Background: Delivering molecules to selected cellular compartments is important for analytical and practical purposes. Results: Varying the length and positions of alkyl substituents results in preferential uptake of zinc porphyrins by particular cellular structures. Conclusion: Uptake, distribution, and phototoxicity of porphyrins depend on charge, lipophilicity, and molecular shape. Significance: Systematic chemical modification provides the basis for rational design of molecules targeting specific cellular compartments.

Muscle degeneration and impairment following nerve injury could lead to apoptosis as a result of increased levels of reactive oxygen species. This activates the apoptotic cascade through mitochondrial dysfunction and damage to lipids, proteins, and DNA. In considering of the multifactorial protective properties of green tea polyphenols (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), this study investigates whether EGCG treatment does improve skeletal muscle function impairments, induced by crushing of the sciatic nerve. Compared to the saline-treated injured group of animals, EGCG treatment of axonotomized animals showed significant motor enhancement in the toe spread and foot positioning analysis and gain in the percentage motor deficit. The proprioceptive function expressed by the hopping response showed significant progression in the EGCG-treated group. Recovery of sensory innervation was followed by a slowly retreating neuropathic pain-like syndrome in the EGCG-treated animals. Muscle tissues from injured limb showed severe histopathological alterations that were significantly attenuated by EGCG treatment at the end of week 3 post-surgery. Semi-quantitative desmin immunohistochemistry revealed intense staining in the saline-treated injured animals, whereas EGCG treatment decreased the desmin immunoreactivity back to sham control levels. Using RT-PCR, EGCG treatment induced a significant anti-apoptotic effect in injured muscle tissues by normalizing the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio back to baseline levels and inhibiting overexpression of the p53 apoptotic gene at days 3 and 7 post-surgery. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that EGCG enhances functional recovery, protects muscle fibers from cellular death by activating anti-apoptotic signaling pathway, and improves morphological recovery in skeletal muscle after nerve injuries.

Summary A histochemical study using conventional carbohydrate histochemistry (periodic‐acid staining including diastase controls, alcian blue staining at pH 1 and 2.5) as well as using a battery of 14 fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)‐labelled lectins to identify glycoconjugates present in 10 different areas of the skin of a catfish (Arius tenuispinis) was carried out. The lectins used were: mannose‐binding lectins (Con A, LCA and PSA), galactose‐binding lectins (PNA, RCA), N‐acetylgalactosamine‐binding lectins (DBA, SBA, SJA and GSL I), N‐acetylglucosamine‐binding lectins (WGA and WGAs), fucose‐binding lectins (UEA) and lectins which bind to complex carbohydrate configurations (PHA E, PHA L). Conventional glycoconjugate staining (PAS staining, alcian blue at pH 1 and 2.5) showed that the mucous goblet cells contain a considerable amount of glycoconjugates in all locations of the skin, whereas the other unicellular gland type, the club cells, lacked these glycoconjugates. The glycoproteins found in goblet cells are neutral and therefore stain magenta when subjected to PAS staining. Alcian blue staining indicating acid glycoproteins was distinctly positive at pH 1, but gave only a comparable staining at pH 2.5. The mucus of the goblet cells therefore also contains acid glycoproteins rich in sulphate groups. Using FITC‐labelled lectins, the carbohydrate composition of the glycoproteins of goblet cells could be more fully characterized. A distinct staining of the mucus of goblet cells was found with the mannose‐binding lectins LCA and PSA; the galactosamine‐binding lectins DBA, SBA and GLS I; the glucosamine‐binding lectin WGA; and PHA E which stains glycoproteins with complex carbohydrate configurations. No reaction occurred with the fucose‐binding lectin UEA and the sialic acid‐specific lectin SNA. In addition, the galactose‐binding lectins PNA and RCA showed only a weak or completely negative staining of the mucus in the goblet cells. The specificity of the lectin staining could be proved by inhibiting binding of the lectins by competitive inhibition with the corresponding sugars. From these data, we can conclude that the mucus produced by the epidermal goblet cells of A. tenuispinis is rich in mannose, N‐acetylgalactosamine and N‐acetylglucosamine residues.

We have previously shown that chronic treatment with angiotensin-(1-7) [Ang-(1-7)] can prevent diabetes-induced cardiovascular dysfunction. However, effect of Ang-(1-7) treatment on diabetes-induced alterations in the CNS is unknown. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that treatment with Ang-(1-7) can produce protection against diabetes-induced CNS changes. We examined the effect of Ang-(1-7) on the number of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) immunoreactive neurons and the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-immunoreactive astrocytes and assessed the changes in the neuronal growth-associated protein-43 (GAP-43) of the hippocampal formation in streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats. Animals were sacrificed 30 days after induction of diabetes and/or treatment with Ang-(1-7). Ang-(1-7) treatment significantly prevented diabetes-induced decrease in the number of GFAP immunoreactive astrocytes and GAP-43 positive neurons in all hippocampal regions. Co-administration of A779, a selective Ang-(1-7) receptor antagonist, inhibited Ang-(1-7)-mediated protective effects indicating that Ang-(1-7) produces its effects through activation of receptor Mas. Further, Ang-(1-7) treatment through activation of Mas significantly prevented diabetes-induced increase in the number of the COX-2 immunolabeled neurons in all sub-regions of the hippocampus examined. These results show that Ang-(1-7) has a protective role against diabetes-induced changes in the CNS.

Laser-assisted microdissection (LAM) is an important method to provide new significant insights into many embryological processes. To understand these processes, it is important to obtain specific populations of cells from complex tissue in an efficient and precise manner and to combine with many different molecular biological methods. During the last few years, the sophistication of the techniques of LAM has increased significantly and made the procedure easy to use. New micro-extraction protocols for DNA, RNA and proteins now allow broad downstream applications in the fields of genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics. In this review, we give a short overview of the application of LAM in combination with quantitative qPCR for the analysis of gene expression in mammalian germ cells.