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Ginsenoside Rh2 is one of rare panaxidiols extracted from Panax ginseng and a potential estrogen receptor ligand that exhibits moderate estrogenic activity. However, the effect of Rh2 on growth inhibition and its underlying molecular mechanism in human breast cells are not fully understood. In this study, we tested cell viability by MTT and colony formation assays. Cell growth and cell cycle were determined to investigate the effect of ginsenoside Rh2 by flow cytometry. The expressions of estrogen receptors (ERs), TNFα, and apoptosis-related proteins were detected by qPCR and western blot analysis. The mechanisms of ERα and ERβ action were determined using transfection and inhibitors. Antitumor effect of ginsenoside Rh2 against MCF-7 cells was investigated in xenograft mice. Our results showed that ginsenoside Rh2 induced apoptosis and G1/S phase arrest in MCF-7 cells. Treatment of cells with ginsenoside Rh2 down-regulated protein levels of ERα, and up-regulated mRNA and protein levels of ERβ and TNFα. We also found that ginsenoside Rh2-induced TNFα over-expression is through up-regulation of ERβ initiated by ginsenoside Rh2. Furthermore, ginsenoside Rh2 induced MCF-7 cell apoptosis via estrogen receptor β-TNFα pathway in vivo. These results demonstrate that ginsenoside Rh2 promotes TNFα-induced apoptosis and G1/S phase arrest via regulation of ERβ.

Bacterial infection severely limits the effectiveness of biomaterials for tissue repair, posing a major challenge to modern medicine. Despite advances in novel antibiotics and their application in treatment, challenges remain in clinical practice. To address this issue, biomaterials are engineered to achieve desirable anti-infective performance and compatibility via adjusting their surface physicochemical properties. Recently, numerous studies on piezoelectric materials have been performed for anti-infective and regenerative therapies, but a comprehensive review is still lacking. This article provides a brief overview of the different types of piezoelectric materials and their characteristics. Building on this understanding, this review highlights the antibacterial mechanisms including orchestrating electric field and optimizing piezoelectric catalysis, which promote infective tissue regeneration, as well as discusses the anti-infective bioapplication of piezoelectric materials. Furthermore, this review concludes with perspectives into the challenges and future research directions of piezoelectric biomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With aging, a portion of cells, including mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), become senescent, and these senescent cells accumulate and promote various age-related diseases. Therefore, the older age group has become a major population for MSC therapy, which is aimed at improving tissue regeneration and function of the aged body. However, the application of MSC therapy is often unsatisfying in the aged group. One reasonable conjecture for this correlation is that aging microenvironment reduces the number and function of MSCs. Cellular senescence also plays an important role in MSC function impairment. Thus, it is necessary to explore the relationship between senescence and MSCs for improving the application of MSCs in the elderly. Here, we present the influence of aging on MSCs and the characteristics and functional changes of senescent MSCs. Furthermore, current therapeutic strategies for improving MSC therapy in the elderly group are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway is associated with tumor cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis. The present review assesses the involvement of the MAPK signaling pathway in oral cancer progression and invasion based on analysis of individual sub-pathways and their mechanisms of action. The regulation of this pathway for targeted oral cancer therapy is explored and the challenges confronting this, as well as corresponding potential solutions, are discussed. Exploring this pathway with an emphasis on its components, subfamilies, sub-pathways, interactions with other pathways and clinical practice modes may improve oral cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Dental pulp stem cell (DPSC)-mediated dental pulp regeneration is considered a promising method for the treatment of deep caries with pulpitis. However, mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) senescence is an adverse factor from the perspective of cell-based therapies. In this study, we investigated the characteristics and expression profiles of DPSCs from young and old donors. Methods: DPSCs from young and old donors were cultured in differentiation medium, and their differentiation potentials were assessed. Long noncoding RNA (LncRNA) microarray assays and a bioinformatic analysis were performed to investigate differences in LncRNA and mRNA expression profiles between DPSCs from young and old donors. Results: We found that DPSCs from young donors exhibited more powerful proliferation ability and greater osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation potentials than DPSCs from old donors. In DPSCs from young donors, numerous LncRNAs were significantly up-(n = 389) or down-regulated (n = 172) compared to DPSCs from old donors. Furthermore, 304 mRNAs were differentially expressed, including 247 up-regulated genes and 57 downregulated genes in DPSCs from young donors. The bioinformatic analysis identified that several pathways may be associated with DPSC characteristics, such as those involved in the cell cycle and RNA transport, and revealed nuclear transcription factor Y subunit β, general transcription factor IIB, and nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group C member 1 as core regulatory factors and FR249114, FR299091, and ENST00000450004 as core LncRNAs. Conclusions: Our results indicated that senescence impaired the proliferation and differentiation potentials of DPSCs and that donor age is an important factor that affects their use for tooth regeneration. We also provide insight into the mechanisms responsible for senescence in DPSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]