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da Silva EL, Mesquita FP, Aragão DR, de Sousa Portilho AJ, Marinho AD, de Oliveira LLB, Lima LB, de Moraes MEA, Souza PFN, Montenegro RC. Mebendazole targets essential proteins in glucose metabolism leading gastric cancer cells to death. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2023; 475:116630. [PMID: 37473966 DOI: 10.1016/j.taap.2023.116630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
Gastric cancer (GC) is among the most-diagnosed and deadly malignancies worldwide. Deregulation in cellular bioenergetics is a hallmark of cancer. Based on the importance of metabolic reprogramming for the development and cancer progression, inhibitors of cell metabolism have been studied as potential candidates for chemotherapy in oncology. Mebendazole (MBZ), an antihelminthic approved by FDA, has shown antitumoral activity against cancer cell lines. However, its potential in the modulation of tumoral metabolism remains unclear. Results evidenced that the antitumoral and cytotoxic mechanism of MBZ in GC cells is related to the modulation of the mRNA expression of glycolic targets SLC2A1, HK1, GAPDH, and LDHA. Moreover, in silico analysis has shown that these genes are overexpressed in GC samples, and this increase in expression is related to decreased overall survival rates. Molecular docking revealed that MBZ modifies the protein structure of these targets, which may lead to changes in their protein function. In vitro studies also showed that MBZ induces alterations in glucose uptake, LDH's enzymatic activity, and ATP production. Furthermore, MBZ induced morphologic and intracellular alterations typical of the apoptotic cell death pathway. Thus, this data indicated that the cytotoxic mechanism of MBZ is related to an initial modulation of the tumoral metabolism in the GC cell line. Altogether, our results provide more evidence about the antitumoral mechanism of action of MBZ towards GC cells and reveal metabolic reprogramming as a potential area in the discovery of new pharmacological targets for GC chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emerson Lucena da Silva
- Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Drug Research and Development Center (NPDM), Federal University of Ceará, Cel. Nunes de Melo, 1000 - Rodolfo Teófilo, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Felipe Pantoja Mesquita
- Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Drug Research and Development Center (NPDM), Federal University of Ceará, Cel. Nunes de Melo, 1000 - Rodolfo Teófilo, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Dyane Rocha Aragão
- Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Drug Research and Development Center (NPDM), Federal University of Ceará, Cel. Nunes de Melo, 1000 - Rodolfo Teófilo, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Adrhyann Jullyanne de Sousa Portilho
- Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Drug Research and Development Center (NPDM), Federal University of Ceará, Cel. Nunes de Melo, 1000 - Rodolfo Teófilo, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Aline Diogo Marinho
- Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Drug Research and Development Center (NPDM), Federal University of Ceará, Cel. Nunes de Melo, 1000 - Rodolfo Teófilo, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Lais Lacerda Brasil de Oliveira
- Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Drug Research and Development Center (NPDM), Federal University of Ceará, Cel. Nunes de Melo, 1000 - Rodolfo Teófilo, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Luina Benevides Lima
- Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Drug Research and Development Center (NPDM), Federal University of Ceará, Cel. Nunes de Melo, 1000 - Rodolfo Teófilo, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Maria Elisabete Amaral de Moraes
- Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Drug Research and Development Center (NPDM), Federal University of Ceará, Cel. Nunes de Melo, 1000 - Rodolfo Teófilo, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Pedro Filho Noronha Souza
- Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Drug Research and Development Center (NPDM), Federal University of Ceará, Cel. Nunes de Melo, 1000 - Rodolfo Teófilo, Fortaleza, Brazil; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Ceará, Mister Hull Avenue- Pici, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Raquel Carvalho Montenegro
- Laboratory of Pharmacogenetics, Drug Research and Development Center (NPDM), Federal University of Ceará, Cel. Nunes de Melo, 1000 - Rodolfo Teófilo, Fortaleza, Brazil.
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Graff BT, Palanivel C, Jenkins CB, Baranowska-Kortylewicz J, Yan Y. Benzimidazole carbamate induces cytotoxicity in breast cancer cells via two distinct cell death mechanisms. Cell Death Discov 2023; 9:162. [PMID: 37179350 PMCID: PMC10183037 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-023-01454-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Metastatic breast cancer (mBC) is responsible for >90% of breast cancer-related deaths. Microtubule-targeting agents (MTAs) are the front-line treatment for mBC. However, the effectiveness of MTAs is frequently limited by the primary or acquired resistance. Furthermore, recurrent mBC derived from cancer cells that survived MTA treatment are typically more chemoresistant. The overall response rates for the second- and third-line MTAs in mBC patients previously treated with MTAs are 12-35%. Thus, there is an ongoing search for novel MTAs with a distinct mode of action that can circumvent chemoresistance mechanisms. Our results show that methyl N-(6-benzoyl-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)carbamate (BCar), a microtubule-disrupting anthelmintic that binds to the colchicine binding site separate from the binding sites of clinically used MTAs, has the potential to treat MTA-resistant mBC. We have comprehensively evaluated the cellular effects of BCar in a panel of human breast cancer (BC) cell lines and normal breast cells. BCar effects on the clonogenic survival, cell cycle, apoptosis, autophagy, senescence, and mitotic catastrophe were measured. Approximately 25% of BCs harbor mutant p53. For this reason, the p53 status was included as a variable. The results show that BC cells are >10x more sensitive to BCar than normal mammary epithelial cells (HME). p53-mutant BC cells are significantly more sensitive to BCar treatment than p53 wild-type BC cells. Furthermore, BCar appears to kill BC cells primarily via either p53-dependent apoptosis or p53-independent mitotic catastrophe. When compared to docetaxel and vincristine, two clinical MTAs, BCar is fairly innocuous in HME cells, providing a much wider therapeutic window than docetaxel and vincristine. Together, the results strongly support the notion that BCar-based therapeutics may serve as a new line of MTAs for mBC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendan T Graff
- Department of Radiation Oncology, College of Medicine University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha, Nebraska, USA
| | - Chitra Palanivel
- Department of Radiation Oncology, College of Medicine University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha, Nebraska, USA
| | - Christopher B Jenkins
- Department of Radiation Oncology, College of Medicine University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha, Nebraska, USA
| | - Janina Baranowska-Kortylewicz
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
| | - Ying Yan
- Department of Radiation Oncology, College of Medicine University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine University of Nebraska Medical Center Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
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Meco D, Attinà G, Mastrangelo S, Navarra P, Ruggiero A. Emerging Perspectives on the Antiparasitic Mebendazole as a Repurposed Drug for the Treatment of Brain Cancers. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24021334. [PMID: 36674870 PMCID: PMC9862092 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24021334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Repurposing approved non-antitumor drugs is a promising and affordable strategy in drug discovery to identify new therapeutic uses different from the original medical indication that may help increase the number of possible, effective anticancer drugs. The use of drugs in ways other than their original FDA-approved indications could offer novel avenues such as bypassing the chemoresistance and recurrence seen with conventional therapy and treatment; moreover, it can offer a safe and economic strategy for combination therapy. Recent works have demonstrated the anticancer properties of the FDA-approved drug Mebendazole. This synthetic benzimidazole proved effective against a broad spectrum of intestinal Helminthiasis. Mebendazole can penetrate the blood-brain barrier and has been shown to inhibit the malignant progression of glioma by targeting signaling pathways related to cell proliferation, apoptosis, or invasion/migration, or by increasing the sensitivity of glioma cells to conventional chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Moreover, several preclinical models and ongoing clinical trials explore the efficacy of Mebendazole in multiple cancers, including acute myeloid leukemia, brain cancer, oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, breast cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, lung carcinoma, adrenocortical carcinoma, prostate cancer, and head and neck cancer. The present review summarizes central literature regarding the anticancer effects of MBZ in cancer cell lines, animal tumor models, and clinical trials to suggest possible strategies for safe and economical combinations of anticancer therapies in brain cancer. Mebendazole might be an excellent candidate for the treatment of brain tumors because of its efficacy both when used as monotherapy and in combination as an enhancement to standard chemotherapeutics and radiotherapy, due to its effectiveness on tumor angiogenesis inhibition, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis induction, and targeting of critical pathways involved in cancer such as Hedgehog signaling. Therefore, attention to MBZ repurposing has recently increased because of its potential therapeutic versatility and significant clinical implications, such as reducing medical care costs and optimizing existing therapies. Using new treatments is essential, particularly when current therapeutics for patients with brain cancer fail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Meco
- Pediatric Oncology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Giorgio Attinà
- Pediatric Oncology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Stefano Mastrangelo
- Pediatric Oncology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
- Dipartimento Scienze della Salute della Donna, del Bambino e di Sanità Pubblica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Pierluigi Navarra
- Department of Healthcare Surveillance and Bioethics, Section of Pharmacology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore-Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Ruggiero
- Pediatric Oncology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
- Dipartimento Scienze della Salute della Donna, del Bambino e di Sanità Pubblica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-06-3058203; Fax: +39-06-3052751
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Caffarelli C, Santamaria F, Piro E, Basilicata S, Delle Cave V, Cipullo M, Bernasconi S, Corsello G. New insights in pediatrics in 2021: choices in allergy and immunology, critical care, endocrinology, gastroenterology, genetics, haematology, infectious diseases, neonatology, neurology, nutrition, palliative care, respiratory tract illnesses and telemedicine. Ital J Pediatr 2022; 48:189. [PMID: 36435791 PMCID: PMC9701393 DOI: 10.1186/s13052-022-01374-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
In this review, we report the developments across pediatric subspecialties that have been published in the Italian Journal of Pediatrics in 2021. We highlight advances in allergy and immunology, critical care, endocrinology, gastroenterology, genetics, hematology, infectious diseases, neonatology, neurology, nutrition, palliative care, respiratory tract illnesses and telemedicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Caffarelli
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Clinica Pediatrica, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria, University of Parma, Via Gramsci 14, Parma, Italy.
| | - Francesca Santamaria
- Department of Translational Medical Sciences, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Ettore Piro
- Department of Sciences for Health Promotion and Mother and Child Care G. D'Alessandro, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Simona Basilicata
- Department of Translational Medical Sciences, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Valeria Delle Cave
- Department of Translational Medical Sciences, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Marilena Cipullo
- Department of Translational Medical Sciences, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Giovanni Corsello
- Department of Sciences for Health Promotion and Mother and Child Care G. D'Alessandro, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
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Umbrello G, Pinzani R, Bandera A, Formenti F, Zavarise G, Arghittu M, Girelli D, Maraschini A, Muscatello A, Marchisio P, Bosis S. Hookworm infection in infants: a case report and review of literature. Ital J Pediatr 2021; 47:26. [PMID: 33563313 PMCID: PMC7871578 DOI: 10.1186/s13052-021-00981-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hookworm infections (Necator americanus, Ancylostoma duodenale) are common in rural areas of tropical and subtropical countries. Human acquisition results from direct percutaneous invasion of infective larvae from contaminated soil. Overall, almost 472 million people in developing rural countries are infected. According to simulation models, hookworm disease has a global financial impact of over US$100 billion a year. Hookworm infection in newborn or infancy is rare, and most of the cases reported in literature are from endemic countries. Here, we describe the case of an infant with an Ancylostoma duodenale infection and review the literature currently available on this topic. CASE PRESENTATION An Italian 2-month-old infant presented with vomit and weight loss. Her blood exams showed anemia and eosinophilia and stool analysis resulted positive for hookworms' eggs, identified as Ancylostoma duodenale with real time-PCR. Parasite research on parents' stools resulted negative, and since the mother travelled to Vietnam and Thailand during pregnancy, we assumed a transplacental transmission of the infection. The patient was treated successfully with oral Mebendazole and discharged in good conditions. DISCUSSION Hookworm helminthiasis is a major cause of morbidity in children in the tropics and subtropics, but rare in developed countries. Despite most of the patients is usually asymptomatic, children are highly exposed to negative sequelae such as malnutrition, retarded growth and impaired cognitive development. In infants and newborns, the mechanism of infection remains unclear. Although infrequent, vertical transmission of larvae can occur through breastfeeding and transplacentally. Hookworm infection should be taken into account in children with abdominal symptoms and unexplained persistent eosinophilia. The treatment of infants infected by hookworm has potential benefit, but further studies are needed to define the best clinical management of these cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Umbrello
- Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
| | - R Pinzani
- Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - A Bandera
- Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.,Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - F Formenti
- Department of Infectious-Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Verona, Negrar, Italy.,Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - G Zavarise
- Tropical Pediatric Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Sacro Cuore Don Calabria, Verona, Negrar, Italy
| | - M Arghittu
- Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry and Microbiology, ASST Melegnano and Martesana, Milan, Italy
| | - D Girelli
- Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - A Maraschini
- Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - A Muscatello
- Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - P Marchisio
- Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.,Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - S Bosis
- Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
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Nath J, Paul R, Ghosh SK, Paul J, Singha B, Debnath N. Drug repurposing and relabeling for cancer therapy: Emerging benzimidazole antihelminthics with potent anticancer effects. Life Sci 2020; 258:118189. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2020.118189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Revised: 07/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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Maternal dipyrone treatment during lactation in mice reduces maternal behavior and increases anxiety‐like behavior in offspring. Int J Dev Neurosci 2017; 58:74-81. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2017.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Revised: 02/15/2017] [Accepted: 02/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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