Inhibition of hepatocellular carcinoma growth via modulation of the miR-221/SOX11 axis by curcumin and berberine.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a fatal malignancy that has limited treatment options. This study focused on the potential therapeutic effects of curcumin (CUR) and berberine (BBR) on the miR-221/SRY-box transcription factor 11 (SOX11) axis in HCC. We investigated the combined effects of CUR and BBR on HEPG2 and Huh7 cell survival and miR-221 expression using Cell Counting Kit-8 assays and RT-qPCR, respectively. Western blotting was used to detect changes in the apoptosis-related caspase-3/9 protein levels. We performed bioinformatics analysis and dual-luciferase assays and measured apoptotic protein levels to assess the role of the miR-221/SOX11 axis in mediating the effects of CUR-BBR. Both CUR and BBR suppressed HCC cell growth in a dose-dependent manner, with the most potent combined effect observed at a 2:1 ratio. CUR-BBR treatment significantly downregulated miR-221 expression, and miR-221 overexpression partially reversed the CUR-BBR-mediated decrease in cell survival. In addition, SOX11 was found to be a direct target of miR-221. CUR-BBR treatment upregulated SOX11 expression, and overexpression of SOX11 restored the inhibitory effects of CUR-BBR on cell growth, migration, and invasion and promoted apoptosis in the presence of miR-221. Furthermore, CUR-BBR activated pro-apoptotic proteins caspase-3/9 through the miR-221/SOX11 axis. The combined effect of CUR-BBR played an important role in inhibiting the growth of HCC cells. This combined effect was achieved by regulating the miR-221/SOX11 axis and activating the synthesis of pro-apoptotic proteins. Our findings highlight a promising combined therapeutic approach for HCC and underscore the importance of targeting the miR-221/SOX11 axis.

[Coagulation characteristics of different Al species on humic acid removal from water].

Polyaluminum chloride PAC-Al13 with high Al13 content and PAC-Al30 with high Al30 content were prepared. Coagulation behaviors of PAC-Al30, PAC-Al13 and AlCl3 for humic acid removal from water were compared by jar-test. The floc growth, the charge neutralization capacity, the effect of pH and coagulant dosage on coagulation efficiency were investigated, and the residual aluminium in the purified water was considered. The results show that the order of the floc formation capacity is PAC-Al30 > PAC-Al13 > AlCl3. PAC-Al30 and PAC-Al13 have a broader effective pH range of 5.0-8.0, compared with AlCl3. The difference of charge neutralization capacity between PAC-Al30 and PAC-Al13 is not significant, but PAC-Al30 performs a more effective coagulation at low coagulant dosages because of its stronger adsorption and bridging, and PAC-Al30 has a broader effective dosage range of 0.08-0.64 mmol/L, compared with AlCl3 and PAC-Al13. The humic acid removal reaches 98.5% at a pH of 7.0 and a PAC-Al30 dosage of 0.16 mmol/L for the sample water with a humic acid content of 10 mg/L; and the residual aluminum in the purified water is 0.066 mg/L. The results verify that Al30 is another highly efficient coagulation/flocculation species for humic acid removal.