RESUMEN
Serine protease 50 (PRSS50/TSP50) is highly expressed in spermatocytes. Our study investigated its role in testicular development and spermatogenesis. Initially, PRSS50 knockdown was observed to impair DNA synthesis in spermatocytes. To further explore this, we generated PRSS50 knockout ( Prss50 -/- ) mice ( Mus musculus), which exhibited abnormal spermatid nuclear compression and reduced male fertility. Furthermore, dysplastic seminiferous tubules and decreased sex hormones were observed in 4-week-old Prss50 -/- mice, accompanied by meiotic progression defects and increased apoptosis of spermatogenic cells. Mechanistic analysis indicated that PRSS50 deletion resulted in increased phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) and elevated levels of MAP kinase phosphatase 3 (MKP3), a specific ERK antagonist, potentially accounting for testicular dysplasia in adolescent Prss50 -/- mice. Taken together, these findings suggest that PRSS50 plays an important role in testicular development and spermatogenesis, with the MKP3/ERK signaling pathway playing a significant role in this process.
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Sistema de Señalización de MAP Quinasas , Meiosis , Ratones Noqueados , Espermatozoides , Animales , Masculino , Ratones , Meiosis/fisiología , Espermatozoides/fisiología , Espermatogénesis/fisiología , Fosfatasa 6 de Especificidad Dual/genética , Fosfatasa 6 de Especificidad Dual/metabolismo , Testículo/metabolismo , Serina Endopeptidasas/genética , Serina Endopeptidasas/metabolismoRESUMEN
Objective: Screening and predicting potential targets for gastrodin antioxidant stress based on network pharmacology methods, and exploring the effect of gastrodin on lead acetate induced oxidative stress in PC12 cells through cell experiments. Methods: Through the Pharmaper database Predict the target of action of gastrodin. Through OMIM and GeneCards to collect oxidative stress targets from database, and intersect with drug targets to obtain drug disease intersection targets; Construct a PPI network diagram using the STRING database. Perform GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis on intersection targets through the DAVID platform. Lead acetate (PbAc) exposure was used to establish a lead poisoning cell model, and intracellular ROS levels, ALB, AKT1, and Caspase-3 levels were measured. Results: A total of 288 targets of gastrodin action, 638 targets related to oxidative stress, and 62 drug disease intersection targets were obtained, among which core targets such as ALB, AKT1, CASP3 may be closely related to oxidative stress. KEGG pathway analysis showed that gastrodin antioxidant stress mainly involved in lipid, cancer pathway and other signaling pathways. The results of the cell experiment showed that 50 µM is the optimal effective concentration for PbAc induced ROS production in PC12 cells. Gastrodin significantly increased the ROS content of PC12 cells treated with PbAc, Upregulation of ALB expression and downregulation of AKT1 and CASP3 expression. Conclusions: Gastrodin may alleviate PbAc-induced ROS in PC12 cells, indicating potential protective effects against oxidative stress. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and explore the underlying mechanisms.
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Berberine has been demonstrated to alleviate cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, but its neuroprotective mechanism has yet to be understood. Studies have indicated that ischemic neuronal damage was frequently driven by autophagic/lysosomal dysfunction, which could be restored by boosting transcription factor EB (TFEB) nuclear translocation. Therefore, this study investigated the pharmacological effects of berberine on TFEB-regulated autophagic/lysosomal signaling in neurons after cerebral stroke. A rat model of ischemic stroke and a neuronal ischemia model in HT22 cells were prepared using middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD), respectively. Berberine was pre-administered at a dose of 100[Formula: see text]mg/kg/d for three days in rats and 90[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]M in HT22 neurons for 12[Formula: see text]h. 24[Formula: see text]h after MCAO and 2[Formula: see text]h after OGD, the penumbral tissues and OGD neurons were obtained to detect nuclear and cytoplasmic TFEB, and the key proteins in the autophagic/lysosomal pathway were examined using western blot and immunofluorescence, respectively. Meanwhile, neuron survival, infarct volume, and neurological deficits were assessed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy. The results showed that berberine prominently facilitated TFEB nuclear translocation, as indicated by increased nuclear expression in penumbral neurons as well as in OGD HT22 cells. Consequently, both autophagic activity and lysosomal capacity were simultaneously augmented to alleviate the ischemic injury. However, berberine-conferred neuroprotection could be greatly counteracted by lysosomal inhibitor Bafilomycin A1 (Baf-A1). Meanwhile, autophagy inhibitor 3-Methyladenine (3-MA) also slightly neutralized the pharmacological effect of berberine on ameliorating autophagic/lysosomal dysfunction. Our study suggests that berberine-induced neuroprotection against ischemic stroke is elicited by enhancing autophagic flux via facilitation of TFEB nuclear translocation in neurons.
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Berberina , Lesiones Encefálicas , Isquemia Encefálica , Accidente Cerebrovascular Isquémico , Daño por Reperfusión , Accidente Cerebrovascular , Ratas , Animales , Berberina/farmacología , Berberina/uso terapéutico , Autofagia , Accidente Cerebrovascular/tratamiento farmacológico , Isquemia Encefálica/tratamiento farmacológico , Isquemia Encefálica/metabolismo , Infarto de la Arteria Cerebral Media/tratamiento farmacológico , Daño por Reperfusión/tratamiento farmacológico , Factores de Transcripción Básicos con Cremalleras de Leucinas y Motivos Hélice-Asa-Hélice/metabolismo , Factores de Transcripción Básicos con Cremalleras de Leucinas y Motivos Hélice-Asa-Hélice/farmacologíaRESUMEN
Rare-earth-doped silica-based composite glasses (Re-SCGs) are widely used as high-quality laser gain media in defense, aerospace, energy, power, and medical applications. The variable regional chemical environments of Re-SCGs can induce new photoluminescence properties of rare-earth ions but can cause the selective aggregation of rare-earth ions, limiting the application of Re-SCGs in the field of high-power lasers. Here, topological engineering is proposed to adjust the degree of cross-linking of phase-separation network chains in Re-SCGs. A combination of experimental and theoretical characterization techniques suggested that the selective aggregation of rare-earth ions originates from the formation of phase-separated structures in glasses. The decomposition of nanoscale phase separation structures to the sub-nanometer scale, enabled by incorporating Al3+ ions, not only maintains the high luminescence efficiency of rare earth ions but also increases light transmittance and reduces light scattering. Furthermore, our investigation encompassed the exploration of the inhibitory mechanism of Al3+ ions on phase-separation structures, as well as their influence on the spectral characteristics of Re-SCGs. This work provides a new design concept for composite glass materials doped with rare-earth ions and could broaden their application in the field of high-power lasers.
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Saikosaponin A (SSA)-a natural compound extracted from Radix bupleuri-possesses antitumor properties in several types of carcinomas. However, the role of SSA on bladder cancer and the mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we have described the effect of SSA on human bladder cancer cell lines T24 and 5637 in the context of the regulation of mitochondrial pathways of apoptosis. In vitro, the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and cell wound healing assays were used to determine the proliferative effect of SSA treatment. Flow cytometry and Western blotting were performed to evaluate the apoptosis and related mechanisms. To further confirm that apoptosis is mediated through Caspase activation, Hoechst 33258 fluorescence staining assay was done after cells were treated with SSA and caspase inhibitor-Z-VAD-FMK. In vivo, an orthotopic xenograft mice model was adopted to evaluate the effect of SSA. The tumors were analyzed by hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining, immunohistochemical analysis, and Western blotting. In vitro, the results with CCK-8 assay showed obvious SSA-induced suppression in cell growth in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Flow cytometry analysis, Hoechst 33258 fluorescence staining assay and the assessment of the changes in the B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family protein expression level revealed that SSA could significantly induce cell apoptosis, which was associated with apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathways. In vivo, the results revealed a reduction in cell proliferation. In conclusion, our data suggest that SSA inhibits the growth of bladder cancer cells by activating the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway and inducing cell apoptosis.
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Carcinoma , Neoplasias de la Vejiga Urinaria , Animales , Apoptosis , Bisbenzimidazol/farmacología , Caspasas , Línea Celular Tumoral , Proliferación Celular , Humanos , Ratones , Ácido Oleanólico/análogos & derivados , Saponinas , Vejiga Urinaria , Neoplasias de la Vejiga Urinaria/tratamiento farmacológicoRESUMEN
Pancreas/duodenum homeobox protein 1 (PDX1) is an important transcription factor that regulates islet ß-cell proliferation, differentiation, and function. Reduced expression of PDX1 is thought to contribute to ß-cell loss and dysfunction in diabetes. Thus, promoting PDX1 expression can be an effective strategy to preserve ß-cell mass and function. Previously, we established a PDX1 promoter-dependent luciferase system to screen agents that can promote PDX1 expression. Natural compound tectorigenin (TG) was identified as a promising candidate that could enhance the activity of the promoter for the PDX1 gene. In this study, we first demonstrated that TG could promote the expression of PDX1 in ß-cells via activating extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK), as indicated by increased phosphorylation of ERK; this effect was observed under either normal or glucotoxic/lipotoxic conditions. We then found that TG could suppress induced apoptosis and improved the viability of ß-cells under glucotoxicity and lipotoxicity by activation of ERK and reduction of reactive oxygen species and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. These effects held true in vivo as well: prophylactic or therapeutic use of TG could obviously inhibit ER stress and decrease islet ß-cell apoptosis in the pancreas of mice given a high-fat/high-sucrose diet (HFHSD), thus dramatically maintaining or restoring ß-cell mass and islet size, respectively. Accordingly, both prophylactic and therapeutic use of TG improved HFHSD-impaired glucose metabolism in mice, as evidenced by ameliorating hyperglycemia and glucose intolerance. Taken together, TG, as an agent promoting PDX1 expression exhibits strong protective effects on islet ß-cells both in vitro and in vivo.
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Estrés del Retículo Endoplásmico/efectos de los fármacos , Regulación de la Expresión Génica/efectos de los fármacos , Proteínas de Homeodominio/biosíntesis , Células Secretoras de Insulina/metabolismo , Isoflavonas/farmacología , Sistema de Señalización de MAP Quinasas/efectos de los fármacos , Regiones Promotoras Genéticas , Transactivadores/biosíntesis , Animales , Apoptosis/efectos de los fármacos , Línea Celular Tumoral , Glucosa/metabolismo , Células HEK293 , Humanos , Masculino , Ratones , RatasRESUMEN
Psoriasis is considered an immune-mediated inflammatory skin disorder that affects the quality of life of nearly four percent of the world population. Considering the side effects of existing therapeutic drugs and the urgent need for new drug development, we screened more than 250 traditional Chinese medicine compounds to identify drugs that significantly reduced the viability of human HaCaT keratinocytes, a psoriasis-related model cell line. Convallatoxin (CNT) was found to be a highly effective inhibitor of HaCaT cell viability. Subsequent mechanistic studies revealed that CNT induced HaCaT cell death by necroptosis rather than by apoptosis. CNT destroyed the membrane integrity of HaCaT cells, as detected by nuclear propidium iodide (PI) staining and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. Additionally, the intercellular levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) were lower in HaCaT cells treated with CNT than in control HaCaT cells, and typical necroptosis-associated characteristics were observed by electron microscopy in cells treated with CNT. Furthermore, compared with control HaCaT cells, CNT-treated HaCaT cells produced more reactive oxygen species (ROS), but this effect was inhibited by the antioxidants N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), diphenyleneiodonium chloride (DPI), and apocynin and the necroptosis inhibitor Nec-1. In addition, antioxidant treatment attenuated necroptotic cell death, suggesting that CNT-induced HaCaT necroptosis is mediated by oxidative stress. More importantly, CNT ameliorated skin lesions and inflammation in imiquimod (IMQ)- and 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced psoriasis-like mouse models. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that CNT is cytotoxic against HaCaT cells in vitro and exerts antipsoriatic activities in two mouse models of psoriasis in vivo, making CNT a potential promising candidate drug for future research.
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Queratinocitos/efectos de los fármacos , Necroptosis/efectos de los fármacos , Psoriasis/tratamiento farmacológico , Piel/efectos de los fármacos , Estrofantinas/farmacología , Animales , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Femenino , Células HaCaT , Humanos , Imiquimod/toxicidad , Queratinocitos/metabolismo , Queratinocitos/patología , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos BALB C , Proteínas Quinasas/metabolismo , Psoriasis/patología , Especies Reactivas de Oxígeno/metabolismo , Piel/patología , Estrofantinas/uso terapéuticoRESUMEN
Psoriasis is a common dermatosis causing considerable inconvenience to 4% of the general population. Traditional psoriasis treatments often cause side effects, drug resistance and complications, necessitating development of safer and more effective treatments. In this study, we screened over 600 natural compounds to identify viability inhibitors of human HaCaT keratinocytes cultured in vitro. The results showed that nitidine chloride was a highly effective inhibitor. Further studies revealed that nitidine chloride inhibited HaCaT proliferation and induced S phase cell cycle arrest; these effects were associated with reduced DNA synthesis, decreased Ki67, cyclin A, and cyclin D1 levels, and increased p53 protein expression. Nitidine chloride also significantly downregulated bcl-2 and upregulated bax, cleaved caspase-9 and cleaved caspase-3. Mechanistic studies revealed that nitidine chloride-induced apoptosis involved the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway. More importantly, in 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA)- and imiquimod (IMQ)-induced epidermal hyperplasia and inflammation models, nitidine chloride inhibited topical edema in mouse ear and back skin, substantially reducing tissue thickness and weight. In some cases, nitidine chloride also ameliorated conditions caused by TPA and IMQ, such as angiogenesis and infiltration of large numbers of inflammatory cells around blood vessels. Additionally, nitidine chloride inhibited the expression of various proinflammatory cytokines in the two animal models. In conclusion, our results are the first to demonstrate that nitidine chloride inhibits the proliferation of HaCaT cells, induces apoptosis partly via the JNK signaling pathway in vitro and ameliorates skin lesions and inflammation in vivo, making it an appropriate candidate for psoriasis treatment.
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Apoptosis/efectos de los fármacos , Benzofenantridinas/farmacología , Mitocondrias/efectos de los fármacos , Psoriasis/tratamiento farmacológico , Psoriasis/patología , Puntos de Control de la Fase S del Ciclo Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Piel/efectos de los fármacos , Animales , Benzofenantridinas/uso terapéutico , Línea Celular , Supervivencia Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Femenino , Humanos , Proteínas Quinasas JNK Activadas por Mitógenos/metabolismo , Queratinocitos/efectos de los fármacos , Queratinocitos/patología , Sistema de Señalización de MAP Quinasas/efectos de los fármacos , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos BALB C , Mitocondrias/patología , Psoriasis/metabolismo , Piel/patologíaRESUMEN
Mutations in the proline-rich transmembrane protein 2 (PRRT2) are associated with paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia (PKD) and several other paroxysmal neurological diseases, but the PRRT2 function and pathogenic mechanisms remain largely obscure. Here we show that PRRT2 is a presynaptic protein that interacts with components of the SNARE complex and downregulates its formation. Loss-of-function mutant mice showed PKD-like phenotypes triggered by generalized seizures, hyperthermia, or optogenetic stimulation of the cerebellum. Mutant mice with specific PRRT2 deletion in cerebellar granule cells (GCs) recapitulate the behavioral phenotypes seen in Prrt2-null mice. Furthermore, recording made in cerebellar slices showed that optogenetic stimulation of GCs results in transient elevation followed by suppression of Purkinje cell firing. The anticonvulsant drug carbamazepine used in PKD treatment also relieved PKD-like behaviors in mutant mice. Together, our findings identify PRRT2 as a novel regulator of the SNARE complex and provide a circuit mechanism underlying the PRRT2-related behaviors.
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Cerebelo/fisiopatología , Distonía/genética , Proteínas de la Membrana/fisiología , Proteínas SNARE/metabolismo , Transmisión Sináptica/genética , Animales , Carbamazepina/farmacología , Carbamazepina/uso terapéutico , Cerebelo/metabolismo , Distonía/tratamiento farmacológico , Proteínas de la Membrana/genética , Ratones , Ratones de la Cepa 129 , Ratones Endogámicos C57BL , Mutación , Células de Purkinje/metabolismoRESUMEN
The pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin 6 (IL-6), via activating its downstream JAK/STAT3 and Ras/ERK signaling pathways, is involved in cell growth, proliferation and anti-apoptotic activities in various malignancies. To screen inhibitors of IL-6 signaling, we constructed a STAT3 and ERK dual-pathway responsive luciferase reporter vector (Co.RE). Among several candidates, the natural compound 20(S)-25-methoxyl-dammarane-3ß, 12ß, 20-triol (25-OCH3-PPD, GS25) was identified to clearly inhibit the luciferase activity of Co.RE. GS25 was confirmed to indeed inhibit activation of both STAT3 and ERK pathways and expression of downstream target genes of IL-6, and to predominantly decrease the viability of HepG2 cells via induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Interestingly, GS25 showed preferential inhibition of HepG2 cell viability relative to normal liver L02 cells. Further investigation showed that GS25 could not induce apoptosis and block activation of STAT3 and ERK pathways in L02 cells as efficiently as in HepG2 cells, which may result in differential effects of GS25 on malignant and normal liver cells. In addition, GS25 was found to potently suppress the expression of endogenous STAT3 at a higher concentration and dramatically induce p38 phosphorylation in HepG2 cells, which could mediate its anti-cancer effects. Finally, we demonstrated that GS25 also inhibited tumor growth in HepG2 xenograft mice. Taken together, these findings indicate that GS25 elicits its anti-cancer effects on HepG2 cells through multiple mechanisms and has the potential to be used as an inhibitor of IL-6 signaling. Thus, GS25 may be developed as a treatment for hepatocarcinoma with low toxicity on normal liver tissues as well as other inflammation-associated diseases.
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Antineoplásicos Fitogénicos/farmacología , Regulación Neoplásica de la Expresión Génica , Ginsenósidos/farmacología , Hepatoblastoma/tratamiento farmacológico , Neoplasias Hepáticas/tratamiento farmacológico , Factor de Transcripción STAT3/genética , Animales , Antineoplásicos Fitogénicos/síntesis química , Apoptosis/efectos de los fármacos , Ciclo Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Ciclo Celular/genética , Proliferación Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Femenino , Genes Reporteros , Vectores Genéticos/química , Vectores Genéticos/metabolismo , Ginsenósidos/química , Células Hep G2 , Hepatoblastoma/genética , Hepatoblastoma/metabolismo , Hepatoblastoma/patología , Humanos , Interleucina-6/genética , Interleucina-6/metabolismo , Neoplasias Hepáticas/genética , Neoplasias Hepáticas/metabolismo , Neoplasias Hepáticas/patología , Luciferasas/genética , Luciferasas/metabolismo , Sistema de Señalización de MAP Quinasas/efectos de los fármacos , Ratones , Ratones Desnudos , Factor de Transcripción STAT3/agonistas , Factor de Transcripción STAT3/metabolismo , Carga Tumoral/efectos de los fármacos , Ensayos Antitumor por Modelo de Xenoinjerto , Proteínas Quinasas p38 Activadas por Mitógenos/genética , Proteínas Quinasas p38 Activadas por Mitógenos/metabolismoRESUMEN
The ginsenoside Rg1 exerts a neuroprotective effect during cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Rg1 has been previously reported to improve PPARγ expression and signaling, consequently enhancing its regulatory processes. Due to PPARγ's role in the suppression of oxidative stress and inflammation, Rg1's PPARγ-normalizing capacity may play a role in the observed neuroprotective action of Rg1 during ischemic brain injury. We utilized a middle cerebral artery ischemia/reperfusion injury model in rats in addition to an oxygen glucose deprivation model in cortical neurons to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective effects of Rg1. We found that Rg1 significantly increased PPARγ expression and reduced multiple indicators of oxidative stress and inflammation. Ultimately, Rg1 treatment improved neurological function and diminished brain edema, indicating that Rg1 may exert its neuroprotective action on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury through the activation of PPARγ signaling. In addition, the present findings suggested that Rg1 was a potent PPARγ agonist in that it upregulated PPARγ expression and was inhibited by GW9662, a selective PPARγ antagonist. These findings expand our previous understanding of the molecular basis of the therapeutic action of Rg1 in cerebral ischemic injury, laying the ground work for expanded study and clinical optimization of the compound.
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Previous studies have shown that testes-specific protease 50 (TSP50), a pro-oncogene overexpressed in many types of tumors, could promote cell proliferation, invasion, tumorigenesis, and tumor metastasis, suggesting that it is a potential cancer therapeutic target in drug discovery. Here, a luciferase assay system driven by the TSP50 gene promoter was used to screen the inhibitor of expression of TSP50. The study found that cardamonin, a flavone compound, could efficiently inhibit the expression of TSP50 in both mRNA and protein levels. Further results revealed that cardamonin also efficiently inhibited the viability of TSP50 high-expressing cancer cells by inducing G2/M-phase arrest and mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis. Surprisingly, knocking down the expression of TSP50 gene had the same effects as treatment with cardamonin. Moreover, it has been found that cardamonin had an inhibitory potency on TSP50 high-expressing tumor growth in vivo. In contrast, overexpression of TSP50 greatly decreased the cell sensitivity to the inhibitory effect of cardamonin and reversed the decreased tumor-inhibitory effect of cardamonin. Additionally, both TSP50 interference and treatment with cardamonin could suppress p65 nuclear translocation, and overexpression of TSP50 reversed the suppressive effect of cardamonin on p65 nuclear translocation. Taken together, these results suggest that cardamonin inhibited cell viability and tumorigenesis at least partially via blocking the activation of TSP50-mediated nuclear factor-kappaB signaling pathway, and cardamonin may be a promising anticancer drug candidate in the development of a novel agent for TSP50 high-expressing cancer cells.
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Chalconas/farmacología , FN-kappa B/metabolismo , Testículo/enzimología , Apoptosis/efectos de los fármacos , Carcinogénesis/efectos de los fármacos , Ciclo Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Supervivencia Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Transformación Celular Neoplásica/efectos de los fármacos , Células HEK293 , Humanos , Etiquetado Corte-Fin in Situ , Masculino , Regiones Promotoras Genéticas/genética , Serina Endopeptidasas/metabolismo , Transducción de Señal/efectos de los fármacos , Testículo/efectos de los fármacosRESUMEN
Psoriasis is a multifactorial skin disease that inconveniences many patients. Considering the side effects and drug resistance of the current therapy, it is urgent to discover more effective and safer anti-psoriatic drugs. In the present study, we screened over 250 traditional Chinese medicine compounds for their ability to inhibit the cell viability of cultured human HaCaT keratinocytes, a psoriasis-relevant in vitro model, and found that periplogenin was highly effective. Mechanistic studies revealed that apoptosis and autophagy were not induced by periplogenin in HaCaT cells. However, periplogenin caused PI to permeate into cells, increased lactate LDH release and rapidly increased the number of necrotic cells. Additionally, the typical characteristics of necrosis were observed in the periplogenin-treated HaCaT cells. Notably, the necroptosis inhibitor Nec-1 and NSA were able to rescue the cells from necrotic cell death, supporting that necroptosis was involved in periplogenin-induced cell death. Furthermore, the ROS levels were elevated in the periplogenin-treated cells, NAC (an antioxidant) and Nec-1 could inhibit the ROS levels, and NAC could attenuate necroptotic cell death, indicating that the periplogenin-induced necroptotic cell death was mediated by oxidative stress. More importantly, in the murine models of TPA-induced epidermal hyperplasia and IMQ-induced skin inflammation, topical administration of periplogenin ameliorated skin lesions and inflammation. In sum, our results indicate, for the first time, that periplogenin is a naturally occurring compound with potent anti-psoriatic effects in vitro and in vivo, making it a promising candidate for future drug research.
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Aminoquinolinas/toxicidad , Digitoxigenina/análogos & derivados , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Estrés Oxidativo/fisiología , Psoriasis/metabolismo , Acetato de Tetradecanoilforbol/toxicidad , Animales , Muerte Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Muerte Celular/fisiología , Línea Celular , Supervivencia Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Supervivencia Celular/fisiología , Digitoxigenina/farmacología , Digitoxigenina/uso terapéutico , Femenino , Humanos , Imiquimod , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos BALB C , Necrosis/inducido químicamente , Necrosis/tratamiento farmacológico , Necrosis/metabolismo , Estrés Oxidativo/efectos de los fármacos , Psoriasis/inducido químicamente , Psoriasis/tratamiento farmacológicoRESUMEN
Prenatal lead exposure is associated with poor intellectual development in children. However, there are few breakthroughs in therapeutic intervention of developmental lead neurotoxicity. The aim of this study is to evaluate the hypothesis that ferulic acid-mediated promotion of neurite outgrowth following lead exposure might mainly result from its antioxidant capability by extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) activation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). Exposure of PC12 cells to lead acetate inhibits neurite outgrowth and causes oxidative stress as measured by ROS, LPO, GSH/GSSG, and NAD+/NADH. FA treatment significantly, although not completely, protected the cells against lead acetate-induced neurite outgrowth inhibition. The effects of FA could be blocked by PD98059, zinc protoporphyrin (Zn-PP), and Nrf2 shRNA. In addition, FA induced heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) gene expression, enhanced antioxidant response element (ARE) promoter activity, promoted ERK1/2 phosphorylation, and Nrf2 translocation in PC12 cells exposed to lead acetate. ERK1/2 locate upstream of Nrf2 and regulate Nrf2-dependent HO-1 expression in antioxidative effects of FA. Our results suggest that FA is a promising candidate for treatment of developmental lead neurotoxicity. These promising findings warrant future investigation evaluating the FA-mediated potentiation of neurite outgrowth following lead exposure in vivo.
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Ácidos Cumáricos/farmacología , Hemo-Oxigenasa 1/metabolismo , Proteína Quinasa 3 Activada por Mitógenos/metabolismo , Factor 2 Relacionado con NF-E2/metabolismo , Proyección Neuronal/efectos de los fármacos , Regulación hacia Arriba/efectos de los fármacos , Animales , Elementos de Respuesta Antioxidante , Ácidos Cumáricos/química , Modelos Biológicos , Fármacos Neuroprotectores/química , Fármacos Neuroprotectores/farmacología , Compuestos Organometálicos , Estrés Oxidativo/efectos de los fármacos , Células PC12 , Ratas , Transducción de Señal/efectos de los fármacosRESUMEN
Cripto-1 is an oncogenic protein belonging to the epidermal growth factorCripto-1/FRL-1/Cryptic family. It has important roles in tumor formation and metastasis, but its effects on the immune system are unclear. In the present study, we investigated the effects of Cripto-1 overexpression on macrophage activities and examined the underlying mechanisms. A cell line stably overexpressing Cripto-1 was developed. The culture supernatant from this cell line was collected and used to condition macrophages (RAW264.7, THP-1, and primary mouse macrophages) for various times. Exposure to this supernatant significantly increased the mRNA and protein expression levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-10 and of three pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α, IL-6, and IL-1ß), but did not affect the expression of transforming growth factor-ß, another anti-inflammatory cytokine. Exposure to this supernatant also enhanced macrophage phagocytosis of chicken erythrocytes and yeast cells. Similar effects were observed in macrophages stimulated with purified Cripto-1 protein. Mechanistic experiments revealed that Cripto-1 activated nuclear factor (NF)-κB signaling by inducing IκB kinase phosphorylation and p65 nuclear translocation. Pretreatment with ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, a specific NF-κB inhibitor, inhibited Cripto-1-induced cytokine secretion and phagocytosis of macrophages. Taken together, our present findings suggest that Cripto-1 enhances macrophage phagocytic activity and upregulates the production of anti- and pro-inflammatory cytokines via the NF-κB signaling pathway.
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Proteínas Ligadas a GPI/metabolismo , Péptidos y Proteínas de Señalización Intercelular/metabolismo , Activación de Macrófagos , Macrófagos/inmunología , Proteínas de Neoplasias/metabolismo , Fagocitosis , Transducción de Señal , Animales , Línea Celular , Citocinas/genética , Citocinas/metabolismo , Proteínas Ligadas a GPI/genética , Regulación de la Expresión Génica/inmunología , Humanos , Mediadores de Inflamación/metabolismo , Péptidos y Proteínas de Señalización Intercelular/genética , Activación de Macrófagos/efectos de los fármacos , Macrófagos/efectos de los fármacos , Ratones , FN-kappa B/antagonistas & inhibidores , Proteínas de Neoplasias/genética , Fagocitosis/efectos de los fármacos , Fagocitosis/inmunología , Pirrolidinas/farmacología , Transducción de Señal/efectos de los fármacos , Tiocarbamatos/farmacologíaRESUMEN
Juglanthraquinone C (JC), a naturally occurring anthraquinone extracted from Juglans mandshurica, could induce apoptosis of cancer cells. This study aims to investigate the detailed cytotoxicity mechanism of JC in HepG2 and BEL-7402 cells. The Affymetrix HG-U133 Plus 2.0 arrays were first used to analyze the mRNA expression exposed to JC or DMSO in HepG2 cells. Consistent with the previous results, the data indicated that JC could induce apoptosis and hyperactivated Akt. The Western blot analysis further revealed that Akt, a well-known survival protein, was strongly activated in HepG2 and BEL-7402 cells. Furthermore, an obvious inhibitory effect on JC-induced apoptosis was observed when the Akt levels were decreased, while the overexpression of constitutively active mutant Akt greatly accelerated JC-induced apoptosis. The subsequent results suggested that JC treatment suppressed nuclear localization and increased phosphorylated levels of Foxo3a, and the overexpression of Foxo3a abrogated JC-induced apoptosis. Most importantly, the inactivation of Foxo3a induced by JC further led to an increase of intracellular ROS levels by suppressing ROS scavenging enzymes, and the antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine and catalase successfully decreased JC-induced apoptosis. Collectively, this study demonstrated that JC induced the apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells by activating Akt/Foxo signaling pathway and increasing intracellular ROS levels.
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Antraquinonas/farmacología , Apoptosis/efectos de los fármacos , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/metabolismo , Factores de Transcripción Forkhead/metabolismo , Neoplasias Hepáticas/metabolismo , Proteínas Proto-Oncogénicas c-akt/metabolismo , Especies Reactivas de Oxígeno/metabolismo , Transducción de Señal/efectos de los fármacos , Carcinoma Hepatocelular/patología , Proteína Forkhead Box O3 , Células Hep G2 , Humanos , Neoplasias Hepáticas/patologíaRESUMEN
Testes-specific protease 50 (TSP50) is abnormally overexpressed in many kinds of cancers and promotes cell proliferation and migration. However, whether TSP50 can influence the tumor microenvironment, especially the function of immune cells in the microenvironment, remains largely unknown. We demonstrated that exposure to the conditioned medium from TSP50-overexpressing cells, or co-culture with TSP50-overexpressing cells, enhanced the cytokine production and phagocytic activities of macrophages, and induced M2b polarization. Further investigation showed that production of TNF-α and IL-1ß was strongly induced by TSP50 in TSP50-overexpressing cells. TSP50-induced TNF-α and IL-1ß were main factors that mediated the effects of TSP50-overexpressing cells on macrophages. The NF-κB pathway could be activated in macrophages upon the treatment of conditioned medium of TSP50-overexpressing cells and its activation is necessary for the observed effects on macrophages. Taken together, our results suggested that oncogenic TSP50 expressed in cells could activate surrounding macrophages and induce M2b polarization, partly through inducing TNF-α/ IL-1ß secretion and subsequent NF-κB pathway activation. This implies a potential mechanism by which oncogene TSP50 regulates tumor microenvironment to support tumor development.
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Interleucina-1beta/metabolismo , Macrófagos/inmunología , FN-kappa B/metabolismo , Serina Endopeptidasas/metabolismo , Factor de Necrosis Tumoral alfa/metabolismo , Animales , Células CHO , Línea Celular , Proliferación Celular , Cricetulus , Humanos , Activación de Macrófagos , Macrófagos/citología , Macrófagos/metabolismo , Ratones , Transducción de SeñalRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Triglycerides (TGs) are proatherogenic lipoproteins involving the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), while apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) and apolipoprotein C3 (APOC3) are main lipoproteins composing TG-rich lipoproteins. In this study, we aim to explore the correlation of CHD with APOA5 -1131 T > C and APOC3 -455 T > C single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). METHODS: A sum of 210 CHD patients, hospitalized between Jan. 2013 and Mar. 2015 at China-Japan Union Hospital, Jilin University, were selected as our case group and 223 healthy individuals who had physical examination at same hospital at the same period were selected as control group. The frequency distribution of genotypes of APOA5 -1131 T > C and APOC3 -455 T > C SNPs were measured by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The Stata 12.0 software was utilized for statistical analyses. RESULTS: There was no significant difference on age and sex between case and control group (P > 0.05). History of smoking, drinking, hypertension and diabetes mellitus, body mass index and levels of TG and fasting blood sugar in case group were shown to be higher than control group (P < 0.05), while levels of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in case group were lower than control group (P < 0.05). Both CC and TC' + CC frequencies of APOA5 -1131 T > C and APOC3 -455 T > C in case group were higher compared to control group (both P < 0.05). Additionally, T allele frequencies of the two SNPs in case group were lower than control group, while C allele in case group has higher frequencies compared to control group (both P < 0.05). The results of meta-analysis under allele and dominant models showed that APOA5 -1131 T > C and APOC3 -455 T > C SNPs are likely to increase the risk of CHD (both P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: APOA5 -1131 T > C and APOC3 -455 T > C SNPs may play potent roles in the development and progression of CHD.
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Apolipoproteína C-III/genética , Apolipoproteínas A/genética , Enfermedad Coronaria/genética , Predisposición Genética a la Enfermedad , Polimorfismo de Nucleótido Simple , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Alelos , Apolipoproteína A-V , Apolipoproteína C-III/sangre , Apolipoproteínas A/sangre , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Enfermedad Coronaria/sangre , Enfermedad Coronaria/patología , Femenino , Expresión Génica , Frecuencia de los Genes , Genotipo , Humanos , Lipoproteínas HDL/sangre , Lipoproteínas LDL/sangre , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Riesgo , Triglicéridos/sangreRESUMEN
Somite formation in the early stage of vertebrate embryonic development is controlled by a complicated gene network named segmentation clock, which is defined by the periodic expression of genes related to the Notch, Wnt, and the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) pathways. Although in recent years some findings about crosstalk among the Notch, Wnt, and FGF pathways in somitogenesis have been reported, the investigation of their crosstalk mechanisms from a systematic point of view is still lacking. In this study, a more comprehensive mathematical model was proposed to simulate the dynamics of the Notch, Wnt, and FGF pathways in the segmentation clock. Simulations and bifurcation analyses of this model suggested that the concentration gradients of both Wnt, and FGF signals along the presomitic mesoderm (PSM) are corresponding to the whole process from start to stop of the segmentation clock. A number of highly sensitive parameters to the segmentation clock's oscillatory pattern were identified. By further bifurcation analyses for these sensitive parameters, and several complementary mechanisms in respect of the maintenance of the stable oscillation of the segmentation clock were revealed.
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Factores de Crecimiento de Fibroblastos/metabolismo , Modelos Teóricos , Receptores Notch/metabolismo , Transducción de Señal/fisiología , Somitos/metabolismo , Proteínas Wnt/metabolismo , Relojes Biológicos/fisiología , Mesodermo , Modelos BiológicosRESUMEN
A series of novel 2-substituted indoline imidazolium salt derivatives has been prepared and evaluated in vitro against a panel of human tumor cell lines. The results suggest that the existence of a substituted benzimidazole ring and substitution of the imidazolyl-3-position with a naphthylacyl or 2-naphthylmethyl group were vital for modulating the cytotoxic activity. Compound 25 was found to be the most potent derivative with IC50 values of 0.24-1.18 µM, and exhibited cytotoxic activity selectively against MCF-7, SW480, SMMC-7721 and HL-60 cell lines, while compound 26 showed powerful inhibitory activities selectively against SMMC-7721 and A549 cell lines. Compound 25 can induce G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in SMMC-7721 cells.