Chitopentaose inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma by inducing mitochondrial mediated apoptosis and suppressing protective autophagy

Therapeutic Effects of Crocin Nanoparticles Alone or in Combination with Doxorubicin against Hepatocellular Carcinoma In vitro

OBJECTIVE

Crocin (CRO), the primary antioxidant in saffron, is known for its anticancer properties. However, its effectiveness in topical therapy is limited due to low bioavailability, poor absorption, and low physicochemical stability. This study aimed to prepare crocin nanoparticles (CRO-NPs) to enhance their pharmaceutical efficacy and evaluate the synergistic effects of Cro-NPs with doxorubicin (DOX) chemotherapy on two cell lines: human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2) and non-cancerous cells (WI38).

METHODS

CRO-NPs were prepared using the emulsion diffusion technique and characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Zeta potential, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Cell proliferation inhibition was assessed using the MTT assay for DOX, CRO, CRO-NPs, and DOX+CRO-NPs. Apoptosis and cell cycle were evaluated by flow cytometry, and changes in the expression of apoptotic gene (P53) and autophagic genes (ATG5 & LC3) were analyzed using real-time polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS

TEM and SEM revealed that CRO-NPs exhibited a relatively spherical shape with an average size of 9.3 nm, and zeta potential analysis indicated better stability of CRO-NPs compared to native CRO. Significantly higher antitumor effects of CRO-NPs were observed against HepG2 cells (IC50 = 1.1 mg/ml and 0.57 mg/ml) compared to native CRO (IC50 = 6.1 mg/ml and 3.2 mg/ml) after 24 and 48 hours, respectively. Annexin-V assay on HepG2 cells indicated increased apoptotic rates across all treatments, with the highest percentage observed in CRO-NPs, accompanied by cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase. Furthermore, gene expression analysis showed upregulation of P53, ATG5, and LC3 genes in DOX/CRO-NPs co-treatment compared to individual treatments. In contrast, WI38 cells exhibited greater sensitivity to DOX toxicity but showed no adverse response to CRONPs.

CONCLUSION

Although more in vivo studies in animal models are required to corroborate these results, our findings suggest that CRO-NPs can be a potential new anticancer agent for hepatocellular carcinoma. Moreover, they have a synergistic effect with DOX against HepG2 cells and mitigate the toxicity of DOX on normal WI38 cells.

Interconnection of CD133 Stem Cell Marker with Autophagy and Apoptosis in Colorectal Cancer

CD133 protein expression is observable in differentiated cells, stem cells, and progenitor cells within normal tissues, as well as in tumor tissues, including colorectal cancer cells. The CD133 protein is the predominant cell surface marker utilized to detect cancer cells exhibiting stem cell-like characteristics. CD133 alters common abnormal processes in colorectal cancer, such as the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) and Wnt/β-catenin pathways. Autophagy is a cellular self-digestion mechanism that preserves the intracellular milieu and plays a dual regulatory role in cancer. In cancer cells, apoptosis is a critical cell death mechanism that can impede cancer progression. CD133 can modulate autophagy and apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells via several signaling pathways; hence, it is involved in the regulation of these intricate processes. This can be an explanation for why CD133 expression is associated with enhanced cellular self-renewal, migration, invasion, and survival under stress conditions in colorectal cancer. The purpose of this review article is to explain the complex relationship between the CD133 protein, apoptosis, and autophagy. We also want to highlight the possible ways that CD133-mediated autophagy may affect the apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells. Targeting the aforementioned mechanisms may have a significant therapeutic role in eliminating CD133-positive stem cell-phenotype colorectal cancer cells, which can be responsible for tumor recurrence.

Extracellular vesicles of cannabis with high CBD content induce anticancer signaling in human hepatocellular carcinoma

Plant-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been the topic of interest in recent years due to their proven therapeutic properties. Intact or manipulated plant EVs have shown antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancerous activities as a result of containing bioactive metabolites and other endogenous molecules. Less is known about the EV efficacy with high levels of bioactive secondary metabolites derived from medicinal or non-edible plants. Numerous data suggest the functionality of Cannabis sativa extract and its phytocannabinoids in cancer treatment. Here, two chemotypes of cannabis with different levels of D-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) were selected. EVs were isolated from each chemotype via differential ultracentrifugation. HPLC analysis was illustrative of the absence of THC in EVs derived from both plants. Therefore, two types of EVs were classified according to their CBD content into high- (H.C-EVs) and low-CBD EVs (L.C-EVs). Electron microscopy and DLS showed both cannabis-derived EVs (CDEVs) can be considered as exosome-like nanovesicles. Cytotoxicity assay showed that H.C-EVs strongly decreased the viability of two hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines, HepG2 and Huh-7, in a dose and time-dependent manner compared with L.C-EVs. H.C-EVs had no significant effect on HUVECs normal cell growth. The finding showed that the H.C-EVs arrested the G0/G1 phase in the cell cycle and significantly induced cell death by activating mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis signaling pathways in both HCC cell lines. Altogether, the current study highlights that CDEVs can be an ideal natural vehicle for bioactive phytocannabinoids and a promising strategy in cancer management.