Mitochondrial Localization of CB1 in Progesterone-producing Cells of Ovarian Interstitial Glands of Adult Mice

Localization of cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) immunoreactivity on mitochondrial membranes, at least their outer membranes distinctly, was detected in progesterone-producing cells characterized by mitochondria having tubular cristae and aggregations of lipid droplets in ovarian interstitial glands in situ of adult mice. Both immunoreactive and immunonegative mitochondria were contained in one and the same cell. Considering that the synthesis of progesterone is processed in mitochondria, the mitochondrial localization of CB1 in the interstitial gland cells suggests the possibility that endocannabinoids modulate the synthetic process of progesterone in the cells through CB1:

Room-Temperature Synthesis of Ni and Pt-Co Alloy Nanoparticles Using a Microreactor

Metal nanoparticles (NPs) are key materials used in a broad range of industries. Among the various synthetic routes of NPs, liquid-phase chemical reactions are promising because of their versatility in reaction conditions as well as their potential productivity. However, because the synthesis of NPs involves not only chemical reactions but also nucleation and growth processes, which are typically higher-order reactions in terms of the concentration, a small degree of nonuniformity in the concentration during mixing of reaction solutions can easily result in a wide size distribution of the resultant particles. A typical solution to this problem is to slow the rate of reactions compared with that of mixing; however, as a result, the synthetic processes often require long reaction periods and complex procedures. In this study, we applied a microreactor with excellent mixing performance to NP synthesis to simplify and intensify the processes. We synthesized nickel and platinum-cobalt alloy NPs as model materials. For the Ni NP synthesis, we demonstrated that the quick mixing provided by the microreactor enabled the precise control of the residence time, and consequently, monodispersed Ni NPs with an average size of 3.8 nm were synthesized. For the Pt-Co bimetallic system, the microreactor successfully produced Pt-Co alloy NPs, while batch-type synthesis with weaker mixing intensity resulted in a bimodal mixture of larger Pt NPs and smaller Co NPs. For both Ni and Pt-Co, monodispersed NPs were synthesized by simply mixing the reaction solutions in the microreactor at room temperature. These results demonstrate that the mixing process plays a key role in NP synthesis, and application of a microreactor enables the establishment of a facile and robust synthetic process.

An Efficient Synthesis of Anti-spasmodic Drug Mebeverine Hydrochloride

An efficient synthetic process for an antispasmodic drug and active pharmaceutical ingredient of Mebeverine hydrochloride 1 is reported in this communication. It is used for stomach cramps and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The treatment for irritable bowel syndrome involves lot of drugs like (Dicyclomine hydrochloride, Linaclotide.etc) available in market, but Mebeverine hydrochloride (1) is most effective than any other drug. Earlier manufacturing 1 process reported yield < 46% and used high volumes of reagents and expensive catalyst. We developed new commercial process for 1 with economically, environmentally favored conditions. Proposed synthetic route contains three stages with overall yield of 77% and Purity by HPLC NLT 99.7%.

Preparation of MoB2 Nanoparticles by Electrolysis of MoS2/B Mixture in Molten NaCl-KCl at 700 oC

MoB2 is synthesized by the electrochemical reduction of solid MoS2/B mixture in molten NaCl-KCl at 700 oC. Unlike the traditional methods, the electrolysis method employs the low-cost MoS2 feedstock and the boronization reaction happens at a low temperature of 700 oC. The electrochemically induced boronization involves two steps: the electrochemical desulfurization to generate Mo and the reaction of Mo with B to form MoB2. The S2- released from the reduction of MoS2 transfers to the carbon anode and is oxidized to sulfur gas, realizing a green synthetic process. In addition, the influences of molar ratio of MoS2 and amorphous boron and electrolysis cell voltage on the phase composition and morphology of electrolytic products were studied. The obtained MoB2 particles possess a uniform nodular morphology. Overall, this paper provides a straightforward and green process to prepare MoB2 nanoparticles using economically affordable raw materials at low temperature, and this method can be extended to prepare other borides.

Production of 9,21-dihydroxy-20-methyl-pregna-4-en-3-one from phytosterols in Mycobacterium neoaurum by modifying multiple genes and improving the intracellular environment

Background Steroid drugs are essential for disease prevention and clinical treatment. However, due to intricated steroid structure, traditional chemical methods are rarely implemented into the whole synthetic process for generating steroid intermediates. Novel steroid drug precursors and their ideal bacterial strains for industrial production have yet to be developed. Among these, 9,21-dihydroxy-20-methyl-pregna-4-en-3-one (9-OH-4-HP) is a novel steroid drug precursor, suitable for the synthesis of corticosteroids. In this study, a combined strategy of blocking Δ1-dehydrogenation and the C19 pathway as well as improving the intracellular environment was investigated to construct an effective 9-OH-4-HP-producing strain. Results The Δ1-dehydrogenation-deficient strain of wild-type Mycobacterium neoaurum DSM 44074 produces 9-OH-4-HP with a molar yield of 4.8%. Hsd4A, encoding a β-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase, and fadA5, encoding an acyl-CoA thiolase, were separately knocked out to block the C19 pathway in the Δ1-dehydrogenation-deficient strain. The two engineered strains were able to accumulate 0.59 g L−1 and 0.47 g L−1 9-OH-4-HP from 1 g L−1 phytosterols, respectively. Furthermore, hsd4A and fadA5 were knocked out simultaneously in the Δ1-dehydrogenation-deficient strain. The 9-OH-4-HP production from the Hsd4A and FadA5 deficient strain was 11.9% higher than that of the Hsd4A deficient strain and 40.4% higher than that of the strain with FadA5 deficiency strain, respectively. The purity of 9-OH-4-HP obtained from the Hsd4A and FadA5 deficient strain has reached 94.9%. Subsequently, the catalase katE from Mycobacterium neoaurum and an NADH oxidase, nox, from Bacillus subtilis were overexpressed to improve the intracellular environment, leading to a higher 9-OH-4-HP production. Ultimately, 9-OH-4-HP production reached 3.58 g L−1 from 5 g L−1 phytosterols, and the purity of 9-OH-4-HP improved to 97%. The final 9-OH-4-HP production strain showed the best molar yield of 85.5%, compared with the previous reported strain with 30% molar yield of 9-OH-4-HP. Conclusion KstD, Hsd4A, and FadA5 are key enzymes for phytosterol side-chain degradation in the C19 pathway. Double deletion of hsd4A and fadA5 contributes to the blockage of the C19 pathway. Improving the intracellular environment of Mycobacterium neoaurum during phytosterol bioconversion could accelerate the conversion process and enhance the productivity of target sterol derivatives.

Synthesis of lignin-based phenol-formaldehyde adhesive - A sustainable alternative to petrochemical

This study is to investigate the capability of producing lignin-based phenol-formaldehyde adhesive (LBPFA) with lignin derived from coir pith collected in the Mekong Delta, Viet Nam. The LBPFA synthetic process underwent non chemical modifications to minimize petrochemicals and energy. Effective factors as reaction time, reaction temperature and various lignin contents of phenol substitution were examined. Physical, chemical and thermal properties containing formaldehyde content, viscosity, solid content, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), tensile strength, tensile modulus and tensile strain were conducted. LBPFA was successfully synthesized at various levels of lignin contents substituting for phenol. The LBPFA’s parameters were in accordance with GB/T14372-2006 standard. The optimum reaction time, reaction temperature and lignin replacement content for LBPFA synthesis process were identified at 180 minutes, 900C and 40% wt/wt, respectively. The LBPFA showed the highest dry and wet tensile strengths of 14.42 MPa and 7.66 MPa on wooden boards compared to corresponding figures of commercial resin with 2.98 MPa and 0 MPa, respectively. For plywood, bending strength shown in LBPFA and commercial adhesive were 15.97 MPa and 20.16 MPa, respectively.

Spermidine Is Critical for Growth, Development, Environmental Adaptation, and Virulence in Fusarium graminearum

Putrescine, spermidine, and spermine are the most common natural polyamines. Polyamines are ubiquitous organic cations of low molecular weight and have been well characterized for the cell function and development processes of organisms. However, the physiological functions of polyamines remain largely obscure in plant pathogenic fungi. Fusarium graminearum causes Fusarium head blight (FHB) and leads to devastating yield losses and quality reduction by producing various kinds of mycotoxins. Herein, we genetically analyzed the gene function of the polyamine biosynthesis pathway and evaluated the role of the endogenous polyamines in the growth, development, and virulence of F. graminearum. Our results found that deletion of spermidine biosynthesis gene FgSPE3 caused serious growth defects, reduced asexual and sexual reproduction, and increased sensitivity to various stresses. More importantly, ΔFgspe3 exhibited significantly decreased mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) production and weak virulence in host plants. Additionally, the growth and virulence defects of ΔFgspe3 could be rescued by exogenous application of 5 mM spermidine. Furthermore, RNA-seq displayed that FgSpe3 participated in many essential biological pathways including DNA, RNA, and ribosome synthetic process. To our knowledge, these results indicate that spermidine is essential for growth, development, DON production, and virulence in Fusarium species, which provides a potential target to control FHB.

Green synthesis and characterization of Fe3O4 nanoparticles using Chlorella-K01 extract for potential enhancement of plant growth stimulating and antifungal activity

The purpose of this research was to determine the efficacy of iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4-NPs) using microalgal products as a plant growth stimulant and antifungal agent. The work was conducted with the phyco-synthesis and characterization of Fe3O4-NPs using 0.1 M ferric/ferrous chloride solution (2:1 ratio; 65 °C) with aqueous extract of the green microalga Chlorella K01. Protein, carbohydrate and polyphenol contents of Chlorella K01 extract were measured. The synthesized microalgal Fe3O4-NPs made a significant contribution to the germination and vigor index of rice, maize, mustard, green grams, and watermelons. Fe3O4-NPs also exhibited antifungal activity against Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium tricinctum, Fusarium maniliforme, Rhizoctonia solani, and Phythium sp. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), particle size analysers (PSA), and zeta potential (ZP) measurements were used to characterize these green fabricated magnetite NPs. FTIR analysis showed that the synergy of microalgal proteins, carbohydrtates and polyphenols is responsible for the biofabrication of iron nanoparticles. A spheroid dispersion of biosynthesized Fe3O4-NPs with an average diameter of 76.5 nm was produced in the synthetic process.

ABOUT THE APPLICATION OF THE ANALYTICAL AMPLIFICATION METHOD IN THE THERAPY OF A PATIENT WITH BORDERLINE MENTAL DISORDER BASED ON THE FAIRY TALE «GO THERE — I DON'T KNOW WHERE, BRING THAT — I DON'T KNOW WHAT»

В данной статье описан фрагмент психотерапевтической работы в парадигме юнгианского анализа с использованием метода амплификации с пациентом, имеющим пограничное расстройство психики. Амплификация — инструмент аналитической работы, введенный в практику К.Г. Юнгом, позволяющий исследовать и интерпретировать явные и скрытые психодинамические процессы через символический язык. По сути процесс амплификации — осмысление индивидуальной психической жизни индивида посредством использования коллективного опыта знаний: мифов, легенд, сказок и т.п. Современная психология, считал Юнг, так или иначе, имеет дело с продуктами бессознательной фантазии - мифологическими и сказочными мотивами, наиболее объективно отражающими динамику психической жизни. «Пользуясь методом мифологической амплификации, мы выбираем те или иные аналогии потому, что их смысловое ядро идентично содержанию исследуемых процессов или в каком-то отношении походит на него. Принимая в качестве данности, что все, когда-либо выраженное человеком в словесной или образной форме, обладает абсолютной психической реальностью, мы можем утверждать, что любая аналогия помогает уточнить, объяснить и подтвердить наше толкование мотивов бессознательных процессов» [4]. В случае с данным пациентом универсально подошла русская народная сказка «Пойди туда — не знаю куда, принеси то — не знаю что» [22]. Опираясь на исследования признанных авторов психоанализа и аналитической психологии, амплификацию этой сказки можно рассматривать как абрис мужского пути индивидуации, «синтетического процесса», описанного К.Г.Юнгом [12]. «Возможной целью, здоровым предназначением ассимилирующих процессов является путь индивидуации, подразумевающий самоосуществление, становление человека самим собой. Индивидуация от лат. in-dividuus означает «неделимый», «неразделенный», «неразведенный», «нерасщепленный» [19]. Индивидуация предполагает достижение психически нового интегрированного состояния, установление устойчивой связи между эго (осознаваемый идентифицированный образ «Я») и архетипом Самости (сложный центр психической жизни, соединяющий бессознательные и сознательные знания человека о себе самом и трансформирующий личность,). Амплификация данной сказки позволяет исследовать внутрипсихическое взаимодействие архетипической пары — маскулинного начала в сознательном поле мужчины и женского в его бессознательном — на разных этапах развития. Подобное взаимодействие отражает реальные отношения с противоположным полом, отзеркаливая внутреннюю/внешнюю мужскую/женскую часть личности. Также данная амплификация дает возможность предположить, что является основным фактором, «запускающим» процесс индивидуации у мужчин. This article describes a fragment of psychotherapeutic work in the paradigm of Jungian analysis using the amplification method with a patient with borderline mental disorder. Amplification is a tool of analytical work introduced into practice by C.G. Jung, which allows to investigate and interpret explicit and hidden psychodynamic processes through symbolic language. In essence, the amplification process is the comprehension of an individual's individual mental life through the use of collective experience of knowledge: myths, legends, fairy tales, etc. «In myths and fairy tales, as in dreams, the soul tells its own story, and the interaction of archetypes is revealed in its natural frame: "creation, re-creation, eternal spirit eternal entertainment»[13]. In the case of this patient, the Russian folk tale «Go there — I don't know where, bring that — I don't know what» was universally suitable [22]. Based on the research of recognized authors of psychoanalysis and analytical psychology, the amplification of this fairy tale can be considered as an outline of the male path of individuation, a «synthetic process» described by C.G. Jung[12]. «A possible goal, a healthy purpose of assimilating processes is the path of individuation, implying self-fulfillment, becoming a person himself. Individuation from Lat. in-dividuus means «indivisible», «undivided» [19]. Individuation presupposes the achievement of a psychically new integrated state, the establishment of a stable connection between the ego (a conscious identified image of the «I») and the archetype of the Self (a complex center of mental life that connects the unconscious and conscious knowledge of a person about himself and transforms the personality). The amplification of this fairy tale allows us to explore the intrapsychic interaction of the archetypal pair — the masculine principle in the conscious field of a man and the female in his unconscious — at different stages of development. Such interaction reflects a real relationship with the opposite sex, mirroring the inner/outer male/female part of the personality. Also, this amplification makes it possible to assume that it is the main factor «triggering» the process of individuation in men.