ABSTRACT
This study was aimed to investigate the effect of Forkhead Box G1 (FOXG1) on the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells and the underlying mechanism. For this purpose, FOXG1 lentiviral interference (shRNA) plasmid and expression plasmid were constructed. Western blotting was used to analyze the expression of FOXG1 protein in five CRC cells, namely RKO, SW480, SW620, LoVo and DLD-1. The shRNA fragment of FOXG1 (shFOXG1) was designed and synthesized. Recombinant plasmids were obtained with the aid of DNA recombination technique. Double digestion and sequencing were used to identify the recombinant plasmids, and then lentivirus packaging, purification and stable transfection were carried out. Additionally, stable CRC cell lines were screened out. The changes of FOXG1 knockdown and overexpression efficiency, E-cadherin, Vimentin, Fibronectin, Snail, Twist mRNA and protein were investigated respectively by Western blotting and qRT-PCR analysis. Furthermore, the changes of cell morphology after knockdown and cell migration ability were evaluated respectively with optical microscopy, scratch test and Transwell assay. FOXG1 had the highest protein expression in RKO and the lowest in DLD-1 among the five CRC cells. Compared with those of the control group, the cell morphology in FOXG1 knockdown RKO group was changed from spindle into round or polygonal shape, cell polarization was enhanced and tight junction assembly was acclerated while cell migration distance was noticeably decreased. Moreover, the number of cells invaded and migrated through chambers was significantly reduced. Among these key factors of EMT, the expression of E-cadherin was increased while the expressions of Vimentin, Fibronectin, Snail and Twist were decreased. The opposite was the case in the overexpressed FOXG1 group. The overexpression of FOXG1 in CRC promoted the invasion and metastasis of CRC cells and played a crucial role in regulating the EMT. Thus, FOXG1 might be a novel therapeutic target in CRC treatment.
ABSTRACT
Objective To observe influence of atorvastatin combining with berberine on blood cholesterol level and carotid atherosclerotic plaques in patients with acute artery atherosclerosis cerebral infarction disease. Methods Fif-ty-five cases of acute cerebral infarction patients were randomized into 3 groups: group A (n=28), group B (n=11) and group C (n=16). Group A, B or C received atorvastatin 20 mg (qn), atorvastatin 40 mg (qn) or atorvastatin 20 mg (qn) +berberine 0.4 g (tid), respectively. All groups were then followed up for 3 months. The total cholesterol(TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C),high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol(HDL-C and the changes of carotid atherosclerotic plaques including total plaque area (TPA), crouse score,carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and the stability of carotid plaques as well as the serum levels of creatinine(Scr), alanine aminotransferase(ALT), aspartate aminotransferase(AST), were compared among three groups. Results After 3 months, the TC, TG and LDL-C were de-creased in all three groups. There were statistically significant differences in the TC and LDL-C among these three groups (P=0.011,P=0.033) after treatment. The compliance rate of group C (75.0%) was significantly higher than group A ( 32.1% ) and group B (45.5%) in LDL-C (P=0.026). Both berberine combining with atorvastatin and atorvastatin monotherapy(20mg could significantly reduce crouse score. Conclusions Berberine can significantly enhance the benefi-cial effects of atorvastatin on LDL-C and the crouse score in patients with acute artery atherosclerosis cerebral infarction patients.