Double-negative T cells regulate the progression of liver fibrosis through Th9 cells differentiation.

Our previous study found that double negative T cells (DNTs) could promote the NLRP3 activation through high expression of TNF-α, thereby leading to hepatic fibrosis progression. We focused on investigating the role and mechanism of DNTs in regulating the Th9 cells differentiation in liver fibrosis. In our results, among patients with liver fibrosis, the proportions of peripheral blood DNTs and Th9 cells were up-regulated and positively correlated. While promoting the progression of liver fibrosis in mice, DNTs could elevate the proportion of Th9 cells and activate the TNFR2-STAT5-NF-κB pathway. The use of IL-9 and TNF-α monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) inhibited the effect of DNTs and lowered the proportion of Th9 cells in tissues. In vitro experiments showed that DNTs could promote the Th9 cells differentiation of Naive T cells, while TNF-α mAbs could inhibit such effect of DNTs to lower the proportion of Th9 cells. We found that DNTs can activate TNFR2-STAT5-NF-κB pathway by secreting TNF-α, thereby promoting the Th9 Cells differentiation to facilitate the progression of liver fibrosis. There is interaction between DNTs and Th9 cells.

Environmental toxin chlorpyrifos induces liver injury by activating P53-mediated ferroptosis via GSDMD-mtROS.

AIM: We investigate the mechanism whereby chlorpyrifos (CHI), an environmental toxin, causes liver injury by inducing ferroptosis in hepatocytes. METHODS: The toxic dose (LD50 = 50 µM) of CHI for inducing AML12 injury in normal mouse hepatocytes was determined, and the ferroptosis-related indices were measured, including the levels of SOD, MDA and GSH-Px, as well as the cellular content of iron ions. JC-1 and DCFH-DA assays were employed to detect the mtROS levels, the levels of mitochondrial proteins (GSDMD, NT-GSDMD), as well as the cellular levels of ferroptosis-related proteins (P53, GPX4, MDM2, SLC7A11). We knocked out the GSDMD and P53 in AML12 and observed the CHI-induced ferroptosis of ALM12 after applying YGC063, an ROS inhibitor. In animal experiments, we explored the effect of CHI on liver injury by using conditional GSDMD-knockout mice (C57BL/6 N-GSDMDem1(flox)Cya) and ferroptosis inhibitor Fer-1. Small molecule-protein docking and Pull-down assay were employed to verify the association between CHI and GSDMD. RESULTS: We found that CHI could induce ferroptosis of AML12. CHI promoted the cleavage of GSDMD, leading to upregulation of mitochondrial NT-GSDMD expression, as well as ROS levels. P53 activation promoted the ferroptosis. Knock out of GSDMD and P53 could inhibit the CHI-induced ferroptosis, and YGC063 could also inhibit ferroptosis. In mice experiments, GSDMD knockout or Fer-1 intervention could significantly inhibit the CHI-induced liver injury. CHI promoted the cleavage of GSDMD by binding to its SER234 site. CONCLUSION: CHI can bind to GSDMD to promote its cleavage, while NT-GSDMD can open mitochondrial membrane to promote the mtROS release. Cytoplasmic upregulation of ROS levels can facilitate the P53-mediated ferroptosis. GSDMD-mtROS is the primary mechanism whereby CHI induces ferroptosis in hepatocytes.

Inhibition of LDL receptor-related protein 3 suppresses chondrogenesis of stem cells, inhibits proliferation, and promotes apoptosis.

Articular cartilage defects remain the most common and challenging joint disease. Cartilage lacks the self-healing capacity after injury due to its avascularity. Recently, stem cell-based therapy has been applied for cartilage regeneration. However, the critical target for stem cells during chondrogenesis remains unclear. We first reported that LDL receptor-related protein 3 (LRP3) expression was markedly increased during chondrogenesis in stem cells. Furthermore, LRP3 was an effective chondrogenic stimulator, as confirmed by knockdown and overexpression experiments and RNA sequencing. In addition, inhibition of LRP3 suppressed proliferation and induced apoptosis. Therefore, our study first defined a new chondrogenic stimulator, LRP3, with detailed clarification, which provided a novel target for stem cell-based cartilage regeneration.

TRIP6, as a target of miR-7, regulates the proliferation and metastasis of colorectal cancer cells.

This study focuses on the role of miR-7 in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells by targeting thyroid receptor interactor protein 6 (TRIP6). Here, we report that miR-7 expression was down-regulated in colorectal cancer tissues and cell lines due to DNA hypermethylation. miR-7 overexpression significantly inhibits the proliferation and migration of CRC cells in vitro. TRIP6 was found to be a direct target gene of miR-7. The proliferation inhibition of CRC cells mediated by miR-7 could be rescued after TRIP6 overexpression in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, overexpression of TRIP6 reduced miR-7 inhibitor-mediated CRC cell migration and invasion. These findings demonstrate that miR-7 could inhibit the proliferation and migration of CRC cells by targeting TRIP6 and that miR-7 might serve as a good strategy for diagnosing and treating CRC.

Expression of PD1 and BTLA on the CD8+ T Cell and γδT Cell Subsets in Peripheral Blood of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients.

Objective To investigate the expression and regulation of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1), B lymphocyte and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) in peripheral blood of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); to examine the correlation of the mRNA levels between PD and BTLA in NSCLC. Methods Flow cytometry was used to detect the expression of PD1 and BTLA on the surfaces of CD8+ T cells and γδ+ T cells in the peripheral blood samples collected from 32 in-patients with stage IV NSCLC and 30 healthy individuals. We compared the expression of PD1 and BTLA on the surfaces of γδ+ T cells in the NSCLC patients with bone metastasis before and after the treatment of zoledronic acid. The correlations of PD1 and BTLA, as well as their ligands were analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis with the cBioPortal data platform. Results The frequency of PD1 on the surfaces of CD8+ T cells was significantly higher than that of the γδT cells in both healthy controls (t=2.324, P=0.024) and NSCLC patients（t=2.498, P=0.015). The frequency of PD1 on CD8+ T cells, rather than on γδ+ T cells, was significantly upregulated in advanced NSCLC patients compared with that in healthy controls (t=4.829, P<0.001). The PD1+ BTLA+γδT cells of the healthy controls were significantly lower than that of the NSCLC patients (t=2.422, P=0.0185). No differences in percentage of PD1+γδ+ and BTLA+γδ+ T cells were observed in 7 NSCLC patients with bone metastasis before and after zoledronic acid treatment. PD1 was positively correlated with BTLA in both lung adenocarcinoma (r=0.54; P<0.05) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (r=0.78; P<0.05). Conclusions The upregulation of co-inhibitory molecules occurs on the surfaces of both CD8+ T cells and γδT cells in advanced NSCLC, suggesting that these molecules were involved in regulating the inactivation of CD8+ T cells and γδ+ T cells, immune escape and tumor invasion.

Thalassotalea atypica sp. nov., isolated from seawater, and emended description of Thalassotalea eurytherma.

A novel Gram-stain-negative, straight or slightly curved rod-shaped, non-spore-forming, non-flagellated, strictly aerobic strain, designated RZG4-3-1T, was isolated from coastal seawater of Rizhao, China (119.625° E 35.517° N). The organism grew optimally at 24-28 °C, at pH 7.0 and in the presence of 2.0 % (w/v) NaCl. The strain required seawater or artificial seawater for growth, and NaCl alone did not support growth. Strain RZG4-3-1T contained ubiquinone 8 (Q-8) as the major respiratory quinone and contained C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c and C16 : 0 as the dominant fatty acids. The polar lipids of strain RZG4-3-1T were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and one unidentified aminophospholipid. The DNA G+C content of strain RZG4-3-1T was 40.1 mol%. Strain RZG4-3-1T exhibited the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity value (96.0 %) to Thalassotalea eurytherma JCM 18482T. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain RZG4-3-1T belonged to the genus Thalassotalea. On the basis of polyphasic analyses, strain RZG4-3-1T represents a novel species of the genus Thalassotalea, for which the name Thalassotalea atypica sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is RZG4-3-1T (=JCM 31894T=KCTC 52745T=MCCC 1K03276T). An emended description of Thalassotalea eurytherma is also provided.

The diagnosis and arthroscopic treatment of angioleiomyoma presenting loose body in the knee joint: two case reports.

BACKGROUND: Angioleiomyoma is a very rare benign solitary soft tissue neoplasm originating from smooth muscle layer of blood vessels. The tumor is usually located in the subcutis or the superficial fasciae, but less often in the deep fasciae, especially rare in the knee joint cavity. Diagnosis is frequently delayed or misdiagnosed as loose body or anterior knee pain because of its rare occurrence and poor awareness of physicians. Few studies have presented intra-articular angioleiomyoma and such cases become rarer and more difficult to diagnose when it presents as loose body. CASE PRESENTATION: Two patients, a middle-aged man and an old woman, presented to our outpatient clinic with persistent anterior knee pain and both of them suffered from a solitary mass in the right knee that had slowly enlarged. One of two patients showed negative in the routine radiographic imaging and the other showed a "loose body" beside the lateral femoral condyle in the knee. MRI showed both a well-demarcated intra-articular mass of isointense signal to muscle on T1-weighted images and heterogeneous intensity on T2-weighted images. Their tumors were excised under arthroscopy finally, with the pathological results revealed vascular leiomyomas. They both recovered well with pain free after operation and no signs of recurrence were seen at the 7-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: This case report illustrates the atypical locations of angioleiomyoma in the knee joint should arouse our attention and be included in the differential diagnosis of nodular lesions mimicking loose bodies.

Simulated physiological stretch-induced proliferation of human bladder smooth muscle cells is regulated by MMPs.

Mechanical stimulation is an essential factor for organisms to develop normally. In bladder development matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play an important role through structure remodeling and regulating the cell proliferation. In this study, we investigated the simulated physiological stretch induced proliferation of HBSMCs; MMPs/TIMPs expression in stretch and non-stretch groups. HBSMCs were exposed to cyclic stretch with defined parameters (5%, 10% and 15% elongation). The expression of MMPs and TIMPs in each parameter and non-stretch groups was examined at the transcriptional and translational levels respectively. 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay was used to assess cell proliferation. In the presence of the broad spectrum MMPs inhibitor (Batimastat), cells proliferation, MMPs and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) expression were assessed again. Compared with non-stretch group, HBSMCs in stretch groups showed higher proliferation. The expression of MMP-1, 2, 3, 7 was up-regulated in stretch groups, and it remained at the same high level in 10% and 15% stretch groups. TIMP-1, 2 expression only increased under 15% stretch. Stretch resulted in elevated cell proliferation was abolished by Batimastat. In conclusion, the proliferation of HBSMCs induced by stretch was resulted from the stretch-induced MMPs expression and release.

The role of mirabegron in overactive bladder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To present a systematic review assessing the efficacy and safety of mirabegron for overactive bladder (OAB). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature search was performed using the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE and Science Citation Index Expanded. The literature reviewed included meta-analyses, randomized and nonrandomized prospective studies. We utilized mean difference (MD) to measure the mean number of incontinence episodes and the mean number of micturitions, and OAB questionnaire (OAB-q) and odds ratio (OR) to measure adverse events rates. We used the Cochrane Collaboration's Review Manager 5.1 software for statistical analysis. RESULTS: We identified six publications that strictly met our eligibility criteria. Meta-analysis of extractable data showed that mirabegron was more effective than placebo in treating OAB despite different drug dosages in the efficacy end points: mean number of incontinence episodes per 24 h (MD -0.54; 95% CI -0.63, -0.45; p = 0.001), mean number of micturitions per 24 h (MD -0.55; 95% CI -0.63, -0.47; p = 0.001), OAB-q (MD -4.49; 95% CI -6.27, -2.71; p = 0.001) and adverse events (OR 0.99; 95% CI 0.83, 1.19; p = 0.92). When compared to tolterodine, mirabegron was more effective in terms of mean number of incontinence episodes per 24 h (MD -0.25; 95% CI -0.43, -0.06; p = 0.009). However, there were no differences between mirabegron and tolterodine in mean number of micturitions per 24 h (MD -0.17; 95% CI -0.35, 0.01; p = 0.07) and OAB-q (MD -1.09; 95% CI -2.51, 0.33; p = 0.13). Mirabegron also had a lower adverse reaction rate (OR 0.9; 95% CI 0.8, 1.0; p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: In this diverse population, mirabegron was an effective and safe pharmacologic therapy for OAB.

[Retracted] MicroRNA­642a­5p inhibits colon cancer cell migration and invasion by targeting collagen type I α1.

Following the publication of this paper, it was drawn to the Editor's attention by a concerned reader that certain of the cell invasion assay data shown in Fig. 6B on p. 940, and western blot data featured in Fig. 7B on p. 942, had already appeared in previously published articles written by different authors at different research institutes. Owing to the fact that the contentious data in the above article had already been published prior to its submission to Oncology Reports, the Editor has decided that this paper should be retracted from the Journal. The authors were asked for an explanation to account for these concerns, but the Editorial Office did not receive a satisfactory reply. The Editor apologizes to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [Oncology Reports 45: 933­944, 2021; DOI: 10.3892/or.2020.7905].

Polystyrene microplastics exposure aggravates acute liver injury by promoting Kupffer cell pyroptosis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the long-term effects of polystyrene (PS) exposure on acute liver injury. METHODS: The carbon tetrachloride-induced acute injury mouse model was subjected to long-term PS exposure. Pyroptosis was inhibited by knocking out Gsdmd in mice or treating with the Gsdmd inhibitor necrosulfonamide (NSA) to evaluate the effect of PS on liver injury. Kupffer cells were used as a cellular model to examine the effects of PS on cell pyroptosis, lactate dehydrogenase release rate, structural integrity (propidium iodide staining), and inflammatory factor levels. RESULTS: In mice, PS exposure exacerbated acute liver injury, which was mitigated upon Gsdmd knockout (KO) or NSA treatment along with the downregulation of tissue inflammatory response. In vitro studies demonstrated that PS promoted Kupffer cell pyroptosis, which was suppressed upon Gsdmd KO or NSA treatment along with the alleviation of inflammation. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that long-term PS exposure exacerbates acute liver injury by promoting Kupffer cell pyroptosis, which is one of the hepatotoxic mechanisms of PS.

Swertianin Promotes Anti-Tumor activity by facilitating Macrophage M1 polarization via STING signaling.

To investigate the mechanism by which swertiamarin (swertianin, SWE) regulates the polarization of tumor microenvironment-associated macrophages to M1 phenotype, thereby exerting anti-tumor effects.SWE promoted the formation of M1 cells and increased the proportion of CD86 + cells in both RAW264.7 and primary monocyte-derived macrophages, while activating the STING-NF-κB pathway. When STING or P65 was knocked out, the effects of SWE were antagonized, inhibiting the formation of CD86 + M1 cells. At the animal level, SWE inhibited tumor growth, activated STING-NF-κB, and promoted the formation of CD86 + cells. STING-KO inhibited the effects of SWE.SWE can activate the STING-NF-κB signal to promote macrophage M1 polarization, playing an anti-tumor role.

The Study of PIK3CA Hotspot Mutations and Co-Occurring with EGFR, KRAS, and TP53 Mutations in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Objective: PIK3CA-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is associated with other genetic mutations and may influence treatment strategies and clinical outcomes. We aimed to characterize PIK3CA mutations co-occurring with several major driver mutations using data from published cohorts and our medical center. Materials and Methods: We analyzed NSCLC patients harboring PIK3CA mutations from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) databases and retrospectively identified NSCLC patients with PIK3CA-mutants at a single medical center from our electronic records. The Log rank test was used to determine the association between PIK3CA mutations and overall survival (OS) in NSCLC patients. Results: Common hotspot mutations in PIK3CA were found in exon 9 (c.1633G > A, E545K, and c.1624G > A, E542K) and exon 20 (c.3140A > G, H1047R) in all cohorts. Co-occurring mutations of PIK3CA with EGFR, KRAS, and TP53 have been frequently observed in patients with NSCLC, with different percentages in these datasets generated by different background. PIK3CA mutations were observed to be significantly associated with poor OS in lung adenocarcinomas patients in the MSKCC cohort (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.519, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.301-0.896; P <0.05). Conclusion: PIK3CA co-occurring mutations in other genes may represent distinct subsets of NSCLC. Further elucidation of the roles of PIK3CA hotspot mutations combined with other driver mutations, including EGFR and KRAS, is needed to guide effective treatment in patients with advanced NSCLC.

Ganodermanontriol regulates tumor-associated M2 macrophage polarization in gastric cancer.

AIM: We focused on investigating the role and mechanism of ganodermanontriol (GAN) in regulating the M2 polarization of tumor-associated macrophages in the gastric cancer microenvironment. METHODS: M2 polarization of RAW264.7 macrophages was induced by IL-4 or co-culture with MFC, and the expression levels of M1 macrophage markers (TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1ß) and M2 macrophage markers (IL-10, TGF-ß, Arg-1) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbed assay (ELISA). The protein expression was assayed by Western-Blotting. For in vitro experiments, a tumor-bearing mouse model was established, with which the CD206 level was detected by histochemistry, and the binding mode between GAN and STAT6 was simulated through molecular dynamics. RESULTS: Both IL-4 and MFC could induce the M2 polarization of macrophages. GAN could inhibit such polarization, which produced unobvious effects on M1 markers, but could suppress the levels of M2 markers. GAN could inhibit the phosphorylated expression of STAT6, and M2 macrophages treated by it had a weakened ability to promote malignant behavior of MFC. According to the results of in vitro experiments, GAN could inhibit tumor growth, suppress the tissue infiltration of CD206 cells, and inhibit the phosphorylated expression of STAT6. CONCLUSION: Our results show that GAN can inhibit the M2 macrophage polarization in gastric cancer microenvironment, whose mechanism of action is associated with the regulation of STAT6 phosphorylation.

High-throughput single-cell mass spectrometry enables metabolic network analysis by resolving phospholipid C[double bond, length as m-dash]C isomers.

Single-cell mass spectrometry (MS) is an essential technology for sensitive and multiplexed analysis of metabolites and lipids for cell phenotyping and pathway studies. However, the structural elucidation of lipids from single cells remains a challenge, especially in the high-throughput scenario. Technically, there is a contradiction between the inadequate sample amount (i.e. a single cell, 0.5-20 pL) for replicate or multiple analysis, on the one hand, and the high metabolite coverage and multidimensional structure analysis that needs to be performed for each single cell, on the other hand. Here, we have developed a high-throughput single-cell MS platform that can perform both lipid profiling and lipid carbon-carbon double bond (C[double bond, length as m-dash]C) location isomer resolution analysis, aided by C[double bond, length as m-dash]C activation in unsaturated lipids by the Paternò-Büchi (PB) reaction and tandem MS, termed single-cell structural lipidomics analysis. The method can achieve a single-cell analysis throughput of 51 cells per minute. A total of 145 lipids were structurally characterized at the subclass level, of which the relative abundance of 17 isomeric lipids differing in the location of C[double bond, length as m-dash]C from 5 lipid precursors was determined. While cell-to-cell variations in MS1-based lipid profiling can be large, an advantage of quantifying lipid C[double bond, length as m-dash]C location isomers is the significantly improved quantitation accuracy. For example, the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the relative amounts of PC 34:1 C[double bond, length as m-dash]C position isomers in MDA-MB-468 cells are half smaller than those measured for PC 34:1 as a whole by MS1 abundance profiling. Taken together, the developed method can be effectively used for in-depth structural lipid metabolism network analysis by high-throughput analysis of 142 MDA-MB-468 human breast cancer cells.

1-Ethoxycarbonyl-beta-carboline inhibits the M2 polarization of tumor-associated macrophages: A study based on network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses.

AIM: Through network pharmacology, molecular docking, molecular dynamics in combination with experimentation, we explored the mechanism whereby 1-ethoxycarbonyl-beta-carboline (EBC) regulates the M2 polarization of tumor-associated macrophages. METHODS: Network pharmacology was adopted for analyzing the targets and signaling pathways related to the M2 polarization of EBC-macrophages, small molecular-protein docking was employed to analyze the possibility of EBC bonding to related protein, and molecular dynamics was introduced to analyze the binding energy between EBC and HDAC2. The M2 polarization of RAW264.7 macrophages was triggered in vitro by IL-4. After EBC intervention, the expressions of M1/M2 polarization-related cytokines were detected, and the mechanism of EBC action was explored in HDAC2-knockout RAW264.7 macrophages. A tumor-bearing mouse model was established in vitro to find the impact of EBC on tumor-associated M2 macrophages. RESULTS: As revealed by the network pharmacology, molecular docking and molecular dynamics analyses, EBC was associated with 51 proteins, including HDAC2, NF-κB and HDAC4. Molecular docking and dynamics analyses suggested that HDAC2 was the main target of EBC. In vitro experiments discovered that EBC could hinder the M2 polarization of RAW264.7 macrophages, which exerted insignificant effect on the M1-associated cytokines, but could lower the levels of M2-associated cytokines. After knocking out HDAC2, EBC could not further inhibit the M2 polarization of macrophages. At the mouse level, EBC could hinder the tumor growth and the tissue levels of M2 macrophages, whose effect was associated with HDAC2. CONCLUSION: Our study combining multiple methods finds that EBC inhibits the HDAC2-mediated M2 polarization of macrophages, thereby playing an anti-tumor role.

Exploration of novel human neutrophil elastase inhibitors from natural compounds: Virtual screening, in vitro, molecular dynamics simulation and in vivo study.

BACKGROUND: Human neutrophil elastase (HNE) is an important contributor to lung diseases such as acute lung injury (ALI) or acute respiratory distress syndrome. Therefore, this study aimed to identify natural HNE inhibitors with anti-inflammatory activity through machine learning algorithms, in vitro assays, molecular dynamic simulation, and an in vivo ALI assay. METHODS: Based on the optimized Discovery Studio two-dimensional molecular descriptors, combined with different molecular fingerprints, six machine learning models were established using the Naïve Bayesian (NB) method to identify HNE inhibitors. Subsequently, the optimal model was utilized to screen 6925 drug-like compounds obtained from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacy Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP), followed by ADMET analysis. Finally, 10 compounds with reported anti-inflammatory activity were selected to determine their inhibitory activities against HNE in vitro, and the compounds with the best activity were selected for a 100 ns molecular dynamics simulation and its anti-inflammatory effect was evaluated using Poly (I:C)-induced ALI model. RESULTS: The evaluation of the in vitro HNE inhibition efficiency of the 10 selected compounds showed that the flavonoid tricetin had the strongest inhibitory effect on HNE. The molecular dynamics simulation indicated that the binding of tricetin to HNE was relatively stable throughout the simulation. Importantly, in vivo experiments indicated that tricetin treatment substantially improved the Poly (I:C)-induced ALI. CONCLUSION: The proposed NB model was proved valuable for exploring novel HNE inhibitors, and natural tricetin was screened out as a novel HNE inhibitor, which was confirmed by in vitro and in vivo assays for its inhibitory activities.

Crosstalk between circBMI1 and miR-338-5p/ID4 inhibits AML progression.

BMI1 Polycomb Ring Finger Proto-Oncogene (BMI1) is involved in the pathogenesis of different cancers, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, the role of the circular RNA of BMI1 (circBMI1) has not been studied. Our study aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of circBMI1 in AML. circBMI1 was significantly decreased in bone marrow mononuclear cells aspirated from patients with AML. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that circBMI1 could distinguish patients with AML from controls. By overexpressing and knocking down circBMI1 in HL-60 cells, we found that circBMI1 inhibited cell proliferation, promoted apoptosis, and increased chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity in AML. Experiments using severe combined immune-deficient mice and circBMI1 transgenic mice showed that mice with circBMI1 overexpression had lower white blood cell counts, which suggested less severe AML invasion. RNA immunoprecipitation and dual-luciferase reporter assay revealed binding sites among circBMI1, miR-338-5p, and inhibitor of DNA binding 4 (ID4). Rescue experiments proved that circBMI1 inhibited AML progression by binding to miR-338-5p, which affected the expression of ID4. By coculturing exosomes extracted from circBMI1-HL-60 and small interfering circBMI1-HL-60 cells with HL-60 cells, we found that exosomes from circBMI1-HL-60 cells showed tumor suppressive effects, namely inhibiting HL-60 proliferation, promoting apoptosis, and increasing chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity. Exosomes from small interfering circBMI1-HL-60 cells showed the opposite effects. circBMI1 may act as an exosome-dependent tumor inhibitor. circBMI1, a potential biomarker for clinical diagnosis, acts as a tumor suppressor in AML by regulating miR-338-5p/ID4 and might affect the pathogenesis of AML by exosome secretion.

Structure-based discovery of potent CARM1 inhibitors for colorectal cancer therapy.

Coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1 (CARM1) plays an important role in cell proliferation and gene expression, and is highly expressed in a variety of tumor tissues. Guided by our previous reported structure of DCPR049_12, we focused on designing and evaluating selective CARM1 inhibitors, resulting in the identification of compound 11f as a promising lead candidate. Compound 11f displayed potent inhibition of CARM1 (IC50 = 9 nM). Comprehensive evaluations, including in vitro metabolic stability assessments, molecular modelling, cellular studies, and in vivo anti-tumor studies, confirmed that it induced cancer cell apoptosis and specifically inhibited CARM1's methylation function. Notably, compound 11f displayed significant anti-proliferative effects on colorectal cancer cell lines, showcasing its potential for targeted therapies against CARM1-related diseases. This study provides valuable insights for the future development of specific and effective CARM1 inhibitors.

Triterpene acid from Antrodia camphorata alleviates inflammation in acute liver injury.

This study aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of Anctin A, the Antrodia camphorata terpene component, in resisting liver injury. Network pharmacology analysis revealed that MAPK3 was the major action target of Antcin A. Furthermore, experimental research suggested that Antcin A suppressed mouse liver injury, reduced the inflammatory factor levels, and enhanced the anti-oxidative capacity. Meanwhile, it suppressed the expression of MAPK3 and the downstream NF-κB signal, while it did not significantly affect the expression of MAPK1. Based on network pharmacology method, this study discovers that the anti-liver injury effect of Antcin A is mainly related to MAPK3, and that Antcin A can suppress the activation of MAPK3 and its downstream NF-κB to inhibit mouse ALI.