1,721,053 research outputs found
Impact of Capsicum annuum L. cv Senise on cholesterol transporters
No full textDiet high in fatty acids increases plasma total cholesterol and lowdensity lipoprotein (LDL) concentration causing hyperlipidemia and atherosclerotic cardiovascular
disease, one of the major causes of death worldwide. Cholesterol homeostasis in the body is maintained mainly by de novo synthesis, intestinal absorption, and biliary
and fecal excretion [1].
Natural products could influence the lipid transporter expression and related diseases [2].
In the present work, the biological activity of Capsicum annuum L. cv Senise (Solanaceae), a sweet dried pepper of Basilicata region (Italy), was investigated in
HepG2 and Caco2 cells used as liver and intestine model, respectively. The extract showed no cytotoxic effect on both cell line after 24 and 48h evaluated by MTT
assay. Then, cells were treated with oleic acid (OA) in presence or absence of different concentrations of C. annuun extract (CAE) and the expression of lipid
transporters was evaluated by RTqPCR and western blotting. CAE promoted ABCA1 expression in OAtreated HepG2 cell line, a transporter involved in
cholesterol reuptake from peripheric tissues. CAE also affected lipid transport through intestinal barrier. Particularly, it drastically upregulated ABCA1, localized on
basolateral membrane of enterocytes, facilitating the efflux of cholesterol to circulation as constituent of HDL, together with ABCG5 and ABCG8, two ABC
transporters which promote efflux of cellular cholesterol to intestinal lumen and hepatobiliary secretion. In addition, CAE promoted the expression of LDL receptor in
Caco2 cells.
These results suggest as C. annuum cv Senise could be helpful in lowering plasma cholesterol levels and could play an important role in hyperlipidemia ranked as one of
the greatest risk factors contributing to prevalence and severity of coronary heart diseases.
Previously published in:
[1] Yu XH et al. (2014) Clin. Chim. Acta, 428, 8288
[2] ElTantawy, WH et al. (2019) Arch Physiol Biochem, 125(2), 12813
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Light-biological sistem interaction: Mitochondria and isolated enzymes as light targets.
No full textinvited revie
Structural features in EIAV NCp11: A lentivirus nucleocapsid protein with a short linker
No full textLentiviral nucleocapsid proteins are a class of multifunctional proteins that play an essential role in RNA packaging and viral infectivity. They contain two CX2CX4HX4C zinc binding motifs connected by a basic linker of variable length. The 3D structure of a 37-aa peptide corresponding to sequence 2258 from lentiviral EIAV nucleocapsid protein NCp11, complexed with zinc, has been determined by 2D H-1 NMR spectroscopy, simulated annealing, and molecular dynamics. The solution structure consists of two zinc binding domains held together by a five-residue basic linker Arg(38)-Ala-Pro-Lys-Val(42) that allows for spatial proximity between the two finger domains. Observed linker folding is stabilized by H bonded secondary structure elements, resulting in an Q-shaped central region, asymmetrically centered on the linker. The conformational differences and similarities with other NC zinc binding knuckles have been systematically analyzed. The two CCHC motifs, both characterized by a peculiar Pro-Gly sequence preceding the His residue, although preserving Zn-binding geometry and chirality of other known NC proteins, exhibit local fold differences both between each other and in comparison with other previously characterized retroviral CCHC motifs
Relationship between ovarian follicle characteristics and oxidative stress in bovine granulosa cells
No full textOxidative stress is the result of a delicate balance between the activity of endogenous or environmental oxidants and the defense mechanisms acting to counteract their effects inside and outside the cell. Mural granulosa cells (GC), living within a confined environment such as the ovarian follicle, are partially preserved from environmental oxidants. However, their high metabolic activity, which is mainly directed to the production of sex hormones, involves the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, during follicle selection, specific metabolic signals activate apoptosis mechanisms leading to degeneration/death of GC. The aim of this study was to evaluate, in bovine GC, the oxidative stress dynamics related to the size and the quality of the follicle. A total number of 33 ovarian follicles of sexually mature heifers were dissected and morphologically analyzed [1]. The follicle diameter ranged from 9 to 15 mm. GC were collected and the corresponding cumulus-oocyte complexes (COC) were morphologically classified [2]. GC were incubated with specific fluorochromes to evaluate: lipid peroxidation (5 μM C11-BODIPY581,591), the production of peroxides and superoxide radicals by using 10 μM 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (H2DCFDA) and 30 μM dihydroethidium (DHE), respectively. A number of 400*103 GC were incubated with C11-BODIPY581,591 and H2DCFDA for 30 min, then, washed and incubated in PBS for additional 30 min before read. Since C11-BODIPY581,591 is an effective tracer of lipid trafficking and can be used to measure antioxidant activity, C11-loaded GC were stressed by exposure to menadione, CuSO4 and H2O2 [3] for 30 min before read. DHE was incubated with a number of 2*106 GC for 20 min. All samples were read with a spectrofluorometer. The excitation wavelengths were set at 490, 350 and 488 nm and the emission spectra were recorded in the range of 500–650, 550-670 and 500-560 nm for C11-BODIPY581,591, DHE and H2DCFDA, respectively. Lipid peroxidation estimation was obtained by comparing the two fluorescence intensity peaks ((Fo~520/ (Fo~520+Fo~594))*100) of C11-BODIPY581,591 whereas the ROS generation was evaluated on DHE and H2DCFDA fluorescence intensity peaks at ~595 and ~520 nm, respectively. The follicle size did not significantly affect the GC ability to counteract lipid peroxidation; however, this ability was higher (P< 0.01) in healthy follicles and decreased in atretic follicles. Both H2DCFDA- and DHE-detected ROS decreased together with increasing follicle atresia. Overall data, COC morphology better discriminated follicle atresia than follicle morphology. In conclusion, bovine GC from healthy follicles generate ROS that are counteracted by a high antioxidant activity. Both ROS generation and antioxidant defense systems are impaired by atresia occurrence and are not affected by follicle size
Management of Patients Taking Oral Anticoagulants Who Need Urgent Surgery for Hip Fracture. . doi: 10.1055/s-0039-1678718. Epub 2019 Feb 11. PubMed PMID: 30743280.
No full textVariations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
- …
