Discovery of highly potent and selective 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin-glucose conjugates as potential anti-colorectal cancer agents.

7-Ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN38), a highly potent metabolite of irinotecan, has an anticancer efficacy 100-1000 folds more than irinotecan in vitro. However, the clinical application of SN38 has been limited due to the very narrow therapeutic window and poor water solubility. Herein, we report the SN38-glucose conjugates (Glu-SN38) that can target cancer cells due to their selective uptake via glucose transporters, which are overexpressed in most cancers. The in vitro antiproliferative activities against human cancer cell lines and normal cells of Glu-SN38 were investigated. One of the conjugates named 5b showed high potency and selectivity against human colorectal cancer cell line HCT116. Furthermore, 5b remarkably inhibited the growth of HCT116 in vivo. These results suggested that 5b could be a promising drug candidate for treating colorectal cancer.

Glucocorticoid receptor regulates expression of microRNA-22 and downstream signaling pathway in apoptosis of pancreatic acinar cells.

AIM: To elucidate the underlying mechanism that microRNA-22 (miR-22) promotes the apoptosis of rat pancreatic acinar cells (AR42J) and the elements that regulate the expression of miR-22. METHODS: One hundred nanomoles per liter of caerulein (Cae) was administrated to induce the apoptosis of AR42J cells and the apoptosis rate was detected by flow cytometry analysis. An amylase assay kit was used to measure the amylase expression level in the supernatant. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was adopted to measure miR-22 expression. We used online tools to predict the potential transcription promoter of miR-22 and the binding sites, which was further identified by using luciferase reporter analysis, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and ChIP-qPCR assays. Then, a mimic of miR-22, Nr3c1 plasmid encoding the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), and si-Nr3c1 were used to transfect AR42J cells, respectively. The mRNA expression of miR-22, Nr3c1, and Erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 3 (ErbB3) was confirmed by qRT-PCR and the apoptosis rate of AR42J cells was detected by flow cytometry analysis. Western blot was used to detect the expression of ErbB3, GR, PI3k, PI3k-p85α, Akt, p-Akt, Bad, Bax, Bcl-xl, Bcl-2, and cleaved caspase3. RESULTS: After inducing apoptosis of AR42J cells in vitro, the expression of miR-22 was significantly increased by 2.20 ± 0.26 and 4.19 ± 0.54 times, respectively, at 3 h and 6 h in comparison with the control group. As revealed by qRT-PCR assay, the expression of miR-22 was 78.25 ± 6.61 times higher in the miR-22 mimic group relative to the miRNA control group, accompanied with an obviously increased acinar cell apoptosis rate (32.53 ± 1.15 vs 18.07 ± 0.89, P = 0.0006). The upregulation of miR-22 could suppress its target gene, ErbB3, and the phosphorylation of PI3k and Akt. Furthermore, we predicted the potential transcription promoter of miR-22 and the binding sites using online tools. Luciferase reporter analysis and site-directed mutagenesis indicated that the binding site (GACAGCCATGTACA) of the GR, which is encoded by the Nr3c1 gene. Downregulation of the expression of GR could upregulate the expression of miR-22, which further promoted the apoptosis of AR42J cells. CONCLUSION: GR transcriptionally represses the expression of miR-22, which further promotes the apoptosis of pancreatic acinar cells by downregulating the downstream signaling pathway.

[The Extract from Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Leaves Promotes Apoptosis and Impairs Metastasis in Prostate Cancer Cells].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of pomegranate leaves extract(PLE)on proliferation,apoptosis and metastasis of prostate cancer cells. METHODS: The proliferation of TRAMP-C1,DU145,PC3 prostate cancer cells treated with different concentrations of PLE (final mass concentrations were 12.5,25,50,100, 200 µg/mL,respectively) for different time (24,48,72 h) was detected by MTT assay. Colony formation assay was performed to verify the long-term effects of PLE on the proliferation of DU145 and PC3 cells.After being treated with PLE for 48 h,Hoechst-33258 staining was used to observe the changes in the nucleus,the cell apoptotic rate was detected by flow cytometry,and wound-healing migration assay was perform to test the change of migration. RESULTS: In comparison with the control group,PLE in the range of 12.5-200 µg/mL had a certain inhibitory effect on the proliferation of TRAMP-C1,DU145 and PC3 cells ( P<0.05).In the range of 6.25-100 µg/mL,the number of colony formation of DU145 and PC3 was significantly reduced( P<0.01).After PLE treated for 48 h, the apoptotic features of nuclear fragmentation and the formation apoptotic body was observed in PC3. With the increase of concentration,the apoptotic rate increased gradually ( P<0.05),and the ability of cells to migrate to the scratch area was significantly weaker than the control group ( P<0.01). CONCLUSION: PLE has effect on proliferation,apoptosis and metastasis of prostate cancer cells.

A QTAIM and stress tensor investigation of the torsion path of a light-driven fluorene molecular rotary motor.

The utility of the QTAIM/stress tensor analysis method for characterizing the photoisomerization of light driven molecular rotary machines is investigated on the example of the torsion path in fluorene molecular motor. The scalar and vector descriptors of QTAIM/stress tensor reveal additional information on the bonding interactions between the rotating units of the motor, which cannot be obtained from the analysis of the ground and excited state potential energy surfaces. The topological features of the fluorene motor molecular graph display that, upon the photoexcitation a certain increase in the torsional stiffness of the rotating bond can be attributed to the increasing topological stability of the rotor carbon atom attached to the rotation axle. The established variations in the torsional stiffness of the rotating bond may cause transfer of certain fraction of the torsional energy to other internal degrees of freedom, such as the pyramidalization distortion. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

miR-29a up-regulation in AR42J cells contributes to apoptosis via targeting TNFRSF1A gene.

AIM: To investigate the expression of miR-29a in rat acute pancreatitis and its functional role in AR42J cell apoptosis. METHODS: Twelve SD rats were divided into a control group and an acute edematous pancreatitis (AEP) group randomly. AEP was induced by intraperitoneal injection of L-arginine (150 mg/kg) in the AEP group and equal volume of 0.9% NaCl was injected in the control group. The apoptosis of acinar cells in pancreatic tissue was determined by TUNEL assay. miRNA chip assay was performed to examine the expression of miRNAs in two groups. Besides, to further explore the role of miR-29a in apoptosis in vitro, recombinant rat TNF-α (50 ng/mL) was administered to treat the rat pancreatic acinar cell line AR42J for inducing AR42J cell apoptosis. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was adopted to measure miR-29a expression. Then, miRNA mimic, miRNA antisense oligonucleotide (AMO) and control vector were used to transfect AR42J cells. The expression of miR-29a was confirmed by qRT-PCR and the apoptosis rate of AR42J cells was detected by flow cytometry analysis. Western blot was used to detect the expression of activated caspase3. Moreover, we used bioinformatics software and luciferase assay to test whether TNFRSF1A was the target gene of miR-29a. After transfection, qRT-PCR and Western blot was used to detect the expression of TNFRSF1A in AR42J cells after transfection. RESULTS: The expression of miR-29a was much higher in the AEP group compared with the control group as displayed by the miRNA chip assay. After inducing apoptosis of AR42J cells in vitro, the expression of miR-29a was significantly increased by 1.49 ± 0.04 times in comparison with the control group. As revealed by qRT-PCR assay, the expression of miR-29a was 2.68 ± 0.56 times higher in the miR-29a mimic group relative to the control vector group, accompanied with an obviously increased acinar cell apoptosis rate (42.83 ± 1.25 vs 24.97 ± 0.15, P < 0.05). Moreover, the expression of miR-29a in the miRNA AMO group was 0.46 ± 0.05 times lower than the control vector group, and the cell apoptosis rate was much lower accordingly (17.27 ± 1.36 vs 24.97 ± 0.15, P < 0.05). The results of bioinformatics software and luciferase assay showed that TNFRSF1A might be a target gene of miR-29a. TNFRSF1A expression was up-regulated in the miR-29a mimic group, while the miR-29a AMO group showed the reverse trend. CONCLUSION: miR-29a might promote the apoptosis of AR42J cells via up-regulating the expression of its target gene TNFRSF1A.

Functional role of MicroRNA-19b in acinar cell necrosis in acute necrotizing pancreatitis.

The expression of microRNA-19b (miR-19b) in acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP) and its functional role in acinar cell necrosis of SD rats were investigated. Twelve SD rats were divided into two groups randomly, including control group and ANP group. The rat ANP models were established by intraperitoneal injection of L-arginine (2400 mg/kg body weight), and equal volume of 0.9% NaCl was injected in the control group. MiRNA chip assay was performed to examine the expression of miRNAs in the pancreas in two different groups. Besides, to further explore the role of miR-19b in ANP in vitro, taurolithocholic acid 3-sulfate disodium salt (TLC-S) (200 µmol/L) was administrated to treat the rat pancreatic acinar cell line, AR42J, for establishing the ANP cells model. The quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was adopted to measure the miR-19b expression. Moreover, the mimic miRNA, miRNA antisense oligonucleotide (AMO) and control vector were used to transfect AR42J cells, the expression of miR-19b was confirmed by qRT-PCR and the necrotizing rate of AR42J cells was detected with AO/EB method. The expression of miR-19b was significantly higher in ANP group than in control group as displayed by the miRNA chip assay. Furthermore, after inducing necrosis of AR42J cells in vitro, the expression of miR-19b was significantly increased by 2.51±0.14 times in comparison with the control group. As revealed by qRT-PCR assay, the expression of miR-19b was 5.94±0.95 times higher in the mimic miRNA group than in the control vector group, companied with an obviously increased acinar cell necrotizing rate (50.3%±1.5% vs. 39.6%±2.3%, P<0.05). Moreover, the expression of miR-19b in the miRNA AMO group was 0.38±0.15 times lower than in the control vector group, and the cell necrosis rate was much lower accordingly (23.1%±3.3% vs. 39.6%±2.3%, P<0.05). Besides, there was no significant difference between the control vector cells and the cells without treatment (P>0.05). The expression of miR-19b was significantly induced in ANP. In addition, up-regulation of miR-19b could promote the necrosis of pancreatic acinar cells and miR-19b deficiency could decrease the rate of pancreatic acinar cell necrosis.

Expressions of miR-22 and miR-135a in acute pancreatitis.

This study examined the expressions of miR-22 and miR-135a in rats with acute edematous pancreatitis (AEP) and their target genes in order to shed light on the involvement of miR-22 and miR-135a in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis (AP). The in vivo model of AEP was established by introperitoneal injection of L-arginine (150 mg/kg) in rats. The miRNA microarray analysis was used to detect the differential expression of miRNAs in pancreatic tissue in AEP and normal rats. The in vitro AEP model was established by inducing the rat pancreatic acinar cell line (AR42J) with 50 ng/mL recombinant rat TNF-α. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR was employed to detect the expression of miR-22 and miR-135a in AR42J cells. Lentiviruses carrying the miRNA mimic and anti-miRNA oligonucleotide (AMO) of miR-22 and miR-135a were transfected into the AR42J cells. The AR42J cells transfected with vehicle served as control. Western blotting was used to measure the expression of activated caspase3 and flow cytometry analysis to detect the apoptosis of AR42J cells. Targets of miR-22 and miR-135a were predicted by using TargetScan, miRanda, and TarBase. Luciferase reporter assay and quantitative real-time RT-PCR were performed to confirm whether ErbB3 and Ptk2 were the target gene of miR-22 and miR-135a, respectively. The results showed that the expression levels of miR-22 and miR-135a were obviously increased in AEP group compared with the control group in in-vivo and in-vitro models. The expression levels of miR-22 and miR-135a were elevated conspicuously and the expression levels of their target genes were reduced significantly in AR42J cells transfected with lentiviruses carrying the miRNA mimic. The apoptosis rate was much higher in the TNF-α-induced cells than in non-treated cells. The AR42J cells transfected with miRNA AMOs expressed lower level of miR-22 and miR-135a and had lower apoptosis rate, but the expression levels of ErbB3 and Ptk2 were increased obviously. It was concluded that the expression levels of miR-22 and miR-135a were elevated in AEP. Up-regulating the expression of miR-22 and miR-135a may promote the apoptosis of pancreatic acinar cells by repressing ErbB3 and Ptk2 expression in AEP.

[Fingertip replantation with anastomosis of palm vein and retaining the nail].

OBJECTIVE: To study the replantation methods and clinical results of amputated fingertip. METHODS: From October 2007 to June 2011, 18 fingers of 13 cases were replanted with anastomosis of palm vein and retaining the nail, including 9 males and 4 females,with an average age of 26 years old ranging from 17 to 45 years old. The time from injury to therapy was from 30 min to 5 h, time of broken finger ischemia was from 1.5 to 7 h. All broken fingers were preservation under normal temperature. RESULTS: All fingers were survived, no vascular crisis happened. All cases were followed up from 3 to 24 months with an average of 14 months. The length and shape of replanted fingers were similar to that of the healthy side. The new nails were smooth, the function was perfect,the sense of pain and touched sensation had been recovered. Their two-piont discriminations ranged from 3 to 6 mm with an average of 5 mm. According to the assessment standard of Chinese Medical Association of Hand Surgery, the results were excellent in 14 cases, good in 3 cases, poor in 1 case. CONCLUSION: Fingertip replantation with anastomosis of palm vein and retaining the nail is regained satisfactory appearance and function of the digits with a high survival rate.

catena-Poly[[dichloridozinc(II)]-µ-1,4-bis-(pyridin-2-ylmeth-oxy)benzene-κN:N'].

In the title compound, [ZnCl(2)(C(18)H(16)N(2)O(2))](n), the Zn(II) ion is tetra-hedrally coordinated by two Cl atoms and by two N atoms from different 1,4-bis-(pyridin-2-ylmeth-oxy)benzene ligands. The ligand shows a non-planar configuration, in which the dihedral angles between the two terminal pyridine rings and the linking benzene ring are 7.86 (12) and 70.74 (11)°. The flexible ligand coordinates to the Zn(II) ions, generating an infinite chain propagating along [001].

catena-Poly[[dichloridomercury(II)]-µ-1,4-bis-[(pyridin-2-yl)meth-oxy]benzene-κN:N'].

In the title compound, [HgCl(2)(C(18)H(16)N(2)O(2))](n), the Hg(II) atom is four-coordinated in a distorted tetra-hedral environment defined by two Cl atoms and two N atoms from two 1,4-bis-(pyridin-2-ylmeth-oxy)benzene ligands. The ligand shows a non-coplanar conformation, in which the dihedral angles between the two terminal pyridine rings and the linking benzene ring are 7.275 (17) and 74.020 (14)°. The flexible ligands link the Hg(II) atoms into a chain running along [010], with an Hg⋯Hg separation of 10.335 (5) Å, which is equal to the b axis. The chains are connected by C-H⋯O and C-H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds.