Double deficiency of cathepsin B and L in the mouse pancreas alters trypsin activity without affecting acute pancreatitis severity

BackgroundPremature intracellular trypsinogen activation has long been considered a key initiator of acute pancreatitis (AP). Cathepsin B (CTSB) activates trypsinogen, while cathepsin L (CTSL) inactivates trypsin(ogen), and both proteins play a role in the onset of AP.MethodsAP was induced by 7 hourly intraperitoneal injections of cerulein (50 μg/kg) in wild-type and pancreas-specific conditional Ctsb knockout (Ctsb^Δpan), Ctsl knockout (Ctsl^Δpan), and Ctsb;Ctsl double-knockout (Ctsb^Δpan;Ctsl^Δpan) mice. Pancreatic samples were collected and analyzed by histology, immunohistochemistry, real-time PCR, and immunoblots. Trypsin activity was measured in pancreatic homogenates. Peripheral blood was collected, and serum amylase activity was measured.ResultsDouble deletion of Ctsb and Cstl did not affect pancreatic development or mouse growth. After 7 times cerulein injections, double Ctsb and Ctsl deficiency in mouse pancreases increased trypsin activity to the same extent as that in Ctsl-deficient mice, while Ctsb deficiency decreased trypsin activity but did not affect the severity of AP. Ctsb^Δpan;Ctsl^Δpan mice had comparable serum amylase activity and histopathological changes and displayed similar levels of proinflammatory cytokines, apoptosis, and autophagy activity compared with wild-type, Ctsb^Δpan, and Ctsl^Δpan mice.ConclusionDouble deletion of Ctsb and Ctsl in the mouse pancreas altered intrapancreatic trypsin activity but did not affect disease severity and inflammatory response after cerulein-induced AP.     

Recent advances in lipid nanoparticles for delivery of nucleic acid,mRNA, and gene editing-based therapeutics

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are becoming popular as a means of delivering therapeutics, including those based on nucleic acids and mRNA. The mRNA-based coronavirus disease 2019 vaccines are perfect examples to highlight the role played by drug delivery systems in advancing human health. The fundamentals of LNPs for the delivery of nucleic acid- and mRNA-based therapeutics, are well established. Thus, future research on LNPs will focus on addressing the following: expanding the scope of drug delivery to different constituents of the human body, expanding the number of diseases that can be targeted, and studying the change in the pharmacokinetics of LNPs under physiological and pathological conditions. This review article provides an overview of recent advances aimed at expanding the application of LNPs, focusing on the pharmacokinetics and advantages of LNPs. In addition, analytical techniques, library construction and screening, rational design, active targeting, and applicability to gene editing therapy have also been discussed.     

放疗干预对宫颈癌荷瘤小鼠的抑瘤作用及对Th1/Th2免疫细胞比例的影响

目的探讨放疗干预对宫颈癌荷瘤小鼠的抑瘤作用及其对辅助性T细胞1(Th1)/Th2细胞比例的影响。方法建立宫颈癌荷瘤小鼠模型,随机分为荷瘤组和放疗组,每组各10只,另设对照组10只。放疗组进行放疗干预14天,荷瘤组和对照组不治疗。放疗后4、6、8、10、12、14天测量肿瘤体积;末次治疗后,ELISA法测定血清干扰素-γ(IFN-γ)、白介素-2(IL-2)、IL-4、IL-10含量;计算抑瘤率、胸腺指数和脾脏指数;HE染色观察肿瘤组织学变化;TUNEL染色观察肿瘤组织细胞凋亡情况;流式细胞术检测脾脏Th1/Th2细胞比例;RT-qPCR和Western blot检测脾脏T盒子转录因子(T-bet)、GATA结合蛋白3(GABA-3)mRNA和蛋白表达。结果与荷瘤组比较,放疗组小鼠4、6、8、10、12、14天肿瘤体积及瘤质量减小,血清IL-2、IFN-γ升高,IL-4、IL-10降低,胸腺指数、脾脏指数升高,Th1细胞比例、Th1/Th2增加,Th2细胞比例减少,T-bet mRNA和蛋白及T-bet/GATA-3表达升高,GATA-3 mRNA和蛋白表达降低(P<0.05)。HE染色显示,荷瘤组肿瘤细胞数量较多,核大深染,无明显坏死;放疗组肿瘤细胞数量减少,出现大量坏死组织。TUNEL染色显示,荷瘤组TUNEL阳性细胞较少,放疗组TUNEL阳性细胞明显增多。结论放疗对宫颈癌荷瘤小鼠具有明显抑瘤作用,可能是通过调节T-bet/GATA-3表达,促进Th1/Th2分化平衡,增强机体免疫功能发挥作用。     

携带同源重组修复相关基因突变的消化道肿瘤的临床特点

目的:探讨消化道肿瘤中同源重组修复相关基因(homologous recombination repair related gene，HRR)突变的发生情况及临床意义。方法:共92例消化道肿瘤患者，79例患者进行了血液标本HRR检测，53例患者进行了组织标本HRR检测，40例患者同时行血液和组织的HRR基因检测，收集患者基因检测结果及临床相关资料。结果:在79例患者血液标本检测中发现10例（12.6%）有临床意义HRR突变，在53例患者组织标本检测中发现9例（17.0%）有临床意义HRR突变。40例同时行血液和组织的HRR基因检测患者中常见的有临床意义HRR突变为CDK12突变4例（10.0%）、ATM突变3例（7.5%）、BRCA1突变2例（5.0%）。13例有临床意义HRR突变患者中常见共存突变为TP53突变10例（76.9%）、APC突变5例（38.5%）、PIK3CA突变4例（30.8%）。40例患者中13例患者血液和/或组织中有临床意义HRR突变，27例患者血液和组织中均无任何临床意义HRR突变且两组相比，有临床意义HRR突变组肿瘤突变负荷（tumor mutational burden，TMB）为6.17(2.24～11.52)，而未携带HRR突变组TMB为0.4(0～3.75)，差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。40例患者组织检测中7例HRR有临床意义的突变，33例无HRR突变，血液检测中10例HRR有临床意义的突变，30例无HRR突变，一致性检验的Kappa值为0.333（P=0.031）。结论:携带有临床意义HRR突变的消化道肿瘤患者TMB更高，血液和组织检测HRR突变有较好的一致性。     

基于转录组测序方法研究加替沙星对小鼠的肝损伤作用

目的： 探讨加替沙星（GAT）对小鼠肝脏的损伤作用及其机制。方法： 选取32只SPF级雄性昆明小鼠作为研究对象，随机分为4组：低、中、高剂量（分别为25、50、100 mg/kg） GAT组和对照组。给药体积按10 mL/kg，连续灌胃给药7 d，对照组给予对应体积的生理盐水。通过检测各组小鼠血清中的谷丙转氨酶（ALT）、谷草转氨酶（AST）、碱性磷酸酶（AKP）、肌酐（CRE）和甘油三酯（TG）浓度，初步评价加替沙星导致的小鼠肝组织损伤。进一步利用转录组测序技术检测各组小鼠肝脏的基因表达谱，筛选差异表达基因，对差异基因进行基因本体论（GO）功能分类，并采用京都基因与基因组百科全书（KEGG）数据库进行信号通路富集分析。结果： 与对照组比较，高剂量GAT组小鼠肝脏质量显著降低（P<0.01）；低、中剂量GAT组肝脏系数显著降低（P<0.01）；低、中剂量GAT组小鼠血清ALT浓度显著降低（P<0.05或0.01）；低剂量GAT组小鼠血清AST浓度显著降低（P<0.01）。与对照组比较，中剂量GAT组共筛选出27个差异表达基因（包括20个上调基因，7个下调基因）。GO功能分类提示这些基因主要富集在免疫系统、多细胞生物、多生物及生殖过程等17个生物过程中。KEGG通路分析提示差异基因主要富集于脂质代谢、萜类化合物和聚酮化合物的代谢等22条通路中。结论： GAT可导致小鼠肝功能发生变化，并通过影响小鼠肝脏内胆汁酸和胆固醇等内分泌系统和脂质代谢等的平衡，造成肝组织损伤。     

脐带间充质干细胞分泌的外泌体对骨性关节炎模型大鼠的镇痛作用

目的观察脐带间充质干细胞分泌的外泌体对骨性关节炎模型大鼠疼痛行为、软骨修复及背根神经节(DRG)中转录激活因子3(ATF-3)及生长相关蛋白43(GAP-43)表达的影响, 并探讨外泌体治疗关节炎疼痛的可能机制。方法采用随机数字表法将54只雄性SD大鼠分为假手术组、模型组和外泌体组, 每组18只, 除假手术组外, 其余2组均于左后肢膝关节腔注射4 mg/50 μl单碘乙酸钠(MIA)建立疼痛模型, 假手术组大鼠关节腔注射50 μl生理盐水作为对照。造模14天后, 假手术组和模型组大鼠左后肢膝关节腔注射50 μl生理盐水, 外泌体组大鼠注射50 μl外泌体。于造模前1天、造模后第7、14天及给药后第7、14、28天对各组大鼠机械痛阈和热痛阈进行测定;于测试后取出相应时间点DRG, 采用免疫蛋白印迹法检测ATF-3及GAP-43表达情况;并取出相应时间点各组大鼠膝关节, 采用苏木素伊红(HE)染色检测软骨修复情况。结果与模型组比较, 外泌体组在给药后第7天时, 机械痛阈值及热痛阈值均明显增加, 直到给药后第28天时差异均具有统计学意义(P<0.05);DRG水平ATF-3蛋白表达显著...     

PARP7 negatively regulates the type I interferon response in cancer cells and its inhibition triggers antitumor immunity

1. Download : Download high-res image (204KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image