The Anti-Cancer Effects of a Zotarolimus and 5-Fluorouracil Combination Treatment on A549 Cell-Derived Tumors in BALB/c Nude Mice

Dysregulated Pathways During Pregnancy Predict Drug Candidates in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Maternal health during pregnancy has a direct impact on the risk and severity of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) in the offspring, especially in the case of drug exposure. However, little progress has been made to assess the risk of drug exposure during pregnancy due to ethical constraints and drug use factors. We collected and manually curated sub-pathways and pathways (sub-/pathways) and drug information to propose an analytical framework for predicting drug candidates. This framework linked sub-/pathway activity and drug response scores derived from gene transcription data and was applied to human fetal brain development and six NDDs. Further, specific and pleiotropic sub-/pathways/drugs were identified using entropy, and sex bias was analyzed in conjunction with logistic regression and random forest models. We identified 19 disorder-associated and 256 regionally pleiotropic and specific candidate drugs that targeted risk sub-/pathways in NDDs, showing temporal or spatial changes across fetal development. Moreover, 5443 differential drug-sub-/pathways exhibited sex-biased differences after filling in the gender labels. A user-friendly NDDP visualization website ( https://ndd-lab.shinyapps.io/NDDP ) was developed to allow researchers and clinicians to access and retrieve data easily. Our framework overcame data gaps and identified numerous pleiotropic and specific candidates across six disorders and fetal developmental trajectories. This could significantly contribute to drug discovery during pregnancy and can be applied to a wide range of traits.

Proteomic Analysis Reveals the Effects of Different Dietary Protein Levels on Growth and Development of Jersey-Yak

Jersey-yak is a hybrid offspring of Jersey cattle and yak (Bos grunniens). Changing the feeding system of Jersey-yak can significantly improve its growth performance. In this study, tandem mass tag (TMT) proteomics technology was used to determine the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) of the longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle of Jersey-yak fed different protein levels of diet. The results showed that compared with the traditional grazing feeding, the growth performance of Jersey-yaks was significantly improved by crude protein supplementation after grazing. A total of 3368 proteins were detected in these muscle samples, of which 3365 were quantified. A total of 434 DEPs were identified. Through analyses, it was found that some pathways related to muscle growth and development were significantly enriched, such as Rap1 signaling pathway, mTOR signaling pathway, and TGF-beta signaling pathway. A number of DEPs enriched in these pathways are related to muscle cell development, differentiation, and muscle development, including integrin subunit alpha 7 (ITGA7), myosin heavy chain 8 (MYH8), and collagen type XII alpha 1 chain (COL12A1). In conclusion, the results of this study provide insights into the proteomics of different feeding patterns of Jersey-yak, providing a stronger basis for further understanding the biological mechanism of hybrid varieties.

The Role of IL-6 in Cancer Cell Invasiveness and Metastasis-Overview and Therapeutic Opportunities

Interleukin 6 (IL-6) belongs to a broad class of cytokines involved in the regulation of various homeostatic and pathological processes. These activities range from regulating embryonic development, wound healing and ageing, inflammation, and immunity, including COVID-19. In this review, we summarise the role of IL-6 signalling pathways in cancer biology, with particular emphasis on cancer cell invasiveness and metastasis formation. Targeting principal components of IL-6 signalling (e.g., IL-6Rs, gp130, STAT3, NF-κB) is an intensively studied approach in preclinical cancer research. It is of significant translational potential; numerous studies strongly imply the remarkable potential of IL-6 signalling inhibitors, especially in metastasis suppression.

Alpinia katsumadai Hayata induces growth inhibition and autophagy‑related apoptosis by regulating the AMPK and Akt/mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathways in cancer cells

Alpinia katsumadai Hayata (AKH), a widely used traditional Chinese medicine, exerts various biological functions, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-microbial and anti-asthmatic effects. However, studies on its anticancer activity and associated mechanisms are limited. The present study investigated the effects of ethanol extract from AKH on the viability of various human cancer and normal liver LX-2 cells using Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. Apoptosis was detected by Hoechst 33342/PI staining and Annexin-V-FITC/PI double staining. Autophagy was examined by Ad-GFP-LC3B transfection. The association between AKH-induced autophagy and apoptosis was investigated by pre-treatment of the cells with the autophagy inhibitors, 3-methyladenine (3MA) and bafilomycin A1 (Baf-A1), followed by treatment with AKH. The expression levels of cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), caspase-8, caspase-3, caspase-9, phosphorylated (p-)AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), Akt, mTOR and p70S6K were examined using western blot analysis. The in vivo antitumor activity of AKH was investigated in nude mice bearing A549 lung cancer xenografts. The components of AKH were detected by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry-ion trap-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The results revealed that AKH significantly inhibited the proliferation of various cancer cells with the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) values of 203–284 µg/ml; however, its inhibitory effect was much less prominent against normal liver LX-2 cells with an IC₅₀ value of 395 µg/ml. AKH markedly induced apoptosis and autophagy, and upregulated the protein expression of cleaved-caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9 and cleaved PARP in a concentration-dependent manner. Of note, the autophagy inhibitors (3MA and Baf-A1) significantly attenuated its pro-apoptotic effects on human pancreatic cancer Panc-28 and lung cancer A549 cells. Furthermore, AKH significantly increased the levels of p-AMPK, and decreased those of p-Akt, p-mTOR and p-p70S6K in Panc-28 and A549 cells. AKH markedly inhibited the growth of A549 tumor xenografts in vivo. In addition, a total of nine compounds were detected from AKH. The present study demonstrates that AKH markedly inhibits the growth and induces autophagy-related apoptosis in cancer cells by regulating the AMPK and Akt/mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathways. AKH and/or its active fractions may thus have potential to be developed as novel anticancer agents for clinical use.

The anticancer effects of cyanidin 3-O-glucoside combined with 5-fluorouracil on lung large-cell carcinoma in nude mice

The haskap (Lonicera caerulea L., Caprifoliaceae) berry has been widely used in traditional medicine in Kuril Islands, Russia, Japan, and China. Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G) is the most abundant anthocyanin in haskap berries, and C3G induces antiproliferative pharmacological activity in various cancer cells. However, no study has investigated its anti-lung large-cell carcinoma (LCC) pharmacological role. Therefore, this study determined whether C3G alone or C3G combined with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) inhibits human lung LCC. We determined the tumor growth, apoptosis, inflammation, and metastasis in the H661 lung LCC lines xenografted into BALB/c nude mice. The mice were administered saline (control), 5-FU, C3G, or both C3G and 5-FU. Relative to the control mice, those treated with C3G alone or both C3G and 5-FU exhibited impaired tumor growth; increased tumor apoptosis; decreased inflammatory cytokine levels (e.g., IL-1β, TNF-α, C-reactive protein, and IL-6); decreased inflammation-related factors, including cyclooxygenase-2 protein and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) mRNA; increased inhibition of NF-κB kinase α mRNA; and downregulated metastasis-related factors, such as transforming growth factor-β, CD44, epidermal growth factor receptor, and vascular endothelial growth factor. In addition, C3G alone or combined with 5-FU affected the expression of the tumor microenvironment-related factors Ki67, CD45, PDL1, and CD73. Compared with the mice treated with 5-FU or C3G alone, those treated with both C3G and 5-FU exhibited significantly impaired tumor growth, decreased tumor sizes, and increased tumor inhibition. This in vivo study demonstrated that C3G alone or combined with 5-FU may impair the growth of lung LCC and inhibit tumorigenesis. The findings indicate that C3G alone or C3G combined with 5-FU may be beneficial for treating human lung LCC.

Alnustone inhibits the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma via ROS- mediated PI3K/Akt/mTOR/p70S6K axis

Alnustone, a diarylheptane compound, exhibits potent growth inhibition against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) BEL-7402 cells. However, the underlying mechanisms associated with its anticancer activity remain unknown. In the present study, we evaluated the anticancer effect of alnustone against several human cancers focused on HCC and the possible associated mechanisms. The results showed that alnustone significantly inhibited the growth of several cancer cells by CCK-8 assay. Alnustone markedly induced apoptosis and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential in BEL-7402 and HepG2 cells. Alnustone inhibited the expression of proteins related to apoptosis and PI3K/Akt/mTOR/p70S6K pathways and generated ROS production in BEL-7402 and HepG2 cells. Moreover, N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC, a ROS inhibitor) could significantly reverse the effects of alnustone on the growth inhibition of BEL-7402 and HepG2 cells and the expression of proteins related to apoptosis and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in HepG2 cells. Furthermore, alnustone significantly inhibited tumor growth of HepG2 xenografts, obviously induced apoptosis in the tumor tissues and improved the pathological condition of liver tissues of mice in vivo. The study provides evidence that alnustone is effective against HCC via ROS-mediated PI3K/Akt/mTOR/p70S6K pathway and the compound has the potential to be developed as a novel anticancer agent for the treatment of HCC clinically.

Anti-Cancer Effects of Zotarolimus Combined with 5-Fluorouracil Treatment in HCT-116 Colorectal Cancer-Bearing BALB/c Nude Mice

Zotarolimus is a semi-synthetic derivative of rapamycin and an inhibitor of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling. Currently, zotarolimus is used to prolong the survival time of organ grafts, but it is also a novel immunosuppressive agent with potent anti-proliferative activity. Here, we examine the anti-tumor effect of zotarolimus, alone and in combination with 5-fluorouracil, on HCT-116 colorectal adenocarcinoma cells implanted in BALB/c nude mice. Compared with the control mice, mice treated with zotarolimus or zotarolimus combined with 5-FU showed retarded tumor growth; increased tumor apoptosis through the enhanced expression of cleaved caspase 3 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation; reduced inflammation-related factors such as IL-1β, TNF-α, and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein; and inhibited metastasis-related factors such as CD44, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Notably, mice treated with a combination of zotarolimus and 5-FU showed significantly retarded tumor growth, reduced tumor size, and increased tumor inhibition compared with mice treated with 5-FU or zotarolimus alone, indicating a strong synergistic effect. This in vivo study confirms that zotarolimus or zotarolimus combined with 5-FU can be used to retard colorectal adenocarcinoma growth and inhibit tumorigenesis. Our results suggest that zotarolimus may increase the chemo-sensitization of tumor cells. Therefore, zotarolimus alone and zotarolimus combined with 5-FU may be potential anti-tumor agents in the treatment of human colon adenocarcinoma. Future research on zotarolimus may lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies.