Screening of the residual normal ovarian tissue adjacent to orthotopic epithelial ovarian carcinomas in nude mice

The objective of this study was to explore the feasibility and methods of screening the residual normal ovarian tissue adjacent to orthotopic ovarian carcinomas in nude mice. Human epithelial ovarian cancer cells (OVCAR3) were subcutaneously implanted for a tumor source and ovarian orthotopic transplantation. The cancer tissue, proximal paraneoplastic tissue, middle paraneoplastic tissue, remote paraneoplastic tissue, and normal ovarian tissue were removed. CK-7, CA125, p53, survivin, MMP-2, and TIMP-2 expression was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. We obtained 35 paraneoplastic residual ovarian tissues with normal biopsies from 40 cases of an orthotopic epithelial ovarian carcinoma model (87.5%). CK-7, CA125, p53, survivin, MMP-2, and TIMP-2 expression was lower in proximal paraneoplastic tissue than in cancer tissue (P < 0.05) and higher than in middle and remote paraneoplastic tissue (P < 0.01). There was no statistically significant difference between the expression of these genes in middle and proximal paraneoplastic tissue as well as among residual normal ovarian tissues with different severity (P > 0.05). In ovarian tissues of 20 normal nude mice, the expression of CK- 7, CA125, p53, survivin, MMP-2, and TIMP-2 was negative. Overall, the expression levels of CK-7, CA125, p53, survivin, MMP-2, TIMP-2, and other molecular markers showed a decreasing trend in the non-cancer tissue direction. The expression levels can be used as standards to screen residual normal ovarian tissue. We can obtain relatively safe normal ovarian tissues adjacent to epithelial ovarian cancer.

Adenovirus-mediated interleukin-2 gene therapy of nociception

The effect of adenovirus-mediated interleukin-2 (IL-2) gene on rat basal nociceptive response and chronic neuropathic pain was explored. The paw withdrawal latency induced by radiant heat was used to evaluate the antinociceptive effect of adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) and Ad5-IL-2. The results showed that intrathecal delivery of Ad5-IL-2 exhibited obvious antinociceptive effects on basal nociceptive response and chronic neuropathic pain, which were maintained for 3 and 4 weeks, respectively. This suggested that the antinociceptive effect of Ad5-IL-2 on chronic neuropathic pain was greater than its effect on basal nociceptive response. Human IL-2 mRNA was detected by in situ hybridization in the spinal pia mater and parenchyma of the lumbar, sacral, thoracic and cervical regions, and gray matter had higher level of IL-2 expression than white matter. These data demonstrated that the IL-2 gene was transfected into spinal cord regions relevant to pain modulation. The expressed IL-2 protein profile in spinal cord detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay coincided almost exactly with its antinociceptive effect. This supported the hypothesis that the therapeutic effect of IL-2 gene was related to IL-2 protein expression. The study indicates that intrathecal delivery of adenovirus-mediated IL-2 gene has a relatively long antinociceptive effect.

[Effect of tiaoxin recipe on beta-amyloid induced neurotoxic model of the primary cultured rat hippocampal neurons]

OBJECTIVE

To study the effect of Tiaoxin Recipe (TXR) on beta-amyloid induced neurotoxicity in the primary cultured hippocampal neurons and the therapeutical mechanism of it.

METHODS

In order to establish neurotoxic model, the primary cultured rat hippocampal neurons were treated with 25 mumol/L aggregated beta-amyloid fragment 1-42 (A beta 1-42). Neuronal survival was assessed by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity. Apoptosis of neurons was determined with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) examination and flowcytometric analysis. The protein expression of apoptosis-associated gene (Bcl-2, Bax, c-Jun) were examined by using immunocytochemical SABC method.

RESULTS

In the A beta 1-42 treated neurons, the release of LDH was increased, TEM examination revealed that the cell body became shrunken, the chromatin was compacted or the patches of condensed chromatin lay against the nuclear membrane and the smooth surfaced endoplasmic reticulum was expanded. Flowcytometric analysis displayed the peak of hypodiploid DNA content. The expression of Bcl-2 was lowered, while Bax and c-Jun protein were increased. After treated with TXR, the above-mentioned changes were improved with the exception of c-Jun expression. In the Tacrine treated group, only the neuronal survival was increased, other observed criteria had insignificant change.

CONCLUSION

TXR could attenuate the neurotoxic action of A beta 1-42 and improve neuronal survival via suppressing apoptotic process. TXR could inhibit the apoptotic process via regulating the expression of bcl-2 and bax. Tacrine could improve neuronal survival, but its inhibition on neuronal apoptosis was not significant.