CHUNLING LIANG^1,#, JING CHEN^2,#, XIAOJIE CHEN¹, WEI YAN³, JIE YU^4,*

BIOCELL, Vol.48, No.7, pp. 1105-1113, 2024, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2024.050509

Abstract Background: A differential gene, triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (TREM1), was identified in blood sequencing datasets from myocardial infarction patients and healthy controls. Myocardial fibrosis following myocardial infarction significantly contributes to cardiac dysfunction. Objectives: This study aimed to unveil the intrinsic regulatory mechanism of TREM1 in myocardial fibrosis. Methods: Mimicking pathology by angiotensin II (Ang II) treatment of human cardiac fibroblasts (HCFs), the impacts of TREM1 knockdown on its proliferation, migration, and secretion of the pro-fibrotic matrix were identified. Using the Human Transcription Factor Database (HumanTFDB) website, lysine-specific demethylase 5B (KDM5B) was found to… More >

GUIBIN ZHONG^1,2,#, SHURONG WANG^3,#, YUJIN HE⁴, DAMING FENG¹, KE WEI¹, YANQIU YANG¹, JIANWEI CHEN^1,2,*, JUNLING CHEN^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.48, No.6, pp. 1001-1008, 2024, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2024.050294

Abstract Background: Hypertrophy of the ligamentum flavum (HLF) is a common contributor to spinal stenosis which results in significant neurological impairments. Circular RNA (circRNA) circ_0003609 has been linked to HLF; however, the exact mechanism by which it causes this disease is unclear. Methods: Circ_0003609 expressions were regulated in HLF cells by overexpression vectors and RNA interference. Cell proliferation and fibrosis-related gene expression were checked by the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and western blotting. CircBank’s prediction of the association between miR-155 and circ_0003609 was supported by a dual-luciferase reporter experiment. The function of the miR-155/sirtuin 1 More >

Mehmet Sitki Copur^*†, Julie Marie Wurdeman^†, Debra Nelson^*, Ryan Ramaekers^*, Dron Gauchan^*, David Crockett^*

Oncology Research, Vol.26, No.3, pp. 515-518, 2018, DOI:10.3727/096504017X15128550060375

Abstract Solid tumors involving glandular organs express mucin glycoprotein that is eventually shed into the circulation. As a result, these proteins can easily be measured in the serum and be used as potential tumor markers. The most commonly used tumor markers for breast cancer are CA27-29 and CA15-3, which both measure the glycoprotein product of the mucin-1 (MUC1) gene. CA27-29 has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for monitoring disease activity in breast cancer patients. Most oncology clinical practice guidelines do not recommend the use of tumor markers for routine surveillance of early… More >

Lian Zheng, Zhen-Jie Guan, Wen-Ting Pan, Tian-Feng Du, Yu-Jia Zhai, Jia Guo

Oncology Research, Vol.26, No.3, pp. 483-494, 2018, DOI:10.3727/096504017X14941825760362

Abstract Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) induced by chewing of the areca nut has been considered to be a precancerous lesion with a high probability of developing oral squamous cell carcinoma. Tanshinone (TSN) is the main component extracted from Salvia miltiorrhiza, a traditional Chinese medicine, which was found to have diverse pharmacological effects, such as anti-inflammatory and antitumor. In the current study, we aimed to identify the inhibitory effects and the underlying mechanism of TSN on OSF progress. We found that treatment with TSN inhibited the arecoline-mediated proliferation of primary human oral mucosal fibroblasts and reversed the… More >

SAIFEI XIE^1,2,4, HUI XIE^2,*, JINCAI GUO³, JIN TAN⁴, YULIN YU¹, MINYI ZHANG¹, SHANG WEN¹

BIOCELL, Vol.48, No.4, pp. 591-599, 2024, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2024.046691

Abstract Background: Puerarin (Pue) has been reported to be a natural active ingredient with multiple antifibrotic properties. This work aimed at exploring the function of Pue in oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) treatment. Methods: Human oral mucosa fibroblasts (hOMF) were induced with transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-β1) and intervened with Pue. Expressions of fibrosis-related markers were analyzed by Western blot and IF staining. Cell viability was characterized by the CCK-8 assay. Expressions of miR-30 family members were quantified by qRT-PCR. The correlation between fibroblast activation protein (FAP) and miR-30 family expression was evaluated by the Pearson correlation… More > Graphic Abstract

YAN LI¹, HUZHI CAI², XIAOLING PENG³, YOUHUI LIU⁴, QINGYANG CHEN⁴, XIANGDONG LIN⁵, XINYU CHEN^6,*

BIOCELL, Vol.48, No.3, pp. 501-511, 2024, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.030854

Abstract Background: Renal fibrosis is an important process in the development of chronic kidney disease. Understanding the pathogenesis and finding effective treatments for renal fibrosis is crucial. This study aims to investigate whether a newly discovered long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) called LOC103694972 could be a potential target for treating fibrosis of NRK-49F cells. Methods:: LncRNA Chip was used to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs between TGF-β1-induced NRK-49F cells and normal cells. The dual-luciferase assay confirmed the binding between miR-29c-3p and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT3), as well as between miR-29c-3p and lncRNA LOC103694972. Si-LOC103694972 and… More > Graphic Abstract

GIULIA CHIABOTTO^1,*, STEFANIA BRUNO^2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.7, pp. 1499-1508, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.028121

Abstract Renal fibrosis and inflammation are common pathological features of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Since currently available treatments can only delay the progression of CKD, the outcome of patients with CKD is still poor. One therapeutic option for the prevention of CKD-related complications could be the use of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), which have shown beneficial effects in tissue fibrosis and regeneration after damage. However, safety issues, such as cellular rejection and carcinogenicity, limit their clinical application. Among the bioactive factors secreted by MSCs, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have shown the same beneficial effect of MSCs, without More > Graphic Abstract

GUANQIONG HU¹, RISHENG HUANG², LUELUE LU¹, QINSHI PAN³, XIAOXIN CHEN^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.6, pp. 1243-1251, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.027763

Abstract Background: Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) is a pleiotropic cytokine that plays a central role in the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). While previous studies have revealed a cross-talk between vitamin D and TGF-β1 signaling, it is still unclear how they interact with each other to regulate the progression of IPF. Methods: In this work, we searched for a novel mediator of TGF-β1 activity in lung fibroblasts and examined its regulation by vitamin D. In addition, we investigated the mechanism underlying the interaction between vitamin D and TGF-β1 signaling in lung fibroblast activation. Bioinformatic analysis was… More >

Tamim Alkhalifah^1,*, Jimmy Singla², Fahad Alurise¹

Computer Systems Science and Engineering, Vol.46, No.3, pp. 3559-3582, 2023, DOI:10.32604/csse.2023.036534

Abstract The diagnosis of liver fibrosis (LF) is crucial as it is a deadly and life-threatening disease. Artificial intelligence techniques aid doctors by using the previous data on health and making a diagnostic system, which helps to take decisions about patients’ health as experts can. The historical data of a patient’s health can have vagueness, inaccurate, and can also have missing values. The fuzzy logic theory can deal with these issues in the dataset. In this paper, a multilayer fuzzy expert system is developed to diagnose LF. The model is created by using multiple layers of… More >

JIA LIU^1,2,#, FAPING WANG^1,2,#, BO YUAN³, FENGMING LUO^1,2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.4, pp. 697-705, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.026148

Abstract Runt-related transcription factor-1 (RUNX1), also known as the core-binding factor alpha 2 subunit, is closely related to human leukemia. The functions of RUNX1 in modulating cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival in multiple systems have been gradually discovered with the emergence of transgenic mice. RUNX1 is a powerful transcription factor implicated in diverse signaling pathways and cellular mechanisms that participate in lung development and pulmonary diseases. RUNX1 has recently been identified as a target regulator of fibrotic remodeling diseases, particularly in the kidney. However, the role of RUNX1 in pulmonary fibrosis is unclear. Pulmonary fibrosis is More >