Overexpression of microRNA let-7 correlates with disease progression and poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma

The aim of the study was to explore the clinical significance of let-7 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).A PCR array was conducted to screen for let-7 expression in early-stage HCC. Next, the deregulation of let-7 was confirmed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) in another set of liver tissues, including normal control (NC), chronic hepatitis (CH), liver cirrhosis (LC), HCC, and adjacent nontumor (NT) tissues. In addition, as the potential target mRNA of let-7, alpha 2(I) collagen (COL1A2) mRNA was also quantified in the above liver tissues. Finally, an association study comparing let-7 and COL1A2 and their clinical significance in HCC was conducted.PCR array analysis revealed that the expression levels of let-7a/7b/7c were significantly downregulated in early-stage HCC compared to those in NT tissues. As compared to NC samples, qRT-PCR further confirmed that let-7a/7b/7c/7e were significantly upregulated in CH, LC, and NT tissues, while there were no significant differences in expression between the HCC and NC groups. Although COL1A2 may be the target mRNA of let-7, only let-7c expression was inversely correlated with COL1A2 mRNA expression in CH tissues. In HCC tissues, levels of let-7a/7b/7c/7e were positively correlated with that of COL1A2 mRNA. The clinical significance study revealed that elevated let-7a expression was significantly correlated with serosal and vein invasion, while elevated let-7c expression was significantly correlated with vein invasion and advanced TNM stage. Elevated let-7e expression was significantly correlated with vein invasion in HCC. Significantly shorter postoperative overall survival was observed in HCC patients with high let-7c expression.The results suggest that aberrant expression of let-7a/7b/7c/7e occurs in benign liver diseases and HCC. The upregulation of let-7 expression is associated with the progression and poor prognosis of HCC, and further mechanistic studies are warranted.

Dual targeting of Polo-like kinase 1 and baculoviral inhibitor of apoptosis repeat-containing 5 in TP53-mutated hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), often diagnosed at advanced stages without curative therapies, is the fifth most common malignant cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is activated in the late G2 phase of the cell cycle and is required for entry to mitosis. Interestingly, PLK1 is overexpressed in many HCC patients and is highly associated with poor clinical outcome. Baculoviral inhibitor of apoptosis repeat-containing 5 (BIRC5) is also highly overexpressed in HCC and plays key roles in this malignancy.

AIM

To determine the expression patterns of PLK1 and BIRC5, as well as their correlation with p53 mutation status and patient clinical outcome.

METHODS

The expression patterns of PLK1 and BIRC5, and their correlation with p53 mutation status or patient clinical outcome were analyzed using a TCGA HCC dataset. Cell viability, cell apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest assays were conducted to investigate the efficacy of the PLK1 inhibitors volasertib and GSK461364 and the BIRC5 inhibitor YM155, alone or in combination. The in vivo efficacy of volasertib and YM155, alone or in combination, was assessed in p53-mutated Huh7-derived xenograft models in immune-deficient NSIG mice.

RESULTS

Our bioinformatics analysis using a TCGA HCC dataset revealed that PLK1 and BIRC5 were overexpressed in the same patient subset and their expression was highly correlated. The overexpression of both PLK1 and BIRC5 was more frequently detected in HCC with p53 mutations. High PLK1 or BIRC5 expression significantly correlated with poor clinical outcome. PLK1 inhibitors (volasertib and GSK461364) or a BIRC5 inhibitor (YM155) selectively targeted Huh7 cells with mutated p53, but not HepG2 cells with wild-type p53. The combination treatment of volasertib and YM155 synergistically inhibited the viability of Huh7 cells via apoptotic pathway. The efficacy of volasertib and YM155, alone or in combination, was validated in vivo in a Huh7-derived xenograft model.

CONCLUSION

PLK1 and BIRC5 are highly co-expressed in p53-mutated HCC and inhibition of both PLK1 and BIRC5 synergistically compromises the viability of p53-mutated HCC cells in vitro and in vivo.

Optimized culture methods for isolating small extracellular vesicles derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells

Extracellular vesicles that are derived from stem cells play an important role in the treatment of disease. To obtain high-quality small extracellular vesicles (sEVs), we optimized the culture conditions of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), the supernatant collection time, and sEVs extraction methods. Firstly, hiPSCs were cultured in extracellular vesicles-production medium (EVs-PM) containing different concentrations (0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 2%, 5%, and 20%) of extracellular vesicle-depleted knockout serum replacement (ED-KSR), and the culture supernatants were collected continuously for 5 days. Then, the sEVs were isolated, followed by an evaluation of their characteristics. The survival rates of the hiPSCs lines that were cultured in EVs-PM containing 0.5% to 20% ED-KSR were not significantly different (P > 0.05). The survival rates of the hiPSCs in 0.5% ED-KSR after the culture supernatants were continuously collected for day 1, day 3, and day 5 were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). After 5 days of continuous collection of the supernatant, the hiPSCs expressed some pluripotent markers, while SSEA4 and TRA-1-60 expression changed gradually. The sEVs that were extracted by the two methods were all 50-200 nm, double-layered and oval or round cellular vesicles and expressed the marker proteins CD63, TSG101, and HSP70. The characteristics of sEVs extracted on day 1, day 3, and day 5 were almost identical on morphology, size and the relative quantity of annexin V-positive subpopulations. The PKH67 staining showed that the sEVs could be endocytosed by HepG2 cells and aggregated in the cytoplasm. The proliferation experiments showed that the sEVs can promote cell proliferation. In Conclusion, the 0.5% ED-KSR is the optimal concentration, and that the hiPSCs culture supernatant can be continuously collected for 5 days while maintaining high cell viability and some pluripotent characteristics. Both of the methods extraction can be used to obtain biologically active sEVs.

The Diagnostic Value of Chemokine/Chemokine Receptor Pairs in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Colorectal Liver Metastasis

Chemokines and their receptors have been proposed to play important roles in tumor progression and metastasis. To investigate their roles in the progression of primary and metastatic malignant liver tumors and their prognosis, we compared expression profiles of CXCL12/CXCR4, CCL20/CCR6, and CCL21/CCR7 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). Immunohistochemistry was used to analyze the expression levels of the chemokine/chemokine receptor pairs in 29 HCC and 11 CRLM specimens and adjacent non-cancerous tissues, and correlations with clinicopathological variables and overall survival were determined. CCL20/CCR6 expression was higher in HCC than in adjacent non-cancerous tissues. High CCR6 expression in HCC was negatively associated with 5-year survival rate and was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival of HCC patients, whereas differences were not observed between CRLM and adjacent tissues. Furthermore, significantly higher expression of CCL21/CCR7 was found in CRLM than in HCC. In summary, the CCL20/CCR6 axis was elevated in HCC but not in CRLM, whereas the CCL21/CCR7 axis was elevated in CRLM but not in HCC.

Mice lacking the proton channel Hv1 exhibit sex-specific differences in glucose homeostasis

Sex as a physiologic factor has a strong association with the features of metabolic syndrome. Our previous study showed that loss of the voltage-gated proton channel Hv1 inhibits insulin secretion and leads to hyperglycemia and glucose intolerance in male mice. However, there are significant differences in blood glucose between male and female Hv1-knockout (KO) mice. Here, we investigated the differences in glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity between male and female KO mice and how sex steroids contribute to these differences. We found that the fasting blood glucose in female KO mice was visibly lower than that in male KO mice, which was accompanied by hypotestosteronemia. KO mice in both sexes exhibited higher expression of gluconeogenesis-related genes in liver compared with WT mice. Also, the livers from KO males displayed a decrease in glycolysis-related gene expression and an increase in gluconeogenesis-related gene expression compared with KO females. Furthermore, exogenous testosterone supplementation decreased blood glucose levels in male KO mice, as well as enhancing insulin signaling. Taken together, our data demonstrate that knockout of Hv1 results in higher blood glucose levels in male than female mice, despite a decreased insulin secretion in both sexes. This sex-related difference in glucose homeostasis is associated with the glucose metabolism in liver tissue, likely due to the physiological levels of testosterone in KO male mice.

ACT001 inhibited CD133 transcription by targeting and inducing Olig2 ubiquitination degradation

Lung cancer is the most lethal malignancies with high aggressive and poor prognosis. Until now, the five-year survival rate has not been improved which brings serious challenge to human health. Lung cancer stem cells (LCSCs) serve as the root of cancer occurrence, progression, recurrence, and drug resistance. Therefore, effective anti-cancer agents and molecular mechanisms which could specifically eliminate LCSCs are urgently needed for drug design. In this article, we discovered Olig2 was overexpressed in clinical lung cancer tissues and acted as a transcription factor to regulate cancer stemness by regulating CD133 gene transcription. The results suggested Olig2 could be a promising target in anti-LCSCs therapy and new drugs targeted Olig2 may exhibit excellent clinical results. Furthermore, we verified ACT001, a guaianolide sesquiterpene lactone in phase II clinical trial with excellent glioma remission, inhibited cancer stemness by directly binding to Olig2 protein, inducing Olig2 ubiquitination degradation and inhibiting CD133 gene transcription. All these results suggested that Olig2 could be an excellent druggable target in anti-LCSCs therapy and lay a foundation for the further application of ACT001 in the treatment of lung cancer in clinical.

Identification of a bile acid and bile salt metabolism-related lncRNA signature for predicting prognosis and treatment response in hepatocellular carcinoma

Bile acids and salts have been shown to play a role in liver carcinogenesis through DNA damage, inflammation, and tumor proliferation. However, the correlation between bile acid metabolism and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prognosis remains unclear. This study aimed to identify a predictive signature of bile acid and bile salt metabolism-related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) for HCC prognosis and treatment response. The study used HCC RNA-sequencing data and corresponding clinical and prognostic data from The Cancer Genome Atlas. A prognostic model consisting of five bile acid and bile salt metabolism-related lncRNAs was developed and evaluated in a training set, a validation set and an external set. The model demonstrated good performance in predicting HCC prognosis and was shown to be an independent biomarker for prognosis. Additionally, our study revealed a significant association between the signature and immune cell infiltration, as well as its predictive value for therapeutic responses to both immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Furthermore, three LncRNAs (LUCAT1, AL031985.3 and AC015908.3) expression levels in our signature were validated through qRT-PCR in a cohort of 50 pairs of HCC patient tumor samples and corresponding adjacent non-tumor samples, along with 10 samples of normal liver tissue adjacent to benign lesions. These findings suggest that this novel bile acid and bile salt metabolism-related lncRNA signature can independently predict the prognosis of patients with HCC and may be utilized as a potential predictor of response to treatment in this setting.

Combining local regional therapy and systemic therapy: Expected changes in the treatment landscape of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma

Improvements in early screening, new diagnostic techniques, and surgical treatment have led to continuous downward trends in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) morbidity and mortality rates. However, high recurrence and refractory cancer after hepatectomy remain important factors affecting the long-term prognosis of HCC. The clinical characteristics and prognosis of recurrent HCC are heterogeneous, and guidelines on treatment strategies for recurrent HCC are lacking. Therapies such as surgical resection, radiofrequency ablation, and transhepatic arterial chemoembolization are effective for tumors confined to the liver, and targeted therapy is a very important treatment for unresectable recurrent HCC with systemic metastasis. With the deepening of the understanding of the immune microenvironment of HCC, blocking immune checkpoints to enhance the antitumor immune response has become a new direction for the treatment of HCC. In addition, improvements in the tumor immune microenvironment caused by local treatment may provide an opportunity to improve the therapeutic effect of HCC treatment. Ongoing and future clinical trial data of combined therapy may develop the new treatment scheme for recurrent HCC. This paper reviews the pattern of recurrent HCC and the characteristics of the immune microenvironment, demonstrates the basis for combining local treatment and systemic treatment, and reports current evidence to better understand current progress and future approaches in the treatment of recurrent HCC.

Influencing factors and predictive model of postoperative infection in patients with primary hepatic carcinoma

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to explore the risk factors for postoperative infection in patients with primary hepatic carcinoma (PHC), build a nomogram prediction model, and verify the model to provide a better reference for disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

METHODS

This single-center study included 555 patients who underwent hepatobiliary surgery in the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Tianjin Third Central Hospital from January 2014 to December 2021, and 32 clinical indicators were selected for statistical analysis. In this study, Lasso logistic regression was used to determine the risk factors for infection after liver cancer resection, establish a predictive model, and construct a visual nomogram. The consistency index (C-index), calibration curve, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used for internal validation, and decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to analyze the clinical applicability of the predictive model. The bootstrap method was used for intramodel validation, and the C-index was calculated to assess the model discrimination.

RESULTS

Among the 555 patients, 279 patients met the inclusion criteria, of whom 48 had a postoperative infection, with an incidence rate of 17.2%. Body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.022), alpha-fetoprotein (P = 0.023), total bilirubin (P = 0.016), intraoperative blood loss (P < 0.001), and bile leakage (P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for infection after liver cancer surgery. The nomogram was constructed and verified to have good discriminative and predictive ability. DCA showed that the model had good clinical applicability. The C-index value verified internally by the bootstrap method results was 0.818.

CONCLUSION

Postoperative infection in patients undergoing hepatectomy may be related to risk factors such as BMI, preoperative AFP level, TBIL level, intraoperative blood loss and bile leakage. The prediction model of the postoperative infection nomogram established in this study can better predict and estimate the risk of postoperative infection in patients undergoing hepatectomy.

Therapeutic Potential of Stem Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles in Liver Injury

Liver injury caused by various factors significantly impacts human health. Stem cell transplantation has potential for enhancing liver functionality, but safety concerns such as immune rejection, tumorigenesis, and the formation of emboli in the lungs remain. Recent studies have shown that stem cells primarily exert their effects through the secretion of extracellular vesicles (EVs). EVs have been shown to play crucial roles in reducing inflammation, preventing cell death, and promoting liver cell proliferation. Additionally, they can function as carriers to deliver targeted drugs to the liver, thereby exerting specific physiological effects. EVs possess several advantages, including structural stability, low immunogenicity, minimal tumorigenicity targeting capabilities, and convenient collection. Consequently, EVs have garnered significant attention from researchers and are expected to become alternative therapeutic agents to stem cell therapy. This article provides a comprehensive review of the current research progress in the use of stem cell-derived EVs in the treatment of liver injury.

Expression of 10 circulating cytokines/chemokines in HBV-related liver disease

BACKGROUND

Cytokines/chemokines play essential roles in the occurrence and progression of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. This study aimed to observe the expression patterns of 10 related cytokines/chemokines in the serum of healthy individuals, self-limited patients and HBV-infected patients at different stages of disease (chronic hepatitis B (CHB), liver cirrhosis (LC), hepatocellular dysplastic nodules (DNs) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)) and to analyze the relationships of these cytokines/chemokines with disease progression.

METHODS

The levels of six cytokines (FGF-2, IFN-α2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10 and VEGF-A) and four chemokines (GRO-α, IL-8, IP-10 and MCP-1) were quantified using Luminex multiplex technology.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences in the expression of the 10 cytokines/chemokines between healthy individuals and self-limited patients. The levels of IL-4, IL-6, and IL-8 increased significantly in the CHB and LC groups. IL-10 was highly expressed in the HCC group. The level of IP-10 was significantly greater in all liver disease groups (CHB, LC, DN and HCC) than in the HI and SL-HBV groups, while the level of GRO was significantly lower in all liver disease groups than in the HI and SL-HBV groups. The levels of the 10 cytokines/chemokines were not significantly different between the preoperative group and the two-day postoperative group. Significant increases in the levels of IL-4, VEGF-A and IL-8 and significant decreases in those of IL-10 and GRO-α were observed 3 months after surgery. Correlation analysis revealed that most of the cytokines/chemokines with significant correlation differences were positively correlated before and after HCC surgery.

CONCLUSION

Our results highlight the fluctuating status of specific cytokines in HBV infection-related disease progression. It is speculated that these cytokines may be used as serum markers to monitor dynamic changes during the progression of HBV-related liver disease and to predict patient prognosis.