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Manoharan S, Ying Ying L. Pyrimethamine reduced tumour growth in pre-clinical cancer models: a systematic review to identify potential pre-clinical studies for subsequent human clinical trials. Biol Methods Protoc 2024; 9:bpae021. [PMID: 38618181 PMCID: PMC11014785 DOI: 10.1093/biomethods/bpae021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2024] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Pyrimethamine (PYR), a STAT3 inhibitor, has been shown to reduce tumour burden in mouse cancer models. It is unclear how much of a reduction occurred or whether the PYR dosages and route of administration used in mice were consistent with the FDA's recommendations for drug repurposing. Search engines such as ScienceDirect, PubMed/MEDLINE, and other databases, including Google Scholar, were thoroughly searched, as was the reference list. The systematic review includes fourteen (14) articles. The risk of bias (RoB) was assessed using SYRCLE's guidelines. Due to the heterogeneity of the data, no meta-analysis was performed. According to the RoB assessment, 13/14 studies fall into the moderate RoB category, with one study classified as high RoB. None adhered to the ARRIVE guideline for transparent research reporting. Oral (FDA-recommended) and non-oral routes of PYR administration were used in mice, with several studies reporting very high PYR dosages that could lead to myelosuppression, while oral PYR dosages of 30 mg/kg or less are considered safe. Direct human equivalent dose translation is probably not the best strategy for comparing whether the used PYR dosages in mice are in line with FDA-approved strength because pharmacokinetic profiles, particularly PYR's half-life (t1/2), between humans (t1/2 = 96 h) and mice (t1/2 = 6 h), must also be considered. Based on the presence of appropriate control and treatment groups, as well as the presence of appropriate clinically proven chemotherapy drug(s) for comparison purposes, only one study (1/14) involving liver cancer can be directed into a clinical trial. Furthermore, oesophageal cancer too can be directed into clinical trials, where the indirect effect of PYR on the NRF2 gene may suppress oesophageal cancer in patients, but this must be done with caution because PYR is an investigational drug for oesophageal cancer, and combining it with proven chemotherapy drug(s) is recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sivananthan Manoharan
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Cancer Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam 40170, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Lee Ying Ying
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Asia Metropolitan University, Johor Bahru 81750, Johor, Malaysia
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2
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Ding H, Teng Y, Gao P, Zhang Q, Wang M, Yu Y, Fan Y, Zhu L. Construction of a prognostic model for lung adenocarcinoma based on m6A/m5C/m1A genes. Hum Mol Genet 2024; 33:563-582. [PMID: 38142284 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddad208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Developing a prognostic model for lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) that utilizes m6A/m5C/m1A genes holds immense importance in providing precise prognosis predictions for individuals. METHODS This study mined m6A/m5C/m1A-related differential genes in LUAD based on public databases, identified LUAD tumor subtypes based on these genes, and further built a risk prognostic model grounded in differential genes between subtypes. The immune status between high- and low-risk groups was investigated, and the distribution of feature genes in tumor immune cells was analyzed using single-cell analysis. Based on the expression levels of feature genes, a projection of chemotherapeutic and targeted drugs was made for individuals identified as high-risk. Ultimately, cell experiments were further verified. RESULTS The 6-gene risk prognosis model based on differential genes between tumor subtypes had good predictive performance. Individuals classified as low-risk exhibited a higher (P < 0.05) abundance of infiltrating immune cells. Feature genes were mainly distributed in tumor immune cells like CD4+T cells, CD8+T cells, and regulatory T cells. Four drugs with relatively low IC50 values were found in the high-risk group: Elesclomol, Pyrimethamine, Saracatinib, and Temsirolimus. In addition, four drugs with significant positive correlation (P < 0.001) between IC50 values and feature gene expression were found, including Alectinib, Estramustine, Brigatinib, and Elesclomol. The low expression of key gene NTSR1 reduced the IC50 value of irinotecan. CONCLUSION Based on the m6A/m5C/m1A-related genes in LUAD, LUAD patients were divided into 2 subtypes, and a m6A/m5C/m1A-related LUAD prognostic model was constructed to provide a reference for the prognosis prediction of LUAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Ding
- Department of Respiratory Disease, Affiliated People's Hospital of Jiangsu University, NO. 8 Dianli Road, Runzhou District, Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province 212002, China
| | - Yuanyuan Teng
- Department of Respiratory Disease, Affiliated People's Hospital of Jiangsu University, NO. 8 Dianli Road, Runzhou District, Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province 212002, China
| | - Ping Gao
- Department of Respiratory Disease, Affiliated People's Hospital of Jiangsu University, NO. 8 Dianli Road, Runzhou District, Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province 212002, China
| | - Qi Zhang
- Department of Respiratory Disease, Affiliated People's Hospital of Jiangsu University, NO. 8 Dianli Road, Runzhou District, Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province 212002, China
| | - Mengdi Wang
- Department of Respiratory Disease, Affiliated People's Hospital of Jiangsu University, NO. 8 Dianli Road, Runzhou District, Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province 212002, China
| | - Yi Yu
- Department of General Practice, Jiankang Road Community Health Service Center, NO. 239 Zhongshan East Road, Jingkou District, Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province 212008, China
| | - Yueping Fan
- Department of Respiratory, Jurong Branch Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, NO. 8 Huayang South Road, Jurong City, Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province 212400, China
| | - Li Zhu
- Department of Nephrology, Affiliated People's Hospital of Jiangsu University, NO. 8 Dianli Road, Runzhou District, Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province 212002, China
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Brown JI, Persaud R, Iliev P, Karmacharya U, Attarha S, Sahile H, Olsen JE, Hanke D, Idowu T, Frank DA, Frankel A, Williams KC, Page BDG. Investigating the anti-cancer potential of pyrimethamine analogues through a modern chemical biology lens. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 264:115971. [PMID: 38071795 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
Pharmacological inhibition of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) is an established approach for treating a variety of human diseases, including foreign infections and cancer. However, treatment with classic DHFR inhibitors, such as methotrexate (MTX), are associated with negative side-effects and resistance mechanisms that have prompted the search for alternatives. The DHFR inhibitor pyrimethamine (Pyr) has compelling anti-cancer activity in in vivo models, but lacks potency compared to MTX, thereby requiring higher concentrations to induce therapeutic responses. The purpose of this work was to investigate structural analogues of Pyr to improve its in vitro and cellular activity. A series of 36 Pyr analogues were synthesized and tested in a sequence of in vitro and cell-based assays to monitor their DHFR inhibitory activity, cellular target engagement, and impact on breast cancer cell viability. Ten top compounds were identified, two of which stood out as potential lead candidates, 32 and 34. These functionalized Pyr analogues potently engaged DHFR in cells, at concentrations as low as 1 nM and represent promising DHFR inhibitors that could be further explored as potential anti-cancer agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer I Brown
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Rosanne Persaud
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Petar Iliev
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Ujjwala Karmacharya
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Sanaz Attarha
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Henok Sahile
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Jonas E Olsen
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Danielle Hanke
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Temilolu Idowu
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - David A Frank
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Adam Frankel
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Karla C Williams
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Brent D G Page
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada.
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Zheng JH, Yao HF, Duan ZH, Ji PX, Yang J, Zhu YH, Jia QY, Yang JY, Liu DJ, Sun YW, Chen PC, Shi PD, Chen L. Exploitation and Verification of a Stroma- and Metastasis-Associated Risk Prognostic Signature in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:1336. [PMID: 36355508 PMCID: PMC9696859 DOI: 10.3390/ph15111336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 09/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD), one of the most malignant tumors, not only has abundant mesenchymal components, but is also characterized by an extremely high metastatic risk. The purpose of this study was to construct a model of stroma- and metastasis-associated prognostic signature, aiming to benefit the existing clinical staging system and predict the prognosis of patients. First, stroma-associated genes were screened from the TCGA database with the ESTIMATE algorithm. Subsequently, transcriptomic data from clinical tissues in the RenJi cohort were screened for metastasis-associated genes. Integrating the two sets of genes, we constructed a risk prognostic signature by Cox and LASSO regression analysis. We then obtained a risk score by a quantitative formula and divided all samples into high- and low-risk groups based on the scores. The results demonstrated that patients with high-risk scores have a worse prognosis than those with low-risk scores, both in the TCGA database and in the RenJi cohort. In addition, tumor mutation burden, chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity and immune infiltration analysis also exhibited significant differences between the two groups. In exploring the potential mechanisms of how stromal components affect tumor metastasis, we simulated different matrix stiffness in vitro to explore its effect on EMT key genes in PAAD cells. We found that cancer cells stimulated by high matrix stiffness may trigger EMT and promote PAAD metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Hao Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Department of Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Hong-Fei Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Department of Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Zong-Hao Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Department of Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Pei-Xuan Ji
- Shanghai Institute of Digestive Disease, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200001, China
| | - Jian Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Department of Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Yu-Heng Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Department of Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Qin-Yuan Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Department of Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Jian-Yu Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Department of Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - De-Jun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Department of Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Yong-Wei Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Department of Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Peng-Cheng Chen
- Department of General Surgery, Jiading District Central Hospital Affiliated Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China
| | - Pei-Dong Shi
- Department of General Surgery, Jiading District Central Hospital Affiliated Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China
| | - Li Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Department of Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
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Jadimurthy R, Mayegowda SB, Nayak S, Mohan CD, Rangappa KS. Escaping mechanisms of ESKAPE pathogens from antibiotics and their targeting by natural compounds. BIOTECHNOLOGY REPORTS (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2022; 34:e00728. [PMID: 35686013 PMCID: PMC9171455 DOI: 10.1016/j.btre.2022.e00728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The microorganisms that have developed resistance to available therapeutic agents are threatening the globe and multidrug resistance among the bacterial pathogens is becoming a major concern of public health worldwide. Bacteria develop protective mechanisms to counteract the deleterious effects of antibiotics, which may eventually result in loss of growth-inhibitory potential of antibiotics. ESKAPE (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter spp.) pathogens display multidrug resistance and virulence through various mechanisms and it is the need of the hour to discover or design new antibiotics against ESKAPE pathogens. In this article, we have discussed the mechanisms acquired by ESKAPE pathogens to counteract the effect of antibiotics and elaborated on recently discovered secondary metabolites derived from bacteria and plant sources that are endowed with good antibacterial activity towards pathogenic bacteria in general, ESKAPE organisms in particular. Abyssomicin C, allicin, anthracimycin, berberine, biochanin A, caffeic acid, daptomycin, kibdelomycin, piperine, platensimycin, plazomicin, taxifolin, teixobactin, and thymol are the major metabolites whose antibacterial potential have been discussed in this article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ragi Jadimurthy
- Department of Studies in Molecular Biology, University of Mysore, Manasagangotri, Mysore 570006, India
| | - Shilpa Borehalli Mayegowda
- Dayananda Sagar University, School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Shavige Malleswara Hills, Kumaraswamy layout, Bengaluru 560111, India
| | - S.Chandra Nayak
- Department of Studies in Biotechnology, University of Mysore, Manasagangotri, Mysore 570006, India
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Kast RE, Alfieri A, Assi HI, Burns TC, Elyamany AM, Gonzalez-Cao M, Karpel-Massler G, Marosi C, Salacz ME, Sardi I, Van Vlierberghe P, Zaghloul MS, Halatsch ME. MDACT: A New Principle of Adjunctive Cancer Treatment Using Combinations of Multiple Repurposed Drugs, with an Example Regimen. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:2563. [PMID: 35626167 PMCID: PMC9140192 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14102563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In part one of this two-part paper, we present eight principles that we believe must be considered for more effective treatment of the currently incurable cancers. These are addressed by multidrug adjunctive cancer treatment (MDACT), which uses multiple repurposed non-oncology drugs, not primarily to kill malignant cells, but rather to reduce the malignant cells' growth drives. Previous multidrug regimens have used MDACT principles, e.g., the CUSP9v3 glioblastoma treatment. MDACT is an amalgam of (1) the principle that to be effective in stopping a chain of events leading to an undesired outcome, one must break more than one link; (2) the principle of Palmer et al. of achieving fractional cancer cell killing via multiple drugs with independent mechanisms of action; (3) the principle of shaping versus decisive operations, both being required for successful cancer treatment; (4) an idea adapted from Chow et al., of using multiple cytotoxic medicines at low doses; (5) the idea behind CUSP9v3, using many non-oncology CNS-penetrant drugs from general medical practice, repurposed to block tumor survival paths; (6) the concept from chess that every move creates weaknesses and strengths; (7) the principle of mass-by adding force to a given effort, the chances of achieving the goal increase; and (8) the principle of blocking parallel signaling pathways. Part two gives an example MDACT regimen, gMDACT, which uses six repurposed drugs-celecoxib, dapsone, disulfiram, itraconazole, pyrimethamine, and telmisartan-to interfere with growth-driving elements common to cholangiocarcinoma, colon adenocarcinoma, glioblastoma, and non-small-cell lung cancer. gMDACT is another example of-not a replacement for-previous multidrug regimens already in clinical use, such as CUSP9v3. MDACT regimens are designed as adjuvants to be used with cytotoxic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alex Alfieri
- Department of Neurosurgery, Cantonal Hospital of Winterthur, 8400 Winterthur, Switzerland; (A.A.); (M.-E.H.)
| | - Hazem I. Assi
- Naef K. Basile Cancer Center, American University of Beirut, Beirut 1100, Lebanon;
| | - Terry C. Burns
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA;
| | - Ashraf M. Elyamany
- Oncology Unit, Hemato-Oncology Department, SECI Assiut University Egypt/King Saud Medical City, Riyadh 7790, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Maria Gonzalez-Cao
- Translational Cancer Research Unit, Dexeus University Hospital, 08028 Barcelona, Spain;
| | | | - Christine Marosi
- Clinical Division of Medical Oncology, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria;
| | - Michael E. Salacz
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA;
| | - Iacopo Sardi
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Meyer Children’s Hospital, Viale Pieraccini 24, 50139 Florence, Italy;
| | - Pieter Van Vlierberghe
- Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, Corneel Heymanslaan 10, 9000 Ghent, Belgium;
| | - Mohamed S. Zaghloul
- Children’s Cancer Hospital & National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo 11796, Egypt;
| | - Marc-Eric Halatsch
- Department of Neurosurgery, Cantonal Hospital of Winterthur, 8400 Winterthur, Switzerland; (A.A.); (M.-E.H.)
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3-Formylchromone Counteracts STAT3 Signaling Pathway by Elevating SHP-2 Expression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. BIOLOGY 2021; 11:biology11010029. [PMID: 35053027 PMCID: PMC8773260 DOI: 10.3390/biology11010029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary STAT3 acts as a potential tumor-promoting transcription factor that gets aberrantly activated in several types of human cancers and plays a crucial role in tumor progression and metastasis. STAT3 expression has been correlated with a dismal prognosis and poor survival. In this study, we have demonstrated that 3-formylchromone inhibits the STAT3 signaling in HCC cells by modulating SHP-2 expression. It also effectively diminished the tumor growth and subsequent reduction in metastasis in the HCC mouse model without exhibiting any major side effects. Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading cancers that contribute to a large number of deaths throughout the globe. The signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is a tumorigenic protein that is overactivated in several human malignancies including HCC. In the present report, the effect of 3-formylchromone (3FC) on the STAT3 signaling pathway in the HCC model was investigated. 3FC downregulated the constitutive phosphorylation of STAT3 and non-receptor tyrosine kinases such as JAK1 and JAK2. It also suppressed the transportation of STAT3 to the nucleus and reduced its DNA-binding ability. Pervanadate treatment overrode the 3FC-triggered STAT3 inhibition, and the profiling of cellular phosphatase expression revealed an increase in SHP-2 levels upon 3FC treatment. The siRNA-driven deletion of SHP-2 led to reinstate STAT3 activation. 3FC downmodulated the levels of various oncogenic proteins and decreased CXCL12-driven cell migration and invasion. Interestingly, 3FC did not exhibit any substantial toxicity, whereas it significantly regressed tumor growth in an orthotopic HCC mouse model and abrogated lung metastasis. Overall, 3FC can function as a potent agent that can display antitumor activity by targeting STAT3 signaling in HCC models.
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