Tetrandrine (Tet) could enhance the antitumor effect of Paclitaxel (Ptx) by increasing intracellular Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) levels, which leads to the possibility of co-delivery of both drugs for synergistic antitumor effect. In the current study, we reported an efficient, local therapeutic strategy employing effective Tet and Ptx delivery with a nanoparticle-loaded gelatin system. Tet- and Ptx co-loaded mPEG-PCL nanoparticles (P/T-NPs) were encapsulated into the physically cross-linked gelatin hydrogel and then implanted on the tumor site for continuous drug release. The drug-loaded gelatin hydrogel underwent a phase change when the temperature slowly increased. In vitro study showed that Tet/Ptx-loaded PEG-b-PCL nanoparticles encapsulated within a gelatin hydrogel (P/T-NPs-Gelatin) inhibited the growth and invasive ability of BGC-823 cells more effectively than the combination of free drugs or P/T-NPs. In vivo study validated the therapeutic potential of P/T-NPs-Gelatin. P/T-NPs-Gelatin significantly inhibited the activation of p-Akt and the downstream anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein and also inducing the activation of pro-apoptotic Bax protein. Moreover, the molecular-modulating effect of P/T-NPs-Gelatin on related proteins varied slightly under the influence of NAC, which was supported by the observations of the tumor volumes and weights. Based on these findings, local implantation of P/T-NPs-Gelatin may be a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer is one of the most frequent neoplasms and a main cause of death worldwide, especially in China and Japan. Numerous epidemiological, animal and experimental studies support a positive association between chronic Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and the development of gastric cancer. However, the exact mechanism whereby H. pylori causes gastric carcinogenesis remains unclear. It has been demonstrated that expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is elevated in gastric carcinomas and in their precursor lesions. In this review, we present the latest clinical and experimental evidence showing the role of gastrin and COX-2 in H. pylori-infected patients and their possible association with gastric cancer risk.

Previous reports have shown that ursolic acid (UA), a pentacyclic triterpenoid derived from Catharanthus trichophyllus roots, could inhibit the growth of a series of cancer cells. However, the potential for clinical application of UA is greatly hampered by its poor solubility, whereas the hydrophobicity of UA renders it a promising model drug for nanosized delivery systems. In the current study, we loaded UA into amphiphilic poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone)-block-poly (ε-caprolactone) nanoparticles and performed physiochemical characterization as well as analysis of the releasing capacity. In vitro experiments indicated that UA-NPs inhibited the growth of liver cancer cells and induced cellular apoptosis more efficiently than did free UA. Moreover, UA-NPs significantly delayed tumor growth and localized to the tumor site when compared with the equivalent dose of UA. In addition, both western blotting and immunohistochemistry suggested that the possible mechanism of the superior efficiency of UA-NPs is mediation by the regulation of apoptosis-related proteins. Therefore, UA-NPs show potential as a promising nanosized drug system for liver cancer therapy.

Cyclooxygenase-2 mediated synergistic effect of ursolic acid in combination with paclitaxel against human gastric carcinoma Cyclooxygenase-2 mediated synergistic effect of ursolic acid in combination with paclitaxel against human gastric carcinoma

// <![CDATA[ $('.header-date').hide();$('#titleAuthors').hide();$('#abstractHeader').hide(); // ]]> Jian-Ping Li1, 2, *, Zhi-Jun Huang3, 4, *, Xing-Sheng Lu5, *, Yi-Chan Zhou1, Yun Shao1, Xiao-Pu He1, Su-Rong Chen2, Dong-Dong Wang2, Li-Sen Qin6, Wei-Hao Sun1 1Department of Geriatric Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China 2Department of Oncology, Yancheng Fist People’s Hospital, Yancheng, China 3Department of Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China 4Department of Surgery, Yancheng Fist People’s Hospital, Yancheng, China 5Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Suzhou, China 6Department of Neurosurgery, Yancheng Pavilion Lake District People’s Hospital, Yancheng, China *Co-first authors Correspondence to: Wei-Hao Sun, email: swh@njmu.edu.cn, weihaosun@hotmail.com Keywords: colorectal cancer (CRC), PKC412, AKT, Bcl-2, receptor tyrosine kinases Received: July 29, 2016 Accepted: September 29, 2016 Published: October 21, 2016