solubility

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: IL-11 is a member of the IL-6 family of cytokine initially considered as haematopoietic and cytoprotective factor. Recent evidence indicates that IL-11 promotes lung fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension in animal models and is elevated in lung tissue of patients with pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension. Fibrocytes are bone marrow-derived circulating cells that participate in lung fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension, but the role of IL-11 on fibrocytes is unknown...

New treatments that circumvent the pitfalls of traditional antivenom therapies are critical to address the problem of snakebite globally. Numerous snake venom toxin inhibitors have shown promising cross-species neutralization of medically significant venom toxins in vivo and in vitro. The development of high-throughput approaches for the screening of such inhibitors could accelerate their identification, testing, and implementation, and thus holds exciting potential for improving the treatments and outcomes of snakebite envenomation worldwide...

In order to load fish oil for potential encapsulation of fat-soluble functional active substances, fish oil-loaded multicore submillimeter-sized capsules were prepared with a combination method of three strategies (monoaxial electrospraying, chitosan-tripolyphosphate ionotropic gelation, and Tween blending). The chitosan-tripolyphosphate/Tween (20, 40, 60, and 80) capsules had smaller and evener fish oil cores than the chitosan-tripolyphosphate capsules, which resulted from that Tween addition induced smaller and evener fish oil droplets in the emulsions...

A water-soluble polysaccharide from the brown alga Ishige Okamurae, designated IOP-0, was obtained by preparative anion-exchange and size-exclusion chromatography. Chemical and spectroscopic investigations revealed that IOP-0 was a sulfated fucoidan with a backbone primarily composed of 3-linked and 4-linked-L-fucose with sulfate groups at C-2/C-4 of the 3-linked-L-fucose. The protective effect of IOP-0 on ulcerative colitis was evaluated in this work. The results showed that IOP-0 could significantly alleviate the symptoms of ulcerative colitis by preventing weight loss, preserving the structure of intestinal tissues, ameliorating the dysregulation of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10)...

Astaxanthin is a kind of keto-carotenes with various health benefits. However, its solubility and chemical stability are poor, which leads to low bio-availability. Microcapsules have been reported to improve the solubility, chemical stability, and bio-availability of lipophilic bioactives. Freeze-dried astaxanthin-loaded microcapsules were prepared by layer-by-layer assembly of tertiary emulsions with maltodextrin as the filling matrix. Tertiary emulsions were fabricated by performing chitosan and sodium alginate electrostatic deposition onto soybean lecithin stabilized emulsions...

Cytochromes P450 can metabolize endogenous fatty acids, such as arachidonic acid, to bioactive lipids such as epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) that have beneficial effects. EETs protect hearts against ischemic damage, heart failure or fibrosis; however, their effects are limited by hydrolysis to less active dihydroxy oxylipins by soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH), encoded by the epoxide hydrolase 2 gene (EPHX2, EC 3.3.2.10). Pharmacological inhibition or genetic disruption of sEH/EPHX2 have been widely studied for their impact on cardiovascular diseases...

The tobacco etch virus (TEV) protease is a commonly used reagent for removal of solubility and purification tags from recombinant proteins and is cited as being highly specific for its canonical cleavage site. Flexibility in some amino acids within this recognition sequence has been described in the literature but researchers generally assume few native human proteins will carry off-target sequences for TEV cleavage. We report here the aberrant cleavage of three human proteins with non-canonical TEV protease cleavage sites and identify broader sequence specificity rules that can be used to predict unwanted cleavage of recombinant proteins...

We studied the chemical composition and the in vivo AMEn content and apparent (AID) and standardized (SID) ileal digestibility of CP and amino acids (AA) of 27 samples of soybean meals (SBM) from Argentina (ARG), Brazil (BRA), and USA, collected in Spain. On 88% DM basis, the BRA meals had more CP (46.9 vs. 46.0 and 45.9%; P < 0.05) and less sucrose (5.21 vs. 6.28 and 6.47%; P < 0.001) and stachyose (4.20 vs. 4.66 and 4.78%; P < 0.05) than the USA and ARG meals. Urease activity, protein dispersibility index, KOH protein solubility, and trypsin inhibitor activity values, were higher for the USA meals than for the South American meals (P < 0...

β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), as an important pseudo-stationary phase (PSP) in capillary electrophoresis (CE), frequently confronts challenges stemming from its limited water solubility, particularly when high concentrations are required for resolving complex analytes. Traditionally, researchers often resort to the use of (toxic) organic solvents to enhance the solubility of β-CD, establishing non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE) for specific separations. However, such practices are hazardous to health and run counter to the principles of green analytical chemistry...

A water-soluble colorimetric chemosensor NHOP ((E)-1-(2-(2-(2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzylidene)hydrazineyl)-2-oxoethyl)pyridin-1-ium) chloride) was developed for the sequential probing of Cu2+ and S2- . NHOP underwent a color change from pale yellow to colorless in the presence of Cu2+ in pure water. The binding ratio between NHOP and Cu2+ was confirmed to be 1:1 by the Job plot and ESI-MS (electrospray ionization mass spectrometry). The detection limit of NHOP for Cu2+ was calculated as 0.15 μM, which was far below the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) standard (20 μM)...

OBJECTIVE: Early diagnosis of Severity Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Pneumonia (SMPP) has been a worldwide concern in clinical practice. Two cytokines, soluble Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid cells (sTREM-1) and Interferon-Inducible Protein-10 (IP-10), were proved to be implicated in bacterial infection diseases. However, the diagnostic value of sTREM-1 and IP-10 in MPP was poorly known. This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of sTREM-1 and IP-10 for SMPP. METHODS: In this prospective study, the authors enrolled 44 children with MPP, along with their clinical information...

At present, the contamination of water resources by heavy metal ions has posed a significant threat to human survival. Therefore, it is particularly critical to develop low-cost, easy-to-use, and highly efficient heavy metal detection technologies. In this work, a fast and cost-effective fluorescent probe for nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) was prepared using one-step hydrothermal method with citric acid (CA) as carbon source, and melamine as nitrogen source. The structural and optical characterizations of the resulting N-CDs were investigated in details...

The occurrence of seasonal algae blooms represents a huge dilemma for water resource management and has garnered widespread attention. Therefore, finding methods to control algae pollution and improve water quality is urgently needed. Moderate oxidation has emerged as a feasible way of algae-laden water treatment and is an economical and prospective strategy for controlling algae and endogenous and exogenous pollutants. Despite this, a comprehensive understanding of algae-laden water treatment by moderate oxidation, particularly principles and summary of advanced strategies, as well as challenges in moderate oxidation application, is still lacking...

This study aimed to assess the antiprotozoal efficacy of dicentrine, an aporphine alkaloid isolated from Ocotea puberula, against amastigote forms of Leishmania (L.) infantum. Our findings reveal that dicentrine demonstrated a notable EC50 value of 10.3 μM, comparable to the positive control miltefosine (EC50 of 10.4 μM), while maintaining moderate toxicity to macrophages (CC50 of 51.9 μM). Utilizing an in silico methodology, dicentrine exhibited commendable adherence to various parameters, encompassing lipophilicity, water solubility, molecule size, polarity, and flexibility...

The emergence of antibiotic resistance makes the treatment of bacterial infections difficult and necessitates the development of alternative strategies. Targeted drug delivery systems are attracting great interest in overcoming the limitations of traditional antibiotics. Here, we aimed for targeted delivery of rifaximin (RFX) by decorating RFX-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) with synthetic P6.2 peptide, which was used as a targeting agent for the first time. Our results showed that encapsulation of RFX into NPs increased its antibacterial activity by improving its solubility and providing controlled release, while P6...

This study investigated the dynamic degradation process of peach gum polysaccharide (PGPS) within ultrasonic field. The results show that the molecular weight, intrinsic viscosity, and polydispersity of PGPS were rapidly reduced within the initial 30 min and then gradually decreased. The solubility of PGPS was drastically improved from 3.0% to 40.0-42.0% (w/w) after 120 min. The conformation of PGPS changed from an extended chain to a flexible random coil within initial time of ultrasound, and gradually tended to be compact spheres...

Salt fractionation is a classical approach for separating chromatin based on its differential salt solubility and physical properties. Here, we present a protocol to apply salt fractionation for genome-scale profiling of chromatin isolated from livers at different stages of aging in mice. We elaborate on the steps to isolate nuclei, digest with micrococcal nuclease, sequentially salt fractionate, purify DNA, and construct libraries for genome profiling. We also include information on a computational pipeline for data analysis...

BACKGROUND Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVLBCL) is a rare extranodal large B-cell lymphoma characterized by the selective growth of lymphoma cells within vasculature. This presents a diagnostic challenge due to non-specific symptoms and lack of tumor formation. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) provides useful information in diagnosing FDG-avid lymphoma, but is not specific to  IVLBCL. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) is useful in evaluating focal liver lesions; however, its efficacy in diagnosing IVLBCL involving the liver remains unknown...

In this study, efficiency of functionalized carbon nanotube as a potential delivery system for imatinib anti-cancer drug was investigated. Accordingly, carboxyl and hydroxyl functionalized carbon nanotube were inspected as a notable candidate for the carriage of this drug in aqueous media. For this purpose, possible interactions of imatinib with pure and functionalized carbon nanotube were considered in aqueous media. The compounds were optimized in gas phase using density functional calculations. Solvation free energies and association free energies of the optimized structures were then studied by Monte Carlo simulation and perturbation method in water environment...

Triptolide (TPL) is a compound sourced from Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. F., a traditional Chinese medicinal herb recognized for its impressive anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic, immunosuppressive, and antitumor qualities. Notwithstanding its favorable attributes, the precise mechanism through which TPL influences tumor cells remains enigmatic. Its toxicity and limited water solubility significantly impede the clinical application of TPL. We offer a comprehensive overview of recent research endeavors aimed at unraveling the antitumor mechanism of TPL in this review...