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Biomedical subjects

Yu Liu

Publications and source records attributed to Yu Liu.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed2004

Inclusion complexes of paclitaxel and oligo(ethylenediamino) bridged bis(beta-cyclodextrin)s: solubilization and antitumor activity.

The inclusion complexation behavior of paclitaxel with a series of oligo(ethylenediamino) bridged bis(beta-cyclodextrin)s possessing bridge chains in different length (1-4) has been investigated in order to improve the water solubility of paclitaxel. It is found that only the long-tethered bis(beta-cyclodextrin)s 1 and 2 can form the inclusion complexes with paclitaxel, which are characterized by NMR, SEM, XRD, FT-IR, TG-DTA, DSC, and microcalorimetry technology. The results obtained show that bis(beta-cyclodextrin)s 1 and 2 are able to solubilize paclitaxel to high levels up to 2 and 0.9 mg/mL, respectively. The high complex stability of bis(beta-cyclodextrin) 1 and paclitaxel is discussed from thermodynamic viewpoint. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity of these complexes assessed using a human erythroleukemia K562 cell line indicates that the IC(50) value of 1/paclitaxel complex is 6.0 x 10(-10) mol/dm(3) (calculated as paclitaxel molar concentration), which means that the antitumor activity of 1/paclitaxel complex is better than that of parent paclitaxel (IC(50) value 9.8 x 10(-10) mol/dm(3)). This high antitumor activity, along with the satisfactory water solubility and high thermal stability of the 1/paclitaxel complex, will be potentially useful for its clinical application as a highly effective antitumor drug.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed2004

Antitumor immunity induced by DNA vaccine encoding alpha-fetoprotein/heat shock protein 70.

AIM: To construct a DNA vaccine encoding human alpha-fetoprotein (hAFP)/heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), and to study its ability to induce specific CTL response and its protective effect against AFP-expressing tumor. METHODS: A DNA vaccine was constructed by combining hAFP gene with HSP70 gene. SP2/0 cells were stably transfected with pBBS212-hAFP and pBBS212-hAFP/HSP70 eukaryotic expression vectors. Mice were primed and boosted with DNA vaccine hAFP/HSP70 by intramuscular injection, whereas plasmid with hAFP or HSP70 was used as controls. ELISPOT and ELISA were used to detect IFN-gamma-producing splenocytes and the level of serum anti-AFP antibody from immunized mice respectively. In vivo tumor challenge was measured to assess the immune effect of the DNA vaccine. RESULTS: By DNA vaccine immunization, the results of ELISPOT and ELISA showed that the number of IFN-gamma-producing splenocytes and the level of serum anti-AFP antibody were significantly higher in rhAFP/HSP70 group than in hAFP and empty plasmid groups (95.50+/-10.90 IFN-gamma spots/10(6) cells vs 23.60+/-11.80 IFN-gamma spots/10(6) cells, 7.17+/-4.24 IFN-gamma spots/10(6) cells, P<0.01; 126.50+/-8.22 microg/mL vs 51.72+/-3.40 microg/mL, 5.83+/-3.79 microg/mL, P<0.01). The tumor volume in rhAFP/HSP70 group was significantly smaller than that in pBBS212-hAFP and empty plasmid groups (37.41+/-7.34 mm(3) vs 381.13+/-15.48 mm(3), 817.51+/-16.25 mm(3), P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Sequential immunization with a recombinant DNA vaccine encoding AFP and heat shock protein70 could generate effective AFP-specific T cell responses and induce definite antitumor effects on AFP-producing tumors, which may be suitable for some clinical testing as a vaccine for HCC.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Role of Ca2+ store in AMPA-triggered Ca2+ dynamics in retinal horizontal cells.

Fura-2 fluorescent calcium imaging was applied to measure [Ca(2+)](i) in freshly dissociated horizontal cells of carp retina, and a model containing endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane processes and plasma membrane processes was constructed for quantitative analyses of the AMPA-triggered calcium dynamics. A transient increase followed by a sustained steady level of [Ca(2+)](i) was observed when 100 microM AMPA was applied, while the initial transient increase of [Ca(2+)](i) was suppressed by exogenously applied ryanodine. The model analyses results suggest that the AMPA-triggered calcium dynamics involves a number of cytoplasmic and endoplasmic processes that interact with each other. It also suggests that calcium store is an important part contributing to the transient calcium signal.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Molecular recognition thermodynamics and structural elucidation of interactions between steroids and bridged bis(beta-cyclodextrin)s.

A series of bridged bis(beta-cyclodextrin(CD))s (2-7) were synthesized, i.e., bridged bis(beta-CD)s 2 and 3 bearing binaphthyl or biquinoline tethers and bridged bis(beta-CD)s 4-7 possessing dithiobis(benzoyl) tether, and their complex stability constants (KS), enthalpy (DeltaH degrees), and entropy changes (DeltaS degrees) for the 1:2 inclusion complexation with representative steroids, deoxycholate, cholate, glycocholate, and taurocholate, have been determined in an aqueous phosphate buffer solution of pH 7.20 at 298.15 K by means of titration microcalorimetry. The original conformations of bridged bis(beta-cyclodextrin)s were investigated by circular dichroism and 1H ROESY spectroscopy. Structures of the inclusion complexes between steroids and bridged bis(beta-CD)s in solution were elucidated by 2D NMR experiments, indicating that anionic groups of two steroid molecules penetrate, respectively, into the two hydrophobic CD cavities in one 6,6'-bridged bis(beta-CD) molecule from the secondary rim to give a 1:2 binding mode upon inclusion complexation. The results obtained from titration microcalorimetry and 2D NMR experiments jointly demonstrate that bridged bis(beta-CD)s 2, 3 and 5-7 tethered by protonated amino group possessing different substituted groups can enhance not only the molecular binding ability toward steroids by electrostatic interaction but also molecular selectivity. Thermodynamically, the resulting 1:2 bis(beta-CD)-steroid complexes are formed by an enthalpy-driven process, accompanied by smaller entropy loss. The increased complex stability mainly results from enthalpy gain, accompanied by large conformational change and extensive desolvation effects for the 1:2 inclusion complexation between bis(beta-CD)s and steroids.

Models, Chemical↗
PubMed2004

Influence of alkali-freezing treatment on the solid state structure of chitin.

Chitin was soaked in frozen sodium hydroxide for further modification. The solid state structural changes of the resulting chitin powders were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and infrared spectroscopy measurements. During the alkali-freezing process, the crystal space parameters of chitin changed, and the order of the hydrogen bonds of chitin was modified. The study explains how the treatment is beneficial for further modification of chitin. The crystallinity of chitin was assessed according to XRD results. It decreased by half after the alkali-freezing treatment for the first 3 days, and then a few changes happened on the following days while the crystallinity of chitin was kept in the scale of 13.5-18%. That means that the alkali-freezing treatment of chitin for several days is suitable and sufficient.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Retinoid X receptor alpha (RXRalpha) helix 12 plays an inhibitory role in the recruitment of the p160 co-activators by unliganded RXRalpha/retinoic acid receptor alpha heterodimers.

Retinoid X receptor (RXR)/retinoic acid receptor (RAR) heterodimers control gene expression through recruitment of co-repressors or co-activators, depending on their hormone binding status. We show that the helix 12 of RXRalpha and RARalpha is critical for recruitment of the co-regulators and transcriptional regulation by RXRalpha, RARalpha, and RXRalpha/RARalpha. LG268, an RXR-specific agonist, was able to promote co-activator association with the heterodimers, but was unable to dissociate co-repressors. Reconstitution experiments in yeast demonstrated that LG268 was capable of activating transcription by RXRalpha/RARalpha through recruitment of the co-activator. We hypothesize that the inability to release co-repressors from RXRalpha/RARalpha is responsible for the inability of LG268 to activate RXRalpha/RARalpha heterodimers in mammalian cells. Deletion of RARalpha helix 12 (RXRalpha/RARalpha Delta403) abolished both hormone-dependent dissociation from co-repressors and hormone-dependent association with co-activators. Deletion of RXRalpha helix 12 (RXRalpha Delta443/RARalpha) resulted in a higher binding affinity for co-repressors. Unexpectedly, RXRalpha Delta443/RARalpha also gained hormone-independent co-activator binding activity. Moreover, LG268 became an antagonist to RXRalpha Delta443/RARalpha heterodimers. These data suggest that the helix 12 of RXRalpha plays an inhibitory role in the recruitment of co-activators by unliganded RXRalpha/RARalpha.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2004

Biquinolino-modified beta-cyclodextrin dimers and their metal complexes as efficient fluorescent sensors for the molecular recognition of steroids.

A series of bridged beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CyD) dimers possessing functional tethers of various lengths was synthesized in moderate yield by the treatment of 2,2'-biquinoline- 4,4'-dicarboxylic dichloride with beta-CyD or mono[6-oligo(ethylenediamino)-6-deoxy]-beta-CyDs. The products were 2,2'-biquinoline-4,4'-dicarboxy-bridged bis(6-O-beta-CyD) (8), N,N'-bis(2-aminoethyl)-2,2'-biquinoline-4,4'-dicarboxamide-bridged bis(6-amino-6-deoxy-beta-CyD) (9), and N,N'-bis(5-amino-3-azapentyl)-2,2'-biquinoline-4,4'-dicarboxamide-bridged bis(6-amino-6-deoxy-beta-CyD) (10). The reaction of 8-10 with copper perchlorate give their copper(II) complexes 11-13 in satisfactory yields of over 77 %. All the bis(beta-CyD)s 8-13 act as efficient fluorescent sensors and display remarkable fluorescence enhancement upon addition of optically inert steroids. The inclusion complexation behaviors of 8-13 when treated with the representative steroids cholate (14), deoxycholate (15), and glycocholate (16) in aqueous solution at 25 degrees C were investigated by means of UV/Vis spectroscopy, conductivity and fluorescence measurements, circular dichroism spectroscopy, and 2D NMR spectroscopy. The tether length of bis(beta-CyD) 9 allows it to adopt a cooperative host-tether-guest binding mode in which the spacer and guest are co-included in the two CyD cavities. As a result of this cooperation, 9 has a stability constant (K(s)) about 2x10(2) times higher than that of monomodified beta-CyD 4 for inclusion complexation with cholate. Metallooligo(beta-CyD)s with four beta-CyD units have enhanced binding abilities compared with monomodified beta-CyDs. These metallo compounds have binding affinities for guest steroids that are up to 50-4.1x10(3) times higher than those of CyDs 2-4. The guest-induced fluorescence enhancement of bis(CyD)s opens a new channel for the design of sensor materials. The complex stability constants of these compounds are discussed from the viewpoint of induced-fit interaction and cooperative multiple binding between host and guest.

Circular Dichroism↗
PubMed2004

Cooperative self-assembly and molecular binding behavior of cyclodextrin-crown ether conjugates mediated by alkali metal ions.

In order to quantitatively investigate their molecular binding ability, a series of cyclodextrin-crown ether conjugates containing beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CyD) and crown ether units, i.e.N-(benzoaza-15-crown-5)acylaminomethylene tethered 6-diethylenetriamino-6-deoxy-beta-CyD, N-(benzoaza-15-crown-5)acylaminomethylene tethered 6-triethylenetetraamino-6-deoxy-beta-CyD and 4',5'-dimethylene-benzo-15-crown-5 tethered 6-diethylenetriamino-6-deoxy-beta-CyD, have been prepared as ditopic molecular receptors. Their inclusion complexation behavior with four representative fluorescent dyes, i.e. ammonium 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonate (ANS), sodium 6-toluidino-2-naphthalenesulfonate (TNS), acridine red (AR) and rhodamine B (RhB), has been comprehensively investigated in aqueous NaH2PO4/Na2HPO4 or KH2PO4/K2HPO4 buffer solution (pH 7.20) by means of circular dichroism, fluorescence, and 2D NMR spectra. The results indicate that the self-assembly of crown ether modified beta-CyD mediated by potassium ion exhibits a dimeric structure, which significantly enhances the original binding ability and molecular selectivity of parent beta-CyD and its derivatives towards guest molecules through the cooperative binding of two hydrophobic CyD cavities with one guest. This cooperative binding mode of K+/CyD-crown ether systems are further confirmed by Job's experiments and 2D NMR investigations. Attributed to the positive contributions from the metal-ligated crown ether cap and K+-mediated dimerization of CyDs, the binding constant (Ks) values of CyD-crown ether conjugates toward ANS are 10-83 times higher than that of beta-CyD. The increased binding ability and molecular selectivity of CyD-crown ether conjugates are discussed from the viewpoints of size/shape-fit and multiple recognition mechanism.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Interaction between beta-cyclodextrin and 1,10-phenanthroline: uncommon 2:3 inclusion complex in the solid state.

The crystallographic structure of the complex formed by beta-cyclodextrin with 1,10-phenanthroline has been studied by X-ray diffraction. The result shows that the complex adopts an uncommon 2:3 stoichiometry in solid state, that is, every complex unit contains three 1,10-phenanthroline molecules and two beta-cyclodextrin molecules, where two 1,10-phenanthroline molecules individually occupy two cyclodextrin cavities, and the third guest molecule is located in the interstitial space between two head-to-head cyclodextrin molecules. The intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the adjacent complex units further link these individual monomers to a channel-type assembly. Furthermore, 1H and 2D NMR spectroscopy has been employed to investigate the inclusion behavior between the host beta-cyclodextrin and guest 1,10-phenanthroline in aqueous solution.

Carbohydrate Conformation↗
PubMed2004

The influence of cell and substratum surface hydrophobicities on microbial attachment.

This study investigated the role of hydrophobic/hydrophilic interaction between bacterial and support surfaces in microbial adhesion, and a model that correlates microbial adhesion and relative cell-hydrophobicity defined as the ratio of cell-support surface hydrophobicity over cell-support hydrophilicity was derived. This model quantitatively describes how cell hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions affect microbial adhesion, and offers deep insights into the thermodynamic mechanisms of microbial adhesion. The proposed model was verified by literature data. It appears that a high cell-hydrophobicity strongly facilitates microbial adhesion on both hydrophobic and hydrophilic support surfaces.

Bacterial Adhesion↗
PubMed2004

The effects of extracellular polymeric substances on the formation and stability of biogranules.

Biogranulation is a promising biotechnology developed for wastewater treatment. Biogranules exhibit a matrix microbial structure, and intensive research has shown that extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are a major component of the biogranule matrix material in both anaerobic and aerobic granules. This paper aims to review the role of EPS in biogranulation, factors influencing EPS production, the effect of EPS on cell surface properties of biogranules, and the relationship of EPS to the structural stability of biogranules. EPS production is substantially enhanced when the microbial community is subject to stressful culture conditions, and the stimulated EPS production in the microbial matrix in turn favours the formation of anaerobic and aerobic granules. EPS can also play an essential role in maintaining the integrity and stability of spatial structure in mature biogranules. It is expected that this paper can provide deep insights into the functions of EPS in the biogranulation process.

Bacteria↗
PubMed2004

Tetradentate Schiff base platinum(II) complexes as new class of phosphorescent materials for high-efficiency and white-light electroluminescent devices.

The capabilities of readily prepared and sublimable Pt(II) Schiff base triplet emitters as OLED dopants have been examined; maximum luminous and power efficiencies and luminance of 31 cd A(-1), 14 lm W(-1), and 23,000 cd m(-2), respectively, and white EL (CIE: 0.33, 0.35) by simultaneous host/dopant emission, have been achieved.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Phosphorylation of the histone deacetylase 7 modulates its stability and association with 14-3-3 proteins.

Class II histone deacetylases (HDACs) play a role in myogenesis and inhibit transcriptional activation by myocyte enhancer factors 2. A distinct feature of class II HDACs is their ability to shuttle between the nucleus and the cytoplasm in a cell type- and signal-dependent manner. We demonstrate here that treatment with the 26 S proteosome inhibitors, MG132 and ALLN, leads to detection of ubiquitinated HDAC7 and causes accumulation of cytoplasmic HDAC7. We also show that treatment with calyculin A, a protein phosphatase inhibitor, leads to a marked increase of HDAC7 but not HDAC5. The increase in HDAC7 is accompanied by enhanced interaction between 14-3-3 proteins and HDAC7. HDAC7 mutations that prevent the interaction with 14-3-3 proteins also block calyculin A-mediated stabilization. Expression of constitutively active calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase I stabilizes HDAC7 and causes an increased association between HDAC7 and 14-3-3. Together, our results suggest that calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase I-mediated phosphorylation of HDAC7 acts, in part, to promote association of HDAC7 with 14-3-3 and stabilizes HDAC7.

14-3-3 Proteins↗
PubMed2004

Binding ability and assembly behavior of beta-cyclodextrin complexes with 2,2'-dipyridine and 4,4'-dipyridine.

Two channel-type supramolecular aggregations 1 and 2 were prepared by the inclusion complex of beta-cyclodextrin with 2,2'-dipyridine and 4,4'-dipyridine, respectively, and their binding ability and assembly behavior were investigated comprehensively by X-ray crystallography, (1)H NMR, circular dichroism spectra, and microcalorimetric titration in solution and the solid state. The obtained results revealed that the hydrogen bonds and pi-pi stacking interactions are crucial factors for the formation of the molecular aggregations containing beta-cyclodextrin and dipyridines. The disparity of nitrogen atom position in dipyridines leads not only to the distinct crystal system and space group, i.e., monoclinic system (C2) for 1 and triclinic system (P-1) for 2, but also different binding modes and thermodynamical parameters upon complexation of 2,2'-dipyridine and 4,4'-dipyridine with beta-cyclodextrin in aqueous solution.

2,2'-Dipyridyl↗
PubMed2004

Cooperative molecular recognition of dyes by dyad and triad cyclodextrin-crown ether conjugates.

Three beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CyD) derivatives with crown ether units, that is N-(4'-benzo-15-crown-5)-6-imino-6-deoxy-beta-CyD (2), 6,6'-[N-(4,4'-dibenzo-18-crown-6)-imino]-bridged bis(beta-CyD)(3), and 2,2'-[O-(4',5'-benzo-15-crown-5)-ethyl]-bridged bis (beta-CyD)(5), were synthesized as cooperative recognition receptor models. Their molecular binding behavior with four representative fluorescent dyes, i.e., ammonium 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonate (ANS), sodium-6-toluidino-2-naphthalene-sulfonate (TNS), Acridine Red (AR) and Rhodamine B (RhB), was investigated in buffer solutions (pH = 7.20) at 25 degreesC by means of circular dichroism, NMR and fluorescence spectroscopy. 2D-ROESY experiments showed that dyad host 2 and triad host 3 adopted a CyD-guest-crown ether binding mode, while triad host 5 adopted a CyD-guest-CyD binding mode, upon inclusion complexation with guest molecules. Therefore, hosts 2 and 3 showed high molecular recognition ability towards charged guests, giving an enhanced binding ability up to 115 times for ANS by 3 and fairly high molecular selectivity up to 1450 times for the ANS/AR pair by 2 as compared with native beta-CyD in an aqueous phosphate buffer solution. On the other hand, host 5 was found to be able to effectively recognize the shape of a guest molecule, showing significantly higher binding ability towards linear guests. The binding affinities and molecular recognition abilities of these CyD-crown ether conjugates towards guest molecules are discussed from the viewpoint of electrostatic and/or hydrophobic interactions, size/shape-fit concept, and multiple recognition mechanism between host and guest.

Anilino Naphthalenesulfonates↗
PubMed2004

Improved stability of aerobic granules by selecting slow-growing nitrifying bacteria.

This study investigated the feasibility of improving the stability of aerobic granules through selecting slow-growing nitrifying bacteria. For this purpose, four sequencing batch reactors were operated at different substrate N/COD ratios ranging from 5/100 to 30/100. Results showed that aerobic granules formed in all four reactors, and aerobic granulation was a gradual process evolving from the dispersed seed sludge to mature and stable granules, and the whole granulation process could be divided into three phases, i.e. acclimation phase, granulation followed by granule maturation. The observed growth rate and mean size of mature aerobic granules were found to decrease as the substrate N/COD ratio was increased, while nitrifying population was enriched markedly in aerobic granules developed at high substrate N/COD ratios. The enriched nitrifying population in aerobic granules was responsible for the observed low growth rate of aerobic granules. It seems certain that the substrate N/COD ratio is an important factor in selecting nitrifying bacteria in aerobic granules. Aerobic granules with low growth rates showed strong structure and good settleability in terms of specific gravity, SVI and cell hydrophobicity that further lead to high stability as compared to those having high growth rates. This study demonstrated that the selection of slow-growing nitrifying bacteria through controlling substrate N/COD ratio would be a useful strategy for improving the stability of aerobic granules.

Aerobiosis↗