YAPING GAN^1,2,#, TING LIU^3,#, WEIFENG FENG^1,#, LIANG WANG⁴, LI LI⁵, YINGXIA NING^1,*

Oncology Research, Vol.31, No.3, pp. 333-343, 2023, DOI:10.32604/or.2023.028694

Abstract Various therapeutic strategies have been developed to overcome ovarian cancer. However, the prognoses resulting from these strategies are still unclear. In the present work, we screened 54 small molecule compounds approved by the FDA to identify novel agents that could inhibit the viability of human epithelial ovarian cancer cells. Among these, we identified disulfiram (DSF), an old alcohol-abuse drug, as a potential inducer of cell death in ovarian cancer. Mechanistically, DSF treatment significantly reduced the expression of the anti-apoptosis marker B-cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 (Bcl-2) and increase the expression of the apoptotic molecules Bcl2 associated X (Bax) and cleaved caspase-3 to promote… More >

ZICHEN SHAO^1,2,#, CHUNG-YI CHEN^3,#, XUZHOU CHEN¹, HANWU CHEN¹, MENGQIAO SU^1,2, HUI SUN^1,2, YIDAN LI^1,2, BINGHUA TU¹, ZITONG WANG¹, CHI-MING LIU^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.6, pp. 1389-1396, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.028222

Abstract Background: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common condition in middle-aged and elderly men. Enlargement of the prostate causes lower urinary tract symptoms. Capsaicin is a phytochemical extracted from chili peppers and exerts many pharmacological actions, such as anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory effects. Methods: Our study investigated the effect of capsaicin in vitro and in a mouse model in vivo. A prostatic stromal myofibroblast cell line (WPMY-1) was co-incubated with testosterone (1 µM) and different concentrations of capsaicin (10–100 µM) for 24 and 48 h. Capsaicin (10–100 µM) significantly inhibited testosterone-treated WPMY-1 cell growth at 48 h by MTT assay. The… More >

MIAOMIAO LI^1,#, ZILIN ZHENG^1,#, JUNYI KE¹, JIEYI LUO¹, FAN JIANG¹, YANXIA QU¹, BING ZHU², YINGHUA LI^2,*, LIANDONG ZUO^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.6, pp. 1397-1405, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.027971

Abstract Background: Nano-selenium has been widely used in antiviral and anticancer therapy, and has the advantages of good targeting and low toxicity. For the first time, we combined male reproduction with nano-selenium to investigate its antioxidant effect. This study investigated the protective effect of lentinan functionalized selenium nanoparticles on oxidative stress injury of the hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)-induced Leydig cell line, TM3. Methods: The suitable concentration of nano-selenium treatment to promote cell proliferation was also discussed. The concentration of 4 μM could significantly promote the growth of TM3 cells. Oxidative stress damage was caused using an 800 μM concentration of hydrogen peroxide.… More >

YINGHUA LUO^1,#, YU ZHANG^2,#, TONG ZHANG^2,#, YANNAN LI², HUI XUE², JINGLONG CAO², WENSHUANG HOU², JIAN LIU², YUHE CUI², TING XU², CHENGHAO JIN^2,3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.5, pp. 965-975, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.027729

Abstract Marine collagen peptides (MCPs) are natural products prepared by hydrolyzing marine collagen protein through a variety of chemical methods or enzymes. MCPs have a range of structures and biological activities and are widely present in marine species. MCPs also have a small molecular weight, are easily modified, and absorbed by the body. These properties have attracted great interest from researchers studying antioxidant, anti-tumor, and anti-aging activities. MCPs of specific molecular weights have significant anti-tumor activity and no toxic side effects. Thus, MCPs have the potential use as anti-cancer adjuvant drugs. Free radicals produced by oxidation are closely related to human… More >

ZHENG CAO^1,#, CHUNXIAO ZHOU^1,#, ZHIMIN WU¹, CHUNYAN WU¹, WEN ZHANG¹, SHILV CHEN¹, XINDONG ZHAO¹, SHAOLING WU^2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.5, pp. 1075-1083, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.027027

Abstract Background: Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) is reported to be a potential anticancer agent, and the mechanisms underlying the effects of DHA on diffuse large B cell lymphoma however are still obscure. This study aimed to assess the antitumor effect of DHA on diffuse large B cell lymphoma cells and to determine the potential underlying mechanisms of DHA-induced cell apoptosis. Methods: Here, the Cell Counting Kit 8 assay was conducted to study cell proliferation. We performed Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide staining, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and western blot analysis to analyze cell apoptosis and potential molecular mechanisms. Results: The results showed that DHA substantially… More >

XIANGCHAO DING^1,#, YANG ZHAO^2,#, XINGHUA ZHANG¹, HUIQING LIN^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.5, pp. 1117-1126, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.026715

Abstract Background: Long-chain non-coding RNA (lncRNA) LINC00609 is a potential tumor suppressor, but the mechanism of action in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is yet to be understood.Objectives: The effects of LINC00609 on A549 cell proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest were investigated. Methods: The LINC00609 levels in NSCLC and normal tissues were analyzed by bioinformatics. Expressions of LINC00609, miR-128-3p, and Rho family GTPase 3 (RND3) in NSCLC cells (A549) were determined by qRT-PCR. Bioinformatics analysis predicted target genes and dual-luciferase reporter assays to ensure that LINC00609 targeted miR-128-3p and miR-128-3p targeted RND3. The proliferation of cells was determined using EDU… More >

ZEINAB KLAAB¹, AZIZA HASSAN², JAWAHER ALBAQAMI¹, FAIZAH A. ALMALKI^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.4, pp. 891-904, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.026556

Abstract Cancer remains to be one of the most severe sicknesses globally. Cases have kept rising over the years. Breast cancer (BC), which is among the leading types of cancers and predominantly affects women, is the second leading cause of cancer mortality. Researchers have developed interventions over the years; however, the BC survival rate has not improved since the 1980s. This has created the need for novel drug interventions that would manage and treat BC more effectively. This study focused on using a combination of natural product extracts such as phytoestrogen (Ziziphus jujube) and Tannin nanoparticles (NP99) together, which we have… More >

YU ZHANG^1,2, XI’AN ZHOU^1,2, CHUNYAN ZHANG^1,2, DENGNI LAI⁵, DONGBO LIU^1,3,4, YANYANG WU^1,2,3,4,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.4, pp. 859-868, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.026429

Abstract Background: Hyperglycemia is a typical symptom of diabetes. High glucose induces apoptosis of islet β cells. While autophagy functions in cytoprotection and autophagic cell death. The interaction between autophagy and apoptosis is important in the modulation of the function of islet β cells. Vitamin B3 can induce autophagy and inhibit islet β apoptosis.Method: The mechanism of vitamin B3-mediated protective effect on the function of islet β cells was explored by the method of western blot, immunofluorescence and flow cytometry.Results: In the present study, high glucose stress increased the apoptosis rate, while vitamin B3 reduced the apoptosis rate. The effect of… More >

ZHIXUN XIAO¹, QIUYUN XU¹, HAIQING WANG¹, XIAOTONG ZHOU², YANTING ZHU¹, CHENGBEI BAO¹, LIHONG CHEN¹, PENG ZHANG¹, MIN LIN¹, CHAO JI^1,*, TING GONG^3,*

Oncology Research, Vol.31, No.1, pp. 71-82, 2023, DOI:10.32604/or.2022.028075

Abstract Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), a type of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), is the most common malignancy worldwide. Thioredoxin (TXN) domain-containing protein 9 (TXNDC9) is a member of the TXN family that is important in cell differentiation. However, the biological function of this protein in cancer, particularly cSCC, is still unknown. In the present study, our experiments revealed the protective effects of TXNDC9 on UV-B-irritated cSCC cells. The initial findings showed that TXNDC9 is significantly upregulated in cSCC tissue and cells compared to normal skin tissue and keratinocytes. UV-B radiation robustly induces the expression of TXNDC9, and UV-B-induced cSCC cell… More >

FANBIAO KONG^1,2,#, KUN WU^3,4,#, LIMING PANG^2,#, YULIANG HUANG^2,#, LEI LI³, JING XU², FEITONG LI², YAN QING², ZHONGYU WANG², XIURONG HUANG³, SHENG XU², XIAOGANG ZHONG², ZHOU ZHU², XIAOTONG WANG^3,*, JIANRONG YANG^5,*

Oncology Research, Vol.30, No.6, pp. 277-288, 2022, DOI:10.32604/or.2022.027301

Abstract Introduction: Siva-1, as a pro-apoptotic protein, has been shown to induce extensive apoptosis in a number of different cell lines. In our previous study, we showed that overexpressed Siva-1 decreased the apoptosis of gastric cancer cells. So, we believe that it can also work as an anti-apoptotic protein. The present study aimed to determine the specific role of Siva-1 in anticancer drug resistance in gastric cancer in vivo and in vitro and preliminarily reveal the mechanism. Materials and Methods: A vincristine-resistant MKN-28/VCR gastric cancer cell line with stably downregulated Siva-1 was established. The effect of Siva-1 downregulation on chemotherapeutic drug… More >