Identification of potential therapeutic agents for ER-negative breast cancer using bioinformatics analysis / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

【Objective】 To explore the key genes and potential therapeutic drugs for ER-negative breast cancer by bioinformatics. 【Methods】 The gene expression profile of breast cancer (GSE22219) was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Principal components analysis (PCA) of GSE22219, and analyses of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the ER-negative and ER-positive subjects and Gene Ontology (GO) analysis were performed by R software. We analyzed The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway and Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) network using STRING. The hub genes were identified using Cytoscape and analyzed using online programs. Drugbank analysis was used to find small molecular compounds as potential therapeutic agents to target the DEGs. 【Results】 We detect 69 DEGs and 8 hub genes between the ER-negative and ER-positive subjects. We found the most significant KEGG pathway of DEGs was aldosterone-regulated sodium reabsorption. The Gene Ontology (GO) analysis indicated that the most significantly enriched in prostate gland morphogenesis. Totally 21 small molecular compounds were identified as potential therapeutic agents for ER-negative breast cancer. 【Conclusion】 The bioinformatical analysis combined with drug database can help us find potential therapeutic agents to treat diseases. This method is a new paradigm which can guide future research on drugs.

Biological oxygen-carrying therapeutic agents: Roles and applications / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: Although blood donation by healthy people can relieve the urgent need of clinical blood to some extent, it is impossible to fundamentally solve the problem of blood shortage and blood safety by relying solely on blood donation by healthy people. OBJECTIVE: In combination with the significance of the development of biological oxygen-carrying therapeutics, to expound the unique characteristics of biological oxygen-carrying therapeutics, and to summarize the research status and application progress of biological oxygen-carrying therapeutics in recent years, in order to provide a certain theoretical basis for further research on the role and clinical application of biological oxygen carrying therapeutic agents. METHODS: The authors searched the relevant articles published from January 2015 to August 2019 in the databases of CNKI, Wanfang and PubMed. The keywords were “blood substitute, hemoglobin oxygen carrier, artificial blood, oxygen-carrying therapeutic agent” in English and Chinese. Types of search literature included original research and reviews. Initially 418 articles were included, and finally 46 eligible articles were classified and reviewed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The biological oxygen-carrying therapeutic agent has a good clinical effect. It can maintain blood osmotic pressure, acid-base balance and blood volume, and also has good oxygen-carrying capacity. It can deliver oxygen to local hypoxic tissue for a long time. It is also easy to store and transport. Biological oxygen-carrying therapeutic agents have been widely used in surgery, which are of great help to expand blood volume and accelerate postoperative recovery. Therefore, the development of biological oxygen-carrying therapeutic agents is of great significance for surgical trauma and resuscitation, hemorrhagic shock, malignant anemia, myocardial infarction and other diseases. It shows a good clinical application prospect.

Research progress of biological effects of deuterium-depleted water / 上海交通大学学报（医学版）

When the deuterium concentration of water is lower than 0.015%, the water is known as deuterium-depleted water (DDW), deuterium-poor water or super light water. Deuterium-depleted water may affect the biochemical and metabolic processes of living organisms, for it has some biological effects such as anticancer effect, antioxidant effect, hypoglycemic effect, antidepressant effect and so on. Deuterium-depleted water appears to have little toxic side effects and is convenient to administer, so it may act as an adjuvant therapeutic agent in clinical treatment of diseases. In this paper, advances in research on biological effects of deuterium-depleted water were reviewed.

Research progress of biological effects of deuterium-depleted water / 上海交通大学学报（医学版）

When the deuterium concentration of water is lower than 0.015％,the water is known as deuterium-depleted water (DDW),deuterium-poor water or super light water.Deuterium-depleted water may affect the biochemical and metabolic processes of living organisms,for it has some biological effects such as anticancer effect,antioxidant effect,hypoglycemic effect,antidepressant effect and so on.Deuterium-depleted water appears to have little toxic side effects and is convenient to administer,so it may act as an adjuvant therapeutic agent in clinical treatment of diseases.In this paper,advances in research on biological effects of deuterium-depleted water were reviewed.

Generation of dimeric single-chain antibodies neutralizing the cytolytic activity of vaginolysin

Background: Gardnerella vaginalis is a bacterial vaginosis (BV)-associated vaginal bacterium that produces the toxin vaginolysin (VLY). VLY is a pore-forming toxin that is suggested to be the main virulence factor of G. vaginalis. The high recurrence rate of BV and the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial species demonstrate the need for the development of recombinant antibodies as novel therapeutic agents for disease treatment. Single-chain variable fragments (scFvs) generated against VLY exhibited reduced efficacy to neutralize VLY activity compared to the respective full-length antibodies. To improve the properties of scFvs, monospecific dimeric scFvs were generated by the genetic fusion of two anti-VLY scFv molecules connected by an alpha-helix-forming peptide linker. Results: N-terminal hexahistidine-tagged dimeric scFvs were constructed and produced in Escherichia coli and purified using metal chelate affinity chromatography. Inhibition of VLY-mediated human erythrocyte lysis by dimeric and monomeric scFvs was detected by in vitro hemolytic assay. The circulating half-life of purified scFvs in the blood plasma of mice was determined by ELISA. Dimeric anti-VLY scFvs showed higher neutralizing potency and extended circulating half-life than parental monomeric scFv. Conclusions: The protein obtained by the genetic fusion of two anti-VLY scFvs into a dimeric molecule exhibited improved properties in comparison with monomeric scFv. This new recombinant antibody might implement new possibilities for the prophylaxis and treatment of the diseases caused by the bacteria G. vaginalis.

Antioxidants: Friend or foe?

Reactive oxygen species are the intermediates that are formed during the normal metabolic process which are effectively neutralized by the antioxidant system of the body. Any imbalance in this neutralization process causes oxidative stress which has been implicated as one of the cause in diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, cardiovascular disorders, cancer etc. Research has enabled the use of antioxidants as therapeutic agents in the treatment of various diseases. Literature also puts forth the negative effects of using antioxidants in the treatment of diseases. This review is a compilation of both the beneficial and detrimental effects of use of antioxidants in the treatment of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and oral diseases.

Chemopreventive and Chemotherapeutic Effects of Fish Oil derived Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Colon Carcinogenesis

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cause of cancer related death in the world. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that there is an association between consumption of dietary fat and colon cancer risk. Not only the amount but also the type and the ratio of fatty acids comprising dietary fats consumed have been implicated in the etiology and pathogenesis of colon cancer. Omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), have been known to inhibit development of colon cancer by downregulating the expression of genes involved in colon carcinogenesis and also by altering the membrane lipid composition. Data from laboratory, epidemiological, and clinical studies substantiate the beneficial role of n-3 PUFAs in preventing colitis and subsequent development of colon cancer. In addition, recent studies suggest that some n-3 PUFAs can be effective as an adjuvant with chemotherapeutic agents and other natural anticancer compounds in the management of colon cancer. In this review, we discuss chemopreventive and therapeutic effects of fish oil derived long chain n-3 PUFAs, particularly EPA and DHA, with focus on synergetic effects of which they exert when combined with chemotherapeutic agents and other natural compounds.

Role of Micronutrients in Skin Health and Function

Skin is the first line of defense for protecting our bodies against external perturbations, including ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, mechanical/chemical stress, and bacterial infection. Nutrition is one of many factors required for the maintenance of overall skin health. An impaired nutritional status alters the structural integrity and biological function of skin, resulting in an abnormal skin barrier. In particular, the importance of micronutrients (such as certain vitamins and minerals) for skin health has been highlighted in cell culture, animal, and clinical studies. These micronutrients are employed not only as active compounds in therapeutic agents for treating certain skin diseases, but also as ingredients in cosmetic products. Here, the author describes the barrier function of the skin and the general nutritional requirements for skin health. The goal of this review is to discuss the potential roles and current knowledge of selected micronutrients in skin health and function.

Research progress on therapeutic agents for alcohol dependence syndrome / 中国药理学通报

Alcohol is widely abused in contemporary social life, which has become a serious medical and social problem because it hurts human health and endangers public safety. Recent re-search has developed several active substances that can effective-ly improve or treat this syndrome via affecting the mesolimbic do-pamine nervous pathway to dampen rewarding effectiveness in-duced by ethanol. This paper reviews the progress in near-term studies of alcoholism-intervening agents, aiming at providing ref-erences for related mechanism exploration and drug development.

Effect of Administration with Bacharris Dracunculifolia on Glycemic Basal Levels in Healthy Individuals.

Some compounds found in B. dracunculifolia could be part of human diets, directly and indirectly through green propolis intake, because of their possible effect on blood glucose that could be of great relevance in the control of hyperglycemia; however, this effect has not been extensively studied. This study analyzed the effect of acute administration of B. dracunculifolia extracts on glycemic response in healthy individuals during rest. The study group consisted of eight healthy individuals at the age of 19 ± 1.3 years old, four in the treatment group (TG) and four in the control group (CG), with and without intake of 20 g/Kg of body weight of B. dracunculifolia extract, respectively. The cardiovascular parameters of blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR), and blood glucose (BG) were analyzed before and after treatments Statistical significance was determined using an unpaired Student's ttest and considering p<0.05. The TG group showed increase of 3% in heart rate (2 beats min-1, P<0.05), 11% in DBP scores, and reduction of 27% (20 mg/dl, P<0.05) in BG levels. The intake of B. dracunculifolia extract may help control blood glucose levels; however, its effects on the cardiovascular system must be evaluated in further studies.

Gymnema sylvestre: An Alternative Therapeutic Agent for Management of Diabetes.

Gymnema sylvestre (Asclepiadaceae) also known as ‘gurmar’ or ‘sugar destroyer’ is a woody, climbing traditional medicinal herb which has many therapeutic applications in Ayurvedic system of medicine. It is used for lowering serum cholesterol, triglycerides and blood glucose level (hypoglycemic or antihyperglycemic), hypolipidaemic, weight loss, stomach ailments, constipation, water retention and liver diseases, either high or low blood pressure, tachycardia or arrhythmias, and used as aperitive, purgative, in eye troubles, antiinflammatory, smooth muscle relaxant, prevention of dental caries, cataract and as anticancer-cytotoxic agent. Its flowers, leaves, and fruits contains alkaloids, flavones, saponins, sapogenins, anthraquinones, hentri-acontane, pentatriacontane, α and β-chlorophylls, phytin, resins, d-quercitol, tartaric acid, formic acid, butyric acid, lupeol, β-amyrin related glycosides and stigmasterol having main principle bioactive compunds viz. gymnemic acids, gymnemasides, gymnemagenin, gurmarin, gymnemosides, gymnemanol, gymnemasins, gypenoside, and conduritol which act as therapeutic agent and play vital role in many therapeutic applications. Gymnemic acids are thought to be responsible for its antidiabetic activity and it is the major component of an extract shown to stimulate insulin release from the pancreas. Another anti-sweet agent gumarin is utilized as a pharmacological tool in the study of sweet-taste transduction. The commercial exploitation of this plant and their secondary metabolites are some of the major prospective of this rare medicinal herb. The focus of the present review is to achieve the potential of therapeutic value of this herb and mechanism and action of their secondary metabolites.

Review on Rapamycin as a potential therapeutic agent against neurodegenerative disease / 基础医学与临床

Autophagy contributes to the pathology of various neurodegenerative conditions.Rapamycin,an agent against Candida albicans or immunosuppressive,was found to be effective against tumor.Furthermore,it also induces autophagy by inactivating the protein mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR),FKBP and VMP1,thus could offer a tractable therapeutic agent for neurodegenerative diseases.

Novel therapeutic agents for diabetes mellitus / 中国实用内科杂志

Current therapies of diabetes proven to lowering glucose include metformin,TZDs,sulphanylureas,nateglinide,Repaglinide,acarbose and insulin analogues.Given our better understanding of the beta cell function are slowly emerging.Recently,the gastrointestinal peptide hormones glucagon-like peptide 1 analogues and inhibitors of dipeptidyl peptidase-4(DPP-4) have been shown to significantly contribute to glucose homeostasis.Meanwhile,other novel prospect for diabetes such as selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor(PPAR) gamma modulators,inhibitors of sodium glucose co-transporters 2 have been proven to be attractive drug candidates.The therapeutic potential of these molecules are discussed in this review.

The Present and the Future of Drug Markets in the World / 中国药房

At present the annual sales of drugs in the world are over 100 billion dollars. America, Japan and West-Europe are the three large pharmaceutical markets. In the past ten years, cephalosporins are the most important antibiotics. Fluoroquinolone products have been developed rapidly in recent years. The sales of cardiovascular drugs occupy the first position in drug markets. ACE inhibitors and calcium antagonists are considered as a big breakthrough. The sale amount of H_2-antagonist, ranitidine is reported in the lead. In the future, OTC products and biotechnological preparations will increase share in the world drug markets.