Physiological and biochemical responses of Scytonema javanicum (cyanobacterium) to salt stress

Scytonema javanicum (Kutz.) Born et Flah (cyanobacterium) is one of the species distributed widely in the crust of desert soils regularly subjected to severe water stress. To investigate the response of the species to salt stress, many physiological and biochemical parameters, including growth rate, ratio of variable fluorescence to maximum fluorescence (Fv/Fm), reactive oxidative species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), were determined in culture. The results showed that 50 mM NaCl inhibited growth and Fv/Fm in the medium BG-110, and that the inhibition was maximum after 1-2 days' exposure to salt stress; 50 mM NaCl also increased the contents of ROS and MDA in treated cells, which suggests that salt stress may lead to oxidative damage and lipid peroxidation in the alga. Further, changes in the antioxidative enzymes SOD and CAT in the treated alga were consistent with changes in ROS and MDA at certain extent. These observations suggest that oxidative stress resulting from salt stress in S. javanicum could result in the production of antioxidative enzymes to counteract the oxidative damage, and the enzymes may contribute to the ability of S. javanicum to survive the adverse desert environment. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Apoptosis induction on human hepatoma cells Hep G2 of decabrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE-209)

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are an important class of halogenated organic brominated flame retardants. Because of their presence in abiotic and biotic environments widely and their structural similarity to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), concern has been raised on their possible adverse health effects to humans. This study was designed to determine the anti-proliferative, apoptotic properties of decabrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE-209), using a human hepatoma Hep G2 line as a model system. Hep G2 cells were cultured in the presence of PBDE-209 at various concentrations (1.0-100.0 mu mol/L) for 72 h and the percentage of cell viability was evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The results showed that PBDE-209 inhibited the cells viability in time and concentration-dependent characteristics at concentrations (10.0-100.0 mu mol/L). We found that anti-proliferative effect of PBDE-209 was associated with apoptosis on Hep G2 cells by determinations of morphological changes, cell cycle and apoptosis. Mechanism study showed that PBDE-209 could increase the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) concentration-dependently. Antioxidant N-acetylcyteine partially inhibited the increase of ROS. The mechanism for its hepatoma-inhibitory effects was the induction of cellular apoptosis through ROS generation. In addition, activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release increased when the cells incubated with PBDE-209 at various concentrations and times. These results suggested that PBDE-209 had the toxicity activity of anti-proliferation and induction of apoptosis in tumor cells in vitro. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Induction of oxidative stress and apoptosis by PFOS and PFOA in primary cultured hepatocytes of freshwater tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Perfluorinated organic compounds (PFOCs) are emerging persistent organic pollutants (POPs) widely present in the environment, wildlife and human. We studied the cellular toxicology of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) on oxidative stress and induction of apoptosis in primary cultured hepatocytes of freshwater tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Cultured hepatocytes were exposed to PFOS or PFOA (0, 1, 5, 15 and 30 mg L-1) for 24 h, and a dose-dependent decrease in cell viability was determined using trypan blue exclusion method. Significant induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) accompanied by increases in activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione reductase (GR) were found, while activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) were decreased. Glutathione (GSH) content was reduced following treatment of PFOA and PFOS. A dose-dependent increase in the lipid peroxidation (LPO) level (measured as maleic dialdehyde, MDA) was observed only in the PFOA exposure groups, whereas LPO remained unchanged in the PFOS exposure groups. Furthermore, a significant activation of caspase-3, -8, -9 activities was evident in both PFOS and PFOA exposure groups. Typical DNA fragmentation (DNA laddering) was further characterized by agarose gel electrophoresis. The overall results demonstrated that PFOS and PFOA are able to produce oxidative stress and induce apoptosis with involvement of caspases in primary cultured tilapia hepatocytes. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of hexachlorobenzene on antioxidant status of liver and brain of common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

Hexachlorobenzene (HCB)-induced oxidative damages have been published in rats while the effects have not yet been reported in fishes. Juvenile common carps (Cyprinus carpio) were exposed to waterborne HCB from 2 to 200 mu g l(-1) for 5, 10 or 20 days. Liver and brain were analyzed for various parameters of oxidative stress. There were no significant changes of glutathione (GSH) content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in liver after 5 or 10 days exposure, whereas obvious drops were observed at higher concentrations after 20 days exposure. Significant decreases of GSH content and SOD activity in brain were found during all the exposure days. In brain, HCB also significantly elevated the contents of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS, as an indicator of lipid peroxidation products), glutathione disulfide (GSSG), and activities of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione reductase (GR), and inhibited activities of acetylcholinesterase (AchE) and glutathione S-transferase (GST). The results clearly demonstrated that environmentally possible level of HCB could result in oxidative stress in fish and brain was a sensitive target organ of HCB toxicity. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exposure of spermatozoa to duroquinone may impair reproduction of the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) through oxidative stress

Toxicity of many waterborne organic contaminants to aquatic organisms is mediated through oxidative damages resulting from the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Using duroquinone as a model ROS inducer, we carried out in vitro and in vivo experiments to test the hypothesis that reproduction in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) can be impaired through oxidative damage of their spermatozoa. In vitro exposure of fish spermatozoa to 0, 12.5, 25, 50, 100 and 200 mu M duroquinone for 2 h showed a significant increase in the level of ROS in a dose-dependant manner. Sperm motility was significantly reduced in all exposure groups, but lipid peroxidation (LPO) and DNA strand break (measured by comet assay) were only enhanced at 50 mu M and above. A significant decrease in subsequent hatching rate was recorded in all the exposure groups, despite fertilization rate was not affected. In the in vivo experiment, spermatozoa were collected 24 and 72 h after fish received intra-peritoneal injections of 1.0 and 10 mg kg(-1) body weight duroquinone. DNA damage was clearly evident in spermatozoa of all treatment groups after 72 h exposure, and ROS was significantly enhanced in the high concentration group. LPO however, remained unchanged in both treatment groups. The overall results of both our in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that duroquinone can induce ROS production in spermatozoa, which may impair sperm quality and subsequently reproductive success through oxidative stress. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Growth and antioxidant system of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus in response to microcystin-RR

Microcystins, one type of the cyanobacterial toxins, show a broad range of hazardous effects on other organisms. Most of the researches on the toxic effects of microcystins have involved in animals and higher plants. Little work, however, has been done on evaluating the mechanisms of microcystin toxicity on algae. In this study, the toxicological effects of microcystin-RR (MC-RR) on the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus were investigated. For this purpose, six physio-biochemical parameters (cell optical density, reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and glutathione S-transferase (GST)) were tested in algal cells when exposed to 100 mug(-1) microcystin-RR. The results showed that the growth of Synechococcus elongatus ( expressed as optical density) was significantly inhibited compared with the control. At the same time, the treated algae exhibited a pronounced increase in production of ROS and MDA after 6 days exposure to microcystin-RR. Signi. cant changes in GSH levels and GSH-Px, GSH activities were also detected in algal cells, with higher values being observed in the toxin treated algae after 6 days exposure. GST activities in the treated algae exhibited a decline after exposure and rapid augmentation on day 3, thereafter, they kept at a high level when compared to the control group. GSH contents and GSH-Px activities were also significantly raised in the toxin-treated algae cells from day 3, but they showed a sharp decrease on day 4, which was the onward of cell proliferation. These results suggested that oxidative stress manifested by elevated ROS levels and MDA contents might be responsible for the toxicity of microcystin to Synechococcus elongatus and the algal cells could improve their antioxidant ability through the enhancement of enzymatic and non-enzymatic preventive substances.

Responses of antioxidant systems in the hepatocytes of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) to the toxicity of microcystin-LR

The freshwater, bloom-forming cyanobacterium (blue-green alga) Microcystis aeruginosa produces a peptide hepatotoxin, which causes the damage of animal liver. Recently, toxic Microcystis blooms frequently occur in the eutrophic Dianchi Lake (300 km(2) and located in the South-Westem of China). Microcystin-LR from Microcystis in Dianchi was isolated and purified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and its toxicity to mouse and fish liver was studied (Li et al., 2001). In this study, six biochemical parameters (reactive oxygen species, glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxide and glutathione S-transferase) were determined in common carp hepatocytes when the cells were exposed to 10 mug microcystin-LR per litre. The results showed that reactive oxygen species (ROS) contents increased by more than one-time compared with the control after 6 h exposure to the toxin. In contrast, glutathione (GSH) levels in the hepatocytes exposed to microcystin-LR decreased by 47% compared with the control. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxide (GSH-Px) increased significantly after 6 h exposure to microcystin-LR, but glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity showed no difference from the control. These results suggested that the toxicity of microcystin-LR caused the increase of ROS contents and the depletion of GSH in hepatocytes exposed to the toxin and these changes led to oxidant shock in hepatocytes. Increases of SOD, CAT and GSH-Px activities revealed that these three kinds of antioxidant enzymes might play important roles in eliminating the excessive ROS. This paper also examined the possible toxicity mechanism of microcystin-LR on the fish hepatocytes and the results were similar to those with mouse hepatocytes. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study on the thermal stability of InN by in-situ laser reflectance system

The thermal stability of InN in the growth environment in metalorganic chemical vapor deposition was systematically investigated in situ by laser reflectance system and ex situ by morphology characterization, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It was found that InN can withstand isothermal annealing at temperature as high as 600 degrees C in NH3 ambient. While in N-2 atmosphere, it will decompose quickly to form In-droplets at least at the temperature around 500 degrees C, and the activation energy of InN decomposition was estimated to be 2.1 +/- 0.1 eV. Thermal stability of InN when annealing in NH3 ambient during temperature altering would be very sensitive to ramping rate and NH3 flow rate, and InN would sustain annealing process at small ramping rate and sufficient supply of reactive nitrogen radicals. Whereas In-droplets formation was found to be the most frequently encountered phenomenon concerning InN decomposition, annealing window for conditions free of In-droplets was worked out and possible reasons related are discussed. In addition, InN will decompose in a uniform way in the annealing window, and the decomposition rate was found to be in the range of 50 and 100 nm/h. Hall measurement shows that annealing treatment in such window will improve the electrical properties of InN. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

高浓度O3和CO2对银杏、油松活性氧代谢的影响

采用开顶箱法模拟大气O3和CO2浓度升高（80 nmol•mol-1，700 μmol•mol-1），对银杏（Ginkgo biloba）和油松（Pinus tabulaeformis）幼树进行了连续两个生长季的熏蒸试验，研究了银杏叶片和油松针叶活性氧产生清除系统的生理变化过程，从活性氧代谢生理机制上揭示其抗性变化规律，为研究城市森林对全球变化的响应与反馈机制提供重要的理论基础。 得出如下结论： 1. 高浓度O3显著增加了银杏叶片ASA含量和抗氧化酶（SOD、APX）活性，增强了活性氧清除能力；但这种抗氧化能力的提高不足以消除高O3带来的氧化逆境，H2O2和MDA含量显著高于对照处理。与银杏相比，高浓度O3在试验初期诱导油松针叶SOD和APX酶活性升高，增强了活性氧清除能力；随着处理时间的延长ASA被耗竭，H2O2过量积累显著地抑制了抗氧化酶活性，加剧了氧化伤害。银杏和油松结果的差异表明，银杏对80 nmol•mol-1浓度的O3具有更高的抗性，而油松针叶活性氧代谢等生理过程受其影响更大。 2. 高浓度CO2对银杏叶片活性氧代谢无显著性影响。然而，高浓度CO2减缓了油松针叶活性氧的产生，抗氧化酶活性呈降低的趋势；但针叶内ASA含量显著高于对照处理，这说明高浓度CO2促进了油松针叶ASA合成，或者是减少了ASA的消耗。在试验处理后期，针叶内H2O2含量和MDA含量显著低于对照处理。 3. 高浓度O3和高浓度CO2复合处理中，高浓度CO2缓解了高浓度O3对银杏叶片和油松针叶造成的氧化胁迫，但其生理机制不同：银杏叶片ASA含量以及抗氧化酶活性普遍低于高浓度O3单因素处理而高于对照处理，并且叶片H2O2含量和膜质过氧化产物MDA含量显著低于高浓度O3单因素处理，这说明高浓度CO2通过减少活性氧的产生来缓解高浓度O3所致的活性氧积累以及膜质过氧化伤害。与银杏不同的是，高浓度CO2使油松针叶内ASA含量显著高于高浓度O3处理，增强了活性氧清除能力，减轻了活性氧对抗氧化酶活性的抑制作用，有效的控制了ROS的产生与清除之间的平衡，缓解了高O3带来的氧化伤害。

青杨组(Section Tacamahaca Spach)杨树不同种群对土壤干旱和重金属锰污染的生态生理响应

土壤是人类赖以生存的自然环境和农业生产的重要资源，世界面临的粮食、资源和环境问题与土壤密切相关，目前危害土壤的主要因素是干旱和重金属污染。杨树具有适应性强、生长快和丰产等特性，本论文以青杨组杨树为模式植物，采用植物生态、生理及生物化学等方法，研究杨树对土壤干旱和锰胁迫的生态生理反应以及种群间差异，研究成果可为我国干旱半干旱地区营造人工林、防止沙漠化提供理论依据，也为恢复与重建重金属污染地区退化生态系统提供科学指导。主要研究结果如下： 1. 青海杨不同种群对干旱胁迫的响应差异 干旱胁迫显著降低了两个青海杨种群（干旱种群和湿润种群）生物量积累，包括株高、基径、干物质积累等，通过植物结构的调整，有更多的生物量向根部分配。干旱胁迫还显著降低了叶绿素和类胡萝卜素含量，增加了游离脯氨酸和总氨基酸含量。另一方面，干旱胁迫诱导了活性氧的积累，作为第二信使，激活了抗氧化系统，包括抗坏血酸（ASA）含量和酶系统如超氧化物歧化酶（SOD），愈创木酚过氧化物酶（GPX），抗坏血酸过氧化物酶（APX）和谷胱甘肽还原酶（GR）。这样，杨树既有避旱机制又有耐旱机制，使其在干旱胁迫下有相当程度的可塑性。与湿润种群相比，干旱种群杨树有更多的生物量分配到根部，积累了更多的游离脯氨酸和总氨基酸来进行渗透调节，并且有更有效的抗氧化系统，包括更高含量的ASA 和更高活性的APX 和GR，这些使得干旱种群杨树比湿润种群杨树对干旱有更好的耐性。 2. 喷施硝普钠（SNP）对青海杨阿坝种群干旱胁迫耐性的影响 干旱胁迫显著的降低了青海杨阿坝种群的生长和生物量积累以及叶片相对含水量，还诱导了脯氨酸的合成以进行渗透调节。干旱胁迫下过氧化氢（H2O2）显著累积从而造成对膜脂和蛋白的伤害，使得丙二醛和蛋白羰基含量升高。干旱胁迫下喷施SNP可以减轻干旱胁迫造成的伤害，包括增加叶片的相对含水量，增加脯氨酸和总氨基酸的积累，并激活抗氧化酶系统如SOD，GPX和APX，从而减少丙二醛（MDA）和蛋白羰基（C＝O）的积累，但是在水分良好情况下SNP的效果不显著。 3. 青杨不同种群对锰胁迫的生长与形态响应差异 在同一锰浓度下，干旱种群的耐性指数都要高于湿润种群，这表明青杨对干旱和高锰胁迫具有交叉耐性。两个种群的株高，生物量和叶绿素含量都随锰浓度的升高而逐渐下降。就累积浓度而言，0 和0.1 mM 锰胁迫下，干旱种群积累的锰浓度要高于湿润种群，而在高浓度锰胁迫下(0.5 和1 mM)，湿润种群要高于干旱种群。在0，0.1 和0.5 mM下，锰大多积累在根中，叶片次之，茎中最少。而在1 mM，锰更多的积累在叶片中。就累积总量而言，在各个锰浓度胁迫下，根，茎和叶相比，两个种群青杨都是叶片累积的锰总量要高于根和茎。两个种群间比较，对照中没有显著区别，0.1 mM 锰胁迫下，湿润种群根中累积的锰要高于干旱种群，而在地上部中，干旱种群要高于湿润种群。而0.5 和1 mM 锰胁迫下，根、叶、茎+叶、根+茎+叶中，锰累积总量都是湿润种群高于干旱种群。锰胁迫下，青杨叶片数和叶面积包括总叶面积和平均叶面积都显著降低。叶片横切面的光学显微观察结果表明未经锰胁迫的栅栏组织的细胞饱满，海绵组织发达、清晰；胁迫后杨树叶片栅栏组织细胞出现不同程度的皱缩，海绵组织几乎不可见，此外还发现输导组织在胁迫下密度变小和分生组织严重割裂等现象。 4. 青杨不同种群对锰胁迫的生理与生化响应差异 青杨两个种群脱落酸（ABA）含量在锰胁迫下都显著增加，干旱种群的增幅更大。三种多胺含量在锰胁迫下显示了不同的响应趋势：腐胺在两个种群的各个锰处理下都增加，亚精胺只在干旱种群中显著增加，而精胺除了干旱种群在1 mM 下有所增加外，在锰胁迫下变化很小。谷胱甘肽含量随锰浓度升高而增加，在0.5 mM 锰时达到最高值，1mM 时有所下降。植物络合素（PCs）含量与非蛋白巯基（NP-SH）趋势相似，随锰浓度的升高而增加，且干旱种群中含量要高于湿润种群。锰处理还引起氧化胁迫，表现为过氧化氢和丙二醛含量增加。SOD 活性在湿润种群中，在0 到0.5 mM 锰胁迫下活性升高，但在1 mM 锰胁迫时，其活性有所下降。而在干旱种群中，SOD 活性变化较小，并始终维持在一个较高的水平。APX 活性在两个种群中都随锰浓度的升高而增加，干旱种群活性要高于湿润种群。锰胁迫还显著增加了酚类物质的含量，同时GPX 和多酚氧化酶（PPO）活性也随锰浓度的升高而增加。干旱种群的酚类含量和GPX 与PPO 活性都要高于湿润种群。锰胁迫还改变了氨基酸的含量和构成，根据锰胁迫下浓度变化的不同，可以将游离氨基酸分为三组：第一组包括，谷氨酸，丙氨酸和天门冬氨酸，这一组氨基酸含量在锰胁迫下有所下降。第二组包括缬氨酸，亮氨酸和苏氨酸含量在锰胁迫下基本不变化或变化很小。剩下的氨基酸为第三组，这组氨基酸含量在锰胁迫下显著增加，而根据增加的幅度又可以将它们分为两个亚组，丝氨酸，酪氨酸，苯丙氨酸，组氨酸和脯氨酸，在1 mM 下的含量是对照的4 倍以上。异亮氨酸，赖氨酸，精氨酸和甘氨酸含量在1 mM 下是对照含量的2 倍以下。同时，同一锰浓度下，干旱种群比湿润种群积累的氨基酸含量要高。 Soil is the indispensable environment for human survival and important resource foragriculture development. Food and environmental problems facing the world are all closelyrelated to soil and nowadays it is threatened by many factors, among which drought stress andheavy metal pollution are the most serious ones. Poplars (Populus spp.) are importantcomponents of ecosystem and suitable as a source of fuel, fiber and lumber due to their fastgrowth. In this study, different populations of Section Tacamahaca spach were used as modelplants to investigate the adaptability to drought stress and manganese toxicity and differencesbetween populations from dry and wet climate regions. Our results can provide theoreticalevidence for the afforestation and prevention of desertification in the arid and semi-arid areas,and also can supply scientific direction for the reconstruction and rehalibitation of ecosystemscontaminated by heavy metals. The results are as follows: 1. Differences in ecophysiological responses to drought stress in two contrastingpopulations of Populus przewalskii Drought stress not only significantly affected dry mass accumulation and allocation, butalso significantly decreased chlorophyll pigment contents and accumulated free proline andtotal amino acids. On the other hand, drought also significantly increased the levels ofabscisic acid and reactive oxygen species, as secondary messengers, to induce the entire set ofantioxidative systems including the increase of reduced ascorbic acid content and the activities of superoxide dismutase, guaiacol peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase and glutathioneredutase. Thus the combination of drought avoidance and tolerance mechanisms conferredpoplar a high degree of plasticity in response to drought stress. Compared with the wetclimate population, the dry climate population showed lower dry matter accumulation andallocated more biomass to root systems, and accumulated more free proline and total aminoacids for osmotic adjustment. The dry climate population also showed more efficientantioxidant systems with higher content of ascorbic acid and higher activities of ascorbateperoxidase and glutathione redutase than the wet climate population. All these made the dryclimate population superior in adaptation to drought stress than the wet climate population. 2. Effect of exogenous applied SNP on drought tolerance in Populus przewalskii Drought stress significantly increased hydrogen peroxide content and caused oxidativestress to lipids and proteins assessed by the increase in malondialdehyde and total carbonylcontents, respectively. The cuttings of P. przewalskii accumulated proline and other aminoacids for osmotic adjustment to lower water potential, and activated the antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, guaiacol peroxidase and ascorbate peroxidase to maintain thebalance of generation and quenching of reactive oxygen species. Moreover, exogenous SNPapplication significantly heightened the growth performance of P. przewalskii cuttings underdrought treatment by promotion of proline accumulation and activation of antioxidant enzymeactivities, while under well-watered treatment the effect of SNP application was very little. 3. Morphological responses to manganese toxicity in the two contrasting populations ofPopulus cathayana High concentration of manganese caused significant decrease in shoot height andbiomass accumulation. The tolerance index of the dry climate population was significantlyhigher than that of the wet climate population, suggesting the superior Mn tolerance in theformer and the existence of cross-tolerance of drought stress and high Mn toxicity. Injuries tothe leaf anatomical features were also found as the reduced thickness in palisade and spongyparenchyma, the decreased density in the conducting tissue and the collapse and split in themeristematic tissue in the central vein. As for the Mn concentrations in the plant tissues, under0, 0.1 and 0.5 mM, most of the Mn accumulated in the roots, then leaves, and stem the least, while under 1 mM, most of the Mn accumulated in the leaves. As far as the total amounts ofMn extraction are concerned, the leaf extracted more Mn than the root and stem in the twopopulations under various Mn concentrations. There is no difference between the twopopulations under control. Under 0.1 mM, the wet climate population extracted higher Mn inthe root than the dry climate population, while in the shoot, the dry climate populationextracted much more Mn. Under 0.5 and 1 mM, the wet climate population translocated moreMn both in the root and the shoot than the dry climate population. 4. Physiological and biochemical responses to manganese toxicity in the two contrastingpopulations of Populus cathayana Mn treatment resulted in oxidative stress indicated by the oxidation to lipids, proteinsand DNA. A regulated network of defence strategies was employed for the chelation,detoxification and tolerance of Mn including the enhanced synthesis of ABA and polyamines,the accumulation of free amino acids, especially His and Pro, and the activation of theenzymes superoxide dismutase and guaiacol peroxidase. Contents of non-protein thiol,reduced glutathione, phytochelatins and phenolics compounds and activities of superoxide dismutase, guaiacol peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase also increased significantly forantioxidant or chelation functions. The wet climate population not only accumulated lessabscisic acid, free amino acids, phytochelatins and phenolics compounds, but also exhibitedlower activities of superoxide dismutase, guaiacol peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase thusresulting in more serious oxidative damage and more curtained growth.

Antioxidant N-acetylcysteine attenuates the acute liver injury caused by X-ray in mice

The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effects of different doses and administration modes of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) against X-ray-induced liver damage in mice. Kun-Ming mice were divided into four groups, each composed of six animals: two control groups and two NAC-treated groups. An acute study was carried out to determine alterations in lipid peroxidation (determined by measuring malondiadehyde (MDA) level), glutathione (GSH) content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity (assayed by colorimetric method), and DNA damage (characterized by DNA-single strand break using with comet assay) as well as cell apoptosis (measured by flow cytometry) at 12 h after irradiation. The results showed that there were dose-related decreases in MDA level, DNA damage and cell apoptosis, and dose-dependent increases in GSH content and SOD activity in all NAC-treated groups compared to control groups, indicating that pre-treatment or post-treatment with NAC significantly attenuates the acute liver damage caused by X-ray. In addition, significant positive correlations were observed between MDA level and DNA damage or cell apoptosis, implying that lipid peroxidation plays a major role in X-ray-induced liver injury. The data suggest that NAC exerts its radioprotective effect by counteracting accumulated reactive oxygen species in the liver through its properties as a direct antioxidant and a GSH precursor, when administered before or after X-ray irradiation.

Ginsenoside R-e increases fertile and asthenozoospermic infertile human sperm motility by induction of nitric oxide synthase

We investigated the effects of Ginsenoside R-e on human sperm motility in fertile and asthenozoospermic infertile individuals in vitro and the mechanism by which the Ginsenosides play their roles. The semen samples were obtained from 10 fertile volunteers and 10 asthenozoospermic infertile patients. Spermatozoa were separated by Percoll and incubated with 0, 1, 10 or 100 mu M of Ginsenoside R-e. Total sperm motility and progressive motility were measured by computer-aided sperm analyzer (CASA). Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity was determined by the H-3-arginine to H-3-citrulline conversion assay, and the NOS protein was examined by the Western blot analysis. The production of sperm nitric oxide (NO) was detected using the Griess reaction. The results showed that Ginsenoside R-e significantly enhanced both fertile and infertile sperm motility, NOS activity and NO production in a concentration-dependent manner. Sodium nitroprusside (SNP, 100 nM), a NO donor, mimicked the effects of Ginsenoside R-e. And pretreatment with a NOS inhibitor N-omega-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 100 mu M) or a NO scavenger N-Acetyl-L-cysteine (LNAC, 1 mM) completely blocked the effects of Ginsenoside R-e. Data suggested that Ginsenoside R-e is beneficial to sperm motility, and that induction of NOS to increase NO production may be involved in this benefit.

Biphasic regulation of H2O2 on angiogenesis implicated NADPH oxidase

ROS (reactive oxygen species) take an important signalling role in angiogenesis. Although there are several ways to produce ROS in cells, multicomponent non-phagocytic NADPH oxidase is an important source of ROS that contribute to angiogenesis. In the present work, we examined the effects of H2O2 on angiogenesis including proliferation and migration in HUVECs (human umbilical vein endothelial cells), new vessel formation in chicken embryo CAM (chorioallantoic membrane) and endothelial cell apoptosis, which is closely related to anti-angiogenesis. Our results showed that H2O2 dose-dependently increased the generation of O-2(-) (superoxide anion) in HUVECs, which was suppressed by DPI (diphenylene iodonium) and APO (apocynin), two inhibitors of NADPH oxidase. H2O2 at low concentrations (10 mu M) stimulated cell proliferation and migration, but at higher concentrations, inhibited both. Similarly, H2O2 at 4 nmol/cm(2) strongly induced new vessel formation in CAM, while it suppressed at high concentrations (higher than 4 nmol/cm(2)). Also, H2O2 (200 similar to 500 mu M) could stimulate apoptosis in HUVECs. All the effects of H2O2 on angiogenesis could be suppressed by NADPH oxidase inhibitors, which suggests that NADPH oxidase acts downstream of H2O2 to produce O-2(-) and then to regulate angiogenesis. In summary, our results suggest that H2O2 as well as O-2(-) mediated by NADPH oxidase have biphasic effects on angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo.

辐射诱导的HeLa细胞旁效应信号通路研究

随着肿瘤认识的不断深入，肿瘤外科学、肿瘤放射治疗学、肿瘤化学治疗学构成了现代肿瘤治疗学的三大支柱，而放射治疗学的研究对于肿瘤的治疗有重要的临床意义。本文通过对HeLa进行辐射来观察其产生的旁效应信号通路，从而对临床工作的起到一定的帮助。辐照过的细胞通过释放信号分子引起周围未辐照细胞产生一系列的生物学反应的现象，称之为辐射诱导的旁效应。活性氧（Reactive oxygen species, ROS）和一氧化氮（Nitric oxide, NO）是辐射诱导的旁效应信号通路中的两个重要信号分子。本文研究了这两种重要的信号分子在辐射诱导的HeLa细胞旁效应信号通路中的关系。通过微核实验，我们发现X射线以及12C6+ 辐照过的HeLa细胞及其旁观者细胞的微核形成明显增加，而1%的二甲亚砜（Dimethyl sulfoxide，DMSO，ROS清除剂）预处理X射线辐照的细胞则显著抑制了受辐照细胞及其旁观者细胞的微核形成。1 Gy的X射线辐照能够抑制细胞的增殖速率而0.5%和1%的DMSO预处理则能减少X射线的增殖抑制作用，并且DMSO预处理的效果与浓度有关：1%的DMSO比0.5%的DMSO处理更大程度的恢复了受辐照细胞的增殖速率。另一方面，接受条件培养基（Conditioned medium）的旁观者细胞的增殖速率增加，而DMSO预处理产生条件培养基的受辐照细胞则使旁观者细胞的增殖速率降低，且DMSO预处理的效果同样与其浓度相关：浓度越高，条件培养基的刺激生长作用越小。Western blotting和DAF-FM DA荧光探针检测分别显示了辐照过后细胞的诱导型一氧化氮合酶（Inducible nitric oxide synthase, iNOS）和NO水平均升高，而DMSO预处理则降低其水平。因此，我们推测在X射线辐照的HeLa细胞旁效应信号通路当中ROS是NO的上游信号。另外，我们采用培养基转移后立即加DMSO或BMS－345541（IKK/NF-κB抑制剂）的方法研究了旁观者细胞当中的旁效应信号通路。我们发现DMSO和BMS－345541均显著抑制了旁观者细胞的NO水平。因此，在旁观者细胞当中ROS与NF-κB均为NO的上游信号

Determination of photochemically produced hydroxyl radicals in seawater and freshwater

A variety of short-lived, reactive chemical species (i.e. free radicals and excited state species) are known to be photochemically produced in natural waters. Some of these transients may strongly affect chemical and biological processes, and they have been implicated in the degradation of organic pollutants and natural organic compounds in aqueous environments. Previous studies demonstrated that the highly reactive hydroxyl radical (OH) is photochemically formed in seawater. However, the quantitative importance of this key species in the sea has not been previously studied because of past analytical limitations. By using a highly sensitive probe based on α-H atom abstraction from methanol, we were able to measure production rates and steady-state concentrations of photochemically produced OH radicals in coastal and open ocean seawater and freshwaters. The validity of the method was tested by intercalibrating with an independent, OH-specific reaction, hydroxylation of benzoic acid, and also by competition kinetics experiments. Our OH production rates and steady-state concentrations for freshwaters are in excellent agreement with those measured by previous investigators for similar waters. In contrast, for seawater, the values we measured are 1–3 orders of magnitude higher than previously predicted by models, indicating that there is a major unknown photochemical OH source (s) in seawater.