Earticle

raphene is a one-atom-thick sheet composed of carbon atoms only. It has a two-dimensional honeycomb structure with sp2 orbital bonding, which presents some unique properties. Due to large Young’s modulus, good electrical conductivity, ability to immobilize several kinds of small molecules and proteins, and biocompatibility of graphene, it has attracted interests inits ability to enhance cell growth and differentiation, followed by recent several studies. We reviewed about the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells, and neurogenic differentiation of neuron stem cells, and the ectodermal and mesodermal differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells using graphene. Graphene has not only enhanced the adhesion and proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells, but also led to the faster differentiation even without any other exogenous signals. Nonetheless, graphene has some cytotoxicities in its amount-response manner, which is critical to regenerative medicine. The cytotoxicities of graphene were compared with those of grapheneoxide and carbon nanotubes.

Phytoremediation-the use of plants for the in situ treatment of contaminated soil and water-has recently emerged as an inexpensive and user-friendly alternative to traditional methods of environmental clean-up. The present article outlines the characteristics of phytoremediation based on accumulated research evidence, along with discussions on its advantages and disadvantages. It further reviews various mechanisms involved in the phytoremediation processes: phytoextraction, rhizofiltration, phytostabilization, phytovolatilization and phytodegradation. Along the way, the author summarizes examples of its applications to environmental pollution control. These include wastewater treatment, removal of heavy metals, and hydrocarbons, remediation of recalcitrant contaminants, phytoremediation of radionuclides, and application of transgenic plants for enhanced biodegradation and phytoremediation. The remainder of the article briefly concludes with directions for future research.

Resveratrol, natural polyphenol in grapes and red wine, is known to have the anti-proliferatory and anti-angiogenic effects in various cancer cells. In this study, we have investigated the effects of resveratrol in HT-29 colon cancer cells. Treatment of resveratrol in different concentrations and time inhibited proliferation of HT-29 colon cancer cells. We explored the effects of resveratrol on HT-29 colon cancer cell motility using a wound healing assay. In the absence of the resveratrol, the HT-29 cells are migrated along the edges of the wound and showed a large-scale migration, whereas dose- and time-dependent inhibition of cell flattening and spreading was observed in the presence of resveratrol. Resveratrol inhibited MMP-9 in a dose- and time-dependent on HT-29 colon cancer cells by Western blotting. In addition, resveratrol increased AMPK activity and decreased COX-2, VASP and VEGF expression. Treatment of compound C inhibited AMPK activity, however, the expression of VASP and COX-2 increased thus, COX-2 and VASP are modulated by AMPK. However treatment of celecoxib could not control AMPK activity but decreased VEGF expression. We suggest that resveratrol inhibits cell proliferation and migration through activation of AMPK and decreased COX-2, VASP and VEGF expression in HT-29 colon cancer cells.

Matured dendritic cells (DCs) begin migration with their release from the bone marrow (BM) into the blood and subsequent traffic into peripheral lymphoid and nonlymphoid tissues. Throughout this long movement, migrating DCs must apply specialized skills to reach their target destination. Non-invasive in vivo cell-tracking techniques are necessary to advance immune cell-based therapies. In this study, we used a DiD cell-tracking solution for in vivo dendritic cell tracking in naive mice. We tracked DiD (non-invasive fluorescence dye)-labeled mature dendritic cells using the Near Infrared (NIR) imaging system in normal mice. We examined the immunophenotype of DiD-labeled cells compared with non-labelled mature DCs, and obtained time-serial images of NIR-DC trafficking after mouse footpad injection. In conclusion, we confirmed that DiD-labeled DCs migrated into the popliteal lymph node 24 h after the footpad injection. Here, these data suggested that the cell tracking system with the stable fluorescence dye DiD was useful as a cell tracking tool to advance dendritic cell-based immunotherapy.

The hyphal growth, production of color pigments and monacolin K by Monascus strains were investigated in liquid medium. Thirty five different strains were collected and cultured in potato dextrose yeast extract broth (PDYB), potato dextrose broth (PDB) and malt extract broth (MEB) medea at 25℃ for 7 days. The growth rates of most of strains were highest in PDYB medium. Growth rate as well as pigment production were influenced by suspension conditions of mycelia during liquid cultivation. Most of strains producing monacolin K corresponded to strains producing red pigment highly and showing more pH changes of liquid media. Monacolin K produced from strains was detected in culture broth as well as mycelia. Any citrinin was not detected in monacolin K producing strains. These results imply that the selection of the strains producing red pigment highly and showing more pH changes in liquid cultivation could be applied for primary screening of Monascus strains for preparation of red mold rice.

Argon-plasma jet (Ar-PJ) is generated by ionizing Ar gas, and the resulting Ar-PJ consists of a mixture of neutral particles, positive ions, negative electrons, and various reactive species. Although Ar-PJ has been used in various biomedical applications, little is known about the biological effects on cells located near the plasma-exposed region. Here, we investigated the effects of the Ar-PJ on actin cytoskeleton of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) in response to indirect as well as direct exposure to Ar-PJ. This Ar-PJ was generated at 500 mL/min of flow rate and 100 V electric power by our device mainly consisting of electrodes, dielectrics, and a high-voltage power supply. Because actin cytoskeleton is the key cellular machinery involved in cellular movement and is implicated in regulation of cancer metastasis and thus resulting in a highly desirable cancer therapeutic target, we examined the actin filament architectures in Ar-PJ-treated MEFs by staining with an actin-specific phalloidin labeled with fluorescent dye. Interestingly, the Ar-PJ treatment causes destabilization of actin filament architectures in the regions indirectly exposed to Ar-PJ, but no differences in MEFs treated with Ar gas alone and in untreated cell control, indicating that this phenomenon is a specific cellular response against Ar-PJ in the live cells, which are indirectly exposed to Ar-PJ. Collectively, our study raises the possibility that Ar-PJ may have potential as anti-cancer drug effect through direct destabilization of the actin cytoskeleton.

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) increased the intracellular calcium ion concentration in stably transfected Drosophila melanogaster S2 cells expressing recombinant cyclooxygenase 1 (COX-1). DMSO did not increase the Drosophila NOS (dNOS) transcript level in calcium chelatortreated cells. Expression of recombinant COX-1 due to DMSO was diminished in cells treated with calcium chelators or channel blockers. Our results indicate that an increased intracellular calcium ion concentration due to DMSO is associated with up-regulation of the dNOS gene, leading to enhanced expression of COX-1.

Vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid, an essential nutrient for humans with antioxidative property, was coated with natural wax to be used as functional additives for cosmetics. Coating of vitamin C was performed using carnauba wax and olive wax in self-designed reaction chamber for 60 min. The yield of coated vitamin C with carnawuba wax and olive wax were up to 94.6 ± 1.2% and 82.5 ± 1.4%, respectively. The stability of the carnauba wax-coated vitamin C in the lotion was improved 17.8% than that of uncoated vitamin C during 30 day storage at 25℃. Color and the layer separation of the lotion added with the coated vitamin C showed better property than with the uncoated vitamin C. The coated vitamin C can be applied to cosmetic ingredients as a stable additive.