Research progress of lactoferrin as drug carriers / 药学学报

Lactoferrin (Lf) is one of the food protein belonged to the innate immune system. Apart from its main biological function of binding and transport of iron ions, lactoferrin also has many other functions and properties such as antibacterial, antiviral, antiparasitic, catalytic, anti-cancer, anti-allergic and radioprotecting. Lf is usually used as additives of food and cosmetics. The research of lactoferrin has been increasingly reported, and the application of lactoferrin as a drug carrier has drawn extensive attention over the recent year. In this paper, researches of lactoferrin as drug carriers are classified and summarized in brain targeting, liver tumor targeting, lung tumor targeting and oral delivery systems according to their different characteristics.

The effects and its mechanism of N-arginine chitosan as transdermal enhancer / 药学学报

The purpose of this study is to investigate the penetration effects and mechanism of N-arginine chitosan (ACS). This novel transdermal enhancer with a mimetic structure of cell-penetration peptides was synthesized by introducing hydrophilic arginine groups to the amino-group on chitosan's side chain. The structure of ACS was confirmed by FT-IR, 1H NMR and element analysis. In addition, attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) was used to study the protein conformation and the water content of stratum corneum, and the result suggested that ACS can change the orderly arrangement of the molecules in the stratum corneum, making the stack structure of keratin become loose. And ACS can increase the water content of the stratum corneurn. Inverted fluorescence microscope and flow cytometry were used to examine penetration effect of ACS on Hacat cell. The result confirmed that the uptake of ACS was enhanced with increased substitution degree of arginine by 4-8 folds compared to chitosan. In vitro penetration studies on three electrical types of drugs were carried out using three model drugs of negatively charged aspirin, positively charged terazosin and neutral drug isosorbide mononitrate by the method of Franz diffusion cells. The results showed that ACS has obviously penetration of the negatively charged drug aspirin, and certain penetration of neutral drug issorbide mononitrate, but inhibition of positively charged terazosin. In vivo imaging technology research results show that the ACS can significantly enhance the fluorescence intensity of morin, which is the auto-fluorescence anionic drug. These obtained results suggested that ACS, as a promising transdermal enhancer, can change the structure of the keratinocytes and analog penetrating peptides promote absorption, but have certain selectivity for the drug.

In situ rat intestine absorption of paclitaxel-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles modified with cell-penetrating peptides / 药学学报

To investigate the rat intestinal absorption of stearic acid-octaarginine (SA-R8) modified solid lipid nanoparticles containing paclitaxel (SA-R8-PTX-SLN), compared with the commercially available preparation of PTX (Taxol) and PTX-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (PTX-SLN), the in situ intestinal absorption of SA-R8-PTX-SLN was investigated by means of single-pass rat intestinal perfusion technique. The absorptions of the preparations were investigated at different intestinal segments, different drug concentrations and in the presence of P-glycoprotein inhibitor (verapamil). The results showed that PTX could be absorbed at each intestinal segment and the three preparations all showed maximum absorptions at the duodenum. The cumulative absorptions of three preparations at each intestinal segment appeared SA-R8-PTX-SLN > PTX-SLN > Taxol (P < 0.05). SA-R8-PTX-SLN showed a liner absorption manner at the duodenum in the examined drug concentration range. The cumulative absorptions of Taxol and PTX-SLN were significantly promoted after the addition of P-glycoprotein inhibitor (verapamil) into the preparation (P < 0.05), but absorption of SA-R8-PTX-SLN existed no significantly difference compared with the preparation without verapamil (P > 0.05). SA-R8 and SLN might both effectively improve the oral absorption of PTX in the intestinal tract.

An overview of glycoconjugates for cancer targeting therapy and diagnosis / 药学学报

Because of the changed metabolic behaviors of cancer cells, tumor cells uptake a corresponding larger amount of glucose in physiological condition when compared with normal cells. And they were prone to metabolize glucose for generating energy in anaerobic glycolysis ways in order to grow quickly. Anaerobic glycolysis consumes more glucose than aerobic way when the same amount of energy is obtained, which also results in large demand of glucose in tumor cells. This review briefly describes therapy methods related to characteristic mentioned above, and summarizes the research progress of drugs, diagnostic reagents and carriers conjugated with glucose, glucose derivatives or other kinds of sugars for cancer targeting. Furthermore, typically relative research reports from 2012 till now were listed and analyzed.

Synthesis and characterization of N-octyl-N-arginine chitosan--a chitosan derivant with a mimetic structure of cell-penetrating peptides / 药学学报

A novel chitosan derivant, N-octyl-N-arginine chitosan (OACS) with a mimetic structure of cell-penetrating peptides was synthesized by introducing hydrophilic arginine groups and hydrophobic octyl groups to the amino-group on chitosan's side chain. Structure of the obtained polymer was characterized by FT-IR and 1H NMR. The substitution degree of octyl and arginine groups was calculated through element analysis and spectrophotometric method, separately. The critical micelle concentration of OACS was 0.12 - 0.27 mgmL(-1) tested by fluorescence spectrometry. The solubility test showed OACS could easily dissolve in pH 1 - 12 solutions and self-assemble to form a micelle solution with light blue opalescence. The OACS micelles have a mean size of 158.4 - 224.6 nm, polydisperse index of 0.038 - 0.309 and a zeta potential of +19.16 - +30.80 mV determined by malvern zetasizer. AFM images confirmed free OACS micelle has a regular sphere form with a uniform particle size. MTT test confirmed that OACS was safe in 50 - 1 000 micromol-L(-1). The result of HepG2 cell experiment showed that the cell internalization of OACS micelles enhanced with increased substitution degree of arginine by 40 folds compared to chitosan. Thus, OACS micelles were a promising nano vehicle with permeation enhancement and drug carrier capability.

Regulation of 2-methoxyestradiol-induced cell apoptosis by mcl-1 and bax genes in myelodysplastic syndrome / 中国实验血液学杂志

The purpose of this study was to explore the mechanism underlying the regulation of 2-methoxyestradiol (2-ME)-induced cell apoptosis by mcl-1 and bax gene in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The MUTZ-1 cells were pretreated with 2-ME; then the activity of caspases-3 was determined by fluorescent colorimetry; the mRNA expressions of apoptosis-related genes (mcl-1) and bcl-2-related X protein (bax) were determined by RT-PCR. The results showed that as compared with control, the 2-ME enhanced the activity of caspase-3 in MUTZ-1 cells in a dose-and time-dependent manners (p<0.05); along with increasing of 2-ME concentration, the expression of intracellular mcl-1 mRNA reduced (p<0.05), meanwhile the expression level of mcl-1 mRNA negatively correlated to the activity of caspase-3 at the corresponding time points (r=-0.992, p<0.01), but the expression of bax mRNA did not show significant change (p>0.05). It is concluded that 2-ME can regulate the apoptosis of MDS cells through the pathway of down-regulating the expression of mcl-1 mRNA and activating the caspase-3.

Mechanism of 2-methoxyestradiol-induced apoptosis in myelodysplastic syndrome MUTZ-1 cell line / 中国实验血液学杂志

The study was aimed to investigate the mechanism of proliferation inhibition and apoptosis of MDS-RAEB MUTZ-1 cells induced by 2-methoxyestradiol (2-ME), the cell proliferation was determined by MTT assay, apoptosis rate was determined with annexinV-FITC/PI double staining and cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM) after MUTZ-1 cells were treated with different concentrations of 2-ME; the changes of morphologic features of MUTZ-1 cells were observed with Wright-Giemsa's staining; lactate dehydrogenase was determined by Beckman Counter; and agarose gel electrophoresis was used to verify whether 2-ME can induce apoptosis of MUTZ-1 cells. The results showed that 2-ME inhibited the proliferation of MUTZ-1 cells in a dose-and time-dependent manner and caused a sustained arrest at G(2)/M phase in MUTZ-1 cells; the typical apoptotic morphological features appeared in MUTZ-1 cells; the production of lactate dehydrogenase was up-regulated and the marked DNA ladder pattern of internucleosomal fragmentation was observed. It is concluded that the mechanism of proliferation inhibition and apoptosis of MUTZ-1 cells induced by 2-ME is probably related with the G(2)/M cell cycle arrest; 2-ME may be a potentially adjunctive anticancer drug useful to treat myelodysplastic syndrome.

Alterations of telomerase activity and apoptosis induced by 2-methoxyestradiol in human myelodysplastic syndrome cell line MUTZ-1 / 中华血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of 2-methoxyestradiol(2-ME) on telomerase activity expression and apoptosis in human myelodysplastic syndrome cells line MUTZ-1.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>MUTZ-1 cells were incubated with different concentrations of 2-ME, apoptosis rate and cell cycle were measured by flow cytometry (FCM). Telomerase activity in MUTZ-1 cells was examined by telomeric repeat amplification protocol-Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (TRAP-ELISA).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The FCM analysis showed that cells in G0/G1 phase and S phase were decreased, while in G2/M phase increased after exposed to 1,2 and 4 micromol/L of 2-ME for 12 hours (P < 0.05). 1 and 2 micromol/L of 2-ME had no notable effect on MUTZ-1 cells as compared with the control group (P > 0. 05). Cells incubated with 1, 2 and 4 micromol/L of 2-ME for 36 hours were induced apoptosis, the percentage of apoptosis was between (12.87 +/- 0.86)% and (21.82 +/- 1.71)% with a dose- and time- dependent manner. Telomerase activity was significantly inhibited in these concentration and negatively correlated with cell number in G2/M phase (r = -0.979, P = 0.021) and increased apoptosis (r = -0.970, P = 0.030 ), respectively. Moreover, the inhibition effect of telomerase activity was enhanced in a dose- and time- dependent manner.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>2-ME-induced apoptosis and inhibition of telomerase activity provide a possible mechanism for explaining the 2-ME's anticancer activity.</p>

Detection of mitochondrial membrane potential changes in Myelodysplastic syndrome by fluorescent probe JC-1 / 中华检验医学杂志

Objective To explore the function of fluorescent probe JC-1 in detecting the changes of mitochondrial membrane potential(△?m)in early apoptotic cells.Methods After 2-ME was used to induce MUTZ-1 cell apoptosis,cells were dyed with fluorescent probe JC-1,and then the changes of △?m in the early stage of apoptotic cells were analyzed by flow cytometry or detected under fluorescent microscope. Results The control cells with high △?m are those forming JC-1 aggregates in the inner membrane of mitochondria,thus showing orange-red fluorescence.2-ME caused decrease of △?m in MUTZ-1 cells,in which JC-1 maintains monomeric form,thus showing only green fluorescence.The decreases of △?m were in a time-dependent manner,which were significantly higher than those in control group(P