The NICHD Fetal 3D Study: A Pregnancy Cohort Study of Fetal Body Composition and Volumes.

There's a paucity of robust normal fractional limb and organ volume standards from a large and diverse ethnic population. The Fetal 3D Study was designed to develop research and clinical applications for fetal soft tissue and organ volume assessment. The NICHD Fetal Growth Studies (2009-2013) collected 2D and 3D fetal volumes. In the Fetal 3D Study (2015-2019), sonographers performed longitudinal 2D and 3D measurements for specific fetal anatomical structures in research ultrasounds of singletons and dichorionic twins. The primary aim was to establish standards for fetal body composition and organ volumes, overall and by maternal race/ethnicity, and determine whether these standards vary for twins versus singletons. We describe the study design, methods, and details about reviewer training. Basic characteristics of this cohort, with their corresponding distributions of fetal 3D measurements by anatomical structure, are summarized. This investigation is responsive to critical data gaps in understanding serial changes in fetal subcutaneous fat, lean body mass, and organ volume in association with pregnancy complications. In the future, this cohort can answer critical questions regarding the potential influence of maternal characteristics, lifestyle factors, nutrition, and biomarker and chemical data on longitudinal measures of fetal subcutaneous fat, lean body mass, and organ volumes.

Multiethnic growth standards for fetal body composition and organ volumes derived from 3D ultrasonography.

BACKGROUND: A major goal of contemporary obstetrical practice is to optimize fetal growth and development throughout pregnancy. To date, fetal growth during prenatal care is assessed by performing ultrasonographic measurement of 2-dimensional fetal biometry to calculate an estimated fetal weight. Our group previously established 2-dimensional fetal growth standards using sonographic data from a large cohort with multiple sonograms. A separate objective of that investigation involved the collection of fetal volumes from the same cohort. OBJECTIVE: The Fetal 3D Study was designed to establish standards for fetal soft tissue and organ volume measurements by 3-dimensional ultrasonography and compare growth trajectories with conventional 2-dimensional measures where applicable. STUDY DESIGN: The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Fetal 3D Study included research-quality images of singletons collected in a prospective, racially and ethnically diverse, low-risk cohort of pregnant individuals at 12 U.S. sites, with up to 5 scans per fetus (N=1730 fetuses). Abdominal subcutaneous tissue thickness was measured from 2-dimensional images and fetal limb soft tissue parameters extracted from 3-dimensional multiplanar views. Cerebellar, lung, liver, and kidney volumes were measured using virtual organ computer aided analysis. Fractional arm and thigh total volumes, and fractional lean limb volumes were measured, with fractional limb fat volume calculated by subtracting lean from total. For each measure, weighted curves (fifth, 50th, 95th percentiles) were derived from 15 to 41 weeks' using linear mixed models for repeated measures with cubic splines. RESULTS: Subcutaneous thickness of the abdomen, arm, and thigh increased linearly, with slight acceleration around 27 to 29 weeks. Fractional volumes of the arm, thigh, and lean limb volumes increased along a quadratic curvature, with acceleration around 29 to 30 weeks. In contrast, growth patterns for 2-dimensional humerus and femur lengths demonstrated a logarithmic shape, with fastest growth in the second trimester. The mid-arm area curve was similar in shape to fractional arm volume, with an acceleration around 30 weeks, whereas the curve for the lean arm area was more gradual. The abdominal area curve was similar to the mid-arm area curve with an acceleration around 29 weeks. The mid-thigh and lean area curves differed from the arm areas by exhibiting a deceleration at 39 weeks. The growth curves for the mid-arm and thigh circumferences were more linear. Cerebellar 2-dimensional diameter increased linearly, whereas cerebellar 3-dimensional volume growth gradually accelerated until 32 weeks followed by a more linear growth. Lung, kidney, and liver volumes all demonstrated gradual early growth followed by a linear acceleration beginning at 25 weeks for lungs, 26 to 27 weeks for kidneys, and 29 weeks for liver. CONCLUSION: Growth patterns and timing of maximal growth for 3-dimensional lean and fat measures, limb and organ volumes differed from patterns revealed by traditional 2-dimensional growth measures, suggesting these parameters reflect unique facets of fetal growth. Growth in these three-dimensional measures may be altered by genetic, nutritional, metabolic, or environmental influences and pregnancy complications, in ways not identifiable using corresponding 2-dimensional measures. Further investigation into the relationships of these 3-dimensional standards to abnormal fetal growth, adverse perinatal outcomes, and health status in postnatal life is warranted.

Effects of evidence-based care on diabetic foot ulcers: A meta-analysis.

This analysis systematically reviewed the efficacy of evidence-based care on diabetic foot ulcers. A computerised literature search was conducted for randomised controlled studies (RCTs) of evidence-based care interventions for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers using the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) and Wanfang databases from the date of inception of each database to June 2023. The articles were independently screened, data were extracted by two researchers, and the quality of each study was assessed using the Cochrane bias assessment tool. Meta-analysis of the data was performed using RevMan 5.4 software. Twenty-five RCTs with a total of 2272 patients were included. Meta-analysis showed that, compared with other care methods, evidence-based care significantly improved the treatment efficacy of diabetic foot ulcers (odds ratio: 3.91, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.76 to 5.53, p < 0.001) and significantly reduced their fasting plasma glucose (mean difference [MD]: -1.10, 95% CI: -1.24 to -0.96, p < 0.001), 2-h postprandial glucose (2hPG) (MD: -1.69, 95% CI: -2.07 to -1.31, p < 0.001) and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) (MD: -0.71, 95% CI: -0.94 to -0.48, p < 0.001). Evidence-based care intervention is effective at reducing FPG, 2hPG and HbA1c levels and improving treatment efficacy in patients with diabetic foot ulcers.

The association between first-trimester omega-3 fatty acid supplementation and fetal growth trajectories.

BACKGROUND: Prenatal omega-3 fatty acid supplementation, particularly docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid, has been associated with greater birthweight in clinical trials; however, its effect on fetal growth throughout gestation is unknown. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the association between first-trimester docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid supplementation and growth trajectories of estimated fetal weight and specific fetal biometrics measured longitudinally from the second trimester of pregnancy to delivery. STUDY DESIGN: In a multisite, prospective cohort of racially diverse, low-risk pregnant women, we used secondary data analysis to examine fetal growth trajectories in relation to self-reported (yes or no) first-trimester docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid supplementation. Fetal ultrasonographic measurements, including abdominal circumference, biparietal diameter, femur length, head circumference, and humerus length, were measured at enrollment (8-13 weeks) and up to 5 follow-up visits. Estimated fetal weight and head circumference-to-abdominal circumference ratio (a measure of growth symmetry) were calculated. Fetal growth trajectories were modeled for each measure using a linear mixed model with cubic splines. If significant differences in fetal growth trajectories between groups were observed (global P<.05), weekly comparisons were performed to determine when in gestation these differences emerged. Analyses were adjusted for maternal sociodemographics, parity, infant sex, total energy consumption, and diet quality score. All analyses were repeated using dietary docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid intake, dichotomized at the recommended cutoff for pregnant and lactating women (≥0.25 vs <0.25 g/d), among women who did not report supplement intake in the first trimester of pregnancy were repeated. RESULTS: Among 1535 women, 143 (9%) reported docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid supplementation in the first trimester of pregnancy. Overall, first-trimester docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid supplementation was associated with statistically significant differences (P-value <.05) in fetal growth trajectories during pregnancy. Specifically, estimated fetal weight was larger among women with docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid supplementation than among those without supplementation (global P=.028) with significant weekly differences in median estimated fetal weight most apparent between 38 to 41 weeks of gestation (median estimated fetal weight difference at 40 weeks of gestation, 114 g). Differences in fetal growth trajectories for abdominal circumference (P=.003), head circumference (P=.003), and head circumference-to-abdominal circumference ratio (P=.0004) were also identified by supplementation status. In weekly comparisons, docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid supplement use was associated with larger median abdominal circumference (changed from 2 to 9 mm) in midpregnancy onward (19 to 41 weeks), larger median head circumference between 30 to 33 weeks of gestation, and smaller median head circumference-to-abdominal circumference ratio in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. There was no specific weekly difference in fetal femur length or humerus length by docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid supplementation. First-trimester dietary sources of docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid among women with no first-trimester docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid supplementation (n=1392) were associated with differences in fetal biparietal diameter (P=.043), but not other metrics of fetal growth. At the recommended dietary docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid levels compared with below-recommended levels, biparietal diameter was larger between 38 to 41 weeks of gestation. CONCLUSION: In this racially diverse pregnancy cohort, first-trimester docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid supplementation was associated with significant increases in fetal growth, specifically greater estimated fetal abdominal circumference in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.

Design and synthesis of salidroside analogs and their bioactivity against septic myocardial injury.

Cardiac tissue suffers much from sepsis, and the incidence of myocardial injury is high in septic patients. The treatment of sepsis myocardial injury (SMI) has been the focus of clinical medicine. Salidroside shows myocardial cell protection, anti-oxidation and anti- inflammation effects, and it is thought as one of the potential compounds to treat sepsis myocardial injury. However, its anti-inflammatory activity is lower and its pharmacokinetic properties are not ideal, which is far from clinical application. Here, a series of salidroside analogs were synthesized, and their bioactivities were evaluated from several aspects, including their anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities in vitro and anti-sepsis myocardial injury activities in vivo. Of all the compounds which synthesized, compounds 2 and 3 exhibited stronger anti-inflammatory activities than the others; after treating LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 or H9c2 cells with each of them, the levels of IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α were down-regulated in a dose-dependent manner. In the anti-oxidative stress injury test, compounds 2 and 3 not only markedly increased the survival rate of cells, and but also improved the cellular oxidative stress-related indicators MDA, SOD and cell damage marker LDH in a dose-dependent manner. In the LPS-induced septic rat myocardial injury models (in vivo), the two compounds also showed good bioactivities. They also reduced the expression of IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α, and blocked cell damage by suppressing overhauled oxidation in septic rats. In addition, the myocardial injury was significantly improved and the inflammatory infiltration was reduced after treatment with the two compounds. In conclusion, the salidroside analogs (2 and 3) showed promising therapeutical effect on septic myocardial injury in LPS-model rats, and they could be good candidates for clinical trials against inflammation and septic myocardial injury.

Synthesis and anti-inflammatory activities of glycyrrhetinic acid derivatives containing disulfide bond.

A series of glycyrrhetinic acid (GA, aglycone of glycyrrhizic acid) derivatives containing disulfide bond were synthesized and their anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrosis activities were evaluated in vivo and in vitro. Among them, compound 7 displayed the highest toxicity to all the tested cell lines including macrophages. Compounds 3 and 4 showed higher activities than GA in the cell and animal model. In the anti-inflammatory tests, compounds 3 and 4 down-regulated the expressions of several inflammatory factors, such as HMGB1, TLR4, IL-1ß, TNF-α and TGF-ß1 in LPS-treated RAW264.7 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Compounds 3 and 4 at 30 µM respectively reduced the levels of HMGB1 in the LPS group to 42.7% and 38.2%. In addition, the level of TLR4 decreased to close to that of control group when treated by compound 4 at the concentration of 30 µM. In the process of anti-fibrosis tests using TGF-ß1-induced A549 cell line as the model, compounds 3 and 4 also decreased the expression levels of Col1 and α-SMA in a dose-dependent manner. Compound 3 and 4 at 30 µM respectively reduced the expression of α-SMA level by 2.2-fold and 2.6-fold compared to the TGF-ß1-treated control group. Moreover, they influenced the ROS level and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in A549 cells. In the paraquat-induced pulmonary fibrosis mice model, the symptoms of inflammation and fibrosis of mice were alleviated after administration of compound 3 or 4. The above results suggest that compounds 3 and 4 may be promising candidates for inflammation and lung fibrosis treatment.

Design, Synthesis, and biological evaluation of HDAC6 inhibitors based on Cap modification strategy.

The abnormal biological functions of HDAC6 were closely related to the occurrence and development of various tumors, making HDAC6 gradually become promising therapeutic target for cancer treatment and inspiring researchers to explore and develop selective HDAC inhibitors. In this study, based on the classical pharmacophore model of HDAC inhibitors, 20 compounds were designed and synthesized by modifying the Cap group, and the biological activities of the target compounds were assessed through anti-proliferation and enzyme inhibition experiments. The title compounds exhibited varying degrees of inhibitory activities against the selected tumor cell lines, especially the compounds 9m, 9q, and 12c, which were further evaluated at the enzymatic level. The enzyme inhibition assay showed that compound 12c exerted broad-spectrum enzyme inhibitory activities and compounds 9m and 9q were more inclined to inhibit HDAC6, exhibiting certain selective inhibitory activities among the representative subtypes. Moreover, the binding modes of compounds 9q and 12c in HDAC1&6 were further explored via computational approaches to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying selective inhibitory activities, providing valuable hints for the discovery of novel HDAC6 inhibitors.

Synthesis and Antibacterial Study of Novel Harmine Derivatives and Tetrahydro-ß-Carboline Derivatives In Vitro.

Dairy mastitis is a disease of dairy cattle caused by a variety of pathogenic microorganisms which has biought huge economic losses aused huge economic losses to the world. In this paper, Harmine derivatives and tetrahydro-ß-carboline derivatives synthesized by the splice method are shown to have a good inhibitory effect on the pathogenic bacteria of dairy mastitis. The results of a bacteriostatic test on pathogenic bacteria of dairy cow mastitis (S. dysgalactiae, S. pyogenes, B. subtilis and P. vulgaris) showed that compound 7l had the best bacteriostatic effect on Streptococcus dysgalactiae, with a mic value of 43.7 µ g/mL. When the concentration of 7l was 1 × MIC and 2 × MIC, it had a significant inhibitory effect on Streptococcus dysgalactiae, and there was almost no growth of Streptococcus dysgalactiae at 4 × MIC. The binding properties of target compound 7l to amine oxidase [flavin-containing] A protein were simulated by the molecular docking technique. The ligand 7l achieved strong binding with the receptor through three hydrogen bonds. The hydrogen bonds were amino acid residues thr-52, arg-51 and ser-24, which are the main force for the compound to bind to active sites.

Synthesis of mitochondria-targeted coumarin-3-carboxamide fluorescent derivatives: Inhibiting mitochondrial TrxR2 and cell proliferation on breast cancer cells.

Targeting specific mitochondrial alterations to kill cancer cells without affecting their normal counterparts emerges as a feasible strategy. Coumarin derivatives have demonstrated the potential anti-breast cancer activities. By coupling coumarin-3-carboxamide derivatives with mitochondria carrier triphenylphosphonium, mitocoumarins 15a-c were produced and tested as the anti-breast cancer fluorescence agents. Among them, 15b as the amide-based drug potently suppressed the cell growth in MCF-7, MDA-231, SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells with the IC50 values from 3.0 to 4.1 µM, including the lower cytotoxicity to normal MCF-10A cells with the IC50 value around 45.30 ± 2.45 µM. In mechanistic study for 15b in MDA-MB-231 cells, it could localize in mitochondria to elicit ROS burst and collapse Δψm. Besides, it could deplete GSH by an irreversible alkylation process and moderately inhibit mitochondrial thioredoxin reductase TrxR2, thus leading to aggravate cellular oxidative stress. This study reported 15b might be useful for the further development into a mitochondria-targeted anti-triple negative breast cancer drug.

Synthesis, Antibacterial and Pharmacokinetic Evaluation of Novel Derivatives of Harmine N9-Cinnamic Acid.

A series of 16 new derivatives of harmine N9-Cinnamic acid were synthesized and fully characterized using NMR and MS. The in vitro antibacterial evaluation revealed that most of the synthesized harmine derivatives displayed better antibacterial activities against Gram-positive strains (S. aureus, S. albus and MRSA) than Gram-negative strains (E. coli and PA). In particular, compound 3c showed the strongest bactericidal activity with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 13.67 µg/mL. MTT assay showed that compound 3c displayed weaker cytotoxicity than harmine with IC50 of 340.30, 94.86 and 161.67 µmol/L against WI-38, MCF-7 and HepG2 cell lines, respectively. The pharmacokinetic study revealed that the distribution and elimination of 3c in vivo were rapid in rats with an oral bioavailability of 6.9%.

Exploring the binding mechanism of HDAC8 selective inhibitors: Lessons from the modification of Cap group.

The abnormal expression of histone deacetylase 8 (HDAC8) has been reported to associate with various cancer entities (colon, breast cancer, pancreas, etc.) as well as parasitic diseases, making HDAC8 gradually develop into an attractive and potential therapeutic target. Among the various design strategies of selective HDAC8 inhibitors (modification of Cap, Linker, or zinc binding group regions), the optimization of Cap region has aroused great interest among the researchers. However, the detailed information underlying how the modification of Cap region influences the inhibitory activities is still unclear, and in this study, compounds 2c, 3g, and 3n were selected to explore the differences in binding mechanisms brought by Cap modifications via various computational approaches at the atomic level. Five residues (Y293, H167, D254, D165, and M261) have a large difference in energy contributions to the constructed systems, and the subpocket formed by Y293 and M261 could interact with Cap groups, triggering the differences in the energy contributions of the residues (H167, D254, and D165) located in metal-catalytic center. In summary, the compounds 2c, 3g, and 3n were selected as molecular probes to explore the binding mechanism, and the residues (Y293 and M261) forming the subpocket should be paid special attention in the design and synthesis of novel selective HDAC8 inhibitors.

Synthesis and anti-hepaticfibrosis of glycyrrhetinic acid derivatives with inhibiting COX-2.

Many tests have shown cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) was closely related to the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), which further promoting the onset and development of hepatic fibrosis. According to these research findings, a series of glycyrrhetinic acid derivatives were designed and synthesized. Meanwhile, their anti-hepaticfibrotic activities were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Firstly, in the tests of the cell models, all the compounds displayed anti-proliferative effect on the HSC-T6 activated by (transforming growth factor beta) TGF-ß1 (10 ng/mL). Among them, compounds 2 and 16 exhibited a stronger activity than the others, and their IC50 values were 17.6 µM and 30.3 µM, respectively; both of them were low toxicity to normal HSC-T6 cells and WI38 cells, and they inhibited the activated HSC-T6 cells proliferation by promoting apoptosis and resting them at the G0/G1 phase. Secondly, compounds 2 and 16 displayed strong inhibitory effect on activation of HSCs; they not only inhibited the expression of α-SMA and Col1 in the activated HSC-T6 cells, but also decreased the levels of COX-2, TGF-ß1 and (reactive oxygen species) ROS in a concentration-dependent manner; they down-regulated the levels of three biomarkers in the process of test, but this decrease did not change linearly with the action time of compound. Thirdly, for the rats which induced with (carbontetrachloride) CCl4, the symptoms of liver fibrosis in rats were significantly alleviated after successive administration the tested compound for 14d; the α-SMA level in liver tissue decreased in a concentration dependent manner; and the liver cell necrosis and the fat collagen fiber decreased significantly compared with the positive control group; furthermore, inflammatory infiltration was significantly lower than that of the control. This suggests the compounds possibly are candidates for hepatic fibrosis with promising application in clinic.

Mixed cerebrovascular disease in an elderly patient with mixed vascular risk factors: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Mixed cerebrovascular disease is a diagnostic entity that presents with hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke clinically and/or subclinically. Here, we report a patient with mixed vascular risk factors, who presented with multiple intracerebral hemorrhages and a simultaneously occurring cerebral infarction with hemorrhagic transformation. CASE PRESENTATION: A 63-year-old male with no history of trauma or prior neurological disease presented with a sudden onset of weakness in his right limbs, followed by an episode of focal seizure without impaired awareness. The patient had a 4-year history of deep vein thrombosis in the lower limbs, and a 2-year history of Raynaud's phenomenon in the hands. He also had a family history of hypertension and thrombophilia. Head computed tomography plain scans showed two high densities in the bilateral parietal lobes and one mixed density in the left frontal lobe. The patient was diagnosed with mixed cerebrovascular disease. In this report, we make a systematic clinical reasoning regarding the etiological diagnosis, and discuss the possible pathogenic mechanisms leading to mixed cerebrovascular disease. We exclude coagulopathy, endocarditis, atrial fibrillation, patent foramen ovale, brain tumor, cerebral venous thrombosis, cerebral vascular malformation, cerebral amyloid angiopathy and vasculitis as causative factors. We identify hypertension, hereditary protein S deficiency, hypercholesteremia and hyperhomocysteinemia as contributing etiologies in this case. CONCLUSION: This case presents complex underlying mechanisms of mixed cerebrovascular disease, in which hypertension and hyperhomocysteinemia are considered to play a central role.

Synthesis, toxicity and antitumor activity of cobalt carbonyl complexes targeting hepatocellular carcinoma.

Based on our previous research, a series of targeting hepatocellular carcinoma complexes, [R-Glycyrrhetinic acid-CH2C2H-[Co2(CO)6] (R = H, 1; R = NSAIDs-COOH, 2-4; R = Aromatic acid, 5-7; R = Amino acid, 8-10), were synthesized. The test showed they are slow CO releasers. Using HeLa, A549, HT-29, SMMC7721 and HepG2 cells as models, their activities against tumor cell proliferation were firstly evaluated. The resulting data show all the complexes displayed a good anti-proliferation activity against the HepG2 and SMMC-7721 liver cancer cells, and their IC50 values were in the range of 10.07-66.06 µM; compared with cis-platin (DDP), their activities were comparable or even better under the same condition. Among them, complexes 3, 4, 6 and 9 exhibited higher anti-proliferation activities against HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cell lines than the other cell lines. To confirm further these complexes have selectivity to the liver cells, the uptakes of complexes 3, 4, 6 and 9 by HepG2, HT-29, A549 and SMMC7721 cell lines were studied. The results show the cell uptake rates of the complexes by HepG2 cells and SMMC7721 cells were much greater than by other cells under the same condition. In following tests, the tested complexes displayed higher activities in inhibiting NF-kB, COX-2 and iNOS; and they induced HepG2 cells apoptosis by mitochondrial pathway, which assessed by staining with different fluorescent reagent DAPI, PI, Mito-Tracker Green and DCFH-DA. Meanwhile, the tested complexes up-regulated the expression levels of caspase-3 and Bax, down-regulated the Bcl-2 expression. In addition, they had no effect on zebrafish embryo survival, embryo hatching, embryonic movement, zebrafish malformation and zebrafish movement at below 0.5 µM. This suggests the complexes are potential candidates to be used in clinic for liver cancers.

Anti-atherosclerosis effect of H2S donors based on nicotinic acid and chlorfibrate structures.

Based on the structures of nicotinic acid and chlorfibrate, a series of new H2S donors were synthesized and their anti-atherosclerosis activities using Ox-LDL RAW 264.6 cells as model were evaluated. The release test showed that all the compounds could release H2S effectively and showed low cytotoxicity. In the bioactivity experiments, compounds 1, 3, 9 and 14 increased the survival rate of HUVEC cells treated by ox-LDL; among four compounds, compounds 1 and 3 displayed higher activity than the others. In the foam cell model, compounds 1 and 3 were found to inhibit the formation of foam cells and significantly reduced the content of TC and FC in foam cells. They had more obvious effects on lipid reduction than those of nicotinic acid and chlorfibrate. In anti-oxidation, compounds 1 and 3 significantly reduced ROS and MDA and increased the expression level of SOD, whereas the precursor compounds, niacin and chlorfibrate had little antioxidant effect. In addition, both compounds also inhibited the inflammatory response in foam cells, with reducing pro-inflammatory factor TNF-α and increasing anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. WB assay showed that the tested compounds inhibited the expression levels PI3K, Akt and NF-κb proteins. In conclusion, the compounds as H2S donors could protect HUVEC cells from damage and inhibit the formation of foam cells by inhibiting PI3K/Akt/NF-κb signal pathway. All these suggest the compounds have potential to be candidate for anti-atherosclerosis medicines.

Target ROS to induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest by 5,7-dimethoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone derivative.

The 1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives bearing 5,7-dimethoxyl moiety were designed, synthesized, and tested as the antitumor agents against five human cancer cell lines (A549, Hela, HepG2, NCI-H460 and HL-60). All the compounds are described herein for the first time. The structure-activity relationships indicated that the presence of chlorine atom at the 2-position was crucial for the antiproliferative activity. Further, the electrochemical properties of the representative compounds (7e, 8e and 9e) were evaluated and a definite correlation between the redox potential and the antiproliferative activity. The most potent compound 9e displayed significant anti-leukemic activity with IC50 value of 3.8 µM in HL-60 cells and weak cytotoxicity with IC50 of 40.7 µM in normal cells WI-38. In mechanistic study for 9e, the increased numbers of apoptotic cells and increased cell population at G2/M phase correlated with ROS generation. Together, our results suggested that the derivatives of 2-chlorine-1,4-naphthoquinone might be the promising candidates for the treatment of promyelocytic leukemia.

Syntheses and anti-cancer activity of CO-releasing molecules with targeting galactose receptors.

CO-releasing molecules (CORMs) containing cobalt have many bioactivities, but most of them do not dissolve in water and have no selectivity to tissue and organs. On the basis of the specific recognition of galactose or sialic acid by a receptor, a series of CORMs based on carbohydrates were synthesized and evaluated. The test results show that all the complexes displayed anticancer activity. Among them, the effects of the complexes of galactose (1), GalNAc (8) and sialic acid (10) were very distinct. Complex 1 displayed higher activity against HeLa, HePG2, MCF-7 and HT-29 cell proliferation than cis-platin (DDP), and its selectivity was far much better than DDP compared with normal cell W138. Furthermore, the uptakes of complexes 1, 8 and 10 by HePG2, HT-29, A549 and RAW264.7 cell lines were studied. The uptake ratio of each cell line for complex 1 was different, and the order of uptake ratio in the four cell lines was HePG2 > HT-29 > RAW264.7 > A549. The HePG2 cells absorbed complex 1 beyond 60% after incubation for 8 h, while A549 absorbed only 27.8%. For complex 8, the uptake trend was similar to that of complex 1 with it being absorbed by all the four cancer cells, but the uptake rate was lower. However, differently, complex 10 was absorbed heavily by macrophage RAW264.7, followed by HePG2; after 8 h incubation, the uptake ratio of RAW264.7 was over 50%. In addition, the mechanism of action was explored, and the results showed that the complexes inhibited cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase; complex 1 up-regulated the expression levels of caspase-3 and Bax, and down-regulated the Bcl-2 expression, giving rise to HePG2 cell apoptosis.

Anti-acute myeloid leukemia activity of 2-chloro-3-alkyl-1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives through inducing mtDNA damage and GSH depletion.

2-Chloro-3-alkyl-1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives were synthesized and tested as the anti-acute myeloid leukaemia agents. The compound 9b (2-chloro-3-ethyl-5,6,7-trimethoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone) was the most potent toward HL-60 leukaemia cells. In mechanistic study for 9b, the protein levels of mtDNA-specific DNA polymerase γ (poly-γ) and mtDNA transcription factor A (mt-TFA) were decreased after the 24 h treatment, showing the occurrence of mtDNA damage. And 9b triggered cell cycle arrest at S phase accompanied by a secondary block in G2/M phase which had a direct link to the process of mtDNA damage. The dissipations of mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP also proceeded. On the other hand, 9b promoted the generation of ROS and resulted in the oxidation of intracellular GSH to GSSG. This process was coupled to the formation of adduct between 9b and GSH, detected by the UV-Vis spectrum and HRMS analysis. Depletion of GSH by buthionine sulfoximine enhanced ROS level and produced higher cytotoxicity, suggesting GSH was involved in the anti-leukemic mechanism of 9b. Together, our results provide new insights on the molecular mechanism of the derivatives of 2-chloro-1,4-naphthoquinone and 9b might be useful for the further development into an anti-leukemia agent.

The high maternal TG level at early trimester was associated with the increased risk of LGA newborn in non-obesity pregnant women.

INTRODUCTION: Recent research had shown blood glucose was not the only cause of large for gestational age infant (LGA), the contributions of other fuels such as lipids also play an important role in fetal development. However the association between maternal triglyceride at early trimester and the risk of LGA has not yet been clearly elucidated. This research evaluated the association of maternal early trimester TG level with the risk of LGA infant in Chinese mothers. METHODS: 2839 pregnant women were recruited at the first visit of their perinatal health care and followed up prospectively till after delivery. The demographic, maternal characteristics were extracted from a questionnaire. Infant characteristics were collected at delivery. Maternal fasting serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C)levels, were measured in 6~8th, 16th, 24th, and 36th gestational weeks. Fasting serum glucose levels were measured at 6~8th, 24th, and 36th gestational weeks. Logistic regression model was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: A consistently lower TG level was observed in mothers with non-LGA infant than mothers with LGA infant and TG level of mothers of LGA infants increased faster than that of control group. The incidence of LGA infants between two groups (TG<1.7 mmol/L and TG ≥ 1.7 mmol/L) was 14.46 and 26.63%, respectively. Mothers with the highest TG level (TG > 1.19 mmol/L) gave birth to infants with higher birth weight (BW) than the other two groups (TG < 0.70 mmol/L and TG:0.70~0.89 mmol/L). When stratified by pre-pregnancy body mass index (pre-BMI), a significantly positive association was founded between the maternal TG level at early trimester and the risk of LGA in non-overweight/obesity women (OR = 1.740, p = 0.034). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggested that high maternal TG level at very early trimester was associated with the increased risk of LGA in non-overweight/obesity pregnant women. Moreover, high maternal TG level at first trimester may be an early predictor of LGA.