Therapeutic Black Phosphorus Nanosheets Elicit Neutrophil Response for Enhanced Tumor Suppression.

Black phosphorus (BP) has demonstrated potential as a drug carrier and photothermal agent in cancer therapy; however, its intrinsic functions in cancer treatment remain underexplored. This study investigates the immunomodulatory effects of polyethylene glycol-functionalized BP (BP-PEG) nanosheets in breast cancer models. Using immunocompetent mouse models-including 4T1 orthotopic BALB/c mice and MMTV-PyMT transgenic mice, it is found that BP-PEG significantly inhibits tumor growth and metastasis without directly inducing cytotoxicity in tumor cells.

Cholinergic Neuron Targeting Nanosystem Delivering Hybrid Peptide for Combinatorial Mitochondrial Therapy in Alzheimer's Disease.

Mitochondrial dysfunction in neurons has recently become a promising therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Regulation of dysfunctional mitochondria through multiple pathways rather than antioxidation monotherapy indicates synergistic therapeutic effects. Therefore, we developed a multifunctional hybrid peptide HNSS composed of antioxidant peptide SS31 and neuroprotective peptide S14G-Humanin.

Design, Synthesis, and Bioevaluation of 2-Aminopteridin-7(8)-one Derivatives as Novel Potent Adenosine A Receptor Antagonists for Cancer Immunotherapy.

In recent years, the adenosine A receptor (AR) has shown exciting progress in the development of immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer. Herein, a 2-amino-7,9-dihydro-8-purin-8-one compound () was identified as an AR antagonist hit through in-house library screening. Extensive structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies led to the discovery of 2-aminopteridin-7(8)-one derivatives, which showed high potencies on AR in the cAMP assay.

ICG-Loaded PEG-Modified Black Phosphorus Nanosheets for Fluorescence Imaging-Guided Breast Cancer Therapy.

Indocyanine green (ICG) has been used in various surgical navigation systems and plays an important role in intraoperative imaging diagnosis. However, the poor photostability and unsatisfactory tumor-targeting ability have limited its broad application prospects. In the decades, the construction of a nanodrug delivery system for tumor-targeting diagnosis and therapy has become a research hotspot.

Diagnostic and Prognostic Significances of SOX9 in Thymic Epithelial Tumor.

Background: Thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) are rare tumors originating from the thymic epithelial cells. , a member of the family of (SRY-related high-mobility group box) genes, has been considered as an oncogene and therapeutic target in various cancers. However, its role in TETs remains uncertain.

Development of a one-plasmid system to replace the endogenous protein with point mutation for post-translational modification studies.

Background: Post-translational modification (PTM) is one of the major regulatory mechanism for protein activities. To understand the function of PTMs, mutants that prevent or mimic the modification are frequently utilized. The endogenous proteins are usually depleted while the point mutations are expressed.

Energy restriction causes metaphase delay and chromosome mis-segregation in cancer cells.

ATP metabolism during mitosis needs to be coordinated with numerous energy-demanding activities, especially in cancer cells whose metabolic pathways are reprogramed to sustain rapid proliferation in a nutrient-deficient environment. Although strategies targeting the energy metabolic pathways have shown therapeutic efficacy in preclinical cancer models, how normal cells and cancer cells differentially respond to energy shortage is unclear. In this study, using time-lapse microscopy, we found that cancer cells displayed unique mitotic phenotypes in a dose-dependent manner upon decreasing ATP (i.

Identification of three predictors of gastric cancer progression and prognosis.

Abnormal gene expression is an established cause of gastric cancer (GC) initiation and progression. In this study, we aimed to identify several key genes that could be used to effectively predict progression and prognosis in patients with GC. The Cancer Genome Atlas and the Gene Expression Omnibus database were used to identify candidate genes.

Adenosine A Receptor Antagonists for Cancer Immunotherapy.

Currently, the most promising therapeutic modality for cancer treatment is the blockade of immune checkpoint pathways, which has revolutionized cancer therapy in the past 15 years. Strategies targeting and modulating adenosine A receptor (AR), an emerging alternative immune checkpoint, have shown the potential to produce significant therapeutic effects. In this review, we describe the immunosuppressive activities of AR and AR in the tumor microenvironment (TME), followed by a summary and discussion of the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of the AR (and dual AR/AR) antagonists that have been experimentally confirmed to exert oncoimmunological effects.

Generation of Aryl Radicals from Aryl Halides: Rongalite-Promoted Transition-Metal-Free Arylation.

A new and practical method for the generation of aryl radicals from aryl halides is reported. Rongalite as a novel precursor of super electron donors was used to initiate a series of electron-catalyzed reactions under mild conditions. These transition-metal-free radical chain reactions enable the efficient formation of C-C, C-S, and C-P bonds through homolytic aromatic substitution or S1 reactions.

Discovery of carbazole carboxamides as novel RORγt inverse agonists.

A novel series of carbazole carboxamides was discovered as potent RORγt inverse agonists using a scaffold hybridization strategy. Structure-activity relationship exploration on the amide linker, carbazole ring and arylsulfone moiety of the hybrid amide 3a led to identification of potent RORγt inverse agonists. Compound 6c was found to have a good RORγt activity with an IC of 58.

Polo-like kinase 1 coordinates biosynthesis during cell cycle progression by directly activating pentose phosphate pathway.

Two hallmarks for cancer cells are the accelerated cell cycle progression as well as the altered metabolism, however, how these changes are coordinated to optimize the growth advantage for cancer cells are still poorly understood. Here we identify that Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1), a key regulator for cell mitosis, plays a critical role for biosynthesis in cancer cells through activating pentose phosphate pathway (PPP). We find that Plk1 interacts with and directly phosphorylates glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD).

27 T ultra-high static magnetic field changes orientation and morphology of mitotic spindles in human cells.

Purified microtubules have been shown to align along the static magnetic field (SMF) in vitro because of their diamagnetic anisotropy. However, whether mitotic spindle in cells can be aligned by magnetic field has not been experimentally proved. In particular, the biological effects of SMF of above 20 T (Tesla) have never been reported.

Aurora-A promotes the establishment of spindle assembly checkpoint by priming the Haspin-Aurora-B feedback loop in late G2 phase.

Aurora-A kinase functions mainly in centrosome maturation, separation and spindle formation. It has also been found to be amplified or overexpressed in a range of solid tumors, which is linked with tumor progression and poor prognosis. Importantly, Aurora-A inhibitors are being studied in a number of ongoing clinical trials.

[Comparison of collagen fiber staining between Van-Gieson staining and Masson trichrome staining of hepatic specimens in mice with Schistosoma japonicum infection].

Objective: To compare the effects of collagen fiber staining between Van-Gieson staining and Masson trichrome staining of hepatic specimens in mice with Schistosoma japonicum infection.

Methods: A model of hepatic granuloma and fibrosis was established by infecting mice with S. japonicum cercariae, then the hepatic specimens were taken and Van-Gieson staining and Masson trichrome staining were performed.

Negative regulation of Schistosoma japonicum egg-induced liver fibrosis by natural killer cells.

The role of natural killer (NK) cells in infection-induced liver fibrosis remains obscure. In this study, we elucidated the effect of NK cells on Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) egg-induced liver fibrosis.

Polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid attenuates hepatic fibrosis in C57BL/6 mice with Schistosoma japonicum infection.

The development of hepatic fibrosis is the principal cause of morbidity and mortality in human beings infected with schistosoma. In this study, we investigated the effect of polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly I:C) on Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) egg-induced liver fibrosis.