Oridonin inhibited epithelial-mesenchymal transition of laryngeal carcinoma by positively regulating LKB1/AMPK signaling.

Oridonin is the main bioactive component of Rabdosia rubescens, and its anticancer activity has been reported in a variety of cancers. However, the molecular mechanism of oridonin in laryngeal carcinoma remains unclear. In the present study, the cytotoxic effect of oridonin on laryngeal carcinoma Hep-2 and TU212 cell lines were initially detected by modified MTT assay. The results showed that oridonin had a dose-dependent anti-proliferative effect on laryngeal carcinoma Hep-2 and TU212 cells. Next, we found that oridonin significantly inhibited the migration and invasion of human laryngeal carcinoma Hep-2 and TU212 cell lines by wound healing assay and transwell assay. Subsequently, the results of quantitative real-time PCR assay and western blotting assay confirmed that oridonin upregulated the expression of E-cadherin while downregulated the expression of N-cadherin in a concentration-dependent manner at mRNA and protein levels. In addition, phosphorylation levels of liver kinase B1 (p-LKB1) and AMP-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK) were also elevated upon oridonin treatment. To further verify the role of LKB1/AMPK signaling pathway in laryngeal carcinoma, overexpression of LKB1 was constructed by plasmid transfection. The data exhibited that overexpression of LKB1 could further reinforce the increase of E-cadherin level and decrease of N-cadherin level mediated by oridonin. Additionally, AMPK inhibitor compound C could reverse anti-metastatic effect of oridonin on laryngeal carcinoma, and antagonise EMT expression. In contrast, AMPK activator AICAR presented the opposite effect. In conclusion, our study revealed that oridonin could remarkably reverse the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of laryngeal carcinoma by positively regulating LKB1/AMPK signaling pathway, which suggested that oridonin may be a potential candidate for the treatment of laryngeal carcinoma in the future.

Predictive value of controlling nutritional status score in postoperative recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer patients with HER2-low expression.

Background: To investigate the predictive value of controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score in Postoperative Recurrence and Metastasis of Breast Cancer Patients with HER2-Low Expression. Methods: The clinicopathological data of 697 female breast cancer patients who pathology confirmed invasive ductal carcinoma and surgery in Harbin Medical University Tumor Hospital from January 2014 to January 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. The relationship between CONUT score and various clinicopathological factors as well as prognosis was evaluated. Results: Based on the cut-off point of ROC curve, compared with the low CONUT score group, the high CONUT score group had worse 5-year RFS. In subgroup analysis, compared with the low CONUT group, the high CONUT group had worse prognosis at different TNM stages. Univariate and multivariate results showed that the low CONUT score group had better overall survival and recurrence-free survival than the high CONUT group. Conclusion: CONUT score is an independent predictor of postoperative recurrence and metastasis in HER2-low breast cancer patients. It is may be used as an effective tool to predict the recurrence and metastasis of HER2-low breast cancer.

The tremendous clinical potential of the microbiota in the treatment of breast cancer: the next frontier.

Although significant advances have been made in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer (BC) in recent years, BC remains the most common cancer in women and one of the main causes of death among women worldwide. Currently, more than half of BC patients have no known risk factors, emphasizing the significance of identifying more tumor-related factors. Therefore, we urgently need to find new therapeutic strategies to improve prognosis. Increasing evidence demonstrates that the microbiota is present in a wider range of cancers beyond colorectal cancer. BC and breast tissues also have different types of microbiotas that play a key role in carcinogenesis and in modulating the efficacy of anticancer treatment, for instance, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy. In recent years, studies have confirmed that the microbiota can be an important factor directly and/or indirectly affecting the occurrence, metastasis and treatment of BC by regulating different biological processes, such as estrogen metabolism, DNA damage, and bacterial metabolite production. Here, we review the different microbiota-focused studies associated with BC and explore the mechanisms of action of the microbiota in BC initiation and metastasis and its application in various therapeutic strategies. We found that the microbiota has vital clinical value in the diagnosis and treatment of BC and could be used as a biomarker for prognosis prediction. Therefore, modulation of the gut microbiota and its metabolites might be a potential target for prevention or therapy in BC.

Metabolic syndrome is a risk factor for breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy: A case-control study.

Purpose: To investigate the impact of metabolic syndrome (MetS) on pathologic complete response (pCR) and clinical outcomes in breast cancer (BC) patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Methods: We analyzed 221 female BC patients at Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital who received NAC and divided them into MetS and non-MetS groups according to National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III) criteria to investigate the association between MetS and clinicopathological characteristics, pathologic response, and long-term survival and to observe the changes in metabolic parameters after NAC. Results: A total of 53 (24.0%) BC patients achieved pCR after NAC in our study. MetS status was an independent predictor of pCR, and pCR was more difficult to obtain in the MetS group than the non-MetS group (P=0.028). All metabolic parameters deteriorated significantly after NAC, especially the blood lipid index (P<0.010). The median follow-up time was 6 years. After adjusting for other prognostic factors, MetS was found to be strongly associated with an increased risk of recurrence (P=0.007) and mortality (P=0.004) in BC patients receiving NAC. Compared to individuals without any MetS component, the risk of death and disease progression increased sharply as the number of MetS components increased. Conclusions: In BC patients who received NAC, MetS was associated with poor outcomes, including a lower pCR rate and increased risks of recurrence and mortality.

[Study on purification of total peony glycoside with D140 macroporous resin].

OBJECTIVE: To study the extraction process of total peony glycoside from Paeonia veitchii Lynvh. METHODS: The extraction process of total peony glycoside with D140 macroporous resin adsorbent was selected with different condence of ethanol for gradient elution. RESULTS: The optimum condence was 35% ethanol. CONCLUSION: The extraction ratio of paeoniflorin was >50%, and the extraction process is simple and convenient. The regenaration of resin is easy, this method is advisible.