Paeonone A, a novel nonanortriterpenoid from the roots of Paeonia lactiflora.

Paeonone A (1), a unique nonanortriterpenoid, and a new octanortriterpenoid, paeonone B (2), were isolated from the roots of Paeonia lactiflora, together with a known analogue, palbinone (3). Paeonone A (1) is the first example of naturally occurring nonanortriterpenoid with a diketo acid group. Extensive NMR and HRESIMS experiments were applied to identify the structures of 1 and 2, and their absolute configurations were solved by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and ECD data. Biological properties of 1-3 were explored against pancreatic lipase and cancer cell lines.

Bioactivity-Guided Discovery of Human Carboxylesterase Inhibitors from the Roots of Paeonia lactiflora.

In a continuing search for potential inhibitors against human carboxylesterases 1A1 and 2A1 (hCES1A1 and hCES2A1), an EtOAc extract of the roots of Paeonia lactiflora showed strong hCES inhibition activity. Bioassay-guided fractionation led to the isolation of 26 terpenoids including 12 new ones (1-5, 7-12, and 26). Among these, sesquiterpenoids 1 and 6, monoterpenoids 10, 11, and 13-15, and triterpenoids 18-20, 22, and 24-26 contributed to the hCES2A1 inhibition, in the IC50 range of 1.9-14.5 µM, while the pentacyclic triterpenoids 18-26 were responsible for the potent inhibitory activity against hCES1A1, with IC50 values less than 5.0 µM. The structures of all the compounds were elucidated using MS and 1D and 2D NMR data, and the absolute configurations of the new compounds were resolved via specific rotation, experimental and calculated ECD spectra, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The structure-activity relationship analysis highlighted that the free HO-3 group in the pentacyclic triterpenoids is crucial for their potent inhibitory activity against hCES1A1.

Three new polyoxygenated bergamotanes from the endophytic fungus Penicillium purpurogenum IMM 003 and their inhibitory activity against pancreatic lipase.

Purpurolides D-F (1-3), three new polyoxygenated bergamotanes bearing a 6/4/5/5 tetracyclic ring system, were isolated from the endophytic fungus Penicillium purpurogenum IMM 003. Their structures were unambiguously elucidated based on extensive spectroscopic data analyses, 13C NMR chemical shifts calculations coupled with the DP4+ probability method, and the calculated and experimental electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra. Compounds 1-3 showed significant inhibitory activity against pancreatic lipase (PL). The result highlights that the presence of 3-hydroxylated decanoic acid moiety at C-14 is important for increasing the inhibition potency against PL.

[Changes in autophagy during maturation and differentiation of Hepa1-6 cells induced by all-trans retinoic acid].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of different concentrations of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) on the maturation, differentiation and autophagy of Hepa1-6 cells. MONTHOD: Hepa1-6 cells were treated with 0.1, 1, and 10 µmol/L ATRA, and the changes in the expressions of hepatic specific markers were detected using real-time PCR and Western blotting. Indocyanine green (ICG) and periodic acid-schiff (PAS) staining was used to assess the functional maturation of Hepa1-6 cells, and the cell-cell junction and autophagy were observed under transmission electron microscopy to determine the optimal concentration of ATRA for treatment. The expressions of autophagy-related markers in the cells were detected using Western blotting, and confocal microscopy was used to observe the autophagic flow in the cells transfected with ptfLC3 plasmid. RESULTS: Compared with the control cells, the hepatocytes treated with ATRA showed a concentration-dependent decrease in AFP expression and increase in the expressions of ALB, CK18, TAT and ApoB. ICG and PAS staining revealed significantly increased number of positive cells after ATRA treatment. Following ATRA treatment, the cells exhibited obviously increased tight junctions, cytoskeleton and number of autophagosomes under transmission electron microscopy. ATRA treatment resulted in significantly increased the expressions of autophagy-related markers LC3-II, Beclin-1, RAB7 and P62 and also an increased ratio of LC3-II/LC3-I(P<0.05). Confocal microscopy revealed obviously increased green and red spots in the cells after ATRA treatment. CONCLUSION: ATRA can induce the maturation and differentiation and enhance the level of autophagy in Hepa1-6 cells.

Structures and Biological Evaluation of Monoterpenoid Glycosides from the Roots of Paeonia lactiflora.

Fractionation of an aqueous extract of the air-dried roots of a traditional Chinese medicinal plant, Paeonia lactiflora, yielded the new monoterpenoid glycosides 1-10. Their structures were assigned via spectroscopic techniques, and the absolute configurations of 1, 4-6, and 8 were verified via chemical methods, specific rotation, and electronic circular dichroism data. Compounds 1-4 are rare compared to the reported cage-like paeoniflorin derivatives; that is, they comprised two monoterpenoidal moieties. In the in vitro assay, compounds 5, 8, and 9 showed weak inhibitions against lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide production in RAW264.7 macrophages, with IC50 values of 64.8, 60.1, and 97.5 µM, respectively.

Characteristics of stem cells derived from rat fascia: in vitro proliferative and multilineage potential assessment.

Fascia­derived stem cells (FDSCs) were previously isolated from the fascia of the gluteus maximus of the rat. However, the use of FDSCs as a cell source for musculoskeletal tissue engineering has not been compared with that of adipose­derived stem cells (ADSCs) and bone marrow­derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). Therefore, the present study aimed to compare the mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) and self­renewal stem cell markers, proliferative capacity and multilineage differentiation potential of these stem cells in vitro. The MSC and embryonic stem cell (ESC) marker profiles were compared using flow cytometry and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Their proliferative capacities were compared using 5­bromo­2'­deoxyuridine and MTT assays. Their osteogenic, adipogenic and chondrogenic differentiation potentials were compared using standard staining assays and qPCR. The FDSCs possessed similar cell morphology and immunophenotypic profiles with BMSCs and ADSCs. FDSCs demonstrated a similar expression pattern of ESC markers with ADSCs, which has higher expression of sex determining region Y­box (Sox)2 and octamer­binding transcription factor 4, and lower expression of Krüppel­like factor 4, when compared with BMSCs. FDSCs exhibited higher proliferation under serum­deprived conditions (0.5% FBS growth medium), and attained higher expression levels of collagen type I, α 2 and type II, α 1 as well as Sox9 mRNA than ADSCs and BMSCs upon chondrogenic induction. An increased amount of proteoglycan deposition was also observed in the FDSC group. However, lower levels of adipogenic and osteogenic marker expression in FDSCs were detected compared with ADSCs and BMSCs upon adipogenic and osteogenic induction, respectively. FDSCs possessed high chondrogenic potential, low osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation potential and were responsive to the induction signals for collagen­rich fascial structure regeneration. Therefore, FDSCs may represent an improved alternative cell source to conventional ADSCs and BMSCs for musculoskeletal tissue repair and tissue engineering, particularly for collagen­rich structures with poor vasculature.

ALDH1A1 expression correlates with clinicopathologic features and poor prognosis of breast cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 family member A1 (ALDH1A1) has been identified as a putative cancer stem cell (CSC) marker in breast cancer. However, the clinicopathological and prognostic significance of this protein in breast cancer patients remains controversial. METHODS: This meta-analysis was conducted to address the above issues using 15 publications covering 921 ALDH1A1(+) cases and 2353 controls. The overall and subcategory analyses were performed to detect the association between ALDH1A1 expression and clinicopathological/prognostic parameters in breast cancer patients. RESULTS: The overall analysis showed that higher expression of ALDH1A1 is associated with larger tumor size, higher histological grade, greater possibility of lymph node metastasis (LNM), higher level expression of epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), and lower level expression of estrogen receptor (ER)/progesterone receptor (PR). The prognosis of breast cancer patients with ALDH1A1(+) tumors was poorer than that of the ALDH1A1(-) patients. Although the relationships between ALDH1A1 expression and some clinicopathological parameters (tumor size, LNM, and the expression of HER2) was not definitive to some degree when we performed a subcategory analysis, the predictive values of ALDH1A1 expression for histological grade and survival of breast cancer patients were significant regardless of the different cutoff values of ALDH1A1 expression, the different districts where the patients were located, the different clinical stages of the patients, the difference in antibodies used in the studies, and the surgery status. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that ALDH1A1 is a biomarker to predict tumor progression and poor survival of breast cancer patients. This marker should be taken into consideration in the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic program for breast cancer.

Astragalus polysaccharide stimulates glucose uptake in L6 myotubes through AMPK activation and AS160/TBC1D4 phosphorylation.

AIM: To establish the mechanism responsible for the stimulation of glucose uptake by Astragalus polysaccharide (APS), extracted from Astragalus membranaceus Bunge, in L6 myotubes in vitro. METHODS: APS-stimulated glucose uptake in L6 myotubes was measured using the 2-deoxy-[(3)H]-D-glucose method. The adenine nucleotide contents in the cells were measured by HPLC. The phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and Akt substrate of 160 kDa (AS160) was examined using Western blot analysis. The cells transfected with 4P mutant AS160 (AS160-4P) were constructed using gene transfer approach. RESULTS: Treatment of L6 myotubes with APS (100-1600 µg/mL) significantly increased glucose uptake in time- and concentration-dependent manners. The maximal glucose uptake was reached in the cells treated with APS (400 µg/mL) for 36 h. The APS-stimulated glucose uptake was significantly attenuated by pretreatment with Compound C, a selective AMPK inhibitor or in the cells overexpressing AS160-4P. Treatment of L6 myotubes with APS strongly promoted the activation of AMPK. We further demonstrated that either Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase ß (CaMKKß) or liver kinase B1 (LKB1) mediated APS-induced activation of AMPK in L6 myotubes, and the increased cellular AMP: ATP ratio was also involved. Treatment of L6 myotubes with APS robustly enhanced the phosphorylation of AS160, which was significantly attenuated by pretreatment with Compound C. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that APS stimulates glucose uptake in L6 myotubes through the AMP-AMPK-AS160 pathway, which may contribute to its hypoglycemic effect.

Proteomic profiling between CNE-2 and its strongly metastatic subclone S-18 and functional characterization of HSP27 in metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Metastasis to secondary sites remains the leading cause of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC)-associated death. In order to identify the candidate protein(s) responsible for the differential metastatic capacity, the protein expression profiling between NPC cell line CNE-2 and its highly metastatic subclone S-18 were compared by 2-DE. In total, 18 spots were differentially expressed between these two cell lines. Among all, seven proteins were identified with further MS analysis. Western blotting further validated upregulation of HSP27 and ezrin, and downregulation of valosin containing protein and keratin 18 in S-18. Moreover, the knockdown of HSP27 was found to significantly decrease the invasive ability of S-18. On the other hand, overexpression of HSP27 in NP460 cells, which generated little endogenous HSP27 and less invasive, was noted to gain enhanced metastatic capability. Real-time PCR confirmed that the transcriptional levels of NF-κB and MMP9, MMP11 were downregulated after inhibition of HSP27 in S-18, which implicated that HSP27 enhanced the metastatic property of NPC cells probably via the NF-κB-mediated activation of MMPs. The findings in this work provided us a platform for further elucidating the underlying mechanisms of NPC metastasis and demonstrated that HSP27 would be a valid target for anti-cancer drug development.

High Ki-67 expression is a poor prognostic indicator of 5-year recurrence free survival in patients with invasive breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Ki-67 is a biomarker that reflects the cell proliferation state. Despite a clear understanding of the protein's structure and properties, its functional role remains elusive. We conducted the present study to assess the prognostic value of Ki-67 in breast cancer (BC). METHODS: We enrolled 164 individuals in this study: 30 patients with benign tumors and 134 with invasive BC. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to detect Ki-67 expression The prognostic value of Ki-67 for 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) could be analyzed in 134 BC patients. RESULTS: Ki-67 expression showed significant differences with the tumor grade, lymph node (LN) status, HER2 status and hormone receptor (HR) status (all P<0.05). When Ki- 67 11% was used as cutoff to divide the 134 cases into two groups, with high and low expression, the patients in former had a significantly higher 5-year recurrence rate (37.1% vs 8.1%, P=0.001) and a worse RFS (log-rank test, P=0.0017) than those in low Ki-67 expression group. Ki-67 was an independent prognostic predictor of 5-year RFS in both univariate and multivariate analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Ki-67 can be used as a negative predictor of 5-year RFS of patients with invasive BC.

Role of PKCzeta translocation in the development of type 2 diabetes in rats following continuous glucose infusion.

AIM: We investigated the molecular mechanisms of hyperglycaemia-induced insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes in rats receiving a continuous glucose infusion (GI). METHODS: Female Wistar rats were infused with either 2.8 mol/L glucose or saline (2 mL/h) for durations varying from 0 to 15 days. Blood samples were analysed daily to determine glucose and insulin dynamics. Subsets of animals were sacrificed and soleus muscles were extracted for determination of protein expression, subcellular location, and activities of insulin-signalling proteins. RESULTS: Rats accommodated this systemic glucose oversupply and developed insulin resistance on day 5 (normoglycaemia/hyperinsulinaemia) and type 2 diabetes on day 15 (hyperglycaemia/normoinsulinaemia). The effect of GI on protein kinase Czeta (PKCzeta) activity was independent of changes in phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activity, and occurred in parallel with an increase in PDK1 activity. Activated PKCzeta was mainly located in the cytosol after 5 days of GI that was coincident with the translocation of GLUT4 to the plasma membrane, and normoglycaemia. After 15 days of GI, PKCzeta translocated from the cytosol to the plasma membrane with a concomitant decrease in PDK1 activity. This caused an increase in the association between PKCzeta and PKB and a decrease in PDK1-PKB reactions at the plasma membrane, leading to reduced PKB activity. The activity of PKCzeta per se was also compromised. The PKCzeta and PKB activity reduction and the blunted insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation eventually led to hyperglycaemia and diabetes. CONCLUSION: Translocation of PKCzeta may play a central role in the development of type 2 diabetes.

DNA ploidy analysis and expression of MMP-9, TIMP-2, and E-cadherin in gastric carcinoma.

AIM: To investigate DNA ploidy and expression of MMP-9, TIMP-2, and E-cadherin in gastric carcinoma and to explore the mechanism of invasion and metastasis of gastric carcinoma. METHODS: Immunohistochemical methods were used to detect the expressions of MMP-9, TIMP-2, and E-cadherin in 156 cases, including 99 cases of gastric carcinoma, 16 cases of adjacent noncancerous mucosa, 16 cases of distant metastases and 25 cases of metastatic lymph node (LN) from gastric carcinoma. Flow cytometry DNA ploidy and S-phase fraction (SPF) analysis were performed on 57 cases, including 47 cases of gastric cancer, 6 cases of adjacent noncancerous mucosa, and 4 cases of distant metastatic cancer. RESULTS: The expression of MMP-9 was significantly correlated with Lauren's classification, Borrmann's classification, LN metastasis, tumor metastasis, and TNM stage, as well as depth of invasion (all P<0.05). The positive rate was lower in noncarcinoma than in carcinoma (31.3% vs 66.7%, P<0.01). The expression of TIMP-2 was significantly correlated with Borrmann's classification, LN metastasis, and the depth of invasion (all P<0.05). The expression of E-cadherin was significantly correlated with differentiation, Lauren's classification, Borrmann's classification, and LN metastasis, as well as the depth of invasion (P<0.01 or P<0.05). E-cadherin was less expressed in carcinoma than in noncarcinoma (42.4% vs 87.5%, P<0.01). There was a positive correlation between MMP-9 and TIMP-2 and a negative correlation between MMP-9 and E-cadherin, but no correlation between TIMP-2 and E-cadherin. Also there was a positive correlation between DNA aneuploid rate and differentiation and LN metastasis. SPF that was higher than 15% was positively correlated with tumor size, differentiation and LN metastasis. And there was a significant difference between carcinoma and noncarcinoma in DNA aneuploid rate and SPF. CONCLUSION: With tumor progression and development of heterogeneity, the abnormal expressions of MMP-9, TIMP-2, and E-cadherin or DNA aneuploid rate or high SPF gradually increases, suggesting that they play a crucial role in gastric carcinoma progression.

[Clinical analysis of gastrointestinal bleeding after cardiac surgery].

OBJECTIVE: To explore early diagnosis, treatment and prevention of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding after cardiac surgery. METHODS: In the last 13 years, cases complicated with GI bleeding after cardiac surgeries were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Fourty-four GI bleeding occurred post-operatively in (6 +/- 3) d. The mortality was 23% (10/44). Thirty-eight were located in upper GI tract, of them 26 underwent conservative therapy while 4 died of other than GI bleeding cause; six underwent laparotomy while 1 and 3 died of septicemia and multi-organ failure respectively; six underwent gastric endoscopic hemostasis by electrocautery or clipping the bleeding vessel while all survived. Six were located in lower GI tract, and 2 of them underwent laparotomy without finding bleeding section and died of multi-organ failure. By multivariable logistic regression analysis, deaths were highly related to the post-operative ventilator-dependence, acute renal insufficiency, intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) assisting and laparotomy. CONCLUSION: The mortality of GI bleeding after cardiac surgeries is very high, early gastrointestinal endoscopic examination and minimally invasive intervention can treat this complication more effectively. GI bleeding must be prevented whenever complicating post-operative ventilator-dependence, acute renal insufficiency, and IABP assisting after cardiac surgery.

[Aortic-coronary sinus shunt retroperfusion protects against acute myocardial ischemia in pigs during off-pump beating heart surgery].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the protective effect and safety of coronary sinus retroperfusion (CSR) with aortic oxygenated blood for acute myocardial ischemia during off-pump beating heart surgery in pigs. METHODS: Eighteen pigs were subjected to 120 min of acute myocardial ischemia by ligation of the lateral anterior descending branch (LAD) of the coronary artery followed by 60 min of reperfusion by lifting LAD ligation. The pigs were divided into 3 groups after the above operation, including a control group (group 1) and low- and high-pressure retroperfusion groups (groups 2 and 3), and in the latter two groups the pigs received 60 min of aorta-coronary sinus shunt retroperfusion (ACSSR) following 60 min of ischemia with self or manually inflated balloon-tipped cannula inserted to induce low or high-pressure, respectively. The left ventricular function and measurements of coronary sinus nitric oxide (NO), endothelin-1 (ET-1) and infarct size were recorded. RESULTS: Three hours after ischemia, the maximal left ventricular pressure increment to reduction rates in groups 2 and 3 were much higher than those of group 1, with also higher NO and lower ET-1 concentrations in the coronary sinus blood. The infarct size was reduced by 45%; and 61%; in groups 2 and 3, respectively, as compared with that of group 1. CONCLUSION: ACSSR can reduce left ventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction, protect coronary endothelial function, and reduce infarct size for rescue of the acutely ischemic myocardium in pigs during off-pump beating heart surgery.

[Experimental study of xenogeneic heart valve material].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the possibility of improving the performance of tissue engineering valve by means of preendothelialization with cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cell(hUVEC) and to develop a new xenogenic bioprosthesis valve material. METHODS: The porcine aortic valves treated by use of glutaraldehyde(GA), epoxychloropropane(EC), L-glutamic acid(L-GA) and cellular extraction(CE) respectively were divided into four groups; group 1(GA), group 2(EC), group 3(EC + L-GA), and group 4(EC + L-GA + CE). The cultured hUVECs were seeded onto the treated porcine aortic valve, then that stuff were examined by means of EC VIII factor staining, living cells counting and microscopy. RESULTS: The cultured hUVEC could adhere to culturing bottle wall an hour later, and propagated to two passages after seven days. The cells increased with serial passage at a 7-day interval. But the hUVEC grew slowly when seeded onto the treated valve material except group 4. The cells in group 4 covered the surface of valve completely seven days later, which could also be seen in group 3 but not completely. There was no cell growing in group 1, and only fewer in group 2. The living cell in groups 3 and 4 were significantly more than in groups 1 and 2 on the 3rd, 7th and 14th days (P < 0.01), meanwhile, the number of cells in group 4 were also significantly more than that in group 3 (P < 0.05). The covering area of cultured cell on the valve material in groups 3 and 4 was significantly larger than that in groups 1 and 2. The covering area of cell in group 4 was over 95%, and higher than that in group 3(60%-70%). The hUVEC of group 4 arranged in pattern of three dimension. So it could resist rising of foreign power from the cardiac cavity of high pressure and flowing volume. There was no cell on the leaflet surface in group 1, and only a few pinch of cells could be seen in group 2. CONCLUSION: The porcine aortic valve can be used to be an ideal xenogeneic valve scaffold; the scaffold of porcine aortic valve should be treated by use of epoxy-chloropropane, L-glutamic acid and cellular extraction, so that a best growing environment to the hUVEC would be given; the cultured hUVECs used to be source of seed living cell had a boundless prospects; the growing velocity of cultured hUVEC was controllable, which facilitated clinical application; and the endothelial cells of xenogeneic valve material which grew compactly onto the scaffold can resist rising of foreign power from the cardiac cavity itself.