Biomimetic Nanobomb for Synergistic Therapy with Inhibition of Cancer Stem Cells.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs), a type of cell with self-renewal, unlimited proliferation, and insensitivity to common physical and chemical factors, are the key to cancer metastasis, recurrence, and chemo-resistance. Available CSCs inhibition strategies are mainly based on small molecule drugs, yet are limited by their off-target toxicity. The link between CSCs and non-CSCs interconversion is difficult to sever. In this work, a nanotherapeutic strategy based on MnOx -loaded polydopamine (MnOx /PDA) nanobombs with chemodynamic, photodynamic, photothermal and biodegradation properties to inhibit CSCs and non-CSCs concurrently is reported. The MnOx /PDA nanobombs can directly disrupt the microenvironment and tumorigenic capacity of CSCs by generating hyperthermia, oxidative stress and alleviating hypoxia. The markers of CSCs are subsequently downregulated, leading to the clearance of CSCs. Meanwhile, the synergistic therapy mediated by MnOx /PDA nanobombs can directly ablate the bulk tumor cells, thus cutting off the supply of CSCs transformation. For tumor targeting, MnOx /PDA is coated with macrophage membrane. The final tumor inhibition rate of the synergistic therapy is 70.8% in colorectal cancer (CRC) model. Taken together, the present work may open up the exploration of nanomaterial-based synergistic therapy for the simultaneous elimination of therapeutically resistant CSCs and non-CSCs.

Association of genetic polymorphisms with mercapturic acids in the urine of young healthy subjects before and after exposure to outdoor air pollution.

We aimed to identify the relationship between variations in metabolic genes and human urinary changes in mercapturic acids (MAs), including CEMA, HMPMA, SPMA, HPMA and HEMA, before and after air pollution exposure. Genotype detection for 47 relevant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) collected by literature research was performed. Five MAs expression levels in the urinary samples of 50 young healthy individuals with short-term exposure to clean, polluted and purified air at five time points were detected by targeted online solid-phase extraction liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (SPE-LC-MS/MS), followed with associations of SNPs with MAs changes. Difference in MAs between polluted and clean/purified air was significantly associated with 21 SNPs mapped into 9 genes. Five SNPs in GSTP1 showed the most prominent association with the changes in SPMA expression, indicating that those SNPs in GSTP1 and SPMA might serve as biomarkers for susceptibility and the prognosis of lung cancer.

YOD1 serves as a potential prognostic biomarker for pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND: Ubiquitination is a basic post-translational modification of intracellular proteins and can be reversed enzymatically by DUBs (deubiquitinating enzymes). More than 90 DUBs have been identified. Among them, the deubiquitinating enzyme YOD1, a member of the ovarian tumor domain protease (OTUs) subfamily, is involved in the regulation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-related degradation pathways. In fact, it is reported that YOD1 is an important proliferation and metastasis-inducing gene, which can stimulate the characteristics of cancer stem cells and maintain circulating tumor cells (CTC). However, the expression level, prognostic effect and biological functional mechanism of YOD1 in pancreatic cancer are still unclear. RESULTS: In the GEO and TCGA databases, YOD1 mRNA expression is significantly up regulated in a variety of human pancreatic cancer tissues. Survival analysis showed that the up regulation of YOD1 can predict poor prognosis of pancreatic cancer. Cox analysis showed that high YOD1 expression is an independent prognostic factor of pancreatic cancer. ROC analysis shows that YOD1 has significant diagnostic value. The immunohistochemistry (IHC) results showed that the protein expression level of YOD1 in pancreatic cancer tissue was higher than that in neighboring non-pancreatic cancer tissues (P < 0.001). In addition, we found that YOD1 expression is negatively correlated with the infiltration level of CD8 + T cells, macrophages, neutrophils and dendritic cells (DC) in pancreatic cancer. The expression of YOD1 has a strong correlation with the different immune marker sets in PAAD. Co-expression network and functional enrichment analysis indicate that YOD1 may participate in the development of pancreatic cancer through cell adhesion molecules, p53, Hippo, TGF-ß and other pathways. The experimental results of EDU, Transwell, Immunohistochemistry (IHC), Western blot and Flow Cytometry indicate that YOD1 is highly expressed in pancreatic cancer cells and pancreatic cancer tissues, and its overexpression can promote the proliferation and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells and affect the immune microenvironment. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that YOD1 may be a useful biomarker for the prognosis of human pancreatic cancer, and it may also be a potential molecular target for the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer.

G3BP1 promotes human breast cancer cell proliferation through coordinating with GSK-3ß and stabilizing ß-catenin.

Ras-GTPase activating SH3 domain-binding protein 1 (G3BP1) is a multifunctional binding protein involved in the development of a variety of human cancers. However, the role of G3BP1 in breast cancer progression remains largely unknown. In this study, we report that G3BP1 is upregulated and correlated with poor prognosis in breast cancer. Overexpression of G3BP1 promotes breast cancer cell proliferation by stimulating ß-catenin signaling, which upregulates a number of proliferation-related genes. We further show that G3BP1 improves the stability of ß-catenin by inhibiting its ubiquitin-proteasome degradation rather than affecting the transcription of ß-catenin. Mechanistically, elevated G3BP1 interacts with and inactivates GSK-3ß to suppress ß-catenin phosphorylation and degradation. Disturbing the G3BP1-GSK-3ß interaction accelerates the degradation of ß-catenin, impairing the proliferative capacity of breast cancer cells. Our study demonstrates that the regulatory mechanism of the G3BP1/GSK-3ß/ß-catenin axis may be a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer.

Linking endotypes to omics profiles in difficult-to-control asthma using the diagnostic Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation algorithm.

Objective: Patients with difficult-to-control asthma have difficulty breathing almost all of the time, even leading to life-threatening asthma attacks. However, only few diagnostic markers for this disease have been identified. We aimed to take advantage of unique Chinese medicine theories for phenotypic classification and to explore molecular signatures in difficult-to-control asthma. Methods: The Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation algorithm (CMSDA) is a syndrome-scoring classification method based on the Chinese medicine overall observation theory. Patients with difficult-to-control asthma were classified into Cold- and Hot-pattern groups according to the CMSDA. DNA methylation and metabolomic profiles were obtained using Infinium Human Methylation 450 BeadChip and gas chromatography-mass spectrometer. Subsequently, an integrated bioinformatics analysis was performed to compare those two patterns and identify Cold/Hot-associated candidates, followed by functional validation studies. Results: A total of 20 patients with difficult-to-control asthma were enrolled in the study. Ten were grouped as Cold and 10 as Hot according to the CMSDA. We identified distinct whole-genome DNA methylation and metabolomic profiles between Cold- and Hot-pattern groups. ALDH3A1 gene exhibited variations in the DNA methylation probe cg10791966, while two metabolic pathways were associated with those two patterns. Conclusions: Our study introduced a novel diagnostic classification approach, the CMSDA, for difficult-to-control asthma. This is an alternative way to categorize diverse syndromes and link endotypes with omics profiles of this disease. ALDH3A1 might be a potential biomarker for precision diagnosis of difficult-to-control asthma.

A novel biphenyl compound IMB-S7 ameliorates hepatic fibrosis in BDL rats by suppressing Sp1-mediated integrin αv expression.

Chronic tissue injury with fibrosis results in the disruption of tissue architecture, organ dysfunction, and eventual organ failure. Therefore, the development of effective antifibrotic drugs is urgently required. IMB-S7 is novel biphenyl compound derived from bifendate (biphenyldicarboxylate) that is used for the treatment of chronic hepatitis in China. In the current study we investigated the potential of IMB-S7 as an antihepatic fibrosis agent. In bile duct ligation (BDL) rat model, oral administration of IMB-S7 (400 mg· kg-1· d-1, for 14 days) significantly ameliorated BDL-induced liver necrosis, bile duct proliferation, and collagen accumulation. We then showed that IMB-S7 treatment markedly suppressed the TGF-ß/Smad pathway in human hepatic stellate cell line LX2 and mouse primary HSCs, as well as in liver samples of BDL rats, thus inhibiting the transcription of most fibrogenesis-associated genes, including TGF-ß1, COL1A1, and ACTA2. Furthermore, IMB-S7 treatment significantly suppressed the expression of integrin αv at the mRNA and protein levels in TGF-ß-treated LX2 cells and liver samples of BDL rats. Using integrin αv overexpression and silencing, we demonstrated that integrin αv activity correlated positively with the activation of TGF-ß/Smad pathway. Based on dual luciferase assay and DNA affinity precipitation assay, we revealed that IMB-S7 inactivated integrin αv through competitively inhibiting the binding of Sp1, a transcription factor, to the integrin αv (ITGAV) promoter (-173/-163 bp). These results suggest that IMB-S7 inhibits HSCs activation and liver fibrosis through Sp1-integrin αv signaling, and IMB-S7 may be a promising candidate to combat hepatic fibrosis in the future.

The novel quinolizidine derivate IMB-HDC inhibits STAT5a phosphorylation at 694 and 780 and promotes DNA breakage and cell apoptosis via blocking STAT5a nuclear translocation.

Sophoridine is a quinolizidine natural product and the exploration of its derivatives has been carried out, and the potent anticancer compound IMB-HDC was acquired. Although previous studies have revealed that some sophoridine derivatives could induce DNA breakage, the underlying mechanisms of inhibition of DNA damage repair (ATR inactivation) and the apoptosis independent of p53, have not been elucidated. Our research reveals a novel DNA response mechanism different from general DNA-damaging agents, and that sophoridine derivate inhibits the phosphorylation of Tyr694 and Ser780 of STAT5a to induce the lessened shuttle from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, and leads to the decreased nuclear STAT5a and subsequently inhibits the expression of STAT5a target gene RAD51 that contributes to the checkpoint activation, thus inhibiting ATR activation. Meanwhile, IMB-HDC that induced the diminished expression of STAT5a target gene contributes to proliferation and leads to apoptosis. More importantly, we give the first evidence that promoting the effect of Tyr694 phosphorylation on nuclear location and subsequent STAT5a target gene transcription depends on Ser780 increased or unchanged phosphorylation and was not correlated with Ser726 phosphorylation.

Different transcriptome profiles between human retinoblastoma Y79 cells and an etoposide-resistant subline reveal a chemoresistance mechanism.

BACKGROUND: Retinoblastoma (RB) is the most frequent pediatric retinal tumor. In the present study, to elucidate chemoresistance mechanisms and identify potential biomarkers in RB, we utilized RNA sequencing (RNAseq) technological platforms to reveal transcriptome profiles and identify any differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between an etoposide drug-resistant subline (Y79/EDR) and parental Y79 cells. METHODS: To test whether Y79/EDR cells showed resistance to antineoplastic agents for RB, we treated the cells with etoposide, carboplatin and vincristine and analyzed them with a Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8). Y79/EDR and parental Y79 cells were used for RNAseq and bioinformatics analysis to enable a genome-wide review of DEGs between the two lines using the DESeq R package (1.10.1). Then, DEG enrichment in Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways was analyzed with KOBAS software. Next, real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (real time QRT-PCR) and cytotoxicity assays were performed to experimentally and functionally validate the identified candidate biomarkers. RESULTS: Y79/EDR cells showed resistance to etoposide, carboplatin and vincristine at different concentrations. In total, 524 transcripts were differentially expressed in Y79/EDR cells based on analysis of fragments per kilobase of transcript per million fragments mapped (FPKM); among these, 57 genes were downregulated and 467 genes were upregulated in Y79/EDR cells compared to parental Y79 cells. We selected candidate DEGs, including ARHGAP9, HIST1H4H, RELN, DDIT4, HK2, STC1 and PFKFB4, for mRNA expression validation with real time QRT-PCR assays and found that the expression levels determined by real time QRT-PCR were consistent with the RNAseq data. Further studies involving downregulation of ARHGAP9 with a specific siRNA showed that ARHGAP9 altered the cellular sensitivity of Y79 cells to etoposide and carboplatin. CONCLUSION: Our initial findings provided a genomic view of the transcription profiles of etoposide-induced acquired resistance in RB. Follow-up studies indicated that ARHGAP9 might be a chemoresistance biomarker in RB, providing insight into potential therapeutic targets for overcoming acquired chemoresistance in RB. These findings can aid in understanding and overcoming chemoresistance during treatment of RB in the clinic.

A novel ASBT inhibitor, IMB17-15, repressed nonalcoholic fatty liver disease development in high-fat diet-fed Syrian golden hamsters.

The manipulation of bile acid (BA) homeostasis by blocking the ileal apical Na+-dependent bile salt transporter (ASBT/SLC10A2) may have therapeutic effects in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. We developed a novel ASBT inhibitor, an N-(3,4-o-dichlorophenyl)-2-(3-trifluoromethoxy) benzamide derivative referred to as IMB17-15, and investigated its therapeutic effects and the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects. Syrian golden hamsters were challenged with high-fat diet (HFD) to induce NAFLD and were subsequently administered 400 mg/kg IMB17-15 by gavage daily for 21 days. Serum, liver, and fecal samples were collected for further analysis. Plasma concentration-time profiles of IMB17-15 were also constructed. The human hepatocyte cell line HL-7702 was treated with Oleic acid (OA) with or without IMB17-15. Western blotting and real-time PCR were used to study the molecular mechanisms of IMB17-15. We found that IMB17-15 inhibited ASBT and subsequently suppressed ileal farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and FXR-activated fibroblast growth factor15/19 (FGF15/19) expression, which reduced the hepatic phosphorylated extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) levels and upregulated the cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) activity. Additionally, IMB17-15 stimulated adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPKα) phosphorylation and enhanced peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α (PPARα) expression and thus promoted triglyceride (TG) oxidation and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) metabolism through an ASBT-independent mechanism. In conclusion, a novel ASBT inhibitor known as IMB17-15 protected hamsters against HFD-induced NFALD by manipulating BA and lipid homeostasis. IMB17-15 also reduced lipid deposition in human hepatic cell lines, indicating that it may be useful as a therapy for NAFLD patients.

The Recombinant and Reconstituted Novel Albumin-Lidamycin Conjugate Shows Lasting Tumor Imaging and Intensively Enhanced Therapeutic Efficacy.

Depending on increasing extracellular protein utilization and altering metabolic programs, cancer cells could proliferate and survive without restricion by ingesting human serum albumin (HSA) to serve as nutritional amino acids. Here, we hypothesize that the consumption of albumin by cancer cells could be utilized as an efficient approach to targeted drug delivery. Lidamycin (LDM), an antitumor antibiotic with extremely potent cytotoxicity to cultured cancer cells, consists of an apoprotein (LDP) and an active enediyne chromophore (AE). In the present study, a novel albumin-lidamycin conjugate was prepared by DNA recombination and molecular reconstitution. Results show that the IC50 values of albumin-lidamycin conjugate (HSA-LDP-AE) for a variety of tested cancer cells were at subnanomolar levels. At tolerated doses, the albumin-lidamycin conjugate significantly inhibited the growth of lung carcinoma PG-BE1 xenografts by 97.8%. The therapeutic efficacy of the albumin-lidamycin conjugate was much stronger than that of free lidamycin. Meanwhile, the images of albumin-lidamycin conjugate showed obvious and lasting tumor localization and fluorescence enrichment and there was no detectable signal in nontumor locations. Taken together, albumin-lidamycin conjugate, a new format of lidamycin, could be a promising antitumor therapeutic agent and albumin-integration might be a feasible approach to targeted antitumor drug delivery.

EBP50 suppresses the proliferation of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells via promoting Beclin-1/p62-mediated lysosomal degradation of c-Myc.

c-Myc, a key activator of cell proliferation and angiogenesis, promotes the development and progression of breast cancer. Ezrin-radixin-moesin-binding phosphoprotein-50 (EBP50) is a multifunctional scaffold protein that suppresses the proliferation of breast cancer cells. In this study we investigated whether the cancer-suppressing effects of EBP50 resulted from its regulation of c-Myc signaling in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells in vitro and in vivo. We first found a significant correlation between EBP50 and c-Myc expression levels in breast cancer tissue, and demonstrated that EBP50 suppressed cell proliferation through decreasing the expression of c-Myc and its downstream proteins cyclin A, E and Cdc25A in MCF-7 cells. We further showed that EBP50 did not regulate c-Myc mRNA expression, but it promoted the degradation of c-Myc through the autophagic lysosomal pathway. Moreover, EBP50 promoted integration between c-Myc and p62, an autophagic cargo protein, triggering the autophagic lysosomal degradation of c-Myc. In EBP50-silenced MCF-7 cells, activation of autophagy by Beclin-1 promoted the degradation of c-Myc and inhibited cell proliferation. These results demonstrate that the EBP50/Beclin-1/p62/c-Myc signaling pathway plays a role in the proliferation in MCF-7 breast cancer cells: EBP50 stimulates the autophagic lysosomal degradation of c-Myc, thereby inhibits the proliferation of MCF-7 cells. Based on our results, promoting the lysosomal degradation of c-Myc might be a promising new strategy for treating breast cancer.

D-chiro-inositol effectively attenuates cholestasis in bile duct ligated rats by improving bile acid secretion and attenuating oxidative stress.

Cholestatic liver diseases are important causes of liver cirrhosis and liver transplantation, but few drugs are available for treatment. D-chiro-inositol (DCI), an isomer of inositol found in many Leguminosae plants and in animal viscera, is used clinically for the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and diabetes mellitus. In this study, we investigated whether DCI exerted an anti-cholestatic effect and its underlying mechanisms. A cholestatic rat model was established via bile duct ligation (BDL). After the surgery, the rats were given DCI (150 mg·kg-1·d-1) in drinking water for 2 weeks. Oral administration of DCI significantly decreased the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and attenuated bile duct proliferation, parenchymal necrosis and fibrosis in BDL rats. Furthermore, DCI treatment significantly increased the serum and bile levels of total bile acid (TBA), and decreased TBA levels in the liver. Moreover, DCI treatment significantly increased expression of the genes encoding bile acid transporters BSEP (Abcb11) and MRP2 (Abcc2) in liver tissues. DCI treatment also markedly decreased hepatic CD68 and NF-kappaB (NF-κB) levels, significantly decreased the serum and hepatic MDA levels, markedly increased superoxide dismutase activity in both serum and liver tissues. Using whole-genome oligonucleotide microarray, we revealed that DCI treatment altered the expression profiles of oxidation reduction-related genes in liver tissues. Collectively, DCI effectively attenuates BDL-induced hepatic bile acid accumulation and decreases the severity of injury and fibrosis by improving bile acid secretion, repressing inflammation and decreasing oxidative stress. The results suggest that DCI might be beneficial for patients with cholestatic disorders.

Recent progression in the utilization of autophagy-regulating nature compound as anti-liver fibrosis agents.

Hepatic fibrosis is a wound-healing response to chronic liver injury caused by various pathogenesis, such as hepatitis virus infection, drugs toxicity and autoimmune imbalances. Autophagy, a cellular process degrading damaged organelles or aggregative proteins, participates in multiple human diseases including hepatic fibrosis. However, the precise role of autophagy in the pathogenesis of hepatic fibrosis is yet to be elucidated. Accumulated evidences indicate that several nature compounds exhibit anti-fibrotic potential through modulating autophagy activity. For a better understanding of the relationships among autophagy, hepatic fibrosis, and autophagy-regulating nature compounds, this review highlights the recent advancement of nature compounds treating hepatic fibrosis through regulating autophagy.

[Advances in studies of ileal apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter].

Bile acids play critical roles in the regulation of metabolism and absorption of lipids. The ileal apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter (ASBT) located at the enterocyte brush border is responsible for the reuptake of bile acids and the maintenance of bile acid homeostasis. Recently, a number of investigations have been made concerning the regulation and control of ASBT and the relationship between ASBT and intestinal inflammation, tumorigenesis, diabetes mellitus and hyperlipemia, which suggests ASBT as a potential therapeutic target of these diseases. In this review, advances in the study of above-mentioned issues were summarized.

[The regulatory role of autophagy in tumor process].

Autophagy is a classical regulatory mechanism of energy metabolism and self-update system in the maintenance of the intracellular homeostasis and cell development. Autophagy has been recently found to play a role in tumor development. Autophagy regulates tumor formation, proliferation, metastasis, and metabolism. At the same time, the anticancer drugs formed with autophagic mediators have been used in the treatment, which suggested that improving autophagy activity to inhibit tumor has become a new way for cancer treatment of cancer patients. This article gives an overview of the regulatory mechanism of autophagy, the relationship between autophagy and tumor, and tumor therapy by targeting autophagy.

Structure-based design of novel chemical modification of the 3'-overhang for optimization of short interfering RNA performance.

Short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are broadly used to manipulate gene expression in mammalian cells. Although chemical modification is useful for increasing the potency of siRNAs in vivo, rational optimization of siRNA performance through chemical modification is still a challenge. In this work, we designed and synthesized a set of siRNAs containing modified two-nucleotide 3'-overhangs with the aim of strengthening the interaction between the 3'-end of the siRNA strand and the PAZ domain of Ago2. Their efficiency of binding to the PAZ domain was calculated using a computer modeling program, followed by measurement of RNA-Ago2 interaction in a surface plasmon resonance biochemical assay. The results suggest that increasing the level of binding of the 3'-end of the guiding strand with the PAZ domain, and/or reducing the level of binding of the sense strand through modifying the two-nucleotide 3'-overhangs, affects preferential strand selection and improves siRNA activity, while we cannot exclude the possibility that the modifications at the 3'-end of the sense strand may also affect the recognition of the 5'-end of the guiding strand by the MID domain. Taken together, our work presents a strategy for optimizing siRNA performance through asymmetric chemical modification of 3'-overhangs and also helps to develop the computer modeling method for rational siRNA design.

Src mediates extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 activation and autophagic cell death induced by cardiac glycosides in human non-small cell lung cancer cell lines.

Aberrant Na(+) /K(+) -ATPases (NKA) expression is closely related to the incidence and development of cancer, making NKA targeted cancer therapy more intriguing. Cardiac glycosides (CGs) belong to NKA inhibitors and possess potent anti-cancer properties in many cancers. Our previous work demonstrates that CGs family member digoxin or ouabain induces autophagic cell death in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines through regulation of both mammalian target of rapamycin and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) pathway. However, what acts as an upstream regulator of ERK1/2 activation during autophagy induction remains obscure. In the present study, the role of Src in the ERK1/2 signaling pathway as well as autophagic cell death induced by either digoxin or ouabain was examined in A549 and H460 cells. Src is significantly activated simultaneously with mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1/2 (MEK1/2) and ERK1/2 activation upon the drug treatment. Moreover, Src inhibitor PP2 could block either drug induced MEK1/2 and ERK1/2 phosphorylation, together with autophagic phenotypes in the cells. Knockdown of Src with siRNA causes the similar effect as PP2, both of which markedly alleviate the drugs' cytotoxicity. In addition, increased levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) are found to be involved in Src mediated autophagy. Together, this work provides evidences showing that Src mediates MEK1/2 and ERK1/2 pathway as well as ROS generation, and regulates autophagic cell death induced by the cardiac glycosides. These observations may further help understand the molecular mechanisms of autophagy induced by NKA inhibitors in NSCLC cells.

Lidamycin inhibits tumor initiating cells of hepatocellular carcinoma Huh7 through GSK3ß/ß-catenin pathway.

Recently, tumor initiating cells are considered as the central role of tumorigenicity in hepatocellular carcinoma. Enediyne anticancer antibiotic lidamycin with great potential antitumor activity is currently evaluated in Phase II clinical trials. In this study, we evaluated the effect of lidamycin on tumor initiating cells of hepatocellular carcinoma Huh7 and identified the potential mechanism. Flow cytometry analysis and sorting assay, surface marker assay, sphere formation assay, and aldefluor assay were used to evaluate the effect of lidamycin on Huh7 tumor initiating cells in vitro. To investigate the potential mechanism, the activity of GSK3ß/ß-catenin pathway was detected by Western blot and T cell factors transcriptional activity assay. Subcutaneous tumor model in nude mice was used to observe in vivo effect of lidamycin on Huh7 cells. Lidamycin decreased the proportion of EpCAM+ cells and the expression of EpCAM protein. Lidamycin inhibited sphere formation of sorted EpCAM+ cells in 7 d, and of parental cells in three serial passages. The population of aldehyde dehydrogenase-positive cells was reduced by lidamycin. In addition, lidamycin restrained tumor volume and incidence in vivo. Lidamycin activated GSK3ß, and degraded the activity of ß-catenin. Consequently, transcriptional activity of ß-catenin/T cell factors was decreased. In brief, these results suggest that lidamycin suppressed Huh7 tumor initiating cells via GSK3ß/ß-catenin pathway. These findings reveal the potential mechanism of lidamycin on tumor initiating cells and the benefit for further clinical evaluation.

The anti-fibrotic effects of epigallocatechin-3-gallate in bile duct-ligated cholestatic rats and human hepatic stellate LX-2 cells are mediated by the PI3K/Akt/Smad pathway.

AIM: (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is one of the most abundant polyphenols in green tea with strong antioxidant activity and various therapeutic effects. In this study, we investigated the anti-fibrotic effects of EGCG and underlying mechanisms in bile duct-ligated (BDL) rats and a liver fibrosis model in vitro. METHODS: BDL rats were treated with EGCG (25 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1), po) for 14 d, and then the serum, bile and liver samples were collected. Liver fibrosis was assessed by serum, urine and bile biochemistry analyses and morphological studies of liver tissues. TGF-ß1-stimulated human hepatic stellate LX-2 cells were used as a liver fibrosis model in vitro. The expression of liver fibrogenic genes and signaling proteins in the PI3K/Akt/Smad pathway was examined using Western blotting and/or real-time PCR. RESULTS: In BDL rats, EGCG treatment significantly ameliorates liver necrosis, inflammation and fibrosis, and suppressed expression of the genes associated with liver inflammation and fibrogenesis, including TNF-α, IL-1ß, TGF-ß1, MMP-9, α-SMA, and COL1A1. In LX-2 cells, application of EGCG (10, 25 µmol/L) dose-dependently suppressed TGF-ß1-stimulated expression of COL1A1, MMP-2, MMP-9, TGF-ß1, TIMP1, and α-SMA. Furthermore, EGCG significantly suppressed the phosphorylation of Smad2/3 and Akt in the livers of BDL rats and in TGF-ß1-stimulated LX-2 cells. Application of LY294002, a specific inhibitor of PI3K, produced similar effects as EGCG did in TGF-ß1-stimulated LX-2 cells, but co-application of EGCG and LY294002 did not produce additive effects. CONCLUSION: EGCG exerts anti-fibrotic effects in BDL rats and TGF-ß1-stimulated LX-2 cells in vitro via inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/Smad pathway.

[The TGF-ß signaling pathway induced EMT in breast cancer].

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) refers to tne transition during which epithelial cells undergo the loss of apical-basal polarity, acquisition of migration capability and transformation into mesenchymal cells. EMT induces breast cancer in situ to developing into metastasis and associates with the drug resistence. The multiple elements including signal pathways, transcriptional factors and downstream genes orchestrate the transition. Among them, the transforming growth factor ß (TGF-ß) signaling pathway plays a key role in the regulation of EMT in breast cancer. And this paper reviews the development of TGF-ß signaling pathway induced EMT in breast cancer.