Narciclasine inhibits angiogenic processes by activation of Rho kinase and by downregulation of the VEGF receptor 2.

The process of angiogenesis is involved in several pathological conditions, such as tumor growth or age-related macular degeneration. Although the available anti-angiogenic drugs have improved the therapy of these diseases, major drawbacks, such as unwanted side effects and resistances, still exist. Consequently, the search for new anti-angiogenic substances is still ongoing. Narciclasine, a plant alkaloid from different members of the Amaryllidaceae family, has extensively been characterized as anti-tumor compound. Beyond the field of cancer, the compound has recently been shown to possess anti-inflammatory properties. Surprisingly, potential actions of narciclasine on endothelial cells in the context of angiogenesis have been neglected so far. Thus, we aimed to analyze the effects of narciclasine on angiogenic processes in vitro and in vivo and to elucidate the underlying mechanism. Narciclasine (100-300 nM) effectively inhibited the proliferation, undirected and directed migration, network formation and angiogenic sprouting of human primary endothelial cells. Moreover, narciclasine (1 mg/kg/day) strongly reduced the VEGF-triggered angiogenesis in vivo (Matrigel plug assay in mice). Narciclasine mediated its anti-angiogenic effects in part by a RhoA-independent activation of the Rho kinase ROCK. Most importantly, however, the compound reduced the de novo protein synthesis in endothelial cells by approx. 50% without exhibiting considerable cytotoxic effects. As a consequence, narciclasine diminished the presence of proteins with a short half-life, such as the VEGF receptor 2, which is the basis for its anti-angiogenic effects. Taken together, our study highlights narciclasine as an interesting anti-angiogenic compound that is worth to be further evaluated in preclinical studies.

Counseling and social work for people with epilepsy in Germany: A cross-sectional multicenter study on demand, frequent content, patient satisfaction, and burden-of-disease.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of epilepsy is accompanied by relevant personal, interpersonal, and professional restrictions for patients and their caregivers. Specialized epilepsy counseling services (ECS) have been introduced to inform, advise, and support patients with disease-related problems. AIM AND SCOPE: The objective of this cross-sectional, multicenter study was to determine the demand, typical content, and outcomes of ECS in children, adolescents, and adults in two adjacent German regions of Hessen and Lower Franconia. All ECS sites in these regions participated in 2014 and 2015, offering a total population of 7.5 million inhabitants. RESULTS: A total number of 435 patients [323 adults (74.3%), 51.7% female, mean age: 40.3 ±â€¯14.7 years and 112 children/adolescents (25.7%), 52.7% female, mean age: 9.4 ±â€¯4.6 years] were enrolled at six ECS sites. The most common reasons for counseling were general information needs (n = 304; 69.9%), administrative help (n = 208; 47.8%), problems with education or work (n = 176; 40.5%), and recreational activities (n = 119; 27.3%). In addition, 6.2% reported epilepsy-related questions on family planning as a specific reason for desiring counseling. Recommendation by the treating physicians was the most frequent reason for receiving counseling through ECS (62.5%), and most patients preferred to receive a personal consultation (73.1%). Patient satisfaction as measured by the ZUF-8 client satisfaction score was high with a mean of 29.7 points (standard deviation: ±2.7 points, median: 29.9 points), and 83.9% of patients said they would recommend ECS. Disease-related job loss or change in school was avoided in 72% of 82 patients. Suggestions for improvement of ECS included an extension of service hours (58.6%) and a better availability of more sites located nearby (32.8%). CONCLUSION: Epilepsy counseling services are necessary, valued, and effective institutions for people with epilepsy complementing outpatient and inpatient care. To improve the care for people with epilepsy, access to and availability of ECS should be improved.

[Acceptance, demand, reasons for consultation and outcome of counseling on epilepsy in Hesse and Lower Franconia]. / Akzeptanz, Bedarf, Konsultationsgründe und Beratungsoutcome von Epilepsieberatung in Hessen und Unterfranken.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The diagnosis of epilepsy is often accompanied by relevant restrictions for patients, which may result in disease-specific daily problems that need targeted and professional counseling. Specialized epilepsy counseling services (ECS) were introduced in some German states since 1996 to provide an additional and independent service for epilepsy-related problems. The objective of this prospective, multicenter cohort study at six ECS was to determine and analyze the acceptance, demand and frequent reasons for consultation in Hesse and Lower Franconia. RESULTS: A total of 435 clients were enrolled during the 12-month observation period (June 2014-May 2015) of which 74.3% were adults (n = 323, mean age 40.3 ± 14.7 years, range 18-76 years, 51.7% female) and 25.7% children and adolescents (n = 112, mean age 9.4 ± 4.8 years, range 1-17 years, 52.7% female). The mean number of outpatient consultations per year was 2.5 (median 2.0, SD ± 2.8, range 1-20), whereby a general counseling on dealing with epilepsy (adults 55.7%, children and adolescents 51.8%), clarification and information about the disease (43.7% and 41.1%, respectively) and assistance in applying for support (39.0% and 46.4%, respectively) were the most frequent issues. The distance from the place of residence to the ECS was significantly shorter in Lower Franconia compared to Hesse (p < 0.002). Client satisfaction was high with a mean patient satisfaction questionnaire (ZUF-8) score of 29.0 (maximum score 32). Overall 96.4% of the clients rated the quality of counseling as good or very good and 96.6% would consider consulting the ECS again in case of new problems. In cases of threatened workplace, training position or situation at school, counseling helped to avoid negative consequences in 72.0% of cases. CONCLUSION: The ECS are frequently used, appreciated and effective institutions for adults and children with epilepsy as well as for their caregivers. The ECS complements the existing comprehensive specialized outpatient and inpatient care for epilepsy in Germany; however, in view of their limited numbers and inhomogeneous allocation, the number and the availability of ECS should be expanded on the national level.

The Dual Edema-Preventing Molecular Mechanism of the Crataegus Extract WS 1442 Can Be Assigned to Distinct Phytochemical Fractions.

The hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) extract WS 1442 is used against mild forms of chronic heart failure. This disease is associated with endothelial barrier dysfunction and edema formation. We have recently shown that WS 1442 protects against this dysfunction by a dual mechanism: it both promotes endothelial barrier integrity by activation of a barrier-enhancing pathway (cortactin activation) and inhibits endothelial hyperpermeability by blocking a barrier disruptive pathway (calcium signaling). In this study, we aimed to identify the bioactive compounds responsible for these actions by using a bioactivity-guided fractionation approach. From the four fractions generated from WS 1442 by successive elution with water, 95 % ethanol, methanol, and 70 % acetone, only the water fraction was inactive, whereas the other three triggered a reduction of endothelial hyperpermeability. Analyses of intracellular calcium levels and cortactin phosphorylation were used as readouts to estimate the bioactivity of subfractions and isolated compounds. Interestingly, only the ethanolic fraction interfered with the calcium signaling, whereas only the methanolic fraction led to an activation of cortactin. Thus, the dual mode of action of WS 1442 could be clearly assigned to two distinct fractions. Although the identification of the calcium-active substance(s) was not successful, we could exclude an involvement of phenolic compounds. Cortactin activation, however, could be clearly attributed to oligomeric procyanidins with a distinct degree of polymerization. Taken together, our study provides the first approach to identify the active constituents of WS 1442 that address different cellular pathways leading to the inhibition of endothelial barrier dysfunction.

Nosocomial Outbreak of Parechovirus 3 Infection among Newborns, Austria, 2014.

In 2014, sepsis-like illness affected 9 full-term newborns in 1 hospital in Austria. Although results of initial microbiological testing were negative, electron microscopy identified picornavirus. Archived serum samples and feces obtained after discharge were positive by PCR for human parechovirus 3. This infection should be included in differential diagnoses of sepsis-like illness in newborns.

Haemanthus coccineus extract and its main bioactive component narciclasine display profound anti-inflammatory activities in vitro and in vivo.

Haemanthus coccineus extracts (HCE) have traditionally been used to treat a variety of diseases, like febrile colds or asthma. Since new therapeutic options against inflammatory processes are still urgently needed, we aimed to pharmacologically characterise the anti-inflammatory potential of HCEin vitro and in vivo and to identify the underlying bioactive component(s). The action of HCE on oedema formation and leucocyte infiltration were analysed in two murine models of inflammation (dermal oedema induced by arachidonic acid and croton oil; kidney injury caused by unilateral ureteral obstruction). The interaction of leucocytes with endothelial cells (ECs) as well as the activation parameters of these two cell types were analysed. Moreover, the nuclear factor κB (NFκB) pathway was investigated in detail in ECs. Using different fractions of HCE, the bioactive principle was identified. In vivo, HCE (450 mg/kg orally or 2 mg/kg intraperitoneally) inhibited oedema formation, leucocyte infiltration and cytokine synthesis. In vitro, HCE (100-300 ng/ml) blocked leucocyte-EC interaction as well as the activation of isolated leucocytes (cytokine synthesis and proliferation) and of primary ECs (adhesion molecule expression). HCE suppressed NFκB-dependent gene transcription in the endothelium, but did not interfere with the NFκB activation cascade (IκB degradation, p65 nuclear translocation and NFκB DNA-binding activity). The alkaloid narciclasine was elucidated as the bioactive compound responsible for the anti-inflammatory action of HCE. Our study highlights HCE and its main alkaloid narciclasine as novel interesting approach for the treatment of inflammation-related disorders.

Testing plasmid stability of Escherichia coli using the Continuously Operated Shaken BIOreactor System.

Plasmids are common vectors to genetically manipulate Escherichia coli or other microorganisms. They are easy to use and considerable experience has accumulated on their application in heterologous protein production. However, plasmids can be lost during cell growth, if no selection pressure like, e.g., antibiotics is used, hampering the production of the desired protein and endangering the economic success of a biotechnological production process. Thus, in this study the Continuously Operated Shaken BIOreactor System (COSBIOS) is applied as a tool for fast parallel testing of strain stability and operation conditions and to evaluate measures to counter such plasmid loss. In specific, by applying various ampicillin concentrations, the lowest effective ampicillin dosage is investigated to secure plasmid stability while lowering adverse ecological effects. A significant difference was found in the growth rates of plasmid-bearing and plasmid-free cells. The undesired plasmid-free cells grew 30% faster than the desired plasmid-bearing cells. During the testing of plasmid stability without antibiotics, the population fraction of plasmid-bearing cells rapidly decreased in continuous culture to zero within the first 48 h. An initial single dosage of ampicillin did not prevent plasmid loss. By contrast, a continuous application of a low dosage of 10 µg/mL ampicillin in the feed medium maintained plasmid stability in the culture. Consequently, the COSBIOS is an apt reactor system for measuring plasmid stability and evaluating methods to enhance this stability. Hence, decreased production of heterologous protein can be prevented. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 32:1418-1425, 2016.

Revisited anti-inflammatory activity of matricine in vitro: Comparison with chamazulene.

The proazulene matricine (1) is present in chamomile flower heads and has been proven to exhibit strong in vivo anti-inflammatory activity. In contrast to other secondary metabolites in chamomile preparations like its degradation product chamazulene (2), no plausible targets have been found to explain this activity. Therefore we revisited 1 regarding its in vitro anti-inflammatory activity in cellular and molecular studies. Using ICAM-1 as a marker for NF-κB activation, it was shown that ICAM-1 protein expression induced by TNF-α and LPS, but not by IFN-γ, was remarkably inhibited by 1 in endothelial cells (HMEC-1). Inhibition was concentration-dependent in a micromolar range (10-75 µM) and did not involve cytotoxic effects. At 75 µM expression of the adhesion molecule ICAM-1 was down to 52.7 ± 3.3% and 20.4 ± 1.8% of control in TNF-α and LPS-stimulated HMEC-1, respectively. In contrast, 2 showed no activity. Quantitative RT-PCR experiments revealed that TNF-α-induced expression of the ICAM-1 gene was also reduced by 1 in a concentration-dependent manner, reaching 32.3 ± 6.2% of control at 100 µM matricine. Additional functional assays (NF-κB promotor activity and cytoplasm to nucleus translocation) confirmed the inhibitory effect of 1 on NF-κB signaling. Despite the fact that 1 lacks an α,ß-unsaturated carbonyl and is thus not able to act via a Michael reaction with electron rich SH groups of functional biological molecules, data gave strong evidence that 1 inhibits NF-κB transcriptional activity in endothelial cells by an hitherto unknown mechanism and this may contribute to its well-known anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.

Endothelial cell serine proteases expressed during vascular morphogenesis and angiogenesis.

Many serine proteases play important regulatory roles in complex biological systems, but only a few have been linked directly with capillary morphogenesis and angiogenesis. Here we provide evidence that serine protease activities, independent of the plasminogen activation cascade, are required for microvascular endothelial cell reorganization and capillary morphogenesis in vitro. A homology cloning approach targeting conserved motifs present in all serine proteases, was used to identify candidate serine proteases involved in these processes, and revealed 5 genes (acrosin, testisin, neurosin, PSP and neurotrypsin), none of which had been associated previously with expression in endothelial cells. A subsequent gene-specific RT-PCR screen for 22 serine proteases confirmed expression of these 5 genes and identified 7 additional serine protease genes expressed by human endothelial cells, urokinase-type plasminogen activator, protein C, TMPRSS2, hepsin, matriptase/MT-SP1, dipeptidylpeptidase IV, and seprase. Differences in serine protease gene expression between microvascular and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were identified and several serine protease genes were found to be regulated by the nature of the substratum, ie. artificial basement membrane or fibrillar type I collagen. mRNA transcripts of several serine protease genes were associated with blood vessels in vivo by in situ hybridization of human tissue specimens. These data suggest a potential role for serine proteases, not previously associated with endothelium, in vascular function and angiogenesis.

Role of CSN5/JAB1 in Wnt/ß-catenin activation in colorectal cancer cells.

CSN5/JAB1 is a critical subunit of the COP9 signalosome (CSN) and is overexpressed in many human cancers, but little is known about the role of CSN5 in colorectal cancer (CRC). To explore the functional role of CSN5 in colorectal tumorigenesis, we applied siRNA technology to silence CSN5 in HeLa, SW480, HCT116, HT29, and CaCo2 cells. CSN5 knock-down led to reduced ß-catenin and phospho-bcatenin levels and this was paralleled by reduced CRC cell proliferation and reduced apoptosis rates, whereas the short-term ß-catenin protein stability was enhanced by CSN5 knock-down in SW480 cells. Together, these data implicate the CSN in the pathogenesis of CRC via regulation of the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway