Terpinen-4-ol inhibits proliferation of VSMCs exposed to high glucose via regulating KLF4/NF-κB signaling pathway / 中国中药杂志

This study aimed to observe the effect of terpinen-4-ol(T4O) on the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells(VSMCs) exposed to high glucose(HG) and reveal the mechanism via the Krüppel-like factor 4(KLF4)/nuclear factor kappaB(NF-κB) signaling pathway. The VSMCs were first incubated with T4O for 2 h and then cultured with HG for 48 h to establish the model of inflammatory injury. The proliferation, cell cycle, and migration rate of VSMCs were examined by MTT method, flow cytometry, and wound healing assay, respectively. The content of inflammatory cytokines including interleukin(IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α) in the supernatant of VSMCs was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA), Cyclin D1, KLF4, NF-κB p-p65/NF-κB p65, IL-1β, and IL-18. The KLF4 expression in VSMCs was silenced by the siRNA technology, and then the effects of T4O on the cell cycle and protein expression of the HG-induced VSMCs were observed. The results showed that different doses of T4O inhibited the HG-induced proliferation and migration of VSMCs, increased the percentage of cells in G_1 phase, and decreased the percentage of cells in S phase, and down-regulated the protein levels of PCNA and Cyclin D1. In addition, T4O reduced the HG-induced secretion and release of the inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α and down-regulated the expression of KLF4, NF-κB p-p65/NF-κB p65, IL-1β, and IL-18. Compared with si-NC+HG, siKLF4+HG increased the percentage of cells in G_1 phase, decreased the percentage of cells in S phase, down-regulated the expression of PCNA, Cyclin D1, and KLF4, and inhibited the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway. Notably, the combination of silencing KLF4 with T4O treatment further promoted the changes in the above indicators. The results indicate that T4O may inhibit the HG-induced proliferation and migration of VSMCs by down-regulating the level of KLF4 and inhibiting the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway.

Epidermal growth factor receptor and proliferating cell nuclear antigen in astrocytomas.

AIMS: The involvement of various growth factors, growth factor receptors and proliferative markers in the molecular pathogenesis of astrocytic neoplasms are being studied extensively. Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) gene overexpression occurs in nearly 50% of cases of glioblastoma. Since EGFR and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) are involved in mitogenic signal transduction and cellular proliferation pathway, we have studied the correlation between the expression of EGFR and PCNA labeling index in astrocytic tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated the immunohistochemical expression of EGFR and PCNA using the appropriate monoclonal antibodies in 40 cases of astrocytic tumors of which 21 cases were glioblastoma, eight cases were Grade III or anaplastic astrocytomas and six cases were Grade II or diffuse astrocytomas and five cases were Grade I or pilocytic astrocytomas. RESULTS: Both the EGFR expression and PCNA labeling index increase with increasing grades of astrocytomas with a significantly high percentage of cells showing positive staining for both EGFR and PCNA in GBM and Grade III astrocytomas compared to Grade II astrocytomas. The expression levels of both EGFR and PCNA were low in Grade I or pilocytic astrocytomas. CONCLUSIONS: A significant correlation was found between EGFR overexpression and PCNA labeling index in Grade III and Grade II astrocytomas and glioblastoma. These suggest that the tumor proliferation, at least in higher grades of astrocytomas is dependent in some measure on EGF and EGFR-related signaling pathways.

Classical osteoblastoma, atypical osteoblastoma, and osteosarcoma: a comparative study based on clinical, histological, and biological parameters

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the biological behavior of classical and atypical osteoblastomas in comparison to osteosarcomas. METHODS: Based on histological parameters, 30 osteoblastomas were subclassified as classical osteoblastomas (23/30) or atypical osteoblastoma (high cellularity, prominent blue osteoid, and epithelioid osteoblasts-7/30). Comparative immunohistochemical and clinical analysis was performed in 17 cases of patients with high-grade osteosarcoma. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded archival tissue was immunostained for p53 and proliferation cell nuclear antigen. Tumors with positive p53 stain underwent molecular analyses for fragments of exon 10. RESULTS: The mean proliferating cell nuclear antigen indexes for classical osteoblastoma, atypical osteoblastoma, and osteosarcoma were 33 percent, 61 percent, and 79 percent, respectively. The atypical subgroup showed similar results to those of the osteosarcoma group (P < 0.001). p53 protein was detected in 4 (13 percent) osteoblastomas (3 of these were atypical osteoblastoma), and 4 osteosarcomas (23 percent) also showed p53 positivity. DNA mutation performed in p53-positive cases was confirmed in exon 10 in 2 atypical osteoblastomas (2/3), 1 classical osteoblastoma (1/1), and 1 osteosarcoma (1/4). Disease recurrence was correlated with p53 expression (P = 0.009), atypical subtype (P = 0.031), spiculated blue bone on histology (P = 0.018), and proliferatingcell nuclear antigen labeling index > 40 (P = 0.015). CONCLUSION: These results validate atypical osteoblastoma as an entity, with p53 and proliferation cell nuclear antigen immunoexpression closer to that of osteosarcoma than of classical osteoblastoma. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen labeling index and p53 may be useful predictors of recurrence.

OBJETIVOS: Investigar o comportamento biológico de osteoblastomas clássicos e atípicos comparados com osteossarcomas. MÉTODOS: Com base em parâmetros histológicos classificamos um grupo de 30 osteoblastomas nos subgrupos de osteoblastomas clássicos (23/30) e de osteoblastomas atípicos (que apresentam como característica grande celularidade, osteóide azul proeminente e osteoblastos epitelióide-7/30). Como efeito de comparação dos resultados imunohistoquímicos e análise clínica, avaliamos 17 pacientes com osteosarcoma de grau avançado. Os cortes histológicos com bloco de parafina fixado em formalina foram imunocorados para p53 e antígeno nuclear de célula em proliferação. Tumores com coloração positiva para p53 tiveram análise molecular para fragmentos do exon 10. RESULTADOS: O índice médio de antígeno nuclear de célula em proliferação para osteoblastoma clássico, osteoblastoma atípico e osteosarcoma foram de 33 por cento, 61 por cento e 79 por cento, respectivamente. O subgrupo atípico demonstrou resultados similares aos dos osteosarcomas (p<0,001). Foram detectadas proteína p53 em 4 (13 por cento) osteoblastomas; 3 desses foram osteoblastomas atípicos, sendo que 4 osteosarcomas (23 por cento) também demonstraram p53 positivo. A mutação do DNA nos casos positivos de p53 foi confirmada no exon 10 em dois osteoblastomas atípicos (2/3), um osteoblastoma clássico (1/1) e um osteosarcoma (1/4). A recorrência da doença foi correlacionada com a expressão do p53 (p=0,009), subtipo atípico (p=0,031), osso azul espiculado no resultado da histologia (p=0,018), e índice de marcação pelo antígeno nuclear de célula em proliferação > 40 (p=0,015). CONCLUSÃO: Esses resultados validam os osteoblastomas atípicos como entidade real, com imunoexpressão das proteínas p53 e antígeno nuclear de célula em proliferação mais perto do osteosarcoma do que do osteoblastoma clássico. O índice de marcação pelo antígeno nuclear de célula em proliferação e o p53 podem...

Topical application of epidermal growth factor accelerates wound healing by myofibroblast proliferation and collagen synthesis in rat

Recombinant human epidermal growth factor (rhEGF) stimulates the proliferation and migration of epithelial cells in human cell culture systems and animal models of partial-thickness skin wounds. This study investigated the effect of a topical rhEGF ointment on the rate of wound healing and skin re-epithelialization in a rat full thickness wound model, and verified whether or not the rhEGF treatment affected both myofibroblast proliferation and collagen synthesis in the dermis. When rhEGF (10 microgram/g ointment) was applied topically twice a day for 14 days, there was significantly enhanced wound closure from the 5th to the 12th day compared with the control (ointment base treatment) group. A histological examination at the postoperative 7th day revealed that the rhEGF treatment increased the number of proliferating nuclear antigen immunoreactive cells in the epidermis layer. In addition, the immunoreactive area of alpha-smooth muscle actin and the expression of prolyl 4-hydroxylase were significantly higher than those of the control group. Overall, a topical treatment of rhEGF ointment promotes wound healing by increasing the rate of epidermal proliferation and accelerating the level of wound contraction related to myofibroblast proliferation and collagen deposition.