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Sheikhhossein HH, Iommelli F, Di Pietro N, Curia MC, Piattelli A, Palumbo R, Roviello GN, De Rosa V. Exosome-like Systems: From Therapies to Vaccination for Cancer Treatment and Prevention-Exploring the State of the Art. Vaccines (Basel) 2024; 12:519. [PMID: 38793770 PMCID: PMC11125800 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines12050519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2024] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer remains one of the main causes of death in the world due to its increasing incidence and treatment difficulties. Although significant progress has been made in this field, innovative approaches are needed to reduce tumor incidence, progression, and spread. In particular, the development of cancer vaccines is currently ongoing as both a preventive and therapeutic strategy. This concept is not new, but few vaccines have been approved in oncology. Antigen-based vaccination emerges as a promising strategy, leveraging specific tumor antigens to activate the immune system response. However, challenges persist in finding suitable delivery systems and antigen preparation methods. Exosomes (EXs) are highly heterogeneous bilayer vesicles that carry several molecule types in the extracellular space. The peculiarity is that they may be released from different cells and may be able to induce direct or indirect stimulation of the immune system. In particular, EX-based vaccines may cause an anti-tumor immune attack or produce memory cells recognizing cancer antigens and inhibiting disease development. This review delves into EX composition, biogenesis, and immune-modulating properties, exploring their role as a tool for prevention and therapy in solid tumors. Finally, we describe future research directions to optimize vaccine efficacy and realize the full potential of EX-based cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamid Heydari Sheikhhossein
- Department of Medical, Oral and Biotechnological Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
- Villa Serena Foundation for Research, 65013 Città Sant'Angelo, Italy
| | - Francesca Iommelli
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, National Research Council, 80145 Naples, Italy
| | - Natalia Di Pietro
- Department of Medical, Oral and Biotechnological Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
- Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Maria Cristina Curia
- Department of Medical, Oral and Biotechnological Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Adriano Piattelli
- School of Dentistry, Saint Camillus International University of Health and Medical Sciences, 00131 Rome, Italy
- Facultad de Medicina, UCAM Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia, 30107 Murcia, Spain
| | - Rosanna Palumbo
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, National Research Council, 80145 Naples, Italy
| | - Giovanni N Roviello
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, National Research Council, 80145 Naples, Italy
| | - Viviana De Rosa
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, National Research Council, 80145 Naples, Italy
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Agrawal P, Nair MS. Binding mechanism of andrographolide with intramolecular antiparallel G-quadruplexes of therapeutic importance: an in-silico analysis. MOLECULAR SIMULATION 2023. [DOI: 10.1080/08927022.2023.2193647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
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3
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Bahls B, Aljnadi IM, Emídio R, Mendes E, Paulo A. G-Quadruplexes in c-MYC Promoter as Targets for Cancer Therapy. Biomedicines 2023; 11:biomedicines11030969. [PMID: 36979947 PMCID: PMC10046398 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11030969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a societal burden demanding innovative approaches. A major problem with the conventional chemotherapeutic agents is their strong toxicity and other side effects due to their poor selectivity. Uncontrolled proliferation of cancer cells is due to mutations, deletions, or amplifications in genes (oncogenes) encoding for proteins that regulate cell growth and division, such as transcription factors, for example, c-MYC. The direct targeting of the c-MYC protein has been attempted but so far unsuccessfully, as it lacks a definite binding site for the modulators. Meanwhile, another approach has been explored since the discovery that G-quadruplex secondary DNA structures formed in the guanine-rich sequences of the c-MYC promoter region can downregulate the transcription of this oncogene. Here, we will overview the major achievements made in the last decades towards the discovery of a new class of anticancer drugs targeting G-quadruplexes in the c-MYC promoter of cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bárbara Bahls
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.Ulisboa), Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Israa M Aljnadi
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.Ulisboa), Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Rita Emídio
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.Ulisboa), Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Eduarda Mendes
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.Ulisboa), Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Alexandra Paulo
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.Ulisboa), Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal
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Anticancer Activity, Reduction Mechanism and G-Quadruplex DNA Binding of a Redox-Activated Platinum(IV)-Salphen Complex. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232415579. [PMID: 36555221 PMCID: PMC9778786 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232415579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Aiming at reducing the unselective cytotoxicity of Pt(II) chemotherapeutics, a great deal of effort has been concentrated into the design of metal-containing drugs with different anticancer mechanisms of action. Inert Pt(IV) prodrugs have been proposed to be a valid alternative as they are activated by reduction directly into the cell releasing active Pt(II) species. On the other hand, a promising strategy for designing metallodrugs is to explore new potential biological targets rather than canonical B-DNA. G-quadruplex nucleic acid, obtained by self-assembly of guanine-rich nucleic acid sequences, has recently been considered an attractive target for anticancer drug design. Therefore, compounds capable of binding and stabilizing this type of DNA structure would be greatly beneficial in anticancer therapy. Here, computational analysis reports the mechanism of action of a recently synthesized Pt(IV)-salphen complex conjugating the inertness of Pt(IV) prodrugs with the ability to bind G-quadruplexes of the corresponding Pt(II) complex. The reduction mechanism of the Pt(IV) complex with a biological reducing agent was investigated in depth by means of DFT, whereas classical MD simulations were carried out to shed light into the binding mechanism of the released Pt(II) complex. The results show that the Pt(IV) prodrug may be reduced by both inner- and outer-sphere mechanisms, and the active Pt(II) complex, as a function of its protonation state, stabilizes the G-quadruplex DNA prevalently, either establishing π-stacking interactions with the terminal G-tetrad or through electrostatic interactions along with H-bonds formation.
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Exploring the Parallel G-Quadruplex Nucleic Acid World: A Spectroscopic and Computational Investigation on the Binding of the c-myc Oncogene NHE III1 Region by the Phytochemical Polydatin. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27092997. [PMID: 35566347 PMCID: PMC9099682 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27092997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Trans-polydatin (tPD), the 3-β-D-glucoside of the well-known nutraceutical trans-resveratrol, is a natural polyphenol with documented anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, and immunoregulatory effects. Considering the anticancer activity of tPD, in this work, we aimed to explore the binding properties of this natural compound with the G-quadruplex (G4) structure formed by the Pu22 [d(TGAGGGTGGGTAGGGTGGGTAA)] DNA sequence by exploiting CD spectroscopy and molecular docking simulations. Pu22 is a mutated and shorter analog of the G4-forming sequence known as Pu27 located in the promoter of the c-myc oncogene, whose overexpression triggers the metabolic changes responsible for cancer cells transformation. The binding of tPD with the parallel Pu22 G4 was confirmed by CD spectroscopy, which showed significant changes in the CD spectrum of the DNA and a slight thermal stabilization of the G4 structure. To gain a deeper insight into the structural features of the tPD-Pu22 complex, we performed an in silico molecular docking study, which indicated that the interaction of tPD with Pu22 G4 may involve partial end-stacking to the terminal G-quartet and H-bonding interactions between the sugar moiety of the ligand and deoxynucleotides not included in the G-tetrads. Finally, we compared the experimental CD profiles of Pu22 G4 with the corresponding theoretical output obtained using DichroCalc, a web-based server normally used for the prediction of proteins’ CD spectra starting from their “.pdb” file. The results indicated a good agreement between the predicted and the experimental CD spectra in terms of the spectral bands’ profile even if with a slight bathochromic shift in the positive band, suggesting the utility of this predictive tool for G4 DNA CD investigations.
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Szymańska M, Kubicki M, Roviello GN, Consiglio G, Fik-Jaskółka MA, Patroniak V. New Cu( i) square grid-type and Ni( ii) triangle-type complexes: synthesis and characterization of effective binders of DNA and serum albumins. Dalton Trans 2022; 51:15648-15658. [DOI: 10.1039/d2dt02271k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Metallosupramolecular square grid-type complex [Cu4L4]4+ and triangle-type complex [Ni3L3]6+ as a potential strategy for obtaining versatile metal-based DNA, Serum Albumin (SA) and DNA binders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martyna Szymańska
- Faculty of Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 8, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
| | - Maciej Kubicki
- Faculty of Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 8, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
| | - Giovanni N. Roviello
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging – CNR, Area di Ricerca site and Headquartes, Via Tommaso De Amicis, 95, 80145 Napoli, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Consiglio
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università degli studi di Catania, viale A. Doria 6, I-95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Marta A. Fik-Jaskółka
- Faculty of Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 8, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
| | - Violetta Patroniak
- Faculty of Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 8, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
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DNA Binding Mode Analysis of a Core-Extended Naphthalene Diimide as a Conformation-Sensitive Fluorescent Probe of G-Quadruplex Structures. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms221910624. [PMID: 34638964 PMCID: PMC8508963 DOI: 10.3390/ijms221910624] [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: 07/29/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
G-quadruplex existence was proved in cells by using both antibodies and small molecule fluorescent probes. However, the G-quadruplex probes designed thus far are structure- but not conformation-specific. Recently, a core-extended naphthalene diimide (cex-NDI) was designed and found to provide fluorescent signals of markedly different intensities when bound to G-quadruplexes of different conformations or duplexes. Aiming at evaluating how the fluorescence behaviour of this compound is associated with specific binding modes to the different DNA targets, cex-NDI was here studied in its interaction with hybrid G-quadruplex, parallel G-quadruplex, and B-DNA duplex models by biophysical techniques, molecular docking, and biological assays. cex-NDI showed different binding modes associated with different amounts of stacking interactions with the three DNA targets. The preferential binding sites were the groove, outer quartet, or intercalative site of the hybrid G-quadruplex, parallel G-quadruplex, and B-DNA duplex, respectively. Interestingly, our data show that the fluorescence intensity of DNA-bound cex-NDI correlates with the amount of stacking interactions formed by the ligand with each DNA target, thus providing the rationale behind the conformation-sensitive properties of cex-NDI and supporting its use as a fluorescent probe of G-quadruplex structures. Notably, biological assays proved that cex-NDI mainly localizes in the G-quadruplex-rich nuclei of cancer cells.
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