Effect of blue light on the biological activity of human skin keratinocytes, fibroblasts and melanocytes: a preliminary study / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective:To preliminarily investigate the effect of blue light on the biological activity of human skin keratinocytes, fibroblasts and melanocytes.Methods:Discarded foreskin tissues were collected from 10 healthy children aged from 3 to 12 years after circumcision surgery in the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University from June 2021 to December 2021. After epidermis-dermis separation, selective culture was performed to isolate keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and melanocytes. According to the pre-experiment results, the above three types of cells were irradiated with 440 - 450 nm blue light at doses of 0, 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 J/cm 2, and then continued to be cultured for 0, 6, 24, and 48 hours. Cell counting kit 8 (CCK8) assay was performed to evaluate cellular proliferative activity at each time point, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect levels of interleukin (IL) -18, IL-33, nerve growth factor (NGF), and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) secreted by keratinocytes, as well as levels of IL-33 and keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) secreted by fibroblasts, NaOH lysis method to determine melanin synthesis rates in melanocytes, and Western blot analysis to determine the relative expression of tyrosinase (TYR), tyrosine-related protease 1 (TRP-1) and dopachrome isomerase (DCT) in melanocytes. Two-way analysis of variance was used to analyze group effects, time effects and interaction effects. Results:After irradiation with blue light, the cellular proliferative activity significantly differed among different doses of blue light irradiation groups and different time points in keratinocytes ( Ftime = 516.20, Fdose = 421.20, Finteraction = 25.05, all P < 0.003), fibroblasts ( Ftime = 129.30, Fdose = 477.80, Finteraction = 10.91, all P < 0.003), and melanocytes ( Ftime = 77.61, Fdose = 138.70, Finteraction = 3.50, all P < 0.003) ; immediately after irradiation, the proliferative activity of keratinocytes and fibroblasts was significantly lower in the 20 - 40 J/cm 2 blue light group than in the 0 J/cm 2 blue light group (all P < 0.003), and the proliferative activity of melanocytes was significantly higher in the 5 J/cm 2 blue light group than in the 0 J/cm 2 blue light group ( P < 0.003) ; the proliferative activity of the 3 types of cells showed decreasing trends with the increase of blue light irradiation doses and culture time. ELISA showed that the concentrations of IL-18, IL-33, NGF, and GM-CSF secreted by keratinocytes, as well as the concentrations of IL-33 and KGF secreted by fibroblasts, tended to increase with the increase of blue light irradiation doses and culture time. The melanin synthesis rates in melanocytes significantly differed among different doses of blue light irradiation groups and different time points ( Ftime = 833.50, Fdose = 249.40, Finteraction = 81.38, all P < 0.003) ; during 0 - 24 hours after blue light irradiation, the melanin synthesis rates tended to increase with the increase of blue light irradiation doses and time; during 24 - 48 hours, the melanin synthesis rates showed decreasing trends with the increase of blue light irradiation doses and culture time compared with that at 24 hours after irradiation; 24 hours after irradiation, the melanin synthesis rates were significantly higher in the 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40 J/cm 2 blue light groups (159.50% ± 10.88%, 218.76% ± 8.49%, 333.72% ± 7.72%, 393.29% ± 6.00%, 427.21% ± 8.39%, respectively) than in the 0 J/cm 2 blue light group (102.29% ± 6.57%, all P < 0.003). The relative expression of TYR ( Ftime = 67.94, Fdose = 28.99, Finteraction = 3.71, all P < 0.003), TRP-1 ( Ftime = 21.73, Fdose = 8.38, both P < 0.003) and DCT ( Ftime = 34.51, Fdose = 11.79, both P < 0.003) in melanocytes significantly differed among different doses of blue light irradiation groups and different time points, and tended to increase with the increase of blue light irradiation doses and culture time. Conclusion:Blue light irradiation at doses of 5 - 40 J/cm 2 could inhibit the proliferative activity of human skin keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and melanocytes, and the inhibitory effect tended to increase with the increase of blue light irradiation doses, except an enhancing effect on the proliferative activity of melanocytes observed immediately after irradiation with blue light at 5 J/cm 2; additionally, blue light irradiation at 5 - 40 J/cm 2 could enhance the expression of melanin synthesis-related enzymes in melanocytes, and increase the melanin synthesis rate in melanocytes over a short period of time.

Hair Growth Promoting Effects of 650 nm Red Light Stimulation on Human Hair Follicles and Study of Its Mechanisms via RNA Sequencing Transcriptome Analysis

Background@#Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) leads to thinning of scalp hair and affects 60%~70% of the adult population worldwide. Developing more effective treatments and studying its mechanism are of great significance. Previous clinical studies have revealed that hair growth is stimulated by 650-nm red light. @*Objective@#This study aimed to explore the effect and mechanism of 650-nm red light on the treatment of AGA by using ex vivo hair follicle culture. @*Methods@#Human hair follicles were obtained from hair transplant patients with AGA. Hair follicles were cultured in Williams E medium and treated with or without 650-nm red light.Real-time RT-PCR and immunofluorescence staining were used to detect the expression level of genes and proteins in hair follicles, respectively. RNA-sequencing analysis was carried out to reveal the distinct gene signatures upon 650 nm treatment. @*Results@#Low-level 650 nm red light promoted the proliferation of human hair follicles in the experimental cultured-tissue model. Consistently, 650 nm red light significantly delayed the transition of hair cycle from anagen to catagen in vitro. RNA-seq analysis and gene clustering for the differentially expressed genes suggests that leukocyte transendothelial migration, metabolism, adherens junction and other biological process maybe involved in stimulation of hair follicles by 650-nm red light treatment. @*Conclusion@#The effect of 650-nm red light on ex vivo hair follicles and the transcriptome set which implicates the role of red light in promoting hair growth and reversing of miniaturization process of AGA were identified.

Value of highly sensitive nucleic acid detection and aminotransferase level in evaluating precise antiviral therapy for liver cirrhosis patients with a low viral load / 临床肝胆病杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical significance of highly sensitive nucleic acid detection in precise antiviral therapy for patients with liver cirrhosis and its association with aminotransferase level. MethodsA total of 377 patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis who were hospitalized or attended the outpatient service from May 2013 to April 2019 were enrolled and tested by both domestic HBV DNA detection and highly sensitive Cobas HBV DNA detection. All patients underwent biochemical examination, four blood coagulation tests, routine blood test, and upper abdominal computed tomography or ultrasound. Sensitivity of different HBV DNA detection reagents was compared in liver cirrhosis patients with a low viral load, and the correlation between alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level and viral load was analyzed. The paired t-test was used for comparison of continuous data before and after treatment. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to screen out the optimal predictive values of ALT at different cut-off values of HBV DNA. ResultsAmong the 377 patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis, 215 tested positive and 162 tested negative by domestic HBV DNA, and among these 162 patients, 104 (64.2%) tested positive by Cobas HBV DNA detection, with a mean level of 267.5±42.3 IU/ml. After 24 weeks of antiviral therapy, the 104 patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis had significant improvements in viral replication level, ALT, and Child-Pugh score for liver function; HBV DNA decreased from 267.5±32.2 IU/ml before treatment to 59.6±7.7 IU/ml after treatment (t=3.486, P=0.002), ALT decreased from 871±10.8 U/L before treatment to 36.5±7.6 U/L after treatment (t=3.235, P=0.020), and the Child-Pugh score decreased from 6.5±0.7 before treatment to 5.7±0.5 after treatment (t=2.928, P=0.041). The ROC curve analysis of ALT in predicting HBV DNA decision point showed that an ALT level of 29 IU/L was the most sensitive cut-off value for predicting HBV DNA ＜20 IU/ml, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.904, a sensitivity of 1.0, and a specificity of 0.237. ConclusionPrecise detection helps to guarantee the precise clinical treatment of patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis and improve their treatment outcome and prognosis. An ALT level of 29 IU/L is a sensitive indicator for predicting patients with negative Cobas HBV DNA, so as to achieve individualized precise screening and treatment.

Barium-based Colonic Transit Detection and Individualized Treatment for Chronic Constipation / 胃肠病学

Background:Chronic constipation is a major cause of impaired quality of life in modern society. Reasonable and effective management of chronic constipation could be achieved based on the principle of evidence-based medicine and the modern concept of constipation,and this is a challenge facing the clinicians. Aims:To investigate the role of barium-based colonic transit detection in diagnosis and treatment of chronic constipation. Methods:Fifty patients with chronic constipation from Apr. 2013 to Oct. 2014 at the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University were recruited and randomly allocated into two groups,control group and individualized treatment group. Patients in individualized treatment group received 20 barium markers orally and abdominal plain radiography was performed 48 and 72 hours later,respectively for calculating the colonic transit index. According to the type of colonic transition and the characteristics of colonic motility estimated by colonic transit index and clinical manifestations,an individualized therapeutic regimen was formulated and the efficacy was evaluated. Patients in control group were treated empirically according to the clinical manifestations. Results:Mosapride and lactulose or polyethylene glycol were administered orally in control group;when abdominal pain or abdominal distension was predominant,pinaverium bromide or trimebutine was used respectively instead of mosapride. Barium-based colonic transit detection revealed that 9 patients in individualized treatment group were slow transit constipation,6 were outlet obstructive constipation and 8 were the mixed type. After 2 weeks of empirical or individualized treatment,the defecation rates of the two groups were 24. 0%(6 / 25)and 52. 2%(12 / 23)within 24 hours and 64. 0%(16 / 25)and 87. 0%(20 / 23)within 48 hours,respectively(P all < 0. 05). Conclusions:Barium-based colonic transit detection is a simple,economical and practical modality for guiding the individualized treatment in patients with chronic constipation.

Involvement of collagen-binding heat shock protein 47 in scleroderma-associated fibrosis

Uncontrolled fibrosis of skin and internal organs is the main characteristic of scleroderma, and collagen is a major extracellular matrix protein that deposits in the fibrotic organs. As the chaperone of collagen, heat shock protein 47 (HSP47) is closely related with the development of fibrosis. To explore the potential function of HSP47 in the pathogenesis of scleroderma, the clinical, in vivo and in vitro studies were performed. In clinical, the increased mRNA level of HSP47 was observed in the skin fibroblasts and PBMC from scleroderma patients, and the enhanced protein level of HSP47 was also detected in the skin biopsy and plasma of the above patients. Unexpectedly, the enhanced levels of HSP47 were positively correlated with the presence of anti-centromere antibody in scleroderma patients. Moreover, a high expression of HSP47 was found in the skin lesion of BLM-induced scleroderma mouse model. Further in vitro studies demonstrated that HSP47 knockdown could block the intracellular and extracellular collagen over-productions induced by exogenous TGF-β. Therefore, the results in this study provide direct evidence that HSP47 is involved in the pathogenesis of scleroderma. The high expression of HSP47 can be detected in the circulatory system of scleroderma patients, indicating that HSP47 may become a pathological marker to assess the progression of scleroderma, and also explain the systemic fibrosis of scleroderma. Meanwhile, collagen over-expression is blocked by HSP47 knockdown, suggesting the possibility that HSP47 can be a potential therapeutic target for scleroderma.

Differentiation and osteoprotegerin secretion of human osteoblasts:R-spondin 1 effect via Wnt/beta-catenin signal pathway / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND:Studies have funded that reduced Wnt/β-catenin signaling is involved in the onset and/or progression of bone erosion in rheumatoid arthritis. It can lead to potential new treatment approaches of bone erosion by enhancing Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. R-spondin 1 may act as a Wnt agonist, but there is no study in human osteoblasts. OBJECTIVE:To verify the effect of R-spondin 1 on promoting differentiation and maturation of human osteoblasts by inhibiting DKK1. METHODS:S40-transfected human osteoblast lines, hFOB1.19, were treated with R-spondin 1, Wnt-3a and DKK1 to detecting the proliferation, alkaline phoshpatase activity and osteoprotegerin concentration. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:R-spondin 1 had no effects on hFOB1.19 cel s. Wnt-3a upregulated the activity of alkaline phoshpatase, which could be enhanced by addition of R-spondin 1. R-spondin 1 could reduce the DKK1-mediated inhibition of alkaline phoshpatase activity in hFOB1.19 cel s. R-spondin 1 increased the concentration of osteoprotegerin, and moreover, the promotion of osteoprotegerin by R-spondin 1 alone was stronger than the inhibition by DKK1. These findings suggest that R-spondin 1 can inhibit DKK1 by Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway to promote the differential and maturation of human osteoblasts to excrete osteoprotegerin.

Arsenic trioxide induces endoplasmic reticulum stress-related apoptosis in drug-resistant K562/ADM cells / 基础医学与临床

Objective To explore whether arsenic trioxide(As2O3)-induced apopotosis in drug-resistant leukemia K562/ADM cells may induce in through endoplasmic reticulum stress leukemia cell apopotosis.Methods The apoptosis of K562/ADM cells was identified by double staining of FITC-Annexin V and propidium iodide(PI),the ultrastructure of the cells,endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria were observed by transmission electron microscopy.Flow cytometry(FCM) was employed to assess mitochondrial inner membrane potential(??m),intracellular calcium concentration,cytochrome c(Cyt c) release and caspase-3 activity.The expression of GRP78 protein was analyzed by Western blot.Results During the apoptotic process of K562/ADM cells induced with 2 ?mol/L and 5 ?mol/L As2O3,the endoplasmic reticulum exhibited obvious expansion and degranulation,and the mitochondria illustrated inner and outer membranes fusion,reduced and confused cristae,swelling and vacuolization.The mitochondrial ??m decreased,the intracellular calcium concentration and releasing of cytochrome c from mitochondria increased,and caspase-3 was activated.Western blot result indicated upregulation of GRP78 protein at endoplas-mic reticulum in apopototic K562/ADM cells.Conclusion As2O3 can initiate the endoplasmic reticulum stress in K562/ADM cells,and induces to apoptosis of the drug-resistant cell via endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondrial pathway.