A study on the extraction process of active ingredients from Akebia Stem and an analysis of their anti-gastric cancer activity.

The study investigated the extraction process of active ingredients from akebia stem and an analysis of their anti-gastric cancer activity. Three different extraction methods were used to obtain extracts, namely the decoction method (group A), reflux extraction method (group B), and maceration method (group C), of which reflux extraction method and maceration method used ethanol as the extraction solvent, while decoction method used distilled water for extraction. The differences in anti-gastric cancer activity of the three extracts were compared. MTT assay was used to test and compare the inhibitory effects of extracts obtained in A, B, and C groups on gastric cancer cells. The results showed that the dry extract obtained by heat reflux extraction with "water-ethanol" ratio of 1:2, extractant volume of 70 ml, with ethanol as extraction solvent presented the best inhibitory activity on gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells in this study. Its inhibitory effect did not change over time, and was directly proportional to the concentration.

CD146 expression correlates with epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers and a poor prognosis in gastric cancer.

CD146 has been regarded as a novel potential therapeutic target for multiple cancers. The aim of the study was to investigate the expression of CD146 in gastric cancer and evaluate its clinical-pathological and prognostic significance. The expression of CD146 and three epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins (E-cadherin, ß-catenin and vimentin) was examined in 144 gastric cancers by immunohistochemistry. Fifty-nine cases (41.0%) were defined as positive for CD146 expression. We found that CD146 expression correlated positively with lymph node involvement and a poor prognosis, and retained an independent prognostic factor for gastric cancer patients. Furthermore, positive expression of CD146 was strongly associated with loss of the epithelial marker E-cadherin and acquisition of the expression of the mesenchymal markers nuclear ß-catenin and vimentin. These findings suggest that CD146 might promote EMT and progression in gastric cancer, and thus may be a potential therapeutic target for patients with gastric cancers.

Identification of serum biomarkers for lung cancer using magnetic bead-based SELDI-TOF-MS.

AIM: To identify novel serum biomarkers for lung cancer diagnosis using magnetic bead-based surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrum (SELDI-TOF-MS). METHODS: The protein fractions of 121 serum specimens from 30 lung cancer patients, 30 pulmonary tuberculosis patients and 33 healthy controls were enriched using WCX magnetic beads and subjected to SELDI-TOF-MS. The spectra were analyzed using Bio-marker Wizard version 3.1.0 and Biomarker Patterns Software version 5.0. A diagnostic model was constructed with the marker proteins using a linear discrimination analysis method. The validity of this model was tested in a blind test set consisted of 8 randomly selected lung cancer patients, 10 pulmonary tuberculosis patients and 10 healthy volunteers. RESULTS: Seventeen m/z peaks were identified, which were significantly different between the lung cancer group and the control (tuberculosis and healthy control) groups. Among these peaks, the 6445, 9725, 11705, and 15126 m/z peaks were selected by the Biomarker Pattern Software to construct a diagnostic model for lung cancer. This four-peak model established in the training set could discriminate lung cancer patients from non-cancer patients with a sensitivity of 93.3% (28/30) and a specificity of 90.5% (57/63). The diagnostic model showed a high sensitivity (75.0%) and a high specificity (95%) in the blind test validation. Database searching and literature mining indicated that the featured 4 peaks represented chaperonin (M9725), hemoglobin subunit beta (M15335), serum amyloid A (M11548), and an unknown protein. CONCLUSION: A lung cancer diagnostic model based on bead-based SELDI-TOF-MS has been established for the early diagnosis or differential diagnosis of lung cancers.

Association of two polymorphisms within and near SOCS3 gene with obesity in three nationalities in Xinjiang province of China.

AIM: SOCS3 gene plays an important role in the pathogenesis of obesity in animal models, but the data from human studies are relatively limited. To address this issue, a genetic association analysis on nationalities with different genetic background living in the similar environmental conditions was performed. METHODS: Two thousand seven hundred eleven subjects were randomly recruited from the Kazakh, Uygur and Han nationalities in Xinjiang of China. SNP polymorphisms rs4969168 and rs9892622 within or near the SOCS3 gene were genotyped using TaqMan-MGB™ assay. Association study between the two polymorphisms and obesity-related traits (body mass index [BMI]; waist-to-hip ratio [WHR]; weight; height, waist, and hip measurements) was conducted. RESULTS: Significant association was found between rs4969168 and the obesity-related traits, including BMI (25.32 ± 3.49 kg/m(2) for AA, 24.60 ± 3.70 kg/m(2) for AG, 24.39 ± 3.42 kg/m(2) for GG, P=0.042), weight (65.58 ± 11.42 kg for AA, 63.50 ± 11.30 kg for AG, 62.00 ± 10.78 kg for GG, P=0.011) in the Han nationality, but not in the Kazakh or Uygur nationalities. Rs9892622 was significantly associated with BMI, WHR, and WAIST in the Uygur males. Rs9892622 was also associated with BMI in Kazakh males. Linear regression analysis verified the above findings. However, neither of the two polymorphisms was associated with obesity-related traits in the total population. CONCLUSION: The polymorphism rs4969168 within or near the SOCS3 gene has a significant effect in the Han nationality, while rs9892622 was associated with obesity in Uygur and Kazakh nationalities in Xinjiang of China.

Proteomic analysis identified DJ-1 as a cisplatin resistant marker in non-small cell lung cancer.

The aim of study is to identify cisplatin-resistance associated biomarkers for non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). We use two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) combined with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry to compare the proteome between lung cancer cell line A549 and its cisplatin-resistant subline A549/DDP. Nine cisplatin resistance-related proteins were identified, and DJ-1, one of the differently expressed proteins, was selected for further validation and evaluation. Immunohistochemical results demonstrated that high expression level of DJ-1 was associated with cisplatin resistance and a predictor for poor prognosis in 67 locally advanced NSCLC patients. Furthermore, in vitro results showed that silencing DJ-1 increased the proliferation inhibitory effect of cisplatin to A549/DDP cells. In conclusion, DJ-1 might play an important role in the resistibility to cisplatin, and it could also act as a novel candidate biomarker for predicting the response of NSCLC patients to cisplatin-based chemotherapy.