Cl-amidine attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation in human gingival fibroblasts via the JNK/MAPK, NF-κB, and Nrf2 signalling pathways.

Cl-amidine has been reported to have anti-inflammatory properties in a variety of diseases. However, the role of Cl-amidine in periodontal disease remains unclear. Here, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Cl-amidine on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs). The cytotoxic effect of Cl-amidine was measured with the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining. The protein levels of IL-6 and IL-8 in culture supernatants were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The mRNA levels of inflammatory cytokines, TLR4 and MyD88 were assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis. The expression patterns of IL-6, TNF-ɑ, and IL-1ß in HGFs were tested with western blot. The levels of NF-κB, MAPK, and Nrf2 pathway-related proteins were detected by western blot. Immunofluorescence (IF) staining was used to examine the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65. Moreover, a rat gingivitis model was established to further clarify the role of Cl-amidine. Our results showed that Cl-amidine suppressed LPS-induced gingival inflammation both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, Cl-amidine inhibited LPS-induced MyD88 expression, NF-κB activation, and JNK phosphorylation. Additionally, Cl-amidine upregulated Nrf2 and Ho-1 expression both with and without LPS stimulation but did not alter ROS levels or Keap1 expression. Overall, our data suggest that Cl-amidine acts as an inhibitor of LPS-induced gingival inflammation via the JNK/MAPK, NF-κB, and Nrf2 signalling pathways.

TIPE1-mediated autophagy suppression promotes nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell proliferation via the AMPK/mTOR signalling pathway.

Recent studies have shown that tumour necrosis factor-α-induced protein 8 like-1(TIPE1) plays distinct roles in different cancers. TIPE1 inhibits tumour proliferation and metastasis in a variety of tumours but acts as an oncogene in cervical cancer. The role of TIPE1 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains unknown. Interestingly, TIPE1 expression was remarkably increased in NPC tissue samples compared to adjacent normal nasopharyngeal epithelial tissue samples in our study. TIPE1 expression was positively correlated with that of the proliferation marker Ki67 and negatively correlated with patient lifespan. In vitro, TIPE1 inhibited autophagy and induced cell proliferation in TIPE1-overexpressing CNE-1 and CNE-2Z cells. In addition, knocking down TIPE1 expression promoted autophagy and decreased proliferation, whereas overexpressing TIPE1 increased the levels of pmTOR, pS6 and P62 and decreased the level of pAMPK and the LC3B. Furthermore, the decrease in autophagy was remarkably rescued in TIPE1-overexpressing CNE-1 and CNE-2Z cells treated with the AMPK activator AICAR. In addition, TIPE1 promoted tumour growth in BALB/c nude mice. Taken together, results indicate that TIPE1 promotes NPC progression by inhibiting autophagy and inducing cell proliferation via the AMPK/mTOR signalling pathway. Thus, TIPE1 could potentially be used as a valuable diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for NPC.

LncRNA SNHG3 promotes cell proliferation and invasion through the miR-384/hepatoma-derived growth factor axis in breast cancer.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been found to be abnormally expressed in cancer, and lncRNA small nucleolar RNA host genes (SNHGs) play critical roles in tumour progression. SNHG3 has been identified as an oncogene in multiple tumour types. However, the role of SNHG3 in breast cancer has not been reported. In this study, we found that SNHG3 was upregulated and associated with tumour malignancy in patients with breast cancer. SNHG3 knockdown inhibited the growth and metastatic capabilities of breast cancer cells in vitro and vivo. We used bioinformatics prediction and functional assay validation to determine that SNHG3 upregulation inhibited miR-384 activity and led to hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) overexpression in breast cancer cells. The findings of this study show that SNHG3 functions as an oncogene in breast cancer and promotes breast cancer cell proliferation and invasion by regulating the miR-384/HDGF axis. The present study might provide a new target for the treatment of breast cancer.