Far-infrared radiation alleviates cisplatin-induced vascular damage and impaired circulation via activation of HIF-1α

Advances in far-infrared research: therapeutic mechanisms of disease and application in cancer detection

Far infrared (FIR) irradiation is commonly used as a convenient, non-contact, non-invasive treatment for diseases such as myocardial ischemia, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease. In this review, we focus on reviewing the potential therapeutic mechanisms of FIR and its cutting-edge applications in cancer detection. Firstly, we searched the relevant literature in the last decade for systematic screening and briefly summarized the biophysical properties of FIR. We then focused on the possible mechanisms of FIR in wound healing, cardiovascular diseases, and other chronic diseases. In addition, we review recent applications of FIR in cancer detection, where Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and infrared thermography provide additional diagnostic methods for the medical diagnosis of cancer. Finally, we conclude and look into the future development of FIR for disease treatment and cancer detection. As a high-frequency non-ionizing wave, FIR has the advantages of safety, convenience, and low cost. We hope that this review can provide biological information reference and relevant data support for those who are interested in FIR and related high-frequency non-ionizing waves, to promote the further application of FIR in the biomedical field.

HIF-1α promotes kidney organoid vascularization and applications in disease modeling

BACKGROUND

Kidney organoids derived from human pluripotent stem cells (HiPSCs) hold huge applications for drug screening, disease modeling, and cell transplanting therapy. However, these applications are limited since kidney organoid cannot maintain complete morphology and function like human kidney. Kidney organoids are not well differentiated since the core of the organoid lacked oxygen, nutrition, and vasculature, which creates essential niches. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 α (HIF-1α) serves as a critical regulator in vascularization and cell survival under hypoxia environment. Less is known about the role of HIF-1α in kidney organoids in this regard. This study tried to investigate the effect of HIF-1α in kidney organoid vascularization and related disease modeling.

METHODS

For the vascularization study, kidney organoids were generated from human induced pluripotent stem cells. We overexpressed HIF-1α via plasmid transfection or treated DMOG (Dimethyloxallyl Glycine, an agent for HIF-1α stabilization and accumulation) in kidney progenitor cells to detect the endothelium. For the disease modeling study, we treated kidney organoid with cisplatin under hypoxia environment, with additional HIF-1α transfection.

RESULT

HIF-1α overexpression elicited kidney organoid vascularization. The endothelial cells and angiotool analysis parameters were increased in HIF-1α plasmid-transfected and DMOG-treated organoids. These angiogenesis processes were partially blocked by VEGFR inhibitors, semaxanib or axitinib. Cisplatin-induced kidney injury (Cleaved caspase 3) was protected by HIF-1α through the upregulation of CD31 and SOD2.

CONCLUSION

We demonstrated that HIF-1α elicited the process of kidney organoid vascularization and protected against cisplatin-induced kidney organoid injury in hypoxia environment.

An integrative review of nonobvious puzzles of cellular and molecular cardiooncology

Oncologic patients are subjected to four major treatment types: surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. All nonsurgical forms of cancer management are known to potentially violate the structural and functional integrity of the cardiovascular system. The prevalence and severity of cardiotoxicity and vascular abnormalities led to the emergence of a clinical subdiscipline, called cardiooncology. This relatively new, but rapidly expanding area of knowledge, primarily focuses on clinical observations linking the adverse effects of cancer therapy with deteriorated quality of life of cancer survivors and their increased morbidity and mortality. Cellular and molecular determinants of these relations are far less understood, mainly because of several unsolved paths and contradicting findings in the literature. In this article, we provide a comprehensive view of the cellular and molecular etiology of cardiooncology. We pay particular attention to various intracellular processes that arise in cardiomyocytes, vascular endothelial cells, and smooth muscle cells treated in experimentally-controlled conditions in vitro and in vivo with ionizing radiation and drugs representing diverse modes of anti-cancer activity.

Cisplatin causes erectile dysfunction by decreasing endothelial and smooth muscle content and inducing cavernosal nerve senescence in rats

INTRODUCTION

Cisplatin (cis-diamminedichloroplatinum II, CDDP), a drug widely used for cancer worldwide, may affect erectile function, but its side effects have not received enough attention. To investigate the effect of CDDP on erectile function and its possible mechanism.

METHODS

Sprague-Dawley rats were intraperitoneally administered CDDP (CDDP group) or the same volume of normal saline (control group). Erectile function was evaluated after a one-week washout. Then, histologic changes in the corpus cavernosum and cavernous nerve (CN) were measured. Other Sprague-Dawley rats were used to isolate the major pelvic ganglion and cavernous nerve (MPG/CN). RSC96 cells were then treated with CDDP. SA-β-gal staining was used to identify senescent cells, and qPCR was used to detect the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Finally, the supernatant of RSC96 cells was used to culture MPG/CN. Erectile function was measured after administration of CDDP. The cavernosum levels of α-SMA, CD31, eNOS, and γ-H2AX, the apoptosis rate and the expression of p16, p21 and p53 in CN were also assayed. The senescent phenotype of RSC96 cells treated with CDDP was identified, and neurite growth from the MPG/CN was photographed and measured.

RESULTS

The CDDP group had a significantly lower ICP/MAP ratio than the control group. Compared to the control group, the CDDP group exhibited significantly lower α-SMA, CD31 and eNOS levels and significantly higher γ-H2AX and apoptosis rates in corpus cavernosum. In addition, CDDP increased some senescence markers p16, p21 and p53 in CN. In vitro, CDDP induced RSC96 senescence and SASP, and the supernatant of senescent cells slowed neurite outgrowth of MPG/CN.

DISCUSSIONS

CDDP treatment could induce erectile dysfunction, by affecting the content of endothelial and smooth muscle and causing SASP in CN. The results indicate that CDDP treatment should be considered as a risk factor for ED. Clinicians should pay more attention to the erectile function of cancer patients who receive CDDP treatment.