Oridonin Induces Apoptosis of Laryngeal Carcinoma via Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress.

PURPOSE: Oridonin, a bioactive diterpenoid derived from Rabdosia rubescens, has been widely reported to exhibit anticancer activity in multiple types of cancer. However, the molecular mechanism of oridonin in human laryngeal carcinoma has not been clearly elucidated. This study investigated the function of oridonin in laryngeal carcinoma to provide a research basis for laryngeal carcinoma therapy. METHODS: The proliferation of laryngeal carcinoma Hep-2 and TU212 cells treated with oridonin was determined by MTT assay. The apoptotic induction effect of oridonin on Hep-2 and TU212 cells was analyzed by flow cytometry, Western blot analysis and caspase3 activity assay. In addition, the caspase inhibitor, Z-VAD-fmk, was synergistically treated with oridonin to detect the function of caspase cascade in oridonin-mediated apoptosis. Then, the expressions of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-related proteins (GRP78, phosphorylated-PERK, phosphorylated-eIF2α and CHOP) were measured in Hep-2 and TU212 cells by Western blotting. The cells were treated with 4-PBA (an ER stress inhibitor) or knockdown of CHOP to explore the role of ER stress in oridonin-mediated apoptosis in laryngeal carcinoma. Subsequently, a nude mouse xenograft model was constructed to confirm the function of oridonin in laryngeal carcinoma in vivo. RESULTS: Oridonin was found to significantly inhibit the proliferation of laryngeal carcinoma Hep-2 and TU212 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Then, we confirmed that oridonin could induce apoptosis in human laryngeal carcinoma cells. The caspase inhibitor, Z-VAD-fmk, could partially reverse the pro-apoptotic effect of oridonin on human laryngeal carcinoma cells. Subsequently, Western blotting analysis demonstrated that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-related proteins (GRP78, phosphorylated-PERK, phosphorylated-eIF2α and CHOP) were up-regulated in Hep-2 and TU212 cells exposed to oridonin. In addition, 4-PBA (an ER stress inhibitor) or knockdown of CHOP could antagonize oridonin-induced apoptosis. Oridonin significantly decreased the tumorigenicity of Hep-2 cells in a nude mouse xenograft model. CONCLUSION: Oridonin-induced apoptosis of human laryngeal carcinoma through the activation of ER stress.

Sodium selenite ameliorates dextran sulfate sodium-induced chronic colitis in mice by decreasing Th1, Th17, and γδT and increasing CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T-cell responses.

AIM: To assess the effect of sodium selenite on the severity of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in C57BL/6 mice. METHODS: Mice were randomly divided into four groups (n = 10/group): normal group, selenium (Se) group, chronic colitis group, and Se + chronic colitis group. The mice were sacrificed on day 26. Survival rates, clinical symptoms, colon length, and histological changes were determined. The percentages and absolute numbers of immune system cells in the lamina propria lymphocytes (LPL) of the colon, the expression of mRNA in colon tissue, and the concentrations of Th1, Th17, and Treg cytokines in LPL from the large intestine, were measured. RESULTS: Se significantly ameliorated the symptoms of colitis and histological injury (P < 0.05 each), increasing the proportions of neutrophils and CD4+ CD25+ T cells (P < 0.05 each) and decreasing the proportions of γδT cells, CD4+, CD4+CD44+, and CD4+ CD69+ T cells in LPL (P < 0.05 each). Moreover, Se reduced the expression of IL-6, IFN-γ, IL-17A, IL-21, T-bet, and RORγt (P < 0.05 each), but enhanced the expression of IL-10 and Foxp3 (P < 0.05 each). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that Se protects against DSS-induced chronic colitis perhaps by increasing the number of CD4(+)CD25(+) Tregs that suppress the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines and populations of Th1, Th17, and γδT cells.

Short-term Preoperative Octreotide for Thyrotropin-secreting Pituitary Adenoma / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Thyrotropin-secreting pituitary adenomas (TSHomas) are a rare cause of hyperthyroidism. Somatostatin (SST) analogs work by interacting with somatostatin receptors (SSTRs). This study aimed to evaluate short-term preoperative octreotide (OCT) use in TSHoma patients and to investigate SSTR2 and SSTR5 expression and observe structural changes in tumor tissue.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We reviewed records and samples from eight TSHoma patients treated between July 2012 and July 2015. We tested immunohistochemically for SSTR2/5 expression and examined TSHoma cells for morphological changes. Signed rank sum test was used to compare the efficacy of short-term preoperative OCT treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>OCT treatment (median time: 7.9 days, range: 3-16 days; median total dose: 1.8 mg, range: 0.9-4.2 mg) led to significant decrease in all patients' thyroid hormone levels (FT3 [nmol/L]: 8.33 [7.02, 12.29] to 4.67 [3.52, 5.37] [P = 0.008]; FT4 [pmol/L]: 25.36 [21.34, 28.99] to 16.66 [14.88, 21.49] [P = 0.016]; and TSH [μU/ml]: 5.80 [4.37, 6.78] to 0.57 [0.19, 1.24] [P = 0.008]). All the eight tumor specimens expressed high SSTR2 protein levels; 5/8 expressed high SSTR5, but 3/8 that expressed low SSTR5 presented a significantly higher TSH suppression rate (P = 0.036). Electron microscopy showed subcellular level impairments, including clumped nuclear chromatin and reduced cytoplasmic volume. Golgi complexes were observed in the OCT-treated TSHoma specimens.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>OCT can control hormone levels and damage the ultrastructure of tumor cells and organelles. Short-term response to OCT may be related to SSTR5 expression. Preoperative SST analog treatment for TSHoma could be considered as a combination therapy.</p>

Expression of girdersofactin filaments (Girdin) in pituitary adenomasand its role in promoting cell proliferation / 第二军医大学学报

Objective To investigate the expression of girders of actin filaments (Girdin) in pituitary adenomas, and its role in promoting cell proliferation and the related molecular mechanism. Methods Two prolactinoma, growth hormone adenoma and non-functioning pituitary adenoma tissues, and one normal pituitary gland tissue were collected. The protein expression of Girdin in the different tissues was detected by Western blotting, and then the expression of Girdin was further confirmed by immunofluorescence. Rat pituitary tumor cell lines GH3 cell model with Girdin knockdown and overexpression was established by RNA interference and overexpression of Girdin, respectively. The protein expression of Girdin and Akt and phosphorylation level of Akt in the GH3 cell models were detected by Western blotting. The function and biological behavior of Girdin in pituitary adenomas tissues were studied by cell proliferation assay and cell apoptosis assay. Results The expression of Girdin in the non-functioning pituitary adenomas was the highest, followed by growth hormone pituitary adenomas. The high expression of Girdin in the non-functioning pituitary adenomas was also verified by immunofluorescence assay. RNA interference and overexpression of Girdin effectively knocked down and increased the expression of Girdin, respectively, accompanied by the simultaneous changes of Akt phosphorylation. In addition, overexpression of Girdin promoted the proliferation of GH3 cells. Conclusion Girdin is highly expressed in non-functioning pituitary adenomas and can promote the proliferation of pituitary adenoma cell by regulating the Akt phosphorylation.

Serum and non-serum method-induced differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells into definitive endoderm / 第二军医大学学报

Objective: To compare the efficiencies of two methods (serum and non-serum) in inducing mouse embryonic stem cell differentiation into definitive endoderm cells. Methods: The serum and non-serum methods were used to induce differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells into definitive endoderm cells. Fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS) was used to analyze the inducing time and efficiency of definitive endoderm using their surface protein marks (Cxcr4, c-Kit and E-cadherin). Meanwhile, RT-PCR was used to analyze the gene profile of definitive endoderm induced by the two methods. Realtime PCR was used to analyze the gene expression in definitive endoderm during the induction course in the non-serum group. The Cxcr4 and c-Kit double positive definitive endoderm cells were sorted by flow cytometry and gene profile was characterized by RT-PCR. Results: Definitive endoderm cells were induced from mouse embryonic stem cells by both serum and non-serum methods. However, the efficiency of non-serum group (74. 19%) was higher than that in the serum group, and the induction outcome reached a climax at the 4th day of induction. Conclusion: We have established a highly efficient method to induce differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells into definitive endoderm, which lays a foundation for further differentiation into liver and pancreatic cells.

Establishment of an albumin and cytokeratin 19 genetically-modified embryonic stem cell line and evaluation of its hepatoblast differentiation capacities / 中华肝脏病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To establish a gene-modified embryonic stem (ES; E14.1-2) cell line with hepatoblast differentiation reporter genes, albumin (ALB) and cytokeratin 19 (CK19), labeled to facilitate study of their potential applicability as differentiated hepatoblasts.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Two expression vectors were constructed, one with the ALB promotor driving the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and anti-neomycin genes (pAlb-EGFP), and the other with the CK19 promotor driving the red fluorescence protein and anti-hygromycin genes (pCK19-hCD25-IRES-tdTOMATO). The linearized vectors were electroporated into the E14.1 line, and double reporter genes-modified ES cells (E14.1-2) were selected by neomycin and hygromycin. E14.1-2 hepatoblast differentiation was induced by exposure to growth factors (BMP4 and bFGF) and evidenced by embryoid body formation. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to confirm whether differentiated cells were hepatoblast-like and to quantify the differentiation efficiency.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The pAlb-EGFP and pCK19-hCD25-IRES-tdTOMATO vectors were shown to specifically activate ALB and CK19 expression. The E14.1-2 cell line with labeled ALB and CK19 was established, and shown to have pluripotency by RT-PCR detection of pluripotent markers' expression, namely Oct4 and SSEA-1. After 22 days of induction, 21.27% of the differentiated hepatoblasts were detected by FACS as positive for ALB and CK19 expression.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>A gene-modified ES cell line was generated with hepatocyte differentiation reporter genes ALB and CK19 labeled. The differentiation of the resultant E14.1-2 line was technically simple to qualify and quantify, and will likely aid future studies of hepatoblast characteristics.</p>