[Effect of Jinlongshe Granule Drug-containing Serum on Tube Formation, Migration and Apoptosis of Human Lymphatic Endothelial Cells in vitro].

Objective To observe the inhibitory effect of Jinlongshe Granule drug-containing serum (JG-DS) on tube formation, migration, and apoptosis of human lymphatic endothelial cells ( HLECs) in vitro. Methods JG-DS was prepared. The 3rd-passage HLECs were divided into the control group (cultured with normal saline containing serum) and the experimental group (cultured with JG-DS). After cultured for 12 h, the tube formation ability was detected by Matrigel assay, and the migration ability was determined by Transwell assay in the two groups. Cell apoptosis rate was detected by flow cytometry and Annexin-V-FITC/Pl staining method. Results The total length of tube was (3 084. 49 ?326. 27) p.m after acted by 10% JG-DS for 12 h, significantly shorter than that of the control group (7 058.93 ?4 567. 39) pm (P <0.01). The migration number of HLECs was (99 ?26), obviously lower than that of the control group (160 ?32; P <0.05). The apoptosis rate of the two groups was not statistically significant (P >0.05). Conclusion JG could inhibit the tube formation and migration of HLECs in vitro, which might be one of mechanisms for inhibiting tumor micro-lymphatics.

Traditional Chinese medicine integrated with chemotherapy for stage IV non-surgical gastric cancer: a retrospective clinical analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is regarded as an important treatment for gastric cancer patients, especially for those in advanced stage. To evaluate the effects of TCM treatment on gastric cancer patients, the authors performed a retrospective study to report the result of the integrated treatment of TCM with chemotherapy for stage IV non-surgical gastric cancer. METHODS: In this study, 182 patients with stage IV and non-surgical gastric cancer were retrospectively analyzed to evaluate the effects of TCM integrated with chemotherapy. Among the 182 cases, 88 cases received integrated therapy consisting of TCM and chemotherapy, while 94 cases received chemotherapy alone. The overall survival and Karnofsky performance status (KPS) score were measured as the main outcome. RESULTS: The median overall survival of the integrated therapy group and chemotherapy group were 16.9 and 10.5 months, respectively. The 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates of integrated therapy group vs. chemotherapy group were 70% vs. 32%, 18% vs. 4%, and 11% vs. 0%, respectively. There was a significant difference between the two groups (χ2 = 42.244, P > 0.001). After six-month treatment, KPS scores of the integrated therapy group and the chemotherapy group were 75.00 ± 14.78 and 60.64 ± 21.39, respectively (P > 0.001). The Cox regression analysis showed that TCM treatment is a protective factor for patients' overall survival. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that TCM integrated with chemotherapy may prolong overall survival and improve survival rate and life quality of patients with stage IV non-surgical gastric cancer.

Chitosan-based core-shell structured particles for in vivo sustainable gene transfection.

A core-shell structured chitosan (CS)-based gene vector with a sustainable gene transfection effect was designed and successfully prepared in this study. The pEGFP was first combined with the thiolated and N-alkylated chitosan (TACS). Then, hydroxybutyl chitosan grafted with poly(ethylene glycol) (EG-HBC) was coated on the pEGFP-loaded TACS particles. The prepared pEGFP-loaded TACS@EG-HBC particles have a size of about 200 nm and little cytotoxicity. The in vitro and in vivo gene transfection experiments indicate that the pEGFP-loaded TACS@EG-HBC particles possess a better sustainable gene transfection capacity and a high transfection efficiency, which should be attributed to the biodegradation of the CS-based shell, the thiolation and N-alkylation modification on CS cores, and the grafted PEG chains with better biocompatibility. The in vivo gene expression of the loaded pEGFP can persist up to 60 days. This novel gene vector has a theoretical and practical significance for gene therapy with sustained transfection effect.

The sustained-release behavior and in vitro and in vivo transfection of pEGFP-loaded core-shell-structured chitosan-based composite particles.

Novel submicron core-shell-structured chitosan-based composite particles encapsulated with enhanced green fluorescent protein plasmids (pEGFP) were prepared by complex coacervation method. The core was pEGFP-loaded thiolated N-alkylated chitosan (TACS) and the shell was pH- and temperature-responsive hydroxybutyl chitosan (HBC). pEGFP-loaded TACS-HBC composite particles were spherical, and had a mean diameter of approximately 120 nm, as measured by transmission electron microscopy and particle size analyzer. pEGFP showed sustained release in vitro for >15 days. Furthermore, in vitro transfection in human embryonic kidney 293T and human cervix epithelial cells, and in vivo transfection in mice skeletal muscle of loaded pEGFP, were investigated. Results showed that the expression of loaded pEGFP, both in vitro and in vivo, was slow but could be sustained over a long period. pEGFP expression in mice skeletal muscle was sustained for >60 days. This work indicates that these submicron core-shell-structured chitosan-based composite particles could potentially be used as a gene vector for in vivo controlled gene transfection.