Soybean oil was continuously hydrogenated in a slurry system to investigate the effects of linolenate content and additives on cooking oil performance. Room odor evaluations carried out on oils heated to 190 C after frying bread cubes showed that the oils hydrogenated with Cu catalyst to 2.4% linolenate (Cu-2.4) and with Ni catalyst to 4.6 linolenate (Ni-4.6) had a significantly lower odor inte...

We investigated the protective effects of remote postconditioning (RPC) in the lungs of rats with deep hypothermia ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and the role of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling in this process. Forty-nine rats were randomly divided into a sham control group, deep hypothermia I/R group, RPC group, I/R+all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) group, I/R+RPC+ATRA grou...

Thioredoxin is a redox-active protein that plays multiple roles in regulating cell growth, cell signalling and apoptosis. Here, we have demonstrated that a complex mechanism involving multiple regulatory elements is involved in the tBHQ [tert-butylhydroquinone or 2,5-di-(t-butyl)-1,4-hydroquinone]-mediated activation of the thioredoxin gene. Luciferase assays, utilizing various wild-type and mu...

NF-E2-related factor 2 (NRF2) regulates the transcription of a battery of metabolic and cytoprotective genes. NRF2 and epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRs/HERs) are regulators of cellular proliferation and determinants of cancer initiation and progression. NRF2 and HERs confer cancers with resistance to several therapeutic agents. Nevertheless, there is limited understanding of the regulat...

Identification and determination of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), propyl gallate (PG) and tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) by means of LC/MS and GC/MS were examined. These five phenolic antioxidants were detected as their pseudo-molecular ions [M-H]- by LC/MS using a Shim-pack FC-ODS column with drying gas. Moreover, BHA, BHT and ...

The Nrf2-Keap1 signaling pathway is a protective mechanism promoting cell survival. Activation of the Nrf2 pathway by natural compounds has been proven to be an effective strategy for chemoprevention. Interestingly, a cancer-promoting function of Nrf2 has recently been observed in many types of tumors due to deregulation of the Nrf2-Keap1 axis, which leads to constitutive activation of Nrf2. He...

Although hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and gene therapy have the potential to cure -thalassemia and sickle cell disease, they are not currently available to most people with these diseases. In the near term, pharmacologic induction of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) may offer the best possibility for safe, effective, and widely available therapy. In an effort to define new pathways for targete...

New Bedford Harbor (MA, U.S.A.; NBH) is a Superfund site inhabited by Atlantic killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) with altered aryl hydrocarbon receptor (Ahr) signaling, leading to resistance to effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). The Ahr is a transcription factor that regulates gene expression of many Phase I and II detoxifying enzymes and...

Arsenic, first among the top environmentally hazardous substances, is associated with skin, lung, liver, kidney, prostate, and bladder cancer. Arsenic is also a cardiovascular and a central nervous system toxicant, and it has genotoxic and immunotoxic effects. Paradoxically, arsenic trioxide is used successfully in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia and multiple myeloma. Arsenic indu...