Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a major risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Changes in extracellular matrix (ECM) mechanics contribute to cancer development, and increased stiffness is known to promote HCC progression in cirrhotic conditions. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is characterized by an accumulation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) in the ECM; however, how this affects HCC in non-cirrhotic conditions is unclear. Here we find that, in patients and animal models, AGEs promote changes in collagen architecture and enhance ECM viscoelasticity, with greater viscous dissipation and faster stress relaxation, but not changes in stiffness. High AGEs and viscoelasticity combined with oncogenic β-catenin signalling promote HCC induction, whereas inhibiting AGE production, reconstituting the AGE clearance receptor AGER1 or breaking AGE-mediated collagen cross-links reduces viscoelasticity and HCC growth. Matrix analysis and computational modelling demonstrate that lower interconnectivity of AGE-bundled collagen matrix, marked by shorter fibre length and greater heterogeneity, enhances viscoelasticity. Mechanistically, animal studies and 3D cell cultures show that enhanced viscoelasticity promotes HCC cell proliferation and invasion through an integrin-β1-tensin-1-YAP mechanotransductive pathway. These results reveal that AGE-mediated structural changes enhance ECM viscoelasticity, and that viscoelasticity can promote cancer progression in vivo, independent of stiffness.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06991-9 | DOI Listing |
Langmuir
January 2025
College of Mining Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030024, China.
Flotation is an interfacial process involving gas, liquid, and solid phases, where polar ionic promoters significantly influence both gas-liquid and solid-liquid interfaces during low-rank coal (LRC) flotation. This study examines how the structures of hydrophilic groups in cation-anion mixed promoters affect the interfacial flotation performance of LRC pulp using flotation tests, surface tension tests, wetting heat tests, and molecular dynamics simulations. Results indicate that cation-anion mixed promoters enhance the LRC floatability to varying degrees.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPolymers (Basel)
December 2024
Key Laboratory for Enhanced Oil & Gas Recovery of the Ministry of Education, Northeast Petroleum University, Daqing 163318, China.
In the process of oilfield development, the surfactant-polymer (SP) composite system has shown significant effects in enhancing oil recovery (EOR) due to its excellent interfacial activity and viscoelastic properties. However, with the continuous increase in the volume of composite flooding injection, a decline in injection-production capacity (I/P capacity) has been observed. Through the observation of frozen core slices, it was found that during the secondary composite flooding (SCF) process, a large amount of residual oil in the form of intergranular adsorption remained in the core pores.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Biol Macromol
January 2025
College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou 450001, China. Electronic address:
This study explores the synergistic effects of linoleic acid (LA) oxidation on the aggregation behavior and structural properties of wheat gluten (WG). Using lipoxygenase to induce LA oxidation, it was observed that this process significantly influenced WG's viscoelasticity and structural characteristics. Specifically, LA oxidation enhanced WG's viscoelastic properties while reducing its instantaneous elastic and recovery deformations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFood Sci Biotechnol
January 2025
Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Dongguk University-Seoul, 32 Dongguk-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang, 10326 Gyeonggi Korea.
Sci Adv
January 2025
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
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