ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE:Huayu Wan (HYW), a traditional Chinese medicine prescription widely used in the clinical treatment of advanced lung cancer, has been clinically proven to effectively inhibit the progression of pulmonary tumors and improve patients' quality of life. However, its specific components and potential anti-cancer molecular mechanisms remain unclear. AIM OF THE STUDY:To explore the active ingredients of HYW and predict its effective targets and pathways against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using a combination of network pharmacology and transcriptomics. These predictions were subsequently validated through in vitro and in vivo experiments, providing a theoretical basis for its anti-cancer mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS:We first established a LEWIS tumor-bearing mouse model to evaluate the dose-response relationship and inhibitory effect of HYW in NSCLC. Using Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole-Orbitrap-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-HRMS), we comprehensively explored the material basis of HYW's therapeutic effect on lung cancer. Combining network pharmacology and transcriptomics, we further verified the potential molecular targets and pathways of HYW. Finally, in vitro and in vivo molecular biological experiments were conducted to validate the predicted results. RESULTS:HYW exhibited a dose-dependent tumor inhibitory effect in the LEWIS tumor-bearing mouse model. Comprehensive qualitative analysis of the chemical components of HYW through UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS identified 39 major active ingredients, including geniposide, quercetin, taurine, and paeoniflorin. The constructed HYW active compound-NSCLC target network revealed 48 core targets, which may play a critical role in HYW's anti-NSCLC therapeutic effects. Combining transcriptomic data from mouse tumor tissues, four core targets-Pik3ca, Akt1, Pdk1, and VEGFA-were identified, along with the key signaling pathway PI3K/AKT/VEGFA. Immunofluorescence results indicated that HYW dose-dependently inhibited the positive expression of Ki67 in mouse tumor tissues. In vitro experiments showed that HYW significantly suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities of H1299 and A549 cells. qRT-PCR and Western blot analyses demonstrated that HYW treatment downregulated the expression of Pik3ca, Akt1, Pdk1, and VEGFA, and inhibited the protein expression levels of p-PI3K/PI3K, p-AKT/AKT, and VEGFA. CONCLUSION:HYW effectively inhibits the malignant proliferation of NSCLC cells. The mechanism of its anti-cancer effects is likely mediated by the suppression of the PI3K/AKT/VEGFA signaling pathway. This finding provides new molecular insights into the potential therapeutic application of HYW in the treatment of lung cancer.

Ethnopharmacological relevance: As a traditional Chinese medicine formula, Jingxin Zhidong Formula (JXZDF) based on ancient amber powder has been prescribed to alleviate tic disorders (TD) according to our clinical practice for many years. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown.Aim of study: To explore the potential mechanism of JXZDF in the treatment of TD by using network pharma-cology and experimental validation.Materials and methods: The chemical components of JXZDF were detected and the potential pathway enrichment analyses were conducted based on network pharmacology. Finally, we performed cell viability assays and Western blotting on LPS-induced BV-2 cells, and subsequently performed behavioral tests and Western blotting in SD rats model for TD to explore the mechanism of JXZDF on TD. Results: By LC-ESI-MS/MS system and searching the databases, we identified 5 key compounds and 29 hub targets of JXZDF on TD. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that PI3K/AKT signaling pathway may be the key pathway for JXZDF on TD. The vitro experimental results proved that JXZDF can inhibit the phosphorylation of PI3K and AKT proteins on LPS-induced BV-2 cells. The animal experimental results indicated that JXZDF can effectively alleviate the stereotypic behavior and hyperactivity of the TD rats, and downregulated PI3K/AKT pathway to inhibit microglia activation in the hippocampus tissue.Conclusion: This study indicated that JXZDF can change microglial activation and expression of proinflammatory mediators through the inactivation of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, which may be one of the mechanisms of JXZDF in treating TD.

肿瘤免疫微环境(TIME)在肿瘤的发生发展及治疗转归中具有重要作用.TIME始终处于抗肿瘤与促肿瘤的动态对抗过程中,与中医学正邪理论具有内在一致性.根据各种免疫细胞、细胞因子、趋化因子等在肿瘤发生发展的作用,可将其归属于"正气"与"邪气"的范畴,即能够增强机体抗肿瘤免疫功能,抑制肿瘤增殖、生长、转移的因素为正气;破坏机体免疫稳态,抑制抗肿瘤免疫功能或增强促肿瘤功能的因素则为邪气.肿瘤的发生是正邪失衡、邪气占据主导地位所致.肿瘤免疫抑制微环境的形成可视作正邪相搏,邪胜于正的微观体现.正气化邪在肿瘤免疫抑制微环境的形成过程中发挥重要作用.其中,扶正主要通过补益人体正气,增强正向免疫细胞活性及浸润状态,提高机体抗肿瘤免疫.祛邪类中药可抑制负向免疫细胞的极化,缓解免疫抑制状态,以实现扶正目的.基于TIME中正邪相互转化的关系,可充分发挥中医药纠偏复正的优势.

Introduction Osteosarcoma is the most common malignancy in children, with high morbidity worldwide. Researches indicated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) played crucial roles in various cancers. Nevertheless, study investigating lncRNA long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 1089 (LINC01089) in osteosarcoma is extremely rare. Thus, the research of LINC01089 is of great significance. Materials and methods qRT-PCR and western blot were done to test the expression of RNAs and proteins in osteosarcoma cells. Functional assays were carried out to evaluate biological behaviors of hFOB1.19 and osteosarcoma cells with or without LINC01089 knockdown and overexpression. In vitro and in vivo experiments in a rescue manner were performed to reveal the influences of LINC01089 and Hippo pathway on osteosarcoma cell phenotype and tumor growth. Results LINC01089 was down-regulated in osteosarcoma cells and overexpressing LINC01089 was validated to restrain cell growth in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. Additionally, silencing LINC01089 could exacerbate cell malignant behaviors. Correlation of LINC01089 and Hippo pathway was proved. Overexpressing LINC01089 could activate Hippo pathway to exert antitumor effects. Conclusion LINC01089 could restrain the progression of osteosarcoma through activating Hippo pathway.

Background Numerous studies have revealed that the abnormal expression of pyroptosis-related genes is closely related to the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD); however, a comprehensive analysis has yet to be conducted. This study aimed to reveal the influence of pyroptosis-related genes on the prognosis of LUAD and establish a prognostic model based on those genes, in order to evaluate the prognosis of LUAD. Methods The data of tumor and normal samples were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. Differential analysis was used to identify pyroptosis-related genes (obtained from the GeneCards database) that were differentially expressed (DE) in TCGA database. Univariate and stepwise multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to screen feature genes related to LUAD overall survival (OS) and construct gene signature. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was then performed to reveal potential functions related to gene signature. Finally, the Cell-type Identification by Estimating Relative Subsets of RNA Transcripts (CIBERSORT) algorithm was used to reveal distinctions in each cell-subtype groups in the immune landscape of LUAD. Results Overall, 26 DE genes (DEGs) associated with pyroptosis were obtained. Among them, 4 (MKI67, BTK, MST1, and TUBB6) were selected as prognostic genes and a 4-gene signature with a good prognostic performance in the TCGA and GEO was constructed. The gene signature was shown to be an independent prognostic factor of LUAD in subsequent analysis. Functional enrichment indicated that the 4-gene signature may participate in the tumorigenesis and development of LUAD through various pathways related to tumor progression to play a prognostic role in LUAD. Additionally, the results of the immune landscape indicated that the 4-gene signature may affect the prognosis of LUAD via cooperating with changes in the immune microenvironment. Conclusions The key biomarkers and pathways identified in this study would deepen the comprehension of the molecular mechanism of pyroptosis in LUAD. More importantly, the 4-gene signature may serve as a novel potential prognostic model for LUAD.

BackgroundHedysarum Multijugum Maxim–Curcumae Rhizoma (HMMCR), a well-known herb pair in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been widely used for the treatment of various cancers. However, the active components of HMMCR and the underlying mechanism of HMMCR for non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) remain unclear.MethodsActive ingredients of HMMCR were detected by liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS). On this basis, potential targets of HMMCR were obtained from SwissTargetPrediction database. NSCLC-related targets were collected from four public databases (GeneCards, OMIM, TTD, and PharmGkb). The drug ingredients–disease targets network was visualized. The hub targets between HMMCR and NSCLC were further analyzed by protein–protein interaction (PPI), Gene Ontology (GO), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses. Subsequently, the results predicted by network pharmacology were further validated via in vitro experiments.ResultsA total of 181 compounds were identified from the aqueous extract of HMMCR. Through network analysis, a compound–target network including 153 active ingredients of HMMCR and 756 HMMCR-NSCLC co-targets was conducted; 6 crucial compounds and 62 hub targets were further identified. The results of KEGG enrichment analysis showed that PI3K/Akt signaling pathway may be the critical pathway of HMMCR in the treatment of NSCLC. The in vitro experiments indicated that HMMCR inhibits the proliferation and migration of NSCLC cells via inactivation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, consistent with the results predicted by network pharmacology.ConclusionIntegrating LC-ESI-MS/MS, network pharmacology approach, and in vitro experiments, this study shows that HMMCR has vital therapeutic effect on NSCLC through multi-compound, multi-target, and multi-pathway, which provides a rationale for using HMMCR for the treatment of NSCLC.

BACKGROUND:Accumulating studies indicated that dysregulated long non-coding RNA human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA) Complex P5 (HCP5) may functions as an potential prognostic predictor in multiple cancers. This meta-analysis was performed to systematically collect studies and conduct an evidence-based evaluation of the prognostic role of HCP5 in malignancies.METHODS:Four databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane library) were comprehensively retrieved from their initiation date to November 9, 2021. Hazard ratio (HR) or odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to assess the associations between the expression level of HCP5 and prognosis or clinical characteristics. Moreover, results were validated by Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis 2 (GEPIA2) and the National Genomics Data Center (NGDC). Subsequently, the molecular mechanism of HCP5 was predicted based on MEM and StarBase databases. The study protocol was registered at PROSPERO (ID: CRD42021274208).RESULTS:9 studies, containing 641 patients, were included in this meta-analysis. Our results revealed that HCP5 overexpression was associated with poor overall survival (OS), tumor type, histological differentiation, and lymph node metastasis in most cancers, but was not associated with age, gender and tumor size; down-regulation of HCP5 was associated with worse OS, advanced tumor stage, positive distal metastasis and lymph node metastasis in skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM). HCP5 was significantly up-regulated in four cancers and down-regulated in SKCM, which was validated by the GEPIA2 cohort. HCP5 expression in various types of cancer was also verified in NGDC. Further functional prediction revealed that HCP5 may participate in some cancer-related pathways.CONCLUSION:There is a significantly association between dysregulation of HCP5 and both prognosis and clinicopathological features in various cancers. HCP5 may be functions as a novel potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in multiple human cancers.

目的 建立具有高肺转移能力的人源骨肉瘤细胞系,为探索骨肉瘤肺转移的发生机制提供研究模型.方法 将GFP和荧光素酶标记的人源骨肉瘤143B细胞重悬到MEM培养基并与Matrigel胶按1:1比例混匀,制成浓度为1×107/mL的细胞悬液.取10μL注射到4周龄BALB/c裸鼠的左侧胫骨内,建立胫骨内原位注射肺转移瘤模型(n=6).收集肺转移结节制成单细胞悬液,在完全培养基中贴壁培养,并用新霉素(G418)抗性筛选后扩增,再次接种于裸鼠胫骨内;采用同样方法在体内循环2次后获得的细胞命名为143B-HLM.采用体外实时细胞迁移实验检测细胞迁移情况,RT-qPCR和Western blot检测迁移浸润关键分子标志物的表达情况,同时观察肺转移瘤模型肺部肿瘤结节的形成情况.结果 与亲本人源骨肉瘤143B细胞相比,建立的143B-HLM细胞体外迁移能力增强,波形蛋白(Vimentin)和锌指转录因子(Slug)的蛋白表达量增加(均P<0.05),Vimentin、Slug、锌指转录抑制因子(Snail)和凋亡抑制基因(Survivin)的mRNA表达水平也升高(均P<0.05).与注射143B细胞的裸鼠相比,裸鼠胫骨内原位注射143B-HLM细胞的荷瘤模型中,原位肿瘤体积减小(P<0.05),肺部肿瘤转移荧光信号显著增强,肺转移的裸鼠数目也更多(P<0.01).结论 骨肉瘤肺转移细胞经体内循环筛选及分离,成功建立了稳定的具有高肺转移能力的骨肉瘤细胞系143B-HLM.

Background: As the leading primary bone cancer in adolescents and children, osteosarcoma patients with metastasis show a five-year-survival-rate of 20-30%, without improvement over the past 30 years.Wnt/β-catenin is important in promoting osteosarcoma development.DKK3 is a Wnt/β-catenin antagonist and predicted to have the specific binding site in 3′-UTR with miR-214-3p.Methods: miR-214-3p and DKK3 levels were investigated in human osteosarcoma tissues and cells by RT-qPCR; the prognostic importance of DKK3 level in osteosarcoma patients was determined with Log-rank test; direct binding between DKK3 with miR-214-3p was identified with targetscan; anti-osteosarcoma mechanism of cantharidin was investigated by miR-214-3p silence/over-expression with or without cantharidin treatment, and nuclear/cytoplasmic protein assay in osteosarcoma cells.Results: Down-regulated DKK3 indicated poor prognosis of osteosarcoma patients.Up-regulated miR-214-3p promoted proliferation and migration, while suppressed apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells by increasing β-catenin nuclear translocation and LEF1 translation via degradation of DKK3.Cantharidin suppressed viabilities, migration and invasion, while promoted cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in 143B and U-2 OS cells via down-regulating miR-214-3p to up-regulate DKK3, thus inhibited p-GSK-3β expression, β-catenin nuclear translocation and LEF1 translation.Meanwhile, cantharidin inhibited tumor growth in xenograft-bearing mice with 143B cell injection in tibia.Conclusion: miR-214-3p mediated Wnt/β-catenin/LEF1 signaling activation by targeting DKK3 to promote oncogenesis of osteosarcoma; cantharidin inhibited proliferation and metastasis of osteosarcoma cells via down-regulating miR-214-3p to up-regulate DKK3 and decrease β-catenin nuclear translocation, indicating that cantharidin may be a prospective candidate for osteosarcoma treatment by targeting miR-214-3p/DKK3/β-catenin signaling.

OBJECTIVE:To summarize and critically assess the inhibitory effects of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) on tumor volume and tumor weight for the treatment of osteosarcoma (OS) in mouse models.METHODS:PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database (CNKI), Wanfang Database, VIP Database, and Chinese BioMedical (CBM) were searched since their inception dates to March 10, 2016. Two reviewers independently selected the controlled studies estimating effects of CHM on mouse OS by administration in vivo. A pair-wise meta-analysis was performed. Twenty-five studies with adequate randomization were included in the systematic review.RESULTS:CHM may significantly inhibit OS growth in mice, as assessed using the tumor weight [20 studies, n=443; 290 for CHM and 153 for the control: pooled mean difference (MD)=-2.90; 95% confidence interval (Cl): -3.50 to -2.31: P<0.01], tumor volume (16 studies, n=382; 257 for CHM and 125 for the control; pooled MD =-2.57; 95% Cl: -3.33 to -1.80; P<0.01) and tumor growth inhibition rate.CONCLUSION:CHM could significantly inhibit the growth of OS in mouse models, which might be supportive for the design of preclinical and clinical trials in future.

目的 调查骨质疏松症(osteoporosis,OP)患者的中医体质分布类型,探讨血清骨代谢指标与中医体质的相关性.方法 2016年10月-2017年2月,选取上海市40～70岁中老年常住居民,采用《中医体质分类与判定》标准调查中医体质类型.双能X线吸收检测法测定受试者的腰椎骨密度,并检测血清钙、磷、肌酐、25-羟维生素D[25-hydroxy-vitaminD,25(OH)D]、甲状旁腺素(parathyroid hormone,PTH)、碱性磷酸酶(alkaline phosphatase,ALP)、骨钙素(osteocalcin,OC)、Ⅰ型原胶原N-端前肽(procollagen type Ⅰ N-peptide,PINP)及Ⅰ型胶原交联C-末端肽(beta cross linked C-lelopeptideof type Ⅰ collagen,β-CTX),分析骨代谢指标与中医体质的相关性.结果 共纳入802例调查对象,平均年龄为(61.8±4.4)岁,其中男性184例、女性618例,骨量正常组235例,骨量减少组361例,骨质疏松组206例.骨质疏松组阳虚质构成比大于骨量正常组,差异有统计学意义(27.67％vs 14.89％,P=0.004).骨量减少组和骨质疏松组痰湿质构成比均小于骨量正常组,差异有统计学意义(P=0.004).3组受试者的中医体质构成比在其余7种偏颇体质中,差异均无统计学意义.选取骨质疏松组40例非阳虚质人群与57例阳虚质人群进行匹配,阳虚质人群的肌酐水平低于非阳虚质人群,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.01).2组人群在血钙、血磷、25(OH)D、ALP、β-CTX、PTH及PINP之间差异均无统计学意义.结论 OP患者偏颇体质中阳虚质明显增多,且OP患者阳虚质与血清肌酐水平相关.

Background: Olaparib, a potent oral poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor, exhibits antitumor activity and prevents the recurrence in advanced ovarian cancer. In this article, we assessed the efficacy and safety of olaparib maintenance therapy on platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer patients with BRCA mutations through a meta-analysis of available randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to provide more evidence for its clinical applications. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Wanfang, CNKI, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and VIP databases from 1 August 2018 to identify RCTs and finally included four RCTs (seven articles) with 567 eligible participants beyond the participants, interventions, comparisons, outcomes, and study design regulation. The outcomes of olaparib efficacy including progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were measured by HR and 95% CI, while the quality of life was evaluated by calculating the combination of P-value. Seven common adverse events were tested by risk ratio and 95% CI as the outcomes of olaparib safety. These data were analyzed, and the forest figures were produced using Review Manager 5.3. Results: Compared with other interventions (ie, placebo or chemotherapy drugs), olaparib significantly prolonged PFS (HR=0.31, 95% CI=0.15-0.62) and slightly improved OS (HR=0.75, 95% CI=0.56-0.99), but did not influence the quality of life (P=0.058) in the patients with platinum-sensitive BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer. Additionally, the toxicity profile of olaparib involved anemia, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea with grade 1-2. Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggests that olaparib maintenance therapy is effective and well-tolerated for the patients with platinum-sensitive BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer. More updated RCTs and long-term follow-up should be conducted to compare and analyze the efficacy and toxicity of olaparib at different doses in ovarian cancer patients.

目的:探索中老年原发性骨质疏松症人群脉图参数的变化特征.方法:筛选并纳入中老年受试者共计1 062例,根据纳入对象的骨密度(BMD)测定结果将其分为骨量正常组327例、骨量减少组466例、骨质疏松组269例.运用PDA-1型单道脉诊仪采集所有受试者的寸口关部脉象信息,并进行统计分析.结果:随着骨量减少程度加重,三组脉图参数h1、h3、h4、h1/t1呈下降趋势,但组间比较差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05);与骨量正常组比较,骨质疏松组脉图参数h5明显降低,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05).随着骨量减少程度的加重,三组心率变异参数P_mean、P_PNN、TF呈下降趋势,但组间比较差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05).结论:中老年骨质疏松症人群的大动脉顺应性较正常骨量人群明显下降,大血管硬化程度增加,提示机体脏腑气血相对不足,代谢水平降低,长期可形成重要脏腑气血虚弱,并久虚致瘀,这与原发性骨质疏松症中医发病机制“虚”与“瘀”相符.

Background: In children and adolescents, osteosarcomais the most common malignant bone tumor with a high mortality rate. New therapeutic strategies are urgent to be explored. Studies have proven that microRNAs (miRNAs) in malignant tumors often appear dysregulation, this provides a direction for exploring the new therapeutic strategies for cancers. The aim of this meta-analysis is to summarize and analyze whethermicroRNA-34a(miRNA-34a) could be a prognostic marker for osteosarcoma in mice. Methods: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Wan Fang Database, China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database, VIP Database, and SinoMed since their initiation date to January 24, 2018. After screening based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, eight articles were included for the final analysis. Results: Our results showed that tumor volume and tumor weight were inhibited by restoring the down-regulated expression of miRNA-34a in the xenograft mouse models. Conclusions: Down-regulated miRNA-34a expression is a prognostic marker for poor osteosarcoma. We should be more committed to investigate the clinical significance of miRNA-34a in osteosarcoma patients.

Prostate cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed malignancy and the sixth global primary cause of malignancy-associated fatality. Increased invasiveness and motility in prostate cancer cells are associated with ubiquitin proteasome system-regulated epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). Impairment of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) causes ER stress due to the accumulation of unfolded proteins and altered cell survival. In the current study, the effect and mechanism of matrine on cell apoptosis, viability, migration and invasion of human prostate cancer cells in vivo and in vitro through the unfolded protein response (UPR)/ER stress pathway were investigated. Matrine inhibited proteasomal chymotrypsin-like (CT-like) activity in the prostate carcinoma cellular proteasome. Upregulated vimentin and N-cadherin and downregulated E-cadherin were also observed in vitro and in vivo. In vitro analyses showed that matrine repressed cell motility, viability and invasion, arrested the cell cycle at the G(0)/G(1) phase and induced prostate cancer cell apoptosis. Furthermore, matrine activated the UPR/ER stress signaling cascade in prostate cancer cells and tumor tissues of xcnograft-bearing nude mice. Results also demonstrated that the anti-apoptotic protein Bd-2 was downregulated, the pro-apoptotic protein Bak was upregulated and the cell growth and cell cycle-related proteins c-Myc, Cyclin B1, Cyclin D1 and CDK1 were downregulated. Moreover, matrine inhibited tumor growth and Ki-67 expression in xenograft-bearing nude mice. To the best of our knowledge, the present study indicated for the first time that matrine exerted marked anticancer functions in human prostate carcinoma in vivo and in vitro through activation of the proteasomal CT-like activity inhibition mediated by the UPR/ER stress signaling pathway.

Osteosarcoma, one of the most common primary bone malignances, is a leading cause of cancer death among children and adolescents. Recently, growing studies have found that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can interfere with the expression of various genes, and participate in the occurrence and development of malignancies. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential functions of lncRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for osteosarcoma in mice, thus to direct the strict design for the future preclinical experiments and clinical trials. We systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database, VIP, Chinese BioMedical and Wan Fang Database from their initiation date to June 20, 2017. Two researchers independently screened the literatures and withdrew the data, which used the tumor volume and tumor weight as the outcome measures. A total of 10 studies were included, and the results of this meta-analysis revealed that lncRNAs could serve as the diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for osteosarcoma; and progression of osteosarcoma in mice could be inhibited via rescuing the abnormally expressed lncRNAs. It is necessary to carry out more rigorous basic experiments before lncRNAs can be further investigated in the clinical trials and used in future clinical practices.

Growing studies have confirmed that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) involve in the occurrence and development of various cancers. XIST, as a lncRNA, was dysregulated in different cancers. This meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the prognostic potential of XIST in malignant tumors. Eight databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane library, CNKI, VIP, SinoMed and Wang Fang were comprehensively searched from their initiation date to August 15, 2017. A total of nine studies with 853 cancer patients met the including criteria were finally included in this meta-analysis after independently screening the literatures by two researchers. Any discrepancies were resolved by a consensus. Hazard ratios (HRs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the primary endpoints were extracted and pooled for meta-analysis. Our results showed that expression level of XIST was markedly associated with overall survival (function as oncogene, HR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.42-0.68, p < 0.00001; function as tumor suppressor, HR = 2.25, 95% CI: 1.15-4.37, p = 0.02), disease free survival (DFS)(HR = 0.45; 95% CI: 0.31-0.67, p < 0.0001), tumor type (digestive system carcinoma, HR = 0.50; 95% CI: 0.37-0.69, p < 0.00001; non-digestive system carcinoma, HR = 0.58; 95% CI: 0.39-0.87, p = 0.008), lymph node metastasis (OR = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.20-0.52, p < 0.00001), distant metastasis (OR = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.22-0.60, p < 0.0001) and tumor stage (OR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.31-0.60, p < 0.00001). In conclusion, the pooled results in our current work suggest that XIST is an important prognostic biomarker in cancer patients.

骨肉瘤是一种常见的原发性恶性骨肿瘤,好发于儿童和青少年.由于其高度的复发性和转移性,患者多预后不良,因此寻求一种新型的治疗靶点非常迫切.近年来,大量研究发现microRNA(miRNA)可干扰多种基因的表达,对肿瘤的发生和发展具有重要的调控作用.随着miRNA对骨肉瘤的作用机制不断被揭示,多种新型分子靶点被挖掘,为深入研究骨肉瘤的发病、转移、诊断、治疗和预后提供了新的方向.本文结合近年的最新报道,对影响骨肉瘤的相关miRNA及其与骨肉瘤作用机制的研究进展进行综述.

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone cancer in children and adolescents. In spite of aggressive treatment, osteosarcoma has a high mortality rate with minimal improvements in survival over past few decades. Polyphyllin I (PPI), a component in the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Paris polyphylla Smith, has been shown to have anti-tumor properties. However, its mechanism as an anti-osteosarcoma agent has not been well elucidated. In this study, we found that PPI suppressed osteosarcoma cell viability, arrested cell cycle in G2/M phase, induced apoptosis and inhibited invasion and migration of osteosarcoma cells. Moreover, PPI significantly suppressed intratibial primary tumor growth in xenograft orthotopic mouse model without any obvious side effects. These therapeutic efficacies were associated with inactivation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway, as PPI treatment decreased the amount of p-GSK-3β, leading to down-regulated levels of active β-catenin. PPI induced inhibition of osteosarcoma cell viability was abolished upon addition of GSK-3β specific inhibitor, CHIR99021, while PPI induced inhibition of osteosarcoma cell viability and migration were potentiated by β-catenin silencing. These findings suggested that, in vitro and in vivo, PPI treatment inhibited osteosarcoma, at least in part, via the inactivation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Thus, PPI could serve a novel therapeutic option for osteosarcoma patients.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary malignant bone carcinoma with high morbidity that happens mainly in children and young adults. As the key components of gene-regulatory networks, microRNAs (miRNAs) control many critical pathophysiological processes, including initiation and progression of cancers. The objective of this study is to summarize and evaluate the potential of miRNAs as targets for prevention and treatment of OS in mouse models, and to explore the methodological quality of current studies. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Wan Fang Database, VIP Database, China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database, and Chinese BioMedical since their beginning date to 10 May 2016. Two reviewers separately screened the controlled studies, which estimate the effects of miRNAs on osteosarcoma in mice. A pair-wise analysis was performed. Thirty six studies with enough randomization were selected and included in the meta-analysis. We found that blocking oncogenic or restoring decreased miRNAs in cancer cells could significantly suppress the progression of OS in vivo, as assessed by tumor volume and tumor weight. This meta-analysis suggests that miRNAs are potential therapeutic targets for OS and correction of the altered expression of miRNAs significantly suppresses the progression of OS in mouse models, however, the overall methodological quality of studies included here was low, and more animal studies with the rigourous design must be carried out before a miRNA-based treatment could be translated from animal studies to clinical trials.