Measure Of Metabolic Activity Research Articles

In vivo imaging of mitochondrial function in normal, glaucoma suspect, and glaucoma eyes.

To investigate macula and optic nerve head (ONH) mitochondrial metabolic activity using flavoprotein fluorescence (FPF) in normal, glaucoma suspect (GS), and open-angle glaucoma (OAG) eyes we performed a cross-sectional, observational study of FPF in normal, GS, and OAG eyes. The macula and ONH of each eye was scanned and analyzed with a commercially available FPF measuring device (OcuMet Beacon, OcuSciences Inc., Ann Arbor, MI). One-way analysis of variance was used to compare macula and ONH FPF scores between groups. Linear regression models investigated the correlation between FPF scores and structural and functional parameters. We included 25 normal, 16 GS, and 54 OAG eyes. The average age in years ± SD for normal, GS, and OAG groups was 60.6 ±17.4, 67.8 ± 10.3, and 67.9 ± 11.6, respectively (P = 0.064). There was no significant difference in gender, race/ethnicity, visual acuity, and intraocular pressure between groups. OAG eyes had larger cup-to-disc ratio, thinner retinal nerve fiber and macula thicknesses, and worse visual field indices compared to normal and GS eyes (P ≤ 0.018). There was no significant difference in any FPF metric between the study groups in either the macula or the ONH, despite normalizing FPF data for structural differences between groups (e.g. retinal nerve fiber layer and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thickness). In conclusion, no significant differences in metabolic activity as measured by FPF were found in macula and ONH FPF scores using the integrated clinician report generator between normal, GS, and OAG eyes. Further research is needed to evaluate the role of mitochondrial metabolic activity measurements in glaucoma.

Meso-Substituted AB3-type phenothiazinyl porphyrins and their indium and zinc complexes photosensitising properties, cytotoxicity and phototoxicity on ovarian cancer cells.

New meso-substituted AB3-type phenothiazinyl porphyrins and ferrocenylvinyl phenothiazinyl porphyrin were synthesised by Suzuki-Miyaura and Mizoroki-Heck cross-coupling reactions, respectively. The free porphyrins were further used in the synthesis of new indium(iii) or zinc(ii) porphyrin complexes. All porphyrins exhibit red fluorescence emission in solution, a property that remains unimpaired following internalisation in ovarian A2780 cancer cells, as evidenced by fluorescence microscopy images. The In(iii) phenothiazinyl porphyrin complexes show a higher quantum yield of fluorescence emission (2aΦ F = 30%, 4aΦ F = 29%, 5aΦ F = 28%) compared to the free base porphyrin precursors, or Zn(ii) complex 4b (Φ F = 10%). The potential of novel phenothiazinyl porphyrins to act as photosensitisers was evaluated using two distinct approaches. The first was through the measurement of the singlet oxygen quantum yield Φ Δ(1O2), while the second employed in vitro measurements of metabolic activity, oxidative stress, nuclear factor-erythroid 2 related factor 2 (Nrf-2) activation and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) under both dark and light irradiation conditions. As reflected by the IC50 values, the most potent cytotoxicity of the phenothiazinyl porphyrins against the A2780 cells was observed for In(iii) ferrocenylvinyl phenothiazinyl porphyrin 4a (36.38 μM), the remaining compounds are less cytotoxic. The reduction in metabolic activity was observed in A2780 ovarian tumour cells treated with 4a and 6a and exposed to light compared to treatment in the absence of light. The oxidative stress, TNF-α and Nrf-2 transcription factor were particularly notable when A2780 cells were treated with 4a and subsequently photoirradiated, the oxidative stress was linked to the highest value of Φ Δ(1O2) recorded for 4a (60%).

Impact of Porosity and Stiffness of 3D Printed Polycaprolactone Scaffolds on Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cells and Activation of Dendritic Cells.

Despite the potential of extrusion-based printing of thermoplastic polymers in bone tissue engineering, the inherent nonporous stiff nature of the printed filaments may elicit immune responses that influence bone regeneration. In this study, bone scaffolds made of polycaprolactone (PCL) filaments with different internal microporosity and stiffness was 3D-printed. It was achieved by combining three fabrication techniques, salt leaching and 3D printing at either low or high temperatures (LT/HT) with or without nonsolvent induced phase separation (NIPS). Printing PCL at HT resulted in stiff scaffolds (modulus of elasticity (E): 403 ± 19 MPa and strain: 6.6 ± 0.1%), while NIPS-based printing at LT produced less stiff and highly flexible scaffolds (E: 53 ± 10 MPa and strain: 435 ± 105%). Moreover, the introduction of porosity by salt leaching in the printed filaments significantly changed the mechanical properties and degradation rate of the scaffolds. Furthermore, this study aimed to show how these variations influence proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hBMSC) and the maturation and activation of human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (Mo-DC). The cytocompatibility of the printed scaffolds was confirmed by live-dead imaging, metabolic activity measurement, and the continuous proliferation of hBMSC over 14 days. While all scaffolds facilitated the expression of osteogenic markers (RUNX2 and Collagen I) from hBMSC as detected through immunofluorescence staining, the variation in porosity and stiffness notably influenced the early and late mineralization. Furthermore, the flexible LT scaffolds, with porosity induced by NIPS and salt leaching, stimulated Mo-DC to adopt a pro-inflammatory phenotype marked by a significant increase in the expression of IL1B and TNF genes, alongside decreased expression of anti-inflammatory markers, IL10 and TGF1B. Altogether, the results of the current study demonstrate the importance of tailoring porosity and stiffness of PCL scaffolds to direct their biological performance toward a more immune-mediated bone healing process.

Automated segmentation pipeline for segmentation and characterising metabolic dysregulation in cancer cachexia

Cancer cachexia disrupts metabolic homeostasis across various organs. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is valuable for investigating cachexia in preclinical models and patients[1]. However, manually segmenting multiple organs is laborious and hinders quantitative analysis of whole-body PET. This study establishes an automated pipeline for segmenting and characterizing organs in preclinical PET/MRI. Acute metabolic changes were induced in non-tumour bearing mice through three approaches: a single dose of Growth Differentiation Factor-15 (GDF-15; n=3 treated, control), daily dexamethasone for 24 days (n=4 treated, control), and 20 hour fasting (n=2 fasted, n=2 fed). [18F]flurodeoxy-glucose PET was used to image whole-body glucose utilisation. To overcome manual segmentation limitations, an automated multi-organ segmentation method was developed for preclinical MRI using nnU-net, an artificial intelligence architecture[2,3]. The nnU-net was trained on 18 preclinical MRI scans with 21 manual tissue annotations. Evaluation on 8 additional mice revealed high accuracy (Dice Coefficients: 0.72-0.91 for 17 tissues). Adipose tissues had lower accuracy but retained good specificity. Due to low accuracy, pancreas segmentation was excluded. All mice used for training and testing the nnU-net were imaged with the same protocol, sourced from the described datasets, with additional scans from different time points. After segmenting the scans, we measured mean Standardized Uptake Values (quantitative measure of metabolic activity) for each tissue. Significant differences (p<0.05) were observed following the various interventions (GDF-15, dexamethasone, fasting) compared to control. Network analysis provided insights into potential inter-organ interactions, while Linear Discriminant Analysis successfully distinguished between each metabolic state. This study presents a novel method for automated segmentation and analysis within preclinical PET/MRI. This method significantly improves efficiency and provides new analysis of total-body metabolic phenotypes. We are currently applying this approach to explore metabolic changes associated with cancer cachexia, aiming to improve our understanding of systemic metabolic dysregulation in both preclinical models and clinical settings. Please click on the 'PDF' for the full abstract!

Mixed species biofilms act as planktonic cell factories despite isothiazolinone exposure under continuous-flow conditions.

The primary approach to managing biofouling in industrial water systems involves the large-scale use of biocides. It is well-established that biofilms are 'cell factories' that release planktonic cells even when challenged with antimicrobials. The effect of isothiazolinone on the metabolic activity and biomass of mixed Pseudomonas biofilms was monitored in real-time using the CEMS-BioSpec system. The exposure of biofilms to the minimum inhibitory concentration (1.25 mg L-1) of biocide did not impact planktonic cell production (log 7.5 CFU mL-1), while whole-biofilm metabolic activity and biomass accumulation increased. Only the maximum biocide concentration (80 mg L-1) resulted in a change in planktonic cell yields and temporal inhibition of biofilm activity and biomass, a factor that needs due consideration in view of dilution in industrial settings. Interfacing the real-time measurement of metabolic activity and biomass with dosing systems is especially relevant to optimizing the use of biocides in industrial water systems.

Improving Reliability of Immunological Assays by Defining Minimal Criteria for Cell Fitness.

Human PBMC-based assays are often used as biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of disease, as well as for the prediction and tracking of response to biological therapeutics. However, the development and use of PBMC-based biomarker assays is often limited by poor reproducibility. Complex immunological assays can be further complicated by variation in cell handling before analysis, especially when using cryopreserved cells. Variation in postthaw viability is further increased if PBMC isolation and cryopreservation are done more than a few hours after collection. There is currently a lack of evidence-based standards for the minimal PBMC viability or "fitness" required to ensure the integrity and reproducibility of immune cell-based assays. In this study, we use an "induced fail" approach to examine the effect of thawed human PBMC fitness on four flow cytometry-based assays. We found that cell permeability-based viability stains at the time of thawing did not accurately quantify cell fitness, whereas a combined measurement of metabolic activity and early apoptosis markers did. Investigation of the impact of different types and levels of damage on PBMC-based assays revealed that only when cells were >60-70% live and apoptosis negative did biomarker values cease to be determined by cell fitness rather than the inherent biology of the cells. These data show that, to reproducibly measure immunological biomarkers using cryopreserved PBMCs, minimal acceptable standards for cell fitness should be incorporated into the assay protocol.

Methyl-reducing methanogenesis by a thermophilic culture of Korarchaeia.

Methanogenesis mediated by archaea is the main source of methane, a strong greenhouse gas, and thus is critical for understanding Earth's climate dynamics. Recently, genes encoding diverse methanogenesis pathways have been discovered in metagenome-assembled genomes affiliated with several archaeal phyla1-7. However, all experimental studies on methanogens are at present restricted to cultured representatives of the Euryarchaeota. Here we show methanogenic growth by a member of the lineage Korarchaeia within the phylum Thermoproteota (TACK superphylum)5-7. Following enrichment cultivation of 'Candidatus Methanodesulfokora washburnenis' strain LCB3, we used measurements of metabolic activity and isotope tracer conversion to demonstrate methanol reduction to methane using hydrogen as an electron donor. Analysis of the archaeon's circular genome and transcriptome revealed unique modifications in the energy conservation pathways linked to methanogenesis, including enzyme complexes involved in hydrogen and sulfur metabolism. The cultivation and characterization of this new group of archaea is critical for a deeper evaluation of the diversity, physiology and biochemistry of methanogens.

Electric wiring of bacteria using redox polymers and selective measurement of metabolic activity in the presence of surrounding planktonic bacteria

Non-electroactive bacteria (n-EAB), constituting the majority of known bacteria to date, have been underutilized in electrochemical conversion technologies due to their lack of direct electron transfer to electrodes. In this study, we established an electric wiring between n-EAB (gram-positive Bacillus subtilis and gram-negative Escherichia coli) and an extracellular electrode via a ferrocene-polyethyleneimine-based redox polymer (Fc-PEI). Chronoamperometry recordings indicated that Fc-PEI can transfer intracellular electrons to the extracellular electrode regardless of the molecular organization of PEI (linear or branched) and the membrane structure of bacteria (gram-positive or -negative). As fluorescence staining suggested, Fc-PEI improves the permeability of the bacterial cell membrane, enabling electron carriers in the cell to react with Fc. In addition, experiments with Fc-immobilized electrodes without PEI suggested the existence of an alternative electron transfer pathway from B. subtilis to the extracellular Fc adsorbed onto the cell membrane. Furthermore, we proposed for the first time that the bacteria/Fc-linear PEI modified structure enables selective measurement of immobilized bacterial activity by physically blocking contact between the electrode surface and planktonic cells co-existing in the surrounding media. Such electrodes can be a powerful analytical tool for elucidating the metabolic activities of specific bacteria wired to the electrode even within complex bacterial communities.

Isolation and characterisation of two epithelial-like cell lines from the gills of Chrysophrys auratus (Australasian snapper)and Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Chinook salmon) and their use in aquatic toxicology.

In vitro gill models are becoming increasingly important in aquatic toxicology, yet the fish gill invitrome is underrepresented, encompassing approximately 0.1% of extant species. Here, we describe the establishment and characterisation of two gill-derived, epithelial-like cell lines isolated from fish species of significant importance to New Zealand: Chrysophrys auratus (Australasian snapper) and Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Chinook salmon). Designated CAgill1PFR (Chrysophrys auratus, gill 1, Plant & Food Research) and OTgill1PFR (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, gill 1, Plant & Food Research), these cell lines have each been passaged greater than each 70 times over several years and are considered spontaneously immortalised. Both cell lines required serum for growth and exhibited differential responses to basal media formulations. CAgill1PFR was sensitive to low temperatures (4°C) but replicated at high temperatures (30°C), whereas OTgill1PFR was sensitive to high temperatures but remained viable at low temperatures, mirroring the natural environment of their host species. Immunostaining revealed expression of epithelial cell markers cytokeratin and E-cadherin, alongside positivity for the mesenchymal cell marker, vimentin. CAgill1PFR was more sensitive to the environmental toxin 3,4 dichloroaniline than OTgill1PFR through measurements of metabolic activity, membrane integrity, and lysosomal function. Furthermore, CAgill1PFR produced less CYP1A activity, indicative of ongoing biotransformation processes, in response to beta-naphthoflavone than OTgill1PFR. These cell lines expand the toolbox of resources and emphasise the need for species-specific aquatic toxicology research.

Effects of buffer composition and plasmid toxicity on electroporation-based non-viral gene delivery in mammalian cells using bursts of nanosecond and microsecond pulses.

Gene electrotransfer (GET) is non-viral gene delivery technique, also known as electroporation-mediated gene delivery or electrotransfection. GET is a method used to introduce foreign genetic material (such as DNA or RNA) into cells by applying external pulsed electric fields (PEFs) to create temporary pores in the cell membrane. This study was undertaken to examine the impact of buffer composition on the efficiency of GET in mammalian cells Also, we specifically compared the effectiveness of high-frequency nanosecond (ns) pulses with standard microsecond (µs) pulses. For the assessment of cell transfection efficiency and viability, flow cytometric analysis, luminescent assays, and measurements of metabolic activity were conducted. The efficiency of electrotransfection was evaluated using two different proteins encoding plasmids (pEGFP-N1 and Luciferase-pcDNA3). The investigation revealed that the composition of the electroporation buffer significantly influences the efficacy of GET in CHO-K1 cell line. The different susceptibility of cell lines to the electric field and the plasmid cytotoxicity were reported. It was also shown that electroporation with nanosecond duration PEF protocols ensured equivalent or even better transfection efficiency than standard µsPEF. Additionally, we successfully performed long-term transfection of the murine 4T1 cell line using high-frequency nanosecond PEFs and confirmed its' applicability in an in vivo model. The findings from the study can be applied to optimize electrotransfection conditions.

FDG-PET/CT-based respiration-gated lung segmentation and quantification of lung inflammation in COPD patients

Objective and results descriptionThe study objective was to investigate the potential of quantitative measures of pulmonary inflammation by [18 F]Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) as a surrogate marker of inflammation in COPD. Patients treated with anti-inflammatory Liraglutide were compared to placebo and correlated with inflammatory markers. 27 COPD-patients (14 receiving Liraglutide treatment and 13 receiving placebo) underwent 4D-respiratory-gated FDG-PET/CT before and after treatment. Two raters independently segmented the lungs from CT images and measured activity in whole lung, mean standard uptake values (SUVmean) corrected for lean-body-mass in the phase-matched PET images of the whole segmented lung volume, and total lesion glycolysis (TLG; SUVmean multiplied by volume). Inter-rater reliability was analyzed with Bland-Altman analysis and correlation plots. We found no differences in metabolic activity in the lungs between the two groups as a surrogate of pulmonary inflammation, and no changes in inflammation markers. The purpose of the research and brief summary of main findings. The degree of and changes in pulmonary inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may be difficult to ascertain. Measuring metabolic activity as a surrogate marker of inflammation by FDG-PET/CT may be useful, but data on its use in COPD including reproducibility is still limited, especially with respiration-gated technique, which should improve quantification in the lungs. We assessed several quantitative measures of metabolic activity and correlated them with inflammation markers, and we assessed reproducibility of the methods. We found no differences in metabolic activity between the two groups (before and after 40 weeks treatment with Liraglutide vs. placebo). Bland-Altman analysis showed good agreement between the two raters.Trial registrationThe study was conducted between February 2018 and March 2020 at the Department of Pulmonary Diseases at Hospital South West Jutland and Lillebaelt Hospital, Denmark, and registered from March 2018 at clinicaltrials.gov with trial registration number NCT03466021.

Measuring cell proliferation in bioprinting research

Tissue-like constructs, intended for application in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, can be produced by three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting of cells in hydrogels. It is essential that the viability and proliferation of the encapsulated cells can be reliably determined. Methods currently used to evaluate cell proliferation, such as quantification of DNA and measurement of metabolic activity, have been developed for application in 2D cultures and might not be suitable for bioinks. In this study, human fibroblasts were either cast or printed in gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) or sodium alginate hydrogels and cell proliferation was assessed by AlamarBlue, PicoGreen and visual cell counts. Comparison of data extrapolated from standard curves generated from 2D cultures and 3D hydrogels showed potential inaccuracies. Moreover, there were pronounced discrepancies in cell numbers obtained from these assays; the different bioinks strongly influenced the outcomes. Overall, the results indicate that more than one method should be applied for better assessment of cell proliferation in bioinks.

Abstract 441: Bioluminescent dehydrogenase assays: A novel approach for metabolic profiling and inhibitor screening in cancer biology

Abstract Dehydrogenases play a pivotal role in cellular metabolism, acting as gatekeepers in key metabolic pathways. Their activity reflects the metabolic state of the cell, which is particularly relevant in the context of cancer and the immune response, where metabolic reprogramming is a hallmark of tumor progression and differentiation stages. Here, we present the development and application of novel bioluminescent dehydrogenase assays for direct measurement of metabolic activity in cell lysates. Our assays are highly sensitive, requiring as few as 100-500 cells, and have been successfully miniaturized to a 384-well plate format conducive to high-throughput screening. This technological advance allows for the precise monitoring of dehydrogenase activity across the pentose phosphate pathway, glycolysis, and the mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. We demonstrate how shifts in dehydrogenase activity can serve as indicators of the metabolic status of cells, and their modulation during differentiation. Moreover, our bioluminescent assays provide a rapid screening platform for pathway-specific metabolic inhibitors, with potential applications in identifying new therapeutic targets within cancer metabolism. Our data reveal a dynamic landscape of metabolic activity during T cell maturation, underscoring the potential of dehydrogenase activity profiling in cancer immunobiology and the development of targeted cancer therapies. Citation Format: Kim Haupt, Natasha Karassina, Anthony Lauer, Kayla Sylvester, Jolanta Vidugiriene. Bioluminescent dehydrogenase assays: A novel approach for metabolic profiling and inhibitor screening in cancer biology [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 441.

Abstract B050: Metabolic rewiring in human brain cancer

Abstract Metabolic adaptation can promote oncogenic phenotypes in glioblastoma (GBM), but the metabolic pathways utilized by GBM and how they differ from the pathways utilized in normal cortex are poorly understood. Here, we utilize in vivo stable isotope tracing in mice and patients with glioblastoma to define carbon fate and metabolic rewiring in cancer. We infused uniformly labeled 13C glucose into mice bearing orthotopic GBM patient-derived xenografts or into patients undergoing surgical resection for likely GBM. Tumor and cortex were physically separated in mice by fluorescence-guided microdissection. In humans, samples of enhancing tumor, non-enhancing tumor and normal cortex were separated intraoperatively using MRI guidance. Samples were subsequently analyzed by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry and MALDI imaging mass spectrometry to determine the downstream metabolic fates of infused 13C glucose. Of eight patients infused with 13C6-glucose, six were confirmed to have GBM while the others had non-GBM high grade gliomas. In mice and in patients, glucose-derived carbon effectively entered glycolysis and labeled glycolytic intermediates equivalently in tumor and cortex. Compared to GBM tissue, cortical tissue preferentially oxidized glucose-derived carbon in the TCA cycle and used glucose-derived carbon to synthesize the neurotransmitter GABA. Cortical tissue utilized glucose-derived carbon to synthesize the amino acid and neurotransmitter precursor serine, while GBM tissue preferentially derived serine from extracellular sources. By contrast, GBM preferentially utilized glucose-derived carbon for the synthesis of metabolites required for growth: purines, pyrimidines and NAD+/NADH. These studies are the first measurements of numerous metabolic pathways in human brain cancer and cortex and suggest that GBMs suppress the physiologic utilization of glucose carbons for ATP and neurotransmitter generation and instead use these carbons to synthesize the biomolecules they need to proliferate. Consistent with this hypothesis, eliminating dietary serine in mice slowed GBM PDX growth and forced tumors to synthesize serine from glucose, which in turn lowered tumor nucleotide and NAD+/NADH levels. Dietary serine depletion had minimal effects on cortical metabolism, consistent with glucose being the primary serine source in the normal brain. These direct measurements of metabolic pathway activity in human and mouse brain cancer reveal adaptive metabolic rewiring and new therapeutic targets. Citation Format: Andrew Scott, Anjali Mittal, Sravya Palavalasa, Baharan Meghdadi, Nathan Qi, Alexandra O'Brien, Ayesha Kothari, Nathalie Agar, Ethan Yang, Joshua Fischer, Vijay Tarnal, Wajd Al-Holou, Costas Lyssiotis, Deepak Nagrath, Daniel Wahl. Metabolic rewiring in human brain cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Brain Cancer; 2023 Oct 19-22; Minneapolis, Minnesota. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(5 Suppl_1):Abstract nr B050.

In Vitro Biocompatibility Assessment of a Novel Membrane Containing Magnesium-Chitosan/Carboxymethyl Cellulose and Alginate Intended for Bone Tissue Regeneration.

Bone tissue engineering (BTE) is an emerging interdisciplinary field that aims to develop new strategies and materials for repairing, regenerating, or replacing damaged bone tissues. This field combines engineering, biology, and medicine principles to create functional bone tissues in the laboratory and in vivo. The main goal of BTE is to create biological substitutes that mimic the structure, function, and properties of natural bone tissue, thereby promoting the regeneration of bone defects caused by trauma, disease, or aging. In this study, we developed a biocomposite membrane using magnesium-chitosan, carboxymethyl cellulose, and alginate through a simple cast drying method. The biocompatibility of the membrane was evaluated using human osteoblastic cells, and it was found to be nontoxic to these cells. Both metabolic activity measurements (24 and 48 hours) and the lactate dehydrogenase release assay (72 hours) indicated that the membrane was biocompatible and did not exert significant toxic effects. These results suggest that the developed biocomposite membrane has the potential to be used as a safe and effective biomaterial for various biomedical applications, such as BTE, wound healing, and drug delivery. Further studies are warranted to explore the full potential of this membrane and its performance in different biological environments.

Anti-biofilm properties of laser-synthesized, ultrapure silver–gold-alloy nanoparticles against Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus biofilm-associated infections are a common complication in modern medicine. Due to inherent resilience of biofilms to antibiotics and the rising number of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, new treatment options are required. For this purpose, ultrapure, spherical silver–gold-alloy nanoparticles with homogenous elemental distribution were synthesized by laser ablation in liquids and analyzed for their antibacterial activity on different stages of S. aureus biofilm formation as well as for different viability parameters. First, the effect of nanoparticles against planktonic bacteria was tested with metabolic activity measurements. Next, nanoparticles were incubated with differently matured S. aureus biofilms, which were then analyzed by metabolic activity measurements and three dimensional live/dead fluorescent staining to determine biofilm volume and membrane integrity. It could be shown that AgAu NPs exhibit antibacterial properties against planktonic bacteria but also against early-stage and even mature biofilms, with a complete diffusion through the biofilm matrix. Furthermore, AgAu NPs primarily targeted metabolic activity, to a smaller extend membrane integrity, but not the biofilm volume. Additional molecular analyses using qRT-PCR confirmed the influence on different metabolic pathways, like glycolysis, stress response and biofilm formation. As this shows clear similarities to the mechanism of pure silver ions, the results strengthen silver ions to be the major antibacterial agent of the synthesized nanoparticles. In summary, the results of this study provide initial evidence of promising anti-biofilm characteristics of silver–gold-alloy nanoparticles and support the importance of further translation-oriented analyses in the future.

Immunopharmacological aspects of studying immunotropic properties of a novel biocompound

The article presents an experimental study of immunotropic activity of a new compound, a metabiotic, based on metabolites (biologically active substances) produced by a of saprophytic Bacillus subtilis B-9909 strain, being safe for health and standardized at Russian National Collection of Industrial Microorganisms (RNCIM). The aim of our study was to experimentally evaluate the immunotropic effects of metabolites produced by the probiotic Bacillus subtilis B-9909 upon the parameters of cellular immunity tested in the animal model of induced toxic liver damage. The metabolites were isolated from the cultural liquid of Bacillus subtilis culture (RNCIM strain B-9909) during its deep cultivation in a medium containing hydrochloric acid hydrolyzate of soy flour, or pancreatic hydrolyzate of casein. At 16-18 hours of cultivation, the cells were in the exponential growth phase. The indices of cellular status were studied in experimental groups of animals, when assessing therapeutic efficacy of an experimental metabiotic sample, as compared to a group of laboratory animals treated with the reference drug (ursosan). We assessed the quantitative indicators of blood as follows: determination of phagocytic activity (FA) of peripheral blood neutrophils; measurement of metabolic activity in peripheral blood neutrophils by means of NBT-test; quantitative determination of T and B lymphocytes; the number of antibody-forming cells (AFC). Liver damage was studied in a model of acute toxic hepatitis in albino rats. Experimental toxic hepatitis was induced by 40% solution of CCl4 in vaseline oil injected intragastrically for 2 weeks at the dose of 0.2 g/kg. The results of experimental studies showed activation of phagocytic activity by peripheral blood neutrophils at the early terms of experiment, being also confirmed by the results of NBT-testing. Moreover, at the early observation terms, a significantly increased representation of T and B lymphocyte populations as well as AFC numbers, were revealed thus suggesting activation of all components of cellular immunity in response to the carbon tetrachloride toxicity. Thus, the reported studies on the cellular status of laboratory animals treated with metabolites produced by probiotic microorganisms of the genus Bacillus subtilis (B-9909) on laboratory animals with toxic liver damage allow us to conclude that the test sample of this metabiotic preparation exerts a significant immunomodulatory effect, when compared with ursosan. This evidence allows us to consider this compound a promising candidate drug for a new hepatoprotector with immunotropic effect.

Perspectives of Cell Sensitivity/Resistance Assay in Soft Tissue Sarcomas Chemotherapy.

Treatment of highly malignant soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) requires multicomponent therapy including surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Despite the advancements in targeted cancer therapies, cytostatic drug combinations remain the gold standard for STS chemotherapy. The lack of algorithms for personalized selection of STS chemotherapy leads to unhelpful treatment of chemoresistant tumors, causing severe side effects in patients. The goal of our study is to assess the applicability of in vitro chemosensitivity/resistance assays (CSRAs) in predicting STS chemoresistance. Primary cell cultures were obtained from 148 surgery samples using enzymatic and mechanical disaggregation. CSRA was performed using resazurin-based metabolic activity measurement in cells cultured with doxorubicin, ifosfamide, their combination and docetaxel, gemcitabine, and also their combination for 7 days. Both the clinical data of patients and the CSRA results demonstrated a higher resistance of some cancer histotypes to specific drugs and their combinations. The correlation between the CSRA results for doxorubicin and ifosfamide and clinical responses to the combination chemotherapy with these drugs was demonstrated via Spearman rank order correlation. Statistically significant differences in recurrence-free survival were also shown for the groups of patients formed, according to the CSRA results. Thus, CSRAs may help both practicing physicians to avoid harmful and useless treatment, and researchers to study new resistance markers and to develop new STS drugs.

A downstream process control tool based on the redox dye resazurin for rapid and accurate measurement of microbial metabolic activity.

Many sophisticated water treatment plants need a reliable, fast, and economical microbial load detection method. We refined a colorimetric assay using the redox dye resazurin to assess viable microorganisms. Here, we have used a mixed bacterial suspension of significant multi-drug-resistant coliform bacteria isolated from hospital wastewater and constructed a resazurin reduction calibration curve which could accurately predict the level of microbial contamination. The number of viable microorganisms was calculated from calibration curve in terms of log colony forming units (CFU) per milliliter. Ultrasonication disinfection of bacterial suspension for a duration of 50min measured by resazurin assay depicted a reduction of 16.94%, 26.48%, and 37.69% at 410 W, 580 W, and 700 W, respectively. A synergistic effect of the combined methods of ultrasonication and heat disinfection treatments on raw wastewater and secondary wastewater effluent was observed and was also evaluated using both resazurin assay and standard plate count method. For raw wastewater, about 1.8 log reduction was observed for ultrasonication alone and 4 log CFU/mL reduction for thermosonication. In the secondary wastewater effluent, a reduction of 2.9 and 3.2 log CFU/mL was recorded for ultrasonication and thermosonication respectively. Resazurin microbial viability test results were highly comparable with conventional colony plate count for all treatment procedures, suggesting its appropriateness for quick and reliable wastewater sample microbial viability monitoring.

Co-interaction of nitrofuran antibiotics and the saponin-rich extract on gram-negative bacteria and colon epithelial cells

Large-scale use of nitrofurans is associated with a number of risks related to a growing resistance to these compounds and the toxic effects following from their increasing presence in wastewater and the environment. The aim of the study was to investigate an impact of natural surfactant, saponins from Sapindus mukorossi, on antimicrobial properties of nitrofuran antibiotics. Measurements of bacterial metabolic activity indicated a synergistic bactericidal effect in samples with nitrofurantoin or furazolidone, to which saponins were added. Their addition led to more than 50% greater reduction in viable cells than in the samples without saponins. On the other hand, no toxic effect against human colon epithelial cell was observed. It was found that exposure to antibiotics and surfactants caused the cell membranes to be dominated by branched fatty acids. Moreover, the presence of saponins reduced the hydrophobicity of the cell surface making them almost completely hydrophilic. The results have confirmed a high affinity of saponins to the cells of Pseudomonas strains. Their beneficial synergistic effect on the action of antibiotics from the nitrofuran group was also demonstrated. This result opens promising prospects for the use of saponins from S. mukorossi as an adjuvant to reduce the emission of antibiotics into the environment.