Stress Conditions Research Articles

The microRNA408–plantacyanin module balances plant growth and drought resistance by regulating reactive oxygen species homeostasis in guard cells

Abstract The conserved microRNA (miRNA) miR408 enhances photosynthesis and compromises stress tolerance in multiple plants, but the cellular mechanism underlying its function remains largely unclear. Here, we show that in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), the transcript encoding the blue copper protein PLANTACYANIN (PCY) is the primary target for miR408 in vegetative tissues. PCY is preferentially expressed in the guard cells, and PCY is associated with the endomembrane surrounding individual chloroplasts. We found that the MIR408 promoter is suppressed by multiple abscisic acid (ABA)-responsive transcription factors, thus allowing PCY to accumulate under stress conditions. Genetic analysis revealed that PCY elevates reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in the guard cells, promotes stomatal closure, reduces photosynthetic gas exchange, and enhances drought resistance. Moreover, the miR408–PCY module is sufficient to rescue the growth and drought tolerance phenotypes caused by gain- and loss-of-function of MYB44, an established positive regulator of ABA responses, indicating that the miR408–PCY module relays ABA signaling for regulating ROS homeostasis and drought resistance. These results demonstrate that miR408 regulates stomatal movement to balance growth and drought resistance, providing a mechanistic understanding of why miR408 is selected during land plant evolution and insights into the long-pursued quest of breeding drought-tolerant and high-yielding crops.

Plaque Ruptures Are Related to High Plaque Stress and Strain Conditions: Direct Verification by Using In Vivo OCT Rupture Data and FSI Models.

While it has been hypothesized that high plaque stress and strain may be related to plaque rupture, its direct verification using in vivo coronary plaque rupture data and full 3-dimensional fluid-structure interaction models is lacking in the current literature due to difficulty in obtaining in vivo plaque rupture imaging data from patients with acute coronary syndrome. This case-control study aims to use high-resolution optical coherence tomography-verified in vivo plaque rupture data and 3-dimensional fluid-structure interaction models to seek direct evidence for the high plaque stress/strain hypothesis. In vivo coronary plaque optical coherence tomography data (5 ruptured plaques, 5 no-rupture plaques) were acquired from patients using a protocol approved by the local institutional review board with informed consent obtained. The ruptured caps were reconstructed to their prerupture morphology using neighboring plaque cap and vessel geometries. Optical coherence tomography-based 3-dimensional fluid-structure interaction models were constructed to obtain plaque stress, strain, and flow shear stress data for comparative analysis. The rank-sum test in the nonparametric test was used for statistical analysis. Our results showed that the average maximum cap stress and strain values of ruptured plaques were 142% (457.70 versus 189.22 kPa; P=0.0278) and 48% (0.2267 versus 0.1527 kPa; P=0.0476) higher than that for no-rupture plaques, respectively. The mean values of maximum flow shear stresses for ruptured and no-rupture plaques were 145.02 dyn/cm2 and 81.92 dyn/cm2 (P=0.1111), respectively. However, the flow shear stress difference was not statistically significant. This preliminary case-control study showed that the ruptured plaque group had higher mean maximum stress and strain values. Due to our small study size, larger scale studies are needed to further validate our findings.

Formation integrity evaluation for geosequestration of CO2 in depleted petroleum reservoirs under cyclic stress conditions

The geological storage of carbon dioxide (CO2), also referred to as CO2 geosequestration, represents one of the most promising options for reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. However, most of the time, CO2 is captured with small amounts of other industrial gases such as sulphur dioxide (SO2) and hydrogen sulphide (H2S), which might be compressed together and stored in depleted petroleum reservoirs or aquifers. Moreover, during CO2 geosequestration in reservoirs, pressure variations during injection could force some amount of CO2 (with or without other acid gas impurities) into the caprock; thereby, altering the petrophysical, geochemical, and geomechanical properties of the caprock. Thus, the brittleness index of the reservoir and caprock might be impacted during CO2 geosequestration due to the chemical reactions between the rock minerals and the formation fluid. Furthermore, to meet the world net-zero carbon target, the promotion of CO2 utilization is paramount. This could be possible by developing an effective technology for cyclic CO2 geosequestration (with or without gas impurities). Therefore, studies on the co-injection of CO2 with other acid gases from industrial emissions, their withdrawal from the porous medium, and their impact on reservoir and caprock integrity are paramount. In this study, a dual-tubing string well completion technology was designed for cyclic injection and withdrawal of CO2 (with or without another acid gas), and numerical simulations were performed using TOUGHREACT codes, to model the cyclic process and investigate the co-injection of SO2 and H2S (separately) with CO2 in sandstone formations overlain by shale caprock. A novel technique of converting the volume fraction of minerals to their weight fraction was developed in this study, to evaluate the brittleness index of the sandstone reservoir and shale caprock during CO2 geosequestration. The findings of the study indicate that the porosity and permeability increase for the CO2 only and CO2–H2S injection cases, in the shale caprock; while for the CO2–SO2 injection case, porosity and permeability only decreased in the layers of the shale caprock contacted by SO2 and due to anhydrite precipitation. In all the injection cases, the porosity and permeability of the sandstone reservoir decreased in a few layers directly below the perforation interval of the production zone. However, in other regions in the sandstone reservoir, the porosity and permeability increased for the CO2 only and CO2–H2S injection cases. In contrast, for the CO2–SO2 co-injection case, porosity and permeability decreased in the layers of the sandstone rock contacted by SO2. In all the CO2 geosequestration cases, the brittleness of the shale and sandstone rocks investigated decreased slightly, except in the CO2–SO2 co-injection case where the brittleness of the sandstone rock decreased significantly. Based on the mineralogical composition of the formations in this study, co-injection of SO2 gas with CO2 gas, only decreased the brittleness index of the shale caprock slightly, but significantly decreased the brittleness of the sandstone reservoir.

Ribosome Assembly and Repair

Ribosomes synthesize protein in all cells. Maintaining both the correct number and composition of ribosomes is critical for protein homeostasis. To address this challenge, cells have evolved intricate quality control mechanisms during assembly to ensure that only correctly matured ribosomes are released into the translating pool. However, these assembly-associated quality control mechanisms do not deal with damage that arises during the ribosomes’ exceptionally long lifetimes and might equally compromise their function or lead to reduced ribosome numbers. Recent research has revealed that ribosomes with damaged ribosomal proteins can be repaired by the release of the damaged protein, thereby ensuring ribosome integrity at a fraction of the energetic cost of producing new ribosomes, appropriate for stress conditions. In this article, we cover the types of ribosome damage known so far, and then we review the known repair mechanisms before surveying the literature for possible additional instances of repair.

The role of reduced graphene oxide on mitigation of lead phytotoxicity in Triticum aestivum L.plants at morphological and physiological levels

Rapid global industrialization and an increase in population have enhanced the risk of heavy metals accumulation in plant bodies to disrupt the morphological, biochemical, and physiological processes of plants. To cope with this situation, reduced graphene oxide (rGO) NPs were used first time to mitigate abiotic stresses caused in plant. In this study, rGO NPs were synthesized and reduced with Tecoma stans plant leave extract through modified Hummer's methods. The well prepared rGO NPs were characterized by ultra-violet visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Zeta potential, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). However, pot experiment was conducted with four different concentrations (15, 30, 60, 120 mg/L) of rGO NPs and three different concentrations (300, 500,700 mg/L) of lead (Pb) stress were applied. To observe the mitigative effects of rGO NPs, 30 mg/L of rGO NPs and 700 mg/L of Pb were used in combination. Changes in morphological and biochemical characteristics of wheat plants were observed for both Pb stress and rGO NPs treatments. Pb was found to inhibit the morphological and biochemical characteristics of plants. rGO NPs alone as well as in combination with Pb was found to increase the chlorophyll content of wheat plants. Under Pb stress conditions and rGO NPs treatments, antioxidant enzyme activities like ascorbate peroxidases (APX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) were observed. Current findings revealed that greenly reduced graphene oxide NPs can effectively promote growth in wheat plants under Pb stress by elevating chlorophyll content of leaves, reducing the Pb uptake, and suppressing ROS produced due to Pb toxicity.

LC and LC-MS/MS Studies for the Separation and Identification of Impurities and Degradation Products of Betaxolol.

Betaxolol (Bx) is a selective β1 receptor blocker used in the treatment of hypertension and glaucoma. The aim of the present work was to demonstrate an approach involving use of liquid chromatography (LC) and liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI/MS) for the simultaneous separation, identification and characterization of impurities and of degradation products of betaxolol without their isolation from the reaction mixtures. At optimum condition, and according to ICH guidelines, the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for Bx are found to be 5.46 and 16.54μgmL-1, respectively. However, the LOD and LOQ for the major degradation product P6 were 2.15 and 6.53μgmL-1. Betaxolol was subjected to hydrolytic (acidic and basic) and oxidative, stress conditions according to International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guideline Q1A (R2), and as results, the drug was found to be labile in acidic, basic and oxidative stress conditions. Based on LC-ESI/MS analysis, the found results revealed that Bx decomposes in acidic, basic and oxidizing environments. All degradation products were identified with the help of their fragmentation pattern and the masses obtained upon the MS analysis.

The Coupling Effects of PGPR Inoculation and Foliar Spraying of Strigolactone in Mitigating the Negative Effect of Salt Stress in Wheat Plants: Insights from Phytochemical, Growth, and Yield Attributes

Salt stress has detrimental effects on wheat plants at several physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels. This stress leads to suppressed growth, reduced grain yield, and poor quality of harvested grains. However, two approaches have shown promise for improving wheat salt tolerance: using a synthetic strigolactone analog called GR24 and applying plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). GR24 plays a vital role in regulating plant growth and development and in defense against various stresses. Conversely, PGPR are beneficial bacteria that colonize the rhizosphere of plants and promote their growth through multiple mechanisms. In our study, we investigated the effects of salinity on the growth and yield traits of two different wheat cultivars and explored the combined role of PGPR and GR24 in mitigating the impact of salt stress. We created three different salinity levels using NaCl in pots (original, 5 dS m−1, and 10 dS m−1) and inoculated wheat seeds with a salt-tolerant Bacillus velezensis UTB96 strain. In addition, we applied 10 μM GR24 via foliar application during the pollination stage. Our observations showed that salt stress negatively affected wheat’s growth, yield, and phytochemical properties compared to the control. However, both single and combined applications of PGPR and GR24 mitigated the adverse effects of salinity. The combined treatment had a more substantial impact than either alone in inducing and improving biochemical and ionic characteristics. These included decreasing Na+ content in both leaves and roots, and EL, H2O2, and MDA content in leaves while increasing K+ content in both leaves and roots, growth and yield-related traits, RWC, chlorophyll pigments, total protein, soluble sugar, starch, proline, GB, and antioxidant enzyme activity (APX, POX, and CAT) of leaves. In conclusion, integrating PGPR and GR24 can efficiently induce salt tolerance and improve plant growth under stressed conditions. This combined approach has the potential for broad applicability in supporting plant growth in the presence of salt stress.

Adverse childhood experiences, perceived stress, and chronic diseases among older adults: A cross-sectional study in Mexico

BackgroundAdverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events that cause a condition of chronic stress in the body and that are related to subsequent cognitive decline and the development of psychiatric disorders and chronic diseases. ObjectiveThe objective of the present study was to examine the relationship between ACEs, stress, and chronic diseases in older adults. MethodsThis work was a cross-sectional study. We analyzed 450 participants aged 65 and older. To measure ACE, we used the ACE questionnaire that is a 10-item scale to measure the occurrence of a set of experiences during childhood and adolescence. In addition, the perceived stress scale was used as screening tool for stress. Logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between overall ACE score and individual ACE component scores and risk stress/comorbidities in adulthood after controlling for potential confounders. ResultsThe overall prevalence of perceived stress among older adults was 79.1%. Almost 76% of the sample reported being diagnosed with four or more chronic diseases. We found that the risk of stress increased in case of exposure to one-three ACEs (OR = 1.42, CI = [1.19–1.93]) and in case of experiencing at least four or more ACEs (OR = 1.43, CI = [1.23–1.82]). There was a statistical non-significant association between ACE exposure and the presence of chronic diseases. ConclusionTogether our findings demonstrate clear links between ACEs and negative mental health outcomes. Future work will assess these issues in longitudinal studies to examine the long-term impact of ACEs on health outcomes. Physicians should be able to provide clinical interventions for trauma-focused care.

Functional transcriptome analysis revealed upregulation of MAPK-SMAD signalling pathways in chronic heat stress in crossbred cattle.

Animal geneticists and breeders have the impending challenge of enhancing the resilience of Indian livestock to heat stress through better selection strategies. Climate change's impact on livestock is more intense in tropical countries like India where dairy cattle crossbreeds are more sensitive to heat stress. The main reason for this study was to find the missing relative changes in transcript levels in thermo-neutral and heat stress conditions in crossbred cattle through whole-transcriptome analysis of RNA-Seq data. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) identified based on the minimum log twofold change value and false discovery rate 0.05 revealed 468 up-regulated genes and 2273 down-regulated significant genes. Functional annotation and pathway analysis of these significant DEGs were compared based on Gene Ontology (Biological process), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome (KEGG), and Reactome pathways using g: Profiler, ShinyGO v0.76, and iDEP.951 web tools. On finding network visualization, the most over-represented and correlated pathways were neuronal and sensory organ development, calcium signalling pathway, Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and Smad signalling pathway, Ras-proximate-1, or Ras-related protein 1 (Rap 1) signalling pathway, apoptosis, and oxidative stress. Similarly, down-regulated genes were most expressed in mRNA processing, immune system, B-cell receptor signalling pathway, Nucleotide oligomerization domain(NOD)-like receptors (NLRs) signalling pathway and nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) pathway. The heat stress-responsive genes identified in this study will facilitate our understanding of the molecular basis for climate resilience and heat tolerance in Indian dairy crossbreeds.

Modulation of rhizosphere microbial community and metabolites by bio-functionalized nanoscale silicon oxide alleviates cadmium-induced phytotoxicity in bayberry plants

Cadmium (Cd) is an extremely toxic heavy metal that can originate from industrial activities and accumulate in agricultural soils. This study investigates the potential of biologically synthesized silicon oxide nanoparticles (Bio-SiNPs) in alleviating Cd toxicity in bayberry plants. Bio-SiNPs were synthesized using the bacterial strain Chryseobacterium sp. RTN3 and thoroughly characterized using advanced techniques. A pot experiment results demonstrated that Cd stress substantially reduced leaves biomass, photosynthesis efficiency, antioxidant enzyme activity, and induced oxidative damage in bayberry (Myrica rubra) plants. However, Bio-SiNPs application at 200 mg kg−1 significantly enhanced plant biomass, chlorophyll content (26.4 %), net photosynthetic rate (8.6 %), antioxidant enzyme levels, and mitigated reactive oxygen species production under Cd stress. Bio-SiNPs modulated key stress-related phytohormones by increasing salicylic acid (13.2 %) and abscisic acid (13.7 %) contents in plants. Bio-SiNPs augmented Si deposition on root surfaces, preserving normal ultrastructure in leaf cells. Additionally, 16S rRNA gene sequencing demonstrated that Bio-SiNPs treatment favorably reshaped structure and abundance of specific bacterial groups (Proteobacteria, Actinobacteriota, and Acidobacteriota) in the rhizosphere. Notably, Bio-SiNPs application significantly modulated the key metabolites (phenylacetaldehyde, glycitein, maslinic acid and methylmalonic acid) under both normal and Cd stress conditions. Overall, this study highlights that bio-nanoremediation using Bio-SiNPs enhances tolerance to Cd stress in bayberry plants by beneficially modulating biochemical, microbial, and metabolic attributes.

Potential of amino acids-modified biochar in mitigating the soil Cu and Ni stresses – Targeting the tomato growth, physiology and fruit quality

Trace heavy metals (HMs) such as copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni) are toxic to plants, especially tomato at high levels. In this study, biochar (BC) was treated with amino acids (AA) to enhance amino functional groups, which effectively alleviated the adverse effects of heavy metals (HMs) on tomato growth. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of glycine and alanine modified BC (GBC/ABC) on various tomato growth parameters, its physiology, fruit yield and Cu/Ni uptake under Cu and Ni stresses. In a pot experiment, there was 21 treatments with three replications having two rates of simple BC and glycine/alanine enriched BC (0.5% and 1% (w/w). Cu and Ni stresses were added at 150 mg kg−1 respectively. Plants were harvested after 120 days of sowing and subjected to various analysis. Under Cu and Ni stresses, tomato roots accumulated more Cu and Ni than shoots and fruits, while GBC and ABC application significantly enhanced the root and shoot dry weight irrelevant to the stress conditions. Both rates of GBC decreased the malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide levels in plants. The addition of 0.5% GBC with Cu enhanced the tomato fruit dry weight by 1.3 folds in comparison to the control treatment; while tomato fruit juice content also increased (50%) in the presence of 0.5% GBC with Ni as compared to control. In summary, these results demonstrated that lower rate of GBC∼0.5% proved to be the best in mitigating the Cu and Ni stress on tomato plant growth by enhancing the fruit production.

Variation in metabolic rate during low tide aerial exposure in the Asian shore crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus

Intertidal animals deal with physical gradients daily that create stressful conditions across the shore. These physical gradients influence the physiological performance of organisms, requiring responses that may differ with height on the shore. We examined the respiratory response to aerial exposure in the invasive Asian shore crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus during periods of low tide emersion using two field experiments. The first experiment simultaneously measured respiration of individuals collected from different heights on the shore, which had therefore been emersed for different lengths of time. The second experiment measured respiration of individuals collected at different times from the same tidal height. Respiration rates of crabs in both experiments increased immediately after emersion, nearly doubling by and peaking at ~ 1.5 h of aerial exposure, before decreasing again over the next 1.5 h. These results suggest that the energetic cost of low tide exposure is greatest shortly after emersion during the first half of the typical low tide period, but then decreases thereafter. These respiration patterns facilitate the broad intertidal distribution of this species on rocky shores throughout its range.

THE INFLUENCE OF MILITARY EVENTS AS A SOCIALLY STRESS FACTOR ON THE SUICIDE MORTALITY RATE

Introduction. Russia's aggression, which began in 2014 with the occupation of Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, is considered a powerful long-term socially stressful factor. The suicide rate, as an indicator of troubles in society and its health as a whole, helps to identify a vulnerable contingent of the population and evaluate the effectiveness of state preventive measures implemented in socially stressful conditions. The aim: to investigate the dynamics of suicide mortality in Ukraine for the period 2005-2021. and the impact on this indicator of a socially stressful factor – Russian aggression in order to determine the stability of Ukrainian society in the conditions of war, identify the most vulnerable contingent of the population and evaluate the state's multi-selective approach aimed at preventing suicide. Materials and methods. The research materials were official statistical data from the "Population of Ukraine" reports of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine for 2005-2021. Cases of suicide of men and women in the period 2005-2013 served as a comparison group. The analysis provided for the clarification of annual rates and dynamics of suicide mortality and its gender characteristics during the period of the social stress factor in 2014-2021, in comparison with the control period and world indicators (WHO). Bibliographic, epidemiological, analytical, statistical methods were used in the research. Results. In Ukraine, as well as in the world, in the period 2005-2021, a decrease in the death rate due to suicides is noted, however, the Ukrainian rates significantly exceed the world rates. In a relatively prosperous period, the mortality rate due to suicide was 20.8±0.3, and it decreased statistically significantly (p<0.001) to 16.1±0.36 in the socially stressful period of 2014-2021. The number of suicides among the male population significantly exceeds its number among the female population and is significantly higher than the world indicators, in contrast to the female population, where the indicators are even lower. During the socially stressful period, the number of suicides among men remains reduced to 28.76±0.92 (р<0.001) and among women to 5.64±0.3 (р<0.05), with more stable rates of decline among women. Conclusions. In Ukraine, there is a dynamic decrease in the number of deaths due to suicides, which correlates with global indicators. However, our country, despite the faster rate of decline of this indicator, still belongs to the countries with a high rate of suicide mortality. During the military events of 2014-2021, the death rate from suicides decreased significantly, compared to the previous relatively prosperous period of 2005-2013 (p<0.001), which indicates the stability of Ukrainian society in war conditions. Mortality due to suicides in Ukraine significantly prevails among men (p<0.001) and significantly exceeds global indicators, which makes them a vulnerable contingent of the population that needs socially oriented support. The positive dynamics of the decrease in the number of suicides among men (p<0.001) and women (p<0.05) in the conditions of war testifies to the effectiveness of the state's multi-selective approach aimed at preventing suicide.

IDENTIFICATION, SEPARATION, AND CHARACTERIZATION OF DEGRADATION PRODUCTS OF TRIAMCINOLONE HEXACETONIDE USING LC AND LC-MS/MS

Objective: The study aimed to separate the forced degradation products of Triamcinolone hexacetonide using HPLC and characterize the degradation product by LC-MS/MS fragmentation pattern. Methods: Triamcinolone hexacetonide (THA) and its primary degradation products were identified using a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/Mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) approach. The degradation study was based on in-depth stress testing with acid, base, peroxide, heat, and light. A Zorbax SB C18 column and a greener mobile phase composed of methanol and 10 mmol ammonium acetate buffer in water at pH 3 were employed to accomplish separation and quantitation at a flow rate of 0.7 ml/min in an isocratic mode with a 239 nm detection wavelength. Results: A major degradation product of the drug was obtained in acidic and alkaline stress conditions. The drug was found to be stable for all other stress conditions. The LC-MS/MS analysis results of the active pharmaceutical ingredient and resulting product after degradation were interpreted to identify the novel degradation product and fragments. The developed method was validated as per International Council for Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. The square root of the correlation coefficients, which indicated linearity for THA in 50 to 150 % of the workload, was 0.99. Method Precision assay was performed on six different preparations, percentage relative standard deviation (% RSD) of assay value is 0.17 % and system precision is 0.30 %. In accuracy, overall % RSD of 50 %, 100 %, and 150 % in triplicate is 0.95. Conclusion: It is concluded that the drug is stable to all other stress conditions except for acidic and alkaline stress conditions and generates a novel degradation product. The developed LC (Liquid chromatography) method separates and identifies the degradation product.

Acute Stress Effects on Statistical Learning and Episodic Memory.

Stress is widely considered to negatively impact hippocampal function, thus impairing episodic memory. However, the hippocampus is not merely the seat of episodic memory. Rather, it also (via distinct circuitry) supports statistical learning. On the basis of rodent work suggesting that stress may impair the hippocampal pathway involved in episodic memory while sparing or enhancing the pathway involved in statistical learning, we developed a behavioral experiment to investigate the effects of acute stress on both episodic memory and statistical learning in humans. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: stress (socially evaluated cold pressor) immediately before learning, stress ∼15 min before learning, or no stress. In the learning task, participants viewed a series of trial-unique scenes (allowing for episodic encoding of each image) in which certain scene categories reliably followed one another (allowing for statistical learning of associations between paired categories). Memory was assessed 24 hr later to isolate stress effects on encoding/learning rather than retrieval. We found modest support for our hypothesis that acute stress can amplify statistical learning: Only participants stressed ∼15 min in advance exhibited reliable evidence of learning across multiple measures. Furthermore, stress-induced cortisol levels predicted statistical learning retention 24 hr later. In contrast, episodic memory did not differ by stress condition, although we did find preliminary evidence that acute stress promoted memory for statistically predictable information and attenuated competition between statistical and episodic encoding. Together, these findings provide initial insights into how stress may differentially modulate learning processes within the hippocampus.

DEGRADATION ESTIMATION OF ROSUVASTATIN CALCIUM IN PHARMACEUTICAL TABLET FORMULATION

Objectives: The present objective was to undertaken the Rosuvastatin Calcium degradation in the tablets formulations with a rapid, economic, consistent, specific and simple analytical procedure. Methods: The analytical RP-HPLC was validated with mobile phase composition of methyl alcohol : cyanomethane : water (45:35:20,v/v). The detection was achieved with a flow 1.0 ml/min by using octylsilane column (250 x 4.6 mm, 5 µ), at 248 nm. Results: The established analytical procedure of Rosuvastatin Calcium was validated statistically for reproducibility, accuracy, specificity as per ICH-guideline. The correlation coefficient was 0.999 with the linearity concentration range 140-260 µg/ml. The percentage recovery was achieved 99.86 to 106.12 and RSD% of precision was 0.599. The specificity was confirmed by excellent photolytic and thermal stability of Rosuvastatin Calcium. The degradation statistical recovery of Rosuvastatin Calcium in dry, wet and thermal stage ware 99.25%, 99.52 % and 99.64% respectively validated. The developed peaks in the chromatograms of alkali, oxidation and acid decomposition of Rosuvastatin Calcium were confirmed by screening the degradation peaks and the recovery percentage were found 23.16 %, 85.59 % and 66.33 % respectively. Conclusions: The stress conditions of Rosuvastatin Calcium in degradation study is successfully developed and it is also important in stability to determined the highest lipid lowering agent in the body that block the manufacturing of cholesterol. The stress conditions like in aqueous acidic hydrolysis, oxidative, alkaline hydrolysis, thermal and photolytic degradation study was validated with a simple, cost efficient, linear, accurate, selective, specific, high performance liquid chromatography with a simple effortless mobile phase containing methyl alcohol, cyanomethane and water.

Intracellular and extracellular Cyclophilin a promote cardiac fibrosis through TGF-β signaling in response to angiotensin Ⅱ

Cardiac fibrosis is characterized by abnormal proliferation of cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) and ventricular remodeling, which finally leads to heart failure. Inflammation and oxidative stress play a central role in the development of cardiac fibrosis. CyPA (Cyclophilin A) is a main proinflammatory cytokine secreted under the conditions of oxidative stress. The mechanisms by which intracellular and extracellular CyPA interact with CFs are unclear. Male C57BL/6 J mice received angiotensin Ⅱ (Ang Ⅱ) or vehicle for 4 weeks. Inhibition of CyPA significantly reversed Ang Ⅱ-induced cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis. Mechanically, TGF-β (Transforming growth factor-β) signaling was found to be an indispensable downstream factor of CyPA-mediated myofibroblast differentiation and proliferation. Furthermore, intracellular CyPA and extracellular CyPA activate TGF-β signaling through NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase, respectively. Pharmacological inhibition of CyPA and its receptor CD147 implemented by Triptolide also attenuated the expression of TGF-β signaling and cardiac fibrosis in Ang Ⅱ-model. These studies elucidate a novel mechanism by which CyPA promotes TGF-β and its downstream signaling in CFs and identify CyPA (both intracellular and extracellular) as plausible therapeutic targets for preventing or treating cardiac fibrosis induced by chronic Ang Ⅱ stimulation.

Genome wide identification and expression profiling of ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters gene family in lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) under aluminium stress condition

Adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporters (ABC transporters) are involved in regulating plant growth, development and tolerance to environmental stresses. In this study, a total of 138 ABC transporter genes were identified in the lentil genome that were classified into eight subfamilies. Four lentil ABC transporters from subfamily B and I were clustered together with the previously characterized ABC transporter proteins related to aluminium (Al) detoxification. Lentil ABC transporter genes were distributed across the chromosomes. Tandem duplication was the main driving force for expansion of the ABC gene family. Collinearity of lentil with soybean indicated that ABC gene family is closely linked to Glycine max. ABC genes in the same subfamily showed similar gene structure and conserved motifs. The ABC promoter regions harboured a large number of plant hormones and multiple stress responsive cis-regulatory elements. The qRT-PCR showed that ABC genes had varied expression in roots of lentil at different time points under Al stress. This is the first report on genome wide identification and expression analyses of genes encoding ABC transporter genes in lentil which has provided in-depth insight for future research on evolution and elucidation of molecular mechanisms for aluminium tolerance.

Bioprospecting of endophytic fungi from semidesert candelilla (Euphorbia antisyphilitica Zucc): Potential for extracellular enzyme production.

Endophytic microbial communities colonize plants growing under various abiotic stress conditions. Candelilla (Euphorbia antisyphilitica Zucc.) is a shrub that develops functionally in arid and semi-arid zones of Mexico; these conditions generate an association between the plant and the microorganisms, contributing to the production of enzymes as a defense mechanism for resistance to abiotic stress. The objective of this research was to isolate and identify endophyte fungi of candelilla and bioprospection of these endophytic fungi for enzyme production using candelilla by-products. Fungi were isolated and identified using ITS1/ITS4 sequencing. Their potency index (PI) was evaluated in producing endoglucanase, xylanase, amylase, and laccase. Fermentation was carried out at 30°C for 8 days at 200 rpm, with measurements every 2 days, using candelilla by-products as substrate. All fungi exhibited higher cellulase, amylase, and laccase activities on the 2nd, 6th, and 8th day of fermentation, respectively, of fermentation. The fungus Aspergillus niger ITD-IN4.1 showed the highest amylase activity (246.84 U/mg), the genus Neurospora showed the highest cellulase activity, reaching up to 13.45 FPU/mg, and the strain Neurospora sp. ITD-IN5.2 showed the highest laccase activity (3.46 U/mg). This work provides the first report on the endophytic diversity of E. antisyphilitica and its potential role in enzyme production.

The Impact of Deficit Irrigation on the Agronomic Performance and Chemical Composition of Scolymus hispanicus L.

In the current study, the effects of drought stress on the growth and phytochemical profile of Scolymus hispanicus L. (a.k.a. golden thistle) were evaluated. Plants were treated with three irrigation regimes, e.g., plants that received only rainwater (Control; C), deficit irrigation (I1; 50% of field capacity (FC)), and full irrigation (Ι2; 100% of FC). The fresh weight of the rosette of leaves was not negatively impacted by deficit irrigation, whereas root development was severely restrained compared to control and I2 treatments. Drought stress conditions had a positive effect on the nutritional properties of the golden thistle since the treatments of control and deficit irrigation showed the highest content of macronutrients and energy. Oxalic acid was the richest organic acid, especially under the I1 regime. Similarly, α-tocopherol was the only identified vitamin E isoform, whose content was also doubled in I1 treatment. Raffinose, glucose, and sucrose were the most abundant free sugars in amounts that varied among the irrigation treatments, while the total and distinct free sugar content was the highest for the I1 treatment. The most abundant detected fatty acid compounds were α-linolenic acid, followed by palmitic and linoleic acid, with the highest amount being detected in C, I1, and I2 treatments, respectively. Flavonoids were the only class of polyphenols detected in golden thistle leaves, including mostly kaempferol and quercetin derivatives. The greatest antioxidant potency was shown for the control and I1 treatments (for OxHLIA and TBARS methods, respectively). The evaluated leaf samples recorded a varied antimicrobial effect for the different bacterial strains and fungi, whereas no cytotoxic, hepatotoxic, and anti-inflammatory effects against the tested cell lines were recorded. Finally, the mineral content of leaves was significantly affected by the irrigation regime, with Ca, Mg, Cu, and Zn being the highest for the I1 treatment, while the I2 treatment had the highest content of K, Fe, and Mn and the lowest Na content. In conclusion, deficit irrigation showed promising results since it improved the phytochemical content without compromising the fresh weight of leaves, and thus it could be suggested as a sustainable agronomic practice for producing high-added value products without significant constraints in growth development and yield parameters of golden thistle.