Astragalin ameliorates renal injury in diabetic mice by modulating mitochondrial quality control via AMPK-dependent PGC1α pathway.

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a common microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus, and oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction play an important role in this process. It has been shown that aldose reductase (ALR2) catalyzes NADPH-dependent reduction of glucose to sorbitol, resulting in oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in diabetic patients. Astragalin (AG), a flavonoid extracted from Thesium chinense Turcz., shows an inhibitory activity on ALR2. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic effects of AG against renal injury in streptozocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mouse model. Diabetic mice were orally administered AG (5, 10 mg·kg-1·d-1) for 4 weeks. We showed that AG treatment greatly improved the proteinuria and ameliorated renal pathological damage without affecting the elevated blood glucose in diabetic mice. Furthermore, AG treatment significantly suppressed highly activated ALR2, and reduced oxidative stress in the kidney of diabetic mice and in high glucose and lipids-stimulated HK2 cells in vitro. We demonstrated that AG treatment modulated mitochondrial quality control and ameliorated apoptosis, boosting mitochondrial biogenesis, maintaining mitochondrial dynamic homeostasis, and improving energy metabolism disorder in vivo and in vitro. In high glucose and lipids-stimulated HK2 cells, we found that AG (20 µM) restored the phosphorylation level of AMPK, and upregulated the expression and transcriptional activity of PGC1α, whereas treatment with H2O2, blockade of AMPK with Compound C or knockdown of AMPKα with siRNA abolished the protective effect of AG on mitochondrial function, suggesting that antioxidant effects and activation of AMPK-dependent PGC1α pathway might be the molecular mechanisms underlying the protective effects of AG on mitochondrial quality control. We conclude that AG could be a promising drug candidate for the treatment of diabetic renal injury through activating AMPK.

Experiences of family caregivers of patients with post-traumatic hydrocephalus from hospital to home: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic hydrocephalus (PTH) is a complication of traumatic brain injury (TBI) that requires treatment and postoperative care. The shunt is one of the main treatments for PTH, which presents with dysfunction and infection. Considering brain injury, hydrocephalus shunt malfunction, and infection, family caregivers need to be responsible for caring for PTH patients, recognizing shunt malfunction and infection, and managing those patients accordingly from hospital to home. Understanding the experiences and needs of caregivers is beneficial for knowing their competency and quality of health care, ameliorating and ensuring future transition care. The study aimed to explore the feelings, experiences, and needs of family caregivers when caring for patients with TBI, PTH and shunts. METHODS: This was exploratory research of a purposive sample of 12 family caregivers of adult patients with TBI, PTH and shunts in five neurosurgery departments at a general hospital in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China, using a semi-structured interview method. Data were collected from October 2021 to March 2022 before being analyzed by content analysis methods. RESULTS: Caregivers required professional and social knowledge and support in the areas of TBI, PTH and shunts, caregiving interventions, psychological care needs, and health insurance, just as caregivers do, but unlike other general caregivers, care for patients with TBI, PTH, and shunt is fraught with uncertainty and the need to manage shunt setting, and caregivers often experience 'complex emotional reaction' during the transitional period, where care needs and complex emotions may lead to a lack of caregiver confidence, which in turn may affect caregiving behaviors, and experiences that affect care may be mediated through caregiving confidence. The perceived availability of resources, particularly those that are still available to them when they return home, has a significant impact on participants' emotional response and sense of confidence. CONCLUSIONS: The emotional response and the impact of stressor caregivers after TBI, PTH, and shunt was important, and sometimes confidence in care appeared to be an intermediate and useful factor that needed to be considered as health professionals prepared to develop care resources on how to manage and empower patients with TBI, PTH, and shunt. Meanwhile, there may be gaps and inequities in supportive care for patients diagnosed with TBI, PTH, and shunt in China.

Autophagy regulated by lncRNA HOTAIR contributes to the cisplatin-induced resistance in endometrial cancer cells.

OBJECTIVES: To identify whether lncRNAs (long non-coding RNA) participate in the regulation of cisplatin-resistant induced autophagy in endometrial cancer cells. RESULTS: Autophagy activity was significantly boosted in cisplatin-resistant Ishikawa cells, a human endometrial cancer cell line, compared with that in parental Ishikawa cells. After analyzing the overall long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) profiling, a meaningful lncRNA, HOTAIR, was identified. It was down-regulated simultaneously in cisplatin-resistant Ishikawa cells and parental Ishikawa cells treated with cisplatin. RNA interference of HOTAIR reduced the proliferation of cisplatin-resistant Ishikawa cells and enhanced the autophagy activity of cisplatin-resistant Ishikawa cells with or without cisplatin treatment, in addition, beclin-1, multidrug resistance (MDR), and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) were mediated by lncRNA HOTAIR. CONCLUSIONS: It is clear that lncRNAs, specifically HOTAIR, can regulate the cisplatin-resistance ability of human endometrial cancer cells through the regulation of autophagy by influencing Beclin-1, MDR, and P-gp expression.

Methotrexate affects HMGB1 expression in rheumatoid arthritis, and the downregulation of HMGB1 prevents rheumatoid arthritis progression.

High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is associated with the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Recent studies have shown that methotrexate (MTX) may inhibit the expression of HMGB1. This study examined whether HMGB1 might be involved in the treatment of RA using MTX. Synovial tissues were collected from RA patients who were treated with MTX for at least 6 months (RA-MTX group, 7 cases) and from those without MTX treatment (RA-noMTX group, 7 cases). Additionally, patients with osteoarthritis (OA group, 7 cases) were used as controls. The expression and locations of HMGB1 in the tissues were detected using real-time PCR, western blot, and immunohistochemistry. Additionally, OA-fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) and RA-FLSs were isolated and cultured, and the expression of HMGB1 was reduced in these cells by transfection with HMGB1 siRNA. Cell proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities were detected. Furthermore, the effects of HMGB1 on matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-13 were measured using western blot analysis. At the tissue level, HMGB1 expression in synovial membrane did not differ significantly between the OA and RA-MTX groups, but was significantly lower in these groups than in the RA-noMTX group. In cell experiments, the cell doubling time in the RA-FLS HMGB1 siRNA group was significantly extended compared with that in the RA-FLS negative control (NC)-siRNA group. The amount of cell migration and invasion in the RA-FLS HMGB1 siRNA group was significantly lower compared with that in the NC-siRNA group; the MMP-2 and MMP-13 expression levels were also lower. These results showed that MTX reduced HMGB1 expression in RA synovial tissues, and through the downregulation of HMGB1 expression in tissues, MTX may slow disease progression of RA.

Cisplatin-Resistant Gastric Cancer Cells Promote the Chemoresistance of Cisplatin-Sensitive Cells via the Exosomal RPS3-Mediated PI3K-Akt-Cofilin-1 Signaling Axis.

Cisplatin is an important agent in first-line chemotherapy against gastric cancer (GC). However, consequential drug resistance limits its effectiveness for the treatment of GC. In this study, a cisplatin resistant gastric cancer cell line SGC7901R was determined by LC-MS/MS with increased exosomal levels of RPS3 protein. SGC7901R cell-derived exosomes were readily taken up by cisplatin-sensitive SGC7901S cells, thus triggering off a phenotype of chemoresistance in the receptor cells. Subsequently, it was demonstrated that exosomal RPS3 was essential for inducing chemoresistance of receptor cells as shown by the acquisition of this phenotype in SGC7901S cells with enforced expression of RPS3. Further mechanism study demonstrated that cisplatin-resistant gastric cancer cell-derived exosomal RPS3 enhanced the chemoresistance of cisplatin-sensitive gastric cancer cells through the PI3K-Akt-cofilin-1 signaling pathway. All these findings demonstrated that cisplatin-resistant gastric cancer cells communicate with sensitive cells through the intercellular delivery of exosomal RPS3 and activation of the PI3K-Akt-cofilin-1 signaling pathway. Targeting exosomal RPS3 protein in cisplatin-resistant gastric cancer cells may thus be a promising strategy to overcome cisplatin resistance in gastric cancer.

Factors Associated with Poor Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Endovascular Therapy for Acute Ischemic Stroke due to Large-Vessel Occlusion in Acute Anterior Circulation: A Retrospective Study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate factors associated with poor clinical outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke undergoing endovascular therapy. METHODS: A retrospective review of 265 patients with acute ischemic stroke treated in the First Hospital of Jilin University between January 1, 2016, and November 1, 2019, was performed. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with a modified Rankin score of 0-2 at 90 days. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess potential clinical factors associated with a poor 90-day outcome. RESULTS: The rates of successful revascularization, good prognosis, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, and mortality were 84.5%, 46.0%, 9.8%, and 12.8%, respectively. As per univariate analysis, age, diagnosis of atrial fibrillation, diagnosis of diabetes, high baseline glucose level, tandem occlusion, high National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score at admission, general anesthesia, number of passes, high NIHSS score on discharge, unsuccessful recanalization (modified treatment in cerebral ischemia score <2b), and development of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, hemorrhagic infarction, parenchymal hematoma, and subarachnoid hemorrhage were associated with poor prognosis. Tobacco use was positive in correlation with good prognosis in univariate analysis. Diabetes, tandem occlusion, high NIHSS score at admission, and general anesthesia were independent factors associated with a poor 90-day outcome in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes, tandem occlusion, high NIHSS score at admission, and general anesthesia were independent risk factors associated with a poor 90-day outcome and should be considered a reference by neurointerventionalists in guiding their clinical decision-making.

[Enhancing PPCPs Removal and Membrane Fouling Control of Ultrafiltration Membrane by UiO-66@Fe3O4@UiO-66].

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) adsorption and membrane fouling control were realized by a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane loaded with multifunctional metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) in this study. During adsorption, the multifunctional MOFs UiO-66@Fe3O4@UiO-66 in the mixed-matrix membrane (MMMs) could adsorb two typical PPCPs, salicylic acid (SA), and dimethyl phthalate (DMP), efficiently. In the membrane catalytic regeneration process, Fe3O4 in UiO-66@Fe3O4@UiO-66 could catalyze H2O2 to generate hydroxyl radicals (HO·), coupling MOFs/PVDF adsorption capacity regeneration and membrane cleaning. The results show that 10%MOFs/PVDF exhibits the highest adsorption efficiency for 0.1 mmol·L-1 SA and DMP under neutral conditions, and the removal rate reached 64.2% and 46.1%, respectively. Additionally, the pure water flux and membrane adsorption capacity of 10%MOFs/PVDF were able to recover about 91.8% and 94.2%, respectively, using 5 mmol·L-1 H2O2. In this research, the main characteristic of MOFs/PVDF is coupling of the membrane adsorption capacity regeneration and membrane fouling control process. This provides new ideas for the removal of PPCPs and the improvement of membrane anti-fouling performance during the deep purification of secondary effluent.

Ginsenoside Rg3 inhibits the migration and invasion of liver cancer cells by increasing the protein expression of ARHGAP9.

Ginsenoside Rg3, a naturally occurring phytochemical, serves an important role in the prevention and treatment of cancer. In the present study, with the aim to reveal the molecular mechanism of Rg3 in liver cancer cell metastasis, the anti-migration and anti-invasion effects of Rg3 on liver cancer cells were investigated. It was demonstrated that Rg3 caused marked inhibition of cell migration and invasion of human liver cancer cells, HepG2 and MHCC-97L, in vitro, and the growth of HepG2 and MHCC-97L tumors in BABL/c nude mice. The protein expression of Rho GTPase activating protein 9 (ARHGAP9) was increased both in HepG2 and MHCC-97L cells. Following ARHGAP9 knockdown, the results of Transwell and tumorigenesis assays revealed that the anti-migration, anti-invasion and anti-tumor growth effects of Rg3 were impaired significantly. The increased expression of ARHGAP9 protein induced by Rg3 was remarkably suppressed. All results suggested that ARHGAP9 protein may be a vital regulator in the anti-metastatic role of Rg3. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to report that Rg3 effectively suppressed the migration and invasion of liver cancer cells by upregulating the protein expression of ARHGAP9, indicating a novel natural therapeutic agent and a therapeutic target for the treatment of liver cancer.

Expression and biological function of rhotekin in gastric cancer through regulating p53 pathway.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of a most threatening cancer globally. Rhotekin (RTKN), a Rho effector, has been reported to be upregulated in GC tissues. This study aimed to investigate the underlying regulatory roles of RTKN in the biological behavior of GC. METHODS: Real-time PCR and Western blotting were carried out to detect the mRNA and protein expression, respectively. Cell Counting Kit-8 and xenograft nude mice model were used to evaluate cell proliferation. Flow cytometry analysis was performed to assess cell cycle distribution and cell apoptosis. RESULTS: RTKN had high expression level in GC compared with normal tissues. RTKN expression strongly associated with tumor size, TNM stage, lymphnode metastasis and the poor prognosis of patients with GC. Downregulation of RTKN significantly repressed GC cell proliferation, but increased cell population in G1/S phase and induced cell apoptosis. Moreover, the RTKN expression level was related to the p53 signaling pathway and histone deacetylase (HDAC) Class I pathway. RTKN knockdown caused a notable increment in the acetylation level of p53 (Lys382), and the expression of p53-target genes (p21, Bax, and PUMA), as well as a reduction in the expression of a potential deacetylase for p53, HDAC1. Notably, downregulation of HDAC1 had similar effects as RTKN knockdown, and RTKN overexpression could hardly abrogate the effects of HDAC1 knockdown on GC cells. CONCLUSION: RTKN could work as an oncogene via regulating HDAC1/p53 and may become a promising treatment strategy for GC.

CXCL6 Promotes Renal Interstitial Fibrosis in Diabetic Nephropathy by Activating JAK/STAT3 Signaling Pathway.

In this study the role of CXCL6 in diabetic nephropathy (DN) was investigated. It was found to be overexpression in DN patients and DN rat model. And the expression of fibrosis-related cytokines was consistent with the expression of CXCL6. High glucose significantly increased the proliferation of rat renal fibroblasts NRK-49F cell and the expression of CXCL6. Knockdown of CXCL6 ameliorated the pro-proliferation effect of high glucose and decreased the expression of fibrosis-related cytokines, while CXCL6 overexpression exhibited the opposite phenomenon. Gene set enrichment analysis, Western blot and ELISA showed that Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) and CYTOKINE_CYTOKINE_RECEPTOR_INTERACTION signaling pathways were correlative with CXCL6. This data indicates that CXCL6 may promote fibrosis-related factors to accelerate the development of DN renal interstitial fibrosis by activating JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway. CXCL6 is promising to be a potential novel therapeutic target and candidate biomarker for JAK/STAT3 signaling for the treatment of DN.

The Zuo Jin Wan Formula increases chemosensitivity of human primary gastric cancer cells by AKT mediated mitochondrial translocation of cofilin-1.

Resistance to cisplatin (DDP)-based chemotherapy is a major cause of treatment failure in human gastric cancer (GC). It is necessary to identify the drugs to re-sensitize GC cells to DDP. In our previous research, Zuo Jin Wan Formula (ZJW) has been proved could increase the mitochondrial apoptosis via cofilin-1 in a immortalized cell line, SGC-7901/DDP. Due to the immortalized cells may still difficult highly recapitulate the important molecular events in vivo, primary GC cells model derived from clinical patient was constructed in the present study to further evaluate the effect of ZJW and the underlying molecular mechanism. Immunofluorescent staining was used to indentify primary cultured human GC cells. Western blotting was carried out to detect the protein expression. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to evaluate cell proliferation. Flow cytometry analysis was performed to assess cell apoptosis. ZJW inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis in primary DDP-resistant GC cells. Notably, the apoptosis in GC cells was mediated by inducing cofilin-1 mitochondrial translocation, down-regulating Bcl-2 and up-regulating Bax expression. Surprisingly, the level of p-AKT protein was higher in DDP-resistant GC cells than that of the DDP-sensitive GC cells, and the activation of AKT could attenuate ZJW-induced sensitivity to DDP. These data revealed that ZJW can increase the chemosensitivity in DDP-resistant primary GC cells by inducing mitochondrial apoptosis and AKT inactivation. The combining chemotherapy with ZJW may be an effective therapeutic strategy for GC chemoresistance patients.

Zuo Jin Wan Reverses DDP Resistance in Gastric Cancer through ROCK/PTEN/PI3K Signaling Pathway.

Gastric cancer (GC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related death. Chemotherapy resistance remains the major reason for GC treatment failure and poor overall survival of patients. Our previous studies have proved that Zuo Jin Wan (ZJW), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula, could significantly enhance the sensitivity of cisplatin (DDP)-resistant gastric cancer cells to DDP by inducing apoptosis via mitochondrial translocation of cofilin-1. However, the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of ROCK/PTEN/PI3K on ZJW-induced apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. We found that ZJW could significantly activate the ROCK/PTEN pathway, inhibit PI3K/Akt, and promote the apoptosis of SGC-7901/DDP cells. Inhibition of ROCK obviously attenuated ZJW-induced apoptosis as well as cofilin-1 mitochondrial translocation, while inhibition of PI3K had the opposite effects. In vivo, combination treatment of DDP and ZJW (2000 mg/kg) significantly reduced tumor growth compared with DDP alone. Moreover, the combined administration of ZJW and DDP increased the expression of cleaved ROCK and p-PTEN while it decreased p-PI3K and p-cofilin-1, which was consistent with our in vitro results. These findings indicated that ZJW could effectively inhibit DDP resistance in GC by regulating ROCK/PTEN/PI3K signaling and provide a promising treatment strategy for gastric cancer.

Salidroside mitigates hypoxia/reoxygenation injury by alleviating endoplasmic reticulum stress­induced apoptosis in H9c2 cardiomyocytes.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress­induced apoptosis serves a crucial role in the development of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Salidroside is a phenylpropanoid glycoside isolated from Rhodiola rosea L., which is a plant often used in traditional Chinese medicine. It possesses multiple pharmacological actions and protects against myocardial I/R injury in vitro and in vivo. However, it is not yet clear whether ER stress or ER stress­induced apoptosis contributes to the cardioprotective effects of salidroside against myocardial I/R injury. Hence, hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)­treated H9c2 cardiomyocytes were used in the current study to mimic myocardium I/R injury in vivo. It was hypothesized that salidroside alleviates ER stress and ER stress­induced apoptosis, thereby reducing H/R injury in H9c2 cells. The results demonstrated that salidroside attenuated H/R­induced H9c2 cardiomyocyte injury, as cell viability was increased, lactate dehydrogenase release was decreased, morphological changes in apoptotic cells were ameliorated and the apoptosis ratio was reduced compared with the H/R group. ER stress was reversed, indicated by the downregulation of glucose regulated protein 78 and C/EBP homologous protein following pretreatment with salidroside. In addition, salidroside attenuated ER stress­induced apoptosis, as the expression of cleaved caspase­12 and pro­apoptotic protein Bcl­2 associated X protein and activity of caspase­3 was decreased, while the expression of anti­apoptotic protein Bcl­2 was increased following pretreatment with salidroside. Furthermore, the results indicated that salidroside decreases the activation of the ER stress­associated signaling pathway, as the expression of phosphorylated protein kinase RNA (PKR)­like ER kinase (p­PERK) and phosphorylated inositol­requiring enzyme­1α (p­IRE1α) proteins were decreased following pretreatment with salidroside. These results demonstrate that salidroside protects against H/R injury via regulation of the PERK and IRE1α pathways, resulting in alleviation of ER stress or ER stress­induced apoptosis in H9c2 cardiomyocytes.

ARHGAP9 suppresses the migration and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells through up-regulating FOXJ2/E-cadherin.

Rho GTPase activating protein 9 (ARHGAP9), a member of RhoGAP family, has been identified as a RhoGAP for Cdc42 and Rac1. Here, we aimed to clarify the expression and functional role of ARHGAP9 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). By analyzing TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) LIHC (liver hepatocellular carcinoma) database, we found that ARHGAP9 expression was lower in HCC tissues than in normal liver tissues, and that patients with ARHGAP9 lower expression had a significant shorter overall survival time than those with ARHGAP9 higher expression. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), transwell assays and in vivo experimental lung metastasis assay revealed that ARHGAP9 overexpression could inhibit HCC cell proliferation, migration and invasion, as well as HCC lung metastases. By next-generation RNA-sequencing, we identified that a transcription factor, Forkhead Box J2 (FOXJ2), was significantly induced by ARHGAP9 overexpression in HepG2 cells. Ectopic expression of FOXJ2 in HCC cell lines also exerted inhibitory effects on cell migration and invasion. Moreover, the inhibitory effects of ARHGAP9 on HCC cell migration and invasion was significantly attenuated by FOXJ2 knockdown. Luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that ARHGAP9 enhanced the transcription of E-cadherin (CDH1) via FOXJ2. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay demonstrated that FOXJ2 modulated the transcription of E-cadherin (CDH1) by directly binding to its promoter. Furthermore, Pearson's correlation analysis indicated that the mRNA levels of ARHGAP9 in HCC tissues were positively correlated with the mRNA levels of FOXJ2 and CDH1. These data clearly show that ARHGAP9/FOXJ2 inhibit cell migration and invasion during HCC development via inducing the transcription of CDH1.

Prim-O-glucosylcimifugin Attenuates Lipopolysaccharideinduced Inflammatory Response in RAW 264.7 Macrophages.

BACKGROUND: Radix Saposhnikoviae (RS) exerts anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic, antioxidation effects and has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat common colds, headache, and rheumatoid arthritis. Prim-O-glucosylcimifugin (POG) is the highest content chromone and one of the major active constituents in RS. OBJECTIVE: The study was aimed to explore the anti-inflammation effects of POG in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cell viability was detected by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. Production of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), and IL-6 was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot were performed to analyze mRNA and protein levels, respectively. RESULTS: During the whole experiment, 15, 50, and 100 µg/mL of POG had no cytotoxicity on RAW 264.7 cells. POG dose-dependently inhibited the production of NO, TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 that were induced by LPS. POG treatment downregulated the mRNA and protein expression inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) in LPS-activated RAW 264.7 macrophages in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, LPS-induced JAK2/STAT3 activation was prevented in RAW 264.7 macrophages by POG treatment. STAT3 overexpression significantly reversed the effects of POG on LPS-activated RAW 264.7 macrophages. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that POG exerts anti-inflammatory effects through the inhibition of iNOS and COX-2 expression by inhibiting the phosphorylation of JAK2/STAT3. SUMMARY: POG exerts anti-inflammatory effects in RAW 264.7 macrophages through the inhibition of iNOS and COX-2 expression by inhibiting JAK2/STAT3 signaling. Abbreviations used: LPS: Lipopolyssacharide; NO: Nitric oxide; TNF-α: Tumor necrosis factor-α; IL: Interleukin; RS: Radix Saposhnikoviae; POG: Prim-O-glucosylcimifugin; iNOS: Inducible NO synthase; COX2: Cyclooxygenase; FBS: Fetal bovine serum; DMSO: Dimethylsulfoxide; CCK-8: Cell Counting Kit; RIPA: Radio immunoprecipitation assay buffer; ECL: Enhanced chemiluminescence; SD: Standard deviation; ELISA: Enzyme-Linked immunosorbent assay.

Anti-inflammatory effect of Man-Pen-Fang, a Chinese herbal compound, on chronic pelvic inflammation in rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has become the focus of research for the treatment of chronic pelvic inflammatory disease (CPID) based on unique medical theory system. Man-Pen-Fang (MPF), a Chinese herbal compound, which is composed of Thlaspi arvense L. (Cruciferae), Gleditsia sinensis Lam. (Leguminosae), Smilax china L. (Liliaceae), Euonymus alatus (Thunb.) Sieb. (Celastraceae) and Vaccaria segetalis (Neck.) (Caryophyllaceae) MPF has been used for the treatment of CPID and exerted significant clinical curative effects. However, the corresponding active principles and anti-inflammatory mechanism of MPF are still unknown. AIM OF THE STUDY: The objective of present study is to evaluate the effect of MPF on CPID in the chronic pelvic inflammation (CPI) rat model and elucidate its possible anti-inflammatory mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The CPI in rats was induced by administration with E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Beta-hemolytic streptococcus. MPF (8.112g/(kg d) (20 times of adult dosage), 4.056g/(kg d) (10 times of adult dosage) and 2.028g/(kg d) (5 times of adult dosage)) and Jingangteng Capsule 2g/(kg d) (20 times of adult dosage) were administered orally for 20 days. The serum levels of five inflammation-associated cytokines (IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α and TGF-ß1) were determined by enzyme-linked immunoassay, and the mRNA expression levels of TGF-ß1, P53, Fas, FasL and MMP-2 in the uterus tissue were measured by quantitative RT-PCR. Furthermore, the expression of NF-κB p65 in uterus and ovary tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry assay and the pathological changes induced in the uterus and ovary tissues were observed by histology. RESULTS: MPF caused a reduction in serum levels of IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α and TGF-ß1. The expression of P53 mRNA, Fas/FasL mRNA and MMP-2 mRNA in the uterus tissue was significantly elevated after treating with MPF, in contrast the expression of TGF-ß1 mRNA was decreased. Furthermore, the expression of NF-κB p65 in uterus and ovary tissue was inhibited after treating with MPF. CONCLUSIONS: These results taken together suggest that MPF has a significant anti-CPID effect, probably due to inhibition of the inflammation reaction by the promotion, and the induction of the apoptosis of inflammatory cells and downregulation of the serum levels of inflammation cytokines.

Up-regulation of REG3A in colorectal cancer cells confers proliferation and correlates with colorectal cancer risk.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies in the world. Previous studies have investigated the altered expression of regenerating islet-derived 3 alpha (REG3A) in various cancers. We aimed at exploring the biological function and the underlying molecular mechanism of REG3A in CRC. In this study, REG3A was found elevated in CRC compared with normal tissues. Further, high REG3A expression level was correlated with bigger tumor size, poorer differentiation, higher tumor stage and lower survival rate. Knockdown of REG3A in two CRC cell lines, LOVO and RKO, significantly inhibited cell proliferation, and increased cells population in G1 phase and cell apoptotic rate. We also found that down-regulation of REG3A in CRC cells notably inhibited cell migration and invasion. Gene set enrichment analysis on The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset showed that Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) DNA replication and base excision repair (BER) pathways were correlative with the REG3A expression, which was further confirmed in CRC cells by Western blot. Moreover, we confirmed the interaction of REG3A and fibronectin in CRC cells. We also found that there was a positive correlation between REG3A expression level and the AKT and ERK1/2 phosphorylation status. These collective data indicated that REG3A overexpression promotes CRC tumorigenesis by activating AKT and ERK1/2 pathways. REG3A may serve as a promising therapeutic strategy for CRC.

ANXA2 regulates the behavior of SGC-7901 cells.

ANXA2, a member of the annexin family, is overexpressed and plays important roles in tumor development. However, the significance of ANXA2 expression in gastric carcinoma has not been clarified.To elucidate its roles in growth of gastric cancer, ANXA2 expression in SGC-7901 cells was inhibited with a designated siRNA, then cell proliferation, cell cycling, apoptosis and motility were determined by MTT assay, flow cytometry, Hoechst 33342 staining and wound healing assay, respectively. To further assess the behavior of ANXA2 deleted SGC- 7901 cells, changes of microstructures were observed under fluorescence microscopy, laser scanning confocal microscopy and electron microscopy. We found that inhibition of ANXA2 expression caused cell proliferation to decrease significantly with G1 arrest, motility to be reduced with changes in pseudopodia/filopodia structure and F-actin and ß-tubulin expression, and apoptosis to be enhanced albeit without significance. At the same time, ANXA2 deletion resulted in fewer pseudopodia/filopodia, non-stained areas were increased, contact inhibition among cells reappeared, and expression of F-actin and ß-tubulin was decreased, with induction of polymerized disassembled forms. Taken together, these data suggest that ANXA2 overexpression is important to maintain the malignancy of cancer cells, and this member of the annexin family has potential to be considered as a target for the gene therapy of gastric carcinoma.