Previously undescribed tetrahydroanthraquinones from Prismatomeris tetrandra (roxb.) K. Schum with antitumor cell proliferation activities.

To find structurally previously undescribed compounds with pharmacological effects from Prismatomeris tetrandra (Roxb.) K. Schum (Rubiaceae), thirteen undescribed tetrahydroanthraquinones (1⎼13) named prisconnatanones J⎼V and seven known anthraquinones (14⎼20) were isolated and characterized. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by detailed spectroscopic analyses, and their absolute configurations were established by modified Mosher's method and ECD calculations. The antitumor cell proliferative activities of prisconnatanones J⎼V were determined. Among them, prisconnatanones J possessed high antitumor cell proliferation in HGC27 cells (IC50, 0.792 µM) by blocking HGC27 cells in the S phase and significantly inducing apoptosis in HGC27 cells. Prisconnatanone J has no cytotoxicity to normal gastric cells line (GES-1) at 10 µM and showed a considerable selectivity for HGC27 cells. Prisconnatanone J can potentially inhibit tumor cell proliferation and should be further investigated.

Rational design and optimization of novel 4-methyl quinazoline derivatives as PI3K/HDAC dual inhibitors with benzamide as zinc binding moiety for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia.

Simultaneous inhibition of PI3K and HDAC has shown promise for treating various cancers, leading to discovery and development of their dual inhibitors as novel anticancer agents. Herein, we disclose a new series of PI3K/HDAC dual inhibitors bearing a benzamide moiety as the pharmacophore of HDAC inhibition. Based on systematic structure-activity relationship study, compounds 36 and 51 featuring an alkyl and benzoyl linker respectively were identified with favorable potencies against both PI3K and HDAC. In cellular assays, compounds 36 and 51 showed significantly enhanced antiproliferative activities against various cancer cell lines relative to single-target inhibitors. Furthermore, western blotting analysis shows compounds 36 and 51 suppressed AKT phosphorylation and increased H3 acetylation in MV4-11 cells, while flow cytometry analysis reveals both compounds dose-dependently induced cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis. Supported by pharmacokinetic studies, compounds 36 and 51 were subjected to the in vivo evaluation in a MV4-11 xenograft model, demonstrating significant and dose-dependent anticancer efficacies. Overall, this work provides a promising approach for the treatment of AML by simultaneously inhibiting PI3K and HDAC with a dual inhibitor.

Discovery and druggability evaluation of pyrrolamide-type GyrB/ParE inhibitor against drug-resistant bacterial infection.

The bacterial ATP-competitive GyrB/ParE subunits of type II topoisomerase are important anti-bacterial targets to treat super drug-resistant bacterial infections. Herein we discovered novel pyrrolamide-type GyrB/ParE inhibitors based on the structural modifications of the candidate AZD5099 that was withdrawn from the clinical trials due to safety liabilities such as mitochondrial toxicity. The hydroxyisopropyl pyridazine compound 28 had a significant inhibitory effect on Gyrase (GyrB, IC50 = 49 nmol/L) and a modest inhibitory effect on Topo IV (ParE, IC50 = 1.513 µmol/L) of Staphylococcus aureus. It also had significant antibacterial activities on susceptible and resistant Gram-positive bacteria with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of less than 0.03 µg/mL, which showed a time-dependent bactericidal effect and low frequencies of spontaneous resistance against S. aureus. Compound 28 had better protective effects than the positive control drugs such as DS-2969 (5) and AZD5099 (6) in mouse models of sepsis induced by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. It also showed better bactericidal activities than clinically used vancomycin in the mouse thigh MRSA infection models. Moreover, compound 28 has much lower mitochondrial toxicity than AZD5099 (6) as well as excellent therapeutic indexes and pharmacokinetic properties. At present, compound 28 has been evaluated as a pre-clinical drug candidate for the treatment of drug-resistant Gram-positive bacterial infection. On the other hand, compound 28 also has good inhibitory activities against stubborn Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli (MIC = 1 µg/mL), which is comparable with the most potent pyrrolamide-type GyrB/ParE inhibitors reported recently. In addition, the structure-activity relationships of the compounds were also studied.

Exploration and Biological Evaluation of 1,3-Diamino-7H-pyrrol[3,2-f]quinazoline Derivatives as Dihydrofolate Reductase Inhibitors.

Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), a core enzyme of folate metabolism, plays a crucial role in the biosynthesis of purines and thymidylate for cell proliferation and growth in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. However, the development of new DHFR inhibitors is challenging due to the limited number of scaffolds available for drug development. Hence, we designed and synthesized a new class of DHFR inhibitors with a 1,3-diamino-7H-pyrrol[3,2-f]quinazoline derivative (PQD) structure bearing condensed rings. Compound 6r exhibited therapeutic effects on mouse models of systemic infection and thigh infection caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) ATCC 43300. Moreover, methyl-modified PQD compound 8a showed a strong efficacy in a murine model of breast cancer, which was better than the effects of taxol. The findings showcased in this study highlight the promising capabilities of novel DHFR inhibitors in addressing bacterial infections as well as breast cancer.

Involvement of NADPH oxidases in the Na/K­ATPase/Src/ROS oxidant amplification loop in renal fibrosis.

The Na/K­ATPase/Src complex is reportedly able to affect reactive oxygen species (ROS) amplification. However, it has remained elusive whether NADPH oxidases (NOXs) are involved in this oxidant amplification loop in renal fibrosis. To test this hypothesis, interactions between oxidative features and Na/K­ATPase/Src activation were examined in a mouse model of unilateral urethral obstruction (UUO)­induced experimental renal fibrosis. Both 1­tert­butyl­3­(4­chlorophenyl)­1H­pyrazolo[3,4­d]pyrimidin­4­amine (PP2) and apocynin significantly attenuated the development of UUO­induced renal fibrosis. Apocynin administration attenuated the expression of NOXs and oxidative markers (e.g., nuclear factor erythroid 2­related factor 2, heme oxygenase­1,4­hydroxynonenal and 3­nitrotyrosine); it also partially restored Na/K­ATPase expression and inhibited the activation of the Src/ERK cascade. Furthermore, administration of PP2 after UUO induction partially reversed the upregulation of NOX2, NOX4 and oxidative markers, while inhibiting the activation of the Src/ERK cascade. Complementary experiments in LLC­PK1 cells corroborated the in vivo observations. Inhibition of NOX2 by RNA interference attenuated ouabain­induced oxidative stress, ERK activation and E­cadherin downregulation. Thus, it is indicated that NOXs are major contributors to ROS production in the Na/K­ATPase/Src/ROS oxidative amplification loop, which is involved in renal fibrosis. The disruption of this vicious feed­forward loop between NOXs/ROS and redox­regulated Na/K­ATPase/Src may have therapeutic applicability for renal fibrosis disorders.

Erratum: Author correction to "YPD-30, a prodrug of YPD-29B, is an oral small-molecule inhibitor targeting PD-L1 for the treatment of human cancer" [Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 12 (2022) 2845-2858].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2022.02.031.].

S1PR1 serves as a viable drug target against pulmonary fibrosis by increasing the integrity of the endothelial barrier of the lung.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive lung disease with unclear etiology and limited treatment options. The median survival time for IPF patients is approximately 2-3 years and there is no effective intervention to treat IPF other than lung transplantation. As important components of lung tissue, endothelial cells (ECs) are associated with pulmonary diseases. However, the role of endothelial dysfunction in pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is incompletely understood. Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1PR1) is a G protein-coupled receptor highly expressed in lung ECs. Its expression is markedly reduced in patients with IPF. Herein, we generated an endothelial-conditional S1pr1 knockout mouse model which exhibited inflammation and fibrosis with or without bleomycin (BLM) challenge. Selective activation of S1PR1 with an S1PR1 agonist, IMMH002, exerted a potent therapeutic effect in mice with bleomycin-induced fibrosis by protecting the integrity of the endothelial barrier. These results suggest that S1PR1 might be a promising drug target for IPF therapy.

Novel nitric oxide-releasing derivatives of pyranocarbazole as antitumor agents: Design, synthesis, biological evaluation, and nitric oxide release studies.

In this study, a series of novel furoxan-based nitric oxide (NO) releasing derivatives of pyranocarbazole alkaloids were designed, synthesized, and biologically evaluated against human cancer cell lines. The derivatives showed considerable antiproliferative activities (IC50 = 0.05-7.55 µM) and most compounds showed higher activity in MDA-MB-231 than H460 and HeLa. Especially, the most active derivative 7a (IC50 = 0.05 µM) against MDA-MB-231 was about 60 times stronger than lead compound, as well as equivalent to positive control taxol, and produced high levels of NO in MDA-MB-231. Furthermore, 7a could significantly inhibit the growth of MDA-MB-231 tumors in vivo with low toxicity and the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. These results indicated that compound 7a could be a promising lead for further studies.

Bioevaluation of a dual PI3K/HDAC inhibitor for the treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

The synergistic anti-tumor effect by simultaneous inhibitions of PI3K and HDAC has been verified to provide the rationality of PI3K/HDAC dual inhibitors for cancer treatment. Notably, the outstanding effect of PI3K/HDAC dual inhibitors against DLBCL has been paid much attention, especially for RR-DLBCL. Our previously reported 4-methylquinazoine scaffold based PI3K/HDAC dual inhibitors could suppress the growth of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies both in vitro and in vivo, validating the potential as new therapeutic agents for cancer. In this research, we further investigated the anti-tumor activity of one of our compounds against DLBCL cell lines and in vivo zebrafish xenograft model as well as the underlying mechanism, hoping to provide a novel therapeutic agent for treating DLBCL.

YPD-30, a prodrug of YPD-29B, is an oral small-molecule inhibitor targeting PD-L1 for the treatment of human cancer.

PD-1 and PD-L1 antibodies have brought about extraordinary clinical benefits for cancer patients, and their indications are expanding incessantly. Currently, most PD-1/PD-L1 agents are administered intravenously, which may be uncomfortable for some cancer patients. Herein, we develop a novel oral-delivered small molecular, YPD-29B, which specifically targets human PD-L1. Our data suggested that YPD-29B could potently and selectively block the interaction between PD-L1 and PD-1, but did not inhibit any other immune checkpoints. Mechanistically, YPD-29B induced human PD-L1 dimerization and internalization, which subsequently activated T lymphocytes and therefore overcomes immunity tolerance in vitro. YDP-29B was modified as the YPD-30 prodrug to improve druggability. Using humanized mice with human PD-1 xenografts of human PD-L1 knock-in mouse MC38 cancer cells, we demonstrated that YPD-30 exhibited significant antitumor activity and was well tolerated in vivo. Taken together, our results indicate that YPD-30 serves as a promising therapeutic candidate for anti-human PD-L1 cancer immunotherapy.

Secreted HSP90α-LRP1 Signaling Promotes Tumor Metastasis and Chemoresistance in Pancreatic Cancer.

The extracellular heat shock protein 90α (eHSP90α) has been reported to promote cancer cell motility. However, whether pancreatic cancer (PC) cells expressed membrane-bound or secreted HSP90α, as well as its underlying mechanism for PC progression, were still unclear. Our study demonstrated that the amounts of secreted HSP90α proteins were discrepant in multiple PC cells. In addition, highly invasive Capan-2 cells have a higher level of secreted HSP90α compared with those of less invasive PL45 cells. The conditioned medium of Capan-2 cells or recombinant HSP90α treatment stimulated the migration and invasion of PC cells, which could be prevented with a neutralizing anti-HSP90α antibody. Furthermore, secreted HSP90α promoted elements of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in PL45 cells, including increases in vimentin and Snail expressions, decreases in E-cadherin expression, and changes in cell shape towards a mesenchymal phenotype, but these phenomena were reversed by the anti-HSP90α antibody in Capan-2 cells. In addition, high levels of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) were associated with worsened patient survival in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. We demonstrated LRP1 as a receptor of eHSP90α for its stimulatory role in metastasis, by activating the AKT pathway. In addition, silencing LRP1 enhanced the chemosensitivity to gemcitabine and doxorubicin in Capan-2 cells. Therefore, our study indicated that blocking secreted HSP90α underlies an aspect of metastasis and chemoresistance in PC.

Identification of N, C-capped di- and tripeptides as selective immunoproteasome inhibitors.

A series of N, C-capped di- and tripeptides were designed as selective immunoproteasome inhibitors based on the known inhibitor 4-CA. Forty-eight new compounds were synthesized and evaluated, and the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of this compound class as ß5i selective inhibitors were explored. Most of these compounds showed significant inhibition against the ß5i subunit of the immunoproteasome and the most potent ß5i inhibitor (15) showed an IC50 of 0.94 nM. A selective ß5i inhibitor (54) with over 500-fold ß5i/ß5c selectivity was identified. Three of the inhibitors were found to selectively inhibit ß5i and ß5c, and showed no noticeable inhibition against the other four subunits. Six inhibitors with significant inhibitory activity against the HCT-116 cells were recognized, and the most active inhibitors, 14 and 50, showed IC50 values of 0.46 µM and 0.16 µM, respectively. Some selective ß5i inhibitors exhibited significant inhibitory effects on the release of the cytokines TNF-α and IL-6. The results not only afford effective chemical tools to elucidate the relationships between subunit selectivity and pharmacological profiles, but also offer useful clues for further optimization and development of selective immunoproteasome inhibitors.

Association between intrahepatic triglyceride content in subjects with metabolically healthy abdominal obesity and risks of pre-diabetes plus diabetes: an observational study.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the association of intrahepatic triglyceride (IHTG) content in subjects with metabolically healthy abdominal obesity (MHAO) on risks of pre-diabetes plus diabetes. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Lianqian community, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, China. PARTICIPANTS: Among 1523 community-living healthy adults aged 40 years or older with abdominal obesity recruited at baseline, 428 subjects who underwent IHTG content measurement were selected. OUTCOME MEASURES: Risk of pre-diabetes plus diabetes. RESULTS: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was diagnosed as 203 (69.1%) in MHAO and 121 (90.3%) in metabolically unhealthy abdominal obesity (MUAO) (p<0.001). The prevalence rates of pre-diabetes plus diabetes were 81.1%, 88.8% and 90.9% across the tertiles of IHTG content (p=0.037). Both MUAO (vs MHAO) and NAFLD (vs non-NAFLD) were independently associated with increased risks of pre-diabetes plus diabetes, the adjusted ORs (95% CIs) were 10.90 (3.15 to 37.69, p<0.001) and 3.02 (1.47 to 6.20, p=0.003), respectively. Higher IHTG content was significantly associated with increased risk of pre-diabetes plus diabetes with the adjusted OR (95% CI) of per SD increase of IHTG content of 1.62 (1.07 to 2.46, p=0.024). And there was a significantly positive trend between increasing categories of IHTG content tertiles and excessive risks of pre-diabetes plus diabetes (trend test p value=0.011). Stratified analyses showed similar results on the associations of NAFLD and IHTG content with risks of pre-diabetes plus diabetes for subjects with MHAO but not for those with MUAO. CONCLUSIONS: NAFLD and higher IHTG content were independently associated with increased risks of pre-diabetes plus diabetes in MHAO subjects. NAFLD or quantity of liver fat should be considered as additional criterion when defining and diagnosing MHO. Screening of NAFLD and intervention to reduce liver fat should be strengthened even for those seemly metabolically healthy obese.

Associations between serum total bilirubin, obesity and type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to examine the cross-sectional association between serum total bilirubin (STB) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk in the general population, and whether obesity could moderate this association. METHODS: We used data from the 1999-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), including a total of 38,641 US adult participants who were 18 years or older. The STB was classified as the low, moderate, and high groups according to tertiles. RESULTS: We found that participants with lower STB had a significantly higher risk of T2D than those with moderate (OR = 0.81; 95% CI 0.74, 0.89; P < 0.001) and high (OR = 0.65; 95% CI 0.59, 0.73; P < 0.001) STB. Also, a significant interaction between body mass index (BMI) and STB on T2D was observed (P < 0.001). Stratified analysis showed that low STB was associated with a 20% and 27% decrease of T2D risk for moderate and high STB groups in obese patients, however, these effect estimates were smaller in the population with lower BMI (< 30 kg/m2). Similar associations of STB with glycohemoglobin and insulin resistance were observed. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that STB is associated with an elevated risk of T2D. More importantly, we reported for the first time that BMI may moderate the association between bilirubin and T2D.

The effect of rapid and delayed insemination on reproductive outcome in conventional insemination and intracytoplasmic sperm injection in vitro fertilization cycles.

PURPOSE: The precise timing of insemination after oocyte retrieval is sometimes challenging. In this study, we have assessed the effect of the variation in insemination timing on reproductive outcome for both conventional insemination (CI) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles. METHODS: A single-center retrospective cohort data analysis was performed on 6559 patients (9575 oocyte retrievals) from January 2017 to July 2019. The main outcome measured was live birth rates. Secondary outcomes included fertilization rate per all oocytes retrieved, blastocyst utilization, clinical pregnancy, and miscarriage rates. The time interval between oocyte retrieval and insemination was analyzed in eight categories: 0 (0- < 0.5 h), 1 (0.5- < 1.5 h), 2 (1.5- < 2.5 h), 3 (2.5- < 3.5 h), 4 (3.5- < 4.5), 5 (4.5- < 5.5), 6 (5.5-6.5), and 7 (6.5- < 8 h). The number of retrievals in each group (0-7) was 586, 1594, 1644, 1796, 1836, 1351, 641, and 127 respectively. RESULTS: The mean fertilization rate for CI ranged from 54.1 to 64.9% with a significant difference between time categories 0 and 5 (p < 0.001) and 1 and 5 (p < 0.0.001). The mean fertilization rate for ICSI ranged from 52.8 to 67.3% with no significant difference between time categories. Blastocyst rate for CI and ICSI was not significantly different. Miscarriage and clinical pregnancy rates in CI and ICSI were not significantly different. Live birth rates differed significantly (p < 0.05) in CI with time categories 0 and 7 representing the lowest rates, but not in the ICSI group. CONCLUSION: If performing CI or ICSI before 1.5 h and > 6.5 h, any detrimental effects are moderate on fertilization but do not affect blastocyst usage and birth rates. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Institutional Review Board Approval from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre [IRB Protocol #: 2015P000122].

Joint associations of metabolically healthy abdominal obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease with prediabetes and diabetes in Chinese adults.

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to evaluate the joint associations of metabolically healthy abdominal obesity (MHAO) with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) on risks of diabetes and prediabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Baseline information of 1318 adults with abdominal obesity (waist circumference ≥90 cm for men and 80 cm for women) from an ongoing cohort study in Xiamen, China were analyzed. Metabolic health was identified as none of the criteria of metabolism syndrome, except for obesity, was met. RESULTS: MHAO and metabolically unhealthy abdominal obesity (MUAO) were identified on 173 (13.1%) and 1145 (86.9%) subjects. NAFLD was further diagnosed on 60 (34.7%) in MHAO and 721 (63.0%) in MUAO groups (p<0.001). Both MUAO (vs MHAO) and NAFLD (vs non-NAFLD) were independently associated with increased risks of diabetes as well as prediabetes plus diabetes, with the adjusted ORs (95% CIs) of 9.40 (3.38 to 26.14) and 2.02 (1.47 to 2.77), respectively. Compared with MHAO and non-NAFLD, MHAO and NAFLD showed significantly increased risks of prediabetes plus diabetes with the adjusted ORs (95% CIs) of 2.87 (1.32 to 6.27, p=0.008). And there were significantly positive trends between increasing categories jointly by MHAO and NAFLD (from MHAO and non-NAFLD, MHAO and NAFLD, MUAO and non-NAFLD to MUAO and NAFLD) with risks of diabetes and prediabetes plus diabetes (both trend tests: p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: About 35% of subjects with MHAO accompanied by NAFLD showed excessive risk of prediabetes plus diabetes compared with MHAO and non-NAFLD. Thus, NAFLD should be screened and intervened even for those subjects with metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) and should be considered as one additional criterion when defining and diagnosing MHO.

Identification of 3, 4-disubstituted pyridine derivatives as novel CDK8 inhibitors.

Selective inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinase 8 (CDK8) has been recently regarded as a potential approach for cancer therapy. A series of novel CDK8 inhibitors with the pyridine core was identified via scaffold hopping from the known CDK8 inhibitor A-7. The new inhibitors were designed to improve the ligand efficiency so as to enhance drug-likeness. Most of the compounds showed significant inhibition against CDK8/cyclin C, and the most active compounds (5d, 5e and 7') displayed IC50 values of 2.4 nM, 5.0 nM and 7.7 nM, respectively. Preliminary kinase profiling of selected compounds against a panel of kinases from different families indicated that this compound class might selectively inhibit CDK8 as well as its paralog CDK19. Some compounds exhibited cellular activity in both MTT and SRB assays against a variety of tumor cells, including HCT-116, A549, MDA-MB-231, KB, KB-VIN and MCF-7. Further flow cytometry analysis revealed a dose-dependent G2/M phase arrest in MDA-MB-231 cells treated with compounds 6'a, 6'b, 6'j and 6'k. In addition, compound 6'k demonstrated moderate antitumor efficacy in HCT-116 mouse models, although unfavorable pharmacokinetic profiles were suggested by preliminary study in mice. The results provided a new structural prototype for the search of selective CDK8 inhibitors as antitumor agents.

Inverse agonism at the Na/K-ATPase receptor reverses EMT in prostate cancer cells.

The surface expression of Na/K-ATPase α1 (NKA) is significantly reduced in primary prostate tumors and further decreased in bone metastatic lesions. Here, we show that the loss of cell surface expression of NKA induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and promotes metastatic potential and tumor growth of prostate cancer (PCa) by decreasing the expression of E-cadherin and increasing c-Myc expression via the activation of Src/FAK pathways. Mechanistically, reduced surface expression of NKA in PCa is due to increased endocytosis through the activation of NKA/Src receptor complex. Using a high-throughput NKA ligand-screening platform, we have discovered MB5 as an inverse agonist of the NKA/Src receptor complex, capable of blocking the endocytosis of NKA. MB5 treatment increased NKA expression and E-cadherin in PCa cells, which reversed EMT and consequently decreased the invasion and growth of spheroid models and tumor xenografts. Thus, we have identified a hitherto unrecognized mechanism that regulates EMT and invasiveness of PCa and demonstrated for the first time the feasibility of identifying inverse agonists of receptor NKA/Src complex and their potential utility as anticancer drugs. We, therefore, conclude that cell surface expression of α1 NKA can be targeted for the development of new therapeutics against aggressive PCa and that MB5 may serve as a prototype for drug development against EMT in metastatic PCa.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of dipeptides as novel non-covalent 20S proteasome inhibitors.

Based on the interaction modes of the natural 20S proteasome inhibitors TMC-95A, we have previously discovered a dipeptide 1. To explore the SAR around compound 1, we designed and synthesized a series of dipeptides (8-38) with a fragment-based strategy. Among them, nine compounds showed significant inhibitory activities against the chymotrypsin-like activity of human 20S proteasome with IC50 values at the submicromolar level, which were comparable or even superior to the parent compound 1. Meanwhile, they displayed no significant inhibition against trypsin-like and caspase-like activities of 20S proteasome. The results suggested the feasibility to design dipeptides as novel and potent 20S proteasome inhibitors.[Formula: see text].

Long non-coding RNA SNHG6 increases JAK2 expression by targeting the miR-181 family to promote colorectal cancer cell proliferation.

BACKGROUND: Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) small nucleolar RNA host gene 6 (SNHG6) exerts a regulatory role in cancer biology, although its detailed functions and mechanisms in colorectal cancer (CRC) still remain unclear. METHODS: A quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was implemented to investigate the expression of SNHG6, miR-181 family and Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) in CRC tissues and cell lines. The proliferation of CRC cells was detected by a cell counting kit-8 assay, and the apoptosis of CRC cells was determined by flow cytometry analysis. The interaction of the miR-181 family with SNHG6 or with the 3'-untranslated region of JAK2 was validated by the luciferase reporter gene method. The effects of SNHG6 and the miR-181 family on JAK2 expression were analyzed by western blotting. RESULTS: SNHG6 was significantly up-regulated in CRC samples. The knockdown of SNHG6 reduced the proliferation of CRC cells and promoted the apoptosis, whereas the over-expression of SNHG6 had the opposite effect. SNHG6 could bind with all the four members of the miR-181 family, and expression in miR-181 family members was significantly down-regulated in CRC samples. SNHG6 expression was negatively correlated with the miR-181 family member expression in CRC samples. Moreover, over-expressed SNHG6 significantly counteracted the inhibitory effect of miR-181 mimics on CRC cell proliferation, as well as the promoting effect on apoptosis. Furthermore, SNHG6 over-expression and knockdown can promote and inhibit JAK2 expression, respectively, and miR-181 family member function is opposite to that of SNHG6 by repressing JAK2. CONCLUSIONS: SNHG6 can exert a cancer-promoting effect in CRC by targeting miR-181 family members and up-regulating JAK2.