Screening for Anti-tumor Activity of Fractions from Buddleja officinalis Maxim

[Objectives]The anti-tumor activity of fractions from Buddleja officinalis Maxim.by petroleum ether,ethyl acetate,n-butanol and water solvent was studied.[Methods]The ethanol extract from B.officinalis Maxim.was extracted and then concentrated with petroleum ether,ethyl acetate,n-butanol and water,respectively,and the extracts were obtained.The inhibitory effects of the four different fractions on the growth of three tumor cell lines in vitro were detected by CCK-8 method,and the median inhibitory concentration(IC 50 value)was calculated.[Results]The four fractions inhibited the growth of the three tumor cell lines in vitro,among which the n-butanol fraction had the best anti-tumor activity.The IC 50 values of the n-butanol fraction on human gastric cancer(SGC-7901),human breast cancer(MCF-7)and human liver cancer(BEL-7404)cell lines were 0.08,1.58 and 0.12 mg/mL,respectively.[Conclusions]Petroleum ether,ethyl acetate,n-butanol and water fractions from the ethanol extract of B.officinalis Maxim.had certain anti-tumor effects,and the n-butanol fraction had the best anti-tumor activity.

Vaccinia-related kinase 2 variants differentially affect breast cancer growth by regulating kinase activity

Genetic information is transcribed from genomic DNA to mRNA,which is then translated into threedimensional proteins.mRNAs can undergo various post-transcriptional modifications,including RNA editing that alters mRNA sequences,ultimately affecting protein function.In this study,RNA editing was identified at the 499th base(c.499)of human vaccinia-related kinase 2(VRK2).This RNA editing changes the amino acid in the catalytic domain of VRK2 from isoleucine(with adenine base)to valine(with guanine base).Isoleucine-containing VRK2 has higher kinase activity than the valine-containing VRK2,which leads to an increase in tumor cell proliferation.Earlier we reported that VRK2 directly interacts with dystrobrevin-binding protein(dysbindin)and results in reducing its stability.Herein,we demonstrate that isoleucine-containing VRK2 decreases the level of dysbindin than valinecontaining VRK2.Dysbindin interacts with cyclin D and thereby regulates its expression and function.The reduction in the level of dysbindin by isoleucine-containing VRK2 further enhances the cyclin D expression,resulting in increased tumor growth and reduction in survival rates.It has also been observed that in patient samples,VRK2 level was elevated in breast cancer tissue compared to normal breast tissue.Additionally,the isoleucine form of VRK2 exhibited a greater increase in breast cancer tissue.Therefore,it is concluded that VRK2,especially dependent on the 167th variant amino acid,can be one of the indexes of tumor progression and proliferation.

Activity Screening Study on the Anti-tumor Effects of Extracts from Mahoniae caulis

[Objectives]To explore the anti-tumor activity of the extracts of petroleum ether,ethyl acetate,n-butanol and aqueous solution from Mahoniae caulis.[Methods]The extracts were extracted with petroleum ether,ethyl acetate,n-butanol and aqueous solution respectively,and then concentrated.The inhibitory effects of these extracts on the growth of three tumor cell lines in vitro were detected by CCK-8 method,and the IC 50 value was calculated.[Results]The four extracts inhibited the growth of the three tumor cell lines in vitro,among which the n-butanol extract had the best anti-tumor activity.The IC 50 values of the n-butanol extract on human gastric cancer(SGC-7901),human breast cancer(MCF-7)and human liver cancer(BEL-7404)cell lines were 0.23,0.25 and 0.58 mg/mL,respectively.[Conclusions]The ethanol extract of Mahoniae caulis under petroleum ether,ethyl acetate,n-butanol and aqueous solution had certain anti-tumor effect,and n-butanol extract had the best anti-tumor activity.

Influence of granulocyte-macrophage colonystimulating factor and tumor necrosis factor on anti-hepatoma activities of human dendritic cells

INTRODUCTIONDendritic cells (DCs) play a key regulatory role inantitumor immunity,especially in its immuneaccessory role via MHC-Ⅰ molecules.We haverecently reported that DCs were able to enhance thekilling activity of Lymphokine and PHA activatedkiller (LPAK) cells in vitro.In the presentstudy,we evaluated the effects of GM-CSF andTNF upon antitumor activities of freshly

COAGULATION ACTIVITY IN VARIOUS STRAINS OF YOSHIDA ASCITES HEPATOMA TISSUES AND CELLS OF RAT

To investigate the mechanism of chemotherapy related DIC, a quantitative and comparative study was carried out on the coagulation activities of tumor cells and tumor tissues in three strains of rat ascites hepatoma AH109A, AH272 and LY80. The content of thrombo-plastin was expressed as the relative concentration against that in the brain tissue. Ascites hepatoma cell and tissue of each strain obviously have different quantities of coagulants, such as tissue thromboplastin. Coagulation activities of tumor tissues are higher than that of tumor cells. The coagulation activities of tumor tissues and cells of AH272 were higher than that of AH109A and LY80. Our findings suggest that the initiation of DIC not only depend on the tissue thromboplastin, the other factors or the other mechanisms should be considered.

Emerging roles of plasmacytoid dendritic cell crosstalk in tumor immunity

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells(pDCs)are a pioneer cell type that produces type I interferon(IFN-I)and promotes antiviral immune responses.However,they are tolerogenic and,when recruited to the tumor microenvironment(TME),play complex roles that have long been a research focus.The interactions between p DCs and other components of the TME,whether direct or indirect,can either promote or hinder tumor development;consequently,p DCs are an intriguing target for therapeutic intervention.This review provides a comprehensive overview of p DC crosstalk in the TME,including crosstalk with various cell types,biochemical factors,and microorganisms.An in-depth understanding of p DC crosstalk in TME should facilitate the development of novel p DC-based therapeutic methods.

Anti Cervix Cancer Activity of Co-immobilized Tumor Necrosis Factor-α and Interferon-γ

Tumor necrosis factor α （TNF-α） and interferon-γ （IFN-γ） are cytokines with strong antitumor activities. They were reacted with a photoactive arylazide-4-azidobenzoic acid, resulting in photoactive TNF-α and IFN-γ. The infrared （IR） spectra of these products showed the characteristic absorption of an azido group at 2127 cm^-1. By photo-immobilization, this modified TNF-α and IFN-γ were immobilized on polystyrene membranes for cell culture to prepare biomaterials. The micro-morphology of photoactive cytokines was observed with a scanning electron microscope （SEM）. The inhibitory effect on growth of Hela cells and inducing apoptosis activity of these two cytokines were analyzed by growth curve, transmission electron microscope （TEM） and fluorescence active cell sorter （FACS）. The results showed that co-immobilization of IFN-γ and TNF-α had significant inhibitory effect on growth of Hela cells, inhibitory rate up to 82%, and IFN-γ had obviously synergistic action.

AUGMENTATION OF IMMUNE FUNCTIONS AND AUTOLOGOUS TUMOR-KILLING ACTIVITY BY KAPPA-SELENOCARRAGEENAN IN MICE BEARING SARCOMA 180

Objective: To study the enhancement of the immune functions and autologous tumor killing (ATK) activity by kappa selenocarrageenan (KSC) in mice bearing sarcoma 180. Methods: To measure the effects of KSC and/or Cyclophosphamide (Cy) on natural killer (NK) activity, lymphokine activated killer (LAK) activity, the produc tion of interleukin 2 (IL 2), ATK activity and the growth of sarcoma 180 (S 180 ). Results: KSC promoted NK activity, LAK activity and ATK activity in vivo , increased IL 2 production at 40 mg/kg/d×9d. It also enhanced the antitumor action of Cy (20 mg/kg/d×9d) and offset the inhibition of Cy on immunocopetent cells. The ATK activity in splenocytes of S 180 bearing mice could be induced and increased by recombinant interleukin 2 (rIL 2) in vitro . Conclusion: KSC has an up regulating effect on the immune functions and ATK activity in tumor bearing mice. It can be used as a biological response modifier (BRM) in cancer biotherapy.

JTE-522-induced apoptosis in human gastric adenocarinoma cell line AGS cells by caspase activation accompanying cytochrome C release,membrane translocation of Bax and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential

AIM: To investigate the role of the mitochondrial pathway in JTE-522-induced apoptosis and to investigate the relationship between cytochrome C release, caspase activity and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (Deltapsim). METHODS: Cell culture, cell counting, ELISA assay, TUNEL, flow cytometry, Western blot and fluorometric assay were employed to investigate the effect of JTE-522 on cell proliferation and apoptosis in AGS cells and related molecular mechanism. RESULTS: JTE-522 inhibited the growth of AGS cells and induced the apoptosis. Caspases 8 and 9 were activated during apoptosis as judged by the appearance of cleavage products from procaspase and the caspase activities to cleave specific fluorogenic substrates. To elucidate whether the activation of caspases 8 and 9 was required for the apoptosis induction, we examined the effect of caspase-specific inhibitors on apoptosis. The results showed that caspase inhibitors significantly inhibited the apoptosis induced by JTE-522. In addition, the membrane translocation of Bax and cytosolic release of cytochrome C accompanying with the decrease of the uptake of Rhodamin 123, were detected at an early stage of apoptosis. Furthermore, Bax translocation, cytochrome C release, and caspase 9 activation were blocked by Z-VAD.fmk and Z-IETD-CHO. CONCLUSION: The present data indicate a crucial association between activation of caspases 8, 9, cytochrome C release, membrane translocation of Bax, loss of Deltapsim and JTE-522-induced apoptosis in AGS cells.

Gecko Active Components Regulates Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress to Induce the Apoptosis of KYSE150 Cells through PERK Pathway

Objective: Gecko active components (GACs), extracted from the powder of whole Gecko, have been reported to be effective against esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERs) has been regarded as an important cause for pathogenesis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). In this paper, we aimed to study the effect of GACS on apoptosis of human esophageal carcinoma KYSE150 cells and to analyze the underlying signaling pathway. Methods: MTT assay was used to detect the viability of KYSE150 cells, and Flow cytometry was applied to detect reactive oxygen species (ROS), calcium generation, and the level of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). Western blot analysis was applied to observe the expression of apoptosis-related proteins and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERs)-related proteins in KYSE150 cells. Results: The results showed that GACs inhibited KYSE150 cell vitality in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Not only that, GACs could up-regulated ERs-related and apoptosis-related proteins expression, and the content of ROS and calcium were significantly increased, and also, the level of MMP was significantly decreased. Conclusion: The results of this report suggested that induction of apoptosis occurs through the ERs dependent signaling pathways.

Feeder-free differentiation of human iPSCs into natural killer cells with cytotoxic potential against malignant brain rhabdoid tumor cells

Natural killer(NK)cells are cytotoxic immune cells that can eliminate target cells without prior stimulation.Human induced pluripotent stem cells(iPSCs)provide a robust source of NK cells for safe and effective cell-based immunotherapy against aggressive cancers.In this in vitro study,a feeder-free iPSC differentiation was performed to obtain iPSC-NK cells,and distinct maturational stages of iPSC-NK were characterized.Mature cells of CD56^(bright)CD16^(bright)phenotype showed upregulation of CD56,CD16,and NK cell activation markers NKG2D and NKp46 upon IL-15 exposure,while exposure to aggressive atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor(ATRT)cell lines enhanced NKG2D and NKp46 expression.Malignant cell exposure also increased CD107a degranulation markers and stimulated IFN-γsecretion in activated NK cells.CD56^(bright)CD16^(bright)iPSC-NK cells showed a ratio-dependent killing of ATRT cells,and the percentage lysis of CHLA-05-ATRT was higher than that of CHLA-02-ATRT.The iPSC-NK cells were also cytotoxic against other brain,kidney,and lung cancer cell lines.Further NK maturation yielded CD56^(-ve) CD16^(bright)cells,which lacked activation markers even after exposure to interleukins or ATRT cells-indicating diminished cytotoxicity.Generation and characterization of different NK phenotypes from iPSCs,coupled with their promising anti-tumor activity against ATRT in vitro,offer valuable insights into potential immunotherapeutic strategies for brain tumors.

Near-Dead Cells to Special Tetraploidy to First Cells to Cancer Diagnostic Morphology: Unlikely Therapy-Gain from For-Profit Industrial Goliath

The objective in this experimental article is to gain evidential proof of near-dead cells, (sick-cells in relapse tumor) responding with recovery growth from special 4n, multi-chromatid chromosomes. Note, near-dead normal human cells with such converted chromosome structure gave rise to proliferative, fitness-gained, diploid first cells, which further gave rise to three different cell shape changed, recovery growth patterns. Previously, two cell shape changes had been recovered from same type normal human cells, transiently exposed to amino acid glutamine deficient growth medium with recovery growths also associated with presence of the special 4n cells. The 4n cell-division had been concluded to be a meiotic-like two-step division system to the fitness-gained diploid cells in numerous experiments. The main characteristics of this division system, was firstly whole genomes without polar oriented bent centromeres moving apart followed by much rarer simple fission division to two or three diploid cells, selectable for first cell proliferation. In general these 4n cells showed metaphase type rosette figures moving apart not in the normal spindle associated mitotic shape with centromeres polar-pointing with sloping arms. This sequence of events induced by glutamine-deficiency, was earlier shown to cause DNA breakage in metabolic studies however, the near-death condition was only assumed from normal fibro-blastic cell-sheet shrinkage. This was rectified by an RNA virus (Coxakie-B3), which virology known is a highly cell killing virus (4+ CPE on their scale). This virus replicates only in replicating cells, which led to recovery growths with progressive phenotypic cell-shape changes (spindle, polygonal and roundness cells), each intervened by “total” cell destruction. These three different growth patterns had morphologies, indistinguishably from today’s cancer diagnostic morphologies. “Mitotic” analyses of beginning growths for the three phenotypes revealed the special rosette figure separations from special 4n and higher ploidy level cells, and also total absence of spindle type mitoses. Tumorigenesis-relevant was centromere-puffing with premature chromatid separation, and chromatin compaction, a mechanism, that was suggested to protect the genome from damage (text). We suggest that the multi-chromatid polyploid cells with their genome reductive division system, can be a tractable in vitro model system for therapy information, when repeated from a cell-killing agent, producing virus-free recovery growths. Will it be enacted upon? Not likely with profit-greedy industrial Goliath in the helm of cancer research. But, a not for profit cancer organization, could change this appalling situation.

Retinoic acid affects basic cellular processes and SOX2 and SOX18 expression in breast carcinoma cells

Genetic and molecular heterogeneity,together with intrinsic and acquired resistance to therapy,represent the major obstacles to the successful treatment of different types of breast carcinoma.Increasing evidence demonstrates that SOX transcription factors in breast carcinomas could act both as oncogenes and tumor suppressors and have been associated with tumor stage and grade,poor prognosis,and therapy resistance.Both SOX2 and SOX18 overexpression has been correlated with poor prognosis in breast carcinomas,and these genes are recognized as potential antitumor targets.Our aim was to evaluate the effect of retinoic acid(RA),a well-known cyto-differentiating agent,on breast carcinoma cells in vitro and to investigate the potential of RA treatment to modify the expression of SOX2 and SOX18 genes.By applying various experimental approaches,we evaluated the effect of RA on basic cellular processes in SK-BR-3 and MCF7 breast carcinoma cell lines.We have shown that RA inhibits cell growth,reduces the number of Ki-67 positive cells,and causes cell-cycle arrest.RA effect was more prominent in SK-BR-3 cell line that lacks SOX2 expression,including a higher decrease in cell viability,reduction in colony formation,and significant remodeling of cellular structure.We have shown that RA treatment led to the downregulation of SOX2 expression in MCF7 cells and to the reduction of SOX18 expression in both cell lines.By functional analysis,we showed that the anti-proliferative effect of RA in both cell lines was not based on the activity of stemness marker SOX2,pointing to a SOX2-independent mechanism of action.The ability of RA to reduce SOX2/SOX18 expression raises the possibility that these genes can be used as biomarkers to distinguish RA-responders from non-responders.Together,our study shows that the response of breast carcinoma cell lines to RA treatment may vary,highlighting that the development of RA-based therapy should consider differences in breast carcinoma subtypes.

TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH MALIGNANT PLEURAL EFFUSIONS DUE TO ADVANCED LUNG CANCER BY TRANSFER OF AUTOLOGOUS LAK CELLS COMBINED WITH rIL-2 OR rIL-2 ALONE

Experimental study both in vitro and in vivotogether with clinical trials showed that LAKcells have antitumor and antimetastatic effects(1-5)and that these effects are closely related tothe number of LAK cells transferred and the ad-ministration of rIL-2(1,6-8).Usually,autologousPBL’s are used as the source of LAK precursorsin the adoptive immunotherapy of cancer patients.But this not only puts an added burden on thecancer patient,it can cause serious side effectsas well(9).Although TIL’s may provide a solu-tion to this problem(10,11),their isolation fromsolid tumors is complex and consumes many rea-gents.We have reported that the isolation oflymphocytes from malignant ascites or from ma-lignant pleural effusions is not only simple

Regulatory Effects of AT1R-TRAF6-MAPKs Signaling on Proliferation of Intermittent Hypoxia-induced Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells

Summary： Endothelial dysfunction induced by intermittent hypoxia （IH） participates in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome （OSAS）-associated cardiovascular disorders. Myeloid differentiation primary response 88 （MyD88） and tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 （TRAF6） regulate nu- merous downstream adaptors like mitogen-activated protein kinases （MAPKs） and the subsequent oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. This study aimed to characterize the role of MyD88/TRAF6 in IH-treated cell function and its associated signaling. Human umbilical vein endo- thelial cells （HUVECs） were randomly exposed to IH or normoxia for 0, 2, 4 and 6 h. Western blot- ting was used to detect the expression pattern of target gene proteins [angiotensin 1 receptor （AT1R）, p-ERK1/2, p-p38MAPK, MyD88 and TRAF6], and the relationships among these target genes down-regulated by the corresponding inhibitors were studied. Finally, the influence of these target genes on proliferation of HUVECs was also assessed by EdU analysis. Protein levels of AT1R, TRAF6 and p-ERK1/2 were increased after IH exposure, with a slight rise in MyD88 and a dynamic change in p-p38MAPK. The down-regulation of TRAF6 by siRNA reduced ERK1/2 phosphorylation during IH without any effects on ATIR. Blockade of AT1R with valsartan decreased TRAF6 and p-ERK1/2 protein expression after IH exposure. ERK1/2 inhibition with PD98059 suppressed only AT1R expression. IH promoted HUVECs proliferation, which was significantly suppressed by the in- hibition of TRAF6, AT1R and ERK1/2. The findings demonstrate that TRAF6 regulates the prolifera- tion of HUVECs exposed to short-term IH by modulating cell signaling involving ERK1/2 down- stream of AT1R. Targeting the AT1R-TRAF6-p-ERK1/2 signaling pathway might be helpful in re- storing endothelial function.

青蒿琥酯纳米胶束制备及其体内药动学、抗肿瘤活性研究

目的制备青蒿琥酯纳米胶束,并考察体内药动学和抗肿瘤活性。方法以聚乙二醇单甲醚-聚乳酸-聚组氨酸(mPEG-PLA-PHis)为载体制备纳米胶束,单因素试验结合Box-Behnken响应面法优化处方,测定包封率、载药量、沉降率、粒径、Zeta电位、体外释药。12只H_(22)荷瘤小鼠随机分为2组,分别尾静脉注射给予青蒿琥酯注射液和青蒿琥酯纳米胶束(1 mg/kg),于不同时间点采血,HPLC法测定青蒿琥酯血药浓度,计算主要药动学参数。36只H_(22)肝癌荷瘤小鼠随机分为6组,即模型组(生理盐水)、阳性组(20 mg/kg环磷酰胺)、青蒿琥酯注射液组(30 mg/kg)及青蒿琥酯纳米胶束低、中、高剂量组(10、20、30 mg/kg),末次给药3 d后记录体质量和瘤重,计算抑瘤率。结果最佳处方为mPEG-PLA-PHis与青蒿琥酯比例10.18∶1,青蒿琥酯质量浓度0.48 mg/mL,水化时间0.96 h,包封率、载药量、沉降率、粒径、Zeta电位分别为(94.27±1.26)%、(8.26±0.18)%、(4.19±0.20)%、(65.14±4.96)nm、-(17.64±1.06)mV。纳米胶束在弱酸性介质中的累积释放度高于在弱碱性介质中,具有pH敏感性。与注射液比较,纳米胶束t_(1/2)、MRT延长(P<0.01),CL降低(P<0.01),AUC_(0~t)升高(P<0.01);与模型组比较,青蒿琥酯纳米胶束不同剂量组小鼠体质量无明显变化(P>0.05),瘤重下降(P<0.05,P<0.01),以中剂量组更明显,抑瘤率达55.40%。结论青蒿琥酯纳米胶束包封率较高,体内抗肿瘤活性较强。

靶向血小板的抗肿瘤药物研究进展

血小板长期以来一直被认为是止血和血栓形成的关键参与者;然而,越来越多的证据表明,它们也与癌症有关。临床前和临床研究表明,血小板可以通过血小板和癌细胞之间的各种串扰来促进肿瘤发生和转移。血小板在肿瘤发生的各个阶段,包括肿瘤生长、肿瘤细胞外渗和转移中都发挥着积极的作用。此外,癌症患者的血小板增多与患者不良生存率相关。由于大量的微粒和外泌体,血小板还能够很好地协调局部和远处的肿瘤-宿主之间的相互作用。因此,以血小板为靶点的抗肿瘤药物具有很大的开发与应用前景。以下将对靶向血小板的抗肿瘤药物研究进展进行综述。

灰树花醇提物化学成分及其生物活性研究

为探明灰树花发挥活性作用的化学成分及其抗氧化活性和对肿瘤细胞的抑制作用,该文分析了灰树花醇提物不同极性溶剂萃取物的主要化学成分及其对1,1-二苯基-2-三硝基苯肼(DPPH)自由基、2,2’-联氮-双-3-乙基苯并噻唑啉-6-磺酸(ABTS)自由基和羟自由基的清除能力,以及对肝癌细胞(HepG2)和肺癌细胞(A549)的抑制作用。结果显示,乙酸乙酯萃取物和正丁醇萃取物的抗氧化活性最佳,总酚和黄酮的质量分数与抗氧化活性显著正相关(P<0.05);石油醚萃取物和乙酸乙酯萃取物对肿瘤细胞抑制效果最好,三萜和甾醇质量分数与肿瘤细胞抑制作用极显著正相关(P<0.01)。利用超高效液相色谱质谱联用技术(UPLC-MS)从灰树花醇提物中共鉴定出15个化合物,其中芹菜素和表儿茶素可能是灰树花发挥抗氧化作用的主要化学成分,麦角甾醇和过氧化麦角甾醇可能是发挥肿瘤细胞抑制作用的甾体类化合物。该研究结果可为灰树花作为功能食品进一步开发提供理论依据。

Modulating effect of mitomycin or cisplatin on lymphokine-activated killer cell proliferation and antitumor activity to bladder cancer cell lines in vitro

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基于肿瘤免疫微环境探讨中药治疗胃癌的研究进展

胃癌的发生、发展与转移不仅和癌细胞自身特性相关,也依赖于其所处的微环境,其中免疫细胞为肿瘤微环境的重要组分之一。中药复方、单药和活性成分有多途径、多靶点的特点,不仅能调节各种生物过程,而且具有调节免疫微环境的显著优势,被作为胃癌常规治疗方式的一种有效补充治疗。本文综述了肿瘤免疫微环境中淋巴细胞、巨噬细胞、髓源性抑制细胞、树突状细胞和肿瘤相关成纤维细胞等细胞类型在胃癌发生、发展等过程中的研究进展;讨论了不同种类的中药成分对免疫微环境的调控作用以及抗肿瘤的分子机理制,为中药抗胃癌治疗提供依据和参考。