The inhibition of GLUT1-induced glycolysis in macrophage by phloretin participates in the protection during acute lung injury

The increased level of glycolysis in macrophage aggravates lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI). Glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) serves as a ubiquitously expressed glucose transporter, which could activate inflammatory response by mediating glycolysis. Phloretin (PHL), an apple polyphenol, is also an inhibitor of GLUT1, possessing potent anti-inflammatory effects in various diseases. However, the potential role of PHL in ALI remains unclear till now. This study aims to investigate the impacts of PHL on ALI as well as its possible mechanisms. A mouse ALI model was established via intratracheal injection of LPS. LPS-induced primary macrophages were used to mimic in vitro ALI. Mice were pretreated with low or high dosage of PHL for 7 days via intragastric administration once a day before LPS injection. The results showed that PHL pretreatment significantly prevented LPS-induced lung pathological injury and inflammatory response. Meantime, PHL pretreatment also decreased the level of glycolysis in macrophage during ALI. In terms of mechanism, PHL inhibited the mRNA and protein expression of GLUT1. In vitro experiments further showed GLUT1 overexpression in macrophage by infection with lentivirus could abolish the inhibition of inflammation and glycolysis mediated by PHL, suggesting that GLUT1 was essential for the protection of PHL. Taken together, PHL pretreatment may protect against LPS-induced ALI by inhibiting glycolysis in macrophage in a GLUT1-dependent manner, which may be a candidate against ALI in the future.

Effect of vitamin D on malignant behavior of non-small cell lung cancer cells

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of vitamin D on the malignant behavior of A549 and NCI-H1975 tumor cells (proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, metastasis and drug resistance-related proteins) and the activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, in order to evaluate the effect of vitamin D on the therapeutic action of cisplatin.

METHOD

In vitro cell experiments, CCK-8, flow cytometry, transwell, scratches, MTT and Western blot were used to reveal the effect of vitamin D on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and the expression of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway was also detected. In vivo animal experiments, the nude mice were divided into four groups: control group, vitamin D treatment group, cisplatin treatment group and vitamin D + cisplatin combined treatment group. After tumor formation in vitro, tumor volume changes were calculated and tumor growth curves were drawn, collected tumor tissues for pathological sections. Western blot was used to detect the expression changes of drug-resistance related proteins in tumor tissues. Meanwhile, protein expression changes of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in tumor tissues were detected.

RESULT

In vitro experiments confirm Vitamin D can inhibit the proliferation, invasion and metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer cells A549 and NCI-H1975, promoting cell apoptosis, up-regulate the sensitivity of chemotherapy drugs. These effects of vitamin D may be correlated with the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. In vivo animal experiments, the changes in tumor volume, tumor inflammatory infiltration range, expression of drug-resistant related proteins and signaling pathway related proteins in mice were as follows: The vitamin D and cisplatin combined treatment group was significantly smaller than the control group.

CONCLUSION

Vitamin D can inhibit the proliferation, invasion and metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells A549 and NCI-H1975 and promote apoptosis, up-regulate the sensitivity of chemotherapy drugs. The effect of vitamin D on NSCLC cells A549 and NCI-H1975 was correlated with the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Vitamin D also promotes the therapeutic effect of CDDP.

Identification and validation of HELLS (Helicase, Lymphoid-Specific) and ICAM1 (Intercellular adhesion molecule 1) as potential diagnostic biomarkers of lung cancer

Although lung cancer is one of the greatest threats to human health, its signaling pathway and related genes are still unknown. This study integrates data from three groups of people to study potential key candidate genes and pathways related to lung cancer. Expression profiles (GSE18842, GSE19188 and GSE27262), including 162 tumor tissue and 135 adjacent normal lung tissue samples, were integrated and analyzed. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and candidate genes were identified, their expression pathways were analyzed, and the diethylene glycol-related protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was analyzed. We identified 232 shared DEGs (40 upregulated and 192 down-regulated) from the three GSE datasets. The DEGs were clustered according to function and signaling pathway for significant enrichment analysis. In total, 129 nodes/DEGs were identified from the DEG PPI network complex. An improved prognosis was associated with increased Helicase, Lymphoid-Specific (HELLS) and decreased Intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM1) mRNA expression in lung cancer patients. In conclusion, we used integrated bioinformatics analysis to identify candidate genes and pathways in lung cancer to show that HELLS and ICAM1 might be the key genes related to tumorigenesis or tumor progression in lung cancer. Additional studies are needed to further explore the involved functional mechanisms.

Large-scale gene expression analysis reveals robust gene signatures for prognosis prediction in lung adenocarcinoma

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. High mortality in LUAD motivates us to stratify the patients into high- and low-risk groups, which is beneficial for the clinicians to design a personalized therapeutic regimen. To robustly predict the risk, we identified a set of robust prognostic gene signatures and critical pathways based on ten gene expression datasets by the meta-analysis-based Cox regression model, 25 of which were selected as predictors of multivariable Cox regression model by MMPC algorithm. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) identified the Aurora-A pathway, the Aurora-B pathway, and the FOXM1 transcription factor network as prognostic pathways in LUAD. Moreover, the three prognostic pathways were also the biological processes of G2-M transition, suggesting that hyperactive G2-M transition in cell cycle was an indicator of poor prognosis in LUAD. The validation in the independent datasets suggested that overall survival differences were observed not only in all LUAD patients, but also in those with a specific TNM stage, gender, and age group. The comprehensive analysis demonstrated that prognostic signatures and the prognostic model by the large-scale gene expression analysis were more robust than models built by single data based gene signatures in LUAD overall survival prediction.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 6,7-dihydro-5H-cyclopenta[d]pyrimidine and 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinazoline derivatives as sigma-1 (σ1) receptor antagonists for the treatment of pain

The synthesis and biological evaluation of new series of 6,7-dihydro-5H-cyclopenta[d]pyrimidine and 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinazoline derivatives as selective sigma-1 receptor (σ1R) antagonists are reported. The receptor affinities of new compounds were evaluated in vitro in σ1 and σ2 receptor binding assays. The structure-active relationship study leads us to the most promising compound: 2-(4-chlorophenyl)-4-(3-(4-methylpiperidin-1-yl)propoxy)-5,6,7,8-tetra-hydroquinazoline (33). Compound 33 has exerted nanomolar affinity for σ1R (Kiσ1=15.6 nM) and high σ1/σ2 selectivity (Kiσ2 >2000 nM), and identified to be a σ1R antagonist. In animal model, compound 33 exhibited dose dependent anti-nociceptive effects in the formalin test. These results suggest that compound 33 could be a potent analgesic for pain treatment.