Fabrication of Vascular Grafts Using Poly(ε-Caprolactone) and Collagen-Encapsuled ADSCs for Interposition Implantation of Abdominal Aorta in Rhesus Monkeys.

The production of small-diameter artificial vascular grafts continues to encounter numerous challenges, with concerns regarding the degradation rate and endothelialization being particularly critical. In this study, porous PCL scaffolds were prepared, and PCL vascular grafts were fabricated by 3D bioprinting of collagen materials containing adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) on the internal wall of the porous PCL scaffold. The PCL vascular grafts were then implanted in the abdominal aorta of Rhesus monkeys for up to 640 days to analyze the degradation of the scaffolds and regeneration of the aorta. Changes in surface morphology, mechanical properties, crystallization property, and molecular weight of porous PCL revealed a similar degradation process of PCL in PBS at pH 7.4 containing Thermomyces lanuginosus lipase and in situ in the abdominal aorta of rhesus monkeys. The contrast of in vitro and in vivo degradation provided valuable reference data for predicting in vivo degradation based on in vitro enzymatic degradation of PCL for further optimization of PCL vascular graft fabrication. Histological analysis through hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and fluorescence immunostaining demonstrated that the PCL vascular grafts successfully induced vascular regeneration in the abdominal aorta over the 640-day period. These findings provided valuable insights into the regeneration processes of the implanted vascular grafts. Overall, this study highlights the significant potential of PCL vascular grafts for the regeneration of small-diameter blood vessels.

Strong Protection by 4-Hydroxyestrone against Erastin-Induced Ferroptotic Cell Death in Estrogen Receptor-Negative Human Breast Cancer Cells: Evidence for Protein Disulfide Isomerase as a Mechanistic Target for Protection.

Ferroptosis is a recently identified form of regulated cell death, characterized by excessive iron-dependent lipid peroxidation. Recent studies have demonstrated that protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) is an important mediator of chemically induced ferroptosis and also a new target for protection against ferroptosis-associated cell death. In the present study, we identified that 4-hydroxyestrone (4-OH-E1), a metabolic derivative of endogenous estrogen, is a potent small-molecule inhibitor of PDI, and can strongly protect against chemically induced ferroptotic cell death in the estrogen receptor-negative MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. Pull-down and CETSA assays demonstrated that 4-OH-E1 can directly bind to PDI both in vitro and in intact cells. Computational modeling analysis revealed that 4-OH-E1 forms two hydrogen bonds with PDI His256, which is essential for its binding interaction and thus inhibition of PDI's catalytic activity. Additionally, PDI knockdown attenuates the protective effect of 4-OH-E1 as well as cystamine (a known PDI inhibitor) against chemically induced ferroptosis in human breast cancer cells. Importantly, inhibition of PDI by 4-OH-E1 and cystamine or PDI knockdown by siRNAs each markedly reduces iNOS activity and NO accumulation, which has recently been demonstrated to play an important role in erastin-induced ferroptosis. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that 4-OH-E1 is a novel inhibitor of PDI and can strongly inhibit ferroptosis in human breast cancer cells in an estrogen receptor-independent manner. The mechanistic understanding gained from the present study may also aid in understanding the estrogen receptor-independent cytoprotective actions of endogenous estrogen metabolites in many noncancer cell types.

Preparation and characterization of photosensitive methacrylate-grafted sodium carboxymethyl cellulose as an injectable material to fabricate hydrogels for biomedical applications.

Injectable materials have attracted great attention in the manufacture of in situ forming hydrogels for biomedical applications. In this study, a facile method to prepare methacrylic anhydride (MA)-modified sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as an injectable material for the fabrication of hydrogels with controllable properties is reported. The chemical structure of the series of MA-grafted CMC (CMCMAs) with different MA contents was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and the properties of CMCMAs were characterized. Then, the CMCMAs gel (CMCMAs-G) was fabricated by crosslinking of MA under blue light irradiation. The gelation performances, swelling behaviors, transmittance, surface porous structures and mechanical properties of CMCMAs-G can be controlled by varying the content of MA grafted on the CMC. The compressive strength of CMCMAs-G was measured by mechanical compressibility tests and up to 180 kPa. Furthermore, the in vitro cytocompatibility evaluation results suggest that the obtained CMCMAs-G exhibit good compatibility for cell proliferation. Hence, our strategy provides a facile approach for the preparation of light-sensitive and an injectable CMC-derived polymer to fabricate hydrogels for biomedical applications.

Precision co-composting of multi-source organic solid wastes provide a sustainable waste management strategy with high eco-efficiency: a life cycle assessment.

With the increase of organic solid wastes (OSWs), current waste management practices, such as landfill, incineration, and windrow composting, have shown weaknesses in both resource recycling and environmental protection. Co-composting has been used to achieve nutrient and carbon recycling but is accused of high ammonia emission and low degradation efficiency. Therefore, this study developed a precision co-composting strategy (S3, which adds functional bacteria generated from food processing waste to a co-composting system) and compared it with the current OSW treatment strategy (S1) and traditional co-composting strategy (S2) from a life cycle assessment (LCA) perspective. The results showed that compared with S1, the eco-efficiency increased by 31.3% due to the higher economic profit of S2 but did not directly reduce the environmental cost. The addition of bacterial agents reduced ammonia emissions and shortened composting time, so compared with S1 and S2, the environmental cost of S3 was reduced by 37.9 and 43.6%, while the economic profit increased by 79.8 and 24.4%, respectively. The changes in environmental costs and economic benefits resulted in a huge improvement of S3's eco-efficiency, which was 189.6 and 121.7% higher than S1 and S2. Meanwhile, the adoption of S3 at a national scale in China could reduce the emission of 1,4-dichlorobenzene by 99.9% compared with S1 and increase profits by 6.58 billion USD per year. This study proposes a novel approach that exhibits high eco-efficiency in the treatment of OSWs.

Implantation of Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (ADSCs)-Lining Prosthetic Graft Promotes Vascular Regeneration in Monkeys and Pigs.

BACKGROUND: Current replacement procedures for stenosis or occluded arteries using prosthetic grafts have serious limitations in clinical applications, particularly, endothelialization of the luminal surface is a long-standing unresolved problem. METHOD: We produced a cell-based hybrid vascular graft using a bioink engulfing adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (ADSCs) and a 3D bioprinting process lining the ADSCs on the luminal surface of GORE-Tex grafts. The hybrid graft was implanted as an interposition conduit to replace a 3-cm-long segment of the infrarenal abdominal aorta in Rhesus monkeys. RESULTS: Complete endothelium layer and smooth muscle layer were fully developed within 21 days post-implantation, along with normalized collagen deposition and crosslinking in the regenerated vasculature in all monkeys. The regenerated blood vessels showed normal functionality for the longest observation of more than 1650 days. The same procedure was also conducted in miniature pigs for the interposition replacement of a 10-cm-long right iliac artery and showed the same long-term effective and safe outcome. CONCLUSION: This cell-based vascular graft is ready to undergo clinical trials for human patients.

Drug-drug co-amorphous systems: An emerging formulation strategy for poorly water-soluble drugs.

Overcoming the poor water solubility of small-molecule drugs is a major challenge in the development of clinical pharmaceuticals. Amorphization of crystalline drugs is a highly effective strategy to improve their aqueous solubility. However, amorphous drugs are thermodynamically unstable and likely to crystallize during manufacturing and storage. Recently, drug-drug co-amorphous systems have emerged as a novel strategy to not only enable enhanced dissolution and physical stability of the individual drugs within the system but also to provide a strategy for combination therapy of the same or different clinical indications. This review serves to highlight advances in the methods used to manufacture and characterize drug-drug co-amorphous systems, summarize drug-drug co-amorphous applications reported in recent decades, and provide an outlook on future possibilities and perspectives.

Cylindrical granules in the development of mesalazine solid formulations (â ¡): The contribution of high aspect ratio to favorable tabletability.

Recently, cylindrical granules have been applied in pharmaceutical fields and their aspect ratio (AR) is considered an important factor in the manufacturing process. However, the relationships between AR and the tableting process were seldom reported. This study aims to clarify the role of AR in the tableting process of cylindrical granules. First, mesalazine cylindrical granules with different AR were extruded, and their physical attributes were then comprehensively characterized. Subsequently, their compression behaviors and tableting performances were systematically assessed. Notably, it was found that the cylindrical granules with high AR possessed good anti-deformation capacity and favorable tabletability. Finally, the dissolution test suggested that tablets compressed from cylindrical granules with higher AR showed lower dissolution rates. Collectively, findings in this study identified that the AR of cylindrical granules was a critical factor in the tableting process and provided valuable guidance for the application of these granules in oral solid formulations.

An Improved Monkey Model of Myocardial Ischemic Infarction for Cardiovascular Drug Development.

Non-human primate monkey model of myocardial ischemic infarction is precious for translational medicine research. Ligation of the left anterior descending (LAD) artery is a common procedure to induce myocardial ischemic infarction. However, the consistency of the myocardial infarction thus generated remains problematic. The present study was undertaken to critically evaluate the monkey model of myocardial ischemic infarction to develop a procedure for a consistent cross-study comparison. Forty male Rhesus monkeys were divided into 4 groups and subjected to LAD artery ligation at different levels along the artery. In addition, the major diagonal branch was selectively ligated parallel to the ligation site of the LAD artery according to the diagonal branch distribution. Analyses of MRI, echocardiography, cardiac hemodynamics, electrocardiography, histopathology, and cardiac injury biomarkers were undertaken to characterize the monkeys with myocardial infarction. Ligation at 40% of the total length of the artery, measured from the apex end, produced variable infarct areas with inconsistent functional alterations. Ligation at 60% or above coupled with selective ligation of diagonal branches produced a consistent myocardial infarction with uniform dysfunction. However, ligation at 70% caused a lethal threat. After a thorough analysis, it is concluded that ligation at 60% of the total length coupled with selective ligation of diagonal branches, enables standardization of the location of occlusion and the subsequent ischemic area, as well as avoids the influence of the diagonal branches, are ideal to produce a consistent monkey model of myocardial ischemic infarction.

Mechanism of Erastin-Induced Ferroptosis in MDA-MB-231 Human Breast Cancer Cells: Evidence for a Critical Role of Protein Disulfide Isomerase.

Ferroptosis is a form of regulated cell death resulting predominantly from catastrophic accumulation of lipid reactive oxygen species (ROS). While the antioxidant systems that counter ferroptosis have been well characterized, the mechanism underlying ferroptosis-associated accumulation of lipid ROS remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) is a novel mediator of ferroptosis, which is responsible for the accumulation of lipid ROS and ultimately ferroptosis in MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. Treatment with erastin led to a significant increase in inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS)-mediated nitric oxide production, which contributes to the accumulation of the death-inducing cellular lipid ROS. Small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated PDI knockdown or pharmacological inhibition of PDI's isomerase activity with cystamine strongly suppressed iNOS dimerization and its catalytic activation, subsequently prevented lipid ROS accumulation, and conferred strong protection against erastin-induced ferroptosis. Remarkably, PDI knockdown in MDA-MB-231 cells also largely abrogated the protective effect of cystamine against erastin-induced ferroptotic cell death. Together, these experimental observations demonstrate a noncanonical role of PDI in ferroptosis, which may serve as a potential therapeutic target for ferroptosis-related diseases.

Evaluation of Neurofilament Light Chain as a Biomarker of Neurodegeneration in X-Linked Childhood Cerebral Adrenoleukodystrophy.

Cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy (CALD) is a devastating, demyelinating neuroinflammatory manifestation found in up to 40% of young males with an inherited mutation in ABCD1, the causative gene in adrenoleukodystrophy. The search for biomarkers which correlate to CALD disease burden and respond to intervention has long been sought after. We used the Olink Proximity Extension Assay (Uppsala, Sweden) to explore the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) of young males with CALD followed by correlative analysis with plasma. Using the Target 96 Neuro Exploratory panel, we found that, of the five proteins significantly increased in CSF, only neurofilament light chain (NfL) showed a significant correlation between CSF and plasma levels. Young males with CALD had a 11.3-fold increase in plasma NfL compared with controls. Importantly, 9 of 11 young males with CALD who underwent HCT showed a mean decrease in plasma NfL of 50% at 1 year after HCT compared with pre-HCT levels. In conclusion, plasma NfL could be a great value in determining outcomes in CALD and should be scrutinized in future studies in patients prior to CALD development and after therapeutic intervention.

The effects of electric field assisted composting on ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions varied with different electrolytes.

Enhancing electron transfer through directly elevating electric potential has been verified to reduce gaseous emissions from composting. Reducing electric resistance of composting biomass might be a choice to further strengthening electron transfer. Here, the effects of chemical electrolytes addition on gaseous Nitrogen emission in electric field assistant composting were investigated. Results suggest that adding acidic electrolyte (ferric chloride) significantly reduced ammonia (NH3) emission by 72.1% but increased nitrous oxide (N2O) emission (by 24-fold) (P < 0.05), because of a dual effect on nitrifier activity: i) an elevated abundance and proportion of ammonia oxidizing bacteria Nitrosomonadaceae, and ii) delayed growth of nitrite oxidizing bacteria. Neutral and alkaline electrolytes had no negative or positive effect on N2O or NH3 emission. Hence, there is a potential trade-off between NH3 and N2O mitigation if using ferric chloride as acidic electrolyte, and electrolyte addition should aim to enhance electron production promote N2O mitigation.

Atherosclerotic lesion-specific copper delivery suppresses atherosclerosis in high-cholesterol-fed rabbits.

Dietary cholesterol supplements cause hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis along with a reduction of copper concentrations in the atherosclerotic wall in animal models. This study was to determine if target-specific copper delivery to the copper-deficient atherosclerotic wall can block the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Male New Zealand white rabbits, 10-weeks-old and averaged 2.0 kg, were fed a diet containing 1% (w/w) cholesterol or the same diet without cholesterol as control. Twelve weeks after the feeding, the animals were injected with copper-albumin microbubbles and subjected to ultrasound sonication specifically directed at the atherosclerotic lesions (Cu-MB-US) for target-specific copper delivery, twice a week for four weeks. This regiment was repeated 3 times with a gap of two weeks in between. Two weeks after the last treatment, the animals were harvested for analyses of serum and aortic pathological changes. Compared to controls, rabbits fed cholesterol-rich diet developed atherosclerotic lesion with a reduction in copper concentrations in the lesion tissue. Cu-MB-US treatment significantly increased copper concentrations in the lesion, and reduced the size of the lesion. Furthermore, copper repletion reduced the number of apoptotic cells as well as the content of cholesterol and phospholipids in the atherosclerotic lesion without a disturbance of the stability of the lesion. The results thus demonstrate that target-specific copper supplementation suppresses the progression of atherosclerosis at least in part through preventing endothelial cell death, thus reducing lipid infiltration in the atherosclerotic lesion.

MicroRNAs as Biomarkers of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Type 1A.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether microRNAs (miRs) are elevated in the plasma of individuals with the inherited peripheral neuropathy Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A (CMT1A), miR profiling was employed to compare control and CMT1A plasma. METHODS: We performed a screen of CMT1A and control plasma samples to identify miRs that are elevated in CMT1A using next-generation sequencing, followed by validation of selected miRs by quantitative PCR, and correlation with protein biomarkers and clinical data: Rasch-modified CMT Examination and Neuropathy Scores, ulnar compound muscle action potentials, and motor nerve conduction velocities. RESULTS: After an initial pilot screen, a broader screen confirmed elevated levels of several muscle-associated miRNAs (miR1, -133a, -133b, and -206, known as myomiRs) along with a set of miRs that are highly expressed in Schwann cells of peripheral nerve. Comparison to other candidate biomarkers for CMT1A (e.g., neurofilament light) measured on the same sample set shows a comparable elevation of several miRs (e.g., miR133a, -206, -223) and ability to discriminate cases from controls. Neurofilament light levels were most highly correlated with miR133a. In addition, the putative Schwann cell miRs (e.g., miR223, -199a, -328, -409, -431) correlate with the recently described transmembrane protease serine 5 (TMPRSS5) protein biomarker that is most highly expressed in Schwann cells and also elevated in CMT1A plasma. CONCLUSIONS: These studies identify a set of miRs that are candidate biomarkers for clinical trials in CMT1A. Some of the miRs may reflect Schwann cell processes that underlie the pathogenesis of the disease. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class III evidence that a set of plasma miRs are elevated in patients with CMT1A.

The extremal pentagon-chain polymers with respect to permanental sum.

The permanental sum of a graph G can be defined as the sum of absolute value of coefficients of permanental polynomial of G. It is closely related to stability of structure of a graph, and its computing complexity is #P-complete. Pentagon-chain polymers is an important type of organic polymers. In this paper, we determine the upper and lower bounds of permanental sum of pentagon-chain polymers, and the corresponding pentagon-chain polymers are also determined.

Synergistic lethality between PARP-trapping and alantolactone-induced oxidative DNA damage in homologous recombination-proficient cancer cells.

PARP1 and PARP2 play critical roles in regulating DNA repair and PARP inhibitors have been approved for the treatment of BRCA1/2-mutated ovarian and breast cancers. It has long been known that PARP inhibition sensitizes cancer cells to DNA-damaging cytotoxic agents independent of BRCA status, however, clinical use of PARP inhibitors in combination with DNA-damaging chemotherapy is limited by the more-than-additive cytotoxicity. The natural compound alantolactone (ATL) inhibits the thioredoxin reductase to induce ROS accumulation and oxidative DNA damage selectively in cancer cells. Here, we showed that nontoxic doses of ATL markedly synergized with the PARP inhibitor olaparib to result in synthetic lethality irrespective of homologous recombination status. Synergistic cytotoxicity was seen in cancer but not noncancerous cells and was reduced by the ROS inhibitor NAC or knockdown of OGG1, demonstrating that the cytotoxicity resulted from the repair of ATL-induced oxidative DNA damage. PARP1 knockdown suppressed the synergistic lethality and olaparib was much more toxic than veliparib when combined with ATL, suggesting PARP-trapping as the primary inducer of cytotoxicity. Consistently, combined use of ATL and olaparib caused intense signs of replication stress and formation of double strand DNA breaks, leading to S and G2 arrest followed by apoptosis. In vivo, the combination effectively induced regression of tumor xenografts, while either agent alone had no effect. Hence, PARP trapping combined with specific pro-oxidative agents may provide safe and effective ways to broaden the therapeutic potential of PARP inhibitors.

Alkannin-Induced Oxidative DNA Damage Synergizes With PARP Inhibition to Cause Cancer-Specific Cytotoxicity.

Background: Oncogenic transformation is associated with elevated oxidative stress that promotes tumor progression but also renders cancer cells vulnerable to further oxidative insult. Agents that stimulate ROS generation or suppress antioxidant systems can drive oxidative pressure to toxic levels selectively in tumor cells, resulting in oxidative DNA damage to endanger cancer cell survival. However, DNA damage response signaling protects cancer cells by activating DNA repair and genome maintenance mechanisms. In this study, we investigated the synergistic effects of combining the pro-oxidative natural naphthoquinone alkannin with inhibition of DNA repair by PARP inhibitors. Methods and Results: The results showed that sublethal doses of alkannin induced ROS elevation and oxidative DNA damage in colorectal cancer but not normal colon epithelial cells. Blocking DNA repair with the PARP inhibitor olaparib markedly synergized with alkannin to yield synergistic cytotoxicity in colorectal cancer cells at nontoxic doses of both drugs. Synergy between alkannin and olaparib resulted from interrupted repair of alkannin-induced oxidative DNA damage and PARP-trapping, as it was significantly attenuated by NAC or by OGG1 inhibition and the non-trapping PARP inhibitor veliparib did not yield synergism. Mechanistically, the combination of alkannin and olaparib caused intense replication stress and DNA strand breaks in colorectal cancer cells, leading to apoptotic cancer cell death after G2 arrest. Consequently, coadministration of alkannin and olaparib induced significant regression of tumor xenografts in vivo, while each agent alone had no effect. Conclusion: These studies clearly show that combining alkannin and olaparib can result in synergistic cancer cell lethality at nontoxic doses of the drugs. The combination exploits a cancer vulnerability driven by the intrinsic oxidative pressure in most cancer cells and hence provides a promising strategy to develop broad-spectrum anticancer therapeutics.

Transmembrane protease serine 5: a novel Schwann cell plasma marker for CMT1A.

OBJECTIVE: Development of biomarkers for Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease is critical for implementing effective clinical trials. The most common form of CMT, type 1A, is caused by a genomic duplication surrounding the PMP22 gene. A recent report (Neurology 2018;90:e518-3524) showed elevation of neurofilament light (NfL) in plasma of CMT1A disease patients, which correlated with disease severity. However, no plasma/serum biomarker has been identified that is specific to Schwann cells, the most directly affected cells in CMT1A. METHODS: We used the Olink immuno PCR platform to profile CMT1A patient (n = 47, 2 cohorts) and normal control plasma (n = 41, two cohorts) on five different Olink panels to screen 398 unique proteins. RESULTS: The TMPRSS5 protein (Transmembrane protease serine 5) was elevated 2.07-fold (P = <0.0001) in two independent cohorts of CMT1A samples relative to controls. TMPRSS5 is most highly expressed in Schwann cells of peripheral nerve. Consistent with early myelination deficits in CMT1A, TMPRSS5 was not significantly correlated with disease score (CMTES-R, CMTNS-R), nerve conduction velocities (Ulnar CMAP, Ulnar MNCV), or with age. TMPRSS5 was not significantly elevated in smaller sample sets from patients with CMT2A, CMT2E, CMT1B, or CMT1X. The Olink immuno PCR assays confirmed elevated levels of NfL (average 1.58-fold, P < 0.0001), which correlated with CMT1A patient disease score. INTERPRETATION: These data identify the first Schwann cell-specific protein that is elevated in plasma of CMT1A patients, and may provide a disease marker and a potentially treatment-responsive biomarker with good disease specificity for clinical trials.

Identification of miR-200c-3p as a major regulator of SaoS2 cells activation induced by fluoride.

The skeletal lesion of fluoride has become a major concern in many countries due to its damage to bone and joints and even leading to disability. Skeletal fluorosis is characterized by disturbance of bone metabolism, aberrant proliferation and activation of osteoblasts is critical for the pathogenesis. However, the mechanism underlying the osteotoxicity of fluoride has not been clearly illustrated and there is still limited information on the role of miRNAs in skeletal fluorosis. In this study, we found that NaF promoted SaoS2 proliferation and activation by activating BMP4/Smad pathway. NaF increased expression of miR-200c-3p and miR-200c-3p inhibitor reduced activation of SaoS2 induced by NaF via targeting Noggin to repress BMP4/Smad. These findings suggested an important regulatory role of miR-200c-3p on BMP4/Smad pathway during skeletal fluorosis. MiR-200c-3p might be a novel therapeutic target for skeletal fluorosis.

Genetic Polymorphisms in the Apoptosis-Associated Gene CASP3 and the Risk of Lung Cancer in Chinese Population.

Caspase-3 (CASP3) plays a central role in executing cell apoptosis and thus in carcinogenesis. We previously investigated the relationship between functional polymorphisms in CAPS3 829 A>C and 20541 C>T and risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. However little is known about the role of CASP3 variants in susceptibility to lung cancer. To figure out the contribution of CASP3 polymorphisms to lung cancer risk, genotypes of 1000 lung cancer patients and 1000 controls were conducted by RFLP-PCR (restriction fragment length polymorphism PCR). The transcriptional activity of CASP3 829 A>C was examined by dual luciferase reporter assay. Logistic regression was applied to calculate Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). Compared with CASP3 829 AA genotype, AC and CC genotype had significantly increased risk of lung cancer with OR (95% CI) of 1.33 (1.09-1.63) and 1.55 (1.19-2.01), respectively. To further explore the possible impact of 829 A>C SNP on CASP3 transcriptional activity, we detected the dual luciferase activity of PGL3-promoter vectors containing 829A or 829C alleles in lung cancer cell lines and found that report gene expressions driven by 829A containing CASP3 promoter were 1.64-fold, 1.94-fold greater than those driven by CASP3 829C containing counterparts in A549 and NCI-H1975 cells (P<0.001). When stratified by sex, the significantly increased risk associated with CASP3 829 AC or CC genotype was obviousl in males with OR (95% CI) of 1.42 (1.11-1.81) and 1.51 (1.11-2.05), but not in females. When stratified by age, we found that CASP3 829 AC or CC genotype contributed to the risk of lung cancer in youngers with OR (95% CI) of 2.73 (1.71-4.34) and 4.02 (2.20-7.32), but not in elder group. We also found that 829AC or 829CC genotype increased adenocarcinoma risk compared with the AA genotype with OR (95%CI) of 1.33 (1.04-1.70) and 1.51(1.09-2.07). CASP3 polymorphism and smoking interaction was demonstrated related with higher risk of lung cancer. We achieved that the CASP3 829AC or 829CC genotypes was associated with increased risk of lung cancer in both non-smoker and smoker group, with OR (95%CI) of 1.48 (1.08-2.02) and OR (95%CI) of 1.64 (1.09-2.48) among non-smokers and OR (95%CI) of 2.68 (1.89-3.81) and OR (95%CI) of 3.23 (2.21-4.92) among smokers, respectively. Among carriers with 20541CT genotype, the ORs (95%CI) of risk with lung cancer for smoking <16, 16-28, or > 28 pack-years were 1.16(0.65-2.07), 1.66(0.98-2.82) and 5.01(3.31-7.58) compared with the 20541CC carriers. And among carriers with 20541CT genotype, the ORs (95%CI) were 0.86(0.33-2.20), 2.12(0.83-5.41) and 5.71(2.68-12.16). These results highlight apoptosis-related CASP3 as an important gene in human carcinogenesis and further support the CASP3 polymorphisms confer to the lung cancer susceptibility.

Induction of ROS Overload by Alantolactone Prompts Oxidative DNA Damage and Apoptosis in Colorectal Cancer Cells.

Cancer cells typically display higher than normal levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which may promote cancer development and progression but may also render the cancer cells more vulnerable to further ROS insult. Indeed, many of the current anticancer therapeutics kill cancer cells via induction of oxidative stress, though they target both cancer and normal cells. Recently, alantolactone (ATL), a natural sesquiterpene lactone, has been shown to induce apoptosis by increasing ROS levels specifically in cancer cells; however, the molecular mechanisms linking ROS overproduction to apoptosis remain unclear. Here we show that the ATL-induced ROS overload in human SW480 and SW1116 colorectal cancer cells was followed by a prominent accumulation of cellular oxidized guanine (8-oxoG) and immediate increase in the number of DNA strand breaks, indicating that increased ROS resulted in extensive oxidative DNA damage. Consequently, the G1/S-CDK suppresser CDKN1B (p21) and pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and activated caspase-3 were upregulated, while anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 was downregulated, which were followed by cell cycle arrest at G1 and marked apoptosis in ATL-treated cancer but not non-cancer cells. These results suggest that the ATL-induced ROS overload triggers cell death through induction of massive oxidative DNA damage and subsequent activation of the intrinsic apoptosis pathway.