Effect of Resveratrol Treatment on Human Pancreatic Cancer Cells through Alterations of Bcl-2 Family Members

Fabrication of magnetic niosomal platform for delivery of resveratrol: potential anticancer activity against human pancreatic cancer Capan-1 cell

Recently, the presence of different nanoparticles (NPs) has developed targeting drug delivery in treatment of cancer cell. Targeted drug delivery systems using NPs have shown great promise in improving the efficacy of intracellular uptake as well as local concentration of therapeutics with minimizing side effects. The current study planned to synthesized resveratrol-loaded magnetic niosomes nanoparticles (RSV-MNIONPs) and evaluate their cytotoxicity activity in pancreatic cancer cells. For this aim, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were synthesized and loaded into niosomes (NIOs) by the thin film hydration technique and then characterized via DLS, FT-IR, TEM, SEM and VSM techniques. Moreover, the cytotoxic activity of the RSV-MNIONPs on the Capan-1 cells line was assessed by the MTT test. The distribution number of RSV-MNIONPs was gained about 80 nm and 95 nm with surface charge of - 14.0 mV by SEM and TEM analysis, respectively. RSV loading efficacy in NIOs was about 85%, and the drug releases pattern displayed a sustained discharge with a maximum amount about 35% and 40%, within 4 h in pH = 7.4 and pH = 5.8, respectively. The cytotoxicity of the RSV-MNIONPs in the presence of an external magnetic field is higher than that of the RSV, indicating enhanced cellular uptake in their encapsulated states. Furthermore, RSV loaded MNNPs were found to induce more cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 checkpoint than free RSV. Compared with RSV-treated cells, the mRNA expression levels of BAX, Bcl2, FAS, P 53, Cyclin D and hTERT, were significantly changed in cells treated with RSV loaded MNNPs. The niosomes NPs approaches have been widely used to attain higher solubility, improved bioavailability, enhanced stability, and control delivery of RSV. Our formulation displayed antitumor activity and can be considered an appropriate carrier with a great potential for future usage in cancer therapy.

Targeted delivery of genistein for pancreatic cancer treatment using hyaluronic-coated cubosomes bioactivated with frankincense oil

Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive malignancy that remains a major cause of cancer-related deaths. Research for innovative anticancer therapeutic options is thus imperative. In this regard, phytotherapeutics offer great promise as efficient treatment modalities, especially leveraging nanodrug delivery. Herein, we innovatively coloaded the flavonoid genistein (Gen) and frankincense essential oil (FO) within cubosomes, which were then coated with the bioactive ligand hyaluronic acid (HA/Gen-FO-Cub) for active-targeting of pancreatic cancer. The novel HA/Gen-FO-Cub displayed optimum nanosize (198.2 ± 4.5 nm), PDI (0.27 ± 0.01), zeta-potential (-34.7 ± 1.2 mV), Gen entrapment (99.3 ± 0.01 %), and controlled Gen release (43.7 ± 1.2 % after 120 h). HA/Gen-FO-Cub exerted selective anticancer activity on pancreatic cancer cells (PANC-1; 8-fold drop in IC50), cellular uptake and anti-migratory effect compared to Gen solution. HA/Gen-FO-Cub revealed prominent cytocompatibility (100 ± 5.9 % viability of human dermal fibroblast). Moreover, HA/Gen-FO-Cub boosted the in vivo anticancer activity of Gen in an orthotopic cancer model, affording tumor growth suppression (2.5-fold drop) and downregulation of NFκB and VEGF (2.9- and 1.8-fold decrease, respectively), compared to Gen suspension. Antimetastatic efficacy and Bcl-2-downexpression was histologically confirmed. Our findings demonstrate the promising anticancer aptitude of HA/Gen-FO-Cub as an effective phytotherapeutic nanodelivery system for pancreatic cancer therapy.

Effects and mechanisms of resveratrol for prevention and management of cancers: An updated review

Cancer is a severe public health problem. Resveratrol is a famous natural compound that has various bioactivities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and antiaging activities. Especially, resveratrol could prevent and treat various cancers, such as oral, thyroid, breast, lung, liver, pancreatic, gastric, colorectal, bladder, prostate and ovarian cancers. The underlying mechanisms have been widely studied, such as inhibiting cell proliferation, suppressing metastasis, inducing apoptosis, stimulating autophagy, modulating immune system, attenuating inflammation, regulating gut microbiota and enhancing effects of other anticancer drugs. In this review, we summarize effects and mechanisms of resveratrol on different cancers. This paper is helpful to develop resveratrol, crude extract containing resveratrol, or foods containing resveratrol into functional food, dietary supplements or auxiliary agents for prevention and management of cancers.

Phytochemicals for the prevention and treatment of pancreatic cancer: Current progress and future prospects

Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, owing to its aggressive nature and suboptimal treatment options, emphasizing the need for novel therapeutic approaches. Emerging studies have exhibited promising results regarding the therapeutic utility of plant-derived compounds (phytochemicals) in pancreatic cancer. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the potential of phytochemicals in the treatment and prevention of pancreatic cancer. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses was applied to collect articles for this review. Scholarly databases, including PubMed, Scopus and ScienceDirect, were queried for relevant studies using the following keywords: phytochemicals, phenolics, terpenoids, alkaloids, sulfur-containing compounds, in vitro, in vivo, clinical studies, pancreatic cancer, tumour, treatment and prevention. Aggregate results pooled from qualified studies indicate phytochemicals can inhibit pancreatic cancer cell growth or decrease tumour size and volume in animal models. These effects have been attributed to various mechanisms, such as increasing proapoptotic factors, decreasing antiapoptotic factors, or inducing cell death and cell cycle arrest. Notable signalling pathways modulated by phytochemicals include the rat sarcoma/mitogen activated protein kinase, wingless-related integration site/β-catenin and phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin signal transduction pathways. Clinically, phytochemicals have been found to increase survival while being well-tolerated and safe, though research is scarce. While these promising results have produced great interest in this field, further in-depth studies are required to characterize the anticancer activities of phytochemicals before they can be utilized to prevent or treat pancreatic cancer in clinical practice.

Hypoxia, but Not Normoxia, Reduces Effects of Resveratrol on Cisplatin Treatment in A2780 Ovarian Cancer Cells: A Challenge for Resveratrol Use in Anticancer Adjuvant Cisplatin Therapy

Natural compounds, such as resveratrol (Res), are currently used as adjuvants for anticancer therapies. To evaluate the effectiveness of Res for the treatment of ovarian cancer (OC), we screened the response of various OC cell lines to the combined treatment with cisplatin (CisPt) and Res. We identified A2780 cells as the most synergistically responding, thus optimal for further analysis. Because hypoxia is the hallmark of the solid tumor microenvironment, we compared the effects of Res alone and in combination with CisPt in hypoxia (pO2 = 1%) vs. normoxia (pO2 = 19%). Hypoxia caused an increase (43.2 vs. 5.0%) in apoptosis and necrosis (14.2 vs. 2.5%), reactive oxygen species production, pro-angiogenic HIF-1α (hypoxia-inducible factor-1α) and VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor), cell migration, and downregulated the expression of ZO1 (zonula occludens-1) protein in comparison to normoxia. Res was not cytotoxic under hypoxia in contrast to normoxia. In normoxia, Res alone or CisPt+Res caused apoptosis via caspase-3 cleavage and BAX, while in hypoxia, it reduced the accumulation of A2780 cells in the G2/M phase. CisPt+Res increased levels of vimentin under normoxia and upregulated SNAI1 expression under hypoxia. Thus, various effects of Res or CisPt+Res on A2780 cells observed in normoxia are eliminated or diminished in hypoxia. These findings indicate the limitations in using Res as an adjuvant with CisPt therapy in OC.

Multimodal study of CHI3L1 inhibition and its effect on angiogenesis, migration, immune response and refractive index of cellular structures in glioblastoma

Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive tumours with a poor response to treatment and a poor prognosis for patients. One of the proteins expressed in glioblastoma tissue is CHI3L1 (YKL-40), which is upregulated and known for its angiogenesis-supporting and pro-tumour immunomodulatory effects in a variety of cancers. In this paper we present the anti-angiogenic, anti-migratory and immunomodulatory effects of the compound G721-0282, an inhibitor of CHI3L1. The inhibitor-induced changes were investigated using conventional techniques as well as the novel label-free digital holographic tomography (DHT), a quantitative phase imaging technique that allows the reconstruction of the refractive index (RI), which is used as an image contrast for 3D visualisation of living cells. DHT allowed digital staining of individual cells and intercellular structures based only on their specific RI. Quantitative spatially resolved analysis of the RI data shows that the concentration of G721-0282 leads to significant changes in the density of cells and their intracellular structures (in particular the cytoplasm and nucleus), in the volume of lipid droplets and in protein concentrations. Studies in the U-87 MG glioblastoma cell line, THP-1 monocytes differentiated into macrophages, human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1) and in the spheroid model of glioblastoma composed of U-87 MG, HMEC-1 and macrophages suggest that inhibition of CHI3L1 may have potential in the antitumour treatment of glioblastoma. In this paper, we also propose a spheroid model for in vitro studies that mimics this type of tumour.

Resveratrol Derivative Exhibits Marked Antiproliferative Actions, Affecting Stemness in Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the deadliest malignancies, with an increasing incidence and limited response to current therapeutic options. Therefore, more effective and low-toxic agents are needed to improve PC patients' outcomes. Resveratrol (RSV) is a natural polyphenol with multiple biological properties, including anticancer effects. In this study, we explored the antiproliferative activities of newly synthetized RSV analogues in a panel of PC cell lines and evaluated the physicochemical properties of the most active compound. This derivative exhibited marked antiproliferative effects in PC cells through mechanisms involving DNA damage, apoptosis induction, and interference in cell cycle progression, as assessed using flow cytometry and immunoblot analysis of cell cycle proteins, PARP cleavage, and H2AX phosphorylation. Notably, the compound induced a consistent reduction in the PC cell subpopulation with a CD133⁺EpCAM⁺ stem-like phenotype, paralleled by dramatic effects on cell clonogenicity. Moreover, the RSV derivative had negligible toxicity against normal HFF-1 cells and, thus, good selectivity index values toward PC cell lines. Remarkably, its higher lipophilicity and stability in human plasma, as compared to RSV, might ensure a better permeation along the gastrointestinal tract. Our results provide insights into the mechanisms of action contributing to the antiproliferative activity of a synthetic RSV analogue, supporting its potential value in the search for effective and safe agents in PC treatment.

The Involvement of Natural Polyphenols in Molecular Mechanisms Inducing Apoptosis in Tumor Cells: A Promising Adjuvant in Cancer Therapy

Various literature data show how a diet rich in vegetables could reduce the incidence of several cancers due to the contribution of the natural polyphenols contained in them. Polyphenols are attributed multiple pharmacological actions such as anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, antibiotic, antiseptic, anti-allergic, cardioprotective and even anti-tumor properties. The multiple mechanisms involved in their anti-tumor action include signaling pathways modulation associated with cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, angiogenesis, metastasis and cell death. Since the dysregulation of death processes is involved in cancer etiopathology, the natural compounds able to kill cancer cells could be used as new anticancer agents. Apoptosis, a programmed form of cell death, is the most potent defense against cancer and the main mechanism used by both chemotherapy agents and polyphenols. The aim of this review is to provide an update of literature data on the apoptotic molecular mechanisms induced by some representative polyphenol family members in cancer cells. This aspect is particularly important because it may be useful in the design of new therapeutic strategies against cancer involving the polyphenols as adjuvants.

Anticancer effects of herbal medicines in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma through modulation of steroid hormone response proteins

Many individual herbs and herbal formulae have been demonstrated to provide safe and effective treatment for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC); however, the therapeutic mechanisms underlying their effects have not been fully elucidated. A total of 114 herbal formulae comprising 216 single herbal medicines used to treat PDAC were identified. Cluster analysis revealed a core prescription including four herbs [Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizome (Gan Cao), Codonopsis Radix (Dang Shen), Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (Chen Pi), and Pinelliae Rhizoma (Ban Xia)] in combination to treat PDAC, and 295, 256, 141, and 365 potential targets were screened for each of these four herbs, respectively. PDAC-related proteins (n = 2940) were identified from the DisGeNET database. Finally, 44 overlapping targets of herbs and PDAC were obtained, representing potential targets of the herbal medicines for PDAC treatment. GO enrichment analysis indicated that targets common to herbs and PDAC primarily functioned in response to steroid hormones. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis indicated that the herbs may prevent PDAC by influencing apoptotic, p53, and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways. Further, molecular docking analysis indicated that of identified bioactive compounds, stigmasterol, phaseol, perlolyrine, shinpterocarpin, and licopyranocoumarin have good binding ability with proteins involved in responses to steroid hormones, while stigmasterol, phaseol, perlolyrine, and DIOP have good binding ability with PTGS2(also known as COX-2), ESR1, ESR2, AR, and PGR. The anti-PDAC activity of herbal medicines may be mediated via regulation of proteins with roles in responses to steroid hormones. This study provides further evidence supporting the potential for use of herbal medicines to treat PDAC.