Clotrimazole inhibits the Wnt/β-catenin pathway by activating two eIF2α kinases: The heme-regulated translational inhibitor and the double-stranded RNA-induced protein kinase

Domestication of chemicals attacking metazoan embryogenesis: identification of safe natural products modifying developmental signaling pathways in human

Soil microorganisms are rich sources of bioactive natural products. Interspecies interactions are the cues of their production and refine biological activities. These interactions in natural environments include the interplay between microorganisms and Metazoans (animals), such as nematodes, insects, and ticks. Chemical intercellular communication modulators could exert ideal Metazoan-selective toxicity for defending microorganisms. Developmental signaling pathways, such as the Notch, TGF-beta, and Wnt pathways, are intercellular communication networks that contribute to the reproducible formation of complex higher-order Metazoan body structures. Natural modifiers of the developmental signaling pathway are attractive therapeutic seeds for carcinoma and sarcoma treatment. However, these fundamental signaling pathways also play indispensable physiological roles and their perturbation could lead to toxicity, such as defects in stem cell physiology and tissue regeneration processes. In this review, we introduce a screening system that selects developmental signaling inhibitors with wide therapeutic windows using zebrafish embryonic phenotypes and provide examples of microorganism-derived Wnt pathway inhibitors. Moreover, we discuss safety prospects of the developmental signaling inhibitors.

Drug Repositioning for the Treatment of Hematologic Disease: Limits, Challenges and Future Perspectives

Drug repositioning is a strategy to identify new uses for approved or investigational drugs that are used off-label outside the scope of the original medical indication. In this review, we report the most relevant studies about drug repositioning in hematology, reporting the signalling pathways and molecular targets of these drugs, and describing the biological mechanisms which are responsible for their anticancer effects. Although the majority of studies on drug repositioning in hematology concern acute myeloid leukemia and multiple myeloma, numerous studies are present in the literature on the possibility of using these drugs also in other hematological diseases, such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia, and lymphomas. Numerous anti-infectious drugs and chemical entities used for the therapy of neurological or endocrine diseases, oral antidiabetics, statins and medications used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure, bisphosphonate and natural substance such as artemisin and curcumin, have found a place in the treatment of hematological diseases. Moreover, several molecules drastically reversed the resistance of the tumor cells to the chemotherapeutic drugs both in vitro and in vivo.

Venlafaxine Inhibits the Apoptosis of SHSY-5Y Cells Through Active Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the mechanism of venlafaxine in regulating the apoptosis of SHSY-5Y cells induced by hypoxia.

METHODS

The CoCl2-induced neuronal hypoxia model was established based on SHSY-5Y cells. The morphology and related protein expression of SHSY-5Y cells were detected by qPCR, ELISA and Western blot.

RESULTS

Under the condition of hypoxia-induced by CoCl2, the expression of HIF-1α in SHSY-5Y cells was up-regulated and the expression of β-catenin was down-regulated. After adding siRNA targeting HIF-1 α to the culture cell system, down-regulation of β -catenin expression in SHSY-5Y cells was restored. This confirmed the existence of the "hypoxia-HIF-1α-Wnt/β-catenin-depression" axis. Further studies have shown that venlafaxine can alleviate neuronal apoptosis induced by hypoxia by upregulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

CONCLUSION

Venlafaxine regulates apoptosis induced by hypoxia through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, which provides a new theoretical basis for the treatment of depression.

IMU1003, an atrarate derivative, inhibits Wnt/β-catenin signaling

Aberrant activation of the canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway triggers tumorigenesis in various tissues. This study identified an atrarate compound, IMU14, derived from filamentous fungi as an inhibitor of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in phenotypic chemical inhibitor screening of the zebrafish eyeless phenotype. Its derivatization resulted in synthesis of IMU1003 with enhanced Wnt inhibitory activity. IMU1003 inhibited β-catenin/TCF-dependent transcriptional activation and decreased nuclear β-catenin level. In addition, IMU1003 selectively decreased viability and target gene products of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in human non-colorectal cancer cell lines harboring intact APC and β-catenin. Therefore, atrarate derivatives inhibit Wnt/β-catenin signaling and show anticancer potential, and we developed a new class of chemical backbones for Wnt/β-catenin signaling inhibitors.