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Novel Anti-Cancer Products Targeting AMPK: Natural Herbal Medicine against Breast Cancer. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 28:molecules28020740. [PMID: 36677797 PMCID: PMC9863744 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28020740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 01/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Breast cancer is a common cancer in women worldwide. The existing clinical treatment strategies have been able to limit the progression of breast cancer and cancer metastasis, but abnormal metabolism, immunosuppression, and multidrug resistance involving multiple regulators remain the major challenges for the treatment of breast cancer. Adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP)-Activated Protein Kinase (AMPK) can regulate metabolic reprogramming and reverse the "Warburg effect" via multiple metabolic signaling pathways in breast cancer. Previous studies suggest that the activation of AMPK suppresses the growth and metastasis of breast cancer cells, as well as stimulating the responses of immune cells. However, some other reports claim that the development and poor prognosis of breast cancer are related to the overexpression and aberrant activation of AMPK. Thus, the role of AMPK in the progression of breast cancer is still controversial. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of AMPK, particularly the comprehensive bidirectional functions of AMPK in cancer progression; discuss the pharmacological activators of AMPK and some specific molecules, including the natural products (including berberine, curcumin, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate, ginsenosides, and paclitaxel) that influence the efficacy of these activators in cancer therapy; and elaborate the role of AMPK as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of breast cancer.
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Rossi V, Govoni M, Farabegoli F, Di Stefano G. Lactate is a potential promoter of tamoxifen resistance in MCF7 cells. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2022; 1866:130185. [PMID: 35661802 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2022.130185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tamoxifen is a widely used estrogen receptor inhibitor, whose clinical success is limited by the development of acquired resistance. This compound was also found to inhibit mitochondrial function, causing increased glycolysis and lactate production. Lactate has been widely recognized as a signaling molecule, showing the potential of modifying gene expression. These metabolic effects of tamoxifen can by hypothesized to contribute in driving drug resistance. METHODS To test this hypothesis, we used MCF7 cells together with a tamoxifen resistant cell line (MCF7-TAM). Experiments were aimed at verifying whether enhanced lactate exposure can affect the phenotype of MCF7 cells, conferring them features mirroring those observed in the tamoxifen resistant culture. RESULTS The obtained results suggested that enhanced lactate in MCF7 cells medium can increase the expression of tafazzin (TAZ) and telomerase complex (TERC, TERT) genes, reducing the cells' attitude to undergo senescence. In long term lactate-exposed cells, signs of EGFR activation, a pathway related to acquired tamoxifen resistance, was also observed. CONCLUSIONS The obtained results suggested lactate as a potential promoter of tamoxifen resistance. The off-target effects of this compound could play a role in hindering its therapeutic efficacy. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE The features of acquired tamoxifen resistance have been widely characterized at the molecular level; in spite of their heterogeneity, poorly responsive cells were often found to display upregulated glycolysis. Our results suggest that this metabolic asset is not simply a result of neoplastic progression, but can play an active part in driving this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Rossi
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 14, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Marzia Govoni
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 14, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Fulvia Farabegoli
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 14, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Giuseppina Di Stefano
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 14, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
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Castejón P, Cabas I, Gómez V, Chaves-Pozo E, Cerezo-Ortega I, Moriñigo MÁ, Martínez-Manzanares E, Galindo-Villegas J, García-Ayala A. Vaccination of Gilthead Seabream After Continuous Xenoestrogen Oral Exposure Enhances the Gut Endobolome and Immune Status via GPER1. Front Immunol 2021; 12:742827. [PMID: 34721409 PMCID: PMC8551918 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.742827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In fish culture settings, the exogenous input of steroids is a matter of concern. Recently, we unveiled that in the gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor agonist G-1 (G1) and the endocrine disruptor 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) are potent modulators in polyreactive antibody production. However, the integral role of the microbiota upon immunity and antibody processing in response to the effect of EE2 remains largely unexplored. Here, juvenile seabreams continuously exposed for 84 days to oral G1 or EE2 mixed in the fish food were intraperitoneally (i.p.) immune primed on day 42 with the model antigen keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). A critical panel of systemic and mucosal immune markers, serum VTG, and humoral, enzymatic, and bacteriolytic activities were recorded and correlated with gut bacterial metagenomic analysis 1 day post-priming (dpp). Besides, at 15 dpp, animals received a boost to investigate the possible generation of specific anti-KLH antibodies at the systemic and mucosal interphases by the end of the trial. On day 43, EE2 but not G1 induced a significant shift in the serum VTG level of naive fish. Simultaneously, significant changes in some immune enzymatic activities in the serum and gut mucus of the EE2-treated group were recorded. In comparison, the vaccine priming immunization resulted in an attenuated profile of most enzymatic activities in the same group. The gut genes qPCR analysis exhibited a related pattern, only emphasized by a significant shift in the EE2 group's il1b expression. The gut bacterial microbiome status underwent 16S rRNA dynamic changes in alpha diversity indices, only with the exposure to oral G1, supporting functional alterations on cellular processes, signaling, and lipid metabolism in the microbiota. By the same token, the immunization elevated the relative abundance of Fusobacteria only in the control group, while this phylum was depleted in both the treated groups. Remarkably, the immunization also promoted changes in the bacterial class Betaproteobacteria and the estrogen-associated genus Novosphingobium. Furthermore, systemic and mucosal KLH-specific immunoglobulin (Ig)M and IgT levels in the fully vaccinated fish showed only slight changes 84 days post-estrogenic oral administration. In summary, our results highlight the intrinsic relationship among estrogens, their associated receptors, and immunization in the ubiquitous fish immune regulation and the subtle but significant crosstalk with the gut endobolome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Castejón
- Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Instituto Murciano de Investigacion Biosanitaria (IMIB), Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Murcia, Spain
| | - Isabel Cabas
- Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Instituto Murciano de Investigacion Biosanitaria (IMIB), Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Murcia, Spain
| | - Victoria Gómez
- Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Instituto Murciano de Investigacion Biosanitaria (IMIB), Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Murcia, Spain
| | - Elena Chaves-Pozo
- Aquaculture Department, Oceanographic Center of Murcia, Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO-CSIC), Murcia, Spain
| | - Isabel Cerezo-Ortega
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Malaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Miguel Ángel Moriñigo
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Malaga, Málaga, Spain
| | | | | | - Alfonsa García-Ayala
- Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Instituto Murciano de Investigacion Biosanitaria (IMIB), Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Murcia, Spain
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Bitton A, Zheng Y, Houston JP, Houston KD. Investigating differences between tamoxifen resistant and sensitive breast cancer cells with flow cytometry. Cytometry A 2021; 99:164-169. [PMID: 33508166 PMCID: PMC7986838 DOI: 10.1002/cyto.a.24306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The active metabolite of tamoxifen, 4‐hydroxytamoxifen, functions as an anti‐estrogen in breast cancer cells and thus inhibits proliferation. While tamoxifen continues to be successfully used to treat estrogen‐dependent breast cancer, most patients receiving treatment will develop chemoresistance over time. Two commonly reported biomarkers of tamoxifen resistance are decreased expression of insulin‐like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF‐1R) and increased expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). In prior work we have shown that these receptors facilitate chemoresistance and have unique regulatory functions measurable in resistant cell lines compared with nonresistant. Thus, we hypothesized that these receptors and a newly identified biomarker, integrin β1, may be used to search for the presence of resistant breast cancer cells within a population of cells that are sensitive to tamoxifen therapy. We tested this by designing a straightforward cell‐labeling approach to measure differences in the receptor expression of resistant vs. sensitive cells cytometrically. Our results show that separation is possible when observing the expression of IGF‐1R as well as integrin β1. Interestingly, we found no detectable difference in EGFR expression between tamoxifen resistant and ‐sensitive cells when measured with cytometry despite the fact that EGFR is upregulated in resistant cells. Our long‐term goal is to utilize sorting to isolate tamoxifen resistant subpopulations of cells by receptor expression level. Isolating rare resistant cells that reside within a population of drug‐sensitive cells will offer new insights into why chemoresistance occurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aric Bitton
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA
| | - Yan Zheng
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA
| | - Jessica P Houston
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA
| | - Kevin D Houston
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA
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Feng G, Cai J, Huang Y, Zhu X, Gong B, Yang Z, Yan C, Hu Z, Yang L, Wang Z. G-Protein-Coupled Estrogen Receptor 1 Promotes Gender Disparities in Hepatocellular Carcinoma via Modulation of SIN1 and mTOR Complex 2 Activity. Mol Cancer Res 2020; 18:1863-1875. [PMID: 32873626 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-20-0173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2020] [Revised: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Due to its intricate heterogeneity and limited treatment, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been considered a major cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Increasing evidence indicates that G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER1) can promote estrogen-dependent hepatocellular proliferation by activating AKT signaling. The mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2), whose integrity and activity are modulated by its subunit Sin1, controls the activation of AKT by phosphorylation at position S473. In this study, we investigate the modulation of Sin1 and how estrogen signaling may influence the mTORC2-AKT cascade in HCC cells and a DEN-induced mouse model. We have found that estradiol-dependent Sin1 expression is transcriptionally modulated by GPER1 as well as ERα. GPER1 is able to regulate Sin1 stability via nuclear translocation, therefore increasing Sin1-mTORC2-AKT activation. Moreover, Sin1 interacts with ERα and further enhances its transcriptional activity. Sin1 is highly expressed in acute liver injury and in cases of HCC harboring high expression of GPER1 and constitutive activation of mTORC2-AKT signaling. GPER1 inhibition using the antagonist G-15 reverses DEN-induced acute liver injury by suppressing Sin1 expression and mTORC2-AKT activation. Notably, SIN1 expression varies between male and female mice in the context of both liver injury and liver cancer. In addition, high SIN1 expression is predictive of good prognosis in both male and female patients with HCC who are free from hepatitis virus infection and who report low alcohol consumption. Hence, here we demonstrate that Sin1 can be regulated by GPER1 both through nongenomic and indirect genomic signaling. IMPLICATIONS: This study suggests that Sin1 may be a novel HCC biomarker which is gender-dependent and sensitive to particular risk factor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanying Feng
- School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Jingshu Cai
- School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Yunchuanxiang Huang
- School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Xianjun Zhu
- Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Bo Gong
- Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Zhenglin Yang
- Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Chunhong Yan
- Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia
| | - Zhuowei Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Lu Yang
- School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
| | - Ziyan Wang
- School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
- Key Laboratory for Human Disease Gene Study, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
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