosa unable to grow in the presence of ENT because it is unable to access iron via this siderophore. Two-species co-cultures under iron-restricted conditions show that P. aeruginosa strongly represses the growth of E. coli as long it is able to produce its own siderophores. Both strains are present in similar proportions in the culture as long as the siderophore-deficient P. aeruginosa strain is able to use ENT produced by E. coli to access iron. If pfeE is deleted, E. coli has the upper hand in the culture and P. aeruginosa growth is repressed. Overall, these data show that PfeE is the Achilles’ heel of P. aeruginosa in communities with bacteria producing ENT.     

Tailored-Made Polydopamine Nanoparticles to Induce Ferroptosis in Breast Cancer Cells in Combination with Chemotherapy

Ferroptosis is gaining followers as mechanism of selective killing cancer cells in a non-apoptotic manner, and novel nanosystems capable of inducing this iron-dependent death are being increasingly developed. Among them, polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA NPs) are arousing interest, since they have great capability of chelating iron. In this work, PDA NPs were loaded with Fe³⁺ at different pH values to assess the importance that the pH may have in determining their therapeutic activity and selectivity. In addition, doxorubicin was also loaded to the nanoparticles to achieve a synergist effect. The in vitro assays that were performed with the BT474 and HS5 cell lines showed that, when Fe³⁺ was adsorbed in PDA NPs at pH values close to which Fe(OH)₃ begins to be formed, these nanoparticles had greater antitumor activity and selectivity despite having chelated a smaller amount of Fe³⁺. Otherwise, it was demonstrated that Fe³⁺ could be released in the late endo/lysosomes thanks to their acidic pH and their Ca²⁺ content, and that when Fe³⁺ was co-transported with doxorubicin, the therapeutic activity of PDA NPs was enhanced. Thus, reported PDA NPs loaded with both Fe³⁺ and doxorubicin may constitute a good approach to target breast tumors.     

Natural Antioxidants in Anemia Treatment

Anemia, characterized by a decrease of the hemoglobin level in the blood and a reduction in carrying capacity of oxygen, is a major public health problem which affects people of all ages. The methods used to treat anemia are blood transfusion and oral administration of iron-based supplements, but these treatments are associated with a number of side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, constipation, and stomach pain, which limit its long-term use. In addition, oral iron supplements are poorly absorbed in the intestinal tract, due to overexpression of hepcidin, a peptide hormone that plays a central role in iron homeostasis. In this review, we conducted an analysis of the literature on biologically active compounds and plant extracts used in the treatment of various types of anemia. The purpose of this review is to provide up-to-date information on the use of these compounds and plant extracts, in order to explore their therapeutic potential. The advantage of using them is that they are available from natural resources and can be used as main, alternative, or adjuvant therapies in many diseases, such as various types of anemia.     

Fe／HCl体系中缓蚀剂吸脱附诱导的电流／电位振荡

研究了HCl介质中活性电位区有机缓蚀剂在Fe电极表面吸脱附诱导产生的电化学振荡现象，及缓蚀剂浓度、电极电位和溶液搅拌等因素对振荡行为的影响。结果表明，在HCl介质中Fe电极的活性电位区同样得到了规整的电流振荡波，但相同条件下的振荡行为要弱于H2SO4介质中，随缓蚀剂浓度升高，振荡波的周期变长，振荡 减弱；由阴极到阳极，电流振荡波形不同，周期也有所增长，搅拌对电流振荡无明显影响，同时报道了该缓蚀体系中恒电流电位振荡的新现象。     

离心铸造高镍铬铸铁复合辊套的研制

详细介绍了离心铸造高镍铬铸铁复合辊套内外层金属铸造工艺参数及整个铸造生产过程。     

抗高温磨损高铬铸铁的研究

经Mo、B、V、Ti合金化和RE变质处理的高铬铸铁，具有优良的抗高温磨损性能和强韧性，用于制造筛分高温烧结矿的振动筛筛板，使用寿命比ZG30Cr18Mn12Si2N耐热钢筛板提高2倍以上。多元高铬铸铁筛板制造工艺简单，成本低，值得在筛分领域推广使用。     

一种多晶铁纤维的表面改性方法

介绍了一种对多晶铁纤维表面进行改性的方法.从磁学物理的角度出发,并结合大量实验结果,确定了具体的实施方案.结果表明处理后的纤维表面电阻率得到显著提高,磁性能也得到一定改进.     

半固态灰铸铁的制备与显微组织

建立了一种不需搅拌和其它附加处理的半固态灰铸铁制备技术 ,用浇注前合理调整熔体温度或调温 适当快冷的铸造方法 ,并配以合适的凝固冷却速度 ,成功地制备了球状初生奥氏体圆整、尺寸细小、分布均匀的半固态亚共晶灰铸铁 ,得到了最佳工艺条件 ,并用铸铁金相计算机辅助检测系统 ,对初生奥氏体的形状系数和等效直径进行了测量与统计分析 ,定量描述了半固态组织的特性