• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.425-433
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• 2023

During liver injury, hepatic stellate cells can differentiate into myofibroblast-like structures, which are more susceptible to proliferation, migration, and extracellular matrix generation, leading to liver fibrosis. Anaerobic glycolysis is associated with activated stellate cells and glyceraldehyde (GA) is an inhibitor of glucose metabolism. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the anti-fibrotic effects of GA in human stellate LX-2 cells. In this study, we used cell viability, morphological analysis, fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), western blotting, and qRT-PCR techniques to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying the anti-fibrotic effects of GA in LX-2 cells. The results showed that GA significantly reduced cell density and inhibited cell proliferation and lactate levels in LX-2 cells but not in Hep-G2 cells. We found that GA prominently increased the activation of caspase-3/9 for apoptosis induction, and a pan-caspase inhibitor, Z-VAD-fmk, attenuated the cell death and apoptosis effects of GA, suggesting caspase-dependent cell death. Moreover, GA strongly elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and notably increased the phosphorylation of ERK and JNK. Interestingly, it dramatically reduced α-SMA and collagen type I protein and mRNA expression levels in LX-2 cells. Thus, inhibition of ERK and JNK activation significantly rescued GA-induced cell growth suppression and apoptosis in LX-2 cells. Collectively, the current study provides important information demonstrating the anti-fibrotic effects of GA, a glycolytic metabolite, and demonstrates the therapeutic potency of metabolic factors in liver fibrosis.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.344-350
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• 2006

Thermoplasma acidophilum is a thermoacidophilic archaeon that grows optimally at $59^{\circ}C$ and pH 2. Along with another thermoacidophilic archaeon, Sulfolobus solfataricus, it is known to metabolize glucose by the non-phosphorylated Entner-Doudoroff (nED) pathway. In the course of these studies, the specific activities of glyceraldehyde dehydrogenase and glycerate kinase, two enzymes that are involved in the downstream part of the nED pathway, were found to be much higher in T. acidophilum than in S. solfataricus. To characterize glycerate kinase, the enzyme was purified to homogeneity from T. acidophilum cell extracts. The N-terminal sequence of the purified enzyme was in exact agreement with that of Ta0453m in the genome database, with the removal of the initiator methionine. Furthermore, the enzyme was a monomer with a molecular weight of 49kDa and followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics with $K_m$ values of 0.56 and 0.32mM for DL-glycerate and ATP, respectively. The enzyme also exhibited excellent thermal stability at $70^{\circ}C$. Of the seven sugars and four phosphate donors tested, only DL-glycerate and ATP were utilized by glycerate kinase as substrates. In addition, a coupled enzyme assay indicated that 2-phosphoglycerate was produced as a product. When divalent metal ions, such as $Mn^{2+},\;CO^{2+},\;Ni^{2+},\;Zn^{2+},\;Ca^{2+},\;and\;Sr^{2+}$, were substituted for $Mg^{2+}$ the enzyme activities were less than 10% of that obtained in the presence of $Mg^{2+}$. The amino acid sequence of T. acidophilum glycerate kinase showed no similarity with E. coli glycerate kinases, which belong to the first glycerate kinase family. This is the first report on the biochemical characterization of an enzyme which belongs to a member of the second glycerate kinase family.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.306-312
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• 2002

Aldose reductase, the key enzyme of the polyol pathway, is known to play important roles in the diabetic complication. The inhibitors of aldose reductase, therefore, would be potential agents for the prevention of diabetic complications. To evaluate active principles for the inhibition of aldose reductase from the rhizomes of Belamcanda chinensis, twelve phenolic compounds were isolated and tested for their effects on rat lens aldose reductase. As a result, isoflavones such as tectorigenin, irigenin and their glucosides were found to show a strong aldose reductase inhibition. Tectoridin and tectorigenin, exhibited the highest aldose reductase inhibitory potency, their $IC_{50}$ values, being $1.08{\times}10^{-6}{\;}M{\;}and{\;}1.12{\times}10^{-6}{\;}M$, respectively, for DL-glyceraldehyde as a substrate. Both compounds, when administered orally at 100 mg/kg for 10 consecutive days to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, caused a significant inhibition of sorbitol accumulation in the tissues such as lens, sciatic nerves and red blood cells. Tectorigenin showed a stronger inhibitory activity than tectoridin. From these results, it is suggested that tectorigenin is attributed to be a promising compound for the prevention and/or treatment of diabetic complications.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.41-46
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• 1994

The ether, ethylacetate and n-butanol soluble fractions from the roots of Scutellaria baicalensis showed a significant inhibition of lens aldose reductase (AR) activity in vitro. During systematic fractionation of the active fractions, 7 flavonoids were isolated and compared their inhibitory activities against rat AR using DL-glyceraldehyde as a substrate, among which baicalin (VII) was found to exhibit the most potent inhibitory activity. Baicalin (VII) and wogonin-7-O-glucuronide (VI), with repeated treatments (30 mg/kg/day, i.p.) throughout the experimental periods caused a significant suppression of cataract formation induced by galactose (40 g/kg/day) as well as the decrease of galactitol accumulation in the rat lens. The flavonoids also exhibited a significant inhibition of sorbitol accumulation in the lenses of diabetic rats induced by streptozotocin (STZ).

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.838-844
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• 2001

The enzyme Fuc aldolase from Methanococcus jannaschii that catalyzes the aldol condensation of DHAP and L-lactaldehyde to give fuculose-1-phosphate was inactivated by DEP. The inactivation was pseudo first-order in the enzyme and DEP, which was biphasic. A pseudo second-order rate constant of 120$M^{-1}min^{-1}$ was obtained at pH 6.0 and $25{\circ}C$. Quantifying the increase in absorbance at 240nm showed that four histidine residues per subunit were modified during the nearly complete inactivation. The statistical analysis and the time course of the modification suggested that two or three histidine residues were essential for activity. The rate of inactivation was dependent on the pH, and the pH inactivation data implied the involvement of the amino acid residue with a $pK_a$ value of 5.7. Fuc aldolase was protected against DEP inactivation by DHAP, indicating that the histidine residues were located at the active site of Fuc aldolase. DL-Glyceraldehyde, as an alternative substrate to L-lactaldehyde, showed no specific protection for the Fuc aldolase.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.305-310
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• 2010

Taxifolin-3-O-$\beta$-D-xylopyranoside and quercetin-3-O-$\alpha$-L-rhamnopyranoside were isolated from an EtOAc-soluble extract of the leaves of Chamaecyparis obtuse. Quercetin-3-O-$\alpha$-L-rhamnopyranoside was found to possess a potent inhibitory activity of human recombinant aldose reductase in vitro, its $IC_{50}$ value being $11.5\;{\mu}M$. Kinetic analysis showed that quercetin-3-O-$\alpha$-L-rhamnopyranoside exhibited uncompetitive inhibition against DL-glyceraldehyde. Also, quercetin-3-O-$\alpha$-L-rhamnopyranoside suppresses sorbitol accumulation in rat lens under high glucose conditions, demonstrating the potential to prevent sorbitol accumulation in vivo. These results suggest that this compound may be a promising agent in the prevention or treatment of diabetic complications.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.166-176
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• 2022

Banana peels are also widely used as bio-adsorbent in the removal of chemicals contaminants and heavy metals from water and soil. GC-MS plays an essential role in the phytochemical analysis and chemo taxonomic studies of medicinal plants containing biologically active components. Intrinsically, with the use of the flame ionization detector and the electron capture detector which have very high sensitivities, Gas chromatography can quantitatively determine materials present at very low concentrations and most important application is in pollution studies. In the present study banana peels were used as bio-adsorbent to remediate the heavy metal contaminated water taken from three different stations located around the industrial belts of Ranipet, Tamilnadu, India. The AAS analysis of the samples shows a decrement of chromium concentration of 98.93%, 96.16% and 96.5% in Station 1, 2 and 3 respectively which proves the efficiency of the powdered peels of Musa paradisiaca. The GC-MS analysis of the control and treated peels of Musa paradisiaca reveals the presence of phytochemicals like Acetic Acid, 1-Methylethyl Ester, DL-Glyceraldehyde Dimer, N-Hexadecanoic Acid, 3-Decyn-2-Ol, 26-Hydroxy, Cholesterol, Ergost-25-Ene-3,5,6,12-Tetrol, (3.Beta.,5.Alpha.,6.Beta.,12.Beta.)-, 1-Methylene-2b-Hydroxymethyl-3, and 3-Dimethyl-4b-(3-Methylbut-2-Enyl)-Cyclohexane in the control banana peels. The banana peels which were used for the treatment reveals the changes and alteration of the phytochemicals. It is concluded that the alteration in phytochemicals of the experimental banana peels were due to adsorption of chromium heavy metal from the sample.