Safety and efficacy of alectinib versus crizotinib in alk-positive non-small cell lung cancer: An update meta-analysis.

Our study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of alectinib compared with crizotinib and provide a reference for clinical use of ALK-TKI, systematically. We searched articles published update till October, 2021 based on the electronic databases, including PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library. All trials analyzed the summary odds ratios (ORs) of the interesting outcomes. Three RCTs, including six studies were included. The pooled hazard ratio (HR) =0.33 (95%CI=0.21-0.51, P<0.00001) shown that the alectinib group achieved significant progress-free survival (PFS) superiority than crizotinib, consistent with those for the with (P=0.001) or without (P<0.00001) measurable CNS lesions at baseline. Also, the regimen of the alectinib did achieved benefit in the ORR (OR=2.07, 95% CI=1.41-3.06, P=0.0002) than crizotinib. Due to the limited data, the pool result of the difference of overall survival (OS) was without statistically significant (P=0.35). With regard to the safety, grade 3 to 5 adverse events were less frequent with alectinib than crizotinib (OR=0.53, 95% CI=0.31-0.90, P=0.02). As compared with crizotinib, alectinib demonstrated better PFS efficacy and comparable safety as a first-line treatment for advanced ALK-positive Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). OS data remain immature, further trials with long-term survival rate have future to look forward to.

Plumbagin protects H9c2 cardiomyocytes against TBHP-induced cytotoxicity by alleviating ROS-induced apoptosis and modulating autophagy.

Plumbagin (PLB) has been previously reported to alleviate myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury in vivo. In the present study, the potential of plumbagin to protect against hydrogen peroxide-induced injury in cardiomyocytes was analyzed. Specifically, the cytoprotective effects of PLB were evaluated in H9c2 cardiomyocytes, in which oxidative stress was induced by tertiary butyl hydrogen peroxide (TBHP; 75 µM) treatment. After the cardiomyocytes were treated with different concentrations of PLB, cell viability, creatine kinase (CK) activity and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release were determined. The apoptosis rate and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were evaluated by flow cytometry. Western blot analyses of cleaved caspase-3, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase enzyme 4 (NOX4), and phosphorylated (p)-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) were performed. PLB pretreatment (5, 10 or 20 µM) restored TBHP-treated H9c2 cell viability (P<0.01). Additionally, PLB significantly decreased CK (P<0.01) and LDH activity (P<0.01). TBHP induced apoptosis and oxidative stress in cardiomyocytes, whereas PLB pretreatment significantly reduced the TBHP-induced apoptosis rate (P<0.01) and ROS levels (P<0.01). Furthermore, PLB resulted in a decrease in the expression of cleaved caspase-3, NOX4, and p-p38 MAPK in TBHP-treated H9c2 cells. The active marker of autophagosomes, LC3-II/LC3-I, was increased following treatment with PLB, indicating the induction of autophagy. The present study revealed the protective role of PLB against TBHP-induced cardiomyocyte injury via the alleviation of ROS-mediated apoptosis and induction of autophagy.

Baicalin Inhibits NLRP3 Inflammasome Activity Via the AMPK Signaling Pathway to Alleviate Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.

Baicalin has been reported to have ameliorative effects on nerve-induced hypoxic ischemia injury; however, its role in the NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent inflammatory response during cerebral ischemia-reperfusion remains unclear. To investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in baicalin alleviating cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury, we investigated the AMPK signaling pathway which regulates NLRP3 inflammasome activity. SD rats were treated with baicalin at doses of 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg, respectively, after middle cerebral artery occlusion at 2 h and reperfusion for 24 h (MCAO/R). MCAO/R treatment significantly increased cerebral infarct volume, changed the ultrastructure of nerve cells, and activated the NLRP3 inflammasome, manifesting as significantly increased expression of NLRP3, ASC, cleaved caspase-1, IL-1ß, and IL-18. Our results demonstrated that baicalin treatment effectively reversed these phenomena in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, inhibition of NLRP3 expression was found to promote the neuroprotective effects of baicalin on cortical neurons. Furthermore, baicalin remarkably increased the expression of p-AMPK following oxygen glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R). The expression of the NLRP3 inflammasome was also increased when the AMPK pathway was blocked by compound C. Taken together, our findings reveal that baicalin reduces the activity of the NLRP3 inflammasome and consequently inhibits cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury through activation of the AMPK signaling pathway.

Plumbagin attenuated oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation-induced injury in human SH-SY5Y cells by inhibiting NOX4-derived ROS-activated NLRP3 inflammasome.

Plumbagin (PLB), an alkaloid obtained from the roots of the plants of Plumbago genus, is an inhibitor of NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4). This study aimed to investigate the beneficial effect of PLB against oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGDR)-induced neuroinjury in human SH-SY5Y neuronal cultures. Our results showed that OGD/R stimulated NOX4 protein expression and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in SH-SY5Y cells, whereas increased 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) and malondialdehyde (MDA) production, resulting in the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. And PLB pretreatment reduced the ROS production by regulating the expression of NOX4 and downregulated NF-κB signaling which was induced by OGDR. Furthermore, PLB inhibited OGDR induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation but not PARP1. Overall, PLB improved OGDR induced neuroinjury by inhibiting NOX4-derived ROS-activated NLRP3 inflammasome.

Swertiamarin ameliorates carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic apoptosis via blocking the PI3K/Akt pathway in rats.

Swertiamarin (STM) is an iridoid compound that is present in the Gentianaceae swertia genus. Here we investigated antiapoptotic effects of STM on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver injury and its possible mechanisms. Adult male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into a control group, an STM 200 mg/kg group, a CCl4 group, a CCl4+STM 100 mg/kg group, and a CCl4+STM 200 mg/kg group. Rats in experimental groups were subcutaneously injected with 40% CCl4 twice weekly for 8 weeks. STM (100 and 200 mg/kg per day) was orally given to experimental rats by gavage for 8 consecutive weeks. Hepatocyte apoptosis was determined by TUNEL assay and the expression levels of Bcl-2, Bax, and cleaved caspase-3 proteins were evaluated by western blot analysis. The expression of TGF-ß1, collagen I, collagen III, CTGF and fibronectin mRNA were estimated by qRT-PCR. The results showed that STM significantly reduced the number of TUNEL-positive cells compared with the CCl4 group. The levels of Bax and cleaved caspase-3 proteins, and TGF-ß1, collagen I, collagen III, CTGF, and fibronectin mRNA were significantly reduced by STM compared with the CCl4 group. In addition, STM markedly abrogated the repression of Bcl-2 by CCl4. STM also attenuated the activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway in the liver. These results suggested that STM ameliorated CCl4-induced hepatocyte apoptosis in rats.

Effect of external electric field on nanobubbles at the surface of hydrophobic particles during air flotation.

In this paper, the effect of external electric field on nanobubbles adsorbed on the surface of hydrophobic particles during air flotation was studied by molecular dynamics simulations. The gas density distribution, diffusion coefficient, viscosity, and the change of the angle and number distribution of hydrogen bonds in the system with different amounts of gas molecules were calculated and compared with the results without an external electric field. The results show that the external electric field can make the size of the bubbles smaller. The diffusion coefficient of the gas increases and the viscosity of the system decreases when the external electric field is applied, which contribute to the reduction of the size of the nanobubbles. At the same time, comparing with the results under no external electric field, the angle of hydrogen bonding under the external electric field will increase, and the proportion of water molecules containing more hydrogen bonds will reduce, which further explains the reason why the external electric field reduces the viscosity. The conclusions of this paper demonstrate at the micro level that the external electric field can enhance the efficiency of air-floating technology for the separation of hydrophobic particles, which may provide meaningful theoretical guidance for the application and optimization of electric field-enhanced air-floating technology in practice.

Swertiamarin attenuates carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver injury and inflammation in rats by regulating the TLR4 signaling pathway

The aim of the present study is to illustrate the effects of swertiamarin (STM), a natural iridoid from herbal medicines, on hepatic inflammation induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in rats. Male Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to CCl4 with or without STM co-administration for 8 weeks. Our results revealed that STM administration (100 and 200 mg/kg b.w.) significantly attenuated inflammation in livers of CCl4-treated rats. STM remarkably reduced the production of interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), macrophage inflammatory protein-1a (MIP-1α), and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) in liver tissue of CCl4-treated rats. In addition, STM treatment downregulated connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and ser307pIRS-1 expression, which was induced by CCl4 exposure. In the process of exploring the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of STM action, we demonstrated that STM significantly inhibited Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p65 expression in the liver. In conclusion, these results suggested that the inhibition of CCl4-induced inflammation by STM was, at least in part, due to its regulation of the TLR4 /NF-κB signaling pathway

The naphthoquinone plumbagin suppresses ADP-induced rat platelet aggregation through P2Y1-PLC signaling pathway.

Plumbagin (PLB) isolated from Plumbago zeylanica L (Plumbaginaceae) was evaluated for the suppressive effect and mechanism on ADP induced rat platelet aggregation. Adult male SD rats were randomly divided into control group, clopidogrel group, PLB 25mg/kg group and PLB 50mg/kg group. Clopidogrel (13.5mg/kg per day) and PLB (25 and 50mg/kg per day) were orally given to experimental rats by gavage for seven consecutive days. The antiplatelet properties were assessed by measuring the ADP-induced platelet aggregation rate (Aggmax). The level of cAMP in platelets before aggregation was determined by ELISA. The protein expression of pAkt, Akt, pPLC ß3 and PLC ß3 in platelets was measured by western blot. Our data indicated that PLB (25 and 50mg/kg) significantly inhibited ADP-induced rat platelet aggregation as well as clopidogrel (13.5mg/kg) in a dose dependent manner compared with the control group. PLB (25 and 50mg/kg) remarkably reduced the ADP-induced PLC ß3 phosphorylation but not Akt in platelets as compared with the control group. The present study suggests that PLB exerts a suppressive effect on ADP-induced rat platelet aggregation, at least in part, through P2Y1-PLC signaling pathway.

Up-regulation of BSEP and MRP2 by Calculus Bovis administration in 17α-ethynylestradiol-induced cholestasis: Involvement of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY RELEVANCE: Calculus Bovis, also known as Niuhuang, is a rare traditional Chinese medicine that has been widely used in China for 2000 years in pharmacology for sedation, anti-spasm, relieving fever, diminishing inflammation and recovering gallbladder functions. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to investigate the choleretic potential and molecular responses in rats to Calculus Bovis (CB) administration after 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE)-induced cholestasis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: CB (50 and 100mg/kg per day) was intragastrically (i. g.) given to experimental rats for five consecutive days in coadministration with EE (5mg/kg daily for five days, s.c.). The levels of serum biomarkers were determined biochemically. The histopathology of the liver tissue was evaluated. Expression of bile salt export pump (BSEP) and multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (MRP2) were studied by western blot and immunohistochemical assay. The expression of Akt and phospho-Akt (pAkt) were also measured by western blot. RESULTS: In response to EE, CB treatment significantly prevented an increase in serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) and total bilirubin (TBIL). CB treatment also repaired tissue lesions caused by EE. Western blots showed that EE significantly decreased the protein expression of BSEP and MRP2. EE also dramatically increased levels of pAkt and decreased levels of Akt. Compared to the EE group, CB treatment increased levels of hepatic BSEP and MRP2 while pAkt levels decreased and Akt levels increased. Immunohistochemistry also indicated that EE decreased the expression of BSEP and MRP2. LY294002 is a selective PI3K inhibitor and showed similar beneficial effects as CB. Decreased expression of BSEP and MRP2 caused by EE were also prevented by LY294002 treatment. CONCLUSION: Calculus Bovis administration can alleviate liver injury and up-regulate the expression of BSEP and MRP2 in 17α-ethynylestradiol-induced cholestasis by a mechanism that may involve inhibiting the activated PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Immobilized phospholipid capillary electrophoresis for study of drug-membrane interactions and prediction of drug activity.

Immobilized phospholipid capillary electrophoresis (IPCE) was developed for studying the interactions between a set of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and membrane and predicting the biological activity of NSAIDs. Supported vesicle layers and supported phospholipid bilayers were attached to the inner surface of a capillary wall simply by rinsing with liposome solutions. The liposomes, composed of soybean phosphatidylcholine (SPC) or SPC and different proportions of cholesterol (Ch), were small unilamellar vesicles prepared by sonication. The normalized capacity factor (K(IPCE)) was introduced into IPCE for evaluating drug-membrane interactions. Related theories and equations were derived to calculate K(IPCE) values from apparent migration time of a solute and electroosmotic flow. The strong relationships were observed between logK(IPCE) (SPC) values and logK(lw) values (the partition coefficients determined in free SPC-liposome partitioning system) (R=0.9855 and P<0.0001) or logK(ILC) values (the normalized capacity factors determined by immobilized POPC-liposome chromatography, POPC represents 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) (R=0.9875 and P<0.0001). In addition, logK(IPCE) (SPC/Ch 80:20%) values correlated well with the pIC50 (the minus logarithm of IC50) values for cyclooxygenase 2 determined on intact cells (R=0.959 and P<0.001). These results confirmed that IPCE, K(IPCE) value as evaluation index, can be effectually used for studying drug-membrane interactions and it has the potential to predict drug activity. Cholesterol-containing (20 mol%) liposomes may be more suitable to mimic real cell membrane.

[Chemical constituents from aerial parts of Plumbago zeylanica Linn].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the chemical constituents of the aerial parts of Plumbago zeylanica Linn. METHODS: The constituents of the EtOAc-soluble portion in the 95% ethanol extract were isolated and purified by means of chromatography. Compounds were identified by their physical characteristics and spectral features. RESULTS: Nine compounds were isolated as plumbagin (I), isoshinanolone (II), plumbagic acid (III), beta-sitosterol (IV), 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (V), trans-cinnamic acid (VI), vanillic acid (VII), 2, 5-dimethyl-7-hydroxychromone (VIII), indole-3-carboxaldehyde (IX). CONCLUSION: Compounds V, VII, VIII and IX were isolated for the first time from Plumbago Linn.