Sufentanil impairs autophagic degradation and inhibits cell migration in NCI-H460 in vitro

Blockage of Autophagy for Cancer Therapy: A Comprehensive Review

The incidence and mortality of cancer are increasing, making it a leading cause of death worldwide. Conventional treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy face significant limitations due to therapeutic resistance. Autophagy, a cellular self-degradation mechanism, plays a crucial role in cancer development, drug resistance, and treatment. This review investigates the potential of autophagy inhibition as a therapeutic strategy for cancer. A systematic search was conducted on Embase, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases from 1967 to 2024 to identify studies on autophagy inhibitors and their mechanisms in cancer therapy. The review includes original articles utilizing in vitro and in vivo experimental methods, literature reviews, and clinical trials. Key terms used were "Autophagy", "Inhibitors", "Molecular mechanism", "Cancer therapy", and "Clinical trials". Autophagy inhibitors such as chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) have shown promise in preclinical studies by inhibiting lysosomal acidification and preventing autophagosome degradation. Other inhibitors like wortmannin and SAR405 target specific components of the autophagy pathway. Combining these inhibitors with chemotherapy has demonstrated enhanced efficacy, making cancer cells more susceptible to cytotoxic agents. Clinical trials involving CQ and HCQ have shown encouraging results, although further investigation is needed to optimize their use in cancer therapy. Autophagy exhibits a dual role in cancer, functioning as both a survival mechanism and a cell death pathway. Targeting autophagy presents a viable strategy for cancer therapy, particularly when integrated with existing treatments. However, the complexity of autophagy regulation and the potential side effects necessitate further research to develop precise and context-specific therapeutic approaches.

Sufentanil inhibits the metastasis and immune response of breast cancer via mediating the NF-κB pathway

OBJECTIVE

Breast cancer (BC) causes cancer-related death in women. Sufentanil is used for cancer pain and postoperative analgesia. This study aimed to explore the role of sufentanil in BC.

METHODS

BC cells were treated with sufentanil, and cell viability was evaluated using the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Biological behaviors were analyzed using EDU assay, flow cytometry, transwell assay, western blotting, and ELISA. The levels of NF-κB pathway-related factors were examined using western blotting. A xenograft tumor model was established to assess the effects of sufentanil on tumor growth in vivo.

RESULTS

Sufentanil at the concentration of 20, 40, 80, and 160 nM suppressed cell viability (IC50 = 39.84 in MDA-MB-231 cells, and IC50 = 47.46 in BT549 cells). Sufentanil inhibited the proliferation, invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and inflammation, but induced apoptosis of BC cells. Mechanically, sufentanil suppressed the activation of the NF-κB pathway. Rescue experiments showed that RANKL (NF-κB receptor agonist) abrogated the effects induced by sufentanil. Moreover, sufentanil inhibited tumor growth, inflammatory response, but promoted apoptosis via the NF-κB pathway in vivo.

CONCLUSIONS

Sufentanil decelerated the progression of BC by regulating the NF-κB pathway, suggesting sufentanil may be used in BC therapy.

The oxidative stress response of Streptococcus pneumoniae: its contribution to both extracellular and intracellular survival

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a gram-positive, aerotolerant bacterium that naturally colonizes the human nasopharynx, but also causes invasive infections and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. This pathogen produces high levels of H2O2 to eliminate other microorganisms that belong to the microbiota of the respiratory tract. However, it also induces an oxidative stress response to survive under this stressful condition. Furthermore, this self-defense mechanism is advantageous in tolerating oxidative stress imposed by the host's immune response. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the strategies employed by the pneumococcus to survive oxidative stress. These strategies encompass the utilization of H2O2 scavengers and thioredoxins, the adaptive response to antimicrobial host oxidants, the regulation of manganese and iron homeostasis, and the intricate regulatory networks that control the stress response. Here, we have also summarized less explored aspects such as the involvement of reparation systems and polyamine metabolism. A particular emphasis is put on the role of the oxidative stress response during the transient intracellular life of Streptococcus pneumoniae, including coinfection with influenza A and the induction of antibiotic persistence in host cells.

Sufentanil combined with parecoxib sodium inhibits proliferation and metastasis of HER2-positive breast cancer cells and regulates epithelial-mesenchymal transition

BACKGROUND

Sufentanil combined with parecoxib sodium is a commonly used postoperative medication for cancer patients. However, the effects of this combination therapy on human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer cells have still remained elusive. This study aimed to investigate the effects and potential mechanisms of sufentanil combined with parecoxib sodium on HER2-positive breast cancer cells.

METHODS

The cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation, flow cytometry, scratch, transwell invasion, and angiogenesis assays were used to assess the proliferation, cell cycling, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis of HER2-positive breast cancer BT474 cells. Western blot assay was employed for detecting the expression levels of proteins involved in the cell cycle, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The in vivo effects of tumor growth and metastasis were examined by establishing an orthotopic transplantation mouse model of HER2-positive breast cancer (MMTV-PyMT).

RESULTS

Functional assays indicated that sufentanil combined with parecoxib sodium induced blockade of HER2-positive breast cancer BT474 cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle and inhibited cell proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, and invasion in vitro. Western blot assay revealed that sufentanil combined with parecoxib sodium downregulated the expression levels of cyclin D1, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), and EMT-related proteins (N-cadherin, Vimentin, and Snail), while up-regulated the expression level of E-cadherin in BT474 cells. In addition, it was found that sufentanil combined with parecoxib sodium inhibited tumor growth and metastasis in the orthotopic transplantation mouse model of HER2-positive breast cancer.

CONCLUSION

Sufentanil combined with parecoxib sodium inhibited HER2-positive breast cancer progression, including cell proliferation, cell cycle, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis, and regulated EMT.

Pancreatic Cancer and Microenvironments: Implications of Anesthesia

Simple Summary

Pancreatic cancer is a lethal malignant neoplasm with less than 10% 5-year relative survival after the initial diagnosis. Several factors may be related to the poor prognosis of pancreatic cancer, including the rapid tumor progression, increased metastatic propensity, insignificant symptoms, shortage of early diagnostic biomarkers, and its tendency toward resistance to both chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Pancreatic neoplastic cells interact intimately with a complicated microenvironment that can foster drug resistance, metastasis, or relapse in pancreatic cancer. In addition, evidence shows that perioperative factors, including surgical manipulation, anesthetics, or analgesics, might alter the tumor microenvironment and cancer progression. This review outlines the up-to-date knowledge of anesthesia implications in the pancreatic microenvironment and provides future anesthetic strategies for improving pancreatic cancer survival.

Abstract

Pancreatic malignancy is a lethal neoplasm, as well as one of the leading causes of cancer-associated mortality, having a 5-year overall survival rate of less than 10%. The average life expectancy of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer does not exceed six months. Although surgical excision is a favorable modality for long-term survival of pancreatic neoplasm, metastasis is initially identified in nearly 80% of the patients by the time of diagnosis, making the development of therapeutic policy for pancreatic cancer extremely daunting. Emerging evidence shows that pancreatic neoplastic cells interact intimately with a complicated microenvironment that can foster drug resistance, metastasis, or relapse in pancreatic cancer. As a result, the necessity of gaining further insight should be focused on the pancreatic microenvironment contributing to cancer progression. Numerous evidence reveals that perioperative factors, including surgical manipulation and anesthetics (e.g., propofol, volatile anesthetics, local anesthetics, epidural anesthesia/analgesia, midazolam), analgesics (e.g., opioids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, tramadol), and anesthetic adjuvants (such as ketamine and dexmedetomidine), might alter the tumor microenvironment and cancer progression by affecting perioperative inflammatory or immune responses during cancer surgery. Therefore, the anesthesiologist plays an important role in perioperative management and may affect surgical outcomes. However, the literature on the impact of anesthesia on the pancreatic cancer microenvironment and progression is limited. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the implications of anesthesia in the pancreatic microenvironment and provides future anesthetic strategies for improving pancreatic cancer survival rates.

Sufentanil preconditioning protects against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury via miR-125a/DRAM2 axis

This project aimed to investigate the protective mechanism of sufentanil pretreatment on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). An in vivo rat model of myocardial IRI and an in vitro cultured cardiomyocyte model of hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) were used to confirm the anti-oxidation and anti-autophagy effects of sufentanil. The interaction between miR-125a and damage-regulated autophagy regulator 2 (DRAM2) was verified by luciferase reporter assay. We showed that pretreatment with sufentanil suppressed myocardial damage caused by IRI in rats by inhibiting oxidative stress and mitochondrial autophagy. Furthermore, the cardioprotective mechanism of sufentanil was mediated by miR-125a. MiR-125a targeted DRAM2 to ameliorate cardiomyocyte autophagy and oxidative injury following H/R treatment. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that sufentanil pretreatment produced a protective effect against myocardial IRI via regulating miR-125a/DRAM2 signaling axis.

Sufentanil preconditioning protects against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury via miR-125a/DRAM2 axis

This project aimed to investigate the protective mechanism of sufentanil pretreatment on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). An in vivo rat model of myocardial IRI and an in vitro cultured cardiomyocyte model of hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) were used to confirm the anti-oxidation and anti-autophagy effects of sufentanil. The interaction between miR-125a and damage-regulated autophagy regulator 2 (DRAM2) was verified by luciferase reporter assay. We showed that pretreatment with sufentanil suppressed myocardial damage caused by IRI in rats by inhibiting oxidative stress and mitochondrial autophagy. Furthermore, the cardioprotective mechanism of sufentanil was mediated by miR-125a. MiR-125a targeted DRAM2 to ameliorate cardiomyocyte autophagy and oxidative injury following H/R treatment. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that sufentanil pretreatment produced a protective effect against myocardial IRI via regulating miR-125a/DRAM2 signaling axis.

The Role of Autophagy in Gastric Cancer Chemoresistance: Friend or Foe?

Gastric cancer is the third most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Drug resistance is the main inevitable and vital factor leading to a low 5-year survival rate for patients with gastric cancer. Autophagy, as a highly conserved homeostatic pathway, is mainly regulated by different proteins and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) and plays dual roles in drug resistance of gastric cancer. Thus, targeting key regulatory nodes in the process of autophagy by small molecule inhibitors or activators has become one of the most promising strategies for the treatment of gastric cancer in recent years. In this review, we provide a systematic summary focusing on the relationship between autophagy and chemotherapy resistance in gastric cancer. We comprehensively discuss the roles and molecular mechanisms of multiple proteins and the emerging ncRNAs including miRNAs and lncRNAs in the regulation of autophagy pathways and gastric cancer chemoresistance. We also summarize the regulatory effects of autophagy inhibitor and activators on gastric cancer chemoresistance. Understanding the vital roles of autophagy in gastric cancer chemoresistance will provide novel opportunities to develop promising therapeutic strategies for gastric cancer.

Combination of an Autophagy Inducer and an Autophagy Inhibitor: A Smarter Strategy Emerging in Cancer Therapy

Autophagy is considered a cytoprotective function in cancer therapy under certain conditions and is a drug resistance mechanism that represents a clinical obstacle to successful cancer treatment and leads to poor prognosis in cancer patients. Because certain clinical drugs and agents in development have cytoprotective autophagy effects, targeting autophagic pathways has emerged as a potential smarter strategy for cancer therapy. Multiple preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated that autophagy inhibition augments the efficacy of anticancer agents in various cancers. Autophagy inhibitors, such as chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, have already been clinically approved, promoting drug combination treatment by targeting autophagic pathways as a means of discovering and developing more novel and more effective cancer therapeutic approaches. We summarize current studies that focus on the antitumor efficiency of agents that induce cytoprotective autophagy combined with autophagy inhibitors. Furthermore, we discuss the challenge and development of targeting cytoprotective autophagy as a cancer therapeutic approach in clinical application. Thus, we need to facilitate the exploitation of appropriate autophagy inhibitors and coadministration delivery system to cooperate with anticancer drugs. This review aims to note optimal combination strategies by modulating autophagy for therapeutic advantage to overcome drug resistance and enhance the effect of antitumor therapies on cancer patients.