TRAIL与羟基喜树碱联用协同杀伤人肺腺癌A549细胞

目的：探讨羟基喜树碱与肿瘤坏死因子相关凋亡诱导配体（tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis inducing ligand，TRAIL）联用对肺腺癌A549细胞是否具有协同杀伤作用，并对其机制进行初步研究。方法：MTT法检测细胞毒性作用，流式细胞仪检测细胞凋亡和线粒体膜电位，Western blot分析bcl-2和bcl-xl蛋白水平变化。结果：单用100ng／mL TRAIL，4、40和400μg／mL羟基喜树碱对A549细胞杀伤率分别为13．9％、3．0％、23．4％和76．7％，联合用药的抑制率分别为43．6％、52．5％和83．1%。100ng／mL TRAIL和4μg/mL羟基喜树碱有协同作用，可使细胞线粒体膜电住降低，但不影响bcl-2和bcl-xl蛋白表达。结论：TRAIL与羟基喜树碱联用对肺腺癌A549细胞有明显的协同杀伤作用，其机制可能与羟基喜树碱降低A549细胞线粒体膜电位有关。     

超负荷心肌肥厚心肌细胞的凋亡和增殖

在超负荷心肌肥厚过程中存在心肌细胞的凋亡和增殖,心肌细胞的凋亡可能是代偿性肥厚向心衰转变的决定因素,凋亡的发生机制涉及外在因素和一些内源性细胞通路。另一方面,心肌肥厚中既有心肌细胞的肥大,亦存在心肌细胞的增殖,心肌细胞的增殖与细胞周期素(Cyclin)、细胞周期依赖激酶(Cdk)、Cdk抑制因子(CdkI)、bcl2、p53及端粒等因子有关,心肌细胞的凋亡和增殖通过一些因子相关联。     

Combined screening of thymocytes using apoptosis-specific cDNA array and promoter analysis yields novel gene targets mediating TCDD-induced toxicity.

We have used pathway-specific cDNA arrays coupled with analysis of gene promoter regions to identify novel genes that may mediate the toxic effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) in the thymus. C57BL/6 mice were injected ip with 50 microg/kg TCDD, and 3, 6, or 24 h later, RNA was extracted from the thymus and subjected to microarray analysis. Several members of the TNF and TNFR family were induced following TCDD exposure, including receptor/ligand pairs Ltbeta-R/LIGHT, OX40/OX40L and TNF-alpha/TNFR1. In addition, Fas and CD30 were also upregulated. Pro-apoptotic bcl-2 gene family members Bax and Hrk, among others, were also induced, as were pro-survival bcl-2 family genes Bcl-x and Bcl-w. Cell-cycle regulator p21Cip1 was also induced. In addition, we analyzed the promoter regions of genes induced by TCDD for the presence of dioxin-responsive elements (DREs). The Fas and LIGHT gene promoters were found to contain DREs as analyzed by Matinspector Web-based search algorithm. Furthermore, binding of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) to the DREs present on these genes was confirmed by chromatin immunoprecipitation. Given that several of the genes, including Fas, LIGHT, and CD30 are involved in negative selection of T cells in the thymus, our studies suggest that TCDD-induced upregulation of these genes may enhance negative selection leading to thymic atrophy.     

Effects of GM-CSF, IL-3, and GM-CSG/IL-3 fusion protein on apoptosis of human myeloid leukemic cell line Tf-1 induced by irradiation

AIM: To observe the effects of three cytokines on the apoptosis of Tf-1 cells induced by y irradiation and investigate the relationship between apoptosis and caspase-3 activity. METHODS: Different cytokines GM-CSF, IL-3 and GM-CS/IL-3 fusion protein were added into the irradiated Tf-1 cells. MTT assay, morphology, flow cytometry, and DNA fragmentation assay were used to observe the effects of cytokines on apoptosis. The caspase-3 activity was determined with a fluorocytometer. RESULTS: Irradiated Tf-1 cells showed typical morphological characteristic of apoptosis demonstrated by transmission electron microscopy and were accumulated in G0/G1 phase. In the groups treated with growth factors after irradiation, three cytokines significantly increased the viability rate, distinctly decreased the apoptosis rate and the proportion of DNA fragmentation. When Tf-1 cells were irradiated by y     

17-β雌二醇对缺氧诱导人脐静脉内皮细胞凋亡的影响

流行病学资料[1]提示雌激素对心血管系统有保护作用,其确切机制尚不十分清楚.缺氧能引起血管内皮细胞功能异常:一氧化氮(NO)下降和内皮素(ET-1)上升,同时能够加速血管内皮细胞的凋亡,并参与一系列的临床病理过程[2].本研究拟探讨缺氧对人脐静脉内皮细胞(HUVECs)功能和凋亡的影响,17-β雌二醇(E2)对上述影响是否有保护作用.     

Exploring the anticancer activities of novel bioactive compounds derived from endophytic fungi: mechanisms of action,current challenges and future perspectives

Cancer is the second leading cause of death all around the world. The natural compounds derived from the endophytic flora of fungi are possible solutions to cancer treatment because they are safe for health, cost-effective, biocompatible and have fewer toxicity issues. The active ingredients in endophytic fungi that are responsible for anti-cancer activities are alkaloids, terpenoids, glycosides, saponin, peptides, steroids, phenols, quinones, and flavonoids. This review highlights the anti-cancer activities of entophytic fungus against human papillary thyroid carcinoma (IHH4), human pancreatic (PANC-1), ovarian (OVCAR-3), hepatic (HepG2), lung (A-549), human lymphoma (U937), human skin carcinoma (A431), breast (MCF-7), and Kaposi’s sarcoma. The emerging evidence suggested that bioactive compounds isolated from endophytic fungi showed their anti-cancer activities by revealing the disturbance of the microtubule network caused by increased levels of Bax and Bcl-2 proteins that triggers cell cycle arrest at the G2-M phase, by inhibiting the DNA replication via binding with topoisomerase II, by regulating the activity of extracellular signal-regulated kinase and NF-kB, by evaluating the levels of p21, p27, and cyclins B/D1/E that led to cell death by apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. This review will assist readers in better comprehending bioactive chemicals and the beneficial interaction between the fungal endophytes and medicinal plants.     

Role of phloretin as a sensitizer to TRAIL-induced apoptosis in colon cancer

Phloretin is one of the apple polyphenols with anticancer activities. Since tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) serves important roles in inducing apoptosis, the present study examined the effect of phloretin on TRAIL-induced apoptosis in colon cancer cells. Treatment with both phloretin and TRAIL markedly suppressed the survival of cancer cells from several colon cancer cell lines compared with that of cells treated with either TRAIL or phloretin. Additionally, decreased numbers of colonies were observed following addition of phloretin and TRAIL. Furthermore, TRAIL- and phloretin-treated HT-29-Luc cells exhibited decreased luciferase activity. Increased apoptosis was observed in phloretin- and TRAIL-treated HT-29-Luc colon cancer cells, accompanying elevated levels of cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, and caspase-3, −8 and −9. The expression levels of MCL1 apoptosis regulator BCL2 family member (Mcl-1) were decreased following addition of phloretin in colon cancer cells. In addition, overexpression of Mcl-1 in phloretin- and TRAIL-treated HT-29-Luc cells resulted in increased cell survival. Treatment of HT-29-Luc cells with a combination of cycloheximide (CHX) and phloretin led to a more prominent decrease in Mcl-1 expression compared with that in cells treated with CHX alone, while Mcl-1 expression was recovered by treatment with MG132. Binding of ubiquitin with Mcl-1 was verified using immunoprecipitation. Intraperitoneal injection of both TRAIL and phloretin into tumor xenografts was associated with a decreased tumor volume compared with that following injection with either TRAIL or phloretin. Overall, the present results suggest a synergistic effect of phloretin on TRAIL-induced apoptosis in colon cancer cells.     

Neuroprotective Effects of Cranberry Juice Treatment in a Rat Model of Parkinson’s Disease

Rich in polyphenols, cranberry juice (CJ) with high antioxidant activity is believed to contribute to various health benefits. However, our knowledge of the neuroprotective potential of cranberries is limited. Previously, we have demonstrated that CJ treatment controls oxidative stress in several organs, with the most evident effect in the brain. In this study, we examined the capability of CJ for protection against Parkinson’s disease (PD) in a rotenone (ROT) rat model. Wistar rats were administered with CJ in a dose of 500 mg/kg b.w./day (i.g.) and subcutaneously injected with ROT (1.3 mg/kg b.w./day). The experiment lasted 45 days, including 10 days pre-treatment with CJ and 35 days combined treatment with CJ and ROT. We quantified the expression of α-synuclein and apoptosis markers in the midbrain, performed microscopic examination, and assessed postural instability to evaluate the CJ neuroprotective effect. Our results indicate that the juice treatment provided neuroprotection, as evidenced by declined α-synuclein accumulation, Bax and cleaved/active caspase-9 expression, and normalized cytochrome c level that was accompanied by the enhancement of neuronal activity survival and improved postural instability. Importantly, we also found that long-term administration of CJ alone in a relatively high dose may exert a deleterious effect on cell survival in the midbrain.     

Quercetin improves contrast-induced acute kidney injury through the HIF-1α/lncRNA NEAT1/HMGB1 pathway

ContextThe risk of contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) is increasing and the harm is great. Quercetin is the main active component in Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medik (Malvaceae) and was reported to reduce the expression of HIF-1α.ObjectiveWe investigate whether quercetin improves the CI-AKI through the HIF-1α/lncRNA NEAT1/HMGB1 pathway.Materials and methodsHK-2 cells were treated with iohexol (200 mg/mL) for 6 h to establish a CI-AKI model. Quercetin (20 μM) was administered to CI-AKI cells cultured in dishes for 24 h. Cell morphology was observed by a fluorescence microscope. MTT and TUNEL assays were used to detect cell survival rate and apoptosis. Relative mRNA levels were measured by qRT-PCR. Protein levels were detected using western blotting. IL-6 and TNF-α protein levels were tested by Elisa assay. Targeting binding sites of HIF-1α and lncRNA NEAT1 were detected by luciferase assay.ResultsThe IC₅₀ value of quercetin was 163.25 μM. The expression levels of HIF-1α, lncRNA NEAT1 and HMGB1 were upregulated in the CI-AKI cell model. Quercetin diminished cell injury and apoptosis via inhibiting HIF-1α. Silencing of HIF-1α targeting lncRNA MEAT1 diminished cell injury and apoptosis. Silencing lncRNA NEAT1 has the same effect via suppressing HMGB1 expression. Collectively, quercetin diminished cell injury and apoptosis in CI-AKI cell model via the inhibition of HIF-1α on lncRNA NEAT1/HMGB1 signalling pathway.Discussion and conclusionsQuercetin diminished cell injury and apoptosis in CI-AKI cell mode via the inhibition of HIF-1α on the lncRNA NEAT1/HMGB1 signalling pathway, offering a potential novel therapeutic target for CI-AKI therapy.