ROS Signaling-Mediated Novel Biological Targets: Brf1 and RNA Pol III Genes

Improvement of rat hepatocellular carcinoma model induced by diethylnitrosamine

OBJECTIVE

To construct a new diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced rat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) model with short induction time, high incidence, and survival rate.

METHODS

60 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: the control group, the model A (MA) group, the model B (MB) group, and the model C (MC) group. The control group was intraperitoneally injected with 0.9% saline for 6 weeks. The MA group was injected with the DEN solution at 30 mg/kg three times a week for 6 weeks. The MB group was injected with the DEN solution at 30 mg/kg three times a week for 6 weeks, and discontinued the induction for 2 weeks. The MC group was injected with the DEN solution at 30 mg/kg three times a week for 8 weeks. The levels of albumin (ALB), alanine transaminase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in serum were assayed. Meanwhile, the pathological conditions, apoptosis of hepatocytes, expression of NF-κBp65, and the reactive oxygen species level were detected.

RESULTS

All rats in the control group and the MA group survived, and none of the rats occurred HCC. HCC occurred in rats of the MB group and the MC group. The serum ALB level in the MB group was higher than that in the MC group. The serum ALT and AST levels and the number of proliferating and apoptotic hepatocyte cells in the MB group were lower than those in the MC group. The expression of ROS- and NF-κBp6- positive cells in the MA group, MB group, and MC group were significantly higher than that of the control group.

CONCLUSION

This study developed a new DEN-induced rat HCC model with short induction time, high incidence, and survival rate. NF-κB pathway may be one of the main pathways involved in the development of this model.

Retracted: ROS Signaling-Mediated Novel Biological Targets: Brf1 and RNA Pol III Genes

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1155/2021/5888432.].

The causal effect of serum micronutrients on malignant kidney neoplasm in European descent

Purpose

Observational studies have revealed that serum minerals and vitamins are associated with cancer. However, the causal relationships between serum minerals and vitamins and renal malignancies remain unclear.

Methods

Mendelian randomization (MR) was used for causal estimation. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for serum minerals and vitamins were obtained from published genome-wide association studies (GWAS). GWAS for malignant kidney neoplasm was obtained from the FinnGen consortium. Methods of inverse variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger, and weighted median were carried out for causal inference. F-statistic was calculated to ensure a robust instrumental variable. Cochran's Q statistics was applied to calculate heterogeneity. MR-Egger regression, MR-pleiotropy residual sum and outlier methods (MR-PRESSO) methods were used to perform pleiotropy analysis. Meanwhile, confounding factors were considered to determine whether causal inference would be biased.

Results

Eight different micronutrients were included (zinc, iron, magnesium, calcium, copper, selenium, phosphate, and vitamin B12). After MR analysis, we found a protective effect of serum zinc against malignant kidney neoplasm (IVW: odds ratios (ORs), 0.86; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.78-0.94; p, 0.0016; MR-Egger: OR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.64-0.97; p, 0.052; weighted median: OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.75-0.96; p, 0.011). Causal relationships between other micronutrients and malignant kidney neoplasm were not obtained. No heterogeneity and pleiotropy were detected, while causality was not biased by confounding factors.

Conclusion

We considered that serum zinc exerted a protective effect against malignant kidney neoplasm. In clinical practice, for people with high malignant kidney neoplasm risk, an oral zinc supplementation might play a role in a potential therapeutic target.