1.5-HT Promotes Proliferation and Inhibits Apoptosis of Megakarycytes through 5-HT2BR.
Hui-Min KONG ; Yu-Rong CEN ; Mo YANG ; Qiang PENG ; Jin-Qi HUANG
Journal of Experimental Hematology 2025;33(1):75-81
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the effect of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) on the proliferation, apoptosis and colony-forming unit-megakaryocyte (CFU-MK) of Meg-01 cells and its possible mechanisms.
METHODS:
The uptake and metabolism of 5-HT in Meg-01 cells were analysed by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) with electrochemical detection. The expression of 5-HT2B receptor (5-HT2BR) in megakaryocytes was detected by immunofluorescence staining. The cell proliferation and viability were measured by MTT and Trypan blue staining after Meg-01 cells were single-cultured or co-cultured with different concentrations of 5-HT/5-HT2BR inhibitor Ketanserin for 48 h. Meg-01 cells were incubated with 5-HT/ Ketanserin for 72 h, then the flow cytometry was used to detect early apoptosis of the cells and the activity of caspase-3. Using CFU-MK assay to investigate the effect of 5-HT on the differentiation of megakaryocytes.
RESULTS:
5-HT could be uptaken by Meg-01 cells, and metabolized into 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA). The expression of 5-HT2BR on megakaryocytes could be detected after immunofluorescence staining. 5-HT could promote the proliferation of Meg-01 cells at a dose-dependent manner (r =0.82), with the most significant effect observed at a concentration of 200 nmol/L (P < 0.001). Trypan blue staining also indicated that 200 nmol/L 5-HT had the most significant effect on the viability of Meg-01 cells (P < 0.05). The proliferation of Meg-01 cells treated with 5-HT was increased compared with the untreated control (P < 0.001), while the combination of 5-HT with ketanserin downregulated this effect. 5-HT significantly reduced the early apoptosis rate (P < 0.001) and caspase-3 activity (P < 0.05) of Meg-01 cells, while addition of ketanserin significantly increased the early apoptosis rate of Meg-01 cells (P < 0.001) and caspase-3 activity also increased to some extent. 5-HT promoted the formation of CFU-MK in bone marrow cells in a dose-dependent manner (r =0.89). The addition of ketanserin reduced the promoting effect of 5-HT on CFU-MK formation (P < 0.01).
CONCLUSION
There may be monoamine oxidase present in megakaryocytes, which can metabolize and decompose 5-HT into 5-HIAA. 5-HT may promote the proliferation and differentiation of megakaryocytes through 5-HT2BR. Besides, 5-HT can also reduce the apoptosis of megakaryocytes, and its anti-apoptotic effect may be mediated by 5-HT2BR and caspase-3 pathways.
Apoptosis/drug effects*
;
Cell Proliferation/drug effects*
;
Megakaryocytes/metabolism*
;
Serotonin/pharmacology*
;
Humans
;
Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2B/metabolism*
;
Caspase 3/metabolism*
;
Cell Differentiation
2.Psychological stress-activated NR3C1/NUPR1 axis promotes ovarian tumor metastasis.
Bin LIU ; Wen-Zhe DENG ; Wen-Hua HU ; Rong-Xi LU ; Qing-Yu ZHANG ; Chen-Feng GAO ; Xiao-Jie HUANG ; Wei-Guo LIAO ; Jin GAO ; Yang LIU ; Hiroshi KURIHARA ; Yi-Fang LI ; Xu-Hui ZHANG ; Yan-Ping WU ; Lei LIANG ; Rong-Rong HE
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(6):3149-3162
Ovarian tumor (OT) is the most lethal form of gynecologic malignancy, with minimal improvements in patient outcomes over the past several decades. Metastasis is the leading cause of ovarian cancer-related deaths, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Psychological stress is known to activate the glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1), a factor associated with poor prognosis in OT patients. However, the precise mechanisms linking NR3C1 signaling and metastasis have yet to be fully elucidated. In this study, we demonstrate that chronic restraint stress accelerates epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis in OT through an NR3C1-dependent mechanism involving nuclear protein 1 (NUPR1). Mechanistically, NR3C1 directly regulates the transcription of NUPR1, which in turn increases the expression of snail family transcriptional repressor 2 (SNAI2), a key driver of EMT. Clinically, elevated NR3C1 positively correlates with NUPR1 expression in OT patients, and both are positively associated with poorer prognosis. Overall, our study identified the NR3C1/NUPR1 axis as a critical regulatory pathway in psychological stress-induced OT metastasis, suggesting a potential therapeutic target for intervention in OT metastasis.
3.Salvianolic acid B promotes mitochondrial homeostasis and improves cardiac function in mice with ischemia-reperfusion injury by inhibiting Sirt1 protein degradation.
Simeng LI ; Jianning CHEN ; Siman SHEN ; Wanglong LIU ; Lili YU ; Liangqing ZHANG
Journal of Southern Medical University 2025;45(10):2062-2070
OBJECTIVES:
To investigate the molecular mechanism by which salvianolic acid B (Sal-B) modulates mitochondrial functional homeostasis and alleviates myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in mice.
METHODS:
Mouse cardiomyocyte HL-1 cells were pretreated with 5 μmol/L Sal-B with or without sh-Sirt1 transfection before exposure to hypoxia-reoxygenation (HR), and the changes in ATP production, mitochondrial superoxide activity, substrate oxidation level were evaluated. In the animal experiment, 36 C57BL/6J mice were randomized into 3 groups (n=12) for sham operation or ligation of the left anterior coronary artery to induce myocardial I/R injury with or without intravenous injection of Sal-B+I/R (50 mg/kg). In the rescue experiment, 60 adult C57BL/6J mice were randomized into 5 groups (n=12): sham-operated group, myocardial I/R group, Sal-B+I/R group, I/R+Sal-B+Sirt1fl/fl group, and I/R+Sal-B+cKO-Sirt1 group. Myocardial injury was evaluated with HE staining, and cardiac function was assessed by measurement of the ejection fraction and fractional shortening using echocardiography.
RESULTS:
In HL-1 cells with HR injury, Sal-B pretreatment significantly increased cellular ATP production, reduced mitochondrial superoxide anion levels, and enhanced oxygen consumption level. In the mouse models of myocardial I/R injury, Sal-B pretreatment markedly ameliorated I/R-induced structural disarray of the cardiac myocytes and improved cardiac ejection. Cycloheximide chase with Western blotting and ubiquitination assays after Sirt1-IP showed that Sal-B significantly inhibited Sirt1 degradation in HL-1 cells. Sirt1 knock-down reversed Sal-B-induced increases in ATP production, reduction in superoxide, and elevation of OCR in HL-1 cells. Cardiomyocyte-specific Sirt1 knockout obviously reversed Sal-B-mediated improvement in cardiac ejection function and myocardial structure damage in mice with myocardial I/R injury.
CONCLUSIONS
Sal-B promotes mitochondrial functional homeostasis in cardiomyocytes with HR injury and improves cardiac function in mice after myocardial I/R by inhibiting Sirt1 protein degradation.
Animals
;
Sirtuin 1/metabolism*
;
Myocardial Reperfusion Injury/physiopathology*
;
Mice, Inbred C57BL
;
Mice
;
Myocytes, Cardiac/drug effects*
;
Benzofurans/pharmacology*
;
Homeostasis/drug effects*
;
Male
;
Mitochondria/drug effects*
;
Depsides
4.Endovascular therapy combined with laparoscopic surgery for acute mesentery artery occlusion
Keqiang ZHAO ; Peng ZHANG ; Junlai ZHAO ; Tong ZHANG ; Zhanjiang CAO ; Yu YANG ; Chao JIANG ; Rongrong ZHU ; Weiwei WU
Chinese Journal of General Surgery 2024;39(3):192-196
Objective:To explore the efficacy and safety of endovascular intervention combined with preoperative laparoscopic exploration in the treatment of patients with acute mesenteric artery ischemia.Methods:This was a prospective cohort study (NCT04686981). The study enrolled 31 patients with acute mesenteric artery ischemia from Oct 1, 2020 to Oct 1, 2022. Among them, 26 patients (84%) were male, with a mean age of (67±13) years and a mean time to onset of (21±8) hours. All patients underwent laparoscopic exploration in the hybrid operating room. If the presence of intestinal necrosis or suspected necrosis was clearly determined, the patient would undergo open surgery (mesenteric artery embolization, intestinal resection and intestinal double stoma) as the treatment by gastrointestinal surgeon. If intestinal necrosis or suspected necrosis was not found by laparoscopy, the patient would undergo endovascular intervention by vascular surgeon. The primary observational endpoints of this study were the proportion of patients who were not dependent on total parenteral nutrition and all-cause mortality within 30 days after operation. The secondary observational endpoints were the rate of mesenteric vascular patency within 30 days and the proportion of interventions that were converted to open surgery.Results:Six patients underwent open surgery and 25 patients underwent endovascular intervention, including 13 cases of thrombus reduction alone, 3 cases of stent implantation during the same period after reduction, and 9 cases of stent implantation alone. Twenty-four patients (77%) were completely weaned from the TPN within 30 days after the procedure, and all-cause mortality was observed in 3 cases (9.7%). The patency rate of the mesenteric artery within 30 days after the procedure was 82.1%. The rate of conversion to open surgery after intervention was 16%.Conclusions:Endovascular intervention combined with preoperative laparoscopic exploration can clarify intestinal ischemia in acute mesenteric patients as early as possible, and individualized treatment strategies for each patient by multidisciplinary care team can potentially improve the prognosis of such patients.
5.Research progress on characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer in adolescents and young adults
Gangsheng ZHENG ; Ganxiang YU ; Huixin CHEN
Journal of Clinical Medicine in Practice 2024;28(1):145-148
Colorectal cancer is a common malignant tumor of the digestive system. In recent years, with the changes in people's lifestyle, dietary structure, and the intensification of environmental pollution, the incidence of colorectal cancer in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) has significantly increased. AYAs refer to individuals aged 15 to 39, and compared with elderly cancer patients, AYAs with cancer have higher long-term and advanced-stage risks as well as worse prognosis, and colorectal cancer also become an important cause of death in AYAs. This study took colorectal cancer as a study point to analyze the risk factors and clinical characteristics of AYAs with colorectal cancer, explored the diagnosis and treatment methods for AYAs with colorectal cancer, and provided a basis for formulating prevention and control measures in clinical practice.
6.Research progress on plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles and their applications.
Lin-Si PAN ; Wen-Cai WANG ; Meng-Yu YAO ; Xiao-Yan WANG ; Xian-Zhi ZHANG
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2023;48(22):5977-5984
Plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles(PELNs) are a class of membranous vesicles with diameters approximately ranging from 30 to 300 nm, isolated from plant tissues. They contain components such as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. PELNs play an important role in the metabolism of plant substances and immune defense, and can also cross-regulate the physiological activities of fungi and animal cells, showing significant potential applications. In recent years, research on PELNs has significantly increased, highlighting three main issues:(1) the mixed sources of plant materials for PELNs;(2) the lack of a unified system for isolating and characterizing PELNs;(3) the urgent need to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the cross-regulation of biological functions by PELNs. This article focused on these concerns. It began by summarizing the biological origin and composition of PELNs, discussing the techniques for isolating and characterizing PELNs, and analyzing their biomedical applications and potential future research directions., aiming to promote the establishment of standardized research protocols for PELNs and provide theoretical references for in-depth exploration of the mechanisms underlying PELNs' cross-regulatory effects.
Animals
;
Exosomes/metabolism*
;
Proteins/metabolism*
;
Plants/metabolism*
;
Nucleic Acids
;
Nanoparticles
8.Emerging pathogenic role of group 3 innate lymphoid cells in inflammatory diseases.
Hui-Xin XIE ; Yun GUO ; Hao-Jie ZHONG ; Yi ZHOU ; Xue-Qing YU
Acta Physiologica Sinica 2022;74(2):265-275
Group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3) as a family member of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), have been defined as novel innate immune cells in the past decade. ILC3 include a variety of heterogenous subsets with different phenotypes and functions, which are mainly distributed in barrier organs such as the intestine, lung and skin. They play an important role in immune regulation, tissue repair and lymphoid tissue formation. However, in various inflammatory diseases, ILC3 become dysregulated and participate in the pathogenesis through secreting a series of cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-17, IL-22, interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) to modulate other immune cells and induce the formation of ectopic lymphoid structures. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore the phenotype and function of ILC3 in order to advance the understanding of inflammatory diseases and find new therapeutic targets. In this article, the phenotypic characteristics, biological functions and research progress of ILC3 in inflammatory diseases were reviewed.
Cytokines
;
Immunity, Innate
;
Interferon-gamma
;
Intestines
;
Lymphocytes
9.Ferroptosis of airway epithelial cells in asthma: current and future
Xue-mei CHEN ; Juan LIANG ; Xiu-ling SONG ; Xiao-hua LIU ; Chu-peng XUE ; Yu-ge HUANG ; Wen LI
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2022;57(6):1614-1620
Ferroptosis is a novel cell death mode proposed in recent years, which is characterized by intracellular iron-dependent lipid peroxidation. Its mechanisms include lipid peroxidation, iron accumulation and the imbalance of antioxidant system. The crosstalk between ferroptosis and asthma is gradually deepening. Elucidating the specific mechanism of ferroptosis in regulating asthma is helpful to broaden the understanding of the pathology of asthma. This paper expounds the role of ferroptosis in airway epithelial cells in the occurrence and development of asthma from three perspectives: lipid peroxidation, iron accumulation and the imbalance of antioxidant system, hoping to find new targets and strategies for asthma treatment.
10.Construction of VcrV-deleted mutant of Vibrio alginolyticus and its biological characteristics.
Xinliang PENG ; Jichang JIAN ; Yu DING
Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2022;38(8):3062-3075
A mutant strain ΔVcrV was constructed by using homologous recombination method for investigating the function of the VcrV gene in Vibrio alginolyticus type Ⅲ secretion system. The genetic stability of ΔVcrV was detected by PCR, and the biological characteristics between the mutant and the wild type strains were compared. ΔVcrV muntat had no significant changes in growth rate and autoagglutination compared with the wild type strain, but the ability to form biofilms was reduced, and the LD50 was increased by 16.5 times. The swimming and swarming motility of the mutant strain ΔVcrV were significantly enhanced, while cell adhesion was significantly reduced than the wild strain (P < 0.01). The tolerance of ΔVcrV mutant to H2O2 and NaCl was decreased. Compared with that of the wild type strain, the sensitivity of ΔVcrV mutant to cefuroxime, medimycin and clindamycin was increased, but to amikacin and polymxin B was decreased. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) content of ΔVcrV mutant was significantly decreased (P < 0.01), and the indexes of proline, peptidoglycan, β-lactamase, catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase of ΔVcrV mutant were significantly increased than that of the wild type strain (P < 0.01). The biological characteristics of ΔVcrV mutant indicated that VcrV gene was involved in pathogenicity and various biological functions of V. alginolyticus type Ⅲ secretion system.
Animals
;
Bacterial Proteins/metabolism*
;
Fish Diseases
;
Hydrogen Peroxide/metabolism*
;
Type III Secretion Systems
;
Vibrio Infections
;
Vibrio alginolyticus/genetics*


Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail