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DOC-1R (deleted in oral cancer-1 related) is a novel putative tumor suppressor. This study investigated DOC-1R antitumor activity and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Cell phenotypes were assessed using flow cytometry, BrdU incorporation and CDK2 kinase assays in DOC-1R overexpressing HeLa cells. In addition, RT-PCR and Western blot assays were used to detect underlying molecular changes in these cells. The interaction between DOC-1R and CDK2 proteins was assayed by GST pull-down and immunoprecipitation-Western blot assays. The data showed that DOC-1R overexpression inhibited G1/S phase transition, DNA replication and suppressed CDK2 activity. Molecularly, DOC-1R inhibited CDK2 expression at the mRNA and protein levels, and there were decreased levels of G1-phase cyclins (cyclin D1 and E) and elevated levels of p21, p27, and p53 proteins. Meanwhile, DOC-1R associated with CDK2 and inhibited CDK2 activation by obstructing its association with cyclin E and A. In conclusion, the antitumor effects of DOC-1R may be mediated by negatively regulating G1 phase progression and G1/S transition through inhibiting CDK2 expression and activation.

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BACKGROUND: Ginsenoside Rb1 is one of the major bioactive components of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer (Araliaceae), a medicinal plant that has been used for therapeutic purposes for thousands of years in Asian countries. The pharmaceutical activity of ginsenoside Rb1 highly depends on molecular structure and its deglycosylated metabolites are known to be more potent bioactive compounds. However, these deglycosylated ginsenosides do not exist naturally so they are usually obtained by poorly selective methods, like chemical hydrolysis.RESULTS: In this study, the development and characterization of an alginate-based immobilized enzyme microreactor for the catalytic conversion of ginsenoside Rb1 to more bioactive metabolites have been reported. Enzyme kinetic parameters were calculated and characterization tests (such as determination of surface area of alginate matrix, long-term use, and effect of residence time on conversion yield) were conducted. The system was operated under continuous-flow conditions and compared with acidic and batch enzymatic hydrolysis experiments, as conventional approaches. The enzymatic microreactor showed an enhanced activity by producing 13-fold higher amount of ginsenoside F2 than batch enzymatic hydrolysis. CONCLUSION: Obtained results indicated that the newly developed enzymatic microreactor could successfully convert ginsenoside Rb1 to more active metabolites and have a potential for the biocatalysis of multiple ginsenosides, as well as pharmaceutically active compounds.

Smart materials possess a high potential for application in process engineering. Among these smart materials, stimuli-responsive hydrogels exhibit the chemically inherent characteristic to significantly change their macroscopic properties through shifts in environmental conditions. This enables response-triggered actuation caused by a reaction or process deviation. Thereby, smart process concepts are facilitated, which are capable of self-contained process control without external input. Through additive manufacturing of responsive hydrogels, intricate geometries can be generated, with which the response-triggered actuation can perform sophisticated control tasks. Periodic open-cell structures are such geometries, which improve the mass transport in multiphase flows through the distribution of the disperse phase. Responsive hydrogels fabricated as periodic open-cell structures enable the actuation of multiphase flows through an environmental switch allowing for adjustment of flow conditions. Herein, we demonstrate the application of switchable smart structures that facilitate the adaptation of fluid-dynamic properties and mass transfer in cocurrent gas–liquid flows depending on environmental conditions. Smart structures, which are additively manufactured from acrylate photoresist formulations, are applied for in situ and in operandi adjustment of phase distribution through expansion and collapse of these structures in flow channels. Further, diverse photoresist formulations with different associated response triggers are shown, which demonstrate the versatility for application as an in situ and in operandi switch for mass transfer in process units operating with multiphase flows.