Effects of Lactobacillus salivarius Ren on cancer prevention and intestinal microbiota in 1, 2-dimethylhydrazine-induced rat model

Ming Zhang,Xing Fan,Bing Fang,Chengzhen Zhu,Jun Zhu,Fazheng Ren 한국미생물학회 2015 The journal of microbiology Vol.53 No.6

Probiotics have been suggested as a prophylactic measure in colon cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of Lactobacillus salivarius Ren (Ren) in modulating colonic microbiota structure and colon cancer incidence in a rat model after injection with 1,2-dimethyl hydrazine (DMH). The results indicated that oral administration of Ren could effectively suppress DMH-induced colonic carcinogenesis. A significant decrease in cancer incidence (87.5% to 25%) was detected in rats fed with a dose of 5 × 1010 CFU/kg bodyweight per day. Using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and Real-time PCR combined with multivariate statistical methods, we demonstrated that injection with DMH significantly altered the rat gut microbiota, while Ren counteracted these DMH-induced adverse effects and promoted reversion of the gut microbiota close to the healthy state. Tvalue biplots followed by band sequencing identified 21 bacterial strains as critical variables affected by DMH and Ren. Injection of DMH significantly increased the amount of Ruminococcus species (sp.) and Clostridiales bacteria, as well as decreasing the Prevotella sp. Administration of Ren reduced the amount of Ruminococcus sp., Clostridiales bacteria, and Bacteroides dorei, and increased the amount of Prevotella. Real-time PCR results were consistent with the results derived by t-value biplots. These findings suggested that Ren is a potential agent for colon cancer prevention. In conclusion, the results in the present study suggest a potential therapeutic approach based on the modulation of intestinal microflora by probiotics may be beneficial in the prevention of colorectal carcinogenesis.

Efficacy and safety of olmesartan medoxomil/amlodipine fixed-dose combination for hypertensive patients uncontrolled with monotherapy

Jun-Ren Zhu,Shu-Yang Zhang,Ping-Jin Gao 대한약학회 2014 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.37 No.12

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy andsafety of olmesartan medoxomil (OM)/amlodipine (AML)20/5 mg fixed-dose combination tablet in Chinese mild tomoderately hypertensive patients with inadequate bloodpressure (BP) control on monotherapy. Two multicenter,randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, active-controlled,parallel group clinical trials were conducted. Afterscreening and a 2-week placebo run-in period, patients with95 mmHg B seated diastolic blood pressure (SeDBP) \110 mmHg received monotherapy with OM 20 mg (inStudy 1) or AML 5 mg (in Study 2), once daily for4 weeks. Patients with 90 mmHg B mean SeDBP \110 mmHg at the end of the monotherapy period wererandomized to receive OM/AML 20/5 mg treatment orcontinue with the monotherapy, once daily for 8 weeks. OM/AML (20/5 mg) treatment significantly lowered bothsystolic and diastolic BP at 4 and 8 weeks compared to40 mg olmesartan or 5 mg AML. The incidence of drugrelatedadverse effects did not differ significantly betweenthe groups. OM/AML 20/5 mg was superior to OM 40 mgor AML 5 mg monotherapy in lowering BP in Chinesemild to moderately hypertensive patients with inadequateBP control on monotherapy. No new or unexpected safetyissues were identified with OM/AML combination therapycompared to monotherapy.

Cryptotanshinone Induces Inhibition of Breast Tumor Growth by Cytotoxic CD4+ T Cells through the JAK2/STAT4/ Perforin Pathway

Zhou, Jun,Xu, Xiao-Zhen,Hu, Yao-Ren,Hu, Ai-Rong,Zhu, Cheng-Liang,Gao, Guo-Sheng Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.6

Cryptotanshinone (CPT), is a quinoid diterpene isolated from the root of the Asian medicinal plant, Salvia miotiorrhiza bunge. Numerous researchers have found that it could work as a potent antitumor agent to inhibit tumor growth in vitro, buith there has been much less emphasis on its in vivo role against breast tumors. Using a mouse tumor model of MCF7 cells, we showed that CPT strongly inhibited MCF7 cell growth in vivo with polarization of immune reactions toward Th1-type responses, stimulation of naive CD4+ T cell proliferation, and also increased IFN-${\gamma}$ and perforin production of CD4+ T cells in response to tumor-activated splenocytes. Furthermore, data revealed that the cytotoxic activity of CD4+ T cells induced by CPT was markedly abrogated by concanamycin A(CMA), a perforin inhibitor, but not IFN-${\gamma}$ Ab. On the other hand, after depletion of CD4+ T cells or blocked perforin with CMA in a tumor-bearing model, CPT could not effectively suppress tumor growth, but this phenomenon could be reversed by injecting naive CD4+ T cells. Thus, our results suggested that CPT mainly inhibited breast tumor growth through inducing cytotoxic CD4+ T cells to secrete perforin. We further found that CPT enhanced perforin production of CD4+ T cells by up-regulating JAK2 and STAT4 phosphorylation. These findings suggest a novel potential therapeutic role for CPT in tumor therapy, and demonstrate that CPT performs its antitumor functions through cytotoxic CD4+ T cells.

Contrast-Enhanced Harmonic Ultrasonography for the Assessment of Prostate Cancer Aggressiveness: a Preliminary Study

Yunkai Zhu,Yaqing Chen,Jun Jiang,Ren Wang,Yongchang Zhou,Huizhen Zhang 대한영상의학회 2010 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.11 No.1

Objective: To determine whether contrast-enhanced harmonic ultrasonography can be used to predict the aggressiveness of prostate cancer. Materials and Methods: Contrast-enhanced harmonic ultrasonography was performed in 103 patients suspected of prostate cancer before biopsy. Time intensity curves were reconstructed for systematic biopsy sites and sonographic abnormalities. The characteristics of the curves were described using hemodynamic indices including arrival time (AT), time-to-peak (TTP), and peak intensity (PI). The differences of hemodynamic indices between high-grade and low-grade cancer were analyzed and the correlations between the hemodynamic indices and biopsy Gleason score were studied. Results: Prostate cancer was detected in 41 of 103 patients and there were significant differences in the hemodynamic indices between the biopsy sites of the non-malignant patients and prostate cancer lesions (p < 0.05). The prostate biopsies revealed 154 prostate cancer lesions, including 31 low-grade lesions and 123 high-grade lesions. The hemodynamic indices AT and TTP of highgrade tumors were significantly shorter than those of low-grade tumors (p = 0.001, 0.002). In addition, high-grade peripheral zone (PZ) tumors had higher PI than low-grade PZ tumors (p = 0.009). The PZ prostate cancer Gleason score correlated with PI, AT and TTP, with Spearman correlation coefficients of 0.223, -0.335, and -0.351, respectively (p = 0.013, < 0.001 and < 0.001). Conclusion: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound measurements of hemodynamic indices correlate with the prostate cancer Gleason score. Objective: To determine whether contrast-enhanced harmonic ultrasonography can be used to predict the aggressiveness of prostate cancer. Materials and Methods: Contrast-enhanced harmonic ultrasonography was performed in 103 patients suspected of prostate cancer before biopsy. Time intensity curves were reconstructed for systematic biopsy sites and sonographic abnormalities. The characteristics of the curves were described using hemodynamic indices including arrival time (AT), time-to-peak (TTP), and peak intensity (PI). The differences of hemodynamic indices between high-grade and low-grade cancer were analyzed and the correlations between the hemodynamic indices and biopsy Gleason score were studied. Results: Prostate cancer was detected in 41 of 103 patients and there were significant differences in the hemodynamic indices between the biopsy sites of the non-malignant patients and prostate cancer lesions (p < 0.05). The prostate biopsies revealed 154 prostate cancer lesions, including 31 low-grade lesions and 123 high-grade lesions. The hemodynamic indices AT and TTP of highgrade tumors were significantly shorter than those of low-grade tumors (p = 0.001, 0.002). In addition, high-grade peripheral zone (PZ) tumors had higher PI than low-grade PZ tumors (p = 0.009). The PZ prostate cancer Gleason score correlated with PI, AT and TTP, with Spearman correlation coefficients of 0.223, -0.335, and -0.351, respectively (p = 0.013, < 0.001 and < 0.001). Conclusion: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound measurements of hemodynamic indices correlate with the prostate cancer Gleason score.

Correlations of Fecal Bacterial Communities with Age and Living Region for the Elderly Living in Bama, Guangxi, China

Liang Zhao,Xuewei Qiao,Jun Zhu,Xiaoying Zhang,Jingli Jiang,Yanling Hao,Fazheng Ren 한국미생물학회 2011 The journal of microbiology Vol.49 No.2

Bama County (Guangxi, China) is famous for its longevous population. In this study, intestinal microflora of 17 healthy elderly subjects of different ages and from different regions (rural and urban) in Bama,were analyzed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Significant effects of age and living region on the whole intestinal bacterial communities were observed by redundancy analysis (RDA). A total of 11 bacterial strains that were correlated with age and living region were identified using a t-value biplot combined with band sequencing. Four bacterial strains were correlated with both age and living region of the elderly in Bama. Two Bacteroides strains and one Ruminococcaceae strain were abundant in the rural, younger elderly; conversely, one Desulfovibrio strain was high in the urban, older elderly. Another Bacteroidetes strain was only correlated with the participant’s age, and its abundance increased with the age of the elderly. The richness of one Clostridium sordellii strain, which was only correlated with the elderly living region, was high in the urban elderly. The study also found five other novel bacterial strains that were correlated with the age or living region of the elderly in Bama. These results expand our understanding of age- and region-effects on the intestinal microflora of the elderly and raise the possibility of developing probiotics originating from centenarians.

New hydroperoxylated and 20,24-epoxylated dammarane triterpenes from the rot roots of Panax notoginseng

Shang, Jia-Huan,Sun, Wen-Jie,Zhu, Hong-Tao,Wang, Dong,Yang, Chong-Ren,Zhang, Ying-Jun The Korean Society of Ginseng 2020 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.44 No.3

Background: Root rot is a serious destructive disease of Panax notoginseng, a famous cultivated araliaceous herb called Sanqi or Tianqi in Southwest China. Methods: The chemical substances of Sanqi rot roots were explored by chromatographic techniques. MS, 1D/2D-NMR, and single crystal X-ray diffraction were applied to determine the structures. Murine macrophage RAW264.7 and five human cancer cell lines were used separately for evaluating the antiinflammatory and cytotoxic activities. Results and Conclusion: Thirty dammarane-type triterpenes and saponins were isolated from the rot roots of P. notoginseng. Among them, seven triterpenes, namely, 20(S)-dammar-25-ene-24(S)-hydroperoxyl-3β,6α,12β,20-tetrol (1), 20(S)-dammar-3-oxo-23-ene-25-hydroperoxyl-6α,12β,20-triol (2), 20(S)-dammar-12-oxo-23-ene-25-hydroperoxyl-3β,6α,20-triol (3), 20(S)-dammar-3-oxo-23-ene-25-hydroperoxyl-12β,20-diol (4), 20(S),24(R)-epoxy-3,4-seco-dammar-25-hydroxy-12-one-3-oic acid (5), 20(S),24(R)-epoxy-3,4-seco-dammar-25-hydroxy-12-one-3-oic acid methyl ester (6), and 6α-hydroxy-22,23,24,25,26,27-hexanordammar-3,12,20-trione (7), are new compounds. In addition, 12 known ones (12-16 and 19-25) were reported in Sanqi for the first time. The new Compound 1 showed comparable antiinflammatory activity on inhibition of NO production to the positive control, whereas the known compounds 9, 12, 13, and 16 displayed moderate cytotoxicities against five human cancer cell lines. The results will provide scientific basis for understanding the chemical constituents of Sanqi rot roots and new candidates for searching antiinflammatory and antitumor agents.

Meta-analysis of Outcomes Compared between Robotic and Laparoscopic Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer

Liao, Gui-Xiang,Xie, Guo-Zhu,Li, Rong,Zhao, Zhi-Hong,Sun, Quan-Quan,Du, Sha-Sha,Ren, Chen,Li, Guo-Xing,Deng, Hai-Jun,Yuan, Ya-Wei Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.8

This meta-analysis was performed to evaluate and compare the outcomes of robotic gastrectomy (RG) and laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) for treating gastric cancer. A systematic literature search was carried out using the PubMed database, Web of Knowledge, and the Cochrane Library database to obtain comparative studies assessing the safety and efficiency between RG and LG in May, 2013. Data of interest were analyzed by using of Review Manager version 5.2 software (Cochrane Collaboration). A fixed effects model or random effects model was applied according to heterogeneity. Seven papers reporting results that compared robotic gastrectomy with laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer were selected for this meta-analysis. Our metaanalysis included 2,235 patients with gastric cancer, of which 1,473 had undergone laparoscopic gastrectomy, and 762 had received robotic gastrectomy. Compared with laparoscopic gastrectomy, robotic gastrectomy was associated with longer operative time but less blood loss. There were no significant difference in terms of hospital stay, total postoperative complication rate, proximal margin, distal margin, numbers of harvested lymph nodes and mortality rate between robotic gastrectomy and laparoscopic gastrectomy. Our meta-analysis showed that robotic gastrectomy is a safe technique for treating gastric cancer that compares favorably with laparoscopic gastrectomy in short term outcomes. However, the long term outcomes between the two techniques need to be further examined.

Knockdown of HMGN5 Expression by RNA Interference Induces Cell Cycle Arrest in Human Lung Cancer Cells

Chen, Peng,Wang, Xiu-Li,Ma, Zhong-Sen,Xu, Zhong,Jia, Bo,Ren, Jin,Hu, Yu-Xin,Zhang, Qing-Hua,Ma, Tian-Gang,Yan, Bing-Di,Yan, Qing-Zhu,Li, Yan-Lei,Li, Zhen,Yu, Jin-Yan,Gao, Rong,Fan, Na,Li, Bo,Yang, Jun Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.7

HMGN5 is a typical member of the HMGN (high mobility group nucleosome-binding protein) family which may function as a nucleosomal binding and transcriptional activating protein. Overexpression of HMGN5 has been observed in several human tumors but its role in tumorigenesis has not been fully clarified. To investigate its significance for human lung cancer progression, we successfully constructed a shRNA expression lentiviral vector in which sense and antisense sequences targeting the human HMGN5 were linked with a 9-nucleotide loop. Inhibitory effects of siRNA on endogenous HMGN5 gene expression and protein synthesis were demonstrated via real-time RT-PCR and western blotting. We found HMGN5 silencing to significantly inhibit A549 and H1299 cell proliferation assessed by MTT, BrdU incorporation and colony formation assays. Furthermore, flow cytometry analysis showed that specific knockdown of HMGN5 slowed down the cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase and decreased the populations of A549 and H1299 cells at the S and G2/M phases. Taken together, these results suggest that HMGN5 is directly involved in regulation cell proliferation in A549 and H1299 cells by influencing signaling pathways involved in cell cycle progression. Thus, our finding suggests that targeting HMGN5 may be an effective strategy for human lung cancer treatment.

Hydrogen peroxide is involved in abscisic acid-induced adventitious rooting in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) under drought stress

Xue-Ping Li,Qing-Qing Xu,Wei-Biao Liao,Zhan-Jun Ma,Xiao-Ting Xu,Meng Wang,Peng-Ju Ren,Li-Juan Niu,Xin Jin,Yong-Chao Zhu 한국식물학회 2016 Journal of Plant Biology Vol.59 No.5

Abscisic acid (ABA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) are important regulatory factors involved in plant development under adversity stress. Here, the involvement of H2O2 in ABA-induced adventitious root formation in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) under drought stress was determined. The results indicated that exogenous ABA or H2O2 promoted adventitious rooting under drought stress, with a maximal biological response at 0.5 μM ABA or 800 μM H2O2. The promotive effects of ABA-induced adventitious rooting under drought stress were suppressed by CAT or DPI, suggesting that endogenous H2O2 might be involved in ABA-induced adventitious rooting. ABA increased relative water content (RWC), leaf chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters (Fv/Fm, ΦPS II and qP), water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) and soluble protein content, and peroxidase (POD), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and indoleacetate oxidase (IAAO) activities, while decreasing transpiration rate. However, the effects of ABA were inhibited by H2O2 scavenger CAT. Therefore, H2O2 may be involved in ABA-induced adventitious root development under drought stress by stimulating water and chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence, carbohydrate and nitrogen content, as well as some enzyme activities.

Mitochondrial Genetic Diversity and Phylogenetic Relationships of Siberian Flying Squirrel(Pteromys volans) Populations

Lee, Mu-Yeong,Park, Sun-Kyung,Hong, Yoon-Jee,Kim, Young-Jun,Voloshina, Inna,Myslenkov, Alexander,Saveljev, Alexander P.,Choi, Tae-Young,Piao, Ren-Zhu,An, Jung-Hwa,Lee, Mun-Han,Lee, Hang,Min, Mi-Sook The Korean Society for Integrative Biology 2008 Animal cells and systems Vol.12 No.4

Siberian flying squirrel, an endangered species in South Korea, is distributed through major mountain regions of South Korea. The number of Siberian flying squirrel(Pteromys volans) in South Korea has decreased and their habitats are fragmented and isolated because of anthropogenic activities. So far no molecular genetic data has, however, been available for their conservation and management. To obtain better information concerning genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships of the Siberian flying squirrel in South Korea, we examined 14 individuals from South Korea, 7 individuals from Russia, and 5 individuals from northeastern China along with previously published 29 haplotypes for 1,140 bp of the mtDNA cytochrome b gene. The 14 new individuals from South Korea had 7 haplotypes which were not observed in the regions of Russia and Hokkaido. The level of genetic diversity(0.616%) in the South Korean population was lower than that in eastern Russia(0.950%). The geographical distribution of mtDNA haplotypes and reduced median network confirmed that there are three major lineages of Siberian flying squirrel, occupying; Far Eastern, northern Eurasia, and the island of Hokkaido. The South Korean population only slightly distinct from the Eurasia, and eastern Russian population, and is part of the lineage Far Eastern. Based on these, we suggest that the South Korean population could be considered to belong to one partial ESU(Far Eastern) of three partial ESUs but a different management unit. However, the conservation priorities should be reconfirmed by nuclear genetic marker and ecological data.