Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University

Sarcosine plays a key role in screening for early prostate cancer. However, the several already reported peroxidase mimics immobilized with sarcosine oxidase (SOX) utilized to detect uriary sarcosine still have some limitations such as complex synthesis process, using of expensive heavy metals to mimic enzyme activity and long color development time. Herein, an inexpensive peroxidase-like 2D Fe/Co-MOF nanosheet was prepared by a simple solvent modulation method. The resultant 2D Fe/Co-MOF nanosheets have strong peroxidase activity, with its Vmax value for H₂O₂ of 15.3 × 10^-8 M/s, being 1.76 times that of HRP. Then, using the 2D Fe/Co-MOF as a peroxidase model for anchoring natural SOX to construct 2D Fe/Co-MOF/SOX , which can act as a cascade reactor for detection of sarcosine. Considering the above properties, a platform for the detection of sarcosine was built based on a colorimetric method. Because of presence of the high ratio of Fe²⁺ caused by the electron transfer from Co²⁺ to Fe³⁺, large specific surface area and plentiful active sites, 2D Fe/Co-MOF/SOX with TMB (3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine) colorimetric reagent could have fast color development and can be applied conveniently and fastly in an early screening tool for prostate cancer patients. The sarcosine could be quantified by peroxidase activity with a detection range of 1-400 μM and a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.324 μM. More importantly, the average sarcosine concentration of 21.367 μM and 1.871 μM was detected in patient's and normal urine (n = 5), respectively, which showed an excellent screening effect and a great potential in early prostate cancer.

The deformability and uptake capability of cells are critical indicators of their biomechanical properties and functional behaviors, particularly in tumor heterogeneity and cancer research. Here, we introduce a microfluidic flow cytometry platform integrated with a laterally adjustable squeezing structure for the characterization of bladder tumor cells (including 5637 and EJ cell lines) and uroepithelial cells (SV-HUC-1 cell line). The deformability of these cell types under varying channel width conditions was clearly assessed using this platform. The results demonstrated that tumor cells exhibited higher deformability compared to uroepithelial cells, with the EJ cell line exhibiting the greatest difference. Furthermore, the relationship between the malignancy, deformability, and uptake capability of bladder cells was explored through co-cultivation experiments with 2 μm particles. As the malignancy increased, the cells became more deformable and exhibited stronger phagocytic capability with particles. Subsequently, the heterogeneity of tumor cells was investigated by analyzing the deformability of phagocytic and non-phagocytic subpopulations within EJ cells. The developed microfluidic platform offers a promising high-throughput method to assess the biomechanical and phagocytic characteristics of cells, providing valuable insights into tumor cell biology, and potentially improving clinical status of urinary cytology examinations for bladder cancer.

The induction of stem cell differentiation to generate intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) with absorptive functions offers significant therapeutic potential for treating conditions such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, radiation enteritis, and other refractory intestinal epithelial injuries. Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) are capable of differentiating into functional IEC-like cells.

This study aimed to induce the differentiation of hUC-MSCs into IECs using a conditioned medium co-culture method.

A culture medium derived from human IECs was used as the inductive medium to facilitate the differentiation of hUC-MSCs into IECs. The cellular morphology was assessed using inverted microscopy, and the expression of IEC markers, including Villin, CK20, CK8, and CK18 proteins, was analyzed via immunofluorescence staining. Furthermore, the expression levels of IEC markers, such as KRT18, were quantified using real-time quantitative PCR analysis. The functionality of the differentiated IECs in terms of sucrase secretion was assessed through sucrase activity assays.

By the 14th day of induction, hUC-MSCs exhibited a morphology similar to IECs and exhibited the expression of IEC markers, including the KRT18 gene and Villin, CK20, CK8, and CK18 proteins. Sucrase activity assays further confirmed that the differentiated cells demonstrated significant sucrase activity.

The conditioned medium co-culture method effectively induced the differentiation of hUC-MSCs into functional IECs.