A novel all-trans retinoid acid derivatives inhibits the migration of breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB-231 via myosin light chain kinase involving p38-MAPK pathway

The potential roles of retinoids in combating drug resistance in cancer: implications of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters

Multidrug resistance (MDR) means that tumour cells become unresponsive during or after the course of treatment to one or more of chemotherapeutic drugs. Chemotherapeutic resistance critically limits the treatment outcomes and remains a key challenge for clinicians. The alternation in intracellular drug concentration through the modulation of its transport across the plasma membrane is the major cause for MDR and is adopted by various mediators, including ATP-requiring enzymes (ATPases). Among these ATPases, ABC transporters have been extensively studied, and found to be highly implicated in tumorigenesis and MDR. The present review sheds light on the documented effects of retinoids on ABC enzymes to understand their mechanism in combating cancer cell resistance. This would open the gate to test the mechanism and applicability of different new synthetic retinoids in literature and market as modulators of ATP-dependent efflux pumping activity, and promote their applicability in diminishing anti-cancer drug resistance.

Glabridin attenuates endothelial dysfunction and permeability, possibly via the MLCK/p-MLC signaling pathway

Atherosclerosis is caused by various factors, and Glabridin may have protective effects on the cardiovascular system. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of Glabridin on atherosclerosis and evaluate whether Glabridin attenuates arteriosclerosis and endothelial permeability by suppressing the myosin light chain (MLC) kinase (MLCK)/phosphorylated (p)-MLC system via the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Male New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into 3 groups: The control group was administered an ordinary diet, whereas the high fat group and the Glabridin (2 mg/kg/d) intervention group were administered a high fat diet. Following 12 weeks, the blood lipid levels of rabbits, the morphological structure of the arterial wall, the arterial intimal permeability, the endothelial function and the mRNA levels of MLCK were measured. Western blot analysis was used to detect the levels of MLCK, p-c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), p-extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK), and p-p38. The high-fat diet group exhibited significantly increased total cholesterol and triglycerides, and endothelial dysfunction, which were attenuated by Glabridin treatment. Notably, the aortic endothelial permeability was increased in the high-fat diet group but was ameliorated in the Glabridin treatment group. Hyperlipidemia enhanced the expression of p-MLC and MLCK, which were associated with the increased phosphorylation of ERK, p38 and JNK. These changes were also ameliorated by Glabridin. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggested that atherosclerosis may be associated with upregulated MLCK expression and activity, which was downregulated by Glabridin. The mechanism of action of Glabridin was thought to proceed through modulating MAPK pathway signal transduction. However, further studies are required to adequately illuminate the exact regulatory mechanisms involved.

Efficiency of All-Trans Retinoic Acid on Gastric Cancer: A Narrative Literature Review

Gastric cancer (GC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide with a five-year survival rate of around 25%, and 4% when diagnosed at a metastatic stage. Cancer stem cells (CSC) have recently been characterized as being responsible for resistance to radio/chemotherapies and metastasis formation, opening up perspectives for new targeted therapies. Those CSCs express biomarkers such as cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44) and display high aldehyde dehydrogenase activity that converts vitamin A-derived retinal into retinoic acids. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), which has pro-differentiating properties, has revolutionized the prognosis of acute promyelotic leukemia by increasing its remission rate from 15% to 85%. Recent studies have started to show that ATRA also has an anti-tumoral role on solid cancers such as GC. The purpose of this review is therefore to summarize the work that evaluated the effects of ATRA in GC and to evaluate whether its anti-cancerous action involves gastric CSCs targeting. It has been demonstrated that ATRA can block the cell cycle, enhance apoptosis, and decrease gastric CSCs properties in GC cell lines, tumorspheres, and patient-derived xenograft mice models. Therefore, retinoids and new synthetic retinoids seem to be a promising step forward in targeted therapy of gastric CSC in combination with existing chemotherapies. Future studies should probably focus on these points.

ATPR-induced G0 /G1 phase arrest in gastric cancer cells by regulating the binding of 14-3-3ε and filamin A

4‐amino‐2‐trifluoromethyl‐phenyl retinate (ATPR) was able to induce the G₀/G₁ phase arrest in gastric cancer SGC‐7901 cells by downregulating 14‐3‐3ε. However, the mechanisms underlying this effect have not been fully elucidated. Because 14‐3‐3ε functions as a molecular chaperone on cell cycle regulation, the interaction between 14‐3‐3ε and the target proteins is worth an in‐depth study. In this study, the use of targeting proteomics identified 352 14‐3‐3ε‐binding proteins in SGC‐7901 cells. Analysis of gene ontology (GO) was performed using PANTHER to annotate the biological processes, protein classes, and pathways of these proteins. In 25 cell cycle‐related proteins, filamin A was reduced following ATPR treatment, and this change was validated by immunoprecipitation. The cell cycle was arrested at the G₀/G₁ phase following ATPR treatment or filamin A silencing in SGC‐7901 cells. Furthermore, subcellular expression analysis showed that 14‐3‐3ε and filamin A were transferred from the cytoplasm to the nucleus after ATPR treatment. On the other hand, overexpression of 14‐3‐3ε, in SGC‐7901 cells, resulted in an increase in the total cellular level of filamin A and an increase in the subcellular localization of filamin A in the cytoplasm. ATPR treatment of the 14‐3‐3ε overexpression cells decreased the total level of filamin A and redistributed filamin A protein from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the expression levels of 14‐3‐3ε and filamin A in gastric cancer tissues were significantly higher, with a predominant localization in the cytoplasm, compared to the levels in matched tissues. Taken together, our results suggest that ATPR can induce nuclear localization of filamin A by reducing the binding of 14‐3‐3ε and filamin A, which may be the mechanism of ATPR‐induced G₀/G₁ phase arrest.

MYLK promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression through regulating cytoskeleton to enhance epithelial-mesenchymal transition

Myosin light chain kinase (MYLK) is found to catalyze the phosphorylation of myosin light chains (MLC) and regulate invasion and metastasis in some malignancies. However, there is little knowledge on the role of MYLK in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and no studies have been conducted to investigate the mechanisms underlying MYLK-mediated promotion of HCC invasion and metastasis until now. In this study, we investigated the expression of MYLK in 50 pairs of human HCC and adjacent liver specimens. High MYLK expression was significantly correlated with aggressive clinicopathological features including tumor encapsulation, microvascular invasion and metastasis. In vitro assays showed that shRNA-induced MYLK knockdown significantly inhibited the wound-healing ability of HCC cells and the ability to migrate and invade through Matrigel. We next uncovered that MYLK knockdown resulted in a reduction in the number of F-actin stress fibers, disorganization of F-actin architectures and morphological alterations of HCC cells. Phosphorylated MLC, rather than total MLC, was found to be markedly reduced in response to downregulation of MYLK expression, and MYLK-regulated actin cytoskeleton through phosphorylating MLC in HCC cells. In addition, Western blotting assay revealed downregulation of the epithelial marker E-cadherin and upregulation of mesenchymal markers Vimentin, N-cadherin and Snail. Taken together, our findings indicate that MYLK promotes HCC progression by altering cytoskeleton to enhance epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).

Effects of dietary protein levels on the disease resistance, immune function and physical barrier function in the gill of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) after challenged with Flavobacterium columnare

The effects of dietary protein levels on the disease resistance, gill immune function and physical barrier function of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) were investigated in this study. A total of 540 grass carp (264.11 ± 0.76 g) were fed six diets containing graded levels of protein (143.1, 176.7, 217.2, 257.5, 292.2 and 322.8 g digestible protein kg(-1) diet) for 8 weeks. After the growth trial, fish were challenged with Flavobacterium columnare for 3 days. The results indicated that optimal levels of dietary protein had the following effects: (1) the production of antibacterial components increased, and anti-inflammatory cytokines, inhibitor of κBα, target of rapamycin and ribosomal protein S6 kinases 1 mRNA levels were up-regulated, whereas mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) P65, NF-κB P52, IκB kinase (IKK) α, IKKβ, IKKγ, eIF4E-binding proteins (4E-BP) 1 and 4E-BP2 were down-regulated in the gills of grass carp (P < 0.05), indicating that fish gill immune function was enhanced at an optimal level of dietary protein; (2) the activities and mRNA levels of antioxidant enzymes and glutathione content increased, the contents of reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde and protein carbonyl (PC) decreased, and NF-E2-related factor 2, B-cell lymphoma protein-2, inhibitor of apoptosis proteins, myeloid cell leukemia-1 and tight junction complexes mRNA levels were up-regulated, whereas Kelch-like-ECH-associated protein (Keap) 1a, Keap1b, cysteinyl aspartic acid-protease 3, 8, 9, fatty acid synthetase ligand, apoptotic protease activating factor-1, Bcl-2 associated X protein, c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase, myosin light chain kinase and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase mRNA levels were down-regulated in the gills of grass carp (P < 0.05), indicating that the fish gill physical barrier function improved at an optimal level of dietary protein. Finally, based on the gill rot morbidity, ACP activity and PC content, the optimal levels of dietary protein for grass carp were estimated to be 286.65 g kg(-1) diet (253.73 g digestible protein kg(-1) diet), 290.46 g kg(-1) diet (257.76 g digestible protein kg(-1) diet) and 296.25 g kg(-1) diet (260.69 g digestible protein kg(-1) diet), respectively.

Thiamin deficiency induces impaired fish gill immune responses, tight junction protein expression and antioxidant capacity: Roles of the NF-κB, TOR, p38 MAPK and Nrf2 signaling molecules

In this study, we investigate the effects of dietary thiamin deficiency on immune responses, tight junctions, antioxidant capacity and related signaling molecules in the gills of young grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). Fish were fed diets that contained 0.12-2.04 mg thiamin kg(-1) for 8 weeks. We found that dietary thiamin deficiency resulted in reduced complement 3 content, lysozyme and acid phosphatase activities, mRNA levels of hepcidin, liver-expressed antimicrobial peptides 2, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, interleukin (IL)-10, inhibitor protein-κBα (IκBα), ribosomal S6 protein kinase 1 and target of rapamycin (TOR) and increased expression of interferon-γ2, tumor necrosis factor-α, TGF-β2, IL-1β, IL-8, IκB kinases (IKKβ and IKKγ) and nuclear factor-κB p65 (NF-κB p65). Our findings showed that thiamin deficiency reduced the immune status of fish gills. Furthermore, thiamin deficiency resulted in reduced mRNA transcript levels of claudin b, claudin 3, claudin 12, zonula occludens 1 (ZO-1) and occludin and increased mRNA transcript levels of claudin 15a, myosin light-chain kinase (MLCK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) in fish gill tissues. These data suggested that thiamin deficiency disrupted tight junction-mediated fish gill barrier function. Additionally, reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde and protein carbonyl levels and both the activities and expression levels of Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione-S-transferases and glutathione reductase, as well as NF-E2-related factor 2 gene expression in fish gills, were lower in fish fed a thiamin-deficient diet. By contrast, thiamin deficiency increased levels of Kelch-like-ECH-associated protein 1a (Keap1a) and Keap1b mRNA transcript expression in fish gills. Taken together, our findings indicated that thiamin deficiency impaired fish gill health by effects on the expression of genes encoding cytokines, tight junction proteins, antioxidant enzymes, NF-κB p65, MLCK and Nrf2.

All-trans retinoic acids induce differentiation and sensitize a radioresistant breast cancer cells to chemotherapy

Background

Radiotherapy is of critical importance in the treatment of breast cancer. However, not all patients derive therapeutic benefit and some breast cancers are resistant to the treatment, and are thus evidenced with prospective distant metastatic spread and local recurrence. In this study, we investigated the potential therapeutic effects of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) on radiation-resistant breast cancer cells and the associated invasiveness.

Methods

The MCF7/C6 cells with gained radiation resistance after a long term treatment with fractionated ionizing radiation were derived from human breast cancer MCF7 cell line, and are enriched with cells expressing putative breast cancer stem cell biomarker CD44⁺/CD24^-/low/ALDH⁺. The enhanced invasiveness and the acquired resistances to chemotherapeutic treatments of MCF7/C6 cells were measured, and potential effects of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) on the induction of differentiation, invasion and migration, and on the sensitivities to chemotherapies in MCF7/C6 cells were investigated.

Results

MCF7/C6 cells are with enrichment of cancer stem-cell like cells with positive staining of CD44⁺/CD24^-/low, OCT3/4 and NANOG. MCF7/C6 cells showed an increased tumoregensis potential and enhanced aggressiveness of invasion and migration. Treatment with ATRA induces the differentiation in MCF7/C6 cells, resulting in reduced invasiveness and migration, and increased sensitivity to Epirubincin treatment.

Conclusion

Our study suggests a potential clinic impact for ATRA as a chemotherapeutic agent for treatment of therapy-resistant breast cancer especially for the metastatic lesions. The study also provides a rationale for ATRA as a sensitizer of Epirubincin, a first-line treatment option for breast cancer patients.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12906-016-1088-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A novel all-trans retinoid acid derivative induces apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells

AIMS

To explore the effect and probable mechanism of a synthetic retinoid 4-amino-2-tri-fluoromethyl- phenyl ester (ATPR) on apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

MTT assays were performed to measure the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cells treated with different concentrations of all- trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and ATPR. Morphologic changes were observed by microscopy. The apoptosis rates and cell cycling of MDA-MB-231 cells treated with ATRA or ATPR were assessed using flow cytometry analysis. Expression of retinoic acid receptor and phosphorylation of ERK, JNK, p38 proteins were detected by Western blotting.

RESULTS

Treatment of the cells with the addition of 15 μmol/L ATPR for 48 h clearly demonstrated reduced cell numbers and deformed cells, whereas no changes in the number and morphology were observed after treatment with ATRA. The apoptosis rate was 33.2% after breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells were treated by ATPR (15 μmol/L) whereas ATRA (15 μmol/L) had no apoptotic effect. ATPR inhibited the phosphorylation of ERK, JNK, and p38 while ATRA had no significant effect. ATPR inhibited the expression of BiP and increased the expression of Chop at the protein level compared with control groups, ATRA and ATPR both decreased the protein expression of RXR α, ATPR reduced the protein expression of RARβ and RXRβ while ATRA did not decrease RARβ or RXRβ.

CONCLUSIONS

ATPR could induce apoptosis of breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells, possible mechanisms being binding to RARβ/RXRβ heterodimers, then activation of ER stress involving the MAPK pathway.

A novel all-trans retinoid acid derivative N-(3-trifluoromethyl- phenyl)- retinamide inhibits lung adenocarcinoma A549 cell migration through down-regulating expression of myosin light chain kinase

AIM

To observe the effects of a novel all-trans retinoid acid (ATRA) derivative, N-(3-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)- retinamide (ATPR), on lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells and to explore the potential mechanism of ATPR inhibiting of A549 cell migration.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The cytotoxicity of ATRA and ATPR on A549 cells was assessed using MTT assay. Wound healing assays were used to analyze the influences of ATRA, ATPR, ML-7 (a highly selective inhibitor of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK)), PMA (an activator of MAPKs) and PD98059 (a selective inhibitor of ERK1/2) on the migration of A549 cells. Expression of MLCK and phosphorylation of myosin light chain (MLC) were assessed by Western blotting.

RESULTS

ATRA and ATPR inhibited the proliferation of A549 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and the effect of ATPR was much more remarkable compared with ATRA. Relative migration rate and migration distance of A549 cells both decreased significantly after treatment with ATPR or ML-7. The effect on cell migration of PD98059 combining ATPR treatment was more notable than that of ATPR alone. Moreover, compared with control groups, the expression levels of MLCK and phosphorylated MLC in A549 cells were both clearly reduced in ATRA and ATPR groups.

CONCLUSIONS

ATPR could suppress the migration and invasion of A549 cells, and the mechanism might be concerned with down- regulating the expression of MLCK in the ERK-MAPK signaling pathway, pointing to therapeutic prospects in lung cancer.

Myosin light chain kinase inhibitor ML7 improves vascular endothelial dysfunction via tight junction regulation in a rabbit model of atherosclerosis

Vascular endothelial dysfunction (VED) is an important factor in the initiation and development of atherosclerosis (AS). Previous studies have demonstrated that endothelial permeability is increased in diet‑induced AS. However, the precise underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. The present study aimed to analyze whether the myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) inhibitor ML7 is able to improve VED and AS by regulating the expression of the tight junction (TJ) proteins zona occludens (ZO)‑1 and occludin via mechanisms involving MLCK and MLC phosphorylation in high‑fat diet‑fed rabbits. New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into three groups: Control group, AS group and ML7 group. The rabbits were fed a standard diet (control group), a high‑fat diet (AS group) or a high‑fat diet supplemented with 1 mg/kg/day ML7 (ML7 group). After 12 weeks, endothelium‑dependent relaxation and endothelium‑independent relaxation were measured using high-frequency ultrasound. Administration of a high‑fat diet significantly increased the levels of serum lipids and inflammatory markers in the rabbits in the AS group, as compared with those in the rabbits in the control group. Furthermore, a high‑fat diet contributed to the formation of a typical atherosclerotic plaque, as well as an increase in endothelial permeability and VED. These symptoms of AS were significantly improved following treatment with ML7, as demonstrated in the ML7 group. Hematoxylin & eosin and immunohistochemical staining indicated that ML7 was able to decrease the expression of MLCK and MLC phosphorylation in the arterial wall of rabbits fed a high‑fat diet. A similar change was observed for the TJ proteins ZO‑1 and occludin. In addition, western blot analysis demonstrated that ML7 increased the expression levels of occludin in the precipitate, but reduced its expression in the supernatant of lysed aortas. These results indicated that occludin, which is a dynamic protein at the TJ, is associated with remodeling from cell membrane to cytoplasm. The present study was the first, to the best of our knowledge, to indicate that ML7 may ameliorate VED and AS by regulating the TJ proteins ZO‑1 and occludin via mechanisms involving MLCK and MLC phosphorylation.

New insights into 4-amino-2-tri-fluoromethyl-phenyl ester inhibition of cell growth and migration in the A549 lung adenocarcinoma cell line

OBJECTIVE

The present study was designed to investigate the probable mechanisms of synthetic retinoid 4-amino-2-tri-fluoromethyl-phenyl ester (ATPR) inhibition of the proliferation and migration of A549 human lung carcinoma cells.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

After the A549 cells were treated with different concentrations of ATPR or all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) for 72 h, scratch-wound assays were performed to assess migration. Immunofluorescence was used to determine the distribution of CAV1 and RXRα, while expression of CAV1, MLCK, MLC, P38, and phosphorylation of MLC and P38 were detected by Western blotting.

RESULTS

ATPR could block the migration of A549 cells. The relative migration rate of ML-7 group had significantly decreased compared with control group. In addition, ATPR decreased the expression of a migration related proteins, MLCK, and phosphorylation of MLC and P38. ATPR could also influence the expression of RARs or RXRs. At the same time, CAV1 accumulated at cell membranes, and RXRα relocated to the nucleus after ATPR treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Caveolae may be implicate in the transport of ATPR to the nucleus. Change in the expression and distribution of RXRα may be implicated in ATPR inhibition of A549 cell proliferation. The mechanisms of ATPR reduction in A549 cell migration may be associated with expression of MLCK and phosphorylation of MLC and P38.

4-Amino-2-trifluoromethyl-phenyl retinate inhibits the migration of BGC-823 human gastric cancer cells by downregulating the phosphorylation level of MLC II

4-Amino-2-trifluoromethyl-phenyl retinate (ATPR) is a novel all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) derivative which was reported to have a superior antitumor effect in breast cancer cells. However, little is known about its antitumor effects on human gastric cancer cells and the mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. The results of the present study suggest that in the human gastric carcinoma cell line BGC-823, ATPR plays a more effective role than ATRA at the same dose in inhibiting proliferation, migration and inducing differentiation after the same treatment time. Furthermore, we investigated the preliminary mechanism of ATPR's anti‑migration effect. Immunofluorescence assay demonstrated that claudin-18 positioned from cytoplasm to cell surface following ATPR stimuli. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR and western blot analyses showed that ATPR had significant effects on downregulation of the phosphorylation level of myosin light chain II (MLC II) by suppressing myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) and Rho-associated coiled-coil containing kinase (ROCK), as well as its regulation in the protein expression of RARα and RARβ. Moreover, ATPR increased the activity of myosin phosphatase by inhibiting ROCK. Consequently, ATPR showed more promising antitumor effects than ATRA in BGC-823 in vitro, and it may conduct its anti-migration effects by decreasing the phosphorylation level of MLC II, as well as by regulating MLCK and ROCK as downstream target genes.

Genes influenced by the non-muscle isoform of Myosin light chain kinase impact human cancer prognosis

The multifunctional non-muscle isoform of myosin light chain kinase (nmMLCK) is critical to the rapid dynamic coordination of the cytoskeleton involved in cancer cell proliferation and migration. We identified 45 nmMLCK-influenced genes by bioinformatic filtering of genome–wide expression in wild type and nmMLCK knockout (KO) mice exposed to preclinical models of murine acute inflammatory lung injury, pathologies that are well established to include nmMLCK as an essential participant. To determine whether these nmMLCK-influenced genes were relevant to human cancers, the 45 mouse genes were matched to 38 distinct human orthologs (M38 signature) (GeneCards definition) and underwent Kaplan-Meier survival analysis in training and validation cohorts. These studies revealed that in training cohorts, the M38 signature successfully identified cancer patients with poor overall survival in breast cancer (P<0.001), colon cancer (P<0.001), glioma (P<0.001), and lung cancer (P<0.001). In validation cohorts, the M38 signature demonstrated significantly reduced overall survival for high-score patients of breast cancer (P = 0.002), colon cancer (P = 0.035), glioma (P = 0.023), and lung cancer (P = 0.023). The association between M38 risk score and overall survival was confirmed by univariate Cox proportional hazard analysis of overall survival in the both training and validation cohorts. This study, providing a novel prognostic cancer gene signature derived from a murine model of nmMLCK-associated lung inflammation, strongly supports nmMLCK-involved pathways in tumor growth and progression in human cancers and nmMLCK as an attractive candidate molecular target in both inflammatory and neoplastic processes.

PRDX6 promotes lung tumor progression via its GPx and iPLA2 activities

PRDX6 is a bifunctional protein with both glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and calcium-independent phospholipase A2 (iPLA2) activities, which are concomitantly increased with the expression of PRDX6. PRDX6 promoted lung tumor growth in an in vivo allograft model. Herein, we further studied the vital roles in tumor progression of PRDX6 in lung cancer using nude mice bearing PRDX6-overexpressing lung cancer cells. Nude mice xenografted with PRDX6 showed increases in tumor size and weight compared to control mice. Histopathological and Western blotting examination demonstrated that expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen, vascular endothelial growth factor, metalloproteinases 2 and 9, and cyclin-dependent kinases accompanied by increased iPLA2 and GPx activities were increased in the tumor tissues of PRDX6-overexpressing nude mice. In tumor tissues of PRDX6-overexpressing mice, the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases and AP-1 DNA binding were also increased. The growth of lung cancer cell lines (A549 and NCI-H460) was enhanced by the increase in iPLA2 and GPx activities of PRDX6. In addition, mutant PRDX6 (C47S) attenuated PRDX6-mediated p38, ERK1/2, and AP-1 activities as well as its enzyme activities in the A549 and NCI-H460 lines. Furthermore, tumor growth and p38, ERK1/2, and AP-1 activities were also inhibited in nude mice bearing mutant PRDX6 (C47S) compared to PRDX6. Therefore, our findings indicate that PRDX6 promotes lung tumor growth via increased glutathione peroxidase and iPLA2 activities.

In vivo pharmacokinetics, biodistribution and antitumor effect of amphiphilic poly(L-amino acids) micelles loaded with a novel all-trans retinoic acid derivative

Poly(amino acid)s are well-known as biodegradable and environmentally acceptable materials. In this study, a series of poly(L-aspartic acid)-b-poly(L-phenylalanine) (PAA-PPA) compounds with different degrees of polymerization were used to prepare copolymer micelles for a poorly water-soluble drug 4-amino-2-trifluoromethyl-phenyl retinate (ATPR, a novel all-trans retinoic acid derivative) and in vivo pharmacokinetics, biodistribution and antitumor efficacy of ATPR delivered by PAA-PPA micelles were evaluated. The area under the plasma concentration time curve AUC0→∞ of ATPR-loaded PAA20PPA20 micelles was 2.23 and 1.97 times higher than that of ATPR solution and ATPR CrmEL solution, respectively; In addition, the mean residence time (MRT) was increased 1.67 and 1.97-fold, respectively and the total body clearance (CL) was reduced 2.25 and 1.98-fold, respectively. The biodistribution study indicated that most of the ATPR in the ATPR-M group was distributed in the liver and there was delayed liver aggregation compared with the ATPR solution and ATPR CrmEL solution groups. Furthermore, the antitumor efficacy of ATPR-loaded PAA20PPA20 micelles was demonstrated in in vivo antitumor models involving mice inoculated with the human gastric cancer cell line SGC-7901. At the same dose of 7mg/kg, the ATPR-loaded micelles group demonstrated a better tumor growth inhibition and induced differentiation than the groups given ATPR solution and ATPR CrmEL solution. Therefore, the ATPR-loaded PAA-PPA micelles appear to be a potentially useful drug delivery system for ATPR and suitable for the chemotherapy of gastric cancer.