Benefiting from more precise imaging and radiotherapy, patients with locoregionally nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) have a significantly higher survival rate. Nonetheless, distant metastasis is still the predominant mode of failure. Advances in cancer research have highlighted that pathological angiogenesis is necessary for tumor metastasis by offering oxygen, nutrients, or cell metastatic conduits. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small noncoding RNAs, are increasingly implicated in modulation of angiogenesis in physiological and pathological conditions. Currently, we detected that miR-23a was highly enriched in NPC tissues at the metastatic or premetastatic stage, and its levels in NPC were associated with microvessel density. Subsequently, we proved that alteration of miR-23a expression modulated the growth, migration, and tube formation of HUVECs in vitro and affected the blood vessel outgrowth in the zebrafish model. Considering the possibility that extracellular miR-23a was horizontally transferred from CNE2 cells to HUVECs, we analyzed miR-23a encapsulated in exosomes, showing that overexpression of exosomal miR-23a in NPC promoted angiogenesis both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, we provided evidences that miR-23a regulated angiogenesis by directly targeting testis-specific gene antigen (TSGA10). Taken together, our findings revealed that metastasis-associated miR-23a from NPC-derived exosomes plays an important role in mediating angiogenesis by targeting TSGA10.
Ischemic stroke is a major disability and cause of death worldwide due to its narrow therapeutic time window. Neuroprotective agent is a promising strategy to salvage acutely ischemic brain tissue and extend the therapeutic time window for stroke treatment. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of isoquercetin in (1) primary culture of rat hippocampal neurons exposure on oxygen and glucose deprivation and reperfusion (OGD/R) injury and (2) rats subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion (MCAO/R) injury. The results showed that isoquercetin post-treatment reduced the infarct size, number of apoptotic cells, oxidative stress, and inflammatory response after ischemia and reperfusion injury. The underlying mechanism study indicated that the neuroprotective effects of isoquercetin were elicited via suppressing the activation of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and caspase-1; the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, JNK1/2, and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK); and the secretion of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and IL-6. In addition, isoquercetin also effectively alleviated hippocampus neuron apoptosis by regulation of cyclic AMP responsive element-binding protein (CREB), Bax, Bcl-2, and caspase-3. Our report provided new considerations into the therapeutic action and the underlying mechanisms of isoquercetin to improve brain injury in individuals who have suffered from ischemic stroke. As a potent anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative compound with neuroprotective capacities, the beneficial effects of isoquercetin when used to treat ischemic stroke and related diseases in humans warrant further studies.
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