Artesunate induces apoptosis and inhibits growth of Eca109 and Ec9706 human esophageal cancer cell lines in vitro and in vivo.

Esophageal cancer is a common malignant tumor worldwide with a high incidence rate in China and it is a great threat to human health. Combined modality therapy is used for chemotherapeutic treatment of esophageal cancer; however, drug resistance and side effects of the drugs is a major barrier to the success of chemotherapy. As chemotherapy with common drugs is far from providing satisfactory clinical outcomes for patients with esophageal cancer, more efficient drugs are urgently required.

Nimesulide inhibits the growth of human esophageal carcinoma cells by inactivating the JAK2/STAT3 pathway.

Although selective COX-2 inhibitors have cancer-preventive effects and induce apoptosis, the mechanisms underlying these effects are not fully understood. This study investigated the effects of nimesulide, a selective COX-2 inhibitor, on apoptosis and on the JAK/STAT signaling pathway in Eca-109 human esophageal squamous carcinoma cells. The effects and mechanisms of nimesulide on Eca-109 cell growth were studied in culture and in nude mice with Eca-109 xenografts.

The PTEN/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway mediates HMGB1-induced cell proliferation by regulating the NF-κB/cyclin D1 pathway in mouse mesangial cells.

Our previous experiment confirmed that high-mobility group box chromosomal protein 1 (HMGB1) was involved in the pathogenesis of Lupus nephritis (LN) by upregulating the proliferation of the mouse mesangial cell line (MMC) through the cyclin D1/CDK4/p16 system, but the precise mechanism is still unknown. Therefore, in the present study, we demonstrated that HMGB1 induced the proliferation of MMC cells in a time- and concentration-dependent manner, downregulated phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) expression, increased the level of Akt serine 473 phosphorylation, and induced p65 subunit nuclear translocation. The overexpression of PTEN prevented the upregulation of HMGB1-induced proliferation by blocking the activation of Akt.

ABCG2 gene amplification and expression in esophageal cancer cells with acquired adriamycin resistance.

Resistance to chemotherapeutic agents is the main reason for treatment failure in patients with cancer. The primary mechanism of multidrug resistance (MDR) is the overexpression of drug efflux transporters, including ATP‑binding cassette transporter G2 (ABCG2). To the best of our knowledge, the MDR mechanisms of esophageal cancer have not been described.

Reversal of multidrug resistance by the anti-malaria drug artesunate in the esophageal cancer Eca109/ABCG2 cell line.

The overexpression of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters confers multidrug resistance (MDR) to tumor cells. ABCG2 is a member of the ABC superfamily. The present study aimed to investigate the correlation between ABCG2 expression and the MDR of esophageal cancer and to estimate the therapeutic benefit of downregulating ABCG2 expression and reversing chemoresistance in esophageal cells using artesunate (Art).

PLC-ε1 gene polymorphisms significantly enhance the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in individuals with a family history of upper gastrointestinal cancers.

Background And Aims: Phospholipase C epsilon 1 (PLCε1) may regulate cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis and angiogenesis and play an important role in carcinogenesis and the progression of several cancers. This study was designed to validate the association of the PLCε1 rs2274223 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) as identified by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and further assess whether the rs11599672 SNP could affect an individual's susceptibility to ESCC.

Methods: These two SNPs were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction ligase detection reaction (PCR-LDR) in 527 ESCC patients and 527 controls.

[Expression of EphA2 and EphrinA1 in human renal cell carcinoma and its relationship with angiogenesis].

Objective: To investigate the expression of EphA2 and EphrinA1 and its relationship with angiogenesis in renal cell carcinoma and its relevance to clinicopathologic features.

Methods: The expression of the EphA2 and EphrinA1 was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in the tissues samples from 68 renal cell carcinomas and 24 normal kidneys, and quantitatively analyzed. The microvessel density (MVD) was determined by CD34 immunostaining of microvascular endothelial cells.

The regulatory effect of the p38 signaling pathway on valdecoxib-induced apoptosis of the Eca109 cell line.

Valdecoxib is a second generation selective COX-2 inhibitor that can induce cell apoptosis in a variety of cell types, but its precise regulatory mechanism is unknown. Apoptosis of Eca109 cells and p38 mRNA expression were investigted. The expression of p-p38MAPK, Fas and FasL proteins were detected by immunohistochemical staining and FCM.

[The functional mechanism of CIK cells on ovarian carcinoma cell lines SKOV3/CDDP].

Aim: To investigate the functional mechanism of CIK cells or ovarian carcinoma cell lines SKOV3/CDDP.

Methods: The changes of ultramicrostructure, cell cycle, apoptosis, expression of multidrug resistance-associated protein (MDR1, Topo-IIbeta) and other molecules (hB7-1, hB7-2, MHCIb, HLA-DR) of SKOV3/CDDP cells treated with or without CIK cells were detected by electron microscope, MTT and FCM. The changes of cytokine (IL-2, TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, GM-CSF) in sera of SCID mice bearing SKOV3/CDDP cells were detected by radioimmunit and ELISA.

[Expression and clinical significance of COX-2, p-Stat3, and p-Stat5 in esophageal carcinoma].

Background & Objective: Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) are closely correlated to the genesis of tumors. This study was to investigate the expression and clinical significance of COX-2, p-Stat3 and p-Stat5 (the activated forms of Stat3 and Stat5) in various lesions of esophageal tissues, and to analyze their correlations to clinicopathologic features of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Methods: The expression of COX-2, p-Stat3, and p-Stat5 in 59 specimens of ESCC, 24 specimens of squamous dysplasia, and 18 specimens of normal squamous epithelium was examined by SP immunohistochemistry.

Polymorphisms in the promoter regions of the matrix metalloproteinases-7, -9 and the risk of endometriosis and adenomyosis in China.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) may contribute to the development of endometriosis. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of the polymorphisms in the promoters of MMP-7 (181A/G) and MMP-9 (1562C/T) on the risk of occurrence of endometriosis and adenomyosis. We genotyped 219 patients (143 women with endometriosis, 76 women with adenomyosis) and 160 control women in North China.

Relation of overexpression of S phase kinase-associated protein 2 with reduced expression of p27 and PTEN in human gastric carcinoma.

Aim: To investigate the significance of S phase kinase-associated protein 2 (Skp2) expression in human gastric carcinoma and the relation between expressions of Skp2, p27 and PTEN.

Methods: Immunohistochemical analysis was performed on 138 gastric carcinoma specimens, their paired adjacent mucosa specimens, 102 paired lymphatic metastatic carcinoma tissue specimens, 30 dysplasia specimens, 30 intestinal metaplasia specimens, 10 chronic superficial gastritis specimens and 5 normal gastric mucosa specimens for Skp2 expression and on 138 gastric carcinoma specimens for p27 and PTEN expression.

Results: Skp2 labeling frequency was significantly higher in intestinal metaplasia (12.

[Effects of ginsenoside Rh2(GS-Rh2) on cell cycle of Eca-109 esophageal carcinoma cell line].

Objective: To investigate the effects of ginsenoside Rh2 (GS-Rh2) on growth inhibition and cell cycle of Eca-109 esophageal carcinoma cell line in culture.

Method: The effects of GS-Rh2 on cell growth inhibition was detected by MTT assay. Cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM).

[Correlation of Skp2 expression in gastric carcinoma to expression of P27 and PTEN].

Background & Objective: S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (Skp2) is a positive regulator of G1-S transition and promotes ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor P27. Its overexpression has been involved in cell transformation and tumorigenesis. This study was to investigate the significance of Skp2 expression in human gastric carcinoma and its correlation to expression of both P27 and PTEN.

[The effects of pcDNA3.1-IL-15 transfection on the surface molecules and immune function of murine bone marrow-derived dendritic cells].

Aim: To explore the effects of pcDNA3.1-IL-15 transfected on co-stimulatory molecule expression and immune function on murine bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (DCs).

Methods: Recombinant plasmid pcDNA3.

[Flow cytometric detection and significance of four cyclins in esophageal cancer].

Objective: To study the expression and significance of cyclin E, cyclin D1, CDK4 and p27 protein in esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) and their correlation with tumor differentiation and lymph node metastasis.

Methods: Expressions of cyclin E, cyclin D1, CDK4 and p27 protein in 65 patients with ESCC were quantitatively detected by flow cytometry.

Results: The expressions of cyclin E, cyclin D1, CDK4 in poorly-differentiated ESCC were higher than those in well-differentiated ESCC (P = 0.

Flow cytometric analysis of DNA, telomerase content and multi-gene expression in esophageal epithelial dysplasia.

Aim: To investigate the alteration of molecular events and the early carcinogenesis mechanism of esophageal epithelial cells in the high incidence area of esophageal cancer.

Methods: Esophageal epithelial cells of esophageal cancer patients were collected from the high incidence area in China. Content of DNA and telomerase as well as multi-gene expressions such as p53, p21 and cyclin D1 in esophageal precancer cells were quantitatively analysed by flow cytometry (FCM) with indirect immunofluorescence technique and DNA propidium iodide fluorescence staining.

Effects of sterigmatocystin, deoxynivalenol and aflatoxin G1 on apoptosis of human peripheral blood lymphocytes in vitro.

Objective: To explore the effects of Sterigmatocystin (ST), Deoxynivalenol (DON) and Aflatoxin G1 (AFG1) on apoptosis of human peripheral blood lymphocytes (HPBLs) in vitro and thus to further elucidate the putative roles of these three mycotoxins on human immunosystem.

Methods: The effects of ST, DON and AFG1 on apoptosis of HPBLs were studied with cell culture, flow cytometric (FCM) DNA analysis and DNA agarose gel electrophoresis.

Results: DNA agarose gel electrophoresis results showed the characteristic "ladder" pattern of apoptosis in HPBLs treated with ST, DON and AFG1.