Histology and histopathology, Vol.41, Nº1, (2026)

Ir a Estadísticas

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    AHSA1 promotes the progression of lung cancer by enhancing the expression of HSP90α
    (Universidad de Murcia, Departamento de Biologia Celular e Histiologia, 2026) Zifeng Jiang; Kun Gao; Min Wang; Biología Celular e Histología
    Background. Lung cancer (LC) is a leading cause of malignancy-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. The activator of 90 kDa heat shock protein ATPase homolog 1 (AHSA1), one of the chaperones of heat shock protein 90 kDa (heat shock protein 90, HSP90), is involved in the maturation, stabilization, degradation, and function of oncogenic proteins. The aim of this study was to investigate the specific mechanism and role of AHSA1 in LC development. Methods. Expression of AHSA1 in LC was analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. AHSA1 expression in LC cells and tissues was assessed by qRT-PCR and western blotting. In addition, Kaplan-Meier plotter analysis and univariate and multivariate Cox analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between AHSA1 and clinicopathological variables and prognosis. The effects of AHSA1 on LC cell proliferation and migration were observed using cell counting kit-8, flow cytometry, wound healing, and Transwell assays. Target genes were predicted by bioinformatics and subsequently validated using a qRT-PCR assay. Results. AHSA1 exhibited significant upregulation in LC tissues and cell lines, with its elevated expression correlating with adverse prognostic outcomes in LC patients. Functional assays revealed that downregulation of AHSA1 markedly impedes the proliferation, migration, and invasion of LC cells. Conversely, overexpression of AHSA1 enhanced these malignant behaviors. Furthermore, bioinformatics analysis suggested a potential interaction between AHSA1 and HSP90α, which was also found to be highly expressed in LC cells, exhibiting a notable increase in expression levels following AHSA1 upregulation. Conclusions. AHSA1 is implicated in promoting the progression of LC by enhancing the malignant phenotype of cancer cells through the upregulation of HSP90α expression, which may underlie the association of AHSA1 expression with adverse clinicopathologic features in LC patients. These findings indicate that AHSA1 serves as a potential prognostic biomarker and represents a viable therapeutic target for LC
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    HMMR inhibition by 4-methylumbelliferone is effective in preclinical hepatocellular carcinoma models
    (Universidad de Murcia, Departamento de Biologia Celular e Histiologia, 2026) Ge Sang Wang Dui2; Suo Lang Bai Ma; Ci Yang; Wen Xu; Jianguo Xu; Ying Zhu; Biología Celular e Histología
    The poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), especially in advanced stages, underscores the need for new therapeutic strategies. In this study, we show that hyaluronan-mediated motility receptor (HMMR) is highly expressed in HCC tumors compared with normal liver tissues. Knockdown of HMMR using siRNA significantly reduced cell proliferation and migration in both parental and doxorubicin-resistant HCC cell lines without inducing apoptosis. Similarly, treatment with 4-Methyl-umbelliferone (4-MU), a pharmacological HMMR inhibitor, led to dose-dependent decreases in proliferation and migration in vitro. In vivo, 4-MU treatment significantly inhibited tumor growth in a HepG2 xenograft model, resulting in a 44% reduction in tumor volume by day 20 and an 80% decrease in HMMR expression in tumor tissues. These results demonstrate that HMMR promotes growth and migration in HCC, and targeting HMMR effectively inhibits both parental and drug-resistant HCC cells. Additionally, our findings suggest that 4-MU, an approved drug for biliary tract disorders, holds promise as a repurposed therapeutic candidate for HCC treatment.
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    Tuoli Xiaodu powder ameliorated 5-fluorouracil-induced intestinal injury by reducing intestinal inflammation, oxidative stress, and intestinal flora imbalance
    (Universidad de Murcia, Departamento de Biologia Celular e Histiologia, 2026) Ling Jiang; Wanrou Jiang; Wanyi Zhang; Wenjuan Zheng; Hongjie Huang; Yu Xia; Xiuyun He; Chaofu Zhu; Yongjun Wu; Biología Celular e Histología
    Chemotherapy-induced diarrhea (CID) is a common adverse event in cancer patients treated with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). This study aimed to investigate the potential protective effects of Tuoli Xiaodu (TLXD) powder on CID and to explore its possible mechanisms. Mice with CID induced by 5-FU were randomly divided into seven groups: Blank group, CID group, positive drug (loperamide) group, and TLXD powder low, medium, and high groups. The degree of diarrhea, tumor growth, intestinal barrier damage, intestinal inflammation, oxidative stress, and gut microbiota diversity were assessed. The study showed that TLXD powder significantly inhibited diarrhea and tumor growth in 5-FU-induced CID mice. H&E staining and western blot showed that TLXD powder improved the intestinal mucosa and intestinal permeability of 5-FU-induced CID mice. Furthermore, TLXD powder elicited a reduction in the expression of inflammatory factors within the intestinal tract of mice with CID while simultaneously augmenting the expression of anti-inflammatory factors and maintaining a balanced Th17/Treg ratio. TLXD powder decreased intestinal oxidative stress and intestinal epithelial cell ferroptosis and activated the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling axis in CID mice. The results of the gut flora analysis showed that TLXD powder improved the intestinal flora structure of CID mice. TLXD powder significantly reduced the proportion of Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Deferribacteres, and TM7 at the phylum level and Desulfovibrio, Mucispirillum, Adlercreutzia, and Odoribacter at the genus level. These findings provide a new therapeutic approach for the management of CID in cancer patients treated with 5-FU
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    Pachymic acid ameliorates polycystic ovary syndrome via inactivating Akt/ERK signaling
    (Universidad de Murcia, Departamento de Biologia Celular e Histiologia, 2026) Chunhua Zhang; Fang Fang; Yuanyuan Yi; Dongmei Ji; Biología Celular e Histología
    Objective. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common reproductive endocrine disorder that adversely affects women’s health and quality of life. Pachymic acid (PA), a bioactive ingredient from Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf, has demonstrated protective effects against PCOS in a murine model. This study aims to investigate the underlying mechanism by which PA exerts protective effects against PCOS. Methods. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with letrozole to induce PCOS. The ovarian granulosa cell line (KGN) was exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to mimic PCOS in vitro. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and TUNEL assay were used for ovarian histological analysis. The cell counting kit-8 assay was used to assess the viability of KGN cells. Flow cytometry was used for in vitro cell apoptosis analysis. Western blotting revealed molecular protein expression levels in rat ovaries and KGN cells. Results. PA attenuated LPS-induced lactate dehydrogenase release (p<0.01), reduced the cell apoptosis rate (p<0.001), Bax, and cleaved-caspase3 protein expression (p<0.001), and increased Bcl-2 protein expression (p<0.01) in KGN cells. PA attenuated letrozole-induced increases in testosterone (p<0.01), luteinizing hormone (p<0.01), and estradiol levels (p<0.05) and decreases in progesterone levels (p<0.05) in PCOS rats. PA promoted corpus luteum formation (p<0.001) and reduced the number of cystic follicles and cell apoptosis (p<0.001) in PCOS rats. PA blocked Akt and ERK signaling transduction in PCOS rats and KGN cells (p<0.001). Conclusion. PA protects against PCOS and attenuates cell apoptosis by inactivating Akt and ERK signaling.
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    ENO3 regulates ferroptosis by interaction with PKM2 to promote the progression of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease
    (Universidad de Murcia, Departamento de Biologia Celular e Histiologia, 2026) Qian Hao; Xue Li; Jing Liu; Minghao Li; Baoding Li; Shengjuan Hu; Yanling Li; Xiaofei Li; Yuanyuan Tang; Fuliang Pan; Yanxia Liu; Min Niu; Zhenzi Cao; Biología Celular e Histología
    Background. Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a prevalent metabolic disorder characterized by excessive lipid accumulation in the liver. The glycolytic enzyme enolase 3 (ENO3) is reported to be most significantly elevated in the analysis of MASLD-related sequencing results based on the GEO database. However, the specific mechanism by which ENO3 regulates MASLD is not fully understood. Objective. To investigate the role and possible molecular mechanism of ENO3 in MASLD. Methods. The expression of ENO3 and PKM2 in the liver tissues of control and MASLD rats was detected by immunohistochemistry and western blot. In vitro studies involved treating THLE-2 cells with free fatty acids (FFA) and Ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1), as well as manipulating ENO3 expression via small interfering RNA (siRNA) and overexpression plasmids, and manipulating PKM2 expression via siRNA. Fat accumulation was assessed using Oil Red O staining and measurements of intracellular total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides (TG). Ferroptosis markers, including SLC7A11, GPX4, Fe2+, and malondialdehyde (MDA), were evaluated. Protein-protein interactions between ENO3 and PKM2 were examined using co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and immunofluorescence. Results. MASLD liver tissues exhibited significantly higher levels of ENO3 and PKM2. Silencing ENO3 in FFA-treated THLE-2 cells reduced fat accumulation, downregulated PKM2 expression, and decreased ferroptosis markers. Conversely, ENO3 overexpression promoted fat accumulation and ferroptosis, which were mitigated by Fer-1 or si-PKM2. Co-IP and immuno-fluorescence confirmed the physical interaction and co-localization of ENO3 and PKM2 in THLE-2 cells. Conclusions. ENO3 interacted with PKM2 to regulate ferroptosis and further promoted the progression of MASLD.