Sea cucumber extract TBL-12 inhibits the proliferation, migration, and invasion of human prostate cancer cells through the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and intrinsic caspase apoptosis pathway

Induction of more aggressive tumoral phenotypes in LNCaP and PC3 cells by serum exosomes from prostate cancer patients

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most frequent and sixth most fatal cancer in men worldwide. Despite its high prevalence, our understanding of its etiology and the molecular mechanisms involved in the progression of the disease is substantially limited. In recent years, the potential participation of exosomes in this process has been suggested. Therefore, we aim to study the effect of exosomes isolated from the serum of patients with PCa on various cellular processes associated with increased tumor aggressiveness in two PCa cell lines: LNCaP-FGC and PC3. The exosomes were isolated by filtration wand ultracentrifugation. Their presence was confirmed by immunodetection of specific markers and their size distribution was analyzed by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). The results obtained demonstrated that serum exosomes from PCa patients increased migration of PC3 cells and neuroendocrine differentiation of LNCaP-FGC cells regardless of the grade of the tumor. PCa serum exosomes also enhanced the secretion of enzymes related to invasiveness and resistance to chemotherapeutics, such as extracellular matrix metalloproteases 2 and 9, and gamma-glutamyltransferase in both cell lines. Altogether, these findings support the pivotal participation of exosomes released by tumoral cells in the progression of PCa. Future studies on the molecular mechanisms involved in the observed changes could provide crucial information on this disease and help in the discovery of new therapeutic targets.

Sea Cucumber Intestinal Peptide Induces the Apoptosis of MCF-7 Cells by Inhibiting PI3K/AKT Pathway

Sea cucumbers are one of many marine echinoderm animals that contain valuable nutrients and medicinal compounds. The bioactive substances in sea cucumbers make them have promising biological and pharmacological properties, including antioxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-tumor effects. In this study, sea cucumber intestinal peptide (SCIP) is a small molecular oligopeptide (<1,000 Da) extracted from sea cucumber intestines hydrolyzed by alkaline protease. The analysis of amino acid composition showed that hydrophobic amino acids and branched-chain amino acids were rich in SCIP. Nowadays, although increasing studies have revealed the biological functions of the sea cucumber active substances, there are few studies on the function of SCIP. Furthermore, due to the anti-cancer activity being an essential characteristic of sea cucumber active substances, we also investigated the anti-cancer potential and the underlying mechanism of SCIP in vivo and in vitro. The results indicate that SCIP inhibits the growth of MCF-7 tumor cells in zebrafish and increases the apoptosis of human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. Further mechanism studies confirm that SCIP promotes the expression of apoptosis-related proteins and thus promotes the breast cancer cells (MCF-7) apoptosis via inhibition of PI3K/AKT signal transduction pathway.

Bioinformatics Study of Sea Cucumber Peptides as Antibreast Cancer Through Inhibiting the Activity of Overexpressed Protein (EGFR, PI3K, AKT1, and CDK4)

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women globally. The overexpressed proteins, including EGFR, PI3K, AKT1, and CDK4, have a role in the growth of breast cancer cells. The 3D peptide structure of sea cucumber Cucumaria frondosa was modeled and then docked with EGFR, PI3K, AKT1, and CDK4 proteins using AutoDock Vina software. The docking result, which has the best binding affinity value, is continued with molecular dynamics simulation. The docking results showed that all peptides bind to the active sites of the four proteins. WPPNYQW and YDWRF peptides bind to proteins with lower binding affinity values than positive controls. The four proteins were in a stable state when complexed with the WPPNYQW peptide, which was seen from the RMSD and RMSF value. PI3K-YDWRF and AKT1-YDWRF complexes are stable, characterized by high RMSD values and increased volatility in several amino acids. WPPNYQW peptide has high potential as an antibreast cancer agent because it binds to the active sites of the four proteins with low binding affinity values and stable interactions. Meanwhile, the YDWRF peptide interacts with the four proteins with low binding affinity values, but the interaction is only stable on PI3K and AKT1 proteins.

Methanolic Extract from Sea Cucumber, Holothuria scabra, Induces Apoptosis and Suppresses Metastasis of PC3 Prostate Cancer Cells Modulated by MAPK Signaling Pathway

Sea cucumber, Holothuria scabra, is a well-known traditional Asian medicine that has been used for suppressing inflammation, promoting wound healing, and improving immunity. Moreover, previous studies demonstrated that the extract from H. scabra contains many bioactive compounds with potent inhibitory effect on tumor cell survival and progression. However, the effect of the methanolic extract from the body wall of H. scabra (BWMT) on human prostate cancer cells has not yet been investigated. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects and underlying mechanism of BWMT on prostate cancer cell viability and metastasis. BWMT was obtained by maceration with methanol. The effect of BWMT on cell viability was assessed by MTT and colony formation assays. The intracellular ROS accumulation was evaluated using a DCFH-DA fluorescence probe. Hoechst 33342 staining and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining were used to examine the apoptotic-inducing effect of the extract. A transwell migration assay was performed to determine the anti-metastasis effect. BWMT significantly reduced cell viability and triggered cellular apoptosis by accumulating intracellular ROS resulting in the upregulation of JNK and p38 signaling pathways. In addition, BWMT also inhibited the invasion of PC3 cells by downregulating MMP-2/-9 expression via the ERK pathway. Consequently, our study provides BWMT from H. scabra as a putative therapeutic agent that could be applicable against prostate cancer progression.

Pinosylvin inhibits migration and invasion of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cancer cells via regulation of epithelial‑mesenchymal transition and inhibition of MMP‑2

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a tumor located in the nasopharynx with highly invasive and metastatic properties. Metastasis is a primary cause of mortality in patients with NPC. The terpenoid polyphenol pinosylvin is a known functional compound of the Pinus species that exhibits anti‑inflammatory effects; however, the effect of pinosylvin on human NPC cell migration and invasion is unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the functional role of pinosylvin in NPC cells (NPC‑039, NPC‑BM and RPMI 2650). Gap closure and Transwell assay indicated that pinosylvin at increasing concentrations inhibited migration and invasion of NPC‑039 and NPC‑BM cells. In addition to inhibiting the enzyme activity of MMP‑2, pinosylvin also decreased the protein expression levels of MMP‑2 and MMP‑9. Pinosylvin decreased the expression of vimentin and N‑cadherin and significantly increased the expression of zonula occludens‑1 and E‑cadherin in NPC cells. Additionally, pinosylvin suppressed the invasion and migration ability of NPC‑039 and NPC‑BM cells by mediating the p38, ERK1/2 and JNK1/2 pathways. The present results revealed that pinosylvin inhibited migration and invasion in NPC cells.

Methylcrotonoyl-CoA Carboxylase 2 Promotes Proliferation, Migration and Invasion and Inhibits Apoptosis of Prostate Cancer Cells Through Regulating GLUD1-P38 MAPK Signaling Pathway

Purpose

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common cancer in American men, and the mechanisms of development and progression are still not completely clear. Methylcrotonoyl-CoA carboxylase 2 (MCCC2) was previously identified overexpressed in PCa with lymph node metastasis, but its specific role and mechanisms need further investigation. This study aimed to investigate the role of MCCC2 in PCa cells and its underlying mechanisms.

Materials and Methods

Quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting were used to detect MCCC2 mRNA and protein expression in normal prostate epithelium and cancerous cells. Upon manipulation of MCCC2 expression, cell proliferation was measured by CCK-8 assays and migration and invasion were determined by transwell assays. Changes of apoptosis, cell cycle and mitochondrial membrane potential were evaluated by flow cytometry. MCCC2-mediated signaling pathways were screened by bioinformatics and verified by RT-PCR and Western blotting. Finally, immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the expression of MCCC2 and glutamate dehydrogenase 1 (GLUD1) in PCa tissues to analyze their correlation.

Results

We demonstrated that MCCC2 promoted cell proliferation, migration and invasion but inhibited apoptosis in PCa cells. In addition, MCCC2 in 22Rv1 cells induced mitochondrial damage. In PCa tissues, MCCC2 overexpression associated with lymph node metastasis (P=0.001) and high Gleason scores (P<0.001). MCCC2 positively correlated with GLUD1 expression in PCa tissues (r=0.435, P<0.001). Ectopic overexpression of MCCC2 up-regulated GLUD1 and p38 MAPK expression, whereas inhibition of MCCC2 decreased GLUD1 and p38 MAPK expression.

Conclusion

MCCC2 exerts oncogenic function in PCa through regulating GLUD1-p38 MAPK signaling pathway, and it may be a potential treatment target.

Effect of polysaccharide extract SPSS1 from Apostichopus japonicas spermary on HepG2 cells via iTRAQ-based proteome analysis

In this study, polysaccharide extract was prepared from Apostichopus japonicus spermary and purified by ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration chromatography. Two main fractions named SPSS1 and SPSS2 were obtained and analyzed by ultraviolet spectroscopy and mixed with KBr, respectively. Chemical components analysis proved that SPSS1 and SPSS2 were rich in sulfate. Monosaccharide analysis indicated that in addition to the high content of lactose in both kinds of polysaccharides, the highest content of monosaccharide in SPSS1 was galactose, while in SPSS2 it was fucose. Further, the antitumor study of SPSS1 was carried and the results showed that SPSS1 treatment inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells. Through the iTRAQ-based proteome analysis, there were 208 differential proteins between control tumor cells and SPSS1 treatment of tumor cells. Compared to control tumor cells, 135 proteins were upregulated and 73 proteins were downregulated in treatment tumor cells. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Our study suggested that polysaccharide from sea cucumbers had the potential to be further developed as antitumor drugs.

Bright Spots in The Darkness of Cancer: A Review of Starfishes-Derived Compounds and Their Anti-Tumor Action

The fight against cancer represents a great challenge for researchers and, for this reason, the search for new promising drugs to improve cancer treatments has become inevitable. Oceans, due to their wide diversity of marine species and environmental conditions have proven to be precious sources of potential natural drugs with active properties. As an example, in this context several studies performed on sponges, tunicates, mollusks, and soft corals have brought evidence of the interesting biological activities of the molecules derived from these species. Also, echinoderms constitute an important phylum, whose members produce a huge number of compounds with diverse biological activities. In particular, this review is the first attempt to summarize the knowledge about starfishes and their secondary metabolites that exhibited a significant anticancer effect against different human tumor cell lines. For each species of starfish, the extracted molecules, their effects, and mechanisms of action are described.

α-Hispanolol Induces Apoptosis and Suppresses Migration and Invasion of Glioblastoma Cells Likely via Downregulation of MMP-2/9 Expression and p38MAPK Attenuation

α-Hispanolol (α-H) is a labdane diterpenoid that has been shown to induce apoptosis in several human cancer cells. However, the effect of α-H in human glioblastoma cells has not been described. In the present work, we have investigated the effects of α-H on apoptosis, migration, and invasion of human glioblastoma cells with the aim of identifying the molecular targets underlying its mechanism of action. The results revealed that α-H showed significant cytotoxicity against human glioma cancer cell lines U87 and U373 in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. This effect was higher in U87 cells and linked to apoptosis, as revealed the increased percentage of sub-G₁ population by cell cycle analysis and acquisition of typical features of apoptotic cell morphology. Apoptosis was also confirmed by significant presence of annexin V-positive cells and caspase activation. Pretreatment with caspase inhibitors diminishes the activities of caspase 8, 9, and 3 and maintains the percentage of viable glioblastoma cells, indicating that α-H induced cell apoptosis through both the extrinsic and the intrinsic pathways. Moreover, we also found that α-H downregulated the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL proteins and activated the pro-apoptotic Bid and Bax proteins. On the other hand, α-H exhibited inhibitory effects on the migration and invasion of U87 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, additional experiments showed that α-H treatment reduced the enzymatic activities and protein levels of matrix metalloproteinase MMP-2 and MMP-9 and increased the expression of TIMP-1 inhibitor, probably via p38MAPK regulation. Finally, xenograft assays confirmed the anti-glioma efficacy of α-H. Taken together, these findings suggest that α-H may exert anti-tumoral effects in vitro and in vivo through the inhibition of cell proliferation and invasion as well as by the induction of apoptosis in human glioblastoma cells. This research describes α-H as a new drug that may improve the therapeutic efficacy against glioblastoma tumors.