ACP Activity Research Articles

Acid and Alkaline Phosphatases Specific activities and Expression as Biomarkers in Brain Tumor Grading and Correlation of Anaplastic Oligodendroglioma G-III to Meningiomas G-I among Brain Tumors and their primary culture

BackgroundAcid Phosphatase (ACP) and Alkaline Phosphatases (ALP) are hydrolases that remove phosphate groups from protein and nucleic acid respectively for regulation of cell function from ACP as lysosomal defence function and ALP membrane-bound as a barrier of the cell. The ACP and ALP-specific activities of Meningiomas (n = 75) and gliomas (n = 81) were compared among brain tumors, normal brain, and derived primary cell culture. MethodsTotal Protein and Phosphatases assays estimated by Spectrophotometer and Native PAGE Gel Electrophoresis. Brain tumor and primary explant lysosome studies were performed with an electron microscope. ResultsAverage ACP specific activity exhibited 9.32617 ± 4.1144 for meningiomas (n = 55) and 5.91 ± 5.8305 for gliomas (n = 60) respectively as compared to normal brain 7.104 ± 1.33 (n = 120) nm/min/mg of protein. Average ALP exhibited 37.1862 ± 39.91 (n = 36) for meningiomas and 5.91 ± 5.83 (n = 60) for gliomas respectively as compared to normal brain (n = 117) 2.463 ± 1.01 nm/min/mg of protein.ACP and ALP exhibited higher activities for meningiomas but not for gliomas as compared to normal brain, in contrast, both expressed more activities in the majority of glioma cell lines and lower in meningioma cell lines. Interestingly gliomas exhibited similar average specific activities for ACP and ALP. While GBM IV exhibits lower ALP activities due to cell migration and higher ACP activity correlate too many storage lysosomes from Electron microscopic observation as compared to meningiomas. ConclusionsHigher ALP activities can be surrogate markers from meningiomas G-I, G-II to G-III respectively. However meningiomas G-III are similar to gliomas excluding Anaplastic Oligodendroglioma G- III which is similar to Meningiomas G-I even for cells growth patterns. Therefore, an ALP level in meningiomas indicates complementary diagnosis as antibody-ALP conjugates with anticancer drugs for efficiency in targeting brain tumor reduction.

Effects of dietary arachidonic acid (ARA) on immunity, growth and fatty acids of Apostichopus japonicus

As an important aquaculture species, improving the immunity of cultured Apostichopus japonicus (A. japonicus) is vital for its health in aquaculture farming. It has been shown that ARA is an important metabolite for A. japonicus infected by Vibrio splendidus. In this study, we aimed to determine the effects of dietary exogenous ARA on healthy sea cucumber cultures, including assessments of immunity, growth, and fatty acid content. Five experimental diets containing 0.01%, 0.29%, 0.46%, 0.70%, and 1.09% ARA were tested. The specific growth rate (SGR) of sea cucumbers did not be significantly affected by exogenous ARA diet groups. The results showed that dietary ARA between 0.49 and 1.09% notably improved the survival rate of sea cucumbers infected by Vibrio splendidus compared with the control group without exogenous ARA. The results also showed the effects of dietary ARA on immune-related genes, enzymes, and oxidation indices; most of the exogenous ARA significantly upregulated the mRNA expression of the genes NFκB, TLR, TLR3, TRAF6, Toll, and MyD88. The activities of ACP, AKP, and lysozyme increased in the 0.49–1.09% ARA groups, especially the dietary 0.49% ARA group. The SOD1 and NOS activities were enhanced by dietary ARA between 0.29 and 0.70%. Compared with the control, the MDA content increased, but the 0.49% ARA-diet group had a lower MDA content. Based on these data, 0.49–0.70% ARA significantly enhanced immunity in cultured A. japonicus. Exogenous 0.49% and 0.70% ARA also elevated the ARA, total PUFA and n-6 PUFA in the body walls. In conclusion, the appropriate exogenous ARA (0.49%–0.70%) in diets could improve immunity and fatty acid content considerably. The results provide basic evidence that ARA can serve a useful immune enhancer for A. japonicus aquaculture.

Toxic Effect Of Cypermethrin On Enzymes In Freshwater Fish Oreochromis mossambicus (Tilapia)

In agriculture, excessive use of various pesticides had increased in developing countries. These pesticides may be highly toxic, not only to aquatic organisms like fishes but also to humans. In recent years, synthetic pyrethroids were developed for major uses in various agriculture practices and public health purposes. We aim to find the toxic Effect of Cypermethrin on Freshwater Fish Oreochromis mossambicus(Tilapia). The fish Oreochromis mossambicus were exposed for 30 days to various sub lethal concentrations (1/10, 1/20, and 1/30) of cypermethrin. After completion of a 30 days exposure, the fish Oreochromis mossambicus was sacrificed and tissue samples of muscle, liver, and kidney were analyzed. Decreased value of ALP, ACP, and Increased value of AST, ALT was observed in all the sub lethal exposure of cypermethrin on treated freshwater fish Oreochromis mossambicus at 30 days on comparing with the control group. High variation of AST and ALT were observed in the liver at 1/10th concentration of cypermethrin and elevated variation of ALP and ACP was observed in the liver at 1/10th concentration of sub lethal level for 30 days exposure. While comparing with the control group, the effects of cypermethrin on experimental fish showed increased levels of AST, ALT in the tissues of muscle, liver, and kidney of O. mossambicus, and the level of ACP and ALP were found in a decreased manner. Increased levels of ALT and AST activity observed in freshwater fishes may be due to the reduction of metabolic activity and concentration of ACP and ALP in various tissues due to cellular necrosis. In the present study, we found that the effect of cypermethrin alters the activity of various enzymes in freshwater fish Oreochromis mossambicus. It is concluded from this study that exposure to cypermethrin affects the enzyme activities of fish.

Stronger effects of maize rhizosphere than phosphorus fertilization on phosphatase activity and phosphorus-mineralizing-related bacteria in acidic soils

The bacterial phoC and phoD genes encode acid (ACP) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), respectively, which mineralize organic phosphorus (P) to inorganic P. The relative importance of P fertilization and the plant rhizosphere on soil phosphatase activities and associated bacterial communities in acidic soils are poorly understood; additionally, the different responses of the phoC- and phoD-harboring bacterial communities remains undetermined. Here, we grow maize in an acidic soil (pH 4.40) supplemented with 0 (P0), 8.74 (Low phosphorus, LP) and 87.36 (High phosphorus, HP) mg P kg−1, and determined phosphatase activities and associated bacterial abundance and community composition in bulk and rhizosphere soils. The results showed that relative to bulk soils, rhizosphere showed higher ACP and ALP activities and phoC and phoD gene abundance, but this effect strength was reduced under HP treatment, except for phoC gene abundance. The rhizosphere effect increased α-diversity of phoC-harboring bacteria under P fertilization but reduced phoD-harboring bacterial α-diversity under P0 and LP treatments. The rhizosphere significantly influenced phoC- and phoD-harboring bacterial community compositions, with stronger effect on phoD-harboring bacteria; while P fertilization only affected phoD-harboring bacteria. Immigrated and extinct species play important roles in reshaping phoC- and phoD-harboring bacterial communities, respectively, in response to the rhizosphere effect. Overall, compared with P fertilization, the maize rhizosphere more strongly influenced soil phosphatase activities, phoC- and phoD-harboring bacterial communities in acidic soils, with phoD-harboring bacteria responding more strongly to the rhizosphere effect and P fertilization. Notably, the strength of the rhizosphere effect heavily relied on P fertilization level.

Evaluation of Salipiger thiooxidans and Exiguobacterium aestuarii from the Saemangeum Reservoir as Potential Probiotics for Pacific White Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei).

In this study, two bacterial species, Salipiger thiooxidans and Exiguobacterium aestuarii, were extracted and screened from the Saemangeum Reservoir. This study examined these species’ suitability as a probiotic by confirming the effects of S. thiooxidans and E. aestuarii added to rearing water for L. vannamei. Three experimental groups were evaluated for 6 weeks: (1) a control group reared in natural (i.e., untreated) water (CON), (2) an experimental group in which S. thiooxidans was added to natural water (SMG-A), and (3) natural water inoculated with E. aestuarii (SMG-B). The SMG-B group inoculated with E. aestuarii showed significantly higher final body weight, weight gain, specific growth rates, and feed efficiency than the control group. The SMG-B group inoculated with E. aestuarii exhibited significantly higher levels of serum lysozyme, and ACP and ALP activity than the control and SMG-A groups. The SMG-A and SMG-B groups inoculated with probiotics showed significantly lower total ammonia nitrogen and nitrite than the control group. Our findings suggest that S. thiooxidans and E. aestuarii extracted from the Saemangeum Reservoir can improve the water quality of aquaculture water, and, in particular, E. aestuarii is a potential probiotic for L. vannamei.

Yinchenhao Decoction ameliorates the high-carbohydrate diet induced suppression of immune response in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)

Yinchenhao Decoction (YD), a Chinese herbal medicine, has been traditionally used for treatment of metabolic liver diseases. A 10-week feeding trail was carried out to examine the effects of YD supplementation in a high carbohydrate diet (HCD) on liver histopathology, immune response, disease resistance, and expression of genes associated with endoplasmic reticulum stress, autophagy, apoptosis, necroptosis and inflammation in juvenile largemouth. A diet containing 9% carbohydrate was used as a low carbohydrate diet (LCD), and a HCD was formulated to contain 18% carbohydrate and supplemented with 0, 0.5, 1, 2 or 4% YD (HCD, HCD+0.5YD, HCD+1YD, HCD+2YD and HCD+4YD). Triplicate groups of fish (5.6 ± 0.2 g) were feed the test diets to visual satiety for 10 weeks. The highest survival rate after Nocardia seriolae challenge was recorded for the HCD+4YD group. YD application led to reduced ACP, AKP, AST and ALT activities. HCD-induced cells swelling, ruptured cell membrane, migrated nuclei and increasing inflammatory cells in hepatocytes were mitigated by YD addition. Moreover, YD decreased the expressions of pro-inflammation genes (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-8, hepcidin1, NF-κB, COX2, CD80 and CD83) and increased the mRNA levels of anti-inflammation genes (IL-10 and IKBα). The mode of liver cell death was preferably changed to programed apoptosis rather than uncontrolled necroptosis by application of YD in HCD. Furthermore, the expression of UPR genes (IRE1, Eif2α, ATF6, XBP1 and GRP78/Bip) and autophagy genes (LC3-2, BNIP3 and P62) was increased by YD supplementation. In summary, our results demonstrated that YD addition in HCD enhances UPR, autophagy and programed apoptosis maintaining the homeostasis, and decreases uncontrolled necroptosis and inflammation, ultimately leading to improved immune response in largemouth bass.

The effects of Agaricus bisporus polysaccharides enriched diet on growth, nonspecific immunity and disease resistance in crayfish (Procambarus clarkii)

In order to accelerate the application of ABPs in shrimp and crab feed, we evaluated the effect of ABPs on the growth, non-specific immunity and disease resistance of crayfish. Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) were randomly divided into six groups, the fed diets supplemented with different levels of ABPs: 0, 0.05, 0.15, 0.3, 0.45 and 0.6 g/kg. After 28 days of feeding, ABPs were found to significantly increase FBW and WG of crayfish. The addition of 0.15–0.6 g/kg of ABPs to the feed significantly increased the activities of ACP, AKP and T-SOD, decreased the activity of MDA enzymes in the hepatopancreas of crayfish. In the hemolymph, ABPs at 0.3–0.45 g/kg can significantly increase the activities of ACP, AKP, T-SOD and LZM enzymes, while the addition of 0.15 or 0.6 g/kg has no significant difference with the control group. The results of qPCR showed the addition of 0.15–0.6 g/kg ABPs to the feed could significantly up-regulate the expression levels of gpx, lec and hsp70 mRNA in the hepatopancreas (P < 0.05). Adding 0.15–0.6 g/kg of ABPs could up-regulate the expression of ctsb and lec gene in gills. In addition, the expression of alf was up-regulated in gills only when the addition amount of ABPs was 0.3 g/kg. While the expression of mtMnsod in gills was up-regulated when the addition amount was 0.3–0.6 g/kg. Addition of 0.05–0.6 g/kg of ABPs reduced the mortality of crayfish infected by A.hydrophila. The above results indicated that the addition of ABPs could improve the growth, non-specific immunity and disease resistance of crayfish, and the addition of 0.3 g/kg and 0.45 g/kg of ABPs might be beneficial to the culture of crayfish.

The arachidonic acid and its metabolism pathway play important roles for Apostichopus japonicus infected by Vibrio splendens

Improving the immune ability and guiding healthy culture for sea cucumber by purposefully screening the significant differential metabolites when Apostichopus japonicus (A. japonicus) is infected by pathogens is important. In this study, 35 types of significant differential metabolites appeared when A. japonicus were infected by Vibrio splendens (VSI group) compared with the control A. japonicus group (CK group) by using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS)-based untargeted metabolomics. Based on that finding, the 10 types of key metabolic pathways were analyzed by MetPA. The “arachidonic acid (ARA) metabolism” pathway, which was screened by three elevated biomarkers: ARA, prostaglandin F2α and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol, had an important impact on immune stress in A. japonicus. Due to the similar changes in several metabolites in its metabolic pathway, the ARA metabolic pathway was selected for further study. The activities of ACP, AKP and lysozyme, which are important innate immune-related enzymes, the survival rates of A. japonicus infected with V. splendidus and the relative content of ARA in the body wall detected by GC–MS were all upregulated significantly by exogenous daily 0.60% and 1.09% ARA consumption over a short period of approximately 7 days. These results demonstrated that ARA and its metabolic pathway indeed played important roles in the immunity of A. japonicus infected by the pathogen. The findings also provide novel insights for the effects of metabolites in A. japonicum healthy culture.

β-Carotene extracted from Blakeslea trispora attenuates oxidative stress, inflammatory, hepatic injury and immune damage induced by copper sulfate in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

β-Carotene, as a kind of potent antioxidant compounds, has gained extensive attention. Blakeslea trispora, a filiform aerobic fungus, has been proposed as a natural source of β-carotene for commercial exploitation. However, it has not yet been investigated whether β-carotene extracted from Blakeslea trispora can attenuate oxidative stress, inflammatory, liver injury and immune damage of zebrafish (Danio rerio) exposed to copper sulfate (CuSO4). In this study, we evaluated the effects of β-carotene on migration of GFP-labeled neutrophils, histological changes of liver, markers of oxidative, inflammatory cytokines and transaminase analysis, as well as the expression and activities of apoptosis, immune-related certain genes in zebrafish treated with different concentrations of β-carotene (0, 10, 20, 40 μg/mL) after exposure to CuSO4. The results indicated that β-carotene reduced migration of neutrophils and released liver damage. What's more, β-carotene was found to reduce the index levels of oxidative stress response (HMOX-1, reactive oxygen species (ROS), NADPH, MDA), inflammatory factors (interleukine-1β (IL-1β), interleukine-6 (IL-6), interleukine-8 (IL-8), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)), liver function protein (AST, ALT) which increased by CuSO4. β-Carotene also promoted the activities of SOD, GSH-Px, ACP, AKP and LZM and increased the protein of immune-related factors, IgM and IFN-γ after exposure to CuSO4. Thus, our results demonstrate that β-carotene has an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activity and participation in immunoregulation.

Effects of dietary carbohydrate/lipid ratios on non-specific immune responses, antioxidant capacity, hepatopancreas and intestines histology, and expression of TLR-MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway-related genes of Procambarus clarkii

To investigate the effects of dietary carbohydrate/lipid (CHO: L) ratios on non-specific immune responses, antioxidant capacity, and expression of TLR-MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway-related genes of red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii). Four isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets containing different CHO: L ratios were formulated. The results showed that the group with a CHO: L ratio of 5.94 had better growth performance (P < 0.05). The highest T-AOC, CAT, and SOD activities and the lowest MDA content in hemolymph and hepatopancreas were observed in the group with a CHO: L ratio of 5.94 (P < 0.05). The lowest activities of ALT, AST, ACP, AKP, and ALB in the hemolymph were observed in CHO: L ratio 5.94 group (P < 0.05), while the highest LZM activity, TP, and GLB content were observed in CHO: L 5.94 group (P < 0.05). The highest mRNA expression levels of tlr3, myd88, and mapk3, and the lowest mRNA expression levels of nf-kb α, nf-kb β, nf-kb p105, and traf6 were observed in the CHO: L of 5.94 group (P < 0.05). The highest mRNA expression levels of immune-related genes were observed in the CHO: L of 5.94 group (P < 0.05). Overall, these results indicated that the optimum dietary CHO: L ratio is vital in promoting growth and enhancing antioxidants and immunity to maintain red swamp crayfish's intestinal and hepatopancreas health status. In conclusion, the diets with a CHO:L ratio of 5.94 (approximately 36.23% carbohydrate and 6.10% lipid) is optimal for juvenile red swamp crayfish's physiological condition and health status.

Ornipural® Mitigates Malathion-Induced Hepato-Renal Damage in Rats via Amelioration of Oxidative Stress Biomarkers, Restoration of Antioxidant Activity, and Attenuation of Inflammatory Response.

The current study was instigated by investigating the ameliorative potential of Ornipural® solution against the hepato-renal toxicity of malathion. A total number of 35 male Wistar albino rats were divided equally into five groups. Group 1 served as control and received normal saline intraperitoneally. Group 2, the sham group, were administered only corn oil (vehicle of malathion) orally. Group 3 was orally intoxicated by malathion in corn oil at a dose of 135 mg/kg BW via intra-gastric gavage. Group 4 received malathion orally concomitantly with Ornipural® intraperitoneally. Group 5 was given Ornipural® solution in saline via intraperitoneal injection at a dose of (1 mL/kg BW). Animals received the treatment regime for 30 days. Histopathological examination revealed the harmful effect of malathion on hepatic and renal tissue. The results showed that malathion induced a significant decrease in body weight and marked elevation in the activity of liver enzymes, LDH, and ACP. In contrast, the activity of AchE and Paraoxonase was markedly decreased. Moreover, there was a significant increase in the serum content of bilirubin, cholesterol, and kidney injury markers. A significant elevation in malondialdehyde, nitric oxide (nitrite), and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine was observed, along with a substantial reduction in antioxidant activity. Furthermore, malathion increased tumor necrosis factor-alpha, the upregulation of IL-1B, BAX, and IFN-β genes, and the downregulation of Nrf2, Bcl2, and HO-1 genes. Concurrent administration of Ornipural® with malathion attenuated the detrimental impact of malathion through ameliorating metabolic biomarkers, restoring antioxidant activity, reducing the inflammatory response, and improving pathologic microscopic alterations. It could be concluded that Ornipural® solution demonstrates hepatorenal defensive impacts against malathion toxicity at biochemical, antioxidants, molecular, and cellular levels.

Effects of dietary galactooligosaccharide on growth, antioxidants, immunity, intestinal morphology and disease resistance against Aeromons hydrophila in juvenile hybrid sturgeon (Acipenser baerii♀ × A. schrenckii♂)

The present study investigated the effects of dietary galactooligosaccharide (GOS) supplementation on growth, antioxidant capacity, immunity, intestinal morphology and resistance to Aeromons hydrophila of hybrid sturgeon (Acipenser baerii♀ × A. schrenckii♂). A total number of 360 fish were randomly distributed into 12 aquaria and fed diets supplemented with GOS at 0%, 1%, 3% and 5% concentrations (designated as control, GOS1, GOS3 and GOS5) for 8 weeks. Then 30 fish from each group were intraperitoneally challenged with A. hydrophila, and mortality was recorded for the next 15 days. The results showed that there were significant differences of final body weight (FBW), weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) in sturgeon fed GOS diets. The lysozyme, ACP, AKP and MPO activities in sturgeon serum fed GOS diets were higher than those with control diet. Significant increase of SOD, CAT and GSH-PX capacity and remarkably decrease of MDA content were observed in liver of fish fed GOS diets. Remarkable enhancement of muscular thickness, villus and microvilli height, and goblet cells in mid intestine was observed in GOS supplemented groups. In spiral valve, supplementation of any quantities of GOS promoted an evident increase in the muscular thickness, villus height and goblet cells, while the villus width and crypt depth were relatively invariant. The IL-1β and IL-8 mRNA levels were decreased and TNF-α gene expression was increased by dietary GOS. The challenge test with A. hydrophila resulted in lower mortalities by GOS administration in a dose-dependent manner and the highest relative percent survival (36.67 ± 1.92%) was observed in fish fed GOS5 diet. The study concludes that GOS inclusion at the rate of 3% is recommended to increase the growth performance, antioxidant capability and immunity as well as regulate intestinal morphology and promote resistance against A. hydrophila in hybrid sturgeon.

Biochemical, molecular and cytological impacts of alpha-lipoic acid and Ginkgo biloba in ameliorating testicular dysfunctions induced by silver nanoparticles in rats.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are commonly utilized in medicine. However, they have negative effects on the majority of organs, including the reproductive system. AgNPs were reported to be able to reach the testicular tissues due to their nano size, which allows them to pass through blood-testicular barriers. The goal of this study was to see if alpha-lipoic acid (LA) or Ginkgo biloba (GB) might protect adult rat testes after intraperitoneal injection of AgNPs. Forty male healthy adult Wister albino rats were randomly assigned to four groups: control, AgNPs-intoxicated group intraperitoneally injected AgNPs 50mg/kg b.w, 3 times a week; LA + AgNPs group intoxicated with AgNPs and orally gavaged with 100mg LA/kg b.w; and GB + AgNPs group injected with AgNPs and orally given GB extract 120mg/kg b.w for 30 consecutive days. Biochemical changes (testosterone, ACP, and prostatic acid phosphatase), oxidative indices, mRNA expression of proapoptotic (BAX) and anti-apoptotic (BCL-2) biomarkers, histological, and immunohistochemical changes in testicular tissues were investigated. Significant decrease in serum testosterone level and elevation in ACP and PACP enzyme activity in AgNPs-treated rats. As well, there were lowering in tGSH, GSH GR, GPx, and elevation in MDA and GSSG values. AgNPs-exposed rats expressed downregulation of testicular thirodexin-1 (Txn-1), transforming growth factor-1β (TGF-1β), anti-apoptotic (BCL-2), and upregulaion of proapoptotic biomarkers (BAX) mRNA expressions. Strong positive action to BAX and lowering the action of Ki-67 antibody were observed. Because of their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic properties, cotreatment with LA or GB could be beneficial in reducing the harmful effects of AgNPs on the testicles.

The potential role of eyestalk in the immunity of Litopenaeus vannamei to Vibrio infection

The X-organ-sinus gland complex (XO-SG) in the eyestalk is an important neuroendocrine regulatory organ of crustaceans such as Litopenaeus vannamei, a prominent aquaculture species. The current study found significant changes in the enzyme activities of ALP, ACP, and T-SOD of hepatopancreatic in response to Vibrio parahaemolyticus exposure following eyestalk ablation, indicating that they were all involved in the immunological regulation of shrimps against V. parahaemolyticus infection. A total of 52,656 unigenes were obtained after RNA-Seq, with an average length of 1036 bp and an N50 of 1847 bp. Subsequently, 1899 eyestalk positive regulation genes (EPRGs), 745 eyestalk negative regulation genes (ENRGs), and 2077 non-eyestalk regulatory genes (NEGs) were identified. KEGG analysis of EPRGs revealed that eyestalk ablation might activate the neuroendocrine-immune (NEI) system. The RNA-Seq data were validated using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The findings suggested that eyestalk ablation might affect the expression of genes involved in the prophenoloxidase-activating system, the TLR signaling pathway, and numerous other immune-related genes in L. vannamei. All of these findings revealed that the eyestalk might have a role in the immune response of L. vannamei. The genes and pathways discovered in this study will help to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of hemocytes’ immune response to V. parahaemolyticus following eyestalk ablation in shrimp, as well as provide the framework for building crustacean immunity theory.

MLACP 2.0: An updated machine learning tool for anticancer peptide prediction

Anticancer peptides are emerging anticancer drug that offers fewer side effects and is more effective than chemotherapy and targeted therapy. Predicting anticancer peptides from sequence information is one of the most challenging tasks in immunoinformatics. In the past ten years, machine learning-based approaches have been proposed for identifying ACP activity from peptide sequences. These methods include our previous method MLACP (developed in 2017) which made a significant impact on anticancer research. MLACP tool has been widely used by the research community, however, its robustness must be improved significantly for its continued practical application. In this study, the first large non-redundant training and independent datasets were constructed for ACP research. Using the training dataset, the study explored a wide range of feature encodings and developed their respective models using seven different conventional classifiers. Subsequently, a subset of encoding-based models was selected for each classifier based on their performance, whose predicted scores were concatenated and trained through a convolutional neural network (CNN), whose corresponding predictor is named MLACP 2.0. The evaluation of MLACP 2.0 with a very diverse independent dataset showed excellent performance and significantly outperformed the recent ACP prediction tools. Additionally, MLACP 2.0 exhibits superior performance during cross-validation and independent assessment when compared to CNN-based embedding models and conventional single models. Consequently, we anticipate that our proposed MLACP 2.0 will facilitate the design of hypothesis-driven experiments by making it easier to discover novel ACPs. The MLACP 2.0 is freely available at https://balalab-skku.org/mlacp2.

Comparative Modulatory Assessment of the Sperm Quality and Testicular Function by Solvent Fractions of the Cannabis Extract in Rats

Background: The bioactive ingredients present in medicinal plants have various pharmacological activities which have explored for therapeutic and management of disease conditions like infertility. Objective: This study evaluated the comparative modulations on semen quality and testicular function in the rat by solvents soluble portions of ethanolic leaf extract in varying polar solvents. Methods: Thirty Wistar rats were randomly placed into five groups (A, B, C, D, E and F) with five rats per group: A, control: 0.2 ml 2 % DMSO was administered, B (vitamin C): 90 mg/kg body weight, 4.4 mg/kg body weight of n-hexane, 3.65 mg/kg body weight of ethyl acetate, 0.52 mg/kg body weight of n-butanol and 0.18 mg/kg body weight of the residual portion of Cannabis leaf extract were given to groups C, D, E and F, respectively. The rats were sacrificed 24 hours after the last day of 60 days of treatment. Results: Sperm indices, testosterone, FSH, LH, and HDL showed significant increase (p ≤ 0.05) across the treatment groups compared to normal control. Similarly, there was a significant increase in activity (p ≤ 0.05) of ALP, ACP, SOD, and CAT across the treatment groups compared to normal control. In addition, there were significant increases in GSH, MDA, triglyceride, cholesterol, total protein concentration levels across the treatment groups compared to normal control. The n-butanol soluble portion showed normal histomorphology with typical seminiferous tubule with spermatogonia lying on the basement membrane. Conclusion: Testicular integrity and improved sperm quality were pronounced in rats administered n-butanol solvent portion.

The effect of different doses of octenidine hexafluorosilicate on the development of dental caries in rats

At present, ammonium hexafluorosilicate and hexafluorosilicates of organic amonium cations are actively studied as potential anticaries agents, which demonstrate certain advantages over traditional compounds of fluorine. Previously, it was shown that hexafluorosilicates with bactericidal cations of chlorhexidine, polyhexamethyleneguanidine and cetylpyridinium effectively reduce the number and depth of carious lesions of teeth in rats and at the same time significantly improve the biochemical parameters of the pulp of the teeth.&#x0D; The aim of the work – to study the effect of different doses of octenidine hexafluorosilicate (OHFS) on the incidence of dental caries in rats fed a cariogenic diet (CD).&#x0D; OHFC preparations were applied to the teeth and gums of rats in the composition of phytogels based on Na-salt of carboxymethylcellulose. In the incisor pulp, the activity of alkaline (ALP) and acidic (ACP) phosphatases, elastase, lysozyme was determined, and the mineralizing index (MI) was calculated. The number and depth of dental caries lesions were calculated and caries prophylactic efficacy (CPE) was calculated. The activity of elastase, catalase, lysozyme and urease was determined in the gums, and the degree of atrophy of the alveolar process was determined.&#x0D; Determination of dental caries lesions shows that CD does not increase the number of carious lesions, and after the application of gels with OHFS, their number significantly decreases. The most effective was the concentration of the OHFS gel, equal to 2 mg/ml, although the concentration of the OHFS gel 1 mg/ml showed a decrease by 33.3%. The calculated CPE is 33.3% for a gel with 1 mg/ml OHFS, 36.4% for a gel with 2 mg/ml and 24.2% for a gel with 4 mg/ml. It has been shown that in rats receiving CD, the ALP activity significantly decreases and the ACP activity significantly increases, which gives a significant decrease in MI from 43.9 to 28.9. Application of gels with OHFS returns the activity of both phosphatases to the control level and almost completely normalizes MI, and the concentration of OHFS gel of 2 mg/ml turned out to be the most effective. Application of gels with 1 mg/ml and 2 mg/ml OHFS reduced elastase activity by 6% and 12%, respectively, whereas application of a gel with 4 mg/ml OHFS did not result in a decrease in elastase activity. From the results of determining the degree of dysbiosis in the blood serum of rats, it can be seen that CD causes the development of generalized dysbiosis. Application of gels with OHFS significantly reduce the degree of dysbiosis, especially gels with OHFS concentrations of 1 and 2 mg/ml.&#x0D; Oral application of gels containing OHFS reduces the incidence of caries on the teeth, increases the mineralizing activity of the pulp and reduces the degree of generalized dysbiosis. The most effective concentration of the OHFS gel is 2 mg/ml, which corresponds to a dose of 2.2 mg/kg.

Evaluation of the effects of Astragalus polysaccharides as immunostimulants on the immune response of crucian carp and against SVCV in vitro and in vivo

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the immunomodulatory effect and antiviral activity of Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) in crucian carp and epithelioma papulosum cyprinid (EPC) cells. Two diets containing 0 and 2 g/kg, APS were fed crucian carp for 56 days. The results showed that supplementation with APS significantly upregulated the immune-related indices including the levels of IgM, the activities of LZM, AKP and ACP, and the contents of C3 and C4. At the same time, compared with the CK group, adding APS to the feed significantly upregulated the expression of IL-8, IL-10, IL-1β, IFN-α, IFN-γ, MyD88, TGF-β and TNF-α in the spleen, kidney, liver and intestine of crucian carp. In addition, when the crucian carp were injected with SVCV, the survival rates of fish in the APS group and the control group were 48.87% and 13.76%, respectively. These results indicated that dietary APS could improve the resistance of crucian carp against SVCV infection. APS also significantly decreased viral titer and inhibited apoptosis induced by SVCV in EPC cells. These results indicated that APS could stimulate the immune response of crucian carp and improve the abilities of crucian carp and EPC cells to resist SVCV infection.

Dietary supplementation of stachyose and Lactobacillus casei improves the immunity and intestinal health of turbot ( Scophthalmus maximus . L)

A 12-week feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary Lactobacillus casei, stachyose, or combined (synbiotic) on immunity and intestinal health of turbot (Scophthalmus maximus. L). Four isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets were formulated: Control diet, Control diet with 1.0×108 CFU/g L. casei (LC), 25.0 g kg-1 stachyose (ST) or 1.0 × 108 CFU/g L. casei + 25.0 g kg-1 stachyose (SL) supplementation separately. The results showed that fish-fed diets ST and SL had a significant higher activity of lysozyme and concentration of complement 3 and 4, and IgM in serum, while the higher activity of ACP was observed in LC and SL group. The highest viable counts of L. casei in mucosa and content of DI were observed in SL group. Diet SL significantly increased the PR of DI, expression of tight junction proteins, pcna and the bcl-2/bax, while decreased the expression of caspase-3 and caspase-9. Moreover, diets LC, ST and SL remarkably decreased the abundance of Mycoplasma but increased the abundance of Lactobacillus and Bacteroides, α-diversity, and altered the bacterial communities in DI. Therefore, both stachyose and L. casei could enhance the immunity and intestinal health of turbot, while the synbiotic was superior to individual administration of stachyose or L. casei.

Effects of short‐term temperature changes on the physiology, biochemistry and feeding behaviour of the juvenile yellow seahorse— Hippopotamus kuda Bleeker

In order to study the impact of acute temperature challenge on juvenile hippocampus's growth, the variations of external behavioural indexes and internal physiological, biochemical and genetic indexes were analysed at the same time under acute temperature change. In this paper, the external indexes we selected were the response parameters of feeding behaviour (including feeding reaction time, feeding rate and food intake, etc.). The internal indicators include biochemical indicators (SOD, CAT, AKP, ACP, Trypsin, LPS and AMS enzyme activity and MDA content) and fold change (differentially expression multiples) of differentially expressed gene (Hsp70, Hsp90, Gst, Pyy, mTOR, Bcl-2, Casp9, Casp3, Gadd45α, Fadsd6, Cpt1, Fas, Cyp51, Pdha1, Mdh1, Idh3b and G6pd). The results showed that the juvenile's external indexes had changed significantly at 12 h after short-term temperature challenge exposed. At the same time, the feeding reaction time (s) was extend, and the feeding rate (individuals/min) and food intake (individual) were reduced, suggesting that the growth of juvenile might be suppressed by temperature challenge. At the same time, MDA and AMS showed a significant correlation with the feeding behaviour parameters, and several function genes Gadd45α, Casp3, Idh3b and G6pd also showed a correlation with the behavioural parameters. Our study provide a valuable information for understanding the mechanism of internal and external reaction in juvenile seahorse, which exposed to short-term temperature challenge. It is useful to explore the mechanism of how temperature affects fish growth. And the external behavioural indexes can correctly reflect the excessive fluctuation of environmental temperature that is harmful to the juvenile.