Effects of different drying methods on the chemical constituents of Lilium lancifolium Thunb. based on UHPLC-MS analysis and antidepressant activity of the main chemical component regaloside A.

The Lilium lancifolium Thunb. is a herb with multiple functions in both medicine and food in China, and its extracts have shown antidepressant effects. In this study, fresh bulbs of Lilium lancifolium Thunb. were processed to study the effects of different drying processes on changes in its main chemical components. We found that different drying methods can affect the chemical constituents of the herb. Among these components, Regaloside A has been found as the characteristic component. Here, Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, and Western blotting were used to evaluate the neuroprotective antidepressant effects of Regaloside A. The results showed the cell survival rate was improved, the phosphorylation levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, tyrosine kinase receptor B, phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase, protein kinase B, and mammalian target of rapamycin were increased after Regaloside A treatment. In general, different drying methods have a significant influence on the chemical composition of the herb, and Regaloside A may be the main chemical component of the herb. It can alleviate the damage of corticosterone in SH-SY5Y cells, and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling mediated by brain-derived neurotrophic factor/tyrosine kinase receptor B may play an important role in the neuroprotective antidepressant effects of Regaloside A.

LncRNA NORAD promotes proliferation, migration and angiogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells through targeting miR-211-5p/FOXD1/VEGF-A axis.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death around the world. Despite improvement in the prevention and treatment of HCC, the clinical prognosis is still poor with increasing mortality. Non-coding RNAs play pivotal roles in HCC oncogenesis, but the detailed mechanism is poorly known. Therefore, the functions and interaction of lncRNA NORAD and miR-211-5p in HCC was investigated in this study. METHODS: Quantitative real-time PCR method was used to analyze the expression of NORAD and miR-211-5p in clinical HCC tissues and cultured cell lines. Knockdown of NORAD and overexpression of miR-211-5p were then carried in HCC cells. Moreover, bioinformatics analysis and luciferase report assays were further employed to analyze the interaction between miR-211-5p and NORAD or FOXD1. RESULTS: Increased lncRNA NORAD and decreased miR-211-5p expression were first detected in HCC compared with the peritumorial area. Further studies showed that knockdown of NORAD or overexpression of miR-211-5p impaired the proliferation, migration and angiogenesis of HCC cells. Mechanistically, we found that NORAD functions as a sponge for miR-211-5p. Moreover, it was revealed that decreased miR-211-5p induced the expression of FOXD1 as well as its downstream target VEGF-A, thereby contributes to enhanced angiogenesis of HCC. CONCLUSION: Elevated NORAD works as a sponge for miR-211-5p in HCC, thus release the inhibition effect of the latter on its downstream target FOXD1 and VEGF-A, which finally promotes angiogenesis. These results provide new insights into the interaction between NORAD and miR-211-5p in HCC and their potential usage as targets for the development of novel therapeutics against HCC.

Radical modular pancreatoduodenectomy for pancreatic head cancer using a combination of multiple artery-first approaches technique.

The aim of this study was to describe and assess the efficacy of a combination of multiple artery-first approaches (CMAFA) in pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) depending on the tumor location from an embryonic point of view.Between January 2011 and December 2016, seventy-nine consecutive patients with pancreatic head cancer (PHC) underwent PD with curative intent. Patients were classified into two groups according to the surgical procedure: CMAFA-PD group (n = 38) and conventional PD (Co-PD) group (n = 41). Clinicopathlogical variables and clinical outcomes were compared among the two groups.The CMAFA technique demonstrated an improved rate of R0 resection (89.5% vs. 70.7%, P = .038) and a higher median lymph node yield (24 vs.20, P = .034). The CMAFA-PD group was associated with reduced blood loss (450 vs. 600 ml, P = .049), lower rate of blood transfusion (23.7% vs. 46.3%, P = .035), and shorter length of hospital stay (19 vs. 26 days, P < .001). The rates of 90-day mortality, major morbidity, and readmission were comparable among the two groups.This study demonstrates that CMAFA is a feasible and efficient technique with acceptable perioperative and oncological outcomes in treating patients with PHC.

Results of adjuvant radiation therapy for locoregional perihilar cholangiocarcinoma after curative intent resection.

PURPOSE: This study sought to define the role of adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) for patients with curative intent resection of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (pCCA). PATIENTS AND METHODS: By using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) registry, 1,917 patients with non-metastatic pCCA who underwent surgical resection from 1988 to 2009 were included in this study. Propensity score methods were used to compare the survival outcomes of patients treated with and without adjuvant RT after controlling for selection bias. RESULTS: Of the 1,917 patients, 762 (39.7%) received adjuvant RT. In the unmatched population, median overall survival (OS) for patients receiving adjuvant RT compared with those undergoing surgery alone was 23 versus 22 months (P=0.651). Patients who received adjuvant RT were younger (65 vs 68 years, P<0.001), had more regional diseases (86.0% vs 76.7%, P<0.001), and had more positive lymph nodes (43.8% vs 32.2%, P<0.001). In the matched population, adjuvant RT did not show better OS (22 vs 23 months, P=0.978) or cancer-specific survival (CSS) (17 vs 18 months, P=0.554). CONCLUSION: Adjuvant RT is not associated with improved survival of patients with resected pCCA. These data suggest that adjuvant RT should not be routinely used to treat patients with pCCA outside research trials. Ideally, prospective randomized trials should be performed to verify the conclusion of this study.

Enhanced expression of suppresser of cytokine signaling 3 inhibits the IL-6-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and cholangiocarcinoma cell metastasis.

It was recently demonstrated that interleukin-6 (IL-6) induces the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), but the underlying molecular mechanism remains to be explored. In this study, we studied the role of suppresser of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3), a negative feedback regulator of IL-6/STAT3, in the IL-6-induced EMT in CCA. Treatment with IL-6 induced the EMT by decreasing the E-cadherin expression and increasing the expression of N-cadherin and vimentin. Using wound healing and invasion assays, we found that IL-6 promoted cell motility. Further, a stably transfected cell line overexpressing SOCS3 was constructed. Enhanced SOCS3 expression decreased IL-6-induced cell invasion and EMT in parallel with downregulating the IL-6/STAT3 pathway. In contrast, SOCS3 silencing using siRNA exhibited no effect on the cell invasive ability and EMT. Finally, an in vivo study indicated that the enhancement of SOCS3 expression decreased metastasis compared with the control, and this effect was achieved by the repression of p-STAT3, N-cadherin and vimentin, and the induction of E-cadherin assessed by Western blot analysis. Our results suggest that enhanced expression of SOCS3 can antagonize IL-6-induced EMT and cell metastasis by abrogating the IL-6/STAT3 pathway. These data establish that SOCS3 plays a role in the EMT in CCA and may provide novel therapeutic strategies for CCA.

[Analytical Methods with Qualitative HPLC Fingerprint and Quantitative Measurement of Effective Components of Processed Asari Radix et Rhizoma].

OBJECTIVE: In order to provide the basis for quality standard and processing principle of processed Asari Radix et Rhizoma, an HPLC fingerprint of processed Asari Radix et Rhizoma was established and the contents of methyl eugenol and asarinin were determined. METHODS: The analytical column was Agligent Tc-C18 (250 mm x 4. 6 mm, 5 µm); A mixture of acetonitrile-0. 2% acetic acid solution was used as the mobile phase with gradient elution at the flow rate of 1. 0 mL/min. The wavelength was set at 285 nm and the column temperature was 30 °C. RESULTS: The fingerprint of processed Asari Radix et Rhizoma was established. The asarinin peak was taken as the reference peak. 22 common peaks were assigned, and two peaks were confirmed by comparing with the reference standards. The difference of components was not significant among the various processed products except ginger, honey and fried coke products, but the contents of effective constituents were different among the processed products. The retention rate of methyl eugenol in processed products was in a descending order as follows: wine > vinegar > liquorice > alkali-vinegar > fried coke > rice water system > honey > ginger > salt system > alkali. Methyl eugenol was increased 10% ~ 20% with wine processing and retained more than 95% with vinegar. The retention rate of asarinin in processed products was in declining as: rice water system > liquorice > alkali-vinegar > honey > salt system > wine > ginger > vinegar > alkali > fried coke. The processing techniques increased the content of asarinin except the alkali and fried coke products, and asarinin was increased more than 35% with rice water, alkali-vinegar or liquorice processing. CONCLUSION: The method is accurate and reliable, which can be used for the quality control of processed products of Asari Radix et Rhizoma.