Synthesis and Preliminary Study of 99mTc-Labeled HYNIC-FAPi for Imaging of Fibroblast Activation Proteins in Tumors.

Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is an emerging target for cancer diagnosis. Different types of FAP inhibitor (FAPI)-based radiotracers have been developed and applied for tumor imaging. However, few FAPI tracers for single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging have been reported. SPECT imaging is less expensive and more widely distributed than positron emission tomography (PET), and thus, 99mTc-labeled FAPIs would be more available to patients in developing regions. Herein, we developed a FAPI-04-derived radiotracer, HYNIC-FAPi-04 (HFAPi), for SPECT imaging. 99mTc-HFAPi, with a radiochemical purity of >98%, was prepared using a kit formula within 30 min. The specificity of 99mTc-HFAPi for FAP was validated by a cell binding assay in vitro and SPECT/CT imaging in vivo. The binding affinity (Kd value) of 99mTc-HFAPi for human FAP and murine FAP was 4.49 and 2.07 nmol/L, respectively. SPECT/CT imaging in HT1080-hFAP tumor-bearing mice showed the specific FAP targeting ability of 99mTc-HFAPi in vivo. In U87MG tumor-bearing mice, 99mTc-HFAPi had a higher tumor uptake compared with that of HT1080-hFAP and 4T1-mFAP tumor models. Interestingly, 99mTc-HFAPi showed a relatively high uptake in some murine joints. 99mTc-HFAPi accumulated in tumor lesions with a high tumor-to-background ratio. A preliminary clinical study was also performed in breast cancer patients. Additionally, 99mTc-HFAPi exhibited an advantage over 18F-FDG in the detection of lymph node metastatic lesions in breast cancer patients, which is helpful in improving treatment strategies. In short, 99mTc-HFAPi showed excellent affinity and specificity for FAP and is a promising SPECT radiotracer for (re)staging and treatment planning of breast cancers.

miR-622 suppresses tumor formation by directly targeting VEGFA in papillary thyroid carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) were reportedly to play crucial roles in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) tumorigenesis and development. Therefore, the discovery of miRNAs may provide a new and powerful tool for diagnosis and treatment of PTC. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the biological function and underlying mechanism of miR-622 in PTC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The expression levels of miR-622 in PTC patient tissues and cell lines were determined by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). The biological function including cell proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion, as well as underling mechanism of miR-622 in PTC, were also evaluated by a series of in vitro and in vivo experiments. RESULTS: miR-622 expression level was significantly downregulated in PTC tissues and cell lines. Decreased miR-622 expression was associated with advanced clinical stage and lymph node metastasis (P<0.01). The overexpression of miR-622 in TPC-1 cells inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro, as well as suppress tumor growth in vivo. Moreover, we also demonstrated that miR-622 specifically targeted the 3'-UTR regions of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and inhibited its expression both mRNA level and protein levels. Overexpression of VEGFA reversed miR-622-mediated inhibition effect on cell proliferation, migration and invasion in thyroid cancer cells. More importantly, VEGFA expression was significantly increased and inversely correlated with the levels of miR-622 in PTC tissues. CONCLUSION: These results show that miR-622 acts as a tumor suppressor in thyroid cancer, at least in part, via targeting VEGFA, and suggest that miR-622 may serves as a potential target for treatment of thyroid cancer patients.

Size, Shape, and Sequence-Dependent Immunogenicity of RNA Nanoparticles.

RNA molecules have emerged as promising therapeutics. Like all other drugs, the safety profile and immune response are important criteria for drug evaluation. However, the literature on RNA immunogenicity has been controversial. Here, we used the approach of RNA nanotechnology to demonstrate that the immune response of RNA nanoparticles is size, shape, and sequence dependent. RNA triangle, square, pentagon, and tetrahedron with same shape but different sizes, or same size but different shapes were used as models to investigate the immune response. The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines induced by these RNA nanoarchitectures were assessed in macrophage-like cells and animals. It was found that RNA polygons without extension at the vertexes were immune inert. However, when single-stranded RNA with a specific sequence was extended from the vertexes of RNA polygons, strong immune responses were detected. These immunostimulations are sequence specific, because some other extended sequences induced little or no immune response. Additionally, larger-size RNA square induced stronger cytokine secretion. 3D RNA tetrahedron showed stronger immunostimulation than planar RNA triangle. These results suggest that the immunogenicity of RNA nanoparticles is tunable to produce either a minimal immune response that can serve as safe therapeutic vectors, or a strong immune response for cancer immunotherapy or vaccine adjuvants.

HDAC6 inhibition prevents TNF-α-induced caspase 3 activation in lung endothelial cell and maintains cell-cell junctions.

Pro-inflammatory mediators such as TNF-α induce caspase activation in endothelial cells, which leads to degradation of cellular proteins, induction of apoptotic signaling, and endothelial cell dysfunction. New therapeutic agents that can inhibit caspase activation may provide protection against inflammatory injury to endothelial cells. In the present study, we examined the effects of selective histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) inhibition on TNF-α induced caspase 3 activation and cell-cell junction dysfunction in lung endothelial cells. We also assessed the protective effects of HDAC6 inhibition against lung inflammatory injury in a mouse model of endotoxemia. We demonstrated that selective HDAC6 inhibition or knockdown of HDAC6 expression was able to prevent caspase 3 activation in lung endothelial cells and maintain lung endothelial cell-cell junctions. Mice pre-treated with HDAC6 inhibitors exhibited decreased endotoxin-induced caspase 3 activation and reduced lung vascular injury as indicated by the retention of cell-cell junction protein VE-Cadherin level and alleviated lung edema. Collectively, our data suggest that HDAC6 inhibition is a potent therapeutic strategy against inflammatory injury to endothelial cells.

Selective HDAC6 inhibition prevents TNF-α-induced lung endothelial cell barrier disruption and endotoxin-induced pulmonary edema.

Lung endothelial damage contributes to the pathogenesis of acute lung injury. New strategies against lung endothelial barrier dysfunction may provide therapeutic benefits against lung vascular injury. Cell-cell junctions and microtubule cytoskeleton are basic components in maintaining endothelial barrier integrity. HDAC6, a deacetylase primarily localized in the cytoplasm, has been reported to modulate nonnuclear protein function through deacetylation. Both α-tubulin and ß-catenin are substrates for HDAC6. Here, we examined the effects of tubastatin A, a highly selective HDAC6 inhibitor, on TNF-α induced lung endothelial cell barrier disruption and endotoxin-induced pulmonary edema. Selective HDAC6 inhibition by tubastatin A blocked TNF-α-induced lung endothelial cell hyperpermeability, which was associated with increased α-tubulin acetylation and microtubule stability. Tubastatin A pretreatment inhibited TNF-α-induced endothelial cell contraction and actin stress fiber formation with reduced myosin light chain phosphorylation. Selective HDAC6 inhibition by tubastatin A also induced ß-catenin acetylation in human lung endothelial cells, which was associated with increased membrane localization of ß-catenin and stabilization of adherens junctions. HDAC6 knockdown by small interfering RNA also prevented TNF-α-induced barrier dysfunction and increased α-tubulin and ß-catenin acetylation in endothelial cells. Furthermore, in a mouse model of endotoxemia, tubastatin A was able to prevent endotoxin-induced deacetylation of α-tubulin and ß-catenin in lung tissues, which was associated with reduced pulmonary edema. Collectively, our data indicate that selective HDAC6 inhibition by tubastatin A is a potent approach against lung endothelial barrier dysfunction.

Deletion of Src family kinase Lyn aggravates endotoxin-induced lung inflammation.

Overwhelming acute inflammation often leads to tissue damage during endotoxemia. In the present study, we investigated the role of Lyn, a member of the Src family tyrosine kinases, in modulating inflammatory responses in a murine model of endotoxemia. We examined lung inflammatory signaling in Lyn knockout (Lyn(-/-)) mice and wild-type littermates (Lyn(+/+)) during endotoxemia. Our data indicate that Lyn deletion aggravates endotoxin-induced pulmonary inflammation and proinflammatory signaling. We found increased activation of proinflammatory transcription factor NF-κB in the lung tissues of Lyn(-/-) mice after endotoxin challenge. Furthermore, during endotoxemia, the lung tissues of Lyn(-/-) mice showed increased inflammasome activation indicated by augmented caspase-1 and IL-1ß cleavage and activation. The aggravated lung inflammatory signaling in Lyn(-/-) mice was associated with increased production of proinflammatory mediators and elevated matrix metallopeptidase 9 and reduced VE-cadherin levels. Our results suggest that Lyn kinase modulates inhibitory signaling to suppress endotoxin-induced lung inflammation.

Diterpenoid B derived from Plectranthus excisus inhibits the melanoma cell cycle in the B16 melanoma cell line.

Plectranthus excisus is widely distributed throughout northeast China. Its active ingredient, diterpenoids, exhibits significant antitumor effects. The present study examined the antitumor effects of diterpenoid B (DB), derived from Plectranthus excisus, and demonstrated that DB inhibited the proliferation of tumor cells by inhibiting the cell cycle. Reverse transcription­quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis were used to determine mRNA and protein expression levels, respectively. The results revealed that exposure to DB increased the expression levels of the transformation associated, protein 53, and cyclin­dependent kinase inhibitor 1A, and decreased the expression of cyclin­dependent kinase 2. The results of the present study demonstrated that DB can inhibit cell cycle progression and, therefore, offers potential as a beneficial antitumor drug.