Exosomes derived from Nr-CWS pretreated MSCs facilitate diabetic wound healing by promoting angiogenesis via the circIARS1/miR-4782-5p/VEGFA axis / 中国天然药物

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived exosomes (Exos) were reported to a prospective candidate in accelerating diabetic wound healing due to their pro-angiogenic effect. MSCs pretreated with chemistry or biology factors were reported to advance the biological activities of MSC-derived exosomes. Hence, this study was designed to explore whether exosomes derived from human umbilical cord MSCs (hucMSCs) preconditioned with Nocardia rubra cell wall skeleton (Nr-CWS) exhibited superior proangiogenic effect on diabetic wound repair and its underlying molecular mechanisms. The results showed that Nr-CWS-Exos facilitated the proliferation, migration and tube formation of endothelial cells in vitro. In vivo, Nr-CWS-Exos exerted great effect on advancing wound healing by facilitating the angiogenesis of wound tissues compared with Exos. Furthermore, the expression of circIARS1 increased after HUVECs were treated with Nr-CWS-Exos. CircIARS1 promoted the pro-angiogenic effects of Nr-CWS-Exos on endothelial cellsvia the miR-4782-5p/VEGFA axis. Taken together, those data reveal that exosomes derived from Nr-CWS-pretreated MSCs might serve as an underlying strategy for diabetic wound treatment through advancing the biological function of endothelial cells via the circIARS1/miR-4782-5p/VEGFA axis.

Efficacy and safety of Nocardia rubra cell wall skeleton for the treatment of erosive oral lichen planus / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the efficacy and safety of Nocardia rubra cell wall skeleton (Nr-CWS) for the treatment of erosive oral lichen planus (EOLP).@*METHODS@#Sixty patients with clinically and pathologically diagnosed EOLP were randomly divided into the experimental group and control group according to the random number. Patients in the experimental group were treated with lyophilized powder containing Nr-CWS combined with normal saline. Patients in the control group received topical placebo without Nr-CWS combined with normal saline. Changes in the EOLP lesion area and the patient's pain level were recorded at the timepoints of weeks 1, 2, and 4 after the two different treatments, respectively. The changes of the patient's REU scoring system (reticulation, erythema, ulceration), the visual analogue scale and the oral health impact score (OHIP-14) were compared between the experimental group and control group after treatment, and the safety indicators of the two groups at the initial diagnosis and after 4 weeks' treatment were also observed, respectively.@*RESULTS@#Totally, 62 patients with clinically and pathologically diagnosed EOLP were enrolled, 2 of whom were lost to the follow-up, with 31 in the experimental group, and 29 in the control group. The mean age of the experimental group and control group were (52.9±12.4) years and (54.07±12.40) years, respectively. There was no significant difference in the oral periodontal index between the experimental group and control group. In the experimental group, the erosive area of oral lichen planus was significantly reduced 1, 2, and 4 weeks after the Nr-CWS's treatment (P < 0.05), the reduction rate was 81.75%, the patient's pain index was also decreased (P < 0.05), and in addition, the OHIP-14 was reduced (P < 0.05). The changes of the REU scoring system, the visual analogue scale and the OHIP-14 were significantly different between the experimental group and control group after treatment. There was no significant difference in the safety index between the two groups.@*CONCLUSION@#The priliminary data show that the Nr-CWS is effective and safe to treat EOLP.

Identification of chemical components and monosaccharide assay in Nocardia rubra cell wall skeleton / 药学实践杂志

Objective To analyze and identify the chemical components in the Nocardia rubra cell wall skeleton (Nr-CWS), and to determine the contents of monosaccharides accurately. Methods The extract of Nr-CWS was separated and analyzed by UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS method. The chemical components were quickly identified by matching the data with the information in the Metlin database. The monosaccharide contents in the Nr-CWS extract were determined by UHPLC-MS/MS method after derivatization. Results A total of 64 chemical components were identified in the extract of Nr-CWS, including amino acids, monosaccharides and so on. A assay method for 8 monosaccharides by UHPLC-MS/MS was successfully established. The content of arabinose in Nr-CWS was the highest, followed by galactose, which indicated that the main polysaccharide components in Nr-CWS may be composed of these monosaccharides. Conclusion In this study, we analyzed the main chemical components of Nr-CWS, which are amino acids, fatty acids and so on. The content of monosaccharide after polysaccharide hydrolysis was determined by UHPLC-MS/MS. This will lay a foundation for the screening of the active components of Nr-CWS and the study of its pharmacological mechanism.

The value of intravesical instillation of Nocardiarubra cell wall skeleton in preventing recurrent after transurethral resection for the treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer / 中华泌尿外科杂志

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of Nocardiarubra cell wall skeleton (N-CWS) bladder irrigation in prevention of recurrence after transurethral resection for the treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).Methods The clinical data of patients with NMIBC treated by N-CWS and epirubicin collected between October 2013 and November 2018 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were retrospectively analyzed.All patients underwent TURBT.Among the 118 NMIBC patients,the average age was (65.1 ± 1 1.9) years,and the sex ratio (male/female) was 1.9∶1 (77/41).Patients were divided into two group:N-CWS group (n =55) and epirubicin group (n =63) according to different instillation regimens.N-CWS was given as an instillation of 800 μg in 50 ml of saline and maintained in the bladder for 2 h in the N-CWS group.Epirubicin was given as an instillation of 50 mg in 50 ml of saline and maintained in the bladder for 1 h in the epirubicin group.In the N-CWS group,mean agewas (64.9 ± 12.1) years and 37 (67.3％) were male.Multiple tumors were present in 17 (69.1％) patients.Tumor size was ≤3 cm in 49(89.1％) and 7(12.7％) had a history of NMIBC.Stage was Ta and T1 in 36(65.5％) and 19(34.5％),respectively.Grade 1,Grade 2 and Grade 3 were the primary grades in 38(69.1％),13(23.6％) and 4(7.3％),respectively.Low risk,intermediate risk and high risk were present in 14 patients(25.5％),16 (29.1％) and 25 (45.5％),respectively.In the epirubicin group,mean age was (65.3 ± 11.2) years and 40(63.5％)were male.Multiple tumors were present in 19(30.2％) patients.Tumor size was ≤3 cm in 56(88.9％) and 11 (17.5％) had a history of NMIBC.Stage was Ta and T1 in 37(58.7％) and 26 (41.3％),respectively.Grade 1,Grade 2 and Grade 3 were the primary grades in 44(69.8％),12(19.0％)and 7(11.1％),respectively.Low risk,intermediate risk and high risk were present in 13 (20.6％),19 (30.2％) and 31 (49.2％),respectively.The tumor recurrence,progression and adverse reactions after Intravesical Instillation in both groups were followed up and recorded.No significant differences were found between the two groups.Results A total of 118 patients were followed up.Mean follow-up time was (33.7 ± 5.4) months.25.5％ (14/55) in the N-CWS group vs.42.8％ (27/63) in the epirubicin group had recurrence after 5 years (x2 =3.922,P =0.048).The five-year RFS was higher in the N-CWS group than in the epirubicin group (74.2％ vs.56.5％,P =0.044).No significant difference was found in the progression rate between the two groups(5.5％ vs.7.9％,P =0.867).The incidences of adverse events in the two groups were 16.4％ (9/55) and 19.0％ (12/63),respectively.The N-CWS group had significantly fewer cases with urinary frequency and dysuria than the epirubicin group.No significant differences were found in other side effects.Conclusions Intravesical instillation of N-CWS after NMIBC TURBT was found to be a promising procedure to prevent recurrence and prolong the recurrence-free survival with less side effects.

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-Cell Wall Skeleton as Immunotherapeutic Option for BCG-Refractory Superficial Bladder Cancer

Although intravesical instillation of Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is the most successful cancer immunotherapy for superficial bladder cancer, the serious side effects are frequently arisen by using live mycobacteria. To allow less toxic and more potent immunotherapeutic agents following intravesical BCG treatment for superficial bladder cancer, noninfectious immunotherapeutic drug instead of live BCG would be highly desirable. Recently, immune-enhancing adjuvants are considered an effective vaccine immunotherapy for cancer, providing enhanced antitumor effects and boosted immunity. The BCG-cell wall skeleton (BCG-CWS), the main immune active center of BCG, is a potent candidate as a noninfectious immunotherapeutic drug instead of live BCG against bladder cancer. However, the most limited application for anticancer therapy, it is difficult to formulate a water-soluble BCG-CWS due to the aggregation of BCG-CWS in both aqueous and nonaqueous solvents. To overcome the insolubility and improve the internalization of BCG-CWS into bladder cancer cells, it should be developed the lipid nanoparticulation of BCG-CWS, resulting in improved dispensability, stability, and small size. In addition, powerful technology of delivery systems should be applied to enhance the internalization of BCG-CWS, such as encapsulated into lipid nanoparticles using novel packaging methods. Here, we describe the progress in research on effects of BCG-CWS for cancer immunotherapy, development of lipid-based solvent, and packaging method using nanoparticles with drug delivery system.