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Abstract Background Breast cancer seriously affects physical and mental health of women. Despite advances in the clinical use of different treatments, breast cancer remains a major cause of mortality. Therefore, it is imperative to identify promising treatment options. In the present study, we investigated the effects of shikonin on 4T1 breast cancer cells and its potential mechanisms of action. Methods BALB/c-derived mouse breast cancer 4T1 is very close to human breast cancer in growth characteristics and systemic response, so 4T1 cells were selected for further experiments. Cell viability, apoptosis, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial activity, and cellular calreticulin (CRT) exposure were assessed to evaluate the antitumor effects and mechanisms of shikonin in vitro. Orthotopic tumor growth inhibition and splenic immune cell regulation by shikonin were evaluated in 4T1 breast cancer orthotopic mice in vivo. Results In vitro, shikonin could inhibit cell proliferation, cause apoptosis, disrupt mitochondrial activity, and induce ROS production and CRT exposure. In vivo, shikonin inhibited tumor growth, increased the proportion of CD8+ T cells, and reduced the proportion of regulatory cells (CD25+ Foxp3+ T cells) in the spleen. Conclusions Shikonin inhibits the growth of 4T1 breast cancer cells by disrupting mitochondrial activity, promoting oxidative stress, and regulating immune function.

Hyper-uric acid (UA)-induced kidney injury (HAKI) is caused by the deposition of excess blood UA into the kidneys. We confined molecules of uricase (URI), catalase (CAT), and curcumin (Cur) to a single structure (UC/Cur) while retaining their enzymatic activities via a cross-linking complexation reaction between tannic acid and FeCl3 for treating HAKI. Simultaneously, bovine serum albumin (BSA)-UC/Cur nanoparticles were successfully prepared by interlinking the disulfide bonds of BSA with the enzyme complex via Tris(2-carboxyethyl) phosphine(TCEP) to form sulfhydryl groups. BSA-UC/Cur significantly attenuated MSU-induced NLRP3 inflammasome pathway activation and apoptosis in NRK-52e cells by eliminating UA crystals and intracellular reactive oxygen species. More importantly, treatment with BSA-UC/Cur stabilized blood UA concentrations and lowered proximal tubular protein levels, mitochondrial swelling, and fibrotic areas, renducing the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)2, MMP9, and NLRP3 while, increasing the expression of tight-junction proteins ZO1 and occludin as well as that of TIMP-1, in HAKI model rats. In addition, BSA-UC/Cur nanoparticles reduced the subpopulation ratios of CD8+ T cells and M1 macrophages and increased those of M2 macrophages and Treg cells. Preliminary in-vivo trials showed that long-term intravenous treatment with BSA-UC/Cur is safe. Therefore, BSA-UC/Cur could be a potential nanotherapeutic agent for HAKI.

Objective: Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) have shown very attractive potential in clinical applications for the treatment of various diseases. However, the data about the reproductive and developmental toxicity of hUC-MSCs remains insufficient. Thus, we assessed the potential effects of intravenous injection of hUC-MSCs on reproduction and development in Sprague-Dawley rats.Methods: In the fertility and early embryonic development study, hUC-MSCs were administered at dose levels of 0, 6.0 × 106, 8.5 × 106, and 1.2 × 107/kg to male and female rats during the pre-mating, mating and gestation period. In the embryo-fetal development study, the pregnant female rats received 0, 6.0 × 106, 1.2 × 107, and 2.4 × 107/kg of hUC-MSCs from gestation days (GD) 6–15. Assessments made included mortality, clinical observations, body weight, food consumption, fertility parameters of male and female, litter, and fetus parameters, etc.Results: No hUC-MSCs-related toxicity was observed on the fertility of male and female rats, and no teratogenic effect on fetuses. hUC-MSCs at 1.2 × 107/kg caused a mildly decrease in body weight gain of male rats, transient listlessness, tachypnea, and hematuria symptoms in pregnant female rats. Death was observed in part of the pregnant females at a dose of 2.4 × 107/kg, which could be due to pulmonary embolism.Conclusion: Based on the results of the studies, the no-observed-adverse-effect levels (NOAELs) are 8.5 × 106/kg for fertility and early embryonic development, 1.2 × 107/kg for maternal toxicity and 2.4 × 107/kg for embryo-fetal development in rats intravenous injected with hUC-MSCs, which are equivalent to 8.5-fold, 12-fold, and 24-fold respectively of its clinical dosage in humans. These findings may provide a rational basis for human health risk assessment of hUC-MSCs.