FBXO8 is a novel prognostic biomarker in different molecular subtypes of breast cancer and suppresses breast cancer progression by targeting c-MYC.

F-box only protein 8 (FBXO8) is a recently identified member of the F-box proteins, showcasing its novelty in this protein family. Extensive research has established FBXO8's role as a tumor suppressor in various cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma, and colorectal cancer, Nevertheless, its functional, mechanistic, and prognostic roles in primary and metastatic breast cancer, particularly in different molecular subtypes of breast cancer, various stages, as well as its potential implications in immunotherapy, tumor microenvironment, and prognostic survival among breast cancer patients, remain unexplored. In this article, we employed a multi-dimensional investigation leveraging TCGA, TIMER, TISIDB, STRING, MEXPRESS, UALCAN, and cBioPortal databases to explore the underlying suppression mechanism of FBXO8 in breast cancer. FBXO8 negatively correlates with MYC, NOTCH, WNT and inflammatory signaling pathways in breast tumor microenvironment. Furthermore we conducted RT-PCR, western blot, cell proliferation, cell migration, and mRNA target gene RT-PCR analyses to elucidate the role of FBXO8 in breast cancer progression. Mechanistically, PTEN and FBXW7 expression were down-regulated and MYC, IL10, IL6, NOTCH1, WNT6 mRNA expressions were up-regulated in FBXO8 knockdown cell lines. c-MYC silenced cells showed an increase in FBXO8 protein level, which suggests a negative feedback loop between FBXO8 and c-MYC to control breast cancer metastasis. These findings illuminate the novel role of FBXO8 as a prognostic and therapeutic target across different molecular subtypes of breast cancer. Finally, through the utilization of virtual screening and Molecular Dynamics simulations, we successfully identified two FDA-approved medications, Ledipasvir and Paritaprevir, that demonstrated robust binding capabilities and interactions with FBXO8.

Molecular Simulation Study on the Interaction between Tyrosinase and Flavonoids from Sea Buckthorn.

Isorhamnetin, kaempferol, myricetin, and quercetin are four kinds of secondary metabolites in sea buckthorn, which have a wide range of biological activities. Investigating their interactions with tyrosinase at the atomic level can improve the bioavailability of sea buckthorn. Both molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation methods were employed to study the interactions of these ligands with tyrosinase. The results of molecular docking indicated that these four small molecules such as isorhamnetin, kaempferol, myricetin, and quercetin can all dock into the active center of tyrosinase, and by occupying the active site, they can prevent substrate binding, thereby reducing the catalytic activity of tyrosinase. Molecular dynamics simulation trajectory analysis showed that all tyrosinase-ligand complexes reach an equilibrium within 100 ns. In addition, quercetin has the lowest binding energy among these four ligands, and the complex with tyrosinase is the most stable. This study not only provides valuable information for improving the bioavailability of sea buckthorn but also contributes to the discovery of effective natural inhibitors of tyrosinase.

Coassemble dopamine and GHK tripeptide into fluorescent nanoparticles for pH sensing.

Fluorescent nanostructures have been widely applied to biomedical researches and clinical diagnosis such as biolabeling/imaging/sensing and have even acted as therapy reagents. Peptide-based fluorescent nanostructures attract recent interest from biomedical researchers. Inspired by the natural existence of GHK-Cu complex with a growth factor-like effect in human blood, here we have developed a novel approach for designing nanosensors through the co-assembling of two kinds of biomolecules. By making best use of both π-π stacking between carbon rings and the easy-oxidation property of an important transmitter molecule, dopamine (DA), we successfully built up a supersensitive and robust fluorescent pH nanosensor by co-assembling oxidized DA (DAox ) with a tripeptide GHK. The GHK-DAox nanostructures have a quantum yield of 20.82%, which might be the brightest one among all the current co-assembling structures merely through unmodified biomolecules. We envision this approach could open a new avenue for not only hybrid nanostructure construction, but also may inspire the bioengineering of in vivo luminescent probes.

Author Correction: In vitro biological screening of a critically endangered medicinal plant, Atropa acuminata Royle Ex Lindl of north western Himalaya.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Antimicrobial potentials of medicinal plant's extract and their derived silver nanoparticles: A focus on honey bee pathogen.

Infectious (or Communicable) diseases are not only the past but also the present problem in developing as well as developed countries. It is caused by various pathogenic microbes like fungi, bacteria, parasites and virus etc. The medicinal plants and nano-silver have been used against the pathogenic microbes. Herbal medicines are generally used for healthcare because they have low price and wealthy source of antimicrobial properties. Like medicinal plants, silver nanoparticles also have emergent applications in biomedical fields due to their immanent therapeutic performance. Here, we also explore the various plant parts such as bark, stem, leaf, fruit and seed against Gram negative and Gram-positive bacteria, using different solvents for extraction i.e. methanol, ethyl acetate, chloroform, acetone, n. hexane, butanol, petroleum ether and benzene. Since ancient to date most of the countries have been used herbal medicines, but in Asia, some medicinal plants are commonly used in rural and backward areas as a treatment for infectious diseases. In this review, we provide simple information about medicinal plants and Silver nanoparticles with their potentialities such as antiviral, bactericidal and fungicidal. Additionally, the present review to highlights the versatile applications of medicinal plants against honey bee pathogen such as fungi (Ascosphaera apis), mites (Varroa spp. and Tropilaelaps sp.), bacteria (Melissococcus plutonius Paenibacillus larvae), and microsporidia (Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae). In conclusion, promising nonchemical (plant extracts) are innocuous to adult bees. So, we strongly believed that this effort was made to evaluate the status of medicinal plants researches globally.

In vitro biological screening of a critically endangered medicinal plant, Atropa acuminata Royle Ex Lindl of north western Himalaya.

Atropa acuminata Royle Ex Lindl (Atropa acuminata) under tremendous threat of extinction in its natural habitat. However, the antimicrobial, antileishmanial and anticancer effects of the plant's extracts have not been reported yet. In the current study, an attempt has been made to evaluate the pharmacological potential of this plant's extracts against microbes, Leishmania and cancer. The roots, stems and leaves of Atropa acuminata were ground; then, seven different solvents were used alone and in different ratios to prepare crude extracts, which were screened for pharmacological effects. The aqueous, methanolic and ethanolic extracts of all parts carried a broad spectrum of anti-bacterial activities, while no significant activity was observed with combined solvents. Three types of cytotoxicity assays were performed, i.e., haemolytic, brine shrimp and protein kinase assays. The aqueous extract of all the parts showed significant haemolytic activity while n-hexane extracts of roots showed significant activity against brine shrimp. The acetone extracts strongly inhibited protein kinase while the methanolic extracts exhibited significant cytotoxic activity of roots and stem. The anti-leishmanial assays revealed that the methanolic extract of leaves and roots showed significant activity. These findings suggest that this plant could be a potential source of natural product based drugs.