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Fucoxanthin, a natural carotenoid, has been reported to have anti-cancer activity in human colon cancer cells, human prostate cancer cells, human leukemia cells, and human epithelial cervical cancer cells. This study was undertaken to evaluate the molecular mechanisms of fucoxanthin against human bladder cancer T24 cell line. MTT analysis results showed that 5 and 10 mM fucoxanthin inhibited the proliferation of T24 cells in a dose-and timedependent manner accompanied by the growth arrest at G 0 /G 1 phase of cell cycle, which is mediated by the up-regulation of p21, a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)-inhibitory protein and the down-regulation of CDK-2, CDK-4, cyclin D1, and cyclin E. In addition, 20 and 40 mM fucoxanthin induced apoptosis of T24 cells by the abrogation of mortalin -p53 complex and the reactivation of nuclear mutanttype p53, which also had tumor suppressor function as wild-type p53. All these results demonstrated that the anticancer activity of fucoxanthin on T24 cells was associated with cell cycle arrest at G 0 /G 1 phase by up-regulation of p21 at low doses and apoptosis via decrease in the expression level of mortalin, which is a stress regulator and a member of heat shock protein 70, followed by up-regulation of cleaved caspase-3 at high doses.

To reduce nutrient cost and improve the production of polysaccharides by 31 Wolfiporia extensa (Peck) Ginns (F.A. Wolf), soybean curd residue (SCR), a food waste, 32 was chosen as the nutrient source in this study. The objective of this research is to 33 determine optimum culture conditions for solid state fermentative production of 34 polysaccharides and evaluate the antioxidant activities. Response surface methodology 35 (RSM) was employed to optimize the fermentation conditions of F.A. Wolf for the 36 enhancement of polysaccharides. The optimal conditions were obtained by response 37 surface methodology as follows: fermentation temperature 23.7 °C , fermentation time 38 7.5 days, and inoculum size 15.5 mL. Under optimized conditions, the polysaccharides 39 yield reached 88.93±1.87 mg/g, which was in close agreement with values predicted by 40 the mathematical models. Furthermore, the polysaccharides exhibited positive 41 antioxidant activities. This research provides references for the large-scale production of 42 polysaccharides by F.A. Wolf and points to a new direction for SCR utilization.43 Keyword ： Wolfiporia extensa, Polysaccharides, Soybean curd residue, Response 44 surface methodology, Antioxidant activity 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 2Soybean is one of the most important legumes in the world, particularly in Asian 53 countries like Japan. In 2010, the annual output of soybean exceeded 261 million tons. 54A FAO report indicates Japan imported soybean amounting to 3.5 million tons in 2009 55 [1]. Soybean curd residue (SCR) is the main surplus material from soybean products 56 and it is often regarded as waste. About 1.1 kg of fresh SCR is produced from every 57 kilogram of soybeans processed into soymilk or tofu [2]. In Japan, about 800,000 tons 58 of SCR are disposed of annually as by-products of tofu production and the disposal 59 costs around 16 billion yen per annum [3]. SCR is a loose material consisting of a good 60 source of nutrients, including protein, oil, dietary fibre, minerals, along with 61 un-specified monosaccharides and oligosaccharides [4][5][6]. It is a suitable supporter and 62 carrier because of its porosity, nutrition and cheapness. There have been several reports 63 on the reuse of SCR for fermentation products, such as β-fructofuranosidase, 64 ganoderma lucidum, bacillus subtilis B2 and polysaccharides [7][8][9][10]. Current 65 polysaccharides production from medicinal fungi is mainly from submerged culture and 66 the fruit body. Submerged fermentation, not only has the problem of more 67 energy-consumption during extraction, but also water-consumption and low yield 68 [11][12]. Extracting polysaccharides from a fruit body takes more than 3 months, which 69 is high cost and time-consuming. Compared with polysaccharides obtained from fruit 70 bodies and mycelia, polysaccharides fermented by SCR have the advantages of waste 71 minimization, time efficiency and high production levels at low cost. 72 3 Wolfiporia extensa (Peck) Ginns (F.A. Wolf) is a popular fungus of the family 73 Po...

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ContextThe root of Helicteres angustifolia L. (Sterculiaceae) has been used as folk herbal drug to treat cancer, bacterial infections, inflammatory, and flu in China. However, there is no report on its antidiabetic activity. Objective This study evaluates the antidiabetic activity of ethanol extract from H. angustifolia root. Materials and methods The promoting effect of H. angustifolia root ethanol extract (25, 50, and 100 mg/mL) on glucose uptake was evaluated using HepG2 cell, differentiated C2C12 myotubes, and differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes. The antidiabetic activity of the extract was assessed in vivo using STZ-induced diabetic rats by orally administration of the extract (200 and 400 mg/kg b.w.) once per day for 28 d. Blood glucose, TG, TC, TP, HDL-C, UA, BUN, AST, ALT, insulin, and HOMA-IR were analyzed. Results The results showed that the extract increased glucose uptake in C2C12 myotubes and 3T3-L1 adipocytes with an IC 50 value of 79.95 and 135.96 mg/mL, respectively. And about 12%, 19%, and 10% (p 5 0.05) in HepG2 cells when compared with the control at the concentration of 25, 50, and 100 mg/mL, respectively. After 28 days' treatment with the extract, significant reduction was observed in blood glucose, HOMA-IR, TC, TG, UA, BUN, AST, and ALT levels, while the levels of TP and HDL cholesterol increased. Discussion and conclusion These results suggest that H. angustifolia root ethanol extract possess potent antidiabetic activity, which is the first report on antidiabetic activity of this plant.