Haugedodson3643

Preeclampsia (PE) is a hypertensive complication of pregnancy. Its cause is still unknown and it could be a risk factor for future ophthalmic problems. Retinal vascular bed alterations have been described as a consequence of PE, suggesting a retinopathy. Factors related to angiogenesis and vascular permeability, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and pigment epithelium derived factor (PEDF) or components of the renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS), prorrenin/renin receptor ((P)RR) and angiotensin II type I receptor (AT1R) have been located in the retina, participating in other retinopathies, but it is unknown if they could participate in PE. Our aim was to elucidate whether VEGF, PEDF, (P)RR and AT1R could be modified during PE and during hypertension induced in rats with a history of PE. We used female Wistar rats and subrrenal aortic coarctation to induce PE, and after delivery, we induced a second hit by Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) administration. We measured blood pressure, proteinuria and pups development. In both models, eye fundal exploration and immunoblot for VEGF, PEDF, (P)RR and AT1R were performed. We found that the development of hypertension occurred faster in previously PE rats than in normal animals. VEGF, PEDF, (P)RR and AT1R were increased in PE, but in L-NAME-induced hypertension only (P)RR and AT1R were altered. Eye fundal data indicated that PE induced a level I retinopathy, but L-NAME induced a faster and more severe retinopathy in previously PE animals compared to previously normal pregnancy rats. These results indicate that PE predisposes to development of a faster and more severe retinopathy after a second hit. They also suggest that VEGF and PEDF seem to participate only in PE retinopathy, but in both models, RAAS components seem to have a more critical participation. In this paper, a sequential gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry route was proposed for characterization of polysaccharides in Panax ginseng (PG), P. notoginseng (PN), and P. quinquefolius (PQ). Due to the reflection of stepped structure parameters, the resulting integrative profiles were tentatively defined as structural-fingerprinting of polysaccharides (SFP) with monosaccharide compositional fingerprinting (MCF), Smith degradation and non-degradation fingerprinting (SDF and SNF), and oligosaccharide compositional fingerprinting (OCF). The MCF, OCF and SDF did not allow for visual discrimination of the three species due to the high interspecific similarity of PG and PQ, whereas SNF could intuitively distinguish PG, PN, and PQ by the presence or absence of Rha and the peak area ratio of Glc/Gal. Similarity analysis, heatmap analysis and principal component analysis were further performed to discern three Panax species based on SNF data sets. The linear →4)-Hexp-(1 → structures were clearly identified as the common structural backbones in side chains or smooth regions of the main chain in PPG, PPN, and PPQ using HILIC-UHPLC-ESI--MS/MS for characterization of partial acid hydrolyzates. The experimental results displayed that the established SFP approach possesses high comprehensibility as well as satisfactory generalization capability for analysis of plant polysaccharides. V.In this protocol, the synthesis, antibacterial activity, and catalytic performance of super paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) coated with L-arginine (Arg) grafted alginate (Alg), as an environmental benign heterogeneous catalyst are reported. The SPIONs coated materials were prepared by the co-precipitation method and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM (, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD (, vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM (, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Moreover, the synthesized Fe3O4@Alg@CPTMS@Arg was employed for the preparation of 2,4,5-triarylimidazoles derivatives via a one-pot three-component reaction between ammonium acetate, aldehyde derivatives, and benzil under reflux in ethanol. Fe3O4@Alg@CPTMS@Arg exhibited highly effective catalytic activity. Apart from the catalytic activity, a study on the antibacterial activity of the prepared amino acid modified Fe3O4 nanoparticles, Fe3O4@Alg@CPTMS@Arg, was carried out on bacterial strain and compared with the antibacterial activity of the bare alginate. The results shown high antibacterial activity for the prepared nanocomposites against both Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) compared to alginate. It is assumed that the antibacterial synergism is the combined effect of alginate and L-arginine. Peptides and proteins possess an inherent tendency to self-assemble, prompting the formation of amyloid aggregates from their soluble and functional states. Amyloids are linked to many devastating diseases, but self-assembling proteins can also represent formidable tools to produce new and sustainable biomaterials for biomedical and biotechnological applications. The mechanism of fibrillar aggregation, which influences the morphology and the properties of the protein aggregates, depend on factors such as pH, ionic strength, temperature, agitation, and protein concentration. We have here used intensive mechanical agitation, with or without beads, to prompt the aggregation of the single-chain derivative of the plant protein monellin, named MNEI, which is a well characterized sweet protein. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the formation of fibrils several micrometers long, morphologically different from the previously characterized fibers of MNEI. Changes in the protein secondary structures during the aggregation process were monitored by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, which detected differences in the conformation of the final aggregates obtained under mechanical agitation. Moreover, soluble oligomers could be detected in the early phases of aggregation by polyacrylamide gel-electrophoresis. These findings emphasize the existence of multiple pathways of fibrillar aggregation for MNEI, which could be exploited for the design of innovative protein-based biomaterials. Procyanidin C1 V.