The effect of leflunomide on the transplanted endometriosis lesions in SD rats.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of the leflunomide (LEF) on the size of the transplanted endometriosis (EMS) lesions and trans- forming growth factor (TGF) -ß1gray level in SD rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: EMS was surgically induced in rats by autologous trans- plantation and the focal volume was also measured. The rats were divided into three groups: group A: normal SD rats, group B: rats irrigated by one ml-kg⁻¹d⁻¹ saline for three weeks, and group C: rats irrigated by 35 mg-kg⁻¹d⁻¹ LEF for three weeks. The rats were then sacrificed and measured their focal volume and TGF-ß1 gray value with immunohistochemical method. RESULTS: The sizes of the focal volume in group C were significantly reduced compared to the rats before feeding, and the volume in group C was smaller than group B after feeding and so was the TGF-ß1. CONCLUSION: LEF could be a new therapeutic drug for EMS.

Study on the effect of Integrin αVß6 on proliferation and apoptosis of cervical cancer cells.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the influence of Integrin αVß6 on proliferation and apoptosis of cervical cancer cells. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-two patients with benign cervical lesions, 55 cervical cancer patients, and 20 healthy controls were selected as research subjects. The positive expression rate of Integrin αVß6 was detected in cervical tissue samples by immunohistochemistry. The relative expressions of the proliferation-related proteins, p53, PCNA, Ki-67, and TIPE2, and the apoptosis-related proteins, Cyto-C, AIF, caspase-3, Bag-1, Bcl-2, and p-Akt were measured by Western blot. RESULTS: The positive rate of Integrin αVß6 expression was higher in tissue from cervical cancer patients than in the other two groups (p < 0.05). The levels of expression of p53, PCNA, and Ki-67 in the cervical cancer group were higher, while the levels of TIPE2 were lower compared with the other two groups (p < 0.05). The levels of expression of Bag-1 and Bcl-2 were higher in the cervical cancer group, but Cyto-C, AIF, caspase-3, and p-Akt were lower compared with the other two groups (p < 0.05). Compared with cervical cancer patients with negative Integrin αVß6 expression, patients with positive Integrin αVß6 expression had different expression levels of the proliferation- and apoptosis-related proteins, and the differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: High expression of Integrin αVß6 is an important cause of active proliferation and impaired apoptosis in cervical cancer. Integrin αVß6 is a promising target for the treatment of cervical cancer.