Effects of dihydroartemisinin on HSP70 expression in human prostate cancer PC-3 cells

Dihydroartemisinin suppresses the tumorigenesis of esophageal carcinoma by elevating DAB2IP expression in a NFIC-dependent manner

Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) has been identified to have the anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities. Disabled homolog 2 interacting protein (DAB2IP) is a well-recognized tumor suppressor. Both DHA and DAB2IP were proven to have suppressing effects on esophageal carcinoma (ESCA) tumorigenesis. However, whether DHA regulated ESCA cells via DAB2IP and its mechanism are still vague. Functional analyses were conducted using MTT, tube formation, sphere formation, and transwell assays in vitro as well as Tumor formation experiments in mice. Levels of genes and proteins were assayed by qRT-PCR and western blotting analyses. The interaction between DAB2IP and Nuclear Factor I C (NFIC) was confirmed using bioinformatics analysis and dual-luciferase reporter assay. DHA treatment suppressed ESCA cell angiogenesis, stemmess, migration, and invasion. DAB2IP level was decreased in ESCA tissues and cells, and DHA elevated DAB2IP expression in ESCA cells. Functionally, DAB2IP overexpression impaired ESCA cell angiogenesis, stemmess, migration and invasion. Mechanistically, NFIC had binding sites on the promoter region and directly targeted DAB2IP. DHA could up-regulate DAB2IP expression via NFIC. Moreover, NFIC was also decreased in ESCA tissues and cells, and its overexpression had anticancer activity in ESCA cells. In addition, DAB2IP knockdown reversed the anticancer effects of NFIC or DHA on ESCA cells. In further in vivo analysis, DHA also suppressed ESCA growth by regulating DAB2IP expression. DHA suppressed the tumorigenesis of ESCA by elevating DAB2IP expression in an NFIC-dependent manner, suggesting the potential clinical application of DHA in ESCA treatment.

PI3K/Akt signaling in urological cancers: Tumorigenesis function, therapeutic potential, and therapy response regulation

In addition to environmental conditions, lifestyle factors, and chemical exposure, aberrant gene expression and mutations involve in the beginning and development of urological tumors. Even in Western nations, urological malignancies are among the top causes of patient death, and their prevalence appears to be gender dependent. The prognosis for individuals with urological malignancies remains dismal and unfavorable due to the ineffectiveness of conventional treatment methods. PI3K/Akt is a popular biochemical mechanism that is activated in tumor cells as a result of PTEN loss. PI3K/Akt escalates growth and metastasis. Moreover, due to the increase in tumor cell viability caused by PI3K/Akt activation, cancer cells may acquire resistance to treatment. This review article examines the function of PI3K/Akt in major urological tumors including bladder, prostate, and renal tumors. In prostate, bladder, and kidney tumors, the level of PI3K and Akt are notably elevated. In addition, the activation of PI3K/Akt enhances the levels of Bcl-2 and XIAP, hence increasing the tumor cell survival rate. PI3K/Akt ] upregulates EMT pathways and matrix metalloproteinase expression to increase urological cancer metastasis. Furthermore, stimulation of PI3K/Akt results in drug- and radio-resistant cancers, but its suppression by anti-tumor drugs impedes the tumorigenesis.

The potential biological effects of quercetin based on pharmacokinetics and multi-targeted mechanism in vivo

Quercetin is a plant-derived polyphenol flavonoid that has been proven to be effective for many diseases. However, the mechanism and in vivo metabolism of quercetin remains to be clarified. It achieves a wide range of biological effects through various metabolites, gut microbiota and its metabolites, systemic mediators produced by inflammation and oxidation, as well as by multiple mechanisms. The all-round disease treatment of quercetin is achieved through the organic combination of multiple channels. Therefore, this article clarifies the metabolic process of quercetin in the body, and explores the new pattern of action of quercetin in the treatment of diseases.

Dihydroartemisinin Promoted Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cell Homing and Suppressed Inflammation and Oxidative Stress against Prostate Injury in Chronic Bacterial Prostatitis Mice Model

Although bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) are effective in treating chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBP), the homing of BMMSCs seems to require ultrasound induction. Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) is an important derivative of artemisinin (ART) and has been previously reported to alleviate inflammation and autoimmune diseases. But the effect of DHA on chronic prostatitis (CP) is still unclear. This study aims to clarify the efficacy and mechanism of DHA in the treatment of CBP and its effect on the accumulation of BMMSCs. The experimental CBP was produced in C57BL/6 male mice via intraurethrally administered E. coli solution. Results showed that DHA treatment concentration-dependently promoted the accumulation of BMMSCs in prostate tissue of CBP mice. In addition, DHA and BMMSCs cotreatment significantly alleviated inflammation and improved prostate damage by decreasing the expression of proinflammatory factors such as TNF-α, IL-1β, and chemokines CXCL2, CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 in prostate tissue of CBP mice. Moreover, DHA and BMMSCs cotreatment displayed antioxidation property by increasing the production of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), SOD, and decreasing malondialdehyde (MDA) expression. Mechanically, DHA and BMMSCs cotreatment significantly inhibited the expression of TGFβ-RI, TGFβ-RII, phosphor (p)-Smad2/3, and Smad4 in a dose-dependent manner while stimulated Smad7 expression in the same manner. In conclusion, our findings provided evidence that DHA effectively eliminated inflammatory and oxidative stress against prostate injury, and this effect involved the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway in CBP.

Dihydroartemisinin: A Potential Drug for the Treatment of Malignancies and Inflammatory Diseases

Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) has been globally recognized for its efficacy and safety in the clinical treatment of malaria for decades. Recently, it has been found that DHA inhibits malignant tumor growth and regulates immune system function in addition to anti-malaria. In parasites and tumors, DHA causes severe oxidative stress by inducing excessive reactive oxygen species production. DHA also kills tumor cells by inducing programmed cell death, blocking cell cycle and enhancing anti-tumor immunity. In addition, DHA inhibits inflammation by reducing the inflammatory cells infiltration and suppressing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Further, genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and network pharmacology of DHA therapy provide the basis for elucidating the pharmacological effects of DHA. This review provides a summary of the recent research progress of DHA in anti-tumor, inhibition of inflammatory diseases and the relevant pharmacological mechanisms. With further research of DHA, it is likely that DHA will become an alternative therapy in the clinical treatment of malignant tumors and inflammatory diseases.

The role of heat shock proteins in neoplastic processes and the research on their importance in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are chaperones with highly conservative primary structure, necessary in the processes of protein folding to the most energetically advantageous conformation and maintaining their stability. HSPs perform a number of important functions in various cellular processes and are capable of modulating pathophysiological conditions at the cellular and systemic levels. An example is the high level of HSP expression in neoplastic tissues, which disrupts the apoptosis of transformed cells and promotes the processes of proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. In addition, an increasing amount of information is appearing about the participation of HSPs in the formation of multidrug resistance.This paper provides a review of the current state of research on the fundamental importance as well as the diagnostic and prognostic role of various classes of HSP in cancer treatment. It presents the prospects for using HSPs as biological markers of disease progression and targets in various cancer treatment strategies. However, the need for additional research is quite high. Only numerous joint efforts of research groups will allow the effective use of HSPs as a tool to combat cancer.

Dihydroartemisinin: A Potential Natural Anticancer Drug

Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) is an active metabolite of artemisinin and its derivatives (ARTs), and it is an effective clinical drug widely used to treat malaria. Recently, the anticancer activity of DHA has attracted increasing attention. Nevertheless, there is no systematic summary on the anticancer effects of DHA. Notably, studies have shown that DHA exerts anticancer effects through various molecular mechanisms, such as inhibiting proliferation, inducing apoptosis, inhibiting tumor metastasis and angiogenesis, promoting immune function, inducing autophagy and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. In this review, we comprehensively summarized the latest progress regarding the anticancer activities of DHA in cancer. Importantly, the underlying anticancer molecular mechanisms and pharmacological effects of DHA in vitro and in vivo are the focus of our attention. Interestingly, new methods to improve the solubility and bioavailability of DHA are discussed, which greatly enhance its anticancer efficacy. Remarkably, DHA has synergistic anti-tumor effects with a variety of clinical drugs, and preclinical and clinical studies provide stronger evidence of its anticancer potential. Moreover, this article also gives suggestions for further research on the anticancer effects of DHA. Thus, we hope to provide a strong theoretical support for DHA as an anticancer drug.

Dihydroartemisinin as a potential drug candidate for cancer therapy: a structural-based virtual screening for multitarget profiling

Cancer is a rapidly growing non-communicable disease worldwide that is responsible for high mortality rates, which account for 9.6 million death in 2018. Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) is an active metabolite of artemisinin, an active principle present in the Chinese medicinal plant Artemisia annua used for malaria treatment. Dihydroartemisinin possesses remarkable and selective anticancer properties however the underlying mechanism of the antitumor effects of DHA from the structural point of view is still not yet elucidated. In the present study, we employed molecular docking simulation techniques using Autodock suits to access the binding properties of dihydroartemisinin to multiple protein targets implicated in cancer pathogenesis. Its potential targets with comprehensive pharmacophore were predicted using a PharmMapper database. The co-crystallised structures of the protein were obtained from a Protein Data Bank and prepared for molecular docking simulation. Out of the 24 selected protein targets, DHA has shown about 29% excellent binding to the targets compared to their co-crystallised ligand. Additionally, 75% of the targets identified for dihydroartemisinin binding are protein kinases, and 25% are non-protein kinases. Hydroxyl functional group of dihydroartemisinin contributed to 58.5% of the total hydrogen interactions, while pyran (12.2%), endoperoxide (9.8%), and oxepane (19.5%) contributed to the remaining hydrogen bonding. The present findings have elucidated the possible antitumor properties of dihydroartemisinin through the structural-based virtual studies, which provides a lead to a safe and effective anticancer agent useful for cancer therapy.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.