Abstract Objective Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a condition characterized by ovarian dysfunction occurring before the age of 40, with a prevalence ranging from 1–4%. The increasing incidence of this disease has a significant impact on women's reproductive health, as well as their metabolic, skeletal, neurological, and cardiovascular systems. The causes of premature ovarian insufficiency are multifactorial, including genetic, immunological, infectious, environmental, and iatrogenic factors, with over half of the cases remaining unexplained. Whether the microbial communities and metabolites in follicular fluid, which is the direct microenvironment for oocyte survival, are related to POI has not been reported. Methods This study included 26 patients with premature ovarian insufficiency and 27 controls with a normal ovarian reserve who underwent in vitro fertilization/embryo transfer. Follicular fluid samples were collected and analyzed using 16S rDNA sequencing and nontargeted metabolomics. Correlations between microbial communities and the metabolic profile of follicular fluid were analyzed to identify key microbial communities and metabolites that might be involved in the development and progression of POI. Results Patients with POI exhibited significant alterations in microbial richness and diversity and metabolic profiles in their follicular fluid. The downregulation of ABC transporters and upregulation of the citrate cycle (TCA cycle) might be critical for the development and progression of POI. G-Rhodopseudomonas and g-Caulobacter were identified as key microbial genera, while L-aspartic acid, citrate, isoleucine, and cytidine were identified as key metabolites. Conclusion This study revealed a distinctive microbial community metabolic profile in the follicular fluid of patients with POI. These findings offer novel insights into the pathogenesis of POI and might pave the way for improved clinical outcomes for individuals suffering from this condition.
结直肠癌腹膜转移病人预后不佳,确诊时往往已处于晚期.影像学检查是其主要的诊断方式,近年来,腹腔镜探查术的实施频率渐渐增加.目前人们已认识到腹膜转移是一种局部疾病,对其的治疗手段主要是化疗、肿瘤细胞减灭术联合腹腔内热灌注化疗,腹腔加压气溶胶化疗等一些新方式也开始投入临床使用.经过积极适宜的治疗,病人的预后可极大地得到改善.此文对结直肠癌腹膜转移的流行病学、发病机制、诊断、评分系统、危险因素及治疗的研究现状及最新进展进行了综述.
Neoadjuvant therapy has been widely applied in the treatment of rectal cancer, which can shrink tumor size, lower tumor staging and improve the prognosis. It has been the standard preoperative treatment for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. The efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer patients varies between individuals, and the results of tumor regression are obviously different. Some patients with good tumor regression even achieve pathological complete response (pCR). Tumor regression is of great significance for the selection of surgical regimes and the determination of distal resection margin. However, few studies focus on tumor regression patterns. Controversies on the safe distance of distal resection margin after neoadjuvant treatment still exist. Therefore, based on the current research progress, this review summarized the main tumor regression patterns after neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer, and classified them into three types: tumor shrinkage, tumor fragmentation, and mucin pool formation. And macroscopic regression and microscopic regression of tumors were compared to describe the phenomenon of non-synchronous regression. Then, the safety of non-surgical treatment for patients with clinical complete response (cCR) was analyzed to elaborate the necessity of surgical treatment. Finally, the review studied the safe surgical resection range to explore the safe distance of distal resection margin.
Whether patients with asymptomatic primary tumors and unresectable metastases of colorectal cancer (CRC) should undergo primary tumor resection (PTR) remains controversial. This study aims to determine the appropriateness of PTR for these individuals by evaluating a number of outcome measures. A systematic literature search was performed. Outcome measures included overall survival, emergency surgery rates, incidence of postoperative complications, time to initiate chemotherapy, conversion rates, and chemotherapy-related toxicities. Patients who received PTR in addition to chemotherapy had a better overall survival rate than those who only received chemotherapy (HR = 0.62, 95
[Objectives] To analyze the clinical and pathological characteristics of colorectal cancer in organ transplant recipients and provide references for clinical diagnosis and treatment. [Methods] Retrospective analysis of 7 organ transplant recipients confirmed with colorectal adenocarcinoma who underwent radical surgery at the Department of Colorectal Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University from September 2002 to September 2021 was performed. Clinical and pathological characteristics of colorectal cancer in organ transplant recipients were summarized and analyzed. [Results] The initial symptoms were hematochezia in 3 cases, abdominal pain in 1 case, diarrhea in 1 case, abdominal distension and vomiting in 1 case, and abnormal colonoscopy in 1 case. The preoperative serum levels of CEA were 1.61 to 123.20 ng/mL, the median serum CEA level was 5.12 (1.76, 10.28) ng/mL; the preoperative serum levels of CA199 were 4.79 to 184.96 U/mL, and the median serum CA199 level was 18.59 (9.37, 135.60) U/mL. Three patients had normal preoperative serum CEA, and five had normal preoperative serum CA199. The tumor was located in the ascending colon in 1 case, descending colon in 1 case, sigmoid colon in 1 case, rectosigmoid junction in 1 case, and rectum in 3 cases. Among them, 3 cases at stage Ⅲ, 3 cases at stage Ⅱ, and 1 case at stageⅠ;3 cases were poorly differentiated, 1 case was moderately to poorly differentiated, and 3 cases were moderately differentiated; The tumor occupied less than the entire intestinal circumference in 2 cases and the entire intestinal circumference in 5 cases. [Conclusion] Colorectal cancer in organ transplant recipients tends to occur within five years, and the tumor is usually located in the rectum, with most patients diagnosed with locally advanced stage. Therefore, for individuals who have undergone organ transplantation, it is recommended to strengthen early diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer to improve prognosis.
Background: Individualized recurrence risk prediction in patients with stage II/III colorectal cancer (CRC) is crucial for making postoperative treatment decisions. However, there is still a lack of effective approaches for identifying patients with stage II and III CRC at a high risk of recurrence. In this study, we aimed to establish a credible gene model for improving the risk assessment of patients with stage II/III CRC.Methods: Recurrence-free survival (RFS)-related genes were screened using Univariate Cox regression analysis in GSE17538, GSE39582, and GSE161158 cohorts. Common prognostic genes were identified by Venn diagram and subsequently subjected to least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis and multivariate Cox regression analysis for signature construction. Kaplan-Meier (K-M), calibration, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to assess the predictive accuracy and superiority of our risk model. Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) was employed to investigate the relationship between the infiltrative abundances of immune cells and risk scores. Genes significantly associated with the risk scores were identified to explore the biological implications of the 9-gene signature.Results: Survival analysis identified 347 RFS-related genes. Using these genes, a 9-gene signature was constructed, which was composed of MRPL41, FGD3, RBM38, SPINK1, DKK1, GAL3ST4, INHBB, CTB-113P19.1, and FAM214B. K-M curves verified the survival differences between the low- and high-risk groups classified by the 9-gene signature. The area under the curve (AUC) values of this signature were close to or no less than the previously reported prognostic signatures and clinical factors, suggesting that this model could provide improved RFS prediction. The ssGSEA algorithm estimated that eight immune cells, including regulatory T cells, were aberrantly infiltrated in the high-risk group. Furthermore, the signature was associated with multiple oncogenic pathways, including cell adhesion and angiogenesis.Conclusion: A novel RFS prediction model for patients with stage II/III CRC was constructed using multicohort validation. The proposed signature may help clinicians better manage patients with stage II/III CRC.
Evidence from clinical cases indicates an association between the low success rate of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and ovarian injury due to previous methotrexate (MTX) administration. Therefore, it is necessary to develop and propose reasonable clinical drug guidelines to improve the quality of oocytes and the development of embryos before pregnancy. In this study, we established a mouse model with previous MTX exposure to validate the effects of MTX on reproductive function in female mice. We observed that MTX administration could result in a decrease in the success rate of fertilization and an aberrant embryonic development in both natural fertilization and IVF, even after completion of five to six ovulation cycles after MTX withdrawal. Further research revealed senescence and apoptosis of follicular granulosa cells (GCs), accompanied by arrested follicle development and aberrant estradiol and anti‐Mullerian hormone levels. Supportive evidence indicated that MTX administration induced senescence and apoptosis of human GCs in vitro, and the effects were consistent with the high levels of p21 , p53 , and oxidative stress. We further demonstrated that folic acid (FA) could improve oocyte function and embryonic development in vivo and in vitro by protecting GCs against apoptosis and senescence. Based on these findings, we propose the implementation of extended intervals between MTX exposure and conception or IVF and recommend FA as a special dietary supplement during this interval period; however, prospective inquiry in humans is necessary to further understand the relationship between MTX and FA recovery.
Background Ovarian cancer is the most fatal gynecological malignancy. Owing to its insidious onset, rapid development, and poor prognosis, ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cause of death in women. Although immunotherapy-related drugs, such as Olaparib, can alleviate ovarian cancer progression, there are no remarkable breakthroughs for its effective treatment. It is considered that the transformation of normal cells to cancerous ones involves “recoding” of certain metabolic pathways. Diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) can synthesize triglycerides by transferring acyl-CoA to diacylglycerol, which plays a key role in lipid synthesis. However, the role of DGAT1 in ovarian cancer is not yet elucidated. Materials and Methods We analyzed the correlation between DGAT1 and ovarian cancer staging, grading, vascular invasion, and prognosis by collating the information of ovarian cancer specimens from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Furthermore, the effects of DGAT1 expression on proliferation, migration, invasion, and tumor growth were studied using ovarian cancer cell lines. GSEA was used to analyze the KEGG pathways and biological function enriched because of DGAT1 expression in ovarian cancer. Results The expression of DGAT1 was elevated in advanced (p = 0.0432), poorly differentiated (p = 0.0148), and vascular invaded (p = 0.0002) ovarian cancer specimens. Prognosis among patients with high expression of DGAT1 was poor. After DGAT1 expression was interfered, proliferation, migration, invasion, colony forming, and tumor growth of ovarian cancer cells were inhibited. In addition, GSEA showed that DGAT1 may be involved in the immune process. Conclusion DGAT1 expression is associated with the clinical phenotype of ovarian cancer. We suggest that DGAT1 has potential implications in the treatment of ovarian cancer.
Background The tripartite motif (TRIM) family proteins exhibit oncogenic roles in various cancers. The roles of TRIM27, a member of the TRIM super family, in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remained unexplored. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the clinical impact and roles of TRIM27 in the development of RCC. Methods The mRNA levels of TRIM27 and Kaplan–Meier survival of RCC were analyzed from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Real-time PCR and Western blotting were used to measure the mRNA and protein levels of TRIM27 both in vivo and in vitro. siRNA and TRIM27 were exogenously overexpressed in RCC cell lines to manipulate TRIM27 expression. Results We discovered that TRIM27 was elevated in RCC patients, and the expression of TRIM27 was closely correlated with poor prognosis. The loss of function and gain of function results illustrated that TRIM27 promotes cell proliferation and inhibits apoptosis in RCC cell lines. Furthermore, TRIM27 expression was positively associated with NF-κB expression in patients with RCC. Blocking the activity of NF-κB attenuated the TRIM27-mediated enhancement of proliferation and inhibition of apoptosis. TRIM27 directly interacted with Iκbα, an inhibitor of NF-κB, to promote its ubiquitination, and the inhibitory effects of TRIM27 on Iκbα led to NF-κB activation. Conclusions Our results suggest that TRIM27 exhibits an oncogenic role in RCC by regulating NF-κB signaling. TRIM27 serves as a specific prognostic indicator for RCC, and strategies targeting the suppression of TRIM27 function may shed light on future therapeutic approaches.
Due to the wide use of nuclear energy, nuclear radiation threat is increasing day by day. However, methods for protection against nuclear radiation are limited and not effective. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an effective method for protection and therapy against injury caused by radiation. According to the law of biological evolution, one of the most primitive eukaryotes, , could be tolerant to ionizing radiations, in a way similar to or better than and . Therefore, in the present study, the anti-radiation effects of were explored, which could be applicable to human beings. was found to be tolerant to Co γ rays, and its half lethal dose (LD50) was approximately 3000 Gy, which is 60 times more than that of human beings. The GSPATT00021409001 and GSPATT00016349001 genes were significantly up-regulated, which might play a role in DNA binding and nuclear transport, and thus, could function in DNA protection or repair. The biological function of the two genes and their effects in humans need to be explored in future studies.
Fuel fine particulate matter (FPM) is an important component of ambient pollution, has wide biological activity, and can cause a variety of diseases. Epidemiological studies have reported that FPM can decrease human fertility rates, retard embryonic growth, cause adverse effects on pregnancy outcomes, and result in male reproductive damage. However, the effects of FPM on female ovary function and associated mechanisms are still unclear. In this research, different concentrations of gasoline and diesel FPM were chosen to treat female mice in vivo. Fuel FPM can significantly inhibit ovarian function and follicle maturation. The hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary axis was inhibited significantly, with an increase in follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone levels and a decrease in estradiol levels, as well as ovary weight loss, which was similar to the symptoms of premature ovarian failure in humans. Fuel FPM can induce the accumulation of copper and lead in the ovary and decrease the levels of zinc, magnesium, and manganese. Simultaneously, the steroid biosynthesis signaling pathway was downregulated, which can contribute to ovarian dysfunction. This study provided a new perspective for understanding the ovarian toxicity of fuel FPM and associated mechanisms, which will aid in the development of new methods to treat ovarian dysfunction induced by FPM.
Purpose: Liver cancer stem cells (CSCs) are known to be associated with the development, survival, proliferation, metastasis, and recurrence of liver tumors. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of liver-enriched activator protein 1 (LAP1) with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver CSCs (LCSCs) and explore the impact of LAP1 on LCSCs. Materials and methods: Differences in LAP1 expression in liver cancer tissues versus matched para-tumoral liver tissues and LCSCs versus non-CSCs were analyzed by Western blotting, real-time polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry, and flow cytometry. The effect of LAP1 on liver cancer cells was evaluated by the expression of CSC markers, oncosphere formation, proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. Cell cycle distribution and the number of apoptotic cells were analyzed to assess cell cycle and cell apoptosis. Furthermore, a mouse subcutaneous tumor implant model was established to explore the role of LAP1 in the development of HCC in vivo. Finally, the expression of CSC markers in paraffin-embedded sections was evaluated by immunofluorescence. Results: LAP1 was weakly expressed in HCC tumors and cell lines and even weaker in LCSCs. LAP1 inhibited the expression of stem cell-associated genes and reduced the abilities of oncosphere formation, proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. Cell cycle assay revealed that LAP1 induced G1/G0 arrest. Furthermore, LAP1 decreased subcutaneous tumor-formation ability and the expression of CSC markers and Ki67 in vivo. Conclusion: LAP1 suppressed the stem cell features of HCC, indicating that it possessed an antitumor effect in liver cancer, both in vitro and in vivo; therefore, LAP1 may prove to be a potential target in liver CSC-targeted therapy.
While the current standard first-line treatment for advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is sunitinib, patients inevitably develop resistance to this drug. However, the rapid development of nanotechnology has provided emerging techniques for the treatment of advanced tumours, including RCC. In our previous research, cuprous oxide nanoparticles (CONPs) showed ideal anti-tumour effects and low systemic toxicity. While many inorganic nanomedicines, including CONPs, have similar pharmacological effects, their detailed mechanisms remain unknown. Copper chaperone proteins, which regulate the endocellular dosage and transport of copper, also play crucial roles in the progression of cancer. In this research, we discovered that CONPs can disrupt copper transportation by regulating the copper chaperone proteins ATOX1 and CCS in RCC cells and induce endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in vitro and in vivo by promoting the accumulation of intracellular calcium and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, CONPs can initiate ER- and mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis by activating caspase-3, caspase-9 and caspase-12. In addition, CONPs downregulate the expression of AXL, MET, AKT, and ERK to recover sunitinib responsiveness in RCC cells with sunitinib resistance (SR) and may therefore facilitate the development of promising new pathways to treat patients with acquired SRRCC.
Recent reports have shown a rapid rise in the incidence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and Wnt (Wingless-related integration site) signaling pathway is important in RCC. Frizzled 8 (FZD8) is a member of Frizzled (FZD) receptor family which could activate canonical or non-canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathways. Nevertheless, the role of FZD8 in RCC is poorly investigated. The immunohistochemical analysis showed high expression of FZD8 in RCC tissues compared with peri-tumor tissues. FZD8 knockdown decreased the ability of proliferation and metastasis of RCC cells. Research revealed that the FZD8 regulated the transcription of Cyclin D1, c-Myc, and could promote the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) by mediating Vimentin and Snail through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. In addition, the results of our experiment revealed that FZD8 is involved in the regulation of non-canonical Wnt signaling pathway. These data suggested that the expression of FZD8 may play an important role in the proliferation and metastasis of RCC, and serve as a putative promising drug target for human RCC therapy.
Disordered copper metabolism plays a critical role in the development of various cancers. As a nanomedicine containing copper, cuprous oxide nanoparticles (CONPs) exert ideal antitumor pharmacological effects in vitro and in vivo. Prostate cancer is a frequently diagnosed male malignancy prone to relapse, and castration resistance is the main reason for endocrine therapy failure. However, whether CONPs have the potential to treat castration-resistant prostate cancer is still unknown. Here, using the castration-resistant PC-3 human prostate cancer cell line as a model, we report that CONPs can selectively induce apoptosis and inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells in vitro and in vivo without affecting normal prostate epithelial cells. CONPs can also attenuate the stemness of cancer cells and inhibit the Wnt signaling pathway, both of which highlight the great potential of CONPs as a new clinical castration-resistant prostate cancer therapy.
Cervical carcinoma is one of the main causes of women's cancer, and substantial side effects from standard treatment including platinum-based chemotherapy limit the options for escalation. In this paper, using cervical cancer cell lines and tumor-bearing mice as models, we report that CONPs could inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Especially CONPs could inhibit tumor growth as cisplatin without weight loss. CONPs could also induce autophagy through AKT/mTOR pathway, which demonstrates that CONPs has the potential clinical applications.
Recent studies have shown that metal and metal oxide have a potential function in antitumor therapy. Our previous studies demonstrated that cuprous oxide nanoparticles (CONPs) not only selectively induce apoptosis of tumor cells in vitro but also inhibit the growth and metastasis of melanoma by targeting mitochondria with little hepatic and renal toxicities in mice. As a further study, our current research revealed that CONPs induced apoptosis of human melanoma stem cells (CD271+/high cells) in A375 and WM266-4 melanoma cell lines and could significantly suppress the expression of MITF, SOX10 and CD271 involved in the stemness maintenance and tumorigenesis of melanoma stem cells. CD271+/high cells could accumulate more CONPs than CD271-/low through clathrin-mediated endocytosis. In addition, lower dosage of CONPs exhibited good anti-melanoma effect by decreasing the cell viability, stemness and tumorigenesis of A375 and WM266-4 cells through reducing the expression of SOX10, MITF, CD271 and genes in MAPK pathway involved in tumor progression. Finally, CONPs obviously suppressed the growth of human melanoma in tumor-bearing nonobese diabetic-severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD-SCID) mice, accompanied with tumors structural necrosis and fibrosis remarkably and decreased expression of CD271, SOX10 and MITF. These results above proved the effectiveness of CONPs in inhibiting melanoma progress through multiple pathways, especially through targeting melanoma stem cells.
The immunoglobulin superfamily member CD147 is a widely expressed glycoprotein that occurs in both a membrane-spanning and soluble form. Sandwich ELISA is a powerful tool for analyzing soluble antigens. The aim of the present study was to obtain a highly specific polyclonal antibody against human CD147 that can be used for sandwich ELISA analysis. Expression of recombinant CD147 by a eukaryotic expression system was used to immunize rabbits to obtain antiserum. A highly specific polyclonal antibody that was able to detect soluble CD147 in sandwich ELISA was obtained by antigen-immunoaffinity chromatography purification. The purity of rabbit anti-CD147 polyclonal antibodies was similar to 99%, and ELISA analysis was able to determine the titer of the rabbit anti-CD147 polyclonal antibodies at 1: 512,000. The lowest concentration of the standard CD147 antigen that the sandwich ELISA was able to detect was 31.25 pg/ml. The sandwich ELISA system was composed of anti-hepatoma HAb18 monoclonal antibodies and purified rabbit anti-CD147 polyclonal antibodies. The present study demonstrated that antigen-immunoaffinity chromatography may be a good technique for the purification of polyclonal antibodies, which may be used to detect antigen in sandwich ELISAs.
Cancer immunotherapy is the use of the immune system to treat cancer. Our current research proposed an optional strategy of activating immune system involving in cancer immunotherapy. When being treated with 2% DMSO in culture medium, Hepa1-6 cells showed depressed proliferation with no significant apoptosis or decreased viability. D-hep cells, Hepa1-6 cells treated with DMSO for 7 days, could restore to the higher proliferation rate in DMSO-free medium, but alteration of gene expression profile was irreversible. Interestingly, tumors from D-hep cells, not Hepa1-6 cells, regressed in wild-type C57BL/6 mice whereas D-hep cells exhibited similar tumorigenesis as Hep1-6 cells in immunodeficient mice. As expected, additional Hepa1-6 cells failed to form tumors in the D-hep-C57 mice in which D-hep cells were eliminated. Further research confirmed that D-hep-C57 mice established anti-tumor immunity against Hepa1-6 cells. Our research proposed viable tumor cells with altered biological features by DMSO-treatment could induce anti-tumor immunity in vivo.
CD147 is expressed at low levels in normal tissues but frequently highly expressed in a wide range of tumor types such as lung, breast, and liver and therefore it is a potentially unique therapeutic target for these diverse tumor types. We previously generated a murine antibody HAb18 which suppresses matrix met al.loproteinase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 secretion, attenuates cell invasion by blocking the CD147 molecule in tumor cells. Here, we generated a chimeric antibody containing the variable heavy and variable light chains of murine HAb18 and the constant regions of human IgG1γ1 and human κ chain as a potential therapeutic agent (designated cHAb18). Quantitative measurement of cHAb18 antibody affinity for antigen CD147 with surface plasmon resonance showed the equilibrium dissociation constant KD was 2.66 × 10−10 mol/L, similar to that of KD 2.73 × 10−10 mol/L for murine HAb18. cHAb18 induced antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity in two hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines, SMMC-7721 and Huh-7 cells. It inhibited cancer invasion and migration in hepatocellular carcinoma cells by specifically blocking CD147. Except for the depression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 expressions, cHAb18 antibody suppressed cell motility by rearrangement of actin cytoskeleton, which was probably induced by decreasing the phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase, phosphatidylinositide-3 kinase (PI3K), Akt, and Girdin in the integrin signaling pathway. In an orthotopic model of hepatocellular carcinoma in BALB/c nude mice, cHAb18 treatment effectively reduced the tumor metastasis in liver and prolonged the survival. These findings reveal new therapeutic potential for cHAb18 antibody targeting CD147 on tumor therapy.