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Linalool, a natural compound that exists in the essential oils of several aromatic plants species, has been reported to have anti-inflammatory effects. However, the effects of linalool on cigarette smoke (CS)-induced acute lung inflammation have not been reported. In the present study, we investigated the protective effects of linalool on CS-induced acute lung inflammation in mice. Linalool was given i.p. to mice 2 h before CS exposure daily for five consecutive days. The numbers of macrophages and neutrophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were measured. The production of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, IL-8 and MCP-1 were detected by ELISA. The expression of NF-κB was detected by Western blotting. Our results showed that treatment of linalool significantly attenuated CS-induced lung inflammation, coupled with inhibited the infiltration of inflammatory cells and TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, IL-8 and MCP-1 production. Meanwhile, treatment of linalool inhibited CS-induced lung MPO activity and pathological changes. Furthermore, linalool suppressed CS-induced NF-κB activation in a dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that linalool protected against CS-induced lung inflammation through inhibiting CS-induced NF-κB activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It has been known that transcription factor nuclear factor (NF)-κB plays an important role in cell proliferation and oncogenesis. The aims of this study were to evaluate expression levels of NF-κB in nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to elucidate its clinical significance and prognostic value for patients with NSCLC. Methods: Using 45 tumor tissue specimens from 45 patients with NSCLC who underwent surgery, we investigated the expression of NF-κB using Western blotting analysis. Apoptotic rate of NSCLC cells with different expression of NF-κB was determined by TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end-labeling) assay. Paraffin-embedded tissue blocks from 71 consecutive patients with NSCLC were obtained for immunohistochemical staining. Results: The expression level of NF-κB in poorly or moderately differentiated lung cancer cells was higher than that in well-differentiated ones (p = 0.001). The apoptotic rate was lower for lung cancer cells with higher NF-κB expression than for those with lower NF-κB expression (p = 0.0238). Furthermore, expression of NF-κB was correlated with caspase-3, cyclooxygenase-2, and p53 expression in lung cancer cells that were examined. Most NSCLC cells showed nuclear staining pattern and the nuclear positive rate was 67.6% (48 of 71 specimens). Immunohistochemical NF-κB expression in patients with NSCLC was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that expression of NF-κB may correlate with lung cancer differentiation. Overexpression of NF-κB inhibits tumor cell apoptosis and indicates an unfavorable prognosis for overall survival in some patients with NSCLC. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Pituitary tumor transforming gene (PTTG) is a newly identified proto-oncogene that has been shown to be aberrantly overexpressed in a subset of human cancers. The aim of the present study was to examine PTTG expression in patients with esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) and explore its clinical significance. PTTG protein expression was analyzed in 108 archived, paraffin-embedded primary ESCC specimens by immunohistochemistry and correlated with clinicopathological parameters and patients’ outcome. Overexpression of PTTG was observed in 38.0% (41/108) of primary ESCC tissues and significantly correlated with differentiation, TNM stage, lymph node metastasis, and depth of invasion (P <0.05). Kaplan–Meier curves showed that ESCC patients with tumors expressing high levels of PTTG had substantially shorter overall survival compared with patients expressing low levels of PTTG (P =0.022, log-rank test). Cox multivariate regression analysis revealed that overexpression of PTTG was an independent prognostic factor in overall survival for ESCC patients (hazard ratio was 2.35, P =0.009). Overall, our data suggest that overexpression of PTTG may contribute to the malignant progression of ESCC and serve as a novel prognostic indicator for patients with ESCC. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]