Evaluation of arsenic species in leukocytes and granulocytes of acute promyelocytic leukemia patients treated with arsenic trioxide

Open a new epoch of arsenic trioxide investigation: ATOdb

Arsenic trioxide (ATO) is a great discovery in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), which has been used in an increasing number of malignant diseases. Systematic integrative analysis will help to precisely understand the mechanism of ATO and find new combined drugs. Therefore, we developed a one-stop comprehensive database of ATO named ATOdb by manually compiling a wealth of experimentally supported ATO-related data from 3479 articles, and integrated analysis tools. The current version of ATOdb contains 8373 associations among 2300 ATO targets, 80 conditions and 262 combined drugs. Each entry in ATOdb contains detailed information on ATO targets, therapeutic/side effects, systems, cell names, cell types, regulations, detection methods, brief descriptions, references, etc. Furthermore, ATOdb also provides data visualization and analysis results such as the drug similarities, protein-protein interactions, and miRNA-mRNA relationships. An easy-to-use web interface was deployed in ATOdb for users to easily browse, search and download the data. In conclusion, ATOdb will serve as a valuable resource for in-depth study of the mechanism of ATO, discovery of new drug combination strategies, promotion of rational drug use and individualized treatments. ATOdb is freely available at http://bio-bigdata.hrbmu.edu.cn/ATOdb/index.jsp.

Arsenic Trioxide Therapy During Pregnancy: ATO and Its Metabolites in Maternal Blood and Amniotic Fluid of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia Patients

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is extremely fatal if treatment is delayed. Management of APL in pregnancy is a challenging situation. Arsenic trioxide (ATO) is successfully applied to treat APL. ATO can be transformed into different arsenic species [arsenite (As^III), monomethylated arsenic (MMA, consists of MMA^III and MMA^V), dimethylated arsenic (DMA, consists of DMA^III and DMA^V), and arsenate (As^V)], which produce different toxic effects. Investigating the maternal and fetal exposure to arsenic species is critical in terms of assessing maternal and fetal outcomes, choice of optimal treatment, and making decisions for attempting to preserve the obstetrical and fetal wellbeing. In this study, maternal blood and amniotic fluid (AF) from APL patients treated with ATO in pregnancy and blood samples of non-pregnant patients were collected. Concentrations of inorganic arsenic (iAs, iAs = As^III+As^V), MMA, and DMA were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography–hydride generation–atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HPLC–HG–AFS). The difference in arsenic species of plasma between pregnant patients and non-pregnant patients, distribution of arsenic compounds in AF and maternal plasma, and arsenic penetration into AF were explored. The outcomes of pregnant women treated with ATO and their fetus were analyzed. No significant differences in arsenic concentration, percentage, and methylation index [PMI: primary methylation index (MMA/iAs); SMI: secondary methylation index (DMA/MMA)] between pregnant women and non-pregnant women (p > 0.05) were observed. The mean ratios of AF to maternal plasma were as follows: iAs, 2.09; DMA, 1.04; MMA, 0.49; and tAs, 0.98. Abortion rate is higher with the diagnosis at an earlier gestational age, with 0%, 67%, and 100% of pregnancies ending in abortion during the third, second, and first trimester, respectively. The age of the pregnant women, the dose of ATO, and the duration of fetal exposure in utero had no influence on fetal outcomes. All APL women achieved complete remission (CR). Collectively, ATO and its metabolites can easily cross the placenta. Levels and distribution of arsenic species in maternal plasma and AF gave evidence that arsenic species had a different ability to penetrate the placenta into AF (iAs > DMA > MMA) and indicated a relatively high fetal exposure to ATO and its metabolites in utero. Gestational age at diagnosis was more likely to be closely related to fetal outcomes, but had no effects on mother outcomes.

Protective Effects of 6-Gingerol on Cardiotoxicity Induced by Arsenic Trioxide Through AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α Signaling Pathway

Background and Objective: Arsenic trioxide (As₂O₃) induced cardiotoxicity to limit the clinical applications of the effective anticancer agent. 6-Gingerol (6G) is the main active ingredient of ginger, a food with many health benefits. The present study aims to investigate the potential pharmacological mechanisms of 6G on As₂O₃-induced myocardial injury.

Methods and Results: Fifty KunMing mice were divided into five groups (n = 10) receiving: 1) physiological saline; 2) 6G (20 mg/kg) alone; 3) As₂O₃ (5 mg/kg); 4) 6G (10 mg/kg) and As₂O₃ (5 mg/kg); 5) 6G (20 mg/kg) and As₂O₃ (5 mg/kg). 6G was given orally and As₂O₃ was given intraperitoneally once per day for seven consecutive days. Biochemical, histopathological, transmission electron microscopy, ELISA, and western blotting analyses were then performed. Based on the resultant data, As₂O₃ was found to induce cardiotoxicity in mice. 6G significantly ameliorated As₂O₃-induced heart injury, histopathological changes, oxidative stress, myocardial mitochondrial damage, inflammation, and cardiomyocyte apoptosis, while reversed As₂O₃-induced inhibition of the AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α pathway.

Conclusion: Our experimental results reveal that 6G effectively counteracts As₂O₃-induced cardiotoxicity including oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis, which might be attributed to its activation action on AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α signaling pathway.

Selenium alleviates toxicity in Amaranthus hypochondriacus by modulating the synthesis of thiol compounds and the subcellular distribution of cadmium

As a beneficial element, Selenium (Se) reduces toxic cadmium (Cd) absorption in many crops, but the effects of Se on Cd hyperaccumulator plants are unclear. This study examined the effects of Se on Amaranthus hypochondriacus (K472). The results showed that Se increased antioxidant enzyme activities, reduced Cd concentrations and toxicity, restored cell viability, and enhanced photosynthesis; these effects increased the biomass of roots, stems, and leaves by 59.87%, 53.85%, 44.19%, respectively, and these values exceeded the biomass of roots and stems in untreated control plants by 56.69% and 15.37%, respectively. Moreover, Se promoted PC synthesis, stably chelated Cd in the form of PC3 and PC4 and transported PC-Cd to vacuoles. Furthermore, Se protected organelles and reduced Cd migration by increasing Cd levels in cell walls and vacuoles. Interestingly, although the Cd content in K472 was decreased, Se maintained the total extracted Cd concentrations and its remediation efficiency by improving biomass and increased tolerance to Cd by approximately 5 times. The experimental results provide novel insights and methods for mitigating toxicity, promoting growth, and broadening the engineering application scope of K472; these results also provide a theoretical basis for further application of Se in soil with high Cd concentrations.