Characteristics of patients with hypersensitivity reactions to chemotherapeutic and biological agents and desensitization behavior / Características de pacientes com reações de hipersensibilidade a agentes quimioterápicos e biológicos e comportamento de dessensibilização

Introduction: Hypersensitivity to chemotherapeutic and biological agents has increased in recent years due to their frequent use. Avoidance has been the first line of defense, leading to decreased treatment efficacy and increased adverse events. Objective: To characterize the sociodemographic and clinical aspects of patients with hypersensitivity reactions to chemotherapeutic agents who underwent desensitization and biological procedures in a Colombian city. Methods: This observational, descriptive, retrospective, multicenter study was conducted in patients with hypersensitivity reactions to chemotherapeutic and biological agents who underwent desensitization. Results: In the 14 included patients with a history of hypersensitivity reactions to chemotherapeutic and biological agents (57.1% women; median age 42.5 years), 45 desensitization procedures were performed. The most commonly prescribed drug was rituximab (57%). The skin was the most frequent reaction site (78.6%), and systemic corticosteroids were the most common treatment (78.6%). Breakthrough reactions occurred in 31.1% of the patients and only premedication with corticosteroids was associated with less severe reactions. All cases of desensitization were successful. Conclusions: Desensitization to chemotherapeutic and biological agents proved to be a useful and safe tool in a Colombian population.

Introdução: A hipersensibilidade aos agentes quimioterápicos e biológicos aumentou nos últimos anos devido ao seu uso frequente. Evitar tem sido a primeira linha de ação, levando à diminuição da eficácia do tratamento e ao aumento de eventos adversos. Objetivos: Caracterizar os aspectos sociodemográficos e clínicos de pacientes com reações de hipersensibilidade a agentes quimioterápicos submetidos a dessensibilização e procedimentos biológicos em uma cidade colombiana. Métodos: Foi realizado um estudo observacional, descritivo, retrospectivo e multicêntrico em pacientes com reações de hipersensibilidade a agentes quimioterápicos e biológicos submetidos à dessensibilização. Resultados: Foram incluídos 45 procedimentos de dessensibilização em 14 pacientes com histórico de reações de hipersensibilidade a agentes quimioterápicos e biológicos (57,1% mulheres, com mediana de idade de 42,5 anos). O medicamento mais relatado foi o rituximabe (57%). O envolvimento cutâneo foi o mais frequente (78,6%) e os corticosteroides sistêmicos foram o tratamento mais utilizado (78,6%). As reações ocorreram em 31,1% e apenas a pré-medicação com corticosteroides foi associada a uma menor gravidade destas. Todos os casos de dessensibilização foram bem-sucedidos. Conclusões: A dessensibilização a agentes quimioterápicos e biológicos provou ser uma ferramenta útil e segura em uma população colombiana.

Retrospective analysis of adverse drug reactions to anticancer drugs at a tertiary care hospital in South India

Background: Many newer drugs are approved every year for the treatment of cancers. With the limitation of clinical trials data on long-term safety, there is a need for constant monitoring of drugs use in various population. Occurrence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) due to anticancer drugs is high due to their cytotoxic effects. Aims and Objectives: This study aims to analyze ADR reported due to anticancer drugs in relation to frequency of their occurrence, causality, severity, and preventability. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of ADRs due to cancer chemotherapeutic agents that were spontaneously reported between January 2017 and June 2018. Data were collected from the suspected ADR notification forms submitted to ADR Monitoring Centre of the institute. Data were analyzed for type of cancers, medications used, type of ADRs, causality assessment, severity, and preventability. Results: A total of 545 ADRs were reported from 391 cases, with majority in females (65.1%). Breast was more commonly involved cancer (16.62%) and cisplatin was the common individual drug reported to cause ADRs (16.15%). The most common ADR reported was paresthesia (13.03%) followed by diarrhea (12.29%). Causality assessment revealed that most cases were probably related (61.65%). Most of the cases were moderately severe (61.28%) and most of the reported ADRs were not preventable (72.65%). Conclusion: Toxicities due to anticancer drugs can affect different organs. Most of the reported cases in this study are not preventable and of moderately severe. Appropriate use of preventive strategies helps in reduction in the occurrence and severity of ADRs.

Effects of histone acetyltransferase KAT7 inhibitor WM-3835 on the proliferation and migration of bladder cancer cells / 现代泌尿外科杂志

【Objective】 To investigate the effects of WM-3835, a histone acetyltransferase KAT7 (KAT7) inhibitor, on the proliferation and migration of bladder cancer cells and to explore the possible mechanism. 【Methods】 Human ureteral epithelial immortalized cell line SV-HUC-1, and bladder cancer cell lines UM-UC-3 and T24 were treated with different concentrations of WM-3835 (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 μmol/L). After 48 hours, the effects of WM-3835 on the proliferation, cell cycle distribution and migration of cells were detected with MTT assay, flow cytometry, scratch and Transwell assay, respectively. The expressions of cyclin D1 (cyclin D1), proliferating nuclear antigen (PCNA), matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) and neurocadherin (N-cadherin) were detected with Western blotting and real-time quantitative PCR. 【Results】 WM-3835 significantly inhibited the proli-feration of bladder cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. After treatment with WM-3835, the cycle of UM-UC-3 and T24 cells were blocked in the G0/G1 phase, the proliferation was effectively inhibited, and the migration was significantly wea-kened. The expressions of cyclin-D1, PCNA, MMP9 and N-cadherin were down-regulated. 【Conclusion】 WM-3835 can inhibit the proliferation and migration of bladder cancer cells, and has the potential as a chemotherapeutic agent for bladder cancer.

Lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticle with cell-distinct drug release for treatment of stemness-derived resistant tumor

Drug resistance presents one of the major causes for the failure of cancer chemotherapy. Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs), a population of self-renewal cells with high tumorigenicity and innate chemoresistance, can survive conventional chemotherapy and generate increased resistance. Here, we develop a lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticle for co-delivery and cell-distinct release of the differentiation-inducing agent, all-trans retinoic acid and the chemotherapeutic drug, doxorubicin to overcome the CSC-associated chemoresistance. The hybrid nanoparticles achieve differential release of the combined drugs in the CSCs and bulk tumor cells by responding to their specific intracellular signal variation. In the hypoxic CSCs, ATRA is released to induce differentiation of the CSCs, and in the differentiating CSCs with decreased chemoresistance, DOX is released upon elevation of reactive oxygen species to cause subsequent cell death. In the bulk tumor cells, the drugs are released synchronously upon the hypoxic and oxidative conditions to exert potent anticancer effect. This cell-distinct drug release enhances the synergistic therapeutic efficacy of ATRA and DOX with different anticancer mechanism. We show that treatment with the hybrid nanoparticle efficiently inhibit the tumor growth and metastasis of the CSC-enriched triple negative breast cancer in the mouse models.

Photosensitive pro-drug nanoassemblies harboring a chemotherapeutic dormancy function potentiates cancer immunotherapy

Immunotherapy combined with effective therapeutics such as chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy have been shown to be a successful strategy to activate anti-tumor immune responses for improved anticancer treatment. However, developing multifunctional biodegradable, biocompatible, low-toxic but highly efficient, and clinically available transformed nano-immunostimulants remains a challenge and is in great demand. Herein, we report and design of a novel carrier-free photo-chemotherapeutic nano-prodrug COS-BA/Ce6 NPs by combining three multifunctional components-a self-assembled natural small molecule betulinic acid (BA), a water-soluble chitosan oligosaccharide (COS), and a low toxic photosensitizer chlorin e6 (Ce6)-to augment the antitumor efficacy of the immune adjuvant anti-PD-L1-mediated cancer immunotherapy. We show that the designed nanodrugs harbored a smart and distinctive "dormancy" characteristic in chemotherapeutic effect with desired lower cytotoxicity, and multiple favorable therapeutic features including improved 1O2 generation induced by the reduced energy gap of Ce6, pH-responsiveness, good biodegradability, and biocompatibility, ensuring a highly efficient, synergistic photochemotherapy. Moreover, when combined with anti-PD-L1 therapy, both nano-coassembly based chemotherapy and chemotherapy/photodynamic therapy (PDT) could effectively activate antitumor immunity when treating primary or distant tumors, opening up potentially attractive possibilities for clinical immunotherapy.

Evaluation of chemotherapeutic regimen and associated adverse drug reactions of colorectal cancer in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the fourth most common cause of death diagnosed in both men and women. Though there are modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for CRC. cancer patients encounter chemotherapy- associated drug interactions and adverse drug reactions hence the need for such a study will help the professionals to improve the patient’s quality of life. Materials and Methods: A six-month retrospective study of 130 patients who satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria was conducted by collecting data from November 2020 to May 2021. Data was collected from the Mediware system of the hospital using specially designed data collection forms. Results: Out of 130 patients, 61.51% were male and most of the patients were more than 60 years old. In this study, 11 patients had a history of smoking and alcoholism and 4% had a family history of CRC. Comorbidities associated with CRC were HTN and DM. In the study, stage 4 cancer patients were found to be more. 77.69% of patients had received chemotherapy along with surgery, and the most commonly prescribed regimen was Capcetabine and OxaliplatinThe length of hospital stay was increased for the FOLFOX (Oxaliplatin, 5-Fluorouracil, and Leucovorin) regimen. The common ADR analyzed was constipation, followed by vomiting and neutropenia, and most ADRs were associated with the CAPOX regimen (diarrhea) and treated accordingly.10 patients had febrile neutropenia, 5 patients had grade 4 neutropenia and all were treated with antibiotics and filgrastim. Febrile neutropenia was seen in patients with metastasis. Conclusion: Timely and appropriate treatment for ADRs and early screening can improve the quality of life of individuals. Further studies on this topic will help to improve the treatment quality provided by professionals

In vitro anticancer activity of ethanolic extract of Stoechospermum marginatum against HT-29 human colon adenocarcinoma cells

Colorectal cancer is a one of the leading causes of death globally and its clinical management of cancer involves chemotherapy. Increase in the development of resistance to the drugs used in the cancer treatment and serious side effects associated with chemotherapeutic drugs are the major limitations in cancer therapy. Hence, there exists a huge need to develop safer natural therapeutic products for cancer therapy. In this study, ethanolic extract of Stoechospermum marginatum was evaluated for its anticancer activity. The cytotoxicity of S. marginatum extract was evaluated on HT-29 cells by MTT assay. Trypan blue cell viability was also carried out to evaluate cytotoxicity and antiproliferative effect. The apoptosis-inducing potential of the extract was analyzed by acridine orange and ethidium bromide dual staining method, mitochondrial membrane potential assay and FITC Annexin V-Propidium iodide staining method. The ethanolic extract of S. marginatum showed significant dose-dependent cytotoxicity in HT-29 cells Treatment with S. marginatum extract increased number of apoptotic cells in HT-29 cells and caused damage to mitochondrial membrane potential. The findings of the present study confirmed in vitro anticancer activity of ethanolic extract S. Marginatum

The protective effect of melatonin supplementation against taxol-induced testicular cytotoxicity in adult rats

The aim of the present investigation was to study the toxic influences of taxol (TXL) on the testes of rats and the protective impact of melatonin (MLT) against such effects. Rats were classified into control, sham, TXL, MLT, and MLT+TXL-treated groups. Histological and ultrastructural changes were observed in testicular tissues of TXL-intoxicated rats including thickening of tunica albuginea and degenerative alterations in spermatogenic, Sertoli, and Leydig cells. A significant increase (P≤0.05) was found in the thickness of tunica albuginea and numbers of tubules without sperm, apoptotic germinal epithelia, and apoptotic Leydig cells, whereas the diameter of tubules and height of germinal epithelia displayed a significant decrease (P≤0.05) compared with the control, sham, and MLT-treated groups. Immunohistochemically, a marked decrease (P≤0.05) in Bcl-2 immunoreactivity and significant elevation (P≤0.05) in P53 and caspase-3 immunoreactivities were recorded. Co-treatment of MLT and TXL modulated such histological, histomorphometrical, and ultrastructural changes induced by TXL. Also, MLT had a protective effect against testicular apoptosis induced by TXL, as shown by the elevated expression of Bcl-2 and decreased expression of P53 and caspase-3. In conclusion, the current investigation proved that MLT had a protective role against TXL-induced testicular cytotoxicity, which may be a result of inhibition of testicular apoptosis.

Gene expression and apoptosis response in hepatocellular carcinoma cells induced by biocompatible polymer/magnetic nanoparticles containing 5-fluorouracil

BACKGROUND: Super-paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) contain a chemotherapeutic drug and are regarded as a promising technique for improving targeted delivery into cancer cells. RESULTS: In this study, the fabrication of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) was investigated with loaded Dextran (DEXSPION) using the co-precipitation technique and conjugated by folate (FA). These nanoparticles (NPs) were employed as carriers and anticancer compounds against liver cancer cells in vitro. Structural, magnetic, morphological characterization, size, and drug loading activities of the obtained FA-DEX-5-FUSPION NPs were checked using FTIR, VSM, FESEM, TEM, DLS, and zeta potential techniques. The cellular toxicity effect of FA-DEX-5-FU-SPION NPs was evaluated using the MTT test on liver cancer (SNU-423) and healthy cells (LO2). Furthermore, the apoptosis measurement and the expression levels of NF-1, Her-2/neu, c-Raf-1, and Wnt-1 genes were evaluated post-treatment using flow cytometry and RT-PCR, respectively. The obtained NPs were spherical with a suitable dispersity without noticeable aggregation. The size of the NPs, polydispersity, and zeta were 74 ± 13 nm, 0.080 and 45 mV, respectively. The results of the encapsulation efficiency of the nano-compound showed highly colloidal stability and proper drug maintenance. The results indicated that FA-DEX-5-FU-SPION demonstrated a sustained release profile of 5-FU in both phosphate and citrate buffer solutions separately, with higher cytotoxicity against SNU-423 cells than against other cells types. These findings suggest that FA-DEX-SPION NPs exert synergistic effects for targeting intracellular delivery of 5-FU, apoptosis induction, and gene expression stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: The findings proved that FA-DEX-5-FU-SPION presented remarkable antitumor properties; no adverse subsequences were revealed against normal cells.

Research progress of correlation between multidrug resistance and transporters and traditional Chinese medicine intervention / 中国中药杂志

With the emergence of drug resistance in Western medicine, the repeated administration of clinical first-line drugs becomes more severe. There are many factors leading to multidrug resistance(MDR), so it is very difficult to solve the problem. Since traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) has been used in the field of MDR in recent years, the research on the transporter-associated drug resistance and intervention of TCM has gradually become a hot spot. Therefore, in order to further explore the relationships among drug resistance, transporters, and TCM intervention, we review the relevant research progress in recent years and comb the achievements and limitations of this research at present. In the end, we put forward the research direction of changing body's ADME through the host's transporters and gastrointestinal flora, which provides new ideas for future research.

Toxicity of Chemotherapeutics Based on Viscera-state doctrine / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Malignant tumors are important diseases that threaten human health. Although targeting and immunotherapy have been gradually applied in the treatment of malignant tumors in recent years， which can alleviate the suffering of patients to a certain extent， there are still problems of large adverse reactions and easy drug resistance. At present， chemotherapy is still the main method for the treatment of malignant tumors. While killing tumor cells， chemotherapy also damages normal cells， which often leads to drug toxicity， such as bone marrow suppression， gastrointestinal adverse reactions， liver and kidney function damage， and oral mucosal reactions. Although modern medicines have a certain effect on the toxicity of chemotherapy drugs， there are still limitations. Traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） has a long history of treating malignant tumors， and considers that chemotherapy is a drug with toxin invading the body， exacerbating the "deficiency"， "toxin" and "stasis" of the body， causing damage to Qi， blood and organs， especially in spleen， stomach， liver and kidney， and leading to bone marrow suppression， liver and kidney function injury and other adverse reactions. Studies have confirmed that the use of TCM treatment has a better clinical efficacy. Therefore， new therapies shall be explored based on the basic theory of traditional Chinese medicine. As the core part of the theoretical system of TCM， Viscera-state doctrine is closely related to looking， listening， questioning and feeling the pulse of TCM， and has constantly developed and improved. It has important significance in guiding diagnosis and treatment of diseases. This study is guided by viscera-state doctrine of TCM and based on the etiology and pathogenesis of TCM. It starts with the clinical manifestations of common drug toxicity of chemotherapy drugs， such as bone marrow suppression， gastrointestinal adverse reactions， liver and kidney function damage， oral mucosal reactions， which are external signs of the toxicity of chemotherapeutic drugs， and associates pathological manifestations of viscera to physiological functions. From elephants and Tibetans， it systematically summarizes the viscera characteristics of various common chemotherapeutic drugs and provides new ideas and methods for clinical use of TCM in treating the toxicity of chemotherapeutic drugs， so as to promote the application of viscera-state doctrine in diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

Chemotherapy-induced leukoencephalopathy: A case series

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Rationale:</strong> Leukoencephalopathy, a complication associated with chemotherapy has been reported after giving high doses of methotrexate and cytarabine with no specific risk factors to date.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Objectives:</strong><br />1. To review the prevalence of chemotherapy-induced leukoencephalopathy in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).<br />2. To present the clinical course, pathogenesis and neuro-imaging findings of chemotherapy-induced leukoencephalopathy in children with ALL.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Case:</strong> We reported three cases of adolescent ALL precursor B-cell patients who received high doses of methotrexate and presented with neurologic and MRI findings consistent with leukoencephalopathy. Our patients were only placed on supportive measures with adequate hydration, without providing any special intervention. Yet, all of them had complete neurological recovery.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Discussion and Summary:</strong> Methotrexate is a cell cycle-specific agent that inhibits the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase, preventing the conversion of folic acid to tetrahydrofolic acid and inhibiting cell replication. It is one of the most commonly implicated drug causing leukoencephalopathy. [3] On MRI T2-weighted images, all of them had hyperintensities on the posterior frontal/parietal corona radiata and centrum semiovale consistent with leukoencephalopathy. Complete recovery happened spontaneously in all of the cases. There is no standard treatment for acute and subacute toxicities from methotrexate.</p>

Chemotherapeutic Interaction of Vernonia amygdalina (Delile) Leaf Extract with Artesunate and Amodiaquine in Murine Malaria Model

Aim of the Study: Conventional antimalarial drugs are used concurrently with herbal remediesin malarial endemic developing countries.Vernonia amygdalina is one of such popular herbs used in the treatment of malaria. This study aimed at investigating the antimalarial chemotherapeutic interaction ofVernonia amygdalina (VA) when combined with Amodiaquine (AQ) and/or Artesunate (AS) in a murine Plasmodium berghei malaria model.Methodology:Various doses of aqueous VA leaf extract (100-500 mg/kg/day), AQ (2-10 mg/kg/day) and AS (0.8-4 mg/kg/day) wereadministered orally to P berghei.-infected Swiss albino mice to determine their sub-therapeutic doses. These doses were subsequently used to investigate the chemotherapeutic interactions of VA with AQ and/or AS in both early and establishedmalaria infection test models. The survival of animals with established infections that received different drug/herb treatments were determined using their mean survival time (days) and Kaplan-Meier survival curves (percentage). Using GraphPad Instat (version 3.10) and PrismR(version 5.01) the data obtained were subjected to One-way ANOVA, followed by Student-Newman-Keuls test. P< .05 was considered statistically significant.Results:The sub-therapeutic doses of VA, AQ and AS were found to be 100 mg/kg, 2 mg/kg and 2.4 mg/kg, respectively. The chemosuppressive effect of AQ or AS was significantly increased (p< 0.05) when administered in combination with the VA extract. Similarly, combination of VA extract with AQ or AS resulted in significant (P < .05) parasite clearance when compared to the effects of the herb or the conventional drugs administered separately. The mean survival period of animals with established infection was also significantly enhanced by the VA alone or with AQ(or AS) compared to placebo

Growing teratoma syndrome: A case report / Philippine Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology

@#Growing teratoma syndrome is a rare phenomenon. Presented is a case of a 36 year old, G2P2 (2002) who consulted for abdominal enlargement and subsequently underwent exploratory laparotomy, peritoneal fluid cytology, left salpingooophorectomy, right oophorocystectomy, infracolic omentectomy and random peritoneal biopsy. Histopathology revealed immature teratoma of the ovary, FIGO grade III, stage IIIC. She received adjuvant chemotherapy using Bleomycin, Etoposide, Cisplatin. After the second cycle of chemotherapy, new lesions were appreciated in the right ovary and at the cul de sac for which she underwent exploratory laparotomy, peritoneal fluid cytology, total hysterectomy with right salpingooophorectomy, tumor debulking, infragastric omentectomy, random peritoneal biopsy. Histopathologic study showed mature teratoma. No further treatment was given. Presently, patient has no evidence of disease for 5 months.

Coconut oil nanoemulsion attenuates methotrexate-induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma-bearing mice

Objective: To evaluate the protective effect of the coconut oil nanoemulsion against methotrexate-induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma-bearing Swiss albino mice. Methods: Forty mice were divided into four groups. Group Ⅰ served as the untreated Ehrlich ascites carcinoma-bearing mice while Ehrlich ascites carcinoma-bearing mice in groups Ⅱ–Ⅳ received an intraperitoneal injection of 0.2 mL/kg coconut oil nanoemulsion, 20 mg/kg methotrexate as well as 0.2 mL/kg coconut oil nanoemulsion mixed with 20 mg/kg methotrexate, respectively. The toxicities of the treatments were assessed by determining the complete blood count, performing the serum analysis for liver and kidney functions, evaluating the oxidative status and visualizing histological changes in the liver and kidney tissues. Results: Treatment with methotrexate and coconut oil nanoemulsion markedly diminished the liver parameters including aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, total protein, direct bilirubin and total bilirubin which were raised by methotrexate treatment (P < 0.05). Similarly, creatinine and blood urea nitrogen, as the indicators of kidney function, were dramatically lowered in the combination treatment group compared to the methotrexate group (P < 0.05). In addition, treatment with methotrexate and coconut oil nanoemulsion reduced the malondialdehyde and increased catalase, glutathione reductase and superoxide dismutase, in the liver and kidney tissues (P < 0.05). The treatment with methotrexate and coconut oil nanoemulsion reduced white blood cell count and increased the hemoglobin amount (P < 0.05), but did not cause any change in platelets and red blood cell count. Conclusions: Coconut oil nanoemulsion as a nanocarrier has great potential in reducing the adverse side effects induced by methotrexate.

Progress of Gut Microbiota in the Antineoplastic Efficacy of Chemotherapeutic Drugs / 中国药学杂志

Chemotherapeutic drugs play an important role in the treatment of cancer, but the individual differences of patients' sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs and the drug resistance of chemotherapeutic drugs have always been a thorny problem in clinical treatment. Recent studies have shown that gut microbiota plays a key role in regulating the efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs. Gut microbiota can regulate host response to chemotherapy through a variety of mechanisms, including immune interaction, heterogeneous metabolism and changes in community structure. This paper introduces the effects of traditional chemotherapeutic drugs and new immunotherapeutic drugs, such as anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 antibodies, on gut microbiota, as well as their effects on chemotherapeutic efficacy and mechanism, in order to provide evidences and clues for cancer treatments targeting gut microbiota.

Advances in long non-coding RNA in chemotherapeutic resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma / 解放军医学杂志

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), as a global malignant tumor with high morbidity and mortality, has seriously endangered human health. In the treatment of HCC, chemotherapy resistance is the knotty problem. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), as a new multifunctional molecule with complex mechanisms, plays a role in the biological processes of HCC, such as development, progression, invasion and migration, and participates in the complex mechanism of drug resistance through abnormal regulation of gene expression. In this paper, to seek for the new method for solving the chemotherapeutic resistance of HCC based on the research of lncRNA, the effect and mechanism of lncRNA on chemotherapeutic resistance of HCC were summarized.

Coconut oil nanoemulsion attenuates methotrexate-induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma-bearing mice

Objective: To evaluate the protective effect of the coconut oil nanoemulsion against methotrexate-induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma-bearing Swiss albino mice. Methods: Forty mice were divided into four groups. Group I served as the untreated Ehrlich ascites carcinoma-bearing mice while Ehrlich ascites carcinoma-bearing mice in groups II-IV received an intraperitoneal injection of 0.2 mL/kg coconut oil nanoemulsion, 20 mg/kg methotrexate as well as 0.2 mL/kg coconut oil nanoemulsion mixed with 20 mg/kg methotrexate, respectively. The toxicities of the treatments were assessed by determining the complete blood count, performing the serum analysis for liver and kidney functions, evaluating the oxidative status and visualizing histological changes in the liver and kidney tissues. Results: Treatment with methotrexate and coconut oil nanoemulsion markedly diminished the liver parameters including aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, total protein, direct bilirubin and total bilirubin which were raised by methotrexate treatment (P < 0.05). Similarly, creatinine and blood urea nitrogen, as the indicators of kidney function, were dramatically lowered in the combination treatment group compared to the methotrexate group (P < 0.05). In addition, treatment with methotrexate and coconut oil nanoemulsion reduced the malondialdehyde and increased catalase, glutathione reductase and superoxide dismutase, in the liver and kidney tissues (P < 0.05). The treatment with methotrexate and coconut oil nanoemulsion reduced white blood cell count and increased the hemoglobin amount (P < 0.05), but did not cause any change in platelets and red blood cell count. Conclusions: Coconut oil nanoemulsion as a nanocarrier has great potential in reducing the adverse side effects induced by methotrexate.

Development of a Label-Free LC-MS/MS-Based Glucosylceramide Synthase Assay and Its Application to Inhibitors Screening for Ceramide-Related Diseases

Ceramide metabolism is known to be an essential etiology for various diseases, such as atopic dermatitis and Gaucher disease. Glucosylceramide synthase (GCS) is a key enzyme for the synthesis of glucosylceramide (GlcCer), which is a main ceramide metabolism pathway in mammalian cells. In this article, we developed a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method to determine GCS activity using synthetic non-natural sphingolipid C8-ceramide as a substrate. The reaction products, C8-GlcCer for GCS, could be separated on a C18 column by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Quantification was conducted using the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode to monitor the precursor-to-product ion transitions of m/z 588.6 → 264.4 for C8-GlcCer at positive ionization mode. The calibration curve was established over the range of 0.625–160 ng/mL, and the correlation coefficient was larger than 0.999. This method was successfully applied to detect GCS in the human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (HepG2 cells) and mouse peripheral blood mononuclear cells. We also evaluated the inhibition degree of a known GCS inhibitor 1-phenyl-2-decanoylamino-3-morpholino-1-propanol (PDMP) on GCS enzymatic activity and proved that this method could be successfully applied to GCS inhibitor screening of preventive and therapeutic drugs for ceramide metabolism diseases, such as atopic dermatitis and Gaucher disease.

Effects of ER Stress and PUMA on 5-FU-induced Liver Cell Injury and Apoptosis / 中山大学学报(医学科学版)

@#【Objective】To investigate the role of ER stress and PUMA in 5-FU-induced liver cells injury and apoptosis.【Methods】We established 5-FU-induced liver injury models by intraperitoneally injecting the isodose 5-FU to 10 PUMA knockout mice(PUMA-KO)and 20 PUMA Wild type mice(PUMA-WT). Meanwhile,10 WT mice were intraperitoneally injected with 4-Phenylbutyric acid,the ER stress inhibitor. In the control group,10 KO mice and 20 WT mice were given the same amount of normal saline.After the modeling,serum and liver tissues of the mice were collected to assess the degree of liver pathological injury,measure the expression levels of ALT and AST in serum,and detect the expression levels of PUMA and GRP78 in liver tissues. The changes of these indicators in different treatment groups were observed and compared.【Results】Compared with the WT control group,serum ALT and AST levels were significantly increased in the 5-FU group,H&E staining showed punctate focal necrosis,accompanied by hemorrhage and inflammation. TUNEL staining showed apoptotic cells were markedly added(Z = 3.78,P < 0.001),and expressions of PUMA and GRP78 were obviously augmented,suggesting that both PUMA and ER stress were involved in 5-FU-induced liver cells injury and apoptosis. Then,in the 4-PBA group,we found that the expression levels of GRP78 and PUMA were down-regulated,and apoptosis of liver cells was reduced under the same dose of 5-FU(χ~2= 32.99,Z = 3.78,P <0.001),further confirming that both PUMA and ER stress were involved in this process. Subsequently,it was found that,when induced by the same dose of 5-FU,cleaved caspase-3 staining showed that the liver apoptosis signal of the PUMA knockout mice was lower than the WT mice(χ~2= 33.99,Z = 3.78,P < 0.001),but the difference in the expression of GRP78 between the two groups was not statistically significant. In summary,the expression of PUMA was reduced and the apoptosis of liver cells was attenuated after the inhibition of ER stress;PUMA knockdown could not influence the activation of ER stress but alleviated apoptosis of liver cells.【Conclusions】PUMA mediates ER stress-up-regulated liver cells apoptosis in 5-FU-induced Chemotherapeutic liver injury.