Inhibitory Effect of Sesquiterpenoid M36 from Myrrha on Growth of Human Hepatoma Cells / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveThe antitumor activity of sesquiterpenoid M36 isolated from Myrrha against human hepatoma HepG2 cells was investigated in this study. MethodHepG2 cells were treated with M36 at different concentrations （0， 2， 4， 6， 8， 10 μmol·L-1）. Firstly， the effects of M36 on the proliferation of human hepatoma HepG2 cells were detected by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium （MTT）， colony formation assay， and EdU proliferation assay. Hoechst staining， flow cytometry analysis， and Western blot were used to explore the effect of M36 on the apoptosis of human hepatoma HepG2 cells. Acridine orange staining and western blotting were used to examine the effect of M36 on autophagy in HepG2 cells. Finally， Western blot was used to detect protein expression of cancer-related signaling pathways. ResultCompared with the blank group， M36 treatment significantly inhibited the proliferation of human hepatoma HepG2 cells （P<0.01）， and the half inhibitory concentration （IC50） value of M36 for 48 h was 5.03 μmol·L-1， in a dose- and time-dependent manner. M36 was also able to induce apoptosis and autophagy in human hepatoma HepG2 cells. After treatment with 8 μmol·L-1 M36 for 48 hours， the apoptosis rate of HepG2 cells was （42.03±9.65）% （P<0.01）. Compared with the blank group， HepG2 cells treated with 4 and 8 μmol·L-1 M36 for 48 h had a significant increase in cleaved poly ADP-ribose polymerase （cleaved-PARP） protein levels （P<0.01）. Acridine orange staining showed that autophagy was significantly activated in HepG2 cells treated with 4 and 8 μmol·L-1 M36 for 48 h compared with the blank group （P<0.01）， which was further verified by the up-regulation of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 Ⅱ （LC3 Ⅱ）. Western blot results showed that compared with the blank group， the levels of phosphorylated extracellular regulated protein kinase （p-ERK）， phosphorylated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase （p-p38 MAPK）， phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase （p-JNK）， and its downstream nuclear transcription factors c-Jun and p-c-Jun protein were significantly increased in M36 group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The mechanism may be related to the up-regulation of MAPK signaling pathway. ConclusionThe sesquiterpenoid M36 isolated from Myrrha inhibits the proliferation of human hepatoma HepG2 cells and promotes apoptosis and autophagy， which may be related to the activation of the MAPK signaling pathway.

Ultrasensitive quantification of trace amines based on N-phosphorylation labeling chip 2D LC-QQQ/MS / 药物分析学报

Trace amines(TAs)are metabolically related to catecholamine and associated with cancer and neuro-logical disorders.Comprehensive measurement of TAs is essential for understanding pathological pro-cesses and providing proper drug intervention.However,the trace amounts and chemical instability of TAs challenge quantification.Here,diisopropyl phosphite coupled with chip two-dimensional(2D)liquid chromatography tandem triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry(LC-QQQ/MS)was developed to simul-taneously determine TAs and associated metabolites.The results showed that the sensitivities of TAs increased up to 5520 times compared with those using nonderivatized LC-QQQ/MS.This sensitive method was utilized to investigate their alterations in hepatoma cells after treatment with sorafenib.The significantly altered TAs and associated metabolites suggested that phenylalanine and tyrosine metabolic pathways were related to sorafenib treatment in Hep3B cells.This sensitive method has great potential to elucidate the mechanism and diagnose diseases considering that an increasing number of physiological functions of TAs have been discovered in recent decades.

Aconite aqueous extract inhibits the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma through CCL2-dependent enhancement of natural killer cell infiltration / 中西医结合学报

OBJECTIVE@#Aconite is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine that has been found to inhibit the development of liver cancer; however, its exact molecular mechanisms in this process remain unclear. This study explores how aconite aqueous extract (AAE) inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).@*METHODS@#An in vivo mouse model of subcutaneous liver cancer was established. After AAE treatment, immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to determine the effect of AAE on natural killer (NK) cells. Subsequently, C57BL/6 mice were used to establish the subcutaneous tumor model, and a group of these mice were treated with anti-PK163 antibody to remove NK cells, which was verified by flow cytometry and IHC. The effect of AAE on the proliferation of HCC cells in vitro was determined using cell counting kit-8. The effect of AAE on chemokine production in HCC cells was measured using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The effect of AAE on the migration of NK cells was determined using a transwell assay. Finally, the molecular mechanism was investigated using the Western blotting method.@*RESULTS@#We demonstrated that the ability of AAE to induce overexpression of the cytokine C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) in HCC cells is fundamental to the infiltration of NK cells into the tumor bed. Mechanistically, we found that the upregulation of CCL2 was achieved by the activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase but not extracellular regulated protein kinase or p38.@*CONCLUSION@#Our findings suggest that AAE can be used as an effective immune adjuvant to enhance antitumor immunity by increasing NK cell infiltration into tumors, which could help to improve the efficacy of HCC treatments. Please cite this article as: Yang KD, Zhang X, Shao MC, Wang LN. Aconite aqueous extract inhibits the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma through CCL2-dependent enhancement of natural killer cell infiltration. J Integr Med. 2023; 21(6): 575-583.

Inhibition of liver glutaminase activity by Diallyl disulfide in experimentally induced hepatoma in mice

Background: Cancer cells addiction to glutamine, an essential non-essential amino acid, has stirred up the interest in researchers across the globe. Increased glutamine metabolism (glutaminolysis) is a hallmark of cancer. Targeting glutaminolysis via glutaminase inhibition emerges as a promising strategy to disrupt cancer metabolism and tumor progression. Diallyl disulfide (DADS), a major organosulfur compound derived from garlic, is known for its anticancer properties. The mechanisms of action of DADS include activation of metabolic enzymes that detoxify carcinogens, suppression of the formation of DNA adducts, antioxidant effects, regulation of cell-cycle progression, induction of apoptosis, and inhibition of angiogenesis and metastasis. Aim: to assess the effect of diallyl disulfide on liver glutaminase activity in experimentally induced hepatoma in mice. Materials & Methods: Swiss albino male mice were divided into four groups - normal, control, preventive and curative groups. Hepatoma was induced by intraperitoneal injection of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells. DADS (100 mg/kg body weight/mouse/day) was orally fed to protective and curative group mice for a stipulated time period. Mice of all the groups were sacrificed, and liver tissue glutaminase activity were measured. Results: The present study shows a significant decrease in glutaminase activity in protective (p >0.001) and curative groups (p >0.001) as compared to control group. Conclusion: DADS at the dosage employed shows inhibitory effects on liver glutaminase activity which may be attributed to anti-inflammatory properties of DADS, specifically in suppression of NF-kB signalling pathway.

Effect of diallyl disulfide on liver nucleotide metabolism in experimentally induced hepatoma in mice.

Background: The antitumorigenic effects of active ingredient of garlic, diallyl disulfide (DADS), has been extensively studied & found to retard the growth of neoplastic cells than any other allyl sulfur compounds of garlic. Earlier we have reported antitomorogenic properties of DADS, showing tumor regression by interfering with the liver glucose utilization, protein synthesis as well as lipid synthesis in tumor cells. Aim: To assess the effect of diallyl disulfide on liver nucleotide metabolism in experimentally induced hepatoma in mice. Materials & Methods: Swiss albino male mice were divided into four groups - normal, control, preventive and curative groups. Hepatoma was induced by intraperitoneal injection of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells. DADS (100 mg/kg body weight/mouse/day) was orally fed to protective and curative group mice for a stipulated time period. Mice of all the groups were sacrificed, and liver tissue adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity and uric acid (UA) levels were measured. Results: The present study shows a significant decrease in ADA activity and UA levels in protective (p >0.001) and curative groups (p >0.01) as compared to control group. Conclusion: DADS has inhibitory effects on nucleotide metabolism by inhibiting the activities of ADA and xanthine oxidase enzymes, and by reducing the production of deoxy ribonucleotides, probably by involving in thiol-disulfide exchange reactions.

Significance of expressions of HDGF、VEGF and mucin 5B in hepatolithiasis associated with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective:To study the roles of hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and mucin 5B (MUC5B) in hepatolithiasis associated with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (HICC).Methods:The clinical data and tissue specimens of 116 patients who underwent hepatectomy at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from October 1999 to October 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 41 patients with HICC (the HICC group), 38 patients with intrahepatic cholangiolithiasis (the intrahepatic cholangiolithiasis group), and 37 patients with benign liver tumor who underwent hepatectomy (the control group). There were 47 males and 69 females, with age of (66.1±3.2) years old. The positive expressions of HDGF, VEGF and MUC5B in the three groups were compared. In 41 patients with HICC, the correlation between positive expressions of HDGF, VEGF and MUC5B with patients’ clinical characteristics were studied.Results:Compared with the control group, the positive expression rates of HDGF, VEGF and MUC5B in the HICC group and the intrahepatic cholangiolithiasis group were significantly increased, ( P<0.05). Compared with the intrahepatic cholangiolithiasis group, the positive expression rates of HDGF, VEGF and MUC5B in the HICC group were significantly increased ( P<0.05). Positive expression of VEGF in HICC patients was correlated with tumor differentiation, tumor local invasion, tumor length, tumor stage, tumor carbohydrate antigen CA19-9 level and lymph node metastasis ( P<0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that HDGF was positively correlated with VEGF expression in HICC tissues specimens ( r=0.935, P<0.01). Survival analysis showed that the cumulative survival rates (36.7%, 17.1%, 7.3%) of patients with positive expression of VEGF were significantly lower than that of patients with negative expression (51.2%, 26.8%, 19.5%) at 1, 3, 5 years after surgery ( P<0.01). The cumulative survival rate (34.1%, 17.1%, 4.9%) of patients with MUC5B positive expression were significantly lower than that of patients with negative expression (53.7%, 31.7%, 17.1%) at 1, 3, 5 years after surgery ( P<0.01). Conclusion:HDGF can be used as a reference indicator for early assessment of HICC. Overexpressions of VEGF and MUC5B can be used as important indicators for HICC in evaluating disease progression and prognosis.

Tumor-DerivedIL-1β Promotes Adhesion of Vascular Endothelial Cells with Hepatoma Cells Through NF-κB p65 Signaling Pathway / 华中科技大学学报(医学版)

Objective To elucidate the effect of tumor-derived interleukin-1 beta(IL-1β)on adhesion of vascular endothelial cells(HUVECs)with hepatoma cells and the potential molecular mechanisms. Methods HepG2 cell line stably expressing IL-1β(HepG2/IL-1β)and GFP(HepG2/GFP)was established by lentivirus transfection,and the IL-1β in cell culture supernatant was determined by ELISA. Conditioned medium(CM)containing IL-1β(IL-1β-CM)of HepG2 cells was used as a source for tumor-derived IL-1β,and was controlled with CM from HepG2/GFP cells(Ctrl-CM). HUVECs stimulated with 10 ng/mLIL-1β(HUVECs+IL-1β-CM)were used to observe their adhesion ability with HepG2/IL-1βand HepG2/GFP cells,and HUVECs+CtrlCM served as control. The mRNA expression levels of E-selectin(CD62E) ,ICAM-1(CD54)and VCAM-1(CD106)in HUVECs were detected byqRT-PCR. Cell surface expression levels of CD62Eand CD54 were detected by flow cytometry.IL-1β induced signaling pathways in HUVECs were analyzed through Western blotting. Specific inhibitors were usedto block each signaling pathway,and the expression of adhesion molecules as well as the adhesion of vascular endothelial cells with hepatoma cells were subsequently monitored. Results Tumor-derived IL-1β significantly enhanced the adhesion of HUVECs with HepG2 cells and upregulated the expression levels of CD62E and CD54 mRNAin HUVECs cells. The surface CD62E was temporarily upregulated 4 h after IL-1β stimulation,while the expression of CD54 protein showed a continuous upregulated pattern,which lasted from 4 hto 24 h.IL-1β mainly activated NF-κB p65 and p38 MAPK signaling pathways in HUVECs,and NF-κB p65 was proved to be located at upstream,regulating the activation of p38 MAPK pathway. Targeted blocking of NF-κB p65 pathway by specific inhibitor significantly downregulated the expression of CD62E and CD54 on surface of HUVECs and inhibited their adhesionability with HepG2cells. Conclusion Tumor-derived IL-1β promotes adhesion of HUVECs with hepatoma cells through upregulation of CD62E and CD54 expression by activating NF-κB p65 signaling pathway in HUVECs. Tumor-derivedIL-1β might be involved in invasion and metastasis of hepatoma cells through vascular system.

Mechanism of Proteoglycan TPG-1 from Trametes robiniophila Inhibiting Growth of Human Hepatoma SK-HEP-1 Cells / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveProteoglycan TPG-1 isolated from Trametes robiniophila（Huaier） has proved to have anti-hepatoma activity， and this paper aims to explore the molecular mechanism. MethodHuman hepatoma SK-HEP-1 cells were treated with TPG-1 （0， 0.05， 0.1， 0.25， 0.5， 1 g·L-1）. Then cell survival was detected by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium （MTT） and apoptosis by flow cytometry. In addition， expression of genes in SK-HEP-1 cells treated with or without TPG-1 was examined by DNA microarray to preliminarily explore the anti-hepatoma molecular mechanism of TPG-1. ResultTPG-1 inhibited the proliferation of SK-HEP-1 cells as compared with the blank group （P<0.01）. After treatment with 1 g·L-1 TPG-1 for 48 h， the apoptosis rate of SK-HEP-1 cells increased （P<0.01）， and TPG-1 promoted the cleavage of cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase （Caspase）-3 and Caspase-7， the key mediators of apoptosis （P<0.01）. Additionally， TPG-1 （1 g·L-1） suppressed the migration of SK-HEP-1 cells （P<0.05）. A total of 971 differentially expressed genes （DEGs） were identified in SK-HEP-1 cells after treatment with TPG-1， with 486 up-regulated and 485 down-regulated. These DEGs were mainly involved in the Gene Ontology （GO） terms of interleukin-6 （IL-6） biosynthesis， antigen processing and presentation， superoxide dismutase activity， positive regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase （MAPKKK） cascade， nature killer （NK） cell chemotaxis， and chemokine biosynthesis， and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathways of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain （NOD）-like receptor signaling pathway， apoptosis， Toll-like receptor signaling pathway， retinoic acid-inducible gene-Ⅰ （RIG-Ⅰ）-like receptor signaling pathway， T-cell receptor signaling pathway， and chemokine signaling pathway. Western blot results showed that TPG-1 （1 g·L-1） activated mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） signaling pathway in SK-HEP-1 cells （P<0.01）. ConclusionProteoglycan TPG-1 inhibited the proliferation and migration， and induced apoptosis of human hepatoma SK-HEP-1 cells. Up-regulation of MAPK signaling pathway may be responsible for the growth inhibition of human hepatoma SK-HEP-1 cells by TPG-1.

Study on mechanism difference of baicalein and wogonin inhibiting energy metabolism of hepatoma cells / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE To explore the difference in th e mechanis m of baicalein and wogonin inhibiting the energy metabolism of hepatoma cells. METHODS Human hepatoma HepG 2 cells were divided into blank control group （without medicine），different dose groups of baicalein and wogonin （1.25，2.5，5，10 and 20 μmol/L）. The effects of baicalein and wogonin on the viability of HepG 2 cells were detected by MTT assay. HepG 2 cells were divided into blank control group （without medicine），baicalein group and wogonin group. After administration ，the concentration of ATP in cell was detected by enhanced ATP kit. The levels of cell glycolysis and mitochondrial energy metabolism were evaluated by glycolysis and mitochondrial pressure test kit ；the affinity of baicalein and wogonin with key enzymes of energy metabolism was predicted by molecular docking ，and the key enzymes of energy metabolism with high affinity were screened ；the expression of key enzymes of energy metabolism was detected by Western blot. RESULTS Within the dose range of 2.5-20 μmol/L，the half inhibitory concentrations of baicalein and wogonin were 12.84 and 24.09 μmol/L；baicalein 1.25 μmol/L and wogonin 2.5 μmol/L had no effect on cell viability ，so it was selected as the dosage for subsequent experiments. Compared with blank control group ，the concentration of ATP in HepG 2 cells decreased significantly in baicalein group and wogonin group （P＜0.05）；the inhibitory effects on basic acidification rate of HepG 2 cells in wogonin group were significantly stronger than those of baicalein group （P＜0.05），but there was no significant difference between them on the basic oxygen consumption rate （P＞0.05）；baicalein had strong binding to pyruvate kinase M 2 and mitochondrial enzyme complexes Ⅰ（CⅠ），C Ⅱ and C Ⅳ，while wogonin only had strong binding to pyruvate kinase M 2； wogonin could significantly down-regulate the protein expressions of hexokinase ，phosphofructokinase，pyruvate kinase M 2，CⅠ， C Ⅱ and C Ⅳ（P＜0.05），but there was no statistical significance in the effect of baicalein on the regulation of these enzymes （P＞ 0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Both baicalein and wogonin can inhibit the energy metabolism of hepatoma HepG 2 cells，but the mechanism is different ：the effect of baicalein is related to the activity of key enzymes ，while the effect of wogonin is related to the inhibition of the expression of key enzymes of energy metabolism.

Anti-hepatoma Effect of Active Ingredients of Chinese Medicine via Wnt/β-catenin Signaling Pathway： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Hepatoma is one of the most common malignant tumors of digestive system worldwide， and a main factor leading to cancer-related deaths. Its incidence is increasing year by year， posing a serious threat to human health. Currently， hepatoma is mainly treated by surgical resection， liver transplantation， radiation and drugs， but there are certain adverse reactions and problems of high recurrence rate and low survival rate. Chinese medicine has unique advantages in improving the comprehensive curative effect of hepatoma and reducing adverse reactions. With a variety of active ingredients， Chinese medicine can induce hepatoma cell apoptosis， inhibit the proliferation， migration and reverse multidrug resistance through multiple targets， thus exerting anti-hepatoma effect. It has become an important means for the prevention and treatment of hepatoma as well as a rich resource for anti-hepatoma drug research and development. Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway， one of the most classical pathways in cancer， is involved in tumor cell proliferation， cell cycle， migration， invasion and tumor angiogenesis. Recently， many studies have reported that the active ingredients of Chinese medicine can play an anti-hepatoma role through this pathway. Therefore， this paper summarized the domestic and foreign literature in recent years， analyzed the relationship between wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and the specific mechanism of hepatoma occurrence and development， and combed the literature on the effect of flavonoids， terpenoids， alkaloids， polysaccharides and other active ingredients of Chinese medicine on inducing hepatoma cell apoptosis， regulating cell cycle and inhibiting the invasion and metastasis through Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. In addition， the paper summarized the research progress of relevant active ingredients of Chinese medicine against hepatoma， to explore their specific mechanism against hepatoma through Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway， so as to provide theoretical reference for further development of anti-hepatoma drugs.

Effect of Stemona tuberosa Alkaloids on Apoptosis of SMMC-7721 Cells and Expression of Bcl-2， Bax， and Cleaved Caspase-3 / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To investigate the effect of<italic> Stemona tuberosa</italic> alkaloids on the apoptosis of human hepatoma SMMC-7721 cells and the expression of apoptosis-related proteins including B lymphocytoma-2 （Bcl-2）， Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax）， and cleaved cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease-3 （cleaved Caspase-3）. Method:SMMC-7721 cells were routinely cultured， passaged， and treated with various concentrations （50， 75， 112， 167， and 250 mg·L^-1） of <italic>S. tuberosa </italic>alkaloids， while those in the blank control group were only treated with 10% fetal bovine serum. The cell proliferation was determined by tetrazolium bromide （MTT） colorimetry and colony assay and the cell apoptosis by Hoechst 33258 staining. The protein expression levels of Bcl-2， Bax， and cleaved Caspase-3 were detected by Western blot. Result:<italic>S. tuberosa</italic> alkaloids inhibited the proliferation of SMMC-7721 cells， and the inhibition rate was significantly increased in comparison with that in the blank control group （<italic>P</italic><0.01）， with the half maximal inhibitory concentrations （IC₅₀） at 24 h， 48 h， and 72 h being （173.36±8.75）， （112.14±16.50）， and （96.41±2.60）mg·L^-1， respectively. The cell colony-inhibitory activity was significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner （<italic>P</italic><0.01）. Compared with the blank control group， <italic>S. tuberosa</italic> alkaloids promoted the apoptosis of SMMC-7721 cells， manifested as increased number of apoptotic cells and elevated apoptotic rate （<italic>P</italic><0.01）. The typical morphological changes such as brightly blue-fluorescent condensed nuclei， cytoplasmic shrinking， and karyopyknosis were found under the upright fluorescence microscope. As revealed by comparison with the blank control group， the expression of Bcl-2 was significantly down-regulated （<italic>P</italic><0.01）， while the protein expression levels of pro-apoptotic protein Bax and cleaved Caspase-3 in the 75， 112， 167， and 250 mg·L^-1 <italic>S. tuberosa</italic> alkaloids groups were significantly up-regulated （<italic>P</italic><0.01）. Conclusion:<italic>S. tuberosa </italic>alkaloids inhibit the proliferation of SMMC-7721 cells and promote their apoptosis possibly by inhibiting Bcl-2 protein expression and promoting Bax and cleaved Caspase-3 protein expression.

Improvement Effects of α-lipoic Acid on Glucose Metabolism Disorder of Insulin Resistant HepG 2 Cells / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE：To study the i mprovement effects of α-lipoic acid on glucose metabolism disorder of insulin resistant HepG2 cells. METHODS ：The effects of 25-1 000 µmol/L α-lipoic acid on survival rate of human hepatoma cell HepG2 were determined by MTT assay so as to determine the concentration of α-lipoic acid. Negative control group ，insulin resistance group （1× 10－7 mol/L insulin ），combination resistance group （30 µmol/L sodium arsenite+ 1×10－8 mol/L insulin ），α-lipoic acid low- concentration，medium-concentration and high-concentration groups were set up. HepG 2 cells were treated with α-lipoic acid for 12 h and then cultured with corresponding concentration of sodium arsenite or/and insulin for 24 h. The glucose oxidase method was used to detect the glucose consumption ，colorimetric method was used to detect hexokinase activity and pyruvate kinase activity ， and anthrone method was used to detect glycogen content. Western blot assay was used to detect the protein expression of GLUT 4， p-GSK3β and GSK3β as well as the ratio of p-Akt/Akt and p-GSK3β/GSK3β. RESULTS：25，50，100 µmol/L α-lipoic acid had no significant effect on the survival rates of HepG 2 cells（P＞0.05），and survival rates of H epG2 cells were higher than 96％，so they were used as the low ，medium and high concentration for follow-up study. Compared with negative control group ，glucose consumption，the activities of hexokinase and pyruvate kinase ，glycogen content ，protein expression of GLUT 4 and p-GSK 3β，the ratio of p-Akt/Akt and p-GSK 3β/GSK3β were decreased significantly in insulin resistance group and combined resistance group， while the protein expression of GSK 3β was increased significantly（P＜0.05）. Compared with combination resistance group ，the glucose consumption （except for α-lipoic acid low- concentration group ），the activities of h exokinase（except for α-lipoic acid low-concentration and medium-concentration groups ） andpyruvate kinase （except for α-lipoic acid low-concentration com and medium-concentration groups ）， glycogen contents ， protein expression of GLUT 4 （except for α-lipoic acid mail：bliang163@163.com low-concentration group ）and p-GSK3β，the ratio of p-Akt/ Akt（except for α-lipoic acid low-concentration and medium-concentration groups ）and p-GSK 3β/GSK3β（except for α-lipoic acid low-concentration groups ）were increased significantly in α-lipoic acid groups ，while protein expression of GSK 3β（except for α-lipoic acid low-concentration and medium-concentration groups ） was decreased significantly （P＜0.05）；glycogen content ， protein expression of GLUT 4 and the ratio of p-GSK 3β/GSK3β in α-lipoic acid high-concentration group as well as the protein expression of p-GSK 3β in α-lipoic acid medium-concentration and high-concentration groups were improved significantly （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS：α-lipoic acid can improve the disorder of glucose metabolism in insulin resistant HepG 2 cells，the mechanism of which may be associated with the increase of glucose consumption ，the activities of glucose metabolism related enzymes and glycogen content ，and expression up-regulation of the phosphorylation levels of Akt and GSK 3β protein，the expression of GLUT 4 and p-GSK 3β proteins，down-regulation of the expression of GSK 3β protein.

A new lignan from Euscaphis konishii / 中国中药杂志

The chemical constituents from the extract of the twigs of Euscaphis konishii with anti-hepatoma activity were investigated, twelve compounds by repeated chromatography with silica gel, Sephadex LH-20 and preparative-HPLC. The structures of the chemical components were elucidated by spectroscopy methods, as konilignan(1),(7R, 8S)-dihydrodehydrodico-niferylalcohol-9-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(2),illiciumlignan B(3),threo-1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-2-[4-(3-hydroxypropyl)-2-methoxyphenoxy]-1,3-panediol(4),erythro-1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-2-[4-(3-hydroxypropyl)-2-methoxyphenoxy]-1,3-panediol(5), matairesinol(6), wikstromol(7), isolariciresinol(8),(+)-lyoniresinol(9), 4-ketopinoresinol(10), syringaresin(11), and vladinol D(12). Among them, compound 1 is a new lignan. Compounds 10 and 12 had moderate inhibitory activity on HepG2 cells, with IC_(50) values of 107.12 μmol·L~(-1) and 183.56 μmol·L~(-1), respectively.

Ethanol extract of Ardisiae Japonicae Herba inhibits hepatoma carcinoma cell proliferation in vitro through regulating lipid metabolism / 中草药·英文版

Objective: The aim of this study is to discover the possible working mechanisms of Ardisiae Japonicae Herba (AJH) on hepatoma carcinoma (HCC). Methods: In this study, ethanol extract of AJH was prepared and used to treat HCC cell in vitro. Furthermore, a genomic wide RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed to screen deregulated genes in HCC cells after the treatment of AJH extract. The gene and protein expression related to lipid metabolism in HCC cells were also investigated to validate the results obtained from RNA-seq. Results: AJH extract could inhibit HCC cell proliferation in vitro. RNA-seq analysis has identified 1,601 differentially expressed genes (DEGs, fold change ≥ 2.0 or fold change ≤ 0.5, P < 0.05) in HCC after AJH extract treatment, which included 225 up-regulated genes and 1,376 down-regulated genes. KEGG pathway analysis of DEGs demonstrated that lipid metabolism was a potential pathway related to AJH treatment. In agreement with the RNA-seq data, qPCR and Western-blot analysis indicated that expression of genes and proteins related to lipid metabolism (SREBP1, ACC, ACLY and FASN) were significantly down-regulated in AJH treatment group as compared with the control group. Furthermore, AJH extract could also decrease lipid contents and cellular free fatty acid levels in HCC cells. Conclusion: Ethanol extract of AJH could inhibit HCC cell proliferation in vitro, the possible mechanism may be related to the inhibition of lipid metabolism.

Effect of melittin on programmed necrosis of human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line SMMC￣7721 / 解剖学报

Objective To investigate the lethal effect of melittin on human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line SMMC-7721 and its possible mechanism. Methods MTT assay was used to investigate the killing effect of different concentrations melittin on human hepatocellular carcinoma cells SMMC-7721. Meanwhile, the inhibitory effect of specific programmed necrosis inhibitors necrostain-1(Nec-1) on melittin killing SMMC-7721 cells was detected. Programmed cell necrosis observed by Hoechst 33342 and PI double staining. The necrotosis rate was detected by flow cytometry. Ultrastructural changes of cell was detected by transmission electron microscopy. The expression of receptor interacting protein 1(RIP1) was detected by Western blotting. Results Compared with the control group, the proliferation activity of SMMC-7721 cells was significantly decreased after treatment with different concentrations of melittin for 24 hours (P < 0. 05) . Cells stained in dark blue and red. Cell membrane integrity was destroyed, organelle swelling, organelle membrane was destroy, that demonstrates cell was necrosis. Westen blotting result showed an increased proportion of RIP1 expression in SMMC-7721 cells. Compared with the melittin group, cell proliferation activity was significantly increased, cell necrotosis rate was decreased, and intracellular RIP1 expression was down-regulated in the Nec-1 pretreatment group. Conclusion Melittin induces cell death in SMMC-7721 cells through the RIP1-mediated programmed necrosis pathway.

Construction of Rho GDIa-sgRNAs plasmids by clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/associated protein 9 and the effect on migration of Hepa 1-6 cell line in mouse / 解剖学报

Objective To construct the recombinant plasmids of knocking down Rho guanine dissociation inhibitor α (GDIα ) gene by using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) technique, and investigate the effect of Rho GDIα interference on the migration of Hepa 1-6 cells of mouse in order to provide the method of prevention and treatment of liver cancer. Methods To construct and identify the PX458-Rho GDIα-single guide (sg) RNAs by using CRISPR/Cas9 technique. And the Hepa 1-6 cells were transfected by liposomes with PX458-Rho GDIα-sgRNAs for 48 hours respectively, and cells treated with PX458 plasmids were used as control. The migration ability of Hepa 1-6 was checked by wound healing assay and Transwell assay, respectively. Results The expression of Rho GDIα was depressed in group of PX458-Rho GDIα-sgRNAl transfection which was detected by using RT-PCR. The migration distance of Hepa 1-6 in PX458-Rho GDIα-sgRNAl transfection group was significantly promoted comparing with the control group which was transfected with PX458 only, and the cell number of PX458-Rho GDIα-sgRNAl group was more than that in control group by using transwell assay, indicating concluded that knocking down of Rho GDIα promoted the migration ability of Hepal-6 cells. Conclusion The result is explicit that in vivo, Rho GDIα may inhibit the migration of Hepal-6 partially. Overexpression of Rho GDIα might be used as an important method to prevent the metastasize of carcinoma.

CT imaging and quantitative analysis in the differential diagnosis of hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma and hepatic metastasis / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective To study the use of abdominal enhanced CT imaging and quantitative index analysis in the differential diagnosis of hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (HEH) and hepatic metastasis.Methods A study group of 12 patients with HEH who underwent abdominal enhanced CT scanning at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from February 2014 to October 2018 was retrospectively compared with a control group of 52 patients with hepatic metastases diagnosed clinically and by imaging examinations.The general information and imaging data of these patients were collected and analyzed.Results The lesions in the 2 groups mainly presented as multiple and diffuse lesions.The diffuse lesions of HEH often fused into strips.The hepatic metastasis group showed a higher CT attenuation and TNR in the portal vein phase than the HEH group (P ＜ 0.05).The area under the ROC curves of the two indexes were 0.756 and 0.841 respectively.The centers of the lesions showed almost no or slightly homogeneous enhancement in the HEH group,while the liver metastasis group showed slightly and moderately heterogeneous enhancement,with a significant difference between the two groups (P ＜ 0.05).Female,subcapsular distribution,capsular contraction,target ring sign and lollipop sign were independent risk factors for HEH (P ＜0.05),while a high CT attenuation and TNR in the portal vein phase,elevated tumor markers and lymph node metastasis were independent risk factors for liver metastasis on logistic regression analysis (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions CT attenuation,TNR,central enhancement features in the portal vein phase,special signs and secondary changes of lesions were helpful for the differential diagnosis between HEH and liver metastasis.

Spectrum-effect Relationship of Anti-hepatoma Activity from 3 Kinds of Genus Paris Based on Cluster Analysis and Grey Relational Analysis / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective::To study the spectrum-effect relationship between HPLC fingerprints and anti-hepatoma activity of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis, P. forrestii and P. vietnamensis, and to elucidate its effective substance. Method::HPLC was used to establish the fingerprint of three extracts from the plant. The mobile phase was consisted of acetonitrile (A)-water (B) for gradient elution (0-10 min, 20%A; 10-20 min, 20%-25%A; 20-30 min, 25%-30%A; 30-40 min, 30%-35%A; 40-50 min, 35%-40%A; 50-60 min, 40%A; 60-75 min, 40%-45%A; 75-80 min, 45%-60%A), and the flow rate was 0.9 mL·min-1. The UV detection wavelength was 203 nm. Thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide (MTT) array was used to detect the inhibitory effects of three extracts on the proliferation of HepG2 cells, and the half inhibitory concentration (IC50) was calculated. Cluster analysis and grey relational analysis were used to analyze the data of spectrum and efficacy, and to find out the components that contributed a lot to the anti-liver cancer effect. Result::A total of 11 common peaks were identified as common peaks among HPLC fingerprints of three kinds of Paris. After treated 72 h, P. forrestii has the highest inhibitory effect on the HepG2 cells, the IC50 of P. forrestii, P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis and P. vietnamensis were 148.33, 178.87, 208.09 mg·L-1, respectively. According to the grey relational analysis, the common peaks 1-10 from P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis had great correlation to anti-tumor effect, and the common peaks 1-7 for P. forrestii, the common peaks 1-4, 6-10, N1 for P. vietnamensis, all the correlation degrees with IC50 were >0.7.Cluster analysis of variables in each Paris showed that peaks with correlation degree >0.7 could cluster with IC50. Conclusion::The established HPLC fingerprint method is reliable with good reproducibility. The peaks 1-4, 6 and 7 from three kinds of Paris have the greatest contribution to the anti-hepatoma effect.

Study on Spectrum-effect Relationship of Anti-hepatoma Effect of C Ⅱ-3 Extract from Periplaneta americana / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE：To study the spectrum-ef fect relationship of anti-hepatoma effect of C Ⅱ-3 extract from Periplaneta americana，and to preliminarily clarify the anti-hepatoma active components of it. METHODS ：Based on UHPLC fingerprints of 10 batches of C Ⅱ-3 samples，with the help of UHPL C-Q-TOF/MS，the compounds corresponding to each chromatographic peak were identified qualitatively by standard substances and related literatures. Using the IC 50 value of each batch of C Ⅱ-3 sample against human hepatoma cells HepG 2 as anti-hepatoma activity index ，the spectrum-effect relationship of fingerprint and anti-hepatoma effect was established and analyzed by the combination of grey relational analysis （GRA）and orthogonal partial least squares（OPLS）. RESULTS ：There were 25 common peaks in UHPLC fingerprints of 10 batches of C Ⅱ-3 samples，and 10 chemical compounds were identified ，which were cyclo- （Tyr-Pro）（peak 24），cyclo-（Gly-Phe）（peak 15），hypoxanthine（peak 3）， adenine（peak 7），phenylalanine（peak 10），inosine（peak 11），N-acetyldopamine（peak 16），cyclo-（Pro-Ala）（peak 13），2-hydroxy propionyl（peak 22），cyclo-（Pro-Ser）（peak 6）. The IC 50 of 10 batches of C Ⅱ-3 samples to HepG 2 cells was 70.550-200.303 μg/mL. Among 25 common peaks ，the order of GRA correlation （r）of anti-hepatoma activity was peak 20＞23＞24＞15，all of r values were greater than 0.7；the order of variable importance projection （VIP）of OPLS analysis was peak 23＞18＞15＞24＞7＞14＞6＞ 2＞20，all of VIP values were greater than 1. The standard regression coefficients of peak 7，15，20，23，24 were all greater than 0；while the standard regression coefficients of peak 2，6，14，18 were all less than 0. Conjoint analysis shows that the order of anti-hepatoma activity was peak 20＞23＞24＞15. CONCLUSIONS：unknown chemical ingredients （peak 20， ），cyclo-（Tyr-Pro）（peak 24）and cyclo- （Gly-Phe）（peak 15） in C Ⅱ-3 may be main anti-hepatoma active components.

Saikosaponin-d simultaneously induces apoptotic and paraptosis-like cell death in hepatoma cells / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

Objective: To investigate the cell death-inducing effect of saikosaponin-d (SSD) on human hepatoma Hep3B cells and its potential mechanism. Methods: Hepatoma Hep3B cells were divided into five groups: blank control group, DMSO (vehicle) group, and three SSD treatment groups treated with various doses of SSD (5, 10, and 15 μmol/L). MTT assay was used to evaluate cell viability. Flow cytometer was employed to quantitatively detect the percentage of dead cells after Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining. Apoptosis was detected morphologically after Hoechst 33258 staining. The activity of caspase-3 apoptotic protease was determined by spectrophotometry. Cell morphologic changes were observed with an inverted microscope. Western blotting and Real-time PCR were employed to evaluate the expression levels of C/EBP homology (CHOP) protein and mRNA, respectively. Results: MTT assay showed that SSD inhibited the viability of human hepatoma Hep3B cells in concentration- and time-dependent manners. Sinomenine hydrochloride induced the death of Hep3B cells in a concentration-dependent manner indicated by flow cytometry. After staining with Hoechst 33258, the nuclei of SSD-treated cells showed nucleosomal agglutination, nucleosomal shrinkage and fragmentation under the fluorescence microscope, which are the characteristics of apoptotic cells. SSD significantly activated the key apoptotic executor caspase-3. The occurrence of paraptosis, characterized by extensive cytoplasmic vacuoles, was observed in SSD-treated cells under an inverted microscope. The pretreatment of a pancaspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK completely inhibited caspase-3 activity triggered by SSD, but only partially suppressed cell death and could not reduce the cytoplasmic vacuolation in SSD-treated cells. The protein and mRNA expressions of CHOP, a stress-inducible molecule, were upregulated by SSD, which could not be inhibited by Z-VAD-FMK. Conclusion: SSD can simultaneously induce caspase-dependent apoptosis and caspase-independent paraptosis in human hepatoma Hep3B cells. The upregulated expression of CHOP may be the mechanism involved in SSD-induced paraptosis.