Indomethacin enhances anti-tumor efficacy of a MUC1 peptide vaccine against breast cancer in MUC1 transgenic mice

Advancing Breast Cancer Treatment: The Role of Immunotherapy and Cancer Vaccines in Overcoming Therapeutic Challenges

Breast cancer (BC) remains a significant global health challenge due to its complex biology, which complicates both diagnosis and treatment. Immunotherapy and cancer vaccines have emerged as promising alternatives, harnessing the body's immune system to precisely target and eliminate cancer cells. However, several key factors influence the selection and effectiveness of these therapies, including BC subtype, tumor mutational burden (TMB), tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), PD-L1 expression, HER2 resistance, and the tumor microenvironment (TME). BC subtypes play a critical role in shaping treatment responses. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) exhibits the highest sensitivity to immunotherapy, while HER2-positive and hormone receptor-positive (HR+) subtypes often require combination strategies for optimal outcomes. High TMB enhances immune responses by generating neoantigens, making tumors more susceptible to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs); whereas, low TMB may indicate resistance. Similarly, elevated TIL levels are associated with better immunotherapy efficacy, while PD-L1 expression serves as a key predictor of checkpoint inhibitor success. Meanwhile, HER2 resistance and an immunosuppressive TME contribute to immune evasion, highlighting the need for multi-faceted treatment approaches. Current breast cancer immunotherapies encompass a range of targeted treatments. HER2-directed therapies, such as trastuzumab and pertuzumab, block HER2 dimerization and enhance antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), while small-molecule inhibitors, like lapatinib and tucatinib, suppress HER2 signaling to curb tumor growth. Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) improve tumor targeting by coupling monoclonal antibodies with cytotoxic agents, minimizing off-target effects. Meanwhile, ICIs, including pembrolizumab, restore T-cell function, and CAR-macrophage (CAR-M) therapy leverages macrophages to reshape the TME and overcome immunotherapy resistance. While immunotherapy, particularly in TNBC, has demonstrated promise by eliciting durable immune responses, its efficacy varies across subtypes. Challenges such as immune-related adverse events, resistance mechanisms, high costs, and delayed responses remain barriers to widespread success. Breast cancer vaccines-including protein-based, whole-cell, mRNA, dendritic cell, and epitope-based vaccines-aim to stimulate tumor-specific immunity. Though clinical success has been limited, ongoing research is refining vaccine formulations, integrating combination therapies, and identifying biomarkers for improved patient stratification. Future advancements in BC treatment will depend on optimizing immunotherapy through biomarker-driven approaches, addressing tumor heterogeneity, and developing innovative combination therapies to overcome resistance. By leveraging these strategies, researchers aim to enhance treatment efficacy and ultimately improve patient outcomes.

Dimethyl sulfoxide affects the viability and mineralization activity of apical papilla cells in vitro

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is widely used as an adjuvant in dissolving insoluble compounds in an aqueous medium; however, it can induce significant molecular changes in cells. The possible damages may occur obeying a tissue-specific profile, and the effect on human apical papilla cells (hAPC) remains unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate DMSO effects on the viability and mineralization activity in hAPC cultures in vitro and to establish standards of maximum concentrations for its use in laboratory routines. hAPCs were cultured, plated, and maintained in media containing increasing concentrations of Dimethyl sulfoxide (0.1%, 0.5%, 1%, 5%, and 10%) for 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, and 7 days. At each time point, the cells were subjected to the MTT assay. The Alizarin red S staining assay was performed to evaluate the osteo/odontogenic mineralization potential of hAPC DMSO-exposed (0.1%, 0.5%, and 1%) in the 21-day time-point. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey's post hoc test (p<0.05). In general, the 5% and 10% DMSO concentrations were shown to be cytotoxic for hAPC at all analyzed time points, and the hAPC DMSO-stimulated presented higher osteo/odontogenic mineralization potential. Therefore, the 5% and 10% DMSO concentrations should be avoided, and the mineralization activity assay should be carefully designed in order to avoid biases at in vitro assays using hAPC cultures.

Some Aspects and Convergence of Human and Veterinary Drug Repositioning

Drug innovation traditionally follows a de novo approach with new molecules through a complex preclinical and clinical pathway. In addition to this strategy, drug repositioning has also become an important complementary approach, which can be shorter, cheaper, and less risky. This review provides an overview of drug innovation in both human and veterinary medicine, with a focus on drug repositioning. The evolution of drug repositioning and the effectiveness of this approach are presented, including the growing role of data science and computational modeling methods in identifying drugs with potential for repositioning. Certain business aspects of drug innovation, especially the relevant factors of market exclusivity, are also discussed. Despite the promising potential of drug repositioning for innovation, it remains underutilized, especially in veterinary applications. To change this landscape for mutual benefits of human and veterinary drug innovation, further exploitation of the potency of drug repositioning is necessary through closer cooperation between all stakeholders, academia, industry, pharmaceutical authorities, and innovation policy makers, and the integration of human and veterinary repositioning into a unified innovation space. For this purpose, the establishment of the conceptually new "One Health Drug Repositioning Platform" is proposed. Oncology is one of the disease areas where this platform can significantly support the development of new drugs for human and dog (or other companion animals) anticancer therapies. As an example of the utilization of human and veterinary drugs for veterinary repositioning, the use of COX inhibitors to treat dog cancers is reviewed.

Investigations on anticancer activity of Eu3+ doped hydroxyapatite nanocomposites against MCF7 and 4T1 breast cancer cell lines: A structural and luminescence Perspective

Breast cancer remains a significant global health concern, necessitating the development of novel therapeutic approaches. In this study, we investigate the role of Eu3+ doped hydroxyapatite nanocomposites (Han: Eu3+) in the treatment of MCF7 and 4T1 breast cancer cell lines. Furthermore, we explored the structural and luminescent properties of these nanocomposites. Han: Eu3+ were synthesized using a modified co-precipitation method, and their morphology and crystal structure were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) in which the average crystalline size of Han: Eu3+ was found to be 25 nm, rendering them suitable for cellular uptake and targeted therapy. To gain insights into the luminescent properties of Han: Eu3+, their excitation and emission spectra were recorded using photoluminescence spectrometer. The characteristic red emission of Eu3+ ions was observed upon excitation, validating the successful doping of Eu3+ into the Han lattice, which was confirmed by the CIE chromaticity coordinate study. These luminescent properties of Han: Eu3+ hold promise for potential applications in bioimaging. To evaluate the efficacy of Han: Eu3+ in breast cancer treatment, MCF7 and 4T1 cell lines were exposed to varying concentrations of the nanocomposites. Cell viability assays revealed a concentration-dependent reduction in cell viability, indicating the potential anticancer activity of Han: Eu3+. The findings of this study contribute to the expanding field of nanomedicine, bringing targeted breast cancer treatments and us closer to more effective.

COX 2-inhibitors; a thorough and updated survey into combinational therapies in cancers

Cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes are pivotal in inflammation and cancer development. COX-2, in particular, has been implicated in tumor growth, angiogenesis, and immune evasion. Recently, COX-2 inhibitors have arisen as potential therapeutic agents in cancer treatment. In addition, combining COX inhibitors with other treatment modalities has demonstrated the potential to improve therapeutic efficacy. This review aims to investigate the effects of COX inhibition, both alone and in combination with other methods, on signaling pathways and carcinogenesis in various cancers. In this study, a literature search of all major academic databases was conducted (PubMed, Scholar google), including the leading research on the mechanisms of COX-2, COX-2 inhibitors, monotherapy with COX-2 inhibitors, and combining COX-2-inhibitors with chemotherapeutic agents in tumors. The study encompasses preclinical and clinical evidence, highlighting the positive findings and the potential implications for clinical practice. According to preclinical studies, multiple signaling pathways implicated in tumor cell proliferation, survival, invasion, and metastasis can be suppressed by inhibiting COX. In addition, combining COX inhibitors with chemotherapy drugs, targeted therapies, immunotherapies, and miRNA-based approaches has enhanced anti-tumor activity. These results suggest that combination therapy has the potential to overcome resistance mechanisms and improve treatment outcomes. However, caution must be exercised when selecting and administering combination regimens. Not all combinations of COX-2 inhibitors with other drugs result in synergistic effects; some may even have unfavorable interactions. Therefore, personalized approaches that consider the specific characteristics of the cancer and the medications involved are crucial for optimizing therapeutic strategies. In conclusion, as monotherapy or combined with other methods, COX inhibition bears promise in modulating signaling pathways and inhibiting carcinogenesis in various cancers. Additional studies and well-designed clinical trials are required to completely elucidate the efficacy of COX inhibition and combination therapy in enhancing cancer treatment outcomes. This narrative review study provides a detailed summary of COX-2 monotherapy and combination targeted therapy in cancer treatment.

Mucin1 as a potential molecule for cancer immunotherapy and targeted therapy

Mucin1 is a highly glycosylated type 1 transmembrane mucin that ranks second among 75 tumor-related antigens published by the National Cancer Institute, and has been identified as a possible therapeutic target over the past 30 years. MUC1 plays an important role in malignant transformation and disease evolution, including cell proliferation, survival, self-renewal, and metastatic invasion. MUC1 has been shown to interact with diverse effectors such as β-catenin, receptor tyrosine kinases, and cellular-abelsongene, which are of importance in the pathogenesis of various malignant tumors. Targeting MUC1 has been shown to be an effective way to induce tumor cell death in vivo and in vitro models. In recent years, a number of therapeutic strategies targeting MUC1 have been developed and their value for tumor therapy have been demonstrated experimentally. This review summarizes recent findings on the structure of MUC1, its expression in different tumors and its involved mechanism pathways, with emphasis on new progress in cancer therapy which related MUC1 in the past decade and evaluates their therapeutic effect.

Peptide-Based Vaccine against Breast Cancer: Recent Advances and Prospects

Breast cancer is considered the second-leading cancer after lung cancer and is the most prevalent cancer among women globally. Currently, cancer immunotherapy via vaccine has gained great attention due to specific and targeted immune cell activity that creates a potent immune response, thus providing long-lasting protection against the disease. Despite peptides being very susceptible to enzymatic degradation and poor immunogenicity, they can be easily customized with selected epitopes to induce a specific immune response and particulate with carriers to improve their delivery and thus overcome their weaknesses. With advances in nanotechnology, the peptide-based vaccine could incorporate other components, thereby modulating the immune system response against breast cancer. Considering that peptide-based vaccines seem to show remarkably promising outcomes against cancer, this review focuses on and provides a specific view of peptide-based vaccines used against breast cancer. Here, we discuss the benefits associated with a peptide-based vaccine, which can be a mainstay in the prevention and recurrence of breast cancer. Additionally, we also report the results of recent trials as well as plausible prospects for nanotechnology against breast cancer.

Advances in MUC1-Mediated Breast Cancer Immunotherapy

Breast cancer (BRCA) is the leading cause of death from malignant tumors among women. Fortunately, however, immunotherapy has recently become a prospective BRCA treatment with encouraging achievements and mild safety profiles. Since the overexpression and aberrant glycosylation of MUC1 (human mucin) are closely associated with BRCA, it has become an ideal target for BRCA immunotherapies. In this review, the structure and function of MUC1 are briefly introduced, and the main research achievements in different kinds of MUC1-mediated BRCA immunotherapy are highlighted, from the laboratory to the clinic. Afterward, the future directions of MUC1-mediated BRCA immunotherapy are predicted, addressing, for example, urgent issues in regard to how efficient immunotherapeutic strategies can be generated.

MUC1 is a potential target to overcome trastuzumab resistance in breast cancer therapy

Although resistance is its major obstacle in cancer therapy, trastuzumab is the most successful agent in treating epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive (HER2 +) breast cancer (BC). Some patients show resistance to trastuzumab, and scientists want to circumvent this problem. This review elaborately discusses possible resistance mechanisms to trastuzumab and introduces mucin 1 (MUC1) as a potential target efficient for overcoming such resistance. MUC1 belongs to the mucin family, playing the oncogenic/mitogenic roles in cancer cells and interacting with several other oncogenic receptors and pathways, such as HER2, β-catenin, NF-κB, and estrogen receptor (ERα). Besides, it has been established that MUC1- Cytoplasmic Domain (MUC1-CD) accelerates the development of resistance to trastuzumab and that silencing MUC1-C proto-oncogene is associated with increased sensitivity of HER2⁺ cells to trastuzumab-induced growth inhibitors. We mention why targeting MUC1 can be useful in overcoming trastuzumab resistance in cancer therapy.

Drugs repurposed: An advanced step towards the treatment of breast cancer and associated challenges

Breast cancer (BC) is mostly observed in women and is responsible for huge mortality in women subjects globally. Due to the continued development of drug resistance and other contributing factors, the scientific community needs to look for new alternatives, and drug repurposing is one of the best opportunities. Here we light upon the drug repurposing with a major focus on breast cancer. BC is a division of cancer known as the leading cause of death of 2.3 million women globally, with 685,000 fatalities. This number is steadily rising, necessitating the development of a treatment that can extend survival time. All available treatments for BC are very costly as well as show side effects. This unfulfilled requirement of the anti-cancer drugs ignited an enthusiasm for drug repositioning, which means finding out the anti-cancer use of already marketed drugs for other complications. With the advancement in proteomics, genomics, and computational approaches, the drug repurposing process hastens. So many drugs are repurposed for the BC, including alkylating agents, antimetabolite, anthracyclines, an aromatase inhibitor, mTOR, and many more. The drug resistance in breast cancer is rising, so reviewing how the challenges in breast cancer can be combated with drug repurposing. This paper provides the updated information on all the repurposed drugs candidates for breast cancer with the molecular mechanism responsible for their anti-tumor activity. Additionally, all the challenges that occur during the repurposing of the drugs are discussed.

Cancer immunotherapy: A comprehensive appraisal of its modes of application

Conventional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy have reached their therapeutic potential, leaving a gap for developing more effective cancer therapeutics. Cancer cells evade the immune system using various mechanisms of immune tolerance, underlying the potential impact of immunotherapy in the treatment of cancer. Immunotherapy includes several approaches such as activating the immune system in a cytokine-dependent manner, manipulating the feedback mechanisms involved in the immune response, enhancing the immune response via lymphocyte expansion and using cancer vaccines to elicit long-lasting, robust responses. These techniques can be used as monotherapies or combination therapies. The present review describes the immune-based mechanisms involved in tumor cell proliferation and maintenance and the rationale underlying various treatment methods. In addition, the present review provides insight into the potential of immunotherapy used alone or in combination with various types of therapeutics.

MUC1: Structure, Function, and Clinic Application in Epithelial Cancers

The transmembrane glycoprotein mucin 1 (MUC1) is a mucin family member that has different functions in normal and cancer cells. Owing to its structural and biochemical properties, MUC1 can act as a lubricant, moisturizer, and physical barrier in normal cells. However, in cancer cells, MUC1 often undergoes aberrant glycosylation and overexpression. It is involved in cancer invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, and apoptosis by virtue of its participation in intracellular signaling processes and the regulation of related biomolecules. This review introduces the biological structure and different roles of MUC1 in normal and cancer cells and the regulatory mechanisms governing these roles. It also evaluates current research progress and the clinical applications of MUC1 in cancer therapy based on its characteristics.

Mucins as anti-cancer targets: perspectives of the glycobiologist

Mucins are highly O-glycosylated glycoproteins that carry a heterogenous variety of O-glycan structures. Tumor cells tend to overexpress specific mucins, such as the cell surface mucins MUC1 and MUC4 that are engaged in signaling and cell growth, and exhibit abnormal glycosylation. In particular, the Tn and T antigens and their sialylated forms are common in cancer mucins. We review herein methods chosen to use cancer-associated glycans and mucins as targets for the design of anti-cancer immunotherapies. Mucin peptides from the glycosylated and transmembrane domains have been combined with immune-stimulating adjuvants in a wide variety of approaches to produce anti-tumor antibodies and vaccines. These mucin conjugates have been tested on cancer cells in vitro and in mice with significant successes in stimulating anti-tumor responses. The clinical trials in humans, however, have shown limited success in extending survival. It seems critical that the individual-specific epitope expression of cancer mucins is considered in future therapies to result in lasting anti-tumor responses.

New tricks of old drugs: Repurposing non-chemo drugs and dietary phytochemicals as adjuvants in anti-tumor therapies

Combination therapy has long been applied to enhance therapeutic effect and deal with the occurrence of multi-drug resistance in cancer treatment. However, the overlapping toxicity of multiple anticancer drugs to healthy tissues and increasing financial burden on patients emerged as major concerns. As promising alternatives to chemo agents, repurposed non-chemo drugs and dietary phytochemicals have been investigated as adjuvants to conventional anti-tumor therapeutics, offering a safe and economic strategy for combination therapy. In this review, we aim to highlight the advances in research about combination therapy using conventional therapeutics and repurposed drugs or phytochemicals for an enhanced anti-tumor efficacy, along with the mechanisms involved in the synergism. Beyond these, we outlined the potential challenges and solutions for clinical translation of the proposed combination therapy, providing a safe and affordable strategy to improve the reach of cancer therapy to low income regions with such new tricks of old drugs.

The molecular mechanisms of celecoxib in tumor development

BACKGROUND

Clinical studies have shown that celecoxib can significantly inhibit the development of tumors, and basic experiments and in vitro experiments also provide a certain basis, but it is not clear how celecoxib inhibits tumor development in detail.

METHODS

A literature search of all major academic databases was conducted (PubMed, China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI), Wan-fang, China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), including the main research on the mechanisms of celecoxib on tumors.

RESULTS

Celecoxib can intervene in tumor development and reduce the formation of drug resistance through multiple molecular mechanisms.

CONCLUSION

Celecoxib mainly regulates the proliferation, migration, and invasion of tumor cells by inhibiting the cyclooxygenases-2/prostaglandin E2 signal axis and thereby inhibiting the phosphorylation of nuclear factor-κ-gene binding, Akt, signal transducer and activator of transcription and the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 2 and matrix metalloproteinase 9. Meanwhile, it was found that celecoxib could promote the apoptosis of tumor cells by enhancing mitochondrial oxidation, activating mitochondrial apoptosis process, promoting endoplasmic reticulum stress process, and autophagy. Celecoxib can also reduce the occurrence of drug resistance by increasing the sensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapy drugs.