Fang Liu

Background: Current therapeutic strategies on patients with lymphomas remains limited. Previously we found the suppressive effect of Ophiorrhiza pumila (OPE) on hepatocarcinoma. In present study, the effect of OPE on lymphoma in vitro and in vivo were investigated. Methods: CCK-8 assay was applied to detect the effect of OPE on cell proliferation. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the effect of OPE on cell cycle distribution and apoptosis. Xenograft mouse model was conducted to determine the anti-tumor activity of OPE. TNUEL assay was performed to detect the apoptosis in tumor tissues. Western blot and immuno-histochemistry were used to determine protein expression. Results: In vitro tests indicate that OPE suppressed A20 cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner. OPE treatment induced cell cycle arrest at S phase and elevated apoptosis in A20 cells. OPE displayed a significant inhibition in tumor growth in a mouse xenograft model. OPE promoted apoptosis of tumor cell in the mouse model Cleaved caspase 3 expression and Bax/Bcl2 ratio were also enhanced. In addition, OPE suppressed A20 cell viability partially by reducing phosphorylation of EGFR. Conclusions: Our data showed that OPE suppressed the proliferation of lymphoma cells and promoted apoptosis in vitro and in vivo, which might be partially mediated by inactivating EGFR signaling.

Lymphoma is accompanied by the impairment of multiple immune functions. Cytokines play an important role in a variety of immune-related functions and affect the tumor microenvironment. However, the exact regulatory mechanisms between them remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the cytokines expression and function in Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). We performed a transcriptome integration analysis of 14 lymphoma datasets including 240 Hodgkin's lymphoma, 891 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 216 mantle cell lymphoma, and 64 health samples. The results showed that multiple immune functions and signal pathway damage were shared by all three types of lymphoma, and these functions were related to cytokines. Furthermore, through co-expression network and functional interaction network analysis, we identified CXCL14 as a key regulator and it affects cell chemotaxis and migration functions. The functional experiment showed that CXCL14 knockdown inhibited cell migration in MCL cell lines. This study suggested that high expression of CXCL14 may aggravate MCL via promoting cell migration. Our findings provide novel insights into the biology of this disease and would be helpful for the pathogenesis study and drug discovery of lymphomas.

BackgroundRelapse and drug resistance of lymphomas are common, howerver the treatment efficacy of current therapeutic strategies remains unsatisfied. Our current study revealed that the extract of Ophiorrhiza pumila (OPE) has a potential anti-liver cancer activity. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of OPE on preventing lymphomas and explored the underlying mechanisms.MethodsCCK-8 assay was applied to detect the effect of OPE on cell proliferation. Flow cytometry was used to analyzed the effect of OPE on cell cycle distribution, and apoptosis. Xenograft mouse model was conducted to determine the anti-tumor activity of OPE. TNUEL assay was performed to detect the apoptosis in tumor tissues. Western blot and immunohistochemistry were used to determined protein expression.ResultsOPE decreased A20 cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner. OPE treatment induced cell cycle arrest at S phase and elevated apoptosis in A20 cells. Moreover, OPE displayed a significant inhibition in tumor growth in a mouse model. OPE increased apoptosis in tumor tissues revealed by TUNEL assay, which was companied with enhanced cleaved caspase 3 expression and Bax/Bcl2 ratio. In addition, our data showed that OPE suppressed A20 cell viability partially by reducing EGFR phosphorylation.ConclusionsOur data showed that OPE has an inhibitory effect on A20 cell proliferation and tumor growth, which is mediated by inactivation of EGFR and enhanced apoptosis.

Two new hasubanan alkaloids, stephalonester A (1) and stephalonester B (2), together with four known compounds, stephalonine E (3), longanone (4), cephatonine (5), and prostephabyssine (6) were isolated from the whole plant of Stephania longa. Their structures were determined by HR-ESI-MS, 1 D and 2 D NMR, ECD calculations, as well as by comparison with literature values. All compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activity in vitro. Compounds 4, 5, and 6 exhibited significantly inhibitory effects on TNF-α and IL-6 production with IC₅₀ values range from 6.54 to 30.44 µM. Graphical Abstract

Transcriptome differences between Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), which are all derived from B cell, remained unclear. This study aimed to construct lymphoma-specific diagnostic models by screening lymphoma marker genes. Transcriptome data of HL, DLBCL, and MCL were obtained from public databases. Lymphoma marker genes were screened by comparing cases and controls as well as the intergroup differences among lymphomas. A total of 9 HL marker genes, 7 DLBCL marker genes, and 4 MCL marker genes were screened in this study. Most HL marker genes were upregulated, whereas DLBCL and MCL marker genes were downregulated compared to controls. The optimal HL-specific diagnostic model contains one marker gene (MYH2) with an AUC of 0.901. The optimal DLBCL-specific diagnostic model contains 7 marker genes (LIPF, CCDC144B, PRO2964, PHF1, SFTPA2, NTS, and HP) with an AUC of 0.951. The optimal MCL-specific diagnostic model contains 3 marker genes (IGLV3-19, IGKV4-1, and PRB3) with an AUC of 0.843. The present study reveals the transcriptome data-based differences between HL, DLBCL, and MCL, when combined with other clinical markers, may help the clinical diagnosis and prognosis.

Metastasis is a major cause of breast cancer death. MPP7 is a cell polarity controller highly linked to cell migration; however, the function of MPP7 in breast cancer remains unknown. In this study, we reported that MPP7 expression was upregulated in breast cancer tissues and high MPP7 expression predicted poor survival in patients with breast cancer. Ectopic expression of MPP7 markedly enhanced the migration and invasion in breast cancer cells. In contrast, depletion of MPP7 resulted in impaired cell mobility and metastasis. Moreover, we demonstrated that MPP7 exerted its promotional effect via modulation of EMT and activation of the EGFR/AKT cascade. Our study reveals an oncogenic role of MPP7 in breast cancer and suggests that MPP7 may serve as a potential target for exploring novel therapeutic strategies against breast cancer metastasis.

The novel coronavirus (SARS‑CoV‑2) appeared in2019 in Wuhan, China, and rapidly developed into a global pandemic. The disease has affected not only health care systems and economies worldwide but has also changed the lifestyles and habits of the majority of the world's population. Among the potential targets for SARS‑CoV‑2 therapy, the viral spike glycoprotein has been studied most intensely, due to its key role in mediating viral entry into target cells and inducing a protective antibody response in infected individuals. In the present manuscript the molecular mechanisms that are responsible for SARS‑CoV‑2 infection are described and a progress report on the status of SARS‑CoV‑2 research is provided. A brief review of the clinical symptoms of the condition and current diagnostic methods and treatment plans for SARS‑CoV‑2 are also presented and the progress of preclinical research into medical intervention against SARS‑CoV‑2 infection are discussed.

Recently, magnetic nanomaterials have emerged as multifunctional materials for a wide range of biomedical applications. Functional magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (FMIONs) are typical magnetic nanomaterials with inherent advantages for disease diagnosis, prevention, and treatment: high specific surface area, excellent superparamagnetism, good colloidal stability, and remarkable biosafety. Therefore, FMION‐based biomedicine has advanced at an unprecedented rate in recent years. However, the performance of FMIONs cannot yet meet complicated physiological circumstances. To overcome these limitations, researchers have designed and manipulated the geometric shapes, sizes, compositions, and surfaces to endow these FMIONs with high performance. This review summarizes recent advances in the controlled synthesis of FMIONs, cover corresponding theories of nucleation and growth in solution, and the tuning of FMION properties for disease diagnosis and therapy. After discussing the biomedical applications in cancer theranostics—tumor hyperthermia, magnetic resonance imaging and drug delivery system—in detail, the review concludes with current challenges and outlooks for the development of FMIONs.

Chemokine receptors, a diverse group within the seven-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor superfamily, are frequently overexpressed in malignant tumors. Ligand binding activates multiple downstream signal transduction cascades that drive tumor growth and metastasis, resulting in poor clinical outcome. These receptors are thus considered promising targets for anti-tumor therapy. This article reviews recent studies on the expression and function of CXC chemokine receptors in various tumor microenvironments and recent developments in cancer therapy using CXC chemokine receptor antagonists.