Detection of differential levels of proteins in the urine of patients with endometrial cancer: analysis using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and o-glycan binding lectin

Cancers can cause some proteins to be aberrantly excreted or released in the urine, which can be used as biomarkers. To screen for potential biomarkers for endometrial cancer (ECa), the urinary proteins from patients who were newly diagnosed with early stage ECa and untreated controls were separated using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and followed by image analysis. The altered levels of zinc alpha-2 glycoprotein, alpha 1-acid glycoprotein, and CD59 were detected in the patients compared to the controls. In addition, the urine of the ECa patients was also found to contain relatively lower levels of a fragment of nebulin when the 2-DE separated urinary proteins were probed using champedak galactose binding (CGB) lectin. The different levels of the nebulin fragment were further validated by subjecting the urinary protein samples to CGB lectin affinity chromatography and analysis of the bound fractions by LC-MS/MS. Our data is suggestive of the potential use of the differentially expressed urinary proteins as biomarkers for ECa although this requires further extensive validation on clinically representative populations.     

Diverse effects of a low dose supplement of lipidated curcumin in healthy middle aged people

Accumulation of excess body fat increases breast cancer risk after menopause. Whether the localized breast is differently influenced by adipose tissue compared to the rest of the body, has not been well studied. Our purpose was to demonstrate feasibility and preliminarily evaluate serum-based and localized breast biomarker changes resulting from a weight loss intervention among obese postmenopausal women. We conducted a 12-week pilot controlled dietary and exercise intervention among healthy obese postmenopausal women, collected serum and breast ductal fluid before and after the intervention, and estimated the association with systemic and localized biomarker changes. We recruited 7 obese (mean body mass index = 33.6 kg/m2) postmenopausal women. We collected samples at baseline and the 12th week for: anthropometry; phlebotomy; dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (lean and fat mass); exercise fitness (maximum oxygen consumption (VO2Max); 1-repetition strength maximum); and breast ductal lavage. Changes from baseline occurred in body composition and exercise performance including fat mass loss (14% average drop), VO2Max (+36% increase) and strength improvement (+26%). Breast ductal fluid markers declined from baseline with estradiol showing a 24% reduction and IL-6 a 20% reduction. We also observed serum biomarker reductions from baseline including leptin (36% decline), estrone sulfate (−10%), estradiol (−25%), and Il-6 (−33%). Conduct of the diet and exercise intervention, collection of ductal fluid, and measurement of hormones and cytokines contained in the ductal fluid were all feasible. We preliminarily demonstrated estradiol and IL-6 reductions from baseline in both serum and breast ductal fluid among obese postmenopausal women who participated in the 12-week weight loss diet and exercise intervention.     

A Bead-Based Multiplexed Immunoassay to Evaluate Breast Cancer Biomarkers for Early Detection in Pre-Diagnostic Serum

This study investigates whether a set of ten potential breast cancer serum biomarkers and cancer antigens (osteopontin (OPN), haptoglobin, cancer antigen 15-3 (CA15-3), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cancer antigen 125 (CA-125), prolactin, cancer antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), α-fetoprotein (AFP), leptin and migration inhibitory factor (MIF)) can predict early stage breast cancer in samples collected before clinical diagnosis (phase III samples). We performed a nested case-control study within the Prospect-EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and nutrition) cohort. We examined to what extent the biomarker panel could discriminate between 68 women diagnosed with breast cancer up to three years after enrollment and 68 matched healthy controls (all 56–64 years at baseline). Using a quantitative bead-based multiplexed assay, we determined protein concentrations in serum samples collected at enrollment. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Random Forest (RF) analysis revealed that on the basis of all ten proteins, early cases could not be separated from controls. When we combined serum protein concentrations and subject characteristics related to breast cancer risk in the RF analysis, this did not result in classification accuracy scores that could correctly classify the samples (sensitivity: 50%, specificity: 50%). Our findings indicate that this panel of selected tumor markers cannot be used for diagnosis of early breast cancer.     

不同型别正常人红细胞膜蛋白质组的双向凝胶电泳分析

目的以双向凝胶电泳(2-DE)方法分析不同型别正常人红细胞及细胞膜的蛋白质组图谱。方法提取不同型别的正常人红细胞全细胞蛋白和膜蛋白,以2-DE进行蛋白质的分离,银染显示电泳分离结果,ImageScanner扫描仪扫描并获得图像,以图像分析软件ImageMaster 2D Platinum进行结果分析和比较。结果在不同型别红细胞的全细胞蛋白谱中,有5个蛋白斑点出现表达差异。蛋白硫脲细胞膜处理法与SDS细胞膜处理法获得的红细胞膜蛋白2-DE图谱比较,前者获得的蛋白斑点数增多。结论2-DE有助于分析红细胞膜蛋白质组的表达差异。采用去除膜脂类的样品处理方法,可以提高红细胞2-DE图谱的分辨率。     

Machine-Learning Analysis of Serum Proteomics in Neuropathic Pain after Nerve Injury in Breast Cancer Surgery Points at Chemokine Signaling via SIRT2 Regulation

Background: Persistent postsurgical neuropathic pain (PPSNP) can occur after intraoperative damage to somatosensory nerves, with a prevalence of 29–57% in breast cancer surgery. Proteomics is an active research field in neuropathic pain and the first results support its utility for establishing diagnoses or finding therapy strategies. Methods: 57 women (30 non-PPSNP/27 PPSNP) who had experienced a surgeon-verified intercostobrachial nerve injury during breast cancer surgery, were examined for patterns in 74 serum proteomic markers that allowed discrimination between subgroups with or without PPSNP. Serum samples were obtained both before and after surgery. Results: Unsupervised data analyses, including principal component analysis and self-organizing maps of artificial neurons, revealed patterns that supported a data structure consistent with pain-related subgroup (non-PPSPN vs. PPSNP) separation. Subsequent supervised machine learning-based analyses revealed 19 proteins (CD244, SIRT2, CCL28, CXCL9, CCL20, CCL3, IL.10RA, MCP.1, TRAIL, CCL25, IL10, uPA, CCL4, DNER, STAMPB, CCL23, CST5, CCL11, FGF.23) that were informative for subgroup separation. In cross-validated training and testing of six different machine-learned algorithms, subgroup assignment was significantly better than chance, whereas this was not possible when training the algorithms with randomly permuted data or with the protein markers not selected. In particular, sirtuin 2 emerged as a key protein, presenting both before and after breast cancer treatments in the PPSNP compared with the non-PPSNP subgroup. Conclusions: The identified proteins play important roles in immune processes such as cell migration, chemotaxis, and cytokine-signaling. They also have considerable overlap with currently known targets of approved or investigational drugs. Taken together, several lines of unsupervised and supervised analyses pointed to structures in serum proteomics data, obtained before and after breast cancer surgery, that relate to neuroinflammatory processes associated with the development of neuropathic pain after an intraoperative nerve lesion.     

Wheat Drought-Responsive Grain Proteome Analysis by Linear and Nonlinear 2-DE and MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry

A comparative proteomic analysis of drought-responsive proteins during grain development of two wheat varieties Kauz (strong resistance to drought stress) and Janz (sensitive to drought stress) was performed by using linear and nonlinear 2-DE and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry technologies. Results revealed that the nonlinear 2-DE had much higher resolution than the linear 2-DE. A total of 153 differentially expressed protein spots were detected by both 2-DE maps, of which 122 protein spots were identified by MALDI-TOF and MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry. The identified differential proteins were mainly involved in carbohydrate metabolism (26%), detoxification and defense (23%), and storage proteins (17%). Some key proteins demonstrated significantly different expression patterns between the two varieties. In particular, catalase isozyme 1, WD40 repeat protein, LEA and alpha-amylase inhibitors displayed an upregulated expression pattern in Kauz, whereas they were downregulated or unchanged in Janz. Small and large subunit ADP glucose pyrophosphorylase, ascorbate peroxidase and G beta-like protein were all downregulated under drought stress in Janz, but had no expression changes in Kauz. Sucrose synthase and triticin precursor showed an upregulated expression pattern under water deficits in both varieties, but their upregulation levels were much higher in Kauz than in Janz. These differentially expressed proteins could be related to the biochemical pathways for stronger drought resistance of Kauz.     

Proteomic analysis of whole human saliva detects enhanced expression of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, thioredoxin and lipocalin-1 in cigarette smokers compared to non-smokers

A gel-based proteomics approach was used to screen for proteins of differential abundance between the saliva of smokers and those who had never smoked. Subjecting precipitated proteins from whole human saliva of healthy non-smokers to two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) generated typical profiles comprising more than 50 proteins. While 35 of the proteins were previously established by other researchers, an additional 22 proteins were detected in the 2-DE saliva protein profiles generated in the present study. When the 2-DE profiles were compared to those obtained from subjects considered to be heavy cigarette smokers, three saliva proteins, including interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, thioredoxin and lipocalin-1, showed significant enhanced expression. The distribution patterns of lipocalin-1 isoforms were also different between cigarette smokers and non-smokers. The three saliva proteins have good potential to be used as biomarkers for the adverse effects of smoking and the risk for inflammatory and chronic diseases that are associated with it.     

Expression of Human Endogenous Retrovirus env Genes in the Blood of Breast Cancer Patients

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERV) env proteins have been recently reported to be significantly up-regulated in certain cancers. Specifically, mRNA and protein levels of HERV-K (HML-2) are up-regulated in the blood plasma or serum of breast cancer patients. Here, we collected blood samples of 49 breast cancer patients and analyzed mRNA expressions of various HERVs env genes including HERV-R, HERV-H, HERV-K, and HERV-P by real-time PCR. The expression of env genes were significantly increased in the blood of primary breast cancer patients but were decreased in patients undergoing chemotherapy to a similar level with benign patients. When we compared the group currently undergoing chemotherapy and those patients undergoing chemotherapy simultaneously with radiotherapy, HERVs env genes were reduced more in the chemotherapy only group, suggesting that chemotherapy is more effective in reducing HERV env gene expression than is radiotherapy. Among chemotherapy groups, HERV env gene expression was the lowest in the taxotere- or taxol-treated group, suggesting that taxotere and taxol can reduce HERVs env expression. These data suggest the potential to use HERVs env genes as a diagnosis marker for primary breast cancer, and further studies are needed to identify the mechanism and physiological significance of the reduction of HERV env gene expression during chemotherapy.     

Analysis of microRNAs in Exosomes of Breast Cancer Patients in Search of Molecular Prognostic Factors in Brain Metastases

Brain metastases are the most severe tumorous spread during breast cancer disease. They are associated with a limited quality of life and a very poor overall survival. A subtype of extracellular vesicles, exosomes, are sequestered by all kinds of cells, including tumor cells, and play a role in cell-cell communication. Exosomes contain, among others, microRNAs (miRs). Exosomes can be taken up by other cells in the body, and their active molecules can affect the cellular process in target cells. Tumor-secreted exosomes can affect the integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and have an impact on brain metastases forming. Serum samples from healthy donors, breast cancer patients with primary tumors, or with brain, bone, or visceral metastases were used to isolate exosomes and exosomal miRs. Exosomes expressed exosomal markers CD63 and CD9, and their amount did not vary significantly between groups, as shown by Western blot and ELISA. The selected 48 miRs were detected using real-time PCR. Area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy. We identified two miRs with the potential to serve as prognostic markers for brain metastases. Hsa-miR-576-3p was significantly upregulated, and hsa-miR-130a-3p was significantly downregulated in exosomes from breast cancer patients with cerebral metastases with AUC: 0.705 and 0.699, respectively. Furthermore, correlation of miR levels with tumor markers revealed that hsa-miR-340-5p levels were significantly correlated with the percentage of Ki67-positive tumor cells, while hsa-miR-342-3p levels were inversely correlated with tumor staging. Analysis of the expression levels of miRs in serum exosomes from breast cancer patients has the potential to identify new, non-invasive, blood-borne prognostic molecular markers to predict the potential for brain metastasis in breast cancer. Additional functional analyzes and careful validation of the identified markers are required before their potential future diagnostic use.     

Protein Corona Gold Nanoparticles Fingerprinting Reveals a Profile of Blood Coagulation Proteins in the Serum of HER2-Overexpressing Breast Cancer Patients

Breast cancer (BC) is a molecularly heterogeneous disease that encompasses five major molecular subtypes (luminal A (LA), luminal B HER2 negative (LB-), luminal B HER2 positive (LB+), HER2 positive (HER2+) and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC)). BC treatment mainly depends on the identification of the specific subtype. Despite the correct identification, therapies could fail in some patients. Thus, further insights into the genetic and molecular status of the different BC subtypes could be very useful to improve the response of BC patients to the range of available therapies. In this way, we used gold nanoparticles (AuNPs, 12.96 ± 0.72 nm) as a scavenging tool in combination with Sequential Window Acquisition of All Theoretical Mass Spectra (SWATH-MS) to quantitatively analyze the serum proteome alterations in the different breast cancer intrinsic subtypes. The differentially regulated proteins specific of each subtype were further analyzed with the bioinformatic tools STRING and PANTHER to identify the major molecular function, biological processes, cellular origin, protein class and biological pathways altered due to the heterogeneity in proteome of the different BC subtypes. Importantly, a profile of blood coagulation proteins was identified in the serum of HER2-overexpressing BC patients.     

醋酸甲羟孕酮诱导结肠癌SW480细胞凋亡及其差异表达蛋白的分析

目的对醋酸甲羟孕酮(Medroxyprogesterone acetate,MPA)诱导结肠癌SW480细胞凋亡时的差异表达蛋白进行分析。方法以不同浓度(25、50、75μmol/L)的MPA作用SW480细胞24、48和72h,MTT法检测细胞增殖水平。以上述浓度的MPA作用SW480细胞48h,流式细胞术分析细胞的凋亡率及细胞周期各时相比例的变化。以50μmol/L MPA作用SW480细胞48h,透射电镜观察细胞结构的变化;应用双向电泳技术分离细胞总蛋白,PDQUEST8.0软件分析凝胶图谱,选择差异表达蛋白,以Agilent1100HPLC-Chip/MS系统进行MS/MS分析,搜索UniProtKB/SWISS-PORT,Homo Sapiens(Human)数据库筛选目标蛋白质。结果透射电镜下观察经MPA作用的SW480细胞可见明显的凋亡形态学变化;不同浓度的MPA对SW480细胞均有明显的抑制增殖和诱导凋亡作用,且呈剂量依赖性,细胞凋亡率最高可达56.15%;细胞周期分析表明,MPA诱导结肠癌细胞凋亡的作用可能与细胞周期的阻滞相关,此阻滞作用具有剂量依赖性;共鉴定出泛素、只含LIM结构域蛋白质3、热休克蛋白10、有机阴离子转运蛋白4、泛素羧基末端水解酶2、核苷二磷酸激酶-A、层黏连蛋白受体1共7种SW480细胞凋亡相关蛋白。结论 MPA具有诱导SW480细胞凋亡的作用,SW480细胞凋亡相关蛋白可能作为MPA抗结肠癌的潜在生物标志物。     

STAg联合CpG ODN滴鼻免疫小鼠诱导的免疫应答

目的观察弓形虫可溶性速殖子抗原(STAg)联合CpG寡核苷酸(CpG ODN)滴鼻免疫BALB/c小鼠诱导的免疫应答,探讨CpG ODN的佐剂效应。方法将72只雌性BALB/c小鼠随机分为实验组和对照组,每组36只。实验组以20μgSTAg联合10μg CpG ODN滴鼻免疫,对照组以PBS滴鼻,共免疫2次,间隔2周。于末次免疫后第1、2、3、4、5、6周每组分别随机处死6只小鼠,ELISA法检测血清IgG和小肠冲洗液sIgA,分离脾和肠上皮内淋巴细胞(iIEL)并计数。结果实验组小鼠血清IgG水平在末次免疫后第1周即显著高于对照组,在5周内呈持续上升趋势,至第6周出现下降。实验组小鼠小肠冲洗液sIgA水平在各个时间点均高于对照组,第2～6周差异有统计学意义。实验组小鼠脾淋巴细胞和iIEL数量均明显增生,脾淋巴细胞数量在第3周时达高峰,第2～6周显著高于对照组;iIEL数量分别在第2、4周出现2个峰值,第2、3、4周显著高于对照组。结论STAg与CpG ODN联合滴鼻免疫BALB/c小鼠,可有效诱导黏膜部位和系统的体液免疫和细胞免疫应答,且可持续较长时间。     

Doxorubicin-Induced Autophagolysosome Formation Is Partly Prevented by Mitochondrial ROS Elimination in DOX-Resistant Breast Cancer Cells

Since its discovery, mitophagy has been viewed as a protective mechanism used by cancer cells to prevent the induction of mitochondrial apoptosis. Most cancer treatments directly or indirectly cause mitochondrial dysfunction in order to trigger signals for cell death. Elimination of these dysfunctional mitochondria by mitophagy could thus prevent the initiation of the apoptotic cascade. In breast cancer patients, resistance to doxorubicin (DOX), one of the most widely used cancer drugs, is an important cause of poor clinical outcomes. However, the role played by mitophagy in the context of DOX resistance in breast cancer cells is not well understood. We therefore tried to determine whether an increase in mitophagic flux was associated with the resistance of breast cancer cells to DOX. Our first objective was to explore whether DOX-resistant breast cancer cells were characterized by conditions that favor mitophagy induction. We next tried to determine whether mitophagic flux was increased in DOX-resistant cells in response to DOX treatment. For this purpose, the parental (MCF-7) and DOX-resistant (MCF-7dox) breast cancer cell lines were used. Our results show that mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1 alpha) expression are higher in MCF-7dox in a basal condition compared to MCF-7, suggesting DOX-resistant breast cancer cells are prone to stimuli to induce a mitophagy-related event. Our results also showed that, in response to DOX, autophagolysosome formation is induced in DOX-resistant breast cancer cells. This mitophagic step following DOX treatment seems to be partly due to mitochondrial ROS production as autophagolysosome formation is moderately decreased by the mitochondrial antioxidant mitoTEMPO.     

Radiosensitization induced by zinc-doped hydroxyapatite nanoparticles in breast cancer cells

Zinc-doped hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles were synthesized by microwave assisted method and used with ionizing radiation for inhibition of proliferation of breast cancer cells. Zinc-doped HAs were produced in four different compositions in order to determine the best doping rate in terms of physical and biological properties. Nanoparticle characterizations were performed with X-ray diffractometer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Viability of MDA-MB-231(isolated at M D Anderson from a pleural effusion of a patient with invasive ductal carcinoma) cells treated with nano-HA particles and radiation were assessed by MTT assay. Caspase-7 and Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase protein expressions in samples were examined by the Western blot. X-ray diffraction patterns of our samples were found to be in good correlation with the reference HA peaks. Notably, increasing zinc amount resulted in elevated percentage of β-tricalcium phosphate, phases. All formulations including pure HA particles were non-cytotoxic in MDA MB 231 cells. On the other hand, low rate Zn-doped HA particles showed significant anti-proliferation effect during irradiation. The combination of irradiation with Zn-doped HA particles also induced apoptosis, demonstrated as cleavage of caspase-7 and PARP proteins. In conclusion, low rate Zn-doped HA enhanced the radiation effect on breast cancer cells.     

JY佐剂对人乳头瘤病毒18型L1蛋白病毒样颗粒黏膜免疫效果的影响

目的探讨JY佐剂对人乳头瘤病毒(Human papillomavirus,HPV)18型L1蛋白病毒样颗粒(Virus-like parti-cle,VLP)黏膜免疫效果的影响,并观察鼻腔反复免疫后与HPV58、11和6型的免疫交叉反应。方法用含或不含JY佐剂的HPV18 L1 VLP分别经肌肉和鼻腔免疫BALB/c小鼠,并设PBS对照组,于第0、3、6周各免疫1次,免疫后第2、5、8周采血,ELISA法检测血清IgG抗体滴度;于第8周分离脾淋巴细胞并收集呼吸道灌洗液,采用IFNγELISPOT试剂盒检测细胞免疫效果,ELISA法检测黏膜免疫效果;鼻腔免疫各组取5只小鼠,继续免疫10次,每次间隔3周,收集第14、20、26、32和38周的血清,ELISA法检测HPV18 L1蛋白与HPV58、11和6型的免疫交叉反应。结果免疫3次后,不含或含有佐剂的HPV18 L1蛋白经肌肉免疫后的血清IgG抗体滴度(均为104.6)高于经鼻腔免疫后的血清IgG抗体滴度(分别为101.9和102.8)。含有佐剂的HPV18 L1蛋白经鼻腔免疫后呼吸道灌洗液中sIgA抗体浓度(30.06μg/ml)明显高于不含佐剂的HPV18 L1蛋白鼻腔免疫组(23.47μg/ml)(P<0.01),但肌肉免疫组未检测到sIgA抗体。含有佐剂的HPV18 L1蛋白经鼻腔免疫诱导的细胞斑点数明显高于不含佐剂的HPV18 L1蛋白鼻腔免疫组(P<0.01),不含佐剂与含佐剂的HPV18 L1蛋白肌肉免疫组诱导的细胞斑点数差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。HPV18 L1免疫小鼠后的血清与HPV58、11和6型之间均有交叉反应,在第32周血清特异性IgG抗体滴度最高。结论 HPV18 L1 VLP经肌肉免疫后,其血清抗体水平高于鼻腔免疫组,但该蛋白鼻腔免疫后细胞免疫反应和黏膜sIgA抗体水平均高于肌肉免疫组;JY佐剂能增强HPV18 L1蛋白经鼻腔免疫后的小鼠细胞反应及黏膜sIgA抗体应答,但肌肉免疫组佐剂作用不明显;HPV18 L1蛋白反复鼻腔免疫后,可拓宽抗原保护谱。     

Landscape phages and their fusion proteins targeted to breast cancer cells

Breast cancer is a leading cause of death among women in the USA. The efficacy of existing anticancer therapeutics can be improved by targeting them through conjugation with ligands binding to cellular receptors. Recently, we developed a novel drug targeting strategy based on the use of pre-selected cancer-specific 'fusion pVIII proteins' (fpVIII), as targeting ligands. To study the efficiency of this approach in animal models, we developed a panel of breast cancer cell-binding phages as a source of targeted fpVIIIs. Two landscape phage peptide libraries (8-mer f8/8 and 9-mer f8/9) were screened to isolate 132 phage variants that recognize breast carcinoma cells MCF-7 and ZR-75-1 and internalize into the cells. When tested for their interaction with the breast cancer cells in comparison with liver cancer cells HepG2, human mammary cells MCF-10A cells and serum, 16 of the phage probes selectively interacted with the breast cancer cells whereas 32 bound both breast and liver cancer cells. The most prominent cancer-specific phage DMPGTVLP, demonstrating sub-nanomolar Kd in interaction with target cells, was used for affinity chromatography of cellular membrane molecules to reveal its potential binding receptor. The isolated protein was identified by direct sequencing as cellular surface nucleolin. This conclusion was confirmed by inhibition of the phage-cell interaction with nucleolin antibodies. Other prominent phage binders VPTDTDYS, VEEGGYIAA, and DWRGDSMDS demonstrate consensus motifs common to previously identified cancer-specific peptides. Isolated phage proteins exhibit inherent binding specificity towards cancer cells, demonstrating the functional activity of the selected fused peptides. The selected phages, their peptide inserts and intact fusion proteins can serve as promising ligands for the development of targeted nanomedicines and their study in model mice with xenograft of human cells MCF-7 and ZR-75-1.     

Esculetin ameliorates carbon tetrachloride-mediated hepatic apoptosis in rats

Esculetin (ESC) is a coumarin that is present in several plants such as Fraxinus rhynchophylla and Artemisia capillaris. Our previous study found that FR ethanol extract (FR(EtOH)) significantly ameliorated rats' liver function. This study was intended to investigate the protective mechanism of ESC in hepatic apoptosis in rats induced by carbon tetrachloride. Rat hepatic apoptosis was induced by oral administration of CCl(4). All rats were administered orally with CCl(4) (20%, 0.5 mL/rat) twice a week for 8 weeks. Rats in the ESC groups were treated daily with ESC, and silymarin group were treated daily with silymarin. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) as well as the activities of the anti-oxidative enzymes glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase in the liver were measured. In addition, expression of liver apoptosis proteins and anti-apoptotic proteins were detected. ESC (100, 500 mg/kg) significantly reduced the elevated activities of serum ALT and AST caused by CCl(4) and significantly increased the activities of catalase, GPx and SOD. Furthermore, ESC (100, 500 mg/kg) significantly decreased the levels of the proapoptotic proteins (t-Bid, Bak and Bad) and significantly increased the levels of the anti-apoptotic proteins (Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL). ESC inhibited the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria. In addition, the levels of activated caspase-9 and activated caspase-3 were significantly decreased in rats treated with ESC than those in rats treated with CCl(4) alone. ESC significantly reduced CCl(4)-induced hepatic apoptosis in rats.     

Diet-Induced Hypercholesterolemia Leads to Cardiac Dysfunction and Alterations in the Myocardial Proteome

Elevated blood cholesterol is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease. Moreover, direct effects on the myocardium also contribute to the adverse effects of hypercholesterolemia. Here, we investigated the effect of hypercholesterolemia on the cardiac proteome. Male Wistar rats were fed with a laboratory rodent chow supplemented with 2% cholesterol for 8 weeks to induce hypercholesterolemia. The protein expression data obtained from the proteomic characterization of left ventricular samples from normo- and hypercholesterolemic animals were subjected to gene ontology (GO) and protein interaction analyses. Elevated circulating cholesterol levels were accompanied by diastolic dysfunction in cholesterol-fed rats. The proteomic characterization of left ventricular samples revealed altered expression of 45 proteins due to hypercholesterolemia. Based on the Gene Ontology analysis, hypercholesterolemia was associated with disturbed expression of cytoskeletal and contractile proteins. Beta-actin was downregulated in the hypercholesterolemic myocardium, and established a prominent hub of the protein interaction network. Analysis of the unfiltered dataset revealed concordant downregulated expression patterns in proteins associated with the arrangement of the contractile system (e.g., cardiac-specific troponins and myosin complex), and in subunits of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. We conclude that the observed changes in the cardiac proteome may contribute to the development of diastolic dysfunction in hypercholesterolemia.