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Licorice is the dried root or rhizome of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., Glycyrrhiza inflata Bat., and Glycyrrhiza glabra L., which has attracted considerable interest as a well-known dietary and medicinal plant. Licorice possesses a number of biological activities, including anti-inflammatory and antitumor, and is used as a major ingredient in various healthy food products. According to traditional Chinese medicine, raw licorice effectively eliminates heat and detoxifies, and processed licorice is effective in regulating the spleen and qi. Thus, we compared the effectiveness of raw and processed licorice in treating chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and found that processed licorice is more effective than raw licorice. The mechanisms underlying the effects of raw and processed licorice in the treatment of CFS were clarified in this study through multi-omics analysis. Results demonstrated that processed licorice increased the expression levels of the pyruvate kinase, acetyl coenzyme A acetyltransferase, and cytochrome P-450 4A2 genes, which in turn promoted glycolytic processes, cholesterol metabolism, and glycerolipid metabolism. After processing, licorice's total flavone and saponin content decreased, and the decrease in flavonoid content was more pronounced. This finding is in line with the findings of plant metabolomics, which showed that the content of saponins in the total licorice extract increased, possibly accounting for the majority of the enhanced effects. In conclusion, processed licorice is more suitable as a raw material or ingredient for medicines and functional food for CFS than raw licorice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 is the most common type implicated as the etiological agent that causes cervical cancer. The marketed prophylactic vaccines against HPV infection are composed of virus-like particles (VLPs) assembled from the recombinant major capsid protein L1. Elicitation of functional and neutralizing antibodies by vaccination is the mode of action by which the vaccines prevent the viral infection. In this study, a panel of murine mAbs against HPV16 L1 were generated and comprehensively characterized with respect to their mapping to the epitope spectrum on the viral capsid. These mAbs were categorized into five epitope bins by two different methods based on the pairwise cross-inhibition and competition with human polyclonal antibodies. In addition, a preliminary demonstration of the spatial relationship of the epitopes recognized by these mAbs was performed using a cross-blocking assay with a well-characterized human mAb, 26D1. Interestingly, two mAbs recognizing different epitopes were found to act synergistically in the pseudovirion-based neutralization assay (PBNA). To facilitate cross-lab and cross-study comparison, the international standard (IS) serum 05/134 was used to calibrate the mAbs as well as the human serum samples from the HPV16/18 vaccine recipients. The neutralizing mAbs, particularly those that recognizing immunodominant epitopes, would be useful in developing epitope-specific assays for monitoring the vaccine production process and for serological assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerasus humilis (Bge.) Sok (Ch) is a fruit-medicinal plant of the genus Cerasus and its fruits are rich in nutrition. Ch fruit is rich in mineral elements, organic acids, flavonoids and other components, especially the highest content of calcium in all fruits, so it is also known as "calcium fruit". Calcium is an essential element in the human body and when calcium intake is insufficient, the body will directly lack the raw material of bone, which leads to bone diseases such as osteoporosis. In this study, the contents of elements, total polyphenols and total flavonoids in Ch fruit were determined. The effect of Ch fruit in calcium supplementation and promotion of calcium absorption were investigated and the results showed Ch regulates the changes of DHVD3, CT, I-PTH, and ALP, resulting in an improvement in bone calcium content and density. Meanwhile, Ch fruit promotes intestinal calcium absorption through the transmembrane transport pathway. Further molecular docking study found that flavonoids such as quercetin-3-O-glucoside, quercetin-3-O-glucoside, and cyanidin-3-glucoside are likely to contribute to this mechanism. In summary, this study confirmed the calcium supplement and promotion of calcium absorption of Ch fruit and preliminarily identified the calcium promoting mechanism and its material basis. These findings shed light on the potential use of Ch fruit as a dietary supplement to improve bone health. [Display omitted] • Calcium supplement and calcium promoting mechanism of Cerasus Humilis (Bge.) Sok. • Prediction of components promoting calcium absorption in Cerasus Humilis (Bge.) Sok. • Cerasus Humilis (Bge.) Sok can be used as a dietary supplement to improve bone health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A fluorescence-based DSF provides rapid assessment of adjuvant-adsorbed protein in a microplate format. • The effect of multi-factors in formulation development can be well-explored using smaller sample amount than DSC. • Good correlation of the results from well-established DSC and from high-throughput, automation amenable DSF is observed. Nano/microparticles are widely used as vaccine adjuvants to improve antigen stability and enhance immune response. Conformational stability of a given protein was normally assessed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for the optimization of formulation and for ensuring antigen stability in vaccine products. Here, a higher throughput version, namely the microtiter plate-based differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF) method was developed and optimized for assessing the protein thermal stability in the particulate adjuvant-adsorbed form. Using recombinant human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine antigens, along with several model proteins, enhanced sensitivity and correlation to the well-established differential scanning calorimetry were demonstrated. Higher throughput and much smaller sample consumption (1/10 ∼ 1/20 of the amount needed as compared to DSC) make the plate-based DSF a method of choice for formulation development, particularly during the early developmental phase of a project where the sample amount is usually quite limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

p53 is a critical tumor suppressor, and the disruption of its normal function is often a prerequisite for the development or progression of tumors. Our previous works revealed that multiple members of Krüppel-associated box (KRAB) domain zinc-finger proteins (KZFPs) family regulate p53 transcriptional activity by interacting with it. But the tumor biology functions of these members have not been fully elucidated. Here, the pan-cancer analysis related to gastrointestinal cancers (GICs) revealed that ZNF8, a p53-interacting protein, is an unfavorable prognostic factor for patients with malignancies. ZNF8 interacts with p53 and further depresses its transcriptional activity in colon cancer cells. The knockdown of ZNF8 or the overexpression of ZNF8 inhibits or facilitates the in vitro colony formation, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis of p53+/+ colon cancer HCT116 cells, HepG2 cells and EC109 cells rather than p53−/− colon cancer HCT116 cells and p53-knockout HepG2 cells, respectively. Xenograft experiments conducted in vivo also showed that the knockdown of ZNF8 in p53+/+ but not in p53−/− HCT116 cells curbs the tumor growth and metastasis to lung, leading to an extended life span for tumor-bearing mice. Clinically, two independent immunohistochemistry cohorts of colon cancer and esophageal cancer also indicated that ZNF8 is higher expression in carcinoma tissues than adjacent tissues and this is associated with worse overall survival outcomes in patients without harboring p53 mutation. Together, our results provide insight into the p53-specific tumor oncogenic function of ZNF8. ZNF8 may prove to be a potential target for GICs treatment. [Display omitted] • ZNF8 is an unfavorable prognostic factor for patients with gastrointestinal cancers. • ZNF8 interacts with p53 and decreases its transcriptional activity. • ZNF8 promotes in vitro and in vivo colorectal cancer tumor growth and metastasis in a p53-dependent manner. • ZNF8 is highly expressed in CC and ESCA tissues and is an unfavorable prognostic factor for patients with non-p53 mutations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]