TIANYUN HAN^#, ZHONG LI^#, LUONING ZHANG, LINSHEN XIE^*

BIOCELL, Vol.48, No.11, pp. 1625-1638, 2024, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2024.055029 - 07 November 2024

Abstract Objective: The study aimed to explore the protective mechanism of Ganoderic acid A (GAA) in renal fibrosis and to verify that GAA can ameliorate renal fibrosis by regulating the Niemann-pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1) gene. Methods: Transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-β1) was used to treat Human Kidney-2 (HK-2) cells to establish a renal fibrosis model. The differentially expressed genes in the control (CTRL) group, TGF-β1 group, and TGF-β1 + GAA group were screened via transcriptome sequencing technology and verified by qPCR and Western blot experiments. The NPC1L1 gene overexpression plasmid was constructed. The expression levels of N-cad, E-cad,… More >

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 - 03 July 2024

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 - 10 June 2024

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 >

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 - 09 April 2024

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 - 15 March 2024

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 - 21 June 2023

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 - 19 May 2023

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 - 03 April 2023

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 - 08 March 2023

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 >

YONGDAE YOON^1,#, SOONJAE HWANG^1,2,#, FATEMA TUJ SAIMA^3,#, MOON YOUNG KIM^1,3,4, SOON KOO BAIK^1,3,4,*, YOUNG WOO EOM^1,3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 669-676, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.025365 - 03 January 2023

Abstract Background: Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are closely involved in the initiation, perpetuation, and resolution of liver fibrosis. Pro-inflammatory cytokine levels are positively correlated with the transition from liver injury to fibrogenesis and contribute to HSC pathophysiology in liver fibrosis. Methods: In this study, we investigated the effect of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-1β on the proliferation and signaling pathways involved in fibrogenesis in LX-2 cells, an HSC cell line, using western blotting and cell proliferation assays. Results: IL-1β increased the proliferation rate and α-smooth muscle actin (SMA) expression of LX-2 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Within… More >