Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia among elderly population. Deranged β-amyloid (Aβ) trafficking across the blood-brain barrier is known to be a critical element in the pathogenesis of AD. In the vascular endothelial cells of hippocampus, Aβ transport is mainly mediated by low-density lipoprotein-associated protein 1 (LRP1) and the receptor for advanced glycation end (RAGE) products; therefore, LRP1 and RAGE endothelial cells are potential therapeutic targets for AD. In this study, we explored the effects of Formononetin (FMN) on learning and memory improvement in APP/PS1 mice and the related mechanisms. We found that FMN significantly improved learning and memory ability by suppressing Aβ production from APP processing, RAGE-dependent inflammatory signaling and promoted LRP1-dependent cerebral Aβ clearance pathway. Moreover, FMN treatment alleviated ultrastructural changes in hippocampal vascular endothelial cells. In conclusion, we believe that FMN may be an efficacious and promising treatment for AD.

Abstract. Programmed cell death (PDCD)5 is cloned from human leukemia cell line TF-1. PDCD5 is one of the members of the programmed cell death protein family that is frequently involved in tumor growth and apoptosis. To investigate the molecular and cellular functions of PDCD5, the present study established a PDCD5 stably overexpressing A431 cell line and examined the role of PDCD5 in cell proliferation, cell cycle progression and apoptosis. The data demonstrated that overexpression of PDCD5 significantly inhibited cell proliferation, induced cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and apoptosis in A431 cells. The expression profiles of certain key regulators of these cellular events were further investigated, including P53, B cell lymphoma (BCL)-2, BCL-2 associated X protein (BAX) and caspase (CASP)3. The data demonstrated that at the transcript and protein levels, P53, BAX and CASP3 were all upregulated in the PDCD5 stably overexpressing A431 cells whereas BCL-2 was downregulated, indicating that PDCD5 acts as an important upstream regulator of P53, BCL-2, BAX and CASP3. The data suggest that PDCD5 regulates cell proliferation, cell cycle progression and apoptosis in A431 cells. PDCD5 may be a novel tumor suppressor gene, and may be potentially used for cancer treatment in the future.

β-amyloid (Aβ) aggregation and tau hyperphosphorylation are considered to be the primary pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Targeted inhibition of these pathological processes may provide effective treatments for AD. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that ellagic acid (EA) exerts neuroprotective effects in several diseases. The present study investigated the effects of EA on AD-associated learning and memory deficits on APP/PS1 double transgenic mice and the underlying mechanisms. APP/PS1 mice or wild-type C57BL/6 mice were intragastrically administered EA (50 mg/kg/day) or vehicle for 60 consecutive days. The learning and memory abilities of mice were investigated using the Morris water maze test. Hippocampal regions were examined for the presence of amyloid plaques, neuronal apoptosis and tau phosphorylation. Expression levels of APP, Aβ, RAC-αserine/threonine-protein kinase and glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)3β in the hippocampus were determined by western blot analysis and ELISA. The results demonstrated that EA treatment ameliorated spatial learning and memory impairment in APP/PS1 mice and significantly reduced neuronal apoptosis and Aβ deposition in the hippocampus (P<0.05 and P<0.01). In addition, EA significantly inhibited the hyperphosphorylation of tau and significantly decreased the activity of glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)3β (P<0.01), which is involved in tau phosphorylation. Overall, these findings indicated that the beneficial effects of EA on AD-associated cognitive impairments may be attributed to the inhibition of Aβ production and tau hyperphosphorylation, and its beneficial action may be mediated in part, by the RAC-α serine/threonine-protein kinase/GSK3β signaling pathway.

Background:The Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway plays an important role in pancreatic cancer (PC) cells. Phenolic alkaloids from Menispermum dauricum (PAMD), a traditional Chinese medicine used for the treatment of immune disorders, have been reported to have antitumor activity recently.Objective:To investigate the efficacy and mechanism of PAMD against PC cell BxPC-3.Materials and Methods:F assay was used to assess cell proliferation inhibition of PAMD; the apoptotic induction and cell cycle arrest was detected by flow cytometry; the BxPC-3 xenograft was established to evaluate the tumor growth inhibition of PAMD; hematoxylin-eosin staining was applied to analyze the pathological morphology of tumor tissues; immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blot was adopted to detect the protein levels; quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the mRNA expressions.Results:PAMD shows time-and dose-dependent proliferation inhibition on the BxPC-3 cell, induced G0/G1 phase arrest and cell apoptosis in vitro. PAMD also showed better inhibition of tumor growth and a preferable safety profile compared with chemotherapeutic regimen 5-fluoro-2, 4 (1 H, 3 H) pyrimidinedione in BxPC-3 xenograft in vivo. Furthermore, PAMD directly decreases the protein and mRNA levels of Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) and its downstream transcription factor Gli-1 in the BxPC-3 tumor tissues.Conclusion:The treatment of PAMD displayed Hh signaling pathway blockade through decreasing the protein and mRNA levels of Shh and its downstream transcription factor Gli-1, suggesting a promising strategy in treating human PC.

Pancreatic cancer is a highly malignant cancer associated with high expression levels of sonic hedgehog signaling molecule (Shh), patched 1 (Ptch1), smoothened frizzled class receptor (Smo) and glioma-associated oncogene family zinc finger 1 (Gli1) in the hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway. Inhibition of the Hh signaling pathway is a potential therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of dauricine in a pancreatic cancer BxPC-3 ×enograft animal model and examine the underlying molecular mechanisms through Hh signaling pathway. High-and low-dose dauricine treatment significantly suppressed tumor growth with no concomitant effect on the spleen index. In addition, dauricine induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in pancreatic cancer BxPC-3 cells. The inhibitory effects of dauricine on pancreatic cancer may be mediated by the suppression of the Hh signaling pathway, as indicated by the decreases in the gene and protein expression levels of Shh, Ptch1, Smo and Gli1. The effects of dauricine were similar to those of 5-fluorouracil. Dauricine, a naturally occurring alkaloid, may be a potential anticancer agent for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Biopolymer silk fibroin (SF) is a great candidate for drug carriers characterized by its tunable biodegradability, and excellent biocompatibility properties. Recently, we have constructed SF-based nano-enabled drug delivery carriers, in which doxorubicin (Dox) and atovaquone (Ato) were encapsulated with Arg-Gly-Asp-SF-Polylactic Acid (RSA) to form micellar-like nanoparticles (RSA-Dox-Ato NPs). The RGD peptide was decorated on micellar-like nanoparticles, promoting tumor accumulation of the drug. Meanwhile, Ato, as a mitochondrial complex III inhibitor inhibiting mitochondrial respiration, would reverse the hypoxia microenvironment and enhance chemotherapy in the tumor. In vitro, the biopolymer alone showed extremely low cytotoxicity to 4T1 cell lines, while the RSA-Dox-Ato demonstrated a higher inhibition rate than other groups. Most significantly, the ROS levels in cells were obviously improved after being treated with RSA-Dox-Ato, indicating that the hypoxic microenvironment was alleviated. Eventually, SF-based targeted drug carrier provides biocompatibility to reverse hypoxia microenvironment in vivo for enhancing chemotherapy, strikingly suppressing tumor development, and thereby suggesting a promising candidate for drug delivery system.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most common age-related neurodegenerative disorders that have been studied for more than 100 years. Although an increased level of amyloid precursor protein is considered a key contributor to the development of AD, the exact pathogenic mechanism remains known. Multiple factors are related to AD, such as genetic factors, aging, lifestyle, and nutrients. Both epidemiological and clinical evidence has shown that the levels of micronutrients, such as copper, zinc, and iron, are closely related to the development of AD. In this review, we summarize the roles of eight micronutrients, including copper, zinc, iron, selenium, silicon, manganese, arsenic, and vitamin D in AD based on recently published studies.

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