双吲哚马来酰亚胺衍生物L6诱导白血病细胞凋亡机制的研究

目的探讨双吲哚马来酰亚胺衍生物L6诱导白血病细胞的凋亡作用及其分子机制。方法采用MTT比色法检测L6对白血病细胞HEL、K562、KG1a的杀伤作用。流式细胞术检测L6对HEL细胞凋亡、周期和分化的影响。Western blotting法检测细胞凋亡相关蛋白的表达。通过体内实验研究L6治疗小鼠白血病的作用效果。结果 MTT比色法结果显示L6对HEL、K562、KG1a细胞具有比阳性对照米哚妥林(PKC412)更显著的抑制活性,半数抑制浓度(IC50)分别为(0.05±0.03)、(0.32±0.01)、(0.19±0.10)μmol/L。L6可以诱导HEL细胞发生凋亡和G2/M期阻滞,诱导HEL细胞向巨核细胞方向分化,且呈剂量效应。Western blotting检测结果表明L6主要通过激活Caspase-3执行细胞凋亡。小鼠肝组织苏木精-伊红(HE)染色显示肝组织内HEL细胞浸润有所减轻,但L6组减轻的效果更明显,表明其可延缓白血病细胞的转移,且效果优于米哚妥林。结论双吲哚马来酰亚胺衍生物L6有较强的抗白血病活性,为新型白血病药物的研发提供参考。     

SGLT1 inhibition boon or bane for diabetes-associated cardiomyopathy

Chronic hyperglycaemia is a peculiar feature of diabetes mellitus (DM). Sequential metabolic abnormalities accompanying glucotoxicity are some of its implications. Glucotoxicity most likely corresponds to the vascular intricacy and metabolic alterations, such as increased oxidation of free fatty acids and reduced glucose oxidation. More than half of those with diabetes also develop cardiac abnormalities due to unknown causes, posing a major threat to the currently available marketed preparations which are being used for treating these cardiac complications. Even though impairment in cardiac functioning is the principal cause of death in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D), reducing plasma glucose levels has little effect on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. In vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that inhibitors of sodium glucose transporter (SGLT) represent a putative therapeutic intervention for these pathological conditions. Several clinical trials have reported the efficacy of SGLT inhibitors as a novel and potent antidiabetic agent which along with its antihyperglycaemic activity possesses the potential of effectively treating its associated cardiac abnormalities. Thus, hereby, the present review highlights the role of SGLT inhibitors as a successful drug candidate for correcting the shifts in deregulation of cardiac energy substrate metabolism together with its role in treating diabetes-related cardiac perturbations.     

Chest radiography in acute aortic syndrome: pearls and pitfalls

Acute aortic syndrome is a group of life-threatening diseases of the thoracic aorta that usually present to the emergency department. It includes aortic dissection, aortic intramural hematoma, and penetrating aortic ulcer. Rare aortic pathologies of aorto-esophageal fistula and mycotic aneurysm may also be included in this list. All these conditions require urgent treatment with complex clinical care and management. Most patients who present with chest pain are evaluated with a chest radiograph in the emergency department. It is important that maximum diagnostic information is extracted from the chest radiograph as certain signs on the chest radiograph are extremely useful in pointing towards the diagnosis of acute aortic syndrome.     

Pharmacological modulation of C‐X‐C motif chemokine receptor 4 influences development of acute respiratory distress syndrome after lung ischaemia–reperfusion injury

Activation of C‐X‐C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) has been reported to result in lung protective effects in various experimental models. The effects of pharmacological CXCR4 modulation on the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) after lung injury, however, are unknown. Thus, we studied whether blockade and activation of CXCR4 influences development of ARDS in a unilateral lung ischaemia–reperfusion injury rat model. Anaesthetized, mechanically ventilated animals underwent right lung ischaemia (series 1, 30 minutes; series 2, 60 minutes) followed by reperfusion for 300 minutes. In series 1, animals were treated with vehicle or 0.7 μmol/kg of AMD3100 (CXCR4 antagonist) and in series 2 with vehicle, 0.7 or 3.5 μmol/kg ubiquitin (non‐cognate CXCR4 agonist) within 5 minutes of reperfusion. AMD3100 significantly reduced PaO₂/FiO₂ ratios, converted mild ARDS with vehicle treatment into moderate ARDS (PaO₂/FiO₂ ratio<200) and increased histological lung injury. Ubiquitin dose‐dependently increased PaO₂/FiO₂ ratios, converted moderate‐to‐severe into mild‐to‐moderate ARDS and reduced protein content of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Measurements of cytokine levels (TNFα, IL‐6, IL‐10) in lung homogenates and BALF showed that AMD3100 reduced IL‐10 levels in homogenates from post‐ischaemic lungs, whereas ubiquitin dose‐dependently increased IL‐10 levels in BALF from post‐ischaemic lungs. Our findings establish a cause‐effect relationship for the effects of pharmacological CXCR4 modulation on the development of ARDS after lung ischaemia–reperfusion injury. These data further suggest CXCR4 as a new drug target to reduce the incidence and attenuate the severity of ARDS after lung injury.