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Lignin utilization is gaining significance as it is the most prevalent polyphenol in the environment. Lignin includes numerous polyphenolic compounds, exhibiting potent antioxidant activity. Although the high number of phenolic hydroxyl groups (pH-OH) and low molecular weight (Mw) of lignin have promoted its applications as a natural antioxidant, the outcomes must be improved to suit diverse prospects. The present review describes in detail the boosting effects of enzymatic treatments with laccase and cellulase on the functional properties of modified lignin, particularly antioxidant potential under environmentally sound technologies. In addition, the mechanism of ligninenzyme interaction (lignin with laccases and cellulases) is discussed and also described widely used the 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH•) scavenging free radical method to measure the antioxidant activity. Understanding the effects of modified lignin structure on its antioxidant activity is important for developing more beneficial antioxidants and revealing their scavenging mechanisms to realize various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

T2DM is a serious global health problem and usually caused by unhealthy diet, such diet with high carbohydrate or monosodium glutamate (MSG). In this study, we used the T2DM mice (BALB/c) model by exposing the mice with foods high in carbohydrate (HCD) or MSG (HMD) to determine the changes in molecular expression and methylation pattern of genes correlated to the development of T2DM. The data including clinical data, i.e. body weight, fasting blood glucose, and glucose tolerance, as well as gene expression, methylation pattern of glucose transport related gene (Slc2a4, FTO, and PPARγ) and also collagen deposition were measured. HCD and HMD diet for 18 weeks failed to show any clinical development of T2DM. However, it was shown that both diets significantly altered the methylation pattern and gene expression. A decrease in the expression level of Slc2a4 accompanied with a decreased methylation level in its NF-κB attachment site was observed in both groups. In addition, both treatments also showed a decrease in the expression of PPARγ in contrast to its elevated methylation level. On the other hand, a significant increase in the expression of FTO was apparent. Furthermore, an increase in collagen deposition in both groups was also detected. Overall, this study showed that an alteration on the expression and methylation pattern of the genes that are associated with glucose transportation was observed in HCD and HMD despite having no T2DM clinical development. It can potentially be a new biomarker for detection of pre-diabetes., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

UCMSCs were reprogrammed to iPSCs using Yamanaka factor bearing episomal plasmids. SCIKFi001-B exhibited pluripotency, had typical iPSC morphology and didn't retain any residual episomal plasmid. Although karyotyping showed chromosomal translocation, this abnormality seemed to have little impact on the functionality of SCIKFi001-B since it retained its ability to differentiate to three-germ layer. While karyotypic abnormality might negate use in therapeutic and clinical settings, this line remained a valuable educational tool for iPS cell culture techniques. Finally, our study highlighted the importance of routine karyotyping on iPSC lines as abnormal karyotypes oftentimes bear no discernible effect on cell morphology nor functionality., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line SCIKFi001-A was reprogrammed from cGMP grade umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) via non-integrating, virus free, self-replicating RNA for eventual use in regenerative medicine. UC-MSCs, a type of multipotent stem cells with fibroblast-like phenotypes, were previously isolated, cryobanked, expanded and characterized in accordance with cGMP principles. The iPSCs generated from this cGMP grade cell line were then characterized and pluripotency was established. Here we showed that UC-MSCs can be reprogrammed to iPSCs using a safer and more regulatory friendly method, which will enable researchers to accelerate their clinical development timeline., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Diabetic prevalence is at speedy increase globally. Previous studies stated that other than genetics, factors such as environment, lifestyle, and paternal-maternal condition play critical roles in diabetes through DNA methylation in specific areas of the genome. The purpose of this study is to investigate the methylation pattern of the PDK4 promoter in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice until the 12th week of the observation. The methylation pattern in the blood samples was analyzed periodically, while the pattern in the muscle sample was only analyzed at the end of the experiment using the blood of the sacrificed animals. Three methylated CpG site 1, CpG site 6, and CpG site 7 were analyzed and quantified based on the band density using bisulfite treatment and methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The hyperglycemia period was developed at the 9th week of experiment. However, there was a significant increase of methylation, specifically on CpG site 6 started from week 6 to week 12. This peculiar methylation on CpG site 6 of PDK4 promoter in the blood sample before the hyperglycemic period might serve as a potential biomarker for early detection of diabetes in the patients. No significant difference was found between the methylation level of streptozotocin (STZ)-treated mice and of the control group in the muscle sample.