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Biomedical subjects

Jianfeng Lu

Publications and source records attributed to Jianfeng Lu.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Design, synthesis, and evaluation of a potent, cell-permeable, conformationally constrained second mitochondria derived activator of caspase (Smac) mimetic.

A potent, cell-permeable, conformationally constrained second mitochondria derived activator of caspase mimetic (SM-131, 2) has been designed, synthesized, and evaluated. Compound 2 binds to X-linked inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (XIAP) with a Ki of 61 nM in a competitive binding assay and directly antagonizes the XIAP inhibition of caspase-9 activity in a cell-free functional assay. Compound 2 achieves an IC50 of 100 nM in inhibition of cell growth and effectively induces cell death in the MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell line.

Azepines↗

Efficient solubilization, purification of recombinant extracellular alpha-amylase from pyrococcus furiosus expressed as inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli.

The gene encoding the Pyrococcus furiosus extracellular alpha-amylase (PFA) was amplified by PCR from P. furiosus genomic DNA and was highly expressed in Escherichia coli BL21-Codon Plus (DE3)-RIL. The recombinant alpha-amylase was mainly expressed in the form of insoluble inclusion bodies. An improved purification method was established in this paper. The solubilization of the inclusion bodies was achieved by 90 degrees C treatment for 3 min in Britton-Robinson buffer at pH 10.5. The solubilized PFA was then diluted and subsequently purified by Phenyl Sepharose chromatography. The overall yield of the new purification method was about 58,000 U/g wet cells, which is higher than previously reported.

Enzyme Stability↗

Evaluation of the absolute oral bioavailability and bioequivalence of erlotinib, an inhibitor of the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase, in a randomized, crossover study in healthy subjects.

A randomized, open-label, 2-period crossover study was conducted to evaluate the bioequivalence of 6 tablets of erlotinib 25 mg and 1 tablet of erlotinib 150 mg (arm A, n = 42) and the oral bioavailability of the 150-mg tablet versus a 25-mg intravenous infusion (arm B, n = 20) in healthy subjects. The washout period was 2 weeks between treatments. Plasma concentrations of erlotinib and its active metabolite, OSI-420, were measured after each dose. The ratios of geometric means for AUC(0-infinity) and Cmax of erlotinib following 6 tablets of erlotinib 25 mg and 1 tablet of erlotinib 150 mg were (1 and 0.95) within the predefined bioequivalence range of 0.80 to 1.25. The mean absolute oral bioavailability, using compartmental analysis, was estimated as 59% (95% confidence interval, 55%-63%). Overall, 6 tablets of erlotinib 25 mg are bioequivalent to a single 150-mg tablet. Both intravenous and oral erlotinib were generally well tolerated with an estimated bioavailability of 59% following oral administration.

Administration, Oral↗

Computerized image analysis for quantitative neuronal phenotyping in zebrafish.

An integrated microscope image analysis pipeline is developed for automatic analysis and quantification of phenotypes in zebrafish with altered expression of Alzheimer's disease (AD)-linked genes. We hypothesize that a slight impairment of neuronal integrity in a large number of zebrafish carrying the mutant genotype can be detected through the computerized image analysis method. Key functionalities of our zebrafish image processing pipeline include quantification of neuron loss in zebrafish embryos due to knockdown of AD-linked genes, automatic detection of defective somites, and quantitative measurement of gene expression levels in zebrafish with altered expression of AD-linked genes or treatment with a chemical compound. These quantitative measurements enable the archival of analyzed results and relevant meta-data. The structured database is organized for statistical analysis and data modeling to better understand neuronal integrity and phenotypic changes of zebrafish under different perturbations. Our results show that the computerized analysis is comparable to manual counting with equivalent accuracy and improved efficacy and consistency. Development of such an automated data analysis pipeline represents a significant step forward to achieve accurate and reproducible quantification of neuronal phenotypes in large scale or high-throughput zebrafish imaging studies.

Animals↗

[Construction, packaging and titration of recombinant adeno-associated virus vectors contaning antitumor genes].

OBJECTIVE: To construct, package, and titrate vectors that express antitumor genes using adeno-associated virus (AAV) containing human alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) promoter. METHODS: Recombinant AAV vectors were constructed by blunted ligation of plasmids rAAV-AFP-GFP and pTR-UF5 and p16 cDNA and p21 cDNA. Packaging cell lines, 293 and C12 cells, were transfected with rAAV vectors, plasmid PspRC72, and adenovirus cosmid pAdc with the help of LipofectAMINE and then infected by wild adenovirus 48 hours later. The total viral particle titre was measured by PCR. Electron microscopy was used to observe the morphology of rAAV. C12 cells were infected with rAAV and wild adenovirus (MOI 10) and the titre of infectious virus was measured. by RCA method. Hepatocellular carcinoma cells were cultured and infected with rAAV containing green fluorescent protein (GFP), the infectious rate was observed 48 hours later. RESULTS: Recombinant vectors, rAAV-AFP-p16, rAAV-AFP-p21, rAAV-CMV-p16, and rAAV-CMV-p21, were constructed and verified by DNA sequencing and enzyme digestion. The total viral titre was 10(13) to 10(14)/ml. The titre of infectious rAAV containing GFP was 5 x 10(10)/ml. Electron microscopy showed that the rAVV was round and plaqued with a diameter between 20 and 30 nm. When the MOI was 100, the infectious rate of hepatocellular carcinoma cells was at least 70%. Four rAAV vectors carrying p16 or p21 genes have been constructed. rAAV packaging and titration methods were developed to produce highly-purified AAV stocks. These approaches help in research of gene therapy in liver cancer.

Cell Line↗

Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modelling of magnesium plasma concentration and blood pressure in preeclamptic women.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the relationship between plasma magnesium (Mg(2+)) concentration and blood pressure response in pregnant women with preeclampsia. METHODS: Fifty-one preeclamptic women were studied after receiving two consecutive magnesium sulfate infusions (120 mg/kg for 1 hour and 24 mg/kg for 5 hours). Mg(2+) concentration and systolic/diastolic blood pressure were measured at 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15 hours after the beginning of the first infusion. A population pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic model was fitted to the data with the computer program NONMEM. RESULTS: Pharmacokinetics were described by a two-compartment model. Population parameter estimates were 5.0 L/h for body clearance (CL), 24L for central volume (V(c), 25L for peripheral volume ((V)(p)) and 5.6 L/h for intercompartment clearance (Q). The interindividual variability in CL, V(c), V(p) and Q was 39, 26, 38, and 59%, respectively. The mean population estimates for systolic (diastolic) blood pressure were 36.8 (27.8) mm Hg for the maximum decrease (E(max)), 0.75 (0.88) mmol/L for the Mg2+ concentration (above baseline) eliciting half-maximum effect (EC(50)) and 0.76 (0.5) h(-1) for the equilibrium rate (k(eo)) of the effect compartment model. CONCLUSION: Mg(2+ )concentrations within the range (2-4 mmol/L) proposed for treatment of preeclampsia produce greater than half-maximal lowering of systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Bayes Theorem↗

Induction of cytotoxic T lymphocytes from the peripheral blood of a hepatocellular carcinoma patient using melanoma antigen-1 (MAGE-1) peptide.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possibility of using melanoma antigen-1 (MAGE-1) peptide as a tumor vaccine to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: The expressions of MAGE-1 in 8 HCC cell lines and in liver cancer tissue from a patient were detected using RT-PCR. The type of human leucocyte antigen I(HLA I) of both 8 HCC cell lines and peripheral blood mononuclear cells of the patient was detected using a microcytotoxicity method to screen out target cell lines for the cytotoxicity assay. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from the HCC patient pulsed with an MAGE-1 peptide (NYKCRFPEI) were used as antigen presenting cells. Autogenous peripheral blood mononuclear cells were stimulated with antigen presenting cells every 7 days for 4 times to elicit cytotoxic T lymphocytes. The phenotype of effector cells was analyzed using flow cytometry. The cytotoxicity of effector cells was detected with a lactate dehydrogenase releasing assay. RESULTS: The expressions of both MAGE-1 and HLA-A24 were detected in BEL7405 cell line which were used as the positive target cell line in the cytotoxicity assay. The expression of MAGE-1 alone was detected in HLE, BEL7402, BEL7404, QGY7703 and SMMC7721 cell lines, and the expression of neither MAGE-1 nor HLA-A24 was shown in QGY 7701 and HpG2 cell lines. The last 7 cell lines could be used as negative target cell lines in the cytotoxicity assay. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells expanded 32 folds during 28-day culture. The ratio of CD3(+) T cells increased by 16% (from 54% to 70%), and the ratio of CD8(+) T cells increased by 20% (from 36% to 56%) during 28-day culture. When the ratio of effector cells to target cells was 10:1, effector cells exhibited 62.5% cytotoxicity against autogenous lymphoblasts pulsed with the peptide (NYKCRFPEI) of MAGE-1 antigen, 40.25% cytotoxicity against BEL7405 cells, compared with 17.88% cytolysis observed against autogenous lymphoblasts, 19.55% against HLE cells, and 1.6% against QGY7701 cells. When the ratio of effector cells to target cells was 3.3:1, the cytotoxicity of effector cells against the peptide pulsed autogenous lymphoblasts was 53.6%, which was much higher against autogenous lymphoblasts, HLE cells and QGY7701 cells at 15.6%, 13% and 1%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate that cytotoxic T lymphocytes with the ability to specifically lyse target cells expressing both MAGE-1 and HLA-A24 could be successfully induced by the MAGE-1 peptide NYKCRFPEI in vitro. This indicates that a good result might be anticipated if this peptide is used as a tumor vaccine to treat HLA-A24 HCC patients.

Adult↗

mRNA of MAGE genes as specific markers in detection of tumor cells in the peripheral blood of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To detect tumor cells in the peripheral blood of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by using the mRNA of the MAGE-1 and MAGE-3 genes as specific tumor markers. METHODS: Peripheral blood was obtained from 25 HCC patients and 20 healthy volunteers. The mRNA of the MAGE-1 and MAGE-3 genes in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was detected by nested RT-PCR. The MAGE-1 and MAGE-3 transcripts in the tumor tissues of these HCC patients were also detected by RT-PCR. RESULTS: Of the 25 HCC patients, MAGE-1 and MAGE-3 mRNA were positive in 44% (11/25) and 36% (9/25) of PBMCs respectively, and in 68% (17/25) and 56% (14/25) of HCC tissues respectively. In the PBMCs of the 25 HCC patients, 16 (64%) samples were detected to express at least one type of MAGE mRNA. MAGE mRNA were not detected in the PBMCs from the patients whose tumors did not express the MAGE genes, nor in the PBMCs from the 20 healthy donors. The positive rate of MAGE mRNA in the PBMCs was closely correlated with the TNM stages and the diameter of tumors, but there was no correlation between the positive rate of MAGE mRNA in PBMCs and tumor differentiation degree or serum alpha-FP level. Of 9 HCC patients whose serum alpha-FP was normal or slightly elevated (< 50 ng/ml), 6 were MAGE-1 and/or MAGE-3 mRNA positive in their PBMCs. CONCLUSION: MAGE-1 and MAGE-3 mRNA could be specifically detected with high percentage in the PBMCs of HCC patients by our method. They can be used as specific tumor markers for the detection of the circulating HCC cells, and the detection results may be helpful to evaluate the prognosis of HCC patients.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗