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Abrahams B, Gerber A, Hiss DC. Combination Treatment with EGFR Inhibitor and Doxorubicin Synergistically Inhibits Proliferation of MCF-7 Cells and MDA-MB-231 Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells In Vitro. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:3066. [PMID: 38474312 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25053066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 03/03/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The role of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in tumor progression and survival is often underplayed. Its expression and/or dysregulation is associated with disease advancement and poor patient outcome as well as drug resistance in breast cancer. EGFR is often overexpressed in breast cancer and particularly triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which currently lacks molecular targets. We examined the synergistic potential of an EGFR inhibitor (EGFRi) in combination with doxorubicin (Dox) in estrogen-positive (ER+) MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 TNBC cell lines. The exposure of MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 to EGFRi produced an IC50s of 6.03 µM and 3.96 µM, respectively. Dox induced MDA-MB-231 (IC50 9.67 µM) and MCF-7 (IC50 1.4 µM) cytotoxicity. Combinations of EGFRi-Dox significantly reduced the IC50 in MCF-7 (0.46 µM) and MBA-MB 231 (0.01 µM). Synergistic drug interactions in both cell lines were confirmed using the Bliss independence model. Pro-apoptotic Caspase-3/7 activation occurred in MCF-7 at 0.1-10 µM of EGFRi and Dox single treatments, whilst 1 μM Dox yielded a more potent effect on MDA-MB-231. EGFRi and Dox individually and in combination downregulated the EGFR gene expression in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 (p < 0.001). This study demonstrates EGFRi's potential for eliciting synergistic interactions with Dox, causing enhanced growth inhibition, apoptosis induction, and downregulation of EGFR in both cell lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beynon Abrahams
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9301, South Africa
| | - Anthonie Gerber
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9301, South Africa
| | - Donavon Charles Hiss
- Department of Medical Biosciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa
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Wang B, Pei J, Xu S, Liu J, Yu J. Recent advances in mRNA cancer vaccines: meeting challenges and embracing opportunities. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1246682. [PMID: 37744371 PMCID: PMC10511650 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1246682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Since the successful application of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines in preventing COVID-19, researchers have been striving to develop mRNA vaccines for clinical use, including those exploited for anti-tumor therapy. mRNA cancer vaccines have emerged as a promising novel approach to cancer immunotherapy, offering high specificity, better efficacy, and fewer side effects compared to traditional treatments. Multiple therapeutic mRNA cancer vaccines are being evaluated in preclinical and clinical trials, with promising early-phase results. However, the development of these vaccines faces various challenges, such as tumor heterogeneity, an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, and practical obstacles like vaccine administration methods and evaluation systems for clinical application. To address these challenges, we highlight recent advances from preclinical studies and clinical trials that provide insight into identifying obstacles associated with mRNA cancer vaccines and discuss potential strategies to overcome them. In the future, it is crucial to approach the development of mRNA cancer vaccines with caution and diligence while promoting innovation to overcome existing barriers. A delicate balance between opportunities and challenges will help guide the progress of this promising field towards its full potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bolin Wang
- Lung Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Research Unit of Radiation Oncology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Jinli Pei
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Research Unit of Radiation Oncology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Shengnan Xu
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Research Unit of Radiation Oncology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Jie Liu
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Research Unit of Radiation Oncology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Jinming Yu
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Research Unit of Radiation Oncology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
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Cirillo M, Giacomini D. Molecular Delivery of Cytotoxic Agents via Integrin Activation. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:299. [PMID: 33467465 PMCID: PMC7830197 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13020299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Integrins are cell adhesion receptors overexpressed in tumor cells. A direct inhibition of integrins was investigated, but the best inhibitors performed poorly in clinical trials. A gained attention towards these receptors arouse because they could be target for a selective transport of cytotoxic agents. Several active-targeting systems have been developed to use integrins as a selective cell entrance for some antitumor agents. The aim of this review paper is to report on the most recent results on covalent conjugates between integrin ligands and antitumor drugs. Cytotoxic drugs thus conjugated through specific linker to integrin ligands, mainly RGD peptides, demonstrated that the covalent conjugates were more selective against tumor cells and hopefully with fewer side effects than the free drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daria Giacomini
- Department of Chemistry “Giacomo Ciamician”, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Via Selmi 2, 40126 Bologna, Italy;
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