Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly lethal malignancy and clinically validated medications have not yet been developed since there are no reliable diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Based on bioinformatics tools, TGF-b1 gene was the first target gene of miRNA-122, therefore this study was intended to assess the potential interconnection between TGF-b1 and miRNA-122 as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in the progression of HCC in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) genotype (4). In this study, 100 people were included and split into two groups; group I: CHC patients without HCC that were classified into patients CHC without cirrhosis and CHC cirrhotic patients, group II: CHC patients with HCC, and healthy volunteers as control. The expression of miRNA-122 and TGF-b1 genes were analyzed using Real-Time PCR. An upregulation of miRNA-122 gene in cirrhotic and HCC patients compared to both chronic HCV non-cirrhotic, and cirrhotic patients, while, a decrease in expression of TGF-b1 was found in cirrhotic patients compared to HCV non-cirrhotic patients. Although significantly downregulated in HCC patients. Regression analysis indicated that the expression levels of miRNA-122 and TGF-b1 could be regarded as important indicators of the alterations in cirrhotic and HCC patients versus HCV non-cirrhotic patients, also with the chances of HCC versus cirrhosis patients. Our data indicated an interaction between miRNA-122 and TGF-b1, regulated gene expression and recommended the use of these parameters as noninvasive predictive biomarkers and therapeutic targets for HCV induced liver cirrhosis and HCC.
Cryptosporidiosis is a serious illness in immunodeficient patients, and there is still no drug that can completely remove the parasite from the host. The present study represents the first report investigating the impact of the active molecule chlorogenic acid (CGA), naturally isolated from Moringa oleifera leaf extract (EMOLE), on immunosuppressed, Cryptosporidium parvum-infected BALB/c mice. Mice were divided into five groups: normal mice, infected immunosuppressed mice, and infected immunosuppressed mice treated with EMOLE, CGA, and nitazoxanide (NTZ) drugs. Parasitological, immunological, and histopathological investigations were recorded besides differences in the mice' body weight. Infected control mice showed elevated levels of oocyst shedding throughout the study. The EMOLE- and CGA-treated groups showed 84.2% and 91.0% reductions in oocyst shedding, respectively, with no significant difference compared to the drug control. The inflammatory markers IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α were significantly higher in the infected control group. Treatment with 300 mg/kg/day of EMOLE or 30 mg/kg/day of CGA significantly downregulated pro-inflammatory cytokine levels compared to the infected group, although they did not change significantly compared to the NTZ-treated group. Histopathology of intestinal sections showed inflammatory and pathological changes in the infected control group. Low-grade tissue changes and an obvious improvement in villi structure were seen in mice treated with CGA. This study highlighted the role of CGA, isolated and purified from EMOLE, as an effective anti-inflammatory agent in eradicating C. parvum infection.