[Trametenolic acid inhibits migration and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2.2.15 cells via RhoC/ROCK1 pathway]

This study investigated the effect of trametenolic acid(TA) on the migration and invasion of human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2.2.15 cells by using Ras homolog gene family member C(RhoC) as the target and probed into the mechanism, aiming to provide a basis for the utilization of TA. The methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium(MTT) assay was employed to examine the proliferation of HepG2.2.15 cells exposed to TA, and scratch and Transwell assays to examine the cell migration and invasion. The pull down assay was employed to determine the impact of TA on RhoC GTPase activity. Western blot was employed to measure the effect of TA on the transport of RhoC from cytoplasm to cell membrane and the expression of RhoC/Rho-associated kinase 1(ROCK1)/myosin light chain(MLC)/matrix metalloprotease 2(MMP2)/MMP9 pathway-related proteins. RhoC was over-expressed by transient transfection of pcDNA3.1-RhoC. The changes of F-actin in the cytoskeleton were detected by Laser confocal microscopy. In addition, the changes of cell migration and invasion, expression of proteins in the RhoC/ROCK1/MLC/MMP2/MMP9 pathway, and RhoC GTPase activity were detected. The subcutaneously transplanted tumor model of BALB/c nude mice and the low-, medium-, and high-dose(40, 80, and 120 mg·kg~(-1), respectively) TA groups were established and sorafenib(20 mg·kg~(-1)) was used as the positive control. The tumor volume and weight in each group were measured, and the expression of related proteins in the tumor tissue was determined by Western blot. The results showed that TA inhibited the proliferation of HepG2.2.15 cells in a concentration-dependent manner, with the IC_(50) of 66.65 and 23.09 μmol·L~(-1) at the time points of 24 and 48 h, respectively. The drug administration groups had small tumors with low mass. The tumor inhibition rates of sorafenib and low-, medium-and high-dose TA were 62.23%, 26.48%, 55.45%, and 62.36%, respectively. TA reduced migrating and invading cells and inhibited RhoC protein expression and RhoC GTPase activity in a concentration-dependent manner, dramatically reducing RhoC and membrane-bound RhoC GTPase. The expression of ROCK1, MLC, p-MLC, MMP2, and MMP9 downstream of RhoC can be significantly inhibited by TA, as confirmed in both in vitro and in vivo experiments. After HepG2.2.15 cells were transfected with pcDNA3.1-RhoC to overexpress RhoC, TA down-regulated the protein levels of RhoC, ROCK1, MLC, p-MLC, MMP2, and MMP9 and decreased the activity of RhoC GTPase, with the inhibition level comparable to that before overexpression. In summary, TA can inhibit the migration and invasion of HepG2.2.15 cells. It can inhibit the RhoC/ROCK1/MLC/MMP2/MMP9 signaling pathway by suppressing RhoC GTPase activity and down-regulating RhoC expression. This study provides a new idea for the development of autophagy modulators targeting HSP90α to block the proliferation and inhibit the invasion and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma cells via multiple targets of active components in traditional Chinese medicines.

Clinical Implication of E2F Transcription Factor 1 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Tissues

Background: To date, the clinical management of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients remains challenging and the mechanisms of E2F transcription factor 1 (E2F1) underlying HCC are obscure. Materials and Methods: Our study integrated datasets mined from several public databases to comprehensively understand the deregulated expression status of E2F1. Tissue microarrays and immunohistochemistry staining was used to validate E2F1 expression level. The prognostic value of E2F1 was assessed. In-depth subgroup analyses were implemented to compare the differentially expressed levels of E2F1 in HCC patients with various tumor stages. Functional enrichments were used to address the predominant targets of E2F1 and shedding light on their potential roles in HCC. Results: We confirmed the elevated expression of E2F1 in HCC. Subgroup analyses indicated that elevated E2F1 level was independent of various stages in HCC. E2F1 possessed moderate discriminatory capability in differentiating HCC patients from non-HCC controls. Elevated E2F1 correlated with Asian race, tumor classification, neoplasm histologic grade, eastern cancer oncology group, and plasma AFP levels. Furthermore, high E2F1 correlated with poor survival condition and pooled HR signified E2F1 as a risk factor for HCC. Enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes, coexpressed genes, and putative targets of E2F1 emphasized the importance of cell cycle pathway, where CCNE1 and CCNA2 served as hub genes. Conclusions: We confirmed the upregulation of E2F1 and explored the prognostic value of E2F1 in HCC patients. Two putative targeted genes (CCNE1 and CCNA2) of E2F1 were identified for their potential roles in regulating cell cycle and promote antiapoptotic activity in HCC patients.

Facile preparation of a novel iminodisuccinate modified chitin and its excellent properties as a silver bioadsorbent and antibacterial agent

A novel iminodisuccinate modified chitin (ICH) was prepared using crab shells via a one-step facile procedure. The ICH with grafting degree of 1.46 and deacetylation degree of 47.68 % possessed maximum adsorption capacity of 2572.41 mg/g for silver ions (Ag(I)).The ICH also exhibited good selectivity and reusability. The adsorption followed better with the Freundlich isotherm model, while fitted well with both the Pseudo-first-order and Pseudo-second-order kinetics models. The characteristical results showed that the excellent Ag(I) adsorption capability of ICH should be attributed to both looser porous microstructure as well as additional functional groups-grafting molecular. Moreover, the Ag-loaded ICH (ICH-Ag) showed remarkable antibacterial properties against six typical pathogenic bacteria strains (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter aerogenes, Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes), with the corresponding 90 % minimal inhibitory concentrations ranged 0.426-0.685 mg/mL. Further study on the silver release, microcell morphology, and metagenomic analysis suggested that many Ag nanoparticles were formed after the Ag(I) adsorption, and the antibacterial mechanisms of the ICH-Ag involved both cell membranes destruction and intracellular metabolism disturbing. This research presented a coupling solution of crab shell wastes treatment with chitin-based bioadsorbents preparation, metal removal and recovery, as well as antibacterial agent production.

Estrogenic activities of compound GL-1, isolated from Ganoderma lucidum

In this study, the estrogenic effect of GL-1, a component of the Ganoderma lucidum, was studied, and the possible mechanism was discussed preliminarily. The binding ability of GL-1 to estrogen receptor was calculated by computer aided simulation. The effects of GL-1 on the proliferation of estrogen sensitive estrogen receptor (ER) (+) MCF-7 cells and estrogen insensitive ER (-) MDA-MB-231 cells were detected by MTT method. The effects of GL-1 on the proliferation of estrogen-induced MCF-7 cells, and the effects of the estrogen receptor inhibitor ICI182780 on the proliferation of GL-1-induced MCF-7 cells were detected by MTT assay. The expression of ERα and ERβ monoclonal antibody were detected by Western blot. The results showed that GL-1 has a good binding ability to estrogen receptor β, and has estrogen-like effect, which might be related to secretion of estrogen and expression of ERβ by binding to ERs.

dCTP pyrophosphohydrase exhibits nucleic accumulation in multiple carcinomas

Nucleoside triphosphate pyrophosphohydrolase (NTP-PPase) functions as one of the mechanisms to guarantee the fidelity of DNA replication through the cleavage of non-canonical nucleotides into di- or monophosphates. Human NTP-PPase is poorly understood and investigated. In the present study, by using tissue microarrays with the paired cancer and adjacent regions, we found that with the prevalent expression of dCTP pyrophosphohydrase (DCTPP1) in the cytosol and nucleus in tumors investigated, DCTPP1 was inclined to accumulate in the nucleus of cancer cells compared to the paired adjacent tissue cells in multiple carcinomas including lung, breast, liver, cervical, gastric and esophagus cancer. More significantly, the higher DCTPP1 expression in the nucleus of lung, gastric and esophagus cancer cells was associated with histological subtypes. The nucleic accumulation of DCTPP1 was apparently observed as well when tumor cell line MCF-7 was treated with H₂O₂in vitro. Considering the roles of DCTPP1 on restricting the concentration of non-canonical nucleotides in the nucleotide pool, accumulation of DCTPP1 in the nucleus of tumor cells might suffice for maintaining the proper DNA replication in order to fulfill the requirement for the survival and proliferation of tumor cells.

[Clinical observation on treatment of infantile cholestatic hepatitis syndrome by rhubarb]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the role of Rhubarb in treating infantile cholestatic hepatitis syndrome (IHS).

METHODS

Forty-four patients of the treatment group were treated with Rhubarb per os and/or duodenal infusion, 20 cases of the control group were treated with general liver protecting therapy such as inosine, vitamin C and glucose. Serum bilirubin, alanine transaminase (ALT) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (gamma-GT) level, bilirubin in duodenal juice and liver size were observed before and after treatment.

RESULTS

In the treatment group, 18 cases were markedly effective, 21 effective, 3 ineffective and 2 were deteriorated, while in the control group, the respective number were 0, 4, 13 and 3.

CONCLUSIONS

Rhubarb was a markedly effective in cholagoging and abating of jaundice, it could promote the recovery of liver function, dredge the cholestasis in cholangiole and micro-cholangiole so as to promote the bile secretion.

The effects of "huoxuequyu" decoction on lipid peroxidation in IUGR rats

The rats exposed to passive smoking were used as the animal model to further study the pathogenesis of IUGR and the effects of "Huoxuequyu" decoction. The results showed that the mean birth-weight of fetus and SOD activity of placenta and plasma in model rats were significantly reduced, and LPO levels of placenta and plasma were significantly increased. We found that the mean birth-weight and SOD activity in treated group were higher than that in model group, and LPO levels of placenta and plasma were lower in treated group than that in model group and there was no difference in SOD activity and LPO levels of placenta and plasma as well as the mean birthweight between treated group and control group, indicating that "Huoxuequyu" decoction can protect placenta and plasma against lipid peroxidation, and improve the blood circulation of uteroplacenta, thus contributing to the increase of the mean birth-weight.

Effect of Tripterygium Wilfordii on adrenal cortex in rat with adjuvant arthritis

This paper reports the effects of Tripterygium Wilfordii (TW) on adrenal cortex in rats with adjuvant arthritis. Forty rats were divided into 5 groups. Adjuvant arthritis (AA) models were made with complete freund's adjuvant (CFA) in groups I-IV. Each of which was treated with sodium carboxyl methyl cellulose, TW, prednisone and cyclophosphamide respectively. The untreated rats allocated to group V served as normal controls. The swelling of AA markedly subsided in group II, III and IV as compared with group I (P < 0.01), whereas no significant differences were noted among groups II, III and IV (P > 0.05). The obviously increased plasma corticosterone levels and decreased adrenal ascorbic acid levels were observed in group II, whereas decreased plasma corticosterone levels and increased adrenal ascorbic acid levels were noted in group III. There was a striking contrast between groups II and III. The morphological changes of adrenal glands under light microscope revealed hypertrophic adrenal cortices in group II, and atrophic adrenal cortices in group III. The above findings suggest that the effect of promoting production of corticosteroids may be one of the mechanism by which TW can effectively treating autoimmune diseases.

[Antagonistic effect of re du qing on damage of hepatocytic microsomes in rabbits with endotoxin-induced disseminated intravascular coagulation]

In this study, the generalized Shwartzman reaction of rabbit induced by endotoxin of Escherichia Coli was built as DIC models. The experiment showed that the levels of lipid peroxide (LPO) in the hepatocytic microsomes of model group were increased significantly, whereas the cytochrome P-450 (Cyto. P-450) contents and aniline hydroxylase activities were obviously decreased. In the Re Du Qing (RDQ) group and dexamethasone group the decrease of LPO in hepatocytic microsomes as well as the reduction of Cyto. P-450 contents and aniline hydroxylase activities were alleviated. Furthermore, the correlation analysis indicated a significant negative correlation between levels of LPO in microsomes and the Cyto. P-450 contents as well as aniline hydroxylase activities. This study indicates the LPO may play an important role in the damage of hepatocytic microsomes and RDQ could prevent hepatocytic microsomes from injury of rabbits with endotoxin-induced DIC.

[Preventive effect of re du qing on hepatocytes and mitochondria damaged by lipid peroxidation in experimental rabbits with endotoxin-induced disseminated intravascular coagulation]

In this study, the general Shwartzman reaction of rabbits induced by Escherichia Coli endotoxin was made as DIC models. The experiments showed that the levels of lipid peroxide (LPO) in hepatic tissue and mitochondria in the model group were increased significantly compared with the control group (P less than 0.01), while superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in hepatic tissue and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity in hepatic tissue and mitochondria were decreased significantly (P less than 0.01). The levels of LPO in hepatic tissue and mitochondria in Re Du Qing (RDQ) group and vitamin E (VE) group were decreased significantly (P less than 0.01 and P less than 0.05 respectively) compared with the model group. The levels of LPO in the RDQ group did not differ from the control group (P greater than 0.05), but the levels of LPO in the VE group were still higher than those in the control group significantly (P less than 0.05). The SOD activity in hepatic tissue and GSH-Px activity in hepatic tissue and mitochondria in both RDQ group and VE group were also significantly higher than those in the model group (P less than 0.01). These data suggest that the levels of oxygen free radicals were increased in hepatocytes and mitochondria. This is related to the decreased activities of SOD and GSH-Px in the course of pathogenesis of endotoxin-induced DIC. This study indicates that lipid peroxidation might be one of the important mechanisms resulting in hepatocellular and mitochondria from oxidative damage.

[Experimental studies on the antagonistic effect of re du qing on endotoxin-induced damage of lysosomes and mitochondria]

A rabbit endotoxic DIC model was preliminarily performed. The structures of lysosomes and mitochondria in liver cells were evidently destroyed as observed under electronic microscope, whereas those rabbits pretreated with Re Du Qing (RDQ, formerly named anti-inflammatory No. 6)--a mixture of Chinese traditional herbs providing antipyretic and detoxifying action, showed principally normal ultrastructure in liver cells. In lysosomal functional studies, the activity of the lysosomal marker enzyme--acid phosphate (ACP) was 79.0 +/- 4.7% (M +/- SD) in model group, higher than pretreated group (54.01 +/- 4.0%, P less than 0.01). Studies on the mitochondrial function showed that the significant criteria of the respiratory activity of mitochondria--respiratory control ratios (RCR) was 2.83 +/- 1.08 in model group and markedly lower than pretreated group (5.46 +/- 1.25, P less than 0.01). Mitochondrial ATPase activity (mu mol pi/min/mg pr.) was lower in model group (0.280 +/- 0.015) than in pretreated group (0.341 +/- 0.018, P less than 0.05). Lipid peroxide (LPO) in liver homogenates and serum were 1.86 +/- 0.43 n mol MDA/mg pr. and 12.26 +/- 0.84 n mol MDA/ml respectively in model group, whereas in pretreated group they gave a much lower value (1.19 +/- 0.12 and 6.55 +/- 2.97) respectively. Those data showed very significant difference between two groups (P less than 0.01). All of the above indices of pretreated group yielded values close to those of normal control group. The results of experimental study in vitro were identical to those of experimental study in vivo. These experimental studies suggested that RDQ provide antagonistic effect on endotoxin induced damage of lysosomes and mitochondria.