Chao-Liang Wu | National Cheng Kung University (original) (raw)

Papers by Chao-Liang Wu

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Evodiamine (EVO) exhibits anti-cancer activity through the inhibition of cell proliferation; howe... more Evodiamine (EVO) exhibits anti-cancer activity through the inhibition of cell proliferation; however, little is known about its underlying mechanism. To determine whether ferroptosis is involved in the therapeutic effects of EVO, we investigated critical factors, such as lipid peroxidation levels and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) expression, under EVO treatment. Our results showed that EVO inhibited the cell proliferation of poorly differentiated, high-grade bladder cancer TCCSUP cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Lipid peroxides were detected by fluorescence microscopy after cancer cell exposure to EVO. GPX4, which catalyzes the conversion of lipid peroxides to prevent cells from undergoing ferroptosis, was decreased dose-dependently by EVO treatment. Given the features of iron dependency and lipid-peroxidation-driven death in ferroptosis, the iron chelator deferoxamine (DFO) was used to suppress EVO-induced ferroptosis. The lipid peroxide level significantly decreased w...

Acta Cardiologica Sinica, Mar 1, 2022

Background: Prothymosin a (ProT), a polypeptide, attenuates inflammation and inhibits transformin... more Background: Prothymosin a (ProT), a polypeptide, attenuates inflammation and inhibits transforming growth factor (TGF)-b signaling in pulmonary tissues. We investigated the potential role of ProT in myocardial ischemiareperfusion (MyoIR) injury using ProT cDNA transfer. Methods: Serum ProT levels were investigated in cardiogenic shock patients with MyoIR (n = 9). In addition, the myocardium of Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 52) was subjected to 25 min of ischemia followed by an injection of adenoviral vectors (2´10 9 plaque-forming units) carrying ProT or the luciferase gene, 10 min before reperfusion. Echocardiography, serum ProT, and biochemical analyses of organ functions were performed before euthanasia, 14 days after treatment. Immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting of the myocardial tissue were also performed. Results: Serum ProT levels were transiently elevated in the rats and patients early after MyoIR, which was reduced to baseline levels in control rats and patients. ProT gene transfer persistently mobilized ProT serum levels, reduced dilatation, attenuated fibrotic changes, and preserved the left ventricular ejection fraction after MyoIR. Tissue thrombospondin-1 level was abundant, and matrix metalloproteinase-2, collagen I, and collagen IV levels were decreased in the treatment group. While TGF-b protein level remained stable, ProT transduction mobilized Smad7, which counteracted TGF-b. ProT reduced tissue microRNA-223 expression, inhibited the associated interleukin-1b, and preserved RAS p21 protein activator 1 protein abundance. Conclusions: An increase in transient serum ProT levels could be a protective response in the acute stage of MyoIR. ProT gene transfer further preserved ventricular morphology and function through anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic effects in the subacute stage after injury.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2021

Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with signif... more Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with significant mortality, requiring a thorough understanding of its complex mechanisms to develop novel therapeutics for disease control. Activated p53-dependent apoptosis with dysregulated long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) expression is involved in the SLE pathogenesis and correlated with clinical activity. We examined the expression of apoptosis-related p53-dependent lncRNA, including H19, HOTAIR and lincRNA-p21 in SLE-associated DAH patients. Increased lincRNA-p21 levels were detected in circulating mononuclear cells, mainly in CD4+ and CD14+ cells. Higher expression of p53, lincRNA-p21 and cell apoptosis was identified in lung tissues. Lentivirus-based short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-transduced stable transfectants were created for examining the targeting efficacy in lncRNA. Under pristane stimulation, alveolar epithelial cells had increased p53, lincRNA-p21 and downstream Bax levels with elevated apopt...

Cells, 2021

The embryonic stem cell marker Oct4 is expressed in several human cancers and is positively corre... more The embryonic stem cell marker Oct4 is expressed in several human cancers and is positively correlated with a poor outcome in cancer patients. However, its physiological role in cancer progression remains poorly understood. Tumor cells block apoptosis to escape cell death so that they can proliferate indefinitely, leading to ineffective therapy for cancer patients. In this study, we investigated whether Oct4 regulates the apoptosis pathway and contributes to poor prognosis in patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Our results revealed that Oct4 expression is correlated with Stat1 expression in lung adenocarcinoma patients and Oct4 is directly bound to the Stat1 promoter to transactivate Stat1 in lung adenocarcinoma cells. Expression of the Stat1 downstream gene Mcl-1 increased in Oct4-overexpressing cancer cells, while Stat1 knockdown in Oct4-overexpressing cancer cells sensitized them to cisplatin-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, Oct4 promoted Stat1 expression and tumor growth, whereas ...

Background: Accelerated cell apoptosis is a crucial pathogenic mechanism in lupus nephritis (LN) ... more Background: Accelerated cell apoptosis is a crucial pathogenic mechanism in lupus nephritis (LN) with dysregulated expression levels of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). The expression of pro-apoptotic lincRNA-p21 and its competing endogenous RNA target miR-181a were studied in LN patients, human kidney cell and T-lymphocyte lines with CRISPR interference-conducted repression and lentiviral vector-mediated overexpression of lincRNA-p21, and a mouse LN model. Methods: Clinical samples were collected from LN patients with higher disease activity and control subjects including lupus patients without renal involvement and age/sex-matched healthy controls (HCs). The expression of lincRNA-p21, H19 (anti-apoptotic lncRNA) and miR-181a were examined in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNCs) and urine cells, and analyzed for clinical correlation. Cell lines were treated with doxorubicin (Dox) to induce apoptosis and evaluate for the expression of lincRNA-p21, caspase 3 and p21. LincRNA-p21...

PLOS ONE, 2018

Female-dominant tendinopathies are musculoskeletal disorders caused by repetitive hand posture an... more Female-dominant tendinopathies are musculoskeletal disorders caused by repetitive hand posture and motion; they are considered overuse syndromes. Both external mechanical stress and changes in hormone levels might affect disease progression. We have previously reported that estrogen receptor-β (ER)-β expression was associated with the pathogenesis of de Quervain's disease. To study the underlying mechanisms, a cyclic stretching culture system was applied to tendon tissue from ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Furthermore, a collagenase I-induced rat tendinopathy model was established to examine the association of ER-β with disease progression. Our results showed that ER-β expression and the number of apoptotic cells were higher and associated with disease severity in rats with tendinopathy. Mechanical stress altered the morphology of primary tenocytes and collagen fiber alignment in tendons, and up-regulated the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9, ER-β, and interleukin-1β, as well as induced apoptosis in tenocytes and tendon tissue from OVX rats. This is the first report on the effects of ER-β and mechanical stress in tendinopathy. We hope these findings contribute to new pharmacological therapies targeting ER-β signaling pathways to treat tendon-related diseases.

Nanomaterials, 2019

Accumulated evidence suggests a pathogenic role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in perpetually r... more Accumulated evidence suggests a pathogenic role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in perpetually rheumatoid joints. Therefore, the application of radical scavengers for reducing the accumulation of ROS is beneficial for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We synthesized water-soluble fullerenols that could inhibit the production of ROS and applied intra-articular (i.a.) injection in an experimental arthritis model to examine the anti-arthritic effect of the synthesized compound. RAW 264.7 cells were used to examine the activity of the synthesized fullerenol. Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) was induced in Sprague–Dawley rats by injecting their joints with fullerenol. The therapeutic effects were evaluated using the articular index as well as radiological and histological scores. Dose-dependent suppression of nitric oxide (NO) production caused by the fullerenol was demonstrated in the RAW 264.7 cell culture, thus confirming the ability of fullerenol to reduce ROS production. In ...

Scientific reports, Jan 26, 2018

The elongation of long-chain fatty acids family member 6 (Elovl6) is a key enzyme in lipogenesis ... more The elongation of long-chain fatty acids family member 6 (Elovl6) is a key enzyme in lipogenesis that catalyzes the elongation of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. Insulin resistance involves upregulation of Elovl6, which has been linked to obesity-related malignancies, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the role of Elovl6 in cancer progression remains unknown. In this study, we analyzed the expression of Elovl6 in 61 clinical HCC specimens. Patients with Elovl6 high-expressing tumors were associated with shorter disease-free survival and overall survival compared to those with Elovl6 low-expressing tumors. Knockdown of Elovl6 in HCC cells reduced cell proliferation and Akt activation, as well as sensitivity to fatty acids. Inhibition of Elovl6 reduced tumor growth and prolonged survival in mice bearing tumors. Taken together, our results indicate that Elovl6 enhances oncogenic activity in liver cancer and is associated with poor prognosis in patients with H...

Scientific reports, Jan 10, 2017

Non-union occurring in structural bone grafting is a major problem in allograft transplantation b... more Non-union occurring in structural bone grafting is a major problem in allograft transplantation because of impaired interaction between the host and graft tissue. Activated toll-like receptor (TLR) induces inflammatory cytokines and chemokines and triggers cell-mediated immune responses. The TLR-mediated signal pathway is important for mediating allograft rejection. We evaluated the effects of local knockdown of the TLR4 signaling pathway in a mouse segmental femoral graft model. Allografts were coated with freeze-dried lentiviral vectors that encoded TLR4 and myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88) short-hairpin RNA (shRNA), which were individually transplanted into the mice. They were assessed morphologically, radiographically, and histologically for tissue remodeling. Union occurred in autografted but not in allografted mice at the graft and host junctions after 4 weeks. TLR4 and MyD88 expression was up-regulated in allografted mice. TLR4 and MyD88 shRNAs inhibit...

Scientific Reports, 2017

Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is involved in innate and adaptive immune responses to defend against pathog... more Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is involved in innate and adaptive immune responses to defend against pathogens. It also participates in the process of influenza infection by affecting viral clearance and immune cell responses. However, whether IL-6 impacts lung repair in influenza pathogenesis remains unclear. Here, we studied the role of IL-6 in acute influenza infection in mice. IL-6-deficient mice infected with influenza virus exhibited higher lethality, lost more body weight and had higher fibroblast accumulation and lower extracellular matrix (ECM) turnover in the lung than their wild-type counterparts. Deficiency in IL-6 enhanced proliferation, migration and survival of lung fibroblasts, as well as increased virus-induced apoptosis of lung epithelial cells. IL-6-deficient lung fibroblasts produced elevated levels of TGF-β, which may contribute to their survival. Furthermore, macrophage recruitment to the lung and phagocytic activities of macrophages during influenza infection were reduc...

Scientific Reports, 2016

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and Crohn’s disease (CD) are autoimmune disorders with a crosstalk betw... more Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and Crohn’s disease (CD) are autoimmune disorders with a crosstalk between their pathogenesis such as increased expression of TNF in the target organs. Despite a successful clinical trial with an oral Smad7 antisense oligonucleotide in CD, intraarticular (i.a.) modulation of Smad7 expression has not been performed in rheumatoid joint yet. In this study, contradictory to the findings in CD mucosa, higher levels of pSmad2/3 were found in RA synovium. In vitro experiments with synovial fibroblasts revealed that higher acetylated Smad7 expression was associated with lower activation status. Abundant expression of synovial pSmad2/3 with increased levels during the progression of arthritis was detected in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice. To prove the concept that overexpressing Smad7 as a therapeutic strategy in rheumatoid joint, the i.a. injection of lentiviral vectors carrying Smad7 (LVSmad7) was carried out in CIA mice. In LVSmad7-injected joints, there ...

Diabetologia, Aug 1, 2016

Type 2 diabetes is highly correlated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Hepatocyte-de... more Type 2 diabetes is highly correlated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Hepatocyte-derived fibrinogen-related protein 1 (HFREP1) is a hepatokine that mediates NAFLD development; however, the role of HFREP1 in the development of insulin resistance and diabetes remains obscure. A total of 193 age- and sex-matched participants with normal glucose tolerance, impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and newly diagnosed diabetes (NDD) were recruited for a cross-sectional study. Plasma HFREP1 levels were measured and multivariate linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between HFREP1, IFG, IGT and NDD. The causal relationship between HFREP1 and insulin resistance was then investigated in animal and cell models. Glucose and insulin tolerance tests, and euglycaemic-hyperinsulinaemic clamp, were used to evaluate insulin sensitivity in animals with Hfrep1 overexpression or knockdown in liver by lentiviral vectors. HepG2 cells were us...

Oncology Letters, 2016

Elongation of long chain fatty acids family member 6 (Elovl6) has been demonstrated to be involve... more Elongation of long chain fatty acids family member 6 (Elovl6) has been demonstrated to be involved in insulin resistance, obesity and lipogenesis. In addition, it has been reported that the protein is upregulated in human hepatocellular carcinoma and is implicated in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis-associated liver carcinogenesis. Excess body weight has been associated with an increased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer and poor prognosis. However, the connection between Elovl6 expression and outcome of breast cancer remains uncertain. Therefore, the present study used immunohistochemical analysis to investigate the expression of Elovl6 in breast cancer tissues from patients who had undergone curative mastectomy. Out of a total of 70 patients, 37.1% of patients exhibited positive Elovl6 expression in breast cancer tissue, whilst 62.9% were considered as negative. Positive Elov16 expression correlated with positive lymph node involvement and shorter recurrence-free survival. However, Elovl6 expression had no association with primary tumor size, lymph node metastasis, stage, grade, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, HER2 and age. Therefore, positive Elovl6 expression is a poor prognostic factor in patients with breast cancer that have previously undergone surgery, and may function as a potential therapeutic approach in the future, particularly in the scope of obesity related disease.

Scientific reports, Jan 18, 2015

Acarbose has been found to decrease some inflammatory parameters in diabetic patients. This study... more Acarbose has been found to decrease some inflammatory parameters in diabetic patients. This study aimed to examine the influence of acarbose on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) risk in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients and on the incidence and severity of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in mice. In a nationwide, matched case-control study, we identified 723 incident RA cases and selected 7,230 age-, sex- and RA diagnosis date-matched controls from all newly treated DM patients. We found that use of acarbose at > 16,950 mg per year was associated with a lower RA risk (odds ratio 0.60; 95% CI, 0.41-0.89). In the CIA mouse study, acarbose was orally administered from days -7 to 38 relative to type II collagen (CII) immunization. The results revealed that acarbose at the dose of 500 mg/kg/day attenuated the incidence and severity of arthritis and the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-17 in the paw tissues. Acarbose further decreased the productions of anti...

Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.), Jan 16, 2015

Synovial fibroblasts (SF) with aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNA) are critical pathogenic r... more Synovial fibroblasts (SF) with aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNA) are critical pathogenic regulators in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and studies analyzing the effect of overexpressing or silencing miRNA expression in arthritis models can contribute to the development of miRNA-based therapeutics. We hypothesized that miR-140-3p and -5p are involved in the RA pathogenesis, and examined whether targeting SF by the intra-articular (i.a.) delivery of these molecules can ameliorate autoimmune arthritis in mice. Synovial tissues were obtained from RA patients, and two experimental models in mice were used in this study, collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) and collagen antibody-induced arthritis (CAIA). Overexpressing miR-140-3p and -5p in SF and joints was performed by the lentivirus (LV)-mediated transfer of pre-miR-140 precursor molecules. Lower expression levels of miR-140-3p and -5p were detected in synovial tissues and SF from RA patients and two arthritis models. In both CIA and CAI...

Journal of molecular endocrinology, 2014

Hepatic steatosis is highly correlated with insulin resistance and diabetes. Although, it has bee... more Hepatic steatosis is highly correlated with insulin resistance and diabetes. Although, it has been demonstrated that activation of free fatty acid receptor 1 (FFAR1) by agonists showed benefits for the improvement of diabetes, the effects of FFAR1 agonists on hepatic steatosis were unknown. In this study, a high fat diet (HFD)-induced hepatic steatosis animal model was utilized to evaluate the effects of an FFAR1 agonist, GW9508, on hepatic lipid accumulation, and HepG2 hepatoma cells were also used to clarify the possible mechanisms. Administration of GW9508 significantly decreased the hepatic lipid accumulation with decreased expressions of lipogenesis-related proteins in HFD mice. Knockdown of hepatic Ffar1 by lentiviral vectors containing short hairpin RNA targeted to Ffar1 diminished the effect of GW9508 in HFD mice. In addition, GW9508 decreased oleic acid-induced lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells by decreases in the expression of lipogenesis-related proteins. Moreover, GW9508...

Gene therapy, Jan 15, 2015

Most solid tumors undergo hypoxia, leading to rapid cell division, metastasis and expansion of a ... more Most solid tumors undergo hypoxia, leading to rapid cell division, metastasis and expansion of a cell population with hallmarks of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Tumor-selective replication of oncolytic adenoviruses may be hindered by oxygen deprivation in tumors. It is desirable to develop a potent oncolytic adenovirus, retaining its antitumor activity even in a hypoxic environment. We have previously generated an Oct4-dependent oncolytic adenovirus, namely Ad9OC, driven by nine copies of the Oct4 response element (ORE) for specifically killing Oct4-overexpressing bladder tumors. Here, we developed a novel Oct4 and hypoxia dual-regulated oncolytic adenovirus, designated AdLCY, driven by both hypoxia response element (HRE) and ORE. We showed that hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-2α and Oct4 were frequently overexpressed in hypoxic bladder cancer cells, and HIF-2α was involved in HRE-dependent and Oct4 transactivation. AdLCY exhibited higher cytolytic activities than Ad9OC against hypoxic b...

Stroke, 2010

Background and Purpose— Low-dose lipopolysaccharide (LPS) preconditioning provides neonatal rats ... more Background and Purpose— Low-dose lipopolysaccharide (LPS) preconditioning provides neonatal rats long-term neuroprotection against hypoxic ischemia (HI). Upregulating endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) protects against cerebral ischemia; however, whether eNOS is required for LPS preconditioning-induced protection in neonatal rats is unknown. We hypothesized that Akt activation, which upregulates eNOS in neurons and endothelial cells, is required for LPS preconditioning-induced tolerance against HI in the neonatal brain. Methods— Six-day-old rat pups were intraperitoneally injected with LPS (0.05 mg/kg) or normal saline 24 hours before HI. Immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry were used to determine the phospho-Akt (pAkt Ser473), phospho-eNOS (peNOS Ser1177), and eNOS levels and immunofluorescence to determine the cellular distribution of eNOS and pAkt Ser473. Pharmacological and genetic approaches were used to regulate Akt and eNOS, and the weight loss of cerebral hemisphere...

Journal of Virology, 2011

Innate immune response is important for viral clearance during influenza virus infection. Galecti... more Innate immune response is important for viral clearance during influenza virus infection. Galectin-1, which belongs to S-type lectins, contains a conserved carbohydrate recognition domain that recognizes galactose-containing oligosaccharides. Since the envelope proteins of influenza virus are highly glycosylated, we studied the role of galectin-1 in influenza virus infection in vitro and in mice. We found that galectin-1 was upregulated in the lungs of mice during influenza virus infection. There was a positive correlation between galectin-1 levels and viral loads during the acute phase of viral infection. Cells treated with recombinant human galectin-1 generated lower viral yields after influenza virus infection. Galectin-1 could directly bind to the envelope glycoproteins of influenza A/WSN/33 virus and inhibit its hemagglutination activity and infectivity. It also bound to different subtypes of influenza A virus with micromolar dissociation constant ( K d ) values and protected c...