Liquiritin inhibits TGF-β1-induced epithelial mesenchymal transition and extracellular matrix deposition in human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells by suppressing the MAPK signaling

Chen Zhen,Liu Yi jue,Yu Bo,Li Wei,Zhang Mengli,Wu Xian,Gui Feng,Peng Huan,Ai Fen 대한독성 유전단백체 학회 2024 Molecular & cellular toxicology Vol.20 No.3

Background Excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition leads to renal fibrosis, a typical hallmark of chronic kidney disease. Liquiritin is a flavonoid extracted from the rhizome part of Glycyrrhiza glabra and has anti-fibrotic and nephroprotective effects. However, its role and underlying mechanism in renal fibrosis remain unknown. Methods Human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (HRPTEpiCs) were stimulated with 10 ng/mL TGF-β1 to induce renal fibrosis models in vitro. The morphology of HRPTEpiCs was observed under a light microscope. CCK-8 was utilized to test cell viability. Immunofluorescence staining was conducted to measure α-SMA expression in HRPTEpiCs. RT-qPCR was used to assess relative mRNA expression. The protein levels of ECM markers, epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers, and MAPK signaling-related molecules in HRPTEpiCs were tested using western blotting. Results TGF-β1-treated HRPTEpiCs showed a fibroblast-like morphology, and the morphology of HRPTEpiCs was restored by liquiritin. Liquiritin suppressed TGF-β1-stimulated ECM deposition and EMT process in HRPTEpiCs. Additionally, liquiritin repressed TGF-β1-induced MAPK signaling activation in HRPTEpiCs. Conclusion Liquiritin mitigates TGF-β1-triggered EMT process and ECM deposition in HRPTEpiCs by inactivating MAPK signaling, thus preventing renal fibrosis. Background Excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition leads to renal fibrosis, a typical hallmark of chronic kidney disease. Liquiritin is a flavonoid extracted from the rhizome part of Glycyrrhiza glabra and has anti-fibrotic and nephroprotective effects. However, its role and underlying mechanism in renal fibrosis remain unknown. Methods Human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (HRPTEpiCs) were stimulated with 10 ng/mL TGF-β1 to induce renal fibrosis models in vitro. The morphology of HRPTEpiCs was observed under a light microscope. CCK-8 was utilized to test cell viability. Immunofluorescence staining was conducted to measure α-SMA expression in HRPTEpiCs. RT-qPCR was used to assess relative mRNA expression. The protein levels of ECM markers, epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers, and MAPK signaling-related molecules in HRPTEpiCs were tested using western blotting. Results TGF-β1-treated HRPTEpiCs showed a fibroblast-like morphology, and the morphology of HRPTEpiCs was restored by liquiritin. Liquiritin suppressed TGF-β1-stimulated ECM deposition and EMT process in HRPTEpiCs. Additionally, liquiritin repressed TGF-β1-induced MAPK signaling activation in HRPTEpiCs. Conclusion Liquiritin mitigates TGF-β1-triggered EMT process and ECM deposition in HRPTEpiCs by inactivating MAPK signaling, thus preventing renal fibrosis.

Conversion of biomass components to methyl levulinate over an ultra-high performance fiber catalyst in impellers of the agitation system

Xian-Lei Shi,Qianqian Hu,Yongju Chen,Feng Wang,Peigao Duan 한국공업화학회 2018 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.65 No.-

An ultra-high performance fiber, serving as a novel material for heterogeneous-acid catalyst for the conversion of biomass components to methyl levulinate, is presented. The catalyst was prepared conveniently from commercially available polyphenylene sulfide fiber by sulfonation, and characterized detailedly by elemental analysis, FTIR spectroscopy, SEM and mechanical strength at different stages. Moreover, the catalyst exhibited higher activity for biomass components transforming into methyl levulinate (52–96%), and prominent ability to be reused with good recyclability and stability. Furthermore, the effective large-scale process with fiber catalyst in impellers of the agitation system is very attractive for the industrial applications.

GSTM1 Polymorphisms and Lung Cancer Risk in the Chinese Population: a Meta-Analysis Based on 47 Studies

Chen, Xin-Ping,Xu, Wei-Hua,Xu, Da-Feng,Xie, Xian-He,Yao, Jia,Fu, Sheng-Miao Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.18

Although a number of studies have been conducted on the association between GSTM1 polymorphisms and lung cancer in China, this association remains elusive and controversial. To clarify the effects of GSTM1 polymorphisms on the risk of lung cancer, a meta-analysis was performed in the Chinese population. Related studies were identified from PubMed, Springer Link, Ovid, Chinese Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Chinese Biology Medicine (CBM) up to 5th April 2014. A total of 45 articles (47 studies) including 6,623 cases and 7,865 controls were involved in this meta-analysis. Overall, a significant association (OR = 1.45, 95%CI: 1.32-1.60) was found between the null GSTM1 and lung cancer risk when all studies in Chinese population pooled into the meta-analysis. In subgroup analyses stratified by quality score, geographic area and source of controls, the same results were observed under all the models. This meta-analysis showed that the null GSTM1 may be a potential biomarker for lung cancer risk in Chinese, but further studies with gene-gene and gene-environment interactions are required for definite conclusions.

A Novel Selenium- and Copper-Containing Peptide with Both Superoxide Dismutase and Glutathione Peroxidase Activities

Xian Feng Zou,Yue Tong Ji,Gui Gao,Xue Jun Zhu,Shao Wu Lv,Fei Yan,Si Ping Han,Xing Chen,Chang Cheng Gao,Jun Qiu Liu,Gui Min Luo 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2010 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.20 No.1

Patterns and Trends with Cancer Incidence and Mortality Rates Reported by the China National Cancer Registry

Chen, Peng-Lai,Zhao, Ting,Feng, Rui,Chai, Jing,Tong, Gui-Xian,Wang, De-Bin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.15

National cancer registration reports provide a huge potential for identifying patterns and trends of important policy, research, prevention and treatment significance. As summary reports written on an annual basis, the China Cancer Registry Annual Reports (CCRARs) fall short from fully addressing their potential. This paper attempts to explore part of the patterns and trends hidden behind published CCRARs. It extracted data for cancer incidence rates (IRs) and mortality rates (MRs) for 2004, 2006 and 2009 from relevant CCRARs and portrayed 4 kinds of indicators in line graphs. The study showed that: a) all of the line graphs of age-specific IRs and MRs characterized typical "growth curves or histogram"; b) graphs of IRs and MRs for males and urban areas had higher peaks than that for females and rural regions; c) most of the line graphs of IR/MR ratios comprised a starting peak, a secondary peak and a decreasing tail and the secondary peaks for females and urban areas were higher than those for males and rural areas; d) most of the urban versus rural IR ratios valued above one, but most the urban versus rural MR ratios, below one; e) the accumulative IRs and MRs showed a stable increasing trend from 2004 to 2009 for urban areas, but mixed for rural regions.

An efficient, recyclable and large-scalable fiber-supported Fe(III) catalytic system on a simple fixed-bed reactor verified in the Biginelli reactions

Xian-Lei Shi,Yongju Chen,Qianqian Hu,Feng Wang,Peigao Duan 한국공업화학회 2018 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.60 No.-

An efficient, recyclable and large-scalable fiber-supported Fe(III) catalytic system verifed in the one-pot multicomponent Biginelli reactions, is presented. The fiber catalyst was prepared conveniently from commercially available polyacrylonitrile fiber according to a simple two-step procedure by amination and chelation in water, and characterized detailedly with ICP analysis, morphology, mechanical properties, elemental analysis, FTIR spectroscopy, and SEM during the modification and utilization processes. Moreover, the fiber catalyst-mediated reactions showed broad applicability and proceeded smoothly to afford a series of substituted 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2-(1H)-ones/-thiones (yields 81–94%) in ethanol under mild conditions. Furthermore, the newly developed fiber catalyst held high strength, good flexibility and exhibited excellent stability and recyclability (over 10 cycles), and the procedure was operationally concise and effectively amenable to the gram-scale on a simple fixed-bed reactor with potential industrialization prospect.

Preparation and Properties of Green Environment-Friendly Drilling Polymer Mud

Zhang, Feng-Jun,Sun, Xian-Yang,Li, Xuan,Kong, Cui,Liu, Jin,Chen, Qian-Bao,Oh, Won-Chun Materials Research Society of Korea 2019 한국재료학회지 Vol.29 No.11

In this paper, a water-based green polymer mud is synthesized by simple compounding method. Effects of different kinds of tackifiers, their molecular weight on the viscosity of polymer mud and the effects of different fluid loss additives on mud fluid loss are studied. The results show that when polystyrene and anionic polyacrylamide with molecular weight of 8 ~ 10 million are used as the main thickening ingredient, polymer mud with high viscosity and high stability can be obtained. When the prepared polymer mud is formulated as NPAM: PEO: Hydroxypropyl cellulose(HPC) : Water = 42:10:10:100000 (unit: kg), the viscosity can reach 20.6 s, the filtration loss in 7.5 min is 24 mL, and the sand content is only 0.1 %. Compared with traditional bentonite mud, the green environment-friendly polymer mud has the advantages of small amount of waste, low environmental pollution, and low pulping cost, and can meet the construction needs for most topography and geomorphology drilling engineering.

Dynamics of Yeast-like Symbiote and its Relationship with the Virulence of Brown Planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens Stal, to Resistant Rice Varieties

Zhong-Xian Lu,Xiao-Ping Yu,Jian-Ming Chen,Xu-Song Zheng,Hong-Xing Xu,Jue-Feng Zhang Zhang,Lie-Zhong Chen 한국응용곤충학회 2004 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.7 No.3

Abundance of the yeast-like symbiote (YLS) in brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens Stl, collected from rice fields in China and obtained from International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), was monitored. The role of YLS in nymph survival rate, development and adult reproduction, and activities of transaminases in BPH on different resistant rice varieties were examined. Also, the relationship between YLS and virulence shifts of BPH to resistant rice varieties was discussed. The results indicated that the virulence of BPH populations to resistant rice varieties was strongly related to the abundance of YLS in 5th instar nymphs and brachypterous females of BPH field populations at Nanning in South China and Hangzhou in East China, showing the more abundance of YLS in BPH, the higher virulence of BPH to resistant rice varieties, while no obvious differences in YLS abundance were monitored between three BPH biotypes. Numbers of YLS reduced significantly in female adult of BPH biotype 1 fed on resistant rice varieties IR26, Mudgo and ASD7, compared with that fed on susceptible rice variety TN1. The lowest YLS abundance of BPH from field population was found in 2nd generation successively fed on resistant varieties, and the number of YLS was resumed at 4th generation when the BPH has adapted the resistant varieties. The markedly lower nymphal survival rate, adult fecundity and activities of alanine and aspartic transminase, and significantly longer nymph duration in the three aposymbiotic biotypes than in the symbiotic ones were recorded on both susceptible and resistant rice varieties. However, the much greater differences between aposymbiotic and symbiotic BPH were found on the inadaptable resistant rice varieties than that on the fitness resistant rice varieties. Those results implied that YLS in BPH should play a crucial role in the virulent shift of BPH populations to resistant rice varieties.

Targeting EGFL7 Expression through RNA Interference Suppresses Renal Cell Carcinoma Growth by Inhibiting Angiogenesis

Xu, Han-Feng,Chen, Lei,Liu, Xian-Dong,Zhan, Yun-Hong,Zhang, Hui-Hui,Li, Qing,Wu, Bin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.7

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most lethal of all urological cancers and tumor angiogenesis is closely related with its growth, invasion, and metastasis. Recent studies have suggested that epidermal growth factor-like domain multiple 7 (EGFL7) is overexpressed by many tumors, such as colorectal cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma; it is also correlated with progression, metastasis, and a poor prognosis. However, the role of EGFL7 in RCC is not clear. In this study, we examined how EGFL7 contributes to the growth of RCC using a co-culture system in vitro and a xenograft model in vivo. Downregulated EGFL7 expression in RCC cells affected the migration and tubule formation of HMEC-1 cells, but not their growth and apoptosis in vitro. The level of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) phosphorylation in HMEC-1 cells decreased significantly when co-cultured with 786-0/iEGFL7 cells compared with 786-0 cells. After adding rhEGFL7, the level of FAK phosphorylation in HMEC-1 cells was significantly elevated compared with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) control. However, FAK phosphorylation was abrogated by EGFR inhibition. The average size of RCC local tumors in the 786-0/iEGFL7 group was noticeably smaller than those in the 786-0 cell group and their vascular density was also significantly decreased. These data suggest that EGFL7 has an important function in the growth of RCC by facilitating angiogenesis.

Revitalization and Re-cultivation of Vegetation in Karst Region Through Animal

Zhiqiang Lai,Xian-feng Yi,Na Yao,Xiao-Yan Cai,Yongliang Liang,Shize Qin,Yuanrong Chen,Shangmin Qin,M. Pogaonik 한국초지조사료학회 2009 한국초지조사료학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2009 No.08

From 2002 to 2007, two different systems (shrubs and grasses) were established to raise appropriate ruminants for the purpose of improving biological diversity and fragile ecological environment in the karst-areas through grazing. The objective was to find out a novel way to promote the application of ecological restoration and reconstruction, and the agricultural economy could develop in sustainable way in the karst areas in Guangxi and similar areas in Southwest China.