Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Inhibiting the Fibrosis and Autoimmune Development in HOCl-Induced Systemic Scleroderma Mouse Model

Background and Objectives@#Systemic scleroderma (SSc) is a rare and serious connective tissue disease, an autoimmune disease, and a rare refractory disease. In this study, preventive effect of single systemic human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) transfusion on SSc was preliminarily explored. @*Methods@#and Results: SSc mouse model was established by daily intradermal injection of Hypochlorite (HOCl). SSc mice were treated by single transfusion of UC-MSCs at 0.625×10 5 , 2.5×105 and 1×106 respectively. At the 42nd day of intradermal injection of HOCl, the symptoms showed up by skin and alveolar wall thickening, lymphocytic infiltration, increased collagen in skin/lung, and the increased proportion of CD3 ＋ CD4＋ CD25＋ FoxP3＋ cells (a Treg subset) in spleen. After UC-MSCs transfusion, the degree of skin thickening, alveolar wall thickening and lymphocyte infiltration were decreased, the collagen sedimentation in skin/lung was decreased, and the proportion of CD3＋ CD4＋ CD25＋FoxP3＋ cells was decreased. @*Conclusions@#UC-MSC can achieve a preventive effect in SSc mice by fibrosis attenuation and immunoregulation.

Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Inhibiting the Fibrosis and Autoimmune Development in HOCl-Induced Systemic Scleroderma Mouse Model

Background and Objectives@#Systemic scleroderma (SSc) is a rare and serious connective tissue disease, an autoimmune disease, and a rare refractory disease. In this study, preventive effect of single systemic human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) transfusion on SSc was preliminarily explored. @*Methods@#and Results: SSc mouse model was established by daily intradermal injection of Hypochlorite (HOCl). SSc mice were treated by single transfusion of UC-MSCs at 0.625×10 5 , 2.5×105 and 1×106 respectively. At the 42nd day of intradermal injection of HOCl, the symptoms showed up by skin and alveolar wall thickening, lymphocytic infiltration, increased collagen in skin/lung, and the increased proportion of CD3 ＋ CD4＋ CD25＋ FoxP3＋ cells (a Treg subset) in spleen. After UC-MSCs transfusion, the degree of skin thickening, alveolar wall thickening and lymphocyte infiltration were decreased, the collagen sedimentation in skin/lung was decreased, and the proportion of CD3＋ CD4＋ CD25＋FoxP3＋ cells was decreased. @*Conclusions@#UC-MSC can achieve a preventive effect in SSc mice by fibrosis attenuation and immunoregulation.

Expression of Snail and tumor invasiveness in breast carcionma / 中华全科医师杂志

Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the protein expression of Snail in 5 specimens jusxta-eancerous normal breast tissues, 35 specimens of cancerous tissues without metastasis and 20 specimens of breast carcinoma with lymphonode metastasis. Breast carcinoma cell line MDA-MB-231 was transfected with antisense Snail. Results showed that the expression of Snail protein was significantly higher in breast carcinomas than in their normal tissues. The mRNA and protein expressions of Snail in the breast carcinoma cells treated with antisense Snail was significantly decreased while the E-cadherin protein significantly increased (both P < 0.05). The number of invasive ceils treated with antisense Snail was (10.5±1.3)%, while in treated with EGFP was (68.2±2.1)% (P < 0.05). The abnormal expression of Snail contribute to the invasiveness of breast carcinoma. The antisense Snail could prevent the cells ability to invade in vitro, and the effect is related with the up-regulated E-cadherin protein.

High glucose promotes the CTGF expression in human mesangial cells via serum and glucocorticoid-induced kinase 1 pathway / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

The role of serum and glucocorticoid-induced kinase 1 (SGK1) pathway in the connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) expression was investigated in cultured human mesangial cells (HMCs) under high glucose. By using RT-PCR and Western blot, the effect of SGK1 on the CTGF expression in HMCs under high glucose was examined. Overexpression of active SGK1 in HMCs transfected with pIRES2-EGFP-S422D hSGK1 (SD) could increase the expression of phosphorylated SGK1 and CTGF as compared with HMCs groups transfected with pIRES2-EGFP (FP) under high glucose or normal glucose. Overexpression of inactive SGK1 in HMCs transfected with pIRES2-EGFP-K127N hSGK1 (KN) could decrease phosphorylated SGK1 and CTGF expression as compared with HMCs groups transfected with FP under high glucose. In conclusion, these results suggest that high glucose-induced CTGF expression is mediated through the active SGK1 in HMCs.

Relationship between the expression of connexin43 and bystander effect of suicide gene therapy in ovarian cancer / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

The relationship of connexin43 (Cx43) and bystander effect in ovarian tumor cells in herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase/ganciclovir (HSV-TK/GCV) gene therapy in vitro was explored and the effect of all-trans retinoic acid (RA) on the expression of Cx43 and bystander effect investigated. The Cx43 expression was detected by flowcytometry, Western blot, and immunofluorescence in two ovarian tumor cell lines OVCAR3, CaOV3 before and after RA treatment. Bystander effect was determined by the cells growth inhibitory rate with methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium. Following exposure to ganciclovir, there was much greater bystander killing in OVCAR3 than that in CaOV3 (P<0.05). The expression of Cx43 was detected in OVCAR3 by flowcytometry and Western blot, but it could not be detected in CaOV3. The expression of Cx43 in both cell lines could be induced by RA. Immunofluoresence staining showed that Cx43 protein of OVCAR3 was located on membrane surface, whereas CaOV3 in cytoplasm. RA could not change the location of Cx43 protein in both cell lines. There is relationship between Cx43 expression and HSV-TK/GCV bystander effect. HSV-TK/GCV bystander effect can be enhanced by RA in ovarian cancer.