Mitochondrial aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) are essential enzymes in protein synthesis since they charge tRNAs with their cognate amino acids. Mutations in the genes encoding mitochondrial aaRSs have been associated with a wide spectrum of human mitochondrial diseases. Here we report the identification of pathogenic mutations (a partial genomic deletion and a highly conserved p. Asp325Tyr missense variant) in FARS2, the gene encoding mitochondrial phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase, in a patient with early-onset epilepsy and isolated complex IV deficiency in muscle. The biochemical defect was expressed in myoblasts but not in fibroblasts and associated with decreased steady state levels of COXI and COXII protein and reduced steady state levels of the mt-tRNAPhe transcript. Functional analysis of the recombinant mutant p. Asp325Tyr FARS2 protein showed an inability to bind ATP and consequently undetectable aminoacylation activity using either bacterial tRNA or human mt-tRNAPhe as substrates. Lentiviral transduction of cells with wildtype FARS2 restored complex IV protein levels, confirming that the p.Asp325Tyr mutation is pathogenic, causing respiratory chain deficiency and neurological deficits on account of defective aminoacylation of mt-tRNAPhe.

Disorders of the mitochondrial genome cause a wide spectrum of disease, these present mainly as neurological and/or muscle related pathologies. Due to the intractability of the human mitochondrial genome there are currently no effective treatments for these disorders. The majority of the pathogenic mutations lie in the genes encoding mitochondrial tRNAs. Consequently, the biochemical deficiency is due to mitochondrial protein synthesis defects, which manifest as aberrant cellular respiration and ATP synthesis. It has previously been reported that overexpression of mitochondrial aminoacyl tRNA synthetases has been effective, in cell lines, at partially suppressing the defects resulting from mutations in their cognate mt-tRNAs. We now show that leucyl tRNA synthetase is able to partially rescue defects caused by mutations in non-cognate mt-tRNAs. Further, a C terminal peptide alone can enter mitochondria and interact with the same spectrum of mt-tRNAs as the entire synthetase, in intact cells. These data support the possibility that a small peptide could correct at least the biochemical defect associated with many mt-tRNA mutations, inferring a novel therapy for these disorders.

Sepsis results from a major systemic inflammatory response and can induce disorders in multiple organs. The present study evaluated the potential protective effects of oleuropein (OLE) against hyperinflammatory responses during lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced sepsis in mice. Sixty male Balb/c mice were randomly categorized into five groups of 12 animals each: control, intraperitoneally injected with OLE (50 mg/kg), injected with LPS (10 mg/kg, intraperitoneal), and two groups administered OLE (25 and 50 mg/kg) for 3 days prior to LPS injection. Twenty‐four hours after lipopolysaccharide injection, the animals were sacrificed. Serum, liver, and kidney tissue samples were collected for biochemical analyses, histopathological examinations, and investigation of inflammation‐related gene expression. OLE pretreatment significantly reduced liver damage parameters (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase) and kidney damage parameters (blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and kidney injury molecule‐1) in the septic mice. OLE pretreatment ameliorated LPS‐induced liver and kidney histological changes. OLE significantly mitigated the increased levels of malondialdehyde in the liver and kidneys and reduced levels of reduced glutathione induced by LPS. LPS injection also resulted in increased expression of the proinflammatory cytokines (TNF‐α, IL‐1β, and IL‐6) and inflammation‐related genes (Nos2, Hmgb1, Mpo, Cd46, Map2k4, and Map2k7) in the hepatic and renal tissues. OLE reduced these expressions to ameliorate the inflammatory response. Moreover, OLE pretreatment enhanced the survival rate of septic mice. In conclusion, OLE alleviated the inflammatory response to protect against LPS‐induced sepsis in mice.

Bionanotechnology is the combination of biotechnology and nanotechnology for the development of biosynthetic and environmentally friendly nanomaterial synthesis technology. The presented research work adopted a reliable and environmentally sustainable approach to manufacturing silver nanoparticles from Brachychiton populneus (BP-AgNPs) leaf extract in aqueous medium. The Brachychiton populneus-derived silver nanoparticles were characterized by UV–Vis spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). In addition, the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and cytotoxic activities of AgNPs were brought to light. The synthesis of BP-AgNPs was verified at 453 nm wavelength by UV–Vis spectrum. FTIR analysis revealed that synthesis, stability, and capping of AgNPs depend on functional groups such as alkane, alkene, nitro, flouro, phenol, alcoholic, and flavones, present in plant extract. The SEM analysis revealed evenly distributed cubical-shaped nanoparticles. The average diameter of AgNPs was 12 nm calculated from SEM image through ImageJ software. EDX spectrum confirmed the presence of Ag at 3 keV and other trace elements such as oxygen and chlorine. The biosynthesized silver nanoparticles exhibited proven antioxidant (DPPH assay), antidiabetic (alpha amylase assay), anti-inflammatory (albumin denaturation assay), and cytotoxic (MTT assay) potential against U87 and HEK293 cell lines in comparison to standard drugs. In these assays, BP-AgNPs exhibited inhibition in a concentration-dependent manner and had lower IC50 values compared to standards. All these outcomes suggest that silver nanoparticles work as a beneficial biological agent. The salient features of biosynthesized silver nanoparticles propose their effective applications in the biomedical domain in the future.

Here, we investigated the protective efficacy of protocatechuic acid (PCA) against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced septic lung injury. Eighty-two male Balb/c mice were divided into six groups: control, PCA30 (30 mg/kg), LPS (10 mg/kg), PCA10-LPS, PCA20-LPS, and PCA30-LPS treated with 10, 20 and 30 mg/kg PCA, respectively, for seven days before intraperitoneal LPS injection. PCA pre-treatment, especially at higher dose, significantly reduced LPS-induced lung tissue injury as indicated by increased heat shock protein 70 and antioxidant molecules (reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase) accompanied by lower oxidative stress indices (malondialdehyde and nitric oxide).PCA administration decreased inflammatory mediators including myeloperoxidase, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB p65), and pro-inflammatory cytokines, and prevented the development of apoptotic events in the lung tissue. At the molecular level, PCA downregulated mRNA expression of nitric oxide synthase 2, C/EBP homologous protein, and high mobility group box1 in the lungs of all PCA-LPS treated mice. Thus, PCA-pre-treatment effectively counteracted sepsis-induced acute lung injury in vivo by promoting and antioxidant status, while inhibiting inflammation and apoptosis.Practical implications: Sepsis-mediated organ dysfunction and high mortality is aggravated by acute lung injury (ALI). Therefore, new therapeutic approaches are needed to encounter sepsis-mediated ALI. Protocatechuic acid (PCA) is a naturally occurring phenolic acid with various biological and pharmacological activities. PCA is abundant in edible plants including Allium cepa L., Oryza sativa L., Hibiscus sabdariffa, Prunus domestica L., and Eucommia ulmoides. In this investigation we studied the potential protective role of pure PCA (10, 20 and 30 mg/kg) on LPS-mediated septic lung injury in mice through examining oxidative challenge, inflammatory response, apoptotic events and histopathological changes in addition to evaluating the levels and mRNA expression of heat shock protein 70, C/EBP homologous protein and Funding informationTaif University, Grant/Award Number: TURSP-2020/153 high mobility group box1 in the lung tissue. The recorded results showed that PCA pre-administration was able to significantly abrogate the damages in the lung tissue associated septic response. This protective effect comes from its strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic activities, suggesting that PCA may be applied to alleviate ALI associated with the development of sepsis.

In this study, the antibacterial and antifungal properties of silver nanoparticles synthesized with the aqueous plant extract of Acer oblongifolium leaves were defined using a simplistic, environmentally friendly, reliable, and cost-effective method. The aqueous plant extract of Acer oblongifolium, which served as a capping and reducing agent, was used to biosynthesize silver nanoparticles. UV visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy were used to analyze the biosynthesized Acer oblongifolium silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus paramycoides and Bacillus cereus) and Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli) were used to test the AgNPs’ antibacterial activity. The presence of different functional groups was determined by FTIR. The AgNPs were rod-like in shape. The nanoparticles were more toxic against Escherichiacoli than both Bacillus cereus and Bacillus paramycoides. The AgNPs had IC50 values of 6.22 and 9.43 and mg/mL on HeLa and MCF-7, respectively, proving their comparatively strong potency against MCF-7. This confirmed that silver nanoparticles had strong antibacterial activity and antiproliferative ability against MCF-7 and HeLa cell lines. The mathematical modeling revealed that the pure nanoparticle had a high heat-absorbing capacity compared to the mixed nanoparticle. This research demonstrated that the biosynthesized Acer oblongifolium AgNPs could be used as an antioxidant, antibacterial, and anticancer agent in the future.

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