Evening Primrose Extract Modulates TYMS Expression via SP1 Transcription Factor in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

PURPOSE

To determine the mechanism of EPE in downregulating TYMS in MPM cancer.

METHODS

The TYMS mRNA expression with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition biomarkers and nuclear factor SP1 was assessed using the GEO database in a data set of MPM patients (GSE51024). Invasive MPM cell lines were in vitro models for the investigation of TYMS expression after EPE treatment. The tyms promoter SP1 binding sequences were determined using Genomatix v 3.4 software Electrophoretic mobility shift and dual-luciferase reporter assays revealed specific SP1 motifs in the interaction of EPE and reference compounds. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and Re-ChIP were used for the co-occupancy study.

RESULTS

In MPM patients, a positive correlation of overexpressed TYMS with mesenchymal TWIST1, FN1 and N-cadherin was observed. EPE and its major components, gallic and ellagic acid (GA and EA, respectively), downregulated TYMS in invasive MPM cells by interacting with particular SP1 motifs on the tyms promoter. The luciferase constructs confirmed the occupation of two SP1 regulatory regions critical for the promotion of TYMS expression. Both EPE and reference standards influenced SP1 translocation into the nucleus.

CONCLUSION

EPE components reduced TYMS expression by occupation of SP1 motifs on the tyms promoter and reversed the EMT phenotype of invasive MPM cells. Further in-depth analysis of the molecular docking of polyphenol compounds with SP1 regulatory motifs is required.

SARS-CoV-2 S and N protein peptides drive invasion abilities of colon cancer cells through TGF-β1 regulation

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the delay of colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis, which causes CRC to be treated at more advanced, often metastatic stages. Unfortunately, there is no effective treatment for metastatic CRC stages, which are considered the leading cause of patients' death. The mortality induced by SARS-CoV-2 is significantly higher in cancer patients than in patients with other diseases. Interestingly, COVID-19 patients often develop fibrosis which depends on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) - the process also involved in cancer progression. The study aimed to verify whether SARS-CoV-2 induces EMT and consequently increases the invasion potential of colon cancer cells. CRC cells were stimulated with SARS-CoV-2 S and N protein peptides and epithelial and mesenchymal markers were analysed with Western blotting to detect the occurrence of the EMT. The migration, invasion assays and MMP-7 secretion were employed to evaluate the potential of SARS-CoV-2 to stimulate the cells invasion in vitro. ELISA assay, TGF-β1 neutralizing antibodies, TGF-βR silencing and inhibitors were used to investigate the role of the TGF-β1 signalling pathways in the SARS-CoV-2-dependent CRC stimulation. The SARS-CoV-2 induced EMT, which increased the invasion ability of CRC cells. Moreover, the SARS-CoV-2 proteins drive colon cancer cell invasion through TGF-β1. Additionally, secreted TGF-β1 induced a bystander effect in colon cancer cells. However, blocking TGF-β1/Smad- and -non-Smad-dependent pathways suppressed the SARS-CoV-2-induced invasiveness of CRC. In conclusion, we revealed that SARS-CoV-2 stimulates the invasion abilities of CRC by regulating TGF-β1-induced EMT. Our results provide a theoretical basis for using anti-TGF-β1 therapy to reduce the risk of CRC metastasis during SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Impact of Polyphenols on Inflammatory and Oxidative Stress Factors in Diabetes Mellitus: Nutritional Antioxidants and Their Application in Improving Antidiabetic Therapy

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycaemia and oxidative stress. Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the development and progression of diabetes and its complications. Nutritional antioxidants derived from dietary sources have gained significant attention due to their potential to improve antidiabetic therapy. This review will delve into the world of polyphenols, investigating their origins in plants, metabolism in the human body, and relevance to the antioxidant mechanism in the context of improving antidiabetic therapy by attenuating oxidative stress, improving insulin sensitivity, and preserving β-cell function. The potential mechanisms of, clinical evidence for, and future perspectives on nutritional antioxidants as adjuvant therapy in diabetes management are discussed.

Targeted and untargeted metabolomic approach for GDM diagnosis

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a disorder which manifests itself for the first time during pregnancy and is mainly connected with glucose metabolism. It is also known that fatty acid profile changes in erythrocyte membranes and plasma could be associated with obesity and insulin resistance. These factors can lead to the development of diabetes. In the reported study, we applied the untargeted analysis of plasma in GDM against standard glucose-tolerant (NGT) women to identify the differences in metabolomic profiles between those groups. We found higher levels of 2-hydroxybutyric and 3-hydroxybutyric acids. Both secondary metabolites are associated with impaired glucose metabolism. However, they are products of different metabolic pathways. Additionally, we applied lipidomic profiling using gas chromatography to examine the fatty acid composition of cholesteryl esters in the plasma of GDM patients. Among the 14 measured fatty acids characterizing the representative plasma lipidomic cluster, myristic, oleic, arachidonic, and α-linoleic acids revealed statistically significant changes. Concentrations of both myristic acid, one of the saturated fatty acids (SFAs), and oleic acid, which belong to monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), tend to decrease in GDM patients. In the case of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), some of them tend to increase (e.g., arachidonic), and some of them tend to decrease (e.g., α-linolenic). Based on our results, we postulate the importance of hydroxybutyric acid derivatives, cholesteryl ester composition, and the oleic acid diminution in the pathophysiology of GDM. There are some evidence suggests that the oleic acid can have the protective role in diabetes onset. However, metabolic alterations that lead to the onset of GDM are complex; therefore, further studies are needed to confirm our observations.

Evening primrose seed extract rich in polyphenols modulates the invasiveness of colon cancer cells by regulating the TYMS expression

Natural polyphenols are plant metabolites exhibiting a broad range of biological activities.

Metabolomic Insight into Lipid and Protein Profile in Diabetes Using Mass Spectrometry

In recent years, metabolomics has become a necessary tool for understanding the impact of external and pathological factors on the operation of biological systems. The first reports of metabolomics date back to the 1970s, however, the area only began to develop dynamically at the beginning of this century and has proved effective only during the present decade. The five primary tools used in this form of analysis are NMR spectrometry, HPLC, TLC-UV, GC-MS and LC-MS/MS, with MS as the most universal approach, particularly when used together with chromatographic separation and NMR. Diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM) is a rapidly growing problem with global consequences. The metabolomic approach has been extensively applied to examining T2DM, insulin resistance and obesity, not only to assess the development of the disease, but also to discover its potential biomarkers. The presented review summarizes current studies on lipidomic and proteomic profiles in the context of different types of diabetes mellitus disease (T1DM, T2DM and GDM), as determined by chromatography-coupled mass spectrometry.

Understanding fragility fracture patients' decision-making process regarding bisphosphonate treatment

We aimed to understand how patients 50 years and older decided to persist with or stop osteoporosis (OP) treatment. Processes related to persisting with or stopping OP treatments are complex and dynamic. The severity and risks and harms related to untreated clinical OP and the favorable benefit-to-risk profile for OP treatments should be reinforced.

INTRODUCTION

Older adults with fragility fracture and clinical OP are at high risk of recurrent fracture, and treatment reduces this risk by 50 %. However, only 20 % of fracture patients are treated for OP and half stop treatment within 1 year. We aimed to understand how older patients with new fractures decided to persist with or stop OP treatment over 1 year.

METHODS

We conducted a grounded theory study of patients 50 years and older with upper extremity fracture who started bisphosphonates and then reported persisting with or stopping treatment at 1 year. We used theoretical sampling to identify patients who could inform emerging concepts until data saturation was achieved and analyzed these data using constant comparison.

RESULTS

We conducted 21 interviews with 12 patients. Three major themes emerged. First, patients perceived OP was not a serious health condition and considered its impact negligible. Second, persisters and stoppers differed in weighting the risks vs benefits of treatments, where persisters perceived less risk and more benefit. Persisters considered treatment "required" while stoppers often deemed treatment "optional." Third, patients could change treatment status even 1-year post-fracture because they re-evaluated severity and impact of OP vs risks and benefits of treatments over time.

CONCLUSIONS

The processes and reasoning related to persisting with or stopping OP treatments post-fracture are complex and dynamic. Our findings suggest two areas of leverage for healthcare providers to reinforce to improve persistence: (1) the severity and risks and harms related to untreated clinical OP and (2) the favorable benefit-to-risk profile for OP treatments.

Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Type 1 Diabetes Pregnancy Shows that Fetal Heart Rate Correlates with Maternal Glycemia

BACKGROUND

Much evidence has shown that pregnancies in women with preexisting diabetes are affected by an increased risk of maternal and fetal adverse outcomes, probably linked to poor glycemic control. Despite great progress in medical care, the rate of stillbirths remains much higher in diabetes patients than in the general population. Recent technological advances in the field of glucose monitoring and noninvasive fetal heart rate monitoring made it possible to observe the fetal-maternal dependencies in a continuous manner.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Fourteen type 1 diabetes patients were involved into the study and fitted with a blinded continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) recorder. Fetal electrocardiogram data were recorded using the Monica AN24™ device (Monica Healthcare Ltd., Nottingham, United Kingdom), the recordings of which were matched with CGM data. Statistical analysis was performed using a generalized mixed-effect logistic regression to account for individual factors.

RESULTS

The mean number of paired data points per patient was 254±106, representing an observation period of 21.2±8.8 h. Mean glycemia equaled 5.64±0.68 mmol/L, and mean fetal heart rate was 135±6 beats/min. Higher glycemia correlated with fetal heart rate (R=0.32; P<0.0001) and was associated with higher odds of the fetus developing small accelerations (odds ratio=1.05; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.10; P=0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

Elevated maternal glycemia of mothers with diabetes is associated with accelerations of fetal heart rate.

The elevated gene expression level of the A(2B) adenosine receptor is associated with hyperglycemia in women with gestational diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND

Adenosine receptors denoted by A1 , A2A , A2B , and A3 and encoded by ADORA1, ADORA2A, ADORA2B, and ADORA3 genes, respectively, are adenosine-activated G-protein-coupled receptors that play an important role in obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, little is known about their significance in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there are changes in leukocyte AR expression in GDM patients and whether these alterations are linked to well-known diabetic genes.

METHODS

Leukocytes were isolated from the blood of normal glucose tolerant (NGT; n = 35) and GDM (n = 82) pregnant women, and expression of ARs was determined by a semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Univariate correlation analysis was performed to investigate associations between expression of ARs and anthropometric and metabolic parameters of patients. Furthermore, the identification of diabetic genes linked to significantly differentiated leukocyte adenosine receptors expression in GDM women was also carried out with the use of the human diabetes RT(2) profiler PCR arrays.

RESULTS

ADORA2B mRNA expression was significantly higher in GDM versus NGT pregnant women (p < 0.05), and positively correlated with the glucose level at 1-h 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT; r = 0.21, p = 0.044). Nineteen diabetic genes linked to leukocyte ADORA2B overexpression associated with hyperglycemia in GDM women were also identified.

CONCLUSIONS

Maternal leukocyte ADORA2B overexpression is associated with hyperglycemia in GDM subjects, and it is accompanied by complex alterations in the expression of diabetes-related genes involved in insulin action, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, and inflammation.

New insight into A₁ adenosine receptors in diabetes treatment

The A₁ adenosine receptors (A₁AR), belonging to the rhodopsin-like superfamily of the G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), may regulate many various cellular processes in cardiovascular, renal, and central nervous systems. In addition, since A(1)AR possesses antilipolytic properties, numerous A₁AR agonists and antagonists have been developed, but only some of them with the most promising selective properties in vitro have been advanced to animal studies and clinical trials. In this review, we have summarized the studies on the utility of A₁AR selective agonists and antagonists in the regulation of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism and their potential therapeutic applications in diabetes.

Mechanisms of coupling between DNA recognition specificity and catalysis in EcoRI endonuclease

Proteins that bind to specific sites on DNA often do so in order to carry out catalysis or specific protein-protein interaction while bound to the recognition site. Functional specificity is enhanced if this second function is coupled to correct DNA site recognition. To analyze the structural and energetic basis of coupling between recognition and catalysis in EcoRI endonuclease, we have studied stereospecific phosphorothioate (PS) or methylphosphonate (PMe) substitutions at the scissile phosphate GpAATTC or at the adjacent phosphate GApATTC in combination with molecular-dynamics simulations of the catalytic center with bound Mg2+. The results show the roles in catalysis of individual phosphoryl oxygens and of DNA distortion and suggest that a "crosstalk ring" in the complex couples recognition to catalysis and couples the two catalytic sites to each other.

The stereospecific synthesis of P-chiral biophosphates and their analogues by the Stec reaction

This manuscript summarizes the results of studies on the application of the reaction of dialkyl (aryl) phosphoramidate anions with carbonyl electrophiles for stereospecific synthesis of P-chiral biophosphates (Stec reaction). Following the results obtained with organic phosphoramidates which delineated the scope of the reaction and its stereochemical course, the application of the title reaction is presented for the preparation of diastereomerically pure P-chiral cyclic nucleotide analogues (phosphorothioates, phosphoroselenoates, phosphoroselenothioates, isotopomeric 18O-phosphates), and P-chiral nucleoside monophosphate analogues, as well as dinucleoside phosphate analogues (phosphorothioates, methanephosphonates).

Conformational properties of diastereomeric 5'-O-DMT-2'deoxythymidine 3'-O-(S-methyl-methanephosphonothiolate)s and -(se-methyl-methanephosphonoselenolate)s in solution as studied by NMR methods

Stereochemical characterization of diastereomerically pure 5'-O-DMT-2'deoxythymidine 3'-O-(S-methyl-methanephosphonothiolate)s and -(Se-methyl-methane-phosphono-selenolate)s by NMR methods are reported. (1)H-(1)H, (1)H-(31)P, and (13)C-(31)P coupling constants and nuclear overhauser enhancement (NOE) connectivities from transverse cross-relaxation experiments in rotating frame (T-ROESY) were measured to correlate the conformational properties of the isomers with the absolute configurations at the phosphorus obtained from X-ray studies of the relatives of S(p) configured isomers. Conformational differences between the stereoisomers were found to be restricted to the different orientation of the C3'-O3'-P bond. The NMR data reflected the preferred epsilon(-) conformation for the S(p) isomers, while in the R(p) isomers the conformational equilibrium was shifted toward the epsilon(t) domain. These results also indicated that for 5'-protected mononucleotides the absolute configuration at the phosphorus atom can be inferred from the NOE experiments and the trends observed in vicinal carbon-phosphorus coupling constants. Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Oligomeric building block approach to the synthesis of diastereomerically pure pentathymidine 3',5'-methanephosphonates

[formula: see text] A method for a large-scale synthesis of stereodefined oligo(nucleoside 3',5'-methanephosphonates) has been developed, based on transient 3'-O protection, which allows for the conversion of the protecting chirally defined methanephosphonanilidate group, located at the 3' end of a stereoregular oligomer, into diastereomerically pure "oligomeric building blocks" for stereospecific coupling with the 5'-OH group of another oligonucleotide.