LINGYAN LV^1,2,#, JING ZHAO^1,2,#, XUAN WANG^1,2, LIUYAN XU^1,2, YINGYI FAN², CHUNHUI WANG³, HONGQIAO FAN^4,5,*, XIAOHUA PEI^5,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.9, pp. 1977-1994, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.030742 - 28 September 2023

Abstract Background: The development and prognosis of breast cancer are intricately linked to psychological stress. In addition, depression is the most common psychological comorbidity among breast cancer survivors, and reportedly, Fang-Xia-Dihuang decoction (FXDH) can effectively manage depression in such patients. However, its pharmacological and molecular mechanisms remain obscure. Methods: Public databases were used for obtaining active components and related targets. Main active components were further verified by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS). Protein–protein interaction and enrichment analyses were taken to predict potential hub targets and related pathways. Molecule docking was used to understand the interactions… 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 - 10 April 2023

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 More >

WEI XIA¹, NING YANG², XIAOYAN FENG³, TING XIN¹, YONGLE JING¹, YUMING LI^4,*, CHENGZHI LU^1,5,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.4, pp. 837-847, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.026161 - 08 March 2023

Abstract Background: Preeclampsia (PE), characterized by hypertension and proteinuria, leads to serious maternal and infant complications. Uridine-cytidine kinase 2 (UCK2) belongs to the UCK family, a class of enzymes that catalyzes the conversion of uridine and cytidine to monophosphate form. However, the role of UCK2 in PE has not been reported. Methods: The expression of UCK2 was detected in the placenta of PE patients and N(ω)-nitro-L-arginine methyl esterinduced PE mouse model. Through forced up-regulation or down-regulation of UCK2 in vitro, we examined the effects of UCK2 on the proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of trophoblast cells. Stattic,… More >

TIANZHU LI^1,#, YU ZHANG^2,#, TONG ZHANG^2,#, YANNAN LI², HUI XUE², JINGLONG CAO², WENSHUANG HOU², YINGHUA LUO^3,*, CHENGHAO JIN^2,4,*,

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.1, pp. 195-204, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.025593 - 26 September 2022

Abstract Schisandrin B (Sch B) is a monomer with anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects, which are isolated from the plant Schisandra chinensis (Turcz) Baillon. We investigated the anti-gastric cancer (GC) effects of Sch B and its underlying molecular mechanisms. The Cell Counting Kit-8 assay was used to determine the effects of Sch B on the viability of GC and normal cell lines. Hoechst/propidium iodide staining and flow cytometry were used to assess the apoptosis induction of Sch B. Western blotting was used to evaluate the effects of Sch B on downstream apoptotic proteins. The DCFH-DA fluorescent probe was… More >

WANTONG LIU^1,#, DANYANG CHEN^1,#, JINGYAO SU^1,#, RUILIN ZHENG^1,#, RAN KONG¹, BING ZHU¹, HAO DONG^2,*, YINGHUA LI^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.1, pp. 187-194, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.023030 - 26 September 2022

Abstract Liver cancer is the seventh most common malignant tumor in the world and is the second highest cause of death due to cancer. Quercetin, a flavonoid with low toxicity, widely exists in various fruits and vegetables. It has the potential to be a therapeutic agent against various cancers. This study aimed to demonstrate the anti-tumor effect of quercetin on HepG2 cells. Quercetin suppressed the HepG2 cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner in cell viability assay. Induction of cell apoptosis was confirmed by apoptotic cells population (sub-G1 peak) detected by flow cytometer. A decrease in mitochondrial More >

SANHUA LI^1,2,#, QINGHONG KONG^1,2,#, XIAOKE ZHANG^1,2, XINTING ZHU^1,3, CHUNBO YU³, CHANGYAN YU^1,2, NIAN JIANG^1,2, JING HUI^1,2, LINGJIE MENG^1,2,*, YUN LIU^1,2,3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.11, pp. 2425-2432, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.019916 - 07 July 2022

Abstract Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been increasingly employed in the last decades in China for both preventing and treating a variety of cancers. 3-epi-bufotalin is an active ingredient of TCM “Chanpi” with anti-tumor potential. However, the effect and mechanism of 3-epi-bufotalin on colorectal cancers were not well disclosed. The present study demonstrated that 3-epi-bufotalin could reduce viability, trigger apoptosis, and block the cell cycle at the G₂/M stage in colorectal cancer cell lines HT29, RKO, and COLO205 in vitro. Moreover, 3-epi-bufotalin inhibited the JAK1/STAT3 signaling pathway. These results indicated the anti-proliferation ability of 3-epi-bufotalin in colorectal cancer cells. More >

MEIHUA CHEN^1,2, HUIHUI WANG³, XIAOFENG CHEN^1,2, YAN CHEN^1,2, TIANYING BIAN^1,2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.10, pp. 2281-2289, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.020697 - 13 June 2022

Abstract Periodontitis is a frequent chronic inflammatory disorder destroying periodontium. Recent studies have revealed the role of bromodomain and extraterminal domain inhibitor (BETi) and microRNA (miR)-130a in regulating macrophage polarization and pro-inflammatory response. However, little is known about whether apabetalone (a novel BETi) and miR-130a are correlated with chronic inflammatory state in periodontitis by regulating macrophage polarization. Here murine RAW264.7 macrophages were applied as an in vitro inflammatory model. After treatment with Porphyromonas gingivalis-derived lipopolysaccharide (Pg LPS) and apabetalone, the expression of macrophage M1 polarization markers and inflammatory cytokines was assessed using real-time PCR, western blot, and enzyme-linked… More >

YANG YANG, LIJUAN FU, CHUNMEI CHEN, MEIWEI HU

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.5, pp. 1319-1328, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.015760 - 06 January 2022

Abstract Aberrant expression of miRNAs is significantly correlated with the occurrence of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). The immune imbalance of M1/M2 macrophage contributes to the development of ITP. However, the role of miR-148b-3p in macrophage phenotype imbalance remains unknown in ITP. In this study, we aimed to explore whether miR-148b-3p inhibits M2 macrophage polarization in ITP and to investigate the underlying mechanism. Peripheral blood from 22 ITP patients were collected, and real-time PCR confirmed that miR-148b-3p was up-regulated and Western blot analyses detected the expression of SOCS3 was down-regulated. Subsequent dual-luciferase reporter gene assay indicated that More >

SHUTING GU^1,2,#, JINGYI QIN^3,#, SAINAN GAO¹, ZHEN WANG^1,4, QI MENG^1,4, YAN LI^1,4, BING LU⁵, SONGLIN ZHOU^1,2,*, YUNZHAO XU^1,6,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.3, pp. 689-697, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.016225 - 18 November 2021

Abstract Recently, abnormal expression of KIAA1199 has been detected in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer (EOC). However, the underlined anti-ovarian cancer mechanism of KIAA1199 remains to be enlightened. In our study, we performed to elucidate the effects of KIAA1199 on the advanced biological behavior of EOC cells through activation of the IL-6/STAT3 pathway. Confirmed by immunohistochemistry, KIAA1199 was highly expressed in ovarian borderline and malignant epithelial tumors. A retrospective analysis found that EOC patients with low expression of KIAA1199 had a significantly higher 5-year survival rate than those with high expression. Mechanistically, IL-6 was used to stimulate EOC More >

Kazuhiro Yamamoto^*, Takeshi Ioroi^*, Kazuaki Shinomiya^†, Ayaka Yoshida^*, Kenichi Harada^‡, Masato Fujisawa^‡, Tomohiro Omura^*, Yasuaki Ikemi^§, Shunsaku Nakagawa^§, Atsushi Yonezawa^§, Osamu Ogawa^¶, Kazuo Matsubara^§, Takuya Iwamoto^#, Kohei Nishikawa^**, Sayaka Hayashi^††, Daichi Tohara^††, Yoji Murakami^‡‡, Takanobu Motoshima^‡‡, Hirofumi Jono^††, Ikuko Yano^*§

Oncology Research, Vol.29, No.1, pp. 11-23, 2021, DOI:10.3727/096504022X16418911579334

Abstract We evaluated the association of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) polymorphisms with the incidence of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor-induced interstitial lung disease (ILD) in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). We also used lung-derived cell lines to investigate the mechanisms of this association. Japanese patients with metastatic RCC who were treated with mTOR inhibitors were genotyped for the STAT3 polymorphism, rs4796793 (−1697C/G). We evaluated the association of the STAT3 genotype with the incidence of ILD and therapeutic outcome. In the 57 patients included in the primary analysis, the ILD rate… More >