Resveratrol inhibits proliferation, invasion and cell cycle of hepatobiliary carcinoma SMMC-7721 cells by downregulating the expression of PRMT5 / 中国肿瘤生物治疗杂志

@#[摘 要] 目的：探究白藜芦醇（Res）通过调控PRMT5表达对肝胆管癌SMMC-7721细胞增殖、侵袭、细胞周期的影响及其机制。方法：常规培养正常肝细胞LO2和SMMC-7721细胞，用0、20、40、80 μmol/L的Res进行处理，用qPCR法、MTT法、Transwell实验、流式细胞术和WB法分别检测Res处理后PRMT5 mRNA在LO2和SMMC-7721细胞中的表达，Res对SMMC-7721细胞增殖能力、侵袭能力、细胞周期和凋亡，以及PRMT5、cyclin D1和cyclin E1蛋白表达的影响。结果：PRMT5在SMMC-7721细胞中呈高表达（P<0.01）；20、40、80 μmol/L Res均能明显抑制PRMT5 mRNA和蛋白在SMMC-7721细胞中的表达（均P<0.01），抑制SMMC-7721细胞的增殖能力（P<0.01）和侵袭能力（P<0.05），阻滞SMMC-7721细胞周期于G0/G1期并促进其凋亡（P<0.01），明显抑制SMMC-7721细胞中周期蛋白cyclin D1、cyclin E1蛋白的表达（P<0.01）。结论：PRMT5在SMMC7721细胞中呈高表达，Res可有效抑制SMMC-7721细胞的增殖和侵袭能力并诱导其凋亡，其机制可能与抑制PRMT5表达相关。

Proliferation inhibition and apoptosis of liver cancer cells treated by blue light irradiation.

Blue light (BL) irradiation has been a potentially efficient treatment for many kinds of tumors. In this study, a BL irradiation (centered at 453 nm in wavelength) was proposed to treat the common human liver cancer cell lines of SMMC-7721 and HepG2, examined by means of flow cytometry, western blot, fluorescence microscope assay. In comparison to control groups, the apoptosis and proliferation inhibition of both BL-treated cells are expressively enhanced by mitochondrial apoptosis. The mechanism of apoptosis is related to the more production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by BL and the corresponding changes in the expression of apoptosis-related Bcl-2, Bax and Bad proteins. In addition, the migration rate of the cancer cells could be reduced after BL irradiation. These results demonstrate that introducing BL irradiation is helpful to establish an effective and low toxicity strategy for the clinical treatment of liver tumors.

[Eriocitrin suppresses proliferation and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma SMMC-7721 cells by promoting ROS production and activating the MAPK pathway].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of the ROS/MAPK signaling axis in mediating the inhibitory effect of eriocitrin on proliferation and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma SMMC-7721 cells. METHODS: SMMC-7721 cells were treated with different concentrations of eriocitrin for 24 h, and the changes in cell viability were detected with CCK-8 assay. The migration and invasion abilities of the treated cells were evaluated using Transwell and scratch healing assays, the cell proliferation was assessed with colony-forming assay, and changes in nuclear morphology were observed with DAPI staining. Western blotting was performed to examine the changes in the expressions of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, MMP-2, MMP-9, PARP, Pro-caspase 3, pJNK, p-P38, and p-ERK. The effect of eriocitrin on PARP cleavage in SMMC-7721 cells pretreated with ERK, JNK and P38 inhibitors (U0126, SB203580 and SP600125, respectively) was detected using Western blotting. The effect of treatment with Nacetyl-cysteine (NAC, 30 µmol/L) and eriocitrin (100, 200, and 300 µg/mL), alone or in combination, on reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in the cells was examined using a DCFH-DA fluorescent probe. RESULTS: Eriocitrin below 50 µg/mL did not produce significant effect on the viability of SMMC-7721 cells (P>0.05). Treatment with eriocitrin significantly inhibited scratch healing, migration, and colony formation of the cells (P < 0.01), reduced the protein expressions of N-cadherin, MMP-2, and MMP-9 (P < 0.01), and up-regulated E-cadherin protein expression (P < 0.05). Eriocitrin-treated SMMC-7721 cells showed obvious apoptotic morphologies with decreased Procaspase 3 expression and increased PARP cleavage (P < 0.01) and phosphorylation levels of JNK, P38, and ERK (P < 0.01); Eriocitrin-induced PAPR cleavage was obviously enhanced by U0126 and SB203580 but attenuated by SP600125. Treatment with 300 µg/mL eriocitrin for 30 min significantly increased ROS level in the cells, and this effect was obviously suppressed by NAC. CONCLUSION: Eriocitrin can suppress the proliferation and migration and promote apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma SMMC-7721 cells by promoting ROS production and activating the MAPKs signaling pathway.

Possible Mechanism of Dysphania ambrosioides (L.) Mosyakin & Clemants Seed Extract Suppresses the Migration and Invasion of Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells SMMC-7721.

Mexican tea (Dysphania ambrosioides (L.) Mosyakin & Clemants) is rich in phenolic acids and flavonoids and could be a potential medicinal herb that can be used for prevention of human hepatocellular carcinoma. The objective of this study was to elaborate the possible mechanism for the prevention or treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma using Mexican tea, and to provide new avenues for the utilization of the invasive plant. In this study, the D. ambrosioides seed extracts (CSE) were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and the effects of CSE on proliferation, migration, invasion, and gene expression of SMMC-7721 cells were investigated. Eight compounds were identified in CSE, and the compound with the highest content was ascaridole (25.82 %). The proliferation was significantly inhibited by CSE (p<0.05), and IC50 values were 0.587 g/L, 0.360 g/L, and 0.361 g/L at 24 h, 36 h, and 48 h, respectively. Migration and invasion were significantly inhibited (p<0.05). The network pharmacology and transcriptome analysis indicated that 2-hydroxy-2,6,6-trimethylbicyclo[3.1.1]heptan-3-one, cis-11-eicosenoic acid and 2-ethylcyclohexanone might be the active compounds. Transcriptome analysis indicated that the Wnt signaling pathway, which is related to migration and invasion, was significantly altered; this was verified by western blot assay. The expression of wnt11, lef1 and mmp7 genes in SMMC-7721 cells was significantly down-regulated (p<0.05), while gsk-3ß was significantly up-regulated (p<0.05). These results indicate that CSE inhibits the invasion and migration of SMMC-7721 cells in hepatocellular carcinoma through the Wnt signaling pathway.

Human health risk assessment of cinnamate UV absorbers: In vitro and in silico investigations.

Organic UV absorbers (UVAs) are contaminants of emerging concern. Environmental persistence and potential toxicological enrichment studies of UVAs have attracted international concern. It is important to study the toxicity mechanism of UVAs. This study is the first to report the toxicological mechanism of two cinnamate UV absorbers (CUVAs), 2-ethyl 4-methoxycinnamate (OMC) and isoamyl 4-methoxycinnamate (IMC) based on cellular models and molecular models. Cellular models demonstrated that the CUVAs-induced apoptosis might be associated with cellular mitochondrial damage pathways. The results of molecular models showed that OMC and IMC could affect the binding between major proteins and enzymes in the mitochondrial damage pathway and contaminants, ultimately leading to apoptosis. The cellular-molecular models showed that IMC and OMC have dose-effect relationships on cytotoxicity. The composite model is more informative than a single model. This study further indicate that UVAs causes toxicology effects that have implications for the environment and human health.

The Chemical Profiling and Anticancer Potential of Functional Polysaccharides from Flos Sophorae Immaturus.

Polysaccharides from Flos Sophorae Immaturus (FSI) are one of its pharmacological compounds that can perform effective activities. Aiming to extract the most effective polysaccharides against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the polysaccharides were separated from FSI through ultrasonic microwave extraction, and the first comparison was carried out on the characterization of the structure and its cytotoxic properties on HCC SMMC 7721 cells of undeproteinized purified polysaccharides (PFSI-1) and papain-deproteinized polysaccharides (PFSI-2) from FSI. The findings indicated that PFSI-1 and PFSI-2 had characteristic absorption peaks of polysaccharides; PFSI-1 contained three monosaccharides and PFSI-2 contained ten; and SEM, AFM, and NMR were consistent with the verification of IR polysaccharide characteristics, suggesting probable additional latent activities. The pharmacotoxic effects of both PFSI-1 and PFSI-2 on SMMC 7721 cells (p < 0.05), attenuated the migration ability of SMMC 7721 cells (p < 0.05) and promoted apoptosis (p < 0.05), with an increase in G0/G1-phase cells and decrease in S-phase cells in the PFSI-1 as well as a decrease in G0/G1-phase cells, increase in S-phase cells, and decrease in apoptosis in the PFSI-2 (p < 0.05). The significant cytotoxic effect of PFSI-2 on SMMC 7721 cells (p < 0.05) and its protective effect on human hepatic L02 cells (HL-7702) at low concentrations (p > 0.05) could indicate its potential as a new drug for the treatment of HCC.

Mitochondrial dysfunction is involved in the cellular activity inhibition by eleutheroside B in SMMC-7721 and HeLa cells.

Eleutheroside B, also known as syringin, has been shown to have various pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory, anti-irradiation and antidepressant, but there are few studies on its anti-cancer activity. Its anti-tumor effect on SMMC-7721 cells has not been revealed. Moreover, whether it induces autophagy is still unclear. Thus, the present study investigated whether Eleutheroside B induces apoptosis, autophagy and cellular motility in SMMC-7721 cells and HeLa cells, and explored the underlying molecular mechanisms. SMMC-7721 cells and HeLa cells treated with Eleutheroside B and cell viability measured by MTT assay and trypan blue dye exclusion assay. Apoptosis checked by flow cytometry combined, fluorescent staining. Apoptotic signal proteins and autophagy proteins were checked by Western blot. This study showed that Eleutheroside B inhibited the cell proliferation and blocked cell cycle, migration and invasion as well. Moreover, Eleutheroside B induced apoptosis in SMMC-7721 cells and HeLa cells. It upregulated Bax expression, while simultaneously decreasing Bcl-2 expression. Further elucidation of the mechanism revealed that Eleutheroside B induced mitochondrial dysfunction, with mitochondrial membrane potential collapse and cytochrome c release, suggesting that Eleutheroside B induced apoptosis by triggering mitochondrial pathway. Most importantly, Eleutheroside B could induce autophagy in SMMC-7721 cells and HeLa cells. Taken together, these results suggested Eleutheroside B is a potential therapeutic candidate for HCC and Human cervical cancer.

Folate-functionalized SMMC-7721 liver cancer cell membrane-cloaked paclitaxel nanocrystals for targeted chemotherapy of hepatoma.

In this study, we prepared a folic acid-functionalized SMMC-7721 liver cancer cell membrane (CM)-encapsulated paclitaxel nanocrystals system (FCPN) for hepatoma treatment. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterization showed that FCPN was irregular spherical shapes with a particle size larger than 200 nm and a coated thickness of approximately 20 nm. In an in vitro release experiment, FCPN indicated a slowly release effect of paclitaxel (PTX). Cell experiments demonstrated that FCPN was taken up by SMMC-7721 cells and significantly inhibited the proliferation of SMMC-7721 cells, which illustrated that FCPN had good targeting ability compared with PN and CPN. According to the results of in vivo animal experiments, FCPN significantly inhibited tumor growth. Tissue distribution experiments proved that FCPN could accumulate significantly in tumor tissues, which further explained why FCPN had good targeting ability. These results clearly suggested that folate-functionalized homotypic CM bionic nanosystems might represent a very valuable method for liver cancer treatment in the future.

Phycocyanin Protects against High Glucose High Fat Diet Induced Diabetes in Mice and Participates in AKT and AMPK Signaling.

Phycocyanin is a type of marine natural product and functional food additive. Studies have demonstrated that phycocyanin has potential regulatory effects on glycometabolism, while its function and mechanism, especially in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), is still unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the antidiabetic roles and underlying mechanism of phycocyanin in a high glucose high fat diet induced model of T2MD in C57BL/6N mice and a high-insulin-induced insulin-resistant model of SMMC-7721 cells. The results indicated that phycocyanin reduced high glucose high fat diet induced hyperglycemia as well as ameliorated glucose tolerance and histological changes in the liver and pancreas. Meanwhile, phycocyanin also significantly decreased the diabetes-induced abnormal serum biomarker variations, including triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), aspartate transaminase (AST), and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (ALT), and increased the superoxide dismutase (SOD) content. Furthermore, the antidiabetic function of phycocyanin was exerted through activating the AKT and AMPK signaling pathway in the mouse liver, which was also verified in the insulin-resistant SMMC-7721 cells due to increased glucose uptake and activated AKT and AMPKα expression. Thus, the present study is the first to indicate that phycocyanin mediates antidiabetic function via activating the AKT and AMPK pathway in high glucose high fat diet induced T2DM mice and insulin-resistant SMMC-7721 cells, which lays a scientific theoretical basis for the potential treatment of diabetes and the utilization of marine natural products.

[The effects of shikonin on liver cancer cells SMMC-7721 apoptosis and its mechanism].

Objective: To investigate the effects and molecular mechanisms of shikonin on liver cancer SMMC-772 cells. Methods: SMMC-7721 cells were treated with shikonin at the concentrations of 0, 5, 20, 80 and 320 ng/ml for 0, 24, 48 and 72 h respectively. The proliferative activity of the cells was detected by CCK8 assay. The nuclear type changes of cells was observed after hoechst 33342 staining. Flow cytometry was used to analyze cell apoptosis and death rate. The expressions of proteins in cells were determined by Western blot, and the tumor inhibitive effects were observed through anti-tumor experiment on the BALB/c mice. Results: In vitro experiments, shikonin could inhibit the proliferation of SMMC-7721 cells and induce their apoptosis(P＜0.01), up-regulate the expression of p53 gene, down-regulate the phosphorylation levels of AKT and PI3K protein. In vivo study also confirmed that shikonin could significantly inhibit the growth of tumor in tumor-bearing mice(P＜0.01)in dose-dependent and time-dependent manners. Conclusion: Shikonin can inhibit the proliferation activitity and induce apoptosis of SMMC-7721 cells by affecting the PI3K/AKT signal pathway and has potential anti-liver cancer functions.

Effect of fenofibrate on proliferation of SMMC-7721 cells via regulating cell cycle.

Liver cancer is a malignant cancer with great harmfulness. Fenofibrate is a peroxisome proliferation activated receptor (PPARα) agonist widely used in the treatment of dyslipidemia. Previous studies have shown that fenofibrate may promote cell proliferation, but the underlying mechanism has not been fully characterized. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of PPARα agonist fenofibrate in cell proliferation of SMMC-7721 cells compared with that of THLE-2 cells. SMMC-7721 and THLE-2 cells were treated with different concentrations of fenofibrate. Cell proliferation was analyzed by MTT, using flow cytometry for cell cycle analysis, and CyclinD1, Cyclin-dependent kinases2 (CDK2) and Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA) were analyzed by Western blotting. RT-qPCR method was used to assess CDK2, CyclinD1 and PCNA mRNA levels. The results showed that 10-9-10-4 mol/L fenofibrate could induce cell growth and 10-4, 10-5, 10-6 mol/L fenofibrate could reduce the number of G0/G1 phase cells and increased in the number of cells in S and G2/M phase of cell cycle in SMMC-7721 cells. Furthermore, fenofibrate could significantly increase the expression of cell cycle related protein (CyclinD1, CDK2)and cell proliferation related proteins (PCNA). The use of PPARα inhibitor MT886 inhibited cell cycle progression and promote tumor cell apoptosis. But fenofibrate had no obvious effect on THLE-2 cells. These results revealed the effect of fenofibrate on the cell cycle of liver cancer cells, and provided a reasonable explanation for studying how fenofibrate promotes cell proliferation.

Chemerin reverses the malignant phenotype and induces differentiation of human hepatoma SMMC7721 cells.

Chemerin exhibits an inhibitory effect on hepatocellular carcinoma; however, the underlying mechanism is unclear. Here, low chemerin expression was confirmed in samples of liver cancer patients and hepatoma cells. Chemerin altered hepatoma cell morphology but had no effect on normal hepatocytes. Chemerin inhibited proliferation of several human hepatoma cell lines. Real-time PCR detection of hepatocellular carcinoma markers showed that mRNA levels of albumin and A-type gamma-glutamyl transferase increased whereas those of alpha-fetoprotein, alkaline phosphatase, B-type gamma-glutamyl transferase, insulin-like growth factor II, and human telomerase reverse transcriptase decreased in chemerin-treated SMMC7721 cells. Western blotting revealed that chemerin up-regulated albumin and vimentin expressions, and downregulated alpha-fetoprotein expression. Phosphorylated STAT3 was significantly up-regulated, whereas phosphorylated ERK and AKT were significantly downregulated by chemerin. Chemerin decreased phosphorylated ERK and AKT expression and the cell proliferation induced by PI3K activator 740 Y-P but could not significantly alter phosphorylated STAT3 expression and the cell growth induced by STAT3 inhibitor NSC74859. In conclusion, chemerin reversed the malignant phenotype and induced SMMC7721 cell differentiation by inhibiting MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKT signaling; growth inhibition by chemerin is not directly related to the JAK/STAT signaling pathway. Our study provides novel evidence that chemerin could be utilized for liver cancer treatment.

Novel penta-1,4-diene-3-one derivatives containing quinazoline and oxime ether fragments: Design, synthesis and bioactivity.

A series of novel penta-1,4-diene-3-one derivatives containing quinazoline and oxime ether moieties were designed and synthesized. Their anticancer activities were evaluated by MTT assay, the results showed that most compounds exhibited extremely inhibitory effects against hepatoma SMMC-7721 cells. In particular, compounds Q2 and Q8 displayed the more potent inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 0.64 and 0.63 µM, which were better than that of gemcitabine (1.40 µM). Further mechanism studies indicated that compounds Q2, Q8, Q13 and Q19 could control the migration of SMMC-7721 cells effectively, and inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells by inhibiting the DNA replication. Western-blot results showed that compounds Q2 and Q8 induced irreversible apoptosis of SMMC-7721 cells by regulating the expression level of apoptose-related proteins. Those studies demonstrated that the penta-1,4-diene-3-one derivatives containing quinazoline and oxime ether fragments merited further research as potential anticancer agents.

Synergistic Antitumor Effect of 5-Fluorouracil Combined with Constituents from Pleurospermum lindleyanum in Hepatocellular Carcinoma SMMC-7721 Cells.

BACKGROUND: A Chinese folk medicine plant Pleurospermum lindleyanum possesses pharmacological activities of heat-clearing, detoxifying and preventing from hepatopathy, coronary heart disease, hypertension, and high altitude sickness. We isolated and characterized its constituents to investigate its synergistic effects against human hepatoma SMMC-7721 cells. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the synergistic anti-cancer activities of isolates from P. lindleyanum with 5-FU on hepatoma SMMC-7721 cells in vitro and their primary mechanisms. METHODS: Sequential chromatographic techniques were conducted for the isolation studies. The isolate's structures were established by spectroscopic analysis as well as X-ray crystallographic diffraction. Growth inhibition was detected by MTT assay. The isobologram method was used to assess the effect of drug combinations. Flow cytometry and western blot were used to examine apoptosis and protein expression. RESULTS: A new coumarin (16), along with sixteen known compounds, were isolated from the whole plant of P. lindleyanum and their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. Four coumarins (2, 3, 5, and 16), two flavonoids (8 and 9) and three phytosterols and triterpenes (12-14) were found to synergistically enhance the inhibitory effect of 5-FU against SMMC-7721 cells. Among them, compounds 3 and 16 exhibited the best synergistic effects with IC50 of 5-FU reduced by 16-fold and 22-fold possessing the minimum Combination Index (CI) 0.34 and 0.27. The mechanism of action of combinations might be through synergistic arresting for the cell cycle at G1 phases and the induction of apoptosis. Moreover, western blotting and molecular docking revealed that compounds 3 or 5 might promote 5-FU-induced apoptosis by regulating the expression of Caspase 9 and PARP. CONCLUSION: Constituents from P. lindleyanum may improve the treatment effectiveness of 5-FU against hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Effect of melittin on programmed necrosis of human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line SMMC￣7721 / 解剖学报

Objective To investigate the lethal effect of melittin on human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line SMMC-7721 and its possible mechanism. Methods MTT assay was used to investigate the killing effect of different concentrations melittin on human hepatocellular carcinoma cells SMMC-7721. Meanwhile, the inhibitory effect of specific programmed necrosis inhibitors necrostain-1(Nec-1) on melittin killing SMMC-7721 cells was detected. Programmed cell necrosis observed by Hoechst 33342 and PI double staining. The necrotosis rate was detected by flow cytometry. Ultrastructural changes of cell was detected by transmission electron microscopy. The expression of receptor interacting protein 1(RIP1) was detected by Western blotting. Results Compared with the control group, the proliferation activity of SMMC-7721 cells was significantly decreased after treatment with different concentrations of melittin for 24 hours (P < 0. 05) . Cells stained in dark blue and red. Cell membrane integrity was destroyed, organelle swelling, organelle membrane was destroy, that demonstrates cell was necrosis. Westen blotting result showed an increased proportion of RIP1 expression in SMMC-7721 cells. Compared with the melittin group, cell proliferation activity was significantly increased, cell necrotosis rate was decreased, and intracellular RIP1 expression was down-regulated in the Nec-1 pretreatment group. Conclusion Melittin induces cell death in SMMC-7721 cells through the RIP1-mediated programmed necrosis pathway.

Effect of Stemona tuberosa Alkaloids on Apoptosis of SMMC-7721 Cells and Expression of Bcl-2， Bax， and Cleaved Caspase-3 / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To investigate the effect of<italic> Stemona tuberosa</italic> alkaloids on the apoptosis of human hepatoma SMMC-7721 cells and the expression of apoptosis-related proteins including B lymphocytoma-2 （Bcl-2）， Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax）， and cleaved cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease-3 （cleaved Caspase-3）. Method:SMMC-7721 cells were routinely cultured， passaged， and treated with various concentrations （50， 75， 112， 167， and 250 mg·L^-1） of <italic>S. tuberosa </italic>alkaloids， while those in the blank control group were only treated with 10% fetal bovine serum. The cell proliferation was determined by tetrazolium bromide （MTT） colorimetry and colony assay and the cell apoptosis by Hoechst 33258 staining. The protein expression levels of Bcl-2， Bax， and cleaved Caspase-3 were detected by Western blot. Result:<italic>S. tuberosa</italic> alkaloids inhibited the proliferation of SMMC-7721 cells， and the inhibition rate was significantly increased in comparison with that in the blank control group （<italic>P</italic><0.01）， with the half maximal inhibitory concentrations （IC₅₀） at 24 h， 48 h， and 72 h being （173.36±8.75）， （112.14±16.50）， and （96.41±2.60）mg·L^-1， respectively. The cell colony-inhibitory activity was significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner （<italic>P</italic><0.01）. Compared with the blank control group， <italic>S. tuberosa</italic> alkaloids promoted the apoptosis of SMMC-7721 cells， manifested as increased number of apoptotic cells and elevated apoptotic rate （<italic>P</italic><0.01）. The typical morphological changes such as brightly blue-fluorescent condensed nuclei， cytoplasmic shrinking， and karyopyknosis were found under the upright fluorescence microscope. As revealed by comparison with the blank control group， the expression of Bcl-2 was significantly down-regulated （<italic>P</italic><0.01）， while the protein expression levels of pro-apoptotic protein Bax and cleaved Caspase-3 in the 75， 112， 167， and 250 mg·L^-1 <italic>S. tuberosa</italic> alkaloids groups were significantly up-regulated （<italic>P</italic><0.01）. Conclusion:<italic>S. tuberosa </italic>alkaloids inhibit the proliferation of SMMC-7721 cells and promote their apoptosis possibly by inhibiting Bcl-2 protein expression and promoting Bax and cleaved Caspase-3 protein expression.

Regorafenib regulates the proliferation and apoptosis of human hepatocellular carcinoma SMMC-7721 cells through miR-122 / 中国肿瘤生物治疗杂志

@#[摘 要] 目的：探究瑞戈非尼（regorafenib，Rego）对人肝癌SMMC-7721细胞增殖、凋亡的影响及其可能的机制。方法：将SMMC-7721细胞分为对照组及Rego组，分别用0、10 μmol/L Rego处理48 h后，流式细胞术检测各组细胞凋亡率，qPCR检测细胞中miR-122的表达。采用脂质体转染的方法将合成的hsa-miR-122-5p模拟物转染SMMC-7721细胞构建miR-122过表达的overExp-miR-122细胞，并将细胞分为对照组、Rego组、overExp-NC组、overExp-NC+Rego组、overExp-miR-122组及overExp-miR-122+Rego组，采用MTT法检测细胞活性，流式细胞术检测细胞凋亡率、WB法检测细胞中Bcl2、cleaved caspase-3、RAS、RAF1、p-ERK1蛋白表达水平。结果：与对照组相比，Rego处理后细胞凋亡率显著升高（P<0.05），且miR-122表达量显著上升（P<0.01）；与overExp-NC组比较，overExp-miR-122组细胞增殖抑制率、凋亡率和cleaved caspase-3表达均显著升高（均P<0.01），RAS蛋白表达显著下降（P<0.05），Bcl2、RAF、p-ERK1蛋白表达均显著下降（均P<0.01）；与overExp-miR-122组相比，overExp-miR-122+Rego组细胞中各检测指标变化进一步显著增加（P<0.01）。结论：Rego可抑制SMMC-7721细胞增殖、促进凋亡，其作用可能与调控miR-122、凋亡相关因子的表达和抑制RAS/RAF/ERK信号通路有关。

Screening of prognosis-related enhancer RNAs and their corresponding target genes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and its prognostic significance / 中国肿瘤生物治疗杂志

@#[摘 要] 目的： 筛选与肝细胞癌（hepatocellular carcinoma，HCC）预后相关的增强子RNA（enhancer RNA，eRNA）及其对应的靶基因，并探究其调控作用及功能。方法：通过UCSC数据库下载HCC的转录本数据和临床病例数据，提取eRNA及其预测的相应靶基因表达矩阵，用Kaplan-Meier和Spearman相关性分析方法筛选HCC预后相关的eRNA和靶基因，并采用最小化绝对收缩和选择算子回归分析及多因素Cox多元回归分析构建HCC预后风险评分模型。设计合成针对筛选所获关键eRNA AP003469.2的小干扰RNA并转染肝癌SMMC-7721细胞，采用RT-PCR方法验证敲减效率，qPCR法检测AP003469.2靶基因YWHAZ的表达水平，CCK-8法检测转染后SMMC-7721细胞的增殖情况。结果：筛选获得4个与预后相关基因，包括两个eRNA（AP003469.2和SPRY4-AS1）和两个靶基因（PPARGC1A和SLC2A1）（P<0.05），其中PPARGC1A高表达提示预后较好，AP003469.2、SPRY4-AS1和SLC2A1基因高表达则提示预后较差。基于4个基因构建的预后风险评分模型，第1、3和5年的AUC分别为0.730、0.699和0.679，提示模型具备良好的预测效能。在敲减AP003469.2后，SMMC-7721细胞中YWHAZ的表达无明显改变，且对细胞的增殖无影响。结论：基于生物信息学分析共筛选出4个关键基因，其中eRNA AP003469.2是HCC预后预测效能较高的标志物，其无促癌功能且对YWHAZ基因无调控作用。

microRNAs carried by exosomes promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition and metastasis of liver cancer cells.

In this study, transforming growth factor-ß1 treatment effectively induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of SMMC-7721 cells, and the expression and function of microRNAs (miRNAs) were determined to understand the processes involved in liver cancer metastasis. Nanoparticle tracking analysis and western blotting were performed to identify exosomes. Transwell and MTS assays were used to assess cell migration and proliferation, respectively. Immunofluorescence microscopy was used to identify the metastasis of exosomes in cells. High-throughput sequencing was used to identify mRNAs and miRNAs in cells and exosomes, respectively. The identified differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmis) were further confirmed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. An miRNA-target mRNA interaction network was constructed using Cytoscape_V2_8_3. SPSS version 16.0 software with one-way analysis of variance was used for statistical analysis. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The overall size of exosomes in EMT SMMC-7721 cells was smaller than that in normal SMMC-7721 cells. Exosomes of EMT SMMC-7721 cells could promote cell migration and invasion in several cell lines. We identified differentially expressed mRNAs (DEms) and DEmis. Among them, a total of 60 and 78 DEms were upregulated and downregulated, respectively, in EMT SMMC-7721 cells compared with those in SMMC-7721 cells. A total of 709 and 123 DEmis were upregulated and downregulated, respectively, in exosomes in EMT SMMC-7721 cells compared with those in SMMC-7721 cells. hsa-miR-24-3p and hsa-miR-21-5p were further selected for knockdown experiments. Exosomes in cells with hsa-miR-24-3p knockdown could effectively inhibit EMT. hsa-miR-24-3p may be one of the most important molecular markers for EMT in liver cancer, which provides novel clues for the mechanisms involved in liver cancer metastasis.