Resveratrol Enhances Anticancer Effects of Silybin on HepG2 Cells and H22 Tumor-bearing Mice via Inducing G2/M Phase Arrest and Increasing Bax/Bcl-2 Ratio.

BACKGROUND: Silybin, a major flavonoid extracted from the seeds of milk thistle, has a strong hepatoprotective but weak anti-hepatoma activity. Screening another natural ingredient and combining it with silybin is expected to improve the anti-hepatoma efficacy of silybin. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the synergistic anti-hepatoma effect of resveratrol and silybin on HepG2 cells and H22 tumor-bearing mice in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in vitro and in vivo, respectively. METHODS: Cell viability, scratch wound, clone formation, cell apoptosis, cell cycle, and western blot analysis of HepG2 cells were used to investigate the synergistic effects in vitro of the combination resveratrol with silybin. Growth rates, tumor weights, organ indexes, and histological pathological examination in H22 tumor-bearing mice were used to investigate the synergistic effects in vivo. RESULTS: The combination of resveratrol (50 µg/mL) and silybin (100 µg/mL) significantly suppressed cell viability, whose combination index (CI) was 1.63 (>1.15), indicating the best synergism. The combination exhibited the synergistic effect in blocking the migration and proliferative capacity of HepG2 cells in the measurement in vitro. In particular, resveratrol enhanced the upregulation of Bcl-2 expression and the downregulation of Bax expression with a concurrent increase in the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. The combination of resveratrol (50 mg/kg) and silybin (100 mg/kg) reduced the tumor weight, inhibited the growth rate, increased the organ indexes, and destroyed the tumor tissue morphology in H22 tumor-bearing mice. CONCLUSION: Resveratrol was found to exhibit synergistic anti-cancer effects with silybin on HepG2 cells and H22 tumor-bearing mice.

The inhibitory mechanism of 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo [4,5-f] quinoxaline (MeIQx) formation by ultraviolet-gallic acid (UV-GA) during the oil-frying process of squid.

The inhibitory effect of ultraviolet-gallic acid (UV-GA) on carbonyl valence and intermediates and precursors of 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo [4,5-f] quinoxaline (MeIQx) was investigated to futher clarify the inhibitory mechanism for safety control the quality of oil-fried squid. Ultraviolet C-treated gallic acid (UVC-GA) and ultraviolet B-treated gallic acid (UVB-GA) were produced by ultraviolet 225 nm of band C and 300 nm of band B, respectively. The MeIQx contents in oil-fried squid were significantly higher, and UVC-GA and UVB-GA could significantly inhibit the MeIQx formation and the formation rates of carbonyl valence and precursors (threonine (Thr), creatinine, and glucose). The UVB-GA inhibited formaldehyde formation, while UVC-GA significantly reduced the formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and 2,5-dimethyl pyrazine contents. In conculsion, UV-GA reduced carbonyl produced from the lipid oxidation to further weaken the catalysis of carbonyl, rendering the MeIQx precursor degrading into the intermediates during Strecker degradation. Thus, the MeIQx formation was inhibited.

Immunomodulatory activity of puerarin in RAW264.7 macrophages and cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression mice.

CONTEXT: Puerarin, a natural isoflavone extracted from Radix puerariae, is famous for treating various cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. However, little is known about its direct immunomodulatory activity. OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to investigate the in vitro and in vivo immunomodulatory effects of Radix puerariae by using the murine monocyte-macrophage cell line RAW264.7 and immunosuppressed cyclophosphamide-induced mice. METHODS: MTT and neutral red phagocytosis assays were conducted to evaluate the in vitro immunomodulatory activities of puerarin on cell viability and phagocytosis by measuring the proliferation, phagocytic, nitric oxide (NO) ability, and TNF-α production ability of stimulated and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Immunosuppressed cyclophosphamide-induced mice were used to evaluate the in vivo immunomodulatory activities of puerarin by measuring IL-4 and IFN-γ, the serum half hemolysis value, spleen and thymus index, and proliferation assay for splenic lymphocytes. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Results showed that puerarin improves immunomodulatory activity by increasing cell proliferation, cell phagocytosis, and NO secretion in RAW264.7 macrophages and reduces the abnormal immunologic activity by decreasing cell phagocytosis and NO secretion in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. In addition, puerarin enhanced the immunologic activity of cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression mice by increasing the secretion of NO, IFN-γ, and IL-4, the serum half hemolysis value (HC50), the spleen and thymus index, and proliferation for splenic lymphocytes. CONCLUSION: Puerarin exhibited an upregulated immunomodulatory effect on RAW264.7 macrophages and immunosuppression mice. In addition, puerarin had a downregulated immunomodulatory effect on RAW264.7 macrophages. The results suggest that puerarin could be a promising immunomodulator to assist in the treatment of tumors.

Enhancement of S-adenosylmethionine production by deleting thrB gene and overexpressing SAM2 gene in Bacillus amyloliquefaciens.

OBJECTIVES: To improve the S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) production in methionine-free medium, effects of deleting genes of SAM decarboxylase (speD) and homoserine kinase (thrB) on SAM titers were investigated, and the SAM synthetase gene (SAM2) was also overexpressed. RESULTS: In B. amyloliquefaciens HSAM2, deleting speD to block the SAM utilization pathway significantly reduced the SAM titer. After knockout of thrB to block the branched pathway, the resulted mutant HSAM4 produced 143.93 mg/L SAM, increasing by 42% than HSAM2. Further plasmid-based expression of SAM2 improved the SAM titer to 226.92 mg/L, and final optimization of key fermentation parameters resulted in the maximum SAM titer of 412.01 mg/L in flasks batch fermentation. CONCLUSIONS: Deleting thrB and overexpressing SAM2 gene were efficient for enhanced SAM production in B. amyloliquefaciens. The maximum SAM titer in flasks batch fermentation was much higher than that of previous reports.

Association between Anaesthetic Technique and Oncological Outcomes after Colorectal Carcinoma Liver Metastasis Resection.

Background: Recently published studies suggest that the anaesthetic technique used during oncologic surgery can improve patient outcomes. Therefore, the authors evaluated the survival of patients with resected colorectal carcinoma liver metastases (CRCLMs) who received either EGA (general anaesthesia [GA] combined with epidural anaesthesia [EA]) or GA alone. Methods: We conducted an ambispective cohort study including 225 post-surgical CRCLM patients between May 2007 and July 2012 and performed a follow-up investigation of survival in July 2017. Results: The basic characteristics in the two groups were largely similar. The median (quartiles) recurrence interval for all patients was 10 (2.5, 23) months, and the median (quartiles) survival for CRCLM patients post-surgically was 37 (30.5, 51.5) months. Perioperative EA was associated with survival (P =0.039, log-rank test), with an estimated hazard ratio of 0.737 (95% CI 0.551-0.985) in the univariate analysis. Kaplan-Meier estimates of survival for GA and EGA suggested that GA might provide better outcomes than EGA [P=0.028, hazard ratio of 0.7328 (95% CI 0.5433-0.9884)]. Significant differences in anaesthesia techniques were found (P=0.048), with an adjusted estimated hazard ratio of 0.741 (95% CI 0.550-0.998) in the multivariate analysis. Subgroup analyses of patients in different age groups (< 40, ≥ 40 but <60, and ≥ 60 years old) suggested that no significant differences existed among all three subgroups. Conclusions: Compared with EGA, GA may provide a better survival outcome for CRCLM patients. The benefits of anaesthetic techniques in oncological surgery are most likely related to certain cancer types.

Clinicopathological features and microsurgical outcomes for giant pediatric intracranial tumor in 60 consecutive cases.

PURPOSE: Giant pediatric intracranial tumor (GPIT) remains to be a challenging disease with high morbidity and mortality. METHODS: The clinical data of 60 patients under 18 years of age operated on with GPIT (≥5 cm in diameter) were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Gross total resection was achieved in 46 cases (77%) and subtotal resection was obtained in 14 cases (23%). Ninety percent (47/52) of the cases with obstructive hydrocephalus were resolved remarkably and only 10% (5/52) of the patients needed a ventriculoperitoneal shunt after tumor resection. Postoperative histopathological type revealed malignant brain tumors in 51 cases (85%). The most common neoplasm was medulloblastoma; other types include the following: ependymoma, pilocytic astrocytoma, mixed glioma, primitive neuroectoderm tumor (PNET), subependymal giant cell astrocytoma, gangliocytoma, gliosarcoma, choroid plexus carcinoma, and atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT). Benign histopathological categories include the following: craniopharyngioma, choroid plexus papilloma, and meningioma. No death or serious complications occurred after the operation. However, transient subcutaneous effusion occurred in 14 patients postoperatively, nerve injury including the posterior cranial nerve in two cases and abduction nerve in one case, and mutism and pulmonary infection were observed in two cases, respectively. The follow-up period ranged from 1 to 72 months, with an average of 32 months. Poor prognosis occurred significantly in the high-grade malignant tumors and PNET, AT/RT, and gliosarcoma were implicated in the death of patients within 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first description of clinicopathological features and the largest case analysis for GPIT. Optimal outcomes for GPIT were achieved by strict evaluation and perioperative management as well as microsurgical skills.

Sudden onset of paraplegia secondary to an unusual presentation of pediatric synovial sarcoma.

INTRODUCTION: Spinal synovial sarcoma (SS) is an extremely rare malignant tumor in children. CASE REPORT: We report an unusual pediatric synovial sarcoma located in the thoracic spine at T9-T10 levels. A 10-year-old boy was admitted with a 1-month history of progressive back pain and low fever for 7 days as well as sudden onset of paraplegia for 1 day. The primary diagnosis was considered for spinal inflammatory abscess; subsequently, the patient underwent total resection with a good recovery and confirmed SS by SYT-SSX gene translocation. CONCLUSION: The possibility of sudden paraplegia caused by unusual SS involved in the spine should be highlighted.

A "turn-on" fluorescent chemosensor for aluminum ion and cell imaging application.

A simple and efficient fluorescent chemosensor for Al(3+) is reported in the paper. The chemosensor is obtained by dehydration reaction of 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde and 2-aminophenol. The chemosensor has high selectivity and sensitivity for Al(3+) and displays fluorescence "off-on" switch signal. The detection limit of the chemosensor for Al(3+) can reach 1.0×10(-7) M in DMSO/H2O (1:9, v/v) solution. The mass spectra and Job's plot analysis confirm the 1:1 stoichiometry between chemosensor and Al(3+). Potential utilization of the probe as an intracellular sensor of Al(3+) in human cancer (HiSa) cells is also examined by confocal fluorescence microscopy.

Application of high resolution pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (HRPGC/MS) for detecting Listeria monocytogenes.

The characteristic of Listeria monocytogenes' pyrolysis product was found by fingerprint analysis of high resolution pyrolysis gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (HRPGC/MS), which hold a great potential to rapidly detect L. monocytogenes with the application of selected ion monitoring (SIM). Food products (beef and milk) contaminated by L. monocytogenes and uncontaminated were evaluated. The retention time of the characteristic peak of pyrolysis product was 19.056min, the ion of m/z were 54, 98. The results showed that the peak at retention time 19.056min was detected in agricultural products that contaminated by L. monocytogenes, while the result of the uncontaminated food, there is no peak at the retention time 19.056min. Qualified by the retention time of chromatographic and mass spectrometry, it can eliminate the interference induced by different types of agricultural products. The results prove united technologies of HRPGC/MS and SIM is not only reliable, reproducible, but also a new method for rapid detecting L. monocytogenes in food products.