1.Mitochondrial Transfer Promotes Immune Escape in Osteosarcoma Cells: Mechanisms and Research Advances
Qishun QIN ; Xingsheng WANG ; Kai LI ; Pei PENG ; Shihong XU
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2025;16(5):1250-1259
Osteosarcoma is a highly aggressive malignant bone tumor whose immuno evasion mechanisms play a pivotal role in tumor progression and therapeutic resistance. Recent studies have identified mitochondrial transfer as a novel mode of intercellular communication that significantly influences metabolic reprogramming and immune evasion in osteosarcoma cells. This mechanism operates through three principal pathways: (1) enhancing energy metabolic efficiency in tumor cells; (2) mitigating intracellular oxidative stress; and (3) modulating immune checkpoint molecule expression. Collectively, these alterations impair host immune surveillance while promoting tumor proliferation, invasion, and distant metastasis through metabolic remodeling, immune tolerance induction, and tumor microenvironment reconstruction. This review systematically elucidates the molecular mechanisms by which mitochondrial transfer regulates immune evasion in osteosarcoma and its dynamic impact on the tumor microenvironment. Furthermore, we discuss the translational potential of targeting this pathway for precision therapy and outline future research directions in this emerging field.
2.Protective effect of Qingjie Huagong decoction on pancreatic tissue of mice with severe acute pancreatitis by regulating the NOD-like receptor protein 3/Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-kappa B signaling pathway
Minchao FENG ; Baijun QIN ; Fang LUO ; Kai LI ; Ning WANG ; Guozhong CHEN ; Xiping TANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2024;40(2):343-350
ObjectiveTo investigate the therapeutic effect of Qingjie Huagong decoction (QJHGD) on a mouse model of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) and the mechanism of action of QJHGD against inflammatory response. MethodsA total of 36 male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into blank group, model group, Western medicine group (ulinastatin), and low-, middle-, and high-dose QJHGD groups, with 6 mice in each group. All mice except those in the blank group were given 5% sodium taurocholate by retrograde pancreaticobiliary injection to establish a model of SAP. After modeling, the mice in the low-, middle-, and high-dose groups were given QJHGD (1, 2, and 4 g/kg, respectively) by gavage, and those in the Western medicine group were given intraperitoneal injection of ulinastatin (5×104 U/kg), for 7 days in total. HE staining was used to observe the histopathological changes of the pancreas; ELISA was used to measure the levels of α-amylase, lipase, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), interleukin-18 (IL-18), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in mice; RT-qPCR was used to measure the mRNA expression levels of NOD-like receptor protein3 (NLRP3), Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) in pancreatic tissue; immunohistochemistry was used to measure the positive expression rates of NLRP3, TLR4, and NF-κB in pancreatic tissue; Western blot was used to measure the protein expression levels of NLRP3, TLR4, NF-κB, IL-1β, and IL-6. An analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsCompared with the blank group, the model group had diffuse destruction of pancreatic tissue structure, focal dilatation of pancreatic lobular septum, pancreatic acinar atrophy, and massive inflammatory cell infiltration, as well as significant increases in the content of α-amylase, lipase, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-18, and TNF-α (all P<0.05), the mRNA expression levels and positive expression rates of NLRP3, TLR4, and NF-κB (all P<0.05), and the protein expression levels of NLRP3, TLR4, NF-κB, IL-1β, and IL-6 (all P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the low-, middle-, and high-dose QJHGD groups and the Western medicine group had slightly tighter and more intact structure of pancreatic tissue, ordered arrangement of pancreatic acinar cells, a small amount of inflammatory cell infiltration, and hemorrhagic foci of pancreatic lobules, as well as significant reductions in the content of α-amylase, lipase, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-18, and TNF-α (all P<0.05), the mRNA expression levels and positive expression rates of NLRP3, TLR4, and NF-κB (all P<0.05), and the protein expression levels of NLRP3, TLR4, NF-κB, IL-1β, and IL-6 (all P<0.05). ConclusionQJHGD may exert a protective effect on the pancreatic tissue of SAP mice by inhibiting the activation of NLRP3/TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway-related proteins, reducing the release of inflammatory mediators, and preventing the enhancement of inflammatory cascade response.
3.Imaging findings of 14 cases of intestinal schwannoma
Yong YU ; Shen-Chu GONG ; Rui-Ting WANG ; Kai HOU ; Xiu-Liang LU ; Li-Heng LIU ; Jian-Jun ZHOU ; Yu-Qin DING
Fudan University Journal of Medical Sciences 2024;51(1):62-68
Objective To investigate the imaging features of intestinal schwannoma(IS)in order to improve the diagnostic ability of the disease.Methods The clinical and imaging data of 14 patients with surgically and pathologically confirmed IS were retrospectively analyzed,including the location,size,morphology,nature,growth pattern,CT density,MRI signal,PET/CT metabolism and other characteristics of the tumors.Results Of the 14 IS cases,the lesions of 3 cases were located in the duodenum,2 cases in the cecum,8 cases in the colon and 1 case in the rectum.The lesions were all round or oval,with an average maximum diameter of(2.4±1.1)cm.The lesions were solid in 13 cases,extraluminal growth in 10 cases,cystic degeneration in 1 case and myxoid degeneration in 1 case.Chronic inflammatory lymph nodes were seen around the diseased intestines in 9 cases,and the short diameter of lymph nodes was greater than 5 mm in 6 cases.All 14 cases of IS showed low attenuation on plain CT scan,and progressive enhancement after contrast injection,including 1 case of mild enhancement,2 cases of moderate enhancement,and 11 cases of obvious enhancement.Two cases of IS showed low signal intensity on T1WI,slightly high signal intensity on T2WI,significantly high signal intensity on DWI,and obvious progressive enhancement after contrast injection on MRI.Two cases of IS showed high metabolism on 18F-FDG-PET/CT,and the SUVmax was 9.4 and 8.8,respectively.Conclusion The imaging findings of IS were characteristic to a certain extent.They mainly manifested as solid nodules or masses derived from the intestinal submucosa,with uniform attenuation or signal intensity,obvious progressive enhancement after contrast injection,obvious hypermetabolism on 18F-FDG-PET/CT,and slightly larger homogeneous lymph nodes were common around the lesions.
4.Resveratrol alleviates the immune response and proliferation of macrophages induced by homocysteine
Xue-Sen ZHANG ; Kai-Yue QIN ; Xiao-Han LI ; Yan-Jia WANG ; Xi XU ; Xiao-Ling YANG
The Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2024;40(14):2038-2042
Objective To explore the role of resveratrol in the immune response and proliferation of macrophages induced by homocysteine(Hcy).Methods ANA-1 cells were divided into control group(conventional culture),model group(100 μmol·L-1 Hcy),experimental-L,-M,-H groups(adding 25,50 and 100 μmol·L-1 resveratrol to model group,respectively),Hcy+Ad-SIRT1 group(100 μmol·L-1 Hcy+Ad-SIRT1),Hcy+si-FOXO1 group(100 μmol·L-1 Hcy+si-FOXO1),Hcy+Res-L+Ad-SIRT1+si-FOXO1 group(100 μmol·L-1 Hcy+25 μmol·L-1 Resveratrol transfected with Ad-SIRT1+si-FOXO1).The cell proliferation was detected by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium(MTT),and the concentration of interleukin-6(IL-6)and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)in the supernatant of cell culture medium was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.The gene and protein expression of silencing information regulator 1(SIRT1)and forkhead protein 01(FOXO1)were detected by Western blot.Results The optical density of 450 nm in control group,model group and experimental-L,-M,-H groups were 0.25±0.02,0.36±0.02,0.33±0.01,0.30±0.02 and 0.29±0.01,respectively.Compared with the control group,the cell proliferation in the model group was significantly increased(P<0.05).Cell proliferation in experimental-L,-M,-H groups was significantly decreased compared with model group(all P<0.05).IL-6 in the supernatant of cell culture medium of control group,model group and experimental-L group were(394.04±20.06),(614.23±21.09)and(501.53±16.52)pg·mL-1,respectively;TNF-α were(516.54±18.96),(717.22±24.81)and(632.74±19.11)pg·mL-1,respectively;SIRT1 relative protein expression were(1.00±0.05),(0.57±0.05)and(0.77±0.04),respectively;the relative protein expression of FOXO1 were 1.00±0.05,2.31±0.18 and 1.58±0.11,respectively.Compared with the control group,the above indexes in the experimental-L group had statistical significance(all P<0.05).The contents of IL-6 and TNF-α in cell culture fluid supernatant in model group,experimental-L group,Hcy+Ad-SIRT1 group and Hcy+si-FOXO1 group were significantly lower than those in model group,with statistical significance(all P<0.05).After co-transfection with Ad-SIRT1 and si-FOXO1,the contents of IL-6 and TNF-α in cell culture medium superserum of experimental-L group were significantly lower than those of Ad-SIRT1 group and si-FOXO1 group(all P<0.05).Conclusion Resveratrol can attenuate the immune response and proliferation of macrophages induced by Hcy,which may be related to the alteration of SIRT1/FOXO1 pathway.
5.Current status and considerations on clinical application of function-preserving pancreatic surgery
Dan LI ; Kai QIN ; Jiabin JIN ; Chenghong PENG
Chinese Journal of Surgery 2024;62(4):338-345
For pancreatic neoplasms, the current clinical treatment strategy is mainly using standard surgical methods, including pancreaticoduodenectomy, distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy, and total pancreatectomy. Standard surgical methods require a larger resection, including resection of some surrounding organs and a large amount of pancreatic parenchyma. The endocrine and exocrine functions of the pancreas are easily damaged. Moreover, since the standard surgical procedure involves the reconstruction of the digestive tract at multiple anastomoses, there is a high risk of pancreatic, biliary, and intestinal fistulas occurring postoperatively. Therefore, function-preserving pancreatic surgery is recommended for some benign and low-grade pancreatic neoplasms. This type of surgery can treat pancreatic diseases while preserving more peripancreatic organs, pancreatic parenchyma and relatively complete digestive tract continuity, thereby improving the patient′s short-term and long-term quality of life. In addition, with the development of laparoscopy and da Vinci robotic technology, minimally invasive technology-assisted pancreatic surgery has been carried out in clinical practice. They have been shown to be sufficiently safe and effective. This article reviews several common clinical pancreatic function-preserving surgical methods and their corresponding clinical applications and technical development status from the perspectives of preserving more peripancreatic organs, preserving more pancreatic parenchyma, and promoting pancreatic function recovery.
6.Predict the effect of the number of positive preoperative serum tumor markers on the surgical method and prognosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients based on mediation analysis
Zonglong LI ; Jialu CHEN ; Yue TANG ; Delong QIN ; Chen CHEN ; Yinghe QIU ; Hong WU ; Yu HE ; Xianhai MAO ; Wenlong ZHAI ; Jingdong LI ; Xiao LIANG ; Chuandong SUN ; Kai MA ; Zhimin GENG ; Zhaohui TANG ; Zhiwei QUAN
Chinese Journal of Surgery 2024;62(7):685-696
Objective:To investigate the effect of the number of positive preoperative serological tumor markers on the surgical approach and prognosis of patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.Methods:This is a retrospective case-series study. Data from 548 patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma after radical resection from October 2010 to April 2019 were retrospectively collected in 10 hospitals of China. There were 277 males and 271 females with an age of (57.8±10.2)years(range:23 to 84 years). Four hundred and twenty-six patients(77.7%) had at least one positive preoperative serum tumor marker. The data collection included the results of 4 preoperative serological tumor markers,other preoperative indicators(5 prodromal symptoms, 6 medical history,8 preoperative serological indicators,5 preoperative imaging indicators,and 14 preoperative pathological examination indicators),baseline data (gender and age),surgical methods,and prognostic follow-up data. Four preoperative results of serologic tumor marker and surgical procedure were converted into categorical variables. The number of positive preoperative serum tumor markers was used as the treatment variable,the surgical method was used as the mediating variable,and the survival time was used as the outcome variable. Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to screen for other preoperative indicators which were independent factors that influenced the surgical procedure and the prognosis of patients as covariates to analyze the mediating effect.Results:Of the 548 patients included in the study, 176 patients (32.1%) underwent partial hepatectomy,151 patients(27.5%) underwent hemihepatectomy, and 221 patients(40.3%) underwent partial hepatectomy or hemihepatectomy combined with other treatments. The results of the univariate and multivariate analysis showed that the number of positive serum tumor markers,intrahepatic bile duct dilatation,portal vein invasion,pathological differentiation,pathological type,vascular invasion,T stage,N stage and maximum tumor diameter were independent factors influencing the surgical procedure(all P<0.05). Intrahepatic bile duct dilatation,pathological differentiation and T stage were independent prognostic factors for patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma(all P<0.05). Intrahepatic bile duct dilatation,differentiation and T stage were included as covariates in the mediation effect model. The results showed that the number of positive serum tumor markers before surgery had a negative predictive effect on the survival time of patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma ( β=-0.092, P=0.039),and had a positive predictive effect on the surgical method ( β=0.244, P<0.01). The number of positive serum tumor markers had a negative predictive effect on the survival time of patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma ( β=-0.151, P=0.002). Direct and indirect effects accounted for 71.3% and 28.7% of total effects,respectively. Conclusions:The higher the positive number of preoperative tumor markers,the worse the prognosis of patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. The number of positive cells not only directly affects the prognosis of patients,but also indirectly affects the prognosis of patients by affecting the surgical method.
7.Clinical effect of superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery anastomosis in the treatment of occlusive cerebrovascular disease
Zeng-Bin FU ; Li-Peng QIN ; Yao LI ; Pu-Yang LI ; Kai WANG ; Ya-Peng ZHAO ; Xue-Liang GAO
Journal of Regional Anatomy and Operative Surgery 2024;33(1):80-84
Objective To investigate the clinical effect of superficial temporal artery-middle cerebral artery anastomosis(STA-MCA)in the treatment of patients with occlusive cerebrovascular disease.Methods A total of 74 patients with occlusive cerebrovascular disease admitted to our hospital were included and divided into the observation group and control group according to the random number table method,with 37 cases in each group.Patients in the control group received conservative treatment,and patients in the observation group received STA-MCA.After 3 months of follow-up,the cerebral blood flow indexes(including cerebral blood flow of anterior cerebral artery,and peak time)before treatment and 3rd day,1st month and 3rd month after treatment were observed,the modified Rankin scores before treatment and 3rd day and 1 month after treatment were recorded,and the revascularization and occurrence of complications after treatment were recorded.Results At 1 month and 3 months after treatment,the cerebral blood flow of anterior cerebral artery in the two groups increased and the peak time was shortened,and the cerebral blood flow of anterior cerebral artery in the observation group was higher than that in the control group,and the peak time was shorter than that in the control group,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).The modified Rankin scores of the two groups 1 month after treatment were lower compared with those before treatment,and the modified Rankin score of the observation group was lower than that of the control group,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).At 1 month after treatment,the proportions of patients with grades 0 and 1 of vascular reconstruction in the observation group were lower than those in the control group,and the proportions of patients with grades 2 and 3 were higher than those in the control group,with statistical significant differences(P<0.05).At 3 months after treatment,the proportions of patients with grades 0 and 1 of vascular reconstruction in the observation group were lower than those in the control group,and the proportion of patients with grade 3 of vascular reconstruction was higher than that in the control group,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the total incidence of complications after treatment between the two groups(P>0.05).Conclusion STA-MCA has a good clinical effect in the treatment of patients with occlusive cerebrovascular disease,which is conducive to improving the cerebral blood flow indexes and promoting the recovery of neurological function and vascular reconstruction,with safety and reliability.
8.Curcumin alleviates septic lung injury in mice by inhibiting TXNIP/TRX-1/GPX4-mediated ferroptosis
Kai CHEN ; Zhaofei MENG ; Jingting MIN ; Jiahui WANG ; Zhenghong LI ; Qin GAO ; Junfeng HU
Journal of Southern Medical University 2024;44(9):1805-1813
Objective To investigate whether curcumin alleviates septic lung injury by inhibiting ferroptosis through modulating the TXNIP/TRX-1/GPX4 pathway.Methods Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into Sham group,cecal ligation puncture(CLP)-induced sepsis group,CLP with curcumin treatment(50,100,and 200 mg/kg)groups,and CLP with both curcumin(200 mg/kg)and TRX-1 inhibitor PX-12(25 mg/kg)treatment group.Inflammatory factors,MDA,MPO,and GSH levels in the lung tissue of the mice were detected.Beas-2B cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide(LPS;1 μg/mL)were treated with 2.5,5,or 10 μmol/L curcumin or with 10 μmol/L curcumin combined with 5 μmol/L PX-12,and the changes in MDA,Fe2+and ROS levels were assessed.Western blotting was performed to detect the protein expressions of TXNIP,TRX-1,GPX4 and X-CT in both the mouse lung tissues and Beas-2B cells.Results The mice with CLP-induced sepsis showed severe lung injury with elevated expressions of IL-6,IL-1β,TNF-α,MDA and MPO and decreased GSH expression.In Beas-2B cells,LPS stimulation significantly increased MDA and Fe2+levels and ROS release,increased TXNIP protein expression,and lowered the protein expression levels of TRX-1,GPX4 and X-CT,and these changes were also observed in the septic mice.Curcumin treatments at different concentrations obviously alleviated lung injury in the septic mice and reduced LPS-induced injury in Beas-2B cells.Curcumin significantly decreased the release of inflammatory factors,MDA and MPO,increased GSH level,lowered Fe2+,MDA and ROS levels,increased TXNIP protein expression,and lowered the protein expressions of TRX-1,GPX4 and X-CT in both septic mouse lung tissues and LPS-stimulated Beas-2B cells.The protective effect of curcumin was effectively blocked by PX-12 treatment.Conclusion Curcumin inhibits ferroptosis and alleviates septic lung injury in mice by elevating TRX-1 and GPX4 and decreasing TXNIP in the lung tissue.
9.Therapeutic effects of the NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor N14 in the treatment of gouty arthritis in mice
Xiao-lin JIANG ; Kai GUO ; Yu-wei HE ; Yi-ming CHEN ; Shan-shan DU ; Yu-qi JIANG ; Zhuo-yue LI ; Chang-gui LI ; Chong QIN
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2024;59(5):1229-1237
Monosodium urate (MSU)-induced the gouty arthritis (GA) model was used to investigate the effect of Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inhibitor N14 in alleviating GA. Firstly, the effect of NLRP3 inhibitor N14 on the viability of mouse monocyte macrophage J774A.1 was examined by the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. The expression of mature interleukin 1
10.Construction, Activity Evaluation and Molecular Simulation Study of α-Naphthylthiol Amino Acid Esters as Novel LSD1 Inhibitors
Zhonghua LI ; Zhenzhen WANG ; Tingting QIN ; Pan WANG ; Kai HU ; Zhishen XIE ; Lixin LI ; Xiaowei ZHANG ; Junying SONG ; Weihong REN ; Jinlian MA
Chinese Journal of Modern Applied Pharmacy 2024;41(3):295-302
OBJECTIVE
To design and synthesize novel α-naphthylthiol amino acid ester lysine specific demethylase 1(LSD1) inhibitors, evaluate their inhibitory activity with selectivity against LSD1, and explore their binding mechanism through molecular docking and dynamics simulation.
METHODS
Based on the binding mode of hit compound 3a with LSD1, the α- naphthyl mercapto amino acid ethyl ester small molecule compound were designed by fixing the planar hydrophobic naphthyl ring in the structure, while introducing hydrophilic amino fragment, and they were prepared through a multi-component one-pot cascade reaction. All the compounds were evaluated for their inhibitory activity against LSD1 at concentrations of 5.0 and 1.0 μmol·L–1 using the LSD1 screening platform of research group. The most potent compound was tested for its IC50 value and enzyme selectivity over MAO-A and MAO-B, and its binding mode was investigated through molecular docking and dynamics simulation.
RESULTS
A total of 13 compounds were obtained, all of which exhibited significant inhibitory effects on LSD1. Among them, nine compounds showed an inhibitory rate of over 50.0% against LSD1 at a concentration of 1.0 μmol·L–1, while compound 3l displaying the best activity with an IC50 value of 0.17 μmol·L–1, 174 times higher than the positive control. It also showed excellent selectivity towards MAO-A and MAO-B. Molecular docking and dynamics simulations indicated that compound 3l inhibited the activity of LSD1 through multiple interactions.
CONCLUSION
The structures of α-naphthylthiol amino acid ester can serve as lead compounds or active fragments, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent design of LSD1 inhibitors based on structure-oriented drug design.


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