Transcriptomic and proteomic investigation of the ameliorative effect of total polyphenolic glycoside extract on hepatic fibrosis in Lamiophlomis rotata Kudo via the AGE/RAGE pathway

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

During the regression of liver fibrosis, a decrease in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) can occur through apoptosis or inactivation of activated HSCs (aHSCs). A new approach for antifibrotic therapy involves transforming hepatic myofibroblasts into a quiescent-like state. Lamiophlomis rotata (Benth.) Kudo (L. rotata), an orally available Tibetan herb, has traditionally been used to treat skin disease, jaundice, and rheumatism. In our previous study, we found that the total polyphenolic glycoside extract of L. rotata (TPLR) promotes apoptosis in aHSCs for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis. However, whether TPLR induces aHSCs to become inactivated HSCs (iHSCs) is unclear, and the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to examine the impact of TPLR on the phenotypes of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) during the regression of liver fibrosis and explore the potential mechanism of action.

METHODS

The effect of TPLR on the phenotypes of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) was assessed using immunofluorescence (IF) staining, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and Western blotting. Transcriptomic and proteomic methods were employed to identify the main signaling pathways involved. Based on the omics results, the likely mechanism of TPLR on the phenotypes of aHSCs was confirmed through overexpression and knockdown experiments in TGF-β1-activated LX-2 cells. Using a CCl4-induced liver fibrosis mouse model, we evaluated the anti-hepatic fibrosis effect of TPLR and explored its potential mechanism based on omics findings.

RESULTS

TPLR was found to induce the differentiation of aHSCs into iHSCs by significantly decreasing the protein expression of α-SMA and Desmin. Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses revealed that the AGE/RAGE signaling pathway plays a crucial role in the morphological transformation of HSCs following TPLR treatment. In vitro experiments using RAGE overexpression and knockdown demonstrated that the mechanism by which TPLR affects the phenotype of HSCs is closely associated with the RAGE/RAS/MAPK/NF-κB axis. In a model of liver fibrosis, TPLR obviously inhibited the generation of AGEs and alleviated liver tissue damage and fibrosis by downregulating RAGE and its downstream targets.

CONCLUSION

The AGE/RAGE axis plays a pivotal role in the transformation of activated hepatic stellate cells (aHSCs) into inactivated hepatic stellate cells (iHSCs) following TPLR treatment, indicating the potential of TPLR as a therapeutic agent for the management of liver fibrosis.

Naturally Derived Injectable Dual-Cross-Linked Adhesive Hydrogel for Acute Hemorrhage Control and Wound Healing

Developing biocompatible injectable hydrogels with high mechanical strength and rapid strong tissue adhesion for hemostatic sealing of uncontrolled bleeding remains a prevailing challenge. Herein, we engineer an injectable and photo-cross-linkable hydrogel based on naturally derived gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) and N-hydroxysuccinimide-modified poly(γ-glutamic acid) (γPGA-NHS). The chemically dual-cross-linked hydrogel rapidly forms after UV light irradiation and covalently bonds to the underlying tissue to provide robust adhesion. We demonstrate a significantly improved hemostatic efficacy of the hydrogel using various injury models in rats compared to the commercially available fibrin glue. Notably, the hydrogel can achieve hemostasis in porcine liver and spleen incision, and femoral artery puncture models. Moreover, the hydrogel is used for sutureless repair of the liver defect in a rat model with a significantly suppressed inflammatory response, enhanced angiogenesis, and superior healing efficacy compared to fibrin glue. Together, this study offers a promising bioadhesive for treating severe bleeding and facilitating wound repair.

How the chemical structure of phosphoramides affect the fire retardancy and mechanical properties of polylactide?

Phosphoramides, as a kind of high-efficient fire retardants, have been designed in many structures and endowed exceptional fire retardancy to polylactide (PLA). However, due to ignorance of the structure-property correlation, the effect of phosphoramides' structure on the fire retardancy and mechanical properties of PLA is still unclear. Herein, a series of biobased phosphoramides (phosphoramide (V1), linear polyphosphoramide (V2) and hyperbranched polyphosphamide (V3)) were designed and incorporated into PLA, and the structural effect of phosphoramides on the fire-retardant and mechanical properties of PLA was deeply researched. Among three kinds of phosphoramides, the hyperbranched polyphosphoramide is more effective than the corresponding linear polyphosphoramide and phosphoramide in improving the fire-retardant and anti-dripping properties of PLA, and only linear polyphosphoramide shows a positive effect in the mechanical strength of PLA. This work provides a feasible strategy for creating mechanically robust and fire-retardant polymer composites by molecularly tailoring the structure of fire retardants and uncovering their structure-property relationship.

Total iridoid glycoside extract of Lamiophlomis rotata (Benth) Kudo accelerates diabetic wound healing by the NRF2/COX2 axis

BACKGROUND

Lamiophlomis rotata (Benth.) Kudo (L. rotata), the oral Traditional Tibetan herbal medicine, is adopted for treating knife and gun wounds for a long time. As previously demonstrated, total iridoid glycoside extract of L. rotata (IGLR) induced polarization of M2 macrophage to speed up wound healing. In diabetic wounds, high levels inflammatory and chemotactic factors are usually related to high reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. As a ROS target gene, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2), influences the differentiation of monocytes to M1/M2 macrophages. Fortunately, iridoid glycosides are naturally occurring active compounds that can be used as the oxygen radical scavenger. Nevertheless, the influence of IGLR in diabetic wound healing and its associated mechanism is largely unclear.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

With macrophages and dermal fibroblasts in vitro, as well as a thickness excision model of db/db mouse in vivo, the role of IGLR in diabetic wound healing and the probable mechanism of the action were investigated.

RESULTS

Our results showed that IGLR suppressed oxidative distress and inflammation partly through the NRF2/cyclooxygenase2 (COX2) signaling pathway in vitro. The intercellular communication between macrophages and dermal fibroblasts was investigated by the conditioned medium (CM) of IGLR treatment cells. The CM increased the transcription and translation of collagen I (COL1A1) and alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) within fibroblasts. With diabetic wound mice, the data demonstrated IGLR activated the NRF2/KEAP1 signaling and the downstream targets of the pathway, inhibited COX2/PEG2 signaling and decreased the interaction inflammatory targets of the axis, like interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), interleukin 6 (IL-6), apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (ASC), cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase1 (caspase1) and NOD-like receptor-containing protein 3 (NLRP3).In addition, the deposition of COL1A1, and the level of α-SMA, and Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) obviously elevated, whereas that of pro-inflammatory factors reduced in the diabetic wound tissue with IGLR treatment.

CONCLUSION

IGLR suppressed oxidative distress and inflammation mainly through NRF2/COX2 axis, thus promoting paracrine and accelerating wound healing in diabetes mice.

Conditioned Media from Deer Antler Stem Cells Effectively Alleviate Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Possibly via Inhibiting the NF-κB Signaling Pathway

BACKGROUND

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) represents a severe threat to human health. Persistent hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia can lead to damaged liver function, while effective interventions for these complications are currently lacking. Deer antler stem cells (AnSCs), a novel type of adult stem cells, significantly reduced liver injury, which was speculated to be achieved through the paracrine pathway.

METHODS

In this study, AnSC-conditioned medium (AnSC-CM) was used to treat C57BL/6 mice with T1D symptoms induced by streptozotocin (STZ). The therapeutic effects of AnSC-CM on T1D were evaluated, and the underlying mechanism was investigated.

RESULTS

It was shown that AnSC-CM alleviated the T1D symptom: decreased body weight, increased blood glucose levels and islet lesions, and reduced insulin secretion. Moreover, AnSC-CM treatment improved liver function and mitigated liver injury in T1D mice. Impressively, the therapeutic effects of AnSC-CM on T1D were better than those of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-CM (BMSC-CM). The mechanistic study revealed that AnSC-CM significantly downregulated the NF-κB signaling pathway in both pancreatic and liver tissues.

CONCLUSIONS

Therapeutic effects of AnSC-CM on STZ-induced T1D and liver injury may be achieved through targeting the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Developing a Portable Fluorescence Imaging Device for Fish Freshness Detection

Rapid detection of fish freshness is of vital importance to ensuring the safety of aquatic product consumption. Currently, the widely used optical detecting methods of fish freshness are faced with multiple challenges, including low detecting efficiency, high cost, large size and low integration of detecting equipment. This research aims to address these issues by developing a low-cost portable fluorescence imaging device for rapid fish freshness detection. The developed device employs ultraviolet-light-emitting diode (UV-LED) lamp beads (365 nm, 10 W) as excitation light sources, and a low-cost field programmable gate array (FPGA) board (model: ZYNQ XC7Z020) as the master control unit. The fluorescence images captured by a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) camera are processed by the YOLOv4-Tiny model embedded in FPGA to obtain the ultimate results of fish freshness. The circuit for the YOLOv4-Tiny model is optimized to make full use of FPGA resources and to increase computing efficiency. The performance of the device is evaluated by using grass carp fillets as the research object. The average accuracy of freshness detection reaches up to 97.10%. Moreover, the detection time of below 1 s per sample and the overall power consumption of 47.1 W (including 42.4 W light source power consumption) indicate that the device has good real-time performance and low power consumption. The research provides a potential tool for fish freshness evaluation in a low-cost and rapid manner.

Rational design of ICD-inducing nanoparticles for cancer immunotherapy

Nanoparticle-based cancer immunotherapy has shown promising therapeutic potential in clinical settings. However, current research mainly uses nanoparticles as delivery vehicles but overlooks their potential to directly modulate immune responses. Inspired by the endogenous endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress caused by unfolded/misfolded proteins, we present a rationally designed immunogenic cell death (ICD) inducer named NanoICD, which is a nanoparticle engineered for ER targeting and retention. By carefully controlling surface composition and properties, we have obtained NanoICD that can effectively accumulate in the ER, induce ER stress, and activate ICD-associated immune responses. In addition, NanoICD is generally applicable to various proteins and enzymes to further enhance the immunomodulatory capacity, exemplified by encapsulating catalase (CAT) to obtain NanoICD/CAT, effectively alleviated immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and induced robust antitumor immune responses in 4T1-bearing mice. This work demonstrates engineered nanostructures' potential to autonomously regulate biological processes and provides insights into the development of advanced nanomedicines for cancer treatment.

Comparative lipidomics analysis of in vitro lipid digestion of sheep milk: Influence of homogenization and heat treatment

This study investigated the changes in sheep milk lipids during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion in response to heat treatment (75°C/15 s and 95°C/5 min) and homogenization (200/50 bar) using lipidomics. Homogenized and pasteurized sheep milk had higher levels of polar lipids in gastric digesta emptied at 20 min than raw sheep milk. Intense heat treatment of homogenized sheep milk resulted in a reduced level of polar lipids compared with homogenized-pasteurized sheep milk. The release rate of free fatty acids during small intestinal digestion for gastric digesta emptied at 20 min followed the order: raw ≤ pasteurized < homogenized-pasteurized ≤ homogenized-heated sheep milk; the rate for gastric digesta emptied at 180 min showed a reverse order. No differences in the lipolysis degree were observed among differently processed sheep milks. These results indicated that processing treatments affect the lipid composition of digesta and the lipolysis rate but not the lipolysis degree during small intestinal digestion.

Changes in brain susceptibility in Wilson's disease patients: a quantitative susceptibility mapping study

AIM

To assess changes in the susceptibility of the caudate nucleus (CN), putamen, and globus pallidus (GP) in patients with neurological and hepatic Wilson's disease (WD) by quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The brain MRI images of 33 patients diagnosed with WD and 20 age-matched controls were analysed retrospectively. All participants underwent brain T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and QSM imaging using a 1.5 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine. QSM maps were evaluated with the STISuite toolbox. The quantitative susceptibility levels of the CN, putamen, and GP were analysed using region of interest analysis on QSM maps. Differences among neurological WD patients, hepatic patients, and controls were determined.

RESULTS

Susceptibility levels were significantly higher for all examined structures (CN, putamen and GP) in patients with neurological WD compared with controls (all p<0.05) and hepatic WD patients (all p<0.05). No statistically significant differences were found in susceptibility levels between patients with hepatic WD and controls (all p>0.05).

CONCLUSION

The QSM technique is a valuable tool for detecting changes in brain susceptibility in WD patients, indicating abnormal metal deposition. Notably, the current findings suggest that neurological WD patients exhibit more severe susceptibility changes compared with hepatic WD patients. Therefore, QSM can be utilised as a complementary method to detect brain injury in WD patients.

Comparative lipidomics analysis of different-sized fat globules in sheep and cow milks

The effect of milk fat globule (MFG) size and species (sheep versus cow) on the lipid and protein compositions of sheep and cow milks was studied. The MFGs in raw cow and sheep milks were separated into six significantly different-sized (1.5-5.5 μm) groups by a gravity-based separation method, and their fatty acids, their lipidomes and the protein compositions of their MFG membranes were determined. The proportions of polar lipids increased but glycoproteins decreased with decreasing MFG size in both sheep milk and cow milk; the fatty acid composition showed few differences among the MFG groups. The average size of each MFG group was comparable between sheep milk and cow milk. Sheep milk contained higher proportions of short-chain fatty acids, medium-chain fatty acids and sphingomyelin than cow milk in all MFG groups. The proportion of glycoproteins was higher in cow MFG membrane than in sheep MFG membrane. The results suggested that the lipid and protein compositions were markedly species and size dependent.

Deep Learning for Automated Contouring of Primary Gross Tumor Volumes by MRI for Radiation Therapy of Brain Metastasis

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Radiotherapy is one of the most effective methods for the treatment of brain metastases (BMs). Traditional manual delineation of primary gross tumor volumes (GTV) of multiple BMs (especially small metastases) in radiotherapy practice is extremely labor intensive and highly dependent on oncologists' experience, achieving the precise and efficient automatic delineation of BMs is of great significance for efficient and homogeneous one-stop adaptive radiotherapy.

MATERIALS/METHODS

We retrospectively collected 62 MRI (non-enhanced T1-weighted sequences) sequences of 50 patients with BMs from January 2020 to July 2021. An automatic model (BUC-Net) for automatic delineation BMs was proposed in this work, which was based on deep learning by combining 3D bottler layer module and the cascade architecture to improve the accuracy and efficient of BMs' automatic delineation, especially for small metastases with tiny size and relatively low contrast. The prosed method was compared with the existing 3D U-Net (U-Net) and 3D U-Net Cascade (U-Net Cascade). The performance of our proposed method was evaluated by Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), 95% Hausdorff distance (HD95) and average surface distance (ASD) with human experts.

RESULTS

The automatic segmentation results of BUC-Net evaluated with 310 BMs in 13 test patients was summarized in Table 1. These BMs in each test patient were automatically delineated by two types of contours: as a whole tumor contour (Whole-delineation) and the multiple tumor contours (Multiple-delineation). BUC-Net performed the best mean DSC and HD95, which is significantly outperformed U-Net (Whole-delineation: 0.911 & 0.894 of DSC, Multiple-delineation: 0.794 & 0.754 of DSC, P < 0.05 for both) and U-Net cascade (Whole-delineation: 0.947 & 7.141 of HD95, Multiple-delineation: 0.902 & 1.171 of HD95, P < 0.05 for both); Additionally, BUC-Net achieved the best mean ASD for Whole-delineation and comparable ASD (0.290 & 0.277, P > 0) for Multiple-delineation with U-Net Cascade.

CONCLUSION

Our results showed that the proposed approach is promising for the automatic delineation of BMs in MRI, which can be integrated into a radiotherapy workflow to significantly shorten segmentation time.

[Experimental study on the molluscicidal activity of surfactin against Oncomelania hupensis]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the molluscicidal activity of surfactin against Oncomelania hupensis, so as to provide the experimental basis for use of Bacillus for killing O. hupensis.

METHODS

O. hupensis snails were collected from schistosomiasisendemic foci of Wuhu City on September 2022, and Schistosoma japonicum-infected snails were removed. Then, 60 snails were immersed in surfactin at concentrations of 2, 1, 0.5, 0.25, 0.125 mg/mL and 0.062 5 mg/mL for 24, 48, 72 hours at 26 °C, while ultrapure water-treated snails served as controls. The median lethal concentration (LC50) of surfactin against O. hupensis snails was estimated. O. hupensis snails were immersed in surfactin at a concentration of 24 h LC50 and ultrapure water, and then stained with propidium iodide (PI). The PI uptake in haemocyte was observed in O. hupensis snails using fluorescence microscopy.

RESULTS

The mortality of O. hupensis was 5.0% following immersion in surfactin at a concentration of 0.062 5 mg/mL for 24 h, and the mortality was 100.0% following immersion in surfactin at a concentration of 2 mg/mL for 72 h, while no snail mortality was observed in the control group. There were significant differences in the mortality of O. hupensis in each surfactin treatment groups at 24 (χ2 = 180.150, P < 0.05), 48 h (χ2 = 176.786, P < 0.05) and 72 h (χ2 = 216.487, P < 0.05), respectively. The average mortality rates of O. hupensis were 38.9% (140/360), 62.2% (224/360) and 83.3% (300/360) 24, 48 h and 72 h post-immersion in surfactin, respectively (χ2 = 150.264, P < 0.05), and the 24, 48 h and 72 h LC50 values of surfactin were 0.591, 0.191 mg/mL and 0.054 mg/mL against O. hupensis snails. Fluorescence microscopy showed more numbers of haemocytes with PI uptake in 0.5 mg/mL surfactintreated O. hupensis snails than in ultrapure water-treated snails for 24 h, and there was a significant difference in the proportion of PI uptake in haemocytes between surfactin-and ultrapure water-treated snails (χ2 = 6.690, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Surfactin is active against O. hupensis snails, which may be associated with the alteration in the integrity of haemocyte membrane.

Measurement and analysis of water ecological carrying capacity in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, China

Water ecological carrying capacity (WECC) is a crucial index for measuring regional sustainable development. To investigate the evolution of WECC in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB), this study constructed a comprehensive index system consisting of 23 indicators from six interconnected dimensions of water systems. The back propagation neural network (BPNN) model was used to quantify WECC in YREB from 2010 to 2021, and ArcGIS was utilized to visualize the distribution of WECC. To identify sensitive indicators under subsystems, sensitivity analysis was conducted based on the one-at-a-time (OAT) method. Additionally, time-series prediction of WECC was performed using the exponential smoothing (ES) method. Finally, the coupling coordinated degree (CCD) of subsystems in each province from 2010 to 2021 was calculated. The results indicated that the average WECC in YREB gradually increased from 2010 to 2021, with significant provincial differences. Sensitivity analysis revealed that R1, U2, Q4, S2, M3 and B1 had the most substantial impacts on the WECC of subsystems (Sub-CC). The fitting curve between the CCD and WECC showed that as CCD increased, the growth rate of WECC gradually slowed down. Based on these findings, relevant suggestions were proposed to improve WECC and promote the regional sustainable development in YREB.

A versatile control program for positioning and shooting targets in laser-plasma experiments

We introduce a LabVIEW-based control program that significantly improves the efficiency and flexibility in positioning and shooting solid targets in laser-plasma experiments. The hardware driven by this program incorporates a target positioning subsystem and an imaging subsystem, which enables us to install up to 400 targets for one experimental campaign and precisely adjust them in six freedom degrees. The overall architecture and the working modes of the control program are demonstrated in detail. In addition, we characterized the distributions of target positions of every target holder and simultaneously saved the target images, resulting in a large dataset that can be used to train machine learning models and develop image recognition algorithms. This versatile control system has become an indispensable platform when preparing and conducting laser-plasma experiments.

Mitigation effects and microbial mechanism of two ecological earthworms on the uptake of chlortetracycline and antibiotic resistance genes in lettuce

The contamination of greenhouse vegetable soils with antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), caused by the application of livestock and poultry manure, is a prominent environmental problem. In this study, the effects of two ecological earthworms (endogeic Metaphire guillelmi and epigeic Eisenia fetida) on the accumulation and transfer of chlortetracycline (CTC) and ARGs in a soil-lettuce system were studied via pot experiments. The results revealed that earthworm application accelerated the removal of the CTC from the soil and lettuce roots and leaves, with the CTC content reducing by 11.7-22.8 %, 15.7-36.1 %, and 8.93-19.6 % compared with that of the control, respectively. Both earthworms significantly reduced the CTC uptake by lettuce roots from the soil (P < 0.05) but did not change the CTC transfer efficiency from the roots to leaves. The high-throughput quantitative PCR results showed that the relative abundance of ARGs in the soil and lettuce roots and leaves decreased by 22.4-27.0 %, 25.1-44.1 %, and 24.4-25.4 %, respectively, with the application of earthworms. Earthworm addition decreased the interspecific bacterial interactions and the relative abundance of mobile genetic elements (MGEs), which helped reduce the dissemination of ARGs. Furthermore, some indigenous soil antibiotic degraders (Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium, Sphingobium, and Microbacterium) were stimulated by the earthworms. The results of redundancy analysis indicated that the bacterial community composition, CTC residues, and MGEs were the main parameters affecting the distribution of ARGs, accounting for 91.1 % of the total distribution. In addition, the bacterial function prediction results showed that the addition of earthworms reduced the abundance of some pathogenic bacteria in the system. Overall, our findings imply that earthworm application can substantially reduce the accumulation and transmission risk of antibiotics and ARGs in soil-lettuce systems, providing a cost-effective soil bioremediation practice for addressing antibiotic and ARGs contamination to guarantee the safety of vegetables and human health.

A binary pulsar in a 53-minute orbit

Spider pulsars are neutron stars that have a companion star in a close orbit. The companion star sheds material to the neutron star, spinning it up to millisecond rotation periods, while the orbit shortens to hours. The companion is eventually ablated and destroyed by the pulsar wind and radiation1,2. Spider pulsars are key for studying the evolutionary link between accreting X-ray pulsars and isolated millisecond pulsars, pulsar irradiation effects and the birth of massive neutron stars3-6. Black widow pulsars in extremely compact orbits (as short as 62 minutes7) have companions with masses much smaller than 0.1 M⊙. They may have evolved from redback pulsars with companion masses of about 0.1-0.4 M⊙ and orbital periods of less than 1 day8. If this is true, then there should be a population of millisecond pulsars with moderate-mass companions and very short orbital periods9, but, hitherto, no such system was known. Here we report radio observations of the binary millisecond pulsar PSR J1953+1844 (M71E) that show it to have an orbital period of 53.3 minutes and a companion with a mass of around 0.07 M⊙. It is a faint X-ray source and located 2.5 arcminutes from the centre of the globular cluster M71.

[Tumor cell lysate with low content of HMGB1 enhances immune response of dendritic cells against lung cancer in mice]

OBJECTIVE

To assess the effect of tumor cell lysate (TCL) with low high-mobility group B1 (HMGB1) content for enhancing immune responses of dendritic cells (DCs) against lung cancer.

METHODS

TCLs with low HMGB1 content (LH-TCL) and normal HMGB1 content (NH-TCL) were prepared using Lewis lung cancer (LLC) cells in which HMGB1 was inhibited with 30 nmol/L glycyrrhizic acid (GA) and using LLC cells without GA treatment, respectively. Cultured mouse DCs were exposed to different doses of NH-TCL and LH-TCL, using PBS as the control. Flow cytometry was used to detect the expressions of CD11b, CD11c and CD86 and apoptosis of the stimulated DCs, and IL-12 levels in the cell cultures were detected by ELISA. Mouse spleen cells were co-cultured with the stimulated DCs, and the activation of the spleen cells was assessed by detecting CD69 expression using flow cytometry; TNF-β production in the spleen cells was detected with ELISA. The spleen cells were then co-cultured with LLC cells at the effector: target ratios of 5:1, 10:1 and 20:1 to observe the tumor cell killing. In the animal experiment, C57/BL6 mouse models bearing subcutaneous LLC xenograft received multiple injections with the stimulated DCs, and the tumor growth was observed.

RESULTS

The content of HMGB1 in the TCL prepared using GA-treated LLC cells was significantly reduced (P < 0.01). Compared with NH-TCL, LH-TCL showed a stronger ability to reduce apoptosis (P < 0.001) and promote activation and IL- 12 production in the DCs. Compared with those with NH-TCL stimulation, the DCs stimulated with LH-TCL more effectively induced activation of splenic lymphocytes and enhanced their anti-tumor immunity (P < 0.05). In the cell co-cultures, the spleen lymphocytes activated by LH-TCL-stimulated DCs showed significantly enhanced LLC cell killing activity (P < 0.01). In the tumor-bearing mice, injections of LH-TCL-stimulated DCs effectively activated host anti-tumor immunity and inhibited the growth of the tumor xenografts (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Stimulation of the DCs with LH-TCL enhances the anti-tumor immune activity of the DCs and improve the efficacy of DCbased immunotherapy for LLC in mice.

Artesunate protects against ocular fibrosis by suppressing fibroblast activation and inducing mitochondria-dependent ferroptosis

Artesunate, a derivative from extracts of Artemisia annua, has recently been reported to alleviate fibrosis recently. Here, in this study, we sought to determine the anti-fibrosis effect of artesunate in rabbit glaucoma filtration surgery (GFS) model and illuminate underlying mechanisms. Our results showed that artesunate subconjunctival injection alleviated bleb fibrosis by inhibiting fibroblast activation and inducing ferroptosis. Further mechanistic investigation in primary human ocular fibroblasts (OFs) showed that artesunate abrogated fibroblast activation by inhibiting TGF-β1/SMAD2/3 and PI3K/Akt pathways and scavenged OFs by inducing mitochondria-dependent ferroptosis. Mitochondrial dysfunction, mitochondrial fission, and iron-dependent mitochondrial lipid peroxidation were observed in artesunate-treated OFs. Besides, mitochondria-localized antioxidants inhibited artesunate-induced cell death, suggesting a critical role of mitochondria in artesunate-induced ferroptosis. Our study also found that expression of mitochondrial GPX4 but no other forms of GPX4 was decreased after artesunate treatment and that mitochondrial GPX4 overexpression rescued artesunate-induced lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis. Other cellular ferroptosis defense mechanisms, including cellular FSP1 and Nrf2, were also inhibited by artesunate. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that artesunate protects against fibrosis through abrogation of fibroblast activation and induction of mitochondria-dependent ferroptosis in OFs, which may offer a potential treatment for ocular fibrosis.

The total iridoid glycoside extract of Lamiophlomis rotata Kudo induces M2 macrophage polarization to accelerate wound healing by RAS/ p38 MAPK/NF-κB pathway

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Lamiophlomis rotata (Benth.) Kudo (L. rotata), a Tibetan medicinal plant, is used to treat "yellow-water diseases", such as skin disease, jaundice and rheumatism. Our previous study showed that the iridoid glycoside extract of L. rotata (IGLR) is the major constituent of skin wound healing. However, the role of IGLR in the biological process of trauma repair and the probable mechanism of the action remain largely unknown.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To investigate the role of IGLR in the biological process of trauma repair and the probable mechanism of the action.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The role of IGLR in wound healing was investigated by overall skin wound in mice with Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) and Masson trichrome staining. The anti-inflammatory, angiogenesis-promoting and fibril formation effects of IGLR were visualized in wound skin tissue by immunofluorescence staining, and the proinflammatory factors and growth factors were assayed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Macrophages, dermal fibroblasts, and endothelial cells were cultured to measure the direct/indirect interaction effects of IGLR on the proliferation and migration of cells, and flow cytometry was employed to assess the role of IGLR on macrophage phenotype. Network pharmacology combined with Western blot experiments were conducted to explore possible mechanisms of the actions.

RESULTS

IGLR increased the expression of CD206 (M2 markers) through the RAS/p38 MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway during wound injury in vivo and in vitro. IGLR suppressed the inflammatory cytokines iNOS, IL-1β and TNF-α in the early stage of wound healing. During the proliferation step of wound repair, IGLR promoted angiogenesis and fibril formation by increasing the expression of VEGF, CD31, TGF-β and α-SMA in wound tissue, and similar results were verified by RT-PCR and ELISA. In a paracrine mechanism, the extract promoted the proliferation of dermal fibroblasts, and endothelial cells were founded by the conditioned medium (CM).

CONCLUSION

IGLR induced M2 macrophage polarization in the early stage of wound healing; in turn, IGLR played a key role in the transition from inflammation to cell proliferation during the biological process of wound healing.

Abstract 895: Tumor-wide neoantigen-specific T-cells infiltrating mutant IDH1 low-grade gliomas and persisting in peripheral blood allow for personalized TCR-based immunotherapies

BACKGROUND: The low mutational burden and immunologically “cold” microenvironment of mutant IDH1 low-grade gliomas (LGG) are considerable challenges facing immunotherapy against these tumor types. However, we hypothesize that LGG-targeting T-cells may exist at low frequency and with limited regional infiltration within the tumor. Multi-region tumor sampling coupled with high-throughput T-cell receptor (TCR) profiling across the LGG landscape detected neoantigen-specific T-cells that persisted in peripheral blood. TCR-engineered T-cells transduced with these TCRs demonstrated neoantigen-specific immunogenicity.

METHODS: Maximal-anatomical sampling of at least 10 distinct tumor regions were collected at the initial resection for three WHO Grade II diffuse astrocytoma patients for exome-based prediction of clonally and subclonally expressed neoantigens, RNAseq analysis of regional immune cell composition, and TCR beta deep sequencing. We used these predictions to generate a barcoded library of patient-specific peptide-HLA multimers loaded with predicted neoepitopes. With this library, neoantigen-specific CD8+ T-cells were captured and isolated from patient peripheral blood. Single cell TCR sequencing allowed us to identify the neoantigen-reactive TCR clonotypes which were transduced subsequently into Jurkat76 cell lines for functional validation.

RESULTS: We screened patient-derived peripheral blood drawn two years after initial resection in 3 mutant IDH1 LGG patients and detected a total of 20 TCR clonotypes recognizing neoepitopes derived from truncal, tumor-wide mutations in CNTNAP1 (n=8), TP53 (n=3), and MRPL46 (n=2) as well as subclonal mutations in PRMT5 (n=1) and ZDHHC5 (n=6). Multi-sampling RNAseq analysis indicated varying degrees of interpatient and intratumoral immune infiltration as well as distally located populations of neoantigen-reactive T-cells within the tumor, suggesting widespread migration of neoantigen-specific T-cells across the glioma landscape. We proceeded with TCR functional analysis for one patient (P375) with 5 detected TCR clonotypes recognizing neoantigens derived from mutations in PRMT5, MRPL46, and TP53. Jurkat76 cells transduced with the mutant-PRMT5-specific TCR demonstrated a neoantigen-specific immune response when co-cultured with mutant-PRMT5 pulsed-antigen presenting cells expressing HLA-A*0201 (T2 cells).

CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates the existence and persistence of neoantigen-targeting T-cells within the blood and tumor of mutant IDH1 LGG patients. We identified a TCR clonotype that successfully recognizes and induces an immune response against mutant-PRMT5. These findings suggest a feasible methodology to develop personalized T-cell-based immunotherapies for patients with mutant IDH1 LGGs.

Citation Format: Darwin W. Kwok, Michael Y. Zhang, Cliff Wang, Nicholas Stevers, Tyler Borrman, Zheng Pan, Benjamin Yuen, Songming Peng, Diana Nguyen, Michael Martin, Chibo Hong, Stephanie Hilz, Joanna Phillips, Anny Shai, Nancy Ann Oberheim Bush, Shawn Hervey-Jumper, Michael McDermott, Stefanie Mandl, Hideho Okada, Joseph Costello. Tumor-wide neoantigen-specific T-cells infiltrating mutant IDH1 low-grade gliomas and persisting in peripheral blood allow for personalized TCR-based immunotherapies [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 895.

Abstract 3125: TCR specificity prediction of circulating T cells and TILs in personalized adoptive neoTCR T cell therapy

Background: Adoptive T-cell therapies would benefit from accurate computational prediction of T cell receptor (TCR) specificity to its target antigen. Despite the diversity of complementarity determining region (CDR) among T cells, many sequence features of CDRs are conserved. Conserved CDR sequences allow for shared specificity, that is, recognition of the same antigen, potentially increasing the pool of candidate TCRs available for treating patients. Utilizing sequence similarity, enrichment of V-genes, CDR lengths, and evidence of clonal expansion, several computational algorithms have been developed to predict the specificity of TCRs. Using neoantigen-specific TCRs (neoTCRs) in our phase 1 clinical trial (NCT039703820), we investigated the shared specificity of TCRs in the context of personalized autologous T cell therapy for cancer patients.

Methods: Leveraging a high throughput TCR discovery and validation platform, neoantigen-specific T cells were isolated from patient peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and their neoTCR sequences were identified. RNA-seq was performed on tumor biopsies and TCR sequences derived from tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) were extracted using MiXCR software. TCR specificity algorithms TCRdist3, GLIPH2, and TCRmatch were then used to identify specificity groups within and between neoTCR sequences derived from patient PBMCs, TCR sequences derived from TILs, and publicly available TCR sequences of known specificities.

Results: NeoTCRs identified during our phase 1 clinical trial and their known neoantigens provided an experimentally validated benchmark for testing accuracy of TCR specificity prediction. TCR specificity algorithms accurately clustered neoTCR β chains into groups of shared antigen specificity. TCR chain sequences detected from TILs with high similarity to TCR sequences of neoTCRs from PMBCs were found, suggesting shared antigen specificity between circulating T cells and those found in the tumor. In addition, TCR specificity algorithms identified a public TCR sequence known to recognize an HPV-derived epitope presented by HLA-A*02:01 with high similarity to a TCR sequence identified in a tumor biopsy of an HPV16+ HLA-A*02:01+ patient with head and neck cancer.

Conclusion: Neoantigens and their associated neoTCRs identified by our TCR discovery and validation platform can be used as a benchmark for TCR specificity prediction algorithms. TCR specificity algorithms provide insight into TCRs with predicted shared specificity in the blood and within the tumor. Accurate identification of TIL TCRs with shared specificity to neoTCRs could inform on tumor trafficking and aid in therapeutic product selection. Similarly, accurate specificity matching of TIL TCRs to public TCRs with known targets could aid in identification of efficacious targets within the tumor.

Citation Format: Tyler Borrman, Eric Stawiski, Zheng Pan, Chad Smith, Susan Foy, Stefanie J. Mandl. TCR specificity prediction of circulating T cells and TILs in personalized adoptive neoTCR T cell therapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 3125.

Remodeling Tumor Immunogenicity with Dual-Activatable Binary CRISPR Nanomedicine for Cancer Immunotherapy

The specific recognition of cancer cells by the body's immune system is an essential step in initiating antitumor immunity. However, the decreased expression of major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-1) and overexpression of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) causes insufficient tumor-associated antigens presentation and inactivation of T cells, which accounts for poor immunogenicity. To remodel tumor immunogenicity, herein, a dual-activatable binary CRISPR nanomedicine (DBCN) that can efficiently deliver a CRISPR system into tumor tissues and specifically control its activation is reported. This DBCN is made of a thioketal-cross-linked polyplex core and an acid-detachable polymer shell, which can maintain stability during blood circulation, while detaching a polymer shell to facilitate the cellular internalization of the CRISPR system after entering tumor tissues and ultimately activating gene editing under exogenous laser irradiation, thereby maximizing the therapeutic benefits and reducing potential safety concerns. With the collaborative application of multiple CRISPR systems, DBCN efficiently corrects both dysregulation of MHC-1 and PD-L1 expression in tumors, thus initiating robust T cell-dependent antitumor immune responses to inhibit malignant tumor growth, metastasis, and recurrence. Given the increasing abundance of CRISPR toolkits, this research provides an appealing therapeutic strategy and a universal delivery platform to develop more advanced CRISPR-based cancer treatments.

Eupatilin Ameliorates Hepatic Fibrosis and Hepatic Stellate Cell Activation by Suppressing β-catenin/PAI-1 Pathway

The activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) has proved to be pivotal in hepatic fibrosis. Therefore, the suppression of HSC activation is an effective anti-fibrotic strategy. Although studies have indicated that eupatilin, a bioactive flavone found in Artemisia argyi, has anti-fibrotic properties, the effect of eupatilin on hepatic fibrosis is currently unclear. In this study, we used the human hepatic stellate cell line LX-2 and the classical CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis mouse model for in vitro and vivo experiments. We found that eupatilin significantly repressed the levels of the fibrotic markers COL1α1 and α-SMA, as well as other collagens in LX-2 cells. Meanwhile, eupatilin markedly inhibited LX-2 cell proliferation, as verified by the reduced cell viability and down-regulation of c-Myc, cyclinB1, cyclinD1, and CDK6. Additionally, eupatilin decreased the level of PAI-1 in a dose-dependent manner, and knockdown of PAI-1 using PAI-1-specific shRNA significantly suppressed the levels of COL1α1, α-SMA, and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) marker N-cadherin in LX-2 cells. Western blotting indicated that eupatilin reduced the protein level of β-catenin and its nuclear translocation, while the transcript level of β-catenin was not affected in LX-2 cells. Furthermore, analysis of histopathological changes in the liver and markers of liver function and fibrosis revealed that hepatic fibrosis in CCl4-treated mice was markedly alleviated by eupatilin. In conclusion, eupatilin ameliorates hepatic fibrosis and hepatic stellate cell activation by suppressing the β-catenin/PAI-1 pathway.

Non-viral precision T cell receptor replacement for personalized cell therapy

T cell receptors (TCRs) enable T cells to specifically recognize mutations in cancer cells1-3. Here we developed a clinical-grade approach based on CRISPR-Cas9 non-viral precision genome-editing to simultaneously knockout the two endogenous TCR genes TRAC (which encodes TCRα) and TRBC (which encodes TCRβ). We also inserted into the TRAC locus two chains of a neoantigen-specific TCR (neoTCR) isolated from circulating T cells of patients. The neoTCRs were isolated using a personalized library of soluble predicted neoantigen-HLA capture reagents. Sixteen patients with different refractory solid cancers received up to three distinct neoTCR transgenic cell products. Each product expressed a patient-specific neoTCR and was administered in a cell-dose-escalation, first-in-human phase I clinical trial ( NCT03970382 ). One patient had grade 1 cytokine release syndrome and one patient had grade 3 encephalitis. All participants had the expected side effects from the lymphodepleting chemotherapy. Five patients had stable disease and the other eleven had disease progression as the best response on the therapy. neoTCR transgenic T cells were detected in tumour biopsy samples after infusion at frequencies higher than the native TCRs before infusion. This study demonstrates the feasibility of isolating and cloning multiple TCRs that recognize mutational neoantigens. Moreover, simultaneous knockout of the endogenous TCR and knock-in of neoTCRs using single-step, non-viral precision genome-editing are achieved. The manufacture of neoTCR engineered T cells at clinical grade, the safety of infusing up to three gene-edited neoTCR T cell products and the ability of the transgenic T cells to traffic to the tumours of patients are also demonstrated.

Neoantigen-targeted CD8+ T cell responses with PD-1 blockade therapy

Neoantigens are peptides derived from non-synonymous mutations presented by human leukocyte antigens (HLAs), which are recognized by antitumour T cells1-14. The large HLA allele diversity and limiting clinical samples have restricted the study of the landscape of neoantigen-targeted T cell responses in patients over their treatment course. Here we applied recently developed technologies15-17 to capture neoantigen-specific T cells from blood and tumours from patients with metastatic melanoma with or without response to anti-programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1) immunotherapy. We generated personalized libraries of neoantigen-HLA capture reagents to single-cell isolate the T cells and clone their T cell receptors (neoTCRs). Multiple T cells with different neoTCR sequences (T cell clonotypes) recognized a limited number of mutations in samples from seven patients with long-lasting clinical responses. These neoTCR clonotypes were recurrently detected over time in the blood and tumour. Samples from four patients with no response to anti-PD-1 also demonstrated neoantigen-specific T cell responses in the blood and tumour to a restricted number of mutations with lower TCR polyclonality and were not recurrently detected in sequential samples. Reconstitution of the neoTCRs in donor T cells using non-viral CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing demonstrated specific recognition and cytotoxicity to patient-matched melanoma cell lines. Thus, effective anti-PD-1 immunotherapy is associated with the presence of polyclonal CD8+ T cells in the tumour and blood specific for a limited number of immunodominant mutations, which are recurrently recognized over time.

pH-dependent sedimentation and protein interactions in ultra-high-temperature-treated sheep skim milk

Sheep milk is considered unstable to UHT processing, but the instability mechanism has not been investigated. This study assessed the effect of UHT treatment (140°C/5 s) and milk pH values from 6.6 to 7.0 on the physical properties of sheep skim milk (SSM), including heat coagulation time, particle size, sedimentation, ionic calcium level, and changes in protein composition. Significant amounts of sediment were found in UHT-treated SSM at the natural pH (∼6.6) and pH 7.0, whereas lower amounts of sediment were observed at pH values of 6.7 to 6.9. The proteins in the sediment were mainly κ-casein (CN)-depleted casein micelles with low levels of whey proteins regardless of the pH. Both the pH and the ionic calcium level of the SSM at all pH values decreased after UHT treatment. The dissociation levels of κ-, β-, and α_S2-CN increased with increasing pH of the SSM before and after heating. The protein content, ionic calcium level, and dissociation level of κ-CN were higher in the SSM than values reported previously in cow skim milk. These differences may contribute to the high amounts of sediment in the UHT-treated SSM at natural pH (∼6.6). Significantly higher levels of κ-, β-, and α_S2-CN were detected in the serum phase after heating the SSM at pH 7.0, suggesting that less κ-CN was attached to the casein micelles and that more internal structures of the casein micelles may have been exposed during heating. This could, in turn, have destabilized the casein micelles, resulting in the formation of protein aggregates and high amounts of sediment after UHT treatment of the SSM at pH 7.0.

The total polyphenolic glycoside extract of Lamiophlomis rotata ameliorates hepatic fibrosis through apoptosis by TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

Hepatic fibrosis is characterized by the excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) which is mainly secreted by activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Lamiophlomis rotata (L. rotata) was recorded to treat jaundice in the traditional Tibetan medical system with the potential of hepatoprotection. However, the bioactivities and the possible mechanism of L. rotata on hepatic fibrosis is still largely unknown.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To investigate the anti-hepatic fibrosis effects of bioactivities in L. rotata and the probable mechanism of action.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Herein, total polyphenolic glycosides of L. rotata (TPLR) was purified with the selectivity adsorption resin and was analyzed by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q/TOF/MSⁿ). The anti-hepatic fibrosis effect of TPLR was evaluated by carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)-induced liver fibrosis, and was evaluated with the apoptosis of activated HSCs.

RESULTS

In total, sixteen compounds, including nine phenylpropanoids and six flavonoids, were identified in the UPLC-TOF-MSⁿ profile of the extracts. TPLR significantly ameliorated hepatic fibrosis in CCl₄-induced mice and inhibited HSCs proliferation, Moreover, TPLR notably increased the apoptosis of activated HSCs along with up-regulated caspase-3, -8, -9, and -10. Furthermore, TPLR inhibited TGF-β/Smad pathway ameliorating hepatic fibrosis though downregulation the expression of Smad2/3, Smad4, and upregulation the expression of Smad7 in vivo and in vitro. Simultaneously, the expression of fibronectin (FN), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and Collagen I (Col1α1) were decreased in tissues and in cells with TPLR administration.

CONCLUSION

These results initially demonstrated that TPLR has the potential to ameliorate hepatic fibrosis through an apoptosis mechanism via TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway.

A Choline Phosphoryl-Conjugated Chitosan/Oxidized Dextran Injectable Self-Healing Hydrogel for Improved Hemostatic Efficacy

The development of injectable hydrogels with good biocompatibility, self-healing, and superior hemostatic properties is highly desirable in emergency and clinical applications. Herein, we report an in situ injectable and self-healing hemostatic hydrogel based on choline phosphoryl functionalized chitosan (CS-g-CP) and oxidized dextran (ODex). The CP groups were hypothesized to accelerate hemostasis by facilitating erythrocyte adhesion and aggregation. Our results reveal that the CS-g-CP/ODex hydrogels exhibit enhanced blood clotting and erythrocyte adhesion/aggregation capacities compared to those of the CS/ODex hydrogels. The CS-g-CP₅₀/ODex₇₅ hydrogel presents rapid gelation time, good mechanical strength and tissue adhesiveness, satisfactory bursting pressure, and favorable biocompatibility. The hemostatic ability of the CS-g-CP₅₀/ODex₇₅ hydrogel was significantly improved compared to that of the CS/ODex hydrogel and commercial fibrin sealant in the rat tail amputation and liver/spleen injury models. Our study highlights the positive and synergistic effects of CP groups on hemostasis and strongly supports the CS-g-CP₅₀/ODex₇₅ hydrogel as a promising adhesive for hemorrhage control.

Responses of soil microbial communities to concentration gradients of antibiotic residues in typical greenhouse vegetable soils

To explore the responses of soil microbial communities to concentration gradients of antibiotic residues in soil, 32 soil samples were collected from a typical greenhouse vegetable production base in Northern China in 2019. The total concentrations of 26 antibiotic residues in these soil samples was 83.24-4237.93 μg·kg^-1, of which metabolites of tetracyclines were 23.34-1798.80 μg·kg^-1. The total concentrations in 32 samples were clustered into three levels (L: <100 μg·kg^-1, M: 100-300 μg·kg^-1, H: >300 μg·kg^-1) to elucidate the impacts of antibiotic residues on the diversity, structure, composition, function and antibiotic resistome of soil microbial community. Results showed that higher concentration of antibiotic residues in soil was prone to decrease the diversity and shift the structure and composition of soil microbial community. Antibiotic resistome occurred in soils with antibiotic residues exceeding 300 μg·kg^-1. Interactions among soil bacteria followed the order of H > L > M, consistent with the relative abundances of mobile genetic elements. Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes were the top attributors impacting the profile of antibiotics in soil. According to weighted comprehensive pollution index of risk quotient, in 28.1 % of soil samples the residual antibiotics presented high ecological risk, whereas in the rest of soil samples the ecological risk is medium. The results will enrich the database and provide references for antibiotic contamination control in soils of the region and alike.

Extracellular Vesicles Derived From 3D Cultured Antler Stem Cells Serve as a New Drug Vehicle in Osteosarcoma Treatment

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) from antler reserve mesenchymal (RM) cells play an important role in the paracrine regulation during rapid growth of antler without forming a tumor; therefore, RM-EVs become novel materials for anti-tumor studies, such as osteosarcoma treatment. However, the problem of low production of RM-EVs in traditional 2D culture limits its mechanism research and application. In this study, we established an optimal 3D culture system for antler RM cells to produce EVs (3D-RM-EVs). Morphology and property of harvested 3D-RM-EVs were normal compared with EVs from conventional 2D culture, and the miRNA profile in them was basically the same through transcriptome sequencing analysis. Based on the same number of RM cells, the volume of the culture medium collected by 3D cultural system concentrated nearly 30 times, making it more convenient for subsequent purification. In addition, EVs were harvested 30 times in 3D cultural system, greatly increasing the total amount of EVs (harvested a total of 2-3 times in 2D culture). Although 3D-RM-EVs had a limited inhibitory effect on the proliferation of K7M2 cells, the inhibition effect of 3D-RM-EVs loaded drugs (Ifosfamide + Etoposide) were more significant than that of positive drug group alone (P < 0.05). Furthermore, in vivo studies showed that 3D-RM-EVs loaded drugs (Ifosfamide + Etoposide) had the most significant tumor inhibition effect, with decreased tumor size, and could slow down body weight loss compared with Ifosfamide + Etoposide (IFO + ET) group. These results demonstrated that 3D-RM-EVs were efficiently prepared from antler RM cells and were effective as drug vehicles for the treatment of osteosarcoma.

Risk factors and predictive nomograms for early death of patients with pancreatic cancer liver metastasis: A large cohort study based on the SEER database and Chinese population

Background

The liver is the most common organ for distant metastasis of pancreatic cancer, and patients with pancreatic cancer liver metastases (PCLM) often die in a short period of time. As such, the establishment of an effective nomogram to predict the probability of early death (survival time ≤3 months) in PCLM patients is of considerable significance.

Methods

Patients diagnosed with PCLM in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result (SEER) database between 2010 and 2015 were included for model construction and internal validation. A data set was obtained from the Chinese population for external validation. Risk factors that contributed to all-cause and cancer-specific early death were determined by means of univariable and multivariable logistic regression. The accuracy of the nomogram was verified by means of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and the true consistency of the model was assessed by calibration curves. The clinical applicability of the model was evaluated by means of decision curve analysis (DCA).

Results

A total of 12,955 patients were included in the present study, of whom 7,219 (55.7%) experienced early death and 6,973 (53.8%) patients died of PCLM. Through multivariable logistic regression analysis, 11 risk factors associated with all-cause early death and 12 risk factors associated with cancer-specific early death were identified. The area under the curves (AUCs) for all-cause and cancer-specific early death were 0.806 (95% CI: 0.785- 0.827) and 0.808 (95% CI: 0.787- 0.829), respectively. Internal validation showed that the C-indexes of all-cause and cancer-specific early death after bootstrapping (5,000 re-samplings) were 0.805 (95% CI: 0.784-0.826) and 0.807 (95% CI: 0.786-0.828), respectively. As revealed by the calibration curves, the constructed nomograms exhibited good consistency. The decision curve analysis (DCA) indicated the nomograms had significant clinical applicability.

Conclusion

In the present study, reliable nomograms were developed for predicting the early death probability in patients with PCLM. Such tools can help clinicians identify high-risk patients and develop individualized treatment plans as early as possible.

Atractylenolide I Inhibits Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation and Promotes Apoptosis via Blocking the Janus Kinase 2/Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 Signaling Pathway

Bioactive agent Atractylenolide I (AT-1) has been shown to possess therapeutic value for treating various malignancies. The purpose of the current study is to clarify the potential effect of AT-1 on the development of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and to investigate relevant signaling pathways involved in its mechanism. MTT assay was used to assess the effect of different concentrations of AT-1 on cell survival rate in MCF-10A normal breast epithelial cell line and MDA-MB-231 TNBC cell line. Exogenous IL-6 and WP1066 respectively acted as the agonist and the inhibitor of JAK2/STAT3. Determination of MDA-MB-231 cell viability, proliferation and apoptosis employed MTT, colony formation assay and TUNEL. Western blotting was conducted to measure the expression of proliferation- and apoptosis-related proteins. The viability of MCF-10A cells was unaffected by AT-1, whereas in MDA-MB-231 cells the proliferation level was decreased and the apoptosis level was increased after AT-1 treatment. IL-6 partially restored the expression of AT-1-blocked JAK2/STAT3, and WP1066 inhibited JAK2/STAT3 expression in combination with IL-6 and AT-1. Furthermore, compared with the AT-1 group, co-incubation of IL-6 and AT-1 partially restored the proliferative capacity and reduced the apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells, while WP1066 reversed these effects in combination with IL-6 and AT-1. AT-1 suppressed proliferation and promoted apoptosis in TNBC cells likely through inhibiting the activation of JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. The findings from this study may provide guidance for future studies on AT-1 and theoretical basis of AT-1 pharmacological activities.

LncRNA BBOX1-AS1 promotes pituitary adenoma progression via sponging miR-361-3p/E2F1 axis

Pituitary adenoma is one of the most common intracranial tumors, more and more studies have shown that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) plays a very important role in pituitary adenoma. However, there are few reports on the function of lncRNA BBOX1-AS1 in pituitary adenomas, and further exploration is needed. The objective of this research is to figure out what function BBOX1-AS1 plays in pituitary adenoma and how it regulates it. The expression of the E2F1, miR-361-3p and BOX1-AS1 genes was measured using a quantitative real-time PCR method. The functional involvement of BBOX1-AS1 in pituitary adenoma was examined utilizing the Transwell assay, western blot assays and the cell counting kit-8. RNA immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assays revealed that miR-361-3p binds to E2F1 or BBOX1-AS1. In addition, in-vivo assays were carried out. The expression of BBOX1-AS1 in pituitary adenoma tissues and cells has been increased, according to our findings. Furthermore, it is also noted that downregulation of BBOX1-AS1causes the inhibition of pituitary adenoma cells which result in invasion, apoptosis and proliferation, as well as boosting tumor development in vivo . In addition, BBOX1-AS1 knockdown inhibited tumor development in vivo . We identify BBOX1-AS1 bind to miR-361-3p and to suppress its expression in a negative way. Moreover, miR-361-3p has been shown to bind with E2F1 and inhibit its expression. E2F1 also corrected miR-361-3p-mediated cell invasion, proliferation and apoptosis in BBOX1-AS1-dysregulated pituitary adenoma cells in rescue tests. BBOX1-AS1 increases pituitary adenoma malignant activity by sponging miR-361-3p to upregulate E2F1 expression, which may lead to a new path in pituitary adenoma therapeutic attempts.

Selenoprotein S regulates tumorigenesis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma through AKT/ GSK3β/NF-κB signaling pathway

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is one of the most lethal genitourinary tumors with rapid progression and metastasis. Selenoprotein S (SELS), which is broadly expressed in human tissues, has been reported to be involved in ER homeostasis and inflammation. However, the biological roles of SELS in ccRCC remain unclear. In this study, we found that SELS expression was significantly higher in ccRCC and correlated with multiple clinicopathological features. Overexpression of SELS could promote cell proliferation and inhibit apoptosis in 786-O cells, whereas silence of SELS elicited opposite effect. Further mechanistic studies revealed that SELS enhanced cell proliferation and inhibited apoptosis through activating AKT/GSK3β/NF-κB signaling pathway. Besides, SELS could stabilize c-Myc by preventing ubiquitin-proteasome-mediated degradation. Interestingly, we found that SELS could also inhibit migration of ccRCC cell likely through repressing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Collectively, our findings suggested that SELS promoted tumor progression, and inhibited apoptosis and migration through AKT/GSK3β/NF-κB signaling pathway and EMT in ccRCC.

ESG performance and stock prices: evidence from the COVID-19 outbreak in China

This paper investigates the role of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance in stock prices during the market financial crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We use the Chinese listed company data as the bases for adopting an event-study method to identify the impact of ESG performance on cumulative abnormal returns. Empirical results suggest that ESG performance significantly increases firms' cumulative abnormal returns and has asymmetric effects during the pandemic. Our results are robust to various robustness checks that consider the replacement of event window period, ESG measurement, adding other control variables, and sample exclusion of Hubei Province. We further find that reputation and insurance effects are important mechanisms through which ESG performance influences stock prices. Lastly, heterogeneous analyses show that ESG effects are considerably pronounced among firms with low human capital and bad image and in high-impact regions.

Hydrothermal method-assisted synthesis of self-crosslinked all-lignin-based hydrogels

Lignin, as the most abundant aromatic biopolymer, is being widely studied to replace phenol and some other petroleum-based materials in the polymer industry. However, the low substitution of lignin and high levels of additives greatly limited the applications of lignin-based materials. Herein, we first propose a simple but effective hydrothermal method assisted synthesis for the fabrication of self-crosslinked lignin-based hydrogels (Lig-Scgel) with super-high-contents (75 wt%) of lignin and controllable mechanical properties. The self-crosslink mechanism was inspired by the repolymerization of lignins under a hydrothermal environment. The employment of self-condensation of lignin subunits in the synthesis of Lig-Scgel can significantly improve the degree of crosslinking, thereby greatly reducing the addition of toxic crosslinkers. The appearances, microstructures, crosslink densities, and mechanical properties of Lig-Scgels can be well controlled by simply altering the hydrothermal temperatures. This strategy not only promotes green and large-scale applications of lignin but also provides insights in the development of environment-friendly polymeric materials.

Abstract 2757: Correlates of peptide-HLA manufacturing success, TCR capture and neoTCR trafficking from patients using the PACTImmune࣪ Database

PACT Pharma uses a state-of-the-art approach to predict and validate neoepitopes (neoEs) and their cognate T cell receptors (neoTCRs) by capturing neoE-specific T cells from peripheral blood. This neoTCR discovery and validation process is being applied in a clinical trial (NCT03970382) evaluating personalized neoTCR-T cell therapy in solid tumors. The PACTImmune Database (PIDB) accumulates extensive pre-, on- and post-treatment data related to this trial. Here we present PIDB data on the prediction of peptide-HLA manufacturing success, as well as correlates of success of neoTCR capture and neoTCR T cell tumor trafficking, all of which have direct applications for prospective patient enrollment and treatment.

The PIDB contains distinct data sets on our neoTCR platform that we examined for predictive capabilities for three distinct applications. The first application was predicting manufacturing success rates of our single chain trimer (comPACT) which consists of the predicted neoE peptide together with B2M and the HLA heavy chain. Using multiple linear regression (MLR), we built a model predicting success rates of comPACT protein manufacturing (defined as comPACT protein yields &gt;detection threshold) and compared it to prediction based solely on expressed tumor mutation burden (eTMB). Using univariate analysis, we compared variables between patients with 3 neoTCRs selected versus those with 0 neoTCRs. Finally, using principal component analysis (PCA) we evaluated if the PIDB neoantigen and TCR characteristics correlate with neoTCR T cell trafficking in patients (n=4) dosed with neoTCR T cells. Trafficking was determined by sequencing (neoTCR specific reads) and in some cases, IHC/RNAScope imaging of post-dosing biopsies.

MLR analysis of comPACT protein expression data resulted in significant improvement in comPACT manufacturing success rate predictions (R2=0.66, P&lt;&lt;0.001). These predictions were better than using eTMB alone (R2=0.33, P&lt;&lt;0.001). Patients with 3 neoTCRs selected had a significantly higher number of comPACTs and mutations covered by those comPACTs as compared to 0 neoTCR patients (P=0.004 and 0.002, respectively). All four patients demonstrated trafficking of neoTCR products into the tumor in post-dosing biopsies. Based on TCR characteristics PCA showed separation between tumor trafficking and non-trafficking TCRs (data pending).

Application of PIDB data improves predictions of peptide-HLA manufacturing success, identifies differences between patients with 3 and no neoTCR products and provides insights into trafficking TCR characteristics, which in turn enables us to optimize our neoTCR selection strategy for patients with solid cancers. PIDB thus represents a significant & maturing dataset for patient-specific tumor immunogenicity in solid cancers and provides opportunities to optimize personalized neoTCR T cell treatment.

Citation Format: Eric W. Stawiski, Vinnu Bhardwaj, Jyoti Mathur, Eva Huang, Olivier Dalmas, Zheng Pan, Cliff Wang, James Heath, Barbara Sennino, Mark Frohlich, Arati Rao, Stefanie Mandl. Correlates of peptide-HLA manufacturing success, TCR capture and neoTCR trafficking from patients using the PACTImmune࣪ Database [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 2757.

Abstract 563: Circulating tumor-specific T cells preferentially recognize patient-specific mutational neoantigens and infrequently recognize shared cancer driver mutations

Background: Due to a lack of prior technologies able to generate a landscape analysis of mutational neoantigen-HLA class I complex T cell recognition, it is unclear how the frequency of T cell receptors (TCR) against patient-specific mutations compares to shared oncogenic mutations.

Methods: We used the imPACT Isolation Technology®, which allows the selective capture of cancer-specific CD8 T cells from the blood of cancer patients at frequencies as low as 1 in 300K CD8 T cells. This TCR isolation platform is based on whole exome sequencing of a tumor and paired normal tissue control for the identification of non-synonymous mutations, including mutations in cancer driver genes (e.g., p53, KRAS, PI3KCA or HRAS). Bioinformatic algorithms were used to predict potential HLA-binding neoantigens (neoAg) in context of the patient’s HLA class I haplotype. A library of multimerized and barcoded predicted neoAg peptide-HLA molecules were generated to interrogate patient CD8 T cells. The paired αβ-TCR sequences were derived from the single cell sorted T cells. TCRs from antigen experienced CD8 T cell were functionally validated by generating T cells expressing neoTCRs, using non-viral precision gene editing to insert the transgenic TCR chains into the endogenous TRAC locus. We previously showed that all (40/40) TCRs isolated using this approach, reacted to patient-matched cancer cell lines (Puig Saus et al. AACR 2020).

Results: Neoantigen-specific T cells isolated from the peripheral blood of 243 patients with melanoma, bladder, endometrial, ovarian, colorectal, head and neck, urothelial and breast cancers were analyzed For each patient, an average of 352 neoAg-HLA capture complexes were predicted. Across all patients 58,058 neoAg-HLA complexes were manufactured, spanning 8,804 unique mutations. Among these, only about 2% represented known oncogene driver mutations. The predicted peptide-HLA binding affinity for cancer driver mutations was significantly lower (P&lt;0.001) compared to patient-specific neoAg. Remarkably, functional characterization of 206 TCRs showed that most TCRs (93.7%) recognized patient-specific neoAg. Despite the low percentage of neoAg-HLA capture complexes covering oncogene driver mutations (~ 2%), 6.3% of TCRs (13) targeted known cancer driver proteins. Primary human T cells were then engineered to express each TCR. TCR T cells became functionally activated only when exposed to the cognate antigen, irrespective of whether they target neoAg or cancer driver mutations, confirming the high degree of specificity of the isolated TCRs.

Conclusion: A landscape analysis of neoAg-specific TCRs recognizing mutations in cancer has revealed that most T cells recognizing neoantigen-HLA complexes are specific for private mutations in each cancer, though low frequencies of TCR targeting driver mutations can still be identified.

Citation Format: Barbara Sennino, Jyoti Mathur, Eva Huang, Andrew Conroy, Marc Ting, Benjamin Yuen, Zheng Pan, Eric Stawiski, Stefanie Mandl. Circulating tumor-specific T cells preferentially recognize patient-specific mutational neoantigens and infrequently recognize shared cancer driver mutations [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 563.

Abstract 1213: Uncovering HLA loss of heterozygosity and allelic imbalance in cancer for the improvement of personalized neoTCR immunotherapy with PACT-ESCAPE

Introduction: PACT Pharma is a clinical-stage adoptive cell therapy company that develops personalized neoTCR-T cells using a state-of-the-art approach to discover and validate predicted neoepitopes and their cognate T cell receptors (clinical trial NCT03970382). An important mechanism of resistance to adoptive cell therapy targeting tumor-specific neoantigens is the genetic loss of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles or alterations in HLA expression in tumor cells. Therapies targeting neoantigens presented by HLA alleles that have either been deleted, mutated or are strongly downregulated are likely to lack efficacy due to the absence or reduction of epitope presentation. Surveying neoepitope presentation escape mechanisms is key for personalized immunotherapy.

Methods: PACT Pharma has developed PACT-ESCAPE, a method that integrates DNA and RNA sequencing data to quantify allelic imbalance at HLA loci, including the most extreme case of loss of heterozygosity (LOH). Allelic imbalance is first determined at the DNA level by determining the patient’s maternal and paternal haplotypes across chromosome 6p to infer their copy number states. Twenty-six HLA Class I and II loci from chromosome 6 are then genotyped at high resolution, enabling accurate assignment of copy number states to the patient’s alleles, including any alleles that have been deleted in the tumor. Unlike other currently available methods, PACT-ESCAPE also measures the relative RNA expression of HLA alleles to provide an orthogonal estimate of allelic imbalance across chromosome 6 and support loss of heterozygosity calls made at the DNA level. Presentation machinery genes are also surveyed for loss of function mutations. To benchmark PACT-ESCAPE, we compared loss of heterozygosity calls at HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-C between our method and a previously published DNA-based HLA LOH classifier for 17 samples for which we had matched tumor/normal whole exome sequencing.

Results: We found 100% concordance between PACT-ESCAPE and the benchmark, with four samples showing LOH at HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-C at the DNA level. Next, we evaluated RNA sequencing from tumor samples and confirmed that the relative expression of the lost allele compared to the kept allele was lower when LOH was called. High levels of allelic imbalance in gene expression, however, were not unique to samples with LOH, suggesting that differential expression of HLA alleles might also be an important contributor to immune escape in cancer.

Conclusions: Evaluation of allelic imbalance in DNA copy number and RNA expression in PACT-ESCAPE provides new insights into immune escape in cancer. Adoptive cell therapy targeting neoantigens will benefit by enabling the accurate selection of targets most likely to be presented by the tumor.

Citation Format: Chad C. Smith, Yan Ma, Katie Campbell, Zheng Pan, Eric Stawiski. Uncovering HLA loss of heterozygosity and allelic imbalance in cancer for the improvement of personalized neoTCR immunotherapy with PACT-ESCAPE [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 1213.

Fabrication of uniform lignin nanoparticles with tunable size for potential wound healing application

The construction of lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) with both lignin properties and nanomaterial properties through controlling the morphologies and structures of lignin is one of the effective ways to realize its application in the field of biomedicine. Firstly, the morphology and chemical structure of LNPs were studied in detailed. The results showed that the chemical structural characteristics of LNPs had not changed significantly and its morphology was more regular shape and narrower size distribution (50-350 nm). Besides, LNPs also exhibited excellent water dispersion stability and high negative zeta potential. Subsequently, LNPs as wound dressings had good antioxidant property, excellent adsorption capacity of protein, outstanding bactericidal activity and remarkable biocompatibility, suggesting that LNPs did not interfere with cell proliferation during wound healing. Finally, the in vivo results of mouse wounds further illustrated that treatment of wounded skin wounds with LNPs enhanced its effective healing. After 15 days, as compared with the untreated control and original lignin (OL) groups, the wounds treated of LNPs was completely closed and granulation tissue formation was advanced. Overall, this study can be a good method for high-value applications of LNPs, and highlighting the advantages of using lignin as medical adjuvant nanomaterials to accelerate wound healing.

Spatial Distribution Control of Antimicrobial Peptides through a Novel Polymeric Carrier for Safe and Efficient Cancer Treatment

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) hold great potential for use in tumor treatment. However, developing AMP-based antitumor therapies is challenging due to circulatory instability, hemolytic toxicity, low selectivity, and poor cell permeability of AMPs. In this study, a polymeric carrier for AMPs (denoted as PAMP_m -co-PPBE_n /PCA) is presented that effectively enhances their anticancer efficacy while minimizing their potential side effects. By integrating multiple responsive structures at the molecular level, the carrier finely controls the spatial distribution of AMPs in different biological microenvironments, thereby effectively modulating their membranolytic ability. Upon employing KLA as the model AMP, the polymeric carrier's hemolytic toxicity during blood circulation is suppressed, its cellular internalization when reaching tumor tissues facilitated, and its membranolytic toxicity toward the mitochondria upon entering cancer cells restored and further enhanced. Animal studies indicate that this approach significantly improves the antitumor efficacy of KLA and reduces its toxicity. Considering that the loading method for most AMPs is identical to that of KLA, the polymeric carrier reported in this study may provide a feasible approach for the development of AMP-based cancer treatments.

Comparative Analysis of Strength and Deformation Behavior of Cemented Tailings Backfill under Curing Temperature Effect

Mineral resources are increasingly being developed in cold and permafrost regions. However, the mechanical and physical properties of cemented tailings backfill (CTB) cured at normal temperature are no longer applicable. To clarify the reasons for this variability, a series of tests were performed. The mechanical properties of CTB with different cement-tailings ratios (CTR, 1:4, 1:8, 1:12, 1:16, and 1:20) were tested at different curing ages (3, 7 and 28 days) and curing temperatures (20 °C, 5 °C, -5 °C, and -20 °C). The differences of CTB in mechanical and physical properties under positive- and negative-temperature curing conditions were analyzed, and the microscopic failure process of CTB under negative-temperature curing conditions was discussed. The results revealed that the mechanical properties and deformation behavior of CTB under positive- and negative-temperature curing conditions were different. The frozen CTB had higher early strength than the standard-temperature curing condition (20 °C), and the lower the temperature, the higher the early strength. The low-temperature curing condition, on the other hand, was not beneficial to CTB's long-term strength. The low-temperature curing condition was not conducive to the long-term strength of CTB. After yielding, strain hardening and strain softening appeared in the deformation behavior of frozen backfill, indicating ductility. In contrast to the typical-temperature curing condition, the frozen CTB showed a new failure pattern that has little relation to curing time or CTR. Furthermore, the failure process of frozen backfill was reviewed and studied, which was separated into four stages, and altered as the curing time increased. The results of this study can act as a guide for filling mines in permafrost and cold climates.

Designing Two-Dimensional Halide Perovskites Based on High-Throughput Calculations and Machine Learning

The interactions between ions and the low-dimensional halide perovskites are critical to realizing the next-generation energy storage devices such as photorechargeable ion batteries and ion capacitors. In this study, we performed high-throughput calculations and machine-learning analysis for ion adsorption on two-dimensional A₂BX₄ halide perovskites. The first-principles calculations obtained an initial data set containing adsorption energies of 640 compositionally engineered ion/perovskite systems with diverse ions including Li⁺, Zn²⁺, K⁺, Na⁺, Al³⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, and F^-. The machine learning algorithms including k-nearest neighbors (KNN), Kriging, Random Forest, Rpart, SVM, and Xgboost algorithms were compared, and the Xgboost algorithm achieved the best accuracy (r = 0.97, R² = 0.93) and was selected to predict the virtual design space consisting of 11 976 ion/perovskite systems. The features were then analyzed and ranked according to their Pearson correlations to the output values. In particular, to better understand the features, diverse feature selection methods were employed to comprehensively evaluate the features. The machine-learning-predicted virtual design space was subsequently screened to select stable lead-free ion/perovskite systems with suitable band gaps and halogen mixing features. The present study provides a theoretical foundation to design halide perovskite materials for ion-based energy storage applications such as secondary ion batteries, ion capacitors, and solar-rechargeable batteries.

Arginine-Rich Polymers with Pore-Forming Capability Enable Efficient Intracellular Delivery via Direct Translocation Across Cell Membrane

Efficient delivery of biomacromolecules or drugs across the cell membrane via endocytosis usually encounters inevitable entrapment in endosomes and subsequent degradation in lyso-endosomes. To address this issue, a series of arginine-rich cell penetrating polymers is designed and synthesized, which internalize into cells by inducing the formation of pores on the cell membrane, thereby crossing the cell membrane via direct translocation that fundamentally avoids endo/lysosomal entrapment. The structure-activity relationship studies show that PTn-R2-C6, which is a type of polymer that has two arginine residues and a flexible hexanoic acid linker in each side chain, exhibits excellent pore-formation ability on the cell membrane. Further investigations indicate that PTn-R2-C6 rapidly transports plasmid DNAs into cytosol through a similar endocytosis-independent pathway, thereby achieving significantly higher transfection efficiency and lower cytotoxicity than the gold-standard transfection reagent PEI 25K. These results suggest the great potential of PTn-R2-C6 as a safe and efficient gene transfection reagent for wide applications including disease treatments, vaccine development, and biomedical research purposes.

The protective effect of mangiferin on osteoarthritis: An in vitro and in vivo study

Mangiferin is a kind of polyphenol chemical compound separated from these herbal medicines of Mangifera indica L., Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bge. and Belamcanda chinensis L., which has anti-inflammatory, anti-virus, and other physiological activities without toxic effects. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic disease that is also a kind of arthritis disease in which articular cartilage or bones under the joint is damaged. In addition, artificial replacements are required in severe cases. At present, there are not too much researches on the potential biological activities of mangiferin that plays a protective role in the treatment of OA. In this study, we evaluated the protective effect of mangiferin on osteoarthritis (OA) in vitro and in vivo. First, the effect of different concentrations of mangiferin on rat chondrocytes was determined by MTT assay. Second, the effects of mangiferin on the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-13, TNF alpha, Collagen II, Caspase-3, and cystatin-C in interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta)-induced rat chondrocytes were examined by the real-time polymerase chain reaction in vitro, meanwhile the effects of mangiferin on the nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-kappaB) signaling pathway were also investigated by Western Blot. Finally, the anti-osteoarthritic protective effect of mangiferin was evaluated in the rat model by anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) combined with bilateral ovariectomy-induced OA in vivo. The results showed that the mangiferin was found to inhibit the expression of MMP-13, TNF-alpha, and Caspase-3 which also increased the expression of Collagen II and cystatin-C in IL 1beta induced rat chondrocytes. In addition, IL-1beta-induced activation of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-kappaB) and the degradation of inhibitor of kappaB (IkappaB)-alpha were suppressed by mangiferin. For the in vivo study in a rat model of OA, 100 microl of mangiferin was administered by intra-articular injections for rats, the results showed that the cartilage degradation was suppressed by mangiferin through Micro CT and Histological Examination. According to both in vitro and in vivo results, mangiferin has a protective effect in the treatment of OA which may be a promising therapeutic agent for OA.

Photoelectrochemical Properties, Machine Learning, and Symbolic Regression for Molecularly Engineered Halide Perovskite Materials in Water

The machine learning techniques are capable of predicting virtual material design space and optimizing material fabrication parameters. In this article, we construct machine learning models to describe the photoelectrochemical properties of molecularly engineered halide perovskite materials based on CH₃NH₃PbI₃ in an aqueous solution and predict a complex multidimensional design space for the halide perovskite materials. The machine learning models are trained and tested based on an experimental photocurrent data set consisting of 360 data points with varying experimental conditions and dye structures. Machine learning algorithms including support vector machine (SVM), random forest, k-nearest neighbors, Rpart, Xgboost, and Kriging algorithms are compared, with the Kriging algorithm achieving the best accuracies (r = 0.99 and R² = 0.98) and SVM achieving the second best. A total of 50,905 data points representing the complex multidimensional design space are predicted via the machine-learned models to benefit the future perovskite studies. In addition, the symbolic regression based on the genetic algorithms effectively and automatically designs hybrid descriptors that outperform the individual descriptors. This article highlights the machine learning and symbolic regression methods for designing stable and high-performance halide perovskite materials and serves as a platform for further experimental optimization of halide perovskite materials.