Ginsenosides stimulated the proliferation of mouse spermatogonia involving activation of protein kinase C

The effect of ginsenosides on proliferation of type A spermatogonia was investigated in 7-day-old mice. Spermatogonia were characterized by c-kit expression and cell proliferation was assessed by immunocytochemical demonstration of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). After 72-h culture, Sertoli cells formed a confluent monolayer to which numerous spermatogonial colonies attached. Spermatogonia were positive for c-kit staining and showed high proliferating activity by PCNA expression. Ginsenosides (1.0~10 μg/ml) significantly stimulated proliferation of spermatogonia. Activation of protein kinase C (PKC) elicited proliferation of spermatogonia at 10⁻⁸ to 10⁻⁷ mol/L and the PKC inhibitor H₇ inhibited this effect. Likewise, ginsenosides-stimulated spermatogonial proliferation was suppressed by combined treatment of H₇. These results indicate that the proliferating effect of ginsenosides on mouse type A spermatogonia might be mediated by a mechanism involving the PKC signal transduction pathway.     

Effect of wortmannin and 3-AB on G2 phase arrest and transient failure to activate MPF induced by ionizing irradiation

Active mitosis promoting factor (MPF) composed of p34 cdc2 with cyclin B1 is required for the cell cycle transition from G 2 to M phase. Recent studies have demonstrated that ionizing radiation (IR) exposures associated with inhibition of p34 cdc2 activity was the mechanism of G 2 arrest. At low dose, IR causes transient failure to dephosphorylate p34 cdc2 instead of suppression of cyclin B or MPF formation of cyclin B with p34 cdc2 complex. But the signaling events that regulate p34 cdc2 in irradiated cells remain unclear. This note demonstrates that PI3 kinase family inhibitor wortmannin (wort) and PARP specific inhibitor 3_AB can reduce the G 2 arrest induced by 2Gy γ_ray. Immunoprecipitation studies demonstrate that wort and 3_AB can facilitate dephosphorylation of p34 cdc2 in G 2 phase arrest induced by radiation. These findings suggest that wort sensitive pathway and PARP may be involved in initiating the signal transduction of G 2 phase arrest caused by IR.     

Losartan reduced connexin43 expression in left ventricular myocardium of spontaneously hypertensive rats

Objective： To assess the effect of angiotensin II type 1 （AT1） receptor antagonist losartan on myocardium connexin43 （Cx43） gap junction （GJ） expression in spontaneously hypertensive rats （SHRs） and investigate possible mechanisms. Methods： Sixteen 9-week-old male SHRs and 8 age-matched male Wistar-Kyoto （WKY） rats were included in this study. SHRs were randomly divided into two groups to receive losartan at 30 mg/（kg·d） by oral gavage once daily for 8 weeks （SHR-L） or vehicle （0.9% saline） to act as controls （SHR-V）; WKY rats receiving vehicle for 8 weeks served as normotensive controls. At the end of the experiment, rats were sacrificed and the hearts were removed. Expressions of Cx43 and nuclear factor-kappaB p65 （NF-κB p65） proteins in all three groups were observed and further investigations on the effect of angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonist losartan （30 mg/（kg·d）, 8 weeks） on Cx43 expression were conducted with Western blot and immunohistochemistry. NF-κB p65 protein in nuclear extracts was determined by Western blot. Results： Left ventricular （LV） hypertrophy was prominent in SHRs, Cx43 and NF-κB p65 protein expressions were obviously upregulated and Cx43 distribution was dispersed over the cell surface. Treatment with losarton reduced the over-expressions of Cx43 and NF-κB p65 in LV myocardium. The distribution of Cx43 gap junction also became much regular and confined to intercalated disk after losartan treatment. Conclusion： Cx43 level was upregulated in LV myocardium of SHR during early stage of hypertrophy. Angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonist losartan prevented Cx43 gap junction remodeling in hypertrophied left ventricles, possibly through the NF-κB pathway.     

Effects of angiotensin II on connexin 43 of VSMCs in arteriosclerosis

Objective: To observe the effect of angiotensin II (Ang II) on expression of gap junction channel protein connexin 43 (Cx43) in the proliferation process of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) during the early stage of arteriosclerosis. Methods: Thirty-two adult male rabbits were randomly divided into 4 groups. Rabbits in Group A were fed common diet while others in Groups B, C, and D were fed high-cholesterol diet. Losartan (10 mg/(kg·d)) and ramipril (0.5 mg/(kg·d)) were added in the diet of Groups C and D, respectively. The animals were sacrificed after 8 weeks and abdominal aortas were removed and dissected. The expression of Cx43 was assayed using RT-PCR and Western Blotting analysis. Results: Cx43 was increased markedly in both protein and mRNA level in Groups B, C, and D fed high-cholesterol diet compared with that in control group (P<0.01). Cx43 level in losartan or ramipril treated groups was higher than that in control group (P<0.01, P<0.05), but lower than that in high-cholesterol diet groups (P<0.05, P<0.01). Conclusion: Cx43 level was upregulated in VSMCs during early atherosclerosis. Losartan and ramipril can inhibit the expression of Cx43.     

Action mechanisms of a new erythrocyte-derived depressing factor

To investigate the action mechanisms of a new erythrocyte-derived depressing factor (EDDF), the focus is placed on the effect of EDDF on both cytosolic and nuclear free calcium (Ca²⁺) transportation in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC), as well as the apoptosis and cell cycle of VSMC of rats. EDDF has been extracted from human erythrocytes. The changes of Ca²⁺ levels in cytoplasm ([Ca²⁺]_i) and nucleus ([Ca²⁺]_n) have been observed using a laser scanning confocal microscope together with fluo-3/AM as a calcium indicator. Flow cytometric technique was used to study the effect of EDDF on cell cycle and apoptosis of VSMC. [Ca²⁺], and [Ca²⁺]_n were significantly decreased through several different pathways: ( i ) it reduced the Ca²⁺ influx by blocking L-type voltage-dependent calcium channel (L-VDC) and R-type voltage-dependent calcium channel (R-VDC); (ii) it inhibited the Ca²⁺ release from inositol 1, 4, 5-trisphosphate (IP₃) sensitive calcium store; and (iii) activated Ca²⁺-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and promoted the transportation of Ca²⁺ from cytoplasm to SR. However, EDDF seemed to have little inhibitory effect on the Ca²⁺ release from ryonodine sensitive calcium pool. It was also found that EDDF (10⁻⁴ g/mL) significantly decreased the proportion of S phase of human umbilical vein (HUV) and inhibited the proliferation of VSMC induced by angiotensin II (Angll, 10⁻⁵ mol/L). The apopotosis did not occur when VSMC was cultured under normal condition. While VSMC apoptosis was induced by Angll (10⁻⁵ mol/L) and EDDF (10⁻⁴ g/mL) seemed to have little effect on it. The inhibitory effect of EDDF on the elevation of [Ca²⁺]_i and [Ca²⁺]_n of VSMC might play an essential role in its action mechanisms and the ways it affects the Ca²⁺ handling of VSMC demonstrate that EDDF was different from other endogenous blood pressure regulators and some known antihypertensive drugs. EDDF could inhibit the proliferation of VSMC, which indicated that it might be beneficial to the prevention and treatment of hypertension and arteriosclerosis.     

Urotensin Ⅱ increases endothelin production by vascular smooth muscle cells in rats

The aim of this study was to observe the effects of urotensin Ⅱ (UII) on production of endothelin (ET) in rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). Cultured VSMCs incubated with various concentrations of UII were used to measure the VSMC ³H-TdR incorporation, the amount of ET mRNA and ET production in VSMCs. In this work we found that UII (10^-10—10^-8 mol/L) promoted VSMC ³H-TdR incorporation (47%—83%, P < 0.01) and increased the amount of ET mRNA by 17.1% (P < 0.05) to 112.8% (P < 0.01), respectively, in a concentration dependent manner compared with control. After 4 and 8 h incubation, 10^-10—10^-8 mol/L of UII elevated the ET synthesis and release in a concentration dependent manner. After 4 h incubation, the content of ET in medium was 4.9, 5.36 and 7.12 pg/mL (P < 0.01). After 8 h incubation, the ET content released from VSMCs was 12.6, 12.07 and 17.17 pg/mL (P < 0.01). In addition, it was found that BQ₁₂₃, a specific ET_A receptor antagonist, obviously decreased the VSMC DNA synthesis induced by UII. The results of this study showed that UII could stimulate the ET mRNA expression and ET production in VSMC. The effects of UII on VSMC DNA synthesis were partly mediated by ET autocrine pathway. It suggests that the interaction between UII and ET plays an important biological regulating role as endogenous active peptides.     

Enhancive effect of N,N′-dinitrosopiperazine on inducing precancerous lesion on nasal and/or nasopharyngeal epithelia of TgN(p53mt-LMP1)/HT mice

Objective: To investigate the enhancive effect of N,N′-dinitrosopiperazine (DNP) on induced carcinogenesis in nasal and/or nasopharyngeal epithelia among TgN(p53mt-LMP1)/HT transgenic mice to examine the underlying mechanism for the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods: TgN(p53mt-LMP1)/HT transgenic mice and the same strain of C₅₇BL/6J wild-type mice both at the age of 5 months were randomly divided into 2 groups in parallel, respectively, i.e., TgN(p53mt-LMP1)/HT cancerous lesion-inducing group (TI), TgN(p53mt-LMP1)/HT control group (TC), C₅₇BL/6J cancerous lesion-inducing group (CI), and C₅₇BL/6J control group (CC). TI and CI mice were treated only with DNP for 16 weeks, twice each week, while TC and CC mice were given the same volume of saline as controls. At the end of treatment, animals were sacrificed to collect epithelial tissue samples from nasal cavity and nasopharynx for pathohistological evaluation by haematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and for determination on the expression of TRAF2, c-Jun, and p16 by immunohistochemistry. Results: Atypical hyperplasia was more significant in the samples of TI than in those of TC, CI, and CC, with the rates of lesions being 90%, 10%, 0, and 0 (P<0.01) respectively, though DNP was used alone in a much shortened inducing period at less dosage and without the use of carcinogenic promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate as usual. The expressions of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor-associated factor 2 (TRAF2) and c-Jun in these samples were significantly up-regulated in TI (P<0.01), while the expression of p16 was significantly lower in TI than in the other groups (P<0.01). Conclusion: TgN(p53mt-LMP1)/HT mice hold inherited constitutional defect in immune surveillance function, which can be aggravated by environmental carcinogens, such as DNP used even though in a much less strength. The enhanced carcinogenesis-inducing effect of DNP on TgN(p53mt-LMP1)/HT mice should be closely associated with abnormal signaling of activator protein-1 (AP-1) pathway, especially up-regulated expressions of TRAF2 and c-Jun, and down-regulated expression of p16.     

Astragalus mongholicus ameliorates renal fibrosis by modulating HGF and TGF-β in rats with unilateral ureteral obstruction

Astragalus mongholicus (AM) derived from the dry root of Astragalus membranaceus Bge. var. mongolicus (Bge.) Hsiao is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine. The present study investigated the potential role of AM on renal fibrosis on a rat model of unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). We divided 48 Sprague-Dawley rats randomly into 4 groups: sham-operated group (Sham), untreated UUO group, AM-treated (10 g/(kg·d)) UUO group, and losartan-treated (20 mg/(kg·d)) UUO group as positive control. Haematoxylin & eosin (HE) and Masson staining were used to study the dynamic histological changes of the kidneys 7 and 14 d after operation. The expressions of fibronectin (FN), type I collagen (colI), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunohistochemistry staining, and Western blot. Results show that, similar to losartan, AM alleviated the renal damage and decreased the deposition of FN and colI from UUO by reducing the expressions of TGF-β1 and α-SMA (P<0.05), whereas HGF increased greatly with AM treatment (P<0.05). Our findings reveal that AM could retard the progression of renal fibrosis. The renoprotective effect of AM might be related to inhibition of myofibroblast activation, inducing of HGF and reducing of TGF-β1 expression.     

Regulation of angiotensinⅡon Gαq/11 protein of vascular smooth muscle cell and its underlying mechanism

To study the regulation of angiotensin Ⅱ(Ang Ⅱ) on Gαq/11 protein of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) and its underlying mechanism, the protein synthesis was detected by [³H]-leucine incorporation. Gαq/11 expression was measured by Western blot in cultured VSMC of rat aorta. The results showed that the level of Gαq/11 was downregulated after stimulated by AngⅡ for 1—6 h, while it was upregulated significantly by 12—24 h stimulation (P < 0.01) in VSMC. The [³H]-leucine incorporation of VSMC was increased after 24 h Ang Ⅱ stimulation. The biphase regulation of Ang Ⅱ on Gαq/11 protein was blocked by the Ang Ⅱ type Ⅰ receptor (AT1) specific antagnist losartan or PLC inhibitor U73122, while PD98059 did not have this effect. These data indicated that Ang Ⅱ contributed to VSMC hypertrophy by regulating the level of Gαq/11, and this effect was mediated mainly through AT1 receptor-PLC signal transduction pathway.     

Effect of tramadol on immune responses and nociceptive thresholds in a rat model of incisional pain

Objective： To evaluate the effects oftramadol on the proinflammatory responses in a rat model of incisional pain by investigating its effects on nociceptive thresholds and serum interleukin-6 （IL-6） and IL-2 levels. Methods： Forty-two male Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats scheduled for plantar incision were randomly divided into 7 groups 01=6 in each group）. Rats in Group 1 receiving general anesthesia with no incision were served as control; At 30 min before skin incision, Groups 2-5 were given 5 ml normal saline or 1, 10, and 20 mg/kg tramadol, respectively, intraperitoneally （i.p.）; Group 6 received 10 mg/kg tramadol after operation; Group 7 received 10 mg/kg tramadol before incision, followed by 200 μg/kg naloxone after operation. Mechanical allodynia was measured by electronic yon Frey filament to evaluate the nociceptive thresholds 1 h before incision, and 1 h and 2 h after operation. Serum IL-6 and IL-2 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） 2 h after operation. Results： Mechanical thresholds decreased significantly and serum IL-6 level increased significantly after operation in Group 2 compared with control （P〈0.01）, and these changes were reversed respectively by tramadol in a dose-dependent manner （P〈0.05 and P〈0.01, respectively）. IL-2 level remained unchanged after operation in Group 2, but decreased in Group 3 （P〈0.05）, then gradually returned to the normal level in Groups 4 and 5. The intraperitoneally injected tramadol （10 and 20 mg/kg） produced a potent and dose-dependent antinocicptive effect on the lesioned paw. The antinocicptive effects of tramadol were partially an- tagonized by naloxone （200 μg/kg）, suggesting an additional non-opioid mechanism. Conclusion： The results suggest that tramadol could be a good choice for the treatment of pain under the conditions that immunosuppression may be particularly contraindicated.     

A system for screening agonists targeting β2-adrenoceptor from Chinese medicinal herbs

In order to develop a model for screening the agonists of human β₂-adrenoceptor from Chinese medicinal herbs extracts, we used a cell-based functional assay based on a common G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) regulation mechanism and destabilized enhanced green fluorescent protein (d₂EGFP) reporter gene technique. The positive cell clone was confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and imaging analysis. To assess the value of this model, we screened over 2000 high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-fractionated samples from the ethanol extracts of Chinese medicinal herbs. Six fractions (isolated from Panax japonicus, Veratrum nigrum, Phellodendron amurense, Fructus Aurantii Immaturus, Chaenomeles speciosa, and Dictamnus dasycarpus) showed significant effects on active reporter gene expression, three of which (isolated from Phellodendron amurense, Fructus Aurantii Immaturus, and Chaenomeles speciosa) were selected for further concentration response analysis and the half maximal effective concentration (EC_{1/2 max}) values were 4.2, 2.7, and 4.8 µg/ml, respectively. Therefore, this reporter gene assay was suitable for screening β₂-adrenoceptor agonists. The results suggest that the six herbal extracts are the possible agonists of β₂-adrenoceptor.     

Osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells promoted by overexpression of connective tissue growth factor

Objective: Large segmental bone defect repair remains a clinical and scientific challenge with increasing interest focusing on combining gene transfection with tissue engineering techniques. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) on the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Methods: A CTGF-expressing plasmid (pCTGF) was constructed and transfected into MSCs. Then expressions of bone morphogenesis-related genes, proliferation rate, alkaline phosphatase activity, and mineralization were examined to evaluate the osteogenic potential of the CTGF gene-modified MSCs. Results: Overexpression of CTGF was confirmed in pCTGF-MSCs. pCTGF transfection significantly enhanced the proliferation rates of pCTGF-MSCs (P<0.05). CTGF induced a 7.5-fold increase in cell migration over control (P<0.05). pCTGF transfection enhanced the expression of bone matrix proteins, such as bone sialoprotein, osteocalcin, and collagen type I in MSCs. The levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities of pCTGF-MSCs at the 1st and 2nd weeks were 4.0- and 3.0-fold higher than those of MSCs cultured in OS-medium, significantly higher than those of mock-MSCs and normal control MSCs (P<0.05). Overexpression of CTGF in MSCs enhanced the capability to form mineralized nodules. Conclusion: Overexpression of CTGF could improve the osteogenic differentiation ability of MSCs, and the CTGF gene-modified MSCs are potential as novel cell resources of bone tissue engineering.     

Caveolin-1 re-expression reverses G<Subscript>0</Subscript>/G<Subscript>1</Subscript> arrest in caveolin-1 knockout mesangial cells

Flow cytometry, BrdU incorporation, and western blotting were used to investigate whether caveolin-1 (Cav-1) is involved in cell cycle progression of renal glomerular mesangial cells. Wide type mesangial cells re-entered the cell cycle after 22 h incubation with 20% fetal bovine serum (FBS) and Cav-1 knockout cells remained in G₀/G₁ phase after 48 h, which indicated that Cav-1 knockout mesangial cells were G₀/G₁ arrest. The protein level of cyclin D1 significantly increased after incubation with 20% FBS for 6 h in wide type mesangial cells, and 12 h in Cav-1 knockout cells. It suggested that cyclin D1 upregulation was delayed in knockout mesangial cells. Cav-1 re-expression in Cav-1 knockout mesangial cells increased the ratio of S phase from 4.8% to 15.26%, and decreased the ratio of G₀/G₁ phase from 90.96% to 77.84%, which implied that Cav-1 re-expression can reverse cell cycle arrest. It concludes that Cav-1 may promote the proliferation of mesangial cells.     

Advanced primary peritoneal carcinoma: clinicopathological and prognostic factor analyses

Objective： To investigate the factors favoring a positive prognosis for advanced primary peritoneal carcinoma （PPC）. Methods： Twenty-four cases meeting the criteria for PPC were analyzed retrospectively for the clinicopathologic profiles. Immunohistochemistry was used to determine the expressions of p53, Top2α, Ki-67 and Her-2/neu. Then all these clinicopathological factors and molecular markers were correlated with the prognosis. Results： There were 15 cases of primary peritoneal serous papillary carcinoma （PPSPC）, 6 cases of mixed epithelial carcinoma （MEC） and 3 cases of malignant mixed Mullerian tumor （MMMT）. All patients underwent cytoreductive surgery with optimal debulking achieved in 3 cases. Among those receiving first-line chemotherapy, 13 patients received the TP regimen （paclitaxel-cisplatin or carboplatin） and 7 patients received the PAC regimen （cisplatin-doxorubicin-cyclophosphamide）. The median overall survival of all patients was 42 months, while the breakdown for survival time for patients with PPSPC, MMT and MEC was 44, 13 and 19 months, respectively. The expressions of p53, Top2α and Ki-67 were all demonstrated in 11 cases respectively. None showed the expression of Her-2/neu. There were significant differences in the median survival between patients with PPSPC and those with MMMT （44 months vs 13 months, P〈0.05）, also between patients receiving TP combination and those receiving the PAC regimen （75 months vs 28 months, P〈0.05）. Another significant difference in the median progression-free survival （PFS） was identified between patients with positive p53 immunostaining and those with negative p53 immunostaining （15 months vs 47 months, P〈0.05）, whereas age, menopausal status, residual tumor size and the other molecular factors did not significantly impact survival. Conclusion： Patients with PPC should be treated with a comprehensive management plan including appropriate cytoreductive surgery and responsive chemotherapy. Overestimating an o     

Construction of recombinant industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain with bglS gene insertion into PEP4 locus by homologous recombination

The bglS gene encoding endo-1,3-1,4-β-glucanase from Bacillus subtil＆ was cloned and sequenced in this study. The bglS expression cassette, including PGK1 promoter, bglS gene fused to the signal sequence of the yeast mating pheromone a-factor （MFals）, and ADH1 terminator with G418-resistance as the selected marker, was constructed. Then one of the PEP4 allele of Saccharomyces cerevisiae WZ65 strain was replaced by bglS expression cassette using chromosomal integration of polymerase chain reaction （PCR）-mediated homologous recombination, and the bglS gene was expressed simultaneously. The recombinant strain S. cerevisiae （SC-βG） was preliminarily screened by the clearing hydrolysis zone formed after the barley β-glucan was hydrolyzed in the plate and no proteinase A （PrA） activity was measured in fermenting liquor. The results of PCR analysis of genome DNA showed that one of the PEP4 allele had been replaced and bglS gene had been inserted into the locus of PEP4 gene in recombinant strains. Different endo-1,3-1,4-β-glucanase assay methods showed that the recombinant strain SC-βG had high endo-1,3-1,4-β-glucanase expression level with the maximum of 69.3 U/（h·ml） after 60 h of incubation. Meanwhile, the Congo Red method was suitable for the determination of endo-1,3-1,4-β-glucanase activity during the actual brewing process. The current research implies that the constructed yeast strain could be utilized to improve the industrial brewing property of beer.     

Effects of antisense CENP-B on the proliferation of HeLa (Tet-off) cells

In order to study the change of the expression of centromere protein B (CENP-B) caused by antisense transfection, proto-eukaryotically expressed fused protein GST-CENP-B (65 ku) was injected into mouse, and a peculiar anti-CENP-B serum MaCenpB was collected. A strain of transfected HeLa Tet-off cell HaCb, which contains antisense CENP-B expressing vector pBI-EGFP-as-CenpB, was prepared. Northern blot and Western blot were used to analyze the repression of internal CENP-B in transfected cells. According to the growth curve, the proliferation of HeLa (Tet-off) is repressed by antisense CENP-B, and the multiplication time is prolonged for 32.81 h. The analysis of flow cytometry revealed that, compared with HeLa (Tet-off), the G₁ cell population of HaCb is increased (ΔG₁= 9%) while S fraction is decreased (ΔS = 11%), but the G₂/M phase is nearly unchanged (ΔG₂/M=3%). In the meanwhile, the mitotic index of HaCb declines greatly compared with that of HeLa (Tet-off). Immunofluorescence showed that the assembling of centromeres in HaCb cell is arrested. These results suggest that a normal expression of CENP-B may be necessary for cell proliferation.     

Effect of PKC pathway on G1/S progression control in HeLa cells

The effect of PKC activity on G₁/S progression in HeLa cells has been studied. The result shows that (ⅰ ) PKC activity alteration in G₁ phase affects G₁/S progression in HeLa cells. It has been observed that G₁/S progression is stimulated by PKC agonist TPA and inhibited by PKC inhibitor GF-109203X. ( ⅱ) The expression of c-myc and c-jun is stimulated by TPA and inhibited by GF-109203X treatment in early G₁ phase. (ⅲ ) During G₁/S progression, the expression of CyclinD₁ is stimulated by TPA treatment and inhibited by GF-109203X treatment. There is no effect on the expression of CDK4. It is likely that PKC pathway regulates G₁/S progression through regulating the expression of some early response genes and engine molecules in HeLa cells.     

Vertex disjoint cycles in intersection graphs of bases of matroids

The intersection graph of bases of a matroid M=(E, B) is a graph G=G~I(M) with vertex set V(G) and edge set E(G) such that V(G)=B(M) and E(G)={BB′:|B∩B′|≠0, B, B′∈B(M), where the same notation is used for the vertices of G and the bases of M. Suppose that|V(G~I(M))| =n and k_1+k_2+…+k_p=n, where k_i is an integer, i=1, 2,…, p. In this paper, we prove that there is a partition of V(G~I(M)) into p parts V_1 , V_2,…, V_p such that |V_i| =k_i and the subgraph H_i induced by V_i contains a k_i-cycle when k_i ≥3, H_i is isomorphic to K_2 when k_i =2 and H_i is a single point when k_i =1.     

A new class of antimagic join graphs

A labeling/of a graph G is a bijection from its edge set E(G) to the set {1,2,…,|E(G)|},which is antimagic if for any distinct vertices x anAy,the sum of the labels on edges incident to x is different from the sum of the labels on edges incident to y.A graph G is antimagic if G has an f which is antimagic.Hartsfield and Ringel conjectured in 1990 that every connected graph other than K_2 is antimagic.In this paper,we show that if G_1 is an m-vertex graph with maximum degree at most 6r+l,and G_2 is an n-vertex(2r)-regular graph(m≥n≥3),then the join graph G_1 v G_2 is antimagic.     

Optimization of antioxidant activity by response surface methodology in hydrolysates of jellyfish (Rhopilema esculentum) umbrella collagen

To optimize the hydrolysis conditions to prepare hydrolysates of jellyfish umbrella collagen with the highest hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, collagen extracted from jellyfish umbrella was hydrolyzed with trypsin, and response surface methodology (RSM) was applied. The optimum conditions obtained from experiments were pH 7.75, temperature (T) 48.77 °C, and enzyme-to-substrate ratio ([E]/[S]) 3.50%. The analysis of variance in RSM showed that pH and [E]/[S] were important factors that significantly affected the process (P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively). The hydrolysates of jellyfish umbrella collagen were fractionated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and three fractions (HF-1>3000 Da, 1000 Da<HF-2<3000 Da, and HF-3<1000 Da) were collected. The HF-2 fraction had the highest hydroxyl radical scavenging activity with the highest yield compared with the other two fractions. Furthermore, HF-2 also showed the strongest Cu²⁺-chelating ability and the best tyrosinase-inhibitory activity.