HSP70 cleavage-induced photoreceptor cell death caused by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea

Retinal degenerative diseases （RDs） such as retinitis pigmentosa （RP） are characterized by slowly progressive photoreceptor cell death, but the molecular mechanism underlying RP remains unclear. Animal models for RP have led to a better understand- ing of the disease pathological mechanisms, yet it remains difficult to identify an appropriate genetic model for RDs in general because there are many causative genes （Rossmiller et al., 2012）.

Enhancing the treatment effects of tumor cell purified autogenous heat shock protein 70-peptide complexes on HER-3-overexpressing breast cancer

Objective The aim of this study was to enhance the treatment effect of tumor purified autogenous heat shock protein 70-peptide complexes(HSP70-PCs)on HER-3-overexpressing breast cancer.Methods In this study,we first studied the expression of HER-3 in breast cancer tissues and its relationship with patient characteristics.We then purified HSP70-PCs from primary breast cancer cells with different HER-2 and HER-3 expression profiles and determined the cytotoxicity of autogenous dendritic cells(DCs)and CD8+T cells induced by these complexes.Third,recombinant human HSP70-HER-3 protein complexes were used to inhibit the autogenous HSP70-PCs purified from HER-3-overexpressing breast cancer cells,and the resulting immunological response was examined.Results The results show that HSP70-PCs can be combined with recombinant HSP70-HER-3 protein complexes to induce stronger immunological responses than autogenous HSP70-PCs alone and that these treatments induce autogenous CD8+T cell killing of HER-3-positive breast cancer cells.Conclusion These findings provide a new direction for HSP70-DC-based immunotherapy for patients with HER-3-overexpressing breast cancer.

Heat shock protein 70 antisense oligonucleotide inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in human gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901

AIM: Heat shock protein (HSP)70 is over-expressed in human gastric cancer and plays an important role in the progression of this cancer. We investigated the effects of antisense HSP70 oligomer on human gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901, and its potential role in gene therapy for this cancer.METHODS: Human gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901 was treated in vitro with various concentrations of antisense HSP70 oligonucleotides at different intervals. Growth inhibition was determined as percentage by trypan blue dye exclusion test. Extracted DNA was electrophoresed on agarose gel, and distribution of cell cycle and kinetics of apoptosis induction were analyzed by propidium iodide DNA incorporation using flow cytometry, which was also used to detect the effects of antisense oligomer pretreatment on the subsequent apoptosis induced by heat shock in SGC-7901 cells. Proteins were extracted for simultaneous measurement of HSP70 expression level by SDS-PAGE Western blotting.RESULTS: The number of viable cells decreased in a doseand time-dependent manner, and ladder-like patterns of DNA fragments were observed in SGC-7901 cells treated with antisense HSP70 oligomers at a concentration of 10 μmol/L for 48 h or 8 μmol/L for 72 h, which were consistent with inter-nucleosomal DNA fragmentation. Flow cytometric analysis showed a dose- and time-dependent increase in apoptotic rate by HSP70 antisense oligomers. This response was accompanied with a decrease in the percentage of cells in the G1 and S phases of the cell cycle, suggesting inhibition of cell proliferation. In addition, flow cytometry also showed that pretreatment of SGC-7901 cells with HSP70 antisense oligomers enhanced the subsequent apoptosis induced by heat shock treatment. Western blotting demonstrated that HSP70 antisense oligomers inhibited HSP70 expression, which preceded apoptosis, and HSP70 was undetectable at the concentration of 10 μmol/L for 48 h or 8 μmol/L for 72 h.CONCLUSION: Antisense HSP70 oligomers can abrogate HSP70 expression in SGC-7901 cells, which may in turn induce apoptosis and inhibit cell proliferation, conversely suggesting that HSP70 is required for the proliferation and survival of human gastric cancer cells under normal conditions.

Expression of Heat Shock Protein 70 and 27 in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer and Its Clinical Significance

The heat shock proteins （HSPs） 70 and HSP 27 expression in patients with non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC） was studied and the relation.ship between HSP 70 and HSP 27 with the clinicopathological features of NSCLC was investigated. The expression of HSP 70 and HSP 27 was detected in tumor tissues from 60 patients with NSCLC by S-P immunohistochemistry. The findings were analyzed in combination with the histological types, histopathological differentiation, lymph node metastasis, patients＇ clinical stages, smoking history and gender. The results showed that of the 60 NSCLC tissue specimens studied, the immunoreactivity of HSP 70 and HSP 27 was detected in 47 （78.3 %） and 43 （71.7 %） specimens, respectively. A positive correlation was found between the overexpression of HSP 70 and HSP 27. The histopathological differentiation, lymph node metastasis, clinical stages and smoking history were correlated to the expression of HSP 70, but not to the expression of HSP 27. No statistical significance was observed in histological types and gender with respect to both HSP 70 and HSP 27 expression. It is suggested that the HSP 70 expression is a powerful and significant prognostic indicator and is related to histopathological differentiation, lymph node metastasis, patients＇ clinical stages, smoking history, whereas HSP 27 expression is not.

Effect of 43℃ treatment on expression of heat shock proteins 105, 70 and 60 in cultured monkey Sertoli cells

Aim： To examine the possible effect of heat treatment on expression of heat shock proteins （Hsps） 105, 70, and 60 in primary monkey Sertoli cells and to evaluate the possible signal pathways. Methods： Western blot analysis, realtime polymerase chain reaction （PCR）, and confocal immunohistochemistry were used to analyze mRNA and protein levels of the Hsps in response to 43~C treatment of Sertoli cells isolated from pubertal monkey testes. Results： Staining with Hoechst 33342 indicated Sertoli cells did not undergo apoptosis after heat treatment. Hspl05 was expressed in cytoplasm of untreated Sertoli cells. Both Hspl05 mRNA and protein levels were increased approximately 20-fold compared to those of the untreated controls at 12 h after heat treatment. Untreated Sertoli cells did not express Hsp70, but heat stress induced its expression in the cell cytoplasm. The time-course of changes in Hsp70 was similar to that of Hsp105. In contrast to Hsp105 and Hsp70, the change in Hsp60 expression was much less obvious. The protein level between 12 h and 48 h after heat treatment was only approximately 1.5-fold that of the untreated control. Extracellular regulated kinase （ERK） 1/2 inhibitor （U0126） or phosphoinositide kinase-3 （PI3K） inhibitor （LY294002） could partially block the response of Hspl05 and Hsp70 induced by heat treatment. Conclusion： These results indicate that the heat-induced expression of the three types of Hsp in monkey Sertoli cells might be regulated by ERK and/or PI3K signal pathways, but the profile of their expression is different, suggesting that they might have different regulatory functions in Sertoli cells.

Hsp70 confines tumor progression of rat histiocytoma and impedes the cytotoxicity induced by natural killer cells and peritoneal macrophages

Objective:To study the role of inducible form of heat shock protein 70(Hsp70) in the host tumor regression of rat tumor model.Methods:We examined the role of Hsp70 in host tumorigenicity and in vitro cellular cytotoxicity using a rat histocytoma.The differential tumor growth and regression kinetics were studied and correlated with the expression of Hsp70,activation of macrophages and natural killer(NK) cells,and circulating or tumor infiltrating immune molecules in the host system.Results:The sub cuteaneous(s.c.) tumor regression was correlated with increased serum cytokines such as IL-12,TNF P,IFNγand Hsp70.Despite of similar increase of Hsp70 in intraperitoneal(i.p.) tumor implanted animals,animals succumb to tumor growth,further,evidently,no immune molecule activation was observed.The viral promoter driven Hsp70 over expression in these tumor cells restrained solid tumor growth,however,failed to inhibit ascites growth.The NK cells from s.c.immunized animals induces cytotoxicity in the presence of anti-tumor antibody,which necessitated CD40-L expression,conversely,NK cells from i.p.immunized animals failed to induce cytotoxicity.The NK cells from s.c.or i.p.implanted animals with Hsp70 positive tumor cells failed to induce such cytotoxicity.The peritoneal macrophages isolated from s.c.tumor implanted animals when co-cultured with parental BC-8 cells lyses tumor cells,nevertheless entail macrophage specific TNFαexpression.On the contrary,Hsp70 expressing BC-8 tumor cells were resistant to peritoneal macrophage induced cytolysis.Conclusions:This study brings out that Hsp70 possibly involved in regulating the host tumor response and cellular cytotoxicity.

High expression of ErbB2 contributes to cholangiocarcinoma cell invasion and proliferation through AKT/p70S6K

AIM:To compare the impact of ErbB2 on cell invasion and proliferation in cholangiocarcinoma(CCA) cell lines.METHODS:Level of endogenous ErbB2 expression in three CCA cell lines,namely HuCCA-1,KKU-100 and KKU-M213,was determined by real-time reversetranscriptase polymerase chain reaction.Two ErbB2 inhibitory methods,a small molecule ErbB2 kinase inhibitor(AG825) and siRNA,were used to disrupt ErbB2 function in the cell lines.CCA cell invasion,motility and proliferation under ErbB2-disrupted conditions were detected using Transwell and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assays.In addition,ErbB2 downstream effectors were investigated by Western blotting analysis.RESULTS:Suppression of ErbB2 activity,using a specific kinase inhibitor(AG825),reduced invasion,motility and proliferation of all three CCA cell lines.The ability of this drug to inhibit neoplastic properties(invasion,motility and proliferation) increased concomitantly with the level of ErbB2 expression.Similarly,knockdown of ErbB2 level by siRNA inhibited cell invasion and proliferation of KKU-M213,a high-ErbB2-expressing cell,better than those of the lower-ErbB2-expressing cells,HuCCA-1 and KKU-100.Thus,both inhibitory methods indicated that there is more ErbB2-dependency for malignancy of the high-ErbB2-expressing cell,KKU-M213,than for that of low-ErbB2-expressing ones.In addition,interrupting ErbB2 activity decreased phosphorylation of AKT and p70S6K,but not extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2,in the high-ErbB2-expressing CCA cell line.CONCLUSION:Our data indicated that high ErbB2 expression enhances CCA invasion,motility and proliferation via the AKT/p70S6K pathway,which suggests the possibility of targeting these molecules for CCA therapy.

4-HNE Induces Apoptosis of Human Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells by Modifying HSP70

The role of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in apoptosis of human retinal pigment epithelial cells (ARPE-19) induced by 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE) was explored. Different concentrations of 4-HNE were used to stimulate ARPE-19 cells, and apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry. The expression of apoptotic-related proteins, HSP70, X-linked inhibitorof- apoptosis (XIAP), Bcl-2, and Bax were quantified by Western blotting. HSP70 and XIAP overexpression plasmids, or their corresponding siRNAs were transfected into ARPE-19 cells using Lipofectamine. 2000. Co-immunoprecipitation and Western blotting were used to detect the effect of 4-HNE on the expression of HSP70 and the binding level between 4-HNE and HSP70. The results showed that 4-HNE induced late apoptosis in ARPE-19 cells, accompanied by elevated levels of 4-HNE-modified IISP70, but it did not affect HSP70 protein expression. 4-HNE-modified HSP70 down-regulated the expression of the apoptosis inhibitory protein XIAP. Overexpression of HSP70 or XIAP inhibited 4-HNE-induced apoptosis of ARPE-19 cells. It was suggested that 4-HNE could promote XIAP degradation by modification of HSP70 to induce late apoptosis of human retinal pigment epithelial cells.

Cell polarity protein Par3 complexes with DNA-PK via Ku70 and regulates DNA double-strand break repair

The partitioning-defective 3 （Par3）, a key component in the conserved Par3/Par6/aPKC complex, plays fundamental roles in cell polarity. Herein we report the identification of Ku70 and Ku80 as novel Par3-interacting proteins through an in vitro binding assay followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Ku70/Ku80 proteins are two key regulatory subunits of the DNA-dependent protein kinase （DNA-PK）, which plays an essential role in repairing double-strand DNA breaks （DSBs）. We determined that the nuclear association of Par3 with Ku70/Ku80 was enhanced by γ-irradiation （IR）, a potent DSB inducer. Furthermore, DNA-PKcs, the catalytic subunit of DNA-PK, interacted with the Par3/Ku70/Ku80 complex in response to IR. Par3 over-expression or knockdown was capable of up- or downregulating DNA-PK activity, respectively. Moreover, the Par3 knockdown cells were found to be defective in random plasmid integration, defective in DSB repair following IR, and radiosensitive, phenotypes similar to that of Ku70 knockdown cells. These findings identify Par3 as a novel component of the DNA-PK complex and implicate an unexpected link of cell polarity to DSB repair.

STUDY ON THE ANTI-TUMOR EFFICACY INDUCED BY HEAT SHOCK PROTEIN 70-PEPTIDE COMPLEXES DERIVED FROM TUMOR CELLS

OBJECTIVE: To study the efficacy and explore the mechanism of the anti-tumor immunity elicited by heat shock protein 70-peptide complexes (HSP70-PC) derived from tumor cells. METHODS: Cells culture, flow cytometric analysis, affinity chromatography for protein purification, SDS-PAGE, Western-blotting and animal experiment were used. RESULTS: HSP70-PC immunization rendered protective effect to both naive tumorl-bearing mice. All of the naive mice obtained complete resistance to Hcaf cell attack; 40% of the tumor-bearing mice survived for over 90 days, whereas the mice of control group died within 2 weeks (P

Cytotoxic T-lymphocytes response in vitro activated by dendritic cells pulsed with heat shock protein 70 derived from human bladder tumor cell lines of EJ

Objective： To investigate whether human dendritic cells （DC） derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells （PBMC）, which were pulsed by heat shock protein 70 （HSP70） isolated from human bladder tumor cell lines of E J, were able to induce peptide specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes （CTL） response in vitro and give the experimental foundation for the future clinical trials of immunotherapy in bladder tumor. Methods： The E J-derived HSP70 co-cultured with DC from the healthy volunteers＇ PBMC, along with the crude lysate （the supematant before HSP70 purification） from EJ cells were used as the experimental groups and DC not pulsed by any tumor cells antigen were the blank control. The autologous T-lymphocytes were added into the above various DC groups, and after incubation, the stimulation indexes （SI） and interferon-y （IFN-γ） were detected to evaluate the immune activities of various DC groups. The killing effects of CTL to target cells, EJ and Hela cells, were determined with 51^Cr releasing test. Results： Both DC/HSP70 and DC/the crude lysate could effectively activate CTL in vitro and kill target cells EJ. The killing effect of DC/HSP70 to EJ was much stronger than DC/the crude lysate （the supernatant before HSP70 purification） （P 〈 0.05）. DC without any tumor cell antigens had a lower killing power to EJ. Meanwhile, DC/ HSP70 had little killing power to Hela non-relevant to bladder tumor histopathologically as compared with EJ cells （P 〈 0.05）. Conclusion： The DC pulsed by HSP70 derived from the autologous tumor cells could induce a peptide complexes specific CTL response to tumor cells, and the CTL response induced by the DC/HSP70 was stronger, which display the basis of the possible clinical application of DC/HSP70 for bladder tumor.

Novel heat shock protein Hsp70L1 activates dendritic cells and acts as a Th1 polarizing adjuvant

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are reported to act as effective adjuvants to elicit anti-tumor and anti-infection immunity. Here, we report that Hsp70-like protein 1 (Hsp70L1), a novel HSP derived from human dendritic cells (DCs), has potent adjuvant effects that polarize responses toward Th1. With a calculated molecular weight of 54.8 kDa, Hsp70L1 is smaller in size than Hsp70 but resembles it both structurally and functionally. Hsp70L1 shares common receptors on DCs with Hsp70 and can interact with DCs, promoting DC maturation and stimulating secretion of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin 12p70 (IL-12p70), IL-1beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and the chemokines IP-10, macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha (MIP-1alpha), MIP-1beta, and normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES). The induction of interferon-gamma-inducible protein 10 (IP-10) secretion by Hsp70L1 is not shared by Hsp70, and other functional differences include more potent stimulation of DC IL-12p70, CC-chemokine, and CCR7 and CXCR4 expression by Hsp70L1. Immunization of mice with the hybrid peptide Hsp70L1-ovalbumin(OVA)(257-264) induces an OVA(257-264)-specific Th1 response and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) that results in significant inhibition of E.G7-OVA tumor growth. The ability of Hsp70L1 to activate DCs indicates its potential as a novel adjuvant for use with peptide immunizations; the Hsp70L1 antigen peptide hybrid may serve as a more effective vaccine for the control of cancer and infectious diseases.

Inhibitory Effect of Angiogenesis Inhibitor TNP-470 on Human ACHN Renal Cell Carcinoma

The contribution of angiogenesis inhibitor TNP- 4 70 to the growth and m etastasis of ACHN renal cell carcinom a (RCC) was studied. TNP- 4 70 (40 m g/ kg,every two days) was ad- ministrated to BABL / c nude m ice bearing ACHN RCC. The mice were sacrificed after a treatment duration of 31days and the weight and volum e of subcutaneous tum ors as well as foci of lung m etastasis were m easured.The microvascular density(MVD) of the tumor as well as the PCNA index and apoptotic index of the tum or cells were evaluated imm unohistochem ically. Result showed that the growth of ACHN RCC was suppressed significantly and none metastasis was ob- served in TNP- 4 70 - treated m ice. Compared with the control group,the MVD was decreased m arkedly (P<0 .0 1) and the apoptotic index was increased significantly (P<0 .0 1) in the treated group. The tumor volume was positively correlated to the MVD (r=0 .714 4 ,P<0 .0 1) and in- versely correlated to the apoptotic index(r=- 0 .86 0 7,P<0 .0 1) ,and MVD was conversely cor- related to the apoptotic index.It was determ ined that TNP- 4 70 could effectively inhibit angiogene- sis of ACHN RCC,which resulting in ischemia and hypoxia,leading to increased apoptosis,thus obviously suppressing the growth and metastasis of ACHN RCC in nude m ice.

HSP70 regulates Bcl-2 to inhibit endothelial cell damage in emergency sepsis patients

Objective:To analyze the mechanism of HSP70 regulating endothelial cell injury in patients with acute sepsis.Methods:From February 2017 to December 2018,3 patients with acute sepsis in our hospital were selected as the observation group,and 3 patients with fracture undergoing surgical treatment were selected as the control group.The endothelial cells were extracted and divided into blank subgroup,10 mg/L,50 mg/L and 100 mg/L subgroups.The cell viability of each group was detected by MTT,the nucleus morphology was observed by fluorescence microscope,and autophagosomes of endothelial cells were observed by transmission electron microscope,and then the level of Bcl-2,Beclin-1 andβ-actin protein expression were detected.Results:HSP70 intervention can effectively improve the endothelial cell vitality of patients with acute sepsis.The cell viability of 100 mg/L subgroup was the highest in the observation group and the control group,and the cell viability of the blank subgroup was the lowest,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Compared with the control group,the endothelial cell nuclear defect of acute sepsis patients was serious.HSP70 intervention can effectively improve the nuclear morphology,autophagy morphology and structural morphology,and the 100 mg/L subgroup had the best nuclear morphology and autophagy morphology.HSP70 intervention can effectively improve the levels of Bcl-2 and beclin-1 in endothelial cells of patients with acute sepsis.The levels of Bcl-2 and beclin-1 were the highest in the 100 mg/L subgroup of the observation group and the control group,and the lowest in the blank subgroup,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion:HSP70 can effectively regulate the level of Bcl-2 in endothelial cells of patients with acute sepsis,which effectively inhibit cell apoptosis and alleviate cell skin damage.

Expression of mTOR/P70 S6K in oral acinic cell carcinoma

This study was aimed to observe the expression of P70 S6 kinase （P70 S6K） in oral acinic cell carcinoma. P70 S6 kinase expression was examined by means of Western-blot test and Activity assay. Specimens were from 30 cases of oral acinic cell carcinoma and 15 cases of normal oral tissue were used as controls. Statistical analysis software SPSS10.0 was used for t test to determine the relationship between gene expression and clinical features. The expression level of P70 S6K increased obviously in oral acinic cell carcinoma tissue （ P 〈 0.01 ）. Activity assay was the same as the Westemblot test （ P 〈 0.01 ）. P70 S6K expression level and activity played an important role in the development of oral acinic cell carcinoma. In conclusion, P70 S6K is amplified and overexpressed in oral acinic cell carcinoma tissue, which suggests a potential oncogenic function. P70 S6K and other possible targets of roTOR contribute significantly to tumor development and that inhibition of these proteins may be therapeutic for cancer patients. Overexpression of P70 S6K may be involved in the pathogenesis of oral acinic cell carcinoma.

Low-Dose Gamma Radiation Fields Decrease Cell Viability, Damage DNA, and Increase the Expression of Hsp70 and p53 Proteins in Human Leukocytes

Ionizing radiations are tools in diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Leukopenia from exposure to ionizing radiation has been reported. Due to their radiosensitivity, leukocytes are a biological model to analyze cell damage. Therefore, cell viability, DNA damage, and Hsp70 and p53 expression in human leukocytes exposed to low-dose gamma radiation fields from a 137Cs source were evaluated. A decrease in cell viability, DNA damage and an increase in the expression of Hsp70 and p53 proportional to the radiation dose received was found, which was 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 mGy.

Quinacrine pretreatment reduces microwave-induced neuronal damage by stabilizing the cell membrane

Quinacrine, widely used to treat parasitic diseases, binds to cell membranes. We previously found that quinacrine pretreatment reduced microwave radiation damage in rat hippocampal neurons, but the molecular mechanism remains poorly understood. Considering the thermal effects of microwave radiation and the protective effects of quinacrine on heat damage in cells, we hypothesized that quinacrine would prevent microwave radiation damage to cells in a mechanism associated with cell membrane stability. To test this, we used retinoic acid to induce PC12 cells to differentiate into neuron-like cells. We then pretreated the neurons with quinacrine （20 and 40 mM） and irradiated them with 50 mW/cm^2 microwaves for 3 or 6 hours. Flow cytometry, atomic force microscopy and western blot assays revealed that irradiated cells pretreated with quinacrine showed markedly less apoptosis, necrosis, and membrane damage, and greater expression of heat shock protein 70, than cells exposed to microwave irradiation alone. These results suggest that quinacrine stabilizes the neuronal membrane structure by upregulating the expression of heat shock protein 70, thus reducing neuronal injury caused by microwave radiation.

A study on melanoma treatment using dendritic cells loaded with antigens purified from melanoma cell lines

Objective The aim of this study was to purify effective tumor peptide complexes from human melanoma cell lines to enhance the treatment effects on melanoma.Methods We purified heat shock protein 70(HSP70)-peptide complexes(PCs)from human melanoma cell lines A375,A875,M21,M14,WM-35,and SK-HEL-1.We named the purified product as M-HSP70-PCs and determined its immunological activities.Autologous HSP70-PCs purified from primary tumor cells of melanoma patients(9 cases)were used as controls.These two tumor antigenic complexes were loaded into dendritic cells(DCs)and used to stimulate an antitumor response against tumor cells in the corresponding patients.Results Mature DCs pulsed with M-HSP70-PCs stimulated autologous T cells to secrete the same levels of type I cytokines as the autologous HSP70-PCs.Moreover,DCs pulsed with M-HSP70-PCs endued CIK cells with an equal ability as autologous HSP70-PCs to kill melanoma cells in the patients.Conclusion M-HSP70-PCs may be used as an efficient and generalized tumor antigen in the treatment of DC-based malignant melanoma.

DMMIC derivatization-assisted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method for metabolite profiling of the glutathione anabolic pathway in esophageal cancer tissues and cells

In this work,a new pyrylium derivatization-assisted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS)method was developed for metabolite profiling of the glutathione anabolic pathway(GAP)in cancer tissues and cells.The pyrylium salt of 6,7-dimethoxy-3-methyl isochromenylium tetrafluoroborate(DMMIC)was used to label the amino group of metabolites,and a reductant of dithiothreitol(DTT)was employed to stabilize the thiol group.By combining DMMIC derivatization with LC-MS,it was feasible to quantify the 13 main metabolites on the GAP in complex biological samples,which had good linearity(R^(2)=0.99810.9999),precision(interday precision of 1.6%e19.0%and intraday precision of 1.4%e19.8%)and accuracy(83.4%-115.7%).Moreover,the recovery assessments in tissues(82.5%e107.3%)and in cells(98.1%e118.9%)with GSH-^(13)C2,^(15)N,and Cys-^(15)N demonstrated the reliability of the method in detecting tissues and cells.Following a methodological evaluation,the method was applied successfully to investigate difference in the GAP between the carcinoma and para-carcinoma tissues of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC)and the effect of p-hydroxycinnamaldehyde(CMSP)on the GAP in KYSE150 esophageal cancer cells.The results demonstrate that the developed method provides a promising new tool to elucidate the roles of GAP in physiological and pathological processes,which can contribute to research on drugs and diseases.

Effect of pre-moxibustion on apoptosis and proliferation of gastric mucosa cells

AIM： TO observe the effects of pre-moxibustion on apoptosis and proliferation of gastric mucosal cell in rats with stress-induced ulcer, and to analyze the relationship between those effects and the expression of heat-shock protein 70 （HSP70）. METHODS： Sixty healthy Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned into four groups, namely group A, B, C and D. The animal model of stress ulcer was established by water immersion and restraint stress. The rats in group A, B, and D served as the restraint, model, and non-acupoint controls, respectively, while those in group C received moxibustion at Zusanli and Uangmen points. Immunohistochemical methodology was used to detect the expression of HSP70, apoptosis index （AI, × 10^-6/μm^2） and proliferation index （PCNA-LI, × 10^-6/μm^2）. The mucosal expression of transforming growth factor α （TGF-α） was detected by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS： IVloxibustion at Zusanli and Liangmen points significantly decreased the gastric injury and the apoptosis of gastric mucosal cells, while markedly increased the mucosal expression of TGF-α and HSP70 as well as the proliferation of gastric mucosal cells. Compared with group A, ulcer index （UI） （26.8 ± 9.8 vs 12.0 ± 5.9, P 〈 0.01）, AI （9.6 ± 4.2 vs 4.4 ± 2.6, P 〈 0.05） and expression of HSP70 （9.6 ± 4.2 vs 4.4 ± 2.6, P 〈 0.05） were significantly increased, but the content of TGF-α （104.7 ± 51.2 pg/mL vs 254.0 ± 86.9 pg/mL, P 〈 0.01） and PCNA-LI （6.9 ± 4.7 vs 14.9 ± 4.6, P 〈 0.05） were significantly decreased in group B. However, ulcer index values （UI） and AI were obviously lower in group C compared to groups B and D （14.1 ± 5.4 vs 26.8 ± 9.8 and 26.2 ± 7.7, P 〈 0.01, 3.0 ± 1.6 vs 9.6 ± 4.2 and 8.2 ± 5.2, P 〈0.05, respectively）, but content of TGF-α （237.0 ± 72.6 pg/mL vs 104.7 ± 51.2 pg/mL and 154.1 ± 61.3 pg/mL, P 〈0.01） and expression of HSP70 （0.13 ± 0.03 vs 0.08 ± 0.06 and 0.06 ± 0.04, P 〈 0.05） were higher in group C. Furthermore, the PCNA-LI was significantly higher in group C than in group B （21.6 ± 4.1 vs 6.9 ± 4.7, P 〈 0.01）. CONCLUSION： Moxibustion at Zusanli and Liangmen points has a protective effect on rats gastric mucosa in stress-induced gastric ulcer, which is closely related to its actions in promoting synthesis of TGF-α and proliferation of gastric mucosal cells, suppressing gastric mucosal cell apoptosis, and up-regulating HSP70 expression.