DNA methylome, transcriptome, and prostate cancer prevention by phenethyl isothiocyanate in TRAMP mice

Transcriptomic analysis of mouse TRAMP cell lines and tumors provide insights into shared pathways and therapeutic targets

The present study focused on comparing the gene expression profiles of different mouse models of prostate cancer, focusing on the TRAMP transgenic model and its derived cell lines and extending the comparisons to relevant genetically engineered mouse models and human prostate cancer datasets. Employing RNA sequencing, we examined different levels of prostate cancer aggressiveness from the original TRAMP cells to the TRAMP-C2 (TC2) derived cell line and extending to the aggressive TC2-Ras (TC2R) cells and tumors. TC2R acquire the ability to grow in bone tissue upon implantation, unlike the parental TC2 cells. Analysis identified upregulated genes in cell cycle regulation, immune response, and mitotic processes in TRAMP compared to wild-type tissues. TC2 cells exhibited unique gene profiles enriched in ECM organization and tissue development pathways, while TC2R cells showed increased cytokine signaling and motility genes, with decreased ECM and immune response pathways. In vivo TC2R models demonstrated enhanced ECM organization and receptor tyrosine kinase signaling in tumors, notably enriching immune processes and collagen degradation pathways in intratibial tumors. Comparative analysis among mouse and human datasets showed overlaps, particularly in pathways relating to mitotic cycle regulation, ECM organization, and immune interactions. A gene signature identified in TC2R tumors correlated with aggressive tumor behavior and poor survival in human datasets. Further immune cell landscape analysis of TC2R tumors revealed altered T cell subsets and macrophages, confirmed in single-cell RNA-seq from human samples. TC2R models thus hold significant promise in helping advance preclinical therapeutics, potentially contributing to improved prostate cancer patient outcomes.

Combining network pharmacology and experimental verification to study the anti-colon cancer effect and mechanism of sulforaphene

BACKGROUND

Sulforaphene is a derivative of glucosinolate and a potential bioactive substance used for treating colon cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the potential inhibitory effect and mechanisms of sulforaphene in human colon cancer Caco-2 cells. Network pharmacology, molecular docking, and experimental verification were performed to elucidate potential sulforaphene mechanisms in the treatment of this condition.

RESULT

Network pharmacology predicted 27 intersection target genes between sulforaphene and colon cancer cell inhibition. Key sulforaphene targets associated with colon cancer cell inhibition were identified as EGFR, MAPK14, MCL1, GSK3B, PARP1, PTPRC, NOS2, CTSS, TLR9, and CTSK. Gene ontology functional enrichment analysis revealed that the above genes were primarily related to the positive regulation of peptidase activity, cytokine production in the inflammatory response, and the cell receptor signaling pathway. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis indicated that sulforaphene mainly inhibited the proliferation of cancer cells by affecting apoptosis as well as the signaling pathways of PD-1, Toll-like receptor, T cell receptor, and P13k-Akt. Molecular docking results further confirmed that CTSS, GSK3B, and NOS2 were significantly up-regulated and had good binding affinity with sulforaphene. In vitro experiments also indicated that sulforaphene had a significant inhibitory effect on human colon cancer Caco-2 cells.

CONCLUSION

This paper revealed the pharmacodynamic mechanism of sulforaphene in the treatment of colon cancer for the first time. It provides scientific insight into the development of sulforaphene as a medicinal resource. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

An Update on Potential Molecular Biomarkers of Dietary Phytochemicals Targeting Lung Cancer Interception and Prevention

Since ancient times, dietary phytochemicals are known for their medicinal properties. They are broadly classified into polyphenols, terpenoids, alkaloids, phytosterols, and organosulfur compounds. Currently, there is considerable interest in their potential health effects against various diseases, including lung cancer. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths with an average of five-year survival rate of lung cancer patients limited to just 14%. Identifying potential early molecular biomarkers of pre-malignant lung cancer cells may provide a strong basis to develop early cancer detection and interception methods. In this review, we will discuss molecular changes, including genetic alterations, inflammation, signal transduction pathways, redox imbalance, epigenetic and proteomic signatures associated with initiation and progression of lung carcinoma. We will also highlight molecular targets of phytochemicals during lung cancer development. These targets mainly consist of cellular signaling pathways, epigenetic regulators and metabolic reprogramming. With growing interest in natural products research, translation of these compounds into new cancer prevention approaches to medical care will be urgently needed. In this context, we will also discuss the overall pharmacokinetic challenges of phytochemicals in translating to humans. Lastly, we will discuss clinical trials of phytochemicals in lung cancer patients.

Metabolomic, DNA Methylomic, and Transcriptomic Profiling of Suberoylanilide Hydroxamic Acid Effects on LPS-Exposed Lung Epithelial Cells

Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) is a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor with anticancer effects via epigenetic and non-epigenetic mechanisms. The role of SAHA in metabolic rewiring and epigenomic reprogramming to inhibit pro-tumorigenic cascades in lung cancer remains unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate the regulation of mitochondrial metabolism, DNA methylome reprogramming, and transcriptomic gene expression by SAHA in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory model of lung epithelial BEAS-2B cells. LC/MS was used for metabolomic analysis, while next-generation sequencing was done to study epigenetic changes. The metabolomic study reveals that SAHA treatment significantly regulated methionine, glutathione, and nicotinamide metabolism with alteration of the metabolite levels of methionine, S-adenosylmethionine, S-adenosylhomocysteine, glutathione, nicotinamide, 1-methylnicotinamide, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide in BEAS-2B cells. Epigenomic CpG methyl-seq shows SAHA revoked a list of differentially methylated regions in the promoter region of the genes, such as HDAC11, miR4509-1, and miR3191. Transcriptomic RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) reveals SAHA abrogated LPS-induced differentially expressed genes encoding proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin 1α (IL1α), IL1β, IL2, IL6, IL24, and IL32. Integrative analysis of DNA methylome-RNA transcriptome displays a list of genes, of which CpG methylation correlated with changes in gene expression. qPCR validation of transcriptomic RNA-seq data shows that SAHA treatment significantly reduced the LPS-induced mRNA levels of IL1β, IL6, DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1), and DNMT3A in BEAS-2B cells. Altogether, SAHA treatment alters the mitochondrial metabolism, epigenetic CpG methylation, and transcriptomic gene expression to inhibit LPS-induced inflammatory responses in lung epithelial cells, which may provide novel molecular targets to inhibit the inflammation component of lung carcinogenesis.

PREVENTION RELEVANCE

Inflammation increases the risk of lung cancer and blocking inflammation could reduce the incidence of lung cancer. Herein, we demonstrate that histone deacetylase inhibitor suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid regulates metabolic rewiring and epigenetic reprogramming to attenuate lipopolysaccharide-driven inflammation in lung epithelial cells.

A New Frontier in Studying Dietary Phytochemicals in Cancer and in Health: Metabolic and Epigenetic Reprogramming

Metabolic rewiring and epigenetic reprogramming are closely inter-related, and mutually regulate each other to control cell growth in cancer initiation, promotion, progression, and metastasis. Epigenetics plays a crucial role in regulating normal cellular functions as well as pathological conditions in many diseases, including cancer. Conversely, certain mitochondrial metabolites are considered as essential cofactors and regulators of epigenetic mechanisms. Furthermore, dysregulation of metabolism promotes tumor cell growth and reprograms the cells to produce metabolites and bioenergy needed to support cancer cell proliferation. Hence, metabolic reprogramming which alters the metabolites/epigenetic cofactors, would drive the epigenetic landscape, including DNA methylation and histone modification, that could lead to cancer initiation, promotion, and progression. Recognizing the diverse array of benefits of phytochemicals, they are gaining increasing interest in cancer interception and treatment. One of the significant mechanisms of cancer interception and treatment by phytochemicals is reprogramming of the key metabolic pathways and remodeling of cancer epigenetics. This review focuses on the metabolic remodeling and epigenetics reprogramming in cancer and investigates the potential mechanisms by which phytochemicals can mitigate cancer.

Anticarcinogenic Effects of Isothiocyanates on Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer, accounting for about 90% of cases. Sorafenib, lenvatinib, and the combination of atezolizumab and bevacizumab are considered first-line treatments for advanced HCC. However, clinical application of these drugs has also caused some adverse reactions such as hypertension, elevated aspartate aminotransferases, and proteinuria. At present, natural products and their derivatives have drawn more and more attention due to less side effects as cancer treatments. Isothiocyanates (ITCs) are one type of hydrolysis products from glucosinolates (GLSs), secondary plant metabolites found exclusively in cruciferous vegetables. Accumulating evidence from encouraging in vitro and in vivo animal models has demonstrated that ITCs have multiple biological activities, especially their potentially health-promoting activities (antibacterial, antioxidant, and anticarcinogenic effects). In this review, we aim to comprehensively summarize the chemopreventive, anticancer, and chemosensitizative effects of ITCs on HCC, and explain the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Research Trend and Detailed Insights into the Molecular Mechanisms of Food Bioactive Compounds against Cancer: A Comprehensive Review with Special Emphasis on Probiotics

In an attempt to find a potential cure for cancer, scientists have been probing the efficacy of the food we eat and its bioactive components. Over the decades, there has been an exponentially increasing trend of research correlating food and cancer. This review explains the molecular mechanisms by which bioactive food components exhibit anticancer effects in several cancer models. These bioactive compounds are mainly plant based or microbiome based. While plants remain the primary source of these phytochemicals, little is known about probiotics, i.e., microbiome sources, and their relationships with cancer. Thus, the molecular mechanisms underlying the anticancer effect of probiotics are discussed in this review. The principal mode of cell death for most food bioactives is found to be apoptosis. Principal oncogenic signaling axes such as Akt/PI3K, JAK/STAT, and NF-κB seem to be modulated due to these bioactives along with certain novel targets that provide a platform for further oncogenic research. It has been observed that probiotics have an immunomodulatory effect leading to their chemopreventive actions. Various foods exhibit better efficacy as complete extracts than their individual phytochemicals, indicating an orchestrated effect of the food components. Combining bioactive agents with available chemotherapies helps synergize the anticancer action of both to overcome drug resistance. Novel techniques to deliver bioactive agents enhance their therapeutic response. Such combinations and novel approaches are also discussed in this review. Notably, most of the food components that have been studied for cancer have shown their efficacy in vivo. This bolsters the claims of these studies and, thus, provides us with hope of discovering anticancer agents in the food that we eat.

Evaluation of Phytochemical Content and the Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Potentials of Leaf Layers of Cabbage Subjected to Hot Air and Freeze-Drying

Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata f. alba), a cruciferous vegetable, is one of the most widely consumed vegetables worldwide. However, research on whether there are differences in its contents of phytochemicals and biological activities according to the drying method for each portion of the vegetable remains insufficient. The present study investigated the contents of representative polyphenols and isothiocyanates, the antioxidant capacity, and the antiproliferative effects among six leaf layers of cabbage subjected to hot air and freeze-drying. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis showed that most phenolic and flavonoid bioactive compounds were significantly accumulated in the outer cabbage leaf layer (P1), whereas isothiocyanates were most abundant in the leaf layer close to the core of the head (P5). The contents of isothiocyanates, gallic acid, epicatechin, p-coumaric acid, sinapic acid, and myricetin were significantly higher in the hot air-dried sample than in the freeze-dried sample, whereas the contents of catechin hydrate, chlorogenic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, and rutin hydrate were significantly higher in the freeze-dried sample. Compared to other leaf layers, P1 exhibited high antiproliferative efficacy against pancreatic, breast, and gastric cancer cells. P1 also showed excellent DPPH·(EC 50–4.208 ± 0.033 and 4.611 ± 0.053 mg/mL for hot air and freeze-dried samples, respectively) and ABTS· (2.422 ± 0.068 and 2.224 ± 0.070 mg/mL for hot air and freeze-dried samples, respectively) radical-scavenging effects. These results indicate that the contents of polyphenols and isothiocyanates in cabbage may vary depending on the leaf layer and the drying method. Our findings provide insight for applying appropriate food drying methods that can be used to produce cabbage leaf-based products with enhanced bioactivity.