The Expression and Functional Roles of Epoxide Hydrolase 2 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

The expression, function and prognostic significance of epoxide hydrolase 2 (EPHX2) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were comprehensively analyzed through collecting HCC tissues and public database. The GEO and MitoCarta databases were used to identify the mitochondria-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in HCC. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was applied to analyze the expression levels of DEGs in HCC, including EPHX2 and its co-expressed genes. The R package was applied to draw the Kaplan-Meier survival curve and gene function enrichment analysis. The STRING database and GSEA software were used to analyze the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and gene set enrichment analysis. qPCR and GEO database were applied to verify the expression level of EPHX2 in HCC. In the present study, a total of 15 mitochondria-related DEGs were identified in HCC. The expression of EPHX2 in HCC was significantly decreased compared to the normal liver tissues (P < 0. 01). The expression of EPHX2 was related to gender, tumor stage and grade in HCC, but not associated with age, T stage, et al in HCC. Moreover, compared with the patients with lower expression of EPHX2, patients with higher expression of EPHX2 had a better prognosis. EPHX2 was associated with fatty acid degradation. In addition, PPI results indicated that HAO1, AGXT, ACOX1, GSTκ1, SCP-2, CAT, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP2B6, and CYP2J2 were co-expressed with EPXH2 in HCC. Furthermore, GSEA results showed that the group with lower expression of EPHX2 was positively correlated with the gene set of liver cancer cell proliferation and liver cancer recurrence. qPCR and GEO database results verified that the expression of EPHX2 was significantly decreased in HCC. The expression of EPHX2 was decreased in HCC, strongly suggesting that EPHX2 might function as a tumor suppressor gene in HCC. However, the potential mechanism of EPHX2 in HCC needs to be further verified.

Structure-guided discovery of potent and oral soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitors for the treatment of neuropathic pain

Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is related to arachidonic acid cascade and is over-expressed in a variety of diseases, making sEH an attractive target for the treatment of pain as well as inflammatory-related diseases. A new series of memantyl urea derivatives as potent sEH inhibitors was obtained using our previous reported compound 4 as lead compound. A preferential modification of piperidinyl to 3-carbamoyl piperidinyl was identified for this series via structure-based rational drug design. Compound A20 exhibited moderate percentage plasma protein binding (88.6%) and better metabolic stability in vitro. After oral administration, the bioavailability of A20 was 28.6%. Acute toxicity test showed that A20 was well tolerated and there was no adverse event encountered at dose of 6.0 g/kg. Inhibitor A20 also displayed robust analgesic effect in vivo and dose-dependently attenuated neuropathic pain in rat model induced by spared nerve injury, which was better than gabapentin and sEH inhibitor (±)-EC-5026. In one word, the oral administration of A20 significantly alleviated pain and improved the health status of the rats, demonstrating that A20 was a promising candidate to be further evaluated for the treatment of neuropathic pain.

Construction and optimization of squalene epoxide synthetic pathway in Escherichia coli / 生物工程学报

Triterpenoids are a class of natural products of great commercial value that are widely used in pharmaceutical, health care and cosmetic industries. The biosynthesis of triterpenoids relies on the efficient synthesis of squalene epoxide, which is synthesized from the NADPH dependent oxidation of squalene catalyzed by squalene epoxidase. We screened squalene epoxidases derived from different species, and found the truncated squalene epoxidase from Rattus norvegicus (RnSETC) showed the highest activity in engineered Escherichia coli. Further examination of the effect of endogenous cytochrome P450 reductase like (CPRL) proteins showed that overexpression of NADH: quinone oxidoreductase (WrbA) under Lac promoter in a medium-copy number plasmid increased the production of squalene epoxide by nearly 2.5 folds. These results demonstrated that the constructed pathway led to the production of squalene epoxide, an important precursor for the biosynthesis of triterpenoids.

Clinical significance of EPHX2 deregulation in prostate cancer / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

The arachidonic acid (AA) metabolic pathway participates in various physiological processes as well as in the development of malignancies. We analyzed genomic alterations in AA metabolic enzymes in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) prostate cancer (PCa) dataset and found that the gene encoding soluble epoxide hydrolase (EPHX2) is frequently deleted in PCa. EPHX2 mRNA and protein expression in PCa was examined in multiple datasets by differential gene expression analysis and in a tissue microarray by immunohistochemistry. The expression data were analyzed in conjunction with clinicopathological variables. Both the mRNA and protein expression levels of EPHX2 were significantly decreased in tumors compared with normal prostate tissues and were inversely correlated with the Gleason grade and disease-free survival time. Furthermore, EPHX2 mRNA expression was significantly decreased in metastatic and recurrent PCa compared with localized and primary PCa, respectively. In addition, EPHX2 protein expression correlated negatively with Ki67 expression. In conclusion, EPHX2 deregulation is significantly correlated with the clinical characteristics of PCa progression and may serve as a prognostic marker for PCa.

An in-gel digestion method of chymotrypsin to improve sequence coverage of membrane protein by mass spectrometry / 生物工程学报

In recent years, mass spectrometry has been widely used to study membrane protein structure and function. However, the application of mass spectrometry to study integral membrane protein is limited because there are many hydrophobic amino acids in the trans-membrane domain of integral membrane protein to cause low sequence coverage detected by LC-MS/MS. Therefore, we used vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKORC1), a human integral membrane protein, as a model to optimize the digestion conditions of chymotrypsin, and developed an in-gel digestion method of chymotrypsin to improve sequence coverage of membrane protein by mass spectrometry. By exploring the effects of calcium concentration, pH value and buffer system on the percentage of sequence coverage, number of total detected and types of unique peptide, and the size of unique peptide, sequence coverage and peptide diversity could be considered under condition of Tris-HCl buffer with 5-10 mmol/L calcium ion concentration and pH value 8.0-8.5. This method could make the sequence coverage of membrane protein to reach more than 80%. It could be widely used in the study of membrane protein structure and function, identification of interaction site between membrane proteins, and identification of binding site between membrane protein and small molecular drug.

Effects of CYP2C9 and VKORC1 genetic polymorphisms in Chinese Han population on maintenance dosage of warfarin / 中华检验医学杂志

Objective@#To analyze CYP2C9 and VKORC1 gene polymorphisms in Chinese Han population and their correlation with the maintenance dosage of warfarin.@*Methods@#From October 2017 to April 2018, 458 Chinese Han patients (213 males and 245 females, aged from 26 to 94 years old) who underwent coagulation analysis in Peking University People′s Hospital were included in this retrospective study. PCR-Fluorescent probe method was applied to detect CYP2C9*3 and VKORC1-1639A>G gene polymorphisms in 458 patients, and among them, 130 patients who took warfarin for anticoagulant therapy and reached the international standard ratio of prothrombin time (INR) within the range of 2.0-3.0 were recorded. The basic information, dosage of warfarin and INR were also recorded. The statistical analysis data were compared with the reference table of recommended dosage of warfarin for different genotypes of patients recommended by FDA and the formula of predicted dosage of warfarin was simply verified by SPSS.@*Results@#Among the 458 patients who took anticoagulant therapy, the genotype frequencies of CYP2C9*1/*1(AA), CYP2C9*1/*3(AC) and CYP2C9*3/*3(CC) were 90.8%, 8.5%, and 0.7%; the genotype frequencies of VKORC1-1639GG and VKORC1-1639AG were 0.9% and 14.2%; the genotype frequencies of VKORC1-1639AA was 84.9%. After INR was reached, the results showed that the variant CYP2C9*1/*3 and CYP2C9*3/*3 required lower daily maintain dosage [(2.92±1.29) mg] than wild-type CYP2C9*1/*1 patients did [(3.91±1.63) mg], with statistically significant difference (P=0.018). And variant VKORC1-AA required lower daily maintain dosage [(3.68±1.64) mg] than variant VKORC1-AG patients did [(4.54±1.29) mg], with statistically significant difference (P=0.001). The application dosage of warfarin in patients with different VKORC1+CYP2C9 genotypes was consistent with the recommended dosage of the FDA reference table. The prediction accuracy of miao 2007 formula was lower than that of IWPC formula, and 94.1% of patients′ dosages of warfarin were underestimated.@*Conclusion@#Patients with CYP2C9*3 or VKORC1-AA genotype required lower warfarin dosage. The CYP2C9 and VKORC1 gene polymorphisms had a certain correlation with maintenance dosage of warfarin.

Analgesic effects of soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor in K/BxN serum transfer arthritis mouse model

BACKGROUND: Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is an enzyme that converts epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (EET) into the anti-inflammatory dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DHET). Inhibition of sEH by the potent soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor (sEHI) decreases inflammation by increasing EET. The K/BxN serum transfer mouse model of arthritis displays an initial inflammation and an associated tactile allodynia that continues on following the resolution of inflammation. METHODS: We undertook the following studies: i) Using the K/BxN mouse model, we examined effects on allodynia during the early inflammatory phase of administration of sEHI 3 mg/kg and/or diclofenac (DFC) 10 mg/kg. ii) In the late inflammatory phase, we administered sEHI (3, 10, or 30 mg/kg); DFC 10 mg/kg; gabapentin 100 mg/kg. iii) Using the conditioned place preference (CPP) we examined the synergism between sEHI and DFC in the K/BxN mouse using the CPP paradigm. The drug was administered intraperitoneally and the allodynia was measured with the von Frey test. RESULTS: In the early phase, both sEHI and DFC displayed an antiallodynic action. In the late phase, sEHI, and gabapentin but not DFC were effective in reversing the allodynia. Comparable results were observed with the CPP. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that sEHI reduces mechanical allodynia in both the early and the late inflammatory K/BxN mouse model of arthritis. The sEHI target thus addresses the hyperalgesia arising from inflammation as well as the post-inflammatory phase that has been said to reflect neuropathic-like states, thus presenting alternatives to the limited efficacy of arthritis drugs in use.

Is there any association between osteoporotic vertebral fracture and vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit-1 polymorphism in Turkish society? A pilot study

OBJECTIVE: In this study, the relationship between osteoporotic vertebral fractures and 9041 Guanine/Adenine and 3673 Guanine/Adenine polymorphisms related to the vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit-1 (VKORC1) gene in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis was investigated. METHOD: DNA was isolated from blood samples collected from 150 women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. Genotyping of the two polymorphic regions (9041 Guanine/Adenine and 3673 Guanine/Adenine) in VKORC1 was performed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The presence of radiographic fractures among the 150 patients was ascertained by using the Genant method. RESULT: At least one fracture was detected in 98 patients, and no fracture was observed in 52 patients on radiological images. We found no association between the 9041 Guanine/Adenine (p=0.283) and 3673 Guanine/Adenine (p=0.232) polymorphisms of the VKORC1 gene and the development of secondary postosteoporotic fractures in our study. CONCLUSION: There was no relationship between osteoporotic vertebral fracture and VKORC1 gene polymorphism in a postmenopausal Turkish population.

Optimización de la síntesis de aldehído canfolénico a partir del epóxido de α-pineno con Cu/MCM-41 / Optimization of the synthesis of campholenic aldehyde from α-pinene epoxide with Cu/MCM-41 / Optimização da síntese de aldeído camfolênico desde epóxido de α-pineno com Cu/MCM-41

Resumen Se sintetizó el catalizador Cu/MCM-41 mediante impregnación húmeda incipiente y se caracterizó por DRX, XPS, TPD-NH3 y adsorción-desorción de N2. Se evaluó el efecto de diferentes condiciones de reacción (temperatura, tiempo, tipo de solvente y cantidad de catalizador) en la isomerización del epóxido de α-pineno para la obtención de aldehído canfolénico con el catalizador Cu/MCM-41, que no había sido reportado previamente para este tipo de reacción. Se partió de un diseño experimental central compuesto mediante análisis de superficie de respuesta. Se encontró que la mejor selectividad fue de 85% (5 mg de catalizador; 70 °C; 0,5 h y el uso de acetato de etilo como solvente). Adicionalmente, se determinaron los principales factores y sus combinaciones que tenían mayor significancia en la síntesis del aldehído ajustado a un modelo polinomial de segundo grado. Se encontró que los factores que tienen mayor influencia en la conversión son la cantidad de catalizador, tiempo de reacción, el tipo de solvente y el factor combinado entre la cantidad de catalizador y el tipo de solvente. En el caso de la selectividad hacia el producto deseado no se encontró ningún factor significativo.

Abstract The Cu/MCM-41 catalyst was synthesized by incipient wet impregnation and characterized by XRD, XPS, TPD-NH3, and N2 adsorption-desorption. The effect of different reaction conditions (temperature, time, type of solvent, and amount of catalyst) on the isomerization reaction of α-pinene epoxide was evaluated to obtain camphoric aldehyde with the Cu/MCM-41 catalyst, which had not been previously reported for this kind of reaction. The experiment was based on a central composite experimental design composed by response surface analysis. The best campholenic aldehyde selectivity was found to be 85% (5 mg of catalyst, 70 °C, 0.5 h and the use of ethyl acetate as a solvent). Furthermore, the main factors and their combinations that had the greatest significance in the synthesis were adjusted to a polynomial second order model. The factors with the main influence on conversion were the catalyst amount, reaction time, solvent type, and the combined factor between catalyst amount and the solvent type. In the case of campholenic aldehyde selectivity no significant factor was found.

Resumo O catalisador Cu/MCM-41, sintetizado pelo método de impregnação a umidade incipiente, foi caracterizado por DRX, XPS, TPD-NH3 e adsorção-dessorção de N2 e testado na reação de isomerização do epóxido de α-pineno. Diferentes condições de reação foram exploradas a partir de um desenho experimental central composto. A melhor seletividade de aldeído camfolênico encontrada foi de 85% (5 mg de catalisador; 70 °C; 0,5 h e acetato de etilo como solvente). Além disso, os principais fatores e as combinações entre eles que tiveram influência na síntese do aldeído camfolênico foram ajustados a um modelo polinomial de segunda ordem. Verificou-se que os fatores com a principal influência na conversão foram a quantidade de catalisador, o tempo de reação e o tipo de solvente e o fator combinado entre a quantidade de catalisador e o tipo de solvente. No caso da seletividade do aldeído camfolênico, não foi encontrado um fator significativo.

Relationship between 7, 8-dihydrodio1-9.10-epoxide benzoapyrene DNA adducts in peripheral blood of pregnant women and gestational diabetes mellitus / 中国医师进修杂志

Objective@#To examine the relationship between 7, 8-dihydrodio1-9.10-epoxide benzo[a] pyrene-DNA adducts (BPDE-DNA adducts) in the blood of pregnant women and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and explore the environmental factors of the formation of GDM.@*Methods@#Forty pregnant women who were diagnosed GDM (case group) and 40 pair-matched normal pregnantwomen who had no complications accordingto age, gravidity, parity and gestational weeks(normal control group) were enrolled in this study. Questionnaire survey was used to obtain personal information, and BPDE-DNA adducts was examined by high performance liquid chromatography. Logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationship between BPDE-DNA adductsand GDM.@*Results@#The concentration of BPDE-DNA adducts in peripheral blood of case group [(6.1 ± 2.9) adducts/108nucleotides] was significantly higher than that of normal control group [(3.0 ± 1.7) adducts/108nucleotides] (P<0.05). After controlled for possible confounding factors, it was found that maternal serum BPDE-DNA adduct was a risk factor for the occurrence of GDM (OR=1.99, 95%CI 1.43-2.79), while household income was a protective factor (OR=0.55, 95%CI 0.31-0.98). Each increased quartile of the BPDE-DNA adducts exposure level was associated with an elevated risk of GDM by 2.62 folds(OR=3.62, 95%CI 2.07-6.35).@*Conclusions@#The high level of BPDE-DNA adducts in the peripheral blood of pregnant women is a risk factor for the occurrence of GDM.

Active maintenance of endothelial cells prevents kidney fibrosis

BACKGROUND: Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) expressed by endothelial cells catalyzes the metabolism of epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), which are vasoactive agents. METHODS: We used a unilateral ureteral obstruction mouse model of kidney fibrosis to determine whether inhibition of sEH activity reduces fibrosis, the final common pathway for chronic kidney disease. RESULTS: sEH activity was inhibited by continuous release of the inhibitor 12-(3-adamantan-1-ylureido)-dodecanoic acid (AUDA) for 1 or 2 weeks. Treatment with AUDA significantly ameliorated tubulointerstitial fibrosis by reducing fibroblast mobilization and enhancing endothelial cell activity. In an in vitro model of endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) using human vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs), AUDA prevented the morphologic changes associated with EndMT and reduced expression of fibroblast-specific protein 1. Furthermore, HUVECs activated by AUDA prevented the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of tubular epithelial cells in a co-culture system. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that regulation of sEH is a potential target for therapies aimed at delaying the progression of kidney fibrosis by inhibiting EndMT and EMT.

Active maintenance of endothelial cells prevents kidney fibrosis

BACKGROUND: Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) expressed by endothelial cells catalyzes the metabolism of epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), which are vasoactive agents. METHODS: We used a unilateral ureteral obstruction mouse model of kidney fibrosis to determine whether inhibition of sEH activity reduces fibrosis, the final common pathway for chronic kidney disease. RESULTS: sEH activity was inhibited by continuous release of the inhibitor 12-(3-adamantan-1-ylureido)-dodecanoic acid (AUDA) for 1 or 2 weeks. Treatment with AUDA significantly ameliorated tubulointerstitial fibrosis by reducing fibroblast mobilization and enhancing endothelial cell activity. In an in vitro model of endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) using human vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs), AUDA prevented the morphologic changes associated with EndMT and reduced expression of fibroblast-specific protein 1. Furthermore, HUVECs activated by AUDA prevented the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of tubular epithelial cells in a co-culture system. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that regulation of sEH is a potential target for therapies aimed at delaying the progression of kidney fibrosis by inhibiting EndMT and EMT.

Microsomal epoxide hydrolase gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to prostate cancer: A systematic review.

Microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH) is a crucial biotransformation enzyme that has capability to metabolize a large number of structurally divergent, highly reactive epoxides, and numerous environmentally exposed carcinogens. It catalyzes the conversion of xenobiotic epoxide compounds into more polar diol metabolites and may play important part of the enzymatic defense against adverse effects of foreign compounds. Most commonly, two functional polymorphisms affecting mEH enzyme activity have been identified: One in exon 3 and other in exon 4 of the mEH gene, which results in His113Tyr and Arg139His amino acid substitutions, respectively. Recent reports have shown that polymorphisms in mEH gene loci may an important risk factor for susceptibility of prostate cancers (PCs), worldwide, but inconsistent finding were also be illustrated. To the best of our knowledge, globally, there is no any systematic review has been published related to mEH gene polymorphisms and PC risk. Thus, in the current review, we have discussed the association between mEH gene polymorphisms, gene–environmental interaction, and PC risk.

Pharmacological research progress of myocardial ischemia based on the metabonomics / 中国药学杂志

Cardiac hypo-function caused by myocardial ischemia is considered as the first killer of human health. The related metabolites in body can be changed due to the lack of blood and oxygen. These metabolites generated by pathological and physiology changes or exogenous intervention are extreme complicated, and the existing test methods can't satisfy the prospected purpose due to the lower sensitivity, more narrow liner range and so on. Therefore, the concept of metabonomics, a systemic analysis method, was put forward. Metabolites can be quantified in temporal and spatial dimension by metabonomics featured in a high throughput, higher detective sensitivity and wider liner range manner. So it has gradually been applied to many areas including myocardial ischemia. In this paper, based on the comprehensive research literature in domestic and overseas in recent years, the application of metabonomics in pharmacological research of myocardial ischemia was summarized. Five kinds of metabolic pathways are related with myocardial ischemia including sugar metabolism, energy metabolism, amino acid metabolism, purine metabolism and soluble epoxide hydrolase table oxidase P450 metabolism. Some drugs can be used to myocardial ischemia via these pathways. These representative drugs and their mechanisms which are analyzed by metabonomics were concluded in this paper.

Study on fluorescence PCR-melting curve method for detecting CYP2C9 and VKORC1 gene polymorphism in Xinjiang Hui population / 国际检验医学杂志

Objective To use the fluorescence PCR‐melting curve method to detect CYP2C9 and VKORC1 gene polymorphism in Xinjiang Hui population ,to analyze their gene distribution and gene mutation frequency ,and to evaluate the clinical applicability of the fluorescence PCR‐melting curve method .Methods The fluorescence PCR‐melting curve method and sequencing method were adopted to contrastively detect CYP2C9*2 ,CYP2C9*3 and VKORC1(‐1639G/A)gene polymorphism .Results Among detected 228 Xinjiang Hui individuals ,199 cases of CYP2C9*1/*1 ,2 cases of CYP2C9*1/*2 ,26 cases of CYP2C9*1/*3 and only 1 case of CYP2C9*3/*3 were detected ,no case of CYP2C9*2/*2 and CYP2C9*2/*3 was detected .Two kinds of allele G and A were detected for VKORC1(‐1639G/A) ,in which VKORC1‐1639G/G type was detected in 2 cases ,VKORC1‐1639G/A type was detected in 39 cases and VKORC1‐1639A/A type was detected in187 cases ,compared with the sequencing method ,the results of the fluorescence PCR‐melting curve method were completely consistent .Conclusion Xinjiang Hui population also has CYP2C9 gene *2 ,*3 loci and VKORC1 gene(‐1639G/A) locus polymorphism ,their occurrence frequency has a certain difference with Xingjiang Uygur and other regional populations ,the adopted fluorescence PCR‐melting curve method used in the gene polymorphism detection can meet clinical detection requirements .

Effect and mechanism of soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor in renal fibrosis mice model / 中华肾脏病杂志

Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor (sEHI) for NF-κB pathway and cell circle arrest of tubular epithelial cell in unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) mice model.Methods Thirty-two healthy C57BL/6 male mice performed UUO surgery to induce renal interstitial fibrosis.Animals were randomly divided into 4 groups:sham group (n=8),sEHI (1 mg· kg-1·d-1) group (n=8),UUO group (n=8) and UUO+sEHI (1 mg· kg-1· d-1) group (n=8).Daily sEHI [1-(1-methylsulfonyl-piperidin-4-yl)-3-(4-trifluoromethoxy-phenyl)-urea,TUPS] or 2％ DMSO was applied to mice by oral gavage from day 1 to day 14 after surgery.All mice were sacrificed at day 14 and kidneys were harvested for further analysis.The changes of renal tissue morphology and pathology were observed by Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and sirius red staining.The expressions of sEH,nuclear factor κB p65 (NF-κB p65) and IκB were measured by Western blotting.The expressions of TNF-α,IL-1β,MCP-1,IL-6,TGF-β,CTGF,collagen-Ⅳ and α-SMA were analyzed by real-time PCR.Immunofluorescence staining of phospho-histone H3 (p-HH3) and Ki67 was performed to determine the stage of cell cycle G2/M arrest.Results The expression and activity of sEH increased in UUO group (P ＜ 0.05).Administration of sEHI inhibited activity of sEH and infiltration of inflammatory cell in tubular interstitial,as well as attenuated tubular damage and tubular interstitial fibrosis.Western blotting analysis revealed administration of sEHI inhibited up-regulated NF-κB p65 and down-regulated IκB in UUO group (P ＜ 0.05).Real-time PCR demonstrated that administration of sEHI obviously decreased the mRNA expression of cytokines and fibrosis markers,including of TNF-α,IL-1 β,MCP-1,IL-6,TGF-β,CTGF,Collagen-Ⅳ,α-SMA (P ＜ 0.05).Immunofluorescence staining showed that there were much more p-HH3 and Ki67 double positive nuclear tubular epithelial cells and interstitial cells in UUO group,compared with Sham group (P ＜ 0.05).Administration of sEHI reduced the number of double positive nuclear cell only in tubular epithelial cells (P ＜ 0.05),but not in interstitial cells.Conclusions In UUO tubular interstitial fibrosis model,sEHI inhibits the activation of NF-κB pathway by down-regulating p65 and up-regulating IκB and ameliorates the infiltration of inflammatory cells.In addition,sEHI plays anti-fibrosis effect by moderating cell cycle G2/M arrest and reducing the excrete of pro-fibrosis factors of tubular epithelial cells.

Research progress in CYP2C9 and VKORC1 gene polymorphism and individualized warfarin therapeutic regimen / 解放军医学杂志

Warfarin is still the most clinically used oral anti-coagulant despite of its narrow therapeutic index and high risk of hemorrhage. The mean daily dose of warfarin varies widely from patient to patient, and to achieve the same therapeutic effect, the daily dose of warfarin could be varied over 20-fold. The variability in warfarin dosage depends on several factors, including gene polymorphisms, index of body mass, age and other drugs, and these factors compelled the clinicians to individualize warfarin dosage in order to optimize the therapeutic regimen. A number of genes are involved in metabolism of warfarin, such as cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9), vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1 (VKORC1), cytochrome P450 4F2 (CYP4F2), gamma-glutamylcarboxylase (GGCX), etc. Of them CYP2C9 and VKORC1 are the emphasis of current researches. The association between the polymorphism of CYP2C9 and VKORC1 and individualized warfarin therapeutic regimen are mainly discussed in this paper.

Phytochemical Constituents from the Aerial Part of Ducrosia ismaelis Asch

Phytochemical investigation of the aerial components of Ducrosia ismaelis Asch. led to the isolation of six known compounds, psoralen (1), isopsoralen (2), cnidioside A (3), (-)-syringaresinol-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (4), (E)-plicatin B (5), trilinolein (6). The chemical structures of these compounds were elucidated from spectroscopic data and by comparison of these data with previously published results. The antioxidant, anti-osteoporotic and cardiovascular related activities of the isolated compounds were assessed using oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), reducing capacity, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), and soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibitory activity assays. Compounds (3-5) showed potent peroxyl radical-scavenging capacities with ORAC values of 11.06 +/- 0.39, 7.98 +/- 0.10, and 13.99 +/- 0.06 Trolox equivalent (TE) at concentrations of 10 microM, respectively. Only compounds 4 and 5 was able to significantly reduce Cu2+ ions, with a reduction value of 9.06 +/- 0.32 and 4.61 +/- 0.00 microM Trolox Equivalent (TE) at a concentration of 10 microM. Compound 5 at 10 microM exhibited a potent inhibitory effect on osteoclastic TRAP activity with a TRAP value of 86.05 +/- 6.55% of the control. Compounds 1, 3 and 5 potently inhibited sEH activity with IC50 values of 41.6 4.9, 16.0 1.1, and 49.0 5.7 microM, respectively.

Isolation and Structure Determination of an Imidazo-pyrimidine, 5-Chlorocavernicolin, Maleimide oximes and Nucleosides from a Marine Sponge Extract

In a continuation of our studies to discover bioactive secondary metabolites from marine sources, we further investigated samples from a tryptamine and phenyl-alkane producing sponge, which resulted in the isolation of four uncommon small molecules and five nucleosides. Their structures were determined to be 7,8-dihydroimidazo[1,5-c]pyrimidin-5(6H)-one (1), 5-chlorocavernicolin (2), maleimide-5-oxime (3), 3-methylmaleimide-5-oxime (4), uridine (5), 2'-deoxyuridine (6), thymidine (7), adenine (8), and adenosine (9) by spectroscopic analyses. The isolated compounds were evaluated for inhibitory activity against soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) as well as the Wnt/beta-catenine signaling pathway.

Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Inhibitory Activity from Euphorbia supina Rafin

In our search for natural soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibitors from plants, an extract of the dried whole plants of Euphorbia supina Rafin was found to significantly inhibit sEH activity in vitro. Phytochemical investigation of E. supina resulted in isolation of 17 compounds (1 - 17), including triterpenes (1 - 4), phenolic compounds (5 - 8), and flavonoid derivatives (9 - 17). The structures of the isolated compounds were established mainly by extensive analysis of the 1D and 2D NMR, and MS data. All of the isolated compounds were evaluated for their sEH inhibitory activity. Among the isolated phenolic compounds, 8 was identified as a significant inhibitor of sEH, with an IC50 value of 15.4 +/- 1.3 microM. Additionally, a kinetic analysis of isolated compounds (2, 5, 8 - 11, 13, and 17) indicated that the inhibitory effects of flavonoid derivatives 10 and 11 were of mixed-type, with inhibitory constants (Ki) ranging from 3.6 +/- 0.8 to 21.8 +/- 1.0 microM, whereas compounds 2, 5, 8, 9, 13, and 17 were non-competitive inhibitors with inhibition Ki values ranging from 3.3 +/- 0.2 to 39.5 +/- 0.0 microM.