Discovery of novel ID2 antagonists from pharmacophore-based virtual screening as potential therapeutics for glioma.

Glioma, especially the most aggressive type glioblastoma multiforme, is a malignant cancer of the central nervous system with a poor prognosis. Traditional treatments are mainly surgery combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which is still far from satisfactory. Therefore, it is of great clinical significance to find new therapeutic agents. Serving as an inhibitor of differentiation, protein ID2 (inhibitor of DNA binding 2) plays an important role in neurogenesis, neovascularization and malignant development of gliomas. It has been shown that ID2 affects the malignant progression of gliomas through different mechanisms. In this study, a pharmacophore-based virtual screening was carried out and 16 hit compounds were purchased for pharmacological evaluations on their ID2 inhibitory activities. Based on the cytotoxicity of these small-molecule compounds, two compounds were shown to effectively inhibit the viability of glioma cells in the micromolar range. Among them, AK-778-XXMU was chosen for further study due to its better solubility in water. A SPR (Surface Plasma Resonance) assay proved the high affinity between AK-778-XXMU and ID2 protein with the KD value as 129 nM. The plausible binding mode of ID2 was studied by molecular docking and it was found to match AGX51 very well in the same binding site. Subsequently, the cancer-suppressing potency of the compound was characterized both in vitro and in vivo. The data demonstrated that compound AK-778-XXMU is a potent ID2 antagonist which has the potential to be developed as a therapeutic agent against glioma.

LncRNA NKILA regulates endothelium inflammation by controlling a NF-κB/KLF4 positive feedback loop.

Endothelium inflammation, a key event in vascular pathological process, can lead to endothelial activation and subsequent vascular disorders. Long non-coding RNA NKILA plays an important regulatory role in pro-inflammatory response. However, the underlying molecular basis by which NKILA regulates endothelial inflammation is poorly understood. In this study, we identify NKILA as a critical repressor to protect the endothelium from inflammation. Mechanistically, we show that NKILA is able to positively mediate the expression of KLF4, an anti-inflammatory atheroprotective regulator in endothelial cells (ECs), by a NF-κB-mediated DNA methylation mechanism. Moreover, NF-κB is found to help recruit DNMT3A to the CpG island of KLF4 promoter, facilitating KLF4 promoter DNA methylation and transcriptional repression. More importantly, we find KLF4 can inversely attenuate NF-κB transcriptional activity via establishing a NF-κB/KLF4 positive feedback loop, which is under the control of NKILA. Hence, sustained endothelium inflammation will occur, once the NKILA becomes dysfunctional. These studies revealed that NKILA can function as a vital regulator to protect the endothelium from inflammatory lesions and related vascular diseases.

LncRNA HOXA-AS2 positively regulates osteogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells through inactivating NF-κB signalling.

As is previously reported, mesenchymal stem cells have potential ability to differentiate into osteocytes. However, the underlying mechanism during this biological process is poorly understood. In the present study, we identify a novel long non-coding RNA named HOXA-AS2 as a critical regulator during the formation of osteogenesis. Attenuation of HOXA-AS2 can reduce the calcium deposition and repress the alkaline phosphatase activity. Moreover, the expressions of osteogenic marker genes are markedly downregulated after HOXA-AS2 depletion. Mechanistically, we found HOXA-AS2 can regulate the transcriptional activity of NF-κB, a critical inhibitor of osteogenesis. More importantly, HOXA-AS2 knockdown could result in the transcriptional repression of the osteogenic master transcription factor SP7 by a NF-κB/HDAC2-coordinated H3K27 deacetylation mechanism. Based on these studies, we conclude that HOXA-AS2 may serve as a promising therapeutic target for bone tissue repair and regeneration in the near future.

Phloretin ameliorates dextran sulfate sodium-induced ulcerative colitis in mice by regulating the gut microbiota.

Phloretin, extracted from the pericarp and velamen of apples or pears, is a dihydrochalcone flavonoid with anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory activities. It has been reported that phloretin has anti-inflammatory effects in ulcerative colitis (UC) mice. However, the role of the gut microbiota in the phloretin anti-UC process remains unclear. In this study, we observed that the anti-UC effect of phloretin was affected by co-housing, probably because of the transmissible nature of the gut micobiota. Through fecal micobiota transplantation (FMT), the effects of the gut microbiota on the anti-UC of phloretin were further confirmed. UC was induced in mice by administrating 3% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in drinking water for 7 days. Phloretin (60 mg/kg) was administered by gavage every day during the experiment. Fecal microbes (109 CFU/mL) from phloretin-treated UC mice were administered by gavage to non-phloretin-treated UC mice for 7 days. The results showed that FMT, like phloretin, ameliorated UC by improving disease symptoms and colon inflammation, balancing inflammatory cytokines, maintaining intestinal barrier integrity, restoring systemic immune function, inhibiting NF-κB and NLRP3 inflammasome activation and ameliorating the oxidant stress. Both FMT and phloretin treatment increased the levels of Bacteroidetes, Alistipes and Lactobacillus and decreased those of Firmicutes, Oscillibacter and Ruminiclostridium_6. Correlation analysis between gut microbes and micro-environmental factors revealed that Alistipes abundance was negatively correlated with DAI, pathological score, and TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1ß levels, and Alistipes was more abundant in phloretin or FMT treated UC mice. Oscillibacter abundance was significantly positively correlated with IL-6 and IL-1ß levels and pathological score, and Oscillibacter was increased in UC mice. Furthermore, network analysis of the dominant genera revealed that Alistipes abundance was negatively related to Oscillibacter abundance. In conclusion, this study suggests that the anti-UC effects of phloretin are achieved through regulation of the gut microbiota and phloretin has the potential to be developed as a promising agent for the treatment of UC.

Enhanced glycolysis by ATPIF1 gene inactivation increased the anti-bacterial activities of neutrophils through induction of ROS and lactic acid.

ATP synthase inhibitory factor 1 (ATPIF1) is a mitochondrial protein that regulates the activity of FoF1-ATP synthase. Mice lacking ATPIF1 throughout their bodies (Atpif1-/-) exhibit a reduction in the number of neutrophils. However, it remains unclear whether the inactivation of ATPIF1 impairs the antibacterial function of mice, this study aimed to evaluate it using a mouse peritonitis model. Mice were intraperitoneally injected with E. coli to induce peritonitis, and after 24 h, the colonies of E. coli were counted in agarose plates containing mice peritoneal lavage fluids (PLF) or extract from the liver. Neutrophils were analyzed for glucose metabolism in glycolysis following LPS stimulation. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lactic acid (LA) levels in neutrophils were measured using flow cytometry and Seahorse analysis, respectively. N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) and 2-Deoxy-d-glucose (2-DG) were employed to assess the role of ROS and LA in neutrophil bactericidal activity. RNA-seq analysis was conducted in neutrophils to investigate potential mechanisms. In ATPIF1-/- neutrophils, bactericidal activity was enhanced, accompanied by increased levels of ROS and LA compared to wildtype neutrophils. The augmented bactericidal activity of ATPIF1-/- neutrophils was reversed by pretreatment with NAC or 2-DG. RNA-seq analysis revealed downregulation of multiple genes involved in glutathione metabolism, pyruvate oxidation, and heme synthesis, along with increased expression of inflammatory and apoptotic genes. This study suggests that the inactivation of the Atpif1 gene enhances glucose metabolism in neutrophils, resulting in increased bactericidal activity mediated by elevated levels of ROS and LA. Inhibiting ATPIF1 may be a potential approach to enhance antibacterial immunity.

The protective role of microbiota in the prevention of MPTP/P-induced Parkinson's disease by resveratrol.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a tricky neurodegenerative disease characterized with motor deficits and gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction. Gut microbiota disturbance is reported to be involved in the clinical phenotypes of PD and its pathogenesis through the brain-gut-microbiota axis. Resveratrol is a natural polyphenol that possesses various biological activities in alleviating many diseases, including PD. The present study was aimed to investigate the role of gut microbiota in resveratrol-treated PD mice. A chronic mouse model of PD was generated via the injection of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and probenecid (MPTP/P) for 5 consecutive weeks. Resveratrol was orally administered once a day (30 mg kg-1 d-1) for a total of 8 weeks. From the 6th week to the 8th week, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was performed from resveratrol-treated PD mice to PD mice to evaluate the contribution of resveratrol-shaped microbiota in the alleviation of PD. The results showed that FMT from resveratrol-shaped microbiota remarkably alleviated the mice phenotype from PD progression, including increased latency in the rotarod, shortened beam walking time, increased the number of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive cells in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and enriched TH-positive fiber density in the striatum. Further experiments revealed that FMT could ameliorate the GI dysfunction by increasing the small intestinal transport rate and the colon length, decreasing the relative abundances of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1ß) in colon epithelial tissue. The 16S rDNA sequencing indicated that FMT attenuated the gut microbial dysbiosis in PD mice by increasing the abundances of Prevotellaceae, Rikenellaceae, Erysipelotrichaceae, Blautia and Alistipes, lowering the ratio of Fimicutes/Bacteroidetes, and decreasing the abundances of Lachnospiraceae and Akkermansia. Therefore, results in this study demonstrated that gut microbiota played a vital role in the prevention of PD progression, and the shaping of the gut microbiota was the pharmacological mechanism of resveratrol in alleviating the phenotype of Parkinson's disease in PD mice.

scRNA-seq reveals ATPIF1 activity in control of T cell antitumor activity.

ATP synthase inhibitory factor 1 (ATPIF1) is a mitochondrial protein with an activity in inhibition of F1Fo-ATP synthase. ATPIF1 activity remains unknown in the control of immune activity of T cells. In this study, we identified ATPIF1 activity in the induction of CD8+ T cell function in tumor models through genetic approaches. ATPIF1 gene inactivation impaired the immune activities of CD8+ T cells leading to quick tumor growth (B16 melanoma and Lewis lung cancer) in ATPIF1-KO mice. The KO T cells exhibited a reduced activity in proliferation and IFN-γ secretion with metabolic reprogramming of increased glycolysis and decreased oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) after activation. T cell exhaustion was increased in the tumor infiltrating leukocytes (TILs) of KO mice as revealed by the single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and confirmed by flow cytometry. In contrast, ATPIF1 overexpression in T cells increased expression of IFN-γ and Granzyme B, subset of central memory T cells in CAR-T cells, and survival rate of NALM-6 tumor-bearing mice. These data demonstrate that ATPIF1 deficiency led to tumor immune deficiency through induction of T cell exhaustion. ATPIF1 overexpression enhanced the T cell tumor immunity. Therefore, ATPIF1 is a potential molecular target in the modulation of antitumor immunity of CD8+ T cells in cancer immunotherapy. Induction of ATPIF1 activity may promote CAR-T activity in cancer therapy.

Sirtuin 6 maintains epithelial STAT6 activity to support intestinal tuft cell development and type 2 immunity.

Dynamic regulation of intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) differentiation is crucial for both homeostasis and the response to helminth infection. SIRT6 belongs to the NAD+-dependent deacetylases and has established diverse roles in aging, metabolism and disease. Here, we report that IEC Sirt6 deletion leads to impaired tuft cell development and type 2 immunity in response to helminth infection, thereby resulting in compromised worm expulsion. Conversely, after helminth infection, IEC SIRT6 transgenic mice exhibit enhanced epithelial remodeling process and more efficient worm clearance. Mechanistically, Sirt6 ablation causes elevated Socs3 expression, and subsequently attenuated tyrosine 641 phosphorylation of STAT6 in IECs. Notably, intestinal epithelial overexpression of constitutively activated STAT6 (STAT6vt) in mice is sufficient to induce the expansion of tuft and goblet cell linage. Furthermore, epithelial STAT6vt overexpression remarkedly reverses the defects in intestinal epithelial remodeling caused by Sirt6 ablation. Our results reveal a novel function of SIRT6 in regulating intestinal epithelial remodeling and mucosal type 2 immunity in response to helminth infection.

[Bioluminescence imaging evaluation of the inhibitory effect of lidamycin on lung metastasis of human fibrosarcoma in athymic mice].

This study is to investigate the inhibitory effect of lidamycin (LDM) and its combination with methotrexate (MTX) on lung metastasis of fibrosarcoma by bioluminescence imaging in athymic mice. A stable luciferase transfected HT-1080 cell line was constructed and the capability to establish experimental lung metastasis in athymic mice was confirmed. The optical imaging system was applied to evaluate the formation of lung metastasis in vivo. In addition, metastatic nodules were counted for the evaluation of inhibition rates. As shown, the fluorescent intensity of luciferase-transfected HT-1080 cells was colinear with the cell population and the minimal detected cell population was 100 cells/well. Optical imaging showed that the fluorescent intensity of treated group was apparently lower than that of the control. The inhibition rates of lung metastasis by LDM alone at 0.025 mg x kg(-1) and 0.05 mg x kg(-1) were 53.9% and 75.9%, respectively, while that of MTX alone at 0.5 mg x kg(-1) was 70.2%. The combination of LDM at 0.025 mg x kg(-1) and MTX at 0.5 mg x kg(-1) showed an inhibition rate of 88.7%. The coefficient of drug interaction (CDI) was 0.82. The results herein demonstrated that LDM alone had strong anti-metastasis effect on human fibrosarcoma HT-1080 and the inhibition efficacy is strengthened when combined with MTX.

Mitochondrial protein IF1 is a potential regulator of glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) secretion function of the mouse intestine.

IF1 (ATPIF1) is a nuclear DNA-encoded mitochondrial protein whose activity is inhibition of the F1Fo-ATP synthase to control ATP production. IF1 activity remains unknown in the regulation of GLP-1 activity. In this study, IF1 was examined in the diet-induced obese mice using the gene knockout (If1-KO) mice. The mice gained more body weight on a high fat diet without a change in food intake. Insulin tolerance was impaired, but the oral glucose tolerance was improved through an increase in GLP-1 secretion. The KO mice exhibited an improved intestine structure, mitochondrial superstructure, enhanced mitophagy, reduced apoptosis and decreased adenine nucleotide translocase 2 (ANT2) protein in the intestinal epithelial cells together with preserved gut microbiota. The data suggest that GLP-1 secretion was enhanced in the obese If1-KO mice to preserve glucose tolerance through a signaling pathway of ANT2/mitochondria/L-cells/GLP-1/insulin. IF1 is a potential mitochondrial target for induction of GLP-1 secretion in L-cells.

Interplay between the Gut Microbiome and Metabolism in Ulcerative Colitis Mice Treated with the Dietary Ingredient Phloretin.

A growing number of healthy dietary ingredients in fruits and vegetables have been shown to exhibit diverse biological activities. Phloretin, a dihydrochalcone flavonoid that is abundant in apples and pears, has anti-inflammatory effects on ulcerative colitis (UC) mice. The gut microbiota and metabolism are closely related to each other due to the existence of the food-gut axis in the human colon. To investigate the interplay of faecal metabolites and the microbiota in UC mice after phloretin treatment, phloretin (60 mg/kg) was administered by gavage to ameliorate dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC in mice. Gut microbes and faecal metabolite profiles were detected by high-throughput sequencing and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis, respectively. The correlations between gut microbes and their metabolites were evaluated by Spearman correlation coefficients. The results indicated that phloretin reshaped the disturbed faecal metabolite profile in UC mice and improved the metabolic pathways by balancing the composition of faecal metabolites such as norepinephrine, mesalazine, tyrosine, 5-acetyl-2,4-dimethyloxazole, and 6-acetyl-2,3-dihydro-2-(hydroxymethyl)-4(1H)-pyridinone. Correlation analysis identified the relations between the gut microbes and their metabolites. Proteus was negatively related to many faecal metabolites, such as norepinephrine, L-tyrosine, laccarin, dopamine glucuronide, and 5-acetyl-2,4-dimethyloxazole. The abundance of unidentified Bacteriodales_S24-7_group was positively related to ecgonine, 15-KETE and 6-acetyl-2,3-dihydro-2-(hydroxymethyl)-4(1H)-pyridinone. The abundance of Christensenellaceae_R-7_group was negatively related to the levels of 15-KETE and netilmicin. Stenotrophomonas and 15-KETE were negatively related, while Intestinimonas and alanyl-serine were positively related. In conclusion, phloretin treatment had positive impacts on faecal metabolites in UC mice, and the changes in faecal metabolites were closely related to the gut microbiota.

IF1 inactivation attenuates experimental colitis through downregulation of neutrophil infiltration in colon mucosa.

IF1 is a mitochondrial protein involved in the regulation of ATP synthase activity. The role of IF1 remains to be established in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). In this study, we report that IF1 gene inactivation generated protection against IBD in the dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) model. IF1 gene knockout (IF1-KO) mice developed less severe colitis than the wild type (WT) mice as judged by parameters including disease activity index (DAI), body weight loss, inflammatory cytokines, leukocyte infiltration and bacterial invasion in the colon tissue. The intestinal barrier integrity was protected in the colon tissue of IF1-KO mice through a reduction in apoptosis and inflammasomal activity. The protection was abolished in the KO mice after substitution of the immune cells with the wild type cells following bone marrow transplantation. Depletion of neutrophils with anti-Gr-1 antibody abolished the protection from colitis in IF1-KO mice. Neutrophil number was decreased in the peripheral blood of IF1-KO mice, which was associated with a reduction in LC3A/B proteins in the KO neutrophils in Rapamycin-induced autophagy response. Inhibition of autophagy with the lysosome inhibitor Chloroquine (CQ) decreased the absolute number of neutrophils in WT mice and protected the mice from colitis. Taken together, these findings suggest that IF1 may contribute to the pathogenesis of IBD through acceleration of neutrophil autophagy. The activity is attenuated in the IF1-KO mice through reduction of autophagy in neutrophils leading to resistance to IBD.

Inhibitor of Differentiation-2 Protein Ameliorates DSS-Induced Ulcerative Colitis by Inhibiting NF-κB Activation in Neutrophils.

The loss of inhibitor of differentiation-2 (ID2) could lead to the development of colitis in mice, supplementation with exogenous ID2 protein might be a potential strategy to ameliorate colitis. In this study, the effects of ID2 protein supplementation on Dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis were investigated. Firstly, we confirmed that the expression of ID2 was reduced in the colon tissues of DSS-induced colitis mice and patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Then, we constructed a recombinant plasmid containing the human Id2 gene and expressed it in Escherichia coli (E. coli) successfully. After purification and identification, purified hID2 could ameliorate DSS-induced colitis efficiently in mice by improving disease symptoms, decreasing the levels of proinflammatory cytokines in colon tissues, maintaining the integrity of intestinal barrier and reducing the infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages in the colon. Further study showed that hID2 could be endocytosed efficiently by neutrophils and macrophages, and hID2 lost its protection function against colitis when neutrophils were depleted with an anti-Gr-1 antibody. hID2 decreased the mRNA levels of IL-6, IL-1ß and TNF-α in lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-stimulated neutrophils and efficiently inhibited the activation of NF-κB signalling pathway in neutrophils. Interestingly, hID2 showed a synergistic role in inhibition of NF-κB activation with pyrrolidine dithiocarbamic acid (PDTC), an inhibitor of NF-κB activation. Therefore, this study demonstrated the potential use of hID2 to treat UC, and hID2 protein might be a promising anti-inflammatory agent that targets the NF-κB signalling pathway in neutrophils.

[In vivo imaging analysis of biodistribution of FITC-labeled Rituximab in lymphoma-bearing nude mice].

OBJECTIVE: To conduct an in vivo optical imaging analysis of the biodistribution of antibody Rituximab in lymphoma tumor-bearing nude mice. METHODS: Laser scanning confocal microscope and flow cytometry were employed to determine the affinity of FITC-labeled Rituximab (FITC-Rituximab) with human lymphoma Raji cells. And the in vivo optical imaging system was used to analyze the biodistribution of FITC-Rituximab in lymphoma-transplanted xenograft nude mice. RESULTS: The results of flow cytometry and laser scanning confocal microscope demonstrated that FITC-Rituximab had remarkable affinity with lymphoma Raji cells and was mainly bound at cell membrane. The results of in vivo imaging analysis suggested that FITC-Rituximab could specifically accumulated at peritumor tissue less than 1 h, then penetrated into the interior of tumor and concentrated in 3-4 h. And the specific concentration of FITC-Rituximab could still been observed more than 8-10 h whereas there was no apparent fluorescence at other tissues. Furthermore, the results observed from a two-flank tumor xenograft model showed that FITC-Rituximab possessed specific binding affinity for CD20-overexpressed lymphoma. CONCLUSION: The in vivo optical imaging system can accurately monitor the distribution of FITC-Rituximab in tumor-bearing nude mice. And this technique has a reference value and significance for a real-time analysis of tumor-targeting capability of antibody drugs.

The Differences between Luminal Microbiota and Mucosal Microbiota in Mice.

The differences between luminal microbiota (LM) and mucosal microbiota (MAM) were little known, especially in duodenum. In this study, LM and MAM in colon and duodenum of mice were investigated through 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing. The lowest bacterial diversity and evenness were observed in duodenal LM (D_LM), followed by duodenal MAM (D_MAM). Meanwhile, the bacterial diversity and evenness were obviously increased in D_MAM than these in D_LM, while no significant difference was observed between colonic MAM (C_MAM) and colonic LM (C_LM). PCoA analysis also showed that bacterial communities of LM and MAM in duodenum were completely separated, while these in colon overlapped partly. The ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes (F/B) in D_MAM was significantly higher than that in D_LM. Lactobacillus was largely enriched and was the characteristic bacteria in D_LM. The characteristic bacteria in D_MAM were Turicibacter, Parasutterella, Marvinbryantia and Bifidobacterium, while in C_LM they were Ruminiclostridium_6, Ruminiclostridium_9, Ruminococcaceae_UCG_007 and Lachnospiraceae_UCG_010, and in C_MAM they were Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136, Mucispirillum, Alistipes, Ruminiclostridium and Odoribacter. The networks showed that more interactions existed in colonic microbiota (24 nodes and 74 edges) than in duodenal microbiota (17 nodes and 29 edges). The 16S rDNA function prediction results indicated that bigger differences of function exist between LM and MAM in duodenum than these in colon. In conclusion, microbiota from intestinal luminal content and mucosa were different both in colon and in duodenum, and bacteria in colon interacted with each other much more closely than those in duodenum.

Potent half-sandwich Ru(â ¡) N

Herein a new series of organometallic half-sandwich Ru(Ⅱ) complexes bearing aryl-BIAN chelating ligands with various electron-withdrawing and electron-donating substituents have been developed as theranostic agents. All the complexes display much higher anti-proliferative potency than the clinical chemotherapeutic drug cisplatin towards seven cancer cell lines. The anti-proliferative efficacy of these complexes is correlated to their electron-withdrawing ability. Interestingly, complex Ru1 also potently suppresses cancer cell migration in vitro and effectively inhibit tumor growth in vivo in a CT26 colon cancer mouse xenograft model. Mechanisms of action studies display that Ru1 can favorably accumulate in lysosome and exerts anti-cancer potency by inducing a series of events related to lysosomal dysfunction in CT26 cells. Interestingly, inhibition of lysosomal enzymes leads to suppression of cytotoxicity and apoptosis induced by Ru1. Our results elucidate that complex Ru1 can elicit cytotoxicity through lysosome-mediated apoptosis in vitro and suppress tumor growth in vivo.

Saikosaponin-d ameliorates dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis by suppressing NF-κB activation and modulating the gut microbiota in mice.

Saikosaponin-d (SSd), extracts from Bupleurum falcatum L, exhibits anti-inflammatory and anti-infectious activities. However, the effect of SSd on intestinal inflammation has not been investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of SSd on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) mice, and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. UC was induced in mice by administrating 3% DSS in drinking water for 7 days. SSd (4 mg/kg and 8 mg/kg) was administered by gavage every day during the experimental process. The results showed that SSd treatment (8 mg/kg) significantly ameliorated UC mice by decreasing disease activity index (DAI), increasing colon length and improving pathological characteristics. SSd treatment (8 mg/kg) significantly suppressed the mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1ß, increased that of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Furthermore, SSd (8 mg/kg) suppressed the activation of NF-κB by decreasing the degradation and phosphorylation of IκB. SSd (8 mg/kg) also protected the intestinal barrier by increasing the mRNA levels of mucin (Muc1 and Muc2) and the protein levels of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and Claudin-1. The 16S rDNA gene high-throughput sequencing revealed that SSd treatment (8 mg/kg) increased the alpha diversity and regulated the structure of gut microbiota in UC mice. Taken together, our findings demonstrated that SSd (8 mg/kg) improved DSS-induced intestinal inflammation by inhibiting NF-κB activation and regulated the gut microbiota.

Isolation and functional identification of a novel human hepatic growth factor: hepatopoietin Cn.

UNLABELLED: Hepatic stimulating substance (HSS) was first isolated from weanling rat liver in 1975 and found to stimulate hepatic DNA synthesis both in vitro and in vivo. Since then, mammalian and human HSS have been investigated for their potential to treat hepatic diseases. However, the essential nature in composition and structure of HSS remain puzzling because HSS has not been completely purified. Heating, ethanol precipitation, and ion-exchange chromatographies had been carried out to isolate the protein with specific stimulating activity from newborn calf liver, and [(3)H]thymidine deoxyribose (TdR)/bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation and carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE)-based proliferation assay to determine the bioactivity in vitro and in vivo. We report the purification of a novel 30-kDa protein from a crude extract of calf liver HSS. This protein is a member of the leucine-rich acidic nuclear protein family (LANP) and has been named hepatopoietin Cn (HPPCn). Studies of partially hepatectomized (PH) mice show that levels of HPPCn messenger RNA (mRNA) increase after liver injury. Furthermore, the recombinant human protein (rhHPPCn) was shown to stimulate hepatic DNA synthesis and activate signaling pathways involved in hepatocyte proliferation in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSION: HPPCn is a novel hepatic growth factor that plays a role in liver regeneration.

Chitooligosaccharides Prevents the Development of Colitis-Associated Colorectal Cancer by Modulating the Intestinal Microbiota and Mycobiota.

Gut microbes play a crucial role in the development of colorectal cancer. Chitooligosaccharides (COS), are oligomer that are depolymerized from chitosan and possess a wide range of biological activities. In this study, the effects of COS on colorectal cancer (CRC) development were evaluated using azoxymethane and dextran sulfate sodium (AOM/DSS) induced mouse model of CRC (CACM). In the COS-treated CRC group (CMCOS), COS protected mice from CRC by decreasing the disease activity index, tumor incidences and multiplicity, and the mRNA levels of COX-2, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-10, and IKK-ß mRNA in colonic epithelial cells. The results of a cage-exchanged experiment, in which mice from the CACMe and CMCOSe treatments exchanged cages every day to interact with microbes, showed that gut microbes play an important role in preventing CAC by COS. The abundances of fecal bacteria (total bacteria, Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, Fusobacterium nucleatum and butyrate-producing bacteria) were detected by qPCR on the 0th, 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 10th weekends. Furthermore, microbiota and mycobiota were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing on an Illumina MiSeq PE300 system. COS protected mice from CRC by reversing the imbalance of bacteria and fungi, especially by reducing the abundance of Escherichia-Shigella, Enterococcus, and Turicibacter, and increasing the levels of Akkermansia, butyrate-producing bacteria and Cladosporium.

Novel half-sandwich iridium OˆC (carbene)-Complexes: In vitro and in vivo tumor growth suppression and pro-apoptosis via ROS-mediated cross-talk between mitochondria and lysosomes.

Herein we present half-sandwich IrIII complexes [(η5-Cpxbiph)Ir(OˆC)Cl] containing OˆC(NHC)-chelating ligand as anticancer and antimetastasis agents. All the complexes displayed high potency in vitro against a wide range of cancer cells. In addition, Ir2 significantly curb tumor growth in a colon cancer mouse xenograft model in vivo. Further mechanism of action studies indicate that Ir2-initiated apoptosis occurs through ROS-mediated cross-talk between mitochondria and lysosomes.