Ulinastatin ameliorates the malignant progression of prostate cancer cells by blocking the RhoA/ROCK/NLRP3 pathway

Exploring the role of the inflammasomes on prostate cancer: Interplay with obesity

Obesity is a weight-related disorder characterized by excessive adipose tissue growth and dysfunction which leads to the onset of a systemic chronic low-grade inflammatory state. Likewise, inflammation is considered a classic cancer hallmark affecting several steps of carcinogenesis and tumor progression. In this regard, novel molecular complexes termed inflammasomes have been identified which are able to react to a wide spectrum of insults, impacting several metabolic-related disorders, but their contribution to cancer biology remains unclear. In this context, prostate cancer (PCa) has a markedly inflammatory component, and patients frequently are elderly individuals who exhibit weight-related disorders, being obesity the most prevalent condition. Therefore, inflammation, and specifically, inflammasome complexes, could be crucial players in the interplay between PCa and metabolic disorders. In this review, we will: 1) discuss the potential role of each inflammasome component (sensor, molecular adaptor, and targets) in PCa pathophysiology, placing special emphasis on IL-1β/NF-kB pathway and ROS and hypoxia influence; 2) explore the association between inflammasomes and obesity, and how these molecular complexes could act as the cornerstone between the obesity and PCa; and, 3) compile current clinical trials regarding inflammasome targeting, providing some insights about their potential use in the clinical practice.

Caspase-Linked Programmed Cell Death in Prostate Cancer: From Apoptosis, Necroptosis, and Pyroptosis to PANoptosis

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a complex disease and the cause of one of the highest cancer-related mortalities in men worldwide. Annually, more than 1.2 million new cases are diagnosed globally, accounting for 7% of newly diagnosed cancers in men. Programmed cell death (PCD) plays an essential role in removing infected, functionally dispensable, or potentially neoplastic cells. Apoptosis is the canonical form of PCD with no inflammatory responses elicited, and the close relationship between apoptosis and PCa has been well studied. Necroptosis and pyroptosis are two lytic forms of PCD that result in the release of intracellular contents, which induce inflammatory responses. An increasing number of studies have confirmed that necroptosis and pyroptosis are also closely related to the occurrence and progression of PCa. Recently, a novel form of PCD named PANoptosis, which is a combination of apoptosis, necroptosis, and pyroptosis, revealed the attached connection among them and may be a promising target for PCa. Apoptosis, necroptosis, pyroptosis, and PANoptosis are good examples to better understand the mechanism underlying PCD in PCa. This review aims to summarize the emerging roles and therapeutic potential of apoptosis, necroptosis, pyroptosis, and PANoptosis in PCa.

Nafamostat mesilate prevented caerulein-induced pancreatic injury by targeting HDAC6-mediated NLRP3 inflammasome activation

OBJECTIVE

Nafamostat mesilate (NM), a synthetic broad-spectrum serine protease inhibitor, has been commonly used for treating acute pancreatitis (AP) and other inflammatory-associated diseases in some East Asia countries. Although the potent inhibitory activity against inflammation-related proteases (such as thrombin, trypsin, kallikrein, plasmin, coagulation factors, and complement factors) is generally believed to be responsible for the anti-inflammatory effects of NM, the precise target and molecular mechanism underlying its anti-inflammatory activity in AP treatment remain largely unknown.

METHODS

The protection of NM against pancreatic injury and inhibitory effect on the NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation were investigated in an experimental mouse model of AP. To decipher the molecular mechanism of NM, the effects of NM on nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) activity and NF-κB mediated NLRP3 inflammasome priming were examined in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-primed THP-1 cells. Additionally, the potential of NM to block the activity of histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) and disrupt the association between HDAC6 and NLRP3 was also evaluated.

RESULTS

NM significantly suppressed NLRP3 inflammasome activation in the pancreas, leading to a reduction in pancreatic inflammation and prevention of pancreatic injury during AP. NM was found to interact with HDAC6 and effectively inhibit its function. This property allowed NM to influence HDAC6-dependent NF-κB transcriptional activity, thereby blocking NF-κB-driven transcriptional priming of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Furthermore, NM exhibited the potential to interfere the association between HDAC6 and NLRP3, impeding HDAC6-mediated intracellular transport of NLRP3 and ultimately preventing NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

CONCLUSIONS

Our current work has provided valuable insight into the molecular mechanism underlying the immunomodulatory effect of NM in the treatment of AP, highlighting its promising application in the prevention of NLRP3 inflammasome-associated inflammatory pathological damage.

Optimization of Neferine Purification Based on Response Surface Methodology and Its Anti-Metastasis Mechanism on HepG2 Cells

Liver cancer continues to be a focus of scientific research due to its low five-year survival rate. One of its main core issues is the high metastasis of cells, for which there is no effective treatment. Neferine was originally isolated from Plumula nelumbinis and demonstrated to have a good antitumor effect. In order to extract high-purity Neferine in a more efficient and environmentally friendly manner, response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the isolation and purification procedures in this study. The extract conditions of a 7:3 ratio for the eluent of dichloromethane: methanol, 1:60 for the mass ratio of the extract amount: silica gel, and 3 mL/min of the elution flow rate were shown to be the optimal conditions. These conditions resulted in the highest yield of 6.13 mg per 66.60 mg of starting material, with productivity of 8.76% and purity of 87.04%. Compared with the previous methods, this method can prepare Neferine in large quantities more quickly. We subsequently evaluated the antitumor activity of the purified Neferine against HepG2 hepatic cancer cells. The purified Neferine was found to inhibit the proliferation of HepG2 cells through the CCK-8 assay, with an IC₅₀ of 33.80 μM in 24 h, 29.47 μM in 48 h, 24.35 μM in 72 h and 2.78 μM in 96 h of treatment. Neferine at a concentration of 3 μM could significantly inhibit the migration and invasion abilities of the HepG2 cells in vitro. We also explored the mechanism of action of Neferine via Western blot. We showed that Neferine could reduce RhoA expression by effectively inhibiting the phosphorylation of MYPT1, thereby effectively exerting anti-metastasis activity against HepG2 cells. Thus, we have optimized the isolation procedures for highly pure Neferine by response surface methodology (RSM) in this study, and purified Neferine is shown to play an essential role in the anti-metastasis process of liver cancer cells. The Neferine purification procedure may make a wide contribution to the follow-up development of other anti-metastasis lead compounds.