Pristimerin induces apoptosis and tumor inhibition of oral squamous cell carcinoma through activating ROS-dependent ER stress/Noxa pathway

Application of Natural Medicinal Plants Active Ingredients in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignant cancer of the head and neck, with high morbidity and mortality, ranking as the sixth most common cancer in the world. The treatment of OSCC is mainly radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery, however, the prognosis of patients is still poor and the recurrence rate is high. This paper reviews the range of effects of natural medicinal plant active ingredients (NMPAIs) on OSCC cancer, including the types of NMPAIs, anti-cancer mechanisms, involved signaling pathways, and clinical trials. The NMPAIs include terpenoids, phenols, flavonoids, glycosides, alkaloids, coumarins, and volatile oils. These active ingredients inhibit proliferation, induce apoptosis and autophagy, inhibit migration and invasion of OSCC cells, and regulate cancer immunity to exert anti-cancer effects. The mechanism involves signaling pathways such as mitogen-activated protein kinase, phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase/protein kinase B, nuclear factor kappa B, miR-22/WNT1/β-catenin and Nrf2/Keap1. Clinically, NMPAIs can inhibit the growth of OSCC, and the combined drug is more effective. Natural medicinal plants are promising candidates for the treatment of OSCC.

An Acid-Responsive Iron-Based Nanocomposite for OSCC Treatment

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common type of oral cancer, characterized by invasiveness, local lymph node metastasis, and poor prognosis. Traditional treatment and medications have limitations, making the specific inhibition of OSCC growth, invasion, and metastasis a challenge. The tumor microenvironment exhibits mildly acidity and high concentrations of H2O2, and its exploitation for cancer treatment has been widely researched across various cancers, but research in the oral cancer field is relatively limited. In this study, by loading ultra-small Prussian blue nanoparticles (USPBNPs) into mesoporous calcium-silicate nanoparticles (MCSNs), we developed an acid-responsive iron-based nanocomposite, USPBNPs@MCSNs (UPM), for the OSCC treatment. UPM demonstrated excellent dual enzyme activities, generating toxic ·OH in a mildly acidic environment, effectively killing OSCC cells and producing O2 in a neutral environment to alleviate tissue hypoxia. The results showed that UPM could effectively inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion of OSCC cells, as well as the growth of mice solid tumors, without obvious systemic toxicity. The mechanisms may involve UPM inducing ferroptosis of OSCC cells by downregulating the xCT/GPX4/glutathione (GSH) axis, characterized by intracellular iron accumulation, reactive oxygen species accumulation, GSH depletion, lipid peroxidation, and abnormal changes in mitochondrial morphology. Therefore, this study provides empirical support for ferroptosis as an emerging therapeutic target for OSCC and offers a valuable insight for future OSCC treatment.

Combination of ethyl acetate fraction from Calotropis gigantea stem bark and sorafenib induces apoptosis in HepG2 cells

The cytotoxicity of the ethyl acetate fraction of the Calotropis gigantea (L.) Dryand. (C. gigantea) stem bark extract (CGEtOAc) has been demonstrated in many types of cancers. This study examined the improved cancer therapeutic activity of sorafenib when combined with CGEtOAc in HepG2 cells. The cell viability and cell migration assays were applied in HepG2 cells treated with varying concentrations of CGEtOAc, sorafenib, and their combination. Flow cytometry was used to determine apoptosis, which corresponded with a decline in mitochondrial membrane potential and activation of DNA fragmentation. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were assessed in combination with the expression of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/ protein kinase B (Akt)/ mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, which was suggested for association with ROS-induced apoptosis. Combining CGEtOAc at 400 μg/mL with sorafenib at 4 μM, which were their respective half-IC50 concentrations, significantly inhibited HepG2 viability upon 24 h of exposure in comparison with the vehicle and each single treatment. Consequently, CGEtOAc when combined with sorafenib significantly diminished HepG2 migration and induced apoptosis through a mitochondrial-correlation mechanism. ROS production was speculated to be the primary mechanism of stimulating apoptosis in HepG2 cells after exposure to a combination of CGEtOAc and sorafenib, in association with PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway suppression. Our results present valuable knowledge to support the development of anticancer regimens derived from the CGEtOAc with the chemotherapeutic agent sorafenib, both of which were administered at half-IC50, which may minimize the toxic implications of cancer treatments while improving the therapeutic effectiveness toward future medical applications.

New insights into redox-related risk factors and therapeutic targets in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common cancer in the oral cavity accounting for 90 % of oral cancer with a global incidence of 350.000 new cases per year. Curative resection along with adjuvant radiation therapy or a combination of radiotherapy with chemotherapy remain as gold standard in treating OSCC. Still, local recurrence, lymph nodal recurrence, and complications of radiation remain the main cause of tumor-related mortality. Reactive oxygen species are not only correlated to the etiology of OSCC due to oxidative DNA damage, lipid peroxidation or effecting signal transduction cascades that effect cell proliferation and tumorigenesis, but are also of great interest in the therapy of OSCC patients. As induced oxidative stress can be used therapeutically for the induction of tumor cell death, redox targets might be a therapeutic addition to the conventional treatment options. In this review, we discuss markers of impaired redox homeostasis as well as potential redox-related treatment targets in OSCC.

Anticancer genes (NOXA, PAR-4, TRAIL) are de-regulated in breast cancer patients and can be targeted by using a ribosomal inactivating plant protein (riproximin)

BACKGROUND

Anticancer genes are an endogenous defense against transformed cells as they impose antineoplastic effects upon ectopic expression. Profiling the expression of these genes is fundamental for exploring their prognostic and therapeutic relevance in cancers. Natural compounds can upregulate anticancer genes in malignant cells and thus be useful for therapeutic purposes. In this study, we identified the expression levels of anticancer genes in breast cancer clinical isolates. In addition, the purified and sequenced plant protein (riproximin) was evaluated for its potential to induce anticancer genes in two breast cancer cell lines.

METHODOLOGY

Expression profiles of three anticancer genes (NOXA, PAR-4, TRAIL) were identified by immunohistochemistry in 45 breast cancer clinical isolates. Breast cancer cells were exposed to riproximin and expression of the anticancer genes was determined by microarray, real-time PCR and western blot methodologies. Lastly, a bioinformatic approach was adopted to highlight the molecular/functional significance of the anticancer genes.

RESULTS

NOXA expression was evenly de-regulated among the clinical isolates, while PAR-4 was significantly down-regulated in majority of the breast cancer tissues. In contrast, TRAIL expression was increased in most of the clinical samples. Expression levels of the anticancer genes followed a distinct trend in accordance with the disease severity. Riproximin showed a substantial potential of inducing expression of the anticancer genes in breast cancer cells at transcriptomic and protein levels. The bioinformatic approach revealed involvement of anticancer genes in multiple cellular functions and signaling cascades.

CONCLUSION

Anticancer genes were de-regulated and showed discrete expression patterns in breast cancer patient samples. Riproximin effectively induced the expression of selected anticancer genes in breast cancer cells.

Computer especially AI-assisted drug virtual screening and design in traditional Chinese medicine

BACKGROUND

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), as a significant part of the global pharmaceutical science, the abundant molecular compounds it contains is a valuable potential source of designing and screening new drugs. However, due to the un-estimated quantity of the natural molecular compounds and diversity of the related problems drug discovery such as precise screening of molecular compounds or the evaluation of efficacy, physicochemical properties and pharmacokinetics, it is arduous for researchers to design or screen applicable compounds through old methods. With the rapid development of computer technology recently, especially artificial intelligence (AI), its innovation in the field of virtual screening contributes to an increasing efficiency and accuracy in the process of discovering new drugs.

PURPOSE

This study systematically reviewed the application of computational approaches and artificial intelligence in drug virtual filtering and devising of TCM and presented the potential perspective of computer-aided TCM development.

STUDY DESIGN

We made a systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Then screening the most typical articles for our research.

METHODS

The systematic review was performed by following the PRISMA guidelines. The databases PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CNKI were used to search for publications that focused on computer-aided drug virtual screening and design in TCM.

RESULT

Totally, 42 corresponding articles were included in literature reviewing. Aforementioned studies were of great significance to the treatment and cost control of many challenging diseases such as COVID-19, diabetes, Alzheimer's Disease (AD), etc. Computational approaches and AI were widely used in virtual screening in the process of TCM advancing, which include structure-based virtual screening (SBVS) and ligand-based virtual screening (LBVS). Besides, computational technologies were also extensively applied in absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity (ADMET) prediction of candidate drugs and new drug design in crucial course of drug discovery.

CONCLUSIONS

The applications of computer and AI play an important role in the drug virtual screening and design in the field of TCM, with huge application prospects.

The multifaceted mechanisms of pristimerin in the treatment of tumors state-of-the-art

As a globally complicated disease, malignant tumor has long been posing a threat to human health with increasingly high morbidity and mortality. Notably, existing treatments for tumors like chemotherapy generally carry intolerable toxicity, necessitating novel agents balancing safety and potency. Among them, the anti-tumor potency of herbs, featuring few adverse effects and promising efficacy, has attracted much attention recently. Pristimerin, a Quinone formamide triterpenoid compound extracted from Celastraceae and Portulacaceae, carries pronounced anti-tumor activity. It applies to various malignant tumors, including breast cancer, bile duct cancer, gastric cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, glioblastoma, colorectal cancer, oral squamous cell carcinoma, cervical cancer, and lung cancer. In state-of-the-art understanding, pristimerin, alone or combined, can inhibit tumor cell proliferation, induce tumor cell apoptosis, inhibit tumor migration and invasion, inhibit angiogenesis, induce tumor cell autophagy, regulate the occurrence of inflammation related tumors, enhance chemosensitivity and regulate tumor microenvironment and immune cells. Despite the abundance of pristimerin-based research, systematic reviews on its anti-tumor mechanism remain needed. This study presented the anti-tumor mechanism of pristimerin by literature review, which might serve as a reference for further research and clinical practice.