Changes of pulmonary beta-adrenergic receptors and their relationship with membranous phospholipid metabolism in endotoxin-induced lung injury in rats

The changes of beta-adrenergic receptors (AARs) in lung tissue in endotoxin-induced acute lung injury was investigated with radioligand bindig assay in rats. The lipid fluidity and phospholipid content of the cellular membrane of lung tissue were measured with fluorescent polarization and high performance liquid chromatography respectively. The findings were as follows:1- Four hours after endotoxin injection, there was a 47% decrease of the maximal binding capacity of fyARsas compared with the control.2. Endotoxin was able to decrease the lipid fluidity and phospholipid content of the pulmonary cellular membrane markedly and at the same time. There was an elevated activity of phospholipase A2 in the pulmonary tissueThese findings suggest that the decrease of the binding capacity of &ARs results in a decrease of the PAR mediated functions, which plays a ro1e in the pathogensis of endotoxin-induced acute lung injury and the activation of phospholipase A2 which is an important factor to reduce the phospholipid content of cell membrane and subsequently to decrease its lipid fluidity, can result in a reduction of the lateral diffusion and rotatory movement of β-ARs and to decrease the chances of β-ARs to bind with the ligands.

Correlation of beta－receptors in human pathological brain tissue and in peripheral blood lymphocytes

Beta-adrenergic receptors in the brain are involved in modulating cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral energy metabolism (CEM). Because of the difficult availability of brain tissue samples, investigation of the relevant beta-receptor of brain is limited. In the present study, the density of beta-receptors in brain tissues and in circulating lymphocytes was measured by the method of radio-ligand receptor binding (RLBA), in brain injury or brain tumor and a correlation analysis was performed. Our results show that there is linear correlation between the beta-receptors in brain tissue and in peripheral blood lymphocytes (r= 0. 811 , P<0. 01) in cases of increased permeability of bloodbrain barrier during brain injury or brain tumor.

Prognostic Value of Promoter Hypermethylation of Retinoic Acid Receptor Beta (RARB) and CDKN2 (p16/MTS1) in Prostate Cancer

Objective: The molecular mechanism of prostate cancer is poorly understood. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence and prognostic value of promoter hypermethylation of retinoic acid receptor beta (RARB) and p16 among benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer patients. Methods: In this case-control study, 63 patients were included in three groups; 21 with BPH as the control group, 21 with prostate cancer and good prognostic factors (based on prostate-specific antigen, Gleason score and stage) as good prognosis group, and 21 with prostate cancer and poor prognostic features as poor prognosis group. The prostate biopsy specimen of each individual was examined for hypermethylation of RARB and p16 promoters by methylation specific PCR (MSPCR). Results: Seven (33.3%) patients with good prognosis and 15 (71.4%) patients with poor prognosis were positive for RARB methylation, which were significantly higher than controls (P <0.0001). p16 promoter methylation was shown in 19.0% and 47.6% patients with good and poor prognosis, respectively. The RARB and p16 promoter methylation in the poor prognosis group was significantly higher than that in the good prognosis group (P =0.02 for RARB and P<0.0001 for p16). Conclusion: Hypermethylation of RARB and p16 promoters may predict prognosis in prostate cancer.

Interferon beta(IFN-β) treatment exerts potential neuroprotective effects through neurotrophic factors and novel neurotensin/neurotensin high affinity receptor 1 pathway

Multiple sclerosis（MS）is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system（CNS）characterized by coexisting processes of inflammation,demyelination,axonal neurodegeneration,and gliosis.It is the most common disabling neurological disease in young adulthood.

Association between essential hypertension and polymorphisms of beta 1 adrenergic receptor gene G1165C (Gly389Arg) in Chinese Mongolian population

BACKGROUND： The prevalences of hypertension, cerebrovascular diseases, etc. are higher in Mongolian population because of the influence of various factors including genetics, geography, diet, etc. Therefore, it is helpful to develop researches on the genetics of various diseases including hypertension in Mongolian population. OBJECTIVE： To analyze the association between the polymorphism of beta1 adrenergic receptor （β1-AR） gene G1165C （Arg389Gly）, an important candidate gene for various diseases of cardiovascular system, and essential hypertension in Mongolian population. DESIGN ： A cross-sectional study SETTINGS： Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical College; Wulate Houqi Red Cross Society. PARTICIPANTS： The survey was carried out from February 2003 to March 2005. Totally 239 Mongolian residents, whose blood relations of 3 generations were all Mongolians, were selected from Wulate Houqi, Inner Mongolia, and they were all informed with the survey and detected items. Based on the diagnostic standard of hypertension set by WHO in 1999, the subjects were divided into two groups according to the level blood pressure： ① Normal blood pressure group （n=117）： systolic blood pressure （SBP） 〈 140 mm Hg （1 mm Hg =0.133 kPa）, diastolic blood pressure （DBP） 〈 90 mm Hg, and those having histories of cerebrovascular disease, heart disease, diseases of liver, kidney and tiroides, and diabetes mellitus were excluded. ② Essential hypertension group （n=122）： including 51 patients with simple high SBP. All the enrolled subjects had no blood relationship with each other, and had no history of miscegenation. METHODS ： The body height, body mass, waist circumference and blood lipids were measured routinely, and their habits of smoking and drinking were also investigated. Penpheral venous blood （5 mL） was drawn, the genome DNA was extracted, and the polymorphisms of the β1-AR Gl165C （Gly389Arg） genotype were detected with the Sequenom system. Polymerase chain reaction （PCR） experiment and SNP detection were performed in Huada Gene Laboratory of Bejing, then the univariate analysis of variance was applied in the sample comparison among groups, and the chi-square test was used to compare the genotypes and allele frequencies. The odd ratio （OR） and 95% confidence interval （CO were calculated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： The distributions of β1-AR Gl165C （Gly389Arg） genotypes and alleles were observed. RESULTS： A11 the 239 subjects were involved in the analysis of results, and no one missed, ①Comparison of β1-AR G1165C （Gly389Arg） genotypes and allele distnbutions： In Mongolian population, the frequencies of CC and GG＋GC genotypes at β1-AR G1165C （Gly389Arg） site in the essential hypertension group （72%, 28%） were not significantly different from those in the normal blood pressure group （67%, 33%） （xz=0.841, P=-0.359; OR 0.773, 95%Cl： 0.445-1.342）; The frequencies of C and G alleles also had no significant differences between the essential hypertension group （85%, 15%） and the normal blood pressure group （82%, 18%） （x^2=1.136, P=-0.287; OR： 0.769, 95%Cl： 0.747-1.248）. ②The frequencies of CC and GG＋GC genotypes at β1-AR G1165C （Gly389Arg） site had no significant differences between the patients with simple high SBP （71%, 29%） and the normal blood pressure group （x^2=0.250, P=-0.617; OR： 0.833, 95%C/： 0.408-1.703）; The frequencies of C and G alleles were not significantly different between the patients with simple high SBP （86%, 14%） and the normal blood pressure group （x^2=0.670, P=-0.413; OR 0.766, 95%Cl： 0.404-1.453）. CONCLUSION： In Mongolian population, the distributions of the genotypes and alleles of β1-AR Gl165C （Gly389Arg） have no obvious differences between the subjects with normal blood pressure and the patients with essential hypertension （including simple SBP increase）, which suggests that G1165C （Glu389Asp） site of β1-AR gene may be not a genetic mark of essential hypertension and simple high SBP in Mongolian population.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors as targets to treat non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Lately, the world has faced tremendous progress in the understanding of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) pathogenesis due to rising obesity rates. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors(PPARs) are transcription factors that modulate the expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism, energy homeostasis and inflammation, being altered in diet-induced obesity. Experimental evidences show that PPAR-alpha is the master regulator of hepatic beta-oxidation(mitochondrial and peroxisomal)and microsomal omega-oxidation, being markedly decreased by high-fat(HF) intake. PPAR-beta/delta is crucial to the regulation of forkhead box-containing protein O subfamily-1 expression and, hence, the modulation of enzymes that trigger hepatic gluconeogenesis. In addition, PPAR-beta/delta can activate hepatic stellate cells aiming to the hepatic recovery from chronic insult. On the contrary, PPAR-gamma upregulation by HF diets maximizes NAFLD through the induction of lipogenic factors, which are implicated in the fatty acid synthesis. Excessive dietary sugars also upregulate PPAR-gamma, triggering de novo lipogenesis and the consequent lipid droplets deposition within hepatocytes. Targeting PPARs to treat NAFLD seems a fruitful approach as PPAR-alpha agonist elicits expressive decrease in hepatic steatosis by increasing mitochondrial beta-oxidation, besides reduced lipogenesis. PPAR-beta/delta ameliorates hepatic insulin resistance by decreasing hepatic gluconeogenesis at postprandial stage. Total PPAR-gamma activation can exert noxious effects by stimulating hepatic lipogenesis. However, partial PPAR-gamma activation leads to benefits, mainly mediated by increased adiponectin expression and decreased insulin resistance. Further studies are necessary aiming at translational approaches useful to treat NAFLD in humans worldwide by targeting PPARs.

Correlation and Significance of Midkine and Estrogen Receptor Beta Protein Expression in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

OBJECTIVE Midkine (MK),a new member of the heparin-binding growth factor family,was found recently to have a highexpression level in many carcinoma specimens,including thoseof the esophagus,gall bladder,pancreas,colorectum,breast andlung.Estrogen receptor beta (ER-β),a recently cloned estrogenreceptor subtype,was also found to be highly expressed in lungtumor tissue,in contrast to a lower level of expression in normallung tissue.However,few relevant studies on these proteins havebeen published.The aims of our study were to investigate theexpression of midkine and ER-β proteins in non-small cell lungcancer (NSCLC) and to examine the relationship between theirexpression and the clinicopathologic data as well as to analyse thecorrelation of their expression in NSCLC.METHODS By immunohistochemistry,MK and ER-β were ex-amined in 24 surgically resected cases of NSCLC with their corre-sponding paraneoplastic and normal lung tissues.RESULTS MK and ER-β were overexpressed in NSCLC.Thelevels of MK and ER-β expression in NSCLC were found to be sig-nificantly negatively correlated with the pathological classification(P=0.042 and 0.021,respectively),and their expression decreasedwith a raise in the classification.Spearman's correlation analysisshowed that the correlation of their expression in NSCLC wasstrong (correlation coefficient[r_s]= 0.535,P=0.007<0.01).CONCLUSION The expression levels of MK and ER-β to someextent reflect the malignant degree of NSCLC,and their combineddetection may be of great value in early diagnosis,treatments ofpatients with NSCLC and can predict the prognoses.

Myeloid neoplasm with eosinophilia and rearrangement of plateletderived growth factor receptor beta gene in children: Two case reports

BACKGROUND Myeloid neoplasm(MN)with eosinophilia and rearrangement of platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta(PDGFRB)shows a good therapeutic response to imatinib in adults.MN is rarely found in children,and the efficacy of imatinib on pediatric patients remain unclear.CASE SUMMARY We report 2 pediatric cases diagnosed with MN with eosinophilia and PDGFRB rearrangement who were treated with imatinib.Case 1 was a 1-year-old girl admitted to the hospital because of“abdominal distension with hyperleukocytosis for 3 mo”.She had leukocytosis,anemia,and eosinophilia(the absolute eosinophil count(AEC)was 8960/μL),and her fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH)test revealed that PDGFRB rearrangement was detected in 70%of 500 interphase cells.Case 2 was a 2-year-old girl admitted to the hospital because of“recurrent fever and rashes for 1 mo”.Her blood cell count showed an AEC of 3540/μL.The FISH test revealed that PDGFRB rearrangement was detected in 71%of 500 interphase cells.Both patients were diagnosed as MN with eosinophilia and PDGFRB rearrangement.Imatinib was added into their treatment regimen.As expected,complete hematologic remission was achieved after 1 mo of treatment,and symptoms disappeared.CONCLUSION Although MN with eosinophilia and PDGFRB rearrangement usually occurs in adults,it can be found in children.The therapeutic benefits of imatinib in these 2 pediatric patients were consistent with its reported effects in adult patients.

Effect of Cardiopulmonary Bypass on Beta Adrenergic Receptor Adenylate Cyclase System on Surfaces of Peripheral Lymphocytes

Summary: The experimental results showed that the level of CAMP, the ratio of cAPM to cGMP, IL-2R expression and IL-2 production in vitro in lymphocytes immediate and 2 weeks after car- diopulmonary bypass (CPB) were significantly lower than those before anesthetics in the patients undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB. These findings suggested that CPB could cause serious damage to adrenergic beta receptor-adenylate cyclase system on circulating lymphocytes surfaces, which might be one of the mechanisms resulting in immunosuppression after open heart surgery with CPB.

Retinoic acid receptor beta promoter methylation and risk of cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women worldwide, particularly in developing countries. Human papillomavirus has been reported as one of the key etiologic factors in cervical carcinoma. Likewise, epigenetic aberrations have ability to regulate cancer pathogenesis and progression. Recent research suggested that methylation has been detected already at precancerous stages, which methylation markers may have significant value in cervical cancer screening. The retinoic acid receptor beta (RARβ) gene, a potential tumor suppressor gene, is usually expressed in normal epithelial tissue. Methylation of CpG islands in the promoter region of the RARβ gene has been found to be associated with the development of cervical cancer. To investigate whether RARβ methylation is a potential biomarker that predicts the progression of invasive cancer, we reviewed 14 previously published articles related to RARβ methylation. The majority of them demonstrated that the frequency of RARβ promoter methylation was significantly correlated with the severity of cervical epithelium abnormalities. However, methylation of a single gene may not represent the best approach for predicting disease prognosis. Analyzing combinations of aberrant methylation of multiple genes may increase the sensitivity, and thus this approach may serve as a better tool for predicting disease prognosis.

Long-term clinical outcome between beta-blocker with ACEI or ARB in patients with NSTEMI who underwent PCI with drug-eluting stents

Background Because limited comparative data are available,we decided to compare 2-year major clinical outcomes between beta-blockers (BB) with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) and BB with angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) therapy in patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DES).Methods A total 11,288 NSTEMI patients who underwent PCI with DES were enrolled and they were divided into two groups,the BB with ACEI group (n = 7600) and the BB with ARB group (n = 3688).The major clinical endpoint was the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) defined as all-cause death,recurrent myocardial infarction (re-MI),total revascularization [target lesion revascularization (TLR),target vessel revascularization (TVR),non-TVR] rate during the 2-year follow-up period.Results After propensity score-matched (PSM) analysis,two PSM groups (3317 pairs,n = 6634,C-statistic = 0.695) were generated.Although the cumulative incidences of all-cause death,cardiac death,TLR,and non-TVR were similar between the two groups,MACE (HR = 0.832,95% CI: 0.704?0.982,P = 0.030),total revascularization rate (HR = 0.767,95% CI: 0.598?0.984,P = 0.037),and TVR rate (HR = 0.646,95% CI: 0.470?0.888,P = 0.007) were significantly lower in the BB with ACEI group after PSM.Conclusions In this study,we suggest that the combination of BB with ACEI may be beneficial for reducing the cumulative incidences of MACE,total revascularization rate,and TVR rather than the BB with ARB after PCI with DES in NSTEMI patients.

Overexpression of estrogen receptor beta alleviates the toxic effects of beta-amyloid protein on PC12 cells via non-hormonal ligands

After binding to the estrogen receptor, estrogen can alleviate the toxic effects of beta-amyloid protein, and thereby exert a therapeutic effect on Alzheimer＇s disease patients. Estrogen can increase the incidence of breast carcinoma and endometrial cancer in post-menopausal women, so it is not suitable for clinical treatment of Alzheimer＇s disease. There is recent evidence that the estrogen receptor can exert its neuroprotective effects without estrogen dependence. Real-time quantitative PCR and flow cytometry results showed that, compared with non-transfected PC12 cells, adenovirus-mediated estrogen receptor β gene-transfected PC12 cells exhibited lower expression of tumor necrosis factor a and interleukin 1β under stimulation with beta-amyloid protein and stronger protection from apoptosis. The Akt-specific inhibitor Abi-2 decreased the anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects of estrogen receptor β gene-transfection. These findings suggest that overexpression of estrogen receptor β can alleviate the toxic effect of beta-amyloid protein on PC12 cells, without estrogen dependence. The Akt pathway is one of the potential means for the anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects of the estrogen receptor.

Gengnianchun recipe inhibits apoptosis of pheochromocytoma cells from beta-amyloid 25-35 insult, better than monotherapies and their compounds

This study aims to determine and compare the protective effects of Gengnianchun recipe drug serum and compounds of its representative drug monotherapies against sympathetic nerve pheochromocytoma cell line PC12 cells damaged by beta-amyloid 25-35 at the cellular apoptosis and related signal pathway levels. PC12 cells cultured with medicated rat serum showed enhanced cell viability and reduced cellular apoptosis rates compared with those of monotherapies and their compounds. Furthermore, Gengnianchun recipe up-regulated expressions of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, estrogen receptor-beta and phosphorylated extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 1/2; and down-regulated expressions of pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and caspase-3. Gengnianchun recipe was superior to representative drug monotherapies, such as paeoniflorin, berberine, timosaponin A-III, icariine and their compounds in protecting PC12 cells. Mitogen-activated protein kinase blocker and estrogen receptor antagonist were found to reverse the above effects of Gengnianchun recipe. The experimental findings indicate that, Gengnianchun recipe protects PC12 cells from beta-amyloid 25-35 insult; its inhibitory effect on apoptosis may be achieved through the mitogen-activated protein kinase and estrogen receptor pathways.

Blocking beta 2-adrenergic receptor inhibits dendrite ramification in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Dendrite ramification affects synaptic strength and plays a crucial role in memory. Previous studies revealed a correlation between beta 2-adrenergic receptor dysfunction and Alzheimer＇s disease （AD）, although the mechanism involved is still poorly understood. The current study investigated the potential effect of the selective β2-adrenergic receptor antagonist, ICI 118551 （ICI）, on Aβ deposits and AD-related cognitive impairment. Morris water maze test results demonstrated that the performance of AD-transgenic （TG） mice treated with ICI （AD-TG/ICI） was significantly poorer compared with NaCl-treated AD-TG mice （AD-TG/NaCl）, suggesting that β2-adrenergic receptor blockage by ICI might reduce the learning and memory abilities of mice. Golgi staining and immunohistochemical staining revealed that blockage of the β2-adrenergic receptor by ICI treatment decreased the number of dendritic branches, and ICI treatment in AD-TG mice decreased the expression of hippocampal synaptophysin and synapsin 1. Western blot assay results showed that the blockage of β2-adrener- gic receptor increased amyloid-β accumulation by downregulating hippocampal a-secretase activity and increasing the phosphorylation of amyloid precursor protein. These findings suggest that blocking the β2-adrenergic receptor inhibits dendrite ramification of hippocampal neurons in a mouse model of AD.

THE DISTRIBUTION OF BETA-ADRENERGIC RECEPTORS IN GUINEA PIG LUNGS AND THEIR CHANGES IN EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGIC ASTHMA

In this paper, the distribution of pulmonary beta-adrenergic receptors (beta-receptors) innormal and experimental allergic asthmatic guinea pigs was determined using autoradiograph-ic method. The results showed that the distribution of beta-receptors in the lung sections waswidespread. There was a significant decrease of beta-receptor density in several tissue struc-tures of asthmatic guinea pig lungs compared with the controls, a 23.73% decrease in beta-recep-tor binding sites in bronchiolar smooth muscles and a 18.65% decrease in bronchial smoothmuscles; a 23 .53%. a 14.23% and a 17. 16% decrease in bronchiolar epithelium, in bronchialepithelium and in alveolar epithelium respectively. The results indicated that the beta-recep-tor decrease in smooth muscles in experimental asthmatic guinea pig lungs might be one ofthe important factors which made the tension of smooth muscles increase. The relationshipbetween the beta-receptor decrease of other sites and bronchial asthma needs to be studiedfurther.

Curcumin inhibits beta-amyloid protein 40/42 expression in the brain in a concentration-and time-dependent manner

Several studies have demonstrated that the amount of beta-amyloid （Aβ） protein in the brain can be lowered by down-regulating Aβ production, promoting Aβ degradation, reducing Aβ oligomerization or deposition, thereby alleviating symptoms of Alzheimer＇s disease. Curcumin has been known to be a peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma （PPARy） agonist and can obviously inhibit Aβ production and oligomerization. This study investigated the effects of curcumin on the G-site APP cleaving enzyme 1 （BACE1） activity and PPARy expression in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells, and validated the inhibitory effects of curcumin on Aβ40/42 expression in the brain. Results revealed that PPARy mRNA and protein expression in the human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells significantly increased with increasing curcumin concentration and time course （P 〈 0.05）; BACE1 mRNA and protein expression and Aβ40/42 production significantly decreased with increasing curcumin concentration and time course （P 〈 0.05）. The changes in PPARy and BACE1 expression during Aβ production could be reversed by the PPARy antagonist GW9662. These findings indicate that curcumin reduced Aβ production by activating PPARy expression and inhibiting BACE1 expression in a concentration- and time-dependent manner.

Estrogen receptor beta suppresses the androgen receptor oncogenic effects in triple-negative breast cancer

Background:Triple-negative breast cancer(TNBC)is an aggressive type of breast cancer associated with poor prognosis and limited treatment options.The androgen receptor(AR)has emerged as a potential therapeutic target for luminal androgen receptor(LAR)TNBC.However,multiple studies have claimed that anti-androgen therapy for AR-positive TNBC only has limited clinical benefits.This study aimed to investigate the role of AR in TNBC and its detailed mechanism.Methods:Immunohistochemistry and TNBC tissue sections were applied to investigate AR and nectin cell adhesion molecule 4(NECTIN4)expression in TNBC tissues.Then,in vitro and in vivo assays were used to explore the function of AR and estrogen receptor beta(ERβ)in TNBC.Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing(ChIP-seq),co-immunoprecipitation(co-IP),molecular docking method,and luciferase reporter assay were performed to identify key molecules that affect the function of AR.Results:Based on the TNBC tissue array analysis,we revealed that ERβand AR were positive in 21.92%(32/146)and 24.66%(36/146)of 146 TNBC samples,respectively,and about 13.70%(20/146)of TNBC patients were ERβpositive and AR positive.We further demonstrated the pro-tumoral effects of AR on TNBC cells,however,the oncogenic biology was significantly suppressed when ERβtransfection in LAR TNBC cell lines but not in AR-negative TNBC.Mechanistically,we identified that NECTIN4 promoter–42 bp to–28 bp was an AR response element,and that ERβinteracted with AR thus impeding the AR-mediated NECTIN4 transcription which promoted epithelial–mesenchymal transition in tumor progression.Conclusions:This study suggests that ERβfunctions as a suppressor mediating the effect of AR in TNBC prognosis and cell proliferation.Therefore,our current research facilitates a better understanding of the role and mechanisms of AR in TNBC carcinogenesis.

Effect of substance P on gene expression of transforming growth factor β-1 and its receptors in rat's fibroblasts

Objective: To investigate the effect of substance P (SP) on gene expression of transforming growth factor β-1 (TGFβ-1), transforming growth factor receptor-1 (TGFR-1) and transforming growth factor receptor-2 (TGFR-2) in fibroblasts cultured in vitro from rat’s granulation tissues. Methods: The fibroblasts from the granulation tissues in the skeletal muscle of rat’s hind limbs injured by formaldehyde were cultured in vitro. When different concentrations (10 -9-10 -5 mol/L) of SP were added into the culture medium, the changes of gene expression of TGFβ-1, TGFR-1 and TGFR-2 in the cultured fibroblasts were observed with reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction at different intervals (0, 3, 6, 12 and 24 hours after incubation). Results: The gene expression of TGFβ-1, TGFR-1 and TGFR-2 in the fibroblasts cultured from rat’s granulation tissues was up-regulated by SP. The peak level of the mRNA expression was found at 10 -8 mol/L SP and the up-regulation effect was not found at 10 -5 mol/L and 10 -6 mol/L. The peak levels of gene expression of TGFβ-1, TGFR-1 and TGFR-2 in the fibroblasts treated with SP were achieved at 6 and 12 hours, respectively. Conclusions: SP has up-regulation effect on the gene expression of TGFβ-1, TGFR-1 and TGFR-2 in fibroblasts from rat’s granulation tissues in vitro, and the effect is related to different stimulating concentrations of SP. It may be concerned with proliferation and differentiation of fibroblasts and formation of scar tissues during wound healing.

Cancer therapy using natural ligands that target estrogen receptor beta

Estrogen receptor beta(ERβ) is one of the two key receptors(ERα, ERβ) that facilitate biological actions of 17β-estradiol(E2). ERβ is widely expressed in many tissues, and its expression is reduced or lost during progression of many tumors. ERβ facilitates estrogen signaling by both genomic(classical and non-classical) and extra-nuclear signaling. Emerging evidence suggests that ERβ functions as a tissue-specific tumor suppressor with anti-proliferative actions. Recent studies have identified a number of naturally available selective ERβ agonists. Targeting ERβ using its naturally available ligands is an attractive approach for treating and preventing cancers. This review presents the beneficial actions of ERβ signaling and clinical utility of several natural ERβ ligands as potential cancer therapy.