Apoptotic Mechanism of Human Leukemia K562/A02 Cells Induced by Magnetic Ferroferric Oxide Nanoparticles Loaded with Wogonin.

BACKGROUND: Traditional Chinese medicine wogonin plays an important role in the treatment of leukemia. Recently, the application of drug-coated magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) to increase water solubility of the drug and to enhance its chemotherapeutic efficiency has attracted much attention. Drugs coated with MNPs are becoming a promising way for better leukemia treatment. This study aimed to assess the possible molecular mechanisms of wogonin-coated MNP-Fe3O4 (Wog-MNPs-Fe3O4) as an antileukemia agent. METHODS: After incubated for 48 h, the antiproliferative effects of MNPs, wogonin, or Wog-MNPs-Fe3O4on K562/A02 cells were determined by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. The apoptotic rates of K562/A02 cells treated with either wogonin or Wog-MNPs-Fe3O4were determined by flow cytometer (FCM) assay. The cell cycle arrest in K562/A02 cells was determined by FCM assay. The elementary molecular mechanisms of these phenomena were explored by Western blot and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: With cell viabilities ranging from 98.76% to 101.43%, MNP-Fe3O4was nontoxic to the cell line. Meanwhile, the wogonin and Wog-MNPs-Fe3O4had little effects on normal human embryonic lung fibroblast cells. The cell viabilities of the Wog-MNPs-Fe3O4group (28.64-68.36%) were significantly lower than those of the wogonin group (35.53-97.28%) in a dose-dependent manner in 48 h (P < 0.001). The apoptotic rate of K562/A02 cells was significantly improved in 50 µmol/L Wog-MNPs-Fe3O4group (34.28%) compared with that in 50 µmol/L wogonin group (23.46%; P< 0.001). Compared with those of the 25 and 50 µmol/L wogonin groups, the ratios of G0/G1-phase K562/A02 cells were significantly higher in the 25 and 50 µmol/L Wog-MNPs-Fe3O4groups (all P< 0.001). The mRNA and protein expression levels of the p21 and p27 in the K562/A02 cells were also significantly higher in the Wog-MNPs-Fe3O4group compared with those of the wogonin group (all P< 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that MNPs were the effective drug delivery vehicles to deliver wogonin to the leukemia cells. Through increasing cells arrested at G0/G1-phase and inducing apoptosis of K562/A02 cells, MNPs could enhance the therapeutic effects of wogonin on leukemia cells. These findings indicated that MNPs loaded with wogonin could provide a promising way for better leukemia treatment.

Polymorphisms of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase gene and clinical outcomes of gastric cancer patients treated with fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy in Chinese population.

BACKGROUND: Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD), a key enzyme involved in the catabolism of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), is the attractive candidate for pharmacogenetic research on efficacies and toxicities of 5-FU. The aim of this study is to explore the association between polymorphisms of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase gene (DPYD) and clinical outcomes of gastric cancer patients treated with fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy in the Chinese population. METHODS: Three hundred and sixty-two patients with gastric cancer in the Chinese population were treated with fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy. The single nucleotide polymorphic genotypes of DPYD were determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) using DNA samples isolated from peripheral blood collected before treatment. RESULTS: The average response rate for chemotherapy was 46.7%. A significantly different distribution of the rs1801159 (c2=8.76, P=0.012) genotypes was observed. Homozygous genotype rs1801159A/A was over-represented in responsive patients. Conversely, carriers of the rs1801159A/G genotype were prevalent in non-responsive patients. In the haplotype association analysis, there was significant difference in global haplotype distribution between the groups (c2=3.96, P=0.0465). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that polymorphisms of rs1801159 in DPYD may be used as valuable predictors of the response to fluorouracil-based chemotherapy for gastric cancer patients in the Chinese population. Well-designed, comprehensive, and prospective studies on determining these polymorphisms of DPYD as predictive markers for gastric cancer in response to fluorouracil-based therapies are warranted.

[Detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms of mthfr and dpyd genes in leukemia cell lines K562 and K562/A02].

This study was purposed to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of 2 pharmacokinetics-related genes in K562 and K562/A02 cell lines. Leukemia cell line K562 and its resistant line K562/A02 were cultured, the genomic DNA was isolated by QIAamp DNA Blood Mini kit, primers were designed, the related DNA fragments were amplified by PCR. The SNP genotyping of mthfr gene rs1801131, rs1801133 and rs2274976 and dpyd gene rs1801159, rs1801160 and rs17376848 was performed by means of matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry method (MALDI-TOFMS). The results showed that the genotype of mthfr gene locus 1801131 was AC, rs1801133 was CC, rs2274976 was GG, genotype of dpyd gene locus 1801159 was GG, rs1801160 was GG, rs17376848 was AA in both K562 and K562/A02 cell lines. It is concluded that the above-mentioned loci of mthfr and dpyd genes in K562 and K562/A02 cell lines are not expressed differently.