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Wu Q, Chen P, Li J, Lin Z, Zhang Q, Kwok HF. Inhibition of bladder cancer growth with homoharringtonine by inactivating integrin α5/β1-FAK/Src axis: A novel strategy for drug application. Pharmacol Res 2023; 188:106654. [PMID: 36640858 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2023.106654] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The application of immune checkpoint inhibitors and FGFR protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors have made a tremendous breakthrough in bladder cancer therapy. However, inadequate drug responses and drug resistance interfere with successful treatment outcomes. For a new drug to enter the market, there is a long development cycle with high costs and low success rates. Repurposing previously Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications and using novel drug discovery strategies may be an optimal approach. Homoharringtonine (HHT) has been used for hematologic malignancies for over 40 years in China and was approved by the FDA approximately 10 years ago. Many studies have demonstrated that HHT effectively inhibits the development of several types of solid tumors, although the underlying mechanisms of action are unclear. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms underlying HHT activity against bladder cancer growth. We first compared HTT with the drugs currently used clinically for bladder cancer treatment. HHT showed stronger inhibitory activity than cisplatin, carboplatin, and doxorubicin. Our in vitro and in vivo data demonstrated that HHT inhibited proliferation, colony formation, migration, and cell adhesion of bladder cancer cells and induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in the nanomolar concentration range. Furthermore, we revealed that HHT treatment could downregulate the MAPK/Erk and PI3k/Akt signaling pathways by inactivating the integrin α5/β1-FAK/Src axis. HHT-induced activity reduced cell-ECM interactions and cell migration, thus suppressing tumor metastasis progression. Altogether, HHT shows enormous potential as an anticancer agent and may be applied as a combination treatment strategy for bladder cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiushuang Wu
- Cancer Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macau SAR; MoE Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Avenida de Universidade, Taipa, Macau SAR; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Avenida de Universidade, Taipa, Macau SAR
| | - Pengchen Chen
- Cancer Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macau SAR
| | - Junnan Li
- Cancer Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macau SAR
| | - Ziqi Lin
- Cancer Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macau SAR
| | - Qingwen Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR
| | - Hang Fai Kwok
- Cancer Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macau SAR; MoE Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Avenida de Universidade, Taipa, Macau SAR; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Avenida de Universidade, Taipa, Macau SAR.
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Burgers LD, Fürst R. Natural products as drugs and tools for influencing core processes of eukaryotic mRNA translation. Pharmacol Res 2021; 170:105535. [PMID: 34058326 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2021.105535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Eukaryotic protein synthesis is the highly conserved, complex mechanism of translating genetic information into proteins. Although this process is essential for cellular homoeostasis, dysregulations are associated with cellular malfunctions and diseases including cancer and diabetes. In the challenging and ongoing search for adequate treatment possibilities, natural products represent excellent research tools and drug leads for new interactions with the translational machinery and for influencing mRNA translation. In this review, bacterial-, marine- and plant-derived natural compounds that interact with different steps of mRNA translation, comprising ribosomal assembly, translation initiation and elongation, are highlighted. Thereby, the exact binding and interacting partners are unveiled in order to accurately understand the mode of action of each natural product. The pharmacological relevance of these compounds is furthermore assessed by evaluating the observed biological activities in the light of translational inhibition and by enlightening potential obstacles and undesired side-effects, e.g. in clinical trials. As many of the natural products presented here possess the potential to serve as drug leads for synthetic derivatives, structural motifs, which are indispensable for both mode of action and biological activities, are discussed. Evaluating the natural products emphasises the strong diversity of their points of attack. Especially the fact that selected binding partners can be set in direct relation to different diseases emphasises the indispensability of natural products in the field of drug development. Discovery of new, unique and unusual interacting partners again renders them promising tools for future research in the field of eukaryotic mRNA translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa D Burgers
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Robert Fürst
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany; LOEWE Center for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Frankfurt, Germany
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