Autophagy is a crucial biological process in eukaryotes, which is involved in cell growth, survival and energy metabolism. It has been confirmed that autophagy mediates toxicity of anticancer drugs, especially in heart, liver and neuron. It is important to understand the function and mechanism of autophagy in anticancer drugs-induced toxicity. Given that autophagy is a double-edged sword in the maintenance of the function of heart, liver and neuron, the autophagy-mediated toxicity are very complicated in the body. We provide a review on the concept of autophagy and current status about autophagy-mediated toxicity of anticancer drugs. The knowledge is crucial in the basic study of anticancer drugs-induced toxicity, and provides some strategies for the development of alleviating the toxicity of anticancer drugs.
Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; toxicity ; Autophagy ; Humans ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy

OBJECTIVETo examine the effect and mechanism of artesunate (Art) on embryo development.

METHODSRat embryo and placental glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px)and malondialdehyde (MDA) were identified by using DTNB (dithionitrobenzene) direct method and TBA (thiobarbituric acid). We investigated the damage of decidual cells caused by Art using cell culture techniques.

RESULTSSubcutaneous administration of Art in rats on d 6 approximate, equals d 10 of gestation induced developmental toxicity. Absorption increased when progressively increased doses were given (r=0.996,P<0.01). Twenty four hours post injection, GSH-Px in embryo decreased significantly while MDA content was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). GSH Px: study group was(43.7+/-10.7)micromol/min.mg(-1)Hb, control group was(54.5+/-10.1)micromol/min.mg(-1)Hb; MDA:study group was(230.2+/-19.8)nmol/g tissue, control group was(150.4+/-44.1)nmol/g tissue. Placental GSH-Px activity was significantly higher than that in the control group(P<0.01). After cultured human decidual cells were exposed to Art for 24 h, the LC50 was (25.2+/-3.5)mg/L.

CONCLUSIONArt may induce developmental toxicity in rat embryo and placenta by neutralizing the antioxidant defense mechanism.

Animals ; Antimalarials ; toxicity ; Artemisinins ; toxicity ; Embryo, Mammalian ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Female ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; metabolism ; Lipid Peroxidation ; drug effects ; Male ; Placenta ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sesquiterpenes ; toxicity

OBJECTIVETo compare the effects of oral treatment with tetrandrine (TD) and N-acetylcys-teine (NAC) separately or jointly on silica-exposed rats.

METHODS40 sprague-Dawly (SD) rats were randomly divided into normal saline group, quartz group, TD treatment group (50 mg/kg), NAC treatment group (500 mg/kg) and combined treatment group (TD: 50 mg/kg + NAC: 500 mg/kg). Rats in normal saline group and other groups received intratracheal instillation of normal saline and quartz dust suspension respectively. Treatment groups were given TD, NAC separately or jointly via esophagus the next day after instillation, once a day and six times a week for 30 consecutive days. At the end of experiment, the pathological changes of lung tissues were evaluated by the methods of Foot, HE and Masson staining, the level of hydroxyproline (HYP), malondjalde-hyde (MDA), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in lung tissues were measured by alkaline hydrolysis method, the barbituric acid method and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) respectively.

RESULTSCompared with the quartz group, lymph nodes/body coefficients in all treatment groups and lung/body coefficient in combined treatment group were significantly decreased (P < 0.05). Pathology results showed that the normal saline group demonstrated no obvious evidence of lung damage. The quartz group lungs silicotic lesions focused on II~III level, the TD treatment group was mainly with I level, the NAC treatment group was mainly with I~II level, and the combined treatment group only showed little silicotic nodule, no obvious fibrosis. HYP content in TD treatment group and combined treatment group were significantly lower than that in the quartz group (P < 0.05), while it showed no obvious change in NAC treatment group. MDA content in lung tissues of each treatment group (TD treatment group, NAC treatment group and combined treatment group) were 18.80 ± 2.94, 20.13 ± 4.01 and 17.05 ± 3.52 nmol/ml respectively, which lower than in the quartz group (23.99 ± 3.26 nmol/ml). The level of IL-6 in lung tissues of the quartz group were 89.57 ± 8.78 pg/ml. After TD and NAC monotherapy, the IL-6 content decreased to 79.22 ± 9.65 pg/ml and 81.63 ± 5.72 pg/ml, and it decreased more significantly after combined medication (74.37 ± 3.17 pg/ml). The level of TNF-α in the quartz group were 59.05 ± 4.48 pg/ml. After TD and NAC monotherapy, the TNF-α content decreased to 50.48 ± 2.76 pg/ml and 54.28 ± 4.30 pg/ml, and it decreased more significantly after combined medication (49.10 ± 4.98 pg/ml).

CONCLUSIONNAC and TD could reduce MDA, TNF-α and IL-6 levels in lung tissue, and alleviate SiO2-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats. Combined treatment with TD and NAC was more effective than TD or NAC treatment separately.

Acetylcysteine ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Benzylisoquinolines ; pharmacology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Dust ; Hydroxyproline ; metabolism ; Interleukin-6 ; metabolism ; Lung ; pathology ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Pulmonary Fibrosis ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; Quartz ; toxicity ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Silicon Dioxide ; toxicity ; Silicosis ; drug therapy ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

Drug therapy is essential for cancer treatment. The molecular targeted anticancer drugs develop rapidly in recent years, since the effectiveness of traditional chemotherapy is unsatisfactory and the adverse reactions are high. However, molecular targeted anticancer drugs would damage the function of heart, liver or lung, and may cause adverse effects such as hand-foot syndrome, which restrains their clinical application. Therefore, it is critical for pharmaceutical toxicology to study the toxicity, the related mechanisms and the preventive measures of molecular targeted anticancer drugs.
Antineoplastic Agents ; toxicity ; Humans ; Molecular Targeted Therapy

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of fluorochloridone (FLC) exposure on the testes of adult Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats.

METHODSForty male SD rats were randomly divided into four groups. These groups, each of 10 male rats, were separately given FLC by gavage at a dose of 0 (control), 30, 150, or 750 mg/kg once daily for 28 d. The oxidative stress biomarkers in the testes were measured by spectrophotometry. The pathological changes in testicular tissues were evaluated under the light and electric microscopes. The cauda epididymal sperm count was determined. The testicular toxicity of FLC was assessed accordingly.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, the 750 mg/kg FLC group had significantly lower testicular weight and organ coefficient, epididymal weight, and cauda epididymal sperm count (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), the 150 and 750 mg/kg FLC groups had significantly increased malonaldehyde content (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), each exposed group had a significantly reduced glutathione (GSH) level (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), the 750 mg/kg FLC group had significantly reduced activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), GSH peroxidase, GSH S-transferase (GSH-ST), and GSH reductase (GSH-GR) (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), the 150 mg/kg FLC group showed significant decreases in the activities of all antioxidant enzymes except GSH-GR (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), and the 30 mg/kg FLC group showed significant decreases in the activities of SOD and CAT (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Furthermore, seminiferous epithelial degeneration, Sertoli cell vacuolization, spermatogenic cell loss, and nuclear damage were observed under the light and electronic microscopes in the 150 and 750 mg/kg FLC groups.

CONCLUSIONFLC could damage the testes of adult rats by inducting oxidative stress. This research provided clues and directions for further exploration of the mechanism of FLC testicular toxicity.

Animals ; Male ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Pyrrolidinones ; toxicity ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sperm Motility ; drug effects ; Testis ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology

Autophagy is a crucial biological process in eukaryotes, which is involved in cell growth, survival and energy metabolism. It has been confirmed that autophagy mediates toxicity of anticancer drugs, especially in heart, liver and neuron. It is important to understand the function and mechanism of autophagy in anticancer drugs-induced toxicity. Given that autophagy is a double-edged sword in the maintenance of the function of heart, liver and neuron, the autophagy-mediated toxicity are very complicated in the body. We provide a review on the concept of autophagy and current status about autophagy-mediated toxicity of anticancer drugs. The knowledge is crucial in the basic study of anticancer drugs-induced toxicity, and provides some strategies for the development of alleviating the toxicity of anticancer drugs.

This study was aimed to explore the effect and feasibility of reduced conditioning intensity allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in the treatment of relapsed ETO positive acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. Fifteen cases of relapsed AML received the reducing conditioning intensity allo-HSCT from January 2011 to January 2013 in Beijing Military Command General Hospital. All patients were high-risk type of relapsed or refractory AML, including 10 males and 5 females, aged from 16 to 48 years old with mean age of 32.5 years. Ten cases are HLA-identical matching and other 5 cases are HLA-haploidentical.donors received granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) to mobilize the peripheral blood stem cell for transplantation. Conditioning regimen was fludarabine combined with busulfex, cytarabine and cyclophosphamide. The preventive donor's peripheral blood stem cell infusion were performed after 3 months of transplantation, and the toxicity, GVHD and disease-free survival were observed in patients after transplantation. The results showed that all patients achieved hematopoietic reconstitution, the average time of neutrophils ≥ 0.5 × 10⁹/L and platelets ≥ 20 × 10⁹/L were 15.5 d and 16.8 d respectively. Implantation was confirmed by the evidence of 100% donor hematopoiesis. Follow-up to June 2014, with a median follow-up duration of 27.5 months (18-54 months), GVHD occurred in 8 cases of all patients, one died of complication, the other 4 cases died of relapse and the other three patients remained in disease-free survival. The disease-free survival rate of 2-year was 66.7%,the longest disease-free survival time was up to 54 months. It is concluded that the reduced conditioning intensity allo-HSCT is the effective and safe method for relapsed AML with ETO-positive, and it may be chosen as a treatment method for relapsed ETO positive AML patients.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Allografts ; Cytarabine ; Disease-Free Survival ; Erythropoietin ; analysis ; Female ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Transplantation Conditioning ; Vidarabine ; analogs & derivatives ; Young Adult

This study was purposed to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of haploidentical allogeneic hemopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for severe aplastic anemia (SAA), and evaluate the safety of this treatment by retrospective analysis. A total of 21 patients with SAA (13 cases of SAA-I, 8 cases of SAA-II) were treated with haploidentical allo-HSCT. Donors were the relatives of the patients (12 were the parents, 9 were the siblings). The conditioning regimen contained cyclophosphamide, fludarabine and antithymocyte globulin. Methylaminopterin, mycophenolate mofetil and cyclosporin A were used for preventing graft versus host disease (GVHD). The chimerism rate was monitored periodically after successful graft. The long survival rate, incidence and severity of complication, such as GVHD, infection, and so on were analyzed. The results showed that 15 out of 21 patients were survived for 16 (3-46) months, survival rate was 71.4%. Graft tailure happened in one case who died of mycetes septicemia at 43 days after allo-HSCT. Two patients died of pulmonary infection at 6 days and 10 days respectively after transplantation. Rejection happened in one case at 3 months who died of pulmonary infection at 17 days after the second transplantation with the same donor. Two patients died of IV grade intestinal GVHD at 35 days and 52 days. GVHD occurred in 14 of 21 patients, the accumulative incidence was 66.7%, 5 cases of them were severe. It is concluded that the therapeutic efficacy of haploidentical allo-HSCT is effective for SAA and with slighter complications.
Adolescent ; Allografts ; Anemia, Aplastic ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Antilymphocyte Serum ; Cyclosporine ; Graft vs Host Disease ; Haploidy ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Siblings ; Survival Rate ; Tissue Donors ; Transplantation Conditioning ; Vidarabine ; analogs & derivatives

OBJECTIVETo investigate the efficacy and safety of haploidentical allo-HSCT in combination of reduced intensity preconditioning combined with cyclophosphamid (CTX)-induced immune tolerance after transplanitation for treatment of severe aplastic anemia (SAA).

METHODSA total of 15 patients with SAA received the haploidentical allo-HSCT of reduced intensity preconditioning combined with CTX-induced immune tolerance after transplartation in the General hospital of Beijing military command of chinese PLA from June 2012 to December 2014. The reduced intensity preconditioning regimen consisted of CTX, fludarabine, busulfex and amti-lymphocyte immunoglobin; the immune tolerance was induced with CTX (50 mg/kg·d) on day 3 after transplantation; the HSC donors were father and mother of patients. The GVHD was prevented by inmunosuppression consisted of cyclosporine A(CsA), methotrexate and tacrolimus. The aduvese reaction and disease-free survival (DFS) were observed in all the patients.

RESULTSAll the SAA patients achieved hematopoietic reconstitution with 100% donor hematopoiesis, and all the T lymphocyte subsets increased. Out of 15 patients, 3 cases died of complication, and the DFS rate was 80% with a median follow-up of 19.8 month (6-36 months).

CONCLUSIONThe haploidentical allo-HSCT of reduced intensity preconditioning combined with CTX-induced immune tolerance after transplantation is safet and effective for SAA patients, that may be applied to clinical therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the role of bone marrow niche in the chemotherapy resistance of patient with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and to investigate the effects of the MSCs on the apoptosis of HL-60 cell and its underlying mechanisms. METHODS: MSCs were derived from the bone marrow of newly diagnosed AML patients (AML-MSCs) and health donors(MSCs) were co-cultured with HL-60 cells respectively. The apoptosis of HL-60 cells in the presence/absence of MSCs and/or Daunorubicin were determined by flow cytometry with Annexin V/PI double staining. In addition, the morphological features of HL-60 cells were observed by Wright-Giemsa staining, and the ratio of blasts and differentiated cells were counted. Furthermore, the expressions of apoptosis-related factors including Caspase-3, Caspase-8,Caspase-9 and Survivin were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: The flow cytometry showed that there was no significant change in apoptosis of HL-60 cells co-cultured with MSC derived from healthy donors or AML patients. After adding Daunorubicin into different cultural systems, the apoptotic rates of HL-60, HL-60 co-cultured with normal MSCs and HL-60 co-cultured with AML-MSCs were (49.57±7.44)%, (30.72±4.05)% and (22.99±4.08)%, respectively, which showed that normal MSCs and AML-MSCs could remarkably supress Daunorubicin-induced HL-60 apoptosis, however, there was no statistically significant difference of apoptosis between HL-60 co-cultured with normal MSCs and HL-60 co-cultured with AML-MSCs. Wright-Giemsa staining showed that most of the HL-60 cells co-cultured with AML-MSCs were primitive, and cell differentiation was unusual. In AML-MSCs co-cultured group, the cell apoptosis and differentiation caused by DNR was significant decreased, and most of HL-60 cells were initial. Western blot showed that the cleavage activity of Caspase-3 of HL-60 in AML-MSCs and normal MSCs co-cultured group was decreased, compared with HL-60 in single cultured group, moreover, the decrease was significantly in AML-MSC group. Additionally, the expression of survivin in AML-MSCs and normal MSCs co-cultured group was increased, compared with that in single cultured group, and increase was significant in AML-MSCs group. CONCLUSION MSCs can suppress Daunorubicin-induced HL-60 apoptosis via inhibiting Caspase-3 and maintaining survivin level.
Apoptosis ; Bone Marrow Cells ; Caspase 3 ; Cell Proliferation ; Daunorubicin ; HL-60 Cells ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells ; Survivin