Casticin Promotes Immune Responses, Enhances Macrophage and NK Cell Activities, and Increases Survival Rates of Leukemia BALB/c Mice

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (01) ◽  
pp. 223-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuang-Chi Lai ◽  
Hsu-Feng Lu ◽  
Kuen-Bao Chen ◽  
Shu-Ching Hsueh ◽  
Jing-Gung Chung ◽  
...  

Casticin, derived from Fructus Viticis, has anticancer properties in many human cancer cells, however, there is no report to show that casticin promotes immune responses and affects the survival rate of leukemia mice in vivo. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of casticin on immune responses and the survival rate of WEHI-3 cells generated in leukemia mice in vivo. Animals were divided into six groups: normal control mice, leukemia control mice, mice treated with ATRA (all-trans retinoic acid), and casticin (0.1, 0.2, and 0.4[Formula: see text]mg/kg) treated mice. All animals were treated for 14 days and then measured for body weights, total survival rate, cell markers, the weights of liver and spleen, phagocytosis of spleen cells, NK cell activities and cell proliferation. Results show that casticin did not affect animal appearances, however, it increased body weights and decreased the weights of liver at 0.2[Formula: see text]mg/kg and 0.4[Formula: see text]mg/kg treatment. Casticin also decreased spleen weight at 0.2[Formula: see text]mg/kg and 0.4[Formula: see text]mg/kg treatment, increased CD3 at 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4[Formula: see text]mg/kg doses and increased CD19 at 0.2[Formula: see text]mg/kg treatment but decreased CD11b and Mac-3 at 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4[Formula: see text]mg/kg treatment. Casticin (0.1, 0.2 and 0.4[Formula: see text]mg/kg) increased macrophage phagocytosis from PBMC (peripheral blood mononuclear cell) and peritoneal cavity. Furthermore, casticin increased NK cells’ cytotoxic activity and promoted T cell proliferation at 0.1–0.4[Formula: see text]mg/kg treatment with or without concanavalin A (Con A) stimulation, but only increased B cell proliferation at 0.1 mg/kg treatment. Based on these observations, casticin could be used as promoted immune responses in leukemia mice in vivo.

2010 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 359-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jai-Sing Yang ◽  
Chia-Chun Wu ◽  
Chao-Lin Kuo ◽  
Chin-Chung Yeh ◽  
Fu-Shin Chueh ◽  
...  

Solanum lyratum Thunberg (Solanaceae) has been used as a folk medicine for treating liver, lung and esophagus in the Chinese population. Our previous studies have shown that the crude extract of S. lyratum Thunberg (SLE) induced apoptosis in colo 205 human colon adenocarcinoma cells; however, there is no report to show SLE affect immune responses in vivo. In this study, the in vivo effects of SLE on leukemia WEHI-3 cells and immune responses such as phagocytosis and natural killer (NK) cell activity in normal and leukemia mice were investigated. The SLE treatment decreases surface markers of CD3 and Mac-3 in normal and leukemia mice but promoted the cell markers of CD19 and CD11b in normal mice and CD11b in leukemia mice indicating that the precursors of T cells was inhibited and B cells and macrophage were promoted. The SLE treatment promoted the activity of macrophage phagocytosis in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and peritoneal cells from normal and leukemia mice. The results also showed that NK cells from the normal and leukemia mice after treatment with SLE can kill the YAC-1 target cells. Therefore, the SLE treatment increased macrophage and NK cell activities. These consistent results indicate SLE could be a potent immune responses agent.


Author(s):  
He Zhu ◽  
Hongwei Zhang ◽  
Youliang Pei ◽  
Zhibin Liao ◽  
Furong Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common type of malignant human cancer with high morbidity and poor prognosis, causing numerous deaths per year worldwide. Growing evidence has been demonstrated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are closely associated with hepatocarcinogenesis and metastasis. However, the roles, functions, and working mechanisms of most lncRNAs in HCC remain poorly defined. Methods Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression level of CCDC183-AS1 in HCC tissues and cell lines. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion ability were evaluated by CCK-8 and transwell assay, respectively. Animal experiments were used to explore the role of CCDC183-AS1 and miR-589-5p in vivo. Bioinformatic analysis, dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay were performed to confirm the regulatory relationship between CCDC183-AS1, miR-589-5p and SKP1. Results Significantly upregulated expression of CCDC183-AS1 was observed in both HCC tissues and cell lines. HCC patients with higher expression of CCDC183-AS1 had a poorer overall survival rate. Functionally, overexpression of CCDC183-AS1 markedly promoted HCC cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro and tumor growth and metastasis in vivo, whereas the downregulation of CCDC183-AS1 exerted opposite effects. MiR-589-5p inhibitor counteracted the proliferation, migration and invasion inhibitory effects induced by CCDC183-AS1 silencing. Mechanistically, CCDC183-AS1 acted as a ceRNA through sponging miR-589-5p to offset its inhibitory effect on the target gene SKP1, then promoted the tumorigenesis of HCC. Conclusions CCDC183-AS1 functions as an oncogene to promote HCC progression through the CCDC183-AS1/miR-589-5p/SKP1 axis. Our study provided a novel potential therapeutic target for HCC patients.


Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 806
Author(s):  
Chiao-Chieh Wu ◽  
Chen-Yi Chiang ◽  
Shih-Jen Liu ◽  
Hsin-Wei Chen

Formyl peptide receptor-like 1 inhibitor (FLIPr), an Fcγ receptor (FcγR) antagonist, can be used as a carrier to guide antigen-FLIPr fusion protein to FcγR then enhances antigen-specific immune responses. Survivin, a tumor-associated antigen, is over-expressed in various types of human cancer. In this study, we demonstrate that recombinant survivin-FLIPr fusion protein (rSur-FLIPr) binds to FcγRs, and efficient uptake by dendritic cells in vivo. In addition, rSur-FLIPr alone stimulates survivin-specific immune responses, which effectively suppresses the tumor growth. The antitumor immunities are through TAP-mediated and CD8-dependent pathways. Furthermore, preexisting anti-FLIPr antibody does not abolish antitumor responses induced by rSur-FLIPr immunization. These results suggest that FLIPr is an effective antigen delivery vector and can be repeatedly used. Combination of chemotherapy with rSur-FLIPr treatment reveals a great benefit to tumor-bearing mice. Altogether, these findings suggest that rSur-FLIPr is a potential candidate for efficient cancer therapy.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reza Taherkhani ◽  
Fatemeh Farshadpour ◽  
Manoochehr Makvandi ◽  
Hamid Rajabi Memari ◽  
Ali Reza Samarbafzadeh ◽  
...  

Background.The aim of this study was to evaluatehepatitis E virus(HEV) specific cellular immune responses to truncated ORF2 protein in Iranian patients recovered from HEV infection. Information about HEV-specific immune responses could be useful in finding an effective way for development of HEV vaccine.Methods.A truncated form of HEV ORF2 protein containing amino acids 112-608 was used to stimulate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) separated from HEV-recovered and control groups. Finally, the levels of four cytokines, IFN-γELISPOT, and cell proliferative responses following stimulation with the truncated ORF2 protein were assessed in the both groups.Results.The truncated ORF2 protein was able to induce IFN-γELISPOT and cell proliferation responses and to produce significant amounts of IFN-γand IL-12 cytokines, but low amounts of IL-10 and IL-4 cytokinesin vitro. These responses were significantly higher in the recovered group compared to the control group. These results indicate the antigenic nature of the truncated ORF2 protein and production of T helper type 1 cytokines.Conclusion.The truncated ORF2 protein can effectively induce significant cellular immune responsesand can be introduced as a potential vaccine candidate. However, further studies are required to evaluate this proteinin vivo.


2007 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 1329-1333 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Pritchard ◽  
L. Carragher ◽  
V. Aldridge ◽  
S. Giblett ◽  
H. Jin ◽  
...  

Oncogenic mutations in the BRAF gene are detected in ∼7% of human cancer samples with a particularly high frequency of mutation in malignant melanomas. Over 40 different missense BRAF mutations have been found, but the vast majority (>90%) represent a single nucleotide change resulting in a valine→glutamate mutation at residue 600 (V600EBRAF). In cells cultured in vitro, V600EBRAF is able to stimulate endogenous MEK [MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase)/ERK (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase) kinase] and ERK phosphorylation leading to an increase in cell proliferation, cell survival, transformation, tumorigenicity, invasion and vascular development. Many of these hallmarks of cancer can be reversed by treatment of cells with siRNA (small interfering RNA) to BRAF or by inhibiting MEK, indicating that BRAF and MEK are attractive therapeutic targets in cancer samples with BRAF mutations. In order to fully understand the role of oncogenic BRAF in cancer development in vivo as well as to test the in vivo efficacy of anti-BRAF or anti-MEK therapies, GEMMs (genetically engineered mouse models) have been generated in which expression of oncogenic BRaf is conditionally dependent on the Cre recombinase. The delivery/activation of the Cre recombinase can be regulated in both a temporal and spatial manner and therefore these mouse models can be used to recapitulate the somatic mutation of BRAF that occurs in different tissues in the development of human cancer. The data so far obtained following Cre-mediated activation in haemopoietic tissue and the lung indicate that V600EBRAF mutation can drive tumour initiation and that its primary effect is to induce high levels of cyclin D1-mediated cell proliferation. However, hallmarks of OIS (oncogene-induced senescence) are evident that restrain further development of the tumour.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-85
Author(s):  
Hung‐Sheng Shang ◽  
Chiung‐Ju Chen ◽  
Yung‐Luen Shih ◽  
Shu‐Fen Peng ◽  
Yung‐Liang Chen ◽  
...  

Endocrinology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 160 (7) ◽  
pp. 1600-1612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew V Schally ◽  
Xianyang Zhang ◽  
Renzhi Cai ◽  
Joshua M Hare ◽  
Riccarda Granata ◽  
...  

Abstract In this article, we briefly review the identification of GHRH, provide an abridged overview of GHRH antagonists, and focus on studies with GHRH agonists. Potent GHRH agonists of JI and MR class were synthesized and evaluated biologically. Besides the induction of the release of pituitary GH, GHRH analogs promote cell proliferation and exert stimulatory effects on various tissues, which express GHRH receptors (GHRH-Rs). A large body of work shows that GHRH agonists, such as MR-409, improve pancreatic β-cell proliferation and metabolic functions and facilitate engraftment of islets after transplantation in rodents. Accordingly, GHRH agonists offer a new therapeutic approach to treating diabetes. Various studies demonstrate that GHRH agonists promote repair of cardiac tissue, producing improvement of ejection fraction and reduction of infarct size in rats, reduction of infarct scar in swine, and attenuation of cardiac hypertrophy in mice, suggesting clinical applications. The presence of GHRH-Rs in ocular tissues and neuroprotective effects of GHRH analogs in experimental diabetic retinopathy indicates their possible therapeutic applications for eye diseases. Other effects of GHRH agonists, include acceleration of wound healing, activation of immune cells, and action on the central nervous system. As GHRH might function as a growth factor, we examined effects of GHRH agonists on tumors. In vitro, GHRH agonists stimulate growth of human cancer cells and upregulate GHRH-Rs. However, in vivo, GHRH agonists inhibit growth of human cancers xenografted into nude mice and downregulate pituitary and tumoral GHRH-Rs. Therapeutic applications of GHRH analogs are discussed. The development of GHRH analogs should lead to their clinical use.


2008 ◽  
Vol 52 (12) ◽  
pp. 4320-4325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong Yu ◽  
Mallikarjuna R. Putta ◽  
Lakshmi Bhagat ◽  
Meiru Dai ◽  
Daqing Wang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Oligodeoxynucleotides containing a CpG motif and double- or multistranded structure-forming sequences act as agonists of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) and induce high levels of interferon alpha (IFN-α) in addition to other Th1-type cytokines. In the present study, we evaluated three highly effective IFN-α-inducing agonists of TLR9 to determine the type of duplex structures formed and the agonist's ability to induce immune responses, including IFN-α induction, in human cell-based assays and in vivo in mice and nonhuman primates. Thermal melting studies showed that two of the agonists evaluated had a single melting transition with similar hyperchromicity in both heating and cooling cycles, suggesting the formation of intermolecular duplexes. A third agonist showed a biphasic melting transition in the heating cycle and a monophasic melting transition with lower hyperchromicity during the cooling cycle, suggesting the formation of both intra- and intermolecular duplexes. All three agonists induced the production of Th1-type cytokines and chemokines, including high levels of IFN-α, in human peripheral blood mononuclear cell and plasmacytoid dendritic cell cultures. Subcutaneous administration of the two intermolecular duplex-forming agonists, but not the intramolecular duplex-forming agonist, induced cytokine secretion in mice. In nonhuman primates, the two agonists that formed intermolecular duplexes induced IFN-α and IP-10 secretion. On the contrary, the agonist that formed an intramolecular duplex induced only low levels of cytokines in nonhuman primates, suggesting that this type of structure formation is less immunostimulatory in vivo than the other structure. Taken together, the present results suggest that oligonucleotide-based agonists of TLR9 that form intermolecular duplexes induce potent immune responses in vivo.


Blood ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 118 (9) ◽  
pp. 2473-2482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catharina H. M. J. Van Elssen ◽  
Joris Vanderlocht ◽  
Tammy Oth ◽  
Birgit L. M. G. Senden-Gijsbers ◽  
Wilfred T. V. Germeraad ◽  
...  

Abstract Among prostaglandins (PGs), PGE2 is abundantly expressed in various malignancies and is probably one of many factors promoting tumor growth by inhibiting tumor immune surveillance. In the current study, we report on a novel mechanism by which PGE2 inhibits in vitro natural killer–dendritic cell (NK-DC) crosstalk and thereby innate and adaptive immune responses via its effect on NK-DC crosstalk. The presence of PGE2 during IFN-γ/membrane fraction of Klebsiella pneumoniae DC maturation inhibits the production of chemokines (CCL5, CCL19, and CXCL10) and cytokines (IL-12 and IL-18), which is cAMP-dependent and imprinted during DC maturation. As a consequence, these DCs fail to attract NK cells and show a decreased capacity to trigger NK cell IFN-γ production, which in turn leads to reduced T-helper 1 polarization. In addition, the presence of PGE2 during DC maturation impairs DC-mediated augmentation of NK-cell cytotoxicity. Opposed to their inhibitory effects on peripheral blood–derived NK cells, PGE2 matured DCs induce IL-22 secretion of inflammation constraining NKp44+ NK cells present in mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue. The inhibition of NK-DC interaction is a novel regulatory property of PGE2 that is of possible relevance in dampening immune responses in vivo.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document