Curcumin Promotes Diabetic Foot Ulcer Wound Healing by Inhibiting miR-152-3p and Activating the FBN1/TGF-ß Pathway.

The objective of this study was to investigate the mechanism of curcumin in diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) wound healing. A DFU rat model was established, and fibroblasts were cultured in a high-glucose (HG) environment to create a cell model. Various techniques, including Western blot, RT‒qPCR, flow cytometry, Transwell, cell scratch test and H&E staining, were employed to measure the levels of relevant genes and proteins, as well as to assess cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and pathological changes. The results showed that miR-152-3p was overexpressed in DFU patients, while FBN1 was underexpressed. Curcumin was found to inhibit fibroblast apoptosis, promote proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis in DFU rats, and accelerate wound healing in DFU rats. In addition, overexpression of miR-152-3p weakened the therapeutic effect of curcumin, while overexpression of FBN1 reversed the effects of the miR-152-3p mimic. Further investigations into the underlying mechanisms revealed that curcumin expedited wound healing in DFU rats by restoring the FBN1/TGF-ß pathway through the inhibition of miR-152-3p. In conclusion, curcumin can suppress the activity of miR-152-3p, which, in turn, leads to the rejuvenation of the FBN1/TGF-ß pathway and accelerates DFU wound healing.

Serine Protease 3 Promotes Progression of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma and Serves as a Novel Prognostic Predictor.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) ranks among the most prevalent malignancies of the lymphohematopoietic system in adults. The PRSS (Serine Protease) protein family members had been reported to be involved in carcinogenesis as well as tumor progression. Here, we aimed to explore the expression profile of PRSS3 in DLBCL and investigate its clinical significance as well as detailed functions. We retrospectively enrolled 155 DLBCL patients from our hospital and tested protein expression level of PRSS3 through immunohistochemical staining. Accordingly, PRSS3 was highly expressed in certain DLBCL tissues. Chi-square test revealed that higher PRSS3 expression was correlated with advanced Ann Arbor stage, elevated serum LDH level, and higher International Prognostic Index. Moreover, univariate and multivariate analyses confirmed that higher PRSS3 can act as an independent unfavorable prognostic predictor for DLBCL. Two human DLBCL cell lines, SUDHL10 and OCI-LY3, were subjected for knockdown assays, followed by phonotype tests including proliferation and invasion. According to the cellular experiments, PRSS3-knockdown resulted in impaired DLBCL proliferation in the two cell lines above. Taken together, PRSS3 is a novel prognostic factor for DLBCL, which functions by multiple signaling pathways.

MiR-532-3p inhibits metastasis and proliferation of non-small cell lung cancer by targeting FOXP3.

PURPOSE: To investigate the potential effect of microRNA-532-5p (miR-532-3p) on the development of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the relevant mechanism. METHODS: Thirty-seven patients who underwent primary NSCLC resection were studied. To examine the role of miR-532-3p in NSCLC development, we detected the level of miR-532-3p expression in NSCLC tissues and the para-cancer tissues by qRT-PCR. In order to investigate the potential target of miR-532-3p, we checked it in three publicly available algorithms, TargetScan, miRDB and microRNA, to elucidate the putative and possible targets of miR-532-3p. To test the function of miR-532-3p on the proliferation of NSCLC cell, we performed MTT assay to detect the cell proliferation rates. Migration and invasion were also studied. RESULTS: The expression level of miR-532-3p were detected in NSCLC tissues and cells by qRT-PCR, which indicated that the expression of miR-532-3p was low in both tissue and cell levels. Online prediction websites and luciferase reporter assay indicated that FOXP3 is a direct target of miR-532-3p in NSCLC cells. Further results showed that this miR significantly decreased the expression level of FOXP3. MTT assay showed that miR-532-3D remarkably suppressed the proliferation of NSCLC cells. Furthermore, transwell and scratch healing experiments suggested that miR-532-3p inhibited the invasion and migration of NSCLC cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our research discovered the suppressive function of miR-532-3p in NSCLC by targeting FOXP3, revealing that miR-532-3p/FOXP3 axis might be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of NSCLC.

Peptide-Directed Assembly of Single-Helical Gold Nanoparticle Superstructures Exhibiting Intense Chiroptical Activity.

Chiral nanoparticle assemblies are an interesting class of materials whose chiroptical properties make them attractive for a variety of applications. Here, C18-(PEPAuM-ox)2 (PEPAuM-ox = AYSSGAPPMoxPPF) is shown to direct the assembly of single-helical gold nanoparticle superstructures that exhibit exceptionally strong chiroptical activity at the plasmon frequency with absolute g-factor values up to 0.04. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and cryogenic electron tomography (cryo-ET) results indicate that the single helices have a periodic pitch of approximately 100 nm and consist of oblong gold nanoparticles. The morphology and assembled structure of C18-(PEPAuM-ox)2 are studied using TEM, atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) spectroscopy. TEM and AFM reveal that C18-(PEPAuM-ox)2 assembles into linear amyloid-like 1D helical ribbons having structural parameters that correlate to those of the single-helical gold nanoparticle superstructures. FTIR, CD, XRD, and ssNMR indicate the presence of cross-ß and polyproline II secondary structures. A molecular assembly model is presented that takes into account all experimental observations and that supports the single-helical nanoparticle assembly architecture. This model provides the basis for the design of future nanoparticle assemblies having programmable structures and properties.