Remarkable impact of amino acids on ginsenoside transformation from fresh ginseng to red ginseng

Zhi Liu,Xin Wen,Chong-Zhi Wang,Wei Li,Wei-Hua Huang,Juan Xia,Chang-Chun Ruan,Chun-Su Yuan 고려인삼학회 2020 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.44 No.3

Background: Amino acids are one of the major constituents in Panax ginseng, including neutral aminoacid, acidic amino acid, and basic amino acid. However, whether these amino acids play a role in ginsenosideconversion during the steaming process has not yet been elucidated. Methods: In the present study, to elucidate the role of amino acids in ginsenoside transformation fromfresh ginseng to red ginseng, an amino acids impregnation pretreatment was applied during thesteaming process at 120 C. Acidic glutamic acid and basic arginine were used for the acid impregnationtreatment during the root steaming. The ginsenosides contents, pH, browning intensity, and free aminoacids contents in untreated and amino acidetreated P. ginseng samples were determined. Results: After 2 h of steaming, the concentration of less polar ginsenosides in glutamic acidetreatedP. ginseng was significantly higher than that in untreated P. ginseng during the steaming process. However,the less polar ginsenosides in arginine-treated P. ginseng increased slightly. Meanwhile, free aminoacids contents in fresh P. ginseng, glutamic acid-treated P. ginseng, and arginine-treated P. ginsengsignificantly decreased during steaming from 0 to 2h. The pH also decreased in P. ginseng samples at hightemperatures. The pH decrease in red ginseng was closely related to the decrease in basic amino acidslevels during the steaming process. Conclusion: Amino acids can remarkably affect the acidity of P. ginseng sample by altering the pH value. Theywere the main influential factors for the ginsenoside transformation. These results are useful in elucidatingwhy andhowsteaming induces the structural change of ginsenoside in P. ginseng and also provides an effectiveand green approach to regulate the ginsenoside conversion using amino acids during the steaming process.

A Study on the Strain Stability of Si/SiGe Layer Structure in a Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor during Thermal Processing

Zhi Hong Liu,Chang Chun Chen,Wen Tao Huang,Wei Zhi Dou,Yi Lin Shan,Wei Zhang,Jun Zhu,Pei Hsin Tsien 대한금속학회 2004 METALS AND MATERIALS International Vol.10 No.3

Angiopoietin-1 Modified Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Endotoxin- Induced Acute Lung Injury in Rats

Zhi-Wei Huang,Le-Ling Zhang,Ning Liu,Dong Li,Hai-Yan Zhang,Ying Wang,Yi Liu,Xiu-Li Ju 연세대학교의과대학 2017 Yonsei medical journal Vol.58 No.1

Purpose: Angiopoietin-1 (Ang1) is a critical factor for vascular stabilization and endothelial survival via inhibition of endothelial permeability and leukocyte- endothelium interactions. Hence, we hypothesized that treatment with umbilical cord mesenchymalstem cells (UCMSCs) carrying the Ang1 gene (UCMSCs-Ang1) might be a potential approach for acute lung injury (ALI) inducedby lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Materials and Methods: UCMSCs with or without transfection with the human Ang1 gene were delivered intravenously into rats one hour after intra-abdominal instillation of LPS to induce ALI. After the rats were sacrificed at 6 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours, 8 days, and 15 days post-injection of LPS, the serum, the lung tissues, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were harvested for analysis, respectively. Results: Administration of fluorescence microscope confirmed the increased presence of UCMSCs in the injured lungs. The evaluationof UCMSCs and UCMSCs-Ang1 actions revealed that Ang1 overexpression further decreased the levels of the pro-inflammatorycytokines TNF-α, TGF-β1, and IL-6 and increased the expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in the injured lungs. This synergy caused a substantial decrease in lung airspace inflammation and vascular leakage, characterized by significantreductions in wet/dry ratio, differential neutrophil counts, myeloperoxidase activity, and BALF. The rats treated by UCMSCs-Ang1 showed improved survival and lower ALI scores. Conclusion: UCMSCs-Ang1 could improve both systemic inflammation and alveolar permeability in ALI. UC-derived MSCs-based Ang1 gene therapy may be developed as a potential novel strategy for the treatment of ALI.

Remarkable impact of amino acids on ginsenoside transformation from fresh ginseng to red ginseng

Liu, Zhi,Wen, Xin,Wang, Chong-Zhi,Li, Wei,Huang, Wei-Hua,Xia, Juan,Ruan, Chang-Chun,Yuan, Chun-Su The Korean Society of Ginseng 2020 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.44 No.3

Background: Amino acids are one of the major constituents in Panax ginseng, including neutral amino acid, acidic amino acid, and basic amino acid. However, whether these amino acids play a role in ginsenoside conversion during the steaming process has not yet been elucidated. Methods: In the present study, to elucidate the role of amino acids in ginsenoside transformation from fresh ginseng to red ginseng, an amino acids impregnation pretreatment was applied during the steaming process at 120℃. Acidic glutamic acid and basic arginine were used for the acid impregnation treatment during the root steaming. The ginsenosides contents, pH, browning intensity, and free amino acids contents in untreated and amino acid-treated P. ginseng samples were determined. Results: After 2 h of steaming, the concentration of less polar ginsenosides in glutamic acid-treated P. ginseng was significantly higher than that in untreated P. ginseng during the steaming process. However, the less polar ginsenosides in arginine-treated P. ginseng increased slightly. Meanwhile, free amino acids contents in fresh P. ginseng, glutamic acid-treated P. ginseng, and arginine-treated P. ginseng significantly decreased during steaming from 0 to 2h. The pH also decreased in P. ginseng samples at high temperatures. The pH decrease in red ginseng was closely related to the decrease in basic amino acids levels during the steaming process. Conclusion: Amino acids can remarkably affect the acidity of P. ginseng sample by altering the pH value. They were the main influential factors for the ginsenoside transformation. These results are useful in elucidating why and how steaming induces the structural change of ginsenoside inP. ginseng and also provides an effective and green approach to regulate the ginsenoside conversion using amino acids during the steaming process.

The RCAN1.4-calcineurin/NFAT signaling pathway is essential for hypoxic adaption of intervertebral discs

Huang Bao,He Yongqing,Li Shengwen,Wei Xiaoan,Liu Junhui,Shan Zhi,Huang Yue,Chen Jiang,Zhao Fengdong 생화학분자생물학회 2020 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.52 No.-

Calcipressin-1, also known as regulator of calcineurin 1 (RCAN1), can specifically bind calcineurin at or near the calcineurin A catalytic domain and downregulate calcineurin activity. However, whether RCAN1 affects the hypoxic intervertebral disc (IVD) phenotype through the calcineurin/NFAT signaling pathway remains unclear. First, we confirmed the characteristics of the degenerative nucleus pulposus (NP) by H&E, safranin O/fast green and Alcian blue staining, and detected increased RCAN1 levels in the degenerative NP by immunohistochemistry. Then, we demonstrated that the protein level of RCAN1.4 was higher than that of RCAN1.1 and progressively elevated from the control group to the Pfirrmann grade V group. In vitro, both hypoxia (1% O2) and overexpression of HIF-1α reduced the protein level of RCAN1.4 in rat NP cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. We further found that miRNA-124, through a nondegradative pathway (without the proteasome or lysosome), suppressed the expression of RCAN1.4. As expected, calcineurin in NP cells was activated and primarily promoted nuclear translocation of NFATc1 under hypoxia or RCAN1.4 siRNA transfection. Furthermore, SOX9, type II collagen and MMP13 were elevated under hypoxia, RCAN1.4 siRNA transfection or NFATc1 overexpression. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and a luciferase reporter assay (with mutation), we clarified that NFATc1 increasingly bound the SOX9 promotor region (bp −367~−357). Interaction of HIF-1α and NFATc1 promoted MMP13 transcription. Finally, we found that FK506 reversed hypoxia-induced activation of the calcineurin/NFAT signaling pathway in NP cells and an ex vivo model. Together, these findings show that the RCAN1.4-calcineurin/ NFAT signaling pathway has a vital role in the hypoxic phenotype of NP cells. RCAN1.4 might be a therapeutic target for degenerative disc diseases.

Activating Transcription Factor 1 is a Prognostic Marker of Colorectal Cancer

Huang, Guo-Liang,Guo, Hong-Qiang,Yang, Feng,Liu, Ou-Fei,Li, Bin-Bin,Liu, Xing-Yan,Lu, Yan,He, Zhi-Wei Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.3

Objective: Identifying cancer-related genes or proteins is critical in preventing and controlling colorectal cancer (CRC). This study was to investigate the clinicopathological and prognostic value of activating transcription factor 1 (ATF1) in CRC. Methods: Protein expression of ATF1 was detected using immunohistochemistry in 66 CRC tissues. Clinicopathological association of ATF1 in CRC was analyzed with chi-square test or Fisher's exact test. The prognostic value of ATF1 in CRC is estimated using the Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression models. Results: The ATF1 protein expression was significantly lower in tumor tissues than corresponding normal tissues (51.5% and 71.1%, respectively, P = 0.038). No correlation was found between ATF1 expression and the investigated clinicopathological parameters, including gender, age, depth of invasion, lymph node status, metastasis, pathological stage, vascular tumoral emboli, peritumoral deposits, chemotherapy and original tumor site (all with P > 0.05). Patients with higher ATF1 expression levels have a significantly higher survival rate than that with lower expression (P = 0.026 for overall survival, P = 0.008 for progress free survival). Multivariate Cox regression model revealed that ATF1 expression and depth of invasion were the predictors of the overall survival (P = 0.008 and P = 0.028) and progress free survival (P = 0.002 and P = 0.005) in CRC. Conclusions: Higher ATF1 expression is a predictor of a favorable outcome for the overall survival and progress free survival in CRC.

Anti-proliferative, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of curcumin analogue A2

Zhi-Yun Du,Xingchuan Wei,Mou-Tuan Huang,Xi Zheng,Yue Liu,Allan H. Conney,Kun Zhang 대한약학회 2013 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.36 No.10

In the present study, we determined the antiproliferative,anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of acurcumin analogue, 2,6-bis(3,4-dihydroxybenzylidene) cyclohexanone(designated as A2). In vitro studies showed that A2had a stronger inhibitory effect on the growth of mousemacrophage RAW 264.7 cells than curcumin. A2 also showeda stronger inhibitory effect than curcumin on 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced increases inNF-jB activation and IL-1b expression as well as in aldosereductase activity. A2 was a stronger antioxidant than curcuminas determined by inhibition of lipid peroxidation,inhibition of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl free radical formation,and inhibition of 2,20-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical formation. In vivo studiesindicated that A2 was more potent than curcumin for inhibitingTPA-induced ear edema and TPA-induced increases inIL-1b. In addition, oral administration of A2 at a dose of2,000 mg/kg body weight did not cause acute toxicity inmice. Taken together, the results of our study indicate that thecurcumin analogue A2 has stronger anti-proliferative, antiinflammatoryand antioxidant activities than curcumin.

Enhanced Production of L-Tryptophan with Glucose Feeding and Surfactant Addition and Related Metabolic Flux Redistribution in the Recombinant Escherichia coli

Wei Luo,Jin Huang,Xiangcheng Zhu,Lei Huang,Jin Cai,Zhi-nan Xu 한국식품과학회 2013 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.22 No.1

The production of L-tryptophan was investigated in a recombinant strain Escherichia coli W3110-ZDrr. It was observed that phosphate and feeding strategies are key factors to ensure the good cell growth and high production of L-tryptophan. The simple exponential feeding strategy could only produce 10.6 g/L L-tryptophan due to the improper feeding rate; while the manual glucose-feedback feeding approach could effectively control the substrate and inhibit the formation of acetate, and thus improvemed the Ltryptophan production to 25.5 g/L. The modified exponential feeding approach avoided overfeeding or underfeeding and achieved high production of L-tryptophan. Moreover, the addition of Tween 60 or PL61 could enhance the cell growth and the production of L-tryptophan in the fed-batch mode. Subsequent metabolic flux analysis showed that more carbon flux was distributed into the biosynthesis of Ltryptophan when Tween 60 or PL61 was supplied. The present work presents one base for further large-scale production of this important amino acid.

Development of a High-Speed and Precision Micro- Spindle for Micro-Cutting

Wei Liu,Zhixiong Zhou,Xiangming Huang,Zhi-Jian He,Yong Du 한국정밀공학회 2014 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol. No.

Mechanical micromachining using micro-machine tools is very competitive in manufacturing geometrically complex 3D micro-partsin various engineering materials with advantages of small space, energy-efficient, low equipment production and operation costs. Askey components of micro-machine tools, micro-spindles directly determine the performance of micro-machine tools and theapplication and development of mechanical micromachining technology. This study proposes a novel design concept of the separatelyspindle and tool and one-piece tool/rotor structure for micro-spindles, whose micro-tool can maintain good rotational accuracy athigh rotational speeds. In the principle prototype micro-spindle, an air driven turbine was used as power spindle. The design andoptimization of the micro-spindle were conducted. The fabrication and evaluation of the prototype micro-spindle were presented. Theresults of the principle prototype micro-spindle were analyzed and some efforts for the subsequent micro-spindle were proposed.

Preliminary clinic study on computer assisted mandibular reconstruction: the positive role of surgical navigation technique

Huang, Jin-Wei,Shan, Xiao-Feng,Lu, Xu-Guang,Cai, Zhi-Gang Korean Association of Maxillofacial Plastic and Re 2015 Maxillofacial Plastic Reconstructive Surgery Vol.37 No.-

Background: The objectives of the present study were to investigate the reliability and outcomes of computer-assisted techniques in mandibular reconstruction with a fibula flap and verify whether the surgical navigation system was feasible in mandible reconstructive surgery. Methods: Eight cases were enrolled in the computer assisted surgery (CAS) group and 14 cases in the traditional group. The shaping and fixation of the fibula grafts were guided by computer assisted techniques, which could be monitored with the BrainLAB surgical navigation system. The variation of mandible configuration was evaluated by CT measurement in the Mimics software, including the variation of length, width, height and gonial angle of the mandible. The 3D facial soft tissue alteration was also analyzed in 3D chromatogram by Geomagic software. Results: All 22 fibula flaps survived. The mandibular configurations and facial contours had a better clinic result in the CAS group. The length, width, height and gonial angle of the reconstructive mandible were more similar to the original one. The Wilcoxon rank sum test analysis suggested significant differences in the measurements. The chromatographic analysis also visually showed superiority over the traditional group. Conclusions: The computer assisted surgical navigation method used in mandibular reconstruction is feasible and precise for clinical application. The contour of the reconstructed mandible and facial symmetry are improved with computer techniques.