Growth inhibitory effect of 4-phenyl butyric acid on human gastric cancer cells is associated with cell cycle arrest

AIM: To investigate the growth effects of 4-phenyl butyric acid (PBA) on human gastric carcinoma cells and their mechanisms. METHODS: Moderately-differentiated human gastric carcinoma SGC-7901 and lowly-differentiated MGC-803 cells were treated with 5, 10, 20, 40, and 60 μmol/L PBA for 1-4 d. Cell proliferation was detected using the MTT colorimetric assay. Cell cycle distributions were examined using flow cytometry.RESULTS: The proliferation of gastric carcinoma cells was inhibited by PBA in a doseand time-dependent fashion. Flow cytometry showed that SGC-7901 cells treated with low concentrations of PBA were arrested at the G0/G1 phase, whereas cells treated with high concentrations of PBA were arrested at the G2/M phase. Although MGC-803 cells treated with low concentrations of PBA were also arrested at the G0/G1 phase, cells treated with high concentrations of PBA were arrested at the S phase. CONCLUSION: The growth inhibitory effect of PBA on gastric cancer cells is associated with alteration of the cell cycle. For moderately-differentiated gastric cancer cells, the cell cycle was arrested at the G0/G1 and G2/M phases. For lowly-differentiated gastric cancer cells, the cell cycle was arrested at the G0/G1 and S phases.

High dimensional proteomic mapping of bone marrow immune characteristics in immune thrombocytopenia

To investigate the role of co-stimulatory and co-inhibitory molecules on immune tolerance in immune thrombocytopenia(ITP),this study mapped the immune cell heterogeneity in the bone marrow of ITP at the single-cell level using Cytometry by Time of Flight(CyTOF).Thirtysix patients with ITP and nine healthy volunteers were enrolled in the study.As soluble immunomodulatory molecules,more sCD25 and sGalectin-9 were detected in ITP patients.On the cell surface,co-stimulatory molecules like ICOS and HVEM were observed to be upregulated in mainly central memory and effector T cells.In contrast,co-inhibitory molecules such as CTLA-4 were significantly reduced in Th1 and Th17 cell subsets.Taking a platelet count of 30×10^(9)L^(−1)as the cutoff value,ITP patients with high and low platelet counts showed different T cell immune profiles.Antigen-presenting cells such as monocytes and B cells may regulate the activation of T cells through CTLA-4/CD86 and HVEM/BTLA interactions,respectively,and participate in the pathogenesis of ITP.In conclusion,the proteomic and soluble molecular profiles brought insight into the interaction and modulation of immune cells in the bone marrow of ITP.They may offer novel targets to develop personalized immunotherapies.

A six-herb Chinese medicine composition ointment as a promising candidate for treatment of hypertrophic scars

Objective:To study the anti-hypertrophic scar effect of the six-herb Chinese medicine composition(SCMC) ointment on the rabbit ear hypertrophic scar models.Methods:The optimal formulation of SCMC ointment matrix was screened by the orthogonal designs and a series of evaluation tests.The SCMC ointment was prepared through emulsifying method.The rabbit ear hypertrophic scar models were established and used to investigate the anti-hypertrophic scar effect of SCMC ointment.Results:Our results demonstrated that all the quality control indications of the SCMC ointment met the requirements.Anti-hypertrophic scar activity results showed that all the rabbit ear scar tissues appeared different degrees of shrink and fading,and took an unobvious but palpable shift from hard to soft texture with the low,middle and high concentration SCMC ointments treatments in vivo.Additionally,on 21 st day the scar area and thickness in different concentrations of SCMC ointment groups were significantly reduced than control group,in a concentration-dependent manner.The immunohistochemical results also indicated that the SCMC ointment had good anti-hypertrophic scar properties and could inhibit hypertrophic scar formation.Conclusion:The SCMC ointment could improve the blood circulation condition of hypertrophic scar tissues.Our research has demonstrated the Chinese medicine composition ointment with good antihypertrophic scar properties that could be used to treat hypertrophic scars.Meanwhile,it provides a theoretical basis for further clinical application.