Inhibiting effect of Endostar combined with ginsenoside Rg3 on breast cancer tumor growth in tumor-bearing mice

Objective: To study the inhibiting effect of Endostar combined with ginsenoside Rg3 on breast cancer tumor growth in tumor-bearing mice. Methods: Female mice were selected as experimental animals, and breast cancer tumor-bearing mouse models were established and then divided into group A, B, C and D that respectively received saline, recombinant human endostatin, ginsenosides Rg3 and recombinant human endostatin combined with Rg3 intervention; 7 d, 14 d and 21 d after intervention, tumor tissue volume was measured; 21 d after intervention, mice were killed, tumor tissue was collected, and m RNA contents of angiogenesis molecules, invasion molecules, autophagy marker molecules and autophagy signaling pathway molecules were detected. Results: At 7 d, 14 d and 21 d after intervention, tumor tissue volume of group B, C and D was lower than that of group A, and tumor tissue volume of group D was lower than that of group B and C; m RNA contents of VEGFA, VEGFB, VEGFC, MMP2, MMP9, p62, m TOR, PI3 K, Akt, JNK and Beclin-1 in tumor tissue of group B, C and D were significantly lower than those of group A, and LC3-II/LC3-I was significantly higher than that of group A; m RNA contents of VEGFA, VEGFB, VEGFC, MMP2, MMP9, p62, m TOR, PI3 K, Akt, JNK and Beclin-1 in tumor tissue of group D were significantly lower than those of group B and C, and LC3-II/LC3-I was higher than that of group B and C. Conclusions: Endostar combined with ginsenoside Rg3 has stronger inhibiting effect on breast cancer tumor growth in tumor-bearing mice than single drug, and it can inhibit angiogenesis and cell invasion, and enhance cell autophagy.

Effect of h GC-MSCs from human gastric cancer tissue on cell proliferation, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in tumor tissue of gastric cancer tumor-bearing mice

Objective: To study the effect of h GC-MSCs from human gastric cancer tissue on cell proliferation, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in tumor tissue of gastric cancer tumor-bearing mice. Methods: BABL/c nude mice were selected as experimental animals and gastric cancer tumor-bearing mice model were established by subcutaneous injection of gastric cancer cells, randomly divided into different intervention groups. h GC-MSCs group was given different amounts of gastric cancer cells for subcutaneous injection, PBS group was given equal volume of PBS for subcutaneous injection. Then tumor tissue volume were determined, tumor-bearing mice were killed and tumor tissues were collected, m RNA expression of proliferation, invasion, EMT related molecules were determined. Results: 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 d after intervention, tumor tissue volume of h GC-MSCs group were significantly higher than those of PBS group and the more the number of h GC-MSCs, the higher the tumor tissue volume; m RNA contents of Ki-67, PCNA, Bcl-2, MMP-2, MMP-7, MMP-9, MMP-14, N-cadherin, vimentin, Snail and Twist in tumor tissue of h GC-MSCs group were higher than those of PBS group, and m RNA contents of Bax, TIMP1, TIMP2 and E-cadherin were lower than those of PBS group. Conclusions: h GC-MSCs from human gastric cancer tissue can promote the tumor growth in gastric cancer tumor-bearing mice, and the molecular mechanism includes promoting cell proliferation, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Anti-inflammatory Activity of Mollugin on DSS-induced Colitis in Mice

We aimed to explore the anti-infammatory bactivity of mollugin extracted from Rubia cordifolia L,a traditional Chinese medicine,on dextran sulfate sodium(DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis(UC)in mice.Thirty C57BL/6 mice were divided into a control group(n=6),a model group(n=6),and three experimental groups(40,20,10 mg/kg of mollugin,n=6 each).DSS solution(3%)was given to mice in the model group and experimental groups from day 4 to day 10 to induce the mouse UC model.Mice in the experimental groups were intragastrically administrated mollugin from day 1 to day 10.Animals were orally given distilled water in the control group for the whole experiment time and in the model group from day 1 to day 3.The changes in colon pathology were detected by hematoxylin and eosin(HE)staining.Interleukin-1β(IL-1β)in the serum,and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and interferon-γ(IFN)in the tissues were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.Expression levels of Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)and myeloid differentiation factor 88 in the colon tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry.Results showed that mollugin could significantly reduce weight loss and the disease activity index in the DSS-induced UC mouse model.HE examinations demonstrated that mollugin treatment effectively improved the histological damage(P<0.05).The overproduction of IL-Iβand TNF-α was remarkably inhibited by mollugin treatment at doses of 20 and 40 mg/kg(P<0.05).Additionally,the levels of TLR4 in colon tissues were significantly reduced in mollugin-treated groups compared with the DSS group.Our findings demonstrated that mollugin ameliorates DSS-induced UC by inhibiting the production of pro-inflammatory chemocytokines.

Early postsurgical lethal outcome due to splenic littoral cell angioma:A case report

BACKGROUND Littoral cell angioma(LCA)is a rare benign vascular tumor of the spleen.Given its rarity,standard diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations have yet to be developed for reported cases.Splenectomy is the only method of obtaining a pathological diagnosis and providing treatment to obtain a favorable prognosis.CASE SUMMARY A 33-year-old female presented with abdominal pain for one month.Computed tomography and ultrasound revealed splenomegaly with multiple lesions and two accessory spleens.The patient underwent laparoscopic total splenectomy and accessory splenectomy,and splenic LCA was confirmed by pathology.Four months after surgery,the patient presented with acute liver failure,was readmitted,rapidly progressed to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and died.CONCLUSION Preoperative diagnosis of LCA is challenging.We systematically reviewed online databases to identify the relevant literature and found a close relationship between malignancy and immunodysregulation.When a patient suffers from both splenic tumors and malignancy or immune-related disease,LCA is possible.Due to potential malignancy,total splenectomy(including accessory spleen)and regular follow-up after surgery are recommended.If LCA is diagnosed after surgery,a comprehensive postoperative examination is needed.

Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation: From Concept to Application

Whether in the West or the East,the connection between the ear and the rest of the body has been explored for a long time.Especially in the past century or more,the relevant theoretical and applied research on the ear has greatly promoted the development of ear therapy,and finally the concept of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation(taVNS)has been proposed.The purpose of taVNS is to treat a disease non-invasively by applying electrical current to the cutaneous receptive field formed by the auricular branch of the vagus nerve in the outer ear.In the past two decades,taVNS has been a topic of basic,clinical,and transformation research.It has been applied as an alternative to drug treatment for a variety of diseases.Based on the rapid understanding of the application of taVNS to human health and disease,some limitations in the development of this field have also been gradually exposed.Here,we comprehensively review the origin and research status of the field.

Reactive carbonyl compounds(RCCs) cause aggregation and dysfunction of fibrinogen

Fibrinogen is a key protein involved in coagulation and its deposition on blood vessel walls plays an important role in the pathology of atherosclerosis.Although the causes of fibrinogen(fibrin)deposition have been studied in depth,little is known about the relationship between fibrinogen deposition and reactive carbonyl compounds(RCCs),compounds which are produced and released into the blood and react with plasma protein especially under conditions of oxidative stress and inflammation.Here,we investigated the effect of glycolaldehyde on the activity and deposition of fibrinogen compared with the common RCCs acrolein,methylglyoxal,glyoxal and malondialdehyde.At the same concentration(1 mmol/L),glycolaldehyde and acrolein had a stronger suppressive effect on fibrinogen activation than the other three RCCs.Fibrinogen aggregated when it was respectively incubated with glycolaldehyde and the other RCCs,as demonstrated by SDS-PAGE,electron microscopy and intrinsic fluorescence intensity measurements.Staining with Congo Red showed that glycolaldehyde-and acrolein-fibrinogen distinctly formed amyloid-like aggregations.Furthermore,the five RCCs,particularly glycolaldehyde and acrolein,delayed human plasma coagulation.Only glycolaldehyde showed a markedly suppressive effect on fibrinogenesis,none did the other four RCCs when their physiological blood concentrations were employyed,respectively.Taken together,it is glycolaldehyde that suppresses fibrinogenesis and induces protein aggregation most effectively,suggesting a putative pathological process for fibrinogen(fibrin)deposition in the blood.

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation for functional dyspepsia:A randomized controlled trial

Objectives:To observe the clinical long-term therapeutic effect on functional dyspepsia(FD) in the comparative study of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation(taVNS) with transcutaneous auricular none-vagus nerve stimulation(tnVNS).Methods:A total of 90 FD patients were randomized into a taVNS group and a tnVNS group,45 cases in each one.The patients in both the taNVS group and the tnVNS group were treated 5 times a week,30 min each time,for 4 weeks totally.Before treatment,after treatment and in follow-up visit,overall symptom points,functional dyspepsia-related quality of life questionnaire(FDQOL),Hamilton anxiety scale(HAMA),Hamilton depression scale(HAMD) and self-rating depression scale(SDS) were adopted to evaluate the severity of the symptoms and observe the clinical therapeutic effect of patients.Results:Compared with the scores before treatment,the overall symptom points,FDDQL,HAMA,HAMD and SDS at each time point after treatment were all lower in the patients of the taVNS group.The scores of FDDQL after treatment were almost all higher than that before treatment in the self-comparison of each group.All of the above differences were significant statistically(all P <0.05).Compared with the tnVNS group,the overall symptom points,FDDQL, HAMA,HAMD and SDS at each time point after treatment were all lower in the taVNS group and the score of FDDQL was higher,indicating the statistical differences(all P<0.05).Conclusion:Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation is applicable for the treatment of functional dyspepsia.Compared with the control group,taVNS obtains a better long-term effect.

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation for impaired glucose tolerance:a randomized controlled trial Protocol

Background:impaired glucose tolerance(IGT)is the early stage of diabetes and it would be deteriorated to type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2 DM)easily if no intervention provided.In western medicine,drug therapy assisted with the intervention of lifestyle is predominated.However,drug therapy brings serious side effect and high prices,while lifestyle intervention is difficult to be insisted on by patients.Therefore,a green and effective intervention mode is urgently needed.Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation(taVNS)is a noninvasive and green therapeutic method based on the theory of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM),which can regulate glucose metabolism and reduce blood glucose,but the clinical effect of it has not been clarified yet at present.Hence,this randomized controlled trial(RCT)aims at exploring the effectiveness and safety of taVNS in the treatment of IGT.Methods:a total of 158 patients with IGT will be randomized into a taVNS group and a transcutaneous non-auricular vagus nerve stimulation(tnVNS)group,79 cases in each one.In the taVNS group and the tnVNS group,electric stimulation would be applied to Yidan(胰胆pancreas and gallbladder,CO11)and Pi(脾spleen,CO13)on auricular concha and Jian(肩shoulder SF4,5)on auricular rim respectively.The electric stimulation parameters would be the same in the patients of two groups,for 30 min in each treatment,twice a day,6 weeks as one course and 2 courses of treatment required totally.In week 0,6 and 12 of intervention,the effectiveness indicators would be determined,i.e.fasting plasma glucose(FPG),2 h plasma glucose(2 hPG)and glycosylated hemoglobin(HbA1c)successively.On week 0 and 12,body mass index(BMI)would be calculated,respiration,pulse and blood pressure would be recorded separately.Discussion:through observing the regulatory effect of taVNS on FPG,2 hPG,HbAlc and BMI as well as the adverse reactions,the effectiveness and safety of taVNS in treatment of IGT would be evaluated.This study will provide a safe,effective,convenient and nontoxic side effect intervention for clinical treatment of IGT and prevention from the occurrence and development of T2DM.

Effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on intestinal ligandins in a rat model of functional dyspepsia

Objective:Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation(taVNS) can relieve the symptoms of functional dyspepsia(FD) and improve the quality of life of patients,however,the mechanism underlying this effect remains unclear.Therefore,this study aimed to investigate the effects of taVNS on the expression of intestinal mucosal ligandins.Methods:This study was conducted on 24 specific Spathogen-free Sprague-Dawley rats(12 males and12 females).The rat model of FD was established by tail-clip stimulation.After FD was established successfully,all rats were randomized to either the normal group(n=6),model group(n=6),taVNS group(n=6),or sham-taVNS group(n=6).After two weeks of the respective intervention,the score of their general conditions,3 h food intake,gastric emptying rate,and the histology of gastric antrum tissues were observed to evaluate modeling success,and then the effect of taVNS was evaluated.Western blotting was used to assess the expression of the tight junction ligandins-ZO-1 and occludin-and the adhesion ligandin-β-catenin-in the duodenum.The effect of taVNs on the expression of intestinal mucosal barrier ligandins-ZO-1,occludin,and β-catenin-in FD rats was preliminarily investigated.Results:When the model-induced period was finished,the manifestations of FD in the model group rats were mental exhaustion,reduced activities,decreased score of the general conditions,and decreased3 h food intake,compared to the normal group rats.In addition,minimal eosinophil infiltration,without any mucosal erosion or ulcer,was observed in the gastric antrum mucosa.At the end of the study,the mental state of the FD rats improved,and their activities and gastric emptying rate increased in the taVNS group rats.Compared to the normal rats,the duodenal mucosa had less expression of the tight junction ligandins ZO-1 and occludin,but β-catenin expression remained unchangedin the model rats.The expression of the tight junction ligandins ZO-1 and occludin were increased in the duodenal mucosa of model rats after the taVNS intervention.Conclusion:TaVNS can improve the gastric motility and mental state of rats with FD.It may play a therapeutic role by improving the expression of the tight junction ligandin ZO-1 and occludin in the duodenal mucosa,while also repairing the duodenal mucosal barrier.

Auricular concha eletroacupuncture modulates lipid-lipoprotein metabolism in rats submitted to cold stress

Objective:To explore whether auricular concha eletroacupuncture(ACEA)is effective in regulating lipidlipoprotein metabolism in rats submitted to cold stress.Methods:Thirty-six adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were placed in four groups(9 rats in each group),the rats in three groups of which were submitted to cold stress for fourteen days,the last one of which was a control group.After the cold stress process,in those three groups,the rats of one group were with no treatment(stress only),two were treated with either ACEA or auricular margin eletroacupuncture(AMEA)repeated for fourteen days.On the 14th day,all the rats were sacrificed after all experimental procedure for blood sampling.Blood glucose,triglycerides(TG),total cholesterol(TC),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)levels were tested by using the collected serum.Plasma lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase(LCAT)was measured with ELISA kit.Results:ACEA down-regulated the TG level(P<0.05)and LDL-C level(P<0.05),and up-regulated HDL-C level(P<0.05)and LACT level(P<0.05).AMEA did not regulate the bio-markers.Conclusion:ACEA played an important role in regulating lipid-lipoprotein metabolism in rats submitted to cold stress.