Objective： The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of plumbagin （PL）, a naphthoquinone derived from the medicinal plant plumbago zeylanica, on the invasion and migration of human breast cancer cells. Methods： Human breast cancer MDA-MB-231SArfp cells were treated with different concentrations of plum- bagin for 24 h. The effects of plumbagin on the migration and invasion were observed by a transwell method. The expressions of IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, TGF-β, TNFα, MMP-2 and MMP-9 mRNA in MDA-MB-231SArfp cells were detected using Real-Time PCR. MDA-MB-231SArfp cells were treated with plumbagin at different concentrations for 45 minutes. The activation of STAT3 was detected by western blot. Following this analysis, STAT3 in MDA-MB-231SArfp cells was knocked out using specific siRNA, mRNA levels of IL-1α, TGF-β, MMP-2 and MMP-9 were then detected. Consequently, MDA-MB-231SArfp cells were injected intracardially into BALB/c nude mice to construct a breast cancer bone metastatic model. The mice were injected intra- peritoneally with plumbagin. Non-invasive in vivo monitoring, X-ray imaging and histological staining were performed to investigate the effects of plumbagin on the invasion and migration of breast cancer cells in vivo. Results： The in vitro results showed that plumbagin could suppress the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells and down-regulate mRNA expressions of IL-1α TGF-β, MMP-2 and MMP-9. Western blotting demonstrated that plumbagin inhibited the activation of STAT3 signaling in MDA-MB-231SArfp cells. The inactivation of STAT3 was found to have an inhibitory effect on the expressions of IL-1α, TGF-β, MMP-2 and MMP-9. In vivo studies showed that plumbagin inhibited the metastasis of breast cancer cells and decreased osteolytic bone metastases, as well as the secretion of MMP-2 and MMP-9 by tumor cells at metastatic lesions. Conclusions： Plumbagin can suppress the invasion and migration of breast cancer cells via the inhibition of STAT3 signaling and by downregul
Background Recent studies on bone have shown an endocrine role of the skeleton,which could be impaired in various human diseases,including osteoporosis,obesity,and diabetes-associated bone diseases.As a sensor and regulator of energy metabolism,AMP-activated protein kinase （AMPK） may also play an important role in the regulation of bone metabolism.The current study aimed to establish the expression profiles and phosphorylation patterns of AMPK subunits in several mesenchymal cell types.Methods Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction （PCR） for relative quantification,real-time PCR for absolute quantification,and Western blotting were used to investigate the gene expression profiles and phosphorylation patterns of AMPK subunits in several mesenchymal cell types,including primary human mesenchymal stem cells （hMSCs） and hFOB,Saos-2,C3H/10T1/2,MC3T3-E1,3T3-L1,and C2C12 cells.Results AMPKα1 and AMPKβ1 mRNAs were abundantly expressed in all cell types.AMPKY1 mRNA was abundantly expressed in C3H/10T1/2,MC3T3-E1,3T3-L1,and C2C12 but not detected in human-derived cell types.AMPKY2 mRNA was mildly expressed in all cell types.AMPKα1 protein was highly expressed in all cell types and AMPKα2 protein was highly expressed only in hFOB and Saos-2 cells.AMPKβ1 protein was abundantly expressed in all cell types except for Saos-2,in which AMPKβ2 protein overwhelmed AMPKβ1 expression.AMPKy1 and AMPKY2 proteins were expressed in C3H/10T1/2,MC3T3-E1,3T3-L1,and C2C12 cells and only AMPKY2 protein was expressed in hMSCs,hFOB and Saos2 cells.AMPKα was phosphorylated at Thr172 and Ser485 and AMPKβ1 was phosphorylated at Ser108 and Ser182 in all cell types with a specific pattern in each cell type.Conclusion The combination of AMPK α,β,and Y subunits and phosphorylation of AMPKα （Thr172 and Ser485） and AMPKβ1 （Ser108 and Ser182） showed a specific pattern in each cell type.
Wang Yugang Fan Qiming Ma Rui Lin Wentao Tang Tingting
Bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)have been widely used to promote the repair or regeneration of damaged tissues.In previous studies,we have developed several stem cells based strategies to promote the bone repair,which includes the BMP-2 gene medicine,construction of tissue engineering bone in bioreactor and clinical trial of enriched stem cell therapy.Among these studies,one challenge is to construct the tissue engineered bone at the large scale which face the problem of poor survivor of seeding cells in the scaffold interior.In our studies,the porousβ-TCP cylindrical scaffolds loading with MSCs were continuously perfused by a customized bioreactor(dynamic culture)at different flow rate or were immersed
