Phase Ⅱb trial of in vivo electroporation mediated dualplasmid hepatitis B virus DNA vaccine in chronic hepatitis B patients under lamivudine therapy

AIM To assess the efficacy and safety of in vivo electroporation(EP)-mediated dual-plasmid hepatitis B virus(HBV) DNA vaccine vs placebo for sequential combination therapy with lamivudine(LAM) in patients with chronic hepatitis B. METHODS Two hundred and twenty-five patients were randomized to receive either LAM + vaccine(vaccine group, n = 109) or LAM + placebo(control group, n = 116). LAM treatment lasted 72 wk. Patients received the DNA vaccine or placebo by intramuscular injection mediated by EP at weeks 12(start of treatment with vaccine or placebo, SOT), 16, 24, and 36(end of treatment with vaccine or placebo, EOT). RESULTS In the modified intent-to-treat population, morepatients had a decrease in HBV DNA > 2 log10 IU/m L in the vaccine group at week 12 after EOT compared with the control group. A trend toward a difference in the number of patients with undetectable HBV DNA at week 28 after EOT was obtained. Adverse events were similar. In the dynamic per-protocol set, which excluded adefovir(ADV) add-on cases at each time point instantly after ADV administration due to LAM antiviral failure, more patients had a decrease in HBV DNA > 2 log10 IU/mL in the vaccine group at week 12 and 28 after EOT compared with the control group. More patients with undetectable HBV DNA at week 28 after EOT in the vaccine group were also observed. Among patients with a viral load < 1000 copies/mL at week 12, more patients achieved HBeA g seroconversion in the vaccine group than among controls at week 36 after EOT, as well as less virological breakthrough and YMDD mutations. CONCLUSION The primary endpoint was not achieved using the HBV DNA vaccine. The HBV DNA vaccine could only be beneficial in subjects that have achieved initial virological response under LAM chemotherapy.

Time course analysis of sensory axon regeneration in vivo by directly tracing regenerating axons

Most current studies quantify axon regeneration by immunostaining regeneration-associated proteins,representing indirect measurement of axon lengths from both sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglia and motor neurons in the spinal cord.Our recently developed method of in vivo electroporation of plasmid DNA encoding for enhanced green fluorescent protein into adult sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglia provides a way to directly and specifically measure regenerating sensory axon lengths in whole-mount nerves.A mouse model of sciatic nerve compression was established by squeezing the sciatic nerve with tweezers.Plasmid DNA carrying enhanced green fluorescent protein was transfected by ipsilateral dorsal root ganglion electroporation 2 or 3 days before injury.Fluorescence distribution of dorsal root or sciatic nerve was observed by confocal microscopy.At 12 and 18 hours,and 1,2,3,4,5,and 6 days of injury,lengths of regenerated axons after sciatic nerve compression were measured using green fluorescence images.Apoptosis-related protein caspase-3 expression in dorsal root ganglia was determined by western blot assay.We found that in vivo electroporation did not affect caspase-3 expression in dorsal root ganglia.Dorsal root ganglia and sciatic nerves were successfully removed and subjected to a rapid tissue clearing technique.Neuronal soma in dorsal root ganglia expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein or fluorescent dye-labeled microRNAs were imaged after tissue clearing.The results facilitate direct time course analysis of peripheral nerve axon regeneration.This study was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Guilin Medical University,China(approval No.GLMC201503010)on March 7,2014.

Inhibitory roles of protein kinase B and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator on hepatic HMG-CoA reductase promoter activity

Since we had previously demonstrated that siRNAs to tristetraprolin (TTP) markedly inhibited insulin stimulation of hepatic HMG-CoA reductase (HMGR) transcription, we investigated the effects of transfecting rat liver with TTP constructs. We found that transfecting diabetic rats with TTP did not increase HMGR transcription but rather led to modest inhibition. We then investigated whether co-transfection with protein kinase B, hepatic form (AKT2), might lead to phosphorylation and result in activation of HMGR transcription. We found that this treatment resulted in near complete inhibition of transcription. Transfection with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor g coactivator (PGC-1a) also inhibited HMGR transcription. These results show that although TTP is needed for activation of HMGR transcription, it cannot by itself activate this process. AKT2 and PGC-1a, which mediate the activation of gluconeogenic genes by insulin, exert the opposite effect on HMGR.

Corneal re-innervation following refractive surgery treatments

Laser refractive surgery is one of the most performed surgical procedures in the world. Although regarded safe and efficient, it has side effects. All of the laser based refractive surgical procedures invoke corneal nerve injury to some degree. The impact of this denervation can range from mild discomfort to neurotrophic corneas. Currently, three techniques are widely used for laser vision correction: small incision lenticule extraction, laser-assisted keratomileusis in situ and photorefractive keratotomy. Each of these techniques affects corneal innervation differently and has a different pattern of nerve regeneration. The purpose of this review is to summarize the different underlying mechanisms for corneal nerve injury and compare the different patterns of corneal reinnervation.

Regulation of fertilization in male rats by CatSper2 knockdown

Interest in ion channels as drug targets for contraception has grown with the realization that certain ion channel subunits are located exclusively in sperm. Selective knockdown of ion channel subunits can lead to infertility without ill effects, and selective inhibitors and/ or openers of these ion channels could interfere with sperm function. In this study, in vivo electmporation （EP） and rete testis microinjection-mediated plasmid DNA were adopted to silence CatSper2 expression, which is essential in sperm hyperactivation. The results showed that high transfection efficiency and expression were achieved by plasmid DNA that was directly injected into the rete testis. As a result of the expression of CatSper2 being blocked, the treatment group showed significantly lower （P〈0.05） hyperactivation rate, fertilization rate in vitro, migration motility in viscoelastic solution and intracellular Ca2＋ peak. The low hyperactivation and fertilization rates lasted for 60 days. Meanwhile, analysis of the sperm survival rate and testis histology indicated that in vivo EP had no significant effect on the function of the testis, spermatogenesis or sperm activity. The present study demonstrated that it was feasible to achieve male contraception by silencing the expression of CatSper2, the key protein involved in sperm hvoeractivation.

Minimally invasive bioprinting for in situ liver regeneration

In situ bioprinting is promising for developing scaffolds directly on defect models in operating rooms,which provides a new strategy for in situ tissue regeneration.However,due to the limitation of existing in situ biofabrication technologies including printing depth and suitable bioinks,bioprinting scaffolds in deep dermal or extremity injuries remains a grand challenge.Here,we present an in vivo scaffold fabrication approach by minimally invasive bioprinting electroactive hydrogel scaffolds to promote in situ tissue regeneration.The minimally invasive bioprinting system consists of a ferromagnetic soft catheter robot for extrusion,a digital laparoscope for in situ monitoring,and a Veress needle for establishing a pneumoperitoneum.After 3D reconstruction of the defects with computed tomography,electroactive hydrogel scaffolds are printed within partial liver resection of live rats,and in situ tissue regeneration is achieved by promoting the proliferation,migration,and differentiation of cells and maintaining liver function in vivo.

Gut Microbiota Brings a Novel Way to Illuminate Mechanisms of Natural Products in vivo

Poor bioavailability and undefined major/direct targets are two major obstacles for herbal medicines and natural products（NPs） to elucidate their precise mechanisms in vivo. Gut microbiota is an important bridge between eukayotic body and environment, which can interact with a majority of medicines with poor bioavailability and mediate their in vivo pharmacological activities. There are two main modes through which gut microbiota may mediate the pharmacological effects of NPs. First, gut microbiota catabolizes the NPs in herbal medicines into secondary metabolites with higher bioavialability and/or higher activity, facilitating the NPs enter circulation and exert beneficial impact at the pathological spot. Second, herbal medicines and NPs can favorably shift the compositional structure of gut microbiota, thereby performing remote functions to diseased organs/tissues via the systemic impaction of gut microbiota. In this review, the potential pathways were summarized through which gut microbes facilitate the pharmacological functions of herbal medicines and NPs and highlight the significance of gut microbiota in clarifying the in vivo mechanisms of herbal medicines and NPs.

异鼠李素通过抑制LncRNA-gm33782减轻AKI肾小管炎性细胞凋亡

目的探讨长链非编码RNA-gm33782(LncRNA-gm33782)在急性肾损伤(acute kidney injury,AKI)肾小管损伤中的功能以及异鼠李素改善肾小管炎性细胞凋亡的作用机制。方法将48只雄性C57BL/6J小鼠随机分为对照组、模型组、治疗组(AKI模型构建后灌胃给予30 mg/kg异鼠李素)、空载质粒电转染组、LncRNA-gm33782敲低组、LncRNA-gm33782过表达组、LncRNA-gm33782敲低组+模型组、LncRNA-gm33782过表达+治疗组8组,通过腹腔一次性注射20 mg/kg顺铂诱导小鼠AKI,原位电转染技术用于介导肾LncRNA-gm33782的敲低和过表达。采用Chirp实验捕获AKI肾LncRNA-gm33782结合蛋白进行质谱分析,挖掘LncRNA-gm33782直接作用靶蛋白;通过观察电转染敲低LncRNA-gm33782和异鼠李素(isorhamnetin,ISO)治疗干预后小鼠肾功能、病理结构改变、肾炎性因子(IL-1β、IL-6、TNF-α)表达,评价LncRNA-gm33782在AKI中的作用;NF-κB被作为介导炎症的关键信号通路,Bax、Bcl-2蛋白表达量以及流式凋亡检测结果被用于评价异鼠李素对AKI肾小管炎性细胞凋亡的治疗作用。结果AKI小鼠肾表现出严重的肾小管损伤以及巨噬细胞浸润和炎症,异鼠李素的治疗干预和LncRNA-gm33782电转染敲低均能够减轻AKI肾损伤。LncRNA-gm33782主要表达于AKI损伤的肾小管细胞,质谱检测发现补体因子-H(complement factor-H,CFH)与其有直接结合关系。体外过表达LncRNA-gm33782后,CFH表达量随即升高,而异鼠李素对AKI细胞炎性凋亡的治疗作用受到抑制。结论异鼠李素是通过抑制LncRNA-gm33782对CFH的调控作用减轻AKI肾小管细胞炎性凋亡。

中红外光纤技术用于肿瘤在体原位诊断的研究

本文采用傅里叶变换红外光谱法与中红外光纤及ATR探头联用,首次实现了肿瘤组织的在体原位检测,即在有血液循环的活体组织中获得了具有很好信噪比的中红外光谱。实验结果表明在体原位的正常和肿瘤组织的光谱特征同我们先前液氮冰冻样品以及新鲜离体检测的结果是相似的,即符合液氮和新鲜离体样品研究中所得到的鉴别癌症与正常组织光谱变化规律,例如图1所列出的肠癌的原位在体光谱,与离体癌变组织光谱相似,这一创新结果表明中红外光纤-红外光谱仪联用可能发展成一种外科手术中无损、快速、准确的在体检测的方法。

电脉冲肌注法增强治疗型HBV DNA疫苗免疫效果的实验研究

为提高细胞内质粒DNA的导入率并增强DNA疫苗诱导的免疫效果 ,采用在体电脉冲肌注法接种治疗型HBVDNA疫苗。结果接受电脉冲(2 0 0V/cm)肌注的 8只BALB/c小鼠局部肌肉组织荧光素酶活性为 1 6 1 70± 1 2 5 33RLU ,未加电脉冲对照组为 8 0 2±8 0 0RLU ,相差 4个数量级 ,差异具非常显著性 (P <0 0 0 5 ,t=3 6 74 )。新西兰兔电脉冲肌注法接种后第 2、4周 ,双质粒 (pS2 ·S +pFP)大剂量组 (5 0 +5 0 μg/只 )血清抗 HBs阳性动物数明显较同期未加电脉冲对照组 (大剂量 :1 0 0 0 +1 0 0 0 μg/只 )高 ,差异具显著性意义 (P <0 0 5 ) ;第 1 3周时 ,电脉冲免疫大 (5 0 +5 0 μg/只 )、中 (2 5 +2 5 μg/只 )、小 (5 +5 μg/只 )剂量组均有血清抗 HBs阳性鼠出现 ,分别为 5、4和 4 只 ,组间阳性动物数并无显著性差异 (P >0 0 5 ) ,但均较同期的对照组高 ,并具有显著性意义 (P <0 0 5 )。恒河猴电脉冲肌注法接种后 8周血清抗 HBs阳性动物数为大剂量 (1 0 0 0 +1 0 0 0 μg/只)组 3/ 3只 ,中剂量 (5 0 0 +5 0 0 μg/只 )组 2 / 3只 ,小剂量 (1 0 0 +1 0 0 μg/只 )组 0 / 3只 ,大剂量组与小剂量组及非电脉冲对照组之间比较差异具有显著性意义 (P <0 0 5 ) ;至免疫第 1 3周时 ,电脉冲免疫的大、中、小

应用鸡胚活体电转GFP示踪技术观察脊髓左右两侧神经元纤维投射

目的:探索鸡胚发育过程中,脊髓左右侧神经元经纤维之间的联系,为脊髓两侧神经纤维投射提供形态学基础;方法:采用鸡胚带壳开窗培养技术,待胚胎发育至第3天,通过活体电转基因,将pCAGGS-GFP质粒0.1～0.5μl准确注射到脊柱,在电压18 V、每次脉冲60 ms,间隔100 ms,电脉冲6次的条件下进行定时定位活体电转基因,电转后6小时开始到10天,分别收集胚胎,甲醛固定冰冻切片,DAPI染细胞核观察组织形态结构变化。结果:电转后6小时便可以观察到GFP的表达,24小时后可以看到GFP标记细胞纤维的投射,3天可以清晰的观察到转入GFP一侧脊髓的运动神经元纤维束投射到另外一侧脊髓。结论:电转GFP成功标记运动神经元纤维在脊髓左右两侧的投射。

鸡胚培养及活体电转基因方法的建立

目的建立和优化鸡胚胎带壳培养(in ovo culture)、去壳培养(ex ovo culture)和活体原位电转基因(in vivo electroporation)等技术。方法鸡胚孵化第2～3天,带壳培养至2～3 d和去壳培养至5～6d,分别在脊髓和大脑视顶部位,在电压18V、电流60mA、间隔90ms和电脉冲6次(60ms/次)的条件下进行定时定位活体电转基因。结果带壳和去壳培养样本数分别为20个和10个,成活率分别是85%和80%,胚胎发育至2～3 d和5～6 d在脊髓和视顶部位转染样本数分别为11个和10个,阳性表达率为54.5%和60%。结论成功建立和优化了鸡胚培养和活体定时定位电转基因的方法。

抗辐射球菌pprI基因活体电转染救治小鼠γ射线损伤的实验研究

为研究抗辐射球菌pprI基因活体电转染对哺乳动物急性放射损伤的影响,探讨一种新的救治放射损伤的转基因技术。将自行构建的pCMV-HA-pprI质粒注入接受γ射线照射的小鼠肌肉内,采用活体基因电转导技术将该基因导入细胞内,观察照后第1、7、14、28和35天小鼠死亡率、血细胞计数以及骨髓细胞、脾脏和胸腺淋巴细胞凋亡的变化。结果显示,6Gyγ射线可引起小鼠急性致死性放射损伤,转基因组小鼠死亡率(1/10)明显低于单纯照射组小鼠死亡率(4/10)。与单纯照射组和空载体转染组比较,pprI基因转染组小鼠外周血白细胞总数及红细胞总数于照后第7天显著增高(p<0.05);血小板数于第7、14天显著增高(p<0.05);血淋巴细胞百分率于照后35天恢复正常;pprI基因转染组脾细胞凋亡率于第7、14、28天显著降低(p<0.05);胸腺细胞凋亡率于第1、7、14、35天显著降低(p<0.05);骨髓细胞凋亡率于第1、7、14和28天显著降低(p<0.05),并且胸腺细胞和骨髓细胞凋亡率均于照后28天恢复正常。结果表明,抗辐射菌pprI基因活体电转染对动物急性致死性放射损伤具有明显的防治作用。

傅里叶变换红外光谱法用于体表无创性检测乳腺肿瘤的研究

The non-invasive detection of breast tumor in vivo and in situ was first investigated by FTIR fiber optics technique. The experiment result indicates that there are significant differences between the spectra of skin outside breast tumor and normal breast tissues in the peak position and relative intensity. The in vivo FTIR spectroscopy can provide the information concerning whether the suspected tissue is cancerous or not. This recent result means that in situ FTIR spectroscopic method with fiber optics can be developed as a non-invasive, rapid and in vivo technique for early breast tumor detection.

中红外光纤技术用于口腔肿瘤在体原位检测的研究

Our previous studies show that mid-FTIR spectroscopy can be used to distinguish malignant oral tissue from normal tissue under in vitro condition. Here, an in-situ FTIR spectroscopic measurement was performed to record FTIR spectra of normal and malignant oral tissues including salivary gland, tongue, parotid gland, submandibular gland etc. during clinical examination. The FTIR spectra of various oral tissues were acquired when an ATR probe linked to the FTIR spectrometer via mid-IR optical fibers was pressed on the tissues of the patients. For example, a patient(male, 76 years old) with tumor on the left parotid and the corresponding normal tissue on the right parotid were measured and obvious differences were observed. The spectral features of normal tissue and tumor are in good agreement with the criteria established in our previous work. (1) 1 389 cm -1 band is quite strong in tumor, while the corresponding band in normal tissue is weaker than 1 452 cm -1 band. (2) In normal tissue, 1 250 cm -1 band is stronger, but the 1 250 cm -1 band disappeared in the skin of malignant tissue. The above results demonstrate that in vivo FTIR spectra are in good agreement with our previous results obtained under in vitro condition. We believe that in vivo FTIR spectroscopy, providing the first-hand information concerning whether the suspected tissue is cancerous or not, is helpful for doctors in clinical activity.

利用非侵入性光学成像技术监测在体肿瘤的生长

利用电穿孔技术将gfp表达质粒转染于SP2/0细胞,通过G418筛选获得稳定表达GFP的小鼠骨髓瘤细胞株SP2/0-GFP细胞。将稳定的转化细胞移植于同系BALB/c小鼠后腿、耳部皮下及腹腔成瘤,每隔一天对小鼠肿瘤成像,跟踪肿瘤的生长过程。结果表明,探测到的GFP荧光强度和发光范围与肿瘤的生长或消亡相关,从而证明可以利用GFP作为肿瘤细胞的标记,结合光学成像技术,对肿瘤生长过程实时追踪。

药物肠道代谢研究方法进展

肠道是口服药物的必经通道,肠道中不仅存在着影响药物吸收的转运体,还含有许多与药物代谢相关的酶,包括消化道上皮细胞存在的结合酶和消化道菌丛产生的酶,这些酶不同程度的影响着药物在体内的存在形式、吸收过程等。因此,胃肠道对药物的有关代谢作用日益受到重视,其研究方法也不断改进。现就目前药物在肠道中代谢的研究方法及其特点进行综述。

鸡胚发育过程敲减神经型钙黏蛋白表达对视顶盖神经元迁移及神经丝蛋白的影响

目的 阐明鸡胚发育过程神经型钙黏蛋白（N-cadherin）在中枢神经系统中的作用及其对神经丝蛋白（NF）表达的影响。 方法 鸡胚正常培养到第3天（E3），采用鸡胚带壳开窗培养方法，取出3～4ml蛋清，开窗培养至E5，将N-cadherin干扰载体pGPU6-GFP-neo-N-cadherin-shRNA通过活体电转基因技术导入视顶盖，电转后继续培养到E12，每组收集3个胚胎，取材，固定，包埋，切片后进行荧光免疫组织化学分析相关蛋白的表达。结果 鸡胚发育过程，敲减N-cadherin表达影响神经元迁移，被敲减的细胞主要停留在室管膜区，在N-cadherin受到抑制表达的区域，NF的表达也受到抑制，其表达明显减弱。 结论 N-cadherin的抑制表达可导致神经元的迁移发生紊乱，影响NF的表达。

鸡胚活体原位电转基因技术报告基因绿色荧光蛋白质量评估

目的在成功建立鸡胚活体原位电转基因技术的基础上,探讨报告基因绿色荧光蛋白(GFP)的表达及其在鸡胚发育过程对胚胎形态结构影响,分析α-平滑肌肌动蛋白(α-SMA)和神经丝蛋白(NF)的表达情况。方法活体原位电转基因技术将pCAGGS-GFP质粒转入带壳培养第3天和第3天去壳培养至第5天的鸡胚,在电转基因24h后荧光体视显微镜观察,选择对照组和阳性表达胚胎,每组各5个胚胎,冷冻切片后进行荧光免疫组织化学检测α-SMA和NF分别在脊髓和视顶部位的表达状况。结果在脊髓和视顶不同发育阶段和转染的不同时间,实验组、对照组及GFP阳性表达区域和正常区域内α-SMA、NF两种蛋白表达不存在差异,胚胎形态结构也不存在差异。结论原位电转GFP在鸡胚发育早期过程中不影响正常基因的表达及鸡胚胎发育形态结构的变化,可以作为报告基因。