Network pharmacology and experimental insights into STAT3 inhibition by novel isoxazole derivatives of piperic acid in triple negative breast cancer

STAT3 is a crucial member within a family of seven essential transcription factors. Elevated STAT3 levels have been identified in various cancer types, notably in breast cancer (BC). Consequently, inhibiting STAT3 is recognized as a promising and effective strategy for therapeutic intervention against breast cancer. We herein synthesize a library of isoxazole (PAIs) from piperic acid [2E, 4E)-5-(2H-1,3-Benzodioxol-5-yl) penta-2,4-dienoic acid] on treatment with propargyl bromide followed by oxime under prescribed reaction conditions. Piperic acid was obtained by hydrolysis of piperine extracted from Piper nigrum. First, we checked the binding potential of isoxazole derivatives with breast cancer target proteins by network pharmacology, molecular docking, molecular dynamic (MD) simulation and cytotoxicity analysis as potential anti-breast cancer (BC) agents. The multi-source databases were used to identify possible targets for isoxazole derivatives. A network of protein-protein interactions (PPIs) was generated by obtaining 877 target genes that overlapped gene symbols associated with isoxazole derivatives and BC. Molecular docking and MD modelling demonstrated a strong affinity between isoxazole derivatives and essential target genes. Further, the cell viability studies of isoxazole derivatives on the human breast carcinoma cell lines showed toxicity in all breast cancer cell lines. In summary, our study indicated that the isoxazole derivative showed the significant anticancer activity. The results highlight the prospective utility of isoxazole derivatives as new drug candidates for anticancer chemotherapy, suggesting route for the continued exploration and development of drugs suitable for clinical applications.

Identifying the Barriers of Delayed Presentation in Pakistani Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Care at Tertiary Hospital

Background: Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in females worldwide and second leading cause of cancer related death among women. In Pakistan, 1 in 8 women would develop breast cancer at some stage of their life. Aim: Delay in seeking health care by breast cancer patients is associated with advanced stage of disease and poor survival rate. This study aimed at identifying the barriers of delayed presentation and their association with various sociodemographic variables. Methods: A total of 200 female patients with abnormal breast finding were randomly selected. Delay was defined as, consultation with health care provider by more than 3 months from the appearance of first symptoms. Sociodemographic variables, symptoms, time interval between seeking medical attention and appearance of symptoms and causes of the delayed presentation were inquired. Data were statistically evaluated by χ2 and logistic regression tests for significance and association. Results: Among 125 breast cancer women fulfilling inclusion criteria, aged 24-75 years, 88.8% (n = 111) of patients presented late (>3 months) and 59% of them were presented advanced stage (stage III/IV) of disease. Majority of them were older than 40 years (65.6%) age, 99.2% married, 60.8% under matriculation, 67.2% had poor social status, 64.8% had a negative family history of any cancer type. 96% of patients complained presence of a painless lump in their breast. Ignorance of disease or presence of painless lumps in the breast and low financial resources for therapy (81.1%) were the main causes of delayed presentation. Moreover, educational factor ( P < 0.000, OR, 4.682) and social status ( P < 0.001, OR, 95% CI) were also associated with delayed presentation. Conclusion: Our study highlighted the reasons of delayed presentation in Pakistani breast cancer patients. The significant number of patients presented late due to misconceptions and poor knowledge about the disease and its symptoms while illiteracy and poor social status were the major contributing factors toward delayed presentation which lead to advanced stage of disease and ultimately decreased survival rate.