ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the immunostimulatory effects of polysaccharides, including Lycium barbarum polysaccharides ( LBP) , Angelica polysaccharides ( AP) , Licorice polysaccharides ( LP) and Inulin polysaccharides ( IP) , used alone or in combination with aluminum adjuvant on the recombinant protein of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) glycoprotein (gE) as an immunogen in mice. Methods BALB/c mice were randomly divided into 11 groups with five in each group. Intramuscular injection was given at Days 0 and 14. Serum samples were collected at weeks 0, 2, 3, 4 and detected for total anti-gE IgG titers and an-tibody subtypes by indirect ELISA. The mice were sacrificed at week 4 to collect spleen lymphocytes aseptic-ally. CCK-8 method was used to evaluate the proliferation of spleen lymphocytes. The levels of IFN-γ and IL-4 were measured by ELISA. The percentages of CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD8+ T cell subsets were deter-mined by flow cytometry. Results The four plant-derived polysaccharides in combination with aluminum adjuvant showed good adjuvant activities. LP combined with aluminum adjuvant effectively increased the titer of IgG2, promote the proliferation of splenocytes and enhanced the secretion of IFN-γ and IL-4. Further-more, it also induced CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD8+ T cell proliferation in vivo. Conclusions The four plant-derived polysaccharides in combination with aluminum adjuvant could all enhance antibody production. LP combined with aluminum adjuvant could induce cell-mediated immune responses, suggesting that it might be a promising adjuvant for varicella-zoster subunit vaccines.
ABSTRACT
Objective@#To investigate the function and mechanism of zinc finger protein 750 (ZNF750) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).@*Methods@#Xenograft in nude mice was applied to detect the tumorigenesis of ZNF750-depleted ESCC cells. Western blot was performed to observe the expression of downstream target protein of ZNF750 in ESCC cell lines and xenograft tumor tissues in which ZNF750 was knocked down. 3-(4, 5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2H tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to determine the proliferation of ZNF750 stably depleted cells after restoration of its target protein.@*Results@#The tumor weight of blank control, negative control and ZNF750 knockdown groups was 137±26 mg, 161±31 mg and 463±89 mg, respectively, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.01). The expressions of Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) in ZNF750-depleted ESCC cells and its derived tumor tissue xenograft in nude mice were significantly down-regulated. Restoration of KLF4 in ZNF750 stably depleted cells significantly inhibited the cell proliferation (P<0.01).@*Conclusions@#ZNF750 may be a new tumor suppressor in the tumorigenesis of ESCC, and the inhibition of cell proliferation induced by ZNF750 may be partially through the regulation of KLF4 expression.
ABSTRACT
Vocal fold paralysis (VFP) refers to neurological causes of reduced or absent movement of one or both vocal folds. Bilateral VFP (BVFP) is characterized by inspiratory dyspnea due to narrowing of the airway at the glottic level with both vocal folds assuming a paramedian position. The primary objective of intervention for BVFP is to relieve patients’ dyspnea. Common clinical options for management include tracheostomy, arytenoidectomy and cordotomy. Other options that have been used with varying success include reinnervation techniques and botulinum toxin (Botox) injections into the vocal fold adductors. More recently, research has focused on neuromodulation, laryngeal pacing, gene therapy, and stem cell therapy. These newer approaches have the potential advantage of avoiding damage to the voicing mechanism of the larynx with an added goal of restoring some physiologic movement of the affected vocal folds. However, clinical data are scarce for these new treatment options (i.e., reinnervation and pacing), so more investigative work is needed. These areas of research are expected to provide dramatic improvements in the treatment of BVFP.