SOX family transcription factors as therapeutic targets in wound healing: A comprehensive review.

The SOX family plays a vital role in determining the fate of cells and has garnered attention in the fields of cancer research and regenerative medicine. It also shows promise in the study of wound healing, as it actively participates in the healing processes of various tissues such as skin, fractures, tendons, and the cornea. However, our understanding of the mechanisms behind the SOX family's involvement in wound healing is limited compared to its role in cancer. Gaining insight into its role, distribution, interaction with other factors, and modifications in traumatized tissues could provide valuable new knowledge about wound healing. Based on current research, SOX2, SOX7, and SOX9 are the most promising members of the SOX family for future interventions in wound healing. SOX2 and SOX9 promote the renewal of cells, while SOX7 enhances the microvascular environment. The SOX family holds significant potential for advancing wound healing research. This article provides a comprehensive review of the latest research advancements and therapeutic tools related to the SOX family in wound healing, as well as the potential benefits and challenges of targeting the SOX family for wound treatment.

Piezo1 in skin wound healing and related diseases: Mechanotransduction and therapeutic implications.

Skin wound healing is a multifaceted and intricate process involving inflammation, tissue proliferation, and scar formation, all of which are accompanied by the continuous application of mechanical forces. Mechanotransduction is the mechanism by which the skin receives and reacts to physical signals from the internal and external environment, converting them into intracellular biochemical signals. This intricate process relies on specialized proteins known as mechanotransducers, with Piezo1 being a critical mechanosensitive ion channel that plays a central role in this process. This article provides an overview of the structural characteristics of Piezo1 and summarizes its effects on corresponding cells or tissues at different stages of skin trauma, including how it regulates skin sensation and skin-related diseases. The aim is to reveal the potential diagnostic and therapeutic value of Piezo1 in skin trauma and skin-related diseases. Piezo1 has been reported to be a vital mediator of mechanosensation and transduction in various organs and tissues. Given its high expression in the skin, Piezo1, as a significant cell membrane ion channel, is essential in activating intracellular signaling cascades that trigger several cellular physiological functions, including cell migration and muscle contraction. These functions contribute to the regulation and improvement of wound healing.

Neuropeptide substance P: A promising regulator of wound healing in diabetic foot ulcers.

In the past, neuropeptide substance P (SP) was predominantly recognized as a neuroinflammatory factor, while its potent healing activity was overlooked. This paper aims to review the regulatory characteristics of neuropeptide SP in both normal and diabetic wound healing. SP actively in the regulation of wound healing-related cells directly and indirectly, exhibiting robust inflammatory properties, promoting cell proliferation and migration and restoring the activity and paracrine ability of skin cells under diabetic conditions. Furthermore, SP not only regulates healing-related cells but also orchestrates the immune environment, thereby presenting unique and promising application prospects in wound intervention. As new SP-based preparations are being explored, SP-related drugs are poised to become an effective therapeutic intervention for diabetic foot ulcers (DFU).

Old dog, new tricks: Polydatin as a multitarget agent for current diseases.

Polydatin (PD) is a natural single-crystal product that is primarily extracted from the traditional plant Polygonum cuspidatum Sieb. et Zucc. Early research showed that PD exhibited a variety of biological activities. PD has attracted increasing research interest since 2014, but no review comprehensively summarized the new findings. A great gap between its biological activities and drug development remains. It is necessary to summarize new findings on the pharmacological effects of PD on current diseases. We propose that PD will most likely be used in cardiac and cerebral ischaemia/reperfusion-related diseases and atherosclerosis in the future. The present work classified these new findings according to diseases and summarized the main effects of PD via specific mechanisms of action. In summary, we found that PD played a therapeutic role in a variety of diseases, primarily via five mechanisms: antioxidative effects, antiinflammatory effects, regulation of autophagy and apoptosis, maintenance of mitochondrial function, and lipid regulation.

Comparative Evidence for Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy Treatment With Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy: A Network Meta-Analysis.

Background: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) seriously threatens the health of pregnant women and newborns. A various number of Chinese prescriptions and patent medicines combined with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) are used for treating ICP in China. However, there are still many doubts in choosing the suitable therapeutic drugs for the treatment of ICP in clinical practice. Methods: Several electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Biology Medicine disc (CBM), Wanfang, and VIP, were comprehensively searched from the database inception to February 22, 2021. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting the use of UDCA only, Chinese prescriptions plus UDCA, and patent medicine plus UDCA for the treatment of ICP were collected according to their inclusion and exclusion criteria. Cochrane Reviewers' Handbook version 5.2 was applied for the risk assessment of the included trials. STATA 16.0 software was used for network meta-analysis (NMA). The pruritus score and the serum levels of total bile acid (TBA), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate transaminase (AST) in ICP patients served as the primary outcomes. Moreover, this study had been registered in PROSPERO (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/#joinuppage), and the registration number is CRD42020188831. Results: Thirty-eight RCTs comprising 3,841 patients meeting the inclusion criteria were included in the network meta-analysis. The NMA results showed that compared with UDCA used alone, Yinchenhao decoction (seven different Chinese prescriptions or patent medicines) plus UDCA dramatically alleviated the primary outcomes of ICP, including the pruritus score, as well as the serum levels of TBA, ALT, and AST. The NMA results showed that the optimal drug ratio for the treatment of ICP was different from the dosage ratio of traditional Yinchenhao decoction. Significantly, the intervention plan f (IP-f) group [the similar prescription of Yinchenhao decoction 2 (Artemisia capillaris Thunb >15 g, Gardenia >9 g, and Rhubarb <5 g) + UDCA] was the best therapeutics among the eight therapies. Conclusion: Overall, the combined use of Chinese prescriptions or patent medicine with UDCA was generally better than UDCA used alone. The dose of IP-f might be a beneficial therapeutic method for the clinical medication of ICP. Clinical Trail Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/, identifier CRD42020188831.

The integrated production of ultrathing-C3N4and membrane assisted by edible syrup for the sustained photocatalytic treatment of Cr(VI) and tetracycline.

The exfoliation of bulk raw graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) by edible glucose syrup to produce ultrathing-C3N4nanosheets in concentrations of up to 0.2 mg ml-1was achieved. Detailed characterization through TEM, AFM, FT-IR, XRD, Raman and TGA confirmed the formation of ultrathin structure and improved properties. Compared to rawg-C3N4, the prepared thing-C3N4layers exhibited a 18-fold enhancement in Cr(VI) reduction and a 3-fold enhancement in tetracycline hydrochloride degradation, which is ascribed to their larger specific surface area and more exposed active sites. The layeredg-C3N4membrane was constructed via direct vacuum filtration. The layer-stackedg-C3N4nanosheet membrane exhibited an excellent and sustained photocatalytic performance as the prepared thing-C3N4layers could maintain a layered lamella after stacking in filtration process. The recyclable synthesis of ultrathing-C3N4layers and layer-stackedg-C3N4membrane by our method provides a sustainable strategy to pollution treatment by 2D materials.

Oxymatrine induces apoptosis and inhibits invasion in Gallbladder carcinoma via PTEN/PI3K/AKT pathway.

Oxymatrine extracted from Sophora flavescens Ait as a natural polyphenolic phytochemical has been demonstrated to exhibit anti-tumor effects on various cancers, including Gallbladder carcinoma (GBC). However, its underlying mechanisms of function are largely unknown in GBC cells. The present study is conducted to investigate the anti-tumor effects and the underlying mechanisms of oxymatrine on GBC cells in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that oxymatrine inhibited cell viability, metastatic ability and induced cell apoptosis in dose-dependent manners. Furthermore, we found that the expression of p-AKT, MMP-2, MMP-9 and the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax were significantly down-regulated, while the expression of PTEN was up-regulated in GBC cells. In addition, pretreatment with a specific PI3K/AKT activator (IGF-1) significantly antagonized the oxymatrine-mediated inhibition of GBC-SD cells. Subsequently, our in vivo studies showed that administration of oxymatrine induced a significant dose-dependent decrease in tumor growth. In conclusion, these findings indicated that the inhibition of cells proliferation, migration, invasion and the induction of apoptosis in response to oxymatrine in GBC cells, may function through the suppression of PTEN/PI3K/AKT pathway, which was considered as the vital signaling pathway in regulating tumorigenesis. These results suggested that oxymatrine might be a novel effective candidate as chemotherapeutic agent against GBC.

Downregulation of MACC1 inhibits the viability, invasion and migration and induces apoptosis in esophageal carcinoma cells through the phosphatase and tensin homolog/phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway.

As an oncogene, MACC1 serves an important function in cancer progression and metastasis. However, the effect of MACC1 in esophageal carcinoma (EC) remains to be fully understood. The present study assessed the association between MACC1 expression and the progression of EC cells. A small interfering (si)RNA was delivered into EC cells to downregulate MACC1 expression. The MTT assay demonstrated that EC cell viability was reduced by siRNA-MACC1. Decreasing MACC1 expression increased the apoptotic rate of EC cells compared with control cells. Transwell and Matrigel assays demonstrated that EC cell migration and invasion, respectively, were downregulated by siRNA-MACC1. Furthermore, knocking down MACC1 suppressed the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway by upregulating the expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), a tumor suppressor. The results of the present study revealed that MACC1 expression affected cellular functions of the EC cells through the PTEN/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Therefore, MACC1 may potentially serve as a novel biomarker and therapeutic target for EC.

[Diagnostic values of salivary versus and plasma microRNA-21 for early esophageal cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic value of salivary and plasma miR-21 in patients with esophageal cancer (EC). METHODS: Total RNA was extracted from saliva and plasma samples from 50 stage I and 50 stage II patients with EC and 50 healthy controls for measurement of miR-21 levels using qPCR. The diagnostic values of salivary and plasma miR-21 levels were assessed for stage I, stage II, and stage I+II EC. RESULTS: Salivary and plasma miR-21 were significantly higher in the EC patients than in the control group. The diagnostic sensitivities of plasma miR-21 for stage I, stage II, and stage I+II EC were 96%, 64% and 97%, with specificities of 44%, 84%, and 56%, respectively; the sensitivities of salivary miR-21 were 90%, 88%, and 89%, respectively, with the same specificities of 64%. Regardless of EC staging, the expression of plasma miR-21 showed a significant positive correlation with that of salivary miR-21, and their diagnostic values were comparable. CONCLUSION: Both salivary and plasmatic miR-21 can be sensitive biomarkers for EC, and salivary miR-21 detection has the potential to replace plasma detection for EC diagnosis.