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Zhao LY, Li SY, Zhou ZY, Han XY, Li K, Xue ST, Jiang JD. Substituted indole derivatives as UNC-51-like kinase 1 inhibitors: Design, synthesis and anti-hepatocellular carcinoma activity. Biomed Pharmacother 2024; 178:117260. [PMID: 39116788 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2024.117260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2024] [Revised: 08/01/2024] [Accepted: 08/02/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The five-year survival rate for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is only 20 %, highlighting the urgent need to identify new therapeutic targets and develop potential therapeutic options to improve patient prognosis. One promising approach is inhibiting autophagy as a strategy for HCC treatment. In this study, we established a virtual docking conformation of the autophagy promoter ULK1 binding XST-14 derivatives. Based on this conformation, we designed and synthesized four series of derivatives. By evaluating their affinity and anti-HCC effects, we confirmed that these compounds exert anti-HCC activity by inhibiting ULK1. The structure-activity relationship was summarized, with derivative A4 showing 10 times higher activity than XST-14 and superior efficacy to sorafenib against HCC. A4 has excellent effect on reducing tumor growth and enhancing sorafenib activity in HepG2 and HCCLM3 cells. Moreover, we verified the therapeutic effect of A4 in sorafenib-resistant HCC cells both in vivo and in vitro. These results suggest that inhibiting ULK1 to regulate autophagy may become a new treatment method for HCC and that A4 will be used as a lead drug for HCC in further research. Overall, A4 shows good drug safety and efficacy, offering hope for prolonging the survival of HCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu-Yao Zhao
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Si-Yan Li
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Zi-Ying Zhou
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Xiao-Yang Han
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Ke Li
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
| | - Si-Tu Xue
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
| | - Jian-Dong Jiang
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
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2
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Kurganovs NJ, Engedal N. To eat or not to eat: a critical review on the role of autophagy in prostate carcinogenesis and prostate cancer therapeutics. Front Pharmacol 2024; 15:1419806. [PMID: 38910881 PMCID: PMC11190189 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1419806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Around 1 in 7 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. Many strides have been made in the understanding and treatment of this malignancy over the years, however, despite this; treatment resistance and disease progression remain major clinical concerns. Recent evidence indicate that autophagy can affect cancer formation, progression, and therapeutic resistance. Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process that can remove unnecessary or dysfunctional components of the cell as a response to metabolic or environmental stress. Due to the emerging importance of autophagy in cancer, targeting autophagy should be considered as a potential option in disease management. In this review, along with exploring the advances made on understanding the role of autophagy in prostate carcinogenesis and therapeutics, we will critically consider the conflicting evidence observed in the literature and suggest how to obtain stronger experimental evidence, as the application of current findings in clinical practice is presently not viable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Jayne Kurganovs
- Autophagy in Cancer Lab, Institute for Cancer Research, Department of Tumor Biology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Nikolai Engedal
- Autophagy in Cancer Lab, Institute for Cancer Research, Department of Tumor Biology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
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3
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Rajak S. Dynamics of cellular plasticity in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2024; 1870:167102. [PMID: 38422712 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2024.167102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a pathogenic stage of the broader non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Histological presentation of NASH includes hepatocyte ballooning, macrophage polarization, ductular reaction, and hepatic stellate cell (HSCs) activation. At a cellular level, a heterogenous population of cells such as hepatocytes, macrophages, cholangiocytes, and HSCs undergo dramatic intra-cellular changes in response to extracellular triggers, which are termed "cellular plasticity. This dynamic switch in the cellular structure and function of hepatic parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells and their crosstalk culminates in the perpetuation of inflammation and fibrosis in NASH. This review presents an overview of our current understanding of cellular plasticity in NASH and its molecular mechanisms, along with possible targeting to develop cell-specific NASH therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangam Rajak
- Department of Endocrinology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow 226014, India.
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4
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Dong Y, Wang X, Wei L, Liu Z, Zhou J, Zhao H, Wang J, Liu W, Li X. Uncoordinated 51-like kinase 1a/b and 2 in fish Megalobrama amblycephala: Molecular cloning, functional characterization, and their potential roles in glucose metabolism. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 265:130985. [PMID: 38518944 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.130985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024]
Abstract
Uncoordinated (Unc) 51-like kinase (ulk1) and ulk2 are closely involved in autophagy activation, but little is known about their roles in regulating glucose homeostasis. In this study, the genes of ulk1a, ulk1b and ulk2 were cloned and characterized in fish Megalobrama amblycephala. All the three genes shared the approximate N-terminal kinase domain and the C-terminal Atg1-like_tMIT domain structure, while the amino acid sequence identity of them are different between M. amblycephala and other vertebrates. Their transcripts were widely observed in various tissues (brain, muscle, gill, heart, spleen, eye, liver, intestine, abdominal adipose and kidney), but differed in tissue expression patterns. During the glucose tolerance test and the insulin tolerance test, the up-regulated transcriptions of ulk1a, ulk1b and ulk2 were all found despite some differences in the temporal patterns. At the same time, the activities of glycolytic enzymes like hexokinase and phosphofructokinase both showed parallel increases. Furthermore, the feeding of a high-carbohydrate diet decreased the transcriptions of ulk1a, ulk1b and ulk2. Collectively, this study demonstrated that ulk1a, ulk1b and ulk2 in M. amblycephala had similar molecular characterizations, but with different conservation and tissue expression patterns. In addition, ulk1/2 might play important roles in maintaining the glucose homeostasis in fish through regulating the glycolytic pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanzou Dong
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Nutrition and Feed Science of Jiangsu Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, No.1 Weigang Road, Nanjing 210095, People's Republic of China
| | - Xi Wang
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Nutrition and Feed Science of Jiangsu Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, No.1 Weigang Road, Nanjing 210095, People's Republic of China
| | - Luyao Wei
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Nutrition and Feed Science of Jiangsu Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, No.1 Weigang Road, Nanjing 210095, People's Republic of China
| | - Zishang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Nutrition and Feed Science of Jiangsu Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, No.1 Weigang Road, Nanjing 210095, People's Republic of China
| | - Jingyu Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Nutrition and Feed Science of Jiangsu Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, No.1 Weigang Road, Nanjing 210095, People's Republic of China
| | - Hanjing Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Nutrition and Feed Science of Jiangsu Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, No.1 Weigang Road, Nanjing 210095, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianfeng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Nutrition and Feed Science of Jiangsu Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, No.1 Weigang Road, Nanjing 210095, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenbin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Nutrition and Feed Science of Jiangsu Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, No.1 Weigang Road, Nanjing 210095, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiangfei Li
- Key Laboratory of Aquatic Nutrition and Feed Science of Jiangsu Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, No.1 Weigang Road, Nanjing 210095, People's Republic of China.
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Sinha RA. Autophagy: A Cellular Guardian against Hepatic Lipotoxicity. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:553. [PMID: 36874473 PMCID: PMC7614268 DOI: 10.3390/genes14030553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Lipotoxicity is a phenomenon of lipid-induced cellular injury in nonadipose tissue. Excess of free saturated fatty acids (SFAs) contributes to hepatic injury in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which has been growing at an unprecedented rate in recent years. SFAs and their derivatives such as ceramides and membrane phospholipids have been shown to induce intrahepatic oxidative damage and ER stress. Autophagy represents a cellular housekeeping mechanism to counter the perturbation in organelle function and activation of stress signals within the cell. Several aspects of autophagy, including lipid droplet assembly, lipophagy, mitophagy, redox signaling and ER-phagy, play a critical role in mounting a strong defense against lipotoxic lipid species within the hepatic cells. This review provides a succinct overview of our current understanding of autophagy-lipotoxicity interaction and its pharmacological and nonpharmacological modulation in treating NAFLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rohit Anthony Sinha
- Department of Endocrinology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow 226014, India
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Raza S, Rajak S, Srivastava J, Tewari A, Gupta P, Chakravarti B, Ghosh S, Chaturvedi CP, Sinha RA. ULK1 inhibition attenuates telomerase activity in hepatic cells. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2022; 1869:119355. [PMID: 36113664 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2022.119355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Autophagy and telomere maintenance are two cellular survival processes that show a strong correlation during human ageing and cancer growth, however, their causal relationship remains unclear. In this study, using an unbiased transcriptomics approach, we uncover a novel role of autophagy genes in regulating telomere extension and maintenance pathways. Concomitantly, the pharmacological inhibition of ULK1 (Unc-51 like autophagy activating kinase 1) attenuated human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) gene expression and telomerase activity in HepG2 cells. Furthermore, the suppression of telomerase activity upon ULK1 inhibition was associated with telomere shortening and onset of cellular senescence in HepG2 cells. These results, thus, demonstrate a direct role of autophagy in maintaining cellular longevity via regulation of telomerase activity, which may have implications in the pathophysiology of ageing and cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sana Raza
- Department of Endocrinology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India
| | - Sangam Rajak
- Department of Endocrinology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India
| | - Jyotika Srivastava
- Stem Cell Research Facility, Department of Hematology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India
| | - Archana Tewari
- Department of Endocrinology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India
| | - Pratima Gupta
- Department of Endocrinology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India
| | - Bandana Chakravarti
- Department of Endocrinology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India
| | - Sujoy Ghosh
- Centre for Computational Biology, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Chandra P Chaturvedi
- Stem Cell Research Facility, Department of Hematology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India
| | - Rohit A Sinha
- Department of Endocrinology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India.
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Zhao BC, Tang YX, Qiu BH, Xu HL, Wang TH, Elsherbeni AIA, Gharib HBA, Li JL. Astragalus polysaccharide mitigates transport stress-induced hepatic metabolic stress via improving hepatic glucolipid metabolism in chicks. J Anim Sci 2022; 100:6648457. [PMID: 35866893 DOI: 10.1093/jas/skac244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In the modern poultry industry, newly hatched chicks are unavoidably transported from the hatching to the rearing foster. Stress caused by multiple physical and psychological stressors during transportation is particularly harmful to the liver. Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) possesses multiple benefits against hepatic metabolic disorders. Given that transport stress could disturb hepatic glucolipid metabolism and the role of APS in metabolic regulation, we speculated that APS could antagonize transport stress-induced disorder of hepatic glucolipid metabolism. Firstly, newly hatched chicks were transported for 0, 2, 4, 8 h, respectively. Subsequently, to further investigated the effects of APS on transport stress-induced hepatic glucolipid metabolism disturbance, chicks were pretreated with water or APS and then subjected to transport treatment. Our study suggested that APS could relieve transport stress induced lipid deposition in liver. Meanwhile, transport stress also induced disturbances in glucose metabolism, reflected by augmented mRNA expression of key molecules in gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis. Surprisingly, APS could simultaneously alleviate these alterations via PGC1α/SIRT1/AMPK pathway. Moreover, APS treatment regulated the level of PPARα and PPARγ, thereby alleviating transport stress-induced alterations of VLDL synthesis, cholesterol metabolism, lipid oxidation, synthesis and transport-related molecules. These findings indicated that APS could prevent the potential against transport stress-induced hepatic glucolipid metabolism disorders via PGC1α/ SIRT1/ AMPK/ PPARα/ PPARγ signaling system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bi-Chen Zhao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, P. R. China
| | - Yi-Xi Tang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, P. R. China
| | - Bai-Hao Qiu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, P. R. China
| | - Hao-Liang Xu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, P. R. China
| | - Tian-Hao Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, P. R. China
| | | | | | - Jin-Long Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, P. R. China.,Heilongjiang Key Laboratory for Laboratory Animals and Comparative Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, P. R. China.,Key Laboratory of the Provincial Education Department of Heilongjiang for Common Animal Disease Prevention and Treatment, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, P. R. China
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8
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Chen Y, Zhao Y, Mishra PK. Editorial: Autophagy-Mediated Cell Survival and Death in Disease Progression and Treatment. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:916347. [PMID: 35859894 PMCID: PMC9289614 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.916347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yongqiang Chen
- CancerCare Manitoba Research Institute, CancerCare Manitoba, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
- *Correspondence: Yongqiang Chen,
| | - Yongchao Zhao
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Translational Medicine, Cancer Center, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Paras Kumar Mishra
- Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States
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Research Progress on the Mechanism of Acupuncture Treatment for Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Gastroenterol Res Pract 2022; 2022:5259088. [PMID: 35782337 PMCID: PMC9242809 DOI: 10.1155/2022/5259088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) represents the most common chronic liver disease worldwide, ranging from simple steatosis and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis to fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Acupuncture is a long-established treatment in traditional Chinese medicine. In recent years, increasing evidence has pointed to the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of NAFLD, and a certain degree of progress has been made in the study of related mechanisms. However, previous systematic reviews have not discussed the characteristics and the related mechanisms of acupuncture in the treatment of NAFLD. Therefore, this review synthesizes the progress in research on acupuncture in the context of NAFLD treatment by the inhibition of inflammatory responses, regulation of lipid metabolism disorder, treatment of insulin resistance, antagonization of oxidative stress injury, and interference with endoplasmic reticulum stress. Overall, we sought to highlight the latest research results, potential applications, and ongoing challenges of this therapy.
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