Proliferative Effect of Aqueous Extract of Sea Cucumber (Holothuria parva) Body Wall on Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem Cells

Sea cucumber extracts and their bioactive compounds have the potential for stem cell proliferation induction and for their beneficial therapeutic properties. In this study, human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (hUC-MSCs) were exposed to an aqueous extract of Holothuria parva body walls. Proliferative molecules were detected using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis in an aqueous extract of H. parva. The aqueous extract concentrations of 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 µg/mL and 10 and 20 ng/mL of human epidermal growth factor (EGF) as positive controls were treated on hUC-MSCs. MTT, cell count, viability, and cell cycle assays were performed. Using Western blot analysis, the effects of extracts of H. parva and EGF on cell proliferation markers were detected. Computational modeling was done to detect effective proliferative compounds in the aqueous extract of H. parva. A MTT assay showed that the 10, 20, and 40 µg/mL aqueous extract of H. parva had a proliferative effect on hUC-MSCs. The cell count, which was treated with a 20 µg/mL concentration, increased faster and higher than the control group (p < 0.05). This concentration of the extract did not have a significant effect on hUC-MSCs' viability. The cell cycle assay of hUC-MSCs showed that the percentage of cells in the G2 stage of the extract was biologically higher than the control group. Expression of cyclin D1, cyclin D3, cyclin E, HIF-1α, and TERT was increased compared with the control group. Moreover, expression of p21 and PCNA decreased after treating hUC-MSCs with the extract. However, CDC-2/cdk-1 and ERK1/2 had almost the same expression as the control group. The expression of CDK-4 and CDK-6 decreased after treatment. Between the detected compounds, 1-methyl-4-(1-methyl phenyl)-benzene showed better affinity to CDK-4 and p21 than tetradecanoic acid. The H. parva aqueous extract showed proliferative potential on hUC-MSCs.

Chemical Compositions and Experimental and Computational Modeling of the Anticancer Effects of Cnidocyte Venoms of Jellyfish Cassiopea andromeda and Catostylus mosaicus on Human Adenocarcinoma A549 Cells

Nowadays, major attention is being paid to curing different types of cancers and is focused on natural resources, including oceans and marine environments. Jellyfish are marine animals with the ability to utilize their venom in order to both feed and defend. Prior studies have displayed the anticancer capabilities of various jellyfish. Hence, we examined the anticancer features of the venom of Cassiopea andromeda and Catostylus mosaicus in an in vitro situation against the human pulmonary adenocarcinoma (A549) cancer cell line. The MTT assay demonstrated that both mentioned venoms have anti-tumoral ability in a dose-dependent manner. Western blot analysis proved that both venoms can increase some pro-apoptotic factors and reduce some anti-apoptotic molecules that lead to the inducing of apoptosis in A549 cells. GC/MS analysis demonstrated some compounds with biological effects, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-cancer activities. Molecular docking and molecular dynamic showed the best position of each biologically active component on the different death receptors, which are involved in the process of apoptosis in A549 cells. Ultimately, this study has proven that both venoms of C. andromeda and C. mosaicus have the capability to suppress A549 cells in an in vitro condition and they might be utilized in order to design and develop brand new anticancer agents in the near future.

Epigenetic Modification Factors and microRNAs Network Associated with Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells toward Cardiomyocytes: A Review

More research is being conducted on myocardial cell treatments utilizing stem cell lines that can develop into cardiomyocytes. All of the forms of cardiac illnesses have shown to be quite amenable to treatments using embryonic (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In the present study, we reviewed the differentiation of these cell types into cardiomyocytes from an epigenetic standpoint. We also provided a miRNA network that is devoted to the epigenetic commitment of stem cells toward cardiomyocyte cells and related diseases, such as congenital heart defects, comprehensively. Histone acetylation, methylation, DNA alterations, N6-methyladenosine (m⁶a) RNA methylation, and cardiac mitochondrial mutations are explored as potential tools for precise stem cell differentiation.