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Electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds have gained extensive attention in the fields of soft tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In this study, a series of biodegradable nanofibrous meshes were fabricated by electrospinning poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and poly( p-dioxanone) (PPDO) blends with various mass ratios. All the as-developed PCL/PPDO nanofibrous meshes possessed smooth and highly aligned fiber morphology. The mean fiber diameter was 521.5 ± 76.6 nm for PCL meshes and 485.8 ± 88.9 nm for PPDO meshes, and the mean fiber diameter seemed to present a decreasing tendency with the increasing of the PPDO component. For pure PCL meshes, the contact angle was about 117.5 ± 1.6°, the weight loss ratio was roughly 0.2% after 10 weeks of degradation, and the tensile strength was 41.2 ± 2.3 MPa in the longitudinal direction and 4.2 ± 0.1 MPa in the transverse direction. It was found that the surface hydrophilicity and in vitro degradation properties of PCL/PPDO meshes apparently increased, but the mechanical properties of PCL/PPDO meshes obviously decreased when more PPDO component was introduced. The biological tests showed that 4:1 PCL/PPDO nanofibrous meshes and 1:1 PCL/PPDO nanofibrous meshes could obviously promote the adhesion and proliferation of human adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells more than pure PCL and PPDO meshes and 1:4 PCL/PPDO meshes. The results demonstrated that it is feasible to adjust the surface hydrophilicity, degradation profile, and mechanical properties as well as biological properties of as-obtained nanofibrous meshes by blending PCL and PPDO components. This study provides meaningful reference and guidance for the design and development of PCL/PPDO hybrid nanofibrous scaffolds for soft tissue engineering research and application.

Developing ultra-strong and biocompatible nanofiber yarns for biomedical textile materials remains major challenges. Here, poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) nanofiber yarns (NYs) were fabricated by using a modified electrospinning apparatus with a integration function of yarn formation and thermal stretching. Due to the highly-aligned nanofibrous structure and obviously increased crystallinity, the as-prepared PLLA NYs exhibited exciting mechanical properties, which matched those of commercial PLLA microfiber yarns (MYs). The biological tests demonstrated that the braided fabrics made from PLLA NYs presented obviously enhanced biocompatibility than those made from PLLA MYs, by significantly promoting the survival, adhesion and proliferation of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADMSCs). We hope that these results provide new insights for the future development of nanofibrous bio-textiles for commercial applications.

Nitidine chloride (NC) is a natural bioactive phytochemical alkaloid that has displayed anticancer activity in various types of cancer. However, no evidence has been reported for the direct effect of NC on CRC cell proliferation and apoptosis, and the underling mechanisms to be fully elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate the influence of NC on the apoptosis and proliferation of CRC cells. The viability and proliferation of CRC cells was measured by MTT assay and a [3H] thymidine uptake assay. Apoptosis was measured using a flow cytometric apoptosis assay and TUNEL staining. The expression levels of apoptotic‑regulated proteins in addition to extracellular signal‑regulated kinase (ERK) were measured by western blot analysis following stimulation with NC. The results indicated that NC inhibited the proliferation of HCT116 cells in a dose‑ and time‑dependent manner. Additionally, apoptotic induction by NC treatment was confirmed. Furthermore, NC was demonstrated to significantly upregulate the expression of Bax, p53, cleaved caspase‑3 and ‑9 and downregulate the expression of Bcl‑2. Treatment with NC reduced the phosphorylation of ERK and by using an ERK inhibitor, U0126, the roles of NC in apoptotic induction and the inhibition of proliferation were further demonstrated. These results demonstrated that NC inhibited the proliferation and induced the apoptosis of CRC cells via the ERK signaling pathway.

9-(N,N-Dimethyl)-4,7-megastigmedien-3-one (1) was isolated from Pachysandra terminalis and identified by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic and mass spectrometric methods. Compound 1 revealed significant anti-metastasis effect on cancer cell migration and invasion through suppressing the expressions of p-PKCζ and p-integrin β1 in human breast cancer cells, and also showed anti-angiogenic activity on human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Gastric cancer is one of the most common types of human cancer associated with a poor prognosis. MicroRNAs (miRs), a class of non-coding RNAs that are 18-25 nucleotides in length, act as key regulators in gene expression, and have been implicated in various human cancer types. miR-125b has been implicated in the malignant progression of gastric cancer. However, the association between miR-125b expression, clinicopathological characteristics and trastuzumab resistance in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive gastric cancer remains unclear. In the current study, in situ hybridization data demonstrated that 81.8% (108/132) of gastric cancer tissues exhibited positive expression of miR-125b, while only 26.3% (10/38) of non-tumor gastric tissues were miR-125b-positive. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction data indicated that the expression level of miR-125b was markedly increased in gastric cancer tissues compared with non-cancerous gastric tissues. Furthermore, the miR-125b level was significantly associated with tumor (T) stage, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and TNM stage of gastric cancer (P

Gastric carcinoma is one of the major causes of cancer mortality worldwide. There is a better prognosis for patients with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated gastric carcinoma (EBVaGC) compared with those with EBV negative gastric carcinoma (EBVnGC). It is partly due to the fact that EBV infection recruits lymphocytes infiltrating the tumor. It has been reported that this infection indeed resulted in the changes in immune response genes and thus preventing the development of tumor. It is worthwhile to do a systematic study of EBVaGC and EBVnGC based on genetic characteristics and pathways. In this study, we investigated the information of gene ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway annotations to characterize EBVaGC and EBVnGC-related genes. By applying minimum redundancy maximum relevance (mRMR) algorithm, we provided an optimal set of features for identifying the EBVaGC and EBVnGC. We also employed the shortest path algorithm to probe the novel EBVaGC- and EBVnGC-related genes based on the interaction network of genes that differently expressed in them respectively. We obtained 1039 and 1003 features to identify these two types of gastric carcinoma respectively. Based on the optimal features of classification, we predicted 1881 and 2475 novel genes as additional candidates to support clinical research respectively for these two types of gastric cancers. We compared the differences and similarities of molecular traits between EBVaGC and EBVnGC, which would facilitate the understanding of gastric cancer and its therapy and was thus clinically relevant.

A chemical investigation of the endemic relict shrub Tetraena mongolica led to the isolation of four new triterpenes: 11α,12α:13β,28-diepoxyoleanane-3β-yl trans-caffeate (1), 3β-hydroxy-11α,12α-epoxyoleanane-28-al (2), olean-11-en-28-al-3β-yl trans-caffeate (3), and 28-acetoxy-olean-12-en-3β-yl trans-caffeate (4). Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic methods.

The aim of the present study was to identify potentially useful natural compounds for the development of novel therapeutic agents to inhibit metastasis. A phytochemical investigation of Pachysandra terminalis resulted in the isolation of seven new pregnane alkaloids, terminamines A-G (1-7), and seven known alkaloids (8-14). The structures of 1-7 were elucidated by 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopic and mass spectrometric methods. Compounds 1-5 and 8-14 inhibited the migration of MB-MDA-231 breast cancer cells induced by the chemokine epithelial growth factor. In addition, compound 1 inhibited phosphorylation of integrin β(1), which plays an important role in MB-MDA-231 cell adhesion and metastasis.

By repeated column chromatography, including silica gel, toyopearl HW-40 and preparative HPLC, thirteen compounds (1-13) were isolated and purified from Smilax riparia. On the basis of spectral data analysis, the structures of isolated compounds were elucidated as 5-methoxy-[6]-gingerol (1), dehydroabietic acid (2), pteryxin (3), 2-methylphenyl-1-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (4), 3,5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxybenzonic acid (5), isovanillin (6), vanillic acid (7), p-hydroxycinnamic acid (8), p-hydroxycinnamic methyl ester (9), p-hydroxybenzaldehyde (10), ferulic acid methyl ester (11), benzoic acid (12) and 5-hydroxy-methyl-2-furalclehyde (13). Compounds 1-4 and 8-12 were isolated from this genus for the first time. All compounds were isolated from this plant for the first time. Compounds 1 and 5-11 showed antioxidant activities on DPPH method.

To study the anti-tumor metastatic constituents from Lindera glauca.Constituent isolation and purification was carried by repeated column chromatography (silica gel, Toyopearl HW-40 and preparative HPLC). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral data analysis. The anti-tumor metastasis assay was applied to evaluate the isolated compounds of their activities.Ten compounds (1 - 10) were isolated and their structures were identified by comparison of their spectral data with literature values as follows: Laurotetanine (1), N-methyllaurotetanine (2), reticuline (3), pallidine (4), N-trans-feruloyltyramine (5), N-cis-feruloyltyramine (6), atheroline (7), norisosocorydine (8), [9,9,9-(2) H3]-(1S*, 3S*, 4S*, 8S*)-p-menthane-3,8-diol (9), [9,9,9-(2) H3 ]-(1S*, 3R*, 4S*, 8S*)-p-Menthane-3,8-diol (10). Compounds 1, 2, 4, 5, 7 and 9 showed positive anti-tumor metastatic activities,and compounds 1, 4, and 5 showed significant anti-tumor metastatic activities.Compound 3 was isolated from this plant for the first time. Compounds 9 and 10 were isolated from Lindera genus for the first time. Compounds 1, 4, and 5 showed significant anti-tumor metastatic activities.

To study the anti-tumor metastatic constituents from Ardisia Crenata.Chemical constituents were isolated and purified by repeated column chromatography( silica gel, Toyopearl HW40C and preparative HPLC). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral data analysis. The anti-tumor metastasis assay was applied to evaluate the isolated compounds of their activities.Nine compounds(1-9) were isolated and their structures were identified by comparison of their spectral data with literature values as follows: 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furalclehyde(1), ethyl-beta-D-fructopyranoside(2), syringic acid(3), n-butyl-beta-D-fructofuranoside(4), n-butyl-alpha-D-fructofuranoside(5), methyl-alpha-D-fructofuranoside(6), (+)-bergenin(7), ardisiacrispins B(8), asperuloside acid(9). The isolated compounds(1-9) showed positive anti-tumor metastatic activities, and compounds 1, 5, and 8 showed significant anti-tumor metastatic activities. At the concentration of 0.8 mg x L(-1), compound 5 revealed the value of metastatic inhibition ratio on MDA-MB-231 was 93.8%.Compounds 2-6 and 9 were isolated from this plant for the first time. compounds 1, 5 and 8 showed significant anti-tumor metastatic activities.

Objective To study the phenol constituents from Pachysandra terminalis and their antioxidant activities. Method Constituent isolation and purification was carried by repeated column chromatography (silica gel, Toyopearl HW-40 and preparative HPLC), and their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral data analysis. DPPH method was used to evaluate the free radical scavenging activity of the isolated compounds. Result Nine phenol compounds (1-9) were isolated and their structures were identified as follow: p-hydroxybenzaldehyde (1), vanillin (2), 1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl) -ethanone (3), syringaldehyde (4), salicylic acid (5), p-hydroxybenzoic acid (6), ferulic acid (7), 2,3,4-trihydroxybenzoic acid (8), 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (9). The isolated compounds showed obviously antioxidant activity. At the concentration of 50 micromol x L(-1), compounds 7-9 revealed DPPH free radical scavenging rates were 87.8%, 97.8% and 92%, respectively. Conclusion Compounds 1-9 were isolated from this genus for the first time. They showed the significant antioxidant activity.