Inactivation of AKT/NF‑κB signaling by eurycomalactone decreases human NSCLC cell viability and improves the chemosensitivity to cisplatin

Diethyldithiocarbamate-Cu4O3 nanocomplex induced mitochondrial and telomerase dysfunction in non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Targeting cancer stem cells (CSCs)-mediated aggressive features of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a promising anticancer approach. This can be accomplished via suppressing critical mediators, such as functional mitochondria, aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH)1A, and telomere protectors (telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and telomere repeat binding factor (TRF)1).

MATERIALS & METHODS

Copper nanocomplexes (diethyldithiocarbamate (DE)-Cu4O3 nanoparticles (NPs) and DE-Cu NPs) were prepared using the simplest green chemistry method and assessed for inducing mitochondrial dysfunction-dependent non-apoptotic pathway (cuproptosis) and repressing CSC markers.

RESULTS

DE-Cu4O3 NPs had higher growth inhibition for NSCLC (A549, H520, and H1299) spheroids than DE-Cu NPs. DE-Cu4O3 NPs had higher uptake rate and prooxidant effect resulting in lower mitochondrial membrane potential and mitochondrial DNA copy number, as well as stronger inhibition of telomerase and ALDH1A than DE-Cu NPs. This caused dramatic redox imbalance and lowering AKT pathway (activator of telomere stabilizers and stemness)-mediated repression of TERT and TRF1 protein levels as well as phosphorylated NF-κB subunit (p65) led to collapsing telomeres, as evidenced by downregulating TERT regulators and confocal microscopy. In animal study, this active nanocomplex revealed powerful and selective therapeutic tumor-targeting effects, with no evidence of toxicity to healthy tissues.

CONCLUSION

DE-Cu4O3 nanocomplex is deemed as promising nanomedicine for NSCLC.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the impact of resveratrol on oral cancer: potential therapeutic implications

The present study aimed to investigate the impact of resveratrol on oral neoplastic parameters through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Resveratrol, a naturally occurring polyphenol, has shown promising potential as a therapeutic agent in various cancer types, including oral neoplasms. Understanding the collective findings from existing studies can shed light on the efficacy and mechanisms of resveratrol in oral cancer management. The systematic review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A comprehensive search was performed to identify relevant studies from various databases, registers, websites, and citation searches. The inclusion criteria encompassed in-vivo studies investigating the impact of resveratrol on oral neoplastic parameters in animal models. After screening and assessment, a total of five eligible studies were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis of the selected studies revealed that resveratrol treatment exhibited a potential impact on reducing oral neoplastic proliferation and promoting neoplastic apoptosis. The combined analysis showed a statistically significant decrease in neoplastic parameters with an overall effect size (ES) of 0.85 (95% CI: [0.74, 0.98]). Subgroup analyses were conducted to explore potential variations among different cellular types and exposure compounds, providing further insights into the efficacy of resveratrol in specific contexts. This systematic review and meta-analysis support the potential of resveratrol as a promising therapeutic agent in oral cancer management. The findings indicate that resveratrol may effectively modulate neoplastic proliferation and apoptosis in various cellular types within animal models of oral cancer. However, further well-controlled studies and clinical trials are warranted to validate these observations and elucidate the underlying mechanisms of resveratrol's actions. Resveratrol holds promise as a complementary therapeutic approach in the prevention and treatment of oral neoplastic conditions.

Inhibition of apoptosis-regulatory protein Siva-1 reverses multidrug resistance in gastric cancer by targeting PCBP1

INTRODUCTION

Siva-1, as a pro-apoptotic protein, has been shown to induce extensive apoptosis in a number of different cell lines. In our previous study, we showed that overexpressed Siva-1 decreased the apoptosis of gastric cancer cells. So, we believe that it can also work as an anti-apoptotic protein. The present study aimed to determine the specific role of Siva-1 in anticancer drug resistance in gastric cancer in vivo and in vitro and preliminarily reveal the mechanism.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A vincristine-resistant MKN-28/VCR gastric cancer cell line with stably downregulated Siva-1 was established. The effect of Siva-1 downregulation on chemotherapeutic drug resistance was assessed by measuring the IC50 and pump rate of doxorubicin. Proliferation, apoptosis of cells, and cell cycle were detected via colony formation assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Additionally, migration and invasion of cells was detected via wound healing and transwell assays. Moreover, we determined in vivo effects of LV-Siva-1-RNAi on tumor size, and apoptotic cells in tumor tissues were detected using TUNEL and hematoxylin and eosin staining.

RESULTS

Siva-1 downregulation reduced the pump rate of doxorubicin and enhanced the response to drug treatment. Siva-1 negatively regulated proliferation and promoted apoptosis of cells by potentiality G2-M phase arresting. Inhibition of Siva-1 expression in MKN-28/VCR cells significantly weakened wound healing ability and decreased invasion ability. Poly(C)-binding protein 1 (PCBP1) was identified as a Siva-1-interacting protein in yeast two-hybrid screening. Semiquantitative RT-PCR and western blotting revealed that Siva-1 downregulation could inhibit expression of PCBP1, Akt, and NF-κB and eventually decrease the expression of MDR1 and MRP1.

CONCLUSION

he current study demonstrated that the downregulation of Siva-1, which functions as a regulator of MDR1 and MRP1 gene expression in gastric cancer cells by inhibiting PCBP1/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway expression, enhanced the sensitivity of gastric cancer cells to certain chemotherapies.

Inhibition of SRPK1, a key splicing regulator, exhibits antitumor and chemotherapeutic-sensitizing effects on extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma cells

BACKGROUND

Increasing evidence has convincingly shown that abnormal pre-mRNA splicing is implicated in the development of most human malignancies. Serine/arginine-rich protein kinase 1 (SRPK1), a key splicing regulator, is reported to be overexpressed in leukemia and other cancer types, which suggests the therapeutic potential of targeting SRPK1.

METHODS

SRPK1 expression was measured in 41 ENKTL patients by immunohistochemistry and mRNA expression was analyzed by qRT‒PCR. We knocked down SRPK1 expression in the ENKTL cell line YT by siRNA transfection and inhibited SRPK1 using inhibitors (SPHINX31 and SRPIN340) in YT cells and peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) isolated from ENKTL patients to investigate its role in cell proliferation and apoptosis. Then, RNA-seq analysis was performed to predict the potential signaling pathway by which SRPK1 inhibition induces cell death and further verified this prediction by Western blotting.

RESULTS

In the present study, we initially evaluated the clinical significance of SRPK1 in extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL), a very aggressive subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The expression of SRPK1 in ENKLT patients was examined by immunohistochemistry and qRT‒PCR, which revealed SRPK1 overexpression in more than 60% of ENKTL specimens and its association with worse survival. Cellular experiments using the human ENKTL cell line YT and PBLs from ENKTL patients, demonstrated that inhibition of SRPK1 suppressed cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. Subsequently, we investigated the downstream targets of SRPK1 by RNA-seq analysis and found that SRPK1 inhibition induced ATF4/CHOP pathway activation and AKT1 inhibition. Furthermore, ENKTL patients presenting high SRPK1 expression showed resistance to cisplatin-based chemotherapy. The association of SRPK1 expression with cisplatin resistance was also confirmed in YT cells. SRPK1 overexpression via pLVX-SRPK1 plasmid transfection dramatically decreased the sensitivity of YT cells to cisplatin, while siRNA-mediated SRPK1 knockdown or SRPK1 inhibitor treatment significantly increased cisplatin cytotoxicity.

CONCLUSION

In summary, these results support that SRPK1 might be a useful clinical prognostic indicator and therapeutic target for ENKTL, especially for patients who relapse after cisplatin-based chemotherapies.

A pancancer analysis of the carcinogenic role of receptor-interacting serine/threonine protein kinase-2 (RIPK2) in human tumours

Background

To explore the expression and carcinogenic mechanism of RIPK2 in human tumours, and to provide the theoretical basis for the further study of RIPK2.

Methods

We used the TCGA, CPTAC, HPA databases to analyse the expression, mutation, and prognosis of RIPK2 in human tumours. Through the Cbioportal, Ualcan, TIMER2.0, and STRING websites, We understand the genetic variation, immune infiltration and enrichment analysis of RIPK2 related genes.

Results

RIPK2 was highly expressed in most tumours (such as BRCA, COAD and LUSC, etc.), and the high expression of RIPK2 was correlated with tumour stage and prognosis. In addition, Amplification was the main type of RIPK2 in tumour mutation state, and the amplification rate was about 8.5%. In addition, RIPK2 was positively associated with tumour-infiltrating immune cells (such as CD8+ T, Tregs, and cancer-associated fibroblasts). According to the KEGG analysis, RIPK2 may play a role in tumour mainly through NOD-like signaling pathway and NF-kappaB signaling pathway. GO enrichment analysis showed that the RIPK2 is mainly related to I-kappaB kinase/NF-kappaB signaling, Ribonucleoprotein granule and Ubiquitin-like protein ligase binding.

Conclusion

RIPK2 plays an important role in the occurrence, development and prognosis of malignant tumours. Our pancancer study provided a relatively comprehensive description of the carcinogenic effects of RIPK2 in different tumours, and provided useful information for further study of RIPK2.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12920-022-01239-3.

Resveratrol effects in oral cancer cells: a comprehensive review

Oral cancer is a very common tumor worldwide with high incidence and mortality. The treatment of oral cancer involves surgery, radio- and chemotherapy; however, high failure rates and toxicity are noticed. Thus, the search of new drugs aiming a more effective treatment is welcomed. Natural products present chemopreventive and anti-cancer effects. Resveratrol is a naturally occurring antioxidant that contains several health benefits, including anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative activities. This review discusses the different action mechanisms of resveratrol related in the in vitro and in vivo studies using models of oral cancer.