Activated Human Hepatic Stellate Cells Promote Growth of Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Subcutaneous Xenograft Nude Mouse Model

Tumor cell microenvironment defines cancer development, also in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are believed to be the key contributors to tumor microenvironment in HCC, yet their precise role in cancer progression is still unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of human HSCs on progression of HCC using a subcutaneous xenograft nude mouse model. Nude mice were stratified to receive subcutaneous injections of human HCC cell line HepG2 and human HSC line LX-2 (HepG2 + LX-2), HepG2 alone, LX-2 alone, or phosphate-buffered saline. Tumor growth was assessed by measuring tumor size. After 30 days, final tumor size, weight, and histology were assessed. Compared with mice that were only injected HepG2 cells, mice injected with HepG2 + LX-2 exhibited more rapid tumor growth, increased tumor size and weight, higher tumor cell numbers due to increased proliferation and reduced apoptosis, increased fibrotic bands containing LX-2 cells, and increased tumor angiogenesis. In conclusion, HSCs play a significant role in promotion of HCC growth.     

辣椒素对舌鳞癌细胞增殖和凋亡影响的初步研究

目的:研究辣椒素对人舌鳞癌细胞增殖和存活的影响。方法:不同浓度辣椒素处理TSCCA和Tca8113细胞24,48和72h,MTS法检测细胞增殖,Western Blot法检测细胞周期调控和细胞凋亡相关分子的表达。结果:随着辣椒素浓度的增加,p53,p21和p27表达上调,Bcl-2表达未受到明显影响,Bcl-XL和Mcl-1表达抑制,caspase7和PARP剪切体表达上调。结论:辣椒素呈剂量依赖和时间依赖性抑制TSCCA和Tca8113细胞增殖,其机制可能与细胞周期和细胞凋亡相关分子表达的改变相关。     

microRNA-21对人舌鳞癌细胞的增殖和凋亡的影响

目的:探讨micro RNA-21(mi R-21)对人舌鳞癌细胞增殖和凋亡的影响。方法:选取8例舌鳞癌组织和4例癌旁组织为研究材料,采用实时荧光定量聚合酶链式反应(q RT-PCR)法对舌鳞癌及癌旁组织中的mi R-21相对表达量进行检测,利用人工合成的mi R-21mimic对人舌鳞癌Tca8113细胞进行瞬时转染,采用q RT-PCR法对Tca8113细胞中mi R-21相对表达量进行检测,采用四唑盐比色法(MTT)法对Tca8113细胞增殖情况进行检测,采用流式细胞术对Tca8113细胞周期与凋亡情况进行检测。结果:舌鳞癌组织中mi R-21的相对表达量(3.502±0.674),高于癌旁组织(0.998±0.192),差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。mi R-21mimic导致了Tca8113细胞中的mi R-21相对表达量上调(6.864±1.324),明显高于对照scramble组[(0.997±0.187),P0.05],对Tca8113细胞的增殖发挥了促进作用(P0.05)。经mi R-21mimic转染之后,Tca8113细胞进入S期的细胞出现了明显的增加[(27.4±5.1)%vs(48.6±8.7)%,P0.05],处于G1期的细胞出现了显著的减少[(56.3±9.6)%vs(36.2±7.2)%,P0.05],细胞凋亡数量出现了显著减少[(9.4±2.3)%vs(18.6±3.9)%,P0.05]。结论:mi R-21在舌鳞癌组织中高表达,过表达mi R-21有效促进了Tca8113细胞的增殖,抑制细胞的凋亡,mi R-21在舌鳞癌诊断和治疗可能具有一定的新型靶点价值。     

维生素D_3联合5-氟尿嘧啶对人食管癌Eca-109细胞移植瘤VDR表达的影响

探讨维生素D3、5-氟尿嘧啶单独与联合使用对人食管癌Eca-109细胞移植瘤维生素D受体(vitamin Dreceptor,VDR)的作用.随机分为对照组(C)、预处理组(PT)、维生素D3组(V)、5-氟尿嘧啶组(F)、预处理+5-氟尿嘧啶组(PT+F)、维生素D3+5-氟尿嘧啶组(V+F).体外培养人食管癌Eca-109细胞,BALB/c裸鼠皮下荷瘤,2.5μg/kg1,25-(OH)2维生素D3、25 mg/kg 5-氟尿嘧啶单独与联合腹腔注射,观察瘤体生长情况,逆转录聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)和蛋白质印迹技术(Western blot)检测裸鼠瘤体组织VDR mRNA与蛋白的表达.研究发现1,25-(OH)2维生素D3、5-氟尿嘧啶均能抑制裸鼠移植瘤的生长,PT、V、F、PT+F、V+F组瘤体体积与C组比较差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);RT-PCR与Western blot结果显示经1,25-(OH)2维生素D3单独与联合5-氟尿嘧啶使用后瘤体组织中VDR mRNA和蛋白表达升高,且联合用药更为显著(P<0.05).结果表明1,25-(OH)2维生素D3、5-氟尿嘧啶均能抑制人食管癌Eca-1...     

Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound Accelerates Tooth Movement via Activation of the BMP-2 Signaling Pathway

The present study was designed to determine the underlying mechanism of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) induced alveolar bone remodeling and the role of BMP-2 expression in a rat orthodontic tooth movement model. Orthodontic appliances were placed between the homonymy upper first molars and the upper central incisors in rats under general anesthesia, followed by daily 20-min LIPUS or sham LIPUS treatment beginning at day 0. Tooth movement distances and molecular changes were evaluated at each observation point. In vitro and in vivo studies were conducted to detect HGF (Hepatocyte growth factor)/Runx2/BMP-2 signaling pathways and receptor activator of NFκB ligand (RANKL) expression by quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR), Western blot and immunohistochemistry. At day 3, LIPUS had no effect on the rat orthodontic tooth movement distance and BMP-2-induced alveolar bone remodeling. However, beginning at day 5 and for the following time points, LIPUS significantly increased orthodontic tooth movement distance and BMP-2 signaling pathway and RANKL expression compared with the control group. The qRT-PCR and Western blot data in vitro and in vivo to study BMP-2 expression were consistent with the immunohistochemistry observations. The present study demonstrates that LIPUS promotes alveolar bone remodeling by stimulating the HGF/Runx2/BMP-2 signaling pathway and RANKL expression in a rat orthodontic tooth movement model, and LIPUS increased BMP-2 expression via Runx2 regulation.     

人卵巢癌细胞微观形态的AFM观察

目的:探讨原子力显微镜(AFM)在人卵巢癌细胞微观形貌表征方面的应用。方法:应用原子力显微镜分别观察培养的高低转移的人卵巢癌细胞及其周围纤连蛋白原纤维和经过紫杉醇药物处理后的细胞的微观形态,进一步对正常的卵巢癌细胞组织和经过紫杉醇药物处理后的卵巢癌细胞组织经过超声波处理后组织的微观结构进行AFM成像观察。结果:高转移特性的卵巢癌细胞周围的纤维少而短;而低转移特性的卵巢癌细胞周围的纤维多且长。经过紫杉醇药物处理后的细胞的形态发生了变化,结构呈现不规则状,且与基底没有纤维连接。结论:不同类型的卵巢癌细胞受其生物功能的影响在基底上的形态不同。药物处理后的癌细胞微观组织发生了变化,与其核溶,核碎和核解的生理变化过程相符。正常的卵巢癌细胞组织结构之间的黏附力较小,故超声波处理后呈现分散的分布。经过紫杉醇药物处理后的卵巢癌细胞组织结构之间的黏附力较大,超声波处理后分布在基底上的结构较紧凑。     

肿瘤相关候选基因在舌鳞癌中的筛选

目的：寻找舌癌特异性相关基因,阐明舌癌发病的分子机制,为舌癌的诊断、治疗和预后提供分子靶标。方法：采用半定量RT-PCR方法检测了所选9个肿瘤相关基因DLC1、ANXA1、BCAT1、KRAS2、KCNJ8、LDHB、DNM1L、ETNK1、PTX1在舌鳞癌中的表达情况。结果：DLC1、ANXA1、LDHB、DNM1L、ETNK1、PTX16个基因在舌鳞癌组织与配对正常组织中无明显表达差异;而BCAT1、KRAS2、KCNJ8在舌鳞癌组织中表达上调,上调频率分别为45%（9/20）、50%（10/20）和33.3%（4/12）。结论：BCAT1、KRAS2和KCNJ8参与了舌鳞癌的发生发展,也为进一步在舌鳞癌中分析3个基因的功能提供实验依据。     

人IL-17F对裸鼠人肝癌移植瘤生长的影响

利用RT-PCR方法从PHA活化的人外周血单个核细胞(PBMCs)中克隆hIL-17F基因,亚克隆至逆转录病毒载体pSIV-1,与辅助病毒载体pHIT456和pHIT60脂质体法共转染293T包装细胞,获得的成熟重组逆转录病毒(RV-hIL-17F)再感染SMMC-7721人肝癌细胞,并经G418筛选建立hIL-17F转基因肝癌细胞。PCR、RT-PCR和Westernblot结果表明hIL-17F基因在肝癌细胞中能成功整合、转录和表达。MTT和FCM结果表明hIL-17F不能改变SMMC-7721肝癌细胞的增殖活力和细胞周期,但ELISA结果表明其能明显下调肝癌细胞IL-6、IL-8和VEGF的表达。转基因肝癌细胞rhIL-17F表达上清具有抑制ECV304人脐静脉内皮细胞生长的作用。裸鼠皮下成瘤试验结果表明hIL-17F转基因肝癌细胞裸鼠致瘤能力明显减弱,VEGF和CD34表达降低,血管形成显著减少。hIL-17F可通过减少肿瘤血管形成显著抑制裸鼠人肝癌移植瘤的生长,为其进一步开展肿瘤血管靶向基因治疗和开发抗血管新药提供了一定的实验依据。     

A Human Lung Xenograft Mouse Model of Nipah Virus Infection

Nipah virus (NiV) is a member of the genus Henipavirus (family Paramyxoviridae) that causes severe and often lethal respiratory illness and encephalitis in humans with high mortality rates (up to 92%). NiV can cause Acute Lung Injury (ALI) in humans, and human-to-human transmission has been observed in recent outbreaks of NiV. While the exact route of transmission to humans is not known, we have previously shown that NiV can efficiently infect human respiratory epithelial cells. The molecular mechanisms of NiV-associated ALI in the human respiratory tract are unknown. Thus, there is an urgent need for models of henipavirus infection of the human respiratory tract to study the pathogenesis and understand the host responses. Here, we describe a novel human lung xenograft model in mice to study the pathogenesis of NiV. Following transplantation, human fetal lung xenografts rapidly graft and develop mature structures of adult lungs including cartilage, vascular vessels, ciliated pseudostratified columnar epithelium, and primitive “air” spaces filled with mucus and lined by cuboidal to flat epithelium. Following infection, NiV grows to high titers (10⁷ TCID₅₀/gram lung tissue) as early as 3 days post infection (pi). NiV targets both the endothelium as well as respiratory epithelium in the human lung tissues, and results in syncytia formation. NiV infection in the human lung results in the production of several cytokines and chemokines including IL-6, IP-10, eotaxin, G-CSF and GM-CSF on days 5 and 7 pi. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that NiV can replicate to high titers in a novel in vivo model of the human respiratory tract, resulting in a robust inflammatory response, which is known to be associated with ALI. This model will facilitate progress in the fundamental understanding of henipavirus pathogenesis and virus-host interactions; it will also provide biologically relevant models for other respiratory viruses.     

Chloroquine-Enhanced Efficacy of Cisplatin in the Treatment of Hypopharyngeal Carcinoma in Xenograft Mice

Hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HSCC) has the worst prognosis among head and neck cancers. Cisplatin (DDP)-based chemotherapy is an important part of multimodal treatments. However, resistance to DDP severely impairs the effectiveness of chemotherapy for HSCC. Chloroquine (CQ) has been reported to enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in liver, pancreas, breast, prostate and colon tumors, but it is unclear whether CQ could increase the efficacy of DDP for treating HSCC. We inoculated BALB/c nude mice with a subcutaneous injection of human hypopharyngeal FaDu cells to generate our animal model. Mice were randomly divided into 4 groups and treated with vehicle control, CQ (60 mg/kg/day), DDP (5 mg/kg/6 days), or a combination of DDP and CQ. Tumor growth and survival of the mice were monitored. We found that CQ inhibited autophagy and increased DDP-induced apoptosis in the xenograft mouse model. CQ enhanced the efficacy of DDP, resulting in decreased tumor growth and prolonged survival of the mice. To test whether blocking autophagy enhanced the efficacy of DDP, FaDu cells were infected with lentiviral shRNA to Beclin-1 and inoculated into the flanks of nude mice. Inhibition of autophagy markedly enhanced the DDP-induced antitumor effect. Our study suggests that the addition of CQ to DDP-based chemotherapy could be a potential therapeutic strategy for treating HSCC, and the inhibition of autophagy may contribute to chemotherapy sensitization in HSCC.     

舌鳞癌层粘连蛋白的表达及意义

采用免疫组织化学技术,研究了正常、异常增生组织、舌癌及舌癌淋巴结转移灶中层粘连蛋白的表达、分布及意义。结果发现：正常舌粘膜、轻度异常增生组织的基底膜处层粘连蛋白呈连续线状分布,中度和重度异常增生组织基底膜层粘连蛋白的分布有局部断裂。舌癌中层粘连蛋白的分布呈多种形式,分化好的舌癌层粘连蛋白呈线状,但明显不连续,分化差的舌癌中的层粘连蛋白常呈碎片状,而舌癌的淋巴结转移灶中层粘连蛋白的分布与原发灶相似。统计分析表明,层粘连蛋白的表达与舌癌的分化程度相关,而与舌癌的转移无关。观察结果表明：舌癌分化程度愈低,层粘连蛋白的缺损愈严重,层粘连蛋白的表达、分布特点可以作为判断癌恶性程度的指标,但不能判断舌癌的转移     

Spatial Ecology of the Human Tongue Dorsum Microbiome

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Potentiation of infection by epinephrine

A subinfective dose of Staphylococcus aureus (6 X 10(6)) does not produce wound infection in the rat model. Reducing the dosage (concentration) of epinephrine results in decreased numbers of viable bacteria in tissue and a lower incidence of wound infection in this model.     

Novel Formula for Cell Kinetics in Xenograft Model of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Using Histologically Calculable Parameters

The growth rate of tumors should be assessed in terms of both tumor cell proliferation and death. The former is considered to be determined by growth fraction and cell-cycle time, whereas the latter is mainly determined by apoptosis, especially in tumors with a low level of necrosis. While most hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) in a relatively early stage contain only a small amount of necrosis, the growth rate supposedly depends mainly on growth fraction, cell-cycle time, and apoptosis. However, their quantitative relationship remains unknown. We have derived a novel theoretical formula for determining this relationship in nonnecrotic HCC, using Ki-67-positive index, apoptotic score, and a correction factor, all calculable by histological assessment without injecting labeling agents. Furthermore, we confirmed the reliability of this formula, using a xenograft model of human HCC with less than 15% necrosis. In this model the values of cell-cycle time calculated from the formula were very close to those estimated by a conventional double-labeling method and showed high correlations. Since our novel formula can clarify the cell kinetics without cumbersome labeling procedures, it is expected to be clinically applicable to HCC with a small portion of necrosis, using the radiographically measured growth rate and the histologically assessed cell kinetic parameters.