Anti-oncogenic effects of dutasteride, a dual 5-alpha reductase inhibitor and a drug for benign prostate hyperplasia, in bladder cancer

The Long-Term Impact of 5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors on the Development of Bladder Cancer and the Need for Radical Cystectomy: A Nationwide Observational Study

PURPOSE

To investigate the long-term effects of taking 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5ARIs) on the development of bladder cancer (BC) and the implementation of radical cystectomy (RC), a standard procedure for advanced BC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

From the National Health Insurance Sharing Service database, males aged over 40 years who underwent serum prostate-specific antigen testing from 2006 through 2017 were identified, which is required for the prescription of 5ARIs. The association between the administration duration of 5ARIs and the practice for BC was analyzed.

RESULTS

Of the 3,843,968 subjects, 1,514,713 (39.4%) took 5ARIs for an average of 1.53 years, remaining 2,329,255 (60.6%) as non-5ARI counterparts. The incidence of BC was higher in the non-5ARI than in the 5ARI group (1.25% vs. 0.87%, p<0.001), as was the implementation rate of RC (11.1% vs. 10.4%, p=0.037). In a multivariate analysis, the non-5ARI group had a significant risk of BC (hazard ratio [HR]=2.289, 95% confidence interval [CI]=2.241-2.338) and RC (HR=2.199, 95% CI=2.061-2.348) than the 5ARI group. Among the 5ARIs group, though the incidence of BC was maintained (slope=-0.002 per year, p=0.79) after an initial increase for two years, the rate of RC decreased (slope=-1.1, p<0.001) consistently for ten years during the administration.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared to the untreated group, 5ARIs use was associated with lower rates of BC and RC. In contrast to the increase in BC seen with short-term use of less than two years, long-term use of 5ARIs decreased the rate of RC in a duration-dependent manner for ten years, suggesting a strategy to prevent disease progression.

Cellular zinc metabolism and zinc signaling: from biological functions to diseases and therapeutic targets

Zinc metabolism at the cellular level is critical for many biological processes in the body. A key observation is the disruption of cellular homeostasis, often coinciding with disease progression. As an essential factor in maintaining cellular equilibrium, cellular zinc has been increasingly spotlighted in the context of disease development. Extensive research suggests zinc's involvement in promoting malignancy and invasion in cancer cells, despite its low tissue concentration. This has led to a growing body of literature investigating zinc's cellular metabolism, particularly the functions of zinc transporters and storage mechanisms during cancer progression. Zinc transportation is under the control of two major transporter families: SLC30 (ZnT) for the excretion of zinc and SLC39 (ZIP) for the zinc intake. Additionally, the storage of this essential element is predominantly mediated by metallothioneins (MTs). This review consolidates knowledge on the critical functions of cellular zinc signaling and underscores potential molecular pathways linking zinc metabolism to disease progression, with a special focus on cancer. We also compile a summary of clinical trials involving zinc ions. Given the main localization of zinc transporters at the cell membrane, the potential for targeted therapies, including small molecules and monoclonal antibodies, offers promising avenues for future exploration.

Icariin as a potential anticancer agent: a review of its biological effects on various cancers

Numerous chemical compounds used in cancer treatment have been isolated from natural herbs to address the ever-increasing cancer incidence worldwide. Therein is icariin, which has been extensively studied for its therapeutic potential due to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidepressant, and aphrodisiac properties. However, there is a lack of comprehensive and detailed review of studies on icariin in cancer treatment. Given this, this study reviews and examines the relevant literature on the chemopreventive and therapeutic potentials of icariin in cancer treatment and describes its mechanism of action. The review shows that icariin has the property of inhibiting cancer progression and reversing drug resistance. Therefore, icariin may be a valuable potential agent for the prevention and treatment of various cancers due to its natural origin, safety, and low cost compared to conventional anticancer drugs, while further research on this natural agent is needed.

SOX9 Expression Is Increased in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and Is Associated With Disease Progression and APOE4 Genotype: A Computational Approach

INTRODUCTION

 Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by depositions of amyloid-β protein leading to neuronal loss. Despite our understanding of the disease several gaps remain, including the role of astrocytes and astrocytic genes in the disease development and progression. Recently, some reports have suggested that SOX9 transcription factor (TF), an important mediator of astrocyte differentiation and maturation, might be linked to AD. Using human AD publicly available dataset, we aimed to analyze SOX9 expression and its relation to disease.

METHODOLOGY

 The AD gene expression data set was obtained from National Center for Bioinformatics-Gene Expression Omnibus (NCBI-GEO). The GSE48350 consisted of mRNA microarray data from 55 normal controls (173 samples) and 26 AD cases (81 samples) obtained, from four brain regions. The SOX9 expression profile and correlations were analyzed using the R2 Genomics Analysis and Visualization platform.

RESULTS

 The SOX9 was significantly upregulated (p<0.001) in AD tissue compared to control cases. The increased expression appeared to be more in the entorhinal cortex (EC) and hippocampus (HC) regions. The SOX9 expression positively correlated with BRAAK stages (p<0.05). Interestingly in AD patients the SOX9 expression was significantly less in APOE3/3 genotypes compared with genotypes containing APOE4 allele. The SOX9 expression negatively correlated with oxidative phosphorylation genes which could suggest a metabolic role for the TF.

CONCLUSION

 From these data we hypothesize that SOX9 acts as a metabolic regulator responding to lipid metabolism disruption associated with APOE4 genotypes. In turn, SOX9 expression could be associated with astrocyte maturation and survival in the disease contributing thus to disease burden and disease progression.