Journals
2026 EN
Patel Satyam N. · Kajavadara Chetan K. · Shukla Rushikesh M.
+4 more
ABSTRACT The chromosome aberration test (CAT) is a widely used in vitro assay for detecting structural chromosomal damage induced by clastogenic chemicals. It plays a crucial role in genetic toxicology, helping assess the potential genotoxic effects of pharmaceutical compounds, environmental contaminants, and industrial chemicals. This test is particularly valuable in regulatory studies, as chromosomal aberrations are linked to mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, and hereditary diseases. The test evaluates their occurrence in cultured human peripheral blood lymphocytes (HPBL) or other mammalian cells after exposure to test chemicals. Accurate solubility of test compounds is critical for determining the highest feasible concentration in CAT without compromising cell viability or assay integrity. However, selecting an appropriate solvent remains a challenge in genetic toxicology, as the solvent must ensure chemical stability, support cell growth and metabolic activation, comprise ≤ 1% of the final treatment medium, and be compatible with human blood cells. In this study, we systematically evaluated the cytotoxic effects of various solvents on HPBL at 0.5% and 1% concentrations over a 22‐h exposure period, replicating approximately 1.5 normal cell cycle durations without the inclusion of a metabolic activation system. The solvents tested included dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), N , N ‐dimethylformamide (DMF), acetone, acetonitrile, ethyl acetate, ethanol, methanol, p ‐dioxane, tetrahydrofuran (THF), and dimethylacetamide. Our findings revealed that N , N ‐dimethylformamide and acetone were noncytotoxic at 0.5%, while ethanol, methanol, acetonitrile, and dimethyl sulfoxide were noncytotoxic at both 0.5% and 1% concentrations, whereas other solvents exhibited cytotoxic effects at both concentrations. These findings provide valuable insights for genetic toxicologists, enabling better selection of optimal solvents for CAT‐based genotoxicity assessments. By refining solvent choices, researchers can improve chromosome aberration analysis accuracy, facilitating more reliable regulatory decision‐making in genetic toxicology and pharmaceutical safety evaluations.
Journals
2026 EN
Rastogi Mahima · Sahu Khageswar · Majumder Shovan Kumar
ABSTRACT Actin cytoskeleton alteration and cell homing/migration are crucial determinants for the success of stem cell (SC) based therapy. Photobiomodulation (PBM) is a promising non‐pharmacological approach for modulating SC potency. Though ~660 nm is the most studied wavelength for the proliferation/differentiation of SCs, the migration and cytoskeleton remodeling aspects have not been investigated in detail. In this study, we report the effect of ~660 nm on actin filaments, mitochondrial morphological dynamics, along with the migration of human adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADMSCs). Exposure to ~660 nm (~15 J/cm 2 ) elicits rapid actin fiber rearrangement leading to elongated, parallel fibers, and mitochondrial granulation along the leading edge of cell migration. In addition, 660 nm (~15 J/cm 2 ) also enhances cell proliferation, ATP, and ROS levels. These ultrastructural and biochemical alterations, in conjunction with the increased cell migration, shed new light on mechanistic perspectives to elicit enhanced homing/migration in SCs and would help in further optimization of ~660 nm based SC priming.
WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA
Journals
2026 EN
Maharwal Nidhi · Shrivastava Rashmi · Sahu Khageswar
+1 more
ABSTRACT Optogenetics offers a promising avenue for controlled insulin secretion in diabetes management using genetically modified cells. However, the influence of irradiation parameters on the co‐secreted hormone amylin remains largely unexplored. This study examined how blue light power densities (50, 100, and 200 mW/cm 2 ) under continuous and intermittent exposure affect hormonal secretion in channelrhodopsin‐2 expressing mouse β cells. Results showed that 10 s of continuous exposure at 50 mW/cm 2 increased insulin and amylin secretion by ~25% and 40%, respectively. Introducing intermittent dark intervals further enhanced secretion by ~35% for insulin and 70% for amylin at 50 and 100 mW/cm 2 respectively, correlating with intracellular calcium changes. Notably, light modulated the amylin‐to‐insulin molar ratio, peaking with a 34% increase during 5 s ‘on’‐10s ‘off’ exposure at 100 mW/cm 2 . This study provides the first evidence that light irradiation parameters can differentially influence hormonal secretion from engineered cells, offering a potential for tailored cell‐based diabetes therapies.
WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA
Journals
2026 EN
CáceresVerschae Albano · Hååg Petra · Joelsson Sofia
+13 more
ABSTRACT Precision cancer medicine with small tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) directed toward oncogenic drivers, are important treatment regimens for solid tumours. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)‐TKI osimertinib is a preferred therapy for patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) driven by activating mutations in EGFR , unfortunately responses are heterogeneous. This calls for non‐invasive methods to predict or monitor treatment response, for example, via biomarker analyses in blood. To reveal such putative biomarkers, we analysed the proteome of extracellular vesicles (EVs) from osimertinib resistant or responsive NSCLC cells in vitro and from EVs isolated from serum samples of NSCLC patients treated with osimertinib in second line within the phase II clinical trial TREM. The protein cargo of the EVs was analysed by mass spectrometry (MS) and proximity extension assay (PEA). Western blotting, ELISA and single vesicle analysis was performed to validate and further confirm the expression of certain proteins. MS profiling of the NSCLC cells and their released EVs revealed a protein signature associated with osimertinib refractoriness. Among them were CSPG4, HSPG2, MCAM, L1CAM, TAGLN, THBS1 and TNC. GO‐pathway analysis related several of these proteins to the focal adhesion and proteoglycan in cancer pathways. Some of these proteins, including CSPG4, which when suppressed by transient siRNA transfection in NSCLC cells resulted in reduced cell viability, were expressed also in EVs from serum of the NSCLC patients. Moreover, PEA profiling of the serum‐isolated EVs revealed signatures associated with immune cells, best response and/or progression‐free survival, including PD‐L1, CD73/NT5E, FR‐alpha/FOLR1, LAMP3, FASLG1 and ANXA1. In summary, we demonstrate that protein profiling of EVs in relation to osimertinib refractoriness has the potential to identify possible biomarkers that can indicate osimertinib treatment resistance, for example, CSPG4, HSPG2, TAGLN, TNC, THBS1, ANXA1 and CD73/NT5E. Studies in expanded cohorts should be conducted to further validate these putative osimertinib biomarkers.
Journals
2026 EN
Kargl Christopher K. · Nindl Bradley C. · Goulart Jenna B.
+11 more
ABSTRACT Resistance exercise augments circulating extracellular vesicle (EV) and metabolite signalling in manners that assist musculoskeletal and systemic adaptations. Women are often underrepresented in exercise research and recent attention has focused on whether hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle and use of hormonal contraception (HC) impact exercise performance and adaptation. We investigated if menstrual phase (follicular and luteal) or HC usage (oral contraceptive pill and hormonal intrauterine device) impact the EV and metabolite response to exercise. Overall, we observed an exercise‐induced response across all four groups for EV microRNAs and circulating metabolites. Women in the follicular phase had baseline differences in the most abundant miRNAs and exercise‐relevant miRNAs and had the greatest miRNA response to exercise compared to other groups. Relevant metabolites were observed in EVs, but the overall response to exercise was minimally influenced by group among annotated metabolites. Multi‐omic analysis showed potential presence of molecular signatures based on circulating hormone concentrations, but trends were not differentiated enough to suggest clear phenotypic differences. Overall, our data highlights unique miRNA profiles at baseline in follicular phase women but does not support the notion that circulating EV and metabolite responses to exercise are heavily influenced by menstrual cycle phase or HC use. Trial Registration : ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT06972862
Journals
2026 EN
Jangde Deepti Tikariha · Sinha Srishti · Sinha Anjali
+4 more
ABSTRACT This study examined the systematic binding of human serum albumin (HSA) to the non‐ionic surfactant Pluronic F‐127, gemini surfactant 2‐butanol‐1, 4‐bis (dimethyldodecylammonium bromide) (12–4(OH)‐12) and their binary mixtures at 300 K. While fluorescence, FTIR and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy offered molecular‐level insights into protein–surfactant micelle interactions, surface tension measurements were utilized to ascertain the micellization and interfacial behavior of binary surfactant mixture (F‐127 + 12–4(OH)‐12). The interest in examining current employed system arises from a diverse array of bioactivities associated with macromolecules. Pluronic surfactants have demonstrated their ability to transport various biologically active compounds. Strong attractive effects and advantageous micellization thermodynamics were indicated by the mixed gemini–pluronic system's CMC values, which were lower than those expected by ideal mixing. Non‐optimal mixing at the air–solution interface was confirmed by interaction parameters ( β ). Mixed micellization of F‐127 + 12–4(OH)‐12 are found to be spontaneous as indicated by the negative free energies of micellization ( Δ G mic ∘ $$ \Delta {G}_circ values. Fluorescence data were used to determine the binding type of F‐127 + 12–4(OH)‐12 with HSA. Partial unfolding of HSA is confirmed by CD analysis, which reveals significant α‐helix loss at higher fractions but little structural change at low gemini levels. The secondary structure of HSA is disrupted, as evidenced by FTIR band shifts, especially in the amide I region. This confirms partial unfolding upon binding with the 12–4(OH)‐12 + F‐127 mixture. Gemini‐rich mixtures increased HSA binding affinity and caused notable conformational changes, according to spectroscopic analyses, which may indicate that the protein's natural structure was disrupted.
Journals
2026 EN
Priyadarshi Anadi Brahm · Shisodia Lubhanshi Raje · Sharma Sandhya
+1 more
ABSTRACT Pathogen‐host interactions can involve cooperation or synergy, as well as competition and coexistence among different species. The host plant can also influence the competition among pathogens through defense mechanisms that target one or multiple pathogens, either in an active or passive manner. Nonetheless, typically, more virulent pathogens manage to bypass the host's defence strategies to establish infection. Research on plant‐pathogen interactions primarily focuses on the model systems of a single host being infected by a single disease and model systems like Arabidopsis thaliana or Nicotiana benthamiana infected with pathogen have been generally used to identify genetic and molecular mechanism involved in plant immunity. However, in natural environments, microbes exist within complex communities, and plant infections often involve multiple genotypes, introducing complexities that the single host‐single disease model cannot adequately clarify. In this discussion, we explore the latest insights into the interactions between hosts and multiple pathogens, as well as their impacts on both host resistance and vulnerability. We emphasize recent developments in co‐infection systems and examine their potential implications for the epidemiology and management of plant diseases.
Journals
2026 EN
Sahu Indra D. · Lorigan Gary A.
ABSTRACT Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) in connection with site‐directed spin labeling is a structural biology tool that can be employed to obtain structural and conformational properties of various biological systems. Recent advances in methodological and technical improvements have made EPR spectroscopy a rapidly growing tool for gleaning important structural and conformational dynamics of membrane proteins. In this review, we discuss advancements in the popular site‐directed spin labeling EPR approaches in brief and their applications to study the structure and conformations of biologically important membrane proteins. Recent examples of electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM), double electron–electron resonance (DEER), and In‐cell EPR studies for addressing structural and conformational‐related questions of membrane proteins will be highlighted.
Journals
2026 EN
Hossain Sourav · Das Ashok · Naskar Sanjib
+2 more
ABSTRACT This study presents a semi‐analytical solution for modeling suspended sediment distribution in turbulent flows within ice‐covered channels under unsteady, non‐equilibrium conditions. The solution is derived using the generalized integral transform technique (GITT). Validation was performed against the cell‐centered finite volume method and existing experimental data. The results confirm high accuracy, supported by error analysis. Optimized parameter values were obtained through a hybrid genetic and interior point algorithm. Several underlying phenomena of particle‐turbulence interactions in ice‐covered channels are explored. The focus is on the influence of key sediment transport parameters on the time‐dependent evolution of vertical concentration profiles of suspended sediment particles. Key findings indicate that increasing the settling‐velocity correction coefficient raises sediment concentration profiles over time. In contrast, greater ice‐cover roughness reduces sediment suspension. Sensitivity analysis highlights the inverse of the Schmidt number as a critical factor. This novel application of GITT and variance‐based sensitivity analysis (VBSA) provides a detailed solution library, and serves as a benchmark for numerical models.
Journals
2026 EN
Sahu Geetika · Reddy Alle Pawan Kumar · Viswakannan R. K.
+3 more
ABSTRACT We characterize the enhancement in toughness and ductility for a composite polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) infused with Molybdenum disulfide quantum dots (MoS 2 QDs) generated using hydrothermal synthesis. The elastic stress–strain properties of the system are characterized using a uniaxial tensile test which exhibits a significantly large strains and a considerably large of plastic region at an intermediate concentration of the infused QDs within the range 146–219 mM. Maximum toughness and efficiency is also achieved for the nanocomposite in the above mentioned concentrations of MoS 2 QDs. These experimental results are also consistent with the numerical simulation in the fiber bundle model (FBM) where the span of the plastic region shows the same non‐monotonic behavior with the disorder strength along with highest stability during failure process at the same point where toughness attains the maximum value. These results offer valuable insights into optimizing the mechanical properties of PVA‐MoS 2 QD nanocomposites. This will be beneficial for potential applications that require a combination of strength and elasticity, making these materials ideal candidates for structural applications that demand both load‐bearing capacity and flexibility.