BK-UM in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer or peritoneal cancer: a first-in-human phase-I study

The Multiple Functions of HB-EGF in Female Reproduction and Related Cancer: Molecular Mechanisms and Targeting Strategies

Heparin-binding growth factor (HB-EGF) is a member of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) ligand family which has a crucial role in women's health. However, there is a lack of comprehensive review to summarize the significance of HB-EGF. Therefore, this work first described the expression patterns of HB-EGF in the endometrium and ovary of different species and gestational time. Then, the focus was on exploring how it promotes the successful implantation and regulates the process of decidualization and the function of ovarian granulosa cells as an intermediate molecule. Otherwise, we also focused on the clinical and prognostic significance of HB-EGF in female-related cancers (including ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, and endometrial cancer) and breast cancer. Lastly, the article also summarizes the current drugs targeting HB-EGF in the treatment of ovarian cancer and breast cancer. Overall, these studies found that the expression of HB-EGF in the endometrium is spatiotemporal and species-specific. And it mediates the dialogue between the blastocyst and endometrium, promoting synchronous development of the blastocyst and endometrium as an intermediate molecule. HB-EGF may serve as a potentially valuable prognostic clinical indicator in tumors. And the specific inhibitor of HB-EGF (CRM197) has a certain anti-tumor ability, which can exert synergistic anti-tumor effects with conventional chemotherapy drugs. However, it also suggests that more research is needed in the future to elucidate its specific mechanisms and to accommodate clinical studies with a larger sample size to clarify its clinical value.

Discovery of an Heparin-Binding Epidermal Growth Factor Domain Antibody from a Phage Library and Analysis of Its Inhibitory Effects in SKOV3 Cells

Objective: Heparin-binding epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like growth factor (HB-EGF), which binds to the EGF receptor, plays an important role in the occurrence and development of inflammation in various diseases. HB-EGF mediates the progression of ovarian cancer and is associated with disease prognosis. Thus, a specific humanized antibody to HB-EGF with high affinity is important. Methods: In this study, a humanized domain antibody (VH) against HB-EGF was discovered through phage display technology. The domain antibody was expressed in HB2151 cells and purified from the supernatant using protein L, and were used to test the its effect in invasion and migration of ovarian cancer SKOV3. Results: A domain antibody against HB-EGF was discovered, with a dissociation constant of ∼30 nM. Functional assays indicated that the domain antibody inhibited the functions of HB-EGF in promoting invasion and migration of SKOV3 cells. Conclusions: The selected domain antibody is a potential tool for developing novel drugs or therapies to combat ovarian cancer.

Do Bacteria Provide an Alternative to Cancer Treatment and What Role Does Lactic Acid Bacteria Play?

Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. According to 2022 statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), close to 10 million deaths have been reported in 2020 and it is estimated that the number of cancer cases world-wide could increase to 21.6 million by 2030. Breast, lung, thyroid, pancreatic, liver, prostate, bladder, kidney, pelvis, colon, and rectum cancers are the most prevalent. Each year, approximately 400,000 children develop cancer. Treatment between countries vary, but usually includes either surgery, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy. Modern treatments such as hormone-, immuno- and antibody-based therapies are becoming increasingly popular. Several recent reports have been published on toxins, antibiotics, bacteriocins, non-ribosomal peptides, polyketides, phenylpropanoids, phenylflavonoids, purine nucleosides, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and enzymes with anticancer properties. Most of these molecules target cancer cells in a selective manner, either directly or indirectly through specific pathways. This review discusses the role of bacteria, including lactic acid bacteria, and their metabolites in the treatment of cancer.

Role of Heparin-Binding Epidermal Growth Factor-Like Growth Factor in Oxidative Stress-Associated Metabolic Diseases

Heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) is an EGF family member that interacts with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and ERBB4. Since HB-EGF was first identified as a novel growth factor secreted from a human macrophage cell line, numerous pathological and physiological functions related to cell proliferation, migration, and inflammation have been reported. Notably, the expression of HB-EGF is sensitively upregulated by oxidative stress in the endothelial cells and functions for auto- and paracrine-EGFR signaling. Overnutrition and obesity cause elevation of HB-EGF expression and EGFR signaling in the hepatic and vascular systems. Modulations of HB-EGF signaling showed a series of protections against phenotypes related to metabolic syndrome and advanced metabolic diseases, suggesting HB-EGF as a potential target against metabolic diseases.

Peptides derived from a short stretch of diphtheria toxin bind to heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor

Membrane-anchored heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) is the receptor for diphtheria toxin (DT). Mutated or truncated, non-toxic DT has been used earlier for HB-EGF-targeted drug delivery and to modulate HB-EGF signaling. In the present work, we have synthesized a peptide corresponding to a 26 amino acid long stretch of the receptor-binding domain of DT. This region of DT makes multiple contacts with HB-EGF and has residues critical for binding to HB-EGF. We show that this peptide and two of its mutants bind to HB-EGF. We have also created recombinant proteins by fusing Maltose-binding Protein (MBP) with these peptides. These recombinant MBP-tagged peptides bind to HB-EGF with affinities in the range of 10^-7 to 10^-8 M. We have observed that these MBP-tagged peptides can modulate molecular signaling of HB-EGF. Therefore, this 26 amino acid long stretch of DT can be considered as an independent functional segment for binding to HB-EGF. Peptides corresponding to this region may be used for HB-EGF targeted cellular delivery of molecular cargo or to modulate HB-EGF signaling.

Discovery of HB-EGF binding peptides and their functional characterization in ovarian cancer cell lines

Ovarian cancer is one of the most frequent causes of cancer death among all gynecologic cancers. Though standard therapy often results in temporary clinical remission, most patients suffer from recurrence and metastasis of ovarian cancer, which highlights the need for developing new therapeutic agents targeting specific molecules. Previous studies have demonstrated that the native ligand of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and ErbB4, heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF), plays a critical role in the progression of ovarian cancer and is associated with prognosis of ovarian cancer. In the current study, we tried to develop a peptide-based treatment for ovarian cancer by targeting HB-EGF. After the functions of HB-EGF in promoting migration and invasion of SKOV3 and HO-8910 cells were confirmed, phage display was used to discover peptides binding to HB-EGF. Two peptides, no. 7 and no. 29 were found mildly binding to HB-EGF. Then the effects of these peptides on HB-EGF functions were examined and both peptides no. 7 and no. 29 were found indeed inhibiting the functions of HB-EGF in promoting migration and invasion of SKOV3 and HO-8910 cells in vitro. Further mechanism investigation showed that peptides no. 7 and no. 29 inhibited HB-EGF-promoted cell migration and invasion through attenuating activation of the EGFR signaling pathway manifested by decreased p-Erk1/2 and Snail levels. More importantly, peptides no. 7 and no. 29 showed strong activities in inhibiting migration of SKOV3 cells in vivo. These results provide a proof of concept method for developing novel peptide drugs to combat ovarian cancer through interfering with HB-EGF mediated signaling pathways.

Adenovirus-Mediated CRM197 Sensitizes Human Glioma Cells to Gemcitabine by the Mitochondrial Pathway

PURPOSE

The cross-reacting material 197 (CRM197) is a mutation of the diphtheria toxin. The protein of CRM197 was used successfully for the therapy of various tumors in the recent studies. In this study, the recombinant adenoviruses containing the CRM197gene(AdCRM197) were used to enhance the cellar toxicity of gemcitabine in human glioma U87, U251, and H4 cells.

PROCEDURES

MTT assay and flow cytometric analysis were performed to test the apoptosis of the U87, U251 and H4 cells with the combined treatment of AdCRM197 plus gemcitabine. Western blotting analyses were carried out to detect the cell apoptosis of the mitochondrial pathway. And the xenograft nude mice were used to observe the enhanced antitumor effect of AdCRM197 in vivo.

RESULTS

AdCRM197 sensitizes human glioma cells to gemcitabine in vitro by the mitochondrial pathway. Tumor volume was inhibited and survival time was prolonged in the U251 or U87 xenografted nude mice with gemcitabine plus AdCRM197. The enhanced antitumor effect of AdCRM197 was also detected by the immunohistochemical analyses and TUNEL staining.

CONCLUSION

The authors found that AdCRM197 sensitized the human glioma to gemcitabine not only in vitro but also in vivo. They provide the first evidence that adenovirus-mediated CRM197 may be a potential chemosensitizing agent for the treatment of cancer. The diphtheria toxin is of great toxicity that even one molecule of diphtheria toxin is enough to kill one cell. However, because of the high toxicity, the diphtheria toxin would kill the packing cells when it is being packaged into the recombinant viruses. Therefore, the diphtheria toxin is hard to be used in the gene therapy for virus vectors. The cross-reacting material 197 (CRM197) is a mutation of the diphtheria toxin. Unlike DTA, CRM197 exhibit a weak toxicity. The week toxicity of CRM197 is a good feature for the virus packaging. In the present study, we used a recombinant adenovirus which carried a CRM197 gene (AdCRM197) to enhance the cellar toxicity of gemcitabine in human glioma cells.

p53 Plays a Key Role in the Apoptosis of Human Ovarian Cancer Cells Induced by Adenovirus-Mediated CRM197

Cross-reacting material 197 (CRM197) is a mutant form of the diphtheria toxin. Recent studies have found that CRM197 exerts an experimental antitumor effect on several types of tumors. This study applied a novel treatment of adenovirus-mediated CRM197 (AdCRM197) to human ovarian cancer cells. Interestingly, it was found that A2780 cells were sensitive to AdCRM197, but SKOV3 cells were resistant to it. Since SKOV3 cells are p53 deletion cells, while A2780 cells are p53 wild-type cells, it was postulated that p53 might play a key role in AdCRM197-induced apoptosis. This presumption was demonstrated by means of knockdown of p53 of the A2780 cells through lentivirus-mediated RNA interference. This knockdown resulted in the A2780 cells becoming resistant to AdCRM197. To verify this presumption further, the wild-type p53 gene in the SKOV3 cells was replaced with adenovirus-mediated p53 (Adp53). As expected, AdCRM197 plus Adp53 resulted in apoptosis of the SKOV3 cells. The combined treatment of AdCRM197 plus Adp53 also showed a good antitumor effect in the in vivo experiment on nude mice with xenograft tumors. Taking these results together, it is concluded that AdCRM197 induces apoptosis of human ovarian cancer cells via the p53 pathway. Moreover, it was found that Adp53 can reverse the resistance of p53-deletion human ovarian cancer cells to AdCRM197. The combination of AdCRM197 and Adp53 may be a potentially effective method for overcoming the resistance of p53-deficient human ovarian cancer to AdCRM197.