Williamgertsen3192

Novel eco-friendly and green dimethyldiallylammonium chloride (DMDAAC) grafted chitosan/genipin/cellulose hydrogel beads (CCBG-g-PDMDAAC), were fabricated as selective adsorbents for anionic dyes. JNJ64619178 The physical and chemical structural changes of the prepared hydrogels were evaluated by FTIR, XRD, SEM and TG-DSC analysis. Results showed CCBG-g-PDMDAAC efficiently and selectively adsorb anionic dyes (Reactive Red 195-RR195 and Methyl orange-MO) from mixture of dye solutions. Endowed chitosan-based hydrogels the advantage of acid insolubility and good adsorption. RR195 and MO adsorption process were described better with pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 1333.52 and 190.48 mg/g, respectively, indicating that monolayer chemisorption controlled the sorption process. Moreover, the hydrogels exhibited nice reusability and against S. aureus and E. coli. The hydrogels are promising for the potential application in wastewater treatment and antibacterial simultaneously.Protein-ligand interactions play a significant role in all living organisms, thereby affecting the design and application of drugs and other biomaterials. The current study reports the binding of vitamin B12 to hemoglobin, employing optical spectroscopy and computational methods. It is observed that vitamin B12 quenched the intrinsic fluorescence of hemoglobin. The nature of quenching appears to be static according to the steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence measurements. The conformational changes of hemoglobin caused by vitamin B12 interactions were studied by synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy and protein secondary structure analyses. The synchronous fluorescence spectra indicate the tryptophan residue microenvironment change while no secondary structural change is observed from circular dichroism spectra and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation study. The computational molecular docking elucidated the probable binding of vitamin B12 at the active site of hemoglobin, whereas the stability of the hemoglobin-vitamin B12 complex was studied by MD simulation. The study might be helpful for the treatment of pernicious anemia, hereditary transcobalamin deficiency, and performance enhancement of elite athletes.Chemoresistance (CR) is one of the reasons why chemotherapy agents like Gemcitabine (GMC) remain insufficient in healing breast cancer. Activation of Nuclear Factor-kappa B (NF-κB) during chemotherapy is known as an important factor in the development of CR. The hydrophobic polyphenol curcumin is shown to inhibit NF-κB and hence CR. The aim of this work was to increase the poor bioavailability of curcumin by loading it into the nano-micelles made of Poly (Lactide-co-Glycolide) (PLGA) and levan, where levan as a natural fructose homopolymer makes the nano-micelle more stable and increases its uptake using the fructose moieties. In this study, a PLGA-levan-curcumin formulation (PLC) was designed and characterized. The size was measured as 154.16 ± 1.45 nm with a 67.68% encapsulation efficiency (EE%). The incorporation between the components was approved. Levan made the nano-micelles stable for at least three months, increased their uptake, and led to a 10,000-fold increase in the solubility of curcumin. The enhanced bioavailability of curcumin reduced the NF-κB levels elevated by GMC, both in vitro and in vivo. The PLC showed a complete tumor treatment, while GMC only showed a rate of 52%. These point to the great potential of the PLC to be used simultaneously with chemotherapy.This study compared blending effects of native and octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA) modified blends (waxy rice and waxy potato starch). OSA groups were observed to be present primarily in the outer layer of waxy potato starch granule, but throughout the whole waxy rice granule. A high linear correlation with blending ratio was observed for trough viscosity and final viscosity of native blends, but for peak viscosity (PV) and breakdown viscosity (BD) of esterified blends. PV and BD of esterified blends showed weaker non-additive effects than those of native blends. Consistency coefficient in downward curve, flow behavior index in downward curve, and loss tangent mainly showed non-additive effects in native blends, but additive effects in esterified blends. OSA modification affects interaction between molecules on the outer surfaces of two starch granules by altering molecular structures on the outer surfaces, resulting in different blending effects between native and esterified waxy starch blends.In this report, chitosan/zinc oxide (CS/ZnO) nanocomposite was synthesized using Sida acuta and assessed their antibacterial and photocatalytic properties. The formation of CS/ZnO nanocomposite was preliminary confirmed by colour change and UV-visible spectroscopy. The crystalline peaks related to CS and ZnO in CS/ZnO nanocomposite were demonstrated by XRD. Morphological analysis through FE-SEM and TEM showed a rod like appearance for ZnO NPs and agglomerated grains with rod shaped morphology was observed for the CS/ZnO nanocomposite. The peaks around 400-800 cm-1 in the IR spectrum of nanocomposite indicated the vibrations of metal-oxygen (ZnO), whereas bands at 1659 cm-1 and 1546 cm-1 indicated the presence of amine groups, which confirms the CS in the synthesized CS/ZnO nanocomposite. The CS/ZnO nanocomposite exhibited remarkable growth inhibition activity against B. subtilis and E. coli with 22 ± 0.3 and 16.5 ± 0.5 mm zone of inhibitions. In addition, CS/ZnO nanocomposite treated cotton fabrics also exhibited antibacterial activity against B. subtilis and E. coli. Furthermore, the ZnO NPs and nanocomposite showed time depended photodegradation activity and revealed 76% and 91% decomposition of CR under sunlight irradiation. In conclusion, our study revealed that the functionalization of biopolymer CS to the inorganic ZnO enhances the bio and catalytic properties.Edible coatings are safe and effective in extending the shelf life of foods. In this study, a nanoparticle-based edible coating solution was prepared, containing alginate as a coating agent and grapefruit seed extract as an antibacterial agent to improve the safety and quality of shrimp during storage. Shrimp coated with this formulation were maintained at 4°C for 8 days, and periodically analyzed for changes in sensory, chemical [total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and pH] and microbial parameters. The uncoated shrimp exceeded the microbiological limits at 7.87 log CFU/g on Day 4 of storage, whereas the nanoparticle-based coated shrimp did not exceed the limit by Day 8 of storage. In addition, uncoated shrimp tended to maintain their quality, while uncoated shrimp deteriorated due to increased TVB-N values, pH values, and off-flavors. Nanoparticles are easily dispersed in food to minimize flavor impact and enhance diffusion and bioactivity. We concluded that the nanoparticles coating extended the shelf life of shrimp by more than 5 days. Therefore, the use of nanoparticle-based coatings could be a new and effective way to maintain shrimp quality.Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE, EC 3.4.15.1) plays a significant role in blood pressure regulation and inhibition of this enzyme is one of the significant drug targets for the treatment of hypertension. In this work, ACE was purified from sheep kidneys with the affinity chromatography method in one step. The purity and molecular weight of ACE were designated using the SDS-PAGE method and observed two bands at around 60 kDa and 70 kDa on the gel. The effects of nicotinamide (vitamin B3) and reduced glutathione (GSH) peptide on purified ACE were researched. Nicotinamide and GSH peptide on purified ACE showed an inhibition effect. IC50 values for nicotinamide and GSH were calculated as 14.3 μM and 7.3 μM, respectively. Type of inhibition and Ki values for nicotinamide and GSH from the Lineweaver-Burk graph were determined. The type of inhibition for nicotinamide and GSH was determined as non-competitive inhibition. Ki value was calculated as 15.4 μM for nicotinamide and 6.7 μM for GSH. Also, GSH peptide showed higher inhibitory activity on ACE activity than nicotinamide. In this study, it was concluded that nicotinamide and GSH peptide compounds, which show an inhibition effect on ACE activity, may have both protective and therapeutic effects against hypertension.Congenital cataracts, which are genetically heterogeneous eye disorders, lead to visual impairment in childhood. In our previous study, we identified a novel mutation in exon 4 of the CRYBA1/BA3 gene, which resulted in the deletion of a highly conserved glycine at codon 91 (G91del) and perinuclear zonular cataract. The G91del variant is one of the most frequent pathogenic mutations in CRYBA1/BA3; however, its pathogenic mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we purified βA3-crystallin and the βA3-G91del variant. βA3-G91del was prone to proteolysis and exhibited very low solubility and low structural stability. Next, we constructed a CRYBA1/BA3 mutant cell model and observed that G91del mutant proteins were more sensitive to environmental stress and prone to form aggregates. Size-exclusion chromatography and molecular dynamics simulation showed that the G91del mutation impaired the ability of βA3 to form homo-oligomers. In addition, the protein folding process of βA3-G91del was complicated and showed more intermediate states, resulting in amyloid fiber aggregation and induction of cellular apoptosis. Finally, we investigated intervention strategies for congenital cataract caused by the CRYBA1/A3-G91del variant. The addition of lanosterol reversed the negative effects of the G91del mutation under external stress. This study may help explore potential treatment strategies for related cataracts.Polyporus umbellatus (Pers.) Fries, a well-known medicinal fungus, has been reported to exhibit important functions of diuresis and dampness infiltration in traditional Chinese Medicine. Accumulating evidences have demonstrated that the P. umbellatus polysaccharides (PUPs) are the main and representative pharmacologically active ingredients and display multiple bioactivities both in vivo and in vitro methods, such as those of antioxidant, immunomodulatory, antitumor, anti-proliferative and hepatoprotective. Besides, many PUPs have been isolated from the different sources of P. umbellatus, including sclerotia, fruiting body, mycelia and fermentation liquid of this fungus. The purpose of the present review is to comprehensively and systematically reorganize the available information related to the extraction, purification, modification, structure characterization and to discuss diverse biological activities of PUPs to support their potential application value in pharmaceuticals field, functional foods and cosmetics areas. In addition, new invaluable insights on the future research with PUPs have also been proposed in the important areas of structural characterization and pharmacological activities.

House dust mite (HDM) allergens are major elicitors of allergic reactions worldwide.

Identification, characterization, and evaluation of diagnostic utility of a new important HDM allergen was performed.

A cDNA coding for a new Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dp) allergen, Der p 37, was isolated from a Dp expression library with allergic patients' IgE antibodies. Recombinant Der p 37 (rDer p 37) expressed in Escherichia coli was purified, then characterized by mass spectrometry, circular dichroism, and IgE reactivity by ImmunoCAP ISAC technology with sera from 111 clinically defined HDM-allergic patients. The allergenic activity of rDer p 37 was studied by basophil activation and CD4

T-cell responses by carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester dilution assays. Specific antibodies raised against rDer p 37 were used for the ultrastructural localization of Der p 37 in mites by immunogold transmission electron microscopy.

Der p 37, a 26 kDa allergen with homology to chitin-binding proteins, is immunologically distinct from Der p 15, 18, and 23.