Small extracellular vesicle-associated miR-6068 promotes aggressive phenotypes of prostate cancer through miR-6068/HIC2/SIRT1 axis.

Early diagnosis and treatment of patients with aggressive prostate cancer (PCa) remains a clinically unmet need. We aimed to determine the levels of small extracellular vesicle (sEV)-associated microRNAs (miRs); miR-4737, miR-6068, and miR-6076 in a large panel of PCa cells and delineate the biological significance of miR-6068 in promoting PCa cells. sEVs were isolated from the conditioned medium of PCa cells, followed by RNA extraction and quantitative Real-Time PCR analysis. Functional assays were performed, and the protein expression of hypermethylated in cancer 2 (HIC2), as a potential miR-6068 target gene, was evaluated in PCa tissues by immunohistochemistry. sEV-associated miR-6068, miR-4737, and miR-6076 levels displayed large and significant differences compared to normal cells. miR-6068 was explicitly upregulated in sEV of PC-3 and CWR-R1ca cells (P<0.010). Suppression of miR-6068 in CWR-R1ca cells decreased cell proliferation, colony formation, and cell migration. In contrast, upregulation of miR-6068 in RC77T/E cells decreased HIC2 levels and increased cell aggressive phenotypes. The overexpression of HIC2 in PCa tissues was primarily observed in the cytoplasm compared to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and normal tissues (P<0.0001). This study confirms the differential packaging of miR-4737, miR-6068, and miR-6076 in sEVs of PCa cells. MiR-6068 promotes PCa cells to acquire aggressive phenotypes by inhibiting the HIC2/Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) axis.

Growth Inhibition and Apoptotic Effect of Pine Extract and Abietic Acid on MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells via Alteration of Multiple Gene Expressions Using In Vitro Approach.

In vitro anti-proliferative activity of Pinus palustris extract and its purified abietic acid was assessed against different human cancer cell lines (HepG-2, MCF-7 and HCT-116) compared to normal WI-38 cell line. Abietic acid showed more promising IC50 values against MCF-7 cells than pine extract (0.06 µg/mL and 0.11 µM, respectively), with insignificant cytotoxicity toward normal fibroblast WI-38 cells. Abietic acid triggered both G2/M cell arrest and subG0-G1 subpopulation in MCF-7, compared to SubG0-G1 subpopulation arrest only for the extract. It also induced overexpression of key apoptotic genes (Fas, FasL, Casp3, Casp8, Cyt-C and Bax) and downregulation of both proliferation (VEGF, IGFR1, TGF-ß) and oncogenic (C-myc and NF-κB) genes. Additionally, abietic acid induced overexpression of cytochrome-C protein. Furthermore, it increased levels of total antioxidants to diminish carcinogenesis and chemotherapy resistance. P. palustris is a valuable source of active abietic acid, an antiproliferative agent to MCF-7 cells through induction of apoptosis with promising future anticancer agency in breast cancer therapy.

Small Extracellular Vesicle-Derived microRNAs Stratify Prostate Cancer Patients According to Gleason Score, Race and Associate with Survival of African American and Caucasian Men.

The utility of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs)-derived microRNAs (miRs) to segregate prostate cancer (PCa) patients according to tumor aggressiveness and ancestral background has not been fully investigated. Thus, we aimed to determine the diagnostic and prognostic utility of sEV-associated miRs in identifying aggressive PCa in African American (AA) and Caucasian (CA) men. Using a training cohort, miR profiling was performed on sEVs isolated from plasma of PCa patients. Top-ranked sEV-associated miRs were then validated in 150 plasma samples (75 AA and 75 CA) collected from two independent cohorts; NIH (n = 90) and Washington University (n = 60) cohorts. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to assess these miRs as clinical biomarkers. Among nine top-ranked sEV-associated miRs, miR-6068 and miR-1915-3p were enriched in sEVs collected from PCa patients compared to healthy volunteers. Moreover, miR-6716-5p and miR-3692-3p segregated AA from CA men and low from high Gleason score (GS), respectively. Upregulation of sEV-associated miR-1915-3p, miR-3692-3p and miR-5001-5p was associated with improved survival time, and only miR-1915-3p was associated with longer recurrence-free survival (RFS) as an independent prognostic marker. Taken together, we identified novel sEV-associated miRs that can differentiate PCa patients from normal, AA from CA and high from low GS and predicts RFS.

Biological Screening and Radiolabeling of Raptinal as a Potential Anticancer Novel Drug in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Model.

New synthetic compound Raptinal (RAP) was investigated on different biological levels for its potential anticancer activity. RAP showed higher antiproliferative activity on HepG2 cell line with IC50 0.62µM compared to MCF-7 and HCT-116 (4.03 and 92.3 µM) respectively. Moreover, RAP induces early stage of apoptosis in the most sensitive HepG2 treated cells after 24 hr with cell cycle arrest in both subG0-G1 and G0-G1 phases and minimal cell count in G2/M mitotic phase with apoptotic index 9.25-fold higher than to control. RAP induces over-expression of key apoptotic genes such as Fas receptor, Caspase-8, Caspase-9, Bax and P53. Western blotting confirm the observation on protein level via over-expression of Caspase-9, Cytochrome-C and higher ration of Bax/Bcl-2. In addition, RAP was radiolabeled using one of the most important diagnostic radioactive isotopes, technetium-99m (99mTc), with a radiochemical yield of 92.7 ± 0.41 %. Quality control and biological distribution of 99mTc-RAP in both healthy and HCC rat model were investigated. Biodistribution profile revealed the localization of RAP in liver tissues (20.5±2.6 %) of HCC models at half an hour post intravenous injection. Histopathological examination confirmed the biodistribution of RAP into liver tissue with induction of karyomegaly in the nuclei of hepatocytes as well as others that proceeded into apoptosis. Molecular docking suggested RAP binds in binding pocket of p53 cancer mutant Y220C making reactivation of the mutant form which is a promising strategy for further investigation on molecular level as a novel anticancer therapeutics. All the results support the use of RAP as a potential anticancer drug in HCC and its 99mTc complex as an imaging probe.

Circulating microRNA-155 is associated with insulin resistance in chronic hepatitis C patients.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIM: Hepatitis C represents a potential public health problem worldwide. Insulin resistance (IR) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are among the serious metabolic complications for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small non-coding RNAs which are implicated in the modulation of almost all biological processes. The objective of this study was to investigate the levels of both miR-155 and miR-34a in sera of chronic HCV patients with or without T2D. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this study, we investigated the expression of both miR-155 and miR-34a in 80 subjects (20 HCV, 19 HCV/T2D, 21 T2D and 19 healthy controls), using quantitative real-time PCR. RESULTS: Our results revealed significantly higher levels of both miR-155 and miR-34a in chronic HCV patients compared to healthy control subjects. However, only circulating miR-155 levels showed significant decline in diabetic HCV patients compared to non-diabetic HCV group. Intriguingly, the circulating levels of miR-155 were inversely correlated with HOMA-IR, fasting blood glucose and HbA1c levels. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that the insulin resistance and T2D in HCV are strongly related to miR-155. This may suggest a role for miR-155 in the pathogenesis of IR caused by HCV. However, further large-scale studies are required to confirm our findings.

Hyperglycemia Alters the Protein Levels of Prominin-1 and VEGFA in the Retina of Albino Rats.

In this study, we addressed the potential relationship between prominin-1 (prom1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGFA) in diabetes-induced retinopathy. In total, we examined 28 retinas from 14 rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes and 30 retinas from 15 untreated control rats. ELISA was used to measure the level of prom1 and VEGFA in retinal tissue homogenates. Immunohistochemical techniques were used with antibodies directed against prom1, VEGFA, and CASP-3. After 180 days of diabetes induction, we performed light and electron microscopy studies on rat eyes to evaluate histopathological changes and to estimate the de novo metric "Diabetic Retinopathy Histopathological Index" (DRHI). These changes were then correlated to the tissue and immunoexpression levels of prom1 and VEGFA. The data showed a significant upregulation of the tissue levels and optical densities (ODs) of VEGFA and prom1 immunoreactivity in diabetic retinas compared with controls. Both the tissue levels and OD values of prom1 and VEGFA correlated significantly with each other and to the diabetic structural changes as calculated by DRHI. Taken together, these data provide new insight into the potential role of prom1 and VEGFA in the development of diabetic retinopathy.

Structural evaluation of the peritubular sheath of rat's testes after administration of ribavirin: A possible impact on the testicular function.

Effects of ribavirin on the structure of peritubular sheath (PS) of seminiferous tubules and on testicular functions were studied. We found that ribavirin at a dose of 4 mg/kg/day for 4 weeks produced a significant reduction in testosterone level (6.3 ± 0.2; P < 0.001) and in spermatogenic score count (3.8 ± 0.2; P < 0.001) compared to control values. The thickness of PS (17.8 ± 1.13) and tubular lumen perimeter (1024.7 ± 67) was significantly increased compared to controls (10.7 ± 0.70; P < 0.001 and 808 ± 25; P = 0.004, respectively). The length of germinal epithelium (411.8 ± 39) and tubular external diameters (1661.8 ± 115) was significantly reduced compared to control values (708.4 ± 40; P < 0.001 and 2358.8 ± 169; P < 0.001, respectively). The basement membranes (BMs) were thickened with great deposition of collagen. Myoid cells showed altered structure and extracellular matrix revealed disorganization by excessive collagen I and IV accumulation. Testicular damage was established histologically. Evidence of apoptosis was detected in germ cells. There was a significant increase in integrated density of Casp-3 expression (38,121,743 ± 1,763,420; P < 0.001) in seminiferous tubules compared to control (24,788,409 ± 1,900,140). It is concluded that ribavirin can cause alterations of the testicular function and structure with increased apoptosis in the tissues after 4 weeks of administration. The damaging effect could be persuaded by destruction of the peritubular sheath.

The selective tyrosine kinase-inhibitor nilotinib alleviates experimentally induced cisplatin nephrotoxicity and heptotoxicity.

This work tested the action of nilotinib, selective inhibitor of tyrosine kinase on cisplatin (CP)-induced damage of kidney and liver in rats. Rats were assigned to 4 groups, control, nilotinib, CP, and CP plus nilotinib. Assessment of kidney and liver function, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant markers, anti-apoptotic protein Bcl2, nuclear factor- kappa B (NF-κB) immunoreactivity, and caspase 3 activity were done. CP-induced damage evidenced by histopathological changes, deterioration of renal and liver function, imbalance in oxidants/antioxidants markers, decreased Bcl2, increased caspase 3 activity, and NF-κB nuclear expression in both organs. Nilotinib treatment with CP restored kidney and liver oxidants/antioxidant levels also increased Bcl2 and decreased NF-κB immunoreactivity were evident with nilotinib treatment. In conclusions these results demonstrated a protective effect of nilotinib in experimentally induced CP kidney and liver damage that could be mediated through combating oxidative stress, reducing inflammation and anti-apoptosis in the two organs.

Morphological alterations in the jejunal mucosa of aged rats and the possible protective role of green tea.

INTRODUCTION: Gastrointestinal disorders become more prevalent with ageing. This study is aimed to describe morphological changes that occur in the jejunal mucosa of male albino rats as a result of ageing and the protec-tive effect of green tea (GT) extract. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The experiment was performed on sixty rats: thirty young-adult (6-month old, body mass 200-220 g) and thirty old (24-month-old, body mass 220-260 g) animals. Each group was further divided into two subgroups (n = 15 each): control rats and GT-treated rats that received 1.5 mL (300 mg/kg/day) of GT extract for 14 weeks by oral gavage. Sections of the jejunum were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, periodic acid Schiff, toluidine blue and Mallory trichrome methods. The presence of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)- and CD68-positive cells was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining. Ultrathin sections were prepared and examined by a transmission electron microscope (TEM). RESULTS: Jejunal sections of the old control rats showed distortion of submucosa and attenuated muscularis externa with decreased height of intestinal villi. The villi also showed partial loss of acidophilic brush border with wide spaces between enterocytes. Swollen, short, blunt or broad villi with abundant mononuclear cell infiltration of lamina propria and congested blood vessels were evident both by light and electron microscopy. The number of PCNA- and CD68-positive cells in jejunal mucosa of old rats was higher than in young rats. The activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in the mucosa of old control rats were lower, whereas malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were higher in the jejunal homogenates of old rats as compared to young control rats. Administration of GT extract protected the jejunal mucosa from age-related changes by restoring its histological structure. The treatment of old rats with GT extract significantly decreased MDA levels in the jejunum and increased TAC and GPX activity. CONCLUSIONS: The age-related changes of the morphology of rat jejunum could be ameliorated by prolonged supplementation of the green tea extract.

Tiron ameliorates oxidative stress and inflammation in a murine model of airway remodeling.

Airway remodeling includes lung structural changes that have a role in the irreversibility of pulmonary dysfunction shown in chronic bronchial asthmatics. The current experiment investigated the effect of the mitochondrial antioxidant, tiron in comparison with dexamethasone (DEXA) on airway remodeling in chronic asthma. Sensitized BALB/c mice were challenged with ovalbumin (OVA) aerosol for 8weeks, OVA sensitized-challenged mice were treated with either DEXA or tiron, respectively. After that, lung tissue and bronchoaveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were used for measurement of different biological markers. Lungs were examined for histopathological changes and immunohistochemistry. Upon comparing with vehicle treated animals, trion or DEXA treatment significantly reduced eosinophils, lymphocytes, neutrophils and macrophages count in the BALF. Both drugs significantly alleviated chronic OVA-induced oxidative stress as illustrated by decreased pulmonary malondialdenhyde (MDA) and increased glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels. Asthmatic mice exhibited elevated levels of NOx, IL-13 and TGF-ß1 that were reduced by DEXA and tiron. Histopathological changes and increased immunoreactivity of nuclear factor-Kappa B (NF-κ B) in OVA-challenged mice were minimized by tiron and DEXA treatment. In conclusion, in this model of chronic asthma DEXA and tiron ameliorated airway remodeling and inflammation in experimental chronic asthma with no difference between the effect of tiron and DEXA. Tiron has a potential role as adjuvant treatment in chronic asthma.

Serum talin-1 is a potential novel biomarker for diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in Egyptian patients.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of cancer mortality worldwide. The outcome of HCC depends mainly on its early diagnosis. To date, the performance of traditional biomarkers is unsatisfactory. Talins were firstly identified as cytoplasmic protein partners of integrins but Talin-1 appears to play a crucial role in cancer formation and progression. Our study was conducted to assess the diagnostic value of serum Talin-1 (TLN1) compared to the most feasible traditional biomarker alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) for the diagnosis of HCC. METHODS: TLN1 was detected using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in serum samples from 120 Egyptian subjects including 40 with HCC, 40 with liver cirrhosis (LC) and 40 healthy controls (HC). RESULTS: ROC curve analysis was used to create a predictive model for TLN1 relative to AFP in HCC diagnosis. Serum levels of TLN1 in hepatocellular carcinoma patients were significantly higher compared to the other groups (p<0.0001). The diagnostic accuracy of TLN1 was higher than that of AFP regarding sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value in diagnosis of HCC. CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed for the first time that Talin-1 (TLN1) is a potential diagnostic marker for HCC, with a higher sensitivity and specificity compared to the traditional biomarker AFP.

Asc-dependent and independent mechanisms contribute to restriction of legionella pneumophila infection in murine macrophages.

The apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (Asc) is an adaptor molecule that mediates inflammatory and apoptotic signals. Legionella pneumophila is an intracellular bacterium and the causative agent of Legionnaire's pneumonia. L. pneumophila is able to cause pneumonia in immuno-compromised humans but not in most inbred mice. Murine macrophages that lack the ability to activate caspase-1, such as caspase(-1-/-) and Nlrc4(-/-) allow L. pneumophila infection. This permissiveness is attributed mainly to the lack of active caspase-1 and the absence of its down stream substrates such as caspase-7. However, the role of Asc in control of L. pneumophila infection in mice is unclear. Here we show that caspase-1 is moderately activated in Asc(-/-) macrophages and that this limited activation is required and sufficient to restrict L. pneumophila growth. Moreover, Asc-independent activation of caspase-1 requires bacterial flagellin and is mainly detected in cellular extracts but not in culture supernatants. We also demonstrate that the depletion of Asc from permissive macrophages enhances bacterial growth by promoting L. pneumophila-mediated activation of the NF-κB pathway and decreasing caspase-3 activation. Taken together, our data demonstrate that L. pneumophila infection in murine macrophages is controlled by several mechanisms: Asc-independent activation of caspase-1 and Asc-dependent regulation of NF-κB and caspase-3 activation.

Apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (ASC) controls Legionella pneumophila infection in human monocytes.

The ability of Legionella pneumophila to cause pneumonia is determined by its capability to evade the immune system and grow within human monocytes and their derived macrophages. Human monocytes efficiently activate caspase-1 in response to Salmonella but not to L. pneumophila. The molecular mechanism for the lack of inflammasome activation during L. pneumophila infection is unknown. Evaluation of the expression of several inflammasome components in human monocytes during L. pneumophila infection revealed that the expression of the apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (ASC) and the NOD-like receptor NLRC4 are significantly down-regulated in human monocytes. Exogenous expression of ASC maintained the protein level constant during L. pneumophila infection and conveyed caspase-1 activation and restricted the growth of the pathogen. Further depletion of ASC with siRNA was accompanied with improved NF-κB activation and enhanced L. pneumophila growth. Therefore, our data demonstrate that L. pneumophila manipulates ASC levels to evade inflammasome activation and grow in human monocytes. By targeting ASC, L. pneumophila modulates the inflammasome, the apoptosome, and NF-κB pathway simultaneously.