Induction of reactive oxygen species-mediated autophagy by a novel microtubule-modulating agent

Quantitative multi-parametric evaluation of centrosome declustering drugs: centrosome amplification, mitotic phenotype, cell cycle and death

Unlike normal cells, cancer cells contain amplified centrosomes and rely on centrosome clustering mechanisms to form a pseudobipolar spindle that circumvents potentially fatal spindle multipolarity (MP). Centrosome clustering also promotes low-grade chromosome missegregation, which can drive malignant transformation and tumor progression. Putative ‘centrosome declustering drugs' represent a cancer cell-specific class of chemotherapeutics that produces a common phenotype of centrosome declustering and spindle MP. However, differences between individual agents in terms of efficacy and phenotypic nuances remain unexplored. Herein, we have developed a conceptual framework for the quantitative evaluation of centrosome declustering drugs by investigating their impact on centrosomes, clustering, spindle polarity, cell cycle arrest, and death in various cancer cell lines at multiple drug concentrations over time. Surprisingly, all centrosome declustering drugs evaluated in our study were also centrosome-amplifying drugs to varying extents. Notably, all declustering drugs induced spindle MP, and the peak extent of MP positively correlated with the induction of hypodiploid DNA-containing cells. Our data suggest acentriolar spindle pole amplification as a hitherto undescribed activity of some declustering drugs, resulting in spindle MP in cells that may not have amplified centrosomes. In general, declustering drugs were more toxic to cancer cell lines than non-transformed ones, with some exceptions. Through a comprehensive description and quantitative analysis of numerous phenotypes induced by declustering drugs, we propose a novel framework for the assessment of putative centrosome declustering drugs and describe cellular characteristics that may enhance susceptibility to them.

Autophagy mediates neutrophil responses to bacterial infection

Neutrophils constitute the first line of cellular defense against pathogens and autophagy is a fundamental cellular homeostasis pathway that operates with the intracellular degradation/recycling system. Induction of the autophagic process in neutrophils, in response to invading pathogens, constitutes a crucial mechanism in innate immunity. Exploration of autophagy has greatly progressed and diverse strategies have been reported for studying this molecular process in different biological systems; especially in infectious and inflammatory diseases. Furthermore, the role of autophagy in neutrophils, during pathogenic infection, continues to be of interest, due to the role of the cell in immunity function, its recruitment to the site of infection and its implication in inflammatory diseases. This review focuses on the known role of autophagy in neutrophils defence against pathogenic infections. A more detailed discussion will concern the recent findings highlighting the role of autophagy in inflammation and cell death in infected neutrophils.

Cantharidin-mediated ultrastructural and biochemical changes in mitochondria lead to apoptosis and necrosis in murine Dalton's lymphoma

Cantharidin, a type of terpenoid, is the blistering agent of blister beetles frequently used in traditional medicine. The isolation and anticancer activity of cantharidin from blister beetles, Mylabris cichorii has been recently reported by us. This study deals with changes in mitochondrial structure and function and understanding their significance in the underlying mechanism(s) in cantharidin-mediated antitumor effects in Dalton's lymphoma (DL) bearing mice. Cantharidin treatment caused the appearance of abnormal mitochondrial features which included roundish mitochondria with thickened membranes, irregularity in cristae, and appearance of small and large size vacuoles in mitochondria of DL cells. Cantharidin treatment resulted in a decrease in mitochondrial reduced glutathione, succinate dehydrogenase activity, mitochondrial membrane potential, and induced apoptosis and necrosis in DL cells. The decrease/release of mitochondrial cytochrome c were also observed after cantharidin treatment. Flow cytometry-based cell cycle analysis showed a time-dependent accumulation of the sub-G0 population of DL cells, thus, confirming the involvement of apoptosis in tumor cells in cantharidin-mediated antitumor activity. These finding signify that the apoptosis induced by cantharidin in DL cells should involve mitochondrial-dependent pathways. It is suggested that these cantharidin-mediated changes in mitochondria may play a crucial role in its antitumor activity.

Deconvoluting the role of reactive oxygen species and autophagy in human diseases

Reactive oxygen species (ROS), chemically reactive molecules containing oxygen, can form as a natural byproduct of the normal metabolism of oxygen and also have their crucial roles in cell homeostasis. Of note, the major intracellular sources including mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), peroxisomes and the NADPH oxidase (NOX) complex have been identified in cell membranes to produce ROS. Interestingly, autophagy, an evolutionarily conserved lysosomal degradation process in which a cell degrades long-lived proteins and damaged organelles, has recently been well-characterized to be regulated by different types of ROS. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that ROS-modulated autophagy has numerous links to a number of pathological processes, including cancer, ageing, neurodegenerative diseases, type-II diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, muscular disorders, hepatic encephalopathy and immunity diseases. In this review, we focus on summarizing the molecular mechanisms of ROS-regulated autophagy and their relevance to diverse diseases, which would shed new light on more ROS modulators as potential therapeutic drugs for fighting human diseases.

Antitumor effect of blister beetles: an ethno-medicinal practice in Karbi community and its experimental evaluation against a murine malignant tumor model

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE

The blister beetles Epicauta hirticornis and Mylabris cichorii are used as a folk medicine by the Karbi tribe in Karbi Anglong district of Assam, India for the treatment of different human ailments, including cancer cases.

AIM OF THE STUDY

It includes field survey related to zoo-therapeutic aspects of two blister beetles in Karbi community, isolation of bio-active compound and evaluation of its antitumor potential with possible mode of action against murine Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The main bio-active compound of blister beetles was isolated from ethyl acetate extract and the structure was confirmed as cantharidin using NMR, IR, Mass and X-ray diffractometer. The effect of cantharidin on apoptosis, necrosis, autophagy and the apoptosis related signaling pathways were determined using different bioassays, including cell cycle analysis, mitochondrial membrane potential, western blot analysis of cytochrome c, caspases 9, 3/7 assays, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay.

RESULTS

Cantharidin induced apoptosis, necrosis and autophagy cell death in EAC cells. The decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential was observed, which may help to release cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytosol. Cantharidin treatment caused up-regulation of caspases 9 and -3/7 and a decrease in LDH activity in EAC cells.

CONCLUSION

The major bioactive compound of these blister beetles is cantharidin which induces severe apoptosis in EAC cells involving mitochondrial intrinsic pathway. Cantharidin-mediated inhibition of LDH activity may lead to short supply of NAD(+) and cut off energy and anabolic supply to cancer cells.

Synthetic polyamines activating autophagy: effects on cancer cell death

The ability of symmetrically substituted long chain polymethylene tetramines, methoctramine (1) and its analogs 2-4 to kill cancer cells was studied. We found that an elevated cytotoxicity was correlated with a 12 methylene chain length separating the inner amine functions (6-12-6 carbon backbone), together with the introduction of diphenylethyl moieties on the terminal nitrogen atoms (compound 4) of a tetramine backbone. Compound 4 triggered dissipation of mitochondrial transmembrane potential and increased intracellular peroxide levels, leading to a caspase-independent HeLa cell death associated with a rapid activation of autophagy. The antioxidant N-acetylcysteine inhibited cell death and activation of autophagy, indicating a link between oxidative stress and autophagy. Autophagy was rapidly triggered even by tetramines 2 and 3, indicating that is related to their polyamine structure. Autophagy did not protect HeLa cells against cytotoxicity elicited by compound 4. The present study shows that, by modifications of the methoctramine structure, it is possible to design polyamine derivatives highly cytotoxic against tumor cells and that the appropriate design of molecules bearing polyamine-like structures leads to powerful inducers of autophagy.

Tiron and trolox potentiate the autophagic cell death induced by magnolol analog Ery5 by activation of Bax in HL-60 cells

This study describes the mechanism of trolox and tiron induced potentiation of cytotoxicity caused by Ery5, an analog of magnolol, in human myeloid leukemia HL-60 cells. Ery5 induced cytotoxicity in HL-60 cells by involving activation of bax and cleavage of caspase 3, which contributed towards activation of both apoptotic and autophagic pathways. Trolox and tiron, even at non-toxic concentrations, contributed to the cytotoxicity of Ery5 by activation of autophagic proteins like ATG7, ATG12 and LC3-II. Z-VAD-fmk mediated reduction in the cytotoxicity and expression of autophagic proteins, further suggested that autophagy induced by Ery5 is largely dependent upon caspases. Interestingly, Ery5 induced autophagy was accompanied by the downregulation of PI3K/AKT pathway whereas, trolox and tiron strongly enhanced this effect. In addition to that treatment of cells with Ery5, trolox and tiron individually, displayed a marked upregulation of Bax. The involvement of Bax in trolox and tiron induced enhancement of the cytotoxicity of Ery5 was confirmed, when siRNA induced silencing of Bax led to increased viability of the cells and exerted a strong inhibitory effect on LC3-II accumulation and p62 degradation in case of cells treated by the combination of Ery5 with trolox or tiron. Additionally, an important role of PARP in Ery5 mediated cell death has been suggested by PARP silencing experiments, however, potentiation of autophagic cytotoxicity by trolox and tiron did not seem to be dependent on PARP-1. Therefore, Bax seems to play a vital role in trolox and tiron mediated potentiation of autophagic cell death by Ery5 in HL-60 cells.

Senescence and aging: the critical roles of p53

p53 functions as a transcription factor involved in cell-cycle control, DNA repair, apoptosis and cellular stress responses. However, besides inducing cell growth arrest and apoptosis, p53 activation also modulates cellular senescence and organismal aging. Senescence is an irreversible cell-cycle arrest that has a crucial role both in aging and as a robust physiological antitumor response, which counteracts oncogenic insults. Therefore, via the regulation of senescence, p53 contributes to tumor growth suppression, in a manner strictly dependent by its expression and cellular context. In this review, we focus on the recent advances on the contribution of p53 to cellular senescence and its implication for cancer therapy, and we will discuss p53's impact on animal lifespan. Moreover, we describe p53-mediated regulation of several physiological pathways that could mediate its role in both senescence and aging.

Nicotinamide forestalls pathology and cognitive decline in Alzheimer mice: evidence for improved neuronal bioenergetics and autophagy procession

Impaired brain energy metabolism and oxidative stress are implicated in cognitive decline and the pathologic accumulations of amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) and hyperphosphorylated tau in Alzheimer's disease (AD). To determine whether improving brain energy metabolism will forestall disease progress in AD, the impact of the β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide precursor nicotinamide on brain cell mitochondrial function and macroautophagy, bioenergetics-related signaling, and cognitive performance were studied in cultured neurons and in a mouse model of AD. Oxidative stress resulted in decreased mitochondrial mass, mitochondrial degeneration, and autophagosome accumulation in neurons. Nicotinamide preserved mitochondrial integrity and autophagy function, and reduced neuronal vulnerability to oxidative/metabolic insults and Aβ toxicity. β-Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide biosynthesis, autophagy, and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase signaling were required for the neuroprotective action of nicotinamide. Treatment of 3xTgAD mice with nicotinamide for 8 months resulted in improved cognitive performance, and reduced Aβ and hyperphosphorylated tau pathologies in hippocampus and cerebral cortex. Nicotinamide treatment preserved mitochondrial integrity, and improved autophagy-lysosome procession by enhancing lysosome/autolysosome acidification to reduce autophagosome accumulation. Treatment of 3xTgAD mice with nicotinamide resulted in elevated levels of activated neuroplasticity-related kinases (protein kinase B [Akt] and extracellular signal-regulated kinases) and the transcription factor cyclic adenosine monophosphate (AMP) response element-binding protein in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. Thus, nicotinamide suppresses AD pathology and cognitive decline in a mouse model of AD by a mechanism involving improved brain bioenergetics with preserved functionality of mitochondria and the autophagy system.

Reactive oxygen species regulation of autophagy in cancer: implications for cancer treatment

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are important in regulating normal cellular processes, but deregulated ROS contribute to the development of various human diseases including cancers. Autophagy is one of the first lines of defense against oxidative stress damage. The autophagy pathway can be induced and upregulated in response to intracellular ROS or extracellular oxidative stress. This leads to selective lysosomal self-digestion of intracellular components to maintain cellular homeostasis. Hence, autophagy is the survival pathway, conferring stress adaptation and promoting viability under oxidative stress. However, increasing evidence has demonstrated that autophagy can also lead to cell death under oxidative stress conditions. In addition, altered autophagic signaling pathways that lead to decreased autophagy are frequently found in many human cancers. This review discusses the advances in understanding of the mechanisms of ROS-induced autophagy and how this process relates to tumorigenesis and cancer therapy.

Autophagy induction by silver nanowires: a new aspect in the biocompatibility assessment of nanocomposite thin films

Nanomaterials and their enabled products have increasingly been attracting global attention due to their unique physicochemical properties. Among these emerging products, silver nanowire (AgNW)-based thin films are being developed for their promising applications in next generation nanoelectronics and nanodevices. However, serious concerns remain about possible health and safety risks they may pose. Here, we employed a multi-modal systematic biocompatibility assessment of thin films incorporating AgNW. To represent the possible routes of nanomaterial entry during occupational or environmental exposure, we employed four different cell lines of epithelial, endothelial, gastric, and phagocytic origin. Utilizing a cell-based automated image acquisition and analysis procedure in combination with real-time impedance sensing, we observed a low level of cytotoxicity of AgNW, which was dependent on cell type, nanowire lengths, doses and incubation times. Similarly, no major cytotoxic effects were induced by AgNW-containing thin films, as detected by conventional cell viability and imaging assays. However, transmission electron microscopy and Western immunoblotting analysis revealed AgNW-induced autophasosome accumulation together with an upregulation of the autophagy marker protein LC3. Autophagy represents a crucial mechanism in maintaining cellular homeostasis, and our data for the first time demonstrate triggering of such mechanism by AgNW in human phagocytic cells. Finally, atomic force microscopy revealed significant changes in the topology of cells attaching and growing on these films as substrates. Our findings thus emphasize the necessity of comprehensive biohazard assessment of nanomaterials in modern applications and devices and a thorough analysis of risks associated with their possible contact with humans through occupational or environmental exposure.

The autophagy-senescence connection in chemotherapy: must tumor cells (self) eat before they sleep?

Exposure of MCF-7 breast tumor cells or HCT-116 colon carcinoma cells to clinically relevant concentrations of doxorubicin (Adriamycin; Farmitalia Research Laboratories, Milan, Italy) or camptothecin results in both autophagy and senescence. To determine whether autophagy is required for chemotherapy-induced senescence, reactive oxygen generation induced by Adriamycin was suppressed by N-acetyl cysteine and glutathione, and the induction of ataxia telangiectasia mutated, p53, and p21 was modulated pharmacologically and/or genetically. In all cases, autophagy and senescence were collaterally suppressed. The close association between autophagy and senescence indicated by these experiments reflects their collateral regulation via common signaling pathways. The potential relationship between autophagy and senescence was further examined through pharmacologic inhibition of autophagy with chloroquine and 3-methyl-adenine and genetic ablation of the autophagy-related genes ATG5 and ATG7. However, inhibition of autophagy by pharmacological and genetic approaches could not entirely abrogate the senescence response, which was only reduced and/or delayed. Taken together, our findings suggest that autophagy and senescence tend to occur in parallel, and furthermore that autophagy accelerates the development of the senescent phenotype. However, these responses are not inexorably linked or interdependent, as senescence can occur when autophagy is abrogated.

Induction of robust de novo centrosome amplification, high-grade spindle multipolarity and metaphase catastrophe: a novel chemotherapeutic approach

Centrosome amplification (CA) and resultant chromosomal instability have long been associated with tumorigenesis. However, exacerbation of CA and relentless centrosome declustering engender robust spindle multipolarity (SM) during mitosis and may induce cell death. Recently, we demonstrated that a noscapinoid member, reduced bromonoscapine, (S)-3-(R)-9-bromo-5-(4,5-dimethoxy-1,3-dihydroisobenzofuran-1-yl)-4-methoxy-6-methyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-[1,3]dioxolo-[4,5-g]isoquinoline (Red-Br-nos), induces reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated autophagy and caspase-independent death in prostate cancer PC-3 cells. Herein, we show that Red-Br-nos induces ROS-dependent DNA damage that resulted in high-grade CA and SM in PC-3 cells. Unlike doxorubicin, which causes double-stranded DNA breaks and chronic G2 arrest accompanied by ‘templated' CA, Red-Br-nos-mediated DNA damage elicits de novo CA during a transient S/G2 stall, followed by checkpoint abrogation and mitotic entry to form aberrant mitotic figures with supernumerary spindle poles. Attenuation of multipolar phenotype in the presence of tiron, a ROS inhibitor, indicated that ROS-mediated DNA damage was partly responsible for driving CA and SM. Although a few cells (∼5%) yielded to aberrant cytokinesis following an ‘anaphase catastrophe', most mitotically arrested cells (∼70%) succumbed to ‘metaphase catastrophe,' which was caspase-independent. This report is the first documentation of rapid de novo centrosome formation in the presence of parent centrosome by a noscapinoid family member, which triggers death-inducing SM via a unique mechanism that distinguishes it from other ROS-inducers, conventional DNA-damaging agents, as well as other microtubule-binding drugs.

The vascular targeting agent Combretastatin-A4 directly induces autophagy in adenocarcinoma-derived colon cancer cells

Recent clinical data demonstrated that the vascular targeting agent Combretastatin-A4 phosphate (CA-4P) prolonged survival of patients with advanced anaplastic thyroid cancer without any adverse side effects. However, as a single agent CA-4 failed to reduce tumour growth in the murine CT-26 adenocarcinoma colon cancer model. Furthermore, the molecular mechanism of the innate resistance of HT-29 human adenocarcinoma cells to CA-4 is largely unknown. In this report, we demonstrate for the first time that prolonged exposure to CA-4 and an azetidinone cis-restricted analogue, CA-432 (chemical name; 4-(3-Hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-3-phenyl-1-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-azetidin-2-one) induced autophagy in adenocarcinoma-derived CT-26, Caco-2 and HT-29 cells but not in fibrosarcoma-derived HT-1080 cells. Autophagy is a fundamental self-catabolic process which can facilitate a prolonged cell survival in spite of adverse stress by generating energy via lysosomal degradation of cytoplasmic constituents. Autophagy was confirmed by acridine orange staining of vesicle formation, electron microscopy and increased expression of LC3-II. Combretastatin-induced autophagy was associated with a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and elongation of the mitochondria. Furthermore, inhibition of autophagy by the vacuolar H(+)ATPase inhibitor Bafilomycin-A1 (BAF-A1) significantly enhanced CA-432 induced HT-29 cell death. Both CA-4 and its synthetic derivative, CA-432 induced the formation of large hyperdiploid cells in Caco-2 and CT-26 cells. The formation of these polyploid cells was significantly inhibited by autophagy inhibitor, BAF-A1. Results presented within demonstrate that autophagy is a novel response to combretastatin exposure and may be manipulated to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of this class of vascular targeting agents.

Modeling prostate cancer in mice: limitations and opportunities

The complex dynamics of the tumor microenvironment and prostate cancer heterogeneity have confounded efforts to establish suitable preclinical mouse models to represent human cancer progression from early proliferative phenotypes to aggressive, androgen-independent, and invasive metastatic tumors. Current models have been successful in capitulating individual characteristics of the aggressive tumors. However, none of these models comprehensively mimics human cancer progression, establishing the challenge in their exploitation to study human disease. The ability to tailor phenotypic outcomes in mice by compounding mutations to target specific molecular pathways provides a powerful tool toward disruption of signaling pathways contributing to the initiation and progression of castration-resistant prostate cancer. Each model is characterized by unique features contributing to the understanding of prostate tumorigenesis, as well as limitations challenging our knowledge of the mechanisms of cancer development and progression. Emerging strategies utilize genomic manipulation technology to circumvent these limitations toward the formulation of attractive, physiologically relevant models of prostate cancer progression to advanced disease. This review discusses the current value of the widely used and well-characterized mouse models of prostate cancer progression to metastasis, as well as the opportunities begging exploitation for the development of new models for testing the antitumor efficacy of therapeutic strategies and identifying new biomarkers of disease progression.

Benefits of whole ginger extract in prostate cancer

It is appreciated far and wide that increased and regular consumption of fruits and vegetables is linked with noteworthy anticancer benefits. Extensively consumed as a spice in foods and beverages worldwide, ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) is an excellent source of several bioactive phenolics, including non-volatile pungent compounds such as gingerols, paradols, shogaols and gingerones. Ginger has been known to display anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antiproliferative activities, indicating its promising role as a chemopreventive agent. Here, we show that whole ginger extract (GE) exerts significant growth-inhibitory and death-inductory effects in a spectrum of prostate cancer cells. Comprehensive studies have confirmed that GE perturbed cell-cycle progression, impaired reproductive capacity, modulated cell-cycle and apoptosis regulatory molecules and induced a caspase-driven, mitochondrially mediated apoptosis in human prostate cancer cells. Remarkably, daily oral feeding of 100 mg/kg body weight of GE inhibited growth and progression of PC-3 xenografts by approximately 56 % in nude mice, as shown by measurements of tumour volume. Tumour tissue from GE-treated mice showed reduced proliferation index and widespread apoptosis compared with controls, as determined by immunoblotting and immunohistochemical methods. Most importantly, GE did not exert any detectable toxicity in normal, rapidly dividing tissues such as gut and bone marrow. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to demonstrate the in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity of whole GE for the management of prostate cancer.

CERT depletion predicts chemotherapy benefit and mediates cytotoxic and polyploid-specific cancer cell death through autophagy induction

Chromosomal instability (CIN) has been implicated in multidrug resistance and the silencing of the ceramide transporter, CERT, promotes sensitization to diverse cytotoxics. An improved understanding of mechanisms governing multidrug sensitization might provide insight into pathways contributing to the death of CIN cancer cells. Using an integrative functional genomics approach, we find that CERT-specific multidrug sensitization is associated with enhanced autophagosome-lysosome flux, resulting from the expression of LAMP2 following CERT silencing in colorectal and HER2(+) breast cancer cell lines. Live cell microscopy analysis revealed that CERT depletion induces LAMP2-dependent death of polyploid cells following exit from mitosis in the presence of paclitaxel. We find that CERT is relatively over-expressed in HER2(+) breast cancer and CERT protein expression acts as an independent prognostic variable and predictor of outcome in adjuvant chemotherapy-treated patients with primary breast cancer. These data suggest that the induction of LAMP2-dependent autophagic flux through CERT targeting may provide a rational approach to enhance multidrug sensitization and potentiate the death of polyploid cells following paclitaxel exposure to limit the acquisition of CIN and intra-tumour heterogeneity.

MG-2477, a new tubulin inhibitor, induces autophagy through inhibition of the Akt/mTOR pathway and delayed apoptosis in A549 cells

We previously demonstrated that MG-2477 (3-cyclopropylmethyl-7-phenyl-3H-pyrrolo[3,2-f]quinolin-9(6H)-one) inhibits the growth of several cancer cell lines in vitro. Here we show that MG-2477 inhibited tubulin polymerization and caused cells to arrest in metaphase. The detailed mechanism of action of MG-2477 was investigated in a non-small cell lung carcinoma cell line (A549). Treatment of A549 cells with MG-2477 caused the cells to arrest in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle, with a concomitant accumulation of cyclin B. Moreover, the compound induced autophagy, which was followed at later times by apoptotic cell death. Autophagy was detected as early as 12h by the conversion of microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3-I) to LC3-II, following cleavage and lipid addition to LC3-I. After 48h of MG-2477 exposure, phosphatidylserine externalization on the cell membrane, caspase-3 activation, and PARP cleavage occurred, revealing that apoptotic cell death had begun. Pharmacological inhibition of autophagy with 3-methyladenine or bafilomycin A1 increased apoptotic cell death, suggesting that the autophagy caused by MG-2477 played a protective role and delayed apoptotic cell death. Additional studies revealed that MG-2477 inhibited survival signaling by blocking activation of Akt and its downstream targets, including mTOR, and FHKR. Treatment with MG-2477 also reduced phosphorylation of mTOR downstream targets p70 ribosomal S6 kinase and 4E-BP1. Overexpression of Akt by transfection with a Myr-Akt vector decreased MG-2477 induced autophagy, indicating that Akt is involved. Taken together, these results indicated that the autophagy induced by MG-2477 delayed apoptosis by exerting an adaptive response following microtubule damage.

Polyphenol-rich sweet potato greens extract inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in prostate cancer cells in vitro and in vivo

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) leaves or greens, extensively consumed as a vegetable in Africa and Asia, are an excellent source of dietary polyphenols such as anthocyanins and phenolic acids. Here, we show that sweet potato greens extract (SPGE) has the maximum polyphenol content compared with several commercial vegetables including spinach. The polyphenol-rich SPGE exerts significant antiproliferative activity in a panel of prostate cancer cell lines while sparing normal prostate epithelial cells. Mechanistically, SPGE perturbed cell cycle progression, reduced clonogenic survival, modulated cell cycle and apoptosis regulatory molecules and induced apoptosis in human prostate cancer PC-3 cells both in vitro and in vivo. SPGE-induced apoptosis has a mitochondrially mediated component, which was attenuated by pretreatment with cyclosporin A. We also observed alterations of apoptosis regulatory molecules such as inactivation of Bcl2, upregulation of BAX, cytochrome c release and activation of downstream apoptotic signaling. SPGE caused DNA degradation as evident by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining of increased concentration of 3'-DNA ends. Furthermore, apoptotic induction was caspase dependent as shown by cleavage of caspase substrate, poly (adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase. Oral administration of 400 mg/kg SPGE remarkably inhibited growth and progression of prostate tumor xenografts by ∼69% in nude mice, as shown by tumor volume measurements and non-invasive real-time bioluminescent imaging. Most importantly, SPGE did not cause any detectable toxicity to rapidly dividing normal tissues such as gut and bone marrow. This is the first report to demonstrate the in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity of sweet potato greens in prostate cancer.

Histone deacetylase inhibitor valproic acid sensitizes B16F10 melanoma cells to cucurbitacin B treatment

Cucurbitacin B (CuB) is reported to have anti-proliferation effects on a variety of tumors including melanoma, and more effective regimens by combination of this agent with others are under investigation. In this study, the anti-melanoma effect of CuB as a single agent and in combination with valproic acid (VPA), an inhibitor of histone deacetylase (HDAC), was evaluated in B16F10, a mouse melanoma cell line. The results demonstrated that CuB inhibited the proliferation of the cell line in a dose-dependent manner. However, it was likely that a pro-survival compensatory response, involving the induction of autophagy and upregulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein, was induced by CuB treatment, which might greatly decrease the cytotoxicity of this agent. Supporting this, the melanoma cells were found to be more sensitive to the combination of CuB with chloroquine, a well-known autophagy inhibitor. And CuB-induced autophagy was associated with c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation, at least partly, since inhibition of JNK activity by SP600125 could alleviate the autophagy. When CuB was combined with VPA, the two drugs showed synergistic cytotoxicity by induction of cell apoptosis. Moreover, the multiploidization effect of CuB was also suppressed in the presence of VPA. In contrast to the transient activation of JNKs by CuB, the combination of CuB and VPA resulted in prolonged JNK activation, although at low level after 4 h. Our results demonstrated that HDAC inhibitor VPA can sensitize B16F10 cells to CuB treatment through induction of apoptotic pathway.