Although several artificial nanotherapeutics have been approved for practical treatment of metastatic breast cancer, their inefficient therapeutic outcomes, serious adverse effects, and high cost of mass production remain crucial challenges. Herein, we developed an alternative strategy to specifically trigger apoptosis of breast tumors and inhibit their lung metastasis by using natural nanovehicles from tea flowers (TFENs). These nanovehicles had desirable particle sizes (131 nm), exosome-like morphology, and negative zeta potentials. Furthermore, TFENs were found to contain large amounts of polyphenols, flavonoids, functional proteins, and lipids. Cell experiments revealed that TFENs showed strong cytotoxicities against cancer cells due to the stimulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) amplification. The increased intracellular ROS amounts could not only trigger mitochondrial damage, but also arrest cell cycle, resulting in the in vitro anti-proliferation, anti-migration, and anti-invasion activities against breast cancer cells. Further mice investigations demonstrated that TFENs after intravenous (i.v.) injection or oral administration could accumulate in breast tumors and lung metastatic sites, inhibit the growth and metastasis of breast cancer, and modulate gut microbiota. This study brings new insights to the green production of natural exosome-like nanoplatform for the inhibition of breast cancer and its lung metastasis via i.v. and oral routes.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of warm acupuncture combined with yoga posture method in the treatment of periarthritis with frozen period. METHODS: Ninety patients with periarthritis who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into a control group 1, a control group 2 and an observation group, 30 cases in each group. Warm acupuncture was applied in the control group 1 (Jianzhen (SI 9), Jianyu (LI 15), Jianliao (TE 14), etc were selected), yoga posture method was applied in the control group 2, warm acupuncture combined with yoga posture method were given in the observation group, the treatment was given once a day, 10 times as a course with 2 days between courses and continuous for 2 courses. After 2 courses of treatment, the shoulder joint pain score and shoulder function grading were used to evaluate the clinical efficacy, and the clinical efficacy was observed. RESULTS: ①The pain scores of the three groups were significantly lower after treatment (all <0.01), and scores in the observation group was better than that in the control group 1 and the control group 2 (<0.05, <0.01). There was no significant difference between the control group 1 and the control group 2 (>0.05). ②After treatment, the functional classification of shoulder joints were significantly improved in the three groups (all <0.01), and the functional classification of shoulder joint in the observation group and the control group 2 were better than that in the control group 1 (<0.01, <0.05). There was no significant difference between the observation group and the control group 2 (>0.05). ③After 2 courses of treatment, the effective rate of the observation group was 86.7% (26/30), which was better than 70.0% (21/30) in the control group 1 and 76.7% (23/30) in the control group 2 (both <0.05). CONCLUSION Warm acupuncture combined with yoga posture method can effectively relieve shoulder pain and improve dysfunction. The clinical comprehensive effect is better than simple acupuncture and yoga posture method.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Humans ; Periarthritis ; therapy ; Posture ; Treatment Outcome ; Yoga

Cycloartenol, a phytosterol compound, also one of the key precusor substances for biosynthesis of numerous sterol compounds, has a variety of pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, antioxidant, antibiosis and anti-alzheimer's disease. Furthermore, cycloartenol also plays an important role in the process of plant growth and development. This article reviewed the research progress on cycloartenol pharmacological activity in domestic and foreign articles, and summarized the effect of cycloartenol and "cycloartenol pathway" on the plant growth and development, laying foundation for the its further study, development and utilization.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of intermittent fasting on metabolize and gut microbiota in obese presenium rats fed with high-fat-sugar-diet.

METHODSWe fed the Wistar rats with high-fat and high-sugar diet to induce adiposity, and the rats for intermittent fasting were selected base on their body weight. The rats were subjected to fasting for 72 h every 2 weeks for 18 weeks. OGTT test was performed and fasting blood samples and fecal samples were collected for measurement of TC, TG, HDL-C and LDL-C and sequence analysis of fecal 16S rRNA V4 tags using Illumina. Gut microbial community structure was analyzed with QIIME and LEfSe.

RESULTSAfter the intervention, the body weight of the fasting rats was significantly lower than that in high-fat diet group (P<0.01). OGTT results suggested impairment of sugar tolerance in the fasting group, which showed a significantly larger AUC than compared with the high-fat diet group (P<0.05). Intermittent fasting significantly reduced blood HDL-C and LDL-C levels (P<0.05) and partially restored liver steatosis, and improved the gut microbiota by increasing the abundance of YS2, RF32 and Helicobacteraceae and reducing Lactobacillus, Roseburia, Erysipelotrichaceae and Ralstonia. Bradyrhizobiaceae was found to be positively correlated with CHOL and HDL-C, and RF39 was inversely correlated with the weight of the rats.

CONCLUSIONIntermittent fasting can decrease the body weight and blood lipid levels and restore normal gut microbiota but can cause impairment of glucose metabolism in obese presenium rats.

Animals ; Body Weight ; Diet, High-Fat ; Fasting ; Fatty Liver ; microbiology ; physiopathology ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Lipids ; blood ; Obesity ; microbiology ; physiopathology ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

Triterpene saponin is one of the important plant secondary metabolities, with anticancer, antivirus, and cholesterol lowering activities. However, the chemical structure of triterpen saponins and biosynthetic pathway are complicated. The content in plants is low and the cost of extract is high. So it is important to explore the biosynthetic pathway and the synthetic biology has become a hot spot for producing triterpene saponins. Synthetic biology has the broad application prospects on the scale production of triterpene saponins and their precursors. In this paper, the research progress in the biosynthetic pathway, synthetic biology, and its application on triterpene saponins are reviewed. The problems faced by synthetic biology are discussed and the great potential of synthetic biology in medicine fields is predicted.

This study was purposed to investigate the protective effects of lipoprotein HS-6101(6101) on rhesus monkey total body irradiated with 7.0 Gy ⁶⁰Coγ-ray. A total of 30 health adult rhesus monkeys were randomly divided into symptomatic therapy (ST), WR2721 and HS-6101 30, 90 and 270 mg/kg groups (n = 6), the rhesus monkeys of each groups were injected with physiological saline 0.3 ml/kg, WR-2721 30 mg/kg, or HS-6101 30, 90 and 270 µg/kg, respectively. All agents were once intramuscularly injected at 1 hr prior irradiation. General observation, peripheral blood cell counts, colony forming unite assay of bone marrow hemopoietic progenitor cells, and histopathological examination were performed. The results showed that animals in symptomatic therapy group begin to die on the 13(th) day and 4 animals died within 24 days, the average survival time was 18.2 ± 4.3 days; 2 animals in WR-2717 groups died on day 15.8 and day 18.5 post irradiation respectively. 1 animal in HS-6101 270 mg/kg group died on day 35.8, all other animals survived. Nadirs of peripheral blood white blood cells, neutrophils and platelets of animals in HS-6101 treatment groups were significantly higher than those in other 2 groups including ST and WR-2721 groups, and the hemopoietic recovery were also significantly speeding up(P < 0.05 and 0.01). In vitro results showed that HS-6101 obviously promoted 7.0 Gy ⁶⁰Coγ irradiated monkey's bone marrow mononuclear cells to form various hematopoietic progenitor cell colonies (P < 0.05 and 0.01) . Compared with symptomatic therapy and WR-2717 groups, bone marrow histopathological changes in HS-6101 treatment groups showed more active hemopoietic cell proliferation and higher density structure. It is concluded that HS-6101 90 µg/kg treatment can promote the bone marrow recovery of 7.0 Gy ⁶⁰Coγ irradiated monkey, alleviate their animal symptom, simplify the treatment measures and improve the animal survival rate. The HS-6101 shows remarkable radioprotective effects as compared with the currently internationally acknowledged radioprotectant of WR-2721.
Amifostine ; Animals ; Blood Cell Count ; Blood Platelets ; Bone Marrow ; Bone Marrow Cells ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; Hematopoietic System ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Lipoproteins ; pharmacology ; Macaca mulatta ; Radiation Injuries ; drug therapy ; Survival Rate

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of WR2721(amifostine) against bone marrow hematopoietic damage of mice exposed to 6.5 Gy of (60)Co-γ ray. A total of 60 C57/BL6J mice was divided into 3 groups:normal group (mice were injected with physiological salt solution), irradiation group (mice were injected with physiologic salt solution before irradiation) and WR2721 group (mice were injected with WR2721 before irradiation). The WBC, neutrophil (Neut), Plt and RBC levels in peripheral blood of 3 group mice were counted within 60 days after irradiation; the bone marrow nuclear cells (BMNC) were counted at 2 and 24 hours after irradiation; the hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell (LK/LSK) level and colony formation capability were detected by flow cytometry at 2 and 24 hours after irradiation. The results indicated that the counts of WBC and neut at 4 and 18 days, Plt at 7-18 days and RBC at 10-30 day after irradiation in WR2721 group were higher than those in irradiation group (P < 0.05); the BMNC, LSK and LK levels obviously increased at 24 hours after irradiation (P < 0.05), the CFU-GEMM, CFU-GM, CFU-MK BFU-E and CFU-E all significantly increased at 2 and 24 hours after irradiation (P < 0.01), as compared with irradiation group. It is concluded that WR2721 can effectively alleviate early hematopoietic damage and promote the fast recovery of peripheral blood cells in mice exposed to γ-ray, suggesting that the WR2721 has significant radioprotective effect on hematopoietic system.
Amifostine ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Blood Cell Count ; Bone Marrow Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Gamma Rays ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Radiation-Protective Agents ; pharmacology ; Whole-Body Irradiation

This study was aimed to investigate the biological effects of Rhesus bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (R-BMMSC) transfected by adenovirus bearing extracellular superoxide dismutase gene (AD-ECSOD). Using density gradient centrifugation and adherent culture way, the R-BMMSC transfected by AD-ECSOD and reporter gene EGFP were isolated, cultured and purified; the transfection efficiency was detected by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry; the ECSOD protein expression in cell culture supernatant were detected by ELISA; the surface antigens on R-BMMSC (CD34, CD29, CD45, CD90, HLA-DR) were detected by flow cytometry; and differentiation capability of transfected R-BMMSC were detected by oil red O and alizarin staining; the proliferation capability of R-BMMSC was assay by MTT method. The results showed that the transfection efficiency of AD-ECSOD (MOI 500, 1 000, 1 500 and 2 000) for R-BMMSC was > 95%. At 24 h after transfection, the ECSOD protein could be detected in cell culture supernatant, and its level was significantly higher than that of control group (P < 0.01). At 48 h after transfection, the expression level of ECSOD protein on MOI 1 500 and 2 000 was the highest. The proliferative capability, surface antigen expression and multi directive differentiation ability of transfected R-BMMSC were similar to non-transfected R-BMMSC. It is concluded that the AD-ECSOD can effectively transfect the R-BMMSC without influences on its biological features.
Adenoviridae ; genetics ; Adipogenesis ; Animals ; Bone Marrow Cells ; cytology ; Cell Differentiation ; Cells, Cultured ; Genetic Vectors ; Macaca mulatta ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; cytology ; Osteoblasts ; cytology ; Superoxide Dismutase ; genetics ; Transfection

This study was purposed to evaluate the effects of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) on hematopoietic reconstruction and survival in beagles exposed to mixed fission neutron and γ-ray. 13 beagles were unilaterally exposed to single dose of 2.3 Gy 90% neutrons. The experiments were divided into 3 groups: irradiation control group (no any treatment, n = 4), supportive care group (n = 5) and rhG-CSF plus supportive care group (n = 4, abbreviated as rhG-CSF group) in which the beagles were subcutaneously injected with 200 µg/kg of rhG-CSF early at half an hour and 24 hours post-irradiation respectively. The results showed that 2.3 Gy 90% neutron irradiation induced a severe acute radiation sickness of bone marrow type. The administration of rhG-CSF increased the survival rate from 60% in supportive care group to 100%. Twice injection of rhG-CSF in the first 24 hours reduced duration of neutropenia, enhanced neutrophil nadir and promoted neutrophil recovery when compared with control cohort administered clinical support. The number of colony-forming cells (CFU-GM, CFU-E, and BFU-E) in peripheral blood of rhG-CSF treated canines increased 2-to 5-fold relative to those of the supportive care group on day 3. All canines treated with rhG-CSF achieved hematopoietic reconstruction as evidenced by the pathological section of sternum while severe shortage of hemopoietic cells remained in the cohorts given supportive care alone. It is concluded that the combination of supportive care and high-dose rhG-CSF can accelerate hematopoietic recovery and enhance survival of dogs exposed to 2.3 Gy mixed neutron and gamma ray.
Animals ; Dogs ; Gamma Rays ; adverse effects ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Hematopoietic System ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Neutron Diffraction ; Recombinant Proteins ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Survival Rate

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of recombinant human granulocyte stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) on blood coagulation of beagles irradiated by 2.3 Gy neutron so as to provide new therapy for blood coagulation disorder after neutron irradiation. 10 beagles were exposed to 2.3 Gy neutron, and then randomly assigned into supportive care group and rhG-CSF-treated group. The rhG-CSF-treated cohorts were injected subcutaneously with rhG-CSF (10 µg/kg·d) beginning at the day of exposure for 21 consecutive days. Peripheral blood platelet counts were examined once every two days. In vitro platelet aggregation test, thromboelastography and blood clotting tetrachoric tests were also performed. The results indicated that the blood clotting system of irradiated dogs was in hypercoagulable state in the early days after 2.3 Gy neutron irradiation, and became hypocoagulable at crisis later and were mainly on intrinsic coagulation pathway. Blood fibrinogen increased markedly during the course of disease, while platelet counts and aggregation function were decreased remarkably. rhG-CSF administered daily could correct hypercoagulable state induced by 2.3 Gy neutron irradiation at the early time post exposure, shortened the thromboplastin generation time and clotting formation, down-regulated the abnormal high fibrinogen in blood, and improved platelet aggregation function. It is concluded that rhG-CSF can improve coagulation disorders of irradiated dogs.
Animals ; Blood Coagulation ; drug effects ; Bone Marrow ; radiation effects ; Dogs ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Leukocyte Count ; Neutron Diffraction ; Platelet Count ; Radiation Dosage ; Radiation Injuries, Experimental ; physiopathology ; Recombinant Proteins