Crocetin Induces Cytotoxicity in Colon Cancer Cells Via p53-independent Mechanisms

Li, Cai-Yan,Huang, Wen-Feng,Wang, Qun-Li,Wang, Fan,Cai, E.,Hu, Bing,Du, Jia-Cheng,Wang, Jing,Chen, Rong,Cai, Xiao-Jing,Feng, Jing,Li, Hui-Hui Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.8

Objective: Crocin has been proposed as a promising candidate for cancer chemoprevention. The purpose of this investigation was to investigate the chemopreventive action and the possible mechanisms of crocin against human colon cancer cells in vitro. Methods: Cell proliferation was examined using MTT assay and the cell cycle distribution fractions were analyzed using fow cytometric analysis after propidium iodide staining. Apoptosis was detected using theTUNEL Apoptosis Detection Kit with laser scanning confocal microscope. DNA damage was assessed using the alkaline single-cell gel electrophoresis assay, while expression levels of p53, cdk2, cyclinA and P21 were examined by Western blot analysis. Results: Treatment of SW480 cells with crocetin (0.2, 0.4, 0.8 mmol/L) for 48 h signifcantly inhibited their proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner. Crocetin (0.8 mmol/L) signifcantly induced cell cycle arrest through p53-independent mechanisms accompanied by P21 induction. Crocetin (0.8 mmol/L) caused cytotoxicity in the SW480 cells by enhancing apoptosis and decreasing DNA repair capacity in a time-dependent manner. Conclusions: This report provides evidence that crocetin is a potential anticancer agent, which may be used as a chemotherapeutic drug.

SERS study of surface plasmon resonance induced carrier movement in Au@Cu₂O core-shell nanoparticles

Chen, Lei,Zhang, Fan,Deng, Xin-Yu,Xue, Xiangxin,Wang, Li,Sun, Yantao,Feng, Jing-Dong,Zhang, Yongjun,Wang, Yaxin,Jung, Young Mee Elsevier 2018 Spectrochimica acta. Part A, Molecular and biomole Vol.189 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>A plasmon induced carrier movement enhanced mechanism of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) was investigated using a charge-transfer (CT) enhancement mechanism. Here, we designed a strategy to study SERS in Au@Cu<SUB>2</SUB>O nanoshell nanoparticles with different shell thicknesses. Among the plasmonically coupled nanostructures, Au spheres with Cu<SUB>2</SUB>O shells have been of special interest due to their ultrastrong electromagnetic fields and controllable carrier transfer properties, which are useful for SERS. Au@Cu<SUB>2</SUB>O nanoshell nanoparticles (NPs) with shell thicknesses of 48–56nm are synthesized that exhibit high SERS activity. This high activity originates from plasmonic-induced carrier transfer from Au@Cu<SUB>2</SUB>O to 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (MBA). The CT transition from the valence band (VB) of Cu<SUB>2</SUB>O to the second excited π-π* transition of MBA, and is of b<SUB>2</SUB> electronic symmetry, which was enhanced significantly. The Herzberg-Teller selection rules were employed to predict the observed enhanced b<SUB>2</SUB> symmetry modes. The system constructed in this study combines the long-range electromagnetic effect of Au NPs, localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of the Au@Cu<SUB>2</SUB>O nanoshell, and the CT contribution to assist in understanding the SERS mechanism based on LSPR-induced carrier movement in metal/semiconductor nanocomposites.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> We designed a shell-dependent Au@Cu<SUB>2</SUB>O nanoshell for SERS study. </LI> <LI> SERS contribution enables us to understand the possible enhancement of hybrid nanostructures. </LI> <LI> LSPR-induced carrier movement in Au@Cu<SUB>2</SUB>O nanocomposites. </LI> </UL> </P> <P><B>Graphical Abstract</B></P> <P>We designed the shell-dependent Au@Cu<SUB>2</SUB>O core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) for SERS study. For the electron-hole pairs in the Cu<SUB>2</SUB>O, the plasmon induced resonant energy transfer from Au to the Cu<SUB>2</SUB>O and the direct electron transfer simultaneously which can be observed from the SERS intensity.</P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>

Knockdown of GCF2/LRRFIP1 by RNAi Causes Cell Growth Inhibition and Increased Apoptosis in Human Hepatoma HepG2 Cells

Li, Jing-Ping,Cao, Nai-Xia,Jiang, Ri-Ting,He, Shao-Jian,Huang, Tian-Ming,Wu, Bo,Chen, De-Feng,Ma, Ping,Chen, Li,Zhou, Su-Fang,Xie, Xiao-Xun,Luo, Guo-Rong Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.6

Background: GC-binding factor 2 (GCF2) is a transcriptional regulator that represses transcriptional activity of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) by binding to a specific GC-rich sequence in the EGFR gene promoter. In addition to this function, GCF2 has also been identified as a tumor-associated antigen and regarded as a potentially valuable serum biomarker for early human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosis. GCF2 is high expressed in most HCC tissues and cell lines including HepG2. This study focused on the influence of GCF2 on cell proliferation and apoptosis in HepG2 cells. Materials and Methods: GCF2 expression at both mRNA and protein levels in HepG2 cells was detected with reverse transcription (RT) PCR and Western blotting, respectively. RNA interference (RNAi) technology was used to knock down GCF2 mRNA and protein expression. Afterwards, cell viability was analyzed with a Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), and cell apoptosis and caspase 3 activity by flow cytometry and with a Caspase 3 Activity Kit, respectively. Results: Specific down-regulation of GCF2 expression caused cell growth inhibition, and increased apoptosis and caspase 3 activity in HepG2 cells. Conclusions: These primary results suggest that GCF2 may influence cell proliferation and apoptosis in HepG2 cells, and also provides a molecular basis for further investigation into the possible mechanism at proliferation and apoptosis in HCC.

Bone Formation in Ectopic and Osteogenic Tissue Induced by a Novel BMP-2-related Peptide Combined with Rat Tail Collagen

Jing-Feng Li,Zhen-Yu Lin,Qi-Xin Zheng,Xiao-Dong Guo,Shu-Hua Yang,Hong-Wei Lu,Sheng-Hui Lan 한국생물공학회 2010 Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Vol.15 No.5

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) play an important role in regulating osteoblast differentiation and subsequent bone formation, mainly evidenced by the induced osteogenic ability of BMP-2 from BMPs. However, BMP-2 alone does not induce the expected efficacy due to its short retention in vivo. In this study, a novel BMP-2-related peptide (designated P24) derived from the “knuckle epitope”of BMP-2 was coupled covalently to type I collagen derived from rat tail and observed under scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in low vacuum mode. The BMP-2-related peptide/collagen composite was implanted in vivo into the pocket of the quadriceps musculature of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats and then harvested 3 or 6 weeks after surgery. It was found that lyophilized collagen retained a porous network structure with an average inner-diameter of 90 ~ 160 μm. Based on radiographic evaluation and histological examination, BMP-2-related peptide/collagen induced significant ectopic bone formation compared to that of rat tail collagen alone as a control. Our results indicate collagen served as a good carrier for newly synthesized BMP-2-related peptide and that the BMP-2-related peptide/collagen composite was an effective substitute in bone tissue engineering.

Isolation, Structural Characterization, and Lymphopoiesis Stimulant Activity of a Polysaccharide from the Abalone Gonad

Jing-Feng Yang,Yue-hui Li,Jun Zhao,Peng-fei Li,Ce Zhu,Ye-han Song,Lan-yi Zhang,Bei-Wei Zhu 한국식품과학회 2015 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.24 No.1

A novel polysaccharide (AGP-32) from the gonad of Haliotis discus hannai Ino was isolated using a protease-assisted process and successive ion-exchange and gel-filtration chromatography. The backbone of AGP-32 was determined using hydrolysis with trifluoroacetic acid. FTIR, NMR, and methylation analysis, and periodate oxidation and Smith degradation analysis revealed that the AGP-32 backbone mainly consisted of (1→6)-linked mannose, (1→3)-linked galactose, and (1→3)-linked glucose in a proportion of 2:3:1. An in vitro cell assay indicated that AGP-32 promoted mice splenic lymphocyte proliferation by 26% at a concentration of 50 μg/mL. AGP-32 had an effect on immune protection and is a candidate for consideration as a functional food.

Improving the Capture-range Problem in Phase-diversity Phase Retrieval for Laser-wavefront Measurement Using Geometrical-optics Initial Estimates

Li Jie Li,Wen Bo Jing,Wen Shen,Yue Weng,Bing Kun Huang,Xuan Feng 한국광학회 2022 Current Optics and Photonics Vol.6 No.5

To overcome the capture-range problem in phase-diversity phase retrieval (PDPR), a geometricaloptics initial-estimate method is proposed to avoid a local minimum and to improve the accuracy of laser-wavefront measurement. We calculate the low-order aberrations through the geometrical-optics model, which is based on the two spot images in the propagation path of the laser, and provide it as a starting guess for the PDPR algorithm. Simulations show that this improves the accuracy of wavefront recovery by 62.17% compared to other initial values, and the iteration time with our method is reduced by 28.96%. That is, this approach can solve the capture-range problem.

Low-dose diethylhexyl phthalate exposure does not impair the expressive patterns of epigenetics-related genes and DNA methylation of breast cancer-related genes in mouse mammary glands

Shun-Feng Cheng,Ling Li,Bo Li,Jing-Cai Liu,Fang-Nong Lai,Yong Zhao,Xi-Feng Zhang,Wei Shen,Lan Li 대한독성 유전단백체 학회 2018 Molecular & cellular toxicology Vol.14 No.2

Backgrounds: Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), as an endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC), is widely used in plasticizer and other productions. Ubiquitous human exposure to DEHP has been proposed to be a potential risk to public health. Developmental exposure to DEHP could alter epigenetic programming and result in adult-onset disease. Methods: In this study, we investigated whether DEHP exposure to pregnant mice affected epigenetic changes as a result of increase in breast cancer incidence. Results: Our results showed that the expression of total 143 epigenetics-related genes in mammary gland cells, have no significantly altered after short time and low-dose treated with DEHP from 0.5 days post-coitum (dpc) to 3.5 dpc of pregnant mice. DNA methylation status of some neoplastic development genes, such as EGFr, Esr1, Pgr, Fos and Rassf5 also had no obvious change. Conclusion: These finding showed no impact of DEHP on the expressive patterns of epigenetics-related genes and DNA methylation of breast cancer-related genes in pregnant mouse mammary gland cells.

Association Between the FAS/FASL Polymorphisms and Gastric Cancer Risk: A Meta-Analysis

Tian, Jing,Pan, Feng,Li, Jing,Ma, Yan,Cen, Han,Pan, Hai-Feng,Pan, Yue-Yin,Ye, Dong-Qing Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.3

Objective: FAS/FASL gene promoter polymorphisms have been repeatedly associated with gastric cancer risk, but findings are inconclusive across studies. To address a more precise estimation of the relationship, a meta-analysis was performed. Methods: Data were collected from the Pubmed, Medline and EMBASE databases, with the last report up to 1 December, 2011. Crude ORs with 95% CIs were used to assess the strength of the association by (1) the additive, (2) the codominant, (3) the dominant, and (4) the recessive models. Results: A total of seven studies, including six studies on FAS -1377G>A polymorphism, five studies on FAS -670A>G polymorphism, and six studies on FASL -844T>C polymorphism, were identified in the current meta-analysis. Overall, an association of FAS -1377G>A (AA versus GG: OR = 1.313, 95% CI = 1.045-1.650, Ph = 0.347, $I^2$ = 10.8) and FASL -844T>C (CC versus TT: OR = 1.352, 95% CI = 1.043-1.752, Ph = 0.461, $I^2$ = 0.0) polymorphisms with gastric cancer was found in the codominant model. However, we did not detect any association between gastric cancer and the FAS -670A>G polymorphism. In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, similar elevated risks were also observed in Asian population for FAS -1377G>A (AA versus GG: OR = 1.309, 95% CI = 1.041-1.646, Ph = 0.240, $I^2$ = 27.3) and FASL -844T>C (CC versus TT: OR = 1.420, 95% CI = 1.081-1.865, Ph = 0.524, $I^2$ = 0.0) polymorphisms. Conclusions: This meta-analysis indicated that FAS -1377G>A and FASL -844T>C polymorphisms might be associated with gastric cancer risk.

BMB Reports : Nutlin-3 downregulates p53 phosphorylation on serine and induces apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

( Xin Li Shi ),( Jing Li Liu ),( Lai Feng Ren ),( Nan Mao ),( Fang Tan ),( Nana Ding ),( Jing Yang ),( Ming Yuan Li ) 생화학분자생물학회(구 한국생화학분자생물학회) 2014 BMB Reports Vol.47 No.4

Drug-resistance and imbalance of apoptotic regulation limit chemotherapy clinical application for the human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment. The reactivation of p53 is an attractive therapeutic strategy in cancer with disrupted-p53 function. Nutlin-3, a MDM2 antagonist, has antitumor activity in various cancers. The post-translational modifications of p53 are a hot topic, but there are some controversy ideas about the function of phospho-Ser392-p53 protein in cancer cell lines in response to Nutlin-3. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between Nutlin-3 and phospho-Ser392-p53 protein expression levels in SMMC-7721 (wild-type TP53) and HuH-7 cells (mutant TP53). We demonstrated that Nutlin-3 induced apoptosis through down-regulation phospho-Ser392-p53 in two HCC cells. The result suggests that inhibition of p53 phosphorylation on Ser392 presents an alternative for HCC chemotherapy. [BMB Reports 2014; 47(4): 221-226]

Prediction Models for Solitary Pulmonary Nodules Based on Curvelet Textural Features and Clinical Parameters

Wang, Jing-Jing,Wu, Hai-Feng,Sun, Tao,Li, Xia,Wang, Wei,Tao, Li-Xin,Huo, Da,Lv, Ping-Xin,He, Wen,Guo, Xiu-Hua Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.10

Lung cancer, one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths, usually appears as solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) which are hard to diagnose using the naked eye. In this paper, curvelet-based textural features and clinical parameters are used with three prediction models [a multilevel model, a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression method, and a support vector machine (SVM)] to improve the diagnosis of benign and malignant SPNs. Dimensionality reduction of the original curvelet-based textural features was achieved using principal component analysis. In addition, non-conditional logistical regression was used to find clinical predictors among demographic parameters and morphological features. The results showed that, combined with 11 clinical predictors, the accuracy rates using 12 principal components were higher than those using the original curvelet-based textural features. To evaluate the models, 10-fold cross validation and back substitution were applied. The results obtained, respectively, were 0.8549 and 0.9221 for the LASSO method, 0.9443 and 0.9831 for SVM, and 0.8722 and 0.9722 for the multilevel model. All in all, it was found that using curvelet-based textural features after dimensionality reduction and using clinical predictors, the highest accuracy rate was achieved with SVM. The method may be used as an auxiliary tool to differentiate between benign and malignant SPNs in CT images.