Effect of eleutheroside B/E on proliferation and expression of PPARγ and TGF-β1 in HBZY-1 cells cultured with high glucose

AIM: To explore the effects and mechanism of eleutheroside (ETS) B or E on the proliferation of HBZY-1 cells treated with high glucose. METHODS: The HBZY-1 cells were cultured under high glucose condition. The 4th generation of HBZY-1 cells was used for determining the optimal cell density, which was consistent with the growth regulation curve of the cells. The cells were divided into 6 groups: low glucose (LG) group, high glucose (HG) group, high glucose plus ETS-B/E (low dose, medium dose and high dose) groups, and high glucose plus losartan (LTG) group. After all cells were treated with the corresponding drugs at 24 h, 48 h and 72 h, the inhibitory rate of the proliferation was measured, and the expression of TGF-β1 and PPARγ was detected by immunocytochemistry and Western blotting. RESULTS: The best cell density was 2 000 cells/well, which was complied with the basic rules of the cell growth, and high glucose significantly promoted the HBZY-1 cell proliferation. At each time point, the inhibitory effects of ETS-B/E were significantly different between HG group and LTG group on the proliferation of the HBZY-1 cells (P<0.05). The expression of TGF-β1 was significantly inhibited, and the expression of PPARγ was significantly promoted by ETS-B/E (P<0.05). ETS-E showed stronger effect than ETS-B (P<0.05) in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: ETS-B/E significantly inhibits the proliferation of HBZY-1 cells under high glucose condition by decreasing TGF-β1 expression and promoting PPARγ expression.     

Inhibitory effect of poncirin on viability of gastric cancer cells and underlying mechanism

AIM: To explore the effect of poncirin on the growth of AGS gastric cancer cells and the underlying mechanism.METHODS: The effect of poncirin on AGS cell viability was measure by MTT assay. The cell cycle distribution and cell apoptosis were analyzed by flow cytometry. Nuclear staining with DAPI was used to reflect the morphological change of the AGS cells treated with poncirin. The protein levels of extrinsic apoptosis pathway-related proteins such as FasL, caspase-8, caspase-3 and PARP, and mitochondria-mediated intrinsic apoptosis pathway-associated proteins such as Bak, Bcl-xL, Bax and caspase-9 were determined by Western blot.RESULTS: Poncirin inhibited the viability of AGS gastric cancer cells in a time-and concentration-dependent manner (P<0.05). Poncirin induced accumulation of G₁ DNA content and significantly increased total apoptosis in the AGS cells. Nuclear staining showed a dose-dependent increase in the number of apoptotic cells after treated with poncirin.The protein level of FasL was upregulated in a dose-dependent manner by treatment with poncirin. Poncirin significantly activated caspase-8 and caspase-3. Moreover, poncirin significantly induced the cleavage of PARP in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). In addition, the protein levels of Bcl-xL, Bax and Bak were unchanged after treated with different doses of poncirin. Furthermore, caspase-9 was not activated by poncirin treatment in the AGS cells.CONCLUSION: Poncirin has the anti-cancer effect via extrinsic apoptosis pathway to inhibit the growth of AGS gastric cancer cells, possibly making it a therapeutic agent for human gastric cancer treatment.     

Research Advances in Escherichia coli K1 Penetration Across Blood-brain Barrier

E.coli K1 strain is a representative strain of neonatal sepsis and meningitis, which causes disease by blood circulation to the brain. The molecular mechanism of E.coli K1 that adhering and invading the brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) and cross the blood brain barrier (BBB) has been focused on by many scholars. In this review, we focused on the gene regulation mechanisms and signaling pathway of E.coli K1 crossing the blood brain barrier to understand the molecular mechanism of the infection caused by E.coli and provide reference for prevention and treatment programs.     

Model construction of rat coronary artery smooth muscle cell endoplasmic reticulum stress induced by thapsigargin

AIM: To investigate the primary culture method for coronary artery smooth muscle cells (CASMCs), and to establish the endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) model in CASMCs of SD rats. METHODS: CASMCs were cultured by tissue explant method. The morphological characteristics were observed under optical microscope. The marker proteins of CASMCs, including α-SMA and SM-MHC, were identified by immunofluorescence technique. The protein expression levels of BiP and CHOP, the marker molecules of ERS, were determined by Western blot. RESULTS: The spindle-shaped CASMCs climbed out from the edge of coronary artery tissues after 6 d, and formed the typical "hill and valley" growth pattern of CASMCs at 9~10 d. The result of immunofluorescence technique showed that α-SMA and SM-MHC were positively expressed. The results of Western blot showed that the protein expression of BiP and CHOP in TG (1 and 2 μmol/L) treatment groups was increased compared with control group. Compared with control group, the protein expression of BiP and CHOP was significantly increased after 1 μmol/L TG treatment for 24 and 48 h. CONCLUSION: CASMCs can be successfully cultured by tissue explant method. ERS model of CASMCs was established by 1 μmol/L TG treatment for 24 h.     

Role of type II innate lymphoid cells in browning of white adipose tissue

Type II innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are widely distributed in the blood, intestines, trachea, lung, spleen, liver, animal fat and skin, and involved in the innate immune responses. ILC2s have attracted much attention for its important roles in the conversion of white adipose to beige adipose. Studies have shown that ILC2s are essential for the proliferation and differentiation of adipocyte precursor cells, and they also play a vital role in anti-parasitic infection and allergic inflammation. This review discusses the discovery, differentiation, development, distribution and function of ILC2s, and their relationships with the browning of white adipose tissue for providing valuable references on understanding the pathogenesis, prevention and treatment of obesity and fat metabolism disorders.     

Advances on studies of miR-21 in vascular endothelial function and angiogenesis

MicroRNAs (miRNAs)are a class of non-coding, endogenous, single-stranded small RNA molecules composed of 19~25 nucleotides. miRNAs are widely involved in the process of human life activities. Recent studies have shown that part of miRNAs regulate the vascular endothelial function and angiogenesis. High expression of miRNA-21 is found to play important roles in the cell proliferation, cell apoptosis, cell growth and death of vascular endothelial cells. This review will focus on the recent progress related to miRNAs in vascular endothelial function and angiogenesis, providing a new insight in cardiovascular disease prevention, clinical diagnosis, prognosis and target therapeutics.     

Neuroprotective effect of fasudil combined with bone marrow-derived neural stem cells on mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

AIM: To explore the neuroprotective effect of fasudil combined with bone marrow-derived neural stem cells (BM-NSCs) on the mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). METHODS: Female C57BL/6 mice (8~10 weeks old, n=32) were immunized with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein 35-55 (MOG_35-55) to establish chronic EAE model. The mice were randomly divided into control (ddH₂O) group, fasudil group, BM-NSCs group, and fasudil+BM-NSCs group. The clinical score and body weight were recorded every other day. The expression of neurotrophic factors was determined by immunofluorescence staining. RESULTS: In comparison with ddH₂O group, fasudil combined with BM-NSCs delayed onset and ameliorated severity of EAE. The numbers of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor, nerve growth factor, neurotrophin-3 and ciliary neurotrophic factor positive cells in fasudil group, BM-NSCs group and fasudil+BM-NSCs group were all increased in various extents. In particularly, the expression of these neurotrophic factors in fasudil+BM-NSCs group was significantly higher than that in the mice treated with fasudil or BM-NSCs alone (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Fasudil combined with BM-NSCs promotes the expression of neurotrophic factors and improves microenvironment of central nervous system, thus playing a positive role in neural restoration and regeneration through a synergistic and superimposed effect.     

蜂王浆对尾静脉注射4T1细胞小鼠抗氧化能力的影响

探讨蜂王浆对尾静脉注射4T1细胞小鼠的抗氧化和免疫力的影响.将4T1细胞或其与蜂王浆的混合物通过尾静脉注射入小鼠体内,ELISA法检测蜂王浆对小鼠血清、肝脏和肾脏中与抗氧化能力相关的指标及血清中和免疫力相关细胞因子水平的影响.结果表明,和模型对照组相比,蜂王浆(50、100 mg·mL~(-1))可以显著提高小鼠血清内T-AOC、IFN-α(P0.05)水平,降低IL-4的水平(P0.05);蜂王浆剂量为50 mg·m L~(-1)时,IFN-γ的含量显著增加(P0.05).蜂王浆(100 mg·mL~(-1))显著提高肾脏中T-AOC的水平(P0.05).可见,蜂王浆可以改善尾静脉注射4T1细胞小鼠的抗氧化能力和免疫力.     

NaCl胁迫对白蜡种子生理特性的影响

为了给盐碱地造林树种选择提供依据,以采自秦皇岛和保定的白蜡种子为试材,采用不同浓度的NaCl胁迫处理,研究了其萌发过程中发芽率、细胞膜透性、保护酶活性、丙二醛MDA的变化,结果表明:(1)随着NaCl胁迫浓度的增加,两地白蜡种子发芽率均呈现逐渐降低的变化趋势,秦皇岛各处理的白蜡种子发芽率分别比对照降低了8.9%、52.6%、56.3%、61.6%、87.9%、91.1%,而保定的白蜡种子分别比对照降低20.2%、56.2%、68.7%、86.5%、89.9%、100.0%;(2)随着浓度的升高,种子的相对电导值、K+、Na+渗透率升高,种子的SOD酶活性降低,MDA含量增加,NaCl胁迫浓度越高,种子所受到的伤害越深;(3)0.20%浓度的NaCl胁迫对白蜡种子萌发影响不大。对于不同种源的白蜡种子,秦皇岛的白蜡种子抗盐性要优于保定的白蜡种子。     

含蛋氨酸二肽影响奶牛乳腺上皮细胞乳蛋白合成相关基因表达

本试验旨在研究含蛋氨酸(Met)二肽对奶牛乳腺上皮细胞(BMECs)内乳蛋白合成相关基因表达的影响。试验分3部分,均采用单因子完全随机试验设计,Met的添加浓度及培养时间分别为60μg/m L(0.402 mmol/L)、48 h。第1部分,培养液添加8种含Met二肽[蛋氨酸-蛋氨酸(P-Met-Met)、蛋氨酸-赖氨酸(P-Met-Lys)、蛋氨酸-色氨酸(P-Met-Trp)、蛋氨酸-苯丙氨酸(P-Met-Phe)、蛋氨酸-苏氨酸(P-Met-Thr)、蛋氨酸-异亮氨酸(P-Met-Ile)、蛋氨酸-亮氨酸(P-Met-Leu)、蛋氨酸-缬氨酸(P-Met-Val)],以不添加二肽为对照,测定BMECs乳蛋白合成相关基因(αs1-酪蛋白、β-酪蛋白、κ-酪蛋白、β-乳球蛋白、Ⅱ型小肽转运载体和氨肽酶氮)的表达量;第2部分,培养液添加8种与上述二肽对应的游离氨基酸(F-Met-Met、F-Met-Lys、F-MetTrp、F-M et-Phe、F-M et-Thr、F-M et-Ile、F-M et-Leu、F-M et-Val),以不添加游离氨基酸为对照,测定BM ECs乳蛋白合成相关基因的表达量;第3部分,用二肽等物质的量替代相应游离氨基酸,测定BMECs乳蛋白合成相关基因的表达量以及细胞内外氨肽酶含量。结果表明:P-Met-Met和P-M et-Lys组较对照组和其他二肽组上调了αs1-酪蛋白和β-酪蛋白基因的表达量,且P-M et-M et组优于P-Met-Lys组。F-Met-Met和F-Met-Lys组较对照组和其他游离氨基酸组显著提高了αs1-酪蛋白基因的表达量(P0.05)。除P-Met-Val和P-Met-Leu组外,其他二肽替代游离氨基酸后均不同程度地提高了乳蛋白和Ⅱ型小肽转运载体基因的表达量,其中P-Met-Met表现出较好的促进效果。总之,含Met二肽等量替代对应的游离氨基酸能够促进乳蛋白基因的表达,其中尤以P-Met-Met的效果最好。