Preliminary Study of Oxidative Stress in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Adjacent Normal Liver Tissues

OBJECTIVE The antioxidative system in human hepatocellular carcinoma was investigated. METHODS The activities of cytosolic catalase (CAT), superoxide dismu-tase, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione S-tranferase and levels of reduced glutathione, total protein thiols and malondialdehyde were assayed in 10 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma and adjacent normal liver. RESULTS Hepatoma tissues showed higher activities of CAT, GSH -Px and lower content of total antioxidative capacity compared to adjacent normal liver tissue (P<0.05). CONCLUSION These findings suggest that the antioxidative defense-related enzymes and antioxidants are largely regulated in hepatoma cells. However, the mechanism which is not clear requires further investigation.

Polymer-based synthetic oncolytic virus-like nanoparticles for cancer immunotherapy

Oncolytic viruses have emerged as new powerful therapeutic agents for cancer therapy by specifically lysing cancer cells while activating innate immune responses at the same time.However,due to the thorny issues of safety concerns and host immune reaction,the clinical application of oncolytic viruses is still limited.Herein,we report a rationally designed oncolytic virus-like nanoparticles(OV-NPs)composed of stimulator of interferon genes(STING)-stimulating polymer loaded with therapeutic genes for cancer immunotherapy.After injection into tumor,the OV-NPs carrying OX40L plasmid could reprogram tumor cells to express OX40L immune checkpoint molecules and activate the STING pathway for cooperatively enhancing antitumor immunity,with a tumor suppression rate of 92.3%in B16F10 tumor model and 78.7%in MC38 tumor model without causing any toxicity.The OV-NPs could be further applied in carrying other plasmids(IL-12)and utilization in gene combination therapy.This study should inspire designing synthetic OV-NPs as alternative strategies for extending oncolytic virus application in cancer immunotherapy.

Preparation and characterization of MgO hybrid biochar and its mechanism for high efficient recovery of phosphorus from aqueous media

Conversion of organic waste into engineered metal-biochar composite is an effective way of enhancing biochar’s efficiency for adsorptive capture of phosphorus(P)from aqueous media.Thus,various strategies have been created for the production of metal-biochar composites;however,the complex preparation steps,high-cost metal salt reagent application,or extreme process equipment requirements involved in those strategies limited the large-scale production of metal-biochar composites.In this study,a novel biochar composite rich in magnesium oxides(MFBC)was directly produced through co-pyrolysis of magnesite with food waste;the product,MFBC was used to adsorptively capture P from solution and bio-liquid wastewater.The results showed that compared to the pristine food waste biochar,MFBC was a uniformly hybrid MgO biochar composite with a P capture capacity of 523.91 mg/g.The capture of P by MFBC was fitted using the Langmuir and pseudo-first-order kinetic models.The P adsorptive capture was controlled by MgHPO4 formation and electrostatic attraction,which was affected by the coexisting F−and CO_(3)^(2−)ions.MFBC could recover more than 98%of P from the solution and bio-liquid wastewater.Although the P-adsorbed MFBC showed very limited reusability but it can be substituted for phosphate fertiliser in agricultural practices.This study provided an innovative technology for preparing MgO-biochar composite against P recovery from aqueous media,and also highlighted high-value-added approaches for resource utilization of bio-liquid wastewater and food waste.