Identification of a pro-elongation effect of diallyl disulfide, a major organosulfur compound in garlic oil, on microglial process.

Microglia are the innate immune cells in the nervous system. In the resting state, they display a ramified morphology, while upon disease stimulation their processes would be retracted, along with pro-inflammatory cytokine overproduction. Reversing microglial process retraction may help reduce pro-inflammatory cytokine production and restore microglia's ability to scan surrounding environments, rendering brain function regulation to be more effective. We found that diallyl disulfide (DADS), a major organosulfur compound in garlic oil, administered at different doses and time points, promoted microglial process elongation in both cultured systems and prefrontal cortexes in mice in a reversible manner. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a classical activator of microglia, did not affect this pro-elongation effect of DADS at conditions in vitro and in vivo. Functional studies revealed that DADS pre-treatment attenuated LPS-induced decreases in levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) mRNA as well as LPS-induced increases in levels of IL-10 and CD206 mRNA in both cultured microglia and prefrontal cortexes in mice. Protein kinase B (Akt) inhibition attenuated the pro-elongation effect of DADS on microglial process and blocked the regulatory effects of DADS on LPS-induced inflammatory responses in both cultured microglia and prefrontal cortexes in mice. In an in vivo model of neuroinflammation, DADS pre-treatment prevented LPS-induced retraction of microglial process in the prefrontal cortex in mice and attenuated LPS-induced increase in immobility time in the tail suspension test and forced swim test. These results indicate that DADS induces an Akt-dependent elongation of microglia process, along with the induction of an anti-inflammatory phenotype.

Apoptosis-triggered decline in hippocampal microglia mediates adolescent intermittent alcohol exposure-induced depression-like behaviors in mice.

Depression-alcohol addiction comorbidity is a common clinical phenomenon. Alcohol exposure in adolescence has been shown to induce depression-like behaviors in rodents. However, the mechanism of action for this type of depression remains unclear. Previous studies have reported that several different types of stress, such as chronic unpredictable stress and early social isolation, trigger depression-like symptoms in mice by inducing hippocampal microglial decline, which is mediated by the initial activation of the microglial cells. Since alcohol also activates microglia, we evaluated the dynamic changes in hippocampal microglia in mice receiving adolescent intermittent alcohol exposure (AIE). Our results showed that 14 days of AIE, followed by 21 days period of no treatment, induced behavioral abnormalities as well as a significant loss and dystrophy of hippocampal microglia in mice. We found that this AIE-induced decline in hippocampal microglia was mediated by both microglial activation and apoptosis, as (i) 1 day of alcohol exposure induced a distinct activation of hippocampal microglia followed by their apoptosis, and (ii) blocking the initial activation of hippocampal microglia by pretreatment with minocycline suppressed the AIE-induced apoptosis and loss of hippocampal microglia as well as the AIE-induced depression-like symptoms. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a classical activator of microglia, ameliorated the AIE-induced depression-like symptoms by reversing the decline in the hippocampal microglia. These results reveal a possible mechanism for AIE-induced depression and demonstrate that the restoration of hippocampal microglial homeostasis may be a therapeutic strategy for depression induced by alcohol intake and withdrawal.

Evaluation of the antidepressive property of ß-hydroxybutyrate in mice.

ß-hydroxybutyrate, a ketone body metabolite, has been shown to suppress depression-like behavior in rodents. In this study, we examined its antidepressive property in acute and chronic administration modes in mice by using forced swim test and tail suspension test. Results showed that the decrease effect of ß-hydroxybutyrate (300 mg/kg) on immobility time in the tail suspension test and forced swim test in stress-naive mice began to be significant at day 11. In a dose-dependent experiment, ß-hydroxybutyrate treatment (11 days) showed significant antidepressant activities at the dose of 200 and 300 mg/kg. Unlike fluoxetine, ß-hydroxybutyrate treatment (300 mg/kg) showed no antidepressant activities in the acute (1 hour before the test) and three times administration mode within 24 hours (1, 5, and 24 hours before the test). But in a co-administration mode, ß-hydroxybutyrate (100 mg/kg) -fluoxetine (2.5 mg/kg) co-administration exhibited an obvious antidepressant activity in the tail suspension test and forced swim test. Further analysis showed that the antidepressant effects of ß-hydroxybutyrate and fluoxetine were not associated with the change in mouse locomotor activity. Furthermore, both chronic ß-hydroxybutyrate treatment and ß-hydroxybutyrate-fluoxetine co-treatment suppressed chronic unpredictable stress-induced increase in immobility time in the tail suspension test and forced swim test as well as chronic unpredictable stress-induced decrease in mouse body weight. Taken together, these results indicate that ß-hydroxybutyrate (1) needs a relatively long time to show comparable behavioral activity to that of fluoxetine in assays that are sensitive to the behavioral effects of established antidepressant compounds and (2) can augment the antidepressant action of a sub-therapeutic dose of fluoxetine.

Identification of a microglial activation-dependent antidepressant effect of amphotericin B liposome.

Chronic stress-induced decline in microglia in the hippocampus is a newly hypothesized mechanism of depression, and reversal of this decline by microglial activators has been shown to suppress depression-like behaviors in mice. This suggests that activation of immune cells in the hippocampus may be a potential strategy for depression therapy. Since amphotericin B, an anti-fungal medication, is known to activate macrophages and microglia, we investigated whether conventional amphotericin B or its liposomal form displays antidepressant activity. Our results showed that both amphotericin B and its liposomal form at various doses induced obvious depression-like behaviors in naïve mice, likely owing to increased serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-1ß levels. However, under stressed conditions, amphotericin B liposome, but not amphotericin B itself, reversed chronic unpredictable stress (CUS)-induced increase in immobility time in the tail suspension test and forced swim test as well as CUS-induced decrease in sucrose intake in the sucrose preference test and the time spent in the center region of the open field test in a dose-dependent manner. Immunofluorescence analysis showed that amphotericin B liposome reversed the CUS-induced decline in dentate gyrus (DG) microglia, and inhibition or ablation of microglia in the hippocampus by minocycline (40 mg/kg) or PLX3397 pre-treatment (290 mg/kg) abrogated the antidepressant effect of the amphotericin B liposome in CUS-treated mice. These results not only identify a novel pharmacological effect of amphotericin B liposome, but further support the notion that microglial activation in the hippocampus is a potential strategy for depression therapy.

Sulforaphane triggers a functional elongation of microglial process via the Akt signal.

Microglia are a kind of innate immune cells in the nervous system. The amoeboid morphology in microglia indicates a pro-inflammatory status, while their ramified morphologies are associated with anti-neuroinflammation. Recently, we and others have reported that drugs that trigger microglial process elongation may be beneficial for neuroinflammation inhibition. In this study, we found that sulforaphane (SFN), a compound extracted from broccoli sprouts, promotes primary cultured microglial process elongation in both normal and pro-inflammatory conditions in a reversible manner. This pro-elongation effect of SFN was also observed in the prefrontal cortex in vivo and accompanied with an attenuation of pro-inflammatory response as well as an enhancement of anti-inflammatory response in primary cultured microglia. Mechanistic studies revealed that the SFN treatment increased Akt phosphorylation levels in primary cultured microglia and Akt inhibition blocked the effect of SFN on microglial process elongation, suggesting that the regulation of microglial process by SFN is mediated by Akt activation. Functional studies showed that Akt inhibition reversed the effect of SFN on both pro- and anti-inflammatory responses in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated microglia. In an inflammation model in vivo, SFN pretreatment not only prevented LPS-induced retractions of microglial process in the prefrontal cortex, but improved LPS-induced behavioral abnormalities in mice, including the increase in immobility time in the tail suspension test and forced swim test as well as the decrease in sucrose preference. These results indicate that the SFN inhibits microglial activation and neuroinflammation-triggered behavioral abnormalities likely through triggering Akt-mediated microglial process elongation.

SMIP004: A compound with antidepressant-like activities in mouse models.

This study was designed to examine the potency of SMIP004, an inhibitor of S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (Skp2), to exert antidepressant-like properties in mouse models following acute or chronic administration to C57BL6/J mice. To this end, the tail suspension test (TST), forced swim test (FST), and sucrose preference test (SPT) were utilized and the antidepressant-like activity of SMIP004 at different concentrations or time points in mice with or without chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) treatment were evaluated. Results showed that in the time- and dose-dependent experiment the antidepressant-like activity of SMIP004 in naïve mice occurred at day 11 and at the dosage of 2 and 4 mg/kg. SMIP004 (2 mg/kg) also produces antidepressant-like activities in naïve mice after three times in a 24-h administration scheme (24, 5, and 1 h before the test) but not after acute treatment (1 h before the test). Combined SMIP004-fluoxetine administration was found to induce coordinated antidepressant-like effects in naïve mice in the TST and FST. These results seem to be specific because the mice in different experimental groups showed no increased locomotor activity in the open field test. Further, long-term SMIP004 treatment at the dosage of 2 but not 1 mg/kg reversed CUS-induced increase in immobility time in the TST and FST as well as CUS-induced decrease in sucrose preference in the SPT, suggesting that SMIP004 can produce antidepressant-like activities at stressed conditions. These results show that SMIP004 displays obvious antidepressant-like activities in all conducted tests, and suggest that SMIP004 might be a novel antidepressant.

Loss of LKB1 Expression Decreases the Survival and Promotes Laryngeal Cancer Metastasis.

Background: Given recent results indicating that diminished LKB1 expression in laryngeal cancer correlates with shorter survival. We aim to perform an analysis estimate the role of decreased liver kinase B1(LKB1) and in the prognostication of human laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). Methods: We conducted a retrospective study and evaluate the expression of LKB1 and p16INK4a (p16) in 208 clinical advanced-stage LSCC tissue samples by using immunohistochemistry. The specimens were received at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (Guangzhou, China). To evaluate the independent prognostic relevance of LKB1, univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were used, overall survival (OS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were compared using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that 80/208 (38.5%) of the LSCC tissue samples expressed high LKB1. Low LKB1 expression was associated with a significantly shorter OS and DMFS than high LKB1 expression (P = 0.041 and 0.028, respectively; log-rank test), and there was a poorer OS in the p16-positive than p16-negative group. In the subgroup stratified by p16 status, the shorter OS were also seen with low LKB1 expression. Multivariate survival analysis indicated that high LKB1 expression was an independent prognostic factor for OS (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.628, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.060-2.500, P = 0.026) and DMFS (HR: 2.182, 95% CI: 1.069-4.456, P = 0.032). Conclusions: Our data indicated that low expression of LKB1 was significantly associated with poor prognosis and it may represent a marker of tumor metastasis in patients with LSCC. When combined with p16, LKB1 was also of prognostic value.

DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit functions in metastasis and influences survival in advanced-stage laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) is known to function in several types of cancer. In this study, we investigated the expression and clinicopathologic significance of DNA-PKcs in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 208 patients with advanced-stage LSCC treated at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China. We assessed DNA-PKcs and p16INK4a (p16) status using immunohistochemistry. We examined the association between DNA-PKcs expression and clinicopathologic features and survival outcomes. To evaluate the independent prognostic relevance of DNA-PKcs, we used univariate and multivariate Cox regression models. We estimated overall survival (OS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that 163/208 (78.4%) of the LSCC tissue samples exhibited high DNA-PKcs expression. High DNA-PKcs expression was significantly associated with survival outcomes (P = 0.016) and distant metastasis (P = 0.02; chi-squared test). High DNA-PKcs expression was associated with a significantly shorter OS and DMFS than low DNA-PKcs expression (P = 0.029 and 0.033, respectively; log-rank test), and was associated with poor OS in the p16-positive subgroup (P = 0.047). Multivariate analysis identified DNA-PKcs as an independent prognostic indicator of OS and DMFS in all patients (P = 0.039 and 0.037, respectively). Conclusions: Our results suggest that patients with LSCC in whom DNA-PKcs expression is elevated have a higher incidence of distant metastasis and a poorer prognosis. DNA-PKcs may represent a marker of tumor progression in patients with p16-positive LSCC.

[The effect of zinc on inflammatory reaction in rats with focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion].

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate (DEDTC) on the changes of inflammatory cytokines after focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats and to explore the potential mechanism. Two hundred Sprague Dawley male rats were randomly divided into sham group, middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) group and DEDTC (Zn chelator) treated group. MCAO model was established by the suture method. Rats were sacrificed at 6, 12 and 24 h after reperfusion. 2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) was conducted to measure the brain infarct volume. Newport Green was adopted to detect the chelatable zinc in the cerebral penumbra. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was performed to determine the release of TNF-α and IL-6. Furthermore Western blot was used to analyze the expression of the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway. The results showed that DEDTC resulted in a significant reduction of brain infarct volume and an obvious improvement of neurological function compared to the model group. DEDTC also decreased the release of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-6. The activation of PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway induced by I/R injury was drastically inhibited by the treatment with DEDTC. In conclusion, DEDTC could protect the brain against ischemic injury induced by MCAO, which might be relevant to the inhibition of PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway, and the decreased release of inflammatory cytokines.

Benefits of iron supplementation for low birth weight infants: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: A number of studies have reported on the effects of iron supplementation in low birth weight infants; however, no systematic review of the available evidence has been conducted to date. Hence, we performed a systematic review of the literature to examine the effects of iron supplementation on hematologic iron status, growth, neurodevelopment, and adverse effects in low birth weight/premature infants. METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Library, Medline, and PubMed for articles reporting on the effects of iron supplementation in low weight infants. The following search terms were used: "preterm born infant(s)/children"; "preterm infants"; "prematurely born children" "weight less than 1500 g at birth"; "born prematurely"; "low birth weight infant(s)"; "infants born preterm"; "prematurity"; "small-for-gestational age"; "very small gestational age infants"; "iron supplementation"; "iron intake"; "iron supplements"; "ferric and/or ferrous compounds"; and "ferrous sulphate/fumarate/sulfate". RESULTS: A total of 15 studies were identified and included in the systematic review. Supplemental iron was given orally or as an iron-fortified formula in 14/15 studies. The duration of treatment ranged from 1 week to 18 months. Iron supplementation significantly increased hematologic measures of iron status (including hemoglobin, hematocrit, serum ferritin) relative to placebo or over time in most studies. All controlled studies that examined iron-deficiency anemia (IDA)/ID reported a decreased prevalence of IDA/ID with iron supplementation. Dose dependent decreases in the prevalence of IDA/ID were reported in several studies. Of the 5 studies reporting on growth, none found any significant effect on growth-related parameters (length, height, weight, and head circumference). Only 2 studies reported on neurodevelopment; no marked effects were reported. There were no consistently reported adverse effects, including oxidative stress, inhibited nutrient absorption, morbidity, or the requirement for blood transfusion. CONCLUSION: The available data suggest that iron supplementation increases the levels of hematologic indicators of iron status and reduces the prevalence of IDA/ID in low birth weight/premature infants. There is insufficient evidence to make a definitive statement regarding the effects of iron supplementation on growth, neurodevelopment, or the occurrence of adverse effects in low birth weight/premature infants.

[Efficacy of cetuximab combined with chemotherapy on advanced colorectal cancer: a report of 53 cases].

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Studies showed that cetuximab combined with chemotherapy was effective on advanced colorectal cancer (ACRC) in recent years, however, few reports based on large case cohort are available in China. This study was to analyze the efficacy of cetuximab combined with chemotherapy for 53 chinese patients with ACRC. METHODS: Clinical data of 53 patients with ACRC, treated with cetuximab combined with chemotherapy in Sun Yat-sen Cancer Center from March 2005 to April 2008, were analyzed for short-term efficacy and safety. The efficacy of the regimen used as first-line and non-first-line treatment was compared by Chi-square test; the effect of the regimen on prognosis was analyzed by multivariate Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: Of the 53 patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma, 40 were men and 13 were women, with a median age of 55 years. A total of 572 weeks (median, 8 weeks) of cetuximab treatment were completed. The overall response rate (RR) of the regimen was 39.6% and the disease control rate 66.0%. The disease control rates were similar when the regimen was used as first-line and non-first-line treatment (80.3% vs. 60.5%, P=0.177). For all 53 patients, clinical stage was an independent prognostic factor (P=0.002, OR>1). The most common Grade 3 to 4 adverse events included acne-like rash (7.5%), neutropenia (18.9%), and diarrhea (5.6%). No hypersensitive reaction or treatment-related death was observed. Only one patient discontinued treatment because of Grade 4 diarrhea and neutopenia. CONCLUSIONS: Cetuximab combined with chemotherapy can achieve relatively high disease control rate for ACRC patients, with less adverse events. Whether cetuximab has better effect in first-line treatment than in non-first-line treatment needs further study.

[Treatment of hepatic functional reserve injury after TACE in hepatocellular carcinoma with Chinese herbal medicines].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) has been proved to injure hepatic functional reserve. The current study was designed to evaluate the effect of Chinese herbal medicines in treatment of hepatic functional reserve injury after TACE. METHODS: Sixty-one advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients were divided into two groups: groups A (Western medicine combined with Chinese herbal medicine group, n = 30) and group B (Western medicine group, n = 31). Western medicines were used to protect hepatic function and alleviate TACE syndrome in both group A and group B. Invigorating the spleen and activating blood circulation Chinese herbal medicines were added only in group A before and after TACE. Retention rate of Indocyanine green at 15 minutes (ICGR15) was measured in both group A and group B before 1st, 2nd TACE and one month after 2nd TACE respectively. RESULTS: Hepatic functional reserve before 1st TACE was 11.18% +/- 7.30% in group A and 11.83 +/- 7.18% in group B, (P > 0.05). Hepatic functional reserve before 2nd TACE was 11.69% +/- 5.13% in group A and 16.64 +/- 10.15% in group B, (P < 0.05). Hepatic functional reserve one month after 2nd TACE was 11.53% +/- 5.30% in group A and 19.80 +/- 11.26% in group B, (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Invigorating the spleen and activating blood circulation Chinese herbal medicine can prevent hepatic functional reserve injury after TACE.