Brazilein is an active small molecular compound extracted from Caesalpinia sappan L. with favorable pharmacological properties on immune system, cardiovascular system, and nervous system. C. sappan has been used as a ...Brazilein is an active small molecular compound extracted from Caesalpinia sappan L. with favorable pharmacological properties on immune system, cardiovascular system, and nervous system. C. sappan has been used as a traditional medicine in China for hundreds of years for various diseases. However, the general reproductive toxicity of brazilein is still unknown. The purpose of the present study was to thoroughly evaluate the general reproductive toxicity of brazilein in ICR mice to support the future drug development and modernization of this potent traditional Chinese medicine. The results showed that, although no apparent toxicity on the reproducibility of the male was observed, brazilein might cause considerable risks to the fetuses and females as indicated by the ratios of dead fetuses and reabsorptions. In conclusion, our results from the present study provided some useful insights about the safety profile of brazilein, suggesting that brazilein should be used with caution in pregnant women.展开更多
Alzheimer＇s disease （AD） is a complex neurological disor- der characterized by a progressive dementia. The amyloid hypothesis states that pathogenesis is driven by the accumu- lation of amyloid β（Aβ） peptides w...Alzheimer＇s disease （AD） is a complex neurological disor- der characterized by a progressive dementia. The amyloid hypothesis states that pathogenesis is driven by the accumu- lation of amyloid β（Aβ） peptides within the brain （Hardy and Higgins, 1992）, which have multiple effects including activation of glial cells and synapse degeneration. For many years therapeutic strategies were based upon the discovery of compounds that reduced the production of Aβ in vitro and in vivo. However, the amyloid hypothesis is not universally accepted; critics pointed out poor correlations between con- centrations of Aβ in the brain and clinical disease and that, although numerous compounds reduced the production of Aβ in animal models, few had any clinical benefit in AD pa- tients. The failure of Aβ-1owering therapies in translational research has resulted in important modifications of the amy- loid hypothesis.展开更多
Highly hydrophobic Di 2-ethyl hexyl phthalate（DEHP） is one of the most prevalent plasticizers in wastewaters. Since its half-life in biological treatment is around 25 days, it can be used as an efficiency indicator ...Highly hydrophobic Di 2-ethyl hexyl phthalate（DEHP） is one of the most prevalent plasticizers in wastewaters. Since its half-life in biological treatment is around 25 days, it can be used as an efficiency indicator of wastewater treatment plant for the removal of hydrophobic emerging contaminants. In this study, the performance of submerged membrane bioreactor was monitored to understand the effect of DEHP on the growth of aerobic microorganisms. The data showed that the chemical oxygen demand（COD）and ammonia concentration were detected below 10 and 1.0 mg/L, respectively for operating conditions of hydraulic retention time（HRT） = 4 and 6 hr, sludge retention time（SRT） = 140 day and sludge concentration between 11.5 and 15.8 g volatile solid（VS）/L. The removal efficiency of DEHP under these conditions was higher and ranged between 91% and 98%. Results also showed that the removal efficiency of DEHP in biological treatment depended on the concentration of sludge, as adsorption is the main mechanism of its removal. For the submerged membrane bioreactor, the pore size is the pivotal factor for DEHP removal, since it determines the amount of soluble microbial products coming out of the process. Highly assimilated microorganisms increase the biodegradation rate, as 74% of inlet DEHP was biodegraded; however, the concentration of DEHP inside sludge was beyond the discharge limit. Understanding the fate of DEHP in membrane bioreactor,which is one of the most promising and futuristic treatment process could provide replacement for conventional processes to satisfy the future stricter regulations on emerging contaminants.展开更多
基金supported by the National Science&Technology Major Special Project for New Drug R&D Program of China(No.2012ZX09102-201-008)
文摘Brazilein is an active small molecular compound extracted from Caesalpinia sappan L. with favorable pharmacological properties on immune system, cardiovascular system, and nervous system. C. sappan has been used as a traditional medicine in China for hundreds of years for various diseases. However, the general reproductive toxicity of brazilein is still unknown. The purpose of the present study was to thoroughly evaluate the general reproductive toxicity of brazilein in ICR mice to support the future drug development and modernization of this potent traditional Chinese medicine. The results showed that, although no apparent toxicity on the reproducibility of the male was observed, brazilein might cause considerable risks to the fetuses and females as indicated by the ratios of dead fetuses and reabsorptions. In conclusion, our results from the present study provided some useful insights about the safety profile of brazilein, suggesting that brazilein should be used with caution in pregnant women.
文摘Alzheimer＇s disease （AD） is a complex neurological disor- der characterized by a progressive dementia. The amyloid hypothesis states that pathogenesis is driven by the accumu- lation of amyloid β（Aβ） peptides within the brain （Hardy and Higgins, 1992）, which have multiple effects including activation of glial cells and synapse degeneration. For many years therapeutic strategies were based upon the discovery of compounds that reduced the production of Aβ in vitro and in vivo. However, the amyloid hypothesis is not universally accepted; critics pointed out poor correlations between con- centrations of Aβ in the brain and clinical disease and that, although numerous compounds reduced the production of Aβ in animal models, few had any clinical benefit in AD pa- tients. The failure of Aβ-1owering therapies in translational research has resulted in important modifications of the amy- loid hypothesis.
基金the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC Grant Number: I2IPJ 461378)
文摘Highly hydrophobic Di 2-ethyl hexyl phthalate（DEHP） is one of the most prevalent plasticizers in wastewaters. Since its half-life in biological treatment is around 25 days, it can be used as an efficiency indicator of wastewater treatment plant for the removal of hydrophobic emerging contaminants. In this study, the performance of submerged membrane bioreactor was monitored to understand the effect of DEHP on the growth of aerobic microorganisms. The data showed that the chemical oxygen demand（COD）and ammonia concentration were detected below 10 and 1.0 mg/L, respectively for operating conditions of hydraulic retention time（HRT） = 4 and 6 hr, sludge retention time（SRT） = 140 day and sludge concentration between 11.5 and 15.8 g volatile solid（VS）/L. The removal efficiency of DEHP under these conditions was higher and ranged between 91% and 98%. Results also showed that the removal efficiency of DEHP in biological treatment depended on the concentration of sludge, as adsorption is the main mechanism of its removal. For the submerged membrane bioreactor, the pore size is the pivotal factor for DEHP removal, since it determines the amount of soluble microbial products coming out of the process. Highly assimilated microorganisms increase the biodegradation rate, as 74% of inlet DEHP was biodegraded; however, the concentration of DEHP inside sludge was beyond the discharge limit. Understanding the fate of DEHP in membrane bioreactor,which is one of the most promising and futuristic treatment process could provide replacement for conventional processes to satisfy the future stricter regulations on emerging contaminants.
