鞘氨醇激酶1对结肠癌细胞血管生成拟态的影响及其机制

目的:研究鞘氨醇激酶1(sphingosine kinase1,Sphk1)对人结肠癌HT-29细胞生成血管拟态(vasculogenic mimicry,VM)的影响及其可能的机制.方法:将人结肠癌HT-29细胞分为Sphk1抑制组、Sphk1激活组、对照组.Sphk1抑制组加入N,N-二甲基鞘氨醇(N,N-dimethyl-D-erythro-sphingosine,DMS)50μmol/L;Sphk1激活组加入佛波醇-12-豆蔻酸酯-13-乙酸酯(phorbol12-myristate-13-acetate,PMA)100nmol/L;对照组加入等量的培养基.采用MTT法检测细胞生长增殖;透射电镜观察细胞形态学变化;Matrigel三维培养法观察VM形成能力;Transwell小室模型观察细胞侵袭迁移能力的变化,QT-PCR、Western blot及ELISA技术检测血管内皮生长因子(vascular endothelial growth factor,VEGF)的表达.结果:DMS显著抑制细胞的增殖、侵袭、迁移并促进细胞凋亡;透射电镜可见典型的凋亡特征;三维培养中不能形成管状VM;明显减弱VEGFmRNA及蛋白表达.PMA则显著促进HT-29细胞的增殖、侵袭、迁移并抑制细胞的凋亡;透射电镜可观察到细胞增殖特征;促进三维培养中管状VM的形成;明显增强VEGFmRNA及蛋白表达.对照组、DMS组及PMA组的侵袭细胞数:112.00±6.25vs57.00±8.00,142.00±5.57;迁移细胞数:69.33±4.04vs42.00±4.16,111.00±8.03;VEGFmRNA表达量:1.000vs0.740±0.122,1.220±0.075;VEGF蛋白表达:0.39±0.05vs0.23±0.02,0.65±0.06;VEGF蛋白分泌:103.00±8.96vs63.89±8.44,201.01±17.93,均P<0.05.结论:Sphk1可促进HT-29细胞增殖、侵袭、迁移并抑制细胞的凋亡,诱导VM的形成,其机制可能是通过增强结肠癌细胞的侵袭迁移能力并促进VEGF表达而发挥作用.     

Variability in hemoglobin A1c predicts all-cause mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes

BackgroundTo evaluate the relationship between hemoglobin A1c variability and all-cause mortality in type 2 diabetic patients.MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study in type 2 diabetic patients followed for at least 2 years between 2003 and 2009. A1C variability was determined from the standard deviation or coefficient of variation of serial A1C values (A1C_SD or A1C_CV). Subjects were categorized into either the high or low A1C variability group according to their A1C_CV median. Hazard ratios (HRs) of various factors for all-cause mortality were determined from Cox's proportional hazard models.ResultsA total of 881 subjects (422 men, 459 women) were included and 73 (8.3%) died during follow-up. The follow-up period was 4.7 ± 2.3 years. All-cause mortality was higher in subjects with high A1C_CV (11.0% vs. 5.4%, p = 0.002). In the Kaplan–Meier failure curve, subjects with higher A1C_CV demonstrated a trend of higher mortality (p = 0.1). In multivariate Cox's proportional hazards models, A1C_SD and A1C_CV significantly predicted all-cause mortality with an HR of 1.987 (p = 0.02) and 1.062 (p = 0.013), respectively, after adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, duration of diabetes, mean systolic blood pressure, use of antihypertensives and statins, mean LDL-cholesterol, smoking status, chronic kidney disease, and mean A1C values (A1C_MEAN). The ability of A1C_SD and A1C_CV to predict all-cause mortality was more evident in subjects with relatively low A1C_MEAN.ConclusionsA1C variability is an important risk factor for all-cause mortality in type 2 diabetic patients.     

The influence of network structure on the transport of blood in the human cerebral microvasculature

In this article, we explore how the structural properties of miniature networks influence the transport of blood through the human cerebral microvasculature. We propose four methods for generating such networks, and investigate both how the resulting network properties match available experimental data from the human cortex and how these properties affect the flow of blood through the networks. As the nature of such microvascular flow patterns is inherently random, we run multiple simulations. We find that the modified spanning tree method produces artificial networks having characteristics closest to those of the microvasculature in human brain, and also allows for high network flow passage per unit material cost, being statistically significantly better than three other methods considered here. Such results are potentially extremely valuable in interpreting experimental data acquired from humans and in improving our understanding of cerebral blood flow at this very small length scale. This could have a significant impact on improving clinical outcomes for vascular brain diseases, particularly vascular dementia, where localized flow patterns are very important.     

Advanced glycation end-products induce injury to pancreatic beta cells through oxidative stress

AimThis study evaluated the direct effects of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) on pancreatic β cells, including cellular viability, generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and insulin secretion, and also looked for the main source of ROS in INS-1 cells and the possible molecular mechanism(s) of cell injury by AGEs.MethodsINS-1 cells were cultured with 100, 200 and 500 mg/L of AGEs for specific periods of time. Cell apoptosis was determined by ELISA and real-time PCR assays. ROS were detected by DCFH-DA and MitoSOX Red probes with a flow cytometer, NADPH oxidase activity was measured by lucigenin chemiluminescence and MAPK phosphorylation was measured by Western blot tests.ResultsBoth cell apoptosis and ROS generation increased in AGE-treated cells in a dose-dependent way, and both the mitochondrial electron transport chain and NADPH oxidase pathway participated in ROS generation, although the role of the mitochondrial pathway was earlier and more important. AGEs exerted a toxic effect on insulin secretion that could be largely reversed by inhibiting ROS.ConclusionAGEs injured INS-1 cells by oxidative stress mainly through the mitochondrial pathway, although the JNK and p38 MAPK signaling pathways were also key modulators in ROS-mediated β-cell death.     

Circulating endothelial cells and their progenitors in systemic lupus erythematosus and early rheumatoid arthritis patients

Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate the endothelial progenitor cell population in SLE and early RA patients and its potential relationships with disease features and cytokine serum levels. Methods. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), mature EPCs (mEPCs) and endothelial cells (ECs) were measured in peripheral blood samples from 83 SLE and 85 early RA patients and 39 healthy controls by flow cytometry on the basis of CD34, VEGF receptor 2 and CD133 expression. Serum levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17, VEGF-A, IFN-α, TGF-β and GM-CSF were quantified by immunoassays. Clinical and immunological data were obtained by reviewing clinical histories. Results. Circulating EPCs were increased in SLE but not in early RA patients associated with an enhanced CD34(+) bone marrow-progenitor cell release but unrelated to disease features. The amount of mEPCs, however, was significantly higher in SLE patients presenting anti-SSA/SSB antibodies and/or malar rash, whereas the presence of specific autoantibodies was associated with EC counts in early RA and SLE patients. As expected, most cytokines tested were altered in both diseases but, interestingly, IFN-α levels, and to a lesser extent IL-6 and IL-1β, were associated with CD133 loss and increased mEPC number, whereas VEGF and TGF-β seem to exert an opposite effect. Conclusion. Our results show that high IFN-α levels and/or the presence of disease-specific antibodies may identify a group of SLE patients with increased mEPC and EC counts, and consequently probably defective endothelial repair, thus supporting their use as surrogate biomarkers of endothelial damage and high cardiovascular risk.