Self-assembled nanodrug delivery systems for anti-cancer drugs from traditional Chinese medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a combination of raw herbs and herbal extracts with a plethora of documented beneficial bioactivities, which has unique advantages in anti-tumor therapy, and many of its major bioactive molecules have been identified in recent years due to advances in chemical separation and structural analysis. However, the major chemical classes of plant-derived bioactive compounds frequently possess chemical properties, including poor water solubility, stability, and bioavailability, that limit their therapeutic application. Alternatively, natural small molecules (NSMs) containing these components possess modifiable groups, multiple action sites, hydrophobic side chains, and a rigid skeleton with self-assembly properties that can be exploited to construct self-assembled nanoparticles with therapeutic effects superior to their individual constituents. For instance, the construction of a self-assembled nanodrug delivery system can effectively overcome the strong hydrophobicity and poor in vivo stability of NSMs, thereby greatly improving their bioavailability and enhancing their anti-tumor efficacy. This review summarizes the self-assembly methods, mechanisms, and applications of a variety of NSMs, including terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, polyphenols, and saponins, providing a theoretical basis for the subsequent research on NSMs and the development of SANDDS.

Multimodel habitats constructed by perfusion and/or diffusion MRI predict isocitrate dehydrogenase mutation status and prognosis in high-grade gliomas

AIM

To determine whether tumour vascular and cellular heterogeneity of high-grade glioma (HGG) is predictive of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutation status and overall survival (OS) by using tumour habitat-based analysis constructed by perfusion and/or diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Seventy-eight HGG patients that met the 2021 World Health Organization WHO Classification of Tumors of the Central Nervous System, 5th edition (WHO CNS5), were enrolled to predict IDH mutation status, of which 32 grade 4 patients with unmethylated O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter were enrolled for prognostic analysis. The deep-learning-based model nnU-Net and K-means clustering algorithm were applied to construct the Traditional Habitat, Vascular Habitat (VH), Cellular Density Habitat (DH), and their Combined Habitat (CH). Quantitative parameters were extracted and compared between IDH-mutant and IDH-wild-type patients, respectively, and the prediction potential was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. OS was analysed using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and the log-rank test.

RESULTS

Compared with IDH-mutants, median relative cerebral blood volume (rCBVmedian) values in the whole enhancing tumour (WET), VH1, VH3, CH1-4 habitats were significantly increased in IDH-wild-type HGGs (all p<0.05). Additionally, the accuracy of rCBVmedian values in CH1 outperformed other habitats in identifying IDH mutation status (p<0.001) at a cut-off value of 4.83 with AUC of 0.815. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis highlighted significant differences in OS between the populations dichotomised by the median of rCBVmedian in WET, VH1, CH1-3 habitats (all p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The habitat imaging technique may improve the accuracy of predicting IDH mutation status and prognosis, and even provide a new direction for subsequent personalised precision treatment.

Multidata Analysis Based on an Artificial Neural Network Model for Long-Term Pain Outcome and Key Predictors of Microvascular Decompression in Trigeminal Neuralgia

OBJECTIVE

To investigate use of multidata analysis based on an artificial neural network (ANN) to predict long-term pain outcomes after microvascular decompression (MVD) in patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and to explore key predictors.

METHODS

Perioperative and long-term follow-up multidata of 1041 patients with TN who received MVD surgery at Hangzhou First People's Hospital from March 2013 to May 2018 were collected to construct an ANN model for prediction. The prediction results were compared with the actual follow-up outcomes, and the variables in each input layer were changed to test the effectiveness of ANN and explore the factors that had the greatest impact on prediction accuracy.

RESULTS

The ANN model could predict the long-term pain outcomes after MVD in patients with TN with an accuracy rate of 95.2% and area under the curve of 0.862. Four factors contributed the most to the predictive performance of the ANN: whether the neurovascular offending site of the trigeminal nerve corresponded the region of facial pain, immediate postoperative pain remission after MVD, degree of nerve compression by culprit vessels, and the type of culprit vessels. After these factors were sequentially removed, the accuracy of the ANN model decreased to 74.5%, 78.6%, 87.2%, and 90.1%, while the area under the curve was 0.705, 0.761, 0.793, and 0.810.

CONCLUSIONS

The ANN model, constructed using multiple data, predicted long-term pain prognosis after MVD in patients with TN objectively and accurately. The model was able to assess the importance of each factor in the prediction of pain outcome.

Comparative Study of the Components and Anti-Fatigue Effect of Schisandra chinensis Polysaccharides from China and Russia

Schisandra chinensis Bail. polysaccharides from China (CSP) and Russia (RSP) were separated by DEAE-52 cellulose column chromatography. The content of neutral polysaccharide was determined by the phenol concentrated sulfuric acid method, the content of acid polysaccharide by the hydroxybiphenyl method, and the monosaccharide composition and molecular weight arrangement of CSP and RSP by 1-phenyl-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone (PMP) pre-column derivatization HPLC. The effects of CSP and RSP on the exercise endurance of mice were compared by the forelimb grip strength test, rota-rod test and weight-bearing swimming. The results showed that one neutral polysaccharide and three acidic polysaccharides could be eluted from a DEAE-52 cellulose column from CSP and RSP, respectively. The content of acidic and neutral polysaccharides in RSP was higher than that in CSP, and the anti-fatigue effect of RSP was more significant than that of CSP.

The crystal structure of 1-methyl-1H-pyrazol-2-ium nitrate, C4H7O3N3

C4H7O3N3, orthorhombic, Pnma (no. 62), a = 14.2289(10) Å, b = 6.1881(4) Å, c = 7.5592(5) Å, V = 665.59(8) Å3, Z = 4, R gt (F) = 0.0427, wR ref (F 2) = 0.1098, T = 150 K.

Assessment of the risk of incident heart failure in patients with osteoporosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of eligible cohort studies

INTRODUCTION

A relation between cardiovascular diseases and bone health is increasingly reported. However, the association between osteoporosis and incident heart failure (HF) has not been yet determined.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to summarize available evidence to evaluate whether osteoporosis was associated with an increased risk of incident HF.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Major databases, including PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane library, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials, were searched for cohort studies reporting the hazard ratio (HR) for incident HF in patients with osteoporosis. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs were estimated by using a random‑effects model. Heterogeneity was evaluated by the I2 statistics and the χ2 test.

RESULTS

Three studies with a total of 70 697 patients were included, with the mean (SD) age of 62.9 (13.3) years. Osteoporosis was associated with an increased overall risk of incident HF (pooled HR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.08-1.26; P <0.001; heterogeneity I2 = 13.28%, P = 0.32). The risk of incident HF was elevated in osteoporotic men (HR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.05-1.62; P = 0.02; I2 = 71.57%, P = 0.03); however, no significant association was found for women (HR, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.94-1.37; P = 0.19; I2 = 64.66%, P = 0.06). The association between osteoporosis and incident HF risk was positive among individuals of Asian ethnicity (HR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.06-1.3; P = 0.002; I2 = 52.61%, P = 0.15).

CONCLUSIONS

Osteoporosis was associated with a modest but significantly increased risk of incident HF. Considering the limited number and quality of available studies, future high‑quality data are required to further demonstrate the association between osteoporosis and incident HF.

Analysis of the Key Factors Affecting the Capability and Optimization for Magnetostrictive Iron-Gallium Alloy Ambient Vibration Harvesters

The basic phenomena of a cantilever energy harvesting device based on iron-gallium alloy magnetostrictive material for low frequency were systematically studied. The results highlighted how the physical parameters, geometric structure and bias conditions affected the vibration harvesting capacity through a thorough experimental aimed at enhancing the vibration energy harvesting capacity through an optimal design. How the performance is affected by the configuration of the multi-layers composite beam, material and dimensions of the elastic layer, arrangement position and number of bias magnets, the matching load resistance and other important design parameters was studied in depth. For the first time, it was clearly confirmed that the magnetic field of bias magnets and electromagnetic vibration shaker have almost no effect on the measurement of the voltage induced from the harvester. A harvesting power RMS up to 13.3 mW and power density RMS up to 3.7 mW/cm³/g was observed from the optimized prototype. Correspondingly, the DC output power and power density after the two-stage signal processing circuit were up to 5.2 mW and 1.45 mW/cm³/g, respectively. The prototype successfully powered multiple red light emitting diode lamps connected in a sinusoidal shape and multiple red digital display tubes, which verified the vibration harvesting capability or electricity-generating capability of the harvester prototype and the effectiveness of the signal converter.

5-Formyluracil as a cornerstone for aluminum detection in vitro and in vivo: a more natural and sustainable strategy

5-Formyluracil (5fU) based probes were designed and synthesized to detect Al³⁺ ions in vitro and in biological systems.

Fluid shear stress promotes osteoblast proliferation via the Gαq-ERK5 signaling pathway

Fluid shear stress (FSS) is a ubiquitous mechanical stimulus that potently promotes osteoblast proliferation. Previously, we reported that extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 (ERK5) is essential for FSS-induced osteoblast proliferation. However, the precise mechanism by which FSS promotes osteoblast proliferation via ERK5 activation is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to determine the critical role of Gαq in FSS-induced ERK5 phosphorylation and osteoblast proliferation, as well as the downstream targets of the Gαq-ERK5 pathway. MC3T3-E1 cells were transfected with 50 nM Gαq siRNA, treated with 5 mM XMD8-92 (a highly selective inhibitor of ERK5 activity), and/or exposed to FSS (12 dyn/cm(2)). Cell proliferation was evaluated using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The protein expression levels of Gαq, P-ERK5, ERK5, Cyclin B1, and CDK1 were analyzed by Western blot. Physiological FSS exposure for 60 min remarkably promoted MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation, however, this effect was suppressed by siRNA-mediated Gαq knockdown or inhibition of ERK5 activity by XMD8-92 treatment, suggesting that Gαq and ERK5 might modulate FSS-increased osteoblast proliferation. Furthermore, ERK5 phosphorylation was dramatically inhibited by Gαq siRNA. In addition, our study further revealed that FSS treatment of MC3T3-E1 cells for 60 min markedly upregulated the protein expression levels of Cyclin B1 and CDK1, and this increased expression was predominantly blocked by Gαq siRNA or XMD8-92 treatment. We propose that FSS acts on the Gαq-ERK5 signaling pathway to upregulate Cyclin B1 and CDK1 expression, thereby resulting in MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation. Thus, the Gαq-ERK5 signaling pathway may provide useful information regarding the treatment of bone metabolic disease.

Fluid shear stress suppresses TNF-α-induced apoptosis in MC3T3-E1 cells: Involvement of ERK5-AKT-FoxO3a-Bim/FasL signaling pathways

TNF-α is known to induce osteoblasts apoptosis, whereas mechanical stimulation has been shown to enhance osteoblast survival. In the present study, we found that mechanical stimulation in the form of fluid shear stress (FSS) suppresses TNF-α induced apoptosis in MC3T3-E1 cells. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 (ERK5) is a member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family that has been implicated in cell survival. We also demonstrated that FSS imposed by flow chamber in vitro leads to a markedly activation of ERK5, which was shown to be protective against TNF-α-induced apoptosis, whereas the transfection of siRNA against ERK5 (ERK5-siRNA) reversed the FSS-medicated anti-apoptotic effects. An initial FSS-mediated activation of ERK5 that phosphorylates AKT to increase its activity, and a following forkhead box O 3a (FoxO3a) was phosphorylated by activated AKT. Phosphorylated FoxO3a is sequestered in the cytoplasm, and prevents it from translocating to nucleus where it can increase the expression of FasL and Bim. The inhibition of AKT-FoxO3a signalings by a PI3K (PI3-kinase)/AKT inhibitor (LY294002) or the transfection of ERK5-siRNA led to the nuclear translocation of non-phosphorylated FoxO3a, and increased the protein expression of FasL and Bim. In addition, the activation of caspase-3 by TNF-α was significantly inhibited by aforementioned FSS-medicated mechanisms. In brief, the activation of ERK5-AKT-FoxO3a signaling pathways by FSS resulted in a decreased expression of FasL and Bim and an inhibition of caspase-3 activation, which exerts a protective effect that prevents osteoblasts from apoptosis.

Blocking HIF-1α following radiotherapy to prolong and enhance the immune effects of radiotherapy: a hypothesis

Tumor local immune escape is one of the “hallmarks” of cancer leading to poor prognosis. The effects of local radiotherapy on tumors are rapidly emerging as opportunities to remodel and enhance immunity against cancer. However, this immunity remodeling and enhancing are not permanent after local radiotherapy. High expression of HIF-1α following local radiotherapy for tumor cell reoxygenation has been confirmed, and recently accumulating evidence shows the tumor immune suppression effects. These research findings suggest a new direction in the investigation of methods to enhance the efficacy of local radiotherapy. We speculate that by blocking HIF-1α, the immune effects of radiotherapy might be prolonged and enhanced.

Self-assembling peptide nanofiber as potential substrates in islet transplantation

Hypoxia and reoxygenation (H/R)-induced damage often happens soon after islets are transplantation. The process of islet isolation and purification causes the rapid onset of hypoxia. We sought to develop a functional scaffold to sustain the structure and function of islets as well as to recover some of the surface molecules damaged during isolation, seeking to improve islet transplantation outcomes. Self-assembling peptide nanofiber (SAPNF), a new type of substrate has been shown to be an excellent biological material for neuronal cell culture and tissue engineering in animals. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of SAPNF on damage to rat islets. Freshly prepared rat islets from male Sprague-Dawley rats were seeded in plates coated with (SAPNF-treated group) or without (control group) SAPNF. The islets were then divided into two groups culture under normoxia for 7 days versus exposure to hypoxia (< 1% O2) for 6 hours followed by reoxygenation for 24 hours. The results showed that SAPNF exhibited improving effects on viability and function of cultured islets, protecting the one from H/R-induced damage. In both groups, the stimulation index of SAPNF-treated groups were about two times the controls. SAPNF treatment decreased apoptotic rates of islet cells. These results suggested the usefulness of SAPNF to maintain the viability and function of rat pancreatic islets. SAPNF may be a potential scaffold for clinical islet transplantation.