Objective To investigate the mechanism of morin-induced autophagy in non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells based on mTOR/STAT3 signaling axis.Methods A549 cells were divided into blank group and 30,60,90,120 and 150 μg·mL-1 of morin groups.After 24,48 and 72 hours of culture,the cell proliferation activity was detected by CCK-8 method,and the cell inhibition rate was calculated.A549 cells were divided into blank group and 30,90,150 μg·mL-1 morin groups.After 14 days of culture,the cell proliferation was detected by colony formation assay.After 24 hours of culture,the cell proliferation ability was detected by BeyoClickTM EdU-488.Apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry;acridine orange staining was used to detect cell autophagy;the formation of autophagosomes was observed by transmission electron microscopy.Western Blot was used to detect the expression levels of apoptosis,autophagy and mTOR/STAT3 signaling axis-related proteins in cells.A549 cells were divided into blank group,blank group + chloroquine(10 μg·mL-1)group,morin(30,150 μg·mL-1)group,morin(30,150 μg·mL-1)+ chloroquine(10 μg·mL-1)group.After 48 hours of intervention,the cell activity was detected by CCK-8 method,and the cell survival rate was calculated.Results Compared with the blank group,the inhibition rate of A549 cells in 60,90,120,150 μ g·mL-1 of morin group was significantly increased after 24 hours of intervention(P＜0.05,P＜0.001).The inhibition rates of A549 cells in 30,60,90,120 and 150 μg·mL-1 of morin groups were significantly increased after 48 and 72 hours of intervention(P＜0.001).The number of A549 cell colonies and the number of green fluorescent proliferation positive cells in the 30,90,150 μg·mL-1 of morin groups were significantly decreased(P＜0.01,P＜0.001),the apoptosis rate was significantly increased(P＜0.01,P＜0.001),and the protein expression level of cleaved-PARP was significantly increased(P＜0.001).The protein expression levels of p-P38/P38 MAPK in A549 cells of 90 and 150 μg·mL-1 of morin groups were significantly increased(P＜0.01,P＜0.001).Different degrees of orange fluorescence appeared in A549 cells of 30,90 and 150 μg·mL-1 of morin groups,and the orange fluorescence of 90 and 150 μg·mL-1 of morin groups was significant.Autophagosomes and autolysosomes appeared in the cytoplasm of A549 cells in 150 μg·mL-1 of morin group,respectively.The protein expression of LC3-Ⅱ in A549 cells of 150 μg·mL-1 of morin group was significantly up-regulated(P＜0.05).The protein expression of Atg16L1-Ⅱ in A549 cells of 90,150 μg·mL-1 of morin group was significantly up-regulated(P＜0.001),and the protein expressions of p-mTOR/mTOR and p-STAT3/STAT3 were significantly down-regulated(P＜0.001).Compared with the morin(150 μg·mL-1)group,the survival rate of A549 cells in the morin(150 μg·mL-1)+chloroquine(10 μg·mL-1)group was significantly increased(P＜0.05).Conclusion Morin can promote the apoptosis of A549 cells and induce autophagy in A549 cells,and the mechanism may be related to mTOR/STAT3 axis.

ObjectiveTo explore the therapeutic effect and mechanism of the Danhe granules on hypercholesterolemia rats by observing the changes in the efficacy indicators and the levels of proteins related to the cholesterol metabolism pathway in the rats under the intervention of Danhe granules. MethodSD rats were randomly assigned to either the blank group or the model group based on their body weight. The blank group had normal chow diets， while the model group was fed high-fat diets for seven weeks. One week after the establishment of the model， the content of the serum total cholesterol （TC） in the model rats was detected. According to the TC value， the model group was further randomly divided into a control group， pravastatin sodium tablet group（4.02 mg·kg^-1）， Xuezhikang capsule group（0.12 g·kg^-1）， high-dose， middle-dose， and low-dose groups of Danhe granules（4.536， 2.268， 1.134 g·kg^-1）. After grouping the model groups， each treatment group received continuous oral gavage for six weeks， with weekly measurements of body weight and food intake （the difference between feed intake and feed surplus）. Six weeks later， the levels of serum TC， triglyceride （TG）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C） were measured. The liver pathology and lipid droplet distribution were evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and oil red O staining， with scoring and calculation conducted. Rat liver tissue was collected， and western blot and immunohistochemistry （IHC） were used to detect the expression levels of cholesterol metabolism-related proteins namely phosphorylated adenosine 5'-monophosphate （AMP）-activated protein kinase （p-AMPK）， AMPK， 3-hydroxy-3-methyl glutaryl coenzyme A reductase （HMGCR）， low-density lipoprotein receptor （LDLR）， cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase （CYP7A1）， Acyl-coenzyme A： cholesterol acyltransferase 2 （ACAT2）， and apolipoprotein B （ApoB） in hypercholesterolemia rats. ResultCompared with the blank group， the model group showed a significantly higher level of serum TC （P<0.01）. The TG level had no significant change， and the HDL-C level was significantly decreased （P<0.05）. The liver index， steatosis score， total score of pathological state， and the positive area ratio of oil red O staining were significantly increased （P<0.01）， and the protein expression levels of p-AMPK， p-AMPK/AMPK， LDLR， and CYP7A1 were significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while the protein expression levels of AMPK， HMGCR， and ACAT2 were significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the TC level in each dose group of Danhe granules was significantly decreased （P<0.05）， and the positive area ratio of oil red O staining in the pravastatin sodium tablet group and medium-dose group of Danhe granules was significantly decreased （P<0.05）. In each administration group， the protein expression levels of p-AMPK and p-AMPK/AMPK were significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the levels of HMGCR and ACAT2 were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. The ApoB level showed a downward trend. The CYP7A1 level in the pravastatin sodium tablet group and each dose group of Danhe granules was significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the LDLR level in the pravastatin sodium tablet group， Xuezhikang capsule group， and high-dose and medium-dose groups of Danhe granules was significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionDanhe granules can reduce serum TC levels and improve hepatic steatosis. It may activate AMPK， down-regulate the expression of HMGCR， and inhibit cholesterol synthesis. It can also up-regulate the expression of LDLR and CYP7A1， promote cholesterol uptake and excretion， down-regulate the expression of ACAT2 and ApoB， reduce cholesterol absorption and assembly of LDL and other lipoproteins， and thus play a role in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of dehydrocostus lactone （DL） on the proliferation， apoptosis， and autophagy of human lung cancer cell A549 and to elucidate its related mechanism. MethodThe effect of DL with different concentrations （0， 5， 10， 15， 20， 25 μmol·L^-1） on the proliferation of human lung cancer A549 cells was investigated by cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8）， and its impact on the clonogenic ability of A549 cells was studied by cell clonogenic assay. The concentrations 10， 20 μmol·L^-1 were selected as DL low-dose group and high-dose group. Hoechst 33258 staining and western blot were used to observe the effect of DL on apoptosis of A549 cells. Autolysosomes were detected by acridine orange staining， and the expression level of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 （LC3） was determined by immunofluorescence and western blot. In addition， the effects of DL in combination with autophagy inhibitors bafilomycin A1 （BAF-A1） or 3-methyladenine （3-MA） on the autophagy of A549 cells was checked by CCK-8 assay. Finally， the role of DL in the regulation of A549 cell signaling pathway was explored by Western blot. ResultCompared with the conditions in the control group， the survival rate of A549 cells in the DL groups （10， 15， 20， 25 μmol·L^-1） was decreased （P<0.01）， and 5 μmol·L^-1 DL could inhibited the formation of A549 clone cells （P<0.01）， indicating that DL could inhibit the proliferation of human lung cancer A549 cells. The number of apoptotic cells was higher in both DL low-dose and high-dose groups than that in the control group， and the expression of apoptosis-related proteins poly （ADP ribose） polymerase （PARP） and B lymphocytoma-2 （Bcl-2）-associated X protein （Bax） were up-regulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while the expression of Bcl-2 was down-regulated （P<0.01） in DL high-dose group. The acridine orange staining showed that the orange fluorescence in the DL high-dose group was enhanced compared with that in the control group， indicating that DL could dramatically promote the formation of autolysosomes. Moreover， 20 μmol·L^-1 DL could increase the orange fluorescent particles of LC3 and up-regulated the expression level of LC3 Ⅱ （P<0.01）. After addition of autophagy inhibitors， the sensitivity of A549 cells to the effects of DL was attenuated （P<0.01）， which suggested that autophagy was involved in DL-induced A549 cell death. Compared with the control group， DL high-dose group had increased expression of autophagy-related protein 3 （Atg3） and autophagy-related protein 5 （Atg5） while reduced phosphorylation levels of protein kinase B （Akt）， mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3） （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionDL could activate apoptosis and autophagy to inhibit the proliferation and clonogenic ability of A549 cells via suppressing Akt/mTOR/STAT3 signaling pathway.

【Objective】 Diabetic mice could show learning and memory dysfunction, and we aimed to investigate the effect of Sigma-1 receptor agonist, PRE-084, on neurons and cognitive impairment in mice with type 1 diabetes (T1DM). 【Methods】 Twenty mice with T1DM induced by streptozocin, aged 8-10 weeks, and 20 control mice (CON) were randomly divided into four groups (CON+Vehicle, CON+PRE-084, T1DM+Vehicle and T1DM+PRE-084). Mouse primary neurons were cultured in high glucose medium with PRE-084 and control solvent, respectively. The body weight, food and water intake, and fasting blood glucose level of mice in each group were detected and recorded. The learning and memory abilities of mice were detected by new object recognition experiment. The mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membrane (MAM) structure of neurons in hippocampal CA1 area of mice was detected by transmission electron microscope. And the expression levels of ATP and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in hippocampus of mice were detected by biochemical kit. Cell viability and ROS level of primary neurons were detected by CCK8 and cellular ROS kit. 【Results】 PRE-084 reduced the increase of body weight, food and water intake, and blood glucose caused by diabetes. PRE-084 significantly ameliorated the learning and memory impairment of the mice with T1DM, improved the changes of MAM structure in neurons of hippocampal CA1 area of diabetic mice, increased the level of ATP in hippocampus of diabetic mice, and decreased the increase of ROS expression in diabetic hippocampus and neurons under high glucose conditions. 【Conclusion】 Sigma-1 receptor agonist, PRE-084, could improve learning and memory impairment in the mice with T1DM, which might be related to the structural changes of MAM, the increase of ATP production, and the decrease of ROS production in hippocampal neurons.

【Objective】 To explore the effect of high-fat and high-fructose diet on mouse intestinal barrier function, as well as the role of ketohexokinase (KHK), the key enzyme in fructose metabolism, in intestinal barrier impairment. 【Methods】 Eight-week-old male control C57BL/6J mice and Khk^-/- mice were randomly divided into control + normal diet (ND), control + high-fat and high-fructose diet (HFHFD), Khk^-/-+ normal diet (ND+Khk^-/-), and Khk^-/-+ high-fat and high-fructose diet (HFHFD+Khk^-/-) groups, with eight mice in each group. During the high-fat and high-fructose diet and normal diet, the body weight changes of mice in different groups were recorded. After the intervention, the blood glucose and insulin levels of mice in each group were detected. The intestinal barrier function and inflammation level of mice were evaluated by detecting intestinal water content, permeability, tight junction protein expression, serum and intestinal inflammatory factor levels. 【Results】 Compared with ND group, HFHFD group significantly increased the body weight, blood glucose and insulin levels of mice, increased the intestinal water content and permeability, decreased the expression of tight junction proteins, and increased inflammatory factors of the serum and intestines. In the two groups fed with high-fat and high-fructose diet, the body weight, blood glucose and insulin levels of the HFHFD+Khk^-/- group were significantly lower than those of HFHFD group, and the intestinal barrier dysfunction and inflammation were significantly improved. 【Conclusion】 KHK, a key enzyme in fructose metabolism, is involved in the impairment of intestinal barrier caused by high-fat and high-fructose diet. Knockout of Khk gene significantly improved intestinal barrier dysfunction and the inflammation level.

Cancer still has elevated morbidity and mortality, which undoubtedly impacts the life quality of affected individuals. Remarkable advances have been made in cancer therapy, although the toxicities of traditional therapies remain an obvious challenge. Dahuang Zhechong Pill (DHZCP), developed by Zhongjing Zhang in the Synopsis of the Golden Chamber, represents an effective anticancer traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In this review, it was found that DHZCP is therapeutically utilized in liver, lung, gastric, pancreatic and other cancers in clinic. Pharmacological evidence showed that its anti-tumor mechanisms mainly involve induced cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and autophagy, as well as suppressed tumor cell proliferation, obstructed angiogenesis and metastasis, enhanced immunity, and reversal of multidrug resistance. The present review provides a solid basis for the clinical application of DHZCP and may promote the wide use of TCM in clinical antitumor application.

Objective: To explore radiosensitivity-associated genes in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by targeted sequencing panel. Methods: The peripheral blood from 22 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients received radiotherapy alone were collected, respectively. The genomic DNA (gDNA) of peripheral blood was extracted and used to create a library of gDNA restriction fragments. The gDNA restriction fragments were hybridized to the HaloPlex probe capture library, which comprises 356 cancer genes selected from the Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer (Cosmic) database of 2011 updated edition. The sequencing data were aligned by the Genome Analysis Toolkit GATK (version 3.0) and Picar. The single nucleotide polymorphism and inserted-deletion (SNP/InDel) variations were annotated by online database. The pathway enrichment was analyzed by Ingenuity Pathway analysis (IPA). Moreover, according to the short-period curative effect, 22 patients were divided into two groups: the radiation- sensitivity group (CR+ PR) and the radiation-resistant group (PD+ SD). The nonsynonymous mutation sites were statistically analyzed and the genes associated with radiosensitivity of ESCC were screened. Results: More than 97% sequencing reads were aligned to human genome reference sequence and more than 90% sequencing reads were the target sequences. SNP/InDel database annotation results showed that the mutations of 22 cases mainly distributed in exons, and the mutant types were mainly missense and synonymous single nucleotide variant (SNV). There were 23 genes of high-frequency mutation associated with esophageal cancer. Pathway enrichment by IPA showed that 3 pathways were associated with the development of esophageal cancer, which were roles of BRCA1 in DNA damage response pathway, DNA double-strand break repair by non-homologous end joining pathway and ATM signaling pathway. According to the curative effect, five genes including mismatch repair system component (PMS1), fibronectin 1(FN1), mutL homolog 1 (MLH1), B-Raf proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase (BRAF), patched 1 (PTCH1) and cytochrome P450 family 2 subfamily C member 19 (CYP2C19) were associated with radiosensitivity of ESCC patients.Moreover, the PTCH1 was mutated in all of 22 ESCC patients, while the variations of rs199476092 and rs202111971 sites of PTCH1 were only identified in the radiation-resistant group. Conclusions We find that the variations of rs199476092 and rs202111971 in the encoding region of PTCH1 gene are significantly associated with radiosensitivity of ESCC patients.

Objective To investigate the radiosensitivity of stem cells in pancreatic adenocarcinoma PANC‐1 cell line and the possible mechanism of its radiation resistance .Methods Using flow cytometry ,the cells were isolated and sorted into CD44+CD24+ ,CD44-CD24+ ,CD44+CD24- ,and CD44-CD24- .Multi‐target click model was used to fit cell survival curves and deter‐mine the sensitizer enhancement ratio .The apoptosis and cycle distribution of the four cell subsets were determined using flow cy‐tometry ,and the level of ROS was determined by DCFH‐DA probe .Results The ratio of CD44+ and CD24+ in the sorted PANC‐1 cell line was 92 .0% and 4 .7% respectively .Before radiation ,there was no statistically significant difference between four groups (P>0 .05);After treated with 6MV‐X ray ,The ratio of apoptosis was the lowest in CD44+CD24+ (P<0 .01);The percentage G0/G1 cell was the highest in CD44+CD24+ (P<0 .01) ,the sensitizer enhancement ratio of CD44+ CD24- ,CD44-CD24+ and CD44-CD24- were 1 .61 ,1 .81 ,1 .94 ,respectively .The level of ROS in CD44+CD24+ was lower (P<0 .01) .Conclusion Tumor stem cells of pancreatic adenocarcinoma have properties of a lower level of ROS and relative stationary that maybe the reasons of radio resist‐ance .

Objective To evaluate the effect of raltitrexed plus oxaliplatin combined with concurrent radiotherapy on life quality of advanced esophageal carcinoma.Methods Oesophageal cancer specific health related quality of life questionnaire(QLQ-OES18) was used to evaluate the life quality of 54 patients with esophageal carcinoma respectively at 1 day pre-treatment(baseline level),1 day post-treatment and 1month post-treatment.Total 54 patients were treated with raltitrexed plus oxaliplatin combined with con-current radiotherapy.Comparing the differences of quality of life scores at different time points,and analyzing the correlation of the differences between the 1month post-treatment and baseline score and short term effect.Results The scores of difficulty swallo-wing,eating difficulties,saliva decreased significantly at 1 day post-treatment than that of pre-treatment(P<0.05),the scores of eating pain increased significantly at 1 day post-treatment than that of pre-treatment(P<0.05)and there was no significantly differ-ences in other items(P>0.05).The scores of 1 day post-treatment were significantly reduced compared to baseline levels except re-flux and speech(P<0.05).It was positive correlation between the difference of 1 month post-treatment and baseline score and short term effect,and the correlation coefficients was 0.85,0.55,0.73,0.32(P<0.05),respectively.Conclusion There is a transient im-pact of raltitrexed plus oxaliplatin combined with concurrent radiotherapy on quality of life for advanced esophageal carcinoma after treatment,but most of the life quality of the patients could be improved after 1 month obviously.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of raltitrexed plus oxaliplatin combined with concurrent radiotherapy for advanced esophageal carcinoma. Methods:A total of 54 patients with stageⅡ/Ⅲadvanced esophageal carcinoma according to the clinical staging of esophageal carcinoma nonsurgical methods were treated with raltitrexed plus oxaliplatin combined with concurrent radiotherapy. The patients were irradiated with a dose of 60 Gy in 30 fractions. Two cycles of concurrent chemotherapy were adminis-tered during radiotherapy, with 100 mg/m2 oxaliplatin and 2.6 mg/m2 raltitrexed on d1 and d22. Results:The complete response rate was 16.7%(9/54), and the partial response rate was 68.5%(37/54). The total response rate was 85.2%. The no response and progression rate was 14.8%(8/54). The one-and two-year local control rates and overall survival rates were 75.4%, 57.3%and 70.4%(95%CI, 0.6-0.8), 46.6%(95%CI, 0.3-0.6), respectively. The incidence rates of radiation-induced esophagitis, leucopenia, acute diarrhea, neuro-toxicity were 100%, 72.2%, 16.7%, and 44.4%, of which 7.4%, 7.4%, 1.9%, and 0%were≥grade 3, respectively. Conclusion:Ralti-trexed plus oxaliplatin combined with concurrent radiotherapy can enhance the response rate and prolong the survival of patients with advanced esophageal carcinoma. The regime has mild toxicity and is worthy of further study in PhaseⅢ.