Apoptosis, reactive oxygen species and DNA damage in Familial Mediterranean Fever patients

L-asparaginase from the novel Fusarium falciforme AUMC 16563: extraction, purification, characterization, and cytotoxic effects on PC-3, HePG-2, HCT-116, and MCF-7 cell lines

BACKGROUND

L-asparaginase has been a widely employed as antitumor enzyme for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia for almost three decades. The enzyme takes advantage of the inability of tumor cells to synthesize the L-asparagine and is killed by L-asparagine deprivation. Despite the availability of bacterial sources for L-asparaginase, there is a growing interest in identifying new microbial sources with improved therapeutic properties. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the production of L-asparaginase from a fungal source, to explore its potential as a novel alternative enzyme for cancer treatment.

RESULTS

Fusarium falciforme AUMC 16563 was used to produce L-asparaginase (123.42 U/mL) after 5 days, 0.2% glucose and 1.0% asparagine; were used at 25 ˚C and pH 8.0. Employing two columns of chromatography (DEAE-cellulose and Sephacryl S 200 HR), the enzyme was purified 14.26-fold, reaching a maximum activity of 5109.4 U/mg. SDS-PAGE revealed a 46.06 kDa asparaginase. The Km and Vmax values for pure asparaginase using asparagine was 5.77 × 10- 2 mM and 128.22 µmol/min. Additionally, Fusarium falciforme AUMC 16563' pure asparaginase demonstrated anticancer activity against PC-3 (a prostate cell line) with an IC50 of 78.6 µg/mL, HePG-2 (a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line) with an IC50 of 69.6 µg/mL, HCT-116 (a colon cell line) with an IC50 of 51.5 µg/mL and MCF-7 (a breast cancer cell line) with an IC50 of 32.8 µg/mL. The expression levels of proapoptotic genes (BAX and p53) were significantly greater in the breast cancer cell lines treated with asparaginase than in the negative control breast cancer cell lines.The degree of DNA fragmentation in MCF-7 cells treated with Fusarium falciforme 16563' pure asparaginase was 27.2 ± 0.69%, and that in MCF-7 cells treated with the drug Doxorubicin 24.1 ± 0.86% was significantly greater than that in the corresponding negative control cells 9.1 ± 1.01%. Finally, the biochemical profiles revealed no impact on the liver or the kidneys. These results suggested that asparaginase had relatively little effect on liver function. All hematological parameters were within normal range during the experiment.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the present study revealed a potent L-ASNase from endophytic F. falciforme isolated from Trifolium alexandrinum, which performs well under a variety of environmental circumstances and can be used in a number of commercial applications.

Novel 5-Fluorouracil analogues versus perfluorophenyl ureas as potent anti-breast cancer agents: Design, robust synthesis, in vitro, molecular docking, pharmacokinetics ADMET analysis and dynamic simulations

To investigate the therapeutic potential of 5-Fluorouracil-based analogues, a straightforward synthetic technique was employed to synthesize a novel series of 5-arylurea uracil derivatives (AUFU01-03) and aryl-urea derivatives bearing perfluorophenyl (AUPF01-03). Reliable tools such as infrared (IR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectra, and elemental analyses were utilized to confirm the chemical structures and purity of these compounds. In comparison to healthy noncancerous control skin fibroblast cells (BJ-1), we examined the antiproliferative efficacy of compounds (AUFU01-03) and (AUPF01-03) against specific human malignant cell lines of the breast (MCF-7), and colon (HCT-116). Based on the MTT experiment results, compounds AUFU03 and AUPF01-03 possessed highly cytotoxic effects. Among these, cytotoxicity was demonstrated by compounds AUPF01-03 with IC50 values (AUPF01, IC50 = 167 ± 0.57 µM, AUPF02, IC50 = 23.4 ± 0.68 µM and AUPF03, IC50 = 28.8 ± 1.13 µM, respectively, on MCF-7), relative to 5-Fluorouracil as reference drug (IC50 = 160.7 ± 0.22 µM). Compound AUPF01 showed safety on BJ-1 cells up to a concentration of 100 µM (% cytotoxicity = 3.9 ± 0.42 %), so AUPF01 was selected for further studies. At the gene, the expression levels of BCL-2 gene were decreased significantly in MCF-7 + 5-FU and reached the lowest level in MCF-7 + AUPF01. In contrast, the expression levels of pro-apoptotic genes (p53 and BAX) were increased in MCF-7 + 5-FU, and reached a significantly higher level in MCF-7 + AUPF01. Apoptosis/necrosis assays demonstrated that AUPF01 induced S and G2/M phase cell cycle arrest in MCF-7 cells. Moreover, the efficacy of these compounds against anti-cancer protein receptors was assessed using molecular docking. The results indicated that compound AUPF01 exhibited high binding energies, effectively interacting with the active sites of crucial proteins such as EGFR, CDK2, ERalfa, BAX1, BCL2, and P53. These interactions involved a diverse range of chemical bonding types, suggesting the potential of these substances to inhibit enzyme activities. Moreover, computational ADMET analyses of these compounds demonstrated compliance with Lipinski's criteria, indicating favorable physicochemical properties. Additionally, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations revealed stable complexes of AUPF01 with EGFR, CDK2, ERalfa, BAX1, BCL2, and P53, as evidenced by (RMSD) values, RMSF values, and (SASA) values for the respective complexes.

Pyridazinone-based derivatives as anticancer agents endowed with anti-microbial activity: molecular design, synthesis, and biological investigation

Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy are highly susceptible to infections owing to their compromised immune system, which also promotes cancer progression through inflammation. Thus, this study aimed to develop novel chemotherapeutic agents with both anticancer and antimicrobial properties. A series of diarylurea derivatives based on pyridazinone scaffolds were designed, synthesized, and characterized as surrogates for sorafenib. The synthesized compounds were tested for their antimicrobial activity and screened against 60 cancer cell lines at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Compound 10h exhibited potent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (MIC = 16 μg mL-1), whereas compound 8g showed significant antifungal activity against Candida albicans (MIC = 16 μg mL-1). Additionally, ten compounds were further evaluated for VEGFR-2 inhibition, with compound 17a showing the best inhibitory activity. Compounds 8f, 10l, and 17a demonstrated significant anticancer activity against melanoma, NSCLC, prostate cancer, and colon cancer, with growth inhibition percentages (GI%) ranging from 62.21% to 100.14%. Compounds 10l and 17a were selected for five-dose screening, displaying GI50 values of 1.66-100 μM. Compound 10l induced G0-G1 phase cell cycle arrest in the A549/ATCC cell line, increasing the cell population from 85.41% to 90.86%. Gene expression analysis showed that compound 10l upregulated pro-apoptotic genes p53 and Bax and downregulated the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-2. Molecular docking studies provided insights into the binding modes of the compounds to the VEGFR-2 enzyme. In conclusion, the pyridazinone-based diarylurea derivatives developed in this study show promise as dual-function antimicrobial and anticancer agents, warranting further investigation.

The increased chromosomal DNA damage in patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever

Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is an inherited autoinflammatory disease. In this study, we aimed to assess chromosomal DNA damage and cell proliferation by using cytokinesis-block micronucleus cytome (CBMN-cyt) assay in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of untreated FMF patients carrying M694V and R202Q mutations, which are the most common MEFV gene mutations in Turkish society. The study included 20 untreated FMF patients with M694V and R202Q mutations and 20 healthy individuals of similar age and sex as the control group. Micronucleus (MN), nucleoplasmic bridges (NPBs), and nuclear buds (NBUDs) were scored in the obtained bi-nucleated (BN) cells. Additionally, the nuclear division index (NDI) was calculated using the scores of mononuclear, binuclear, and multinuclear cells. We found that MN and NPBs frequencies in FMF patients were significantly higher than in controls, and number of metaphases was significantly lower (respectively, p < 0.05, p < 0.01, and p < 0.01). However, there was no significant difference in NBUDs frequencies and NDI values between FMF patients and controls (p > 0.05). Our study is the first to evaluate FMF patients' lymphocytes using the CBMN-cyt assay, as no previous research has been found in this respect. Increased MN and NPB frequencies may be useful as biomarkers for chromosomal DNA damage, and may indicate a potential for elevated cancer risk in untreated FMF patients.

Evaluation of Fasting and Probiotics in Reducing Postweaning Stress in Rabbits: Study of their Effects on Biochemical and Gene expression Patterns

Postweaning stress in mammalian in vivo models leads to significant oxidative stress in the body as well as inducing hormonal disturbance. In this study, we assessed progressive alterations in reactive oxygen species (ROS), which at high levels can show oxidative stress, in addition to oxidative damage to the DNA structure of rabbits. Different groups of rabbits were fasted for 48 h per week for 3 weeks, fed a commercial diet with probiotics added (200 mg of Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus subtilis), and fasted while being treated with probiotics. The results showed that weaning induced a significant elevation in oxidative stress markers, such as the ROS-related genes malate dehydrogenase 1 (MDH1) and flavin-containing monooxygenase 2 (FMO2), DNA damage, and hormonal disturbance. However, probiotic treatment resulted in significant decreases in the levels of malondialdehyde, cortisol, and triiodothyronine (T3); DNA damage; and apoptosis, as well as changes in the expression of ROS-related genes. On the other hand, supplementation with probiotics reduced these postweaning stress signs in fasted animal models by elevating the genes encoding catalase and superoxide dismutase as well as increasing glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione-s-transferase, alkaline phosphatase, glucose, and thyroxin (T4) levels. The results suggest that supplementation with probiotics accompanied by a fasting program could decrease oxidative stress, ROS genes, and genomic DNA damage and improve the hormonal status that is induced by postweaning stress in mammalian in vivo models.