ODC和AdoMetDC双反义腺病毒载体对食管癌细胞凋亡影响的研究

为探讨ODC和AdoMetDC双反义腺病毒载体(Ad-ODC-AdoMetDCas)对食管癌Eca109细胞凋亡作用的影响,应用MTT法观察Ad-ODC-AdoMetDCas对食管癌Eca109细胞生长增殖的影响,采用Western blot和HPLC的方法分别检测腺病毒载体对食管癌Eca109细胞中ODC和AdoMetDC蛋白表达以及胞内多胺含量的抑制作用,同时应用原位末端标记(TUNEL) 法观察Ad-ODC-AdoMetDCas对食管癌Eca109细胞凋亡作用的影响, 透射电镜进一步观察细胞超微结构的改变． 实验结果显示,应用MTT法观察发现Ad-ODC-AdoMetDCas对食管癌Eca109细胞生长增殖有显著抑制作用． 以Ad-ODC- AdoMetDCas感染食管癌Eca109细胞,可明显抑制食管癌Eca109细胞中ODC和AdoMetDC基因表达． HPLC结果显示,食管癌Eca109细胞感染Ad-ODC-AdoMetDCas后,细胞内3种多胺含量都明显降低． TUNEL标记检测结果显示Ad-ODC-AdoMetDCas可明显引起食管癌Eca109细胞凋亡．透射电镜观察到典型的细胞凋亡特征(表现细胞体积缩小,核皱缩、碎裂,染色质呈块状边集等)． 实验表明,ODC和AdoMetDC双反义腺病毒载体(Ad-ODC-AdoMetDCas)具有显著抑制食管癌细胞生长增殖,降低细胞多胺合成,促进细胞凋亡,为探讨食管癌基因治疗的可行性提供实验依据．     

半乳糖凝集素-3(galectin-3)基因沉默对Eca109人类食管癌细胞的影响

半乳糖凝集素-3(galectin-3)是一种多功能的β-半乳糖苷结合凝集素,涉及包括细胞生长、粘附、增殖、进展、转移以及凋亡等多种生物学功能,在恶性肿瘤中高表达。以前的研究已经证实了galecin-3过表达在Eca109人食管癌细胞的生物学作用。本研究试图通过进行小干扰RNA(siRNA)介导的galectin-3沉默,以分析galectin-3沉默对食管癌细胞生物学行为的影响。我们采用Western blotting和RT-qPCR被用来证实在蛋白质和mRNA水平上的galectin-3低表达,使用细胞计数试剂盒-8评估细胞增殖,用Annexin V-PE/7-AAD细胞凋亡检测试剂盒和流式细胞术检测Eca109细胞的凋亡。研究结果表明,转染后72 h,si Gal-3组Eca109细胞增殖明显低于siRNA对照组和未处理组(p<0.001)。Transwell实验结果显示,与其他组相比,galecin-3的抑制作用显著降低Eca109细胞的迁移和侵袭能力(p<0.05)。与siRNA-对照组和未处理组相比,galectin-3敲低显著增加Eca109细胞的凋亡率(p<0.05)。敲低Eca109细胞中galecin-3的表达后,细胞增殖、迁移和侵袭能力下降,而细胞凋亡增强,说明galectin沉默可作为食管癌治疗的新策略。     

Induction of Fas-mediated extrinsic apoptosis, p21WAF1-related G2/M cell cycle arrest and ROS generation by costunolide in estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer cells, MDA-MB-231

Costunolide (C(15)H(20)O(2)) is a sesquiterpene lactone that was isolated from many herbal medicines and it has diverse effects according to previous reports. However, the anti-cancer effects and the mechanism of actions are still unknown in breast cancer. In this study, we first observed that costunolide inhibits cell growth in a dose-and time-dependent manner. To examine the mechanism by which costunolide inhibits cell growth, we checked the effect of costunolide on apoptosis and the cell cycle. Costunolide induced apoptosis through the extrinsic pathway, including the activation of Fas, caspase-8, caspase-3, and degradation of PARP. However, did not have the same effect on the intrinsic pathway as revealed by analysis of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) with JC-1 dye and expression of Bcl2 and Bax proteins level. Furthermore, costunolide induced cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase via decrease in Cdc2, cyclin B1 and increase in p21WAF1 expression, independent of p53 pathway in p53-mutant MDA-MB-231 cells and increases Cdc2-p21WAF1 binding. In addition, costunolide had a slight induced effect on ROS generation. Among the mechanisms of p21WAF1 induction examined, costunolide-induced increase in p21WAF1 expression was related with protein stability and ROS generation. Through this study we confirm that costunolide induces G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptotic cell death via extrinsic pathway in MDA-MB-231 cells suggesting that it could be a promising anticancer drug especially for ER-negative breast cancer.     

缺氧对食管癌细胞增殖及凋亡的影响

目的:探讨缺氧对人食管癌细胞Eca109增殖及凋亡的影响及其作用机制,为食管癌的诊断和治疗提供新的思路和路径。方法:以终浓度为250μmol/L氯化钴模拟缺氧环境,将人食管癌细胞Eca109于常氧及缺氧条件下分别培养12 h、24 h、36 h、48 h,采用倒置相差显微镜观察细胞生长情况,MTT法检测细胞增殖情况,利用细胞活力分析仪NC-3000检测各组细胞凋亡情况。结果:相对于常氧对照组而言,缺氧后各组Eca109细胞增殖减弱,凋亡细胞比率明显升高,其中以缺氧24 h的凋亡细胞比率最高,缺氧36 h的凋亡细胞比率较缺氧24 h时有所回落。结论:缺氧可以抑制人食管癌细胞Eca109的增殖并诱导其凋亡。     

基于对JNK信号通路的调控探讨齐墩果酸对食管癌细胞凋亡的影响

摘要 目的：本研究通过对JNK信号通路的调控来探讨齐墩果酸( oleanolic acid,OA) 对食管癌细胞凋亡的影响。方法：对食管癌细胞EC109进行培养,以MTT法分析不同浓度齐墩果酸对食管癌细胞EC109的生长抑制作用,采用流式细胞术考察齐墩果酸对EC109细胞凋亡的影响,以Western blot实验检测JNK通路蛋白的表达情况。结果：不同浓度齐墩果酸作用Eca109细胞48 h后,均有显著的抑制作用（P<0.05）,且随着齐墩果酸浓度的增加,对Eca109的抑制作用逐渐增强。与对照组相比,各浓度OA组的Eca109细胞的凋亡率分别为8.03±0.34 %,12.82±0.28 %,19.34±0.79 %和32.21±0.81 %,均显著增加（P<0.05）,且随着OA浓度的增加,细胞凋亡率显著升高。与对照组相比,不同浓度OA组的P-JNK、Bak、Bax表达量均显著升高（P<0.05）,Bcl-2表达量显著降低（P<0.05）,JNK表达量无显著差异（P>0.05）,对OA组(1.2 mmol/L)相比,OA组(2.4 mmol/L) Bak、Bax表达量均显著升高（P<0.05）,Bcl-2表达量显著降低（P<0.05）,P-JNK、JNK表达量无显著差异（P>0.05）。结论：齐墩果酸能通过对JNK信号通路的调控促进食管癌细胞的凋亡,且随着浓度的增强,细胞凋亡率显著升高。     

艾拉莫德增强丝裂霉素C诱导的人食管癌Eca109细胞凋亡

目的探讨艾拉莫德增强丝裂霉素C（MMC）诱导的人食管癌Eca109细胞凋亡的作用及其机制。 方法将人食管癌Eca109细胞分为五组：对照组、MMC组、25,50,100 μg/ml浓度艾拉莫德+MMC组;通过CCK-8和DCFH-DA染色法分别检测25,50,100 μg/ml浓度艾拉莫德联合MMC对人食管癌Eca109细胞活力和细胞活性氧（ROS）生成的影响,流式细胞术检测艾拉莫德联合MMC对人食管癌Eca109细胞凋亡的影响,并通过Western Blot检测艾拉莫德联合MMC对TNF-α和cleaved caspase3蛋白表达的影响。采用单因素方差分析和t检验进行统计学分析。 结果CCK-8结果显示,与0 μg/ml T-614+MMC组A450值（0.85±0.03）比较,25、50、100 μg/ml T-614+MMC组A450值（0.73±0.02,0.52±0.02,0.33±0.02）均降低,差异具有统计学意义（F = 127.60, P < 0.01）;DCFH-DA染色检测结果显示,与0 μg/ml T-614+MMC组DCFH荧光值（130.00±10.00）比较,25、50、100 μg/ml T-614+MMC组DCFH值（219.67±9.50,280.33±10.50,338.33±16.07）均升高,差异具有统计学意义（F = 170.20,P < 0.01）;流式细胞术检测结果显示,与对照组的细胞凋亡率（5.33±0.35）﹪比较,T-614和MMC组的凋亡率（20.30±2.00）﹪,（25.60±3.00）﹪均升高。与MMC组细胞凋亡率（25.60±3.00）﹪比较,艾拉莫德与MMC联用组（T-614+MMC）食管癌Eca109细胞的细胞凋亡率（56.20±3.00）﹪升高,差异均具有统计学意义（F = 247.50,P < 0.01）;Western Blot结果显示,与MMC组细胞TNF-α和cleaved caspase3蛋白表达（0.87±0.06,0.25±0.03）比较,艾拉莫德与MMC联用组（T-614+MMC）食管癌Eca109细胞的TNF-α和cleaved caspase3蛋白表达（1.28±0.08,0.59±0.03）升高,差异均具有统计学意义（F = 96.90,P < 0.01）。 结论艾拉莫德能够增强MMC对食管癌Eca109细胞活力的抑制作用,其机制可能通过促进ROS的生成,激活线粒体凋亡通路,最终导致食管癌Eca109细胞凋亡。     

紫铆因对食管鳞癌细胞增殖和存活影响的初步研究

研究紫铆因对人食管鳞癌细胞增殖和存活的影响。通过MTS和软琼脂集落实验检测紫铆因对食管鳞癌增殖的抑制,生化分析仪检测紫铆因对食管鳞癌糖酵解的影响,并利用免疫印迹检测紫铆因对食管鳞癌细胞增殖和凋亡激活相关蛋白分子的表达。结果发现紫铆因剂量依赖性抑制KYSE150和Eca109细胞增殖,下调EGFR信号通路活化,抑制HK2的表达及糖酵解。一定浓度的紫铆因能诱导食管鳞癌细胞发生凋亡,caspase3和PARP被剪切,Bcl-2和Mcl-1表达下调,但Bcl-XL未见明显改变。结果证明紫铆因抑制食管鳞癌的增殖,可能与EGFR信号通路和糖酵解被抑制,及促存活蛋白Bcl-2和Mcl-1的表达下调有关。     

LncRNA ZNF667-AS1靶向miR-31-5p对食管癌细胞增殖、迁移和凋亡的机制研究

目的 探究长链非编码RNA(lncRNA)ZNF667-AS1通过靶向miR-31-5p对食管癌细胞增殖和迁移的影响及潜在的机制.方法 采用实时荧光定量PCR(qPCR)技术检测ZNF667-AS1在食管癌细胞Eca109、EC1、TE1和正常食管上皮细胞Het-1A的表达水平,并选择表达差异最大的细胞株进行后续实验....     

Matrine inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis via BID-mediated mitochondrial pathway in esophageal cancer cells

Matrine, as a member of Sophora family, is an alkaloid found in plants, and produces plethora pharmacological effects, including anti-cancer effects. However, the mechanism involved remains largely unknown. This study is conducted to investigate the anti-cancer mechanisms of matrine in human esophageal cancer in vitro and in vivo. In human esophageal cancer cell Eca-109, matrine significantly decreased the cell viability in a dose-dependent manner, and induced apoptosis as well as cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase by up-regulation of P53 and P21. The expression of several apoptosis-related proteins in cells and tumor tissues were evaluated by Western blot analysis. We found that matrine induced cell apoptosis by down-regulation of the ratio of BCL-2/BID and increasing activation of caspase-9. Further studies indicated that matrine induced apoptosis of Eca-109 was through the mitochondria-mediated internal pathway, but not by death receptor-mediated extrinsic apoptotic pathway, which was confirmed by the fact that Bid translocated from the nucleus to mitochondria during the process of the apoptosis induced by matrine. In vivo study found that matrine effectively inhibited the tumor formation of Eca-109 cells in nude mice. Our study suggests that matrine could serve as a potential novel agent from natural products to treat esophageal cancer.     

MicroRNA-21 promotes the proliferation and inhibits apoptosis in Eca109 via activating ERK1/2/MAPK pathway

The aim of this study was to investigate how miR-21 promotes proliferation and inhibits apoptosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). MTT, wound healing assay and cell cycle showed that proliferation and migration of ESCC cell line Eca109 cells were increased in miR-21 mimics group, and decreased in anti-miR-21 Oligonucleotide (AMO) group after transfection into Eca109 cells with miR-21 mimics, AMO and scramble sequence, respectively. Cell apoptosis assay indicated that cell apoptosis can be obviously inhibited by overexpression of miR-21 and promoted by downregulation of miR-21. Meanwhile, western-blot results showed that p-ERK1/2 expression was elevated in miR-21 mimics group, whereas decreased in AMO group. Furthermore, the ERK1/2, a key component of MAPK signaling pathway, was knocked down, and overexpressed successfully using shRNA-ERK1/2 and overexpressing plasmids containing full length cDNA of ERK1/2, respectively. It was observed that shRNA-ERK1/2 can significantly decreased the level of miR-21 expression, while overexpression of ERK1/2 can up-regulate expression of miR-21. As further confirmation, Eca109 cells were treated with gradient concentration of U0126, a kind of MEK inhibitor, and expression of miR-21 was subsequently examined. It was found that U0126 can significantly decreased endogenous expression of miR-21. In parallel, U0126 decreased cell proliferation, migration and increased the apoptosis in Eca109 cells, with the expression of miR-21 being reduced significantly in U0126 group as compared with control groups. Our findings indicated that miR-21 promoted the proliferation, migration and inhibited apoptosis of Eca109 cells through activating ERK1/2/MAPK pathway, and that targeting miR-21 could be a promising therapeutic strategy in ESCC.     

shRNA interference for extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 can inhibit the growth of esophageal cancer cell line Eca109

Background: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is one of the most common digestive tract cancers with 5-year survival rate less than 10% owing to its poor prognosis. Mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) signaling pathway has been mainly involved in the pathogenesis of various cancers. In present study, we investigated the role of ERK2 in human esophageal cancer cell line Eca109.

Methods: Short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) interference vector targeted ERK2 was constructed using pGeneclip U1 hairpin cloning systems, then transfected into Eca109 cell line. The transfection efficiency was observed by fluorescence microscope and cell growth after transfection with shRNA-ERK2 vector was determined by methylthiazolyl blue tetrazolium (MTT) assay. The ERK2 expression after transfection was detected by western-blotting. The cell apoptosis and cell-cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry. The role of p-ERK2 was confirmed by immunohistochemistry and soft agar colony formation assay.

Results: The growth of Eca109 transfected with shRNA-ERK2 vector was obviously inhibited compared to control group via MTT analysis. The inhibition rate after transfection with shRNA-ERK2 for 96?h was 10.45%, the expression of ERK2 was obviously reduced compared to the control analyzed by western-blot, cell apoptosis was 9.7% (compared to control, P?<?0.05), and cell-cycle was arrested at G1 phase.

Conclusions: In present study we demonstrated for the first time that transfection with shRNA-ERK2 targeted ERK2 into Eca109 cells can inhibit growth of Eca109, inducing cell apoptosis and influencing cell-cycle. Together, these results we obtained suggested that ERK2 plays an important role in cell growth of Eca109.     

Effects of YC-1 targeting hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha in oesophageal squamous carcinoma cell line Eca109 cells

HIF-1α (hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha) is believed to promote oesophageal squamous tumour growth. Thus, an HIF-1α inhibitor is viewed as a therapeutic target in treating oesophageal cancer. Recently, YC-1 [3-(5'-hydroxymethyl-2'-furyl)-1-benzylindazole] has been widely used as a potential HIF-1α inhibitor and is being developed as a novel anticancer drug. However, little is known about the effects of YC-1 in human oesophageal cancer. In the present study, we aimed to investigate these effects in an esophageal squamous cancer cell line; i.e. Eca109 cells. We found that YC-1 abolished the hypoxia-induced up-regulation of HIF-1α. YC-1 arrested cell growth and inhibited cell migration activities in Eca109 cells. These results suggest that YC-1 may be a chemotherapy candidate against oesophageal squamous cancers.     

木香烃内酯抑制乙醇诱导的肝细胞损伤与脂肪变性

探究木香烃内酯体外对乙醇诱导肝细胞损伤及脂肪变性的影响。建立乙醇导致人LO2肝细胞损伤模型,检测木香烃内酯对细胞活力、ALT和AST释放、脂质生成、脂质调控因子表达及AMPK活性的影响。发现乙醇在高于100 mM浓度时显著抑制肝细胞活力,据此将100 mM浓度的乙醇作为体外刺激肝细胞的实验浓度。木香烃内酯能够逆转乙醇对肝细胞活力的抑制作用,并降低乙醇导致的肝细胞ALT、AST的释放。木香烃内酯能够降低乙醇诱导的肝细胞脂质成分集聚,降低细胞内TG、TC水平。此外,乙醇导致肝细胞中重要的脂质调控转录因子SREBP-1c的表达显著上调,使PPARα的表达显著下调;而木香烃内酯能够减少SREBP-1c的表达并增加PPARα的表达。进一步发现,木香烃内酯显著促进肝细胞中AMPK的磷酸化,且AMPK抑制剂BML-275能够显著削弱木香烃内脂对SREBP-1c和PPARα的调控作用。综上,木香烃内酯体外显著改善乙醇诱导的肝细胞损伤与脂肪变性,该作用与激活AMPK进而调控SREBP-1c与PPARα的表达有关。本研究为将木香烃内酯作为抗酒精性脂肪肝候选药物研究提供实验依据。     

A sesquiterpene lactone, costunolide, interacts with microtubule protein and inhibits the growth of MCF-7 cells

Costunolide is an active sesquiterpene lactone of medicinal herbs with anti-inflammatory and potential anti-cancer activity. Nevertheless, the pharmacological pathways of costunolide have not yet been fully elucidated. In this study we showed that costunolide exerts a dose-dependent antiproliferative activity in the human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. In addition, light microscopy observations indicated that costunolide affected nuclear organization and reorganized microtubule architecture. The antiproliferative and antimicrotubular effects of costunolide were not influenced by paclitaxel, well-known microtubule-stabilizing anticancer agent. The microtubule-interacting activity of costunolide was confirmed by in vitro studies on purified microtubular protein. In fact, costunolide demonstrated polymerizing ability, by inducing the formation of well organized microtubule polymers. Our data suggest an interaction of costunolide with microtubules, which may represent a new intracellular target for this drug.     

大蒜素诱导人食管癌EC-109细胞凋亡

为寻找毒副作用小并且治疗效果好的抗癌药物,研究大蒜素对人食管癌EC-109细胞凋亡的影响,同时探讨了大蒜素引发细胞凋亡的可能机制。通过激光共聚焦显微镜观察细胞形态变化,琼脂糖凝胶电泳检测DNA片段化情况,流式细胞术检测细胞凋亡率和线粒体膜电位变化,qRT-PCR和Western blotting检测细胞凋亡相关基因Bax、Bcl-2的mRNA和蛋白表达水平。结果显示,大蒜素作用人食管癌EC-109细胞48 h后,线粒体膜电位显著降低,并且早期凋亡细胞和晚期凋亡细胞所占百分比均显著增加。同时,与对照组相比,Bax mRNA和蛋白水平均显著升高(p<0.05),Bcl-2 mRNA和蛋白水平均显著降低(p<0.05)。据此,本研究得出大蒜素可诱导人食管癌EC-109细胞凋亡,并呈剂量依赖性,有潜在的药用价值。     

Discovery of indoline derivatives that inhibit esophageal squamous cell carcinoma growth by Noxa mediated apoptosis

A series of novel indoline derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for antiproliferative activity against four selected cancer cell lines (Hela, A549, HepG2 and KYSE30). Among them, compound 20 displayed the potent inhibition activity against esophageal cancer cells (Kyse30, Kyse450, Kyse510 and EC109). Cellular mechanism studies in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells elucidated compound 20 inhibited cell growths in vitro and in vivo, reduced colony formation, arrested cell cycle at M phase, and induced Noxa-dependent apoptosis in ESCC. Importantly, compound 20 was identified as a novel Noxa mediated apoptosis inducer. These results suggested that compound 20 might be a promising anticancer agent with potential for development of further clinical applications.     

bcl-2核酶(Ribozyme)促进紫杉醇诱导的细胞凋亡

用核酶技术阻断或降低抗凋亡蛋白 Bcl- 2的表达以促进化疗药物紫杉醇诱导的食管癌细胞凋亡 ,探索克服耐药、提高紫杉醇疗效的新途径 .将特异性切割 Bcl- 2 m RNA的核酶克隆至含MTII启动子并可为 Zn SO4 诱导表达的真核表达载体中 ,通过脂质体转入食管癌鳞状上皮细胞系Eca 1 0 9中 ,经 G41 8筛选得到稳定抗性细胞株 X1 0 9R,挑取单细胞株扩大培养 ,1 40μmol/L Zn SO4诱导 3d,用 Northern- blot、免疫荧光、流式细胞仪鉴定核酶及 Bcl- 2蛋白表达情况 ,用 TUNEL标记及流式细胞术检测凋亡细胞的比例 .bcl- 2核酶在不同单细胞株中有不同程度的表达 ,其中一株X1 0 9R1 4表达最高 .测定其中 Bcl- 2蛋白含量 ,发现 Bcl- 2蛋白表达大为降低 .加入紫杉醇后 ,TUNEL标记及凋亡峰测定结果都表明同一条件下凋亡率升高 .结果提示 ,转入特异性切割 bcl- 2m RNA的核酶可有效地阻断 Bcl- 2蛋白合成 .Bcl- 2蛋白表达降低可明显促进紫杉醇诱导的细胞凋亡 .说明 Bcl- 2蛋白在细胞产生耐药过程中起着重要作用     

Iejimalides A and B inhibit lysosomal vacuolar H+‐ATPase (V‐ATPase) activity and induce S‐phase arrest and apoptosis in MCF‐7 cells

Iejimalides are novel macrolides that are cytostatic or cytotoxic against a wide range of cancer cells at low nanomolar concentrations. A recent study by our laboratory characterized the expression of genes and proteins that determine the downstream effects of iejimalide B. However, little is known about the cellular target(s) of iejimalide or downstream signaling that lead to cell‐cycle arrest and/or apoptosis. Iejimalides have been shown to inhibit the activity of vacuolar H⁺‐ATPase (V‐ATPase) in osteoclasts, but how this inhibition may lead to cell‐cycle arrest and/or apoptosis in epithelial cells is not known. In this study, MCF‐7 breast cancer cells were treated with iejimalide A or B and analyzed for changes in cell‐cycle dynamics, apoptosis, lysosomal pH, cytoplasmic pH, mitochondrial membrane potential, and generation of reactive oxygen species. Both iejimalides A and B sequentially neutralize the pH of lysosomes, induce S‐phase cell‐cycle arrest, and trigger apoptosis in MCF‐7 cells. Apoptosis occurs through a mechanism that involves oxidative stress and mitochondrial depolarization but not cytoplasmic acidification. These data confirm that iejimalides inhibit V‐ATPase activity in the context of epithelial tumor cells, and that this inhibition may lead to a lysosome‐initiated cell death process. J. Cell. Biochem. 109: 634–642, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Sesquiterpene Lactones Downregulate G2/M Cell Cycle Regulator Proteins and Affect the Invasive Potential of Human Soft Tissue Sarcoma Cells

Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) represent a rare group of malignant tumors that frequently exhibit chemotherapeutic resistance and increased metastatic potential. Many studies have demonstrated the great potential of plant-derived agents in the treatment of various malignant entities. The present study investigates the effects of the sesquiterpene lactones costunolide and dehydrocostus lactone on cell cycle, MMP expression, and invasive potential of three human STS cell lines of various origins. Both compounds reduced cell proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Dehydrocostus lactone significantly inhibited cell proliferation, arrested the cells at the G2/M interface and caused a decrease in the expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase CDK2 and the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27^Kip1. In addition, accumulation of cells at the G2/M phase transition interface resulted in a significant decrease in cdc2 (CDK1) together with cyclin B1. Costunolide had no effect on the cell cycle. Based on the fact that STS tend to form daughter cell nests and metastasize, the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which play a crucial role in extracellular matrix degradation and metastasis, were investigated by Luminex® technology and real-time RT-PCR. In the presence of costunolide, MMP-2 and -9 levels were significantly increased in SW-982 and TE-671 cells. Dehydrocostus lactone treatment significantly reduced MMP-2 and -9 expression in TE-671 cells, but increased MMP-9 level in SW-982 cells. In addition, the invasion potential was significantly reduced after treatment with both sesquiterpene lactones as investigated by the HTS FluoroBlock™ insert system.     

Esophageal cancer‐derived microvesicles induce regulatory B cells

The role of B cells in the generation of cancer‐immune tolerance is unclear. This study aims to investigate the role of cancer‐derived microvesicles (Mvcs) in the generation of transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β⁺ B cells. In this study, esophageal cancer (Eca) cells were isolated from surgically removed cancer tissue. Mvcs were purified from the culture supernatant and characterized by Western blotting. The immune suppression assay was carried out with a cell culture model and flow cytometry. The results showed that Eca‐derived Mvcs were LAMP1 positive and carried MMP9. Exposure to the Mvcs induces naive B cells to differentiate into TGF‐β‐producing regulatory B cells; the latter show immune suppressor functions on CD8⁺ T‐cell proliferation. In conclusion, Eca‐derived Mvc can induce TGF‐β⁺ B cells; the latter suppress CD8⁺ T‐cell activities. The MMP9‐laden Mvcs may be a new therapeutic target in the treatment of Eca. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.