AKBA inhibits radiotherapy resistance in lung cancer by inhibiting maspin methylation and regulating the AKT/FOXO1/p21 axis

Unveiling Novel Targets in Lung Tumors for Enhanced Radiotherapy Efficacy: A Comprehensive Review

Radiotherapy is a cornerstone of lung cancer management, though its efficacy is frequently undermined by intrinsic and acquired radioresistance. This review examines the complexity of lung tumors, highlighting their potential as a reservoir of novel targets for radiosensitization. Ionizing radiation (IR) primarily exerts its effects through oxidative damage and DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Lung cancer cells, however, develop mutations that enhance DNA damage response (DDR) and suppress cell death pathways. Additionally, interactions between tumor cells and tumor microenvironment (TME) components-including immune cells, stromal cells, and molecular mediators such as cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors-contribute to resistance against IR. Understanding these intricate relationships reveals potential targets to improve radiotherapy outcomes. Promising targets include DDR pathways, immunosuppressive cells and molecules, hypoxia, proangiogenic mediators, and other key signaling pathways. This review discusses emerging strategies, such as combining radiotherapy with immunomodulators, hypoxia and proangiogenic inhibitors, DDR-targeting agents, and other innovative approaches. By offering a comprehensive analysis of the lung TME, this review underscores opportunities to enhance radiotherapy effectiveness through targeted radiosensitization strategies.

The journey of boswellic acids from synthesis to pharmacological activities

There has been a lot of interest in using naturally occurring substances to treat a wide variety of chronic disorders in recent years. From the gum resin of Boswellia serrata and Boswellia carteri, the pentacyclic triterpene molecules known as boswellic acid (BA) are extracted. We aimed to provide a detailed overview of the origins, chemistry, synthetic derivatives, pharmacokinetic, and biological activity of numerous Boswellia species and their derivatives. The literature searched for reports of B. serrata and isolated BAs having anti-cancer, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, hypolipidemic, immunomodulatory, anti-diabetic, hepatoprotective, anti-asthmatic, and clastogenic activities. Our results revealed that the cytotoxic and anticancer effects of B. serrata refer to its triterpenoid component, including BAs. Three-O-acetyl-11-keto-BA was the most promising cytotoxic molecule among tested substances. Activation of caspases, upregulation of Bax expression, downregulation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB), and stimulation of poly (ADP)-ribose polymerase (PARP) cleavage are the primary mechanisms responsible for cytotoxic and antitumor effects. Evidence suggests that BAs have shown promise in combating a wide range of debilitating disease conditions, including cancer, hepatic, inflammatory, and neurological disorders.

dbCRAF: a curated knowledgebase for regulation of radiation response in human cancer

Radiation therapy (RT) is one of the primary treatment modalities of cancer, with 40-60% of cancer patients benefiting from RT during their treatment course. The intrinsic radiosensitivity or acquired radioresistance of tumor cells would affect the response to RT and clinical outcomes in patients. Thus, mining the regulatory mechanisms in tumor radiosensitivity or radioresistance that have been verified by biological experiments and computational analysis methods will enhance the overall understanding of RT. Here, we describe a comprehensive database dbCRAF (http://dbCRAF.xialab.info/) to document and annotate the factors (1,677 genes, 49 proteins and 612 radiosensitizers) linked with radiation response, including radiosensitivity, radioresistance in cancer cells and prognosis in cancer patients receiving RT. On the one hand, dbCRAF enables researchers to directly access knowledge for regulation of radiation response in human cancer buried in the vast literature. On the other hand, dbCRAF provides four flexible modules to analyze and visualize the functional relationship between these factors and clinical outcome, KEGG pathway and target genes. In conclusion, dbCRAF serves as a valuable resource for elucidating the regulatory mechanisms of radiation response in human cancers as well as for the improvement of RT options.

FOXO1, a tiny protein with intricate interactions: Promising therapeutic candidate in lung cancer

Nowadays, lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths in both men and women globally. Despite the development of extremely efficient targeted agents, lung cancer progression and drug resistance remain serious clinical issues. Increasing knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying progression and drug resistance will enable the development of novel therapeutic methods. It has been revealed that transcription factors (TF) dysregulation, which results in considerable expression modifications of genes, is a generally prevalent phenomenon regarding human malignancies. The forkhead box O1 (FOXO1), a member of the forkhead transcription factor family with crucial roles in cell fate decisions, is suggested to play a pivotal role as a tumor suppressor in a variety of malignancies, especially in lung cancer. FOXO1 is involved in diverse cellular processes and also has clinical significance consisting of cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, DNA repair, oxidative stress, cancer prevention, treatment, and chemo/radioresistance. Based on the critical role of FOXO1, this transcription factor appears to be an appropriate target for future drug discovery in lung cancers. This review focused on the signaling pathways, and molecular mechanisms involved in FOXO1 regulation in lung cancer. We also discuss pharmacological compounds that are currently being administered for lung cancer treatment by affecting FOXO1 and also point out the essential role of FOXO1 in drug resistance. Future preclinical research should assess combination drug strategies to stimulate FOXO1 and its upstream regulators as potential strategies to treat resistant or advanced lung cancers.