Phenylmethimazole and a thiazole derivative of phenylmethimazole inhibit IL-6 expression by triple negative breast cancer cells

Small molecule agents for triple negative breast cancer: Current status and future prospects

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer with poor prognosis. The number of cases increased by 2.26 million in 2020, making it the most commonly diagnosed cancer type in the world. TNBCs lack hormone receptor (HR) and human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2), which limits treatment options. Currently, paclitaxel-based drugs combined with other chemotherapeutics remain the main treatment for TNBC. There is currently no consensus on the best therapeutic regimen for TNBC. However, there have been successful clinical trials exploring large-molecule monoclonal antibodies, small-molecule targeted drugs, and novel antibody-drug conjugate (ADC). Although monoclonal antibodies have produced clinical success, their large molecular weight can limit therapeutic benefits. It is worth noting that in the past 30 years, the FDA has approved small molecule drugs for HER2-positive breast cancers. The lack of effective targets and the occurrence of drug resistance pose significant challenges in the treatment of TNBC. To improve the prognosis of TNBC, it is crucial to search for effective targets and to overcome drug resistance. This review examines the clinical efficacy, adverse effects, resistance mechanisms, and potential solutions of targeted small molecule drugs in both monotherapies and combination therapies. New therapeutic targets, including nuclear export protein 1 (XPO1) and hedgehog (Hh), are emerging as potential options for researchers and become integrated into clinical trials for TNBC. Additionally, there is growing interest in the potential of targeted protein degradation chimeras (PROTACs), degraders of rogue proteins, as a future therapy direction. This review provides potentially valuable insights with clinical implications.

Toll‑like receptor 3 ligands for breast cancer therapies (Review)

Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer worldwide and is the leading cause of mortality for women across most of the world. Immunotherapy is a burgeoning area of cancer treatment, including for breast cancer; these are therapies that harness the power of the immune system to clear cancerous cells. Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) is an RNA receptor found in the endosome, and ligands that bind to TLR3 are currently being tested for their efficacy as breast cancer immunotherapeutics. The current review introduces TLR3 and the role of this receptor in breast cancer, and summarizes data on the potential use of TLR3 ligands, mainly polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid and its derivatives, as breast cancer monotherapies or, more commonly, as combination therapies with chemotherapies, other immunotherapies and cancer vaccines. The current state of TLR3 ligand breast cancer therapy research is summarized by reporting on past and current clinical trials, and notable preliminary in vitro studies are discussed. In conclusion, TLR3 ligands have robust potential in anticancer applications as innate immune stimulants, and further studies combined with innovative technologies, such as nanoparticles, may contribute to their success.

Exploration of Benzenesulfonamide-Bearing Imidazole Derivatives Activity in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer and Melanoma 2D and 3D Cell Cultures

Heterocyclic compounds are one of the main groups of organic compounds possessing wide range of applications in various areas of science and their derivatives are present in many bioactive structures. They display a wide variety of biological activities. Recently, more and more attention has been focused to such heterocyclic compounds as azoles. In this work, we have synthesized a series of new imidazole derivatives incorporating a benzenesulfonamide moiety in their structure, which then were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against human triple-negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231 and human malignant melanoma IGR39 cell lines by MTT assay. Benzenesulfonamide-bearing imidazole derivatives containing 4-chloro and 3,4-dichlorosubstituents in benzene ring, and 2-ethylthio and 3-ethyl groups in imidazole ring have been determined as the most active compounds. Half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) of the most cytotoxic compound was 27.8 ± 2.8 µM against IGR39 cell line and 20.5 ± 3.6 µM against MDA-MB-231 cell line. Compounds reduced cell colony formation of both cell lines and inhibited the growth and viability of IGR39 cell spheroids more efficiently compared to triple-negative breast cancer spheroids.

Hormonal Regulation of the MHC Class I Gene in Thyroid Cells: Role of the Promoter "Tissue-Specific" Region

In previous studies we have demonstrated that the expression of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class I gene in thyrocytes is controlled by several hormones, growth factors, and drugs. These substances mainly act on two regions of the MHC class I promoter a "tissue-specific" region (-800 to -676 bp) and a "hormone/cytokines-sensitive" region (-500 to -68 bp). In a previous study, we have shown that the role of the "tissue-specific" region in the MHC class I gene expression is dominant compared to that of the "hormone/cytokines-sensitive" region. In the present report we further investigate the dominant role of the "tissue-specific" region evaluating the effect of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), methimazole (MMI), phenylmethimazole (C10), glucose and thymosin-α1. By performing experiments of electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) we show that TSH, MMI and C10, which inhibit MHC class I expression, act on the "tissue-specific" region increasing the formation of a silencer complex. Glucose and thymosin-α1, which stimulate MHC class I expression, act decreasing the formation of this complex. We further show that the silencer complex is formed by two distinct members of the transcription factors families activator protein-1 (AP-1) and nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB), c-jun and p65, respectively. These observations are important in order to understand the regulation of MHC class I gene expression in thyroid cells and its involvement in the development of thyroid autoimmunity.

Modulation of LPS-induced inflammatory cytokine production by a novel glycogen synthase kinase-3 inhibitor

Sepsis is a serious condition that can lead to long-term organ damage and death. At the molecular level, the hallmark of sepsis is the elevated expression of a multitude of potent cytokines, i.e. a cytokine storm. For sepsis involving gram-negative bacteria, macrophages recognize lipopolysaccharide (LPS) shed from the bacteria, activating Toll-like-receptor 4 (TLR4), and triggering a cytokine storm. Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) is a highly active kinase that has been implicated in LPS-induced cytokine production. Thus, compounds that inhibit GSK-3 could be potential therapeutics for sepsis. Our group has recently described a novel and highly selective inhibitor of GSK-3 termed COB-187. In the present study, using THP-1 macrophages, we evaluated the ability of COB-187 to attenuate LPS-induced cytokine production. We found that COB-187 significantly reduced, at the protein and mRNA levels, cytokines induced by LPS (e.g. IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β, CXCL10, and IFN-β). Further, the data suggest that the inhibition could be due, at least in part, to COB-187 reducing NF-κB (p65/p50) DNA binding activity as well as reducing IRF-3 phosphorylation at Serine 396. Thus, COB-187 appears to be a potent inhibitor of the cytokine storm induced by LPS.

Celastrol Inhibits Migration and Invasion of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells by Suppressing Interleukin-6 via Downregulating Nuclear Factor-κB (NF-κB)

Background

Celastrol is extracted from the root of the Chinese traditional herb Tripterygium wilfordii, which has anti-cancer effects in multiple cancers. However, the effect of celastrol on the metastasis of triple-negative breast cancer and its mechanism remain largely unknown.

Material/Methods

MDA-MB-468 and MDA-MB-231 cells were treated with various doses of celastrol for 24 h. Cell viability was measured via MTT analysis. Cell migration and invasion were detected via transwell analysis. The expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) was measured after transfection of short-hairpin RNA against IL-6 or celastrol treatment via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, or enzyme-linked immunosorbent analysis (ELISA). The protein levels in the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway were measured by Western blot. The interaction between celastrol and NF-κB-mediated IL-6 was investigated by luciferase reporter assay.

Results

High concentrations of celastrol inhibited viability of MDA-MB-468 and MDA-MB-231 cells, but low doses of celastrol showed little effect on cell viability. Low doses of celastrol suppressed cell migration and invasion, and knockdown of IL-6 also repressed cell migration and invasion. Moreover, treatment with celastrol decreased IL-6 expression at mRNA and protein levels. IL-6 overexpression mitigated celastrol-mediated suppression of cell migration and invasion. Additionally, celastrol blocked the NF-κB pathway to inhibit IL-6 levels.

Conclusions

Celastrol repressed migration and invasion through decreasing IL-6 levels by inactivation of NF-κB signaling in triple-negative breast cancer cells, providing a novel basis for use of celastrol in treating triple-negative breast cancer.

Toll-Like Receptors Signaling in the Tumor Microenvironment

The involvement of inflammation in cancer progression is well-established. The immune system can play both tumor-promoting and -suppressive roles, and efforts to harness the immune system to help fight tumor growth are at the forefront of research. Of particular importance is the inflammatory profile at the site of the tumor, with respect to both the leukocyte population numbers, the phenotype of these cells, as well as the contribution of the tumor cells themselves. In this regard, the pro-inflammatory effects of pattern recognition receptor expression and activation in the tumor microenvironment have emerged as a relevant issue both for therapy and to understand tumor development.Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) were originally recognized as components of immune cells, particularly innate immune cells, as detectors of pathogens. PRR signaling in immune cells activates them, inducing robust antimicrobial responses. In particular, toll-like receptors (TLRs) constitute a family of membrane-bound PRRs which can recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) carried by bacteria, virus, and fungi. In addition, PRRs can recognize products generated by stressed cells or damaged tissues, namely damage-associated molecular patterns or DAMPS. Taking into account the role of the immune system in fighting tumors together with the presence of immune cells in the microenvironment of different types of tumors, strategies to activate immune cells via PRR ligands have been envisioned as an anticancer therapeutic approach.In the last decades, it has been determined that PRRs are present and functional on nonimmune cells and that their activation in these cells contributes to the inflammation in the tumor microenvironment. Both tumor-promoting and antitumor effects have been observed when tumor cell PRRs are activated. This argues against nonspecific activation of PRR ligands in the tumor microenvironment as a therapeutic approach. Therefore, the use of PRR ligands for anticancer therapy might benefit from strategies that specifically deliver these ligands to immune cells, thus avoiding tumor cells in some settings. This review focuses on these aspects of TLR signaling in the tumor microenvironment.

Identification of a novel selective and potent inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase-3

Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) is a multitasking protein kinase that regulates numerous critical cellular functions. Not surprisingly, elevated GSK-3 activity has been implicated in a host of diseases including pathological inflammation, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, asthma, bipolar disorder, and Alzheimer's. Therefore, reagents that inhibit GSK-3 activity provide a means to investigate the role of GSK-3 in cellular physiology and pathophysiology and could become valuable therapeutics. Finding a potent inhibitor of GSK-3 that can selectively target this kinase, among over 500 protein kinases in the human genome, is a significant challenge. Thus there remains a critical need for the identification of selective inhibitors of GSK-3. In this work, we introduce a novel small organic compound, namely COB-187, which exhibits potent and highly selective inhibition of GSK-3. Specifically, this study 1) utilized a molecular screen of 414 kinase assays, representing 404 unique kinases, to reveal that COB-187 is a highly potent and selective inhibitor of GSK-3; 2) utilized a cellular assay to reveal that COB-187 decreases the phosphorylation of canonical GSK-3 substrates indicating that COB-187 inhibits cellular GSK-3 activity; and 3) reveals that a close isomer of COB-187 is also a selective and potent inhibitor of GSK-3. Taken together, these results demonstrate that we have discovered a region of chemical design space that contains novel GSK-3 inhibitors. These inhibitors will help to elucidate the intricate function of GSK-3 and can serve as a starting point for the development of potential therapeutics for diseases that involve aberrant GSK-3 activity.

TIMP3 Overexpression Improves the Sensitivity of Osteosarcoma to Cisplatin by Reducing IL-6 Production

Osteosarcoma is the most common bone cancer in children and adolescents. Tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs)-3 inhibit matrix metalloproteinases to limit extracellular matrix degradation. Cisplatin is a widely used chemotherapeutic drug used to cure osteosarcoma. Interleukin (IL)-6 and TIMP3 play important roles in the drug resistance of osteosarcoma; however, their relationship in this process remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the role of TIMP3 in the cisplatin sensitivity of osteosarcoma and its underlying molecular mechanisms in vitro and in vivo. We compared TIMP3 expression levels between patients with cisplatin-sensitive and -insensitive osteosarcoma. TIMP3 was overexpressed or knocked down in the Saos2-lung cell line, which is a Saos2 subtype isolated from pulmonary metastases that has higher cisplatin chemoresistance than Saos2 cells. IL-6 expression, cell proliferation, sensitivity to cisplatin, migration, and invasion after TIMP3 overexpression or knockdown were determined. The same experiments were performed using MG63 and U2OS cells. Subsequently, luciferase-labeled Saos2-lung cells overexpressing TIMP3 were injected into the tibiae of nude mice treated with cisplatin. The results showed that IL-6 inhibited TIMP3 expression in Saos2 and Saos2-lung cells via signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) activation. STAT3 knockdown reversed the effect of IL-6. The expression of TIMP3 was higher in patients with cisplatin-sensitive osteosarcoma than in those with insensitive osteosarcoma. IL-6 expression was downregulated upon TIMP3 overexpression, and upregulated by TIMP3 knockdown. TIMP3 overexpression suppressed cell proliferation and enhanced cisplatin sensitivity by activating apoptosis-related signal pathways and inhibiting IL-6 expression in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, cisplatin sensitivity correlated positively with TIMP3 expression, which is regulated by the IL-6/TIMP3/caspase pathway. The TIMP3 pathway could represent a target for new therapies to treat osteosarcoma.