The transcription factor E2F1 regulates the expression of the miR-20b-5p precursor and is involved in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) induces EMT in prostate cancer (PCa) by binding to TGF-beta receptor 2 (TGFBR2) to activate TGF-β signaling. However, the relationship between TGFBR2, E2F1, and miR-20b-5p in the modulation of EMT in PCa cells remains unknown. In this study, we found that the level of miR-20b-5p expression was significantly lower in PC3 and DU145 cells than that in prostate epithelial (RWPE-1) cells, and TGF-β1 treatment further down-regulated miR-20b-5p expression in these two cell lines. Functional studies showed that miR-20b-5p suppressed TGF-β1-induced migration and invasion of PC3 and DU145 cells by up-regulating E-cadherin and down-regulating vimentin, leading to TGF-β1-induced inhibition of EMT. Using gain and loss of function experiments, it was shown that E2F1 mediated TGF-β1 regulation of miR-20b-5p expression. Further, a luciferase activity assay showed that TGFBR2 was a direct target of miR-20b-5p in PCa cells. These results suggest that miR-20b-5p, TGFBR2, and E2F1 form a regulatory loop to modulate EMT induced by TGF-β1. A novel regulatory mechanism underlying the miR-20b-5p/TGFBR2/E2F1 axis is involved in TGF-β1-induced EMT of PCa cells, and miR-20b-5p may be a potential therapeutic target for PCa.
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunit α5 (α5-nAChR) is involved in tumor cell proliferation, inhibition of apoptosis, progression of metastasis, and induction of angiogenesis in certain solid tumors. However, the role of α5-nAChR in prostate cancer cell growth and metastasis is unclear. In the present study, the role of α5-nAChR in cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis was investigated by silencing the expression levels of α5-nAChR in the prostate cancer cell lines DU145 and PC3. A siRNA oligonucleotide targeting α5-nAChR was designed. The cell proliferation of DU145 and PC3 cell lines was analyzed by the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Cell migratory and invasive activities were determined using wound healing and Transwell assays, respectively. Western blot analysis was used to quantify α5-nAChR, p-AKT and p-ERK1/2 levels in DU145 and PC3 cells. Knockdown of α5-nAChR was associated with decreased cell proliferation, migration, invasion and increased apoptosis. In addition, decreased phosphorylation levels of AKT and ERK1/2 were revealed following α5-nAChR knockdown in DU145 and PC3 cells compared with those observed in the scramble control samples. The expression levels of the apoptosis-related proteins were altered following silencing of α5-nAChR. In summary, the data indicated that α5-nAChR was involved in the proliferation and invasion of human prostate cancer cells.
Curcumin can significantly improve the symptoms of chronic urinary tract infections, protect renal tubular function, and also decline inflammatory responses by influencing the expressions of TLR2 mRNA and TLR4 mRNA so as to exert its curative effect on chronic urinary tract infections.
Background: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have received increasing attention in cancer development. However, a substantial number of circRNAs still require characterization. The purpose of this study is to uncover novel circRNAs and their molecular mechanism in bladder cancer (BCa). Methods: A combinative strategy of extensive data mining and computational biology was employed to identify BCa-related circRNAs and explore their potential mechanisms of action. Results: Three differentially expressed circRNAs (has_circ_0023642, has_circ_0047322, has_circ_0041151) were obtained from the microarray dataset (GSE92675). Four miRNAs (miR-616, miR-515-5p, miR-647, miR-1178) with potential binding sites with these three circRNAs were identified. Pathway analysis demonstrated that all four miRNAs were closely associated with some cancer-related pathways. Survival analysis indicated that these miRNAs might potentially play a role in tumor-suppressive functions in BCa. Subsequently, 181 overlapping genes were identified from 472 up-regulated genes in BCa (TCGA database), and 10,017 predicted target genes of the four miRNAs obtained. A circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network was constructed on the identified three circRNAs, four miRNAs, and 181 overlapping genes. Besides, six hub genes (CENPA, HIST1H2BJ, HIST1H2BO, HIST1H3H, HIST1H3B, HIST1H3F) were identified from establishing a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network on the same overlapping genes. Furthermore, a circRNA-miRNA-hub gene sub-network was built to delineate the links among the differential circRNAs, miRNA, and hub genes. Conclusions: Our study provided significant insights into the molecular mechanisms that regulate the progression of BCa from the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network view.
Objective: To evaluate the effect and clinical significance of tadalafil combined with atorvastatin on hemodynamics and sexual function in middle-aged and elderly patients with hyperlipidemia complicated with Erectile dysfunction (ED). Methods: Eighty patients with hyperlipidemia complicated with ED who were treated at The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2019 to June 2020 were selected. Using a completely randomized design experimental method, these 80 patients were randomly divided into two groups: the experimental group and the control group, with 40 cases in each group. The control group was treated with a single drug, atorvastatin calcium, while the experimental group was given tadalafil orally on the basis of the control group for 3 months. Changes in the levels of inflammatory factors such as IL-6, TNF and CRP, adverse drug reactions, changes in hemodynamic indicators such as HSV, LSV, PSV, HCT and ESR before and after treatment, as well as changes in sexual function after treatment were compared and analyzed between the two groups. Results: TNF-a, CRP and IL-6 in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group after treatment, with statistically significant differences (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse drug reactions between the two groups (p=0.18). After treatment, hemodynamic indexes and sexual function indexes of the experimental group were significantly improved compared with those in the control group, with statistically significant differences (p<0.05). Conclusion: A significant improvement effect can be achieved by tadalafil combined with atorvastatin on hemodynamics and sexual function in middle-aged and elderly patients with hyperlipidemia complicated with ED. At the same time, the combination of the two has synergism on inflammatory factors and blood rheology, and the incidence of adverse reactions is not significantly increased. Abbreviations: ED: Erectile dysfunction, PDE-5: Phosphodiesterase-5, IL-6: Interleukin- 6, CRP: C-reactionprotein, HSV: High shear viscosity, LSV: Low cut viscosity of whole blood, PSV: The plasma viscosity, HCT: Hematocrit, ESR: Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, IIEF-5: International Index of Erectile Function Questionnaire – 5, HMG-CoA: Hydroxy-methylglutaryl coenzyme A, cGMP: cyclic Guanosinc monophosphate, TNF-α: Tumor necrosis factor-α, IFN-γ: Interferon-γ, TC: Total cholesterol, TG: Triglycerides, HDL-C: High density lipoprotein cholesterol. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.7.4257 How to cite this:Du L, Jia J, Xue W, Qi J. Effect of tadalafil combined with atorvastatin on hemodynamics and sexual function in middle-aged and elderly patients with hyperlipidemia complicated with erectile dysfunction. Pak J Med Sci. 2021;37(7):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.7.4257 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.