EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF CYTOBIOLOGY ON ANTITUMOR EFFECT OF MOXIBUSTION AND IMMUNOMODULATORS

In the study, the antitumor effect was observed by employing HAC-tumor-bearing mice treated with direct moxibustion on point Guanyuan(CV 4) (Group M), subcutaneous administration of liposome encapsulated immunomodulators called IMC(Group IMC), and combination of these two methods(Group M + IMC). Parameters reflecting biological characteristics of tumor cells, including 5 kinds of lectins, mitotic cycle, expression of C-erbB-2 oncogene and counts of AgNORs were further investigated. The results showed that treatment with combination of moxibustion and IMC could significantly lower three lectins (ConA, LCA, RCA) among these five lectins (BSL, ConA, LCA,RCA, WGA), significantly reduce the expression of C-erbB-2 oncogene, the counts of AgNORs ane the percentage of phase S in HAC tumor cells (compared with Group IMC). Moxibustion or IMC alone did render a certain degree of influence on the above-mentioned parameters, although most of changes were not statistically significant. The above-mentioned results indicated that the antitumor efficacy achieved by treatment with combination of moxibustion and IMC was mainly through its influence on biological characteristics of the tumor cells, namely, its reducing effect on DNA synthesis or on the proliferating rate of tumor cells and its influence on other biological characteristics of tumor

Effect of Cerium on Expression and Activity of MMP-9 from Human Carcinoma of Bladder Cell Line

The effects of Ce4+ on cell survival, expression and activity of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) with WIT colorimetry and gelatin zymography assays in human bladder carcinoma cell line was studied. The results indicate that the lower concentration of Ce4+(0.01 mmol (.) L-1) has no influence on cell growth, but inhibits extremely expression of MMP-9 and increases its activity, whereas the higher concentration of Ce4+(1.0 mmol (.) L-1) can inhibit all of them. The results raise the possibility that Ce4+ may have beneficial effects in attenuating invasion and metastasis of malignant tumors.

Transactivating-transduction protein-polyethylene glycol modified liposomes traverse the blood-spinal cord and blood-brain barriers

Naive liposomes can cross the blood-brain barrier and blood-spinal cord barrier in small amounts. Liposomes modified by a transactivating-transduction protein can deliver antibiotics for the treatment of acute bacterial infection-induced brain inflammation. Liposomes conjugated with polyethylene glycol have the capability of long-term circulation. In this study we prepared transactivating-transduction protein-polyethylene glycol-modified liposomes labeled with fiuorescein isothiocyanate. Thus, liposomes were characterized by transmembrane, long-term circulation and fluorescence tracing. Uptake, cytotoxicity, and the ability of traversing blood-spinal cord and blood-brain barriers were observed following coculture with human breast adenocarcinoma cells （MCF-7）. Results demonstrated that the liposomes had good biocompatibility, and low cytotoxicity when cocultured with human breast adenocarcinoma cells. Liposomes could traverse cell membranes and entered the central nervous system and neurocytes through the blood-spinal cord and blood-brain barriers of rats via the systemic circulation. These results verified that fluorescein isothiocyanate-modified transactivating-transduction protein-polyethylene glycol liposomes have the ability to traverse the blood-spinal cord and blood-brain barriers.