Molecular Insights into Water-Chloride and Water-Water Interactions in the Supramolecular Architecture of Aconine Hydrochloride Dihydrate.

Despite the previous preparation of aconine hydrochloride monohydrate (AHM), accurate determination of the crystal's composition was hindered by severely disordered water molecules within the crystal. In this study, we successfully prepared a new dihydrate form of the aconine hydrochloride [C25H42NO9+Cl-·2(H2O), aconine hydrochloride dihydrate (AHD)] and accurately refined all water molecules within the AHD crystal. Our objective is to elucidate both water-chloride and water-water interactions in the AHD crystal. The crystal structure of AHD was determined at 136 K using X-ray diffraction and a multipolar atom model was constructed by transferring charge-density parameters to explore the topological features of key short contacts. By comparing the crystal structures of dihydrate and monohydrate forms, we have observed that both AHD and AHM exhibit identical aconine cations, except for variations in the number of water molecules present. In the AHD crystal, chloride anions and water molecules serve as pivotal connecting hubs to establish three-dimensional hydrogen bonding networks and one-dimensional hydrogen bonding chain; both water-chloride and water-water interactions assemble supramolecular architectures. The crystal packing of AHD exhibits a complete reversal in the stacking order compared to AHM, thereby emphasizing distinct disparities between them. Hirshfeld surface analysis reveals that H···Cl- and H···O contacts play a significant role in constructing the hydrogen bonding network and chain within these supramolecular architectures. Furthermore, topological analysis and electrostatic interaction energy confirm that both water-chloride and water-water interactions stabilize supramolecular architectures through electrostatic attraction facilitated by H···Cl- and H···O contacts. Importantly, these findings are strongly supported by the existing literature evidence. Consequently, navigating these water-chloride and water-water interactions is imperative for ensuring storage and safe processing of this pharmaceutical compound.

The bound polyphenols of foxtail millet (Setaria italica) inner shell inhibit breast cancer by promoting lipid accumulation-induced autophagic death.

Foxtail millet is a traditional excellent crop with high nutritional value in the world, belong to cereals. The bran of foxtail millet is rich in polyphenol that has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumorigenic effects. Previously, we extracted bound polyphenols from the inner shell of foxtail millet bran (BPIS). Here, we report that BPIS specifically induced breast cancer cell death and elevated the autophagy level simultaneously. The addition of an autophagy inhibitor blocked BPIS-induced breast cancer cell death, indicating that excessive autophagy induced cell death. Furthermore, oil red O and BODIPY staining also confirmed that lipids, which are important inducers of autophagy, accumulated in breast cancer cells treated with BPIS. Lipidomics research revealed that glycerophospholipids were the main accumulated lipids induced by BPIS. Further study showed that elevated PCYT1A expression was responsible for glycerophospholipid accumulation, and BPIS contained ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid, which induced PCYT1A expression and breast cancer cell death. Collectively, our results revealed that BPIS resulted in autophagic death by enhancing lipid accumulation in breast cancer cells, and BPIS contains ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid, which provided new insights into developing nutraceuticals and drugs for breast cancer patients.

Supramolecular structure, in vivo biological activities and molecular-docking-based potential cardiotoxic exploration of aconine hydrochloride monohydrate as a novel salt form.

Despite the high profile of aconine in WuTou injection, there has been no preparative technology or structural studies of its salt as the pharmaceutical product. The lack of any halide salt forms is surprising as aconine contains a tertiary nitrogen atom. In this work, aconine was prepared from the degradation of aconitine in Aconiti kusnezoffii radix (CaoWu). A green chemistry technique was applied to enrich the lipophilic-poor aconine. Reaction of aconine with hydrochloride acid resulted in protonation of the nitrogen atom and gave a novel salt form (C25H42NO9+·Cl-·H2O; aconine hydrochloride monohydrate, AHM), whose cation in the crystal structure was elucidated based on extensive spectroscopic and X-ray crystallographic analyses. The AHM crystal had a Z' = 3 structure with three independent cation-anion pairs, with profound conformational differences among the aconine cations. The central framework of each aconine cation was compared with that of previously reported aconitine, proving that protonation of the nitrogen atom induced the structure rearrangement. In the crystal of AHM, aconine cations, chloride anions and water molecules interacted through inter-species O-H...Cl and O-H...O hydrogen bonds; this complex hydrogen-bonding network stabilizes the supramolecular structure. The seriously disordered solvent molecules were treated using the PLATON SQUEEZE procedure [Spek (2015). Acta Cryst. C71, 9-18] and their atoms were therefore omitted from the refinement. Bioactivity studies indicated that AHM promoted in vitro proliferative activities of RAW264.7 cells. Molecular docking suggested AHM could target cardiotoxic protein through the hydrogen-bonding interactions. The structural confirmation of AHM offers a rational approach for improving the pharmaceutical technology of WuTou injection.

Construction of EVA/chitosan based PEG-PCL micelles nanocomposite films with controlled release of iprodione and its application in pre-harvest treatment of grapes.

A novel nanocomposite poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA) film with controlled in vitro release of iprodione (ID) was prepared. Chitosan (CS) was used as the reinforcement which enhances the water and oxygen permeability of films. ID loaded poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PEG-PCL) (IPP) micelles were used as the drug carrier which endows the films with antifungal and controlled release ability. IPP micelles with spherical shape and uniform size were obtained, and the maximum encapsulation efficacy (EE) was 91.17 ± 5.03% by well controlling the feeding amount of ID. Incorporation CS could improve the oxygen and moisture permeability of films, and the maximum oxygen permeability (OP) and water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) were 477.84 ± 13.03 cc/(m2·d·0.1 MPa) and 8.60 ± 0.25 g m-2 d-1, respectively. After loading IPP micelles, the films showed an improved antifungal ability and temperature-sensitive drug release behavior, and were found to enhance the quality of grapes by pre-harvest spraying.

Optimization of the traditional processing method for precision detoxification of CaoWu through biomimetic linking kinetics and human toxicokinetics of aconitine as toxic target marker.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: CaoWu (Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix), well known for its high toxicity leading to fatal ventricular arrhythmias, is detoxified by HeZi (Terminalia Chebula Retz) decoction to prepare ZhiCaoWu (Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix Preparata) as one part of ingredients of NaRu-3 pill which is used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Aconitine (AC) is a highly toxic alkaloid of CaoWu and it is used as toxic target marker for the quality control (QC) of ZhiCaoWu. In the traditional processing method, the vanish of astringent or spicy feeling in tongue is the important detoxification indicator of ZhiCaoWu. However, how CaoWu is detoxified to ZhiCaoWu and whether the appropriate content of AC in ZhiCaoWu can be efficiently perceived after the empirical detoxification still lack factual basis. AIM OF THE STUDY: The present study aimed to optimize the traditional processing method for precision detoxification of CaoWu through biomimetic linking kinetics and human toxicokinetics (TK) of AC, with a view of providing insights into the changes of toxic target marker. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CaoWu medicinal slices (Mes) and coarse powder (Cop) were processed by blank HeZi decoction through the soaking method for 7 days. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for the analysis of the samples. The acidity of blank HeZi decoction and HeZi processing decoction was directly determined by pH meter. The non-compartment analysis (NCA) was used to have an intuitive appreciation for AC and pH changes in HeZi processing decoction while the compartment model method was used to build the biomimetic linking kinetics model with the covariate. The inter-species scaling of animal TK parameters was conducted to predict human AC TK profiles. The possible uptake ways of AC (rapid-release or extended-release) for humans were attempted to assess the poisoning risk of AC in NaRu-3 pill. Based on the target content of AC in ZhiCaoWu, the biomimetic linking kinetics model was explored to optimize the traditional processing detoxification method of CaoWu. The assays of determining inflammatory cytokines in lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 cells were performed to investigate the inflammatory modulation effects of AC in vitro. RESULTS: ZhiCaoWu was prepared by eliminating redundant AC in CaoWu through the repeatable replacement of HeZi processing decoction in which its acidity (pH) was affected. AC-pH changes in HeZi processing decoction were adequately depicted by a biomimetic linking kinetics model whose predictive power was determined by comparing the predictions of AC in ZhiCaoWu with the reported data. Rapid-release AC at the converted dose of 111.1 and 417.6 µg (0.011 and 0.042% of AC in NaRu-3 pill) reached maximum blood concentrations of 26.1 and 98.1 ng/mL at 0.3 h, in comparison with minimum human lethal concentration (100 ng/mL). Achieving the target content of AC (0.04%) in ZhiCaoWu or AC (0.011%) in NaRu-3 pill to precisely control the poisoning risk, the potential optimized protocols were that the processing time at 0.2-0.8% of AC in CaoWu was 2.0-4.4 days for Cop and 2.7-6.2 days for Mes. Correspondingly, pH values in HeZi processing decoction were 3.95 and 3.77 for Cop and Mes, respectively. Meanwhile, Lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 cells were exposed to 0, 20, and 200 µM of AC for 12 h and AC at 20 µM enhanced the levels of IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, for the first time, a biomimetic linking kinetics model was built to optimize the traditional detoxification method. Moreover, pH changes could be developed as surrogate endpoint for guiding the processing detoxification of CaoWu. Notably, setting the content limit of AC (0.011%) was very rational to control the poisoning risk of NaRu-3 pill. In addition, it was possible that there existed the more complex mechanisms of AC for inflammatory modulation in vitro.

Optimization of maintenance therapy of Risperidone with CYP2D6 genetic polymorphisms through an extended translational framework-based prediction of target occupancies/clinical outcomes.

Risperidone, one of the second-generation antipsychotics, can efficiently target dopamine D2 and serotonin 5-HT2A receptors. There actually exists significant implication of CYP2D6 genetic polymorphisms on the metabolic kinetics of risperidone, little is known about the extent of CYP2D6 impacting human D2 and 5-HT2A receptor occupancies as well as the clinical efficacy and efficacy in schizophrenia treatment. Here we assessed the influences of CYP2D6 gene polymorphisms on human target occupancies/clinical outcomes and optimized the maintenance therapy of risperidone. A translational framework, previously developed using in vitro and in vivo information in rats, was used as the basis for integrating the effects of CYP2D6 genetic polymorphisms on target occupancies and clinical outcomes. D2 occupancy as a biomarker was related to Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) response and Simpson-Angus Scale (SAS). The population approach was applied to characterize pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) profiles of risperidone. Non-compartment analysis method was performed to calculate the steady state PK/PD parameters of both risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone. The predictive power of this extended translational framework was determined by comparing the predictions of target occupancies and clinical outcomes with the reported human values of risperidone at clinically suggested dosage of 4.0 mg/day. This extended translational framework was adequately used to predict human target occupancies and clinical outcomes. At the steady state, D2 ROs were 75.8%, 79.3% and 86.0% for CYP2D6 poor metabolizer (PM), intermediate metabolizer (IM) and extensive metabolizer (EM), respectively; 5-HT2A ROs were 96.4%, 97.2% and 98.4% for CYP2D6 PM, IM and EM, respectively; PANSS changes from placebo were -5.3, -7.7 and -11.3 for CYP2D6 PM, IM and EM, respectively; SAS changes from placebo were 0.13, 0.15 and 0.18 for CYP2D6 PM, IM and EM, respectively. The predictions of human D2, 5-HT2A RO, PANSS and SAS changes for risperidone with CYP2D6 genetic polymorphisms were well in line with the reported values in clinic. 5.0, 4.0 and 2.5 mg/day were the equivalent dosages of risperidone for CYP2D6 PM, IM and EM, respectively. The optimized maintenance therapy of risperidone was provided through the Three-Step method and the dosage range was 2.5-5.0 mg/day for three CYP2D6 gene groups in the present study. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that this extended translational framework not only differentiates the effects of CYP2D6 genetic polymorphisms on target occupancies and clinical outcomes, but also constitutes a scientific basis to optimize the maintenance therapy of neuropsychiatric patients in clinic.

[Effect and Clinical Significance of Bortezomib and Thalidomide on the Memory T Cells Subsets and Regulatory T Cells in Peripheral Blood of Patients with Multiple Myeloma].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of bortezomib(BTZ) and thalidomide(TM) on peripheral blood memory T-cells (Tm) and regulatory T cells(Tregs) in patients with multiple myeloma(MM). METHODS: Eighty-six MM patients received 2 courses of chemotherapy were divided into effective (partial response at least) group (63 cases) and ineffective (no partial response) group (17 cases) according to therapeutic efficacy; these 80 patients were divided into BTZ group (38 cases) and TM group (42 cases) yet according to therapeutic regimens, 20 newly diagnosed MM patients were used as baseline group, 30 healthy volunteers were used as healthy control group. The Tm subsets and Treg in peripheral blood of each groups were detected by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The CD4+ central memory T cells (CD4+ TCM) percentage of CD4+ Tm, the CD18+ TCM percentage of CD18+Tm and ratio of CD8+ TCM and CD8+ effector memory T cells (TEM) (CD8+ TCM/TEM) in baseline group were all significantly lower than those in healthy control group (P<0.05). After treatment with BTZ regimen or TM regimen, the CD8+TCM percentage of CD8+ Tm in effective group significantly increased to level of healthy control group (P<0.05); the Treg cell level in effective and in effective groups was not significantly different from that in baseline group(P>0.05), but the Treg percentage of CD4+ cells ineffective group was significantly higher than that in baseline group and ineffective group (P<0.05). According to ROC curve, the critical value of CD8+TCM/TEM for predicting chemotherapeutic response was 0.27 with sensitivity of 57.1% and specificity of 94.1%. CONCLUSION: When MM patients are in an immuno-exhanstive status, the treatment with BTZ or TM both can reverse the immuno-inhibitory status of MM patients, moreover, does not affect the Treg cell count; the Treg percentage in BTZ and TM effective groups both are significantly higher than that in baseline group and ineffective group. The ratio of CD8+TCM/TEM contributes to evaluating the chemotherapeutic efficacy.

[Establishment and Management of Multiple Myeloma Specimen Bank Applied for Molecular Biological Researches].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a multiple myeloma specimen bank applied for molecular biological researches and to explore the methods of specimen collection, transportation, storage, quality control and the management of specimen bank. METHODS: Bone marrow and blood samples were collected from multiple myeloma patients, plasma cell sorting were operated after the separation of mononuclear cells from bone marrow specimens. The plasma cells were divided into 2 parts, one was added with proper amount of TRIzol and then kept in -80 °C refrigerator for subsequent RNA extraction, the other was added with proper amount of calf serum cell frozen liquid and then kept in -80 °C refrigerator for subsequent cryopreservation of DNA extraction after numbered respectively. Serum and plasma were separated from peripheral blood, specimens of serum and plasma were then stored at -80 °C refrigerator after registration. Meantime, the myeloma specimen information management system was established, managed and maintained by specially-assigned persons and continuous modification and improvement in the process of use as to facilitate the rapid collection, management, query of the effective samples and clinical data. RESULTS: A total of 244 portions plasma cells, 564 portions of serum, and 1005 portions of plasma were collected, clinical characters were documented. CONCLUSION: A multiple myeloma specimen bank have been established initially, which can provide quality samples and related clinical information for molecular biological research on multiple myeloma.

Activity of fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibitors TKI258, ponatinib and AZD4547 against TPR­FGFR1 fusion.

8p11 myeloproliferative syndrome (EMS) is a rare disease characterized by the constitutive activation of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1). To date, four cases of EMS with the chromosomal translocation, t(1;8)(q25;p11.2), have been reported. In the present study, TPR­FGFR1­expressing Baf3 cells were established and confirmed by polymerase chain reaction. To identify the most promising drug for EMS, the activities and associated mechanism of three tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), TKI258, ponatinib and AZD4547, against TPR­FGFR1 were tested by MTT assay, flow cytometry and western blot. The data demonstrated that TPR­FGFR1 was localized in the cytoplasm, and was able to transform interleukin-3-dependent hematopoietic Baf3 cells into growth factor­independent cells. All of the three TKIs markedly inhibited the proliferation of TPR­FGFR1­expressing Baf3 cells, and the activation of FGFR1 and the downstream signaling molecules, extracellular signal­regulated kinase 1/2, phospholipiase Cγ and signal transducer and activator of transcription 5. AZD4547 was the most efficient drug, and TKI258 was the least. By contrast, no significant difference was found among the three drugs on their effect on cell apoptosis. Taken together, the data obtained in the present study suggested that AZD4547 had increased potency, compared with TKI258 and ponatinib, for the treatment of EMS.

[Application Value of CD138 MACS-FISH in the Genetic Diagnosis of Plasma Cell Dyscrasia].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the cytogenetic characteristics of the various plasma cell dyscrasia using the CD138 MACS-FISH, to elucidate the application value of MACS-FISH in the genetic diagnosis of plasma cell dyscrasia, and to explore the standardization of FISH detection for plasma cell dyscrasia. METHODS: A total of 232 patients with newly diagnosed plasma cell dyscrasia were collected, including 203 cases of MM, 24 cases of AL amyloidosis and 5 cases of MGUS, whose cytogenetic abnormalities were detected by MACS-FISH, and the differences of the positive detection rates of chromosome karyotype analysis, C-FISH and MACS-FISH in MM cytogenetic abnormality were compared. The sensitivity of C-FISH and MACS-FISH were analyzed and compared according to the proportion of bone marrow plasma cells. The correlation between the positive cell rates of C-FISH and MACS-FISH and the proportion of plasma cells were analyzed respectively. The differences in the clone size detected by C-FISH and MACS-FISH were compared. RESULTS: The incidence of cytogenetic abnormality of MM, AL amyloidosis and MGUS detected by MACS-FISH were 85.9%, 62.5%, 60%, respectively. The incidence rate of MM cytogenetic abnormality detected by Chromosome karyotype analysis and C-FISH were 20.0% and 64.7%, respectively, which were significantly lower than that of MACS-FISH(P<0.001). The positive rate of 14q32 translocation, del(14q32), t(11;14), +17p13 and the coexistence of 2 and ≥3 kinds of cytogenetic abnormalities detected by MACS-FISH were significantly higher than that detected by C-FISH(P<0.05). When the plasma cell ratio was less than or equal to 5%, the positive detection rate of MACS-FISH was significantly higher than that of C-FISH (P=0.001), and there was no significant difference in different plasma cell proportion group of MACS-FISH. However, when the plasma cell ratio was less than or equal to 5%, the positive detection rate of C-FISH detection was significantly lower than that of the other 3 groups (P=0.013,P=0.001,P<0.001). The positive cell rates of all cytogenetic abnormalities in C-FISH group and +1q21 and 14q32 translocation in MACS-FISH group were significantly positively correlated with the proportion of plasma cells(P<0.05). The clone size of various cytogenetic abnormalities in MACS-FISH group were significantly higher than that in C-FISH group(P<0.001). CONCLUSION: MACS-FISH may significantly enhance the detection rate of cytogenetic abnormalities in various plasma cell dyscrasia, and it can better reflect the cytogenetic abnormality of plasma cell dyscrasia and its clone size. MACS-FISH may be recommended as a standard method for the genetic diagnosis of plasma cell dyscrasia, the risk stratification of MM and SMM, as well as the genetic diagnosis and research of MGUS and AL amyloidosis.

Clarithromycin Synergistically Enhances Thalidomide Cytotoxicity in Myeloma Cells.

Clarithromycin (CAM) is a macrolide antibiotic that is widely used in the treatment of respiratory tract infections, sexually transmitted diseases and infections caused by the Helicobacter pylori and Mycobacterium avium complex. Recent studies showed that CAM was highly effective against multiple myeloma (MM) when used in combination with immunomodulatory drugs and dexamethasone. However, the related mechanism is still unknown. As 3 immunomodulatory agents are all effective in the respective regimen, we postulated that CAM might enhance the effect of immunomodulatory drugs. We evaluated the interaction effects of CAM and thalidomide on myeloma cells. Taking into consideration that thalidomide did not affect the proliferation of myeloma cells in vitro, we cocultured myeloma cells with peripheral blood monocytes and evaluated the effects of CAM and thalidomide on the cocultured cell model. Data showed that thalidomide and CAM synergistically inhibited the proliferation of the cells. On this same model, we also found that thalidomide and CAM synergistically decreased the secretion of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6. This might be caused by the effect of the 2 drugs on inhibiting the activation of ERK1/2 and AKT. These data suggest that the efficacy of CAM against MM was partly due to its synergistic action with the immunomodulatory agents.

Utilization of model-based meta-analysis to delineate the net efficacy of taspoglutide from the response of placebo in clinical trials.

The objective of this study was to develop quantitative models to delineate the net efficacy of taspoglutide on fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) from the response of placebo in type 2 diabetes patients, and further find pharmacodynamic potency of taspoglutide and FPG for half of maximum reduction responses of FPG and HbA1c, respectively. Several PD data about taspoglutide treatments for type 2 diabetes patients were digitalized from the published papers related with the clinical development of taspoglutide. The model based meta-analysis (MBMA) studies for FPG and HbA1c were performed with Monolix 4.2 software. The MBMA successfully described the effects of placebo and taspoglutide on pharmacological indexes of FPG and HbA1c through mono and multiple combination therapies in clinical trials. The pharmacodynamic potency (25.3 pmol/l) produced 50% of maximum responses of FPG (-2.39 mmol/l) from the responses of placebo for FPG (-0.371 mmol/l); the response change of FPG (-1.81 mmol/l) affected 50% of maximum response change (-1.74%) for HbA1c from the response of placebo (-0.253%). The leveraging prior knowledge from the longitudinal MBMA will be utilized to guide clinical development of taspoglutide and further support study designs including optimization of dose and duration of therapy.

The efficacy of placebo-adjusted taspoglutide on body weight reduction in clinical trials.

Taspoglutide has elicited a long-lasting glycemic control effect with favorable body weight loss. The objective of this study was to develop a quantitative model to delineate the net efficacy of taspoglutide on body weight (WT) loss from the response of placebo in type 2 diabetes patients, and further find pharmacodynamic potency of taspoglutide for half of maximum reduction response of WT. Several PD data about taspoglutide treatments for type 2 diabetes patients were digitalized from the published papers. The model based metaanalysis (MBMA) study for WT loss was performed with Monolix 4.3 software. The MBMA successfully described the effects of placebo and taspoglutide on the pharmacological index of WT loss in clinical trials. The pharmacodynamic potency (41.7 pmol/l) produced 50% of maximum response of WT (-1.85 kg) from the responses of placebo (-1.33 kg). The longitudinal MBMA could be utilized to quantitatively describe the efficacy of taspoglutide on body weight loss and may lead to a clinical guideline for treatment of type 2 diabetes patients in the future.

[Research progress on multiple myeloma immunophenotyping and minimal residual disease detected by flow cytometry].

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a haematological malignancy characterized by the accumulation of monoclonal plasma cells in the bone marrow and remained incurable. Flow cytometry has been widely used in the detection of immunophenotype and minimal residual disease, diagnosis, monitoring and prognosis of MM. Normal plasma cells and malignant plasma cells can be distinguished according to different cell surface antigen expression. The clinical significane of many immune markes has been elucidated. However, the clinical significance of some phenotype remains controversial, the detection scheme and gating strategy are not unified. This review discusses the recent research progress on detection of MM immunophenotype and minimal residual disease by flow cytovetry.

Potential Roles of Protease Inhibitors in Cancer Progression.

Proteases are important molecules that are involved in many key physiological processes. Protease signaling pathways are strictly controlled, and disorders in protease activity can result in pathological changes such as cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases, cancer and neurological disorders. Many proteases have been associated with increasing tumor metastasis in various human cancers, suggesting important functional roles in the metastatic process because of their ability to degrade the extracellular matrix barrier. Proteases are also capable of cleaving non-extracellular matrix molecules. Inhibitors of proteases to some extent can reduce invasion and metastasis of cancer cells, and slow down cancer progression. In this review, we focus on the role of a few proteases and their inhibitors in tumors as a basis for cancer prognostication and therapy.

[Mongolian medicine cha gan beng ga regulated activity of biomarker PGC-1α].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the regulation of Cha Gan Beng Ga on the activity of biomarker PGC-1α in vivo and in vitro, and lay the foundation for studying the efficacy result of Cha Gan Beng Ga on xenograft tumor model and extracting active constituents. METHOD: (1) The coarse powder of Cha Gan Beng Ga was extracted with 70% ethanol solution through heating and refluxing, and finally was used to freeze dry powder. (2) 50 mg x kg(-1) of freeze-dried power was orally administrated to KM and C57BL/6J mice once daily, lasting for 5 consecutive days; different concentrations of extracted materials was given to non-small cell lung cells A549. (3) The expression level of PGC-1α mRNA was quantitatively determined in lung tissue of mice and non-small cell lung cells A549. RESULT: The expression levels of PGC-1α in lung tissue of different mice strains had an increasing tendency. Furthermore, the expression levels of PGC-1α in non-small cell lung cells A549 also had an increasing tendency, showing dose and time-dependent relationships. CONCLUSION: Mongolian Medicine Cha Gan Beng Ga could induce the over-expression of PGC-1α mRNA in lung tissue of mice and in non-small cell lung cells A549. The present results will lay foundation for studying the efficacy result of antitumor and active constitutes in future.

[Pathogenesis of plaque destabilization induced by PM2.5 exposure and coping strategies].

With the increasingly more serious environmental pollution in China in recent years, effective intervention with PM25-induced health risks has become a major scientific issue to be addressed urgently in medical research field in China. NOD-like receptors (NLRs) are a family of cytoplasmic pattern-recognition receptors that have critical roles in innate immunity. On the basis of study progresses in international cardiovascular disease research "Fine particulate matter exposure is a modifiable risk factor for the morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular diseases", and with reference to the current understanding of pulmonary inflammation and oxidative stress in PM2.5-induced acute coronary syndrome, this study intended to investigate whether intracellular pattern recognition NL-RP3 plays a important role in the inital event of PM2.5 induced vessel inflammation as a foreign matter in the process of plaque destabilization and to thoroughly explore the underlying mechanisms responsible for PM2.5-induced acute cardiovascular events. On the other hand, it also studies the feasibility of using traditional Chinese medicine to treat plaque destabilization cause by PM2.5 exposure and discuss it's pathogenesis and intervention strategy based on TCM theory. This paper in order to provide scientific basis for social focal issues in public health proactively and offers the references for relevant research.

Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling of the anticancer effect of erlotinib in a human non-small cell lung cancer xenograft mouse model.

AIM: Erlotinib is used to treat non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which targets epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between erlotinib plasma concentrations and phosphorylated EGFR (pEGFR) levels, as well as the relationship between pEGFR levels and tumor growth inhibition in a human non-small-cell lung cancer xenograft mouse model. METHODS: Female BALB/c nude mice were implanted with the human NSCLC cell line SPC-A-1. The animals were given via gavage a single dose of erlotinib (4, 12.5, or 50 mg/kg). Pharmacokinetics of erlotinib was determined using LC-MS/MS. Tumor volume and pEGFR levels in tumor tissues were measured at different time points after erlotinib administration. The levels of pEGFR in tumor tissues was detected using Western blotting and ELISA assays. RESULTS: The pharmacokinetics of erlotinib was described by a two-compartment model with first order extravascular absorption kinetics. There was a time delay of approximately 2 h between erlotinib plasma concentrations and pEGFR degradation. The time course of pEGFR degradation was reasonably fit by the indirect response model with a calculated IC50 value of 1.80 µg/mL. The relationship between pEGFR levels and tumor volume was characterized by the integrated model with a Kbio value of 0.507 cm(3)/week, which described the impact of pEGFR degradation on tumor growth. CONCLUSION: The pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic properties of erlotinib in a human tumor xenograft model were described by the indirect response model and integrated model, which will be helpful in understanding the detailed processes of erlotinib activity and determining an appropriate dosing regimen in clinical studies.

Association among retinol-binding protein 4, small dense LDL cholesterol and oxidized LDL levels in dyslipidemia subjects.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4), small dense low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (sdLDL-C) and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) levels and their associations in dyslipidemia subjects. DESIGN AND METHODS: We determined RBP4, sdLDL-C, ox-LDL levels in 150 various dyslipidemia subjects and 50 controls. The correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were performed. RESULTS: The RBP4, sdLDL-C and ox-LDL levels were found increased in various dyslipidemia subjects. The sdLDL-C levels were positively correlated with RBP4 (r=0.273, P=0.001) and ox-LDL (r=0.273, P=0.001). RBP4 levels were also correlated with ox-LDL (r=0.167, P=0.043). The multiple regression analysis showed that only sdLDL-C was a significant independent predictor for RBP4 (ß coefficient=0.219, P=0.009; adjusted R(2)=0.041) and ox-LDL (ß coefficient=0.253, P=0.003; adjusted R(2)=0.057) levels, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The independent associations of sdLDL-C with RBP4 and ox-LDL were observed in dyslipidemia subjects. RBP4 may play an important role in lipid metabolism of atherosclerosis, particularly in formation of sdLDL.

A mechanism-based pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model for CYP3A1/2 induction by dexamethasone in rats.

AIM: To develop a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) model describing the receptor/gene-mediated induction of CYP3A1/2 by dexamethasone (DEX) in rats. METHODS: A group of male Sprague-Dawley rats receiving DEX (100 mg/kg, ip) were sacrificed at various time points up to 60 h post-treatment. Their blood sample and liver were collected. The plasma concentration of DEX was determined with a reverse phase HPLC method. CYP3A1/2 mRNA, protein levels and enzyme activity were measured using RT-PCR, ELISA and the testosterone substrate assay, respectively. Data analyses were performed using a first-order conditional estimate (FOCE) with INTERACTION method in NONMEM version 7.1.2. RESULTS: A two-compartment model with zero-order absorption was applied to describe the pharmacokinetic characteristics of DEX. Systemic clearance, the apparent volume of distribution and the duration of zero-order absorption were calculated to be 172.7 mL·kg(-1)·h(-1), 657.4 mL/kg and 10.47 h, respectively. An indirect response model with a series of transit compartments was developed to describe the induction of CYP3A1/2 via PXR transactivation by DEX. The maximum induction of CYP3A1 and CYP3A2 mRNA levels was achieved, showing nearly 21.29- and 8.67-fold increases relative to the basal levels, respectively. The CYP3A1 and CYP3A2 protein levels were increased by 8.02-fold and 2.49-fold, respectively. The total enzyme activities of CYP3A1/2 were shown to increase by up to 2.79-fold, with a lag time of 40 h from the Tmax of the DEX plasma concentration. The final PK/PD model was able to recapitulate the delayed induction of CYP3A1/2 mRNA, protein and enzyme activity by DEX. CONCLUSION: A mechanism-based PK/PD model was developed to characterize the complex concentration-induction response relationship between DEX and CYP3A1/2 and to resolve the drug- and system-specific PK/PD parameters for the course of induction.