Raloxifene upregulated mesangial cell MMP-2 activity via ER-β through transcriptional regulation

Is the beta estradiol receptor receiving enough attention for its metabolic importance in postmenopause?

The relationship between menopause and the development of metabolic diseases is well established. In postmenopause women, there is an expansion of visceral white adipose tissue (WATv), which highly contributes to the rise of circulating lipids. Meanwhile, muscle glucose uptake decreases and hepatic glucose production increases. Consequently, in the pancreas, lipotoxicity and glycotoxicity lead to deficient insulin production. These factors initiate an energy imbalance and enhance the probability of developing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Although the activation of estradiol receptors (ER) has been shown to be beneficial for the WAT stock pattern, leading to the insulin-sensitive phenotype, authors have described the risk of these receptors' activation, contributing to neoplasia development. The selective activation of beta-type ER (ERβ) seems to be a promising strategy in the treatment of energy imbalance, acting on several tissues of metabolic importance and allowing an intervention with less risk for the development of estrogen-dependent neoplasia. However, the literature on the risks and benefits of selective ERβ activation still needs to increase. In this review, several aspects related to ERβ were considered, such as its physiological role in tissues of energy importance, beneficial effects, and risks of its stimulation during menopause. PubMed, SciELO, Cochrane, and Medline/Bireme databases were used in this study.

CDS-1548 induces apoptosis in HeLa cells by activating caspase 3

Cervical cancer continues to be a threat to female health globally. In the present study, the potential anticancer activity of 2-[2-hydroxyl-1-(4-methoxy phenyl) ethyl]-3-(4-benzyloxy phenyl) isoindolin-1-one (CDS-1548), was evaluated in HeLa cells. CDS-1548 is an organic small-molecule compound characterized by two chiral centers, with the nuclear parent 1H-isoindolin-1-one. CDS-1548 administration significantly elevated the transcriptional activity of p53 and its downstream target genes in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, CDS-1548 treatment increased the expression levels of p53 and mouse double minute 2 homolog, as well as inducing apoptosis in HeLa cells. Furthermore, CDS-1548 treatment downregulated the expression of B-cell lymphoma 2, upregulated Bcl-2 homologous antagonist killer, promoted the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytoplasm, and activated the production of caspase 3 and 9. Collectively, these results suggested that CDS-1548 inhibited HeLa cell proliferation by promoting G₂/M cell cycle phase arrest and inducting of mitochondria-mediated apoptosis.

In silico study of principal sex hormone effects on post-injury synovial inflammatory response

Following an anterior cruciate ligament injury, premenopausal females tend to experience poorer outcomes than males, and sex hormones are thought to contribute to the disparity. Evidence seems to suggest that the sex hormones estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone may regulate the inflammation caused by macrophages, which invade the knee after an injury. While the individual effects of hormones on macrophage inflammation have been studied in vitro, their combined effects on post-injury inflammation in the knee have not been examined, even though both males and females have detectable levels of both estrogen and testosterone. In the present work, we developed an in silico kinetic model of the post-injury inflammatory response in the human knee joint and the hormonal influences that may shape that response. Our results indicate that post-injury, sex hormone concentrations observed in females may lead to a more pro-inflammatory, catabolic environment, while the sex hormone concentrations observed in males may lead to a more anti-inflammatory environment. These findings suggest that the female hormonal milieu may lead to increased catabolism, potentially worsening post-injury damage to the cartilage for females compared to males. The model developed herein may inform future in vitro and in vivo studies that seek to uncover the origins of sex differences in outcomes and may ultimately serve as a starting point for developing targeted therapies to prevent or reduce the cartilage damage that results from post-injury inflammation, particularly for females.

Anti-Endometriotic Effects of Pueraria Flower Extract in Human Endometriotic Cells and Mice

Pueraria flowers have been used as a vegetable and an ingredient for tea and jelly. In this study, we investigated the effects of Pueraria flower extract (PFE) on endometriosis, a common gynaecological disease characterised by local sterile inflammation of peritoneal cavity. PFE suppressed the adhesion of human endometriotic cells 11Z and 12Z to human mesothelial Met5A cells. In addition, PFE significantly inhibited the migration of 11Z and 12Z cells as shown by wound-healing and transwell migration assays. PFE reduced the protein and mRNA levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 in endometriotic cells. Moreover, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 was activated by PFE treatment, and an ERK1/2 inhibitor, PD98059, significantly inhibited PFE-inhibited cell migration in endometriotic cells. Furthermore, PFE significantly suppressed endometriotic lesion formation in a mouse model. These data suggest that Pueraria flower is a potential anti-endometriotic agent for the inhibition of endometriotic cell adhesion, migration, and MMP expression.

Netrin-4 as a biomarker promotes cell proliferation and invasion in gastric cancer

Gastric cancer (GC) is the second most common cause of cancer-related death with limited serum biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis. Netrin-4 (Ntn4) is a laminin-related secreted molecule found to regulate tumor progression and metastasis. However, it is completely unknown whether Ntn4 has roles in GC development. Here, we first reported Ntn4 knockdown significantly suppressed cell proliferation and motility, while overexpression or addition of exogenous Ntn4 reversed these effects. In addition, Ntn4 receptor, neogenin (Neo) was also found highly expressed in GC cells and mediated the Ntn4-induced cell proliferation and invasion. Moreover, Ntn4 or Neo silencing decreased the phosphorylation of Stat3, ERK, Akt and p38, indicating multi-oncogenic pathways (Jak/Stat, PI3K/Akt, and ERK/MAPK) were involved in Ntn4-induced effects on the GC cells. Importantly, Ntn4 level was significantly increased in 82 tumor tissues (p = 0.001) and 52 serum samples (p < 0.0001) from GC patients and positively correlated with Neo expression (p = 0.003). Ntn4 expression was negatively correlated with the survival period (p = 0.038), and positively associated with the severity of pathological stages of the tumors (p = 0.008). Taken together, Ntn4 promoted the proliferation and motility of GC cells which was mediated by its receptor Neo and through further activation of multi-oncogenic pathways. Elevated Ntn4 was detected in both tumor tissues and serum samples of GC patients and suggested a relatively poor survival, indicating Ntn4 may be used as a potential non-invasive biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of GC.

Mechanism of raloxifene-induced upregulation of glutamate transporters in rat primary astrocytes

Raloxifene (RX), a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), exerts neuroprotection in multiple clinical and experimental settings. Astrocytic glutamate transporters GLT-1 (EAAT2) and GLAST (EAAT1) are the main glutamate transporters in the central nervous system, taking up most of excess glutamate from the synaptic cleft to prevent excitotoxic neuronal death. Since drugs targeting astrocytic glutamate transporters to enhance their expression and function represent potential therapeutics for neurodegenerative disorders associated with excitotoxicity, we tested if RX modulates the expression and function of GLT-1 and GLAST in rat primary astrocytes. The results showed that RX significantly increased glutamate uptake and expression of GLT-1 mRNA and protein levels. RX enhanced GLT-1 expression by the activation of multiple signaling pathways including ERK, EGFR, and CREB mediated by estrogen receptors (ERs) ER-α, ER-β, and GPR30. At the transcriptional level, NF-κB played a critical role in RX-induced GLT-1 expression as RX increased NF-κB reporter activity and induced binding of NF-κB p65 and p50 to the GLT-1 promoter. RX attenuated the reduction of GLT-1 expression and glutamate uptake induced by manganese (Mn) whose chronic high levels of exposure cause manganism. RX also upregulated GLAST by increasing its promoter activity and protein levels via the NF-κB pathway and ERs. Our findings provide new insight into the mechanism of RX-induced enhancement of GLT-1 and GLAST expression, as well as the attenuation of Mn-reduced expression of these transporters. These findings will be highly valuable for developing therapeutics of neurodegenerative diseases associated with impaired astrocytic glutamate transporters.