Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a rare, aggressive, and highly lethal cancer that is substantially induced by exposure to asbestos fibers. High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is an intriguing proinflammatory molecule involved in MM. In this review, we describe the possible crucial roles of HMGB1 in carcinogenic mechanisms based on in vivo and in vitro experimental evidence and outline the clinical findings of epidemiological investigations regarding the possible roles of HMGB1 as a biomarker for MM. We conclude that novel strategies targeting HMGB1 may suppress MM cells and interfere with asbestos-induced inflammation.

High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a potential therapeutic target and novel biomarker in a variety of malignant tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). More recently, a number of microRNAs (miRNAs) are identified as a class of regulators for broad control of HMGB1-mediated biological actions in eukaryotic cells. In this review article we will describe representative miRNAs involved in regulating the HMGB1 signaling pathways in HCC cell lines and/or animal models. We also propose the possible mechanisms underlying the miRNA/HMGB1 axis and discuss the future clinical significance of miRNAs targeting HMGB1 molecule for HCC therapy.

Tubular scaffolds serve as a controllable extracellular environment to guide the repair and regeneration of tissues. But it is still a challenge to achieve both excellent mechanical properties and cell compatibility of artificial scaffolds for long-term structural and biological stability. In this study, a four-step solution casting method was developed to fabricate dual-layer cell-laden tubular scaffolds for nerve and bile duct regeneration. The dual-layer tubular scaffold consisted of a bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs)-laden hydrogel inner layer and an outer layer of gelatin methacrylate (GelMA)/polyethylene glycol diacrylate. While the inner layer had a good biocompatibility, the outer layer had desired mechanical properties. The interfacial toughness, Young’s modulus, maximum tensile strain, and compressive modulus of dual-layer tubular scaffolds were 65 J m−2, 122.37 ± 23.21 kPa, 100.87 ± 40.10%, and 39.14 ± 18.56 N m−1, respectively. More importantly, the fabrication procedure was very cell-friendly, since the BMSC viability encapsulated in the inner layer of 10% (w/v) GelMA reached 94.68 ± 0.43% after 5 d of culture. Then, a preliminary evaluation of the potential application of dual-layer tubular scaffolds as nerve conduits and biliary scaffolds was performed, and demonstrated that the cell-laden dual-layer tubular scaffolds proposed in this work are expected to extend the application of tubular scaffolds in tissue engineering.