Identification of some dietary flavonoids as potential inhibitors of TMPRSS2 through protein-ligand interaction studies and binding free energy calculations

Tri-chalcone suppressed breast cancer cell proliferation and induced apoptosis through intrinsic and extrinsic pathways

Breast cancer development depends critically on antiproliferative and apoptotic mechanisms. However, the mechanisms underlying the antiproliferative and apoptosis effects of breast cancer treated with tri-chalcone remain unclear. Tri-chalcones have been demonstrated in prior studies to inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer cells (MCF-7). Following the discovery, this study seeks to investigate the effect of tri-chalcone compounds on targets involved in antiproliferative and apoptosis mechanisms. In this study, we employed bioinformatics analysis along with in vitro evaluation using tri-chalcone-treated MCF-7 cells to determine the responses of antiproliferative and apoptosis mechanisms. The analysis revealed that the compounds interact with six apoptosis target receptors: TNFα, Bak, Bcl-2, caspase-9, and caspase-8. Tri-chalcone S1-2 exhibited the strongest binding affinities for TNFα (-7.39 kcal/mol), caspase-8 (-8.43 kcal/mol), caspase-9 (-8.53 kcal/mol), Bcl-2 (-8.51 kcal/mol), and Bak (-7.15 kcal/mol). The tri-chalcone S1-2 paired with the corresponding proteins showed minor flexibility and extremely small changes of less than 0.25 nm during the MD simulation. Additionally, tri-chalcone S1-2 had a significant inhibitory effect on the proliferation of MCF-7 cells (5.31 ± 0.26 µg/mL) compared to other compounds. S1-2 also induced apoptosis, affecting nearly half (43.80%) of the total early and late apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. S1-2-treated MCF-7 cells also demonstrated upregulations of genes TNFα (1.50), Bak (1.42), caspase-8 (1.24), and caspase-9 (1.61), accompanied by a downregulation of gene Bcl-2 (0.71). The discovery gives us a better understanding of how tri-chalcone S1-2 suppressed MCF-7 cell proliferation and induced apoptosis through intrinsic and extrinsic pathways.

Comparison of DASH diet score and total antioxidant capacity of diet on serum levels of TMPRSS-2, inflammatory biomarkers, and disease severity in COVID-19 patients: A case-control study

There is evidence that healthy diets improve the immune system and lessen the severity of infectious diseases such as COVID-19. We have investigated whether the dietary total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and dietary approach to stop hypertension (DASH) score could be associated with the occurrence and clinical outcomes of COVID-19. This case-control study included 120 adults who were admitted to the hospital. Dietary TAC and DASH diet scores were determined by a 138-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Inflammation-related markers including C-reactive protein (CRP) and transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS-2) differential were measured. Also, using chest radiology criteria, the severity of the disease was evaluated. The mean CRP values in the lowest and highest tertiles of either dietary TAC or DASH diet scores were 9.44 ± 11.26 and 3.52 ± 4.83 mg/dL (p = .003) or 9.04 ± 11.23 and 4.40 ± 6.23 mg/dL (p = .013), respectively. Individuals with higher dietary TAC were at a lower risk of COVID-19 (OR: 0.06, p < ·0001). Individuals with greater DASH diet scores were also at decreased odds of COVID-19 (OR: 0.12, p < ·0001). No significant associations were found between dietary TAC and DASH diet scores with severity of COVID-19 disease, CRP, or TMPRSS-2 (p > 0.05). The study found that adherence to a diet with higher dietary TAC and DASH diet scores may be protective against COVID-19 and improve outcomes of the disease. More research is needed to corroborate these findings.

Network pharmacology, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation of chalcone scaffold-based compounds targeting breast cancer receptors

Compounds with a chalcone scaffold-based structure have demonstrated promising anticancer biological activity. However, the molecular interactions between chalcone scaffold-based compounds and breast cancer-associated proteins remain unclear. Through network pharmacology, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation analyses, compounds with a chalcone scaffold-based structure were evaluated for their interaction with potential breast cancer targets. The compounds were retrieved from the ASINEX database, resulting in 575,302 compounds. A total of 342 compounds with chalcone scaffold-based structures were discovered. From the 342 compounds that was analysed, ten were chosen due to their adherence to Lipinski's rule, having an appropriate range of lipophilicity (LOGP), and topological polar surface area (TPSA), and absence of any toxicity. Based on target intersection, 50 target genes were found and subjected to protein-protein interaction (PPI), gene ontology (GO), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses. Four target genes were found to be involved in the breast cancer pathway. Consequently, molecular docking was utilised to analyse the molecular interactions between the compounds and four target protein receptors. Compound 211 exhibited the highest binding affinities for the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1), oestrogen receptor (ESR1), and cyclin dependent kinase 6 (CDK6) with values of -8.95 kcal/mol, -8.60 kcal/mol, -10.33 kcal/mol, and -9.90 kcal/mol, respectively. During MD simulation, compound 211 and its respective proteins were stable, compact, and had minimal flexibility. The findings provide foundations for future studies into the interaction underlying the anti-breast cancer potential of compounds with chalcone-based scaffold structures.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Apigenin promotes cell death in NCI-H23 cells by upregulation of PTEN: potential involvement of the binding of apigenin with WWP2 protein

The tumour suppressor protein PTEN is often down-regulated in non-small cell lung cancer. A major protein promoting the lowering of the PTEN protein is WWP2. Polyphenols have been shown to promote the expression of tumour suppressor genes like PTEN. We carry out the study to check for the ability of apigenin to bind with the WWP2 protein using in-silico investigation comprising docking and simulation. We checked for the cytotoxic effect of apigenin upon the non-small cell lung cancer cell line NCI-H23. We checked the PTEN expression status at the gene and protein levels. The expression levels of the apoptotic regulators BCL2, BAX and CASPASE3 genes along with the activity levels of the caspase-3 protein were checked. The ultrastructure of the cells was analysed. Our Autodock analysis showed that apigenin bound favourably with the WWP2 protein. Molecular dynamics simulation revealed that apigenin increased the parameters of RMSD, Rg and SASA when bound with the WWP2 protein. The protein-ligand complex had hydrogen bonding and majorly van der Wal's interactions. PCA analysis revealed greater fluctuations in the apigenin-bound state of the protein. The mutant form of the WWP2 revealed similar results in the presence of apigenin. Apigenin showed efficacy against the NCI-H23 cell line and promoted PTEN protein levels, lowered BCL2 gene expression and up-regulated BAX and CASPASE3 gene expression. Increased caspase-3 activity and ultra-structural analysis revealed the occurrence of apoptosis. Thus the binding of apigenin with WWP2 could promote PTEN protein levels and lead to apoptotic activity in NCI-H23 cells.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Impact of TMPRSS2 Expression, Mutation Prognostics, and Small Molecule (CD, AD, TQ, and TQFL12) Inhibition on Pan-Cancer Tumors and Susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2

As a cellular protease, transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) plays roles in various physiological and pathological processes, including cancer and viral entry, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Herein, we conducted expression, mutation, and prognostic analyses for the TMPRSS2 gene in pan-cancers as well as in COVID-19-infected lung tissues. The results indicate that TMPRSS2 expression was highest in prostate cancer. A high expression of TMPRSS2 was significantly associated with a short overall survival in breast invasive carcinoma (BRCA), sarcoma (SARC), and uveal melanoma (UVM), while a low expression of TMPRSS2 was significantly associated with a short overall survival in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), demonstrating TMPRSS2 roles in cancer patient susceptibility and severity. Additionally, TMPRSS2 expression in COVID-19-infected lung tissues was significantly reduced compared to healthy lung tissues, indicating that a low TMPRSS2 expression may result in COVID-19 severity and death. Importantly, TMPRSS2 mutation frequency was significantly higher in prostate adenocarcinoma (PRAD), and the mutant TMPRSS2 pan-cancer group was significantly associated with long overall, progression-free, disease-specific, and disease-free survival rates compared to the wild-type (WT) TMPRSS2 pan-cancer group, demonstrating loss of functional roles due to mutation. Cancer cell lines were treated with small molecules, including cordycepin (CD), adenosine (AD), thymoquinone (TQ), and TQFL12, to mediate TMPRSS2 expression. Notably, CD, AD, TQ, and TQFL12 inhibited TMPRSS2 expression in cancer cell lines, including the PC3 prostate cancer cell line, implying a therapeutic role for preventing COVID-19 in cancer patients. Together, these findings are the first to demonstrate that small molecules, such as CD, AD, TQ, and TQFL12, inhibit TMPRSS2 expression, providing novel therapeutic strategies for preventing COVID-19 and cancers.