Proteinase-activated receptor-2 enhances Bcl2-like protein-12 expression in lung cancer cells to suppress p53 expression

Advances in research on molecular markers in immune checkpoint inhibitor-associated myocarditis

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) play a crucial role in the immunotherapy of malignant tumors, preventing immune evasion by tumor cells and activating autoimmune cells to eliminate the tumor. Despite their proven effectiveness in antitumor therapy, potential immune-related adverse effects must be recognized, particularly ICI-associated myocarditis (ICIAM). ICIAM is the most lethal form of organ immunotoxicity, with a significant impact on short-term mortality. However, ICIAM is predominantly asymptomatic or mildly nonspecific. It is difficult to diagnose, especially due to the lack of unique molecular markers. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the progress made in identifying molecular markers for ICIAM.

Current understanding and future prospects on Berberine for anticancer therapy

Berberine (BBR) is a potential plant metabolite and has remarkable anticancer properties. Many kinds of research are being focused on the cytotoxic activity of berberine in in vitro and in vivo studies. A variety of molecular targets which lead to the anticancer effect of berberine ranges from p-53 activation, Cyclin B expression for arresting cell cycles; protein kinase B (AKT), MAP kinase and IKB kinase for antiproliferative activity; effect on beclin-1 involved in autophagy; reduced expression of MMP-9 and MMP-2 for the inhibition of invasion and metastasis etc. Berberine also interferes with transcription factor-1 (AP-1) activity responsible for the expression of oncogenes and neoplastic transformation of the cell. It also leads to the inhibition of various enzymes which are directly or indirectly involved in carcinogenesis like N acetyl transferase, Cyclo-oxygenase-2, Telomerase and Topoisomerase. In addition to these actions, Berberine plays a role in, the regulation of reactive oxygen species and inflammatory cytokines in preventing cancer formation. Berberine anticancer properties are demonstrated due to the interaction of berberine with micro-RNA. The summarized information presented in this review article may help and lead the researchers, scientists/industry persons to use berberine as a promising candidate against cancer.

The relationship between tumor infiltrating immune cells and the prognosis of patients with lung adenocarcinoma

Background

To depict the immune infiltration characteristics of tumor cells in patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and evaluate the predictive value and significance of tumor immune cells on the prognosis of LUAD patients.

Methods

The clinical characteristics and transcriptome of LUAD patients were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and the immune cell abundance in LUAD tissue was evaluated using the CIBERSORT algorithm. We created a simplified immune cell-based Cox regression model according to the survival status of patients and clarified the correlation between the survival status of patients and seven types of immune cells. An immune cell-based risk prediction model was created by Cox proportional hazards regression. Subsequently, the gene expression profile of LUAD patients was obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to validate the tumor immune infiltration and patient prognosis prediction model attained using the CIBERSORT algorithm.

Results

The abundance of 22 tumor-infiltrating immune cells in these patients was detected using the CIBERSORT algorithm. According to Pearson correlation analysis, the immune cells appeared to be closely related to each other. The immune cell composition was remarkably different between the LUAD tumor tissue and paracancerous tissue. The simplified COX model showed that seven kinds of immune cells have predictive value for the prognosis and survival status of LUAD. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) curve confirmed that the prediction model performed well for 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival status. The calibration curve suggested that the prediction model was consistent with the clinical results. Correlation analysis revealed that the clinical features were significantly related to immune cell infiltration. A total of 246 LUAD specimens were from the GEO database, and the risk score model suggested that high risk scores were indicative of a poor prognosis. Finally, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) revealed that the expressions of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin 8 (IL-8), IL-6, and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) in tumor tissues were remarkably higher compared with those in adjacent tissues.

Conclusions

There is a close correlation between the tumor-infiltrating immune cells and the prognosis and clinical characteristics of LUAD patients. The risk score model based on TCGA and GEO designed in this study can be applied in clinical practice.

Interaction between Ras and Bcl2L12 in B cells suppresses IL-10 expression

The pathogenesis of recurrent tonsillitis is to be further investigated. B cell-derived interleukin (IL)-10 plays a critical role in immune regulation. Ras activation plays an important role in cancer and many immune disorders. This study aims to investigate the role of Ras activation in down regulating IL-10 expression in tonsillar B cells. Surgically removed tonsil tissues were collected from patients with recurrent acute tonsillar inflammation; B cells were isolated from the tonsillar tissues by flow cytometry sorting to be analyzed by the Ras-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and pertinent immunological approaches. We found that, compared to peripheral B cells (pBC), B cells isolated from the tonsillar tissues with recurrent inflammation (tBC) showed higher Ras activation, lower IL-10 expression and higher Bcl2L12 expression. Bcl2L12 formed a complex with GAP (GTPase activating protein) to prevent Ras from deactivating. The Ras activation triggered the MAPK/Sp1 pathway to promote the Bcl2L12 expression in B cells. Bcl2L12 prevented the IL-10 expression in tBCs, that was counteracted by inhibition of Ras or the Ras signal transduction pathway. In conclusion, Bcl2L12 interacts with Ras activation to compromise immune tolerance in the tonsils by inhibiting the IL-10 expression in tBCs. Inhibition of Bcl2L12 can restore the IL-10 expression in tBCs.

Trypsinogen and chymotrypsinogen: potent anti-tumor agents

Introduction: Trypsinogen and chymotrypsinogen have been used clinically in tissue repair due to their ability to resolve inflammatory symptoms. Recently, novel evidence has supported the anti-tumourigenic potential of a mixture of trypsinogen and chymotrypsinogen.Areas covered: First, we analyze the structure of these proteases and the effects of pancreatic proteinases on tissue repair, inflammation and the immune system. Second, we summarize studies that provided evidence of the effects of pancreatic (pro)enzymes on tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo and some successful clinical applications of pancreatic (pro)enzymes. Finally, we study pancreatic (pro)enzymes potential molecular targets, such as the proteinase-activated receptors (PARs).Expert opinion: This novel therapy has been shown to have effective antitumor effects. Treatment with these (pro) enzymes sensitizes Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) which may allow chemotherapy and radiotherapy to be more effective, which could positively affect the recovery of cancer patients.

Investigation the Role of Autophagy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Objective:

Recent studies have shown the role of autophagy in different types of cancer including lung cancer. MicroRNAs are considered as key factors in regulation of autophagy related genes. miR-30d, miR-204-5p and miR-20a are regulatory markers which can suppress the expression of beclin1, LC3, bcl2 and ULK1 as their target genes and they lead to decrement of autophagy in human cancer cells. Moreover, epigenetic modifications DNA methylation has been indicated in regulation of autophagy in different stages of cancer.

Methods:

In this study, the expression levels of miR-30d, miR-204-5p and miR-20a as well as their target genes were analyzed in 30 non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) patients sample and adjacent normal tissues by real-time qPCR. In addition, DNA methylation of beclin1, LC3, bcl2 and ULK1 genes were assessed by MS-HRM method.

Results:

MiR-30d (p value= 0.01) and miR-204-5p (P=0.048) significantly down-regulated in tumor samples compared to normal adjacent tissues, while there was no significant change in expression level of miR-20a. On the other hand, target genes expression level was significantly increased in NSCLC tissues, however methylation pattern of the target gene promoters, did not show any significant alteration.

Conclusion:

These results indicate roles for miR-30d, miR-204-5p as tumor suppressor genes as well as target genes as oncogenes in NSCLC patients. Although these factors may have a significant role in NSCLC progression, further studies are necessary to investigate the implications of these findings for treatment of lung cancer.

Design and Application of Receptor-Targeted Fluorescent Probes Based on Small Molecular Fluorescent Dyes

In recent years, a variety of receptor-targeted fluorescent probes have been developed and widely used to realize the visualization of certain receptors, which facilitates the early diagnosis and treatment of diseases. In this Review, we focus on the recent achievements in design, chemical structure, imaging characterization, and potential applications of receptor-targeted fluorescent probes from the past 10 years. The development and application of receptor-targeted fluorescent probes will expand our knowledge of the distribution and function of disease-related receptors, shed light on the drug discovery for clinical diseases where receptors are implicated, and feed into the diagnosis and treatment of a plethora of diseases, including tumors.

Treatment of Pulpectomized Teeth With Trypsin Prior to Transplantation of Mobilized Dental Pulp Stem Cells Enhances Pulp Regeneration in Aged Dogs

There is an age-dependent decline of pulp regeneration, due to the decline of migration, proliferation, and cell survival of resident stem cells. Trypsin is a proteolytic enzyme clinically used for tissue repair. Here, we investigated the effects of trypsin pretreatment of pulpectomized teeth prior to cell transplantation on pulp regeneration in aged dogs. The amount of regenerated pulp was significantly higher in trypsin-pretreated teeth compared to untreated teeth. Trypsin pretreatment increased the number of cells attached to the dentinal wall that differentiated into odontoblast-like cells. The trypsin receptor, PAR2, was higher in vitro expression in the periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs) from aged dogs compared to those from young. The direct effects of trypsin on aged PDLCs were increased expression of genes related to immunomodulation, cell survival, and extracellular matrix degradation. To examine the indirect effects on microenvironment, highly extracted proteins from aged cementum were identified by proteomic analyses. Western blotting demonstrated that significantly increased fibronectin was released by the trypsin treatment of aged cementum compared to young cementum. The aged cementum extract (CE) and dentin extract (DE) by trypsin treatment increased angiogenesis, neurite extension and migration activities as elicited by fibronectin. Furthermore, the DE significantly increased the mRNA expression of immunomodulatory factors and pulp markers in the aged DPSCs. These results demonstrated the effects of trypsin on the microenvironment in addition to the resident cells including PDLCs in the aged teeth. In conclusion, the potential utility of trypsin pretreatment to stimulate pulp regeneration in aged teeth and the underlying mechanisms were demonstrated.

Systemic Inflammation and Activation of Haemostasis Predict Poor Prognosis and Response to Chemotherapy in Patients with Advanced Lung Cancer

Systemic inflammation and activation of haemostasis are common in patients with lung cancer. Both conditions support tumour growth and metastasis. Therefore, inflammatory and haemostatic biomarkers might be useful for prediction of survival and therapy response. Patients with unresectable/metastatic lung cancer initiating 1st-line chemotherapy (n = 277, 83% non-small cell lung cancer) were followed in a prospective observational cohort study. A comprehensive panel of haemostatic biomarkers (D-dimer, prothrombin fragment 1+2, soluble P-selectin, fibrinogen, coagulation factor VIII, peak thrombin generation), blood count parameters (haemoglobin, leucocytes, thrombocytes) and inflammatory markers (neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, lymphocyte-monocyte ratio, platelet-lymphocyte ratio, C-reactive protein) were measured at baseline. We assessed the association of biomarkers with mortality, progression-free-survival (PFS) and disease-control-rate (DCR). A biomarker-based prognostic model was derived. Selected inflammatory and haemostatic biomarkers were strong and independent predictors of mortality and therapy response. The strongest predictors (D-dimer, LMR, CRP) were incorporated in a unified biomarker-based prognostic model (1-year overall-survival (OS) by risk-quartiles: 79%, 69%, 51%, 24%; 2-year-OS: 53%, 36%, 23%, 8%; log-rank p < 0.001). The biomarker-based model further predicted shorter PFS and lower DCR. In conclusion, inflammatory and haemostatic biomarkers predict poor prognosis and treatment-response in patients with advanced lung cancer. A biomarker-based prognostic score efficiently predicts mortality and disease progression beyond clinical characteristics.

Effects of Berberine and Its Derivatives on Cancer: A Systems Pharmacology Review

Numerous studies have shown that berberine and its derivatives demonstrate important anti-tumor effects. However, the specific underlying mechanism remains unclear. Therefore, based on systems pharmacology, this review summarizes the information available on the anti-tumor effects and mechanism of berberine and its derivatives. The action and potential mechanism of action of berberine and its derivatives when used in the treatment of complex cancers are systematically examined at the molecular, cellular, and organismic levels. It is concluded that, with further in-depth investigations on their toxicity and efficacy, berberine and its derivatives have the potential for use as drugs in cancer therapy, offering improved clinical efficacy and safety.