Lipid Metabolic Regulatory Crosstalk Between Cancer Cells and Tumor-Associated Macrophages.

In the tumor microenvironment, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are one of the most abundant cell populations, playing key roles in tumorigenesis, chemoresistance, immune evasion, and metastasis. There is an important interaction between TAMs and cancer cells: on the one hand, tumors control the function of infiltrating macrophages, contributing to reprogramming of TAMs, and on the other hand, TAMs affect the growth of cancer cells. This review focuses on lipid metabolism changes in the complex relationship between cancer cells and TAMs. We discuss how lipid metabolism in cancer cells affects macrophage phenotypic and metabolic changes and, subsequently, how altered lipid metabolism of TAMs influences tumor progression. Identifying the metabolic changes that influence the complex interaction between tumor cells and TAMs is also an important step in exploring new therapeutic approaches that target metabolic reprogramming of immune cells to enhance their tumoricidal potential and bypass therapy resistance. Our work may provide new targets for antitumor therapies.

Effect of Qingbaikuijietang enema on colonic mucosa healing and serum inflammatory factors in pa-tients with ulcerative colitis and large intestine damp-heat syndrome / 新乡医学院学报

Objective To investigate the effect and the mechanism of Qingbaikuijietang enema on colonic mucosa heal-ing and serum inflammatory factors in patients with ulcerative colitis(UC)and large intestine damp-heat syndrome. Methods A total of 120 patients with mild and moderate UC were selected from January 2014 to December 2015 in the Second Affilia-ted Hospital of Shaanxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The patients were randomly divided into control group and observation group,with 60 cases in each group. The patients in the two groups were treated with mesalazine sustained release granules 1 g by oral,4 times a day for 4 weeks. Based on this,the patients in the observation group were given retention enema with Qingbaikuijietang,once a day for 4 weeks. The score of colonic mucosa healing under endoscopy were evaluated before and at 4 weeks after treatment. The levels of serum tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and interleukin-6(IL-6)were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay,and the level of C-reactive protein(CRP)was determined by scattering turbidimetry be-fore and after 4 weeks of treatment. The endoscopic colonic lesions of all patients were scored by Rachmilewitz scoring standard before and after treatment. The clinical effect was evaluated by the standard set by the Cooperative Group of Inflammatory Bow-el Disease in Digestive Diseases Branch of Chinese Medical Association after 2 and 4 weeks of treatment. Results There was no significant difference in the score of colon mucosa healing between the two groups before treatment(P > 0. 05). The score of colonic lesions in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group after 4 weeks of treatment(P <0. 05). A total of 53 cases(88. 33％)in the observation group and 43 cases(71. 67％)in the control group were endoscopi-cally remission,the remission rate in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group(χ2 = 5. 208, P < 0. 05). There was no significant difference in serum IL-6,TNF-α and CRP levels between the two groups before treatment (P > 0. 05). The levels of serum IL-6,TNF-α and CRP after 4 weeks of treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment in the two groups(P < 0. 05). The levels of serum IL-6,TNF-α and CRP in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group after 4 weeks of treatment(P < 0. 05). The total effective rate in the control group and the observation group was 40. 00％ and 88. 34％ respectively after 2 weeks of treatment,and it was 86. 67％ and 96. 67％ respec-tively after 4 weeks of treatment,the total effective rate in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group after 2 and 4 weeks of treatment(χ2 = 30. 480,3. 927;P < 0. 05). Conclusion Qingbaikuijietang enema combined with mesalazine sustained release granules can reduce the levels of serum inflammatory inflammatory factors,inhibit the inflammato-ry reaction,promote the healing of colonic mucosa and alleviate the clinical symptoms in patients with UC.

[Construction of lentiviral vector for mouse CXC chemokine receptor 4 gene and its expression in eukaryotic cells].

This study was aimed to clone the gene coding mouse CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), to construct the recombinant lentiviral vector carrying enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) and to explore its expression in eukaryotic cells (293FT cells). The full length CXCR4 gene was cloned by RT-PCR using bone marrow cells from C57BL/6 mouse as template and inserted into PCR-Blunt vector. CXCR4 fragment was generated by digestion with restriction endonuclease and subcloned into a lentiviral vector to generate recombinant lentiviral vector LV-IRES-EGFP-CXCR4, which was co-transfected into 293FT cells together with envelope plasmid and packaging plasmid by lipofectamine 2000. Viruses were gathered and concentrated using ultracentrifuge, and then transfected into 293FT cells. Expression of EGFP was detected by fluorescent microscopy and flow cytometry (FCM). And the expression of CXCR4 protein was detected by Western blot. The results demonstrated that mouse CXCR4 gene was cloned and the lentiviral vector was successfully constructed. The lentiviral particles were correctly packaged, and the virus titers were above 10(8) TU/ml in the supernatant after concentration. Expression of EGFP was detected by fluorescent microscopy in the transfected 293FT cells, and the transfection efficacy > 95% was determined by FCM. Expression of CXCR4 protein detected by FCM and Western blot was significantly higher than that in control group. It is concluded that the CXCR4 gene along with the gene coding EGFP is successfully inserted into a lentiviral vector to construct a recombinant lentiviral vector, which can be expressed in eukaryotic cells.

{µ-6,6'-Dimeth-oxy-2,2'-[ethane-1,2-diylbis(nitrilo-methyl-idyne)]diphenolato}-µ-nitrato-dinitratoterbium(III)zinc(II).

In the title heteronuclear Zn(II)-Tb(III) complex (systematic name: {6,6'-dimeth-oxy-2,2'-[ethane-1,2-diylbis(nitrilo-methyl-id-yne)]diphenolato-1κ(4)O(6),O(1),O(1'),O(6')}:2κ(4)O(1),N,N',O(1')-µ-nitrato-1:2κ(2)O:O'-dinitrato-1κ(4)O,O'-terbium(III)zinc(II)), [TbZn(C(18)H(18)N(2)O(4))(NO(3))(3)], with the hexa-dentate Schiff base compartmental ligand N,N'-bis-(3-methoxy-salicyl-idene)ethyl-enediamine (H(2)L), the Tb and Zn atoms are triply bridged by two phenolate O atoms of the Schiff base ligand and one nitrate ion. The five-coordinate Zn atom is in a square-pyramidal geometry with the donor centers of two imine N atoms, two phenolate O atoms and one of the bridging nitrate O atoms. The Tb(III) center has a ninefold coordination environment of O atoms, involving the phenolate O atoms, two meth-oxy O atoms, two O atoms from two nitrate ions and one from the bridging nitrate ion. Weak inter-molecular C-H⋯O inter-actions generate a two-dimensional layer structure.