Extracellular Microparticles Encapsulated with Diallyl Trisulfide Interfere with the Inflammatory Tumor Microenvironment and Lung Metastasis of Invasive Melanoma

Clinical value of complete blood count ratio in benign and malignant thyroid diseases

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the clinical value of blood routine derivative biomarkers and thyroid function biomarkers in differentiating different thyroid diseases.

METHODS

The differences of blood routine derived indexes neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), platelet-large cell rate (P-LCR) and thyroid function indexes between benign and malignant thyroid diseases were compared, and the differences of each index between different benign thyroid diseases were further compared. Univariate regression analysis model was used to analyze the clinical value of various indexes. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to calculate the area under the curve (AUC).

RESULTS

There were statistically significant differences in PLR, NLR and P-LCR between patients with benign and malignant thyroid diseases (P < 0.05 for each). The results of univariate logistic regression analysis showed that P < 0.05 for all indicators except LMR, when PLR and NLR value increased by 1, the risk of thyroid malignancy decreased by 1 % and 21 %, when P-LCR value increased by 1, the risk of thyroid malignancy increased by 4 %.

CONCLUSIONS

PLR, NLR and P-LCR are helpful to distinguish different benign thyroid diseases and to diagnose benign and malignant thyroid diseases.

Garlic-derived compounds: Epigenetic modulators and their antitumor effects

Cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease that poses a serious threat to human health worldwide. Despite significant advances in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, the prognosis and survival rate of cancer remain poor due to late diagnosis, drug resistance, and adverse reactions. Therefore, it is very necessary to study the development mechanism of cancer and formulate effective therapeutic interventions. As widely available bioactive substances, natural products have shown obvious anticancer potential, especially by targeting abnormal epigenetic changes. The main active part of garlic is organic sulfur compounds, of which diallyl trisulfide (DATS) content is the highest, accounting for more than 40% of the total composition. The garlic-derived compounds have been recognized as an antioxidant for cancer prevention and treatment. However, the molecular mechanism of the antitumor effect of garlic-derived compounds remains unclear. Recent studies have identified garlic-derived compound DATS that plays critical roles in enhancing CpG demethylation or promoting histone acetylation as an epigenetic inhibitor. Here, we review the therapeutic progress of garlic-derived compounds against cancer through epigenetic pathways.

A Meta-analysis on the Effectiveness of Extracellular Vesicles as Nanosystems for Targeted Delivery of Anticancer Drugs

While the efficacy of anticancer drugs is hampered by low bioavailability and systemic toxicity, the uncertainty remains whether encapsulation of these drugs into natural nanovesicles such as extracellular vesicles (EVs) could improve controlled drug release and efficacy for targeted tumor therapy. Thus, we performed a meta-analysis for studies reporting the efficacy of EVs as nanosystems to deliver drugs and nucleic acid, protein, and virus (NPV) to tumors using the random-effects model. The electronic search of articles was conducted through Cochrane, PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Clinical Trials Registry from inception up till September 2022. The pooled summary estimate and 95% confidence interval of tumor growth inhibition, survival, and tumor targeting were obtained to assess the efficacy. The search yielded a total of 119 studies that met the inclusion criteria having only 1 clinical study. It was observed that the drug-loaded EV was more efficacious than the free drug in reducing tumor volume and weight with the standardized mean difference (SMD) of -1.99 (95% CI: -2.36, -1.63; p < 0.00001) and -2.12 (95% CI: -2.48, -1.77; p < 0.00001). Similarly, the mean estimate of tumor volume and weight for NPV were the following: SMD: -2.30, 95% CI: -3.03, -1.58; p < 0.00001 and SMD: -2.05, 95% CI: -2.79, -1.30; p < 0.00001. Treatment of tumors with EV-loaded anticancer agents also prolonged survival (HR: 0.15, 95% CI: 0.10, 0.22, p < 0.00001). Furthermore, EVs significantly delivered drugs to tumors as revealed by the higher concentration at the tumor site (SMD: -2.73, 95% CI: -3.77, -1.69; p < 0.00001). This meta-analysis revealed that EV-loaded drugs and NPV performed significantly better in tumor growth inhibition with improved survival than the free anticancer agents, suggesting EVs as safe nanoplatforms for targeted tumor therapy.

Formation of pre-metastatic niches induced by tumor extracellular vesicles in lung metastasis

There are a number of malignant tumors that metastasize into the lung as one of their most common sites of dissemination. The successful infiltration of tumor cells into distant organs is the result of the cooperation between tumor cells and distant host cells. When tumor cells have not yet reached distant organs, in situ tumor cells secrete extracellular vesicles (EVs) carrying important biological information. In recent years, scholars have found that tumor cells-derived EVs act as the bridge between orthotopic tumors and secondary metastases by promoting the formation of a pre-metastatic niche (PMN), which plays a key role in awakening dormant circulating tumor cells and promoting tumor cell colonization. This review provides an overview of multiple routes and mechanisms underlying PMN formation induced by EVs and summaries study findings that underline a potential role of EVs in the intervention of lung PMN, both as a target or a carrier for drug design. In this review, the underlying mechanisms of EVs in lung PMN formation are highlighted as well as potential applications to lung metastasis diagnosis and treatment.

Phytochemicals as Immunomodulatory Agents in Melanoma

Cutaneous melanoma is an immunogenic highly heterogenic tumor characterized by poor outcomes when it is diagnosed late. Therefore, immunotherapy in combination with other anti-proliferative approaches is among the most effective weapons to control its growth and metastatic dissemination. Recently, a large amount of published reports indicate the interest of researchers and clinicians about plant secondary metabolites as potentially useful therapeutic tools due to their lower presence of side effects coupled with their high potency and efficacy. Published evidence was reported in most cases through in vitro studies but also, with a growing body of evidence, through in vivo investigations. Our aim was, therefore, to review the published studies focused on the most interesting phytochemicals whose immunomodulatory activities and/or mechanisms of actions were demonstrated and applied to melanoma models.

The Adipocyte-Macrophage Relationship in Cancer: A Potential Target for Antioxidant Therapy

Obesity has emerged as a major public health concern with a staggering 39% worldwide prevalence as of 2021. Given the magnitude of the problem and considering its association with chronic low-grade systemic inflammation, it does not come as a surprise that obesity is now considered one of the major risk factors for the development of several chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular problems, and cancer. Adipose tissue dysfunction in obesity has taken center stage in understanding how changes in its components, particularly adipocytes and macrophages, participate in such processes. In this review, we will initially focus on how changes in adipose tissue upon excess fat accumulation generate endocrine signals that promote cancer development. Moreover, the tumor microenvironment or stroma, which is also critical in cancer development, contains macrophages and adipocytes, which, in reciprocal paracrine communication with cancer cells, generate relevant signals. We will discuss how paracrine signaling in the tumor microenvironment between cancer cells, macrophages, and adipocytes favors cancer development and progression. Finally, as reactive oxygen species participate in many of these signaling pathways, we will summarize the information available on how antioxidants can limit the effects of endocrine and paracrine signaling due to dysfunctional adipose tissue components in obesity.

Diallyl Trisulfide Suppresses the Renal Cancer Stem-like Cell Properties via Nanog

Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs), which play an important role in tumor initiation and progression, have been identified in many cancers. Diallyl trisulfide (DATS) is an organosulfur compound extracted from garlic with anticancer activities. Nanog is a transcription factor responsible for maintaining the stemness of CSCs, but its role in the DATS-induced attenuation of renal CSC properties is unknown. In this study, renal CSCs were enriched from human renal cancer cell lines 786-O and ACHN cultured in a serum-free medium (SFM). The properties of CSCs were analyzed by evaluating the ability of the cells in sphere formation and measuring the expression of stem cell markers. We found that downregulation of Nanog inhibited renal CSC properties. DATS suppressed renal CSC activities by reducing tumorsphere formation, decreasing stem cell markers including Nanog, CD44, ALDH1A1, and Oct4, inhibiting cell proliferation and promoting apoptosis. We further revealed that overexpression of Nanog reversed the suppressive effects of DATS on renal CSCs. Taken together, our results demonstrated that DATS inhibited renal CSCs by suppressing Nanog. These novel findings suggested that, through Nanog targeting, DATS can potentially be used as an anti-tumor agent for renal cancer.