Up-regulation of matrix metalloproteinase-9 in primary bone tumors and its association with tumor aggressiveness

Molecular Biology Reports - Understanding the molecular mechanism underlying the pathophysiology of primary skeletal tumors is crucial due to the tumor-related complications, incidence at...     

Exosome-based intercellular communication in female reproductive microenvironments

Different strategies are applied for cellular cross-talk and organization in multicellular organisms. Exosomes are a homogenous population of biological nanoparticles (30–100 nm), originated from multivesicular bodies. The exosomes (Exos) could regulate and affect both cellular physiology and pathophysiology in various organs, such as the female reproductive tract, by altering gene pathways and/or epigenetic programming. Besides, engineered Exos have the potential to be used as a novel drug and gene delivery tools. Here in this review, we discussed various aspects of exosome-based intercellular communication in female reproductive microenvironments. Furthermore, we addressed the findings and issues related to Exos in reproductive biology to give a better view of the involved molecular mechanisms. Moreover, clinical applications of the Exos and their isolation source/methods have been considered to throw some light on the progression of new biological, diagnostic, and therapeutic approaches in clinical embryology.     

Synergistic antitumor effect of anti-PD-L1 combined with oxaliplatin on a mouse tumor model

Oxaliplatin (OXP) can change tumor microenvironment from immune-suppressive toward the immune-favorable condition. Almost all of the antitumor agents cannot totally cure cancer as monotherapy. So the current focus of cancer research became combining therapy using different treatment regimen, especially chemotherapy with checkpoint blockers. In this study, we assessed the activity of combining regimen using anti-PD-L1 with OXP in CT26 tumor-bearing BALB/c mice. We further analyzed the immune cell phenotypes in tumor site, lymph nodes, and spleen by flow cytometry analysis. Our study showed that combination therapy with OXP and anti-PD-L1 significantly increased survival in vivo and inhibited tumor growth of tumor-bearing mice. Inconsistent with better antitumor activity, our combination therapy led to an increase in tumor-infiltrating activated CD8+ T cells. In draining lymph nodes and spleen, regulatory T cells decreased significantly. Mice receiving either anti-PD-L1 or OXP alone had a larger tumor and lower survival rate in comparison with combination therapy receiving group. The time and order of administration of each component of the combination therapy affected antitumor response.     

Role of TGF-β signaling regulatory microRNAs in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer

Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) modulates tumor progression by regulating cell proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis, angiogenesis, and drug resistance. Biological and pharmacological agonists/antagonists, the interplay between intracellular signaling pathways, and microRNAs (miRNAs) control the initiation and activation of the TGF-β signaling pathway. It has been proposed that the expression profiles of tumor suppressor and oncogenic TGF-β miRNAs may be used for the classification, diagnosis, and prognosis of human malignancies. Deregulated miRNAs and aberrant activation of TGF-β signaling are frequently found in human colorectal cancers (CRCs), but a little is known about their mechanisms of action in the development and progression of colorectal carcinoma. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the role of TGF-β signaling regulatory miRNAs in the pathogenesis of CRC for a better understanding and hence better management of this disease.     

Assessment of hemolytic activity of bee venom against some physicochemical factors

Bee venom (BV) is a biotoxin with biologically active peptides which have cell lysis and hemolytic activity properties. These properties can be affected under different storage conditions or during the production process. In present study, we investigated effects of a number of physicochemical factors, including temperature, pH, UV radiation, ultrasound waves and storage time on hemolytic activity of BV. Maximum absorption and melting temperature of BV solution were obtained as 280 nm and ~70 °C, respectively. Cell hemolysis 50 (CH₅₀) -concentration of BV that can lyse 50% of red blood cells- was determined as 0.94 μg/ml at ambient temperature. CH₅₀ was shown not to be importantly varied at temperature up to 60 °C, pH value 2 to 13 and under UV/ ultrasound radiation. Storage at ?20, 6 and 25 °C for 6 months made about 2.5, 35 and 1000 times increase in CH₅₀. From the results, it may be concluded that BV is a relatively resistant hemolytic agent and can be used in a variety of laboratory research and product manufacturing methods.     

Margollus bokanicus n. sp. from Iran,the Fourth Species of a Rare Nematode Genus (Dorylaimida,Tylencholaimellidae)

Margollus bokanicus n. sp., collected from natural habitats in Khorasaneh district, Bokan, West Azarbaijan province, Iran, is described. Morphological and morphometric data are provided as well as drawings and light microscopy illustrations. The new species is characterized by a medium size body length (0.60 to 0.73 mm), labial and postlabial sclerotizations, lip region 7-μm wide, offset by constriction and long neck (167 to 207 μm), long pharyngeal basal bulb (27 to 36 μm) or 16% to 17% of total neck length, female genital system monodelphic–opisthodelphic, anterior branch reduced to a uterine sac (26–29 μm) or 1.1 to 1.3 times the body diameter, long posterior uterus (25–28 μm) or 1.1 to 1.3 times the body diameter, V = 40 to 47, cylindroid female tail (17 to 24 μm, c = 31 to 38, c’ = 1.1 to 1.4), and males unknown. This taxon is easily distinguishable from other Margollus species by its smaller general size and more posterior vulva. A compendium of Margollus species is also presented.     

Gold nanoparticle and polyethylene glycol in neural regeneration in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases

Gold nanoparticles (GNs) have unique characteristics, for example, stability, biocompatibility, small dimensions, and low toxicity. Several clinical applications have been suggested for GNs, such as diagnosis, imaging, and drug delivery. GNs absorb infrared light, indicating their potential value for imaging. There is growing evidence showing the therapeutic application of GN for drug delivery because of their interaction with the blood-brain barrier and DNA, the latter being associated with their genotoxic effects. GN can also be stimulated to produce high local temperatures, indicating their potential value in photodynamic therapy in the treatment of tumors. The aim of the current review is to summarize the potential applications of GNs in the biomedical field, specifically in neurodegenerative diseases.