Identification of RAC1 in promoting brain metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma using single-cell transcriptome sequencing.

This study aims to give a new perspective to the biomarkers in the lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) brain metastasis, pathways involved and potential therapeutics. We performed a comprehensive single-cell level transcriptomic analysis on one LUAD patient with circulating tumor cells (CTCs), primary tumor tissue and metastatic tumor tissue using scRNA-seq approach to identify metastasis related biomarkers. Further scRNA-seq were performed on 7 patients to validate the cancer metastatic hallmark.

Calcitriol ameliorates renal injury with high-salt diet-induced hypertension by upregulating GLIS2 expression and AMPK/mTOR-regulated autophagy.

The goal of the present study was to investigate the protective effect of calcitriol on high-salt diet-induced hypertension. The hypertension rat model was established by a long-term high-salt diet (8% NaCl). Rats were treated with calcitriol, losartan, or their combination.

Calcitriol ameliorates damage in high-salt diet-induced hypertension: Evidence of communication with the gut-kidney axis.

Several studies have established a link between high-salt diet, inflammation, and hypertension. Vitamin D supplementation has shown anti-inflammatory effects in many diseases; gut microbiota is also associated with a wide variety of cardiovascular diseases, but potential role of vitamin D and gut microbiota in high-salt diet-induced hypertension remains unclear. Therefore, we used rats with hypertension induced by a high-salt diet as the research object and analyzed the transcriptome of their tissues (kidney and colon) and gut microbiome to conduct an overall analysis of the gut-kidney axis.

A heparin derivatives library constructed by chemical modification and enzymatic depolymerization for exploitation of non-anticoagulant functions.

Non-anticoagulant biological functions of heparin-based drugs have drawn increasing attention. However, the exploration into the non-anticoagulant activities of various low molecular weight heparins was associated with bleeding risks in clinical practice and often led to controversial conclusions due to the structural differences. In this study, we aimed to establish a process to produce a library of heparin derivatives with structural diversity and reduced/abolished anticoagulant activity through the combination of chemical modifications and enzymatic cleavage of heparins.

Structural characterization and in vitro antioxidant activities of chondroitin sulfate purified from Andrias davidianus cartilage.

Origin and manufacturing process are key factors affecting the biological activities of chondroitin sulfate (CS), which can be utilized as a nutraceutical in dietary supplements. Herein, we extracted and purified CS from the cartilage of artificially breeding Andrias davidianus (ADCS), i.e.

Design of Fusion Proteins for Efficient and Soluble Production of Immunogenic Ebola Virus Glycoprotein in Escherichia coli.

The Ebola hemorrhagic fever caused by Ebola virus is an extremely dangerous disease, and effective therapeutic agents are still lacking. Platforms for the efficient production of vaccines are crucial to ensure quick response against an Ebola virus outbreak. Ebola virus glycoprotein (EbolaGP) on the virion surface is responsible for membrane binding and virus entry, thus becoming the key target for vaccine development.

Effects of Enzymatically Depolymerized Low Molecular Weight Heparins on CCl-Induced Liver Fibrosis.

With regard to identifying the effective components of LMWH drugs curing hepatic fibrosis disease, we carried out a comparative study on the efficacy of enzymatically depolymerized LMWHs on CCl induced mouse liver fibrosis. The results showed that the controlled enzymatic depolymerization conditions resulted in LMWHs with significantly different activities. The LMWH product depolymerized by Heparinase I (I-11) with a Mw of 7160, exhibited a significant advantage in reducing the liver inflammation by suppressing TNF-α and IL-1β secretion, and minimizing hepatic fibrogenesis.

Discovery of enzymatically depolymerized heparins capable of treating Bleomycin-induced pulmonary injury and fibrosis in mice.

Heparin has recently been shown to slow down idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) process and improve survival of patients in some cases. To improve the anti-IPF function while minimizing their side effects, we developed heparin libraries with different structures depolymerized by single or combined heparinases, and systematically screened the efficacy of the different heparins for treatment of Bleomycin-induced pulmonary injury and fibrosis using mice model. Then we characterized the structural properties of the components capable of treating pulmonary injury and fibrosis by use of chip-based amide hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC)-fourier transform (FT)-ESI-MS, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Non-anticoagulant effects of low molecular weight heparins in inflammatory disorders: A review.

Low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs) are produced by chemical or enzymatic depolymerization of unfractionated heparin (UFH). Besides their well-known anticoagulant effects, LMWHs have also been reported to exhibit numerous anti-inflammatory properties. Previous studies have, however, shown that different production processes result in unique structural characteristics of LMWHs.

Establishment of chondroitin B lyase-based analytical methods for sensitive and quantitative detection of dermatan sulfate in heparin.

Dermatan sulfate (DS) is one of the hardest impurities to remove from heparin products due to their high structural similarity. The development of a sensitive and feasible method for quantitative detection of DS in heparin is essential to ensure the clinical safety of heparin pharmaceuticals. In the current study, based on the substrate specificity of chondroitin B lyase, ultraviolet spectrophotometric and strong anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatographic methods were established for detection of DS in heparin.

In vitro toxicity evaluation of 25-nm anatase TiO2 nanoparticles in immortalized keratinocyte cells.

Titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) nanoparticles (NPs) are massively fabricated and widely used in daily life, and thus potential risk has been posed to human health. However, the mechanism of the interaction between TiO(2) NPs and cells is still unclear. In this study, the interaction of anatase TiO(2) NPs with HaCaT cells is studied in vitro with multi-techniques.