Wei Yuquan

A further investigation concerning correlation between anti-fibrotic effect of liposomal quercetin and inflammatory cytokines in pulmonary fibrosis

It is widely accepted that inflammatory cells and cytokines play vital roles in the process of pulmonary fibrosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the preventative effects of liposomal quercetin against bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in vivo. The underlying molecular mechanisms were also investigated. Bleomycin was injected intratracheally at a single dose of 5 U/kg for pulmonary fibrosis induction. Liposomal quercetin was intravenously injected 1 day prior to bleomycin administration and continued to the end of the study (for 4 weeks). Our results showed that liposomal quercetin diminished the increase of total cell counts and macrophage counts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. The neutrophil and lymphocyte counts were also significantly decreased both on day 7 and 14 after liposomal quercetin injection (P<0.05). The levels of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and IL-6 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid at day 7 were strikingly reduced in liposomal quercetin treated group compared with bleomycin-induced group (TNF-alpha: 56.21+/-3.16 pg/ml vs.79.85+/-6.91 pg/ml; IL-1beta: 37.64+/-2.10 pg/ml vs. 73.29+/-5.78 pg/ml; IL-6: 88.52+/-5.96 pg/ml vs. 128.56+/-8.72 pg/ml; P<0.05). Moreover, the treatment with liposomal quercetin exerted approximately 35.8% reduction of the hydroxyproline content in contrast to the bleomycin-induced group (P<0.05). Histopathological assessment revealed that treatment with liposomal quercetin apparently lessened the lung fibrosis areas and collagen deposition accompanied with decreased expression of TGF-beta1. Thus, our results suggested that liposomal quercetin could attenuate the bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in vivo by the suppression of inflammatory cytokines.

Non-viral and viral delivery systems for CRISPR-Cas9 technology in the biomedical field

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated protein 9 (CRISPR-Cas9) system provides a novel genome editing technology that can precisely target a genomic site to disrupt or repair a specific gene. Some CRISPR-Cas9 systems from different bacteria or artificial variants have been discovered or constructed by biologists, and Cas9 nucleases and single guide RNAs (sgRNA) are the major components of the CRISPR-Cas9 system. These Cas9 systems have been extensively applied for identifying therapeutic targets, identifying gene functions, generating animal models, and developing gene therapies. Moreover, CRISPR-Cas9 systems have been used to partially or completely alleviate disease symptoms by mutating or correcting related genes. However, the efficient transfer of CRISPR-Cas9 system into cells and target organs remains a challenge that affects the robust and precise genome editing activity. The current review focuses on delivery systems for Cas9 mRNA, Cas9 protein, or vectors encoding the Cas9 gene and corresponding sgRNA. Non-viral delivery of Cas9 appears to help Cas9 maintain its on-target effect and reduce off-target effects, and viral vectors for sgRNA and donor template can improve the efficacy of genome editing and homology-directed repair. Safe, efficient, and producible delivery systems will promote the application of CRISPR-Cas9 technology in human gene therapy.

Expression of human Biot2 and its potential function on carcinogenesis in endometrial cancer

Background. Rat Biot2 is a novel gene first reported and named by our laboratory. We wanted to study the expression profile and reveal the function of its human homologous gene (human Biot2, hBiot2) on carcinogenesis in endometrial cancer. Methods. Using RT‐PCR, we tested hBiot2 expression profile in normal human tissues from infants and adults. Using real‐time RT‐PCR, we tested different expression quantities of hBiot2 between an endometrial cancer group and a normal endometrium group, between different histological grading groups in endometrial cancer, and between different stage groups during the menstrual cycle. RNA‐RNA ISH tested the expression location of hBiot2 in normal and cancer tissues. Results. Three kinds of novel shearings of hBiot2 in different normal tissues were obtained. Normal organs expressing hBiot2 in infants, did not express hBiot2 in adults. hBiot2 expression was higher in endometrial cancer tissue compared to normal endometrium tissue. hBiot2 expression was higher in the Grade 2–3 group with endometrial cancer compared to the Grade 1 group, and it was higher in the proliferative phase than in the secretory phase of a normal endometrium. hBiot2 was expressed mainly in the parenchymal cells. Conclusions. Three shearings of hBiot2 may suggest that it has different functions in different organs. The expression difference of hBiot2 between infants and adults, cancerous and normal tissues, different histological gradings in endometrial cancer, different stages during the menstrual cycle in the normal endometrium suggests that hBiot2 may have the potential to induce carcinogenesis in endometrial cancer.