Curcumin suppresses glioblastoma cell proliferation by p-AKT/mTOR pathway and increases the PTEN expression

Transgenerational hormesis in healthy aging and antiaging medicine from bench to clinics: Role of food components

Neurodegenerative diseases have multifactorial pathogenesis, mainly involving neuroinflammatory processes. Finding drugs able to treat these diseases, expecially because for most of these diseases there are no effective drugs, and the current drugs cause undesired side effects, represent a crucial point. Most in vivo and in vitro studies have been concentrated on various aspects related to neurons (e.g. neuroprotection), however, there has not been focus on the prevention of early stages involving glial cell activation and neuroinflammation. Recently, it has been demonstrated that nutritional phytochemicals including polyphenols, the main active constituents of the Mediterranean diet, maintain redox balance and neuroprotection through the activation of hormetic vitagene pathway. Recent lipidomics data from our laboratory indicate mushrooms as strong nutritional neuronutrients with strongly activity against neuroinflammation in Meniere' diseaseas, a model of cochleovestibular neural degeneration, as well as in animal model of traumatic brain injury, or rotenone induced parkinson's disease. Moreover, Hidrox®, an aqueous extract of olive containing hydroxytyrosol, and Boswellia, acting as Nrf2 activators, promote resilience by enhancing the redox potential, and thus, regulate through hormetic mechanisms, cellular stress response mechanisms., Thus, modulation of cellular stress pathways, in particular vitagenes system, may be an innovative approach for therapeutic intervention in neurodegenerative disorders.

Target analysis and identification of curcumin against vascular calcification

To investigate the mechanism of curcumin (CUR) on vascular calcification (VC), we screen for common targets of CUR and atherosclerosis and verify the targets genes in vivo and in vitro experiments. The common targets of CUR and AS were screened and obtained using different databases. These target genes were analyzed by GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. PPI network analysis was performed and to analyze the key targets. A rat VC model was constructed and CUR was fed for three weeks. The changes of vascular structure and calcium salt deposition were observed in H&E and Von Kossa staining. Further, the expression of these target proteins was detected in the primary VSMCs of VC. The 31 common targets were obtained. GO functional enrichment analysis obtained 1284 terms and KEGG pathway enriched 66 pathways. The key genes were identified in the cytoHubba plugin. The molecular docking analysis showed that CUR bound strongly to EGFR, STAT3 and BCL2. The animal experiments showed the deposition calcium salt reduced by the CUR administration. These proteins BMP2, RUNX2, EGFR, STAT3 and BAX expression were upregulated in VC group and CUR attenuated the upregulated expression. The signal protein Akt and p65 expression increased in VC group and decreased in CUR group. We identified some common target genes of CUR and AS and identified these key genes. The anti-VC effect of CUR was associated with the inhibition of upregulation of EGFR, STAT3 and RUNX2 expression in VSMCs.

Harnessing the capacity of phytochemicals to enhance immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy of cancers: A focus on brain malignancies

Brain cancers, particularly glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), are challenging health issues with frequent unmet aspects. Today, discovering safe and effective therapeutic modalities for brain tumors is among the top research interests. Immunotherapy is an emerging area of investigation in cancer treatment. Since immune checkpoints play fundamental roles in repressing anti-cancer immunity, diverse immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been developed, and some monoclonal antibodies have been approved clinically for particular cancers; nevertheless, there are significant concerns regarding their efficacy and safety in brain tumors. Among the various tools to modify the immune checkpoints, phytochemicals show good effectiveness and excellent safety, making them suitable candidates for developing better ICIs. Phytochemicals regulate multiple immunological checkpoint-related signaling pathways in cancer biology; however, their efficacy for clinical cancer immunotherapy remains to be established. Here, we discussed the involvement of immune checkpoints in cancer pathology and summarized recent advancements in applying phytochemicals in modulating immune checkpoints in brain tumors to highlight the state-of-the-art and give constructive prospects for future research.

The Role of Curcumin in Cancer: A Focus on the PI3K/Akt Pathway

Cancer is a life-threatening disease and one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Despite significant advancements in therapeutic options, most available anti-cancer agents have limited efficacy. In this context, natural compounds with diverse chemical structures have been investigated for their multimodal anti-cancer properties. Curcumin is a polyphenol isolated from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa and has been widely studied for its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-cancer effects. Curcumin acts on the regulation of different aspects of cancer development, including initiation, metastasis, angiogenesis, and progression. The phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) pathway is a key target in cancer therapy, since it is implicated in initiation, proliferation, and cancer cell survival. Curcumin has been found to inhibit the PI3K/Akt pathway in tumor cells, primarily via the regulation of different key mediators, including growth factors, protein kinases, and cytokines. This review presents the therapeutic potential of curcumin in different malignancies, such as glioblastoma, prostate and breast cancer, and head and neck cancers, through the targeting of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Zeaxanthin impairs angiogenesis and tumor growth of glioblastoma: An in vitro and in vivo study

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the therapeutic effects of Zeaxanthin (Zea), one of the oxidized xanthophyll carotenoids belonging to the isoprenoids, on inhibiting the angiogenesis and tumor growth of glioblastoma (GBM) via an in vitro and in vivo study.

METHODS

The effects of Zea on the proliferation, adhesion, migration and invasion of human GBM cell lines were detected by cell proliferation assay, cell adhesion assay and Transwell assay. The effect of Zea on angiogenesis was detected by rat aortic ring assay and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) in vitro tube formation assay. The effects of Zea on PARP, Caspase 3 and VEGFR2 phosphorylation as well as VEGFR2's downstream signaling pathway were detected by Western blot. The in vivo human GBM xenograft mouse model was employed to study the therapeutic efficacy of Zea.

RESULTS

Zea impaired the proliferation, adhesion, migration and invasion of U87 and U251 cells as well as HUVECs. Rat aortic ring experiments displayed Zea significantly inhibited angiogenesis during VEGF-induced microvascular germination. In vitro and in vivo vascular experiments verified that Zea inhibited VEGF-induced HUVEC proliferation and capillary-like tube formation. Additionally, Zea induced GBM cells apoptosis via increasing the expression of cleaved PARP and Caspase 3. In HUVECs and U251 GBM cells, Zea down-regulated VEGF-induced activation of the VEGFR2 kinase pathway. Meanwhile the expression of p-AKT, p-ERK, p-STAT3 and FAK were all attenuated in U251 cells. Moreover, the effects of Zea on GBM cells proliferation could be blocked by VEGFR2 kinase inhibitor SU5408. These results suggest that Zea may hinder GBM angiogenesis and tumor growth through down-regulating a cascade of oncogenic signaling pathways, both through the inhibition of angiogenesis and the anti-tumor mechanism of a direct cytotoxic effect. Besides, Zea inhibits GBM angiogenesis and tumor growth exemplified through a xenograft mouse model in vivo.

CONCLUSION

Zea impairs angiogenesis and tumor growth of GBM both in vitro and in vivo. It can be declared that Zea is a potential valuable anticancer candidate for the future treatment strategy of GBM.

Action of Curcumin on Glioblastoma Growth: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis of Animal Model Studies

Gliomas are aggressive brain tumors with poor prognosis even after surgical removal and radio-chemotherapy, stressing the urgency to find alternative therapies. Several preclinical studies evaluating the anticancer effect of curcumin in animal models of glioma are reported, but a systematic review with meta-analysis of these studies, considering the different experimental conditions used, has not been made up to this date. A search in different databases (Pubmed, Web of Science, Scopus, and SciELO) following the PRISMA statement was conducted during November 2023 to systematically identify articles assessing the effect of curcumin in murine xenograft models of glioma and identified 15 articles, which were subdivided into 24 studies. Tumor volume before and after treatment with curcumin or vehicle was extracted and the efficacy of curcumin was evaluated by performing a random effects meta-analysis of the data. Publication bias and the impact of different experimental conditions on curcumin efficacy were assessed. Treatment with curcumin decreased tumor volume. Comparing curcumin with control groups, the overall weighted standardized difference in means was -2.079 (95% CI: -2.816 to -1.341; p-value < 0.001). The curcumin effect was observed for different animal models, types of glioma cells, administration routes, and curcumin formulations. Publication bias was identified but does not invalidate curcumin's effectiveness. The findings suggest the potential therapeutic efficacy of curcumin against glioma.

CLEC19A overexpression inhibits tumor cell proliferation/migration and promotes apoptosis concomitant suppression of PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway in glioblastoma multiforme

BACKGROUND

GBM is the most frequent malignant primary brain tumor in humans. The CLEC19A is a member of the C-type lectin family, which has a high expression in brain tissue. Herein, we sought to carry out an in-depth analysis to pinpoint the role of CLEC19A expression in GBM.

METHODS

To determine the localization of CLEC19A, this protein was detected using Western blot, Immunocytochemistry/Immunofluorescence, and confocal microscopy imaging. CLEC19A expression in glioma cells and tissues was evaluated by qRT-PCR. Cell viability, proliferation, migration, and apoptosis were examined through MTT assay, CFSE assay, colony formation, wound healing assay, transwell test, and flow cytometry respectively after CLEC19A overexpression. The effect of CLEC19A overexpression on the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway was investigated using Western blot. An in vivo experiment substantiated the in vitro results using the glioblastoma rat models.

RESULTS

Our in-silico analysis using TCGA data and measuring CLEC19A expression level by qRT-PCR determined significantly lower expression of CLEC19A in human glioma tissues compared to healthy brain tissues. By employment of ICC/IF, confocal microscopy imaging, and Western blot we could show that CLEC19A is plausibly a secreted protein. Results obtained from several in vitro readouts showed that CLEC19A overexpression in U87 and C6 glioma cell lines is associated with the inhibition of cell proliferation, viability, and migration. Further, qRT-PCR and Western blot analysis showed CLEC19A overexpression could reduce the expression levels of PI3K, VEGFα, MMP2, and NF-κB and increase PTEN, TIMP3, RECK, and PDCD4 expression levels in glioma cell lines. Furthermore, flow cytometry results revealed that CLEC19A overexpression was associated with significant cell cycle arrest and promotion of apoptosis in glioma cell lines. Interestingly, using a glioma rat model we could substantiate that CLEC19A overexpression suppresses glioma tumor growth.

CONCLUSIONS

To our knowledge, this is the first report providing in-silico, molecular, cellular, and in vivo evidences on the role of CLEC19A as a putative tumor suppressor gene in GBM. These results enhance our understanding of the role of CLEC19A in glioma and warrant further exploration of CLEC19A as a potential therapeutic target for GBM.

Chemotherapeutic Drugs Endow Gastric Cancer Mesenchymal Stem Cells with Stronger Tumor-Promoting Ability

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most aggressive tumors and has a poor prognosis. It has been demonstrated that gastric cancer mesenchymal stem cells (GC-MSCs) can promote the progression, metastasis, and chemoresistance of GC through various mechanisms, but the effect of GC-MSCs on GC during chemotherapy is still unknown. In this study, flow cytometry, CCK8 assay, migration assay, colony formation assay, and western blot were conducted. We also analyzed GC patients from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA). Our results showed that GC-MSCs were resistant to 5-FU and Taxol at the IC50 concentration for GC cells, and 5-FU could promote the migration of GC-MSCs at low doses. Furthermore, the conditioned medium of GC-MSCs pretreated with chemotherapeutic drugs was more effective in promoting the proliferation, migration, and stemness of GC cell lines than the conditioned medium of GC-MSCs without chemotherapeutic drugs treatment. These effects were dependent on the activation of phosphorylated AKT (p-AKT) in GC cell lines. Correspondingly, the inhibition of p-AKT reversed the tumor-promoting effect of the conditioned medium of GC-MSCs pretreated with chemotherapeutic drugs. Additionally, the expression of AKT1 was higher in GC tissues than in both paracancerous tissues and normal tissues, and patients resistant to chemotherapy expressed more AKT1 compared to those who were sensitive. Taken together, our data demonstrated that GC-MSCs gained more tumor-promoting abilities during chemotherapy.

Autophagy Modulation and Its Implications on Glioblastoma Treatment

Autophagy is a vital cellular process that functions to degrade and recycle damaged organelles into basic metabolites. This allows a cell to adapt to a diverse range of challenging conditions. Autophagy assists in maintaining homeostasis, and it is tightly regulated by the cell. The disruption of autophagy has been associated with many diseases, such as neurodegenerative disorders and cancer. This review will center its discussion on providing an in-depth analysis of the current molecular understanding of autophagy and its relevance to brain tumors. We will delve into the current literature regarding the role of autophagy in glioma pathogenesis by exploring the major pathways of JAK2/STAT3 and PI3K/AKT/mTOR and summarizing the current therapeutic interventions and strategies for glioma treatment. These treatments will be evaluated on their potential for autophagy induction and the challenges associated with their utilization. By understanding the mechanism of autophagy, clinical applications for future therapeutics in treating gliomas can be better targeted.

Applications of Curcumin and Its Nanoforms in the Treatment of Cancer

Due to the diverse medicinal and pharmacokinetic properties of turmeric, it is well-known in the therapeutic, pharmaceutic, nutraceutical, cosmetic, and dietary industries. It gained importance due to its multitude of properties, such as wound-healing, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, cytoprotective, anti-aging, anti-cancer, and immunomodulatory effects. Even though the natural healing effect of turmeric has been known to Indians as early as 2500 BCE, the global demand for turmeric has increased only recently. A major reason for the beneficiary activities of turmeric is the presence of the yellow-colored polyphenolic compound called curcumin. Many studies have been carried out on the various properties of curcumin and its derivatives. Despite its low bioavailability, curcumin has been effectively used for the treatment of many diseases, such as cardiovascular and neurological diseases, diabetes, arthritis, and cancer. The advent of nanobiotechnology has further opened wide opportunities to explore and expand the use of curcumin in the medical field. Nanoformulations using curcumin and its derivatives helped to design new treatment modalities, specifically in cancer, because of the better bioavailability and solubility of nanocurcumin when compared to natural curcumin. This review deals with the various applications of curcumin nanoparticles in cancer therapy and broadly tries to understand how it affect the immunological status of the cancer cell.

Curcumin in cancer therapy: Exploring molecular mechanisms and overcoming clinical challenges

Cancer poses a significant global health burden, necessitating the widespread use of chemotherapy and radiotherapy as conventional frontline interventions. Although targeted therapy and immunotherapy have shown remarkable advancements, the challenges of resistance development and severe side effects persist in cancer treatment. Consequently, researchers have actively sought more effective alternatives with improved safety profiles. In recent years, curcumin, a natural polyphenolic phytoalexin, has garnered considerable attention due to its broad spectrum of biological effects. This concise review provides valuable insights into the role of curcumin in cancer therapy, with a focus on elucidating its molecular mechanisms in inducing programmed cell death of tumor cells and suppressing tumor cell metastasis potential. Additionally, we discuss the challenges associated with the clinical application of curcumin and explore current endeavors aimed at overcoming these limitations. By shedding light on the promising potential of curcumin, this review contributes to the advancement of cancer treatment strategies.

Curcuminoids as Anticancer Drugs: Pleiotropic Effects, Potential for Metabolic Reprogramming and Prospects for the Future

The number of published studies on curcuminoids in cancer research, including its lead molecule curcumin and synthetic analogs, has been increasing substantially during the past two decades. Insights on the diversity of inhibitory effects they have produced on a multitude of pathways involved in carcinogenesis and tumor progression have been provided. As this wealth of data was obtained in settings of various experimental and clinical data, this review first aimed at presenting a chronology of discoveries and an update on their complex in vivo effects. Secondly, there are many interesting questions linked to their pleiotropic effects. One of them, a growing research topic, relates to their ability to modulate metabolic reprogramming. This review will also cover the use of curcuminoids as chemosensitizing molecules that can be combined with several anticancer drugs to reverse the phenomenon of multidrug resistance. Finally, current investigations in these three complementary research fields raise several important questions that will be put among the prospects for the future research related to the importance of these molecules in cancer research.

Inhibition of ATF4-mediated elevation of both autophagy and AKT/mTOR was involved in antitumorigenic activity of curcumin

Curcumin, a natural hydrophobic polyphenol, carries significant anticancer activity. The protein kinase B (AKT)/the mammalian target of the rapamycin (mTOR) pathway and autophagy are well known to be involved in carcinogenesis, and usually, inhibition of mTOR is the main reason to promote autophagy. In this study, however, autophagy and mTOR were found to be inhibited simultaneously by curcumin treatments, and both of them played an important role in the effect of curcumin on suppressing the growth of A549 cells. Tunicamycin (TM), the activator of Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) stress, increased both autophagy and AKT/mTOR, while curcumin could significantly decrease TM-induced autophagy and AKT/mTOR. Furthermore, curcumin could inhibit TM-induced aerobic glycolysis in A549 cells, and decrease the level of cycle-related and migration-related proteins. Blocking activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) by siRNA strongly reduced both the expression of autophagy-related proteins and AKT/mTOR. ChIP assay illustrated that ATF4 protein could bind to the promotor sequence of either ATG4B or AKT1. The transplantation tumor experiment showed that the weight and volume of the transplanted tumors were reduced significantly in the BALB/c mice subcutaneously injected with A549 cells treated with curcumin. Moreover, intranasal administration of curcumin decreased the protein level of autophagy, AKT/mTOR and ER stress in lung tissues of BALB/c mice. Taken together, our results demonstrated that inhibition of ER stress-dependent ATF4-mediated autophagy and AKT/mTOR pathway plays an important role in anticancer effect of curcumin.

Progress in targeting PTEN/PI3K/Akt axis in glioblastoma therapy: Revisiting molecular interactions

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most malignant cancers of central nervous system and due to its sensitive location, surgical resection has high risk and therefore, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are utilized for its treatment. However, chemoresistance and radio-resistance are other problems in GBM treatment. Hence, new therapies based on genes are recommended for treatment of GBM. PTEN is a tumor-suppressor operator in cancer that inhibits PI3K/Akt/mTOR axis in diminishing growth, metastasis and drug resistance. In the current review, the function of PTEN/PI3K/Akt axis in GBM progression is evaluated. Mutation or depletion of PTEN leads to increase in GBM progression. Low expression level of PTEN mediates poor prognosis in GBM and by increasing proliferation and invasion, promotes malignancy of tumor cells. Moreover, loss of PTEN signaling can result in therapy resistance in GBM. Activation of PTEN signaling impairs GBM metabolism via glycolysis inhibition. In contrast to PTEN, PI3K/Akt signaling has oncogenic function and during tumor progression, expression level of PI3K/Akt enhances. PI3K/Akt signaling shows positive association with oncogenic pathways and its expression similar to PTEN signaling, is regulated by non-coding RNAs. PTEN upregulation and PI3K/Akt signaling inhibition by anti-cancer agents can be beneficial in interfering GBM progression. This review emphasizes on the signaling networks related to PTEN/PI3K/Akt and provides new insights for targeting this axis in effective GBM treatment.

Resveratrol, Epigallocatechin Gallate and Curcumin for Cancer Therapy: Challenges from Their Pro-Apoptotic Properties

Plant-derived bioactive compounds are gaining wide attention for their multiple health-promoting activities and in particular for their anti-cancer properties. Several studies have highlighted how they can prevent cancer initiation and progression, improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy, and, in some cases, limit some of the side effects of chemotherapy agents. In this paper, we provide an update of the literature on the anti-cancer effects of three extensively studied plant-derived compounds, namely resveratrol, epigallocatechin gallate, and curcumin, with a special focus on the anti-cancer molecular mechanisms inducing apoptosis in the major types of cancers globally.

Curcumin and Its Analogs in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment: Challenges and Expectations

Researchers have made crucial advances in understanding the pathogenesis and therapeutics of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), improving our understanding of lung tumor biology and progression. Although the survival of NSCLC patients has improved due to chemoradiotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy, overall NSCLC recovery and survival rates remain low. Thus, there is an urgent need for the continued development of novel NSCLC drugs or combination therapies with less toxicity. Although the anticancer effectiveness of curcumin (Cur) and some Cur analogs has been reported in many studies, the results of clinical trials have been inconsistent. Therefore, in this review, we collected the latest related reports about the anti-NSCLC mechanisms of Cur, its analogs, and Cur in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents via the Pubmed database (accessed on 18 June 2022). Furthermore, we speculated on the interplay of Cur and various molecular targets relevant to NSCLC with discovery studio and collected clinical trials of Cur against NSCLC to clarify the role of Cur and its analogs in NSCLC treatment. Despite their challenges, Cur/Cur analogs may serve as promising therapeutic agents or adjuvants for lung carcinoma treatment.

Curcumin Nanodiscs Improve Solubility and Serve as Radiological Protectants against Ionizing Radiation Exposures in a Cell-Cycle Dependent Manner

Curcumin, a natural polyphenol derived from the spice turmeric (Curcuma longa), contains antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties. However, curcumin bioavailability is inherently low due to poor water solubility and rapid metabolism. Here, we further refined for use curcumin incorporated into "biomimetic" nanolipoprotein particles (cNLPs) consisting of a phospholipid bilayer surrounded by apolipoprotein A1 and amphipathic polymer scaffolding moieties. Our cNLP formulation improves the water solubility of curcumin over 30-fold and produces nanoparticles with ~350 µg/mL total loading capacity for downstream in vitro and in vivo applications. We found that cNLPs were well tolerated in AG05965/MRC-5 human primary lung fibroblasts compared to cultures treated with curcumin solubilized in DMSO (curDMSO). Pre-treatment with cNLPs of quiescent G0/G1-phase MRC-5 cultures improved cell survival following ¹³⁷Cs gamma ray irradiations, although this finding was reversed in asynchronously cycling log-phase cell cultures. These findings may be useful for establishing cNLPs as a method to improve curcumin bioavailability for administration as a radioprotective and/or radiomitigative agent against ionizing radiation (IR) exposures in non-cycling cells or as a radiosensitizing agent for actively dividing cell populations, such as tumors.

Curcumin in the treatment of urological cancers: Therapeutic targets, challenges and prospects

Urological cancers include bladder, prostate and renal cancers that can cause death in males and females. Patients with urological cancers are mainly diagnosed at an advanced disease stage when they also develop resistance to therapy or poor response. The use of natural products in the treatment of urological cancers has shown a significant increase. Curcumin has been widely used in cancer treatment due to its ability to trigger cell death and suppress metastasis. The beneficial effects of curcumin in the treatment of urological cancers is the focus of current review. Curcumin can induce apoptosis in the three types of urological cancers limiting their proliferative potential. Furthermore, curcumin can suppress invasion of urological cancers through EMT inhibition. Notably, curcumin decreases the expression of MMPs, therefore interfering with urological cancer metastasis. When used in combination with chemotherapy agents, curcumin displays synergistic effects in suppressing cancer progression. It can also be used as a chemosensitizer. Based on pre-clinical studies, curcumin administration is beneficial in the treatment of urological cancers and future clinical applications might be considered upon solving problems related to the poor bioavailability of the compound. To improve the bioavailability of curcumin and increase its therapeutic index in urological cancer suppression, nanostructures have been developed to favor targeted delivery.

Curcuminoids as Modulators of EMT in Invasive Cancers: A Review of Molecular Targets With the Contribution of Malignant Mesothelioma Studies

Curcuminoids, which include natural acyclic diarylheptanoids and the synthetic analogs of curcumin, have considerable potential for fighting against all the characteristics of invasive cancers. The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a fundamental process for embryonic morphogenesis, however, the last decade has confirmed it orchestrates many features of cancer invasiveness, such as tumor cell stemness, metabolic rewiring, and drug resistance. A wealth of studies has revealed EMT in cancer is in fact driven by an increasing number of parameters, and thus understanding its complexity has now become a cornerstone for defining future therapeutic strategies dealing with cancer progression and metastasis. A specificity of curcuminoids is their ability to target multiple molecular targets, modulate several signaling pathways, modify tumor microenvironments and enhance the host’s immune response. Although the effects of curcumin on these various parameters have been the subject of many reviews, the role of curcuminoids against EMT in the context of cancer have never been reviewed so far. This review first provides an updated overview of all EMT drivers, including signaling pathways, transcription factors, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) and tumor microenvironment components, with a special focus on the most recent findings. Secondly, for each of these drivers the effects of curcumin/curcuminoids on specific molecular targets are analyzed. Finally, we address some common findings observed between data reported in the literature and the results of investigations we conducted on experimental malignant mesothelioma, a model of invasive cancer representing a useful tool for studies on EMT and cancer.

Research Status and Hotspots of Anticancer Natural Products Based on the Patent Literature and Scientific Articles

Background: The patent literature contains a large amount of information on the internal state of current industrial technologies that are not available in other literature studies. Scientific articles are the direct achievements of theoretical research in this field and can reveal how current theories in basic research have developed. In this study, the progress and status of natural anticancer products in this field were summarized, and the research hotspots were explored through the analysis of the relevant patent literature and scientific articles. Methods: Patent data were retrieved from the incoPat patent retrieval database, and paper data were retrieved from the Web of Science core set and PubMed. GraphPad Prism 8, Microsoft Excel 2010, and CiteSpace 5.8.R3 were used to perform visual processing. The analyzed patent literature includes the patent applicant type, country (or region), and technical subject. The analyzed scientific article includes academic groups, subject areas, keyword clustering, and burst detection. Results: A total of 20,435 patent families and 38,746 articles were collected by 4 January 2022. At present, antitumor drugs derived from natural products mainly include 1) apoptosis inducers such as curcumin, gallic acid, resveratrol, Theranekron D6, and gaillardin; 2) topoisomerase inhibitors such as camptothecins, scaffold-hopped flavones, podophyllotoxin, oxocrebanine, and evodiamine derivatives; 3) telomerase inhibitors such as camptothecin and isoquinoline alkaloids of Chelidonium majus, amentoflavone, and emodin; 4) microtubule inhibitors such as kolaflavanone, tanshinone IIA analog, eugenol, and millepachine; 5) immunomodulators such as fucoidan, myricetin, bergapten, and atractylenolide I; 6) tumor microenvironment regulators such as beta-escin and icaritin; 7) multidrug resistance reversal agents such as berberine, quercetin, and dihydromyricetin; and 8) antiangiogenic and antimetastatic agents such as epigallocatechin-3-gallate, lupeol, ononin, and saikosaponin A. Conclusion: Anticancer natural product technology was introduced earlier, but the later development momentum was insufficient. In addition, scientific research activities are relatively closed, and technical exchanges need to be strengthened. Currently, the development of medicinal plants and the research on the anticancer mechanism of natural active products are still research hotspots, especially those related to immune checkpoints, essential oils, and metastatic cancer. Theories of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), such as "restraining excessiveness to acquire harmony," "same treatment for different diseases," "Meridian induction theory," and "Fuzheng Quxie," have important guiding significance to the research of anticancer mechanisms and the development of new drugs and can provide new ideas for this process. Systematic Review Registration: [https://sourceforge.net/projects/citespace/], identifier [000755430500001].

Natural Compounds as Promising Adjuvant Agents in The Treatment of Gliomas

In humans, glioblastoma is the most prevalent primary malignant brain tumor. Usually, glioblastoma has specific characteristics, such as aggressive cell proliferation and rapid invasion of surrounding brain tissue, leading to a poor patient prognosis. The current therapy-which provides a multidisciplinary approach with surgery followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy with temozolomide-is not very efficient since it faces clinical challenges such as tumor heterogeneity, invasiveness, and chemoresistance. In this respect, natural substances in the diet, integral components in the lifestyle medicine approach, can be seen as potential chemotherapeutics. There are several epidemiological studies that have shown the chemopreventive role of natural dietary compounds in cancer progression and development. These heterogeneous compounds can produce anti-glioblastoma effects through upregulation of apoptosis and autophagy; allowing the promotion of cell cycle arrest; interfering with tumor metabolism; and permitting proliferation, neuroinflammation, chemoresistance, angiogenesis, and metastasis inhibition. Although these beneficial effects are promising, the efficacy of natural compounds in glioblastoma is limited due to their bioavailability and blood-brain barrier permeability. Thereby, further clinical trials are necessary to confirm the in vitro and in vivo anticancer properties of natural compounds. In this article, we overview the role of several natural substances in the treatment of glioblastoma by considering the challenges to be overcome and future prospects.

Involvement of microRNA modifications in anticancer effects of major polyphenols from green tea, coffee, wine, and curry

Epidemiological studies have shown that consumption of green tea, coffee, wine, and curry may contribute to a reduced risk of various cancers. However, there are some cancer site-specific differences in their effects; for example, the consumption of tea or wine may reduce bladder cancer risk, whereas coffee consumption may increase the risk. Animal and cell-based experiments have been used to elucidate the anticancer mechanisms of these compounds, with reactive oxygen species (ROS)-based mechanisms emerging as likely candidates. Chlorogenic acid (CGA), curcumin (CUR), epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and resveratrol (RSV) can act as antioxidants that activate AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) to downregulate ROS, and as prooxidants to generate ROS, leading to the downregulation of NF-κB. Polyphenols can modulate miRNA (miR) expression, with these dietary polyphenols shown to downregulate tumor-promoting miR-21. CUR, EGCG, and RSV can upregulate tumor-suppressing miR-16, 34a, 145, and 200c, but downregulate tumor-promoting miR-25a. CGA, EGCG, and RSV downregulate tumor-suppressing miR-20a, 93, and 106b. The effects of miRs may combine with ROS-mediated pathways, enhancing the anticancer effects of these polyphenols. More precise analysis is needed to determine how the different modulations of miRs by polyphenols relate to the cancer site-specific differences found in epidemiological studies related to the consumption of foods containing these polyphenols.

Curcumin Inhibits Papillary Thyroid Cancer Cell Proliferation by Regulating lncRNA LINC00691

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is a type of epithelial-derived differentiated TC that reportedly accounts for a majority of TCs. Curcumin, a polyphenolic compound and a member of the Zingiberaceae (ginger) family derived from turmeric plants, can exhibit anticancer effects. Herein, we aimed to investigate the effect of curcumin on PTC and elucidate underlying mechanisms. Accordingly, PTC B-CPAP cells were treated with curcumin, in combination with/without long noncoding RNA LINC00691 inhibition, to determine the effect of curcumin and its relationship with LINC00691 in PTC cells. We observed that curcumin treatment decreased B-CPAP cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis. Curcumin inhibited LINC00691 expression in B-CPAP cells. Curcumin administration or si-LINC00691 transfection alone promoted ATP levels, inhibited glucose uptake and lactic acid levels, and inhibited lactate dehydrogenase A and hexokinase 2 protein expression in B-CPAP cells, which were further enhanced by combination treatment. Moreover, curcumin administration or si-LINC00691 transfection alone inhibited p-Akt activity, further suppressed by combination treatment. Akt inhibition promoted apoptosis and suppressed the Warburg effect in B-CPAP cells. In conclusion, our findings indicate that curcumin promotes apoptosis and suppresses proliferation and the Warburg effect by inhibiting LINC00691 in B-CPAP cells. The precise molecular mechanism might be mediated through the Akt signaling pathway, providing a theoretical basis for the treatment of PTC with curcumin.

Redox modulation by plant polyphenols targeting vitagenes for chemoprevention and therapy: Relevance to novel anti-cancer interventions and mini-brain organoid technology

The scientific community, recently, has focused notable attention on the chemopreventive and therapeutic effects of dietary polyphenols for human health. Emerging evidence demonstrates that polyphenols, flavonoids and vitamins counteract and neutralize genetic and environmental stressors, particularly oxidative stress and inflammatory process closely connected to cancer initiation, promotion and progression. Interestingly, polyphenols can exert antioxidant or pro-oxidant cytotoxic effects depending on their endogenous concentration. Notably, polyphenols at high dose act as pro-oxidants in a wide type of cancer cells by inhibiting Nrf2 pathway and the expression of antioxidant vitagenes, such as NAD(P)H-quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1), glutathione transferase (GT), GPx, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), sirtuin-1 (Sirt1) and thioredoxin (Trx) system which play an essential role in the metabolism of reactive oxygen species (ROS), detoxification of xenobiotics and inhibition of cancer progression, by inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest according to the hormesis approach. Importantly, mutagenesis of Nrf2 pathway can exacerbate its "dark side" role, representing a crucial event in the initiation stage of carcinogenesis. Herein, we review the hormetic effects of polyphenols and nanoincapsulated-polyphenols in chemoprevention and treatment of brain tumors via activation or inhibition of Nrf2/vitagenes to suppress carcinogenesis in the early stages, and thus inhibit its progression. Lastly, we discuss innovative preclinical approaches through mini-brain tumor organoids to study human carcinogenesis, from basic cancer research to clinical practice, as promising tools to recapitulate the arrangement of structural neuronal tissues and biological functions of the human brain, as well as test drug toxicity and drive personalized and precision medicine in brain cancer.

New Promising Therapeutic Avenues of Curcumin in Brain Diseases

Curcumin, the dietary polyphenol isolated from Curcuma longa (turmeric), is commonly used as an herb and spice worldwide. Because of its bio-pharmacological effects curcumin is also called "spice of life", in fact it is recognized that curcumin possesses important proprieties such as anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, antiproliferative, anti-tumoral, and anti-aging. Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's Diseases, Parkinson's Diseases, and Multiple Sclerosis are a group of diseases characterized by a progressive loss of brain structure and function due to neuronal death; at present there is no effective treatment to cure these diseases. The protective effect of curcumin against some neurodegenerative diseases has been proven by in vivo and in vitro studies. The current review highlights the latest findings on the neuroprotective effects of curcumin, its bioavailability, its mechanism of action and its possible application for the prevention or treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.

Medicinal Plants for Glioblastoma Treatment

Glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, demonstrates the least life expectancy among all brain cancers. Because of the regulation of diverse signaling pathways in cancers, the chemotherapeutic approaches used to suppress their multiplication and spreading are restricted. Sensitivity towards chemotherapeutic agents has developed because of the pathological and drug-evading abilities of these diverse mechanisms. As a result, the identification and exploration of strategies or treatments, which can overcome such refractory obstacles to improve glioblastoma response to treatment as well as recovery, is essential. Medicinal herbs contain a wide variety of bioactive compounds, which could trigger aggressive brain cancers, regulate their anti-cancer mechanisms and immune responses to assist in cancer elimination, and cause cell death. Numerous tumor-causing proteins, which facilitate invasion as well as metastasis of cancer, tolerance of chemotherapies, and angiogenesis, are also inhibited by these phytochemicals. Such herbs remain valuable for glioblastoma prevention and its incidence by effectively being used as anti-glioma therapies. This review thus presents the latest findings on medicinal plants using which the extracts or bioactive components are being used against glioblastoma, their mechanism of functioning, pharmacological description as well as recent clinical studies conducted on them.

Herbal NF-κB Inhibitors Sensitize Rituximab-Resistant B Lymphoma Cells to Complement-Mediated Cytolysis

Background

Drug resistance remains a serious challenge to rituximab therapy in B-NHL (B cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma). CDC (complement-dependent cytotoxicity) has been proposed as a major antitumor mechanism of rituximab, and direct abrogation of CD59 function partially restores rituximab sensitivity with high efficacy. However, universal blockade of CD59 may have deleterious effects on normal cells. Sp1 regulates constitutive CD59 expression, whereas NF-κB and CREB regulate inducible CD59 expression.

Methods

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay was used to detect the expression levels of CD59 and other related molecules. Quantitative Real-time PCR (RT-PCR) analysis was used to explore the levels of transcripts in the original and resistant cells. We chose LY8 cells to test the effects of NF-κB and CBP/p300 inhibition on CD59 expression using flow cytometry (FACS). Immunoblotting analysis was employed to detect the effects of curcumin and POH. The in vitro and in vivo experiments were used to evaluate the toxicity and combined inhibitory effect on tumor cells of curcumin and POH.

Results

We demonstrated that herbal (curcumin and perillyl alcohol) blockade of NF-κB specifically suppresses the expression of inducible CD59 but not CD20, thus sensitizing resistant cells to rituximab-mediated CDC. Moreover, activation of NF-κB and CREB is highly correlated with CD59 expression in B-NHL tissues.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest the potential of CD59 expression as a predictor of therapeutic efficacy of NF-κB inhibitors in clinical application as well as the rationality of a NF-κB inhibitor-rituximab regimen in B-NHL therapy.

Taxus wallichiana var. chinensis (Pilg.) Florin Aqueous Extract Suppresses the Proliferation and Metastasis in Lung Carcinoma via JAK/STAT3 Signaling Pathway

As one of the most common neoplasms globally, lung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Recurrence and metastasis negatively influencing therapeutic efficacy and overall survival demand new strategies in LC treatment. The advantages of TCM are increasingly highlighted. In this study, we obtained the major chemical components and their ratios in the aqueous extract of Taxus wallichiana var. chinensis (Pilg.) Florin (AETW) by UPLC-Q/TOF-MS/MS detection. The CCK-8 assay revealed that AETW could selectively inhibit the growth of A549 and HCC827 cells in a dose-dependent manner with little effect on normal human lung cells. Moreover, both in vitro and in vivo experiments showed that AETW was able to suppress the capacities of cell migration and invasion and downregulate the EMT and the JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway. To further probe into the molecular mechanism, the overexpression of STAT3 was performed into LC cells with AETW treatment, which counteracted the inhibitory effect on malignant behaviors of A549 and HCC827 cells with the decline in the expressions of p-JAK and p-STAT3. Taken together, we propose that AETW may inhibit the proliferation and metastasis by inactivating the JAK/STAT3 axis.

Polyphenols as Antitumor Agents Targeting Key Players in Cancer-Driving Signaling Pathways

Polyphenols constitute an important group of natural products that are traditionally associated with a wide range of bioactivities. These are usually found in low concentrations in natural products and are now available in nutraceuticals or dietary supplements. A group of polyphenols that include apigenin, quercetin, curcumin, resveratrol, EGCG, and kaempferol have been shown to regulate signaling pathways that are central for cancer development, progression, and metastasis. Here, we describe novel mechanistic insights on the effect of this group of polyphenols on key elements of the signaling pathways impacting cancer. We describe the protein modifications induced by these polyphenols and their effect on the central elements of several signaling pathways including PI3K, Akt, mTOR, RAS, and MAPK and particularly those affecting the tumor suppressor p53 protein. Modifications of p53 induced by these polyphenols regulate p53 gene expression and protein levels and posttranslational modifications such as phosphorylation, acetylation, and ubiquitination that influence stability, subcellular location, activation of new transcriptional targets, and the role of p53 in response to DNA damage, apoptosis control, cell- cycle regulation, senescence, and cell fate. Thus, deep understanding of the effects that polyphenols have on these key players in cancer-driving signaling pathways will certainly lead to better designed targeted therapies, with less toxicity for cancer treatment. The scope of this review centers on the regulation of key elements of cancer signaling pathways by the most studied polyphenols and highlights the importance of a profound understanding of these regulations in order to improve cancer treatment and control with natural products.

Novel role of the dietary flavonoid fisetin in suppressing rRNA biogenesis

The nucleolus of a cell is a critical cellular compartment that is responsible for ribosome biogenesis and plays a central role in tumor progression. Fisetin, a nutraceutical, is a naturally occurring flavonol from the flavonoid group of polyphenols that has anti-cancer effects. Fisetin negatively impacts several signaling pathways that support tumor progression. However, effect of fisetin on the nucleolus and its functions were unknown. We observed that fisetin is able to physically enter the nucleolus. In the nucleolus, RNA polymerase I (RNA Pol I) mediates the biogenesis of ribosomal RNA. Thus, we investigated the impacts of fisetin on the nucleolus. We observed that breast tumor cells treated with fisetin show a 20-30% decreased nucleolar abundance per cell and a 30-60% downregulation of RNA Pol I transcription activity, as well as a 50-70% reduction in nascent rRNA synthesis, depending on the cell line. Our studies show that fisetin negatively influences MAPK/ERK pathway to impair RNA Pol I activity and rRNA biogenesis. Functionally, we demonstrate that fisetin acts synergistically (CI = 0.4) with RNA Pol I inhibitor, BMH-21 and shows a noteworthy negative impact (60% decrease) on lung colonization of breast cancer cells. Overall, our findings highlight the potential of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) biogenesis as a target for secondary prevention and possible treatment of metastatic disease.

Gallic acid for cancer therapy: Molecular mechanisms and boosting efficacy by nanoscopical delivery

Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Majority of recent research efforts in the field aim to address why cancer resistance to therapy develops and how to overcome or prevent it. In line with this, novel anti-cancer compounds are desperately needed for chemoresistant cancer cells. Phytochemicals, in view of their pharmacological activities and capacity to target various molecular pathways, are of great interest in the development of therapeutics against cancer. Plant-derived-natural products have poor bioavailability which restricts their anti-tumor activity. Gallic acid (GA) is a phenolic acid exclusively found in natural sources such as gallnut, sumac, tea leaves, and oak bark. In this review, we report on the most recent research related to anti-tumor activities of GA in various cancers with a focus on its underlying molecular mechanisms and cellular pathwaysthat that lead to apoptosis and migration of cancer cells. GA down-regulates the expression of molecular pathways involved in cancer progression such as PI3K/Akt. The co-administration of GA with chemotherapeutic agents shows improvements in suppressing cancer malignancy. Various nano-vehicles such as organic- and inorganic nano-materials have been developed for targeted delivery of GA at the tumor site. Here, we suggest that nano-vehicles improve GA bioavailability and its ability for tumor suppression.

Network Pharmacology Analysis of Molecular Mechanism of Curcuma Longa L. extracts Regulating Glioma Immune Inflammatory Factors: Implications for Precise Cancer Treatment

INTRODUCTION

Curcuma longa L. has been associated with different antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, bactericidal and anticancer effects, but the mechanisms of the effects are not yet clearly understood. This study aimed to investigate the key targets and the effect of potential molecular mechanisms of Curcuma longa L. extracts on glioma using different network pharmacology analysis approaches.

METHODS

The components of Curcuma longa were extracted by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and the active components related to the occurrence and development of glioma were determined by traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology database and analysis platform (TCMSP) database, and the same targets of the active components and glioma were screened by network pharmacology approach. Then, the protein's function and regulatory pathway of the common targets were analyzed by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses. The protein's action and regulatory pathway of the common targets were analyzed with the Cytoscape package using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING) database to construct the target interaction network through which the key targets were identified.

RESULTS

GC-MS combined with TCMSP database was used to identify the active components related to the occurrence and development of glioma in Curcuma longa. Finally, we identified the active components 1-(1,5-Dimethyl-4-hexenyl)-4-methyl benzene and Zingiberene. At the same time, 190 target genes of Curcuma longa extracts on glioma were obtained using the Venn diagram. The results of GO analysis showed that the biological processes involved included a response to stimulation, metabolic process, inflammatory process, cell differentiation, and regulation of biological processes. KEGG analysis showed that the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, Th17 cell differentiation, and proteoglycan pathway might be involved in cancer. Further analyses showed that the IL-17 signaling pathway and Interleukin-4 and interleukin-13 signaling were involved in the inflammatory pathway. The analysis of key nodes showed that GSK3B, MAPK14, HSP90AA1, MAPK3 and MAPK8 were IL-17 signaling pathways, while HIF1A and JAK3 were Interleukin-4 and interleukin-13 signaling pathways.

CONCLUSION

Curcuma longa extracts can regulate the occurrence and development of glioma by regulating the immune-inflammatory responses.

Targeting of cancer cell death mechanisms by curcumin: Implications to cancer therapy

Cancer is known as a second major cause of death globally. Nowadays, several modalities have been developed for the treatment of cancer. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy are the most common modalities in most countries. However, newer modalities such as immunotherapy and targeted therapy drugs can kill cancer cells with minimal side effects. All anticancer agents work based on the killing of cancer cells. Numerous studies are ongoing to kill cancer cells more effectively without increasing side effects to normal tissues. The combination modalities with low toxic agents are interesting for this aim. Curcumin is one of the most common herbal agents that has shown several anticancer properties. It can regulate immune system responses against cancer. Furthermore, curcumin has been shown to potentiate cell death signalling pathways and attenuate survival signalling pathways in cancer cells. The knowledge of how curcumin induces cell death in cancers can improve therapeutic efficiency. In this review, the regulatory effects of curcumin on different cell death mechanisms and their signalling pathways will be discussed. Furthermore, we explain how curcumin may potentiate the anticancer effects of other drugs or radiotherapy through modulation of apoptosis, mitotic catastrophe, senescence, autophagy and ferroptosis.

Natural bioactive molecules: An alternative approach to the treatment and control of glioblastoma multiforme

Glioblastoma multiforme is one of the most deadly malignant tumors, with more than 10,000 cases recorded annually in the United States. Various clinical analyses and studies show that certain chronic diseases, including cancer, interact between cell-reactive radicals rise and pathogenesis. Reactive oxygen and nitrogenous sources include endogenous (physiological processes), and exogenous sources contain reactive oxygen and nitrogen (xenobiotic interaction). The cellular oxidation/reduction shifts to oxidative stress when the regulation mechanisms of antioxidants are surpassed, and this raises the ability to damage cellular lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. OBJECTIVE: This review is focused on how phytochemicals play crucial role against glioblastoma multiforme and to combat these, bioactive molecules and their derivatives are either used alone, in combination with anticancer drugs or as nanomedicine formulations for better cancer theranostics over the conventional approach. CONCLUSION: Bioactive molecules found in seeds, vegetables, and fruits have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties that may help cancer survivors feel better throughout chemotherapy or treatment. However, incorporating them into the nanocarrier-based drug delivery for the treatment of GBMs, which could be a promising therapeutic strategy for this tumor entity, increasing targeting effectiveness, increasing bioavailability, and reducing side effects with this target-specificity, drug internalization into cells is significantly improved, and off-target organ aggregation is reduced.

Study on the Inhibitory Effect of Curcumin on GBM and Its Potential Mechanism

Background

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most prevalent malignant tumor of the central nervous system (CNS). However, current GBM treatments are ineffective, signifying the great importance of exploring new therapeutic targets. Curcumin has been found to be a natural compound with an anticancer potential. However, its targets and mechanisms in GBM are still unclear.

Methods

Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened from the GBM dataset in the GEO database and intersected with the target genes of curcumin to select potential target genes. Subsequently, survival analysis was performed with the GEPIA database to confirm the effect of target genes on the prognosis of GBM, and functional enrichment analysis was performed using the DAVID database. In vitro, CCK-8 assay was used to screen the appropriate concentration of curcumin; scratch and transwell invasion assays were used to evaluate the effect of curcumin on the migration and invasion abilities of GBM cells. Furthermore, RT-qPCR and Western blotting were used to detect changes in target genes and flow cytometry was used to assess the apoptosis level.

Results

A total of 16 target genes of curcumin and GBM were obtained, among which ENO1, MMP2, and PRKD2 significantly affected the prognosis (P < 0.05). We further selected ENO1 for functional enrichment analysis and found that it was enriched in the glycolytic pathway. Meanwhile, in vitro experiments showed that curcumin could inhibit the migration and invasion of U251 cells and promote apoptosis (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

ENO1 could be a possible target for curcumin in the suppression of GBM cells.

Long Noncoding RNA WDFY3-AS2 Represses the Progression of Esophageal Cancer through miR-18a/PTEN Axis

Background

Understanding the role of lncRNAs in the development of human malignancies is necessary for the targeted therapy of malignant tumors, including esophageal cancer (EC). Nevertheless, the specific role and regulatory mechanism of lncRNA WDFY3-AS2 in EC are still unclear. Here, we examined the functional role and regulatory mechanism of WDFY3-AS2 in EC.

Materials and Methods

RT-qPCR assay was applied to measure the expression of WDFY3-AS2 and miR-18a in EC samples and cells. The luciferase reporter and RIP assays were used to check the relationship between WDFY3-AS2, miR-18a, and PTEN. Counting Clock Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was carried out to detect cell viability, and transwell assays were used for measuring cell migration and invasion.

Results

Underexpression of WDFY3-AS2 was found in EC specimens and cells, which predicted a poor prognosis of EC patients. Reexpression of WDFY3-AS2 repressed the progression of EC via inhibiting cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Additionally, WDFY3-AS2 was negatively correlated with miR-18a and positively with PTEN. Furthermore, we discovered that the expression of PTEN decreased by miR-18a mimic was rescued by WDFY3-AS2 overexpression.

Conclusions

WDFY3-AS2 modulates the expressional level of PTEN as a competitive endogenous RNA via sponging miR-18a in EC, which suggests that the WDFY3-AS2/miR-18a/PTEN pathway might be involved in the progression of EC.

Chemoprevention and therapeutic role of essential oils and phenolic compounds: Modeling tumor microenvironment in glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary tumor of the central nervous system. Current treatments available for GBM entails surgical resection followed by temozolomide chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, which are associated with multidrug resistance and severe side effects. While this treatment could yield good results, in almost all cases, patients suffer from relapse, which leads to reduced survival rates. Thus, therapeutic approaches with improved efficiency and reduced off-target risks are needed to overcome these problems. Regarding this, natural products appear as a safe and attractive strategy as chemotherapeutic agents or adjuvants in the treatment of GBM. Besides the increasing role of natural compounds for chemoprevention of GBM, it has been proposed to prevent carcinogenesis and metastasis of GBM. Numerous investigations showed that natural products are able to inhibit proliferation and angiogenesis, to induce apoptosis, and to target GBM stem cells, which are associated with tumor development and recurrence. This review gives a timely and comprehensive overview of the current literature regarding chemoprevention and therapy of GBM by natural products with a focus on essential oils and phenolic compounds and their molecular mechanisms.

Anticancer Mechanism of Curcumin on Human Glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most malignant brain tumor and accounts for most adult brain tumors. Current available treatment options for GBM are multimodal, which include surgical resection, radiation, and chemotherapy. Despite the significant advances in diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, GBM remains largely resistant to treatment, with a poor median survival rate between 12 and 18 months. With increasing drug resistance, the introduction of phytochemicals into current GBM treatment has become a potential strategy to combat GBM. Phytochemicals possess multifarious bioactivities with multitarget sites and comparatively marginal toxicity. Among them, curcumin is the most studied compound described as a potential anticancer agent due to its multi-targeted signaling/molecular pathways properties. Curcumin possesses the ability to modulate the core pathways involved in GBM cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, autophagy, paraptosis, oxidative stress, and tumor cell motility. This review discusses curcumin’s anticancer mechanism through modulation of Rb, p53, MAPK, P13K/Akt, JAK/STAT, Shh, and NF-κB pathways, which are commonly involved and dysregulated in preclinical and clinical GBM models. In addition, limitation issues such as bioavailability, pharmacokinetics perspectives strategies, and clinical trials were discussed.

Curcumin suppresses the malignancy of non-small cell lung cancer by modulating the circ-PRKCA/miR-384/ITGB1 pathway

BACKGROUND

Curcumin exerts a suppressive effect in tumor growth by acting as a modulator of multiple molecular targets. Circular RNA hsa_circ_0007580 (circ-PRKCA) accelerates the tumorigenesis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, whether curcumin can regulate circ-PRKCA to inhibit NSCLC progression is unclear.

METHODS

Cell viability, colony formation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion were analyzed using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), plate clone, flow cytometry, or transwell assay. Expression of circ-PRKCA, microRNA (miR)-384, and ITGB1 mRNA (integrin subunit beta 1) mRNA were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Curcumin repressed NSCLC growth through regulating circ-PRKCA expression was validated by xenograft assay. The targeting relationship between circ-PRKCA or ITGB1 and miR-384 was verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay. The level of ITGB1 protein was measured by western blotting.

RESULTS

Circ-PRKCA and ITGB1 expression were elevated in NSCLC tissues and cells, but miR-384 had an opposing tendency. After curcumin treatment, the expression tendency of circ-PRKCA, miR-384, and ITGB1 in NSCLC cells was overturned. Furthermore, curcumin impeded viability, colony formation, migration, invasion, and accelerated apoptosis of NSCLC cells, but these impacts were partially reversed by circ-PRKCA elevation, miR-384 downregulation, or ITGB1 overexpression. Also, the inhibitory effect of curcumin on xenograft tumor was further enhanced after circ-PRKCA knockdown. Notably, circ-PRKCA regulated ITGB1 expression through sponging miR-384 in curcumin-treated NSCLC cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Curcumin inhibited NSCLC growth through downregulating circ-PRKCA, which regulated ITGB1 expression by adsorbing miR-384. This study provided a new mechanism to understand how curcumin inhibited the progression of NSCLC.

Small in Size, but Large in Action: microRNAs as Potential Modulators of PTEN in Breast and Lung Cancers

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are well-known regulators of biological mechanisms with a small size of 19–24 nucleotides and a single-stranded structure. miRNA dysregulation occurs in cancer progression. miRNAs can function as tumor-suppressing or tumor-promoting factors in cancer via regulating molecular pathways. Breast and lung cancers are two malignant thoracic tumors in which the abnormal expression of miRNAs plays a significant role in their development. Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is a tumor-suppressor factor that is capable of suppressing the growth, viability, and metastasis of cancer cells via downregulating phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling. PTEN downregulation occurs in lung and breast cancers to promote PI3K/Akt expression, leading to uncontrolled proliferation, metastasis, and their resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. miRNAs as upstream mediators of PTEN can dually induce/inhibit PTEN signaling in affecting the malignant behavior of lung and breast cancer cells. Furthermore, long non-coding RNAs and circular RNAs can regulate the miRNA/PTEN axis in lung and breast cancer cells. It seems that anti-tumor compounds such as baicalein, propofol, and curcumin can induce PTEN upregulation by affecting miRNAs in suppressing breast and lung cancer progression. These topics are discussed in the current review with a focus on molecular pathways.

Effects of Physiological Doses of Resveratrol and Quercetin on Glucose Metabolism in Primary Myotubes

Phenolic compounds have emerged in recent years as an option to face insulin resistance and diabetes. The central aim of this study was: (1) to demonstrate that physiological doses of resveratrol (RSV) or quercetin (Q) can influence glucose metabolism in human myotubes, (2) to establish whether AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and protein kinase B -PKB- (Akt) pathways are involved in this effect. In addition, the effects of these polyphenols on mitochondrial biogenesis and fatty acid oxidation were analysed. Myotubes from healthy donors were cultured for 24 h with either 0.1 μM of RSV or with 10 μM of Q. Glucose metabolism, such as glycogen synthesis, glucose oxidation, and lactate production, were measured with D[U-¹⁴C]glucose. β-oxidation using [1-¹⁴C]palmitate as well as the expression of key metabolic genes and proteins by Real Time PCR and Western blot were also assessed. Although RSV and Q increased pgc1α expression, they did not significantly change either glucose oxidation or β-oxidation. Q increased AMPK, insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1), and AS160 phosphorylation in basal conditions and glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3β) in insulin-stimulated conditions. RSV tended to increase the phosphorylation rates of AMPK and GSK3β. Both of the polyphenols increased insulin-stimulated glycogen synthesis and reduced lactate production in human myotubes. Thus, physiological doses of RSV or Q may exhibit anti-diabetic actions in human myotubes.

The Multi-Faceted Effect of Curcumin in Glioblastoma from Rescuing Cell Clearance to Autophagy-Independent Effects

The present review focuses on the multi-faceted effects of curcumin on the neurobiology glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), with a special emphasis on autophagy (ATG)-dependent molecular pathways activated by such a natural polyphenol. This is consistent with the effects of curcumin in a variety of experimental models of neurodegeneration, where the molecular events partially overlap with GBM. In fact, curcumin broadly affects various signaling pathways, which are similarly affected in cell degeneration and cell differentiation. The antitumoral effects of curcumin include growth inhibition, cell cycle arrest, anti-migration and anti-invasion, as well as chemo- and radio-sensitizing activity. Remarkably, most of these effects rely on mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)-dependent ATG induction. In addition, curcumin targets undifferentiated and highly tumorigenic GBM cancer stem cells (GSCs). When rescuing ATG with curcumin, the tumorigenic feature of GSCs is suppressed, thus counteracting GBM establishment and growth. It is noteworthy that targeting GSCs may also help overcome therapeutic resistance and reduce tumor relapse, which may lead to a significant improvement of GBM prognosis. The present review focuses on the multi-faceted effects of curcumin on GBM neurobiology, which represents an extension to its neuroprotective efficacy.

PTEN, a Barrier for Proliferation and Metastasis of Gastric Cancer Cells: From Molecular Pathways to Targeting and Regulation

Cancer is one of the life-threatening disorders that, in spite of excellent advances in medicine and technology, there is no effective cure for. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy are extensively applied in cancer therapy, but their efficacy in eradication of cancer cells, suppressing metastasis, and improving overall survival of patients is low. This is due to uncontrolled proliferation of cancer cells and their high migratory ability. Finding molecular pathways involved in malignant behavior of cancer cells can pave the road to effective cancer therapy. In the present review, we focus on phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) signaling as a tumor-suppressor molecular pathway in gastric cancer (GC). PTEN inhibits the PI3K/Akt pathway from interfering with the migration and growth of GC cells. Its activation leads to better survival of patients with GC. Different upstream mediators of PTEN in GC have been identified that can regulate PTEN in suppressing growth and invasion of GC cells, such as microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and circular RNAs. It seems that antitumor agents enhance the expression of PTEN in overcoming GC. This review focuses on aforementioned topics to provide a new insight into involvement of PTEN and its downstream and upstream mediators in GC. This will direct further studies for evaluation of novel signaling networks and their targeting for suppressing GC progression.