Sevda Menevse

Lack of Association Between Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 and Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Gene Polymorphisms and Coronary Artery Disease in Turkish Population

Polymorphic variants of genes encoding proteins involved in vascular remodeling may genetically diverge among different populations and play a role in the susceptibility to the coronary artery disease (CAD). MMP-9-1562 C/T (rs3918242), eNOS T-786C (rs2070744), and Glu298Asp (rs1799983) are among the most studied of these polymorphisms. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between CAD and these polymorphisms in the Turkish population. The analysis included 146 CAD+ and 122 CAD- individuals. Genomic DNA was isolated from whole blood and genotyping was performed by the PCR-RFLP method. No significant associations were found between -1562 C/T (p = 0.557), Glu298Asp (p = 0.432), and -786 T/C (p = 0.055) polymorphisms and CAD. The distribution of each haplotype also did not differ between CAD+ and the CAD- samples (p > 0.05). The present investigation is the first to study an association between -1562 C/T polymorphism and CAD in the Turkish population. In conclusion, no appreciable differences between CAD+ and CAD- samples were found in terms of polymorphisms mentioned above.

The effects of resveratrol on cyclooxygenase-1 and -2, nuclear factor kappa beta, matrix metalloproteinase-9, and sirtuin 1 mRNA expression in hearts of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Resveratrol (RSV) has a beneficial role in the prevention of diabetes and alleviates some diabetic complications, such as cardiomyopathy. We investigated cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1), COX-2, nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) mRNA expression levels in heart tissue after RSV treatment in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. After induction of chronic diabetes with STZ, 10 mg RSV/kg per day was administered to DM and DM+RSV groups for four weeks. At the end of the experiment, all rats were sacrificed and heart tissues were stored at -80°C; mRNA expression levels of COX-1, COX-2, NF-κB, MMP-9, and SIRT1 genes were analyzed with quantitative real-time PCR. We did not find any significant effect of RSV on MMP-9, COX-1, COX-2, or NF-κB mRNA levels among the groups. However, SIRT1 mRNA levels decreased in the DM group compared to controls and increased in the DM+RSV group when compared to the DM group. SIRT1 is activated by RSV treatment in diabetic heart tissue. Activation of SIRT1 by RSV may lead to a new therapeutic approach for diabetic heart tissue. We conclude that RSV treatment can alleviate heart dysfunction by inhibiton of inflammatory gene expression such as SIRT1.

Synthesis and evaluation of analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities of new pyrazole-3(5)-carboxylic acid derivatives

In this article, we synthesized a series of novel 1-benzyl-5(3)-p-tolyl-1H-pyrazole-3(5)-carboxylic acid derivatives and characterized by IR, 1H NMR, and mass spectroscopy. Compounds were evaluated for their in vivo analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity using the p-benzoquinone-induced writhing test and the carrageenan-induced paw edema model, respectively. Out of 14 compounds tested, 7a, 7c, 7e, 7f, 7i, 8a–b, and 8f–g exhibited potent analgesic and/or anti-inflammatory activity as compared to reference drugs aspirin and indomethacin. Anticancer activity of these compounds was assessed against five cancer cell lines with the MTT assay (HL-60, human promyelocytic leukemia cells; HeLa, human cervical cancer cells; Raji, human B lymphocyte cell line; MCF7, human breast adenocarcinoma cell line; MDA-MB-231, estrogen-independent human breast cancer cell line). Compounds 7a, 8a, and 8b with high anti-inflammatory activity, and also 7d and 7j with mild anti-inflammatory activity exhibited promising anticancer activity against some selected cell lines.

Endometrial mRNA expression of matrix metalloproteinases, their tissue inhibitors and cell adhesion molecules in unexplained infertility and implantation failure patients

The aim of this study was to analyse whether some cases of unexplained infertility and implantation failure after IVF could be explained by different expression levels of the matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2, 9), their tissue inhibitors (TIMP-2, 3) and intercellular (ICAM-1) and vascular (VCAM-1) adhesion molecules in endothelial cells. Total RNA was extracted from the endometrial tissues of 41 women (unexplained infertile, group 1, n = 15; fertile volunteers, group 2, n = 15 and patients with implantation failure after IVF, group 3, n = 11). MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-2, TIMP-3, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 mRNA expression levels were measured quantitatively using real-time polymerase chain reaction. In the endometrium from women with unexplained infertility and implantation failure after IVF, MMP-2 and TIMP-3 expression were significantly decreased when compared with the fertile group (P < 0.05 and P </= 0.001 respectively). In addition, a marked decrease was observed in the expression of VCAM-1 in women with unexplained infertility. These results suggest that the expression of gelatinase A (MMP-2), TIMP-3 and VCAM-1, at least at the transcriptional level, might be regulated by common factors and signalling pathways. The present study adds new and important data in this field and highlights the complex preparation of the endometrium for implantation at the molecular level.

Effects of AG490 and S3I-201 on regulation of the JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway in relation to angiogenesis in TRAIL-resistant prostate cancer cells in vitro

The aim of the present study was to analyze the molecular mechanisms involved in blocking the signaling pathway and the effects of this on the progression of prostate cancer (CaP) cells in vitro. LNCaP human CaP cell line was stimulated with interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the presence/absence of Janus kinase (JAK) 2 (AG490), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 [(STAT3) S3I-201] inhibitors and tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL). Cytotoxic activity, the activation of phosphorylated (p)-STAT3 protein, caspase (CASP) 3 activity at protein level, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) A, VEGFC, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2, STAT3, matrix metalloproteinase-2, myeloid cell leukemia sequence 1 (MCL-1), CASP8 and CASP9 messenger RNA (mRNA) levels were determined. Morphology and apoptosis were confirmed by DAPI staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay. IL-6 rapidly induced the phosphorylation of STAT3 in a dose- and time-dependent manner with a peak expression at 3 h at a concentration of 25 ng/ml. In addition, AG490 (50 μM) and S3I-201 (300 μM) inhibited STAT3 activation. Western blotting results revealed that p-STAT3 protein expression decreased significantly with AG490 and S3I-201 treatment in LNCaP cells. AG490 and S3I-201 induced the downregulation of VEGFA, MCL-1 and STAT3 and the upregulation of CASP8 and CASP9 mRNA transcription levels. In addition, the inhibitors increased the level of CASP3 protein. Combinations of AG490- and S3I-201-TRAIL did not result in an increase in this effect. Parallel results were found by DAPI staining and TUNEL assay. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the possible clinical use of AG490 or S3I-201, together with the reduced use of chemotherapeutic agents with high cytotoxicity, for their ability to exert an apoptotic effect, targeting the JAK/STAT3 pathway.

The Role of Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 Promoter Polymorphisms in Coronary Artery Disease and Myocardial Infarction

The matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family are key enzymes involved in the breakdown of the extracellular matrix in normal physiological processes, including tissue remodeling, and disease processes, such as arthritis and metastasis. The promoter polymorphism in the MMP2 gene may be responsible for multiple diseases related to extracellular matrix degradation. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the relationship between genotypes or haplotypes of -1575 G/A, -1306 C/T, -790 T/G, and -735 C/T promoter polymorphisms and coronary artery disease (CAD) with or without myocardial infarction (MI) history. This study included 298 patients with angiographically confirmed CAD and 299 age matched controls. Genomic DNA was isolated from whole blood and genotyping was performed by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. No significant associations were found between -1575 G/A, -1306 C/T, and -790 T/G polymorphisms and CAD with or without MI history. However, the frequency of the -735 TT genotype was significantly lower in the controls than in the patients with MI alone when compared with the CC genotype (p=0.021). Only the distribution of the ACGC haplotype in CAD patients exhibited a significant difference than that in controls (p<0.05). The distribution of other haplotypes did not differ between CAD patients and controls. The present investigation is the first report to detect an association between MMP2 promoter polymorphisms and CAD with or without MI history in the Turkish population. Further case-control studies in CAD development might be contributed to clarify the role of these polymorphisms.

Investigation of ocular neovascularization-related genes and oxidative stress in diabetic rat eye tissues after resveratrol treatment.

Changes in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) mRNA expression profiles and oxidative stress in the eye tissue microenviroment may have important roles in ocular neovascularization and permeability in proliferative diabetic retinopathy. The present study investigated the effects of resveratrol (RSV) treatment on the mRNA expression profile of VEGF, ACE, MMP-9, and eNOS, which are associated with vascular neovascularization, and glutathione, protein carbonyl, and nitrite-nitrate levels, which are markers of oxidative stress in eyes of diabetic rats. Twenty-four Wistar albino male rats were divided into four groups. After diabetes induction with streptozotocin (10 mg/kg/day) RSV was administered to the RSV and diabetes mellitus (DM) + RSV groups for 4 weeks. The mRNA levels were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assay, and biochemical estimations were determined with spectrophotometric assays in eye homogenates. The mRNA expression levels of VEGF, ACE, and MMP-9 were increased in the DM group compared with the control group, and RSV treatment decreased their mRNA levels. Expression of eNOS mRNA was increased in the RSV and DM groups and decreased in the DM + RSV group. Nitrite-nitrate levels and protein carbonyl content were increased and glutathione levels were decreased in the DM group compared with controls. Consequently, these data suggest that RSV suppressed the expression of eNOS, which is actively involved in the inflammation and healing process in chronic diabetes. Although oxidative stress was increased in eye tissue from diabetic rats, mRNA levels of VEGF, MMP-9, and ACE genes associated with vascular remodeling did not change in diabetic eyes.

Synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular docking studies of trans-indole-3-acrylamide derivatives, a new class of tubulin polymerization inhibitors

In this study, we synthesized a series of trans-indole-3-acrylamide derivatives (3a-k) and investigated their activity for inhibition of cell proliferation against five human cancer cell lines (HeLa, MCF7, MDA-MB-231, Raji and HL-60) by MTT assay. Compound 3e showed significant antiproliferative activity against both the Raji and HL-60 cell lines with IC50 values of 9.5 and 5.1 μM, respectively. Compound 3e also exhibited moderate inhibitory activity on tubulin polymerization (IC50=17 μM). Flow cytometric analysis of cultured cells treated with 3e also demonstrated that the compound caused cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase in HL-60 and HeLa cells. Moreover, 3e, the most active compound, caused an apoptotic cell death through the activation of caspase-3. Docking simulations suggested that 3e binds to the colchicine site of tubulin.

Interaction of Cultured Chondrocytes with Chitosan Scaffold

Chitosan scaffolds with sponge-like structures were prepared by a wet spinning technique. Glutaraldehyde was used to control the swellability (water uptake) of the scaffolds. It was possible to reach a swelling ratio about 56.8% in aqueous medium. These wet scaffolds were soft and easily shaped by hand. The cartilage specimen was obtained from the knee joints of a New Zealand white rabbit. Chondrocyte cells were isolated and cultured in vitro for about 10 days to reach a usable population. The cells were then incubated with the chitosan scaffolds and interactions were examined by microscopy. Chondrocyte cells showed junctional complexes consisting of plaques and filaments at the interface. Cell membranes were strongly attached on the chitosan surface.

Auricular cartilage repair using cryogel scaffolds loaded with BMP‐7‐expressing primary chondrocytes

The loss of cartilage tissue due to trauma, tumour surgery or congenital defects, such as microtia and anotia, is one of the major concerns in head and neck surgery. Recently tissue‐engineering approaches, including gene delivery, have been proposed for the regeneration of cartilage tissue. In this study, primary chondrocytes were genetically modified with plasmid‐encoding bone morphogenetic protein‐7 (BMP‐7) via the commercially available non‐viral Turbofect vector, with the aim of bringing ex vivo transfected chondrocytes to resynthesize BMP‐7 in vitro as they would in vivo. Genetically modified cells were implanted into gelatin–oxidized dextran scaffolds and cartilage tissue formation was investigated in 15 × 15 mm auricular cartilage defects in vivo in 48 New Zealand (NZ) white rabbits for 4 months. The results were evaluated via histology and early gene expression. Early gene expression results indicated a strong effect of exogenous BMP‐7 on matrix synthesis and chondrocyte growth. In addition, histological analysis results exhibited significantly better cartilage healing with BMP‐7‐modified (transfected) cells than in the non‐modified (non‐transfected) group and as well as the control. Copyright