In vitro Effects of Selected Saponins on the Production and Release of Lysozyme Activity of Human Monocytic and Epithelial Cell Lines

Choosing the Right Cell Line for Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Research

Immortalized cell lines are widely used in vitro tools in oncology and hematology research. While these cell lines represent artificial systems and may accumulate genetic aberrations with each passage, they are still considered valuable models for pilot, preliminary, and screening studies. Despite their limitations, cell lines are cost-effective and provide repeatable and comparable results. Choosing the appropriate cell line for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) research is crucial for obtaining reliable and relevant results. Several factors should be considered when selecting a cell line for AML research, such as specific markers and genetic abnormalities associated with different subtypes of AML. It is also essential to evaluate the karyotype and mutational profile of the cell line, as these can influence the behavior and response to the treatment of the cells. In this review, we evaluate immortalized AML cell lines and discuss the issues surrounding them concerning the revised World Health Organization and the French-American-British classifications.

Study of the non-covalent interactions of ginsenosides and lysozyme using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

RATIONALE

Ginsenosides are an important class of natural products extracted from ginseng that possess various important biological activities. Studies of interactions of ginsenosides with proteins are essential for comprehensive understanding of the biological activities of ginsenosides. In this study, the interactions of ginsenosides with lysozyme were investigated by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS).

METHODS

Both protopanaxadiol-type and protopanaxatriol-type ginsenosides were chosen to explore the interactions of ginsenosides towards lysozyme near the physiological conditions by direct ESI-MS, respectively. Comparative experiments were conducted to confirm the interactions were specific. In addition, the dissociation constants of ginsenoside-lysozyme complexes were determined by a ESI-MS titration strategy.

RESULTS

The results showed ginsenosides bound to lysozyme at the stoichiometries of 1:1 and 2:1. The association constants of ginsenosides to lysozyme were in the order of Re>Rd>Rf>Rg2 >Rg3 . According to their structures, the binding affinities associated with the type of aglycone and the type and the number of sugar moieties linked on the aglycone.

CONCLUSIONS

It has been demonstrated that ESI-MS is a powerful tool to probe the non-covalent interactions between lysozyme and ginsenosides. These results provide insights into the interaction of ginsenosides with lysozyme at the molecular level. The developed strategy could be applied to determine the interactions of proteins with other natural products.

Optimization of a fluorescence-based lysozyme activity assay for contact lens studies

PURPOSE

To optimize a fluorescence-based lysozyme activity assay to investigate the conformational state of lysozyme in solution and to determine the impact of extraction and evaporation procedures and the possible interference of contact lens materials on lysozyme activity.

METHODS

The fluorescence-based lysozyme activity assay, Enzchek (Molecular Probes Inc, Eugene, OR) which utilizes fluorescently quenched Micrococcus lysodeikticus, was compared to the gold standard, classical lysozyme turbidity assay, using four differently concentrated lysozyme samples (20, 10, 5.0 and 2.0 ng/µL). Furthermore, six differently concentrated lysozyme samples (2.0, 1.0, 0.5, 0.25, 0.125 and 0.01 µg/µL) were quantified using the fluorescence-based assay in the presence of extraction solvents consisting of 0.2% and 0.02% trifluroacetic acid/acetonitrile and following evaporation procedures.

RESULTS

A standard curve was generated by the fluorescence-based assay ranging from 2 to 150 ng. The total active lysozyme quantified in the four lysozyme samples was not significantly different between the two assays (p > 0.05) and the concordance correlation coefficient was determined to be 0.995. However an average discrepancy between the two assays was found to be 0.474 ng, with the turbidity assay typically reporting higher active lysozyme measurements. The sensitivity of the fluorescence-based assay was higher than the classical turbidity assay when quantifying 20 ng or less active lysozyme. Following the extraction and evaporation procedures and the addition of lens extracts, the total active lysozyme recovered was 95% or greater.

CONCLUSIONS

In comparison to the classical turbidity assay, the fluorescence-based assay is a very sensitive method, making it a favorable technique, particularly when studying contact lens materials that deposit relatively low levels of lysozyme.