Blocking the bFGF/STAT3 interaction through specific signaling pathways induces apoptosis in glioblastoma cells

Therapeutic Potential of Nanomedicine in Management of Alzheimer's Disease and Glioma

Neoplasm (Glioblastoma) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) comprise two of the most chronic psychological ailments. Glioblastoma is one of the aggressive and prevalent malignant diseases characterized by rapid growth and invasion resulting from cell migration and degradation of extracellular matrix. While the latter is characterized by extracellular plaques of amyloid and intracellular tangles of tau proteins. Both possess a high degree of resistance to treatment owing to the restricted transport of corresponding drugs to the brain protected by the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Development of optimized therapies using advanced technologies is a great need of today. One such approach is the designing of nanoparticles (NPs) to facilitate the drug delivery at the target site. The present article elaborates the advances in nanomedicines in treatment of both AD as well as Gliomas. The intention of this review is to provide an overview of different types of NPs with their physical properties emphasizing their importance in traversing the BBB and hitting the target site. Further, we discuss the therapeutic applications of these NPs along with their specific targets. Multiple overlapping factors with a common pathway in development of AD and Glioblastoma are discussed in details that will assist the readers in developing the conceptual approach to target the NP for an aging population in the given circumstances with limitations of currently designed NPs, and the challenges to meet and the future perspectives.

Tracing the origins of glioblastoma by investigating the role of gliogenic and related neurogenic genes/signaling pathways in GBM development: a systematic review

Background

Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive tumors. The etiology and the factors determining its onset are not yet entirely known. This study investigates the origins of GBM, and for this purpose, it focuses primarily on developmental gliogenic processes. It also focuses on the impact of the related neurogenic developmental processes in glioblastoma oncogenesis. It also addresses why glial cells are at more risk of tumor development compared to neurons.

Methods

Databases including PubMed, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar were searched for published articles without any date restrictions, involving glioblastoma, gliogenesis, neurogenesis, stemness, neural stem cells, gliogenic signaling and pathways, neurogenic signaling and pathways, and astrocytogenic genes.

Results

The origin of GBM is dependent on dysregulation in multiple genes and pathways that accumulatively converge the cells towards oncogenesis. There are multiple layers of steps in glioblastoma oncogenesis including the failure of cell fate-specific genes to keep the cells differentiated in their specific cell types such as p300, BMP, HOPX, and NRSF/REST. There are genes and signaling pathways that are involved in differentiation and also contribute to GBM such as FGFR3, JAK-STAT, and hey1. The genes that contribute to differentiation processes but also contribute to stemness in GBM include notch, Sox9, Sox4, c-myc gene overrides p300, and then GFAP, leading to upregulation of nestin, SHH, NF-κB, and others. GBM mutations pathologically impact the cell circuitry such as the interaction between Sox2 and JAK-STAT pathway, resulting in GBM development and progression.

Conclusion

Glioblastoma originates when the gene expression of key gliogenic genes and signaling pathways become dysregulated. This study identifies key gliogenic genes having the ability to control oncogenesis in glioblastoma cells, including p300, BMP, PAX6, HOPX, NRSF/REST, LIF, and TGF beta. It also identifies key neurogenic genes having the ability to control oncogenesis including PAX6, neurogenins including Ngn1, NeuroD1, NeuroD4, Numb, NKX6-1 Ebf, Myt1, and ASCL1. This study also postulates how aging contributes to the onset of glioblastoma by dysregulating the gene expression of NF-κB, REST/NRSF, ERK, AKT, EGFR, and others.

Identification of YAP1 as a novel downstream effector of the FGF2/STAT3 pathway in the pathogenesis of renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis

Chronic kidney disease is a global health problem and eventually develops into an end-stage renal disease (ESRD). It is now widely believed that renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis (TIF) plays an important role in the progression of ESRD. Renal tubular epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an important cause of TIF. Studies have shown that FGF2 is highly expressed in fibrotic renal tissue, although the mechanism remains unclear. We found that FGF2 can activate STAT3 and induce EMT in renal tubular epithelial cells. STAT3, an important transcription factor, was predicted by the JASPAR biological database to bind to the promoter region of YAP1. In this study, STAT3 was shown to promote the expression of the downstream target gene YAP1 through transcription, promote EMT of renal tubular epithelial cells, and mediate the occurrence of renal TIF. This study provides a theoretical basis for the involvement of the FGF2/STAT3/YAP1 signaling pathway in the process of renal interstitial fibrosis and provides a potential target for the treatment of renal fibrosis.

The Role and Therapeutic Targeting of JAK/STAT Signaling in Glioblastoma

Glioblastoma remains one of the deadliest and treatment-refractory human malignancies in large part due to its diffusely infiltrative nature, molecular heterogeneity, and capacity for immune escape. The Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) signaling pathway contributes substantively to a wide variety of protumorigenic functions, including proliferation, anti-apoptosis, angiogenesis, stem cell maintenance, and immune suppression. We review the current state of knowledge regarding the biological role of JAK/STAT signaling in glioblastoma, therapeutic strategies, and future directions for the field.

Codelivery of STAT3 and PD-L1 siRNA by hyaluronate-TAT trimethyl/thiolated chitosan nanoparticles suppresses cancer progression in tumor-bearing mice

Immunotherapy methods using potential tumor microenvironment modulators have elicited durable therapeutic responses in cancer treatment. Immune checkpoint molecule programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and oncogenic transcription factor STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription-3) assigned as inhibitory targets of our study and particular delivery system designed to deliver small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to silence the targeted genes. Generated trimethyl chitosan (TMC) and thiolated chitosan (TC) nanoparticles (NPs) conjugated with HIV-1-derived TAT peptide and HA (hyaluronic acid) exhibited eligible physicochemical characteristics, notable siRNA encapsulation, serum stability, non-toxicity, controlled siRNA release, and extensive cellular uptake by cancer cells. Dual inhibition with STAT3/PD-L1 siRNA-loaded HA-TAT-TMC-TC NPs led to promising results, including significant downregulation of PD-L1 and STAT3 genes, striking suppressive effects on proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis of breast and melanoma cancer cell lines, and restrained tumor growth in vivo. These findings infer the capability of HA-TAT-TMC-TC NPs containing STAT3/PD-L1 siRNAs as a novel tumor-suppressive candidate in cancer treatment.

Carbon Ion Therapy Inhibits Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Metastasis by Upregulating STAT3 Through the JAK2/STAT3 Signaling Pathway

Radiation therapy is an important component of the comprehensive treatment of esophageal cancer. However, conventional radiation resistance is one of the main reasons for treatment failure. The superiority of heavy ion radiation in physics and biology has been increasingly highlighted in radiation therapy research. The Janus Kinase 2/Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (JAK2/STAT3) pathway plays an important role in the occurrence, development and metastasis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and is related to the development of resistance to ionizing radiation in ESCC. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between carbon ion inhibition of the proliferation and metastasis of esophageal carcinoma cells and the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. The results demonstrated that carbon ion beams significantly reduced cell viability and stimulated apoptosis in human ESCC cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, carbon ion beams induced G2/M phase cell cycle arrest in ESCC cells and inhibited tumor metastasis in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, poorly differentiated KYSE150 cells were more sensitive to the same carbon ion beam dose than moderately differentiated ECA109 cells. Carbon ion beam exposure regulated the relative expression of metastasis-related molecules at the transcriptional and translational levels in ESCC cells. Carbon ion beams also regulated CDH1 and MMP2 downstream of the STAT3 pathway and inhibited ESCC cell metastasis, which activated the STAT3 signaling pathway. This study confirmed the inhibition of cell proliferation and the metastatic effect of carbon ion beam therapy in ESCC cells.

Forkhead box P3 regulates ARHGAP15 expression and affects migration of glioma cells through the Rac1 signaling pathway

Forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) plays a crucial role in the development and function of regulatory T cells and was recently identified as a tumor suppressor in different cancer types. Forkhead box P3 is expressed in normal brain tissues, but is strongly downregulated or absent in glioblastomas. In order to understand the FOXP3 adjustment mechanisms in glioma cells, we performed a DNA microarray in U87 cells overexpressing FOXP3 and validated the differences using quantitative real‐time PCR, Western blot analysis, and immunohistochemistry in vitro and in vivo. We found that FOXP3 can regulate the expression of ARHGAP15. Expression of FOXP3 was also correlated with ARHGAP15 in glioma samples. Overexpression of FOXP3 inhibited glioma cell migration through ARHGAP15 upregulation and Rac1 inactivation. Silencing of FOXP3 promoted migration through ARHGAP15 downregulation and Rac1 activation. ARHGAP15, a GTPase‐activating protein for Rac1, inhibits small GTPase signaling in a dual negative manner. We found that there is a correlation between expression of ARHGAP15 and glioma level. The small GTPase Rac1 plays an important role in cell migration. In addition, we found that FOXP3 regulates expression of epithelial–mesenchymal transition markers E‐cadherin and N‐cadherin, which is important given that epithelial–mesenchymal transition is critically involved in tumor spreading and dissemination. Thus, FOXP3 or ARHGAP15 may serve as a new molecular target for antimetastatic therapies in treating glioma.

Antitumor action of temozolomide, ritonavir and aprepitant against human glioma cells

In the effort to find better treatments for glioblastoma we tested several currently marketed non-chemotherapy drugs for their ability to enhance the standard cytotoxic drug currently used to treat glioblastoma- temozolomide. We tested four antiviral drugs- acyclovir, cidofovir, maraviroc, ritonavir, and an anti-emetic, aprepitant. We found no cytotoxicity of cidofovir and discussed possible reasons for discrepancy from previous findings of others. We also found no cytotoxicity from acyclovir or maraviroc also in contradistinction to predictions. Cytotoxicity to glioma cell line GAMG for temozolomide alone was 14%, aprepitant alone 7%, ritonavir alone 14%, while temozolomide + aprepitant was 19%, temozolomide + ritonavir 34%, ritonavir + aprepitant 64 %, and all three, temozolomide + ritonavir + aprepitant 78%. We conclude that a remarkable synergy exists between aprepitant and ritonavir. Given the long clinical experience with these two well-tolerated drugs in treating non-cancer conditions, and the current median survival of glioblastoma of 2 years, a trial is warranted of adding these two simple drugs to current standard treatment with temozolomide.