PVA enema ameliorates DSS-induced acute colitis in mice.

BACKGROUND: Ulcerative colitis (UC) represents a clinically challenging condition characterized by persistent damage to the colonic epithelial mucosa as the principal pathological feature. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution, primarily composed of glue, is a biodegradable polymer material that has found utility in the medical field. This research endeavors to investigate the therapeutic potential of PVA water solution in ameliorating UC in mice. METHODS: UC was induced in 48 C57BL/6 mice by administering 2.5% DSS in their diet for 6 days. Mice were treated with different concentrations of PVA (0.1 mg/ml PVA, 0.3 mg/ml PVA, 1 mg/ml PVA, 3 mg/ml PVA, 10 mg/ml PVA) enemas (n = 6). Disease Activity Index (DAI) and histologic score were evaluated for inflammation degree. Furthermore, mouse colon organoids were cultured, which were used to assess the effects of PVA on expansion in vitro. RESULTS: PVA aqueous solutions (1 mg/ml and 3 mg/ml) were able to alleviate the DAI in mice. By DAY 6, there was a significant 3/5-fold decrease in DAI within the 1 mg/ml PVA group (p = 0.02). Histopathology scores demonstrated improvements, while the levels of inflammatory factors in the intestinal mucosal tissue were reduced. Additionally, it was confirmed that PVA could promote the expansion of colonic organoids in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, our investigation has yielded findings indicating that PVA holds the potential to ameliorate symptoms associated with colitis in murine subjects afflicted by DSS-induced colitis, primarily through its facilitation of intestinal stem cell expansion. This study might provide a new candidate for the clinical treatment of ulcerative colitis.

Ascites-derived CDCP1+ extracellular vesicles subcluster as a novel biomarker and therapeutic target for ovarian cancer.

Introduction: Ovarian cancer (OVCA) is one of the most prevalent malignant tumors of the female reproductive system, and its diagnosis is typically accompanied by the production of ascites. Although liquid biopsy has been widely implemented recently, the diagnosis or prognosis of OVCA based on liquid biopsy remains the primary emphasis. Methods: In this study, using proximity barcoding assay, a technique for analyzing the surface proteins on single extracellular vesicles (EVs). For validation, serum and ascites samples from patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) were collected, and their levels of CDCP1 was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Tissue chips were prepared to analyze the relationship between different expression levels of CDCP1 and the prognosis of ovarian cancer patients. Results: We discovered that the CUB domain-containing protein 1+ (CDCP1+) EVs subcluster was higher in the ascites of OVCA patients compared to benign ascites. At the same time, the level of CDCP1 was considerably elevated in the ascites of OVCA patients. The overall survival and disease-free survival of the group with high CDCP1 expression in EOC were significantly lower than those of the group with low expression. In addition, the receiver operating characteristic curve demonstrates that EVs-derived CDCP1 was a biomarker of early response in OVCA ascites. Discussion: Our findings identified a CDCP1+ EVs subcluster in the ascites of OVCA patients as a possible biomarker for EOC prevention.