Ameliorative effects of a Chinese herbal formula, fufang meidengmu on uterine leiomyoma in a mice model.

Fufang Meidengmu (FFMDM) is an ethnic herbal medicine form Yunnan province of China, which is often used for the treatment of uterine leiomyoma (UL). Combined Gancao (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch.) and Haizao (Sargassum pallidum (Turn.) C.Ag) in FFMDM represent an herbal pair in the so-called "eighteen antagonistic medicaments" according to traditional Chinese medicine. In this study, we explored the prevention and treatment effects of FFMDM component compatibility on UL in mice. Female Kunming mice were injected for different periods of time with different concentrations of estradiol benzoate (EB) to investigate a feasible method to establish a mice model of UL. Treatment with 0.3mg/kg EB for 15 days was found to be the optimal condition for UL mice models. We then investigate the role of Gancao and Haizao in FFMDM, and explored the underlying mechanism of action of UL mice. Our findings suggested that Gancao and Haizao exerted the favorable effects. In addition, FFMDM is effective in the treatment of UL, and its mechanism was associated with the estrogen (ER) and progesterone receptors (PR).

Yajieshaba prevents lipopolysaccharide-induced intestinal barrier injuryanti-inflammatory and anti-apoptosis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective effect of Yajieshaba (YJSB) on the intestinal barrier dysfunction induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). METHODS: C57BL/6 mice and rat intestinal epithelial cells were treated with LPS. Thiazolyl Blue Tetrazolium Bromide assay were used to detect cell viability. D-Lactate, diamine oxidase and myeloperoxidase and cytokines were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Western blot was used to detect apoptosis-related proteins and tight junction (TJ) proteins. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to quantify the levels of mRNA expression of cytokines. Histological analysis was performed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. An immunofluorescence staining assay was performed to determine the expression level of TJ protein. RESULTS: YJSB increased cell viability and decreased apoptosis, maintained intestinal permeability after LPS-induced. YJSB inhibited LPS-induced decrease of TJ protein expression, pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and neutrophil infiltration. CONCLUSION: YJSB protect against LPS-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptosis, suggesting its therapeutic potential against intestinal barrier injury-related diseases.

Retracted: Anticancer Activity of Mukonal Against Human Laryngeal Cancer Cells Involves Apoptosis, Cell Cycle Arrest, and Inhibition of PI3K/AKT and MEK/ERK Signalling Pathways.

An editorial decision has been made to retract this manuscript due to breach of publishing guidelines, following the identification of non-original and manipulated figures. Reference: Liu Li, Lu Huizhi, Wang Binu, Deng Xinxin, Wu Longjun, Yang Liping, Zhang Yingying. Anticancer Activity of Mukonal Against Human Laryngeal Cancer Cells Involves Apoptosis, Cell Cycle Arrest, and Inhibition of PI3K/AKT and MEK/ERK Signalling Pathways. Med Sci Monit, 2018; 24: 7295-7302. DOI: 10.12659/MSM.910702.

GSH-responsive poly-resveratrol based nanoparticles for effective drug delivery and reversing multidrug resistance.

Cancer poses a serious threat to human health and is the most common cause of human death. Polymer-based nanomedicines are presently used to enhance the treatment effectiveness and decrease the systemic toxicity of chemotherapeutic agents. However, the disadvantage of currently polymeric carriers is without therapy procedure. Herein, for the first time, glutathione (GSH)-responsive polymer (PRES) with anti-cancer effect was synthesized following the condensation-polymerization method using resveratrol (RES) and 3,3'-dithiodipropionic acid. PRES can not only suppress the tumor cells growth but can also self-assemble into nanoparticles (∼93 nm) for delivering antitumor drugs, such as paclitaxel (PTX@PRES NPs). The system could achieve high drug loading (∼7%) and overcome multidrug resistance (MDR). The results from the in vitro studies revealed that the NPs formed of PRES were stable in the systemic circulation, while could be efficiently degraded in tumor cells high GSH environment. Results from cytotoxicity tests confirmed that PTX@PRES NPs could effectively suppress the growth of cancer cells (A549) and drug-resistant cells (A549/PTX). The NPs could also be used to significantly increase the therapeutic efficacy of the drugs in A549/PTX tumor-bearing mice. In vivo investigations also demonstrated that the PRES-based NPs exhibited tumor inhibition effects. In summary, we report that the GSH-responsive polymer synthesized by us exhibited multiple interesting functions and could be used for effective drug delivery. The polymer exhibited good therapeutic effects and could be used to overcome MDR. Thus, the synthesized system can be used to develop a new strategy for treating cancer.

The effect of trauma care systems on the mortality of injured adult patients: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to have a comprehensive evaluation of the effect of trauma care systems on the mortality of injured adult patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This protocol established in this study has been reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols. Web of Science, PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library were searched for all clinical trials evaluating the effect of trauma care systems on the mortality of injured adult patients until July 31, 2020. We will use a combination of Medical Subject Heading and free-text terms with various synonyms to search based on the eligibility criteria. Two investigators independently reviewed the included studies and extracted relevant data. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used as effect estimate. I-square (I) test, substantial heterogeneity, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias assessment will be performed accordingly. Stata 15.0 and Review Manger 5.3 are used for meta-analysis and systematic review. RESULTS: The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. CONCLUSION: The results of this review will be widely disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. This evidence may also provide a comprehensive evaluation of the effect of trauma care systems on the mortality of injured adult patients. REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202080058.

Anticancer Activity of Mukonal Against Human Laryngeal Cancer Cells Involves Apoptosis, Cell Cycle Arrest, and Inhibition of PI3K/AKT and MEK/ERK Signalling Pathways.

BACKGROUND Laryngeal cancer is one of the major malignancies of the neck and head and is responsible for considerable mortality across the globe. The treatments for laryngeal cancer mainly involve surgical interventions followed by chemotherapy. However, due to unsatisfactory results, constant relapses and the adverse effects associated with the currently used drugs, there is pressing need to develop effective drug options for treatment of laryngeal cancer. Therefore, this study was undertaken to investigate the anticancer effects of a plant-derived alkaloid, Mukonal, against human AMC-HN-8 laryngeal cancer cells. MATERIAL AND METHODS The WST-1 and clonogenic assays were employed to determine the cell viability. Apoptosis was detected by Hoechst and AO/EB staining. Cell migration and cell cycle analysis was performed by Transwell assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Protein expression was examined by Western blotting. RESULTS The results revealed that Mukonal reduced the viability of laryngeal cancer cells dose-dependently. The IC50 of Mukonal was found to be 10 µM. However, the effects of Mukonal on the normal HuLa-PC cells was found to be 140 µM. The decrease in the viability of the AMC-HN-8 laryngeal cancer cells was found to be due to the induction of apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest. Mukonal also suppressed the cell migration and of the AMC-HN-8 laryngeal cancer cells. Mukonal could also inhibit the PI3K/AKT and MEK/ERK signalling pathways in a concentration-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, we conclude that Mukonal could prove a beneficial lead molecule for the treatment of laryngeal cancer.