RUOYU CHEN¹, YIMAN WU¹, FENG WANG¹, JUNTAO ZHOU¹, HUAZHANG ZHUANG¹, WEI LI^2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.48, No.7, pp. 1037-1046, 2024, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2024.051074

Abstract Background: Oleanolic acid (OA), a pentacyclic triterpenoid exhibiting specific anti-cancer properties and highly effective antioxidant activity, was isolated from traditional Chinese medicinal herbs. Conversely, the OA that impacts colon cancer (CC) cells and its underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Methods: The cytotoxic effect of OA alone or OA-5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) combination on normal and CC cells was analyzed by methyl thiazolyl diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT). Then, the impact of OA on CC cell lines (LoVo and HT-29) proliferation and stemness were measured using colon formation and tumorsphere formation assays. Octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (Oct4), Prominin-1 (CD133), Nanog,… More >

YAN-NAN LI^1,#, YUN-HONG XIU^2,#, YAN-JUN TANG³, JING-LONG CAO¹, WEN-SHUANG HOU¹, AN-QI WANG¹, TIAN-ZHU LI^4,*, CHENG-HAO JIN^1,3,5,*

BIOCELL, Vol.48, No.7, pp. 1055-1069, 2024, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2024.050515

Abstract Objectives: Sciadopitysin (SP) is a flavonoid in Ginkgo biloba that exhibits various pharmacological activities. This study aimed to investigate its antitumor effects and the underlying molecular mechanism of SP in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. Methods: Network pharmacology was used for target prediction analysis. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was used to test the cell viability. Flow cytometry was used to test the cell cycle distribution, apoptosis status, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Transwell and wound-healing assay was used to test the migration effect of SP on HepG2 cells. Western Blot assay was used to… More > Graphic Abstract

JIAOE SHENG¹, ZUMIN YI², SANSHAN HE¹, QINGCHAO WU¹, XIA HUANG¹, GUOQING YAN¹, YUFANG DAI^1,*, LINCHONG SU^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.48, No.7, pp. 1095-1104, 2024, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2024.028421

Abstract Introduction: Cholic acid (CA) is a natural steroid useful in treating chronic bronchitis and cholecystitis. On the other hand, its potential impact on osteoarthritis (OA) is unknown. Objective: Using an in vitro and in vivo osteoarthritis model, we sought to assess the chondroprotective properties of CA. Methods: We employed the Cell Counting Kit-8 to measure the impact of CA on chondrocyte activity to assess the toxicity of the cells. Multiple molecular biology experimental techniques were used to investigate potential signaling pathways that CA may use to prevent inflammation and give chondrocytes protection. Furthermore, how CA affects the OA… More >

MOHD ATHAR^1,*, ANU MANHAS², NISARG RANA², AHMAD IRFAN³

BIOCELL, Vol.48, No.6, pp. 935-944, 2024, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2024.049891

Abstract Computational methods have significantly transformed biomedical research, offering a comprehensive exploration of disease mechanisms and molecular protein functions. This article reviews a spectrum of computational tools and network analysis databases that play a crucial role in identifying potential interactions and signaling networks contributing to the onset of disease states. The utilization of protein/gene interaction and genetic variation databases, coupled with pathway analysis can facilitate the identification of potential drug targets. By bridging the gap between molecular-level information and disease understanding, this review contributes insights into the impactful utilization of computational methods, paving the way for More >

JIAWEI YIN¹, YONGSHENG WANG^2,3, GUANGWEI WEI⁴, MINGXIN WEN^3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.48, No.6, pp. 959-970, 2024, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2024.049349

Abstract Objectives: This study aimed to reveal the role and possible mechanism of the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme 2T (UBE2T) in the biological activities of breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs). Methods: The specific protein and gene expression were quantified by Western blotting and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, the proportion of BCSCs was examined by flow cytometry, and the self-renewal and proliferation of BCSCs were verified by serial sphere formation and soft agar. Results: Increasing expression of UBE2T was drastically found in breast cancer than that in adjacent tissues. Furthermore, UBE2T overexpression significantly increased the proportion of BCSCs in More >

Yi Miao¹, Meng Lu¹, Qin Yan, Shuangdi Li, Youji Feng

Oncology Research, Vol.24, No.6, pp. 463-475, 2016, DOI:10.3727/096504016X14685034103671

Abstract Pyruvate kinase (PK) is a key enzyme in the process of glycolysis, catalyzing phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) into pyruvate. Currently, PK isozyme type M2 (PKM2), one subtype of PK, has been proposed as a new tumor marker with high expression in various tumor tissues. Here we aimed to explore the effects of siRNAPKM2 on ovarian carcinoma (OC) cell lines SKOV3 and OVCAR3, in which PKM2 was notably expressed. PKM2 gene interference lentivirus vectors were built by miRNA transfection assay. siRNA-PKM2-transfected SKOV3 and OVCAR3 cells were evaluated for cell proliferation, cell cycle distribution, cell apoptosis, cell migration, and More >

Huang Li, Li Fang, Deng Pengbo, Hu Chengping

Oncology Research, Vol.24, No.6, pp. 405-413, 2016, DOI:10.3727/096504016X14685034103437

Abstract THIS ARTICLE WAS WITHDRAWN BY THE PUBLISHER IN NOVEMBER 2020 More >

Tao Liang, Xiao-Yong Hu, Yong-Hui Li, Bin-Qiang Tian, Zuo-Wei Li, Qiang Fu

Oncology Research, Vol.24, No.5, pp. 371-380, 2016, DOI:10.3727/096504016X14685034103356

Abstract MicroRNA-21 (miRNA-21), a kind of short, noncoding RNAs, functioned as a tumor marker and was upregulated in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, the underlying mechanisms of miRNA-21 in RCC were uncertain. Therefore, the effects and mechanisms of miRNA-21 on the proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis of cultured human RCC cells were further investigated in this study. After slicing miRNA-21 in RCC cells, the viability, mRNA expression of C/EBPα and PPARγ, caspase 3 activity, and protein expression of mTOR, STAT3, and pSTAT3 were determined. It was found that knockdown of miRNA-21 downregulated the optical density (OD) value More >

Yu Wang^*†1, Hui Leng^†1, Hui Chen^*‡, Lei Wang^*, Nan Jiang^*, Xin Huo^†, Bin Yu^*

Oncology Research, Vol.24, No.5, pp. 361-369, 2016, DOI:10.3727/096504016X14685034103310

Abstract Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2T (UBE2T), a member of the E2 family, was found to be overexpressed in a great many cancers such as bladder cancer, lung cancer, and prostate cancer. However, there have been no reports on the role of UBE2T in osteosarcoma. In this study, we tried to make the effects of UBE2T on osteosarcoma clear. The study results showed that UBE2T was overexpressed in osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines. Moreover, UBE2T knockdown inhibited osteosarcoma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. We also observed that UBE2T downregulation could suppress the activity of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. More >

Qiang Lu, Zhe Liu, Zhuo Li, Jia Chen, Zhi Liao, Wan-rui Wu, Yuan-wei Li

Oncology Research, Vol.24, No.5, pp. 305-313, 2016, DOI:10.3727/096504016X14666990347437

Abstract Tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a)-induced protein 8-like 2 (TNFAIP8L2, TIPE2) is involved in the invasion and metastasis of human tumors. However, the functional role of TIPE2 in prostate cancer remains unclear. In the present study, we explored the role of TIPE2 in prostate cancer and cancer progression including the molecular mechanism that drives TIPE2-mediated oncogenesis. Our results showed that TIPE2 was lowly expressed in human prostate cancer tissues and cell lines. In addition, restored TIPE2 obviously inhibits proliferation in prostate cancer cells. TIPE2 overexpression also suppresses the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) process and migration/invasion in prostate cancer More >