Brucea javanica Oil Emulsion Promotes Autophagy in Ovarian Cancer Cells Through the miR-8485/LAMTOR3/mTOR/ATG13 Signaling Axis

Brucea javanica oil inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of oral squamous carcinoma by regulated the MTFR2 pathway

Introduction

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in oral and maxillofacial region. The development of new chemotherapy agents and new drug combinations may improve patient survival and quality of life, but both surgery and radiotherapy have significant functional side effects and drug resistance, ultimately resulting in a 5-year survival rate of no more than 60% for OSCC patients. Studies have shown that Brucea javanica oil (BJO) extracts have anti-cancer effects against a variety of cancers, but little research has been reported on OSCC.

Methods

CCK8, Colony formation, Scratch test and Transwell invasion assays were applied to determine the effects of BJO on the proliferation, migration, and invasion ability of OSCC cells in vitro. MTFR2 knockdown (shRNA) and overexpression (cDNA) OSCC cells were constructed to evaluate the effect of MTFR2 on the proliferation and invasion of OSCC cells. The nude mouse model of subcutaneous xenograft tumor was used to evaluate the effect of BJO on OSCC cells in vivo. PCR, western blot and immunohistochemistry were used to verify the expression of MTFR2, glycolysis markers and related pathway molecules after BJO treatment.

Results

In vivo experiments using nude mice with xenografted OSCC cells and in vitro experiments with OSCC cell lines demonstrated that BJO treatment significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasiveness of OSCC cells. WB and PCR proved that BJO could effectively reduce the expression levels of MTFR2 and SOD2/H2O2 related signal transduction pathways. At the same time, the expression of oxidative phosphorylation markers increased, the expression of glycolytic markers decreased, and glycolysis-mediated decomposition of reactive oxygen species decreased, and H2O2 and oxygen levels decreased.In addition, when MTFR2 expression increased or decreased, SOD2/H2O2 expression also increased or decreased.

Discussion

In this study, we concluded through in vitro and in vivo experiments that BJO may affect the SOD2/H2O2 signaling pathway by down-regulating MTFR2-mediated aerobic glycolysis, thereby inhibiting cell proliferation, Migration, and Invasion. The elucidation of this mechanism helps us to understand the molecular mechanism ofinhibiting OSCC invasion and metastasis by BJO, which has important clinical value or improving the survival rate of OSCC patients.

Combination of Brucea javanica oil emulsion and Aidi injection associated with the long‑term survival of a patient with colon cancer and lung metastases post‑chemotherapy: A case report

Colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks as the third most frequently diagnosed cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Treatment options for patients with advanced CRC recurrence and metastases remain limited, particularly for those unable to withstand chemotherapy. Bruscea javanica oil emulsion (BJOE) and Aidi injection (ADI) are two plant-derived products that have antitumor effects. The current report presents the case of a patient with colon cancer and resectable lung metastases. Despite the surgical removal of the metastatic lesions, tumor recurrence was not prevented. The patient underwent three chemotherapy regimens following lung metastasis surgery, namely XELOX, single-agent irinotecan and single-agent tegafur-gimeracil-oteracil potassium capsule, but experienced intolerable adverse reactions with each, and disease progression was observed during subsequent follow-up. Nonetheless, the patient achieved a progression-free survival of >5 years under BJOE + ADI treatment and continues to receive BJOE + ADI treatment to date. Although further research is required to understand the effectiveness of this treatment combination, the present case may instill hope in the treatment of future patients.

The emerging roles of miRNA-mediated autophagy in ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is one of the common tumors of the female reproductive organs. It has a high mortality rate, is highly heterogeneous, and early detection and primary prevention are very complex. Autophagy is a cellular process in which cytoplasmic substrates are targeted for degradation in lysosomes through membrane structures called autophagosomes. The periodic elimination of damaged, aged, and redundant cellular molecules or organelles through the sequential translation between amino acids and proteins by two biological processes, protein synthesis, and autophagic protein degradation, helps maintain cellular homeostasis. A growing number of studies have found that autophagy plays a key regulatory role in ovarian cancer. Interestingly, microRNAs regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level and thus can regulate the development and progression of ovarian cancer through the regulation of autophagy in ovarian cancer. Certain miRNAs have recently emerged as important regulators of autophagy-related gene expression in cancer cells. Moreover, miRNA analysis studies have now identified a sea of aberrantly expressed miRNAs in ovarian cancer tissues that can affect autophagy in ovarian cancer cells. In addition, miRNAs in plasma and stromal cells in tumor patients can affect the expression of autophagy-related genes and can be used as biomarkers of ovarian cancer progression. This review focuses on the potential significance of miRNA-regulated autophagy in the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer.

Promoting collateral formation in type 2 diabetes mellitus using ultra-small nanodots with autophagy activation and ROS scavenging

BACKGROUND

Impaired collateral formation is a major factor contributing to poor prognosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, the current pharmacological treatments for improving collateral formation remain unsatisfactory. The induction of endothelial autophagy and the elimination of reactive oxygen species (ROS) represent potential therapeutic targets for enhancing endothelial angiogenesis and facilitating collateral formation. This study investigates the potential of molybdenum disulfide nanodots (MoS2 NDs) for enhancing collateral formation and improving prognosis.

RESULTS

Our study shows that MoS2 NDs significantly enhance collateral formation in ischemic tissues of diabetic mice, improving effective blood resupply. Additionally, MoS2 NDs boost the proliferation, migration, and tube formation of endothelial cells under high glucose/hypoxia conditions in vitro. Mechanistically, the beneficial effects of MoS2 NDs on collateral formation not only depend on their known scavenging properties of ROS (H2O2, •O2-, and •OH) but also primarily involve a molecular pathway, cAMP/PKA-NR4A2, which promotes autophagy and contributes to mitigating damage in diabetic endothelial cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, this study investigated the specific mechanism by which MoS2 NDs mediated autophagy activation and highlighted the synergy between autophagy activation and antioxidation, thus suggesting that an economic and biocompatible nano-agent with dual therapeutic functions is highly preferable for promoting collateral formation in a diabetic context, thus, highlighting their therapeutic potential.

Non-coding RNAs: The recently accentuated molecules in the regulation of cell autophagy for ovarian cancer pathogenesis and therapeutic response

Autophagy is a self-recycling and conserved process, in which the senescent cytoplasmic components are degraded in cells and then recycled to maintain homeostatic balance. Emerging evidence has suggested the involvement of autophagy in oncogenesis and progression of various cancers, such as ovarian cancer (OC). Meanwhile, the non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) frequently regulate the mRNA transcription and other functional signaling pathways in cell autophagy, displaying promising roles in human cancer pathogenesis and therapeutic response. This article mainly reviews the cutting-edge research advances about the interactions between ncRNAs and autophagy in OC. This review not only summarizes the underlying mechanisms of dynamic ncRNA-autophagy association in OC, but also discusses their prognostic implications and therapeutic biomarkers. The aim of this review was to provide a more in-depth knowledge framework exploring the ncRNA-autophagy crosstalk and highlight the promising treatment strategies for OC patients.

Optimization of the extraction process and metabonomics analysis of uric acid-reducing active substances from Gymnadenia R.Br. and its protective effect on hyperuricemia zebrafish

Background

As Gymnadenia R.Br. (Gym) has an obvious uric acid-lowering effect, but its specific bioactive substances and mechanism are still unclear. The key metabolites and pathways used by Gym to reduce uric acid (UA) were identify.

Methods

An optimized extraction process for urate-lowering active substances from Gym was firstly been carried out based on the xanthine oxidase (XOD) inhibition model in vitro; then, the Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography and Q-Exactive mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QE-MS) based on non-targeted metabolomics analysis of Traditional Chinese Medicine were performed for comparison of Gym with ethanol concentration of 95% (low extraction rate but high XOD inhibition rate) and 75% (high extraction rate but low XOD inhibition rate), respectively; finally, the protective effect of ethanolic extract of Gym on zebrafish with Hyperuricemia (referred to as HUA zebrafish) was explored.

Results

We found that the inhibition rate of Gym extract with 95% ethanol concentration on XOD was 84.02%, and the extraction rate was 4.32%. Interestingly, when the other conditions were the same, the XOD inhibition rate of the Gym extract with 75% ethanol concentration was 76.84%, and the extraction rate was 14.68%. A total of 539 metabolites were identified, among them, 162 different metabolites were screened, of which 123 were up-regulated and 39 were down-regulated. Besides significantly reducing the contents of UA, BUN, CRE, ROS, MDA, and XOD activity in HUA zebrafish by Gym and acutely reduce the activity of SOD.

Conclusion

Along with the flavonoids, polyphenols, alkaloids, terpenoids, and phenylpropanoids, the ethanolic extract of Gym may be related to reduce the UA level of Gym.