miR-122 Inhibits Hepatocarcinoma Cell Progression by Targeting LMNB2

In the present study, we investigated the role of miR-122 in hepatocarcinoma progression and explored the mechanism. In hepatocarcinoma tissues and cells, we used qRT-PCR to validate the miR-122 expression level. Next, we used colony formation by crystal violet staining assay to compare cell proliferation ability, and we used scratch test or Transwell assay to compare cell migration or invasion ability. We then conducted bioinformatics or luciferase reporter gene assay to prove the regulation effect of miR-122 on lamin B2 (LMNB2), and the biological function of LMNB2 was analyzed. We used nude mouse tumorigenicity assay to test the inhibition effect of miR-122 ASO therapy against hepatocarcinoma. miR-122 was reduced in hepatocarcinoma tissues compared to the paracarcinoma tissues, which was relatively low or high in hepatocarcinoma cell line SMMC7721 or Hep3B, and overexpressed miR-122 inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion in hepatocarcinoma cells. Additionally, some reports showed that LMNB2 was regulated by miR-122, which inhibited the expression of LMNB2. Moreover, LMNB2 functioned to promote cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. We could achieve the inhibition of hepatocarcinoma using miR-122 therapy through decreasing LMNB2 expression in vivo. Our data indicated that miR-122 could inhibit hepatocellular carcinoma cell progression by targeting LMNB2 and as a therapeutic target for hepatocarcinoma treatment.     

“龙虎交战”针法针刺八脉交会穴对偏头痛患者头痛天数及血清CGRP表达的影响＊

目的 观察“龙虎交战”针法针刺八脉交会穴对无先兆偏头痛（Migraine without aura，MO）患者头痛天数及外周血降钙素基因相关肽（Calcitonin gene related peptide，CGRP）表达水平的影响。方法 按照头痛程度将90例MO受试者区层随机分为治疗Ⅰ组、治疗Ⅱ组和对照组各30例。治疗Ⅰ组施以“龙虎交战”针法针刺八脉交会穴（外关和足临泣），治疗Ⅱ组施以平补平泻针法针刺八脉交会穴（外关和足临泣），对照组施以平补平泻针法针刺非经非穴点，每次留针30分钟，5次/周，共治疗20次。于治疗前、治疗结束4周后的随访分别记录三组患者头痛天数的变化情况以判定疗效，并采集患者治疗前、治疗结束4周后随访的肘部静脉血用ELISA法检测血清中的CGRP含量的变化。结果 ①各组治疗前患者的头痛天数无显著差异（Ｐ > 0.05），治疗Ⅰ组、治疗Ⅱ组和对照组治疗结束4周后随访的头痛天数较治疗前均显著降低（Ｐ < 0.05）；治疗Ⅰ组头痛天数的降低显著优于治疗Ⅱ组和对照组（Ｐ < 0.001），治疗Ⅱ组头痛天数的降低显著优于对照组（Ｐ < 0.05）；②3组治疗前CGRP的表达无显著差异，治疗Ⅰ组、治疗Ⅱ组治疗结束4周后随访CGRP的表达较治疗前均显著下降（Ｐ < 0.001），对照组治疗结束4周后随访CGRP的表达较治疗前差异无显著性（Ｐ > 0.05）；治疗Ⅰ组CGRP治疗结束4周随访的表达较治疗Ⅱ组和对照组均显著下降（Ｐ < 0.01），治疗Ⅱ组CGRP的表达较对照组显著下降（P < 0.01）。结论 ①八脉交会穴施以“龙虎交战”针法针刺能明显改善MO患者的头痛天数，同时降低MO患者血清CGRP的表达水平，这可能是针刺八脉交会穴治疗MO的机制之一；②非经非穴点的针刺效应无持续性，而八脉交会穴的针刺效应具有持续性；③八脉交会穴可以充分发挥复式针刺手法的治疗效应，提示我们在临床上治疗疾病时不仅要注意腧穴配伍，恰当的针刺手法更是提高临床疗效、事半功倍的关键。     

Helicobacter pylori induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition in gastric carcinogenesis via the AKT/GSK3β signaling pathway

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a main risk factor for gastric cancer (GC). Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is involved in the development and progression of H. pylori-associated GC. However, the exact molecular mechanism of this process remains unclear. The AKT/GSK3β signaling pathway has been demonstrated to promote EMT in several types of cancer. The present study investigated whether H. pylori infection induced EMT, and promoted the development and metastasis of cancer in the normal gastric mucosa, and whether this process was dependent on AKT activation. The expression levels of the EMT-associated proteins, including E-cadherin and N-cadherin, were determined in 165 gastric mucosal samples of different disease stages by immunohistochemical analysis. The expression levels of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, AKT, phosphorylated (p-)AKT (Ser473), GSK3β and p-GSK3β (Ser9) were further determined in H. pylori-infected Mongolian gerbil gastric tissues and cells co-cultured with H. pylori by immunohistochemical analysis and western blotting. The results indicated that the expression levels of the epithelial marker E-cadherin were decreased, whereas the expression levels of the mesenchymal marker N-cadherin were increased during gastric carcinogenesis. Their expression levels were associated with H. pylori infection. Furthermore, H. pylori infection resulted in downregulation of E-cadherin expression and upregulation of N-cadherin expression in Mongolian gerbils and GES-1 cells. In addition, an investigation of the associated mechanism of action revealed that p-AKT (Ser473) and p-GSK3β (Ser9) were activated in GES-1 cells following co-culture with H. pylori. Furthermore, following pretreatment of the cells with the AKT inhibitor VIII, the expression levels of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, p-AKT and p-GSK3β did not show significant differences between GES-1 cells that were co-cultured with or without H. pylori. The levels of p-AKT and p-GSK3β were increased in H. pylori-infected Mongolian gerbils. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that H. pylori infection activated AKT and resulted in the phosphorylation and inactivation of GSK3β, which in turn promoted early stage EMT. These effects were AKT-dependent. This mechanism may serve as a prerequisite for GC development.     

Necroptotic TNFα-Syndecan 4-TNFα Vicious Cycle as a Therapeutic Target for Preventing Temporomandibular Joint Osteoarthritis

Temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA) is a chronic degenerative disease for which the underlying mechanism still remains unclear. Compared with apoptosis and autophagy, necroptosis causes greater harm to tissue homeostasis by releasing damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). However, the role of necroptosis and downstream key DAMPs in TMJOA is unknown. Here, rodent models of TMJOA were established by the unilateral anterior crossbite (UAC). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and immunohistochemistry of receptor interacting protein kinase 3 (RIPK3)/phosphorylation of mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (pMLKL) were conducted to evaluate the occurrence of necroptosis in vivo. The therapeutic effects of blocking necroptosis were achieved by intra-articularly injecting RIPK3 or MLKL inhibitors and using RIPK3 or MLKL knockout mice. In vitro necroptosis of condylar chondrocyte was induced by combination of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases (SMAC) mimetics and carbobenzoxy-valyl-alanyl-aspartyl-[O-methyl]- fluoromethylketone (z-VAD-fmk). The possible DAMPs released by necroptotic chondrocytes were screened by quantitative proteomics and blocked by specific antibody. Translucent cytosol, swollen organelles, and ruptured cell membranes, features of necroptosis, were frequently manifested in chondrocytes at the early stage of condylar cartilage degeneration in TMJOA, which was accompanied by upregulation of RIPK3/pMLKL. Inhibiting or knocking out RIPK3/MLKL significantly prevented cartilage degeneration. DAMPs released by necroptotic condylar chondrocytes, such as syndecan 4 (SDC4) and heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), were verified. Furthermore, blocking the function of SDC4 significantly attenuated the expression of TNFα in cartilage and synovium, and accordingly increased cartilage thickness and reduced synovial inflammation. Thus, the necroptotic vicious cycle of TNFα-SDC4-TNFα contributes to cartilage degeneration and synovitis, and can serve as a potential therapeutic target for treating TMJOA. © 2022 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).     

Ethyl lactate as a potential green solvent to extract hydrophilic (polar) and lipophilic (non-polar) phytonutrients simultaneously from fruit and vegetable by-products

Phytonutrients extracted from natural resources are receiving much attention among researchers due to their highly antioxidative characteristics which prevent several degenerative diseases including cardiovascular diseases and cancers. These nutraceutical compounds can be used in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products as natural antioxidants, preservatives, colourants and functional foods. Huge volume of food wastes are generated from the processing industry and these low-value food residues are rich in various phytonutrients worth recovering. This approach of valorisation reduces the generation of food wastes and is cost-effective considering the cheap feedstock, reduced waste management expenses and high market value of extracted compounds. In light of the health and safety risks posed by commonly used organic extraction solvents derived from the petrochemical industry, there is a need to recover the phytonutrients using green, sustainable and efficient solvents that are safe for human consumption. This work discusses ethyl lactate as a safe, green, efficient and potentially cheap solvent to recover phytonutrients from fruit and vegetable by-products. Ethyl lactate is compared with other organic solvents commonly used from the aspects of safety, environmental impacts and efficiency. Current challenges when employing ethyl lactate are also discussed.