WeChat, a Chinese multi-purpose messaging, social media, and mobile payment app, is an emerging media platform that has been integrated into the daily lives of people, including travel. However, despite growing proliferation surprisingly, little attention paid to gratifications obtained by travelers when using WeChat in travel-related decision-making. Adopting well-grounded Uses Gratifications ...

Finding rapid, reversible down-regulation of human UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) in LS180 cells following curcumin treatment led to the discovery that UGTs require phosphorylation. UGTs, distributed primarily in liver, kidney, and gastrointestinal tract, inactivate aromatic-like metabolites and a vast number of dietary and environmental chemicals, which reduces the risk of toxicities, mut...

UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) isozymes catalyze detoxification of numerous chemical toxins present in our daily diet and environment by conjugation to glucuronic acid. The special properties and enzymatic mechanism(s) that enable endoplasmic reticulum-bound UGT isozymes to convert innumerable structurally diverse lipophiles to excretable glucuronides are unknown. Inhibition of cellular UGT1...

To investigate the glucuronidation on the hydroxyl group of carbohydrate-containing drugs, the in vitro formation of glucuronides on the thioxyloside ring of the antithrombotic drug, LF 4.0212, was followed in rat and human liver microsomes and with recombinant UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGT). The reaction revealed a marked regioselectivity in rat and humans. Human liver microsomes glucuroni...

UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) catalyze the addition of glucuronic acid to endo- and xenobiotics, increasing hydrophilicity and enhancing elimination. Gender-divergent glucuronidation rates are observed in humans and rats, and gender differences in UGT mRNA levels have been observed in rodents. The purpose of this study was to establish the hormonal regulation of gender-dependent Ugt mRNA ...

Investigation of human UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) isoforms has been limited by a lack of specific substrate probes. In this study serotonin was evaluated for use as a probe substrate for human UGT1A6 using recombinant human UGTs and tissue microsomes. Of the 10 commercially available recombinant UGT isoforms, only UGT1A6 catalyzed serotonin glucuronidation. Serotonin-UGT activity at 40 m...

Flavonoids have poor bioavailabilities largely because of metabolism via UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs). This study aims to further understand the functions of UGT in metabolizing genistein and apigenin, two compounds metabolized more extensively in the gut than in the liver. Because Gunn rats are deficient in UGT1As, we determined whether this deficiency would result in less flavonoid glu...

Imidazoles and triazoles represent major classes of antifungal azole derivatives. With respect to UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) enzymes, the drug metabolism focus has mainly concentrated on their inhibitory effects with little known about azoles as substrates for UGTs. N-Glucuronide metabolites of the imidazole antifungals, tioconazole and croconazole, have been reported, but there are curr...

The induction of hepatic and intestinal cytochrome P450, NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (QOR), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) activities by intragastric administration of 1,7-phenanthroline, 2,2'-dipyridyl, and oltipraz has been investigated in rats. In the liver, all three compounds induced phase II drug-metabolizing enzymes without inducing overall cyto...

The UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) enzymes are critical for regulating nutrients, hormones, and endobiotics, as well as for detoxifying xenobiotics. Human and murine fetuses are known to express glucuronidation enzymes, but there are currently no data prior to implantation. Here we addressed this gap in knowledge and tested whether Ugt enzymes are already present in preimplantationstage embr...