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Indocyanine green (ICG), as the only Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved fluorescence imaging agent, has been widely applied in clinics for near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging-guided surgery and photothermal therapy of cancers. However, its lack of target specificity and poor photo and photothermal stabilities seriously restrict its wide application in clinical practice. Herein, we developed ICG-derived NIR fluorescent probes consisting of a cypate fluorophore and one or two cyclic-(arginine-glycine-aspartic acid) (cRGD) peptides that can specifically target αvβ3 integrin for accurate diagnosis and therapy of oral tumors. Probe Cy-2RGD has been demonstrated to possess bright NIR emission, great tumor targeting capability and a photothermal effect. Moreover, it could be successfully used for effective imaging-guided surgical resection as well as photothermal therapy of oral tumors. This work could provide a valuable tool for sensitive detection and accurate treatment of malignant tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The powerful ability of human amnion-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) to promote angiogenesis suggests that they may facilitate angiogenesis-associated therapeutic strategies. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying hAMSC-induced angiogenesis remain largely unknown. The present study results suggested that enhanced migration and tube formation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was induced by conditioned medium from hAMSCs (hAMSC-CM). In addition, culture with this conditioned medium resulted in the increased expression of circular RNA ATP binding cassette subfamily B member 10 (circ-ABCB10) and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA). In the present study genes related to thecirc-ABCB10/microRNA (miR)-29b-3p/VEGFA pathway were predicted using bioinformatics software, and further investigated using in vitro luciferase reporter assays. Loss-of-function assays were performed using small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). The results suggested that siRNA-silencing of circ-ABCB10 in HUVECs weakened migration and tube formation of HUVECs following hAMSC-CM treatment and reduced the levels of VEGFA expression. Treatment with an miR-29b-3p inhibitor could largely rescue these effects in HUVECs, following circ-ABCB10 silencing. The present study results suggest that the circ-ABCB10/miR-29b-3p/VEGFA pathway may be involved in the pro-angiogenic role of hAMSC-CM in HUVECs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]