Blockade of chemo-resistance to 5-FU by a CK2-targeted combination via attenuating AhR-TLS-promoted genomic instability in human colon cancer cells.

As highly expressed in several human cancers, Casein Kinase 2 (CK2) is involved in chemotherapy-induced resistance. As a new potent CK2 inhibitor, DN701 is used to overcome chemoresistance through its synergistic antitumor effect with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) has drawn our attention because it is associated with the development of chemo-resistance and tumor recurrence. The in vitro biological properties of 5-FU-resistant colon cancer cells revealed that DN701 combined with 5-FU could overcome chemo-resistance via blocking CK2-mediated aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and TLS-induced DNA damage repair (DDR). Moreover, pharmacologic and genetic inhibitions of AhR potently reduced TLS-promoted genomic instability. The mechanistic studies showed that combined DN701 with 5-FU was investigated to inhibit CK2 expression level and AhR-TLS-REV1 pathway. Meanwhile, DN701 combined with 5-FU could reduce CK2-AhR-TLS genomic instability, thus leading to superior in vivo antitumor effect. The insights provide a rationale for combining DN701 with 5-FU as a therapeutic strategy for patients with colon cancer.

Integrative analysis of miRNA in cartilage-derived extracellular vesicles and single-cell RNA-seq profiles in knee osteoarthritis.

Extracellular vesicular miRNAs (EV-miRNAs) play essential roles as intercellular communication molecules in knee Osteoarthritis (OA). We isolated cartilage-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs), to perform miRNA sequencing, which revealed EV-miRNA profiles and identified differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs) between cartilage injury and cartilage non-injury groups. The target genes of known and novel DE-miRNAs were predicted with multiMiR package in 14 miRNA-target interaction databases. Meanwhile, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) was performed to identify chondrocyte clusters and their gene signatures in knee OA. Then we performed comparative analysis between target genes of the cartilage-derived EV-DE-miRNAs target genes and cluster-specific maker genes of characteristic chondrocyte clusters. Finally, the functional analysis of the cartilage-derived EVs DE-miRNA target genes and cluster-specific marker genes of each cell population were performed. The EV-miRNA profile analysis identified 13 DE-miRNAs and 7638 target genes. ScRNA-seq labelled seven clusters by cell type according to the expression of multiple characteristic markers. The results identified 735, 184, 303 and 879 common genes between EV-DE-miRNA target genes and cluster-specific marker genes in regulatory chondrocytes (RegCs), fibrocartilage chondrocytes (FC), prehypertrophic chondrocytes (PreHTCs) and mitochondrial chondrocytes (MTC), respectively. We firstly integrated the association between the cartilage-derived EV-DE-miRNA target genes and distinguished cluster-specific marker genes of each chondrocyte clusters. KEGG pathway analysis further identified that the DE-miRNAs target genes were significantly enriched in MAPK signaling pathway, Focal adhesion and FoxO signaling pathway. Our results provided some new insights into cartilage injury and knee OA pathogenesis which could improve the new diagnosis and treatment methods for OA.

Association of FHL5 and LPA genetic polymorphisms with diabetes mellitus risk: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: China is one of the countries with the fastest growing prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) in the world. This study intended to investigate the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of FHL5 and LPA with DM risk in the Chinese population. METHODS: This case-control study involved 1,420 Chinese individuals (710 DM patients and 710 controls). Four candidate loci (rs2252816/rs9373985 in FHL5 and rs3124784/rs7765781 in LPA) were successfully screened. The association of SNPs with DM risk was assessed by logistic regression analysis. Differences in clinical characteristics among subjects with different genotypes were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance. RESULTS: Overall analysis indicated that rs3124784 was associated with an increased risk of DM. Stratification analysis showed that rs3124784 significantly increased DM risk in different subgroups (male, non-smoking, non-drinking, and BMI > 24), while rs7765781 increased DM risk only in participants with BMI ≤ 24. Rs2252816 was associated with the course of DM. We also found that rs2252816 GG genotype and rs9373985 GG genotype were linked to the increased cystatin c in DM patients. CONCLUSION: The genetic polymorphisms of LPA may be associated with DM risk in the Chinese population, which will provide useful information for the prevention and diagnosis of DM.

Naphthalene Diimide-Functionalized Half-Sandwich Ru(II) Complexes as Mitochondria-Targeted Anticancer and Antimetastatic Agents.

In this work, four naphthalene diimide (NDI)-functionalized half-sandwich Ru(II) complexes Ru1-Ru4 bearing the general formula [(η6-arene)RuII(N^N)Cl]PF6, where arene = benzene (bn), p-cymene (p-cym), 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (tmb), and hexamethylbenzene (hmb), have been synthesized and characterized. By introducing the NDI unit into the N,N-chelating ligand of these half-sandwich complexes, the poor luminescent half-sandwich complexes are endowed with excellent emission performance. Besides, modification on the arene ligand of arene-Ru(II) complexes can influence the electron density of the metal center, resulting in great changes in the kinetic properties, catalytic activities in the oxidative conversion of NADH to NAD+, and biological activities of these compounds. Particularly, Ru4 exhibits the highest reactivity and the strongest inhibitory activity against the growth of three tested cancer cell lines. Further study revealed that Ru4 can enter cells quickly in an energy-dependent manner and preferentially accumulate in the mitochondria of MDA-MB-231 cells, inducing cell apoptosis via reactive oxygen species overproduction and mitochondrial dysfunction. Significantly, Ru4 can effectively inhibit the cell migration and invasion. Overall, the complexation with NDI and modification on the arene ligand endowed the half-sandwich Ru(II) complexes with improved spectroscopic properties and anticancer activities, highlighting their potential applications for cancer treatment.

NLG-919 combined with cisplatin to enhance inhibitory effect on cell migration and invasion via IDO1-Kyn-AhR pathway in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell.

As a common aggressive head and neck cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) received cisplatin treatment as a first-line chemotherapy. Platinum-induced resistance is a major limitation of current treatment strategy in the advanced NPC. Increased indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO1) activities are found in cisplatin-resistant NPC cells versus cisplatin-sensitive NPC cells. As an IDO1 immunosuppressant, NLG-919 has entered clinical phase I to treat advanced solid tumors. To reverse cisplatin resistance, we investigated the combinatory application of cisplatin and NLG-919 in NPC treatment. In vitro biological studies on cisplatin-resistant and cisplatin-sensitive NPC cells were taken to imply that the combination of NLG-919 and cisplatin got a stronger impact on the induction of cell apoptosis and the inhibition of cell migration, exploring superior effect of antitumor over single drug. We proved that the mechanism of the combined therapy could inhibit the activity of IDO1, blocking amino acid tryptophan conversion to kynurenine through the kynurenine pathway, which further inhibited the aryl hydrocarbon receptor expression. Our study underscored the combination of cisplatin and NLG-919 as a potent therapeutic way for the reversal of cisplatin resistance.

The introduction of immunosuppressor (TDO inhibitor) significantly improved the efficacy of irinotecan in treating hepatocellular carcinoma.

As TDO inhibitors can improve the efficacy of tumor chemotherapeutics, two TDO-targeted conjugates consisting of irinotecan (Ir) and a TDO inhibitor unit were designed and prepared to reverse tumor immune suppression, which could remarkably enhance antitumor activity of Ir by boosting cellular uptakes against TDO overexpressed HepG2 cancer cells. In vitro mechanistic studies demonstrated that compound PVIS-Ir and PVIG-Ir could arrest cell cycle at G2 phase and induce cell apoptosis by mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Furthermore, compound PVIS-Ir could effectively inhibit TDO protein expression via releasing a TDO inhibitor derivative, which could also completely embed in TDO protein pocket. Further mechanism study indicated that PVIS-Ir could block kynurenine production and deactivate aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), resulting in T-cell activation and proliferation. In vivo studies confirmed that PVIS-Ir could improve tumor immune microenvironment in a murine model. This combinational strategy of chemotherapy and immunotherapy can be a promising way in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Conjugates obtained by combining an immune checkpoint TDO inhibitor with irinotecan via different linkers could improve tumor immune microenvironment by inhibiting the TDO enzyme expression to block kynurenine production and induce HepG2 cancer cell apoptosis via DNA damage through releasing a TDO inhibitor and irinotecan in cancer cells.

Low-Temperature Nitridation of Fe3O4 by Reaction with NaNH2.

Low-temperature soft chemical synthesis routes to transition-metal nitrides are of interest as an alternative to conventional high-temperature ammonolysis reactions involving large volumes of chemotoxic NH3 gas. One such method is the reaction between metal oxides and NaNH2 at ca. 200 °C to yield the counterpart nitrides; however, there remains uncertainty regarding the reaction mechanism and product phase assemblage (in particular, noncrystalline components). Here, we extend the chemical tool box and mechanistic understanding of such reactions, demonstrating the nitridation of Fe3O4 by reaction with NaNH2 at 170-190 °C, via a pseudomorphic reaction. The more reduced Fe3O4 precursor enabled nitride formation at lower temperatures than the previously reported equivalent reaction with Fe2O3. The product phase assemblage, characterized by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy, comprised 49-59 mol % ε-Fe2+xN, accompanied by 29-39 mol % FeO1-xNx and 8-14 mol % γ″-FeN. The oxynitride phase was apparently noncrystalline in the recovered product but could be crystallized by heating at 180 °C. Although synthesis of transition-metal nitrides is achieved by reaction of the counterpart oxide with NaNH2, it is evident from this investigation that the product phase assemblage may be complex, which could prove a limitation if the objective is to produce a single-phase product with well-defined electrical, magnetic, or other physical properties for applications. However, the significant yield of the FeO1-xNx oxynitride phase identified in this study opens the possibility for the synthesis of metastable oxynitride phases in high yield, by reaction of a metal oxide substrate with NaNH2, with either careful control of H2O concentration in the system or postsynthetic hydrolysis and crystallization.

Anti-tumor effects and cell motility inhibition of the DN604-gemcitabine combined treatment in human bladder cancer models.

Bladder cancer is one of the major tumors for men in the world, in which therapy the combination of cisplatin and gemcitabine is still fist-line applied to treat with advanced or metastatic bladder cancer. In our early study, we developed a potential Pt(II) agent, DN604, which has anti-tumor effect as potent as cisplatin toward bladder cancers. Herein, we aim at investigating the combinatory application of DN604 with gemcitabine for bladder cancer treatment. In vitro studies proved that the combined treatment of DN604 and gemcitabine could limit cell proliferation by elevating the incidence of DNA damage induced apoptosis. Notably, further researches showed that the DN604-gemcitabine treatment suppressed cell autophagy to inhibit cell motility upon the ROS dependent p38 MAPK signaling pathway, explicating its better anti-tumor activity than single drug treatment or the cisplatin-gemcitabine treatment. In vivo tests confirmed that the DN604-gemcitabine treatment has superior anti-tumor activity with low toxicity to cisplatin or its combination with gemcitabine treatments. DN604 plus gemcitabine, is of great significance for the treatment with human bladder cancer. Our study has provided a potential combination treatment option.

Structurally diverse alkaloids from Buxus sempervirens with cardioprotective activity.

Extensive phytochemical study of the methanol extract of twigs and leaves of Buxus sempervirens resulted in the identification of 17 Buxus alkaloids, including 12 new ones, namely buxusemines A-L (1-12). Their structures were delineated by detailed analysis of the HRESIMS and NMR data, as well as quantum chemical NMR calculations. Buxusemine A (1) represents the second Buxus alkaloid with a unique spiro[4.6]undecatriene moiety, buxusemines B-C (2-3) are a rarely occurring class of Buxus alkaloids featured with an additional five-membered ring through the ether or lactone linkage between C-10 and C-23, and buxusemines D-F (4-6) are another rare type of Buxus alkaloids with an epoxy motif. In the assessment of their bioactivities, buxusemine F (6) and buxanoldine (17) displayed more potent protective effects than the positive control cyclovirobuxinum D in the doxorubicin-induced cardiac injury model.

sPD-1 and sPD-L1 Levels in Serum and Urine of Patients with Primary Nephrotic Syndrome and their Clinical Significance.

BACKGROUND: Primary nephrotic syndrome (PNS), a clinically prevalent glomerular disease, mostly results in a large loss of plasma albumin, and its predominant clinical manifestations are proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, edema, and hyperlipidemia. Research has uncovered [9] that sPD-L1 and sPD-1 modulate the PD and PD-L1 pathway in the development of various autoimmune diseases. METHODS: We randomly selected 80 PNS patients treated for PNS in our institution from October 2017 to October 2018 as the case group and 78 healthy volunteers examined in our hospital during the same period as the control group. Not only sPD-1 but also sPD-L1 level in serum and urine was assayed via ELISA. We compared the distribution of T lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood and mALB and NAG levels in urine. Pearson's correlation analysis was adopted for assessing the relationship of serum and urine sPD-1, sPD-L1 with T lymphocyte subsets and mALB. RESULTS: (1) In contrast to the control group, the case group harbored higher pretreatment serum and urine sPD-1 and sPD-L1 contents (p < 0.05). (2) Before treatment, sPD-1 in the serum and urine held a positive relationship with sPD-L1 level (r was 0.683 and 0.235, respectively, p < 0.05); serum sPD-1 harbored a positive link with urine sPD-1 (r = 0.287, p < 0.01), whereas no relationship was discovered in serum sPD-L1 and urine sPD-L1. (3) In contrast to the control group, the CD4+ level in the case group abated, CD8+ increased, the CD4+/CD8+ ratio assuaged, and mALB level in urine increased (all p < 0.05), whereas NAG harbored no statistical difference (p > 0.05). (4) In the case group, the CD4+/CD8+ ratio possessed positive association with serum sPD-1 (r = 0.384, p < 0.001), and the mALB had a positive relationship with urine sPD-1 (r = 0.704, p < 0.001). (5) After treatment, in comparison with the remission group, the serum sPD-1 level of the non-remission group was increased (p < 0.05), whereas sPD-L1 value was not statistically different (p > 0.05); the sPD-1 level in urine was not statistically significant (p > 0.05), while sPD-L1 content was elevated (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Serum and urine sPD-1/sPD-L1 levels of PNS patients change dynamically. Detecting sPD-L1 and sPD-1 has certain clinical value for the prognosis of PNS.

Narrow-linewidth high-efficiency single-frequency ytterbium-doped fiber laser with highly linear polarization at 1064 nm.

We present a linearly polarized single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) ytterbium-doped fiber laser with a polarization extinction ratio (PER) of over 35 dB and a narrow linewidth of less than 4.5 kHz. The very high PER is obtained by utilizing the polarization evolution effect at the optical fiber and the high-performance polarizing beam splitter. The SLM is achieved by using a segment of polarization-maintaining ytterbium-doped fiber as a narrowband filter. In addition, a high optical signal-to-noise ratio of 50 dB and a good slope efficiency of 60.5% are achieved. Using an ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier, a linearly polarized SLM laser system with a high power of over 2.5 W is demonstrated at 1064 nm.

Emerging JWA-targeted Pt(IV) prodrugs conjugated with CX-4945 to overcome chemo-immune-resistance.

Two Pt(IV) prodrugs, Cx-platin-Cl and Cx-DN604-Cl, derived from the conjugation of cisplatin or DN604 with a CK2 inhibitor CX-4945, were constructed to suppress DNA damage repair-related elements. During in vitro biological studies, the Pt(IV) prodrugs had excellent cytotoxicity superior to cisplatin and DN604 to reverse drug resistance. Further mechanistic investigations revealed that the powerful anticancer activity of Cx-platin-Cl and Cx-DN604-Cl arisen from its suppression of JWA-XRCC1-mediated single-strand breaks repair. The emerging Pt(IV) prodrugs inhibited the growth of the xenografted tumors of C57BL6 and nude mice apart from JWA-/- mice. Between them, Cx-platin-Cl augmented the infiltration and proliferation of Teff cells, alleviated the recruitment of Treg cells. The results provided compelling preclinical support that Cx-platin-Cl and Cx-DN604-Cl could reverse chemo-immune resistance via decaying JWA-XRCC1-mediated SSBR and immunosuppression, improving the development of emerging Pt(IV) candidate as a potential immunotherapeutic agent for cancer resistant prevention.

High peak-power and narrow-linewidth all-fiber Raman nanosecond laser in 1.65 µm waveband.

A high peak-power and narrow-linewidth all-fiber Raman pulsed laser operating around 1.65 µm is introduced. A 1541 nm laser seed is modulated into pulse trains, which will be used as the Raman pump laser, by driving a reflective semiconductor optical amplifier (RSOA) with a continuous periodic square-wave voltage. A homemade high peak-power 1541 nm pulsed laser is employed to modulate and amplify a 1653.7 nm distributed feedback laser (DFB) seed synchronously in a segment of the 52-meter-long highly germania-doped fiber (HGDF). The repetition-rate and the pulse-width of the 1653.7 nm pulsed laser are 100 kHz and 31 ns, respectively. The peak power is estimated to be as high as about 30.85 W, and a 3-dB linewidth as narrow as less than 0.08 nm is achieved when the average power of 1541 nm pump is 3.1 W. The wavelength of Raman pulsed laser can be tuned from 1652.0 nm to 1654.0 nm continuously with an optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) of more than 35 dB.

Combination of DN604 with gemcitabine led to cell apoptosis and cell motility inhibition via p38 MAPK signaling pathway in NSCLC.

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common cancer in the world, which is still treated with Pt(II) agents as first-line drugs. As a traditional anticancer agent, gemcitabine is usually used in the combination treatment of various solid tumors with other drugs. Here, we investigate the combinatory application of gemcitabine with a Pt(II) agent (DN604, reported previously in our former research) in the treatment of NSCLC. In vitro biological assays suggested that DN604-gemcitabine treatment can effectively induce cell apoptosis and suppress cell motility, showing better anti-tumor effect than the single drug treatment or the combined treatment of cisplatin and gemcitabine. More importantly, investigation on the mechanism of the combined treatment proved that such combined treatment can suppress cell autophagy to inhibit cell motility via the activation of p38 MAPK signaling pathway. In vivo studies indicated that combination of DN604 with gemcitabine significantly inhibited the growth of tumor with nearly no influence on the normal organs and weight of mice. Our study widened the application scope of Pt(II) agents combined with gemcitabine for NSCLC treatment.

A trifunctional Pt(II) complex alleviates the NHEJ/HR-related DSBs repairs to evade cisplatin-resistance in NSCLC.

Cisplatin, a representative of platinum-based drug, is clinically and widely used in the treatment of various types of malignant cancer. However, its non-selectivity to almost all the cell lines and resistance in long-term use severely limit its scope of use. As biotin-specific uptake systems are overexpressed in many types of tumors but rarely occur in normal tissues, making biotin a promising target for cancer treatment. In the study, we synthesized the Pt(II) complex C2 and determined its biological activities. The existence of biotin enhanced the ability of the complex to target tumors, while the introduction of a naphthalimide compound makes it possible to diagnose tumors and monitor their progress. We have also introduced a known Pt(II) complex DN604, which not only retains the excellent cytotoxicity of platinum drugs, but also inhibits the expression of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) repair-related NHEJ protein Ku70 and HR protein Rad51. In summary, we report a novel trifunctional Pt(II) complex that could target tumor cells, monitor tumor progression, and reverse DSBs repair-induced cisplatin-resistance.

Disruption of SSBs repair to combat platinum resistance via the JWA-targeted Pt(IV) prodrug conjugated with a wogonin derivative.

An octahedral Pt (IV) prodrug, Cis-wog, containing a wogonin derivative as a bioactive axial ligand was designed and prepared to suppress DDR (DNA damage repair)-related proteins. In vitro biological studies indicated that a Pt (IV) prodrug with axially functional groups (Cis-wog) showed cytotoxicity superior to cisplatin and reversed its resistance against two pairs of cisplatin sensitive and resistant cell lines. Further mechanistic research revealed that the powerful antitumor activity of Cis-wog resulted from its suppression of JWA and its multi-interaction with XRCC1 to repair DNA single strand breaks (SSBs) caused by the introduction of wogonin. It is concluded that Cis-wog is a promising cytotoxic agent, which could be used for enhancing the antitumor activity of its corresponding Pt(II)-based drugs and reversing cisplatin resistance via decaying JWA-mediated SSBs repair pathways and inducing apoptosis.

400 mW narrow linewidth single-frequency fiber ring cavity laser in 2 um waveband.

We present a single-frequency thulium-doped fiber laser (TDFL) with a narrow linewidth of 20 kHz. Stable single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) lasing operation at 1957 nm is achieved using a segment of un-pumped polarization-maintaining thulium-doped fiber (PM-TDF) as an ultra-narrow bandwidth filter. A high optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) of over 60 dB is obtained and a high power of over 400 mW is achieved with a high slope-efficiency (~45.8%) thulium-doped fiber amplifier (TDFA).

Beclin1 affected by DN604 upregulates chemo-sensitivity of cervix SiHa cancer cells via inhibiting CK2-MRN-DSBs repair.

DN604, containing a functional dicarboxylato ligand as carboplatin analogue, was significantly studied to explore its potency of antitumour activity. In vitro and in vivo experimental evidence indicated that DN604 exhibited superior antitumor activity than present platinum(II)-based agents in cervix squamous carcinoma SiHa cancer cells. Moreover, DN604 showed negligible toxic effects in vivo as confirmed as Pt accumulation and body weights of mice. Mechanistic studies have shown that DN604 suppressed CK2-mediated MRN complex to improve its antitumor efficacy by promoting DNA double-strand breaks repair. Furthermore, DN604 could inhibit Beclin1 and attenuate CK2-mediated several DSBs repair-related pathways, thus leading to cell apoptosis. Taken together, our research demonstrated that DN604 with the functional dicarboxylato ligand as the leaving group could effectively enhance chemo-sensitivity of SiHa cells to platinum-based agents via suppressing Beclin1 and CK2-mediated MRN-DSBs repair.

Pomalidomide hybrids act as proteolysis targeting chimeras: Synthesis, anticancer activity and B-Raf degradation.

As the first intracellular signaling molecule and the most frequently mutated oncogene, B-Raf represents an important target in cancer therapy. Here we report several pomalidomide hybrids acting as proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) for the degradation of B-Raf. Due to its high expression of B-Raf, MCF-7 cells are sensitive to these compounds. Among them, compound 2 can effectively kill cancer cells via inducing cells apoptosis. As a B-Raf degrader, compound 2 can accelerate the degradation of B-Raf by recruiting ubiquitin-proteasome system, and further affects the expression of Mcl-1, a downstream protein of B-Raf. The anticancer mechanism of compound 2 is quite different from its mother compound and cancer cells seem to be more sensitive to the degrader, hinting that degradation of B-Raf by PROTAC is a potential way for cancer treatment.

Novel conjugates with dual suppression of glutathione S-transferases and tryptophan-2,3-dioxygenase activities for improving hepatocellular carcinoma therapy.

Tryptophan-2,3-dioxygenase (TDO) is an immune checkpoint enzyme expressed in human tumors and involved in immune evasion and tumor tolerance. While glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are pharmacological targets for several cancer. Here we demonstrated the utility of NBDHEX (GSTs inhibitor) and TDO inhibitor by the combinatorial linker design. Two novel conjugates with different linkers were prepared to reverse tumor immune suppression. The conjugates displayed significant antitumor activity against TDO and GSTs expression of HepG2 cancer cells. Further study indicated that compound 4 could induce higher apoptotic effect than its mother compounds via a mitochondrial-dependent pathway, simultaneously more effective to inhibit TDO and GSTs protein expression. Further study indicated that 4 could decrease the production of kynurenine and deactivate aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), leading to CD3+T-cell activation and proliferation to involve in antitumor immune response.