Lambertianic Acid Sensitizes Non-Small Cell Lung Cancers to TRAIL-Induced Apoptosis via Inhibition of XIAP/NF-κB and Activation of Caspases and Death Receptor 4

Lambertianic acid (LA) is a biologically active compound from the leaves of Pinus koraiensis. In the present study, apoptotic mechanisms of LA plus TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) were elucidated in non-small cell lung cancer cells (NSCLCs). Cytotoxicity assay, flow cytometry, immunoprecipitation, and Western blotting were performed. Here, combined treatment of LA and TRAIL increased cytotoxicity, sub-G1 population, cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), and caspase3/8/9 in A549 and H1299 cells compared to LA or TRAIL alone. Furthermore, combined treatment of LA and TRAIL significantly decreased antiapoptotic proteins such as B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Fas-like inhibitor protein (FLIP), and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP), and enhanced the activation of proapoptotic proteins Bid compared to LA or TRAIL alone. In addition, combined treatment of LA and TRAIL upregulated the expression of Death receptor 4 (DR4) and downregulated phosphorylation of nuclear factor κ-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (p-NF-κB), inhibitory protein of kB family (p-IκB), and FLIP in A549 and H1299 cells along with disrupted binding of XIAP with caspase3 or NF-κB. Overall, these findings suggest that lambertianic acid enhances TRAIL-induced apoptosis via inhibition of XIAP/NF-κB in TRAIL resistant NSCLCs.

Regulation of crosstalk between epithelial to mesenchymal transition molecules and MMP-9 mediates the antimetastatic activity of anethole in DU145 prostate cancer cells

The underlying antimetastatic mechanism of anethole (1) still remains unclear in association with the molecules of the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). Herein, the role of the EMT molecules was elucidated in terms of the antimetastatic activity of 1 using DU145 cells. Anethole significantly inhibited the adhesion of DU145 cells to vitronectin-coated plates, as well as migration in a wound-healing assay and invasion using a Boyden chamber. Also, anethole suppressed the expression of MMP-9 in DU145 cells by zymography, ELISA, and RT-PCR. Consistently, the silencing of MMP-9 enhanced the activity of 1 to upregulate the expression of E-cadherin and to attenuate the expression of Vimentin in DU145 cells. Compound 1 enhanced E-cadherin, which is an epithelial marker and attenuated the expression of Vimentin, Twist, and Snail as mesenchymal molecules at the mRNA level. Consistently, anethole upregulated E-cadherin and downregulated the expression of Vimentin, Twist and PI3K, and AKT at the protein level in DU145 cells. Conversely, the antimetastatic effects of 1 to inhibit invasion and the expression of MMP-9 and upregulate E-cadherin were reversed by the EMT inducer TGF-β in DU145 cells. Overall, the present findings suggest that anethole exerts antimetastatic activity via regulation of crosstalk between EMT molecules and MMP-9 on the basis of the in vitro data obtained.

Prognostic significance of metabolic adaptation for hypoxic environment in oral squamous cell carcinoma

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Background: During tumor growth, tumor adapts the hypoxic environment and increases glycolysis. This metabolic switch is related to the aggressive malignant behavior. We investigated the connection between the biomarkers related to the glycolytic metabolism (HIF-1α, PDK-1, LDH-5) and clinicopathologic characteristics in oral cavity and oropharynx squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Methods: Eligibility criteria was the patients diagnosed oral SCC, received curative radical resection and had available tissue samples. Immunohistochemical stain of the HIF-1α, PDK-1, and LDH-5 was done. Statistical analysis was performed to compare biomarkers between patients and time point. Results: Overall 74 patients were enrolled and stage grouping of the patients was as follows: stage I, 25 (33.8%) patients; stage II 17 (23.0%); stage III 8 (10.8%); stage IV 24 (32.4%). 25 patients were relapsed and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate was 61.4%. High expression of HIF-1α was related to the advanced T stage (p = 0.029), more invasive tumor (p = 0.003) and tumor recurrence (p = 0.037). High expression of PDK-1 was related to the advanced N stage (p = 0.026) and high expression of LDH-5 was related to the lymphatics invasion (p = 0.028), advanced N stage (p = 0.020) and more invasive tumor (p = 0.015). The high expression of HIF-1α, PDK-1, and LDH-5 showed a significant correlation to each other. 16 (21.6%) patients were highly expressed all three markers. High expression of all three markers correlated with more invasive tumor (p = 0.004) and tumor recurrence (p = 0.017). In survival analysis, high expression of HIF-1α and LDH-5 associated with shorter DFS in log rank test (p = 0.002 and p = 0.016, respectively). High expression of all three markers was also associated with shorter DFS (p = 0.002). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, high expression of all three markers was strong independent prognostic factor for DFS (p = 0.021). Conclusions: The oral SCC which glycolytic metabolism was changed showed a more invasive and aggressive phenotype. Taken together, biomarkers related tumor metabolism may be independent prognostic markers for the DFS in the patients with oral SCC.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Incidence and prevalence of brain metastases among patients with advanced breast cancer in a United States managed-care population

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Background: There continues to be uncertainty about the extent of the breast cancer (BC) population afflicted with secondary brain metastases (BM). This study estimated the incidence and prevalence of BM among patients with advanced BC in a US-based population. Methods: Female BC patients diagnosed with secondary BM between 1/2002 and 12/2004 and with a brain or head diagnostic test within 30 days of the BM diagnosis were identified from a nationally representative private payer database (PharMetrics, Inc.). The date of the first BM diagnosis served as the index date. A 1-year look-back period was used to identify patients with a diagnosis of BC and those with and without a history of BM. Patients were required to have continuous health plan enrollment for 1 year prior to and at least 1 month following the index date. Patients aged <18 years, and those aged 65+ and not in a Medicare Risk plan were excluded. The denominator for incidence and prevalence calculations included all patients with diagnosed advanced BC during the study period. A death proxy algorithm was used to estimate the mortality rate. Results: 779 incident and 995 prevalent BM patients were identified; mean age of each cohort was 53 years. In the 1 year prior to the index diagnosis, 73.6% of incident patients were treated with chemotherapy and 25.0% received radiation therapy; <10% of patients had a lumpectomy, mastectomy, or lymph node dissection. About 22% of incident patients died during the follow-up period, an average of 158 days (95% CI=131.1, 183.9) from the index BM diagnosis. From 2002–2004, 8,518 advanced BC patients were identified, resulting in a BM incidence rate of 9.1% (95% CI=8.5%, 9.8%). During this same period, the prevalence of BM was found to be 11.7% (95% CI=11.0%, 12.4%), with rates increasing by year. On average, the first diagnosis of BM occurred 123 days (95% CI=106.9, 139.3) following the BC diagnosis. Conclusions: Secondary BM is a common occurrence among advanced BC patients. The BM incidence rate is in the range (5–20%) of previously published studies. The prevalence of BM was 28% higher than the incidence and increased over time. This increasing frequency suggests an unmet need that could be filled with newer treatments that improve BC outcomes, including the prevention or delay of BM.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Economic burden of brain metastases in breast cancer patients in a US managed-care population

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Background: Limited data are available evaluating health resource use and costs of breast cancer (BC) patients who develop secondary brain metastases (BM). This study estimated the economic burden among BC patients diagnosed with incident BM. Methods: Female BC patients aged 18+ years, newly diagnosed with BM between 1/2002 and 12/2004 were identified from a private payer database (PharMetrics, Inc). The index date was the date of the incident BM diagnosis. BC was identified during a 1-year look-back period. BM patients were matched to a control group of BC patients with no evidence of BM during the study period. Patients not continuously enrolled in a health plan for 1 year before and at least 1 month after the index date and those aged 65+ years and not in Medicare Risk were excluded. Paid claims were used to estimate resource utilization and costs. Results: 775 incident and control patients resulted from a 1:1 match (mean age=54 years). At 6 months follow-up (N=398), BM patients had significantly more hospital stays (mean 1.1 vs. 0.5, p<0.001) and remained hospitalized for a longer period (mean 8.0 days vs. 2.5 days, p<0.001) compared to controls. BM patients also averaged more outpatient services, including physician office visits (32.8 vs. 24.3, p<0.001), as well as pharmacy claims (56.0 vs. 39.1, p<0.001). Similar differences were found at 1 year (N=230), with greater mean inpatient, outpatient, and pharmacy services (p<0.001) in BM patients. Average total costs for BM patients at 6 months were $60,045 compared to $28,193 (p<0.001) for controls; this difference was driven by higher mean inpatient ($17,462 vs. $5,362, p<0.001) and outpatient ($26,209 vs. $11,652, p<0.001) costs among BM patients. At 1 year, higher mean total costs persisted in BM patients ($99,899 vs. $47,719, p<0.001). After adjusting for key variables, mean costs for BM patients were 123% higher than those for control group patients. Conclusions: Patients with BC and secondary BM incurred significantly more healthcare resources following diagnosis compared to those with BC but no BM. Mean total costs for BM patients were more than double those of patients without BM at 6 months and 1 year. These findings underscore important economic implications of BM and the call for new therapies that improve outcomes in patients with BM.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Enhanced harmonic generation from expanding clusters

We report controlled enhancement of optical third harmonic generation (THG) from hydrodynamically expanding clusters of approximately 6x10(5) noble-gas atoms several hundred femtoseconds following ionization and heating by ultrashort pump pulses. This resonant enhancement is more pronounced for orthogonal than for parallel pump-probe polarizations, a consequence of faster cluster expansion along the pump polarization. Simulations show that the nonlinear susceptibility chi(3) of the individual clusters and the coherence length of the clustered plasma medium are optimized nearly simultaneously as the clusters expand, and both contribute to the observed THG enhancement. This dual enhancement mechanism may be scalable to relativistic probe intensity and to generation of high-order harmonics in the soft-x-ray regime.

Mechanical and heat sensitization of cutaneous nociceptors in rats with experimental peripheral neuropathy

This study examined whether or not the properties of cutaneous nociceptive fibers are altered in the neuropathic state by comparing lumbars 5 and 6 spinal nerve ligation (SNL) rats with sham-operated controls. The rats with the unilateral SNL developed mechanical allodynia in the ipsilateral hind limb, whereas the sham group did not. Two to 5 weeks after the neuropathic or sham surgery, rats were subjected to single fiber-recording experiments to examine the properties of afferent fibers in the sural and plantar nerves. A total of 224 afferents in the C- and Adelta-ranges were characterized in the neuropathic and sham groups. Spontaneous activity was observed in 16 of 155 fibers in the neuropathic group and one of 69 fibers in the sham group. The response threshold of both the C- and Adelta-fibers to mechanical stimuli was lower in the neuropathic group than the sham group. The afferent fibers responsive to heat stimuli were all C-fibers, and none were Adelta-fibers. The response threshold of the C-fibers to the heat stimuli was lower in the neuropathic group than the sham group. The magnitude of the responses of both C- and Adelta-fibers to the suprathreshold intensity of the mechanical stimulus was greater in the neuropathic group than the sham group. However, the magnitude of the responses of C-fibers to the suprathreshold intensity of the heat stimulus in the neuropathic group was not different from that in the sham group. These results suggest that after a partial peripheral nerve injury, the nociceptors on the skin supplied by an uninjured nerve become sensitized to both mechanical and heat stimuli. This nociceptor sensitization can contribute to neuropathic pain.

The effect of Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) VP1 carboxyl region on the virus-induced central nervous system disease

Members of the Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus GDVII subgroup, which includes GDVII strain, are highly neurovirulent and induce a rapidly fatal polioencephalomyelitis. By contrast, Theiler's original subgroup members, which includes DA strain, are not as neurovirulent, and produce a chronic, demyelinating disease with virus persistence. We investigated the importance of the carboxyl region of the capsid protein VP1 in TMEV-induced disease since a trypsin-cleavable immunodominant neutralization epitope is situated in the VP1 carboxyl region, and since this region is believed to lie adjacent to the putative receptor binding site. The present studies support the role of DA VP1 residue 268 (and the aligned GDVII VP1 270) in Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus-induced CNS disease; however, the effect of this residue varies depending on its context: mutation of DA VP1 268 attenuates demyelination; mutation of GDVII VP1 270 in a GDVII/DA recombinant virus has no effect on demyelination but reduces early deaths (neurovirulence); mutation of GDVII VP1 270 in GDVII virus has no effect on neurovirulence. These data suggest that DA VP1 268/GDVII VP1 270 are not functionally equivalent and that a residue in recombinant viruses can differ in function from the same residue situated in a parental strain. Additional mutagenesis studies suggest that: the trypsin cleavage site of TMEV, which affects virus viability, is located at the lysine at DA VP1 261 (GDVII VP1 263); GDVII VP1 276, the predicted carboxyl terminus of VP1, affects VP1/2A processing and virus infectivity.

Chimeric cDNA studies of Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus neurovirulence

Strain GDVII and other members of the GDVII subgroup of Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus are highly neurovirulent and rapidly fatal, while strain DA and other members of the TO subgroup produce a chronic, demyelinating disease. GDVII/DA chimeric cDNA studies suggest that a major neurovirulence determinant is within the GDVII 1B through 1D capsid protein coding region, although the additional presence of upstream GDVII sequences, including the 5' untranslated region, contributes to full neurovirulence. Our studies indicate that there are limitations in precisely delineating neurovirulence determinants with chimeric cDNAs between evolutionarily diverged viruses, such as GDVII and DA.