Improved microcirculatory effect of d-allose on hepatic ischemia reperfusion following partial hepatectomy in cirrhotic rat liver

D-allose Inhibits TLR4/PI3K/AKT Signaling to Attenuate Neuroinflammation and Neuronal Apoptosis by Inhibiting Gal-3 Following Ischemic Stroke

BACKGROUND

Ischemic stroke (IS) occurs when a blood vessel supplying the brain becomes obstructed, resulting in cerebral ischemia. This type of stroke accounts for approximately 87% of all strokes. Globally, IS leads to high mortality and poor prognosis and is associated with neuroinflammation and neuronal apoptosis. D-allose is a bio-substrate of glucose that is widely expressed in many plants. Our previous study showed that D-allose exerted neuroprotective effects against acute cerebral ischemic/reperfusion (I/R) injury by reducing neuroinflammation. Here, we aimed to clarify the beneficial effects D-allose in suppressing IS-induced neuroinflammation damage, cytotoxicity, neuronal apoptosis and neurological deficits and the underlying mechanism in vitro and in vivo.

METHODS

In vivo, an I/R model was induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion (MCAO/R) in C57BL/6 N mice, and D-allose was given by intraperitoneal injection within 5 min after reperfusion. In vitro, mouse hippocampal neuronal cells (HT-22) with oxygen-glucose deprivation and reperfusion (OGD/R) were established as a cell model of IS. Neurological scores, some cytokines, cytotoxicity and apoptosis in the brain and cell lines were measured. Moreover, Gal-3 short hairpin RNAs, lentiviruses and adeno-associated viruses were used to modulate Gal-3 expression in neurons in vitro and in vivo to reveal the molecular mechanism.

RESULTS

D-allose alleviated cytotoxicity, including cell viability, LDH release and apoptosis, in HT-22 cells after OGD/R, which also alleviated brain injury, as indicated by lesion volume, brain edema, neuronal apoptosis, and neurological functional deficits, in a mouse model of I/R. Moreover, D-allose decreased the release of inflammatory factors, such as IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α. Furthermore, the expression of Gal-3 was increased by I/R in wild-type mice and HT-22 cells, and this factor further bound to TLR4, as confirmed by three-dimensional structure prediction and Co-IP. Silencing the Gal-3 gene with shRNAs decreased the activation of TLR4 signaling and alleviated IS-induced neuroinflammation, apoptosis and brain injury. Importantly, the loss of Gal-3 enhanced the D-allose-mediated protection against I/R-induced HT-22 cell injury, inflammatory insults and apoptosis, whereas activation of TLR4 by the selective agonist LPS increased the degree of neuronal injury and abolished the protective effects of D-allose.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, D-allose plays a crucial role in inhibiting inflammation after IS by suppressing Gal-3/TLR4/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo.

Serum metabolomics strategy for investigating the hepatotoxicity induced by different exposure times and doses of Gynura segetum (Lour.) Merr. in rats based on GC-MS

Gynura segetum (Lour.) Merr. (GS), has been widely used in Chinese folk medicine and can promote circulation, relieve pain and remove stasis. In recent years, the hepatotoxicity caused by GS has been reported, however its mechanism is not fully elucidated. Metabolomic techniques are powerful means to explore the toxicological mechanism and therapeutic effects of traditional Chinese medicine. The purpose of this study was to establish a serum metabolomics method based on Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) to explore the hepatotoxicity mechanism of different exposure times and doses of GS in rats. Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were administered daily with distilled water, 7.5 g kg^-1 GS, or 15 g kg^-1 GS by intragastrical gavage for either 10 or 21 days. The methods adopted included enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining and GC-MS-based serum metabolomics. Serum biochemistry analysis showed that the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), triglycerides (TG), total bilirubin (TBIL) and total bile acid (TBA) significantly (P < 0.05) increased while the levels of albumin (ALB) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) significantly (P < 0.05) decreased in GS-treated groups, compared with the control group. Interestingly, the ALT, AST, TG and ALB levels changed in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The results of H&E staining showed the degree of liver damage after administration of GS gradually deepened with the extension of administration time and the increase of the dose. According to the results of metabolomics analysis, 26 differential metabolites were identified, which were involved in 8 metabolic pathways including phenylalanine metabolism, glyoxylic acid and dicarboxylic acid metabolism and so on. Meanwhile, the number of differential metabolites in different GS-treated groups was associated with GS exposure time and dose. Therefore, we concluded that GS might induce hepatotoxicity depending on the exposure time and dose.

Production of D-allose from D-fructose using immobilized L-rhamnose isomerase and D-psicose 3-epimerase

D-Allose is a rare sugar, can be used as an ingredient in a range of foods and dietary supplements, has alimentary activities, especially excellent anti-cancer effects and used in assisting cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy, etc. To develop a simple and low-cost process for D-allose production, a one-pot enzymatic process using the substrate of D-fructose, and the recombinant enzymes of D-psicose 3-epimerase (DPE) and L-rhamnose isomerase (L-RhI) was developed. These enzymes were cloned from Ruminococcus sp. and B. subtilis, respectively, successfully expressed in E. coli, extracted and immobilized using anion exchange resin and amino resin, respectively. The mass ratio of D-fructose, D-psicose and D-allose was 6.6:2.4:1.0 when the reaction reached equilibrium after 5 h of reaction. Using the low-cost substrate of D-fructose, the reusable immobilized enzymes and the one-pot reaction, the production process is simplified and the production cost is decreased. In addition, to simplify the enzyme extraction and immobilization processes, new methods for enzyme capture and immobilization were developed especially for DPE immobilization. This is the first report for one-pot D-allose production using immobilized L-RhI and DPE.

Computational Modeling in Liver Surgery

The need for extended liver resection is increasing due to the growing incidence of liver tumors in aging societies. Individualized surgical planning is the key for identifying the optimal resection strategy and to minimize the risk of postoperative liver failure and tumor recurrence. Current computational tools provide virtual planning of liver resection by taking into account the spatial relationship between the tumor and the hepatic vascular trees, as well as the size of the future liver remnant. However, size and function of the liver are not necessarily equivalent. Hence, determining the future liver volume might misestimate the future liver function, especially in cases of hepatic comorbidities such as hepatic steatosis. A systems medicine approach could be applied, including biological, medical, and surgical aspects, by integrating all available anatomical and functional information of the individual patient. Such an approach holds promise for better prediction of postoperative liver function and hence improved risk assessment. This review provides an overview of mathematical models related to the liver and its function and explores their potential relevance for computational liver surgery. We first summarize key facts of hepatic anatomy, physiology, and pathology relevant for hepatic surgery, followed by a description of the computational tools currently used in liver surgical planning. Then we present selected state-of-the-art computational liver models potentially useful to support liver surgery. Finally, we discuss the main challenges that will need to be addressed when developing advanced computational planning tools in the context of liver surgery.

Phenolic Isomers from Plantago Catharinea Leaves: Isolation, Identification, Quantification and in Vitro Antioxidant Activity

In this study we isolated two polyphenolic acids of m/z 639, called catharinol A and catharinol B, from Plantago catharinea L. (Plantaginaceae) leaves. Although presenting very similar structures, catharinol A showed higher antioxidant activity when compared with gallic acid and quercetin standards. These compounds are position isomers and present in their chemical structure the rare sugar D-allose. Molecules with similar constitution are known to have important biological activities such as antitumor and immunosuppressive. These compounds were isolated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and characterized by mass spectrometry (FIA-ESI-IT-MS/MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). This work is the first study on the chemical composition of P. catharinea and encourages the production of Plantago species as a good source of bioactive molecules.

Metabolomics analysis of umbilical cord blood clarifies changes in saccharides associated with delivery method

BACKGROUND

A metabolomic approach using umbilical cord blood from infants at birth has not been studied widely yet.

AIM

We examined changes in metabolite levels in umbilical cord blood at birth via gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS)-based metabolomics, with the aim of achieving a detailed understanding of fetal stress during labor.

STUDY DESIGN

All procedures were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of Kobe University School of Medicine. This was a cohort study of pregnant women based in Palmore Hospital, which is located in an urban area of Japan, and was carried out between December 2010 and May 2011.

SUBJECT

Umbilical cord arterial blood samples were obtained from 41 infants immediately after delivery.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Metabolites in the blood samples were measured using GC/MS to investigate whether the delivery method (spontaneous onset of labor, induction of labor or elective cesarean section) affected the metabolite profile in umbilical cord blood.

RESULTS

Elective cesarean section without labor led to lower levels of isoleucine, fructose, mannose, glucose, allose, glucuronic acid, inositol and cysteine in comparison with vaginal delivery following spontaneous labor and without medication.

CONCLUSION

It is proposed that the stress associated with labor be involved in alterations in the levels of metabolites, particularly saccharides such as glucose, in umbilical cord blood.

The rare sugar D-allose has a reducing effect against ischemia-reperfusion injury on the rat abdominal skin island flap model

BACKGROUND

Recently, one of the rare sugars, D-allose, has received attention from many researchers because of its availability for mass production and its various physiological functions. Among these, an antioxidative effect has been strongly suggested. In this study, we investigated whether this effect is also applicable to the field of skin surgery.

METHODS

In ischemia-reperfusion injury model using the rat abdominal skin island flap (male Wistar rats, n = 110), D-allose was injected intravenously 15 min before 8-h ischemia. The survival area (%) was measured by digital photographic assessment 1 wk after surgery, and multiple comparisons (Fisher's protected least significant difference) were carried out. Histopathological examination (neutrophilic infiltration into dermis in hematoxylin and eosin stain) and immunostaining (of ectodermal dysplasia-1 (ED1)-positive cells/flap) were assessed. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in the skin flap (sampling at the time of 8 h after reperfusion) was measured spectrophotometrically, and Student t-test was performed.

RESULTS

D-allose extended the survival of the remaining flaps, and a dose greater than 30 mg (0.1 mg/g) was necessary to be effective. The flap survival rates in the 30, 60, and 150 mg groups were significantly higher than that in the control (saline) group: 75.87 ± 5.90, 79.27 ± 7.81, and 77.87 ± 6.20 versus 50.53 ± 9.66, respectively (P < 0.05). ED1-positive cells/flap in 60 mg of D-allose and control (saline) were 78 ± 25.7 versus 124 ± 15.8, respectively (P = 0.08). The MPO activity in the D-allose 60 mg group was 0.40 ± 0.04, and that in the control (saline) was 0.72 ± 0.12. D-allose significantly reduced the skin tissue MPO activity (P < 0.05) compared with that in the control (saline) group.

CONCLUSIONS

We proved that D-allose has a reducing effect against ischemia-reperfusion injury on the skin island flap model, and the mechanism is related to inhibiting the activity of neutrophils in the skin tissues. Compared with chemo-synthetic materials, rare sugars are safer for our bodies as well as the environment; therefore, this rare sugar project is expected to lead to the development of a safer antioxidant for skin flap surgery.

Arabidopsis scaffold protein RACK1A modulates rare sugar D-allose regulated gibberellin signaling

As energy sources and structural components, sugars are the central regulators of plant growth and development. In addition to the abundant natural sugars in plants, more than 50 different kinds of rare sugars exist in nature, several of which show distinct roles in plant growth and development. Recently, one of the rare sugars, D-allose, an epimer of D-glucose at C3, is found to suppress plant hormone gibberellin (GA) signaling in rice. Scaffold protein RACK1A in the model plant Arabidopsis is implicated in the GA pathway as rack1a knockout mutants show insensitivity to GA in GA-induced seed germination. Using genetic knockout lines and a reporter gene, the functional role of RACK1A in the D-allose pathway was investigated. It was found that the rack1a knockout seeds showed hypersensitivity to D-allose-induced inhibition of seed germination, implicating a role for RACK1A in the D-allose mediated suppression of seed germination. On the other hand, a functional RACK1A in the background of the double knockout mutations in the other two RACK1 isoforms, rack1b/rack1c, showed significant resistance to the D-allose induced inhibition of seed germination. The collective results implicate the RACK1A in the D-allose mediated seed germination inhibition pathway. Elucidation of the rare sugar signaling mechanism will help to advance understanding of this less studied but important cellular signaling pathway.

Rare sugar D-allose suppresses gibberellin signaling through hexokinase-dependent pathway in Oryza sativa L

One of the rare sugars, D-allose, which is the epimer of D-glucose at C3, has an inhibitory effect on rice growth, but the molecular mechanisms of the growth inhibition by D-allose were unknown. The growth inhibition caused by D-allose was prevented by treatment with hexokinase inhibitors, D-mannoheptulose and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. Furthermore, the Arabidopsis glucose-insensitive2 (gin2) mutant, which is a loss-of-function mutant of the glucose sensor AtHXK1, showed a D-allose-insensitive phenotype. D-Allose strongly inhibited the gibberellin-dependent responses such as elongation of the second leaf sheath and induction of α-amylase in embryo-less half rice seeds. The growth of the slender rice1 (slr1) mutant, which exhibits a constitutive gibberellin-responsive phenotype, was also inhibited by D-allose, and the growth inhibition of the slr1 mutant by D-allose was also prevented by D-mannoheptulose treatment. The expressions of gibberellin-responsive genes were down-regulated by D-allose treatment, and the down-regulations of gibberellin-responsive genes were also prevented by D-mannoheptulose treatment. These findings reveal that D-allose inhibits the gibberellin-signaling through a hexokinase-dependent pathway.

Antioxidant properties of rare sugar D-allose: Effects on mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production in Neuro2A cells

The anti-oxidative activity of the rare sugar D-allose has recently been reported, but the mechanism is largely unclear. In this study, we evaluated the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging activities of D-allose and then examined the effects of D-allose on ROS production in mitochondria to clarify the antioxidant properties of D-allose. While D-allose did not scavenge hydrogen peroxide and superoxide anions, it eliminated hydroxyl radicals to the same extent as D-glucose. Rotenone, an uncoupler of mitochondrial respiratory complex I, induces ROS production in mouse neuroblastoma Neuro2A cells in the presence of D-glucose. However, in the presence of D-allose, there was no change in the ROS levels in Neuro2A cells following rotenone treatment. Furthermore, treatment with D-allose attenuated the D-glucose-dependent ROS generation induced by rotenone. Whereas treatment with D-glucose enhanced ATP synthesis in Neuro2A cells, D-allose was less effective in producing intracellular ATP than D-glucose. Treatment with D-allose inhibited the ATP synthesis stimulated by D-glucose. These results suggest that D-allose suppresses ROS production in the mitochondria due to competition with D-glucose at the cellular level.

Increased D-allose production by the R132E mutant of ribose-5-phosphate isomerase from Clostridium thermocellum

Ribose-5-phosphate isomerase from Clostridium thermocellum converted D-psicose to D-allose, which may be useful as a pharmaceutical compound, with no by-product. The 12 active-site residues, which were obtained by molecular modeling on the basis of the solved three-dimensional structure of the enzyme, were substituted individually with Ala. Among the 12 Ala-substituted mutants, only the R132A mutant exhibited an increase in D-psicose isomerization activity. The R132E mutant showed the highest activity when the residue at position 132 was substituted with Ala, Gln, Ile, Lys, Glu, or Asp. The maximal activity of the wild-type and R132E mutant enzymes for D-psicose was observed at pH 7.5 and 80°C. The half-lives of the wild-type enzyme at 60°C, 65°C, 70°C, 75°C, and 80°C were 11, 7.0, 4.2, 1.5, and 0.6 h, respectively, whereas those of the R132E mutant enzymes were 13, 8.2, 5.1, 3.1, and 0.9 h, respectively. The specific activity and catalytic efficiency (k(cat)/K(m)) of the R132E mutant for D-psicose were 1.4- and 1.5-fold higher than those of the wild-type enzyme, respectively. When the same amount of enzyme was used, the conversion yield of D-psicose to D-allose was 32% for the R132E mutant enzyme and 25% for the wild-type enzyme after 80 min.

A rare sugar, d-allose, confers resistance to rice bacterial blight with upregulation of defense-related genes in Oryza sativa

We investigated responses of rice plant to three rare sugars, d-altrose, d-sorbose, and d-allose, due to establishment of mass production methods for these rare sugars. Root growth and shoot growth were significantly inhibited by d-allose but not by the other rare sugars. A large-scale gene expression analysis using a rice microarray revealed that d-allose treatment causes a high upregulation of many defense-related, pathogenesis-related (PR) protein genes in rice. The PR protein genes were not upregulated by other rare sugars. Furthermore, d-allose treatment of rice plants conferred limited resistance of the rice against the pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae but the other tested sugars did not. These results indicate that d-allose has a growth inhibitory effect but might prove to be a candidate elicitor for reducing disease development in rice.

Stimulating effects of fibroblast growth factors on hepatic function of fetal liver cells synergistically with oncostatin M in three-dimensional culture

Fetal liver cells (FLCs) are regarded as a feasible cell source of bioartificial liver (BAL), because the FLCs have proliferating ability even in vitro. However, the cellular functions of FLCs are considerably lower compared with mature hepatocytes. Thus, maturation of cultured FLCs is essential for enhancing the performance of the BAL using the FLCs. In the present study, the effects of fibroblast growth factors (FGF-1, FGF-2, and FGF-4) on cell growth and the liver-specific functions of mouse FLCs were investigated in the presence or absence of oncostatin M (OSM), under both three-dimensional (3-D) and monolayer culture conditions. When FGF-2 was used, no stimulating effects on the albumin secretion activities of the FLCs were observed either in the 3-D or monolayer cultures, although cell growth was improved in these cultures. In the cases of FGF-1 and FGF-4, these factors also had no effect on the albumin secretion activities in the absence of OSM. However, in the presence of OSM, FGF-1 and FGF-4 significantly enhanced the activities of the FLCs but only in the 3-D cultures. From scanning electron microscopic observation, the 3-D culture FLCs formed big cell aggregates on the surface of a porous scaffold. In conclusion, it was clarified that FGF-1 and FGF-4 facilitate the maturation of 3-D culture FLCs synergistically with OSM.

6-Azido-6-deoxy-α-L-galactose (6-azido-L-fucose) monohydrate

Although 6-azido-6-de­oxy-l-galactose in aqueous solution is in equilibrium between the open-chain, furan­ose and pyran­ose forms, it crystallizes solely as 6-azido-6-de­oxy-α-l-galactopyran­ose monohydrate, C₆H₁₁N₃O₅·H₂O, with the six-membered ring adopting a chair conformation. The structure exists as hydrogen-bonded chains, with each mol­ecule acting as a donor and acceptor of five hydrogen bonds. There are no unusual crystal packing features and the absolute configuration was determined from the use of 1-azido-1-de­oxy-d-galactitol as the starting material.

1-De-oxy-l-mannitol (6-de-oxy-l-mannitol or l-rhamnitol)

The crystalline form of 1-de­oxy-l-mannitol, C₆H₁₄O₅, exists as an extensively hydrogen-bonded structure with each mol­ecule acting as a donor and acceptor for five hydrogen bonds. There are no unusual crystal-packing features; the absolute configuration was determined from the use of 6-de­oxy-l-mannose (l-rhamnose) as the starting material.

1-Deoxy-D-arabinitol

Addition of methyl lithium to d-erythrono-1,4-lactone followed by acid deprotection was shown, by X-ray crystallography, to give 1-de­oxy-d-arabinitol, C₅H₁₂O₄, rather than 1-de­oxy-d-ribitol as the major product. The crystal structure exists as hydrogen-bonded chains of mol­ecules running parallel to the c axis which are further linked together by hydrogen bonds. Each mol­ecule is a donor and an acceptor for four hydrogen bonds.

Cryoprotective effects of d-allose on mammalian cells

D-allose, an aldo-hexose, is a rare sugar whose biological functions remain largely unclear. Recently, we demonstrated a novel inhibitory effect of D-allose on production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Here, we focused on investigating cryoprotective effects of D-allose on cell viability. Mammalian cell lines including OVCAR-3 (human ovarian cancer), HeLa (human cervical cancer), HaCaT (human skin keratinocytes), HDF (human dermal fibroblasts) and NIH3T3 (murine fibroblasts) cells were frozen at -80 degrees C in culture media with various D-allose concentrations. Cells were allowed to recover for 24 h, 1 week or 1 month prior to survival assessment using the trypan blue dye exclusion test, when cell proliferation was evaluated by MTT assay. A beneficial protective role of D-allose on cell survival was found, similar to that of trehalose (disaccharide of glucose), a recognized cryoprotectant. The results suggest that D-allose as a sole additive may provide effective protection for mammalian cells during freezing. Practical studies now need to be performed with D-allose, for example to determine optimal freezing protocols and explore potential for preservation of tissues or organs at non-freezing temperatures.

Substrate specificity of a galactose 6-phosphate isomerase from Lactococcus lactis that produces d-allose from d-psicose

We purified recombinant galactose 6-phosphate isomerase (LacAB) from Lactococcus lactis using HiTrap Q HP and Phenyl-Sepharose columns. The purified LacAB had a final specific activity of 1.79units/mg to produce d-allose. The molecular mass of native galactose 6-phosphate isomerase was estimated at 135.5kDa using Sephacryl S-300 gel filtration, and the enzyme exists as a hetero-octamer of LacA and LacB subunits. The activity of galactose 6-phosphate isomerase was maximal at pH 7.0 and 30 degrees C, and enzyme activity was independent of metal ions. When 100g/L of d-psicose was used as the substrate, 25g/L of d-allose and 13g/L of d-altrose were simultaneously produced at pH 7.0 and 30 degrees C after 12h of incubation. The enzyme had broad specificity for various aldoses and ketoses. The interconversion of sugars with the same configuration except at the C2 position was driven by using a large amount of enzyme in extended reactions. The interconversion occurred via two isomerization reactions, i.e., the interconversion of d-allose<-->d-psicose<-->d-altrose, and d-allose to d-psicose reaction was faster than d-altrose to d-psicose reaction.

Characterization of ribose-5-phosphate isomerase of Clostridium thermocellum producing D-allose from D-psicose

The rpiB gene, encoding ribose-5-phosphate isomerase (RpiB) from Clostridium thermocellum, was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. RpiB converted D-psicose into D-allose but it did not convert D-xylose, L-rhamnose, D-altrose or D-galactose. The production of D-allose by RpiB was maximal at pH 7.5 and 65 degrees C for 30 min. The half-lives of the enzyme at 50 degrees C and 65 degrees C were 96 h and 4.7 h, respectively. Under stable conditions of pH 7.5 and 50 degrees C, 165 g D-allose l(-1 ) was produced without by-products from 500 g D-psicose l(-1) after 6 h.