Objective To compare the growth of three different cancer cell lines on chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM), to select the best transplanted cancer cell line for establishing a transplanted tumor model and to observe the biological characteristics.Methods The human lung cancer cell line A549, human tongue cancer cell line TCA8113 and human liver cancer cell line QGY7703 were respectively inoculated into CAM at the 7th day of age.The chick embryo survival rate, tumor survival rate, tumor formation rate and induced angiogenesis were detected and the growth characteristics of the transplanted tumor model were observed.Results Compared with the groups inoculated with A549 cells and QGY7703 cells, the tumor formation rate of TCA8113 cells was the highest (P < 0.05), to be the best cancer cell line for transplanted tumor.The optimal inoculated number of cells was 8.0×106/chick embryo, the optimal growth period of the tumor was 4~8 d, and the best experiment time was 7 d after inoculation.Conclusion The TCA-CAM transplanted tumor model of tongue squamous cell cancer is successfully established for further study of the biological characteristics and mechanisms of tumor growth, angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis, and provide a good experimental animal model for anti-tumor drug screening.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Hippo signaling pathway on lung injury repair of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and its mechanism. METHODS: Mouse bone marrow-derived MSC (mMSCs) cell lines with low expression of large tumor suppressor 2 (LATS2) were constructed by lentiviral vector transfection. Male C57BL/6 mice aging 6-8 weeks old were divided into four groups according to random number table (n = 36). The ARDS animal model (ARDS group) was reproduced by intratracheally injection of 2 g/L lipopolysaccharide (LPS) 50 μL, the normal saline (NS) control group was injected with an equal volume of NS. After 4 hours of model reproduction, 5×10⁴ mMSCs transfected with blank lentivirus vector (MSC-shcontrol group) or shLATS2 lentivirus vector (MSC-shLATS2 group) were transplanted intratracheally, while NS control group and ARDS group were injected with equal volume of phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Mice were sacrificed at 3, 7, and 14 days after modeling, and lung tissue and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were harvested. Near-infrared fluorescence imaging, immunofluorescence staining and Western Blot were used to track mMSCs in lung tissue. Retension and proportion of mMSC differentiation into type II alveolar epithelial cells (AEC II) were evaluated. Lung tissue wet weight/body weight ratio (LWW/BW) and total protein (TP) and albumin (ALB) in BALF were determined to reflect pulmonary edema. The expression of Occludin protein in lung epithelium was tested by Western Blot to reflect permeability of epithelium. The levels of interleukins (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10) in BALF were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to reflect lung inflammation. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and modified Masson staining were carried out, and the scores were assessed to reflect lung injury and evaluate pulmonary fibrosis. RESULTS: The signal intensity of isolated lung fluorescence images at 3 days in the MSC-shLATS2 group was significantly higher than that in the MSC-shcontrol group (fluorescence intensity: 0.039±0.005 vs. 0.017±0.002, P < 0.05), the number of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-positive cells in lung tissue was also significantly higher than that in the MSC-shcontrol group (cells/HP: 29.65±6.98 vs. 17.50±4.58, P < 0.05), but they all decreased with time; and the proportion of mMSCs differentiated into AEC II was significantly increased [(64.12±15.29)% vs. (19.64±3.71)%, P < 0.05]. Compared with the NS control group, the levels of surface active protein C (SPC) and Occludin protein in the ARDS group were significantly decreased, LWW/BW ratio and TP, ALB and inflammatory factors levels in BALF were significantly increased; extensive alveolar and interstitial edema, hemorrhage and diffuse inflammatory cell infiltration were found in lung tissue, and the lung injury score was significantly increased; collagen fibers were deposited in alveolar septum and alveolar cavity, and pulmonary fibrosis score was also increased significantly. Compared with the ARDS group, the expression levels of SPC and Occludin at 14 days in the MSC-shcontrol group and the MSC-shLATS2 group were significantly increased (SPC/β-actin: 0.51±0.12, 0.68±0.10 vs. 0.27±0.08, Occludin/β-actin: 0.49±0.19, 0.79±0.11 vs. 0.25±0.08, all P < 0.05), TP, ALB, IL-1β, IL-6 levels in BALF at 3 days were significantly decreased [TP (g/L): 8.08±1.72, 5.12±0.87 vs. 12.55±2.09; ALB (g/L): 0.71±0.21, 0.44±0.18 vs. 1.18±0.29, IL-1β (ng/L): 99.26±14.32, 60.11±8.58 vs. 161.86±25.17, IL-6 (ng/L): 145.54±13.29, 101.74±11.55 vs. 258.79±27.88, all P < 0.05], and IL-10 was significantly increased (ng/L: 190.83±22.61, 316.65±37.88, both P < 0.05). Furthermore, all the above parameters in the MSC-shLATS2 group were significantly improved as compared with those in the MSC-shcontrol group (all P < 0.05). LWW/BW ratio in the MSC-shLATS2 group was significantly lower than that in the ARDS group and the MSC-shcontrol group (mg/g: 9.85±1.51 vs. 16.78±1.92, 14.88±1.74, both P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Inhibiting Hippo signaling pathway by low expression of LATS2 could promote the retention of mMSCs in lung tissue and differentiation into AEC II cells of ARDS mice, improve pulmonary edema and alveolar epithelial permeability, regulate pulmonary inflammatory response, and alleviate pathological damage and fibrosis of lung tissue.
Animals ; Hippo Signaling Pathway ; Lung Injury/prevention & control* ; Male ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells/metabolism* ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism* ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction

Osteoarthritis （OA） is characterized by articular cartilage degeneration， synovial hyperplasia， hyperosteogeny， and narrowing of joint space， which can be caused by trauma， inflammation， and other factors. With the increasing global population aging， the incidence of OA is rising year by year， making it a major public health problem that urgently needs to be addressed. Exploring effective treatment schemes is particularly important. The pathogenesis of OA is complex， including oxidative stress， autophagy， and apoptosis. Recent studies have found that ferroptosis， a new type of cell death， is also an important pathogenic factor in OA， characterized by a series of complex changes such as iron ion accumulation， glutathione （GSH） depletion， and mitochondrial dysfunction. Research shows that inhibiting ferroptosis in chondrocytes can promote chondrocyte proliferation， delay extracellular matrix （ECM） degradation， and reduce synovial hyperplasia and inflammation. Targeting ferroptosis is a new direction in the treatment of OA. OA treatment includes intra-articular injections of steroids or hyaluronic acid and artificial joint replacement， but there are limitations. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has been widely used in the treatment of various diseases because of its low cost， low drug resistance， and few side effects. Cell and animal experiments have further confirmed that TCM can intervene in the treatment of OA with ferroptosis from multiple targets， multiple levels， and aspects， but the mechanism of its treatment of OA based on ferroptosis has not been clarified. This paper discussed iron metabolism， lipid peroxidation， cysteine/glutamate transporter system Xc^- （system Xc^-）/GSH/glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4） pathway， nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate（NADPH）/ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 （FSP1）/coenzyme Q₁₀ （CoQ₁₀） pathway， tumor protein p53 in OA， and related molecular targets of Chinese medicine monomers and compounds on ferroptosis inhibition. Their potential therapeutic mechanisms were further analyzed to provide theoretical guidance for the treatment of OA by TCM and useful reference for the research and development of related drugs.

Tocilizumab has been reported to attenuate the "cytokine storm" in COVID-19 patients. We attempted to verify the effectiveness and safety of tocilizumab therapy in COVID-19 and identify patients most likely to benefit from this treatment. We conducted a randomized, controlled, open-label multicenter trial among COVID-19 patients. The patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either tocilizumab in addition to standard care or standard care alone. The cure rate, changes of oxygen saturation and interference, and inflammation biomarkers were observed. Thirty-three patients were randomized to the tocilizumab group, and 32 patients to the control group. The cure rate in the tocilizumab group was higher than that in the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant (94.12% vs. 87.10%, rate difference 95% CI-7.19%-21.23%, P = 0.4133). The improvement in hypoxia for the tocilizumab group was higher from day 4 onward and statistically significant from day 12 (P = 0.0359). In moderate disease patients with bilateral pulmonary lesions, the hypoxia ameliorated earlier after tocilizumab treatment, and less patients (1/12, 8.33%) needed an increase of inhaled oxygen concentration compared with the controls (4/6, 66.67%; rate difference 95% CI-99.17% to-17.50%, P = 0.0217). No severe adverse events occurred. More mild temporary adverse events were recorded in tocilizumab recipients (20/34, 58.82%) than the controls (4/31, 12.90%). Tocilizumab can improve hypoxia without unacceptable side effect profile and significant influences on the time virus load becomes negative. For patients with bilateral pulmonary lesions and elevated IL-6 levels, tocilizumab could be recommended to improve outcome.
Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized ; COVID-19/drug therapy* ; Humans ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Treatment Outcome