YD Global Life Science (South Korea)

This study presents a portable urine analysis system designed for the accurate measurement of the urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio, crucial for diagnosing kidney disease. The system employs both a europium(III)-based strip for microalbumin detection and a colorimetric strip for creatinine detection, addressing the distinct analytical needs of these biomarkers. Utilizing a CMOS-based sensor, the system captures high-resolution fluorescence and visible light images, with UV and white LEDs providing even illumination. This setup ensures reliable, rapid, and non-invasive testing, making it suitable for point-of-care applications in diverse clinical environments. Validation with buffer solutions demonstrated a strong correlation between the fluorescence intensity and microalbumin concentration (5–300 mg/L), as well as between the color intensity and creatinine concentration (1–300 mg/dL), both achieving an R<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup>value of over 0.99. The portable urine analysis system thus offers a robust and cost-effective tool for early detection and monitoring of kidney disease, enhancing clinical outcomes through timely diagnosis and management.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease characterized by the progressive degradation of joint cartilage and is believed to be caused by mechanical stress on the joint and low grade inflammatory processes. This study was carried out to evaluate the cartilage protection activities of a mixture of ethanol extracts from Astragali radix) [1, 2] and Lithospermi radix)[3] (ALM16) by inhibitory effects on matrix-metalloproteinase (MMP)[4,5] production in interleukin-1β-induced SW1353 chondrosarcoma cells. Anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of ALM16 were assessed using the acetic acid-induced writhing response and carrageenan-induced paw edema model in mice, respectively. ALM16 (200 ug/mL) inhibited effectively the production of MMP3 (97.4 ± 0.4%) and MMP13 (79.9 ± 0.9%) in IL-1β-induced SW1353 cells. In the acetic acid-induced writhing test in mice, the inhibition rates were higher [35% (p<0.01)] by administration of 200 mg/kg b.w. of ALM16 when compared with the untreated control. In the carrageenan-induced paw edema model of mice, ALM16 also reduced [42.8% (p<0.01)] the thickness of oedemas compared to negative control. The HPLC analysis method for the determination of three marker compounds for the quality control of ALM16 complex was successfully established. Calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucoside and calycosin as the marker compounds of Astragali radix and lithospermic acid A for Lithospermi radix were analyzed as 0.059 ± 0.001, 0.042 ± 0.001, and 0.055 ± 0.001%, respectively, by a new HPLC analysis method within 38 min using a YMC-Pack ODS-AM (250 × 4.6 cm, 5 um) with UV detection at UV 254nm. These results suggest that the ALM16 could protect the degeneration of chondrocytes by the inhibition of MMPs production. Quality control can effectively be done with three marker compounds using a HPLC analysis method with UV detector.

Pseudoshikonin I, the new bioactive constituent of Lithospermi radix, was isolated from this methanol extract by employing reverse-phase medium-pressure liquid chromatography (MPLC) using acetonitrile/water solvent system as eluents. The chemical structure was determined based on spectroscopic techniques, including 1D NMR (1H, 13C, DEPT), 2D NMR (gCOSY, gHMBC, gHMQC), and QTOF/MS data. In this study, we demonstrated the effect of pseudoshikonin I on matrix-metalloproteinase (MMPs) activation and expression in interleukin (IL)-1β-induced SW1353 chondrosarcoma cells. MMPs are considered important for the maintenance of the extracellular matrix. Following treatment with PS, active MMP-1, -2, -3, -9, -13 and TIMP-2 were quantified in the SW1353 cell culture supernatants using a commercially available ELISA kit. The mRNA expression of MMPs in SW1353 cells was measured by RT-PCR. Pseudoshikonin I treatment effectively protected the activation on all tested MMPs in a dose-dependent manner. TIMP-2 mRNA expression was significantly upregulated by pseudoshikonin I treatment. Overall, we elucidated the inhibitory effect of pseudoshikonin on MMPs, and we suggest its use as a potential novel anti-osteoarthritis agent.