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BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE In chronic kidney disease (CKD), patients inevitably reach end-stage renal disease and require renal transplant. Evidence suggests that CKD is associated with metabolite disorders. However, the molecular pathways targeted by metabolites remain enigmatic. Here, we describe roles of 1-hydroxypyrene in mediating renal fibrosis. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH We analysed 5406 urine and serum samples from patients with Stage 1-5 CKD using metabolomics, and 1-hydroxypyrene was identified and validated using longitudinal and drug intervention cohorts as well as 5/6 nephrectomised and adenine-induced rats. KEY RESULTS We identified correlations between the urine and serum levels of 1-hydroxypyrene and the estimated GFR in patients with CKD onset and progression. Moreover, increased 1-hydroxypyrene levels in serum and kidney tissues correlated with decreased renal function in two rat models. Up-regulated mRNA expression of aryl hydrocarbon receptor and its target genes, including CYP1A1, CYP1A2 and CYP1B1, were observed in patients and rats with progressive CKD. Further we showed up-regulated mRNA expression of aryl hydrocarbon receptor and its three target genes, plus up-regulated nuclear aryl hydrocarbon receptor protein levels in mice and HK-2 cells treated with 1-hydroxypyrene, which caused accumulation of extracellular matrix components. Treatment with aryl hydrocarbon receptor short hairpin RNA or flavonoids inhibited mRNA expression of aryl hydrocarbon receptor and its target genes in 1-hydroxypyrene-induced HK-2 cells and mice. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS Metabolite 1-hydroxypyrene was demonstrated to mediate renal fibrosis through activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor signalling pathway. Targeting aryl hydrocarbon receptor may be an alternative therapeutic strategy for CKD progression.

Background and purpose Increasing evidence has indicated that the high risk of cardiovascular disease in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients cannot be sufficiently explained by classic risk factors. Experimental approach Based on the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator method, we identified significantly altered renal tissue metabolites during progressive CKD in a 5/6 nephrectomized rat model and in CKD patients. Key results Six aryl-containing metabolites (ACMs) were significantly increased from Week 1 to Week 20. They were associated with the activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and its target genes including CYP1A1, CYP1A2 and CYP1B1, which were further validated by molecular docking. Our study further demonstrated that AhR signalling could be activated by ACM in patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy, diabetic nephropathy and IgA nephropathy. Most importantly, 1-aminopyrene (AP) showed strong positive and negative correlation with serum creatinine and creatinine clearance, respectively. AP significantly up-regulated the mRNA expressions of AhR and its three target genes in both mice and NRK-52E cells, while this effect was partially weakened in AhR small hairpin RNA-treated mice and NRK-52E cells. Furthermore, dietary flavonoid supplementation ameliorated CKD and renal fibrosis through partially inhibiting the AhR activity via lowering the ACM levels. The antagonistic effect of flavonoids on AhR was deeply influenced by the number and location of hydroxyl and glycosyl groups. Conclusion and implications We uncovered that endogenous AP is a novel mediator of CKD progression via AhR activation; thus, AhR might serve as a promising target for CKD treatment.

MicroRNA-340 (miR-340) was considered as a tumor suppressor by affecting cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and migration, and was downregulated in diverse cancers. Moreover, dysregulation of miR-340 was also found to be associated with drug resistance and predicted patients' survival in various cancers. Herein, we investigated miR-340 expression and its clinical significance in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed to detect miR-340 expression in bone marrow (BM) from 99 newly diagnosed AML patients except for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), 19 AML patients achieved complete remission (CR), and 29 healthy donors. BM miR-340 expression was significantly underexpressed in newly diagnosed AML patients as compared with controls (p = 0.031) and AML patients achieved CR (p = 0.025). No significant differences were observed between miR-340 expression and most of the clinicopathologic features (p > 0.05). However, low miR-340 expression was found to be associated with lower CR rate in both non-APL-AML and cytogenetically normal AML (CN-AML; p = 0.001 and 0.031, respectively), and acted as an independent risk factor for CR by logistic regression analysis (p = 0.001 and 0.021, respectively). More important, among both non-APL-AML and CN-AML, low expression of miR-340 was also associated with shorter overall survival (OS; p = 0.013 and 0.005, respectively), and was further validated by Cox regression (p = 0.031 and 0.039, respectively). Collectively, our study showed that BM miR-340 expression was downregulated in AML, and low expression of miR-340 correlated with adverse prognosis.

Two new phenylethanoid glycosides, longissimosides A and B (1 and 2, resp.), together with eight structurally related known compounds, were isolated from the EtOH extract of leaves and stems of Callicarpa longissima (Hemsl.) Merr. The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated as 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)ethyl O-(α-L-rhamnopyranosyl)-(1→3)-O-(2-O-syringoyl-β-D-xylopyranosyl)-(1→6)- 4-O-[(E)-caffeoyl]-β-D-glucopyranoside (1) and 2-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)ethyl O-(α-L-rhamnopyranosyl)-(1→3)-O-(β-D-apiofuranosyl)-(1→6)-4-O-[(E)-isoferuloyl]-β-D-glucopyranoside (2) on the basis of spectroscopic data and acid hydrolysis.

Three new dammarane-type triterpenoid saponins, 1–3, were isolated and identified as (20S)-20-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl-(16)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(16)-β-D-glucopyranosyl]dammar-24-ene-3β,6α,12β, 20-tetrol (1), (20S)-6-O-[(E)-but-2-enoyl-(16)-β-D-glucopyranosyl]dammar-24-ene-3β,6α,12β,20-tetrol (2), and (20S)-6-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl-(12)-β-D-xylopyranosyl]dammar-24-ene-3β,6α,12β,20-tetrol (3) from the roots of Panax notoginseng (Burkill) F.H.Chen (Araliaceae). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analyses, including 1D- and 2D-NMR techniques and HR-ESI-MS, as well as by acidic hydrolysis.

Two new phenylethanoid glycosides, longissimosides A (I) and B (II), are isolated from the EtOH extract of leaves and stems of Callicarpa longissima together with eight structurally related known compounds.

In a low emulsifier system, the MMA-BA-MAA copolymer emulsions were prepared as seed latices and the seeded emulsion polymerization of MMA-MAA-DVB was consequently carried out to prepare carboxylated core particles. The hydrophobic shell was then synthesized onto the core using styrene, acrylonitrile, and divinylbenzene as comonomers. The hollow latex particles were obtained by alkalization treatment of the core-shell latex particles. The effects of the feeding rate of monomer mixture, contents of emulsifier SDBS and crosslinking agent DVB, and ratio of the monomers during the core stage and shell stage on the morphology and volume expansion of the latex particles were investigated. The results show that the monodispersed hollow latex particles with large size can be obtained when the feeding rate is 0.1 g/min, SDBS content is 0.15 and 0.2 wt % during the core stage and shell stage, respectively, DVB contents are 1% during the preparation of shell copolymers, and the monomer ratio of the core particle to shell layer is 1: 8.

Three new dammarane-type triterpenoid saponins, 1–3, were isolated and identified as (20S)-20-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl-(16)-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(16)-β-D-glucopyranosyl]dammar-24-ene-3β,6α,12β, 20-tetrol (1), (20S)-6-O-[(E)-but-2-enoyl-(16)-β-D-glucopyranosyl]dammar-24-ene-3β,6α,12β,20-tetrol (2), and (20S)-6-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl-(12)-β-D-xylopyranosyl]dammar-24-ene-3β,6α,12β,20-tetrol (3) from the roots of Panax notoginseng (Burkill) F.H.Chen (Araliaceae). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analyses, including 1D- and 2D-NMR techniques and HR-ESI-MS, as well as by acidic hydrolysis.

The synthesis of new tricyclic quinolones, resulting from peri-annelation of 1,2,4-oxadiazine moiety at the N-1/C-8 position of the pharmacophoric quinolone nucleus, are described. None of the synthesized compounds showed interesting antibacterial activity in vitro against the tested strains, with the exception of Klebsiella pneumoniae which was susceptible to all the compounds at MIC values of 8 μg/ml.

Protein phosphorylation has been suggested to be correlated with brain development and with the molecular mechanism of behavioral effects of neuropeptides. The present study reports in vitro endogenous phosphorylation of P46, a membrane-associated protein that is changed during development of the rat hippocampus. This study indicated that the degree of endogenous phosphorylation may be correlated with the establishment of synaptic connections. Interestingly, P46 was proved to be identical to a well-known growth-associated protein B-50/GAP-43 in its identical apparent molecular weight, isoelectric point, phosphorylation dependence, and the cross immunoreaction of monoclonal anti-B-50/GAP-43 antibody and P46. Moreover, neonatal administration of neuropeptide ZNC(G)PR could facilitate the developmental progress of P46 endogenous phosphorylation. It is suggested that the changes in P46 phosphorylation could be involved in the cellular mechanism of ZNC(C)PR behavioral effects on learning. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The biosorption of Hg(II) from aqueous solutions using Bacillus subtilis biomass was investigated in this study. The adsorbent was characterized by FTIR. Various factors including solution pH, initial concentration of Hg(II), contact time, reaction temperature and ionic strength were taken into account and promising results were obtained. An initial solution pH of 5.0 was most favorable for Hg(II) removal. The kinetic data was also analyzed using pseudo first order and pseudo second order equations. The results suggested that Hg(II) bioadsorption was best represented by the pseudo second order equation. Freundlich, Langmuir and Langmuir-Freundlich isotherms for the present systems were analyzed. The most satisfactory interpretation for the equilibrium data at different temperatures was given by the Langmuir-Freundlich isotherm. The effect of ionic strength on bioadsorption was significant. Bacillus subtilis biomass could serve as low cost adsorbent to remove Hg(II) from aqueous solutions, especially at lower concentrations of Hg(II) (

[reaction: see text] Regiospecific carbonylative annulation of o-iodophenol acetates and acetylenes mediated by palladium-thiourea-dppp complex in the presence of base at 40 degrees C under a balloon pressure of CO generates diversified flavones in high yields. This newly developed synthetic technology provides a highly efficient method for potential application to the combinatorial synthesis of those heterocycles on the solid support.