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Background: Although plasma amyloid-β (Aβ) levels have been evaluated as a possible diagnostic marker of Alzheimer's disease (AD), the findings are inconsistent.Objective: The present study aimed to validate plasma levels of Aβ40, Aβ42, and the Aβ40/Aβ42 ratio as biomarkers of AD in subjects with early-onset AD (EOAD) without familial AD genetic mutations.Methods: Patients with sporadic EOAD (sEOAD) were prospectively recruited by nine neurology clinics. Plasma levels of Aβ40 and Aβ42 were measured using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 100 sEOAD (50-69 year-old) and 46 age-matched normal control subjects (50-72 year-old). Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was obtained from 32 sEOAD subjects and 25 controls. The integrity of the blood-brain barrier was assessed using the CSF/plasma albumin ratio.Results: The plasma levels of Aβ42 were significantly lower, while the Aβ40/Aβ42 ratio was significantly higher in sEOAD patients than in controls. The levels of Aβ40, Aβ42, and the Aβ40/Aβ42 ratio did not differ in relation to the APOEɛ4 allele. The CSF/plasma albumin ratio was comparable between the two groups, and the plasma parameters of Aβ proteins were not significantly associated. A multivariate analysis revealed that an increased Aβ40/Aβ42 ratio is valuable for the discrimination of sEOAD from controls (β=0.344, p=0.000). The area under the ROC curve for the Aβ40/Aβ42 ratio was 0.76, and a cut-off ratio of 5.87 was suggested to have 70% sensitivity and 68% specificity.Conclusion: The plasma Aβ40/Aβ42 ratio had moderate validity for the discrimination of sEOAD patients from age-matched controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new monoterpene indole alkaloid glycosides nutanoside A-B (1-2), two new phenolic glycoside esters nutanester A-B (6-7), together with five known compounds (3-5, 8-9) were isolated from the ethanol extract of Gardneria nutans Siebold & Zuccarini. Their structures were established on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis and TDDFT/ECD calculations. Compounds 1 and 2 are two rare monoterpene indole alkaloids with the glucosyl moiety located at C-12 and represent the first two examples of enantiomer of ajmaline type monoterpene indole alkaloids. Compounds 3, 4 and 6 displayed significant inhibitory effects on NO production in over-activated BV2 microglial cells, with the IC 50 values of 2.29, 6.36, and 8.78 μM, respectively. Compounds 1, 5, 7 could significantly inhibit the mRNA expression of inflammatory factors TNF-α and IL-6 induced by LPS in BV2 microglial cells at the effective concentration. Moreover, compound 3 exhibited stronger cytotoxicities against U87 and HCT116 cell lines than taxol with IC 50 values of 10.58 and 14.60 μM, respectively., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has high fatality rate and limited therapeutic options. Here, we propose a new anti-HCC approach with high cancer-selectivity and efficient anticancer effects, based on adenovirus-mediated Tetrahymena group I trans -splicing ribozymes specifically inducing targeted suicide gene activity through HCC-specific replacement of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) RNA. To confer potent anti-HCC effects and minimize hepatotoxicity, we constructed post-transcriptionally enhanced ribozyme constructs coupled with splicing donor and acceptor site and woodchuck hepatitis virus post-transcriptional regulatory element under the control of microRNA-122a (miR-122a). Adenovirus encoding post-transcriptionally enhanced ribozyme improved trans -splicing reaction and decreased human TERT (hTERT) RNA level, efficiently and selectively retarding hTERT-positive liver cancers. Adenovirus encoding miR-122a-regulated ribozyme caused selective liver cancer cytotoxicity, the efficiency of which depended on ribozyme expression level relative to miR-122a level. Systemic administration of adenovirus encoding the post-transcriptionally enhanced and miR-regulated ribozyme caused efficient anti-cancer effects at a single dose of low titers and least hepatotoxicity in intrahepatic multifocal HCC mouse xenografts. Minimal liver toxicity, tissue distribution, and clearance pattern of the recombinant adenovirus were observed in normal animals administered either systemically or via the hepatic artery. Post-transcriptionally regulated RNA replacement strategy mediated by a cancer-specific ribozyme provides a clinically relevant, safe, and efficient strategy for HCC treatment., Competing Interests: S.R.H. and J.H.K. are employee of Rznomics. J.S.J. is a stockholder of Rznomics. S.-W.L. is CEO of Rznomics. No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed for other authors., (© 2020 The Author(s).)

The cellular susceptibility of cancer cells to histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors is increased by the etopic expression of oncogenic Ras. However, the ability of HDAC inhibitors to regulate the apoptotic pathway in human breast cancer cells is still not completely understood. In this study, the anti-proliferative effects of apicidin were compared in H-ras-transformed human breast epithelial (MCF10A-ras) and non-transformed epithelial (MCF10A) cells. MCF10A-ras cells showed a significantly higher growth rate than MCF10A cells. Apicidin significantly increased the levels of acetylated histone H3 and H4 in both cell lines. Western blot analysis and flow cytometry were used to determine if the anti-proliferative effects of apicidin in MCF10A and MCF10A-ras cells could be mediated by modulating the cell cycle. Apicidin attenuated the expression of cyclin E and CDK2 in MCF10A cells, decreased cyclin D1 and cyclin E levels in MCF10A-ras cells, and increased the levels of CDK inhibitors, p21WAF1/Cip1 and p27Kip1, in both cell lines. Notably, the levels of hyperphosphorylation of the Rb protein levels were lower in the MCF10A-ras cells after apicidin treatment. Studies on the regulation of apoptosis showed that apicidin induces the up-regulation of p53 and the downstream activation of ERK in MCF10A-ras cells. The up-regulation of p53 promoted Bax expression leading to activation of caspases-9 and -6, and eventually to apoptosis in MCF10A-ras cells. In addition, apicidin significantly increased the levels of ERK1/2 phosphorylation in MCF10A-ras cells. Therefore, the apicidin-mediated ERK pathway appears to play an important role in modulating the pro-apoptotic pathway in MCF10A-ras cells.

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors have been shown to modify the expression of a variety of genes related to cell cycle regulation and apoptosis in several cancer cells. However, the precise mode of action of HDAC inhibitors in prostate cancer cells is not completely understood. This study examined whether an HDAC inhibitor affects cell death in human prostate cancer cells through the epigenetic regulation of androgen receptor (AR) expression. The molecular mechanism of the HDAC inhibitor, sodium butyrate, on the epigenetic alterations of cell cycle regulators was evaluated in androgen-dependent human prostate cancer LNCaP cells. The expression levels of acetylated histone H3 and H4 increased significantly after 48 h treatment with sodium butyrate. Sodium butyrate induced the expression of AR after 48 h treatment. In addition, immunofluorescence assay revealed the nuclear localization of the AR after sodium butyrate treatment. Sodium butyrate also significantly decreased the expression of the cell cycle regulatory proteins (cyclin D1/cyclin dependent kinase (CDK)4, CDK6, and cyclin E/CDK2) in the LNCaP cells after 48 h treatment. Furthermore, p21Waf1/Cip1 and p27Kip1 were upregulated as a result of the sodium butyrate treatment. These results suggest that sodium butyrate effectively inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis of human prostate cancer cells by altering the expression of cell cycle regulators and AR. This study indicated that sodium butyrate may be a potential agent in prostate cancer treatment.