Regulated cell death in glioma: promising targets for natural small-molecule compounds

Gliomas are prevalent malignant tumors in adults, which can be categorized as either localized or diffuse gliomas. Glioblastoma is the most aggressive and deadliest form of glioma. Currently, there is no complete cure, and the median survival time is less than one year. The main mechanism of regulated cell death involves organisms coordinating the elimination of damaged cells at risk of tumor transformation or cells hijacked by microorganisms for pathogen replication. This process includes apoptosis, necroptosis, autophagy, ferroptosis, pyroptosis, necrosis, parthanayosis, entosis, lysosome-dependent death, NETosis, oxiptosis, alkaliptosis, and disulfidaptosis. The main goal of clinical oncology is to develop therapies that promote the effective elimination of cancer cells by regulating cell death are the main goal of clinical oncology. Recently, scientists have utilized pertinent regulatory factors and natural small-molecule compounds to induce regulated cell death for the treatment of gliomas. By analyzing the PubMed and Web of Science databases, this paper reviews the research progress on the regulation of cell death and the role of natural small-molecule compounds in glioma. The aim is to provide help for the treatment of glioblastoma

20(S)-Protopanaxadiol Inhibits Angiotensin II-Induced Epithelial- Mesenchymal Transition by Downregulating SIRT1

20(S)-Protopanaxadiol (PPD) is one of the major active metabolites in ginseng saponin. Our previous studies revealed a broad spectrum of antitumor effects of PPD. Angiotensin II (Ang II), the biologically active peptide of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), plays a critical role in the metastasis of various cancers. However, its role in the anti-metastatic effects of PPD is not clearly understood. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effect of PPD on Ang II-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells, and the potential molecular mechanisms of suppression of NSCLC migration and metastasis by PPD. Treatment of A549 cells with Ang II increased metastases in an experimental model of cancer metastasis in vivo. PPD effectively prevented Ang II-induced EMT, as indicated by upregulation of E-cadherin and downregulation of vimentin. Additionally, Ang II upregulated the class III deacetylase sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) expression in EMT progression, while downregulation of SIRT1 was involved in suppression of Ang II-induced EMT by PPD. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of PPD was reversed by SIRT1 upregulation, and PPD demonstrated synergy with an SIRT1 inhibitor on Ang II-induced EMT. Taken together, our data reveal the mechanism of the anti-metastatic effects of PPD on Ang II-induced EMT and indicate that PPD can be used as an effective anti-tumor treatment

MicroRNAs in Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition Process of Cancer: Potential Targets for Chemotherapy

In the last decades, a kind of small non-coding RNA molecules, called as microRNAs, has been applied as negative regulators in various types of cancer treatment through down-regulation of their targets. More recent studies exert that microRNAs play a critical role in the EMT process of cancer, promoting or inhibiting EMT progression. Interestingly, accumulating evidence suggests that pure compounds from natural plants could modulate deregulated microRNAs to inhibit EMT, resulting in the inhibition of cancer development. This small essay is on the purpose of demonstrating the significance and function of microRNAs in the EMT process as oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes according to studies mainly conducted in the last four years, providing evidence of efficient target therapy. The review also summarizes the drug candidates with the ability to restrain EMT in cancer through microRNA regulation

Phylogenetic Analysis of ALV-J Associated with Immune Responses in Yellow Chicken Flocks in South China

The aim of this study was to better understand the sequence characteristics and immune responses in avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J) infected yellow chicken flocks in South China. We isolated four strains of ALV-J virus from these flocks, which were then identified by several methods, including subtype-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and immunofluorescence assay (IFA). All four viruses were sequenced for their complete genomes and named GD19GZ01, GD19GZ02, GD19GZ03, and GD19GZ04. In comparison with the reference sequence, the homology analysis showed that the gag and pol genes were relatively conserved, whereas env contained much variation. Both GD19GZ01 and GD19GZ02 almost entirely lacked the rTM region and E element, while the latter was retained in GD19GZ03 and GD19GZ04. Moreover, the virus replication levels in GD19GZ03 and GD19GZ04were much higher than those in GD19GZ01 and GD19GZ02. And three virus recombination events in GD19GZ01 and GD19GZ02 were revealed by the results of PDR5 and SimPlot software analysis. Additionally, we found that some interferon-stimulating genes (CH25H, MX, PKR, OAS, and ZAP) and inflammatory mediators (IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, 1L-18, and TNF-α) were significantly upregulated in the immune system organs of clinical chickens. Taken together, these findings clarify and reveal the sequence characteristics and trends in the variation of ALV-J infection in yellow chicken flocks of South China

Rapid Determination of Ochratoxin A in Grape and Its Commodities Based on a Label-Free Impedimetric Aptasensor Constructed by Layer-by-Layer Self-Assembly

A simple and sensitive label-free impedimetric aptasensor for rapid determination of ochratoxin A (OTA) has been developed, which was based on the combination between thiolated aptamer and gold nanoparticles by layer-by-layer self-assembly. Because of the interaction between aptamer and OTA, the relative normalized electron-transfer resistance (ΔRct) values obtained by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was proportional to the concentration of OTA and showed a good linear relationship from 0.1 to 10.0 ng/mL, with a lower detection limit (0.030 ng/mL) than one-step thiolated DNA aptasensor. The established method was successfully applied to detect and analyze OTA in table wine and grape juice, and the recovery was 90.56%⁻104.21% when PVP effective removed of phenolic substances. The label-free impedimetric aptasensor was used for rapid detection and quantitation of OTA in the inoculated grapes with the Aspergillus Nigri (H1), and the production of OTA (62.4 μg/kg, 20 μg/kg) far exceeded the maximum levels of 2 μg/kg after inoculation for three days. The developed method exhibited a good specificity, high sensitivity, time-efficient, and it could be applied to detect the OTA concentration in grape and its commodities

Susceptibility Assessment of Flash Floods: A Bibliometrics Analysis and Review

A flash flood disaster is one of the most destructive natural disasters. With the increase in extreme rainfall events, more and more areas will be threatened by flash floods. The flash flood susceptibility assessment is the basis of flash flood risk assessment and is also an important step in flash flood disaster management. Based on Citespace analysis tools, this study made a bibliometric and visualized analysis of 305 documents collected in the core collection of Web of Science in the past 15 years, including the analysis of the number of publications and citation frequency, influence analysis, keyword analysis, author co-citation analysis, and institutional co-operation analysis. This paper summarizes the current research status and future development trend of flash flood susceptibility assessment from five key research subfields, including assessment scale, assessment unit, assessment index, assessment model, and model assessment method, discusses the analysis of the application of remote sensing and GIS in flash flood susceptibility assessment, discusses the problems encountered in the current research of the five subfields, and provides suggestions for flash flood hazard control

Laxative Effects of Yangyin Tongmi Capsule on a Model of Diphenoxylate-Induced Constipation in Mice

Constipation is characterized by reduced number of bowel movements, dry stools, and difficult defecation. Yangyin Tongmi capsule (YTC), a traditional Chinese formula, is used in the treatment of constipation, while the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Herein, this work attempted to prove the effects of YTC on constipation treatment and its possible mechanisms. KM mice were randomly divided into four groups (n = 10/group) and treated with double distilled water (Control), diphenoxylate (Model: 10 mg/kg), or diphenoxylate plus low-dose YTC (L-YTC: 0.6 g/kg) or high-dose YTC (H-YTC: 1.2 g/kg). The data indicated that YTC can significantly shorten the discharge time of the first black stool, improve intestinal propulsion rate, and increase the water content and quantity of feces in mice. ELISA suggested that YTC regulate the content of intestinal hormones and neurotransmitters, such as motilin (MTL), gastrin (GT), somatostatin (SST), substance P (SP), acetylcholine (Ach), and nitric oxide (NO). The expression levels of aquaporin 3 (AQP3) and aquaporin 8 (AQP8) in the colon were examined by immunohistochemistry. In the meantime, the expression levels of P2X2, C-kit, and stem cell factor (SCF) in the colon were examined by western blot analysis. The results of this study suggest that YTC has mitigative effects on diphenoxylate-induced constipation by regulating the content of intestinal hormones and neurotransmitters and regulating the expression of related proteins in the colon