Cell Lines Of Human Origin Research Articles

Dependence of anti-proliferative activity on chirality and redox potentials (Eh) of new ferrocene derivatives: Synthesis, crystallographic, photophysical and in-silico study

Chiral α-iodoamides (S)-IA-1, (R)-IA-2, (S)-IA-3 and (R)-IA-4 were synthesized and characterized prior to use in the synthesis of four chiral ferrocenyl secondary amines viz. (S)-2-(ferrocenylmethylamino)-N-(1-phenylethyl)acetamide, (S)-FA-5, (R)-2-(ferrocenyl methylamino)-N-(1-phenylethyl)acetamide, (R)-FA-6, (S)-2-(ferrocenylmethylamino)-N-(1-(naphthalen-1-yl)ethyl)acetamide, (S)-FA-7 and (R)-2-(ferrocenylmethylamino)-N-(1-(naphthalen-1-yl)ethyl)acetamide, (R)-FA-8. The purity and composition of the compounds were ascertained by elemental, 1H, 13C NMR, FTIR, UV–visible emission spectral and X-ray diffraction methods. The formation of diverse supramolecular assemblies sustained by several NH…O, CH…O and CH…I intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions was confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD). The impact of Eh and chirality on the anti-proliferative activity of these compounds has been explored. Notably, R-enantiomers are found to be superior to S-enantiomers in the studied MCF 7, IMR 32, HepG2 and L132 cell lines of human origin. In instance, (R)-FA-6 has demonstrated superior activity than cisplatin against MCF 7 (IC 50: 31.38±0.24 μM) and HepG2 (IC 50: 18.78±0.14 μM). Further research, including electrochemical, DFT calculations and a docking analysis, was performed to rationalize and confirm the results.

Organometallic Iridium Complexes with Glucose Based Phosphite Ligands

New organometallic iridium compounds with phosphorus modified glucose ligands containing isopropylidene protection group or bearing uracil, thymine, and 5-fluorouracil (3,5,6-bicyclophosphite-1,2-O-isopropylidene-α-d-glucofuranoside, 3,5,6-bicyclophosphite-1-β-D-glucofuranosyluracil, 3,5,6-bicyclophosphite-1-β-D-glucofuranosylthymine, 3,5,6-bicyclophosphite-1-β-D-glucofuranosyl-5-flurouracil) were prepared. The structure of the new complexes was confirmed by the spectroscopic technique (1H, 31P{1H} NMR) and mass spectrometry, and purity by elemental analysis. The molecular structure of the complex with the isopropylidene protection group was established by the X-ray analysis. The antiproliferative activity of the new iridium compounds was evaluated against several cancer cell lines of human origin, and all compounds showed low toxicity independent of the pyrimidine base nature, attached to the sugar unit.

Bioresource collection of cell lines and primary tumors of the National Medical Research Center of Oncology of the Ministry of Health of Russia

The Biobank of the National Medical Research Center of Oncology is a multi-layered infrastructure with large collections of biological samples, complemented by extensive and well-annotated clinical and pathological patient data, including medical images, pathological histology, and molecular analysis of biosamples. To date, the biobank of the National Medical Research Center of Oncology contains collections of primary and immortalized cancer cell lines of human origin. The collection of primary cell lines was formed from samples of postoperative material taken during the removal of tumors of various localizations (breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer). All cell lines underwent internal quality control for contaminants (exogenous viruses, mycoplasmas and bacterial L-forms), viability and were cultivated without antibiotics. On the basis of the collected samples, a significant number of projects in the field of biomedicine were carried out, the results of which are described in this article.

Control of CDH1/E-Cadherin Gene Expression and Release of a Soluble Form of E-Cadherin in SARS-CoV-2 Infected Caco-2 Intestinal Cells: Physiopathological Consequences for the Intestinal Forms of COVID-19.

COVID-19 is the biggest pandemic the world has seen this century. Alongside the respiratory damage observed in patients with severe forms of the disease, gastrointestinal symptoms have been frequently reported. These symptoms (e.g., diarrhoea), sometimes precede the development of respiratory tract illnesses, as if the digestive tract was a major target during early SARS-CoV-2 dissemination. We hypothesize that in patients carrying intestinal SARS-CoV-2, the virus may trigger epithelial barrier damage through the disruption of E-cadherin (E-cad) adherens junctions, thereby contributing to the overall gastrointestinal symptoms of COVID-19. Here, we use an intestinal Caco-2 cell line of human origin which expresses the viral receptor/co-receptor as well as the membrane anchored cell surface adhesion protein E-cad to investigate the expression of E-cad after exposure to SARS-CoV-2. We found that the expression of CDH1/E-cad mRNA was significantly lower in cells infected with SARS-CoV-2 at 24 hours post-infection, compared to virus-free Caco-2 cells. The viral receptor ACE2 mRNA expression was specifically down-regulated in SARS-CoV-2-infected Caco-2 cells, while it remained stable in HCoV-OC43-infected Caco-2 cells, a virus which uses HLA class I instead of ACE2 to enter cells. It is worth noting that SARS-CoV-2 induces lower transcription of TMPRSS2 (involved in viral entry) and higher expression of B0AT1 mRNA (that encodes a protein known to co-express with ACE2 on intestinal cells). At 48 hours post-exposure to the virus, we also detected a small but significant increase of soluble E-cad protein (sE-cad) in the culture supernatant of SARS-CoV-2-infected Caco-2 cells. The increase of sE-cad release was also found in the intestinal HT29 cell line when infected by SARS-CoV-2. Beside the dysregulation of E-cad, SARS-CoV-2 infection of Caco-2 cells also leads to the dysregulation of other cell adhesion proteins (occludin, JAMA-A, zonulin, connexin-43 and PECAM-1). Taken together, these results shed light on the fact that infection of Caco-2 cells with SARS-CoV-2 affects tight-, adherens-, and gap-junctions. Moreover, intestinal tissues damage was associated to the intranasal SARS-CoV-2 infection in human ACE2 transgenic mice.

The profile of expression of the scaffold protein SG2NA(s) differs between cancer types and its interactome in normal vis-a-vis breast tumor tissues suggests its wide roles in regulating multiple cellular pathways.

Striatin and SG2NA are scaffold proteins that form signaling complexes called STRIPAK. It has been associated with developmental abnormalities, cancer, and several other diseases. Our earlier studies have shown that SG2NA forms a complex with the cancer-associated protein DJ-1 and the signaling kinase Akt, promoting cancer cell survival. In the present study, we used bioinformatics analyses to confirm the existence of two isoforms of human SG2NA, i.e., 78 and 87 kDas. In addition, several smaller isoforms like 35kDa were also seen in western blot analyses of human cell lysates. The expression of these isoforms varies between different cancer cell lines of human origin. Also, the protein levels do not corroborate with its transcript levels, suggesting a complex regulation of its expression. In breast tumor tissues, the expression of the 35 and 78kDa isoforms was higher as compared to the adjacent normal tissues, while the 87kDa isoform was found in the breast tumor tissues only. With the progression of stages of breast cancer, while the expression of 78kDa isoform decreased, 87kDa became undetectable. In co-immunoprecipitation assays, the profile of the SG2NA interactome in breast tumors vis-à-vis adjacent normal breast tissues showed hundreds of common proteins. Also, some proteins were interacted with SG2NA in breast tumor tissues only. We conclude that SG2NA is involved in diverse cellular pathways and has roles in cellular reprogramming during tumorigenesis of the breast.

SARS-CoV-2 mutations acquired during serial passage in human cell lines are consistent with several of those found in recent natural SARS-CoV-2 variants

Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has evolved into diverse variants. Here, an early isolate of SARS-CoV-2 was serially passaged in multiple cell lines of human origin in triplicate, and selected mutations were compared to those found in natural SARS-CoV-2 variants. In the spike protein, Q493R and Q498R substitutions from passaged viruses were consistent with those in the B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variant. Y144del and H655Y substitutions from passaged viruses were also reported in B.1.1.7 (Alpha), P.1 (Gamma), and B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variants. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) found in first-passaged viruses have also been identified as selected mutation sites in serially passaged viruses. Considering the consistent mutations found between serially passaged SARS-CoV-2 and natural variants, there may be host-specific selective mutation patterns of viral evolution in humans. Additional studies on the selective mutations in SARS-CoV-2 experiencing diverse host environments will help elucidate the direction of SARS-CoV-2 evolution. ImportanceSARS-CoV-2 isolate (SARS-CoV-2/human/KOR/KCDC03-NCCP43326/2020) was serially passaged in A549, CaCO2, and HRT-18 cells in triplicate. After 12 times of serial passages in each cell lines, several consistent selected mutations were found on spike protein between the serially passaged SARS-CoV-2 in human cell lines and recent natural variants of SARS-CoV-2 like omicron. On the non-spike protein genes, selected mutations were more frequent in viruses passaged in Caco-2 and HRT-18 cells (Colon epithelial-like) than in those passaged in A549 cells (Lung epithelial-like). In addition, several SNPs identified after one round of passaging were consistently identified as the selected mutation sites in serially passaged viruses. Thus, mutation patterns of SARS-CoV-2 in certain host environments may provide researchers information to understand and predict future SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Chandipura virus induces cell death in cancer cell lines of human origin and promotes tumor regression in vivo

Chandipura virus (CHPV) is an emerging human pathogen of great clinical significance. In this study, we have investigated the susceptibility pattern of both normal and cancer cell lines of human origin to wild-type (wt) CHPV in order to explore the possibility of developing CHPV as an oncolytic vector (OV). Marked cytopathic effect along with enhanced virus output was observed in cancer cell lines (HeLa, A549, U-138, PC-3, and HepG2) in comparison to normal human adult dermal fibroblast (HADF) cells. At an MOI of 0.1, cancer cell lines were differentially susceptible to CHPV, with cells like HeLa and U-138 having pronounced cell death, while the PC-3 were comparatively resistant. All cell lines used in the study except U-138 restricted CHPV infection to varying degrees with IFN-β pre-treatment and supplementation of interferon (IFN) could neither activate the IFN signaling pathway in U-138 cells. Finally, U-138 tumor xenografts established in non-obese diabetic severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD/SCID) mice showed significant delay in tumor growth in the CHPV-challenged animals. Thus, targeted cytopathic effect in cancer cells at a very low dose with restricted replication in normal cells offers a rationale to exploit CHPV as an oncolytic vector in the future.

Multiple Myeloma Cells Induce Lipolysis in Adipocytes and Uptake Fatty Acids through Fatty Acid Transporter Proteins

Multiple myeloma (MM) originates in the bone marrow where adipocytes occupy 65% of the cellular volume in a typical myeloma patient. Cancer associated adipocytes support the initiation, progression, and survival of solid tumors via mechanisms including adipokine secretion, modulation of the tumor microenvironment, and metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells. Although MM cells are surrounded by abundant bone marrow adipocytes (BMAd), the nature of their interaction remains unclear. Recent studies have elucidated the role of BMAds in supporting the survival of MM cells, in part, through secreted adiponectin. Increased fatty acid (FA) metabolism may result in metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells impacting their growth and survival. Here, we hypothesize that MM cells extract FA from adipocytes for their growth. We first characterized mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from MGUS, smoldering MM (SMM), and newly diagnosed MM (NDMM) patients by flow cytometry analysis. MSCs showed significant increase in Pref1, leptin receptor and perilipin A, suggesting increased adipogenic commitment. MSCs from healthy donors (HD), MGUS, SMM, and NDMM patients were induced to differentiate into adipocytes and then co-cultured with human MM MM.1S cells. After 72 hr of co-culture, CyQUANT assay demonstrated significant increase in proliferation of MM.1S cells in the presence of BMAd from HD; this was further increased in the presence of BMAd from MGUS/SMM and NDMM. These data suggest that the BMAd support the growth of MM cells and this effect is more pronounced in patient derived BMAd. A PCR-array targeting lipid metabolism on BM fat aspirates showed significant deregulation of genes involved in FA synthesis and lipolysis. Taken together, our data suggest that BMAd in MM patients are altered to further support the aggressive expansion of MM cells. The proliferative-supportive role of adipocytes was further validated in co-culture of OP9 murine BM stromal preadipocytes with 5TGM1 murine MM cells. To study the bidirectional interaction of MM/ BMAd, mature OP9 adipocytes were co-cultured with 5TGM1 or human OPM2 MM cells for 24 hr. Intracellular lipid droplets were labelled with Deep Red LipidTox stain. The lipid droplet sizes were significantly decreased in the presence of both 5TGM1 and OPM2 cells compared to OP9 alone. The decrease in lipid size suggested that MM cells may induce lipolysis in adipocytes. Indeed, 24hr co-culture of 5TGM1 cells with OP9 mature adipocytes significantly increased lipolysis 3-fold as measured by glycerol secretion in conditioned media. Co-culture of OP9 adipocytes with other MM cell lines of human origin, MM.1S, INA6, KMS-12 PE, and OPM2 also significantly increased the glycerol production as much as 4-fold. Taken together these data indicate that MM cells induce lipolysis in adipocytes. In contrast, treatment of 5TGM1 cells with synthetic catecholamine isoproterenol did not induce lipolysis, or glycerol production, indicating lack of triglyceride storage. Next, we hypothesized that the free FAs released from adipocytes are taken up by MM cells for various biological processes. To test this, 5TGM1, MM.1S and OPM2 cells were incubated with BODIPY-C12 and BODIPY-C16, the BODIPY-fluorophore labelled 12-carbon and 16-carbon long chain FA. All MM cells showed saturated uptake of the FA within 10 minutes suggesting that MM cells have efficient FA transporters. To confirm this uptake, unstained 5TGM1, OPM2 and KMS12 PE cells were co-cultured with the LipidTox-labelled OP9 mature adipocytes. After 24 hours, flow cytometric analysis showed LipidTox signal in MM cells. These data demonstrate that FAs released by MM induced adipocyte lipolysis are taken up by MM cells. Long-chain FAs such as BODIPY-C12 and BODIPY-C16 are transported into cells through FA transporter protein (FATP) family of lipid transporters. We therefore analyzed patient samples which showed that CD138+ plasmacells and myeloma cells expressed high levels of FATP1 and FATP4 whereas, their expression was absent in lineage-sibling T-cells. Moreover, pretreatment with Lipofermata, a FATP inhibitor, was able to decrease the uptake of BODIPY-C12 and -C16 in 5TGM1 cells. Taken together, our data show that myeloma cells induce lipolysis in adipocytes and the released free FAs are then uptaken by myeloma cells through FATPs. Inhibiting myeloma cell induced lipolysis or uptake of FA through FATPs may be a potential anti-tumor strategy. Disclosures Fulzele: FORMA Therapeutics, Inc: Current Employment, Other: Shareholder of Forma Therapeutics. Raje:Amgen: Consultancy; bluebird bio: Consultancy, Research Funding; Caribou: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Immuneel: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Immuneel: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy.

Application of ionizing radiation for removal of endocrine disruptor bisphenol A from waters and wastewaters

The source of the residues of anthropogenic endocrine disruptor known as bisphenol A (BPA) in the natural environment and foods is both production and very wide use of several classes of polymers. Because of the documented inefficiency of BPA removal from waters and wastewaters using conventional treatment methods, several advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) employing hydroxyl radicals (OH) were developed for this purpose in the recent decade. In this work, especially efficient removal of BPA was performed with the use of OH radicals, which are formed from water radiolysis by irradiation with γ-rays. For the initial BPA level 10 mg L-1 (43.9 μM) the pseudo first order rate-constant for the reaction of OH with BPA in neutral, aerated solutions was evaluated to be 0.392 min−1 (6.23 kGy−1), which can be also much higher for lower initial BPA concentration. The possibility to predict the yield of radiolytic BPA decomposition based on Total Organic Carbon content of irradiated natural environmental samples was demonstrated. A detailed mechanism of radical reactions involving OH radicals and superoxide radical anions (O2−) was proposed leading to the formation of decomposition products which were identified by LC/MS analysis. Moreover, the changes in the cytotoxicity of γ-irradiated BPA solutions were examined for two cell lines of human origin, namely liver carcinoma cells HepG2, and breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231.

Melanin Quantification by Chemical Methods in Healthy and Melanoma Cell Lines Correlated with the Importance in the Development of Melanoma

In the last decade, the incidence of skin cancer has increased significantly and there is data that rank it as the most common form of malignancy in humans. Among the classified skin cancers, melanoma is the most severe with a significant mortality rate. The determining factor in the occurrence of skin cancer is generally recognised to be ultraviolet radiation. Skin pigmentation has been shown to provide a high degree of protection and this is due to melanin. In order to be able to consider certain hypotheses and to develop new approaches to melanoma, in this study it was studied the melanin content in certain cell types that have a direct connection with melanoma. The cell lines used in the study were: (i) human melanoma cell lines: A375, SK-MEL-1, SK-MEL-3, SK-MEL-5, SK-MEL-28, SH-4, and COLO 829; (ii) mouse melanoma cell lines: B164A5, B16F0, and B16F10; and (iii) healthy cell lines of human origin: HEMa (primary melanocytes), HaCaT (immortalised keratinocytes) and 1BR3 (human fibroblasts). The results obtained pointed out that A375, SK-MEL-28 and SK-MEL-5 cells do not produce melanin, SK-MEL-1, SH-4 and SK-MEL-3 cells produce melanin while COLO 829 cells � only in small passages produce melanin. Of the 3 lines of murine melanoma tested, the one that produces melanin in a higher concentration is B16F10, followed by B16F0 and B164A5.

Hepatitis E genotype 3 virus isolate from wild boar is capable of replication in non-human primate and swine kidney cells and mouse neuroblastoma cells

BackgroundWild boar-derived hepatitis E (HEV) genotype 3 virus has been successfully isolated in cell lines of human origin only. Considering the zoonotic potential and possible extrahepatic localisation of genotype 3 strain, it is important to investigate the viability of cell lines of different animal and tissue origins. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to determine the permissiveness of non-human primate (MARC-145 and Vero) and swine (PK-15) cell lines of kidney origin, and a mouse neuroblastoma (Neuro-2a) cell line for isolation of wild boar-derived HEV genotype 3.ResultsThis study showed that MARC-145, PK-15, Neuro-2a and Vero cell lines were permissive to wild boar-derived HEV genotype 3 subtype 3i harbouring viral genome equivalents of 1.12 × 107 copies/ml, 2.38 × 105 copies/ml, 2.97 × 107 copies/ml and 4.01 × 107 copies/ml after five serial passages respectively. In all permissive cell lines, HEV was continuously recovered from growth medium between five and at least 28 days post-infection. Peak loads of HEV genome equivalents were observed on days 7, 12, 19 and 30 in MARC-145 (2.88 × 107 copies/ml), Vero (4.23 × 106 copies/ml), Neuro-2a (3.15 × 106 copies/ml) and PK-15 (2.24 × 107 copies/ml) cell lines respectively. In addition, successful virus isolation was confirmed by immunofluorescence assay targeting HEV capsid protein and sequencing of HEV isolate retrieved from cell cultures.ConclusionsThis study showed that wild boar-derived HEV genotype 3 subtype 3i strain was capable of infecting cell lines of animal origin, including primate and porcine kidney cells (MARC-145, PK-15 and Vero), and mouse neuroblastoma cells (Neuro-2a), supporting the notion of the capacity of HEV genotype 3 to cross the species barrier and extra-hepatic localisation of the virus. These findings warrant further studies of tested cell lines to investigate their capacity as an efficient system for HEV propagation. HEV isolates from other wild animal hosts should be isolated on tested cell lines in order to generate more data on HEV transmission between wild animal populations and their role as sources of human infections.

Evaluation of Potential DNA-Damaging Effects of Nitenpyram and Imidacloprid in Human U937-Cells Using a New Statistical Approach to Analyse Comet Data

Even if the two neonicotinoids nitenpyram and imidacloprid have been considered safe for humans, their potential genotoxicity still remains a matter of discussion. The DNA-damaging effects of these two compounds were therefore evaluated in a lymphoma cell line of human origin (U-937) using the comet assay after 3-h exposure to up to 50 μM, with or without metabolic activation using S9 from human liver. The comet data were analysed using a traditional one-way ANOVA after pooling the data on cellular level, and a new alternative approach we have called Uppsala Comet Data Analysis Strategy (UCDAS). UCDAS is a proportional odds model tailored to continuous outcomes, taking the number of pooled cultures, slides and cells into consideration in the same analysis. To the best of our knowledge, the UCDAS approach when analysing comet data has never been presented before. Without metabolic activation, no increase in DNA damage was observed in the neonicotinoide-exposed cells. Nitenpyram was also without DNA-damaging effects when S9 was added. However, in the presence of S9, imidacloprid was found to increase the level of DNA damage. Whereas the ANOVA showed an increase (P < 0.001) both at 5 and 50 μM, UCDAS showed an increase only at the lowest concentration (P < 0.001). Based on these findings, the two neonicotinoids seem to be of little concern when it comes to their potential genotoxicity. However, since the U-937 cells were rather resistant to our positive controls, they may not be the best cells to use when evaluating potential genotoxicity of chemicals.

Raspberry seeds extract selectively inhibits the growth of human lung cancer cells in vitro

This study was focused on in vitro cytotoxicity screening of the raspberry seeds methanol extract towards a number of cancer cell lines of human origin. The tested extract at the preferred concentrations (IC50 <30 µg/mL) inhibited only the growth of the lung cancer A-549 cells (IC50 = 14.07 ± 0.96 µg/mL). At the same time, it was practically inactive (IC50 >300 µg/mL) and non-mutagenic towards normal MRC-5 lung cells. Finally, the extract potently scavenged both OH· (IC50 = 20.11 ± 1.77 µg/mL) and O2-· (IC50 = 47.23 ± 3.82 µg/mL), the free radicals of proved relevance for cancer pathophysiology. Though seeds were enriched with phenolic compounds (TPC = 5.21 ± 0.07 mg GAE/g), anthocyanins were present in traces only (TAC = 0.07 ± 0.003 mg cyn-3-glu/g), while flavonoids were not detected at all. This is the first report on anti-lung cancer potential of the seeds of any soft fruit.

Implementation of an in vitro methodology for phototoxicity evaluation in a human keratinocyte cell line

To assess photoxicity, several in vitro methods using different cellular models have been developed for preclinical testing. Over prediction of the in vivo photosafety hazard has been however appointed. Herein, we describe the implementation and validation of an in vitro methodology for phototoxicity evaluation based on the 3T3 neutral red uptake phototoxicity test using the HaCaT human keratinocyte cell line, and UVA/UVB radiation. Known positive (5-methoxypsoralen, chlorpromazine, and quinine) and negative (acetyl salicylic acid, hexachlorophene, and sodium lauryl sulphate) controls were tested together with a set of chemical currently used in cosmetic/pharmaceutical formulations. Apart from the advantage of using a cell line of human origin, these cells were generally more resistant to the cytotoxic effects of the test substances relative to the 3T3 mouse fibroblasts when exposed to an UVA irradiation dose of 1.7 mW/cm2. Therefore, this HaCaT NRU assay provides a more realistic experimental model that overcomes the over/high sensitivity frequently noted with the 3T3 NRU assay and that is more consistent with the human in vivo situation. Using a more representative method can prevent time-consuming and expensive in vivo testing in both animal models and humans that can significantly delay the clinical development of new chemicals.

Pathways to Paraptosis After ER Photodamage in OVCAR-5 Cells.

A death mode termed paraptosis is initiated by photodamage to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). This is characterized by an extensive pattern of cytoplasmic vacuole formation and leads to a gradual loss of cytoplasm and of viability. Many photosensitizers in clinical use target sub-cellular organelles that include the ER and can, therefore, invoke paraptosis as well as apoptosis. In this study, we explore pathways to paraptosis in OVCAR-5, an ovarian cancer cell line of human origin. At low PDT doses, the route to paraptosis follows the pattern that occurs after chemotherapy, that is, a pattern of vacuole formation that can be suppressed by MAPK antagonists or inhibition of new protein synthesis. At PDT doses clinically pertinent for tumor eradication, the pathway to paraptosis appears to be independent of these factors. In addition to morphologic changes, translocation of the nuclear protein HMGB1(high mobility group protein B1) to the cell periphery has been described as a potential marker for drug-induced paraptosis. This occurs to only a very minor extent after a lethal PDT dose that targets the ER. It appears that a lethal level of ER photodamage can initiate a different pathway to paraptosis, perhaps associated with ER protein cross-linking.

Daratumumab in combination with urelumab to potentiate anti-myeloma activity in lymphocyte-deficient mice reconstituted with human NK cells

ABSTRACTDaratumumab is an anti-CD38 fully human IgG1 mAb approved for multiple myeloma treatment. One of the proposed mechanisms of action is the induction of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) mediated by NK cells. NK cells acquire surface CD137 expression in the presence of solid-phase-attached daratumumab and when encountering a daratumumab-coated CD38+ tumor cell line. In this setting, addition of the agonist anti-CD137 mAb urelumab enhances NK-cell activation increasing CD25 expression and IFNɣ production. However, in vitro ADCC is not increased by the addition of urelumab both in 4h or 24h lasting experiments. To study urelumab-increased daratumumab-mediated ADCC activity in vivo, we set up a mouse model based on the intravenous administration of a luciferase-transfected multiple myeloma cell line of human origin, human NK cells and daratumumab to immuno-deficient NSG mice. In this model, intravenous administration of urelumab 24h after daratumumab delayed tumor growth and prolonged mice survival.

Pulsed Laser Deposited Biocompatible Lithium-Doped Hydroxyapatite Coatings with Antimicrobial Activity

Simple and lithium-doped biological-origin hydroxyapatite layers were synthesized by Pulsed Laser Deposition technique on medical grade Ti substrates. Cytotoxic effects of lithium addition and the biocompatibility of obtained coatings were assessed using three cell lines of human origin (new initiated dermal fibroblasts, immortalized keratinocytes HaCaT, and MG-63 osteosarcoma). Antimicrobial properties of obtained coatings were assessed on two strains (i.e., Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans), belonging to species representative for the etiology of medical devices biofilm-associated infections. Our findings suggest that synthesized lithium-doped coatings exhibited low cytotoxicity on human osteosarcoma and skin cells and therefore, an excellent biocompatibility, correlated with a long-lasting anti-staphylococcal and -fungal biofilm activity. Along with low fabrication costs generated by sustainable resources, these biological-derived materials demonstrate their promising potential for future prospective solutions—viable alternatives to commercially available biomimetic HA implants—for the fabrication of a new generation of implant coatings.

Characterization of Healthy and Tumor Oral Cell Lines of Human Origin. The preliminary stage in the assessment of relevant chemical compounds with impact on dentistry

The present study was aimed to evaluate the confluence percentage of three oral cell lines, namely primary gingival keratinocytes (PGK), primary gingival fibroblasts (HGF) and tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC-4). All cells have been monitored at different passages for 21 days. Evaluation of confluence percentage reveals the fact that primary gingival keratinocytes and tongue squamous cell carcinoma at small passages requires a period of about two weeks to reach a confluence of approximately 80% while for the gingival fibroblasts a period of about three times smaller is satisfactory.

Evaluation of phytomedicinal potential of perillyl alcohol in an in vitro Parkinson's Disease model.

Preclinical Research & Development Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder that affects approximately 10 million people worldwide. The risk of developing PD and similar neurodegenerative disorders increases with age and an estimated 4% people are diagnosed with the disease before reaching the age of 50. Oxidative stress, cytotoxicity, and mitochondrial dysfunction are common features exhibited in the development of PD. The 6-hyroxydopamine (6-OHDA) model of PD is one of the most well characterized and studied models of the disease. 6-OHDA, a neurotoxin, can induce most characteristic features of the disease, including mitochondrial dysfunction in-vivo and in-vitro. SH-SY5Y is a neuroblastoma cell line of human origin that has been used for dose response studies on PD in the past. Based on previous data, we have used SH-SY5Y cells as an in-vitro model of PD to analyse the phytomedicinal potential of perillyl alcohol (PA), a monoterpenoid obtained from essential oils of various plants such as sage, peppermint and lavender. We have found that pretreatment with PA (10 μM and 20 μM) mitigated 6-OHDA (150 μM) induced cytotoxicity in a dose-dependent manner. We observed marked restoration of cell viability and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) as well as reduced reactive oxygen species generation, Cytochrome c immunofluorescence and DNA fragmentation after treatment with PA. On the basis of on our data, we have come to the conclusion that PA demonstrates sufficient neuroprotective activity to provide new avenues in therapy of PD and its apparent target being restoration of MMP can lead to better understanding of the disease.

Drug repurposing of quinine as antiviral against dengue virus infection

Dengue virus (DENV) disease outbreaks continue to develop across the globe with significant associated mortality and economic burden, yet no treatment has been approved to combat this virus. In an attempt to identify novel drug candidates as therapeutics for DENV infection, we evaluated four US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs including aminolevullic acid, azelaic acid, mitoxantrone hydrochloride, and quinine sulfate, and tested their ability to inhibit DENV replication using focus-forming unit assay to quantify virus production. Of the four investigated compounds, quinine was found to have the most pronounced anti-DENV activity. Quinine inhibited DENV production of DENV by about 80% compared to untreated controls, while the other three drugs decreased virus production by only about 50%. Moreover, quinine inhibited DENV production of all four serotypes of DENV. Reduction in virus production was documented in three different cell lines of human origin. Quinine significantly inhibited DENV replication by reducing DENV RNA and viral protein synthesis in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, quinine ameliorated expression of genes related to innate immune response. These findings suggest the efficacy of quinine for stimulating antiviral genes to reduce DENV replication. The antiviral activity of quinine observed in this study may have applicability in the development of new drug therapies against DENV.