A Combination Therapy with Baicalein and Taxol Promotes Mitochondria-Mediated Cell Apoptosis: Involving in Akt/ß-Catenin Signaling Pathway.

Baicalein, a major flavonoid, possesses anticancer and anti-inflammatory activity. The aim of the study is to explore the efficiency of combination therapy with baicalein and taxol, as well as the molecular mechanism on antitumor activity. Human ovarian cancer cells were treated with different concentration of baicalein for 48 h, and cell viability was determined by MTT assay. Baicalein inhibited cell proliferation of ovarian cancer cells, and IC50 value of baicalein in A2780 cells, SKOV3 cells, and OVCAR cells was 46.23, 60.68, and 38.03 µM, respectively. The ovarian cancer cells were treated with 10 µM of baicalein combined with increasing concentration of taxol for 48 h, and the results demonstrated that combination therapy with baicalein and taxol had much higher antitumor effects compared with the monotherapy. The molecular mechanisms involving in combination therapy promoted the caspase-3 activity then leading to cleavage of poly-ADP-ribose polymerase, which increased the cell apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells. Moreover, Z-VAD-FMK treatment partially decreased the baicalein-induced proliferation inhibition in human ovarian cancer cells. Furthermore, baicalein induced apoptosis through activation of the activities of caspase-3,-9, and increased cytoplasmic cytochrome C release. Importantly, baicalein inhibited the growth of A2780 cells by inhibiting Akt/ß-catenin signaling pathway. In conclusion, our result revealed that baicalein combinated with taxol at low concentrations could exert synergistic antitumor effects in ovarian cancer cells through mitochondria-mediated cell apoptosis and Akt/ß-catenin signaling pathway. Baicalein has a promising potential to be developed as an antitumor compound, and combination therapy of baicalein and taxol exhibits an antitumor potential in clinical therapy for human ovarian cancers.

Analysis of the efficacy of three treatment options for cesarean scar pregnancy management.

AIM: To assess three different methods in treating patients with cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP). METHODS: We evaluated pre-, intra- and postoperative conditions of 124 CSP patients in one of the three treatment groups, of which 37 patients underwent uterine curettage by hysteroscopy under ultrasound monitoring (group 1), 28 patients were treated with methotrexate followed by hysteroscopy (group 2) and 59 cases underwent uterine arterial embolization followed by hysteroscopy (group 3). The treatment options were determined based on the patients' conditions. RESULTS: Among all three groups, group 3 (uterine arterial embolization followed by hysteroscopy) had the least intraoperative blood loss and the highest success rate with curettage, but the highest hospitalization cost. Group 1 (only hysteroscopy) had the shortest length of hospitalization and the lowest cost, but the highest intraoperative blood loss and slowest recovery. Group 2 (methotrexate followed by hysteroscopy) had the longest period of hospitalization, and other indexes had fallen in between the other two groups. CONCLUSION: Among the three methods, uterine arterial embolization followed by hysteroscopy is the safest and most efficient method without considering the cost of hospitalization. Patients with a low level of ß-hCG may consider choosing hysteroscopy under ultrasound monitoring or methotrexate followed by hysteroscopy. The advantage is low cost of hospitalization; however, patients may be under relatively higher surgical risks and lower first time surgical success rate, especially for patients treated by hysteroscopy under ultrasound monitoring.

[Hysteroscopic treatment of women with previous cesarean scar defect].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of hysteroscopic treatment of women with previous cesarean scar defect (PCSD). METHODS: From May 2006 to October 2008, 12 patients with PCSD were diagnosed and treated hysteroscopically in our hospital, all of them were successful followed-up for one year postoperatively, and their clinical data were analyzed. RESULTS: All 12 hysteroscopic procedures were completed successfully, and there were no surgical complications. Nine patients with longer periods and 1 patient with intermenstrual spotting preoperatively remained asymptomatic after hysteroscopic surgery, and 1 patient with longer periods and infertility experienced normal periods, while remained infertility, and the remaining 1 patient complaining postcoital bleeding preoperatively had recurrence of the bleeding. CONCLUSION: Hysteroscopic surgery of women with PCSD was minimally invasive and effective.

[Peritoneal fluid leptin concentration and endocrine hormone in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the infertile patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is related to dysregulation of peritoneal fluid and serum leptin concentration, and to investigate the relationship between the leptin and some endocrine hormones in PCOS. METHODS: Twenty subjects with PCOS and 20 control women were included in the study. Peritoneal fluid and serum concentration of leptin, insulin, insulin-antibody, testosterone (T), estrogen (E(2)), and progestogen (P) were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA). RESULTS: Peritoneal fluid concentrations of leptin, insulin, T and insulin-antibody in PCOS patients were significantly higher than those of the control group (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in peritoneal fluid E(2) and P between PCOS and the control group (P>0.05). The serum concentrations of leptin and T in PCOS were significantly higher than those of the control group (P<0.05), but the levels of insulin, E(2), P and insulin-antibody were not significantly different between the 2 groups (P>0.05). With the BMI> or =23 kg/m(2) subgroup in PCOS patients, the peritoneal fluid and serum concentrations of leptin, insulin and T were significantly higher than those of BMI 23 kg/m(2) subgroup (P<0.01). There was no significant difference in E(2)and insulin-antibody between the 2 subgroups (P>0.05). Pearson correlation analysis indicated that peritoneal fluid and serum leptin levels were positively correlated with BMI, insulin, T and insulin-antibody, but negatively correlated with E(2), with no significant correlation with P. Multiple stepwise regression analysis indicated that the factors that influenced the peritoneal fluid and serum leptin levels were BMI, insulin, T and E(2) ordinally. CONCLUSION: Peritoneal fluid and serum leptin concentration and insulin,T, Ins-antibody level are abnormal in PCOS patients. Leptin may play an important role in the pathogenesis of PCOS. BMI is the main factor to correlate with leptin.