Aptamer-Conjugated Au Nanocage/SiO2 Core-Shell Bifunctional Nanoprobes with High Stability and Biocompatibility for Cellular SERS Imaging and Near-Infrared Photothermal Therapy.

The combination of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) imaging technology with near-infrared (NIR) light-triggered photothermal therapy is of utmost importance to develop novel theranostic platforms. Herein, an aptamer-conjugated Au nanocage/SiO2 (AuNC/SiO2/Apt) core-shell Raman nanoprobe has been rationally designed as the bifunctional theranostic platform to fulfill this task. In this theranostic system, the Raman-labeled Au nanocage (AuNC) was encapsulated into a bioinert shell of SiO2, followed by conjugating aptamer AS1411 as the target-recognition moiety. AuNC served as the SERS-active and photothermal substrate due to its large free volume, built-in plasmon effect, and NIR photothermal capacity, while the SiO2 coating endowed the nanoprobes with good stability and biocompatibility, as well as abundant anchoring sites for surface functionalization. Considering their prominent SERS and photothermal properties, the application potential of the AuNC/SiO2/Apt nanoprobes was investigated. The proposed nanoprobes could be applied to targeted detection and SERS imaging of nucleolin-overexpressing cancer cells (MCF-7 cells as the model) from normal cells and also exhibited acceptable photothermal efficacy without systematic toxicity. This theranostic nanoplatform provided a possible opportunity for in situ diagnosis and noninvasive treatment of cancer cells by SERS imaging-guided photothermal therapy.

Characteristic patterns of normal meridian acupoint temperature.

BACKGROUND: Body temperature is an important indicator of health and illness. However, a single temperature measurement is not always reliable. Such measurements can be made using meridians, which are energy channels with acupoints being the nodes. To date, there is no published reference of meridian acupoint temperatures applicable to human health, and there is no clear digitalized indicator that could be utilized to evaluate human health by way of meridian acupoints up to now. METHODS: Our study recruited 100 healthy medical college students for the measurement of acupoint temperature. The temperatures of 135 acupoints of 14 main meridians were measured using infrared thermometers in order to provide a comprehensive body temperature reading of each study participant. RESULTS: The degree of the acupoint temperature consistently ranged from 34.88°C to 36.14°C. The gross thermograph was concentric, with high degree readings around the heart and low degree readings originating from the feet. The left and right body sides had significant correlation between the degrees of bilateral same name acupoint temperatures of 12 regular meridians (correlation coefficient, 0.367-0.985; p < 0.0001). There was also a significant correlation between the acupoint temperature for the governor vessel and the conception vessel (correlation coefficient, 0.083; p = 0.006). CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that meridian acupoint temperature is characterized by a consistently narrow range, as well as concentricity and symmetry in body temperature degree readings in college students. Meridian acupoint temperature may be a sensitive and valuable indicator to assist in the accurate evaluation of meridian and general human health, and the significance and changes of acupoint temperature in clinical conditions warrants future exploration.

ß-Elemene radiosensitizes lung cancer A549 cells by enhancing DNA damage and inhibiting DNA repair.

ß-Elemene is a broad-spectrum antitumor agent. In China, several studies have indicated that ß-elemene enhances the cytotoxic effect of radiation in vitro and in vivo. In this study, the alkaline comet assay and neutral comet assay were used to measure both DNA strand breaks and DNA repair activity in A549 cells exposed to ß-elemene, irradiation or combination treatment. The overall object of the study was to test whether ß-elemene radiosensitization is associated with an enhancement in radiation-induced DNA damage or with a decrease in the repair of radiation-induced damage. The results revealed high levels of DNA single strand breaks (SSB) and double strand breaks (DSB) in A549 cells after exposure to the combination of ß-elemene and irradiation. To assess SSB and DSB repair, alkaline comet assay and neutral comet assay were performed at 24 h postirradiation. The damage induced by the combination of ß-elemene and irradiation was repaired at a slower rate. These findings suggest that ß-elemene can enhance A549 cell radiosensitivity through the enhancement of DNA damage and the suppression of DNA repair.

Curcumin attenuates acrylamide-induced cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in HepG2 cells by ROS scavenging.

Acrylamide (AA), a proven rodent carcinogen, has recently been discovered in foods heated at high temperatures. This finding raises public health concerns. In our previous study, we found that AA caused DNA fragments and increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and induced genotoxicity and weak cytotoxicity in HepG2 cells. Presently, curcumin, a natural antioxidant compound present in turmeric was evaluated for its protective effects. The results showed that curcumin at the concentration of 2.5 microg/mL significantly reduced AA-induced ROS production, DNA fragments, micronuclei formation, and cytotoxicity in HepG2 cells. The effect of PEG-catalase on protecting against AA-induced cytotoxicity suggests that AA-induced cytotoxicity is directly dependent on hydrogen peroxide production. These data suggest that curcumin could attenuate the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity induced by AA in HepG2 cells. The protection is probably mediated by an antioxidant protective mechanism. Consumption of curcumin may be a plausible way to prevent AA-mediated genotoxicity.

Antiproliferative effect of panaxynol on RASMCs via inhibition of ERK1/2 and CREB.

Panaxynol (PNN) occurs in many foods such as carrot, celery, and several reports have shown that it has neuritogenic and neuroprotective properties. In this study, we have investigated the antiproliferative effect and the mechanism of PNN on platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB-induced proliferation of rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (RASMCs). PNN significantly inhibited PDGF-BB-induced proliferation and DNA synthesis of RASMCs in a concentration-dependent manner. Flow cytometry analysis showed that PNN blocked the cell cycle progression at the G(1)/S phase. Preincubation of RASMCs with 9 microM PNN resulted in a significant inhibition of PDGF-BB-induced extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation expression and PDGF-BB-induced CREB phosphorylation expression. The results indicated that the inhibitory effect of PNN on the PDGF-BB-induced proliferation of RASMCs might be mediated by blocking phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and that of CREB.