Novel therapeutic activities of dragon blood from palm tree Daemonorops draco for the treatment of chronic diabetic wounds.

Background: The clinical efficacy of Jinchuang Ointment, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), in treating chronic non-healing diabetic wounds has been demonstrated over the past decades. Both in vitro and in vivo angiogenic activities have been reported for its herbal ingredients, including dragon blood from the palm tree Daemonorops draco and catechu from Uncaria gambir Roxb. Additionally, crude extracts of dragon blood have exhibited hypoglycemic effects not only in animal studies but also in cell-based in vitro assays.

Preclinical trial of targeting the Hic-5-mediated pathway to prevent the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma.

The poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was ascribed to metastasis. Targeted therapy aiming at the molecules along the metastatic pathway is a promising therapeutic strategy. Among them, hydrogen peroxide inducible clone-5 (Hic-5) is highlighted.

Suppressing of Src-Hic-5-JNK-AKT Signaling Reduced GAPDH Expression for Preventing the Progression of HuCCT1 Cholangiocarcinoma.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a malignant neoplasm of the bile ducts, being the second most common type of cancer in the liver, and most patients are diagnosed at a late stage with poor prognosis. Targeted therapy aiming at receptors tyrosine kinases (RTKs) such as c-Met or EGFR have been developed but with unsatisfactory outcomes. In our recent report, we found several oncogenic molecules downstream of RTKs, including hydrogen peroxide clone-5 (Hic-5), Src, AKT and JNK, were elevated in tissues of a significant portion of metastatic CCAs.

Targeting Src-Hic-5 Signal Cascade for Preventing Migration of Cholangiocarcinoma Cell HuCCT1.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is the second most common primary liver cancer with poor prognosis. The deregulation of a lot of oncogenic signaling molecules, such as receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), has been found to be associated with CCA progression. However, RTKs-based target therapy showed limited improvement suggesting a need to search for alternative targets for preventing CCA progression.

Hovenia Monofloral Honey can Attenuate Mediated Biofilm Formation and Inflammation.

We evaluated the anti-biofilm formation and anti-inflammatory activity of Hovenia monofloral honey (HMH) against . Co-culture of HMH with attenuated the biofilm formation of on a polystyrene surface. In addition, HMH effectively eradicated the established biofilm.

Snail Upregulates Transcription of FN, LEF, COX2, and COL1A1 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A General Model Established for Snail to Transactivate Mesenchymal Genes.

SNA is one of the essential EMT transcriptional factors capable of suppressing epithelial maker while upregulating mesenchymal markers. However, the mechanisms for SNA to transactivate mesenchymal markers was not well elucidated. Recently, we demonstrated that SNA collaborates with EGR1 and SP1 to directly upregulate MMP9 and ZEB1.

Carboxy-Terminal Processing Protease Controls Production of Outer Membrane Vesicles and Biofilm in .

Carboxy-terminal processing protease (Ctp) is a serine protease that controls multiple cellular processes through posttranslational modification of proteins. ATCC 17978 mutant, namely MR14, is known to cause cell wall defects and autolysis. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of mutation-driven autolysis in regulating biofilms in and to evaluate the vesiculation caused by cell wall defects.

The Enhancing Effect of Fungal Immunomodulatory Protein-Volvariella Volvacea (FIP-vvo) on Maturation and Function of Mouse Dendritic Cells.

Volvariella volvacea, also known as straw mushroom, is a common edible mushroom in Chinese cuisine. It contains many nutrients for human health. A fungal immunomodulatory protein (FIP) has been isolated from and named FIP-vvo.

Rapid Identification of Commercial Frankincense Products by MALDITOF Mass Spectrometry.

Background: Frankincense is a resin secreted by the Boswellia tree. It is used in perfumery, aromatherapy, skincare, and traditional Chinese medicine. However, all Boswellia species are under threat owing to habitat loss and overexploitation.

The PTS Components in Affect Bacterial Capsular Polysaccharide Production and Macrophage Phagocytosis Resistance.

Capsular polysaccharide (CPS) is a crucial virulence factor for infection. We demonstrated an association of CPS production with two phosphoenolpyruvate:carbohydrate phosphotransferase systems (PTSs). Deficiency of , encoding enzyme IIA of PTS, in enhanced the transcriptional activities of , and , which are in the gene cluster, leading to high CPS production.

PKCδ mediates mitochondrial ROS generation and oxidation of HSP60 to relieve RKIP inhibition on MAPK pathway for HCC progression.

Both protein kinase C (PKC) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) are well-known signaling messengers cross-talking with each other to activate mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) for progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the underlying mechanisms are not well elucidated. Especially, whether mitochondrial ROS (mtROS) is involved and how it triggers MAPK signaling are intriguing.

Mutation of the Carboxy-Terminal Processing Protease in Affects Motility, Leads to Loss of Membrane Integrity, and Reduces Virulence.

Motility plays an essential role in the host-parasite relationship of pathogenic bacteria, and is often associated with virulence. While many pathogenic bacteria use flagella for locomotion, strains do not have flagella, but have other features that aid in their motility. To study the genes involved in motility, transposon mutagenesis was performed to construct mutant strains.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors modulate dendritic cell activity via confining c-Kit signaling and tryptophan metabolism.

Dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccine has been established in tumor immunotherapy. Importantly, the efficiency of anti-tumor T-cells in draining lymph nodes is dependent on the status of DCs surrounding in tumors. It has been shown that Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) plays a key role to induce tolerogenic DCs in tumor microenvironment, and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) can suppress the function of IDO in DCs.

A cohort study: The Association Between Autoimmune Disorders and Leptospirosis.

There are limited studies on the association between systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs) and leptospirosis. Therefore, this study aims to identify the effects of leptospirosis on the risks of developing SARDs with a nationwide retrospective cohort study. Patients with leptospirosis who did not have a diagnosis of SARDs before the index date were enrolled from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database between 2000 and 2010, as the leptospirosis cohort.

A Benzenoid 4,7-Dimethoxy-5-Methyl-L, 3-Benzodioxole from Attenuates Dendritic Cell-Mediated Th2 Allergic Responses.

Dendritic cells (DCs) play a critical role in initiating immune responses; however, DCs also induce Th2-related allergic sensitivities. Thus, DCs become a target for therapeutic design in allergic diseases. In this study, we aim to investigate the anti-allergic effect of pure compounds from a medicinal mushroom (Ac) on DC-induced allergic responses.

Hydrogen peroxide inducible clone-5 sustains NADPH oxidase-dependent reactive oxygen species-c-jun N-terminal kinase signaling in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Target therapy aiming at critical molecules within the metastatic signal pathways is essential for prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. Hic-5 (hydrogen peroxide inducible clone-5) which belongs to the paxillin superfamily, can be stimulated by a lot of metastatic factors, such as transforming growth factor (TGF-β), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Previous studies implicated Hic-5 cross-talks with the ROS-c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signal cascade in a positive feedback manner.

Involvement of -glycan in Multiple Receptor Tyrosine Kinases Targeted by Ling-Zhi-8 for Suppressing HCC413 Tumor Progression.

The poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is resulted from tumor metastasis. Signaling pathways triggered by deregulated receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) were the promising therapeutic targets for prevention of HCC progression. However, RTK-based target therapy using conventional kinase-based inhibitors was often hampered by resistances due to compensatory RTKs signaling.

Author Correction: Snail collaborates with EGR-1 and SP-1 to directly activate transcription of MMP 9 and ZEB1.

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has not been fixed in the paper.

Functional characterization of chitin-binding lectin from Solanum integrifolium containing anti-fungal and insecticidal activities.

Background: Along with the rapid development of glycomic tools, the study of lectin-carbohydrate interactions has expanded, opening the way for applications in the fields of analytic, diagnostic, and drug delivery. Chitin-binding lectins (CBLs) play roles in immune defense against chitin-containing pathogens. CBLs from species of the Solanaceae family, such as tomato, potato and jimsonweed, display different binding specificities to sugar chains containing poly-N-acetyllactosamine.

Snail collaborates with EGR-1 and SP-1 to directly activate transcription of MMP 9 and ZEB1.

The Snail transcription factor plays as a master regulator of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT), one of the steps of tumor metastasis. Snail enhances expressions of a lot of mesenchymal genes including the matrix degradation enzyme matrix metalloproteinases 9 (MMP9) and the EMT transcription factor zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1), however, the underlying mechanisms are not clarified. Herein, we investigated how Snail upregulated transcription of ZEB1 and MMP9 induced by the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol 13-acetate (TPA) in hepatoma cell HepG2.

Highly potent antimicrobial modified peptides derived from the Acinetobacter baumannii phage endolysin LysAB2.

The increase in the prevalence of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDRAB) strains is a serious public health concern. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a possible solution to this problem. In this study, we examined whether AMPs could be derived from phage endolysins.

Ribosome Protein L4 is essential for Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigen 1 function.

Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) Nuclear Antigen 1 (EBNA1)-mediated origin of plasmid replication (oriP) DNA episome maintenance is essential for EBV-mediated tumorigenesis. We have now found that EBNA1 binds to Ribosome Protein L4 (RPL4). RPL4 shRNA knockdown decreased EBNA1 activation of an oriP luciferase reporter, EBNA1 DNA binding in lymphoblastoid cell lines, and EBV genome number per lymphoblastoid cell line.

Hydrogen peroxide inducible clone-5 mediates reactive oxygen species signaling for hepatocellular carcinoma progression.

One of the signaling components involved in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression is the focal adhesion adaptor paxillin. Hydrogen peroxide inducible clone-5 (Hic-5), one of the paralogs of paxillin, exhibits many biological functions distinct from paxillin, but may cooperate with paxillin to trigger tumor progression. Screening of Hic-5 in 145 surgical HCCs demonstrated overexpression of Hic-5 correlated well with intra- and extra-hepatic metastasis.

Preclinical trials for prevention of tumor progression of hepatocellular carcinoma by LZ-8 targeting c-Met dependent and independent pathways.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is among the most lethal cancers. Mounting studies highlighted the essential role of the HGF/c-MET axis in driving HCC tumor progression. Therefore, c-Met is a potential therapeutic target for HCC.