Neurotrophin3 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma apoptosis through the JNK and P38 MAPK pathways

Anti-hepatocellular carcinoma activity of Sorbaria sorbifolia by regulating VEGFR and c-Met/apoptotic pathway

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Sorbaria sorbifolia (SS) is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that has been employed anti-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) for over 2000 years; yet, its underlying mechanism is still not fully understood.

AIM OF THE STUDY

In this study, we evaluated the anti-HCC effect on the freeze-dried powder of the water extract of SS (FDSS) by inhibiting tumor-induced neovascularization, and promoting apoptosis, and elucidated the underlying mechanisms.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

HCC cell lines (HepG2 and Huh7 cells) and HepG2 xenograft tumors in zebrafish were employed as in vivo and in vitro models, respectively, to evaluate the anti- HCC-indued neovascularization and apoptosis. In HCC cell lines, CCK-8 assay, wound-healing assay, transwell assay, cell circle assay, apoptosis assay, transmission electron microscopy, and co-culture assay were performed in vitro; in HepG2 xenograft tumor-zebrafish, tumor growth inhibition assay, hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, xenograft tumor-zebrafish apoptosis assay, and HCC-indued neovascularization assay were performed to evaluate the effect of FDSS on biological behavior of tumor, HCC-indued neovascularization, and apoptosis. The expression of VEGFR and c-Met/apoptotic pathway-related proteins was detected by western blotting analysis. Assays for c-Met and VEGFR activation were conducted to assess the impact of FDSS in either agonistic or inhibitory roles on these receptor proteins.

RESULTS

The findings from our study revealed that FDSS effectively suppresses the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HepG2 and Huh7 cells, as well as inhibiting tumor growth in the HepG2 xenograft zebrafish model by downregulating the expression of p-Met and p-AKT proteins. FDSS decreased the tumor growth associated with promoting apoptosis, including arresting HepG2 and Huh7 cells cycle at G0/G1phase, increasing apoptotic cell numbers and apoptotic bodies in cancer cells, and increasing the apoptotic fluorescence of xenograft tumor zebrafish by downregulating Bcl-2 proteins and upregulating Bax, caspase-9, and caspase-3 levels. We also found that FDSS can inhibit HCC-induced neovascularization and regulate VEGFR. Using an agonist or inhibitor of c-Met and VEGFR in HepG2 cells, we discovered that FDSS can downregulate c-Met and VEGFR protein expression.

CONCLUSION

FDSS exerts an anti-HCC effect by inhibiting HCC-indued neovascularization and pro-apoptosis through the inhibition of the action of VEGFR and c-Met/apoptotic pathway.

METTL3-mediated RanGAP1 promotes colorectal cancer progression through the MAPK pathway by recruiting YTHDF1

Ran GTPase activating protein 1 (RanGAP1) has been implicated in various diseases, but its role in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression remains unclear. Using tumor tissues and public databases, we found that RanGAP1 was significantly upregulated in CRC tissues and was associated with poor prognosis of patients. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) was found to play an important role in higher expression of RanGAP1. MeRIP-seq, RIP-qPCR, Luciferase reporter assays and other related experiment elucidated the molecular mechanism underlying m6A modification of RanGAP1. Besides, cell function experiments and xenograft tumor models corroborated the function of RanGAP1 in CRC progression. By RNA-seq and related analysis, RanGAP1 was verified to influent CRC progression via the Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Therefore, N6-methyladenosine modification of RanGAP1 by METTL3/YTHDF1 plays a role in CRC progression through the MAPK pathway and could be a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for CRC. Schematic diagram showed that N6-methyladenosine modification of RanGAP1 promotes CRC progression via the MAPK signaling pathway.

Qi Fu Yin ameliorates neuroinflammation through inhibiting RAGE and TLR4/NF-κB pathway in AD model rats

The purpose of this study is to investigate the therapeutic effect of Qi Fu Yin (QFY) on Alzheimer's disease (AD) both computationally and experimentally. Network pharmacology analysis and molecular docking were conducted to identify potential targets and signaling pathways involved in QFY treating AD. Streptozotocin-induced AD rat model was used to verify important targets and predicted pathways. The components of QFY were identified using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The results indicate that the potential targets of QFY are highly enriched for anti-inflammatory pathways. Molecular docking analysis revealed stable structures formed between QFY's active compounds, including stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, and isorhamnetin, and the identified targets. In vivo, QFY improved cognitive memory in AD rats and reduced the mRNA expression levels of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), the receptor for advanced glycation end products (AGER), and the inflammatory factors interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the brains of AD rats. Furthermore, QFY effectively reduced nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and inhibited NF-κB and microglia activation. In conclusion, QFY can ameliorate neuroinflammation in AD model rats, partly via the inhibition of TLR4 and RAGE/NF-κB pathway and microglia activation, thereby enhancing learning and memory in AD model rats.

Neurotrophin-3 promotes peripheral nerve regeneration by maintaining a repair state of Schwann cells after chronic denervation via the TrkC/ERK/c-Jun pathway

BACKGROUND

Maintaining the repair phenotype of denervated Schwann cells in the injured distal nerve is crucial for promoting peripheral nerve regeneration. However, when chronically denervated, the capacity of Schwann cells to support repair and regeneration deteriorates, leading to peripheral nerve regeneration and poor functional recovery. Herein, we investigated whether neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) could sustain the reparative phenotype of Schwann cells and promote peripheral nerve regeneration after chronic denervation and aimed to uncover its potential molecular mechanisms.

METHODS

Western blot was employed to investigate the relationship between the expression of c-Jun and the reparative phenotype of Schwann cells. The inducible expression of c-Jun by NT-3 was examined both in vitro and in vivo with western blot and immunofluorescence staining. A chronic denervation model was established to study the role of NT-3 in peripheral nerve regeneration. The number of regenerated distal axons, myelination of regenerated axons, reinnervation of neuromuscular junctions, and muscle fiber diameters of target muscles were used to evaluate peripheral nerve regeneration by immunofluorescence staining, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) 2/9 carrying shRNA, small molecule inhibitors, and siRNA were employed to investigate whether NT-3 could signal through the TrkC/ERK pathway to maintain c-Jun expression and promote peripheral nerve regeneration after chronic denervation.

RESULTS

After peripheral nerve injury, c-Jun expression progressively increased until week 5 and then began to decrease in the distal nerve following denervation. NT-3 upregulated the expression of c-Jun in denervated Schwann cells, both in vitro and in vivo. NT-3 promoted peripheral nerve regeneration after chronic denervation, mainly by upregulating or maintaining a high level of c-Jun rather than NT-3 itself. The TrkC receptor was consistently presented on denervated Schwann cells and served as NT-3 receptors following chronic denervation. NT-3 mainly upregulated c-Jun through the TrkC/ERK pathway.

CONCLUSION

NT-3 promotes peripheral nerve regeneration by maintaining the repair phenotype of Schwann cells after chronic denervation via the TrkC/ERK/c-Jun pathway. It provides a potential target for the clinical treatment of peripheral nerve injury after chronic denervation.

Copper metabolism and hepatocellular carcinoma: current insights

Copper is an essential trace element that acts as a cofactor in various enzyme active sites in the human body. It participates in numerous life activities, including lipid metabolism, energy metabolism, and neurotransmitter synthesis. The proposal of "Cuproptosis" has made copper metabolism-related pathways a research hotspot in the field of tumor therapy, which has attracted great attention. This review discusses the biological processes of copper uptake, transport, and storage in human cells. It highlights the mechanisms by which copper metabolism affects hepatocellular carcinogenesis and metastasis, including autophagy, apoptosis, vascular invasion, cuproptosis, and ferroptosis. Additionally, it summarizes the current clinical applications of copper metabolism-related drugs in antitumor therapy.

Expression and prognostic impact of NTF3 and TrkC in hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Treatment of patients with NTRK fusion-positive cancers using first-generation tropomyosin-related kinase (Trk) inhibitors is associated with high response rates, regardless of tumor histology. However, there have been few studies on neurotrophin-3 (NTF3) and TrkC ligands in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODS

We used immunohistochemistry to evaluate NTF3 and TrkC expression levels in tissue samples. Gene expression profiling interactive analysis was used to determine TrkC and NTF3 expression in HCC. Western blotting, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were utilized to analyze TrkC and NTF3 levels in HCC cell lines. Proliferation tests and cell migration were also explored.

RESULTS

NTF3 and TrkC levels were lower in HCC tissue (median H- scores 149.09 and 54.60, respectively) than those in para-cancerous tissue (192.69 and 71.70, respectively); no statistical difference was found in the survival rate. Positive correlations were observed between NTF3 and TrkC levels in both HCC and para-cancerous tissues. Alpha-fetoprotein was the only clinical characteristic associated with TrkC levels. The transcription of NTF3 was lower in HCC samples compared to normal samples. NTF3 overexpression inhibited the proliferation of MHCC97-L and HepG2 cells but did not significantly affect cell migration.

CONCLUSIONS

The transcription of NTF3 was lower in HCC samples compared to normal samples, indicating a potential association with disease-free survival and overall survival in HCC. NTF3 and TrkC expression levels were lower in HCC tissues than those in para-cancerous tissues. Our results indicate that NTF3 may be a prognostic factor for HCC.

NOP2-mediated m5C Modification of c-Myc in an EIF3A-Dependent Manner to Reprogram Glucose Metabolism and Promote Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression

Mitochondrial dysfunction and glycolysis activation are improtant hallmarks of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). NOP2 is an S-adenosyl-L-methionine-dependent methyltransferase that regulates the cell cycle and proliferation activities. In this study, found that NOP2 contributes to HCC progression by promoting aerobic glycolysis. Our results revealed that NOP2 was highly expressed in HCC and that it was associated with unfavorable prognosis. NOP2 knockout in combination with sorafenib enhanced sorafenib sensitivity, which, in turn, led to marked tumor growth inhibition. Mechanistically, we identified that NOP2 regulates the c-Myc expression in an m5C-modification manner to promote glycolysis. Moreover, our results revealed that m5C methylation induced c-Myc mRNA degradation in an eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 subunit A (EIF3A)-dependent manner. In addition, NOP2 was found to increase the expression of the glycolytic genes LDHA, TPI1, PKM2, and ENO1. Furthermore, MYC associated zinc finger protein (MAZ) was identified as the major transcription factor that directly controlled the expression of NOP2 in HCC. Notably, in a patient-derived tumor xenograft (PDX) model, adenovirus-mediated knockout of NOP2 maximized the antitumor effect and prolonged the survival of PDX-bearing mice. Our cumulative findings revealed the novel signaling pathway MAZ/NOP2/c-Myc in HCC and uncovered the important roles of NOP2 and m5C modifications in metabolic reprogramming. Therefore, targeting the MAZ/NOP2/c-Myc signaling pathway is suggested to be a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of HCC.