Flavokawain C inhibits proliferation and migration of liver cancer cells through FAK/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

PURPOSE: This study investigated the potential applicability and the underlying mechanisms of flavokawain C, a natural compound derived from kava extracts, in liver cancer treatment. METHODS: Drug distribution experiment used to demonstrate the preferential tissues enrichment of flavokawain C. Cell proliferation, apoptosis and migration effect of flavokawain C were determined by MTT, colony formation, EdU staining, cell adhesion, transwell, flow cytometry and western blot assay. The mechanism was explored by comet assay, immunofluorescence assay, RNA-seq-based Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes analysis, molecular dynamics, bioinformatics analysis and western blot assay. The anticancer effect of flavokawain C was further confirmed by xenograft tumor model. RESULTS: The studies first demonstrated the preferential enrichment of flavokawain C within liver tissues in vivo. The findings demonstrated that flavokawain C significantly inhibited proliferation and migration of liver cancer cells, induced cellular apoptosis, and triggered intense DNA damage along with strong DNA damage response. The findings from RNA-seq-based KEGG analysis, molecular dynamics, bioinformatics analysis, and western blot assay mechanistically indicated that treatment with flavokawain C notably suppressed the FAK/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in liver cancer cells. This effect was attributed to the induction of gene changes and the binding of flavokawain C to the ATP sites of FAK and PI3K, resulting in the inhibition of their phosphorylation. Additionally, flavokawain C also displayed the strong capacity to inhibit Huh-7-derived xenograft tumor growth in mice with minimal adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS: These findings identified that flavokawain C is a promising anticancer agent for liver cancer treatment.

Photopolymerization of Coating Materials for Protection against Carbon Steel Corrosion.

This work demonstrated a workable approach for the synthesis of a re-healing polyaniline-modified epoxy resin coating material via photopolymerization. The prepared coating material exhibited low water absorption, allowing it to be used as an anti-corrosion protective layer for carbon steel. First, graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized through the modified Hummers' method. It was then mixed with TiO2 to extend its light response range. The structural features of the coating material were identified using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT IR). The corrosion behavior of the coatings and the pure resin layer were tested by using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and the potentiodynamic polarization curve (Tafel). The presence of TiO2 reduced the corrosion potential (Ecorr) toward lower values in 3.5% NaCl at room temperature, which was due to the photocathode of titanium dioxide. The experimental results indicated that GO was successfully compounded with TiO2 and that GO effectively improved the light utilization capacity of TiO2. The experiments showed that the presence of local impurities or defects can reduce the band gap energy, resulting in a lower Eg for the 2GO:1TiO2 composite (2.95 eV) compared to that of TiO2 alone (3.37 eV). After applying visible light to the coating surface, the change in the Ecorr value of the V-composite coating was 993 mV and the value of Icorr decreased to 1.993 × 10-6 A/cm2. The calculated results showed that the protection efficiency of the D-composite and V-composite coatings on composite substrates was approximately 73.5 and 83.3%, respectively. More analyses revealed that under visible light, the coating had better corrosion resistance. This coating material is expected to be a candidate for carbon steel corrosion protection.

Characterization of AtWRI1 in fatty acids and starch synthesis in rice.

WRINKLED1 (WRI1) belongs to AP2/EREBP transcription factor. Its function in dicots for fatty acids synthesis has been deeply studied, but its role in monocot, especially in rice, is still poorly understood. Here, with the overexpression of AtWRI1 in rice, we found its overexpression increased fatty acids content in vegetative organs and seed coat including aleurone layer (SCAL) but decreased fatty acids content in endosperm. Meanwhile, the overexpression of AtWRI1 increased starch content in endosperm. These results provide a new insight into the function of AtWRI1in monocot and make a previous basement for the study of the connection of fatty acids and starch synthesis in rice.