Imaging Immunosenescence

Total flavonoids of Oldenlandia diffusa (Willd.) Roxb. suppresses the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma through endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated autophagy and apoptosis

Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world. Although the current treatment methods for HCC are gradually increasing, its efficacy still cannot meet the medical needs of patients with liver cancer, and new and effective treatment strategies are urgently needed. The total flavonoids of Oldenlandia diffusa (FOD) are the main active components in Oldenlandia diffusa, which have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-tumor effects, but their mechanism of action in liver cancer is unclear. In this study, we examined the effect of FOD on HCC. Using both in vitro and in vivo models, we confirmed that FOD inhibited HCC proliferation and induced apoptosis and autophagy. Mechanistic studies have shown that FOD induces apoptosis and activates autophagy in HCC cells by inducing endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress) and activating the PERK-eIF2α-ATF4 signaling pathway. Taken together, our results suggest that FOD is a potential anticancer drug targeting ER stress for the treatment of HCC.

AKT inhibitor AZD5363 suppresses stemness and promotes anti-cancer activity of 3,3'-diindolylmethane in human breast cancer cells

3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM) is a dimer compound converted from Indoly-3-carbinol that had been studied as promising chemo-preventive agent against breast cancer. In this study, we observed that proportion of CD133⁺Nanog⁺ subpopulation in MCF-7 cells was significantly increased after DIM administration with up-regulated AKT activity by using CyTOF assay. SPADE analysis revealed this stem-like subpopulation exhibited apoptosis-resistance property against DIM treatment. By combining with AKT inhibitor AZD5363, DIM induced CD133 expression could be suppressed. In addition, a combination treatment of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells with DIM and AZD5363 showed synergistic decreases in cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. Furthermore, results from imaging flow cytometry suggested that FoxO3a nuclear localization and PUMA expression could be improved by combination of AZD5363 with DIM. Taken together, the above observations suggested that the combination of AZD5363 with DIM could be developed as potential therapy for breast cancer.

Amyloid-beta uptake by blood monocytes is reduced with ageing and Alzheimer's disease

Deficits in the clearance of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD). The roles of blood monocytes in the development of AD remain unclear. In this study, we sought to investigate the alterations in the Aβ phagocytosis function of peripheral monocytes during ageing and in AD patients. A total of 104 cognitively normal participants aged 22-89 years, 24 AD patients, 25 age- and sex-matched cognitively normal (CN) subjects, 15 Parkinson's disease patients (PD), and 15 age- and sex-matched CN subjects were recruited. The Aβ uptake by blood monocytes was measured and its alteration during ageing and in AD patients were investigated. Aβ_1-42 uptake by monocytes decreased during ageing and further decreased in AD but not in PD patients. Aβ_1-42 uptake by monocytes was associated with Aβ_1-42 levels in the blood. Among the Aβ uptake-related receptors and enzymes, the expression of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) was reduced in monocytes from AD patients. Our findings suggest that monocytes regulate the blood levels of Aβ and might be involved in the development of AD. The recovery of the Aβ uptake function by blood monocytes represents a potential therapeutic strategy for AD.