B7-H3 but not PD-L1 is involved in the antitumor effects of Dihydroartemisinin in non-small cell lung cancer

Dihydroartemisinin alleviates diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocarcinogenesis by targeting a novel MAZ/TRIM50 axis

Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) has demonstrated a range of anticancer effects, and the myc-associated zinc finger protein (MAZ) has been shown to influence its anti-glioma activity. However, the role and underlying mechanisms of MAZ in DHA's anti-liver cancer effects remains poorly understood. In this study, we first established a diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced hepatocarcinogenesis rat model and found that DHA treatment alleviated DEN-induced liver cancer by reducing hepatotoxicity and lipid peroxidation, likely through increasing autophagy proteins. Moreover, DHA treatment suppressed MAZ expression in both liver tissues of the DEN-induced rat model and liver cancer cells. We further identified that MAZ knockdown led to the upregulation of autophagy proteins, including p62 and Beclin 1, and increased autophagosome formation in liver cancer cells, as observed under a transmission electron microscope. Notably, MAZ knockdown also enhanced the transcription of TRIM50, an E3 ubiquitin ligase involved in regulating autophagy proteins, by binding to its promoter following DHA treatment, as confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assays. Further experiments involving TRIM50 overexpression in liver cancer cells revealed that TRIM50 promoted the expression of DHA-induced autophagy proteins through the MAPK and mTOR signaling pathways. Additionally, TRIM50 was downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and had a relationship with the prognosis of HCC patients. Bioinformatics analyses showed a significant correlation between TRIM50 expression and immune cell infiltration in HCC. Our findings provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms by which MAZ mediates DHA anti-liver cancer through TRIM50 transcription, supporting MAZ and TRIM50 as potential therapeutic targets for liver cancer treatment.

Building of CuO2@Cu-TA@DSF/DHA Nanoparticle Targets MAPK Pathway to Achieve Synergetic Chemotherapy and Chemodynamic for Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Background/Objectives: With the increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, cancer cells can avoid cell death and damage by up-regulating antioxidant programs. Therefore, it will be more effective to induce cell death by using targeted strategies to further improve ROS levels and drugs that inhibit antioxidant programs. Methods: Considering that dihydroartemisinin (DHA) can cause oxidative damage to protein, DNA, or lipids by producing excessive ROS, while, disulfiram (DSF) can inhibit glutathione (GSH) levels and achieve the therapeutic effect by inhibiting antioxidant system and amplifying oxidative stress, they were co-loaded onto the copper peroxide nanoparticles (CuO2) coated with copper tannic acid (Cu-TA), to build a drug delivery system of CuO2@Cu-TA@DSF/DHA nanoparticles (CCTDD NPs). In response to the tumor microenvironment, DHA interacts with copper ion (Cu2+) to produce ROS, and a double (diethylthiocarbamate)-copper (II) (CuET) is generated by the complexation of DSF and Cu2+, which consumes GSH and inhibits antioxidant system. Meanwhile, utilizing the Fenton-like effect induced by the multi-copper mode can achieve ROS storm, activate the MAPK pathway, and achieve chemotherapy (CT) and chemodynamic (CDT). Results: Taking pancreatic cancer cell lines PANC-1 and BxPC-3 as the research objects, cell line experiments in vitro proved that CCTDD NPs exhibit efficient cytotoxicity on cancer cells. Conclusions: The CCTDD NPs show great potential in resisting pancreatic cancer cells and provides a simple strategy for designing powerful metal matrix composites.

Artemisinin and Its Derivatives as Potential Anticancer Agents

Artemisinin is a natural sesquiterpene lactone obtained from the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Artemisia annua L. (qinghao). Artemisinin and its derivatives share an unusual endoperoxide bridge and are extensively used for malaria treatment worldwide. In addition to antimalarial activities, artemisinin and its derivatives have been reported to exhibit promising anticancer effects in recent decades. In this review, we focused on the research progress of artemisinin and its derivatives with potential anticancer activities. The pharmacological effects, potential mechanisms, and clinical trials in cancer therapy of artemisinin and its derivatives were discussed. This review may facilitate the future exploration of artemisinin and its derivatives as effective anticancer agents.

Induction of ferroptosis by natural products in non-small cell lung cancer: a comprehensive systematic review

Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide that presents a substantial peril to human health. Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) is a main subtype of lung cancer with heightened metastasis and invasion ability. The predominant treatment approaches currently comprise surgical interventions, chemotherapy regimens, and radiotherapeutic procedures. However, it poses significant clinical challenges due to its tumor heterogeneity and drug resistance, resulting in diminished patient survival rates. Therefore, the development of novel treatment strategies for NSCLC is necessary. Ferroptosis was characterized by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation and the accumulation of lipid reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to oxidative damage of cells and eventually cell death. An increasing number of studies have found that exploiting the induction of ferroptosis may be a potential therapeutic approach in NSCLC. Recent investigations have underscored the remarkable potential of natural products in the cancer treatment, owing to their potent activity and high safety profiles. Notably, accumulating evidences have shown that targeting ferroptosis through natural compounds as a novel strategy for combating NSCLC holds considerable promise. Nevertheless, the existing literature on comprehensive reviews elucidating the role of natural products inducing the ferroptosis for NSCLC therapy remains relatively sparse. In order to furnish a valuable reference and support for the identification of natural products inducing ferroptosis in anti-NSCLC therapeutics, this article provided a comprehensive review explaining the mechanisms by which natural products selectively target ferroptosis and modulate the pathogenesis of NSCLC.

From immune checkpoints to therapies: understanding immune checkpoint regulation and the influence of natural products and traditional medicine on immune checkpoint and immunotherapy in lung cancer

Lung cancer is a disease of global concern, and immunotherapy has brought lung cancer therapy to a new era. Besides promising effects in the clinical use of immune checkpoint inhibitors, immune-related adverse events (irAEs) and low response rates are problems unsolved. Natural products and traditional medicine with an immune-modulating nature have the property to influence immune checkpoint expression and can improve immunotherapy's effect with relatively low toxicity. This review summarizes currently approved immunotherapy and the current mechanisms known to regulate immune checkpoint expression in lung cancer. It lists natural products and traditional medicine capable of influencing immune checkpoints or synergizing with immunotherapy in lung cancer, exploring both their effects and underlying mechanisms. Future research on immune checkpoint modulation and immunotherapy combination applying natural products and traditional medicine will be based on a deeper understanding of their mechanisms regulating immune checkpoints. Continued exploration of natural products and traditional medicine holds the potential to enhance the efficacy and reduce the adverse reactions of immunotherapy.

Immune checkpoints and cancer immunotherapies: insights into newly potential receptors and ligands

Checkpoint markers and immune checkpoint inhibitors have been increasingly identified and developed as potential immunotherapeutic targets in various human cancers. Despite valuable efforts to discover novel immune checkpoints and their ligands, the precise roles of their therapeutic functions, as well as the broad identification of their counterpart receptors, remain to be addressed. In this context, it has been suggested that various putative checkpoint receptors can be induced upon activation. In the tumor microenvironment, T cells, as crucial immune response against malignant diseases as well as other immune central effector cells, such as natural killer cells, are regulated via co-stimulatory or co-inhibitory signals from immune or tumor cells. Studies have shown that exposure of T cells to tumor antigens upregulates the expression of inhibitory checkpoint receptors, leading to T-cell dysfunction or exhaustion. Although targeting immune checkpoint regulators has shown relative clinical efficacy in some tumor types, most trials in the field of cancer immunotherapies have revealed unsatisfactory results due to de novo or adaptive resistance in cancer patients. To overcome these obstacles, combinational therapies with newly discovered inhibitory molecules or combined blockage of several checkpoints provide a rationale for further research. Moreover, precise identification of their receptors counterparts at crucial checkpoints is likely to promise effective therapies. In this review, we examine the prospects for the application of newly emerging checkpoints, such as T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 3, lymphocyte activation gene-3, T-cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains (TIGIT), V-domain Ig suppressor of T-cell activation (VISTA), new B7 family proteins, and B- and T-cell lymphocyte attenuator, in association with immunotherapy of malignancies. In addition, their clinical and biological significance is discussed, including their expression in various human cancers, along with their roles in T-cell-mediated immune responses.