Lenvatinib down-regulates IGF1R/Mek/Erk signaling pathway in the treatment of regorafenib-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华肿瘤杂志

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic effect and mechanism of lenvatinib on regorafenib-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Methods: CCK-8 and clone formation assay were used to observe the inhibitory effect of lenvatinib on the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Flow cytometry was used to detect the apoptosis of regorafenib-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma cells treated with lenvatinib. The expression levels of related proteins were detected by western blot and immunohistochemical staining. The inhibitory effect of lenvatinib on the tumor formation ability of regorafenib-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vivo was observed by subcutaneous tumor formation experiment in mice. Results: CCK-8 and clone formation assay showed that lenvatinib could inhibit the proliferation of regorafenib-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma cells. The number of clones of HepG2, SMMC7721 and regorafenib-resistant HepG2, SMMC7721 cells in lenvatinib group (120.67±11.06, 53.00±11.14, 55.00±9.54, 78.67±14.64) were all lower than those in control group (478.00±24.52, 566.00±27.87, 333.67±7.02, 210.00±12.77, all P<0.05). Flow cytometry showed that lenvatinib could promote apoptosis of regorafenib-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma cells, the apoptosis rates of HepG2, SMMC7721 and regorafenib-resistant HepG2, SMMC7721 cells in lenvatinib group [(12.30±0.70)%, (9.83±0.38)%, (15.90±1.32)%, (10.60±0.00)%] were all higher than those in control group [(7.50±0.87)%, (5.00±1.21)%, (8.10±1.61)%, (7.05±0.78)%, all P<0.05]. The apoptosis-related protein levels suggested that apoptosis was increased in the treatment of lenvatinib. The animal study showed that lenvatinib can inhibit the growth of regorafenib-resistant cells in vivo. Immunohistochemistry and western blot results showed that lenvatinib could down-regulate the abnormally activated IGF1R/Mek/Erk signaling pathway in regorafenib-resistant cells. Conclusion: Lenvatinib can reverse regorafenib resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma, possibly by down-regulating IGF1R/Mek/Erk signaling pathway.

Effect of Yanghetang-containing Serum on Breast Cancer 4T1 Cells Based on MEK/ERK Signaling Pathway / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Yanghetang （YHT） on breast cancer 4T1 cells and their mitogen-activated protein kinase （MEK）/extracellular signal-regulated kinase （ERK） signaling pathway. MethodThe YHT-containing serum was prepared from SD rats. The rats were randomly assigned into a blank group （normal saline） and low-， medium-， and high-dose （5.8， 11.6， 23.2 g·kg-1， respectively） YHT groups. The serum containing 10% YHT in each group was mixed with 90% RMPI 1640 complete medium， and the mixture was used to interfere with the cells. Cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） method was used to detect the proliferation of the 4T1 cells treated with YHT for 24， 48， 72 h. The apoptosis， migration， and invasion of 4T1 cells were detected by flow cytometry， scratch test， and Transwell assay， respectively. Western blot was employed to determine the expression levels of MEK1/2， phosphorylation （p）-MEK1/2， ERK1/2， p-ERK1/2， and rat sarcoma virus （RAS） protein. ResultCompared with the blank group， the intervention with YHT-containing serum for 24， 48， and 72 h had significant inhibitory effect on 4T1 cell proliferation （P<0.05， P<0.01）. After intervention with YHT-containing serum for 48 h， the apoptosis rate of cells increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the blank group， the intervention with YHT for 24 h and 48 h decreased the healing ability of cells in the scratch test （P<0.01）. The invasive ability of cells treated with the low， medium， and high-dose YHT containing serum showed a decreasing trend （P<0.01）. Compared with the blank group， YHT-containing serum did not change the expression of MEK1/2 and ERK1/2 while down-regulating the expression of p-MEK1/2， p-ERK1/2， and RAS protein （P<0.01）. ConclusionYHT can inhibit the proliferation， migration， and invasion and promote the apoptosis of breast cancer 4T1 cells. In may promote the apoptosis by inhibiting the MEK/ERK signaling pathway and down-regulating the expression of p-MEK1/2， p-ERK1/2， and RAS protein.

Targeting metabolic vulnerability in mitochondria conquers MEK inhibitor resistance in KRAS-mutant lung cancer

MEK is a canonical effector of mutant KRAS; however, MEK inhibitors fail to yield satisfactory clinical outcomes in KRAS-mutant cancers. Here, we identified mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) induction as a profound metabolic alteration to confer KRAS-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) resistance to the clinical MEK inhibitor trametinib. Metabolic flux analysis demonstrated that pyruvate metabolism and fatty acid oxidation were markedly enhanced and coordinately powered the OXPHOS system in resistant cells after trametinib treatment, satisfying their energy demand and protecting them from apoptosis. As molecular events in this process, the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHc) and carnitine palmitoyl transferase IA (CPTIA), two rate-limiting enzymes that control the metabolic flux of pyruvate and palmitic acid to mitochondrial respiration were activated through phosphorylation and transcriptional regulation. Importantly, the co-administration of trametinib and IACS-010759, a clinical mitochondrial complex I inhibitor that blocks OXPHOS, significantly impeded tumor growth and prolonged mouse survival. Overall, our findings reveal that MEK inhibitor therapy creates a metabolic vulnerability in the mitochondria and further develop an effective combinatorial strategy to circumvent MEK inhibitors resistance in KRAS-driven NSCLC.

Antidepressant-like effect of caffeic acid: Involvement of the cellular signaling pathways

Abstract Caffeic acid is a phenolic compound widely distributed in plants and beverages such as coffee. Although its mechanism of action is poorly understood, caffeic acid reportedly induces antidepressant-like and neuroprotective effects. This study aimed to investigate the involvement of cellular signaling pathways in acute antidepressant-like effect induced by caffeic acid in mice. All procedures were approved by the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee of the UNIVALI n. 021/2013. Female Swiss mice were administered with vehicle, caffeic acid (5 mg/ kg, p.o.), inhibitor (H-89, U0126, chelerythrine, or PD9859, i.c.v.) or caffeic acid plus inhibitor. The behavioral effects were evaluated 1h after the administration of compounds to mice using tail suspension test (TST) and open field test (OFT). The results showed that the antidepressant- like effect of caffeic acid in mice was possibly mediated by the activation of PKA, MEK 1/2, PKC and MAPK (as assessed using TST), without compromising their locomotor activity (as assessed using OFT). Our results demonstrated, at least in part, the pathways involved in the neuroprotective and behavioral effects of caffeic acid.

Toxicidad retiniana inducida por nuevos antineoplásicos. Revisión de la literatura / Retinian toxicity induced by new antineoplastics. Literature review

Introducción: Los nuevos antineoplásicos son medicamentos innovadores en el tratamiento del cáncer. Actualmente hay poca información sobre la seguridad y efectos adversos de estos medicamentos a nivel retiniano. Es importante conocer estos efectos para prevenir pérdida de visión en pacientes oncológicos. Objetivo: Definir cuáles son los hallazgos de toxicidad retiniana en los usuarios de nuevos antineoplásicos. Diseño del estudio: Revisión de la literatura. Métodos: Se realizó una búsqueda de literatura en PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Scielo y literatura gris con términos MeSH: "toxicity" AND "retina" AND "drugs" AND/OR "MEK inhibitors", "BRAF inhibitors", "checkpoint inhibitors". Se seleccionaron 16 artículos para análisis y extracción de datos. Resultados: Existen múltiples efectos adversos reportados en la literatura, los más comunes son desprendimiento de retina exudativo y seroso asociado a la presencia de líquido subretiniano, oclusión de vena central de retina y alteraciones vasculares. La patología más estudiada ha sido melanoma metastásico y la terapia que más presenta efectos adversos ha sido la combinada MEK-BRAF.

Background: The new antineoplastics are innovative drugs in the treatment of cancer. There is currently little information on the safety and adverse effects of these medications at the retinal level. It is important to know these effects to prevent vision loss in cancer patients. Objective: To define the characteristics of retinal toxicity in patients who use new antineoplastic drugs. Study design: Literature review. Methods: A literature search was carried out in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Scielo and gray literature with MeSH terms: "toxicity" AND "retina" AND "drugs" AND/OR "MEK inhibitors", "BRAF inhibitors", "checkpoint inhibitors". 16 articles were selected for analysis and data extraction. Results: There are multiple adverse effects reported in the literature, the most common are exudative and serous retinal detachment associated with the presence of subretinal fluid, central retinal vein occlusion and vascular alterations. The most studied pathology has been metastatic melanoma and the therapy with the most adverse effects has been the combined MEK-BRAF

Effect of Doxycycline on Intrinsic Apoptosis of Myeloma Cell Line H929 and Its Mechanism / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the mechanism of the in vitro toxicity of doxycycline to myeloma cell line H929 and also the possible pathway involved its toxicity.@*METHODS@#Myeloma cell line H929 was treated with DOX, MEK inhibitor U0126 or RAS agonist ML-098, either alone or in combination. Then, the expression of p-MEK, caspase-3, caspase-9 and c-Jun in H929 were used to detected by Western blot; the cells proliferation and apoptosis were detected by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry, respectively.@*RESULTS@#DOX significantly increased the levels of cleaved caspase-3 and caspase-9, and down-regulated the level of p-MEK in H929 (P<0.05). MEK antagonist U0126 significantly increased the levels of cleaved caspase-3 and caspase-9, and down-regulated the level of p-MEK (P<0.05). After Dox combined with ML-098 treatment of H929 cells, the apoptosis rate of H929 cells was lower than that of DOX alone treatment group(P<0.05). Compared with DOX alone treatment group, the expressions of p-MEK and p-ERK1/2 in DOX+ML-098 combined treatment group were increased, and the levels of cleaved caspase-3,9 in H929 cells were decreased (P<0.05). The levels of c-Jun mRNA and protein increased in H929 when treated by DOX alone (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#DOX can induce apoptosis of H929 via intrinsic apoptosis pathway, and MEK/ERK pathway and c-Jun possibly play a role in this process.

Combination therapy with miR34a and doxorubicin synergistically inhibits Dox-resistant breast cancer progression

Resistance to breast cancer (BCa) chemotherapy severely hampers the patient's prognosis. MicroRNAs provide a potential therapeutic prospect for BCa. In this study, the reversal function of microRNA34a (miR34a) on doxorubicin (Dox) resistance of BCa and the possible mechanism was investigated. We found that the relative level of miR34a was significantly decreased in Dox-resistant breast cancer cell MCF-7 (MCF-7/A) compared with Dox-sensitive MCF-7 cells. Transfection with miR34a significantly suppressed the invasion, migration, adhesion of MCF-7/A cells without inhibiting their growth obviously. The combination of miR34a and Dox could significantly inhibit the proliferation, migration, invasion and induce the apoptosis of MCF-7/A cells. The synergistic effect of this combination on resistant MCF-7/A cells has no obvious relation with the expressions of classical drug-resistant proteins P-GP, MRP and GST-

A novel side effect of mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor cobimetinib: Acute corneal decompensation

A 38-year-old man with a diagnosis of BRAF-mutated metastatic melanoma was referred to our clinic. He had been under treatment with 60-mg oral cobimetinib daily for 21 days/7 day off in combination with 960 mg vemurafenib twice daily. The patient had symptoms of blurred vision and photophobia in his right eye. A slit-lamp examination revealed bilateral central corneal stromal opacity and epithelial microcystic edema Involvement was more severe in the right eye compared with the left eye. Fourteen days after the first visit, the patient's symptoms and slit-lamp findings were largely resolved. We suggest that endothelium pump failure was involved in this acute corneal decompensation case similar to the mechanism in retinal pigment epithelium.

A new double MEK/PDK1 inhibitor 9za retards cell cycle progression at G0/G1 phase and induces mitochondrial apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer cells

Objective: To identify the molecule mechanism of potential cytotoxicity and proapoptosis of 9za in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Methods: MTT assay, cell cycle detection kit, JC-1 staining assay were adopted to detect the cell viability, the cell cycle distribution and the mitochondrial membrane potential, respectively. Cell apoptosis was measured by Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide apoptosis detection and the morphology was observed under a light microscope and the colorimetric TUNEL assay. Western blot was used to monitor the cell cycle-, apoptosisrelated proteins and some proteins involved in the pathways. Results: MTT assay showed that 9za significantly weakened the viability of NSCLC cells. Cell cycle analysis demonstrated that the low concentrations of 9za arrested the cell cycle at G0/G1 phase, which was further confirmed by the down-regulated levels of Cyclin D1, cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and cyclin-dependent kinase 6. In addition, Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide apoptosis analysis, morphological observations and TUNEL assays revealed that the high concentrations of 9za could induce cell apoptosis. Furthermore, the JC-1 staining assay indicated that the mitochondrial membrane potential was reduced after 9za treatment. Western blot also manifested that 9za dramatically decreased the protein levels of the total Bcl-2, Cytochrome C in the mitochondria and BCL2 associated X in the cytoplasm. However, the levels of BCL2 associated X in the mitochondria, Cytochrome C in the cytoplasm, cleaved caspase-9, cleaved caspase-3 and the ratio of cleaved- PARP1/PARP1 showed the opposite trends. Moreover, the dose-dependently decreased phosphorylation levels of PDK1, protein kinase B, MEK and extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2 following 9za treatment confirmed that 9za was indeed a double MEK/PDK1 inhibitor as we expected. Coadministration with PD0325901 or BX517 strengthened the cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic effect of 9za, verifying that 9za inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis through the double MEK/PDK1 signaling pathways in NSCLC cells. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that 9za could play the effect of cytotoxicity and pro-apoptosis via the dual MEK/PDK1 signaling pathways in NSCLC cells and provides certain experimental foundation for 9za as a new type of drug candidate against non-small cell lung cancer.

Screening of monomers from traditional Chinese medicine for specifically inhibiting brafV600E CT26 cells / 中国药理学通报

Aim: To screen BRAFV600E CT26 cell inhibitors from monomers of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Methods CT26 cell line was constructed with lentivirus plasmid to stably express BRAFV6C0E. The proliferation, migration and expression of related proteins in MEK/ERK signaling pathway were detected. The monomers of TCM were detected for biological activities as potential BRAF inhibitors by Discovery Studio 4. 0, and further evaluated by MTT assay. Results: The proliferation and migration of BRAFV6C0E CT26 cells were obviously strengthened compared with wild type control. The expressions of proteins in MEK/ ERK pathway were also activated in BRAFV6C0E CT26 cells. Compared with wild type control, Aloin, Angoroside C and Cyasterone exhibited the potent effect against BRAFV600E in CT26 cells (P <0. 05), and could down-regulate the expression of BRAFV600E. Conclusion: Aloin, Angoroside C, Cyasterone might be the potent inhibitors against BRAF for colon treatment.

Anti-tumor activity and mechanisms of isorhamnetin in combination with sorafenib for renal cancer / 药学学报

This study aimed to explore the anti-tumor activity and mechanisms of action of isorhamnetin, a compound isolated from Astragalus membranaceus, in combination with sorafenib for treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The anti-tumor activity of isorhamnetin in combination with sorafenib was detected by MTT assay with cells in culture or Renca xenograft model in mice. Western blot was used to study the mechanisms of isorhamnetin in combination with sorafenib. Lymphocyte proliferation assay was also used to investigate the effects of the two drugs in combination. The results indicated that isorhamnetin inhibited the proliferation of RCC cells, with IC50 for A498, 786-O and Renca cell lines with being 31.7, 28.8 and 106.0 μmol·L-1, respectively. Isorhamnetin in combination with sorafenib improved the anti-lymphocyte proliferation activity of sorafenib with the IC50 down to 12.0 μmol·L-1. Isorhamnetin inhibited the growth of RCC in mice slightly with the inhibition efficiency at 26.9%. With 50.0 mg·kg-1 isorhamnetin in combination with 20.0 mg·kg-1 sorafenib, the anti-tumor activity of sorafenib was enhanced, with inhibition of growth rate increased to 60.7%. Meanwhile, isorhamnetin in combination with sorafenib could promote the lymphocytes proliferation in Renca xenograft model. Western blot results showed that combination of isorhamnetin and sorafenib could inhibit c-Raf/MEK/ERK and AKT/mTOR signaling pathways. In conclusion, the combination of isorhamnetin with sorafenib could increase the anti-tumor activity of sorafenib in RCC in vitro and in vivo. The mechanisms may be related to the inhibition of c-Raf/MEK/ERK and AKT/mTOR signaling pathways. Procedures for animal study were performed with approval of the Animal Care and Use Committee of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College.

Baicalein restrains proliferation, migration, and invasion of human malignant melanoma cells by down-regulating colon cancer associated transcript-1

Baicalein (BAI) is an acknowledged flavonoids compound, which is regarded as a useful therapeutic pharmaceutical for numerous cancers. However, its involvement in melanoma is largely unknown. This study aimed to examine the anti-melanoma function of BAI and unraveled the regulatory mechanism involved. A375 and SK-MEL-28 were treated with BAI for 24 h. Then, CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry, and transwell assay were carried out to investigate cell growth, migration, and invasion. RT-qPCR was applied to detect the expression of colon cancer associated transcript-1 (CCAT1) in melanoma tissues and cells. The functions of CCAT1 in melanoma cells were also evaluated. Western blot was utilized to appraise Wnt/β-catenin or MEK/ERK pathways. BAI restrained cell proliferation and stimulated cell apoptotic capability of melanoma by suppressing cleaved-caspase-3 and cleaved-PARP. Cell migratory and invasive abilities were restrained by BAI via inhibiting MMP-2 and vimentin. CCAT1 was over-expressed in melanoma tissues and down-regulated by BAI in melanoma cells. Overexpressed CCAT1 reversed the BAI-induced anti-growth, anti-migratory, and anti-invasive effects. Furthermore, BAI inhibited Wnt/β-catenin and MEK/ERK pathways-axis via regulating CCAT1. Our study indicated that BAI blocked Wnt/β-catenin and MEK/ERK pathways via regulating CCAT1, thereby inhibiting melanoma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion.

Polydatin protects H9c2 cells from hypoxia-induced injury via up-regulating long non-coding RNA DGCR5

Polydatin (PD), a monocrystalline polyphenolic drug mainly found in the roots of Polygonum cuspidatum, has various pharmacological activities. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) DiGeorge syndrome critical region gene 5 (DGCR5) was found to participate in the suppression of multiple cancers. Here, we proposed to study the effect of PD on myocardial infarction (MI) by inducing DGCR5. CCK-8 assay was performed to detect the viability of H9c2 cells. Flow cytometry was utilized to test apoptosis of H9c2 cells. These results determined the optimal concentration and effect time of hypoxia as well as PD. Si-DGCR5 was transfected into cells and the expression level was determined by qRT-PCR. Western blot was utilized to evaluate the expression of apoptosis-related proteins, Bcl-2, Bax, and cleaved-caspase-3, as well as autophagy-associated proteins including Beclin-1, p62, and LC3-II/LC3-I. As a result, PD efficiently attenuated hypoxia-induced apoptosis and autophagy in H9c2 cells. The expression of DGCR5 was down-regulated by hypoxia and up-regulated by PD. Besides, knocking-down the expression of DGCR5 inhibited the protection of PD in H9c2 cells. In addition, PD up-regulated the accumulation of DGCR5, DGCR5 decreased the expression of Bcl-2 and p62, raised the expression of Bax and cleaved-caspase-3, and the proportion of LC3-II/LC3-I. PD stimulated the PI3K/AKT/mTOR and MEK/ERK signaling pathways via up-regulating the expression of DGCR5. Our data demonstrated that PD reduced cell apoptosis and autophagy induced by hypoxia in cardiomyocytes. Moreover, PD activated PI3K/AKT/mTOR and MEK/ERK signaling pathways by up-regulating the expression of DGCR5.

Seneciphylline induced the autophagy of cervical cancer cells via MEK/ERK1/2 regulation / 中国药科大学学报

@#The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of seneciphylline on the proliferation and autophagy of cervical cancer HeLa and Caski cells and the possible mechanisms of autophagy. MTT assay was used to evaluate the effect of seneciphylline on the proliferation of cervical cancer cells. Immunofluorescence assay was applied to investigate the formation of autophagosomes in GFP-LC3/HeLa and GFP-LC3/Caski cells. The effect of seneciphylline on the expression of autophagy-related proteins was checked by Western blotting. In addition, fluorescence colocation assay was used to detect the fusion of autophagosomes and lysosomes. Human cervical cancer subcutaneous xenografts in nude mice were used to evaluate the effect of seneciphylline on the growth of the tumor in vivo. Results showed that HeLa cells proliferation was inhibited by seneciphylline in a dose- and time- dependent manner. Seneciphylline could induce formation of autophagosomes, increase the expression of LC3-II and decrease the expression of P62, suggesting that seneciphylline induced autophagy in HeLa and Caski cells. Compared with seneciphylline alone, seneciphylline combined with later-stage autophagy inhibitor chloroquine significantly increased the expression of LC3-II and P62. Moreover, and fluorescence colocation assay showed that autophagosomes induced by seneciphylline could colocate with lysosomes, indicating that seneciphylline could induce the complete autophagy flux. Compared with seneciphylline alone, seneciphylline combined with earlier-stage autophagy inhibitor 3MA significantly increased the expression of LC3-II and significantly decreased HeLa and Caski cells viability, suggesting that seneciphylline induced protective autophagy. Compared with seneciphylline alone, seneciphylline combined with MEK inhibitor significantly decreased the expression of P-ERK1/2 and formation of autophagosomes, suggesting that autophagy induced by seneciphylline activated MEK/ERK1/2 signal pathway. In addition, seneciphylline showed a significant inhibitory effect on growth of human cervical cancer cells subcutaneous xenografts.

An integrative pharmacological-based study on network mechanism of Xinkeshu Tablets intervention in atherosclerosis / 中草药

Objective: To explore the mechanism of the intervention of Xinkeshu Tablets (XKST) on atherosclerosis (AS) and provide reference for the secondary development and clinical application of XKST. Methods: The integrated pharmacology platform was used to predict the key targets and pathways of the intervention of XKST on AS and its molecular mechanism was also explored. Results: In the integrative analysis of heterogeneous network of “TCM-component-target-pathway”, 80 relevant effective ingredients were found, including B4GALT4, B4GALT2, PRKCD, GCK, GNB1, and other key targets; Endocrine system, thyroid hormone signaling pathway, nervous system, estrogen signaling pathway, and chemokine signaling pathway were key pathways related with its anti-atherosclerosis. Conclusion: According to the analysis and prediction of the enrichment information, the effect of XKST on common regulating PI3K/Akt/eNOS and Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway and protecting vascular endothelial cells is first prompted, thus achieving the intervention in AS.

Anti-tumor effect of Hinesol on liver cancer via downregulating MEK/ERK and NF-κB pathway in SMMC-7721 and LM3cells / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

OBJECTIVE Liver cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer related deaths worldwide, specially, in China. Hinesol, extracted from Atractylodeslance a(Thunb.) DC. has been proved that has anti-cancer effect in leukemia in vitro and in vivo.However,it has been not well under-stood in liver cancer cells.METHODS Cell proliferation,apoptosis,cell cycle and invasion were performed to investigate the anti-liver cancer effect of hinesol in SMMC-7721 and LM3 by MTT assay,flow cytometry and scratch assay.Western blot was used to research the potential mechanism.RESULTS We revealed that hinesol suppresses cell proliferation and invasion,prompts population of G1 phase,induces apop-tosis in dose-dependent manner in SMMC-7721 and LM3 cells.Western blot data showed that hinesol could inhibits the expression of cyclin-D1, Bcl-2 and Bax, and inhibited phosphorylation of MEK and ERK, down-regulated the expressions of NF-κB p65 and phosphor-p65 in nucleus. The results indicated that hinesol reduces cell proliferation via arresting cell cycle at G1 phase and induces apoptosis.Further-more,western blot showed that hinesol inhibited phosphorylation of MEK and ERK,down-regulated the expressions of NF-κB p65 and phosphor-p65 in nucleus.CONCLUSION Our results demonstrate that hinesolreduces cell proliferation via arresting cell cycle at G1 phase and induces apoptosis, it has potent anti-cancer effect against liver cancer cells via down-regulation of MEK/ERK and NF-κB pathway,and indicate that hinesol is a potential liver cancer drug for further research.

Role and mechanism of Epac protein in regulation of inflammatory pain in paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the role and mecha-nism of exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (Epac) protein in the paraventricular nucleus(PVN) of the hypothalamus in the development of inflammatory pain in rats. Methods Adult SD male rats were cho-sen to establish the model of inflammatory pain through subcutaneous injection of complete Freund's adjuvant(CFA) on the center of left hind foot. Western blot was used to detect the changes of the expression of Ep-ac protein. Thermal withdrawal latency(TWL) was ob-served after the PVN injecting 8p-CPT-2′-O-Me-cAMP (8p-CPT),the agonist of Epac. Then activated down-stream MEK1/2 protein of Epac in PVN was detected using Western blot when the potency was the strongest.Results ① Compared with normal saline(control group),TWL decreased significantly on d 1, d 3, d 5, d 7,d 9 on the ipsilateral foot of CFA group rats(P<0.01),whereas it returned to normal level in d 13;the paw mechanical withdrawal threshold(PMWT) de-creased significantly on d 6,d 8,d 10,d 12 and d 14 (P<0.05);②Compared with the control,the Epac1 protein in CFA group rats began to decrease from d 3, and significantly decreased on d 3 and d 9(P<0.05), however the expression of Epac2 had no significant change, meanwhile p-MEK1/2 protein decreased sig-nificantly on d 3(P<0.05);③Compared with micro-injection of saline into the PVN(Saline group), the heat hyperalgesia of 20 min and 1h decreased signifi-cantly and TWL increased significantly after PVN ad-ministration of 8p-CPT(8p-CPT group)(P <0.05);paraventricular nucleus p-MEK1/2 protein expression increased significantly in 30 min(P <0.05) and re-covered to normal level 2 h after administration. Con-clusion The Epac1-MEK1/2 signaling pathway in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus may be in-volved in the development of chronic inflammatory pain induced by CFA.

The protective mechanisms of MEK1/2 inhibitor PD98059 on ox-LDL induced injury of HUVEC and the influence on the expression of LOX-1 / 重庆医学

Objective To investigate the protective mechanism of MEK1/2 inhibitor PD98059 on ox-LDL induced injury of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC),and its influence on the expression of LOX-1.Methods HUVEC damage models were established by using ox-LDL and were treated with PD98059 later,divided into the negative control group,the ox-LDL group,the positive control group and the PD98059+ox-LDL group.The effect of inhibition of MEK1/2 on ox-LDL induced HUVEC damage was measured.Results Compared with the negative control group,the levels in the ox-LDL group of LOX-1,pMEK1/2,RhoA,ROCK1,ROCK2,TNF-α and IL-6 were increased significantly,the proliferations of HUVEC and the productions of NO were decreased (P＜0.05).Compared with the ox-LDL group,the levels in the positive control group and the PD98059+ox-LDL group of pMEK1/2,RhoA,ROCK1,ROCK2,TNF-α and IL-6 were decreased,the proliferation of HUVEC and the production of NO were increased (P＜0.05).Conclusion PD98059 inhibit the MEK1/2 signaling pathway to suppress the ox-LDL induced damage of HUVEC by decreasing the expression of LOX-1.

Treatment of advanced melanoma - A changing landscape / Tratamento de melanoma avançado - Um panorama em transformação

Summary Following decades of relative ostracism, advances in the treatment of melanoma have brought a new reality for patients, physicians and researchers. While antibodies targeting molecules involved in the modulation of the interaction between melanoma and immune cells changed the meaning of the term "cancer immunotherapy," a better characterization of the molecular aberrations involved in melanoma carcinogenesis prompted the development of inhibitors of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway (MAPK) that also led to significant improvements both in response rates and survival. As a result, new drugs have been approved for clinical use in the United States and Europe, including the immune-checkpoint blockers ipilmumab, pembrolizumab and nivolumab, the oncolytic herpesvirus talimogene laherparepvec, and the targeted-agents vemurafenib, dabrafenib, cobimetinib and trametinib. In this article, we review the results of studies that brought new approaches to the bedside and discuss how these developments are being incorporated into the care of patients in Brazil.

Resumo Após décadas de ostracismo, os recentes avanços no tratamento do melanoma trouxeram uma nova realidade para pacientes, médicos e pesquisadores. Enquanto anticorpos monoclonais voltados a moléculas envolvidas na modulação da interação entre células do melanoma e do sistema imune consolidaram o uso da "imunoterapia", um melhor conhecimento acerca das aberrações genômicas envolvidas na carcinogênese do melanoma viabilizaram o desenvolvimento de inibidores da via mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway (MAPK), o que também resultou em ganhos significativos em taxas de resposta e sobrevida. Consequentemente, novas modalidades de tratamento foram aprovadas para uso clínico nos Estados Unidos e na Europa, incluindo os bloqueadores de correceptores imunes ipilimumabe, nivolumabe e pembrolizumabe, o herpesvírus oncolítico talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC), e os agentes-alvo vemurafenibe, dabrafenibe, cobimetinibe e trametinibe. Nesse artigo, revisamos os resultados que trouxeram novas alternativas para a prática clínica e discutimos a incorporação desses avanços ao cuidado de pacientes no Brasil.

Docking-based virtual screening of MEK1 inhibitors from Chinese herbs / 中国中药杂志

The hyperphosphorylation of MEK1(mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1) is one of the causesfor melanoma. It is important to discover a potential medicine for melanoma through virtual screening of chemical composition of Chinese material medica on MEK1. In this study, a docking pocket model and Flex Search model were built by using a MEK1 crystal structure, the similarity between connector conformation and gametophyte conformation in the crystal structure was 0.784.There was a linear relationship between total score and pIC₅₀on MEK1 inhibitors, with R²=0.937, which further indicated the reliability of the virtual screening model.The search library of traditional Chinese medicine database on the Lipinski's rule was docked with the pocket model, and then 50 compounds with a totalscore of more than 7.0 were obtained by the Flex model. In this paper, top 10 active ingredients in screening results showed atotal score of more than that of positive medicines. It is expected to further research the inhibition of MEK1 and melanoma.