Plasma exosomal microRNAs are non-invasive biomarkers of moyamoya disease: A pilot study

Abstract Background As a progressive cerebrovascular disease, Moyamoya Disease (MMD) is a common cause of stroke in children and adults. However, the early biomarkers and pathogenesis of MMD remain poorly understood. Methods and material This study was conducted using plasma exosome samples from MMD patients. Next-generation high-throughput sequencing, real-time quantitative PCR, gene ontology analysis, and Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis of ideal exosomal miRNAs that could be used as potential biomarkers of MMD were performed. The area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of biomarkers for predicting events. Results Exosomes were successfully isolated and miRNA-sequence analysis yielded 1,002 differentially expressed miRNAs. Functional analysis revealed that they were mainly enriched in axon guidance, regulation of the actin cytoskeleton and the MAPK signaling pathway. Furthermore, 10 miRNAs (miR-1306-5p, miR-196b-5p, miR-19a-3p, miR-22-3p, miR-320b, miR-34a-5p, miR-485-3p, miR-489-3p, miR-501-3p, and miR-487-3p) were found to be associated with the most sensitive and specific pathways for MMD prediction. Conclusions Several plasma secretory miRNAs closely related to the development of MMD have been identified, which can be used as biomarkers of MMD and contribute to differentiating MMD from non-MMD patients before digital subtraction angiography.

High expression of ZEB1 is associated with EMAST & metastasis in colorectal cancer patients

Background & objectives: Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-?) signalling pathway has been reported to be involved in metastasis and at the same time has been considered compellingly an important mediator of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Besides, EMT process is maintained by zinc-finger E-box-binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) gene which is induced by TGF-? pathway. TGF-? has been shown to be associated with elevated microsatellite alterations at selected tetranucleotide repeats (EMAST) phenomenon, which is one of the prognostic biomarkers of colorectal cancer (CRC). This study was conducted to determine the link among ZEB1-induced TGF-?, EMAST status and metastasis. Methods: The expression level of ZEB1 was evaluated using quantitative reverse transcription (qRT) real-time PCR in 122 formalin fixed paraffin-embedded tissues of CRC sample with known EMAST status and TGF-?/Smad-dependent pathways. The association among ZEB1 expression, TGF-? signalling pathway, EMAST status and metastatic behaviour was examined. Results: ZEB1 gene expression level was higher in tumour tissues as compared to normal samples (P<0.045). In addition, ZEB1 positive expression level was associated significantly with metastasis (P=0.05), EMAST+ status (P=0.052) and activated TGF-? signalling pathway (P=0.002). Interpretation & conclusions: Our results validated significant association between activated TGF-? signalling pathway and EMAST+ phenotype with higher expression of ZEB1 and higher level of metastasis.

Drug discovery of sclerostin inhibitors

Sclerostin, a protein secreted from osteocytes, negatively regulates the WNT signaling pathway by binding to the LRP5/6 co-receptors and further inhibits bone formation and promotes bone resorption. Sclerostin contributes to musculoskeletal system-related diseases, making it a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of WNT-related bone diseases. Additionally, emerging evidence indicates that sclerostin contributes to the development of cancers, obesity, and diabetes, suggesting that it may be a promising therapeutic target for these diseases. Notably, cardiovascular diseases are related to the protective role of sclerostin. In this review, we summarize three distinct types of inhibitors targeting sclerostin, monoclonal antibodies, aptamers, and small-molecule inhibitors, from which monoclonal antibodies have been developed. As the first-in-class sclerostin inhibitor approved by the U.S. FDA, the monoclonal antibody romosozumab has demonstrated excellent effectiveness in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis; however, it conferred high cardiovascular risk in clinical trials. Furthermore, romosozumab could only be administered by injection, which may cause compliance issues for patients who prefer oral therapy. Considering these above safety and compliance concerns, we therefore present relevant discussion and offer perspectives on the development of next-generation sclerostin inhibitors by following several ways, such as concomitant medication, artificial intelligence-based strategy, druggable modification, and bispecific inhibitors strategy.

Chaetocin:a review of its anticancer potential and mechanisms / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

Chaetocin is a natural metabolite product with various biological activities and pharmacological functions isolated from Chaetomium species fungi belonging to the thiodiketopyrazines. Numerous studies have demonstrated a wide range of antitumor activities of chaetocin in vitro and in vivo. Several studies have demonstrated that chaetocin sup?presses the growth and proliferation of various tumour cells by regulating multiple signalling pathways related to tumour initiation and progression, inducing cancer cell apoptosis (intrinsic and extrinsic), enhancing autophagy, inducing cell cycle arrest, as well as inhibiting tumour angiogenesis, invasion and migration. The antitumor effects and molecular mechanisms of chaetocin are reviewed and analysed in this paper, and the prospective applications of chaetocin in cancer prevention and therapy are also discussed. Our review provides the theoretical basis for exploiting the clinical applica?tion of chaetocin in cancer treatment.

Hepatic protective effects of Shenling Baizhu powder, a herbal compound, against inflammatory damage via TLR4/NLRP3 signalling pathway in rats with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease / 中西医结合学报

OBJECTIVE@#High-fat diet (HFD) and inflammation are two key contributors to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Shenling Baizhu powder (SLBZP), a classical herbal compound, has been successfully used to alleviate NAFLD. However, its specific mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, we assessed the anti-NAFLD effect of SLBZP in vivo.@*METHODS@#Rats were fed an HFD with or without SLBZP or with probiotics. At the end of week 16, an echo magnetic resonance imaging (EchoMRI) body composition analyser was used to quantitatively analyse body composition; a micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) imaging system was used to evaluate whole body and liver fat; and the Moor full-field laser perfusion imager 2 was used to assess liver microcirculation, after which, all rats were sacrificed. Then, biochemical indicators in the blood and the ultrastructure of rat livers were evaluated. Protein expression related to the liver Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/Nod-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) signalling pathway was assessed using Western blot analysis. Further, high-throughput screening of 29 related inflammatory factors in liver tissue was performed using a cytokine array.@*RESULTS@#SLBZP supplementation reduced body weight, serum free fatty acid, and insulin resistance index (P < 0.05). It also ameliorated liver microcirculation and ultrastructural abnormalities. EchoMRI and micro-CT quantitative analyses showed that treatment with SLBZP reduced fat mass and visceral fat (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). In addition, SLBZP decreased the expression of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated TLR4/NLRP3 signalling pathway-related proteins and altered the expression levels of some inflammatory cytokines in liver tissues.@*CONCLUSION@#SLBZP can inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome activation and interleukin-1β release by suppressing LPS-induced TLR4 expression in rats with HFD-induced NAFLD. Thus, SLBZP may be beneficial for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory damage and associated diseases.

Ginsenoside Rb1 Protects Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells against High Glucose-Induced Mitochondria-Related Apoptosis through Activating SIRT3 Signalling Pathway / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate whether ginsenoside Rb1 (Rb1) can protect human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) against high glucose-induced apoptosis and examine the underlying mechanism.@*METHODS@#HUVECs were divided into 5 groups: control group (5.5 mmol/L glucose), high glucose (HG, 40 mmol/L) treatment group, Rb1 (50 µ mol/L) treatment group, Rb1 plus HG treatment group, and Rb1 and 3-(@*RESULTS@#Rb1 ameliorated survival in cells in which apoptosis was induced by high glucose (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Upon the addition of Rb1, mitochondrial and intracellular reactive oxygen species generation and malondialdehyde levels were decreased (P<0.01), while the activities of antioxidant enzymes were increased (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Rb1 preserved the mitochondrial membrane potential and reduced the release of Cyt-c from the mitochondria into the cytosol (P<0.01). In addition, Rb1 upregulated mitochondrial biogenesis-associated proteins (P<0.01). Notably, the cytoprotective effects of Rb1 were correlated with SIRT3 signalling pathway activation (P<0.01). The effect of Rb1 against high glucose-induced mitochondria-related apoptosis was restrained by 3-TYP (P<0.05 or P<0.01).@*CONCLUSION@#Rb1 could protect HUVECs from high glucose-induced apoptosis by promoting mitochondrial function and suppressing oxidative stress through the SIRT3 signalling pathway.

Improved drug carriage and protective potential against Cisplatin-induced toxicity using Boldine-loaded PLGA nanoparticles

Background: Cisplatin is a widely-used potent anti-cancer drug having severe side-effects precluding itssustained use.Objectives: Poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA)-nanoparticles loaded Boldine, an antioxidant ingredient ofethanolic extract of Boldo plant (Peumus boldus) was tested in cancer mice model, Mus musculus toexamine if it could reduce unwanted Cisplatin-induced toxicity in normal tissue.Material and methods: Nano-encapsulation of Boldine was done by following the standardized solventdisplacement method. Physico-chemical characterization of PLGA-encapsulated nano-Boldine (NBol) wasaccomplished through analyses of various spectroscopic techniques. Status of major antioxidant enzymes, functional markers, and lipid peroxidation (LPO) was also determined in certain tissue and serumsamples. Percentage of cells undergoing cytotoxic death, Reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulationand mitochondrial functioning were analyzed in both normal and cancer mice. Nanoscale changes inchromatin organization were assessed by Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). mRNA and proteinexpressions of Top II, Bax, Bcl-2, Cyt c, caspase 3 were studied by RT-PCR, immunoblot andimmunofluorescence.Results: NBol had faster mobility, site-specific action and ability of sustained particle release. NBol readilyentered cells, prevented Cisplatin to intercalate with dsDNA resulting in reduction of chromatincondensation, with corresponding changes in ROS levels, mitochondrial functioning and antioxidantenzyme activities, leading to reduction in Deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) damage and cytotoxic celldeath. Expression pattern of apoptotic genes like Top II, p53, Bax, Bcl-2, cytochrome c and caspase-3suggested greater cytoprotective potentials of NBol in normal tissues.Conclusions: Compared to Boldine (Bol), NBol had better ability of drug carriage and protective potentials(29.00% approximately) against Cisplatin-induced toxicity. Combinational therapeutic use of PLGA-NBolcan reduce unwanted Cisplatin-induced cellular toxicity facilitating use of Cisplatin.© 2018 Transdisciplinary University, Bangalore and World Ayurveda Foundation. Publishing Services byElsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Penicilazaphilone C, a new azaphilone, induces apoptosis by blocking the Notch signalling pathway in gastric cancer

Objective: To explore the molecular mechanisms of the anticancer activities of penicilazaphilone C against gastric cancer. Methods: In vitro effects of penicilazaphilone C on cell growth, proliferation, and apoptosis were evaluated by MTT, BrdU, MTS, colony formation assays, Hoechst 33258 staining, and flow cytometry. Related proteins were examined by Western blotting assays. The expression of Notch receptor was analyzed using real-time PCR. In vivo antitumor activities of penicilazaphilone C were observed in nude mice. Results: Compared to the controls, penicilazaphilone C suppressed cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis in MGC-803 and SGC-7901 cells. The Notch/PTEN/AKT axis was involved in the activating penicilazaphilone C-induced apoptosis. Penicilazaphilone C decreased levels of Notch, NICD, phospho-PTEN and phospho- AKT compared to controls. The penicilazaphilone C-induced inhibition of Notch-related protein expression levels and the resulting apoptosis could be reversed by overexpression of Notch1 or/and Notch2. Moreover, penicilazaphilone C inhibited tumor growth in mice bearing tumours derived from MGC-803 and SGC-7901 cells, respectively. Conclusions: Penicilazaphilone C can induce the apoptosis by suppressing the activation of the proteolytic cleavage of the Notch receptor and subsequently blocking the PTEN/AKT signaling axis in gastric cancer cells. Thus, penicilazaphilone C is a potential alternative agent for the treatment of gastric cancer.

Neurological Disorder Brain Model: A Lesson from Marine Worms (Annelida: Polychaeta)

@#The incidence of neurodegenerative diseases is directly proportional to age. The prevalence of non-communicable diseases, for example, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, is expected to rise in the coming years. Understanding the etiopathology of these diseases is a crucial step that needs to be taken to develop drugs for their treatment. Animal models are being increasingly used to expand the knowledge and understanding on neurodegenerative diseases. Marine worms, known as polychaetes (phylum Annelida), which are abundantly and frequently found in benthic environments, possess a simple yet complete nervous system (including a true brain that is centralised and specialised) compared to other annelids. Hence, polychaetes can potentially be the next candidate for a nerve disease model. The ability to activate the entire nervous system regeneration (NSR) is among the remarkable features of many polychaetes species. However, the information on NSR in polychaetes and how it can potentially model neurodegenerative diseases in humans is still lacking. By exploring such studies, we may eventually be able to circumvent the developmental constraints that limit NSR in the human nervous system. This article is intended to briefly review responsible mechanisms and signalling pathways of NSR in marine polychaetes and to make a comparison with other established models of neurodegenerative disease.

Notch Signaling Promotes Proliferation and Migration of SW982 Synovial Sarcoma Cells / 中国医科大学学报

Objective To investigate the effect of the Notch signaling pathway on the proliferation and invasion of human SW982 synovial sarcoma cells. Methods SW982 cells and normal human synovial cells were routinely cultured, and the expression of proteins related to the Notch pathway was compared. The Notch signaling pathway was manipulated by NICD1 overexpression, CFB1 shRNA lentivirus, and the γ-secretase inhibitor, DAPT. CCK-8 and wound healing assays were carried out to investigate the role of the Notch signaling pathway in SW982 cells. Results The Notch signaling pathway clearly showed higher activity in human SW982 synovial sarcoma cells than in normal human synovial cells (P ＜ 0.05). The proliferation and invasion of SW982 cells were significantly upregulated by overexpressing NICD1; however, were suppressed by downregulating the Notch signaling pathway using CFB1 shRNA or DAPT (P ＜ 0.05). Conclusion Our findings demonstrate that the proliferation and invasion of human SW982 synovial sarcoma cells are dependent on Notch signaling pathway activity.

The active substance of Rostellularia procunbens and its mechanism in inhibiting nephritis cell proliferation / 中成药

AIM To identify the active anti-chronic nephrotic substance of Rostellularia procunbens (L.) Nees,and to study its mechanism.METHODS Rat glomerular mesangial cells (HBZY-1) were developed into nephrotic cell models by LPS.The activities of extract of petroleum ether,ethyl acetate,n-butanol and water were screened by MTT and ELISA kit,after which isolation and purification of the various compounds were achieved,and their effects on the expression of TLR4/NF-κB pathway were determined by Western blot.RESULTS Both extracts of petroleum ether and ethyl acetate exhibited anti-nephrotic activity,and Justicidin A was determined to be the active compound inhibiting both the proliferation of mesangial cells and the release of cytokines to some extent.CONCLUSION Rostellularia procunbens (L.) Nees may inhibit the expression of inflammatory proteins through TLR4/NF-κB signalling pathway to prevent chronic nephritis.

Mechanism underlying tumorigenesis induced by Bcr-Abl oncogene and A-MuLV virus / 生物工程学报

The Bcr-Abl oncogene is produced by the reciprocal translocation between c-Abl gene on chromosome 9 and the Bcr gene on chromosome 22 in human genome. The encoded Bcr-Abl fusion protein is responsible for the pathogenesis of certain human leukemias. Abelson murine leukemia virus (A-MuLV) is a retrovirus that could lead to transformation of B lymphocyte in mice, and v-Abl is the oncogene of A-MuLV. Abl oncoproteins (such as Bcr-Abl and v-Abl) play critical roles in tumorigenesis of certain cell types. Several signal transduction pathways, including JAK/STAT/Pim, PI3K/AKT/mTOR and RAS/RAF/MEK signaling pathway, are involved in Abl-mediated tumorigenesis. In addition, Abl-mediated tumorigenesis is associated with mutation or abnormal modification of key signal molecules as well as dysregulation of some critical long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). Here, we review the molecular mechanisms by which Abl oncogenes activate three major signaling pathways, and provide a scientific basis for therapy of Abl oncoprotein-induced tumors.

Research progress on the correlation between TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB signalling pathways and the hepatic inflammation-fibrosis-cancer axis / 国际药学研究杂志

As a critical pathway in the reaction of hepatic disease, Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)-myeloid differentiation factor 88(MyD88)-nuclear transcription factor(NF-κB)signalling pathway, which widely exists in various tissues and cells, is one of the most important signalling pathways that mediate the expression of inflammatory factor between the intracellular and intercellular. Study found that TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB signalling pathway plays an important role in the regulation of liver immune abnormalities, inflammatory response triggered by the liver damage, activation of hepatic stellate cells and liver fibrosis deterioration and the development of cancer of the liver. The signalling pathway may be an important regulatory point in the dynamic changes of the”hepatic inflammationfibrosis-cancer axis”(IFC axis)and liver cancer metastasis. In this paper, we review the recent advances in the pathological mechanism of TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB signalling pathway participating in IFC axis disease, so as to provide reference for related research in the future.

Patched-1 and Smoothened, a Hedgehog Receptor and Signal Transducer are Highly Expressed in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Introduction: The Hedgehog (Hh) signalling pathway is a developmental signalling pathway involved in normal mammalian developmental and homeostasis of adult renewable tissues. In most adult tissues, this pathway remains silent and previous studies have shown that constitutive activation of Hedgehog signalling pathway leads to various types of malignancies including medulloblastomas, basal cell carcinoma, gastrointestinal, breast and prostate cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the immunohistochemical expression of Hedgehog pathway proteins in Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma and determine their association with overall survival (OS). Methods: Positive control using normal tonsils were included in each batch of immunohistochemical staining procedure. Results: PTCH1 proteins were highly expressed in DLBCL and showed strong staining intensity in 107 (100%) cases and SMO proteins were expressed in 105 (98.1%) cases. PTCH1 proteins were localised in the nucleus of tumour cells, whereas SMO proteins were mainly localised in the cytoplasm of tumour cells. Positive expression of PTCH1 and SMO proteins and overall survival of DLBCL patients were correlated with age, gender, race and tumour location. There was no significant correlation between the expression of these two proteins with any of the parameters. PTCH1 expression showed significant association with SMO expression (P=0.03). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that high expression of both PTCH1 and SMO may be important in the pathogenesis of DLBCL. However, additional mechanisms that may contribute to the activation of HH signalling in DLBCL needs to be further explored.

La proteína Dickkopf-1 y el lupus eritematoso sistémico: nuevos campos en investigación / Dickkopf-1 protein and systemic lupus erythematosus / new fields in research

El lupus eritematoso sistémico es el prototipo de las enfermedades autoinmunes no órgano-específicas, con un curso fluctuante entre periodos de remisión y crisis. La complejidad de sus mecanismos fisiopatológicos mantiene la necesidad de desarrollar nuevos tópicos de investigación que faciliten su entendimiento y generen potenciales blancos terapéuticos. La vía de señalización Wnt y su principal inhibidor la protema Dickkopf-1 tienen un rol trascendental en fenómenos biológicos como la homeostasis ósea. Sin embargo, estudios recientes en lupus eritematoso sistémico han permitido reconocer otros procesos extraóseos regulados por la proteína Dickkopf-1. Entre ellos: la preservación de la integridad de las membranas glomerulares a nivel renal, reversión de rasgos de senescencia de células mesenquimales de interés en la optimización de los planes de trasplante como medida terapéutica; y la homeostasis articular. Alrededor de estos resultados han de suscitarse nuevas investigaciones sobre la proteína Dickkopf-1 y lupus eritematoso sistémico, que consoliden la información obtenida dado el gran potencial clínico y terapéutico que implica.

Systemic lupus erythematosus is the prototype of non-organ specific autoimmune diseases, with a fluctuating course between remission and crisis. The complexity of pathophysiological mechanisms opens up the possibility to develop multiple research topics to facilitate their understanding and generate potential therapeutic targets. The Wnt signalling pathway and its main inhibitor, Dickkopf-1 protein, have a major role in biological phenomena, such as bone homeostasis. However, recent studies have enabled other extra-osseous processes regulated by Dickkopf-1 to be recognised. These include: preserving the integrity of kidney glomerular membranes, senescence reversal characteristics of mesenchymal cells of interest in optimising transplantation plans as a therapeutic measure, and joint homeostasis. Some of these results have led to further research into Dickkopf-1 and systemic lupus erythematosus, in order to consolidate the information obtained given the great clinical and therapeutic potential involved.

1,25(OH)2D3 ameliorates high glucose-induced podocyte injury via PI3K/p-Akt signalling pathway / 中华肾脏病杂志

Objective To investigate the effect of 1,25(OH)2D3 on high glucose induced podocyte injury and its signal transduction mechanism.Methods Differentiated mouse podocytes were exposed to normal glucose,high glucose,and different concentrations of 1,25(OH)2D3 or LY294002 (a selective PI3K inhibitor) for 24 h.PCR and immunofluorescent staining were used to detect nephrin,podocin,and desmin.Western blotting was used to detect protein expression of nephrin,podocin,desmin,PI3K,Akt and p-Akt.Results Compared with high glucose group,1,25(OH)2D3 (100 nmol/L and 1000 nmol/L) significantly up-regulated the expression of podocin and nephrin in podocytes induced by high glucose (P ＜ 0.05).Meanwhile,1,25(OH)2D3 (100 nmol/L) significantly reduced the expression of desmin (P ＜ 0.05).PI3K and p-Akt were obviously reduced in high glucose group.In the presence of 1,25(OH)2D3,the trends were reversed.However the above effects of 1,25(OH)2D3 were abolished when p-Akt was blocked by the PI3K inhibitor LY294002.Conclusions 1,25 (OH)2D3 can inhibit high glucose-induced pedocyte injury through PI3K/p-Akt signaling pathway.

Effect of curcumin on spinal cord injury repair via inhibiting NF-κB signalling pathway:research progress / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

Inflammation response is the most crucial link in the pathogeneses of spinal cord injury (SCI),and is the basis of secondary damage. NF-κB Signalling pathway is activated excessively after SCI,so that numerous NF-κB possessing biological activities is quickly translocated into the nuclear and regulates the target genes,resulting in heightened inflammation and further tissue damage. Suppressing NF-κB signalling pathway and controlling inflammation response effectively are effective approaches to promoting SCI repair. It is found that curcumin has multiple target molecules to suppress NF-κB signalling pathway,block the excessive activation of NF-κB and reduce the expression of proinflammation cytokines,which plays an important role in SCI repair. This article discusses NF-κB signalling pathway,the contribution of NF-κB signalling pathway to SCI and the role of curcumins inhibition of NF-κB signalling pathway in SCI.

Temporal protein expression pattern in intracellular signalling cascade during T-cell activation: A computational study.

Various T-cell co-receptor molecules and calcium channel CRAC play a pivotal role in the maintenance of cell’s functional responses by regulating the production of effector molecules (mostly cytokines) that aids in immune clearance and also maintaining the cell in a functionally active state. Any defect in these co-receptor signalling pathways may lead to an altered expression pattern of the effector molecules. To study the propagation of such defects with time and their effect on the intracellular protein expression patterns, a comprehensive and largest pathway map of T-cell activation network is reconstructed manually. The entire pathway reactions are then translated using logical equations and simulated using the published time series microarray expression data as inputs. After validating the model, the effect of in silico knock down of co-receptor molecules on the expression patterns of their downstream proteins is studied and simultaneously the changes in the phenotypic behaviours of the T-cell population are predicted, which shows significant variations among the proteins expression and the signalling routes through which the response is propagated in the cytoplasm. This integrative computational approach serves as a valuable technique to study the changes in protein expression patterns and helps to predict variations in the cellular behaviour.

The progress on roles of TGF-βin tumour microenvironment / 实用肿瘤学杂志

The transforming growth factor-β( TGF-β) pathway has been established as essential for cancer progression,because of its prominent role in the regulation of cell growth,differentiation and migration. Through the canonical and non-canonical arms of the signaling pathway,TGF-βinstigates cellular phenotypical changes that mediate its role as both tumour suppressor and tumour promoter.TGF-βacts as a potent driver of cancer progression through the induction of epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT),in which epithelial cells acquire mesenchymal phenotype,leading to enhanced motility and invasion.It is evidence of the TGF-βpathway being tumour suppressive.However,there is also evidence to the contrary,abrogation of TGF-βsignalling in car-cinoma cells can also result in increased metastasis.This review addresses the experiments about role of an essen-tial signalling pathway,that of transforming growth factor-β,in the regulation of components of the tumour micro-environment and research of how this contributes to tumour progression.

Dexmedetomidine protects cortical neurons from ketamine-induced apoptosis by activating the PI3 K-Akt signaling pathway / 医学研究生学报

Objective Dexmedetomidine is known to have a neuroprotective effect.The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dexmedetomidine on ketamine-induced apoptosis of primarily cultured cortical neurons and its action mechanisms. Methods Rat cortical neurons were primarily cultured for 7 days and treated with ketamine (100μmol/L) and different concentrations of dexmedetomi-dine (0.001, 0.01, 0.1, and 1 μmol/L) for 24 hours, followed by measurement of the viability of the neurons by MTT assay.The neurons were divided into four groups:vehicle control, ketamine ( trea-ted with 100 μmol/L ketamine), dexmedetomidine+ketamine (DD+K, treated with 0.1 μmol/L DD and 100 μmol/L ketamine), and LY294002 ( treated with 0.1 μmol/L DD, 100 μmol/L ketamine, and 10 μmol/L LY294002) .After 24 hours of treatment, the apoptosis rate of the neurons was determined by Hoechst33258 staining, and the expressions of pAkt and cleaved-caspase-3 in the neu-rons detected by Western blot. Results The apoptosis rate of neurons was dramatically increased in the LY294002 and ketamine groups in comparison with the vehicle control and DD+K groups ([36.8 ±4.4] and [43.4 ±4.5]%vs [7.5 ±1.1] and [16.4 ± 3.6]%, P<0.01), the pAkt level remarkably decreased (0.26 ±0.02 and 0.15 ±0.01 vs 0.61 ±0.05 and 0.50 ±0.04, P<0.01), and the expression of cleaved caspase-3 significantly upregulated in the former two as compared with the latter two groups (0.40 ±0.02 and 0.65 ±0.03 vs 0.10 ±0.02 and 0.12 ±0.01, P<0.01). Conclusion Dexmedetomidine exerts a neuroprotec-tive effect against ketamine-induced apoptosis of neurons by activating the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.