Enhanced Solubility and Bioavailability of Apigenin via Preparation of Solid Dispersions of Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles.

In this study, a novel mesoporous silica nanoparticles drug carrier contributes to improving the solubility, dissolution, and the oral bioavailability of apigenin (AP). The apigenin of solid dispersion of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (AP-MSN) was prepared by physical absorption method and also, in-vitro drug release and in-vivo bioavailability performance were evaluated. Based on its solubility, the AP-MSN solid dispersion was prepared at the weight ratio of 1:1 to obtain the optimum solubility. The loading efficiency (LE), encapsulation efficiency (EE), and solubility of AP-MSN solid dispersion were 29.71%, 42.27%, and 25.11 µg/mL, respectively. SEM, TEM, BET, FTIR, XRD, DSC, and TG were also carried out. These results demonstrated that AP was good absorbed into the pores of MSN through physical absorption effect of MSN. The DMF residues of AP-MSN solid dispersion meet the ICH requirements. It was vital that the AP-MSN solid dispersion behaved well in-vitro and the accumulative release of AP-MSN solid dispersion was 2.37 times higher than that of raw AP. In-vivo study, the AP area under curve0-t was 8.32 times higher for the AP-MSN solid dispersion than that of raw AP, which indicated that the bioavailability of AP-MSN solid dispersion was greatly improved. Therefore, the prepared AP-MSN solid dispersion presents potential as a novel oral therapeutic agent formulation for clinical application.

Resveratrol-loaded glycyrrhizic acid-conjugated human serum albumin nanoparticles wrapping resveratrol nanoparticles: Preparation, characterization, and targeting effect on liver tumors.

In this study, glycyrrhizic acid-conjugated human serum albumin nanoparticles wrapping resveratrol nanoparticles were prepared to establish a tumor targeting nano-sized drug delivery system. Glycyrrhizic acid was coupled to human serum albumin, and resveratrol was encapsulated in glycyrrhizic acid-conjugated human serum albumin by high-pressure homogenization emulsification. The average particle size of sample nanoparticles prepared under the optimal conditions was 108.1 ± 5.3 nm with a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.001, and the amount of glycyrrhizic acid coupled with human serum albumin was 112.56 µg/mg. The drug encapsulation efficiency and drug loading efficiency were 83.6 and 11.5%, respectively. The glycyrrhizic acid-conjugated human serum albumin nanoparticles wrapping resveratrol nanoparticles were characterized through laser light scattering, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analyses, and gas chromatography. The characterization results showed that resveratrol in glycyrrhizic acid-conjugated human serum albumin nanoparticles wrapping resveratrol nanoparticles existed in amorphous state and the residual amounts of chloroform and methanol in nanoparticles were separately less than the international conference on harmonization (ICH) limit. The in vitro drug-release study showed that the nanoparticles released the drug slowly and continuously. The inhibitory rate of glycyrrhizic acid-conjugated human serum albumin nanoparticles wrapping resveratrol nanoparticles was measured using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2 H-tetrazolium bromide method. The IC50 values of glycyrrhizic acid-conjugated human serum albumin nanoparticles wrapping resveratrol nanoparticles and resveratrol were 62.5 and 95.5 µg/ml, respectively. The target ability of glycyrrhizic acid-conjugated human serum albumin nanoparticles wrapping resveratrol nanoparticles for HepG2 cells was evaluated using fluorescence-modified albumin techniques. The uptake rate of glycyrrhizic acid-conjugated human serum albumin nanoparticles wrapping resveratrol nanoparticles was higher than that of pure resveratrol and increased with increased nanoparticles concentration. The in vivo body distribution of glycyrrhizic acid-conjugated human serum albumin nanoparticles wrapping resveratrol nanoparticles labeled with the near-infrared fluorophore Cy5 was monitored in H22 tumor-bearing mice through near-infrared fluorescence imaging systems. Glycyrrhizic acid-conjugated human serum albumin nanoparticles wrapping resveratrol nanoparticles exhibited effective target orientation to liver tumor and sustained-release property.

Preparation of inclusion complex of apigenin-hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin by using supercritical antisolvent process for dissolution and bioavailability enhancement.

In this study, an inclusion complex of apigenin (AP)-hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin (HP-ß-CD) was prepared via supercritical antisolvent (SAS) method using N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) as solvent and carbon dioxide as antisolvent. The mole ratio of AP and HP-ß-CD (1:1) was established by phase solubility equilibrium experiment. The optimal conditions were determined through single-factor experiments; these conditions included precipitation pressure of 22.5MPa, precipitation temperature of 50°C, and AP concentration of 20mg/ml. The load efficiency and encapsulation efficiency of the AP-HP-ß-CD inclusion complex, with a mean particle size of 392.13±7.56nm, were 13.97%±0.17% and 93.22%±1.17%, respectively, under the optimal conditions. FTIR, (1)H NMR, SEM, XRD, DSC, and TG analyses were also conducted. Results showed that the inclusion complex was formed because of the interaction between AP and HP-ß-CD. DMF residue in the inclusion complex was 0.033% lower than the ICH limit for class II solvents. The solubility of the inclusion complex was approximately 152.43 times higher than that of the raw AP. In the in vitro study, the dissolution rate of the AP-HP-ß-CD inclusion complex was about 7.60 times higher than that of the raw AP. In the in vivo study, the bioavailability of the inclusion complex increased by 6.45 times compared with that of the raw AP. Hence, the prepared AP-HP-ß-CD inclusion complex exhibits potential as a new oral therapeutic agent formulation for clinical applications.

Differential expression of stromal aromatase in obese females is regulated by DNA methylation.

Obesity increases the incidence, progression and mortality of breast cancer among postmenopausal females. This is partly due to excessive estrogen production in the adipose tissue of obese females. Aromatase is a key enzyme in estrogen biosynthesis. In the current study, the tensional force­triggered inducibility of aromatase expression was observed to vary in ASCs isolated from different disease­free individuals. In addition, this phenomenon was associated with the activation of the aromatase PII promoter and its DNA methylation load. These findings highlight the impact of tensional forces on estrogen biosynthesis in obese females.

LIM protein JUB promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition in colorectal cancer.

Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer-related death in almost all types of cancers, including colorectal cancer (CRC). Metastasis is a complex, multistep, dynamic biological event, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a critical process during the cascade. Ajuba family proteins are LIM domain-containing proteins and are reported to be transcription repressors regulating different kinds of physiological processes. However, the expression and pathological roles of Ajuba family proteins in tumors, especial in tumor metastasis, remain poorly studied. Here, we found that JUB, but not the other Ajuba family proteins, was highly upregulated in clinical specimens and CRC cell lines. Ectopic expression of JUB induced EMT and enhanced motility and invasiveness in CRC, and vice versa. Mechanistic study revealed that JUB induces EMT via Snail and JUB is also required for Snail-induced EMT. The expression of JUB shows an inverse correlation with E-cadherin expression in clinical specimens. Taken together, these findings revealed that the LIM protein JUB serves as a tumor-promoting gene in CRC by promoting EMT, a critical process of metastasis. Thus, the LIM protein JUB may provide a novel target for therapy of metastatic CRC.

Mir-184 post-transcriptionally regulates SOX7 expression and promotes cell proliferation in human hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common human malignancies and the third leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. The development and progression of HCC is a complicated process, involving the deregulation of multiple genes that are essential to cell biological processes. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been suggested to be closely associated with tumorigenesis. Our study showed that miR-184 is upregulated in HCC cell lines and tissues. Overexpression of miR-184 in HCC cells increased cell proliferation, tumorigenicity, and cell cycle progression, whereas inhibition of miR-184 reduced cell proliferation, tumorigenicity, and cell cycle progression. Additionally, we identified SOX7 as a direct target of miR-184. Ectopic expression of miR-184 led to downregulation of the SOX7 protein, resulting in upregulation of c-Myc, Cyclin D1, and phosphorylation of Rb. Our findings suggested that miR-184 represents a potential onco-miR and plays an important role in HCC progression by suppressing SOX7 expression.

Upregulation of CPE promotes cell proliferation and tumorigenicity in colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide and a leading cause of cancer related death. Although the mortality rate of CRC is decreasing, finding novel targets for its therapy remains urgent. Carboxypeptidase E (CPE), a member of the pro-protein convertases, which are involved in the maturation of protein precursors, has recently been reported as elevated in many types of cancer. However, its role and mechanisms in tumor progression are poorly understood. METHODS: In the present study, we investigated expression of CPE in CRC cell lines and tumor tissues using Western blot and real-time qRT-PCR. Plasmids for overexpression and depletion of CPE were constructed and analyzed by Western blot, MTT and colony formation assays and bromodeoxyuridine incorporation assays. The relative expression of p21, p27, and cyclin D1 were analyzed by Real-time qRT-PCR in the indicated cells. RESULTS: Our study showed that CPE was significantly upregulated in CRC cell lines and tumor tissues. MTT and colony formation assays indicated that overexpression of CPE enhanced cell growth rates. BrdU incorporation and flow-cytometry assays showed that ectopic expression of CPE increased the S-phase fraction cells. Soft agar assay proved enhanced tumorigenicity activity in CPE over-expressing CRC cells. Further studies of the molecular mechanisms of CPE indicated that is promoted cell proliferation and tumorigenicity through downregulation of p21 and p27, and upregulation of cyclin D1. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these data suggest that CPE plays an important role in cell cycle regulation and tumorigenicity, and may serve as a potential target for CRC therapeutics.