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Librizzi M, Martino C, Mauro M, Abruscato G, Arizza V, Vazzana M, Luparello C. Natural Anticancer Peptides from Marine Animal Species: Evidence from In Vitro Cell Model Systems. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 16:36. [PMID: 38201464 PMCID: PMC10777987 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16010036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Anticancer peptides are short and structurally heterogeneous aminoacidic chains, which display selective cytotoxicity mostly against tumor cells, but not healthy cells, based on their different cell surface properties. Their anti-tumoral activity is carried out through interference with intracellular homeostasis, such as plasmalemma integrity, cell cycle control, enzymatic activities and mitochondrial functions, ultimately acting as angiogenesis-, drug resistance- and metastasis-inhibiting agents, immune stimulators, differentiation inducers and necrosis or extrinsic/intrinsic apoptosis promoters. The marine environment features an ever-growing level of biodiversity, and seas and oceans are poorly exploited mines in terms of natural products of biomedical interest. Adaptation processes to extreme and competitive environmental conditions led marine species to produce unique metabolites as a chemical strategy to allow inter-individual signalization and ensure survival against predators, infectious agents or UV radiation. These natural metabolites have found broad use in various applications in healthcare management, due to their anticancer, anti-angiogenic, anti-inflammatory and regeneration abilities. The aim of this review is to pick selected studies that report on the isolation of marine animal-derived peptides and the identification of their anticancer activity in in vitro cultures of cancer cells, and list them with respect to the taxonomical hierarchy of the source organism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariangela Librizzi
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy; (M.L.); (C.M.); (M.M.); (V.A.); (M.V.)
| | - Chiara Martino
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy; (M.L.); (C.M.); (M.M.); (V.A.); (M.V.)
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), 90133 Palermo, Italy
| | - Manuela Mauro
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy; (M.L.); (C.M.); (M.M.); (V.A.); (M.V.)
| | - Giulia Abruscato
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy; (M.L.); (C.M.); (M.M.); (V.A.); (M.V.)
| | - Vincenzo Arizza
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy; (M.L.); (C.M.); (M.M.); (V.A.); (M.V.)
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), 90133 Palermo, Italy
| | - Mirella Vazzana
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy; (M.L.); (C.M.); (M.M.); (V.A.); (M.V.)
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), 90133 Palermo, Italy
| | - Claudio Luparello
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy; (M.L.); (C.M.); (M.M.); (V.A.); (M.V.)
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), 90133 Palermo, Italy
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Librizzi M, Naselli F, Abruscato G, Luparello C, Caradonna F. Parathyroid Hormone Related Protein (PTHrP)-Associated Molecular Signatures in Tissue Differentiation and Non-Tumoral Diseases. Biology (Basel) 2023; 12:950. [PMID: 37508381 PMCID: PMC10376784 DOI: 10.3390/biology12070950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Parathyroid-hormone-related protein (PTHrP) is encoded by the PTHLH gene which, via alternative promoter usage and splicing mechanisms, can give rise to at least three isoforms of 139, 141, and 173 amino acids with distinct C-terminals. PTHrP is subjected to different post-translational processing that generates smaller bioactive forms, comprising amino terminus, mid-region (containing a nuclear/nucleolar targeting signal), and carboxy terminus peptides. Both the full-length protein and the discrete peptides are key controllers of viability, proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis in diverse normal and pathological biological systems via the reprogramming of gene expression and remodulation of PKA or PKC-mediated signalization mechanisms. The aim of this review is to pick up selected studies on PTHrP-associated signatures as revealed by molecular profiling assays, focusing on the available data about exemplary differentiating, differentiated, or nontumoral cell and tissue models. In particular, the data presented relate to adipose, bone, dental, cartilaginous, and skin tissues, as well as intestinal, renal, hepatic, pulmonary, and pancreatic epithelia, with a focus on hepatic fibrosis-, pancreatitis-, and diabetes-related changes as diseased states. When reported, the biochemical and/or physiological aspects associated with the specific molecular modulation of gene expression and signal transduction pathways in the target model systems under examination are also briefly described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariangela Librizzi
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Flores Naselli
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Giulia Abruscato
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Claudio Luparello
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Fabio Caradonna
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
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Abruscato G, Chiarelli R, Lazzara V, Punginelli D, Sugár S, Mauro M, Librizzi M, Di Stefano V, Arizza V, Vizzini A, Vazzana M, Luparello C. In Vitro Cytotoxic Effect of Aqueous Extracts from Leaves and Rhizomes of the Seagrass Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile on HepG2 Liver Cancer Cells: Focus on Autophagy and Apoptosis. Biology (Basel) 2023; 12:biology12040616. [PMID: 37106816 PMCID: PMC10135731 DOI: 10.3390/biology12040616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Aqueous extracts from Posidonia oceanica's green and brown (beached) leaves and rhizomes were prepared, submitted to phenolic compound and proteomic analysis, and examined for their potential cytotoxic effect on HepG2 liver cancer cells in culture. The chosen endpoints related to survival and death were cell viability and locomotory behavior, cell-cycle analysis, apoptosis and autophagy, mitochondrial membrane polarization, and cell redox state. Here, we show that 24 h exposure to both green-leaf- and rhizome-derived extracts decreased tumor cell number in a dose-response manner, with a mean half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) estimated at 83 and 11.5 μg of dry extract/mL, respectively. Exposure to the IC50 of the extracts appeared to inhibit cell motility and long-term cell replicating capacity, with a more pronounced effect exerted by the rhizome-derived preparation. The underlying death-promoting mechanisms identified involved the down-regulation of autophagy, the onset of apoptosis, the decrease in the generation of reactive oxygen species, and the dissipation of mitochondrial transmembrane potential, although, at the molecular level, the two extracts appeared to elicit partially differentiating effects, conceivably due to their diverse composition. In conclusion, P. oceanica extracts merit further investigation to develop novel promising prevention and/or treatment agents, as well as beneficial supplements for the formulation of functional foods and food-packaging material with antioxidant and anticancer properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Abruscato
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Roberto Chiarelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Valentina Lazzara
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Diletta Punginelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Simon Sugár
- MS Proteomics Research Group, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Manuela Mauro
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Mariangela Librizzi
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Vita Di Stefano
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Arizza
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Aiti Vizzini
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Mirella Vazzana
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Claudio Luparello
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy
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Punginelli D, Catania V, Abruscato G, Luparello C, Vazzana M, Mauro M, Cunsolo V, Saletti R, Di Francesco A, Arizza V, Schillaci D. New Bioactive Peptides from the Mediterranean Seagrass Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile and Their Impact on Antimicrobial Activity and Apoptosis of Human Cancer Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:5650. [PMID: 36982723 PMCID: PMC10056643 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24065650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The demand for new molecules to counter bacterial resistance to antibiotics and tumor cell resistance is increasingly pressing. The Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica is considered a promising source of new bioactive molecules. Polypeptide-enriched fractions of rhizomes and green leaves of the seagrass were tested against Gram-positive (e.g., Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis) and Gram-negative bacteria (e.g., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli), as well as towards the yeast Candida albicans. The aforementioned extracts showed indicative MIC values, ranging from 1.61 μg/mL to 7.5 μg/mL, against the selected pathogens. Peptide fractions were further analyzed through a high-resolution mass spectrometry and database search, which identified nine novel peptides. Some discovered peptides and their derivatives were chemically synthesized and tested in vitro. The assays identified two synthetic peptides, derived from green leaves and rhizomes of P. oceanica, which revealed interesting antibiofilm activity towards S. aureus, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa (BIC50 equal to 17.7 μg/mL and 70.7 μg/mL). In addition, the natural and derivative peptides were also tested for potential cytotoxic and apoptosis-promoting effects on HepG2 cells, derived from human hepatocellular carcinomas. One natural and two synthetic peptides were proven to be effective against the "in vitro" liver cancer cell model. These novel peptides could be considered a good chemical platform for developing potential therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diletta Punginelli
- Section of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, Via Archirafi 32, 90123 Palermo, Italy
| | - Valentina Catania
- Department of Earth and Sea Science (DiSTeM), University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Blg. 16, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Giulia Abruscato
- Section of Cell Biology, Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Blg. 16, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Claudio Luparello
- Section of Cell Biology, Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Blg. 16, 90128 Palermo, Italy
| | - Mirella Vazzana
- Section of Animal Biology and Anthropology, Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, Via Archirafi 18, 90123 Palermo, Italy
| | - Manuela Mauro
- Section of Animal Biology and Anthropology, Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, Via Archirafi 18, 90123 Palermo, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Cunsolo
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Rosaria Saletti
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Antonella Di Francesco
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Arizza
- Section of Animal Biology and Anthropology, Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, Via Archirafi 18, 90123 Palermo, Italy
| | - Domenico Schillaci
- Section of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, Via Archirafi 32, 90123 Palermo, Italy
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Luparello C, Branni R, Abruscato G, Lazzara V, Drahos L, Arizza V, Mauro M, Di Stefano V, Vazzana M. Cytotoxic capability and the associated proteomic profile of cell-free coelomic fluid extracts from the edible sea cucumber Holothuria tubulosa on HepG2 liver cancer cells. EXCLI J 2022; 21:722-743. [PMID: 35721581 PMCID: PMC9203982 DOI: 10.17179/excli2022-4825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive cancer histotype and one of the most common types of cancer worldwide. The identification of compounds that might intervene to restrain neoplastic cell growth appears imperative due to its elevated overall mortality. The marine environment represents a reservoir rich in bioactive compounds in terms of primary and secondary metabolites produced by aquatic animals, mainly invertebrates. In the present study, we determined whether the water-soluble cell-free extract of the coelomic fluid (CFE) of the edible sea cucumber Holothuria tubulosa could play an anti-HCC role in vitro by analyzing the viability and locomotory behavior, cell cycle distribution, apoptosis and autophagy modulation, mitochondrial function and cell redox state of HepG2 HCC cells. We showed that CFE causes an early block in the cell cycle at the G2/M phase, which is coupled to oxidative stress promotion, autophagosome depletion and mitochondrial dysfunction ultimately leading to apoptotic death. We also performed a proteomic analysis of CFE identifying a number of proteins that are seemingly responsible for anti-cancer effects. In conclusion, H. tubulosa's CFE merits further investigation to develop novel promising anti-HCC prevention and/or treatment agents and also beneficial supplements for formulation of functional foods and food packaging material.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Luparello
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Rossella Branni
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Giulia Abruscato
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Valentina Lazzara
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Laszlo Drahos
- MS Proteomics Research Group, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Vincenzo Arizza
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Manuela Mauro
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Vita Di Stefano
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Mirella Vazzana
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche (STEBICEF), Università di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
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