Flavones found in plants display various biological activities, including anti-allergic, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidation, and anti-tumor effects. In this study, we investigated the anti-tumor effects of flavone, apigenin and luteolin on human breast cancer cells. The anti-cancer activity of flavone, apigenin and luteolin was investigated using the MTS assay. Apoptosis was analyzed by Hoechst 33342 staining, flow cytometry and western blot. Cell migration was determined using the culture inserts and xCELLigence real-time cell analyzer instrument equipped with a CIM-plate 16. Real-time quantitative PCR and western blot were used to determine the signaling pathway elicited by flavone, apigenin and luteolin. Flavone, apigenin and luteolin showed potent inhibitory effects on the proliferation of Hs578T, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells in a concentration and time-dependent manner. The ability of flavone, apigenin and luteolin to inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells through apoptosis was confirmed by Hoechst33342 staining and the induction of sub-G1 phase of the cell cycle. Flavone, apigenin and luteolin induced forkhead box O3 (FOXO3a) expression by inhibiting Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and protein kinase B (PKB)/Akt. This subsequently elevated the expression of FOXO3a target genes, including the Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors p21Cip1 (p21) and p27kip1 (p27), which increased the levels of activated poly(ADP) polymerase (PARP) and cytochrome c. Taken together, these data demonstrated that flavone, apigenin and luteolin induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in breast cancer cells through inhibiting PI3K/Akt activation and increasing FOXO3a activation, which suggest that flavone, apigenin and luteolin will be the potential leads for the preventing and treating of breast cancer.

Myopia is a highly prevalent eye disease. There is limited information suggesting a relationship between myopia and inflammation. We found children with allergic conjunctivitis (AC) had the highest adjusted odds ratio (1.75, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.72-1.77) for myopia among the four allergic diseases. A cohort study was conducted and confirmed that children with AC had a higher incidence and subsequent risk of myopia (hazard ratio 2.35, 95%CI 2.29-2.40) compared to those without AC. Lower refractive error and longer axial length were observed in an AC animal model. Myopia progression was enhanced by tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α or interleukin (IL)-6 administration, two cytokines secreted by mast cell degranulation. The TNF-α or IL-6 weakened the tight junction formed by corneal epithelial (CEP) cells and inflammatory cytokines across the layer of CEP cells, which increased the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-8 secreted by retinal pigment epithelial cells. The expression levels of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and nuclear factor kappa B were up-regulated in eyes with AC, whereas IL-10 and the inhibitor of kappa B were down-regulated. In conclusion, the experimental findings in mice corroborate the epidemiological data showing that allergic inflammation influences the development of myopia.

Resveratrol is a key component of red wine and other grape products. Recent studies have characterized resveratrol as a polyphenol, and shown its beneficial effects on cancer, metabolism, and infection. This study aimed to obtain insights into the biological effects of resveratrol on myopia. To this end, we examined its anti-inflammatory influence on human retinal pigment epithelium cells and in a monocular form deprivation (MFD)-induced animal model of myopia. In MFD-induced myopia, resveratrol increased collagen I level and reduced the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)2, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, and nuclear factor (NF)-κB expression levels. It also suppressed the levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-1β. Resveratrol exhibited no significant cytotoxicity in ARPE-19 cells. Downregulation of inflammatory cytokine production, and inhibition of AKT, c-Raf, Stat3, and NFκB phosphorylation were observed in ARPE-19 cells that were treated with resveratrol. In conclusion, the findings suggest that resveratrol inhibits inflammatory effects by blocking the relevant signaling pathways, to ameliorate myopia development. This may make it a natural candidate for drug development for myopia.

Background: Many efforts have been invested in slowing progression of myopia. Among the methods, atropine administration and orthokeratology (OK) are most widely used. This study analyzed the efficacy of atropine and OK lens in controlling myopia progression and elongation of axial length. Methods: This retrospective study included 105 patients (210 eyes) who wore OK lenses and 105 patients (210 eyes) who applied 0.125% atropine every night during the 3 following period. Student t-test, linear regression analysis, repeated measure ANOVA, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were used for statistical analysis. Results: The change in axial length per year was 0.28 ± 0.08 mm, 0.30 ± 0.09 mm, and 0.27 ± 0.10 mm in the OK lens group, and 0.38 ± 0.09 mm, 0.37 ± 0.12 mm, and 0.36 ± 0.08 mm in the atropine group for years 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Linear regression analysis revealed an increase in myopia of 0.28 D and 0.34 D per year, and an increase in axial length of 0.28 mm and 0.37 mm per year in the OK lens and atropine groups, respectively. Repeated measure ANOVA showed significant differences in myopia (p = 0.001) and axial length (p < 0.001) between the atropine and OK lens groups; in astigmatism, there was no significant difference in these parameters (p = 0.320). Comparison of increases in axial length in relation to baseline myopia showed significant correlations both in the OK lens group (Pearson’s correlation coefficient, r = 0.259; p < 0.001) and atropine group (r = 0.169; p = 0.014). High myopia patients benefited more from both OK lenses and atropine than did low myopia patients. The correlation of baseline myopia and myopia progression was stronger in the OK lens group then in the atropine group. Conclusions: OK lens is a useful method for controlling myopia progression even in high myopia patients.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the risk of Alzheimer’s disease among patients with age-related macular degeneration and its association with confounding comorbidities. Method: This was a population-based, retrospective cohort study. By accessing data from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan, we identified 10,578 patients aged 50–100 years who were newly diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration between 2000 and 2012 and 10,578 non- age-related macular degeneration individuals. The comorbidities assessed were osteoporosis, diabetes, cirrhosis, cerebrovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, coronary artery disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Results: Patients with age-related macular degeneration had a 1.23-fold increased risk of their condition advancing to Alzheimer’s disease (aHR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.04–1.46). The younger patients were diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration, the more likely patients got Alzheimer’s disease (50–64 age group: aHR = 1.97, 95% CI = 1.04–3.73; 65–79 age group: aHR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.02–1.58; 80–100 age group: aHR = 1.06, 95% CI = 0.78–1.45). In addition, there were significantly higher risks of Alzheimer’s disease for patients with cirrhosis (aHR = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.09–2.06) in the age-related macular degeneration cohort than in the non-age-related macular degeneration cohort. Conclusion: Patients with age-related macular degeneration may exhibit a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease than people without age-related macular degeneration.