Biobehavioral and neuroendocrine correlates of antioxidant enzyme activity in ovarian carcinoma

Programmable activation of berbamine and photosensitizers for enhanced photodynamic therapy using emission-switchable upconversion nanoparticles

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) shows great potential in precision tumor treatment. However, its efficacy is inhibited by the antioxidant defense capacities of tumor cells. To address this challenge, a near-infrared light-controlled nanosystem (UCNPs@mSiO2@Azo@ZnPc&BBM, PB@UA) was developed using emission-switchable upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) to independently and precisely control the release of berbamine (BBM) and activation of photosensitizer for enhanced PDT in deep tissues. Firstly, BBM release was triggered by exciting PB@UA at 980 nm. The BBM could inhibit the activities of antioxidant enzymes and disrupt calcium ion regulation, making the tumor cells more susceptible to ROS-induced cell death in the following PDT treatment. The PDT was initiated by irradiating the photosensitizers of ZnPc on PB@UA at 808 nm and achieved a tumor inhibition rate of 80.91 % in vivo, which is significantly higher than that of unique PDT (31.78 %) or BBM (11.29 %) treatment and demonstrates the potential of our strategy for improved cancer treatment.

CircRNA-regulated glucose metabolism in ovarian cancer: an emerging landscape for therapeutic intervention

Ovarian cancer (OC) has the highest mortality rate among female reproductive system tumours, with limited efficacy of traditional treatments and 5-year survival rates that rarely exceed 40%. Circular RNA (circRNA) is a stable endogenous circular RNA that typically regulates protein expression by binding to downstream miRNA. It has been demonstrated that circRNAs play an important role in the proliferation, migration, and glucose metabolism (such as the Warburg effect) of OC and can regulate the expression of glucose metabolism-related proteins such as GLUT1 and HK2, promoting anaerobic glycolysis of cancer cells, increasing glucose uptake and ATP production, and affecting energy supply and biosynthetic substances to support tumour growth and invasion. This review summarises the formation and characteristics of circRNAs and focuses on their role in regulating glucose metabolism in OC cells and their potential therapeutic value, providing insights for identifying new therapeutic targets.

Melatonin suppresses chronic restraint stress-mediated metastasis of epithelial ovarian cancer via NE/AKT/β-catenin/SLUG axis

Chronic stress has been shown to facilitate progression of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), however, the neuro-endocranial mechanism participating in this process still remains unclear. Here, we reported that chronic restraint stress (CRS) promoted the abdominal implantation metastasis of EOC cells and the expression of epithelial–mesenchymal transition-related markers in tumor-bearing mouse model, including TWIST, SLUG, SNAIL, and β-catenin. We observed that β-catenin co-expressed with SLUG and norepinephrine (NE) in tumor tissues obtained from nude mice. Further ex vivo experiments revealed that NE promoted migration and invasion of ovarian cancer cells and SLUG expression through upregulating expression and improving transcriptional function of β-catenin in vitro. A human phosphor-kinase array suggested that NE activated various kinases in ovarian cancer cells, and we further confirmed that AKT inhibitor reduced NE-mediated pro-metastatic impacts and activation of the β-catenin/SLUG axis. Furthermore, the expression levels of NE and β-catenin were examined in ovarian tumor tissues by using tumor tissue arrays. Results showed that the expression levels of both NE and β-catenin were associated with poor clinical stage of serous EOC. Moreover, we found that melatonin (MLT) effectively reduced the abdominal tumor burden of ovarian cancer induced by CRS, which was partially related to the inhibition of the NE/AKT/β-catenin/SLUG axis. Collectively, these findings suggest a novel mechanism for CRS-mediated ovarian cancer metastasis and MLT has a potential therapeutic efficacy against ovarian cancer.

Evaluation of the antioxidant impact of ginger-based kombucha on the murine breast cancer model

Background Abnormal metabolism is a common event in cancerous cells. For example, the increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, particularly due to aerobic respiration during invasive stage, results in cancer progression. Herein, the impact of kombucha tea prepared from ginger on the alteration of antioxidant agents was assessed in the breast cancer animal model. Methods Two types of kombucha tea with or without ginger were administered to BALB/c mice before and after tumor challenge. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were evaluated in tumor, liver and kidney. Results Administration of kombucha ginger tea significantly decreased catalase activity as well as GSH and MDA level in tumor homogenate (p<0.001). A significant decrease in SOD activity and increase in MDA quantity was determined in the kidney which had received kombucha ginger tea (p<0.01). Conclusions The consumption of kombucha prepared from ginger could exert minor antioxidant impacts by balancing multi antioxidant factors in different tissues in the breast cancer models.