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Ros M, Riesco-Llach G, Polonio-Alcalá E, Morla-Barcelo PM, Ruiz-Martínez S, Feliu L, Planas M, Puig T. Inhibition of Cancer Stem-like Cells by Curcumin and Other Polyphenol Derivatives in MDA-MB-231 TNBC Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:7446. [PMID: 39000554 PMCID: PMC11242520 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25137446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for 15% of all breast cancers and is highly aggressive. Despite an initial positive response to chemotherapy, most patients experience rapid disease progression leading to relapse and metastasis. This is attributed to the presence of breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) within the tumor, which are characterized by self-renewal, pluripotency, and resistance mechanisms. Targeting BCSCs has become critical as conventional therapies fail to eradicate them due to a lack of specific targets. Curcumin, a polyphenol derived from turmeric (Curcuma longa), exhibits anticancer effects against breast cancer cells and BCSCs. The use of curcumin derivatives has been suggested as an approach to overcome the bioavailability and solubility problems of curcumin in humans, thereby increasing its anticancer effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cellular and molecular effects of six synthetic compounds derived from the natural polyphenol epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) (TL1, TL2) and curcumin derivatives (TL3, TL4, TL5, and TL6) on a TNBC mesenchymal stem-like cell line. The activity of the compounds against BCSCs was also determined by a mammosphere inhibition assay and studying different BCSC markers by Western blotting. Finally, a drug combination assay was performed with the most promising compounds to evaluate their potential synergistic effects with the chemotherapeutic agents doxorubicin, cisplatin, and paclitaxel. The results showed that compounds exhibited specific cytotoxicity against the TNBC cell line and BCSCs. Interestingly, the combination of the curcumin derivative TL3 with doxorubicin and cisplatin displayed a synergistic effect in TNBC cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Ros
- New Therapeutic Targets Laboratory (TargetsLab)-Oncology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Girona, 17003 Girona, Spain
| | - Gerard Riesco-Llach
- Laboratori d'Innovació en Processos i Productes de Síntesi Orgànica (LIPPSO), Department of Chemistry, University of Girona, 17003 Girona, Spain
| | - Emma Polonio-Alcalá
- New Therapeutic Targets Laboratory (TargetsLab)-Oncology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Girona, 17003 Girona, Spain
| | - Pere Miquel Morla-Barcelo
- Grupo Multidisciplinar de Oncología Traslacional, Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Ciències de la Salut (IUNICS), Universitat de les Illes Balears, 07122 Palma, Spain
| | - Santiago Ruiz-Martínez
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research, University of Gothenburg, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Lidia Feliu
- Laboratori d'Innovació en Processos i Productes de Síntesi Orgànica (LIPPSO), Department of Chemistry, University of Girona, 17003 Girona, Spain
| | - Marta Planas
- Laboratori d'Innovació en Processos i Productes de Síntesi Orgànica (LIPPSO), Department of Chemistry, University of Girona, 17003 Girona, Spain
| | - Teresa Puig
- New Therapeutic Targets Laboratory (TargetsLab)-Oncology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Girona, 17003 Girona, Spain
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Zurowski D, Patel S, Hui D, Ka M, Hernandez C, Love AC, Lin B, Moore A, Chan LLY. High-throughput method to analyze the cytotoxicity of CAR-T Cells in a 3D tumor spheroid model using image cytometry. SLAS DISCOVERY : ADVANCING LIFE SCIENCES R & D 2023; 28:65-72. [PMID: 36758833 DOI: 10.1016/j.slasd.2023.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Solid tumors account for approximately 90% of all adult human cancers. As such, the development of novel cellular therapies has become of increasing importance to target solid tumor malignancies, such as prostate, lung, breast, bladder, colon, and liver cancers. One such cellular therapy relies on the use of chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T cells). CAR-T cells are engineered to target specific antigens on tumor cells. To date, there are six FDA-approved CAR-T cell therapies that have been utilized for hematologic B cell malignancies. Immune cell trafficking and immunosuppressive factors within the tumor microenvironment increase the relative difficulty in developing a robust CAR-T cell therapy against solid tumors. Therefore, it is critical to develop novel methodologies for high-throughput phenotypic and functional assays using 3D tumor spheroid models to assess CAR-T cell products against solid tumors. In this manuscript, we discuss the use of CAR-T cells targeted towards PSMA, an antigen that is found on prostate cancer tumor cells, the second most common cause of cancer deaths among men worldwide. We demonstrate the use of high-throughput, plate-based image cytometry to characterize CAR-T cell-mediated cytotoxic potency against 3D prostate tumor spheroids. We were able to kinetically evaluate the efficacy and therapeutic value of PSMA CAR-T cells by analyzing the cytotoxicity against prostate tumor spheroids. In addition, the CAR-T cells were fluorescently labeled to visually identify the location of the T cells as cytotoxicity occurs, which may provide more meaningful information for assessing the functionality of the CAR-T cells. The proposed image cytometry method can overcome limitations placed on traditional methodologies to effectively assess cell-mediated 3D tumor spheroid cytotoxicity and efficiently generate time- and dose-dependent results.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Zurowski
- Department of Analytical Development, Cell Therapy, Resilience, Inc. East Norriton, PA 19403, USA
| | - Samir Patel
- Department of Advanced Technology R&D, Nexcelom from PerkinElmer, Lawrence, MA 01843, USA.
| | - Daniel Hui
- Department of Analytical Development, Cell Therapy, Resilience, Inc. East Norriton, PA 19403, USA
| | - Mignane Ka
- Department of Analytical Development, Cell Therapy, Resilience, Inc. East Norriton, PA 19403, USA
| | - Charles Hernandez
- Department of Advanced Technology R&D, Nexcelom from PerkinElmer, Lawrence, MA 01843, USA
| | - Andrea C Love
- Department of Advanced Technology R&D, Nexcelom from PerkinElmer, Lawrence, MA 01843, USA
| | - Bo Lin
- Department of Advanced Technology R&D, Nexcelom from PerkinElmer, Lawrence, MA 01843, USA
| | - Andrea Moore
- Department of Analytical Development, Cell Therapy, Resilience, Inc. East Norriton, PA 19403, USA
| | - Leo Li-Ying Chan
- Department of Advanced Technology R&D, Nexcelom from PerkinElmer, Lawrence, MA 01843, USA
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