Thalidomide potentiates etoposide-induced apoptosis in murine neuroblastoma through suppression of NF-κB activation

Roles of ubiquitin‑specific protease 13 in normal physiology and tumors (Review)

Ubiquitin-specific protease 13 (USP13) is one of the most important deubiquitinases involved in various diseases. As deubiquitinases are components of the deubiquitination process, a significant post-translational modification, they are potential treatment targets for different diseases. With recent technological developments, the structure of USP13 and its pathological and physiological functions have been investigated. However, USP13 expression and function differ in various diseases, especially in tumors, and the associated mechanisms are complex and remain to be fully investigated. The present review summarized the recent discoveries and the current understanding of the USP13 function in tumors.

Targeting Oncogenic Transcriptional Networks in Neuroblastoma: From N-Myc to Epigenetic Drugs

Neuroblastoma (NB) is one of the most frequently occurring neurogenic extracranial solid cancers in childhood and infancy. Over the years, many pieces of evidence suggested that NB development is controlled by gene expression dysregulation. These unleashed programs that outline NB cancer cells make them highly dependent on specific tuning of gene expression, which can act co-operatively to define the differentiation state, cell identity, and specialized functions. The peculiar regulation is mainly caused by genetic and epigenetic alterations, resulting in the dependency on a small set of key master transcriptional regulators as the convergence point of multiple signalling pathways. In this review, we provide a comprehensive blueprint of transcriptional regulation bearing NB initiation and progression, unveiling the complexity of novel oncogenic and tumour suppressive regulatory networks of this pathology. Furthermore, we underline the significance of multi-target therapies against these hallmarks, showing how novel approaches, together with chemotherapy, surgery, or radiotherapy, can have substantial antineoplastic effects, disrupting a wide variety of tumorigenic pathways through combinations of different treatments.

A Targeted Nanosystem for Detection of Inflammatory Diseases via Fluorescent/Optoacoustic Imaging and Therapy via Modulating Nrf2/NF-κB Pathways

Inflammatory diseases are sometimes devastating and notoriously difficult to treat. Precisely modulating inflammatory signaling pathways is a promising approach for treating inflammatory diseases. Herein, a multifunctional nanosystem is developed for active targeting, activatable imaging and on-demand therapy against inflammatory diseases through modulating inflammatory pathways. A chromophore-drug dyad (QBS-FIS) is synthesized by linking a chromophore and a Nrf2 (nuclear factor E2-related factor) activator fisetin through boronate bond which serves as fluorescence quencher and ROS (reactive oxygen species)-responsive linker. QBS-FIS molecules form nanoparticles in water and are coated with macrophage cell membrane to ensure active targeting toward inflammation site. To further improve therapeutic efficacy, a NF-kB (nuclear-factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells) inhibitor thalidomide is co-encapsulated to afford the nanosystem (QBS-FIS&Thd@MM). Upon administration into mice, the nanosystem migrates to inflammatory site and pathological ROS therein cleaves the boronate bonds, thereby activating the chromophore for imaging liver/kidney inflammatory diseases for disease diagnosis and recovery evaluation via fluorescence and optoacoustic imaging as well as releasing the active drugs for treating acute liver inflammation through activating Nrf2 pathway and inhibiting NF-kB pathway. The 3D multispectral optoacoustic tomography imaging is applied to precisely locate the inflammatory foci in a spatiotemporal manner.

Effective Treatment with PD-1 Antibody, Chidamide, Etoposide, and Thalidomide (PCET) for Relapsed/Refractory Natural Killer/T-Cell Lymphoma: A Report of Three Cases

Extranodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type (ENKTL) is a specific subtype of peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL) with a poor prognosis. To date, there exist no standard therapeutic regimens for relapsed/refractory (R/R) ENKTL. More potent treatment strategies are urgently needed to improve the survival of these patients with R/R ENKTL. Herein, we present three R/R ENKTL patients who failed prior therapies (L-asparaginase containing chemotherapy, radiotherapy or biological-cell therapy, etc.) benefited from the combination regimen comprised of anti-programmed-death-1 (PD-1) antibody toripalimab, chidamide, etoposide, and thalidomide. They received the treatment regimen continuously until the disease progression occurs. As of data collection, two patients achieved complete remission (CR) after 4, 6 cycles of treatment, respectively, and another patient was evaluated as partial remission (PR) after 2 cycles. Treatment-related adverse events (AEs) mainly presented grade 2~3 leukocytopenia and anemia, which were controllable. It follows that PD-1 antibody, chidamide, etoposide, and thalidomide (PCET) regimen may be a promising choice for patients with R/R ENKTL and warrants further investigation.

Facile skin targeting of a thalidomide analog containing benzyl chloride moiety alleviates experimental psoriasis via the suppression of MAPK/NF-κB/AP-1 phosphorylation in keratinocytes

BACKGROUND

Thalidomide can be a TNF-α inhibitor for treating skin inflammation. This drug exhibits a strong toxicity that limits its application.

OBJECTIVE

We synthesized a thalidomide analog containing the benzyl chloride group (2-[1-(3-chlorobenzyl)-2,6-dioxopiperidin-3-yl]isoindoline-1,3-dione, CDI) to examine anti-inflammatory activity against psoriasis.

METHODS

The evaluation was conducted by the experimental platforms of in vitro TNF-α- or imiquimod (IMQ)-stimulated HaCaT cells and in vivo IMQ-induced psoriasiform plaque.

RESULTS

Using the in vitro keratinocyte model, we demonstrated a greater inhibition of IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-24 by CDI than by thalidomide. No significant cytotoxicity was observed at 100 μM. CDI delivered facilely into the skin with a cutaneous targeting ability 228-fold greater than thalidomide. CDI caused a negligible irritation on healthy mouse skin. We showed that topically applied CDI reduced IMQ-induced red scaly lesions, hyperplasia, microabscesses, and cytokine expression in the mouse model. The skin-barrier function measured by transepidermal water loss (TEWL) could be partially recovered from 50.6-36.3 g/m²/h by CDI. The mechanistic study showed that CDI suppressed cytokine production by inhibiting the phosphorylation of NF-κB and AP-1 via MAPK pathways.

CONCLUSION

CDI would be beneficial for the development of a therapeutic agent against psoriasis.

A medicinal chemistry perspective of drug repositioning: Recent advances and challenges in drug discovery

Drug repurposing is a strategy consisting of finding new indications for already known marketed drugs used in various clinical settings or highly characterized compounds despite they can be failed drugs. Recently, it emerges as an alternative approach for the rapid identification and development of new pharmaceuticals for various rare and complex diseases for which lack the effective drug treatments. The success rate of drugs repurposing approach accounts for approximately 30% of new FDA approved drugs and vaccines in recent years. This review focuses on the status of drugs repurposing approach for various diseases including skin diseases, infective, inflammatory, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. Efforts have been made to provide structural features and mode of actions of drugs.