Lovastatin inhibited the growth of gastric cancer cells.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Gastric cancer cells required large amount of cholesterol to grow and proliferate. The objective of this study was to examine whether the growth of gastric cancer cells was inhibited in vivo by using lovastatin, an effective cholesterol-lowing drug. METHODOLOGY: The mice models for gastric cancer cells MKN45 were divided into two groups, the control and experimental group. Lovastatin was administered orally to the experimental group, while saline given to the control group. We measured the volume and weight of tumors, and calculated RTV (relative tumor volume), T/C (relative added value of tumor) and the inhibition rate. Then the expression levels of PCNA in gastric cancer tissues were examined immunohistochemically. RESULTS: The volume of tumors in the control and experimental groups was 3.801 +/- 1.078 and 3.325 +/- 0.745, respectively (p > 0.05), while RTV was 49.684 +/- 12.250 and 42.506 +/- 10.515, respectively (p > 0.05). T/C, an indication of antitumor, was 85.55%. The weight of tumors of the mice in control and experimental group was 3.23 +/- 0.43 and 2.65 +/- 0.58, respectively (p < 0.05). The inhibition rate was 20.48%. The PCNA index in the lovastatin group was 32.35 +/- 6.43%, while in the control group was 91.24 +/- 6.59%. The PCNA index of lovastatin group was much lower (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Lovastatin inhibited the growth of gastric cancer cells.

The association of TGF beta1 and AT1R gene polymorphisms with hereditary susceptibility and clinical phenotype of HBV-induced liver cirrhosis / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the association of TGF beta1 and AT1R gene polymorphisms with hereditary susceptibility and clinical phenotype of HBV-induced liver cirrhosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Peripheral blood samples were collected from 102 patients with HBV-induced liver cirrhosis and 106 healthy blood donors. The polymorphisms of the promoter site -509C/T of TGF beta1 and 1166A/C of AT1R gene were determined by PCR-RFLP.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The frequency of the homozygote CC of -509C/T of TGF beta1 gene in the group of liver cirrhosis was higher than that the control group (P<0.05); and the frequency rate of homozygote CC was higher in group C than in group A and group B of liver cirrhosis (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in allele frequency among these group (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in genotypes and allele frequency of AT1R gene 1166A/C between the liver cirrhosis group and the control group (P>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The polymorphism of the promoter site -509C/T of TGF beta1 gene is associated with hereditary susceptibility to liver cirrhosis and severity of HBV-induced liver cirrhosis; the polymorphism of AT1R gene 1166A/C is not associated with hereditary susceptibility to HBV-induced liver cirrhosis.</p>

Interleukin 10 gene -627 polymorphisms in Chinese patients with early-onset coronary heart disease / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the relationship between interleukin 10 (IL10) gene -627 polymorphisms and serum IL10 level and early-onset coronary heart disease (CHD).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The genotype and allele frequency of IL10 gene -627 site was assayed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). DNA samples were obtained from 163 patients with CHD and 112 controls. Serum IL10 level was detected by ELISA.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>No significant difference was found in the distribution of IL10 genotype and allele frequency between the healthy controls and the patients with CHD; Chi-square values were 1.9324 and 1.5703 respectively, P > 0.05. Stratification analyses based on different sex still found no significant difference in the distribution of IL10 genotype and allele frequency between the healthy controls and the CHD patients; the Chi-square values in male groups were 1.2708 versus 0.8595, and in female groups were 0.8254 versus 0.7127, P > 0.05. Serum IL10 level showed significant differences among AA genotype, AC genotype and CC genotype, but no significant difference was noted between healthy controls and CHD patients.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>These results suggest that IL10 gene -627 polymorphisms are not associated with an increased risk of CHD, but it might assume a role in IL10 gene expression.</p>