ZHENG CAO^1,#, CHUNXIAO ZHOU^1,#, ZHIMIN WU¹, CHUNYAN WU¹, WEN ZHANG¹, SHILV CHEN¹, XINDONG ZHAO¹, SHAOLING WU^2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.5, pp. 1075-1083, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.027027

Abstract Background: Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) is reported to be a potential anticancer agent, and the mechanisms underlying the effects of DHA on diffuse large B cell lymphoma however are still obscure. This study aimed to assess the antitumor effect of DHA on diffuse large B cell lymphoma cells and to determine the potential underlying mechanisms of DHA-induced cell apoptosis. Methods: Here, the Cell Counting Kit 8 assay was conducted to study cell proliferation. We performed Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide staining, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and western blot analysis to analyze cell apoptosis and potential molecular mechanisms. Results: The results showed that DHA substantially… More >

Hai Liu^*, Xuanxuan Wang^*, Aihua Huang^†, Huaping Gao^‡, Yikan Sun^§, Tingting Jiang^*, Liming Shi^*, Xianjie Wu^¶, Qinghua Dong^#, Xiaonan Sun^*

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.1, pp. 29-38, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15179694020751

Abstract Artemis is a key protein of NHEJ (nonhomologous end joining), which is the major pathway for the repair of IR-induced DSBs in mammalian cells. However, the expression of Artemis in tumors and the influence of silencing Artemis on tumor sensitivity to radiation have not been investigated fully. In this study, we investigated how the expression levels of Artemis may affect the treatment outcome of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in colorectal cancer cells. First, we found that the expression of Artemis is strong in some human rectal cancer samples, being higher than in adjacent normal tissues using immunohistochemical staining. We then knocked… More >

LONGJU QI^1,2,#, XIAOYING XU^3,#, BIN LI^4,#, BO CHANG⁵, SHENGCUN WANG², CHUN LIU², LIUCHENG WU², XIAODI ZHOU⁴, QINGHUA WANG^2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.4, pp. 989-998, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018014

Abstract Excessive fat ectopically deposited in the non-adipose tissues is considered as one of the leading causes of myopathy. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) in palmitate (PAL)-incubated H9c2 cells (lipotoxicity-induced cell injury model). Cell viability of PAL-treated cells was determined by MTT assay, and apoptotic regulators were examined by qRT-PCR and western blot analysis, in the absence or in the presence of DHA, respectively. Expression levels of miR-133b and Sirt1 were also evaluated by qRT-PCR and western blotting examination. PAL decreased the viability of H9c2 cells and enhanced the expression of apoptotic genes.… More >

MARÍA ELISA MILLÁN¹, MARÍA FERNANDA MARRA¹, LEONARDO ANDRÉS SALVARREDI^1,2,3, EMILIO FERNANDO LIZARRAGA^4,*, LUIS ALBERTO LOPEZ^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.3, pp. 293-299, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.012342

Abstract The ajenjo, Artemisia mendozana DC. var. mendozana (Asteraceae), grows in the Andean foothills of Mendoza and San Juan, Argentina, and is used as a medicinal plant for its antispasmodic and antifungal properties. The aim of this work was to obtain fractions of a chloroform extract of ajenjo leaves and to evaluate the in vitro effects on proliferation, viability and clonogenicity of B16-F0 melanoma cells. Using a silica gel chromatography column, 120 fractions were collected and grouped according to the chromatographic profile in 9 main fractions (F1–F9). Their major compounds identified were: terpenes (F1), terpenes and sesquiterpene lactones (F2–F3), sesquiterpenes (F4–F6)… More >

CARLOS A. BUSSO*, BARRY L. PERRYMAN**

BIOCELL, Vol.29, No.3, pp. 279-285, 2005, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2005.29.279

Abstract Seed size is a crucial plant trait that may potentially affect not only immediate seedling success but also the subsequent generation. We examined variation in seed weight of Wyoming sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis Beetle and Young), an excellent candidate species for rangeland restoration. The working hypothesis was that a major fraction of spatial and temporal variability in seed size (weight) of Wyoming sagebrush could be explained by variations in mean monthly temperatures and precipitation. Seed collection was conducted at Battle Mountain and Eden Valley sites in northern Nevada, USA, during November of 2002 and 2003. Frequency distributions of seed… More >

Gonzalez-Franco AC¹, L Robles-Hernandez¹, A Nuñez-Barrios¹, JL Strap², DL Crawford³

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.78, pp. 83-90, 2009, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2009.78.083

Abstract In order to understand the temporal dynamics of actinomycete communities of the rhizosphere of the desert plant Artemisia tridentata (sagebrush), two complementary methods were used. They were: (1) 16S rDNA-based PCR coupled with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), and (2) an agar plate enumeration methodology in which three different media were used to quantify total bacteria, actinomycetes, and fungi. The objective of this research were: (1) to obtain a comprehensive picture of the structure of actinomycete populations, and (2) their dynamics in the rhizosphere of young and old sagebrush plants during two distinct seasons. PCR-DGGE analysis showed that actinomycete groups… More >

Ana Laura CIMADOR^1,#, Emeli Luciana GALANTE^1,#, Lucila Ibel MUÑOZ^1,#, Patricia Silvia ROMANO^2,3, Antonella Denisse LOSINNO^1,2, María Cristina VANRELL^1,2,3

BIOCELL, Vol.43, No.1, pp. 13-20, 2019, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2019.07018

Abstract Trypanosoma rangeli and T. cruzi are both parasitic unicellular species that infect humans. Unlike T. cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, T. rangeli is an infective and non-pathogenic parasite for humans, but pathogenic for vectors from the Rhodnius genus. Because both species can coexist in different hosts and overlap their infective cycles but very little is known about the infection of T. rangeli in mammalian cells, we decided to characterize both the development of this parasite in cell culture and the effect of therapeutic agents with potential trypanocidal action on it. We found that T. rangeli exhibits a cycle… More >