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Dendritic macromolecules are potential candidates for nanomedical application. Herein, glycogen, the natural hyperbranched polysaccharide with favorable biocompatibility, is explored as an effective drug vehicle for treating liver cancer. In this system, glycogen is oxidized and conjugated with cancer drugs through a disulfide link, followed by in situ loading of polypyrrole nanoparticles and then coated with functional phospholipids to form the desired system, Gly-ss-DOX@ppy@Lipid-RGD. The phospholipid layer has good cell affinity and can assist the system to penetrate into cells smoothly. Additionally, combined with the "fusion targeting" of glycogen and the active targeting effect of RGD toward liver cancer cells, Gly-ss-DOX@ppy@Lipid-RGD presents efficient specificity and enrichment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Owing to the glutathione-triggered cleavage of disulfide linkers, Gly-ss-DOX@ppy@Lipid-RGD can controllably release drugs to induce cell nucleus damage. Meanwhile, the polypyrrole nanoparticles can absorb near-infrared light and radiate heat energy within tumors. Besides enhancing drug release, the heat can also provide photothermal treatment for tumors. As proved by in vitro and in vivo experiments, Gly-ss-DOX@ppy@Lipid-RGD is a remarkable candidate for synergistic chemophotothermal therapy with high anticancer therapeutic activity and reduced systematic toxicity, efficiently suppressing tumor growth. All results demonstrate that glycogen nanoparticles are expected to be a new building block for accurate hepatocellular carcinoma treatment.

Objective: To study the molluscicidal activity, the influence on glycogen content of Oncomelania hupensis and the acute toxicity to zebra fish of the extract from Phytolacca americana Linn leaf., Methods: The different polar factions of the extract of Phytolacca americana Linn leaf were separated by using the systemic solvent segregation method, and then the molluscicidal activity of the fractions was detected according to the Laboratory Final Milluscicides Screening Method issued by WHO. The glycogen content of soft tissues of Oncomelania hupensis treated by the ethyl acetate polar fraction was determined by the anthrone method. Finally, the acute toxicity of the ethyl acetate polar fraction to non-targets was studied with zebra fish., Results: The ethyl acetate polar fraction was the best active components against the snails. Its 48 h LC50 and LC90 were 6.0 mg/100 ml and 26.1 mg/ 100 ml, respectively. The glycogen content of soft tissues of the snails decreased by 20% after treated with the fraction. The fish treated by the concentration of LC50 (48 h) of the ethyl acetate polar fraction survived for 12 h., Conclusion: The Phytolacca americana Linn leaf possesses an adequate molluscicidal activity and a significant acute toxicity to the zebra fish.

An enzymatically-synthesized glycogen (ESG), intended for use as a food ingredient, was investigated for potential toxicity. ESG is synthesized in vitro from short-chain amylose by the co-operative action of branching enzyme and amylomaltase. In an acute toxicity study, oral administration of ESG to Sprague-Dawley rats at a dose of 2000 mg/kg body weight did not result in any signs of toxicity. ESG did not exhibit mutagenic activity in an in vitro bacterial reverse mutation assay. In a subchronic toxicity study, increased cecal weights noted in the mid- (10%) and high-dose (30%) animals are common findings in rodents fed excess amounts of carbohydrates that increase osmotic value of the cecal contents, and thus were considered a physiological rather than toxicological response. The hematological and histopathological effects observed in the high-dose groups were of no toxicological concern as they were secondary to the physiological responses resulting from the high carbohydrate levels in the test diets. The no-observed-adverse-effect level for ESG in rats was therefore established to be 30% in the diet (equivalent to approximately 18 and 21 g/kg body weight/day for male and female rats, respectively). These results support the safety of ESG as a food ingredient for human consumption., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Calcium-binding protein S100A9 (MRP-14) induces antinociceptive effect in an experimental model of painful sensibility and participates of antinociception observed during neutrophilic peritonitis induced by glycogen or carrageenan in mice. In this study, the direct antinociceptive role of the protein S100A9 in neutrophilic cell-free exudates obtained of mice injected with glycogen was investigated. Mice were intraperitoneally injected with a glycogen solution, and after 4, 8, 24, and 48 hours, either the pattern of cell migration of the peritoneal exudate or the nociceptive response of animals was evaluated. The glycogen-induced neutrophilic peritonitis evoked antinociception 4 and 8 hours after inoculation of the irritant. Peritoneal cell-free exudates, collected in different times after the irritant injection, were transferred to naive animals which were submitted to the nociceptive test. The transference of exudates also induced antinociceptive effect, and neutralization of S100A9 activity by anti-S100A9 monoclonal antibody totally reverted this response. This effect was not observed when experiments were made 24 or 48 hours after glycogen injection. These results clearly indicate that S100A9 is secreted during glycogen-induced neutrophilic peritonitis, and that this protein is responsible by antinociception observed in the initial phase of inflammatory reaction. Thus, these data reinforce the hypothesis that the calcium-binding protein S100A9 participates of the endogenous control of inflammatory pain.

We characterized the relative biological activity and expression of two murine chemokines that may serve as functional homologues for human IL-8, KC, and macrophage inflammatory protein 2 (MIP2). Recombinant chemokines were produced in bacterial expression systems and antibodies specific for KC or MIP2 were raised. In vitro assays showed that KC elicited 4-fold greater neutrophil chemotaxis compared with MIP2, while MIP2 elicited significantly greater release of elastase. Lipopolysaccharide- (LPS) stimulated macrophages (8 h) secreted more MIP2 (approximately 10 ng/mL) compared with KC (approximately 4 ng/ml) and expression of either murine chemokine was independent of TNFalpha or IL-1beta production. Thioglycollate (thio) and glycogen (gly) induced peritonitis produced more KC (thio = 7.1 and gly = 2.5 ng/mL) in the peritoneum compared with MIP2 (thio = 4.5 and gly = 0.3 ng/mL). Plasma KC levels were very high after either challenge (approximately 24 ng/mL), which was >50-fold more than the systemic increase in MIP2 (approximately 0.3 ng/mL). Our data demonstrate that while KC and MIP2 have similar in vitro production characteristics, KC appears to be a more potent and systemically distributed chemokine during acute in vivo inflammation, while MIP2 expression appears limited to localized expression.

The drug solvents glycerin, N-(beta-hydroxyethyl)-lactamide, and polyethylene glycol 400 (Lutrol 9) were examined for their pharmacodynamic properties in the following tests: i.p. toxicity, "sign pattern", inclined screen test, balance rod test, and potentiation of hexobarbitone sleeping time in mice, spasmolytic activity in the guinea pig isolated ileum, and cardiovascular studies in anaesthetized rats, cats, and dogs including the i.v. toxicity. In mice and rats glycerin exhibited the highest tocicity as well as the greatest activity in potentiating hexobarbitone sleeping time. In the isolated ileum the solvents showed unspecific spasmolytic activities with histamine, carbachol, and BaCl2 as spasmogens. After i.v. administration in rats, cats, and dogs the solvents caused cardiovascular effects even in very low doses. Based on the pharmacodynamic properties, doses are recommended for each solvent which should not be exceeded without control experiments in the laboratory routine. These tolerable doses do not only depend on the species but also on the test concerned.

The influence of different stimulation protocols on the induction of peritoneal exudate cells (PECs) and adherent cells, and on the percentage of different adherent cell types was examined in the chicken and Japanese quail. The results suggest that different protocols may be selected to maximize isolation of specific PEC populations for immunological studies. In the chicken, starch, peptone, glycogen, and Sephadex G-40 were all equally effective and superior to saline in generating PECs. While a single injection of Sephadex produced the highest yield of adherent cells with a maximum percentage of macrophages, repeated injections of Sephadex led to dramatic increases in non-adherent PECs (lymphocytes). In contrast, a single injection of starch was optimum for generating non-macrophage adherent cells (primarily heterophils). Since responses of the Japanese quail to stimulation with starch and saline were similar to those observed for the chicken, it is suggested that these protocols may be generally applicable for use with avian species.