Genomic and transcriptomic characterization of the human glioblastoma cell line AHOL1

In Vitro Cytotoxic Effects and Mechanisms of Action of Eleutherine Isolated from Eleutherine plicata Bulb in Rat Glioma C6 Cells

Gliomas are the most common primary malignant brain tumors in adults, and have a poor prognosis, despite the different types of treatment available. There is growing demand for new therapies to treat this life-threatening tumor. Quinone derivatives from plants have received increased interest as potential anti-glioma drugs, due to their diverse pharmacologic activities, such as inhibiting cell growth, inflammation, tumor invasion, and promoting tumor regression. Previous studies have demonstrated the anti-glioma activity of Eleutherine plicata, which is related to three main naphthoquinone compounds-eleutherine, isoeleutherine, and eleutherol-but their mechanism of action remains elusive. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of action of eleutherine on rat C6 glioma. In vitro cytotoxicity was evaluated by MTT assay; morphological changes were evaluated by phase-contrast microscopy. Apoptosis was determined by annexin V-FITC-propidium iodide staining, and antiproliferative effects were assessed by wound migration and colony formation assays. Protein kinase B (AKT/pAKT) expression was measured by western blot, and telomerase reverse transcriptase mRNA was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Eleutherine reduced C6 cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner, suppressed migration and invasion, induced apoptosis, and reduced AKT phosphorylation and telomerase expression. In summary, our results suggest that eleutherine has potential clinical use in treating glioma.

Repeated Cycles of Binge-Like Ethanol Exposure Induces Neurobehavioral Changes During Short- and Long-Term Withdrawal in Adolescent Female Rats

Alcohol consumption is spread worldwide and can lead to an abuse profile associated with severe health problems. Adolescents are more susceptible to addiction and usually consume ethanol in a binge drinking pattern. This form of consumption can lead to cognitive and emotional disorders, however scarce studies have focused on long-term hazardous effects following withdrawal periods after binge drinking in adolescents. Thus, the present study aims at investigating whether behavioral and cognitive changes persist until mid and late adulthood. Female Wistar rats (9-10 animals/group) received intragastric administration of four cycles of ethanol binge-like pattern (3.0 g/kg/day, 20% w/v; 3 days-on/4 days-off) from 35^th to 58^th days old, followed withdrawal checkpoints 1 day, 30 days, and 60 days. At each checkpoint period, behavioral tests of open field, object recognition test, elevated plus maze, and forced swimming test were performed, and blood and hippocampus were collected for oxidative biochemistry and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels analysis, respectively. The results demonstrated that adolescent rats exposed to binge drinking displayed anxiogenic- and depressive-like phenotype in early and midadulthood, however, anxiety-like profile persisted until late adulthood. Similarly, short-term memory was impaired in all withdrawal periods analysed, including late adult life. These behavioral data were associated with oxidative damage in midadulthood but not BDNF alterations. Taken together, the present work highlights the long-lasting emotional and cognitive alterations induced by ethanol binge drinking during adolescence, even after a long period of abstinence, which might impact adult life.

High SPIN4 Expression Is Linked to Advanced Nodal Status and Inferior Prognosis in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), characterized by the infiltration of lymphocytes, is a malignancy derived from the epithelium of the nasopharynx. Despite its sensitivity to radiation and chemotherapy, NPC has a high propensity for recurrence and metastasis. Although lymph node levels have been indicated as an independent prognostic factor for NPC, there has been no precise prognostic biomarker to predict clinical outcomes for NPC before advanced disease. In the present study, we surveyed differentially expressed genes in NPC via the next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based Oncomine database and identified the spindlin family member 4 (SPIN4) gene as the most relevant to advanced nodal status. We collected 124 tumor samples from NPC patients receiving biopsy, and the expression level of SPIN4 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. The results showed that tumors with high SPIN4 expression were significantly correlated with advanced nodal status (p < 0.001) and advanced AJCC stages (p < 0.001). High SPIN4 expression in tumor samples was an unfavorable prognostic factor for all three endpoints at the univariate level: disease-specific survival (DSS), distal metastasis-free survival (DMeFS), and local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) (all p < 0.05). High SPIN4 expression remained independently prognostic of worse DMeFS (p = 0.049) at the multivariate level. Using bioinformatics analysis, we further found that high SPIN4 level may link tight junctions to cancer cell survival. Collectively, these results imply that high SPIN4 expression is linked to an aggressive clinical course, including advanced nodal status and poor survival in NPC patients, emphasizing the promising prognostic utility of SPIN4 expression.