10 research outputs found
The application of stem cells in the treatment of ischemic diseases
Ischemia causes oxygen deprivation, cell
injury and related organ dysfunction. Although ischemic
injury may be local, it involves many biochemical
changes in different cell types. The ability of stem cells
to differentiate into different cell lineages provides the
possibility of their use in treating a variety of diseases
requiring tissue repair or reconstitution, such as stroke,
ischemic retinopathy, myocardial infarction, ischemic
disorders of the liver, ischemic renal failure, and
ischemic limb dysfunction. Several cell types including
embryonic stem cells, various progenitor and stem cells
of hematopoietic or mesenchymal origin have been used
in attempts to reconstitute injured tissue. Xenologous or
autologous stem cells may be administered either
through the peripheral vascular system or directly by
regional injection. The stem cells are then guided to the
infarct site by homing signals. Either by cell
differentiation or paracrine effects, stem cells or
progenitor cells participate in the reconstruction of a
favorable microenvironment resulting in
neovascularization and tissue regeneration that
eventually improve the physiological function of organs
with ischemic damage
Houttuynia cordata Thunb extract induces apoptosis through mitochondrial-dependent pathway in HT-29 human colon adenocarcinoma cells
The Houttuynia cordata Thunb (HCT) extract has been used as a traditional Chinese herb medicine and as well as an effective drug for treating allergic inflammation for thousands of years. In this study, we investigated the anticancer activity of HCT and its molecular mechanisms in the human colon adenocarcinoma cell line HT-29. HCT inhibited HT-29 cell viability in a dose- and time-dependent manner by MTT assay. Treatment with 450 mu g/ml of HCT for 48 and 72 h led to DNA damage and apoptosis by DAPI staining and comet assay. HCT increased reactive oxygen species production and decreased the levels of mitochondria membrane potential (MMP) in HT-29 cells by flow cytometry analysis. HCT caused the release of cytochrome c, Apaf-1, pro-caspase-9 and AIF from mitochondria via a decrease of the MMP. The decrease of MMP was then associated with a decrease in the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 and activation of caspase-9 and -3 by Western blotting and caspase activity assay. Caspase-9 and -3 inhibitors almost completely suppressed HCT-induced caspase-9 and -3 activities. Our results demonstrated that the HCT-induced apoptosis in human colon adeno-carcinoma cell line HT-29 might be related to a mitochondrial- dependent pathway
Highly (100) oriented Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O 3/LaNiO3 films grown on amorphous substrates by pulsed laser deposition
10.1007/s00339-007-3968-yApplied Physics A: Materials Science and Processing882365-370APAM