Anticancer Effects of Constituents of Herbs Targeting Osteosarcoma / 中国结合医学杂志

Osteosarcoma is a rare primary malignancy of bone that is prone to early metastasis. Resection surgery and chemotherapeutic regimens are current standard treatments for osteosarcoma. However, the long-term survival rate of patients with osteosarcoma is low due to a high risk of metastasis. Hence, a new approach is urgently needed to improve the treatment of osteosarcoma. Compared with chemotherapy, natural active constituents isolated from herbs exhibit less adverse effects and better anti-tumor effects. This study aimed to summarize the anticancer effects of constituents of herbs on the progression and metastasis of osteosarcoma cells. It showed that many constituents of herbs inhibited osteosarcoma by targeting proliferation, matrix metalloproteinases, integrin and cadherin, and angiogenesis. The findings might be beneficial for the development of new drugs and treatment strategies.

Effects of intranasal interferon gamma on transforming growth factor-β1/Smad in rats with allergic rhinitis / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects of intranasal interferon gamma (IFN-γ) on nasal mucosa remodeling and expression of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), Smad2, Smad3, Smad7 in allergic rhinitis (AR) rat model.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Ovalbumin (OVA) and aluminum hydroxide were used to construct the AR model. Thirty AR rats were randomly divided into positive control group (group B, n = 10), IFN-γ treatment group (group C, n = 10) and negative control group (normal rats, n = 10). After the AR models were built, 50 µl PBS, 1 µg IFN-γ was dropped into the nasal cavity of each rat in group B and group C, from the fouth week to tenth week, twice a week. The nasal mucosa was collected on day 71 in order to observe the pathologic changes, and the expression of TGF-β1, TGF-β1 mRNA, Smad2 mRNA, Smad3 mRNA and Smad7 mRNA by immunohistochemistry and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Decreases of TGF-β1, Smad2 and Smad3 mRNA were seen in nasal tissue of group C (0.59 ± 0.04, 0.39 ± 0.08, 0.46 ± 0.15) as compared with group B (0.82 ± 0.12, 0.70 ± 0.18, 0.95 ± 0.26), the differences were significant (q value were 3.15, 4.47, 3.03, all P < 0.05). The levels of Smad7 mRNA expression increased significantly (q = 2.98, P < 0.05) in group C (0.31 ± 0.05) as compared with group B (0.25 ± 0.06). Immunohistochemistry showed significant decrease of TGF-β1 expression in the nasal tissue of group C much lesser than that in group B.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Intranasal IFN-γ could decrease the expression of TGF-β1, TGF-β1 mRNA, Smad2 mRNA, Smad3 mRNA, increase the expression of Smad7 mRNA in AR rats model and inhibit the nasal mucosa remodeling.</p>

Intervention of Tongxinluo capsule against vascular lesion of atherosclerosis and its effect on lectin-like oxidized low density lipoprotein receptor-1 expression in rabbits / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the prevention by Tongxinluo capsule (TXL) of vascular lesions and its effect on the levels of protein and gene expression of lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) of vascular wall in rabbits with atherosclerosis (AS), and to explore its possible mechanism against AS.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>AS models were established by feeding New Zealand white rabbits with high-cholesterol diet, and 24 immature rabbits were randomly divided into the control group, model group and treated group (treated with TXL capsule). The indexes of total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) levels were measured at the 16th week. The intima thickness and the plaque area of abdominal aorta were quantitatively analyzed by pathological morphological analysis, the expression of macrophage and smooth muscle cell (SMC) in intima were detected by immunohistochemical method and histologic segments were stained by Hematoxilin-Eosin (HE) to identify the degree of atherosclerotic lesion in the model group and the prevention by TXL. The LOX-1 gene and protein expression in abdominal aorta was detected by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the model group, the levels of TC and LDL were significantly elevated, aortic intima thickened extensively, the intima area enhanced, and macrophages expression increased; the levels of LOX-1 gene and protein expression was up-regulated in endothelium and neo-intima of the abdominal aorta. The treatment with TXL reduced blood lipids, attenuated arterial intimal proliferation, markedly inhibited the expression of macrophage and excessively expressed the level of LOX-1.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>TXL has an inhibitory effect on blood lipids, and it can prevent the occurrence of vascular lesion and cure its development, and its protection against AS was possibly associated with a crucial endothelial protective action through lowering the expression of LOX-1 in vascular walls.</p>

Influence of chemotherapy on Th1/Th2 cytokine switching in stomach cancer patients / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the influence of chemotherapy on the switching of Th1/Th2 cytokines in stomach cancer patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Th1/Th2 cytokine genes expressed by peripheral blood mononuclear cells of stomach cancer patients before and after chemotherapy were detected by RT-PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The expression of Th2 cytokines was dominant in patients before chemotherapy, and the dominancy became less marked after chemotherapy.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The immune deviation with Th2 predominance in stomach cancer patients has a tendency to become reversed after chemotherapy.</p>

The negative regulatory effect of IFN-gamma on cognitive function of human natural killer cells / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the regulatory effect of IFN-gamma on recognition of target cells by human natural killer (NK) cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The cytotoxic activity of human NK cell lines (NK92, NKL) was detected by MTT method. Expression of NK cell receptors (NKG2D, NKG2A/B, KIR2DL1 and KIR2DS1) and MICA on target cells (the ligand of NKG2D) was measured by RT-PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Both NK92 and NKL cells exerted higher cytotoxicity to tumor cells with MICA expression, while tumors without MICA expression could resist NK cell lysis. IFN-gamma (> 1000 U/ml) inhibited NK lysis of tumor cells with MICA expression through down-regulating the expression of NKG2D, but up-regulating the expression of NKG2A/B and KIR2DL1.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>IFN-gamma has a negative effect on activation and cytotoxicity of human NK cells by altering the balance between the expression of activating and inhibitory receptors on NK cells in favor of inhibition. This may serve to limit NK cell over-activation in vivo.</p>