ObjectiveTo investigate the role of Notch1 gene in xenografted human cutaneous squamous cell (SCL-1) carcinoma. MethodsFifteen nude mice were divided into three groups, including untreated group(inoculated with SCL-1 cells treated with phosphate buffered saline), empty vector group (inoculated with SCL-1 cells transfected with empty vector) and Notch1 group(inoculated with SCL-1 cells transfected with Notch1 expression vector). All the mice were inoculated with SCL-1 cells(1 x 108/ml) of0.2 ml. Then, the growth of xenografted tumor was observed every other day. Fifteen days later, the mice were sacrificed, tumor tissue was dissected and subjected to terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay for the detection of cell apoptosis, reverse-transcription(RT)-PCR and Western blot for the examination of mRNA and protein expressions of Notch1, bcl-2 and bax, respectively. ResultsThe proliferation of xenografted tumor in Notch1 group was obviously inhibited compared with the untreated group. The weight of xenografted tumor in Notch1 group was significantly lower than that in the untreated group and empty vector group (0.574 ± 0.219 g vs. 2.642 ± 0.404 g and 2.606 ± 0.512 g, F= 26.642, P＜ 0.01). TUNEL assay demonstrated that the number of apoptotic cells per 500 cells in tumor tissue specimens was(87 ± 9) in Notch1 group, evidently higher than that in the untreated group(8 ± 2) and empty vector group(10 ± 3) (F = 194.266, P ＜ 0.05 ). Further, RT-PCR and Western blot revealed that the mRNA and protein expressions of Notch1 and bax were significantly upregulated, but those of bcl-2 were markedly downregulated in the Notch 1 group, with significant difference among the three groups(all P ＜ 0.05). ConclusionsNotch 1 gene can inhibit the growth of xenogra ffted human cutaneous squamous cell(SCL-1) carcinoma and induce SCL-1 cell apoptosis likely by upregulating bax expression and downregulating bcl-2 expression.

Objective To evaluate the effect of the conspecific bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) infusion on the platelets count and the ratio of CD4+ CD25highCD127low regulatory T (Treg) cells in mice with immune thrombocytopenia and the mechanisms.Method ITP mice models were induced by daily intraperitoneal injection of 200 μL phosphate buffer solution [containing 2 μg rat anti-platelet membrane CD41 antibody (MWReg30)] into female Balb/c mice.MSCs were got from male mice.Then different number of MSCs was injected into ITP mice through the tail veins.After 5,7 and 14 days,the number of blood platelets was counted and the ratio of Treg cells was detected by flow cytometry,and compared with those in the healthy mice.Result Twenty-four h after injection of CD41 antibody,platelet counts were reduced sharply to the lowest point,which was about a quarter of the normal level.Then ITP mice models were induced successfully.Platelet counts were increased after the injection of MSCs.On 7th day after injection of MSCs,the platelet counts were significantly higher than those in control mice,and the greater the degree of injection dosage,the greater the elevated platelets (P＜0.05 for all).The ratio of Treg cells in ITP mice models was significantly lower than in the normal mice.The ratio of peripheral blood Treg cells in ITP mice was increased after injection of MSCs and the higher the dose,the greater the effect (P＜0.05 for all) but did not reach the normal level.Conclusion The conspecific bone marrow MSCs infusion can increase the platelet counts in mice with ITP,which may be related to the increase of CD4+ CD25highCD127low Treg cells.

Objective:To valuate the treatment value and analyse the effect on the cellular immune functions by studying the differences of T-lymphocyte subsets and CD4+CD25+Treg cells in peripheral blood after adoptive immunotherapy ( dendritic cells and cytokine-induced killer cells,DC-CIK) combined with chemotherapy on MM.Methods:50 patients with MM were randomly divided into two groups.24 patients in chemotherapy group were treated by chemotherapy only,26 patients in joint group were treated by adoptive immunotherapy( DC-CIK) combined with chemotherapy,and the clinical outcomes and the levels of T-lymphocyte subsets and CD4+CD25+Treg cells in peripheral blood between two groups were compared.Moreover,the differences of cellular immune indicators (Th1/Th2,the ratio of AgNOR,and TGF-β)between two groups were also compared.Results: After treatment,quality of life,clinical index and survival in joint group were better than in chemotherapy group( P<0.05);the proportion of CD3+CD8+,the ratios of CD4+CD25+,CD4+CD25+/CD4+and the level of TGF-βof joint group wes clearly lower than chemotherapy group(P<0.05),and the ratios of CD3+CD4+/CD3+CD8+, Th1/Th2 and AgNOR of joint group wes clearly higher than chemotherapy group .Conclusion: DC-CIK combined with chemotherapy could be an effective and promising treatment to patients with MM,and it maybe strengthen the anti-tumor action of bodies by regulating the balance between Th1 and Th2 reaction.

Objective To investigate the effect of pituitary tumor-transforming gene (PTTG)siRNA on the growth,invasion of,and expression of metastasis-related cytokines including matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2)and MMP-9 in xenografted human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in nude mice.Methods SCL-1 cells were subcutaneouslv inoculated into Balb/c nude mice to establish a xenograft model of human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.Then,15 mice bearing xenografted carcinoma were equally divided into 3 groups to be inoculated with phosphate buffer saline (PBS),control siRNA,and PTTG siRNA of 50 nmoI/L,respectively,ever),other day for 2 weeks.The size of xenograted carcinoma in these mice was measured every other day.At the end of 2-week treatment.the mice were killed followed by the evaluation of tumor weight,as well as the quantification of mRNA and protein expression of PTTG,MMP-2 and MMP-9 by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR and Western-blot,respectively.Results The xenograft model of human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma was successfully established.The treatment with PTTG siRNA obviously inhibited the growth of the xenografted tumom and the expression of PTTG mRNA and protein compared with PBS and control siRNA (all P<0.05).In addition,the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in xenografted tumors in PTTG siRNAtreated mice were significantly lower than those in PBS and control siRNA-treated mice.suggesting that PTTG siRNA evoked the decrease in invasive and metastatic ability of xenografted tumors.Conclusions PTTG siRNA can inhibit the growth of human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma xenografts in nude mice,and downregulate the expression of invasion-and metastasis-related cytokines,including MMP-2 and MMP-9.

Objective: To investigate the effects of Chinese herbal drug-containing serum, prepared by administration of Chinese herbal medicine for activating blood (Xiongshao Capsule, XS) or for activating blood and detoxifying (Xiongshao Capsule plus Huanglian Capsule, XSHL) in rats, on cell viability, oxidative damage and apoptosis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) induced by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL). Methods: Thirty-two rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group, positive control group (simvastatin 1.8 mg/kg), activating blood (XS, 0.135 g/kg) group, and activating blood and detoxifying (XS Capsule 0.135 g/kg and Huanglian Capsule 0.135 g/kg, XSHL) group. Corresponding drugs were continuously administered to the rats for 7 days and then drug-containing serum was harvested 1 hour after the last administration. HUVECs isolated from newborn children by collagenase digestion were stimulated by ox-LDL (100 μg/L) and incubated with corresponding drug-containing serum for 24 hours. Untreated HUVECs were also used as a normal control. The morphology and structure of HUVECs were observed by an inverted microscope. Cell viability was measured by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium method, and cell membrane damage was determined by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage. Activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) was examined by spectrophotometry, and content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the cell lysate was examined by thiobarbituric acid assay. HUVECs were stained with Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate and propidium iodide and analyzed on a flow cytometry to determine apoptosis. Results: Compared with the normal HUVECs, the cell viability and the activity of SOD were significantly decreased while the content of MDA and apoptosis rate were significantly increased after 24-hour ox-LDL stimulation (P<0.01, P<0.05). Simvastatin-, XS-, and XSHL-containing serum significantly promoted the ox-LDL-stimulated HUVEC viability and inhibited early apoptosis (P<0.01, P<0.05), while had no significant effect on LDH leakage. Simvastatin-containing serum and XS-containing serum also showed significant decrease in MDA content and increase in SOD activity, while XSHL-containing serum showed no significant effects. There was no significant difference between the XS-containing serum group and the XSHL-containing serum group. Conclusion: Both sera containing XSHL and XS show protective action against the oxidative damage and apoptosis of HUVECs induced by ox-LDL.

ObjectiveTo investigate the role and clinical pathological significance of PTTG and bFGF in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma(CSCC).MethodsTissue specimens were collected from the lesions of 42 patients with CSCC and normal skin of 42 normal human controls.The protein and mRNA expressions of PTTG and bFGF were detected by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization in these specimens respectively.ResultsA significant increase was observed in the positive expression rates of PTTG and bFGF proteins[64.3％(27/42) vs.11.9％(5/42),73.8％(31/42) vs.21.4％(9/42),both P＜ 0.05] and mRNA [59.5％(25/42) vs.7.1％(3/42),75.0％(29/42) vs.16.7％(7/42),both P＜ 0.05] in the CSCC tissue specimens than in the control specimens.The protein and mRNA expressions of PTTG were positively correlated with those of bFGF(both P ＜ 0.05),and closely correlated with histological grade of CSCC (both P ＜0.05).ConclusionThe high expression of PTTG and bFGF may be associated with the initiation of CSCC.

[ ABSTRACT] AIM:To investigate the effect of DEK downregulation on the apoptosis of gastric carcinoma SGC-7901 cells, and to explore its associations with NF-κB signaling pathway and apoptosis related proteins.METHODS:SGC-7901 cells with different treatments were divided into 3 groups including untreated group, control siRNA group and DEK siRNA group.The expression of DEK at mRNA and protein levels in the SGC-7901 cells was detected by real-time PCR and Western blot.The cell apoptosis was examined by flow cytometry.Furthermore, the activities of caspase-3 and caspase-9 in the SGC-7901 cells were investigated by Caspase-Glo?-3/9 kit.Finally, the expression of key regulatory pro-tein p65 of NF-κB signaling pathway and apoptosis-related proteins Bcl-2 and Bax in the SGC-7901 cells was investigated by Western blot.RESULTS:Compared with untreated group and control siRNA group, the expression of DEK at mRNA and protein levels was significantly downregulated in DEK siRNA group (P<0.05).In addition, the ratios of early phase apoptosis and total apoptosis in DEK siRNA group were markedly higher than those in untreated group and control siRNA group (P<0.05).Most notably, the decrease in p65 and Bcl-2 proteins, increase in Bax protein and the increases of caspase-3 and caspase-9 activities were observed in DEK siRNA group.CONCLUSION:Downregulation of DEK mediates cell apoptosis of gastric carcinoma may be tightly associated with NF-κB signaling pathway.

Objective To evaluate the effect of downregulation of microRNA (miR)-373 expression on cell cycle and apoptosis of a cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) cell line A431.Methods A431 cells at exponential growth phase were classified into 3 groups:miR-373 inhibitor group and negative control group transfected with miR-373 inhibitor and negative control miRNA respectively,and untreated group receiving no treatment.At 48 hours after the transfection,real-time PCR was performed to determine the expression of miR-373 in the above 3 groups,cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay to evaluate the effect of downregulated expression of miR-373 on the proliferation of A431 cells,flow cytometry to investigate the distribution of cell cycle and changes in apoptosis of A431 cells in different treatment groups,and colorimetric analysis to detect the changes in caspase-3 activity in different treatment groups.Statistical analysis was carried out with SPSS 17.0 software by using two-sample t test for the comparison between two groups,one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for the comparison among 3 groups,and least significant difference (LSD)-t test for multiple comparisons.Results The expression of miR-373 was significantly lower in the miR-373 inhibitor group (0.120 ± 0.036) than in the untreated group (1.002 ± 0.022) and negative control group (1.037 ± 0.028,LSD-t =36.21,34.83,respectively,both P ＜ 0.001).At 48,72 and 96 hours,the miR-373 inhibitor group showed significantly decreased proliferative activity of A375 cells compared with the untreated group and negative control group (F =10.805,13.720 and 30.907 respectively,P =0.038,0.010 and 0.001 respectively).The proportion of A375 cells in G0/G1 phase was significantly higher in the miR-373 inhibitor group (64.69％ ± 1.18％) than in the untreated group (52.74％ ± 0.66％,t =15.51,P ＜ 0.001) and negative control group (53.80％ ± 0.80％,t =13.24,P ＜ 0.001).The proportion of total apoptotic cells and activity of caspase-3 in the miR-373 inhibitor group were 22.69％ ± 1.24％ and 1.238 ± 0.057 respectively,which were significantly higher than those in the untreated group (9.62％ ± 1.14％,0.413 ± 0.028 respectively,both P ＜ 0.001)and negative control group (9.66％ ± 0.97％,0.437 ± 0.036 respectively,both P ＜ 0.001).Conclusion MiR-373 may play an important role in the regulation of cell cycle and induction of apoptosis of the CSCC cell line A431.

Objective To investigate the expression of microRNA-373 (miR-373) in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) tissues and cells,and to explore its effects on cell invasion.Methods Real-time PCR was performed to determine the expression of miR-373 in CSCC tissues and paralesional normal skin tissues,as well as in CSCC cell lines (A431 and SCL-1) and HaCaT cells.A431 cells were divided into 4 groups:miR-373 mimic group,miR-373 inhibitor group and negative control group which were transfected with miR-373 mimic,miR-373 inhibitor and negative control miRNA respectively,and untreated group receiving no treatment.Cell invasion assay was performed to evaluate effects of miR-373 downregulation on cell invasion.Western blot analysis was conducted to assess effects of miR-373 downregulation on the protein expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9.Results Expression of miR-373 was significantly higher in the CSCC tissues (2.465 ± 0.218) than in the paralesional normal skin tissues (1.000 ± 0.000,P ＜ 0.05),and higher in SCL-1 cells (1.864 ± 0.178) and A431 cells (2.919 ± 0.277) than in HaCaT cells (1.000 ± 0.000,P ＜ 0.05).Most notably,miR-373 expression was also markedly higher in metastatic CSCC tissues than in non-metastatic CSCC tissues (3.323 ± 0.344 vs.1.914 ± 0.161,t =4.158,P =0.000 4).Compared with the untreated group and negative control group,the miR-373 mimic group showed significantly increased miR-373 expression and invasive ability,while the miR-373 inhibitor group showed markedly decreased miR-373 expression and invasive ability (all P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion MiR-373 downregulation can significantly suppress the invasion of A431 cells,and obviously decrease the protein expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9.

Objective:To determine the expression of microRNA-188-5p (miR-188-5p) in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) tissues and cells, and to assess the effect of its downregulation on the proliferation and invasion of CSCC cells.Methods:From November 2012 to October 2018, 50 surgically resected CSCC tissue specimens and 50 paracancerous normal skin tissue specimens were collected from the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical College in Henan Province. Real-time fluorescence-based quantitative PCR (qPCR) was employed to determine the expression of miR-188-5p in CSCC tissues, paracancerous normal skin tissues, CSCC cell lines SCL-1, A431 and HSC-5, and a human immortalized keratinocyte line HaCaT. Cultured A431 and HSC-5 cells were both divided into 2 groups: miR-188-5p inhibitor group and negative control group, which were transfected with a miR-188-5p inhibitor and its negative control respectively. Then, qPCR was performed to determine the relative expression level of miR-188-5p (expressed as 2 -△△Ct), and cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) and Transwell assays were conducted to assess cellular proliferative activity and invasive ability respectively in the above groups. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed to investigate interactions between miR-188-5p and phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN), and Western blot analysis to determine the protein expression of PTEN, total Akt (t-Akt) and phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt). Two independent samples were compared by using t test. Results:The relative expression level of miR-188-5p was significantly higher in the CSCC tissues (5.213 ± 3.138) than in the paracancerous normal skin tissues (1.010 ± 0.364, t = 9.187, P < 0.001), and significantly higher in the SCL-1, A431 and HSC-5 cells (3.858 ± 0.163, 7.068 ± 0.262 and 4.572 ± 0.413, respectively) than in the HaCaT cells (1.079 ± 0.300, t = 17.890, 21.110 and 8.737, respectively, all P < 0.05). Compared with the negative control group, the miR-188-5p inhibitor group showed significantly decreased miR-188-5p expression in both A431 and HSC-5 cells (both P < 0.01), and decreased proliferative activity and invasive ability of both A431 and HSC-5 cells (all P < 0.05). Dual-luciferase reporter assay showed that the downregulation of miR-188-5p significantly increased the expression of PTEN, but inhibited the expression of p-Akt in A431 and HSC-5 cells. Conclusion:MiR-188-5p is highly expressed in CSCC tissues and cells, and the downregulation of miR-188-5p may inhibit the proliferative activity and invasive ability of CSCC cells by regulating the PTEN/Akt pathway.