We established methods to isolate human amniotic fluid-derived progenitor cells (hAFPCs), and analyze the ability of hAFPCs to secrete human coagulation factor IX (hFIX) after gene modification. The hAFPCs were manually isolated by selection for attachment to gelatin coated culture dish. hFIX cDNA was transfected into hAPFCs by using a lentiviral vector. The hFIX protein concentration and activity produced from hAFPCs were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and clotting assay. The isolated spindle-shaped cells showed fibroblastoid morphology after three culture passages. The doubling time in culture was 39.05 hours. Immunocytochemistry staining of the fibroblast-like cells from amniotic fluid detected expression of stem cell markers such as SSEA4 and TRA1-60. Quantitative PCR analysis demonstrated the expression of NANOG, OCT4 and SOX2 mRNAs. Transfected hAFPCs could produce and secrete hFIX into the culture medium. The observed concentration of secreted hFIX was 20.37% +/- 2.77% two days after passage, with clotting activity of 16.42% +/- 1.78%. The amount of hFIX:Ag reached a plateau of 50.35% +/- 5.42%, with clotting activity 45.34% +/- 4.67%. In conclusion, this study established method to isolate and culture amniotic fluid progenitor cells. Transfected hAFPCs can produce hFIX at stable levels in vitro, and clotting activity increases with higher hFIX concentration. Genetically engineered hAFPC are a potential method for prenatal treatment of hemophilia B.
Amniotic Fluid ; cytology ; Blood Coagulation ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Separation ; methods ; DNA, Complementary ; Factor IX ; biosynthesis ; Genetic Engineering ; Genetic Vectors ; Humans ; Stem Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Transfection

OBJECTIVETo observe the level of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in rats with severe burn and pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs) treated with serum of rat with burn injury, and to investigate the relationship between ROS and apoptosis of PMVECs.

METHODS(1) Twenty-four SD rats were divided into sham injury group ( n = 3) and burn group (n = 21) according to the random number table (the same grouping method below). Rats in burn group were inflicted with 30% TBSA full-thickness scald on the back, and rats in sham injury group were sham injured. Blood samples were collected from abdominal aorta at post injury hour 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72 respectively from 3 rats of burn group. The serum content of ROS was assayed by ELISA. The same determination was performed in rats of sham injury group. (2) Five rats were subjected to scald injury as above, and burn serum was prepared 24 hours after injury. Another 5 rats without receiving any treatment were used to prepare normal serum. (3) Marginal pulmonary tissue was harvested from 20 SD young rats. Cells were cultured with tissue block method and indentified with immunohistochemical staining. The third passage of PMVECs in logarithmic phase were inoculated in 6-well plates and 12-well plates. PMVECs in both plates were divided into 4 groups: normal serum group, burn serum group, normal serum + MnTBAP group, and burn serum + MnTBAP group, with 3 wells in each group. Cells in the former 2 groups were respectively cultured with special nutrient solution of endothelial cells without serum added with 15% healthy rat serum or 15% burn rat serum. Cells in the latter 2 groups were cultured with the same culture conditions as in the former two groups correspondingly with addition of 100 µmol/L MnTBAP in the nutrient solution. After being cultured for 24 h, the content of ROS in PMVECs in 6-well plates was detected with flow cytometry. The apoptosis of PMVECs in 12-well plates was observed with acridine orange-ethidium bromide staining, and the apoptosis rate was calculated. Data were processed with one-way analysis of variance and LSD-t test.

RESULTS(1) The serum contents of ROS in rats of burn group were respectively (187 ± 21), (235 ± 22), (231 ± 25), (291 ± 20), (315 ±23) nmol/mL at post injury hour 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, which were significantly higher than that in sham injury group [(141 ± 19) nmol/mL, with t values respectively 7. 86, 9. 57, 13. 87, 14.98, 18.40, P values below 0.01]. (2) Primary cells grew slowly and showed a cobblestone appearance. After passages, cells grew with orderly distribution. The positive rate of coagulation factor VIII of cells was (96 ± 5)% , and thus they were identified as PMVECs. (3) In normal serum group, burn serum group, normal serum + MnTBAP group, and burn serum + MnTBAP group, the contents of ROS in PMVECs were respectively 798 ± 40, 1 294 ± 84, 763 ± 59, 926 ± 42 ( F =93.01, P <0.01), and the apoptosis rates of PMVECs were respectively (6.2 ± 1.3)%, (57.3 ± 6. 7)%, (3.7 ± 0. 8)%, (28.7 ± 5. 7)% (F = 224.50, P <0.01) after being cultured for 24 h. Compared with those of normal serum group, the content of ROS and apoptosis rate of PMVECs in burn serum group increased significantly (with t values respectively 10.40 and 49.06, P values below 0.01). The content of ROS and apoptosis rate of PMVECs in burn serum + MnTBAP group were significantly lower than those in burn serum group (with t values respectively 7.48 and 23.94, P values below 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSSerum content of ROS was increased in severely burned rats. Burn rat serum stimulation on PMVECs can lead to the increase of the intracellular ROS and induce apoptosis. However application of MnTBAP can scavenge ROS and reduce the apoptosis induced by burn rat serum.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; Burns ; blood ; therapy ; Endothelial Cells ; pathology ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Lung ; blood supply ; Oxygen ; Rats ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; blood ; Serum ; metabolism

Objective To investigate the clinical value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in diagnosing G3 NEN and compare it with 68Ga-DOTA-NOC PET/CT.Methods Twenty-three patients (12 males,11 females;average age (63± 12) years) diagnosed of NEN between January 2006 and November 2016 were retrospectively recruited in this study:11 patients with gastroenteropancreatic NEN (GEP-NEN),10 with G3 NEN in lungs,1 with malignant pheochromocytoma and 1 with G3 NEN of unknown primary site.All patients underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT for staging and evaluation of biological behavior,and 9 of them also underwent 68Ga-DOTA-NOC PET/CT within 1 week.Image interpretation was analyzed by visual and semi-quantitative analysis,and SUVmax was calculated.Results All 23 cases showed positive results on 18F-FDG PET/CT (100％,23/23),with primary tumor SUVmax 10.56±3.94.Compared with 18F-FDG PET/CT,the positive detection rate of 68Ga-DOTA-NOC PET/CT was lower (6/9 vs 9/9),with primary tumor SUVmax 14.24± 10.00.There were 22 patients with distant metastasis.The most frequent metastatic sites associated with G3 NEN in lungs were lymph nodes and bones,while those with GEP-NEN were lymph nodes and the liver.In one patient with non-functional NEN,some metastatic lesions showed negative results on 18F-FDG PET/CT but positive results on 68 Ga-DOTA-NOC PET/CT.Conclusions 18 F-FDG PET/CT has higher diagnostic ability for G3 NEN and may serve as a useful tool for evaluating biological behavior of G3 NEN.68Ga-DOTA-NOC PET/CT is valuable as a complementary diagnostic tool in a small proportion of high differentiated G3 NEN.

3-ketosteroid-9alpha-hydroxylase (KSH), a key enzyme in the microbial steroid degradation, is highly valuable for the production of some steroid drugs. Degenerate primers were designed by comparing the ksh from Rhodococcus erythropolis SQ1 and its homologous sequences in the reported genome of Mycobacteria. Subsequently, a gene fragment of KSH was cloned from Mycobacterium sp. NwIB-01, a sterol-transforming bacterium isolated from soil in our lab. According to the conservative sequence, the full-length 1188 bp gene encoding ksh (designated as M.S.-ksh) was obtained by chromosome walking, which showed 85% identity with the ksh of M. smegmatis mc(2)155. The heterologous expression of KSH was achieved in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) using the pET-32a-c(+) vector system. The expressed KSH protein was mostly in soluble form after IPTG induction at 30 degreesC and accounted for more than 30% of total bacterial proteins according to SDS-PAGE electrophoresis. The molecular mass of KSH was about 45 kD, which was exactly the size predicted. After Ni2+ affinity chromatography, the purity of the target protein was more than 90%. Our work will definitely contribute to the industrial production of some steroid drugs by developing KSH genetically engineered bacteria.
Bacterial Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Base Sequence ; Cloning, Molecular ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; metabolism ; Mixed Function Oxygenases ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Mycobacterium ; enzymology ; Protein Engineering ; methods ; Soil Microbiology ; Steroids ; biosynthesis

Objective To investigate the safety and efficacy of 177Lu-prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-617 in the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).Methods From August 2017 to September 2018,11 patients(average age 70.6 years) with mCRPC who underwent 177Lu-PSMA-617 therapy in Nanjing First Hospital were studied.All patients underwent 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT before therapy to assess the tumor radioactive uptake.Blood routine examination and renal function test results were documented before and after therapy to assess the safety.The efficacy was reflected by the changes of prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels and maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) on 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT imaging.Paired t test and Wilcoxon's sign rank test were used to analyze the data.Results No acute side effects were observed after therapy of 177Lu-PSMA-617.There were no statistically significant differences after therapy in WBC counts,RBC counts,and PLT,as well as Hb levels (t values:-0.28-1.11,all P＞ 0.05).No kidney toxicity was found.The PSA level after 177Lu-PSMA-617 therapy was significantly lower than that before therapy (80.70 (14.29,1 538.00) μg/L vs 604.60 (88.41,3 980.00) μg/L;u =59,P =0.023).Of the 11 patients,only 2 had elevated PSA levels and disease progression,while the other 9 patients had varying decreases,of which 2/11 decreased by ＞30％ and 7/11 decreased by ＞50％.After therapy,SUVmax of metastatic lesions and metastatic lymph nodes were decreased in 9 and 2 patients respectively.Conclusions 177Lu-PSMA-617 has a good therapeutic value for mCRPC.It is safe and has no obvious side effects.

Objective: To synthesis ¹⁷⁷Lu-prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-I&T with automated module, evaluate the biodistribution and pharmacokinetics in mice and study the targeting property in human prostate cancer cell line LNCaP Clone FGC. Methods: The iQS-TS automated module was applied in labeling ¹⁷⁷Lu-PSMA-I&T. Radiochemical purity and stability were determined with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The biodistribution was observed in normal ICR mice and U-SPECT/CT imaging was performed in LNCaP Clone FGC tumor-bearing mice. Independent-sample t test was used to analyze the data. Results: ¹⁷⁷Lu-PSMA-I&T was stable in vitro and in vivo, with the radiolabeled yield of (91.5±4.9)% and radiochemical purity >99%. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of ¹⁷⁷Lu-PSMA-I&T binding to LNCaP Clone FGC cells was (26.74±3.53) nmol/L. The uptake of ¹⁷⁷Lu-PSMA-I&T by LNCaP Clone FGC cells increased with time and significantly decreased after the inhibitor addition (t values: 4.301-27.483, all P<0.05). ¹⁷⁷Lu-PSMA-I&T was cleared from blood rapidly and predominantly excreted by kidneys. Significant radioactive uptake was observed in tumors with a long retention time. Conclusion ¹⁷⁷Lu-PSMA-I&T can be produced in a convenient and efficient procedure using iQS-TS automated module, with good biological properties and excellent affinity and targeting property towards prostate cancer cells, which making it a potential radiopharmaceutical for prostate cancer therapy.

ObjectiveTo investigate the inhibitory effect of Mahuang Xixin Fuzitang on the migration of dendritic cells （DCs） in mice and its underlying mechanism. MethodMouse bone marrow-derived DCs were isolated and cultured. The morphological changes of the cells at different stages were observed under a microscope， and the CD11c⁺ proportion was detected by flow cytometry to identify DC purity. Cells were treated with Mahuang Xixin Fuzitang （1， 2， 5， 10， 20， 40， 50， 100 g·L^-1） for 24 hours， and the effect of Mahuang Xixin Fuzitang on cell proliferation was assessed using the cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） assay to determine the appropriate concentrations for treatment. After modeling by lipopolysaccharide （LPS） induction， DCs were divided into a blank group， a model group， and Mahuang Xixin Fuzitang groups （2， 4， 8 g·L^-1）. The expression of surface molecules CD80， CD86， and major histocompatibility complex-Ⅱ （MHC-Ⅱ） were detected by flow cytometry. Transwell chamber assay was used to observe cell migration. The levels of chemokine C-C-primitive receptor 7 （CCR7） and chemokine C-X-C-primitive receptor 4 （CXCR4） on the cell surface were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The expression of filamentous actin （F-actin） in the cell microfilament cytoskeleton was detected by immunofluorescence （IF） staining. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was employed to determine the mRNA expression levels of Ras homolog family member A （RhoA） and Rho-associated coiled-coil containing protein kinase 1 （ROCK1）. Western blot analysis was performed to detect the protein expression of RhoA and ROCK1. ResultCompared with the blank group， the model group exhibited significantly higher expression levels of CD80， CD86， and MHC-Ⅱ （P<0.01）， a significantly increased number of cells migrating to the lower chamber （P<0.01）， and significantly elevated levels of CCR7 and CXCR4 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Additionally， F-actin expression was significantly increased （P<0.01）， and both RhoA and ROCK1 mRNA and protein expression levels were significantly higher （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， treatment with Mahuang Xixin Fuzitang （2， 4， 8 g·L^-1） for 24 hours resulted in significantly lower expression levels of CD80， CD86， and MHC-Ⅱ （P<0.01）， a significantly reduced number of cells migrating to the lower chamber （P<0.05）， and significantly decreased levels of CCR7 and CXCR4 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Furthermore， F-actin expression was significantly reduced （P<0.01）， and both RhoA and ROCK1 mRNA and protein expression levels were significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionMahuang Xixin Fuzitang can inhibit the migration of DCs in mice， and its mechanism of action may be related to reducing the activity of the Rho/ROCK signaling pathway， thereby affecting changes in the cell cytoskeleton.

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of activating silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) on early myocardial damage in severely burned rats.

METHODSTwenty-four healthy male SD rats were divided into sham injury group (SI), scald group (S), and resveratrol (RSV) treatment group (RT) according to the random number table, with 8 rats in each group. Rats in groups S and RT were inflicted with 30% TBSA full-thickness scald on the back by immersing in 95 °C water for 18 s. Immediately after injury, rats in group S were intraperitoneally injected with 10 mL normal saline (50 mL/kg) and those in group RT with 10 mL normal saline (50 mL/kg)+10 µL RSV in the concentration of 1 g/mL (50 mg/kg). Backs of rats in group SI were immersed in 20 °C room temperature water for 18 s to simulate the scald process. Heart tissues and aorta abdominalis blood samples were collected at post injury hour (PIH) 6. The histomorphology of heart tissues was observed with HE staining. The serum contents of creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were determined with ELISA. The protein expressions of SIRT1 and caspase-3 and mRNA expressions of SIRT1, caspase-3, IL-1β, and TNF-α in heart tissue specimens were determined with Western blotting and real-time fluorescent quantitative RT-PCR (with protein level denoted as gray value). Data were processed with one-way analysis of variance and LSD- t test.

RESULTS(1) In group SI, myocardial fibers were in irregularly cylindrical shape, neatly arranged, and the transverse striation were distinct. In group S, myocardial interstitial edema, disorder of myocardial fiber arrangement, and cytoplasm destruction were observed. In group RT, the degrees of myocardial interstitial edema, disorder of myocardial fiber arrangement, and cytoplasm destruction were alleviated in comparison with those of group S. (2) The serum contents of CK and LDH of rats in group S were respectively (2 385 ± 712) and (2 551 ± 196) U/L, which were significantly higher than those in the group SI [(290 ± 59) and (759 ± 60) U/L, with t values respectively 9.466 and 25.452, P values below 0.01]. The serum contents of CK and LDH of rats in group RT were respectively (1 336 ± 149) and (2 209 ± 133) U/L, which were significantly lower than those of group S (with t values respectively -4.506 and -4.860, P values below 0.01). (3) The protein expressions of SIRT1 and caspase-3 in heart tissue of rats in group S were respectively 0.47 ± 0.11 and 0.48 ± 0.12, which were significantly higher than those in group SI [0.18 ± 0.06 and 0.09 ± 0.05, with t values respectively 4.813 and 9.014, P values below 0.01]. The protein expression of SIRT1 in heart tissue of rats in group RT was 0.74 ± 0.18, which was significantly higher than that of group S (t = 4.561, P < 0.01); the protein expression of caspase-3 in heart tissue of rats in group RT was 0.21 ± 0.08, which was significantly lower than that of group S (t = -6.239, P < 0.01). (4) The mRNA expressions of SIRT1, caspase-3, IL-1β, and TNF-α in heart tissue of rats in group S were respectively 2.33 ± 0.24, 1.96 ± 0.20, 2.46 ± 0.21, 1.89 ± 0.37, which were significantly higher than those in group SI (1.00 ± 0.07, 1.00 ± 0.06, 1.00 ± 0.08, 1.00 ± 0.09, with t values respectively 14.961, 12.823, 18.559, 6.679, P values below 0.01). The mRNA expression of SIRT1 in heart tissue of rats in group RT was 2.89 ± 0.31, which was significantly higher than that of group S (t = 3.997, P < 0.01). The mRNA expressions of caspase-3, IL-1β, and TNF-α in heart tissue of rats in group RT were respectively 1.31 ± 0.08, 1.64 ± 0.09, 1.25 ± 0.08, which were significantly lower than those of group S (with t values respectively -8.264, -10.245, -4.818, P values below 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSThe expression of SIRT1 in heart tissue is upregulated in the early stage of severely burned rats. Activation of SIRT1 by RSV can alleviate myocardial tissue injury and reduce apoptosis of cardiac myocytes and secretion of IL-1β and TNF-α.

Animals ; Antioxidants ; Apoptosis ; Burns ; Caspase 3 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Edema ; metabolism ; Interleukin-1beta ; Male ; Myocardium ; metabolism ; pathology ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Rats ; Serum ; Sirtuin 1 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Stilbenes ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; genetics ; metabolism ; Up-Regulation ; physiology