Maimendong and Qianjinweijing Tang (Jin formula) suppresses lung cancer by regulation of miR-149-3p.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Maimendong and Qianjinweijing Tang (Jin formula), a classic Chinese formula, can enhance therapeutic efficacy and reduce adverse effects in patients with lung cancer. AIM OF THE STUDY: To evaluate the anti-lung cancer effect of Jin formula in vivo and in vitro, and to explore the role of microRNA (miRNA) in the anti-lung cancer mechanism of Jin formula. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cell survival was determined via a colorimetric method, and apoptotic condition was revealed by flow cytometric analysis. Cell migration and invasion were detected by scratch and transwell assays. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay was applied to measure the changes of miRNA expression. Pathological histology of lung tissues were assessed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. Immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting were used to detect the expression of marker proteins of Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. The relationship between miR-149-3p and MYC associated zinc finger protein (MAZ) was verified using a dual-luciferase reporter assay system. RESULTS: Our findings demonstrated the anti-cancer effect of Jin formula in vitro, and revealed that Jin formula could suppress the proliferation, migration and invasion of human lung cancer A549 and H1299 cells. We also confirmed the capability of Jin formula to reduce tumor growth through the up-regulation of miR-149-3p and down-regulation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling in animal models. qRT-PCR analysis in vitro further confirmed a dose-dependent increase of miR-149-3p by treatment with Jin formula. Functional studies identified MAZ as a downstream target of miR-149-3p. Overexpression of miR-149-3p inhibited cell proliferation, migration, invasion and induced apoptosis in A549 and H1299 cells, similar to our findings on the effects of Jin formula treatment. In contrast, inhibiting the expression of miR-149-3p reversed the anti-cancer effects of Jin formula. Additionally, we revealed that miR-149-3p was involved in the anti-cancer effects of Jin formula, at least in part, by inhibiting MAZ expression and the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling cascade. CONCLUSION: Our study illustrated that Jin formula suppressed the development of lung cancer and the mechanism may be associated with the miR-149-3p/MAZ/Wnt/ß-catenin axis.

Syntheses of Benzo[d]Thiazol-2(3H)-One Derivatives and Their Antidepressant and Anticonvulsant Effects.

Thirty-four new benzo[d]thiazol derivatives 2a-2i, 3a-3r, and 4a-4g were synthesized and investigated for their potential antidepressant and anticonvulsant effects. In a forced swimming test, 2c and 2d showed the highest antidepressant and anticonvulsant effects. 2c and 2d displayed a higher percentage decrease in immobility duration (89.96% and 89.62%, respectively) than that of fluoxetine (83.62%). In the maximal electroshock seizure test, 3n and 3q showed the highest anticonvulsant effect, with ED50 values of 46.1 and 64.3 mg kg-1, and protective indices of 6.34 and 4.11, respectively, which were similar to those of phenobarbital or valproate. We also found that the mechanism for the antidepressant activity of 2c and 2d may be via increasing the concentrations of serotonin and norepinephrine.

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural from wine-processed Fructus corni inhibits hippocampal neuron apoptosis.

Previous studies have shown that 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, a compound extracted from wine-processed Fructus corni, has a protective effect on hippocampal neurons. The present study was designed to explore the related mechanisms. Our study revealed that high and medium doses (10, 1 µmol/L) of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural could improve the morphology of H2O2-treated rat hippocampal neurons as revealed by inverted phase-contrast microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. MTT results showed that incubation with high and medium doses of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural caused a significant increase in the viability of neuronal cells injured by H2O2. Flow cytometry assays firmed that H2O2 could induce cell apoptosis, while high and medium doses of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural had a visible protective effect on apoptotic rat hippocampal neurons. Real-time PCR and western blot analysis showed that high and medium doses of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural prevented H2O2-induced up-regulation of p53, Bax and caspase-3 and an-tagonized the down-regulation of Bcl-2 induced by H2O2 treatment. These results suggested that 5-hydroxymethylfurfural could inhibit apoptosis of cultured rat hippocampal neurons injured by H2O2 via increase in Bcl-2 levels and decrease in p53, Bax and caspase-3 protein expression levels.

[Predicting the chemical composition of intact kernels in maize hybrids by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy].

Intact-kernel samples of normal maize inbred lines and hybrids were collected from field experiments of three locations. Calibration equations were developed by partial least square regression (PLS) of chemical values of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) data and tested through both cross and external validation. In addition, 40 progenies of F1 and F2 generation not included in calibration and validation sets were verified to further evaluate the reliability of three calibration equations. The authors found the coefficients of correlation (r) of 0.98, 0.93 and 0.97 between NIRS predicted and actual protein, starch and oil content in these materials, respectively. However, the greatest relative errors were 2.7% (protein), 2.46% (starch) and 7% (oil). Thus, the accuracy of prediction could be comparable to chemical methods. The feasibility of developing NIRS equations with samples of inbred lines to determine grain quality of hybrids was also examined. The analysis of principal components of spectrum of the inbred lines and hybrids supported a new theory that plant spectrum properties could be heritable.