17-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin impeded chemotherapy through antioxidant activation via reducing reactive oxygen species-induced cell death

Transcriptome reveals the role of the htpG gene in mediating antibiotic resistance through cell envelope modulation in Vibrio mimicus SCCF01

HtpG, a bacterial homolog of the eukaryotic 90 kDa heat-shock protein (Hsp90), represents the simplest member of the heat shock protein family. While the significance of Hsp90 in fungal and cancer drug resistance has been confirmed, the role of HtpG in bacterial antibiotic resistance remains largely unexplored. This research aims to investigate the impact of the htpG gene on antibiotic resistance in Vibrio mimicus. Through the creation of htpG gene deletion and complementation strains, we have uncovered the essential role of htpG in regulating the structural integrity of the bacterial cell envelope. Our transcriptomics analysis demonstrates that the deletion of htpG increases the sensitivity of V. mimicus to antimicrobial peptides, primarily due to upregulated lipopolysaccharide synthesis, reduced glycerophospholipid content, and weakened efflux pumps activity. Conversely, reduced sensitivity to β-lactam antibiotics in the ΔhtpG strain results from decreased peptidoglycan synthesis and dysregulated peptidoglycan recycling and regulation. Further exploration of specific pathway components is essential for a comprehensive understanding of htpG-mediated resistance mechanisms, aiding in the development of antimicrobial agents. To our knowledge, this is the first effort to explore the relationship between htpG and drug resistance in bacteria.

Enhancing the Efficiency of Mild-Temperature Photothermal Therapy for Cancer Assisting with Various Strategies

Conventional photothermal therapy (PTT) irradiates the tumor tissues by elevating the temperature above 48 °C to exert thermal ablation, killing tumor cells. However, thermal ablation during PTT harmfully damages the surrounding normal tissues, post-treatment inflammatory responses, rapid metastasis due to the short-term mass release of tumor-cellular contents, or other side effects. To circumvent this limitation, mild-temperature photothermal therapy (MTPTT) was introduced to replace PTT as it exerts its activity at a therapeutic temperature of 42-45 °C. However, the significantly low therapeutic effect comes due to the thermoresistance of cancer cells as MTPTT figures out some of the side-effects issues. Herein, our current review suggested the mechanism and various strategies for improving the efficacy of MTPTT. Especially, heat shock proteins (HSPs) are molecular chaperones overexpressed in tumor cells and implicated in several cellular heat shock responses. Therefore, we introduced some methods to inhibit activity, reduce expression levels, and hinder the function of HSPs during MTPTT treatment. Moreover, other strategies also were emphasized, including nucleus damage, energy inhibition, and autophagy mediation. In addition, some therapies, like radiotherapy, chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy, and immunotherapy, exhibited a significant synergistic effect to assist MTPTT. Our current review provides a basis for further studies and a new approach for the clinical application of MTPTT.

Raltitrexed regulates proliferation and apoptosis of HGC-27 cells by upregulating RSK4

Background

Raltitrexed is a specific inhibitor of thymidylate synthase and a potential chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer. In this study, we investigated the effect of raltitrexed on the proliferation of HGC-27 human gastric cancer cells and its potential underlying molecular mechanism(s).

Methods

RT-qPCR and western blotting were used to quantify RSK4 levels. Colony formation and flow cytometry assays were used to assess HGC-27 cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, mitochondrial membrane potential, and apoptosis. The expression of cell cycle and apoptosis markers were determined by western blotting.

Results

Our results demonstrate that raltitrexed upregulated RSK4 mRNA and protein levels in HGC-27 cells. Moreover, raltitrexed significantly inhibited tumor cell colony formation, arrested the cell cycle, decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential, and induced apoptosis. We observed that raltitrexed was capable of upregulating the expression of Bax, cyclin A1, and CDK3, and downregulating the expression of Bcl-2 and cleaved caspase-3. Importantly, siRNA-mediated RSK4 knockdown significantly reduced the inhibitory effect of raltitrexed on cell proliferation and its promotion of cell apoptosis. Moreover, silencing of RSK4 inhibited the raltitrexed-induced upregulation of cytochrome C. In addition, the changes in molecular markers related to the cell cycle and apoptosis induced by raltitrexed were reduced upon RSK4 depletion.

Conclusion

Our study shows that RSK4 is a key target of raltitrexed in the regulation of gastric cancer cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and apoptosis.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40360-022-00605-2.

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy with recombinant mutant human TNF-α and raltitrexed in mice with colorectal-peritoneal carcinomatosis

Peritoneum is one of the most common metastatic sites of colorectal cancer (CRC). It has been reported that cytoreductive surgery combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) prolongs the lifespan of patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis of colorectal origin (CRC-PC), while the drugs used for HIPEC are limited. We investigated the application of recombinant mutant human tumor necrosis factor-α (rmhTNF) combined with raltitrexed in the HIPEC treatment in a mice model with CRC-PC. In vitro, we detected the cytotoxicity and apoptosis of human colorectal cancer cells by 3–(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, Western blot, and TdT-mediated dUTP Nick End Labeling (TUNEL) assay. In vivo, we established xenograft models of CRC-PC and assessed the antitumor effect by in vivo imaging, peritoneal cancer index scoring, and TUNEL assay. The results showed that the combination of rmhTNF and raltitrexed under hyperthermia with a temperature of 42°C inhibited the growth of colorectal cancer cells significantly in vitro, and after HIPEC treatments with rmhTNF and raltitrexed, peritoneal tumor growth was prohibited in vivo. Our findings about the efficacy of rmhTNF and raltitrexed used for HIPEC to treat CRC-PC will provide experimental data and basis for their potential clinical application.

Impact statement

Colorectal peritoneal carcinomatosis exhibits poor prognosis and presents a treatment challenge. At present, the main treatment is surgery, supplemented by hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), but the drugs used for HIPEC are limited. Our study found that the combination of recombinant mutant human TNF-α (rmhTNF) and raltitrexed (RTX) under hyperthermia with a temperature of 42°C had antitumor effect both in vitro and vivo. The findings will provide experimental data and basis for the potential clinical application of rmhTNF and RTX, which might offer patients a new choice of therapeutic drugs.