The role of the HGF/c-Met signaling pathway in crizotinib-induced apoptosis in lung cancer with c-Met amplification

Objective This study aimed to study the role of the HGF/c-Met signaling pathway in crizotinib-induced apoptosis of various lung adenocarcinoma cell lines and xenograft tumor models.Methods In vitro, H2228, H1993, and A549 cells were treated with crizotinib. The inhibition of proliferation was quantitated by a 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide(MTT) assay. Apoptosis was quantified by flow cytometry. Expression of key proteins of the HGF/c-Met signaling pathway was examined by western blotting. In vivo, H1993 and A549 tumor cell xenograft models were established. Immunohistochemical analysis was used to determine protein expression of HGF and c-MET and the amount of phospho-c-MET(p-c-Met). Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(PCR) was applied to examine the messenger RNA(m RNA) expression of c-MET and serine/threonine protein kinase(AKT). The expression and activation of the key proteins were evaluated by western blotting.Results In vitro, the growth of H1993, H2228, and A549 cells was inhibited after crizotinib treatment for 72 h. Apoptotic rates of H1993 and H2228 cells increased with the crizotinib concentration and exposure time. In vivo, the growth-inhibitory rate of crizotinib for H1993 xenografts was 72.3%. Positive expression rates of HGF and c-MET in H1993 xenografts were higher than those in A549 xenografts; the p-c-MET amount was the largest in H1993 xenograft control but the lowest in the H1993 xenograft with crizotinib treatment. The m RNA expression levels of c-MET and AKT in H1993 xenografts were higher than those of A549 xenografts. The protein levels of c-MET, AKT, and extracellular regulated protein kinases(ERK) in H1993 xenografts were higher than those in A549 xenografts; the p-AKT amount was higher in H1993 xenograft control than in A549 xenografts; the largest amount of p-c-MET was detected in H1993 xenograft control; the amount of p-ERK was the lowest in the H1993 xenograft with crizotinib treatment.Conclusion The HGF/c-Met signaling pathway may mediate crizotinib-induced apoptosis and inhibition of proliferation of lung adenocarcinoma cells.

Panax notogiseng saponin inhibits ischemia-induced apoptosis by activating PI3K/Akt signal pathway in cardiomyocytes

The panax notoginseng saponin(PNS) had been clinically used for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and stroke in China.It had been demonstrated that PNS could protect cardiomyocytes from injury induced by ischemi- a,but the underlying molecular mechanisms of this protective effect were still unclear.This study was aimed to investigate the protective effect and molecular mechanisms of PNS on apoptosis in H9c2 cells in vitro and rat myocardial ischemia injury model in vivo.Annexin-V/PI assay shew that PNS could protect H9c2 cells from apoptosis induced by serum, glucose and oxygen deprivation(SGOD) in a dose-dependent manner.However,the anti-apoptotic effect of PNS was reversed by LY294002,a specific PI3K inhibitor.This antiapoptotic effect of PNS was confirmed by JC-1,a specific probe of mitochondrial membrane potential staining.PNS could significantly increase phos-Akt in H9c2 cells by Western blot assays and its effect could be inhibited by LY294002.Furthermore,PNS could improve ischemic-induced left ventricular function as reflected by EF,LVDd and LVDs.PNS could also inhibited cellular apoptosis in myocardial tissues in ischemic rats by TUNEL assay.PNS administration also increased the expression of phos-Akt in rat ischemic myocardial tissues.These results suggested that PNS could protect myocardial cells from apoptosis induced by ischemia in vitro model and in vivo model through activating-PI3K/Akt signal pathway which may be meaningful for further understanding the molecular mechanisms of cardiac protection of PNS.And the results might be useful in treatment of myocardial ischemia in future.

Baicalin protects neonatal rat brains against hypoxicischemic injury by upregulating glutamate transporter 1 via the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway

Baicalin is a flavonoid compound extracted from Scutellaria baicalensis root.Recent evidence indicates that baicalin is neuroprotective in models of ischemic stroke.Here,we investigate the neuroprotective effect of baicalin in a neonatal rat model of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.Seven-day-old pups underwent left common carotid artery ligation followed by hypoxia（8% oxygen at 37°C） for 2 hours,before being injected with baicalin（120 mg/kg intraperitoneally） and examined 24 hours later.Baicalin effectively reduced cerebral infarct volume and neuronal loss,inhibited apoptosis,and upregulated the expression of p-Akt and glutamate transporter 1.Intracerebroventricular injection of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B（PI3 K/Akt） inhibitor LY294002 30 minutes before injury blocked the effect of baicalin on p-Akt and glutamate transporter 1,and weakened the associated neuroprotective effect.Our findings provide the first evidence,to our knowledge that baicalin can protect neonatal rat brains against hypoxic-ischemic injury by upregulating glutamate transporter 1 via the PI3 K/Akt signaling pathway.

Apoptotic Signal Pathways and Regulatory Mechanisms of Cancer Cells Induced by IL-24

The melanoma differentiation-associated gene-7（mda-7）,IL-24,has the specific functions that induce cancer cell apoptosis without doing harm to normal cells. We systematically review the apoptotic signal pathways and their regulatory mechanisms induced by Ad.IL-24 and IL-24 in diverse cancer cells. IL-24 can participate in varied signal transduction pathways,including JAK,p38 MAPK,Wnt/β-catenin,JNK,ER stress and mitochondria-associated signal pathways. And we review five proteins interacting with IL-24,including Bip/GRP78,S1 R,PKR,Beclin1 and soluble clusterin,which are relative to the tumor-specific effect of IL-24. It is speculated that ER stress,G-protein pathways and MAPK signal pathways may be the primary upstream effectors which activate the sequential downstream mediators resulting in apoptosis induced by IL-24 in tumor cells. Experimental results also show that IL-24 sensitizes cancer cells and indirectly promotes apoptosis rather than functions as a direct apoptosis inducer itself.