Ting Yu^*1, Lei Li^†1, Wenyan Liu^*, Bailiu Ya^*, Hongju Cheng^*, Qing Xin^*

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.5, pp. 525-532, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15179668157803

Abstract Hypoxia-induced chemoresistance is a major obstacle in the development of effective cancer therapy. In our study, the reversal abilities of NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) silence on hypoxia resistance and the potential mechanism were investigated. Our data showed that the expression of NOX4 was upregulated in human neuroblastoma cells SH-SY5Y under hypoxia condition time dependently. Knockdown of NOX4 expression by siRNA inhibited glycolysis induced by hypoxia through decreasing the expression of glycolysis-related proteins (HIF-1 , LDHA, and PDK1), decreasing glucose uptake, lactate production, and ROS production, while increasing mitochondria membrane potential. Moreover, NOX4 silence inhibited cell growth under hypoxia condition through… More >

Chijiang Gu^*, Mingyuan Zhang^*, Weiliang Sun^*, Changzheng Dong^†

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.5, pp. 515-524, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15166183598572

Abstract Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common clinical cancer that remains incurable in most cases. miRNAs are reported to play a part in the development of various tumors. In the present study, we found that miR-324-5p was downregulated in CRC cells, while ELAV (embryonic lethal, abnormal vision, Drosophila)-like protein 1 (ELAVL1) showed a higher expression. miR-324-5p transfection significantly inhibited the proliferation as well as invasion in both SW620 and SW480 cells. miR-324-5p mimic transfection markedly decreased the expression of ELAVL1. Luciferase reporter gene assay confirmed that ELAVL1 is a direct target of miR- 324-5p. Furthermore, cancer invasion factors uPA, uPAR, and… More >

Qiaodong Xu¹, Songgang Gu¹, Jiahong Liang, Zhihua Lin, Shaodong Zheng, Jiang Yan

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.4, pp. 509-514, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15278771272963

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the major malignant tumors that lead to death. Chronic hepatitis B virus infection is an important risk factor for HCC initiation. HBx protein, encoded by the HBV X gene, is a significant factor that promotes HBV-related HCC, although the exact molecular mechanism remains unclear. This article summarizes the pathological roles and related mechanisms of HBx in HCC. HBx plays a carcinogenic role by promoting cell proliferation, metastasis, and angiogenesis and inhibiting apoptosis in HCC. A detailed study of the biological functions of HBx will help to elucidate the mechanism of hepatocarcinogenesis and lead to… More >

Liwei Jia^*, Dongying Lv^†, Shuang Zhang^*, Zhenyue Wang^*, Bo Zhou^*

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.4, pp. 503-508, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15344989701565

Abstract Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) is an active ingredient in Astragalus membranaceus and is involved in various biological processes, such as regulating the immune system, and counteracting inflammation and malignancy. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of AS-IV on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Cell counting kit (CCK)-8 assay and flow cytometry were performed to investigate cell survival and cell death, and Western blotting was performed to assess protein expression. We found that AS-IV inhibited the migration and proliferation of NSCLC cells and caused a noticeable increase in cell death. Furthermore, the expression of Bax, a marker… More >

Xiaoting Wei, Lili Mao, Zhihong Chi, Xinan Sheng, Chuanliang Cui, Yan Kong, Jie Dai, Xuan Wang, Siming Li, Bixia Tang, Bin Lian, Xieqiao Yan, Xue Bai, Li Zhou, Jun Guo, Lu Si

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.4, pp. 495-501, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15331163433914

Abstract Melanoma is an aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis. Current studies show that imatinib treatment is a promising approach in treating advanced melanoma patients harboring c-Kit mutations or amplifications. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical medical records of 78 patients with metastatic melanoma harboring c-Kit mutations or amplifications. These patients were treated with imatinib at a dose of 400 mg/day continuously unless intolerable toxicities or disease progression occurred. Endpoints for exploration included overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and disease of control rate (DCR). The median OS and PFS of all patients were 13.1 and 4.2 months,… More >

Lu Guo^*, Duankai Chen^†, Xing Yin^‡, Qingfeng Shu^†

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.4, pp. 487-494, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15323394008784

Abstract GSK-3 is a versatile protein kinase participating in many reactions. Currently, there is insufficient understanding of its influence on breast cancer (BC). In order to explore its influence on migration and invasion in BC, we investigated its expression in BC cell lines using qRT-PCR and Western blot (WB). Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to examine the potential of GSK-3 to predict clinical outcome in BC patients. GSK-3 knockdown was achieved using an shRNA plasmid vector in T47D cells. Our research explored the biological reactions and downstream pathways involved. We found excessive GSK-3 expression in BC tissues, which was correlated with worse… More >

Jia Liu^*, Ying Zhang^†, Shulan Sun^‡, Guirong Zhang^‡, Ke Jiang,§ Peixin Sun^*, Ye Zhang^*, Bing Yao^*, Rui Sui^*, Yi Chen^*, Xu Guo^*, Tao Tang^*, Ji Shi^*, Haiyang Liang^*, Haozhe Piao^*

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.4, pp. 475-486, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15270916676926

Abstract Glioma is the most common malignant tumor of the central nervous system, and it is characterized by high relapse and fatality rates and poor prognosis. Bufalin is one of the main ingredients of Chan-su, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) extracted from toad venom. Previous studies revealed that bufalin exerted inhibitory effects on a variety of tumor cells. To demonstrate the inhibitory effect of bufalin on glioma cells and glioma stem-like cells (GSCs) and discuss the underlying mechanism, the proliferation of glioma cells was detected by MTT and colony formation assays following treatment with bufalin. In addition, we investigated whether bufalin… More >

Takashi Saito^*†, Atsuo Okamura^‡, Junichiro Inoue^†, Daisuke Makiura^†, Hisayo Doi^§, Kimikazu Yakushijin^¶, Hiroshi Matsuoka^¶, Yoshitada Sakai^†#, Rei Ono^*

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.4, pp. 469-474, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15267574931782

Abstract Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) frequently occurs in lymphoma patients receiving R-CHOP, a drug combination therapy. Although severe CIPN may lead to reduction and/or discontinuation of the medication, predictive factors of CIPN have not been investigated sufficiently to date. We performed a retrospective exploratory research to determine associations between prevalence of severe CIPN and sociodemographic data, health characteristics, and medical conditions such as anemia at initial diagnosis. Forty patients (indolent lymphoma, n=9; diffuse large B-cell lymphoma; n=31) received R-CHOP therapy from September 2009 to July 2014. The median age of patients was 58 years (range=27–76 years). Statistical analyses were applied to… More >

Liang Wu, Yuefeng Li, Jingye Li, Deliang Ma

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.4, pp. 459-467, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15193500663936

Abstract A large number of microRNAs (miRNAs) have been previously demonstrated to be dysregulated in breast cancer (BC), and alterations in miRNA expression may affect the initiation and progression of BC. This study showed that miR-664 expression was obviously reduced in BC tissues and cell lines. Resumption of the expression of miR-664 attenuated the proliferation and invasion of BC cells. The molecular mechanisms underlying the inhibitory effects of BC cell proliferation and invasion by miR-664 were also studied. Insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) was identified as a novel and direct target of miR-664. In addition, siRNAmediated silencing of IRS1 expression mimicked… More >

Guoyun Li, Wei Zhang, Li Gong, Xiaoping Huang

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.4, pp. 449-458, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504017X15016337254623

Abstract MicroRNAs, a class of endogenous noncoding RNAs, regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level and thus take part in multiple biological processes. An increasing number of miRNAs have been found to be dysregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and are involved in liver tumorigenesis. In this study, miR- 125a-5p was found to be obviously downregulated much more in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related HCC. To investigate the effects of miR-125a-5p, miR-125a-5p was overexpressed in HepG2.2.15 and HepG3X cells. The findings have indicated that overexpression of miR-125a-5p dramatically inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-125a-5p could significantly decrease the… More >