Alginic acid inhibits non-small cell lung cancer-induced angiogenesis via activating miR-506 expression

It comes from the sea: macroalgae-derived bioactive compounds with anti-cancer potential

Nature derived compounds represent a valuable source of bioactive molecules with enormous potential. The sea is one of the richest environments, full of skilled organisms, where algae stand out due to their unique characteristics. Marine macroalgae adapt their phenotypic characteristics, such as chemical composition, depending on the environmental conditions where they live. The compounds produced by these organisms show tremendous potential to be used in the biomedical field, due to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and anti-cancer properties.Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases in the world, and the lack of effective treatments highlights the urgent need for the development of new therapeutic strategies. This review provides an overview of the current advances regarding the anti-cancer activity of the three major groups of marine macroalgae, i.e., red algae (Rhodophyta), brown algae (Phaeophyceae), and green algae (Chlorophyta) on pancreatic, lung, breast, cervical, colorectal, liver, and gastric cancers as well as leukemia and melanoma. In addition, future perspectives, and limitations regarding this field of work are also discussed.

Regulation of VEGF-A expression and VEGF-A-targeted therapy in malignant tumors

Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), a highly conserved dimeric glycoprotein, is a key regulatory gene and a marker molecule of angiogenesis. The upregulation of VEGF-A facilitates the process of tumor vascularization, thereby fostering the initiation and progression of malignant neoplasms. Many genes can adjust the angiogenesis of tumors by changing the expression of VEGF-A. In addition, VEGF-A also exhibits immune regulatory properties, which directly or indirectly suppresses the antitumor activity of immune cells. The emergence of VEGF-A-targeted therapy alone or in rational combinations has revolutionized the treatment of various cancers. This review discusses how diverse mechanisms in various tumors regulate VEGF-A expression to promote tumor angiogenesis and the role of VEGF-A in tumor immune microenvironment. The application of drugs targeting VEGF-A in tumor therapy is also summarized including antibody molecule drugs and traditional Chinese medicine.

Targeted intervention of natural medicinal active ingredients and traditional Chinese medicine on epigenetic modification: Possible strategies for prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis

BACKGROUND

Atherosclerosis is a deadly consequence of cardiovascular disease and has very high mortality rate worldwide. The epigenetic modifications can regulate the pervasiveness and progression of atherosclerosis through its involvement in regulation of inflammation, oxidative stress, lipid metabolism and several other factors. Specific non-coding RNAs, DNA methylation, and histone modifications are key regulatory factors of atherosclerosis. Natural products from traditional Chinese medicine have shown promising therapeutic potential against atherosclerosis by means of regulating the expression of specific genes, stabilizing arterial plaques and protecting vascular endothelial cells.

OBJECTIVE

Our study is focusing to explore the pathophysiology and probability of traditional Chinese medicine and natural medicinal active ingredients to treat atherosclerosis.

METHODS

Comprehensive literature review was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar and China National Knowledge Infrastructure with a core focus on natural medicinal active ingredients and traditional Chinese medicine prying in epigenetic modification related to atherosclerosis.

RESULTS

Accumulated evidence demonstrated that natural medicinal active ingredients and traditional Chinese medicine have been widely studied as substances that can regulate epigenetic modification. They can participate in the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis through inflammation, oxidative stress, lipid metabolism, cell proliferation and migration, macrophage polarization and autophagy respectively.

CONCLUSION

The function of natural medicinal active ingredients and traditional Chinese medicine in regulating epigenetic modification may provide a new potential strategy for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis. However, more extensive research is essential to determine the potential of these natural medicinal active ingredients to treat atherosclerosis because of least clinical data.

The malignant property of circHIPK2 for angiogenesis and chemoresistance in non-small cell lung cancer

Chemotherapy resistance limits the efficacy of cisplatin (DDP) when treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Circular RNAs (circRNAs) confers a regulatory role in drug resistance. Innovatively, the regulatory role of circular RNA HIPK2 (circHIPK2) in DDP resistance was probed in the work. In this research, tumor tissues and matched normal tissues were obtained from 52 NSCLC patients, and the expressions of circHIPK2, miR-1249-3p and VEGFA in the tissues were detected by qPCR or Western Blot. Correlation analysis of circHIPK2 expression with survival prognosis and clinicopathological features was conducted. Parental NSCLC cell lines (A549, H460) and DDP-resistant cell lines (A549/DDP, H460/DDP) were selected, and the expression of circHIPK2, miR-1249-3p and VEGFA in the cells were detected. Cell IC50 value, proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis and angiogenesis were detected. Tumor xenografts were established to detect the role of circHIPK2 in vivo. The binding relationship between circHIPK2, miR-1249-3p and VEGFA was verified by dual luciferase reporter experiment, RNA pull down and RIP experiment. Our data showed that circHIPK2 and VEGFA were abnormally overexpressed and miR-1249-3p was underexpressed in DDP-resistant NSCLC tissues and cell lines. CircHIPK2 knockdown or miR-1249-3p upregulation inhibited DDP resistance, malignant behavior, and angiogenesis in NSCLC. CircHIPK2 by competitive absorption of miR-1249-3p mediated VEGFA. CircHIPK2 promoted the sensitivity of drug-resistant cells to DDP in NSCLC by regulating VEGFA. CircHIPK2 enhanced the growth of DDP-resistant NSCLC cells in vivo. In conclusion, circHIPK2 has the malignant property for angiogenesis and chemoresistance in NSCLC via the network of miR-1249-3p/VEGFA.

Novel Angiogenic Regulators and Anti-Angiogenesis Drugs Targeting Angiogenesis Signaling Pathways: Perspectives for Targeting Angiogenesis in Lung Cancer

Lung cancer growth is dependent on angiogenesis. In recent years, angiogenesis inhibitors have attracted more and more attention as potential lung cancer treatments. Current anti-angiogenic drugs targeting VEGF or receptor tyrosine kinases mainly inhibit tumor growth by reducing angiogenesis and blocking the energy supply of lung cancer cells. However, these drugs have limited efficiency, raising concerns about limited scope of action and mechanisms of patient resistance to existing drugs. Therefore, current basic research on angiogenic regulators has focused more on screening carcinogenic/anticancer genes, miRNAs, lncRNAs, proteins and other biomolecules capable of regulating the expression of specific targets in angiogenesis signaling pathways. In addition, new uses for existing drugs and new drug delivery systems have received increasing attention. In our article, we analyze the application status and research hotspots of angiogenesis inhibitors in lung cancer treatment as a reference for subsequent mechanistic research and drug development.

MicroRNA-506 modulates insulin resistance in human adipocytes by targeting S6K1 and altering the IRS1/PI3K/AKT insulin signaling pathway

The incidence of obesity has increased rapidly, becoming a worldwide public health issue that involves insulin resistance. A growing number of recent studies have demonstrated that microRNAs play a significant role in controlling the insulin signaling network. For example, miR-506-3p expression has been demonstrated to correlate with insulin sensitivity; however, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. In this study, we found that miR-506-3p enhanced glucose uptake by 2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake assays and regulated the protein expression of key genes involved in the PI3K/AKT insulin signaling pathway including IRS1, PI3K, AKT, and GlUT4. We next predicted ribosomal protein S6 kinase B1 (S6K1) to be a candidate target of miR-506-3p by bioinformatics analysis and confirmed using dual-luciferase assays that miR-506-3p regulated S6K1 expression by binding to its 3'-UTR. Moreover, modulating S6K1 expression counteracted the effects of miR-506-3p on glucose uptake and PI3K/AKT pathway activation. In conclusion, miR-506-3p altered IR in adipocytes by regulating S6K1-mediated PI3K/AKT pathway activation. Taken together, these findings provide novel insights and potential targets for IR therapy.