1
|
Zhang WF, Ruan CW, Wu JB, Wu GL, Wang XG, Chen HJ. Limonin inhibits the stemness of cancer stem-like cells derived from colorectal carcinoma cells potentially via blocking STAT3 signaling. World J Clin Oncol 2024; 15:317-328. [PMID: 38455137 PMCID: PMC10915944 DOI: 10.5306/wjco.v15.i2.317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Limonin is one of the most abundant active ingredients of Tetradium ruticarpum. It exerts antitumor effects on several kinds of cancer cells. However, whether limonin exerts antitumor effects on colorectal cancer (CRC) cells and cancer stem-like cells (CSCs), a subpopulation responsible for a poor prognosis, is unclear. AIM To evaluate the effects of limonin on CSCs derived from CRC cells. METHODS CSCs were collected by culturing CRC cells in serum-free medium. The cytotoxicity of limonin against CSCs and parental cells (PCs) was determined by cholecystokinin octapeptide-8 assay. The effects of limonin on stemness were detected by measuring stemness hallmarks and sphere formation ability. RESULTS As expected, limonin exerted inhibitory effects on CRC cell behaviors, including cell proliferation, migration, invasion, colony formation and tumor formation in soft agar. A relatively low concentration of limonin decreased the expression stemness hallmarks, including Nanog and β-catenin, the proportion of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1-positive CSCs, and the sphere formation rate, indicating that limonin inhibits stemness without presenting cytotoxicity. Additionally, limonin treatment inhibited invasion and tumor formation in soft agar and in nude mice. Moreover, limonin treatment significantly inhibited the phosphorylation of STAT3 at Y705 but not S727 and did not affect total STAT3 expression. Inhibition of Nanog and β-catenin expression and sphere formation by limonin was obviously reversed by pretreatment with 2 μmol/L colievlin. CONCLUSION Taken together, these results indicate that limonin is a promising compound that targets CSCs and could be used to combat CRC recurrence and metastasis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Feng Zhang
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu Province, China
- Department of Anorectal Section, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221000, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Cheng-Wei Ruan
- Department of Anorectal Section, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou 221000, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Jun-Bo Wu
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu Province, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Hengyang Central Hospital, Hengyang 421000, Hunan Province, China
| | - Guo-Liang Wu
- The First College for Clinical Medicine, Nanjing University Of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Xiao-Gan Wang
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Hong-Jin Chen
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210029, Jiangsu Province, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Si Y, Xu J, Meng L, Wu Y, Qi J. Role of STAT3 in the pathogenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and its significance in anticancer therapy. Front Oncol 2022; 12:1021179. [PMID: 36313702 PMCID: PMC9615247 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1021179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a type of head and neck tumor with noticeable regional and ethnic differences. It is associated with Epstein-Barr virus infection and has a tendency for local and distant metastasis. NPC is also highly sensitive to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Over 70% of patients present with locoregionally advanced disease, and distant metastasis is the primary reason for treatment failure. A signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) promotes NPC oncogenesis through mechanisms within cancerous cells and their interactions with the tumor microenvironment, which is critical in the initiation, progression, and metastasis of NPC. Further, p-STAT3 is strongly associated with advanced NPC. Recent research on STAT3 has focused on its expression at the center of various oncogenic pathways. Here, we discuss the role of STAT3 in NPC and its potential therapeutic inhibitors and analogs for the treatment and control of NPC.
Collapse
|
3
|
Xia T, Gu Y, Shen J, Zheng L, Xu C. Limonin ameliorates acute pancreatitis by suppressing JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY 2021; 36:2392-2403. [PMID: 34423886 DOI: 10.1002/tox.23352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Acute pancreatitis (AP) is one of the most common acute abdomen of digestive system and has the characteristics of dangerous condition and rapid development. Limonin has been confirmed to hold anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in various diseases. However, its potential beneficial effect on AP and the concrete mechanisms have never been revealed. Here, two mouse models were used to investigate the protective effects of limonin on AP, the caerulein-induced mild acute pancreatitis (MAP) model and L-arginine-induced severe AP (SAP) model. Firstly, it was found that limonin administration attenuated lipase and serum amylase levels and ameliorated the histopathological manifestations of pancreatic tissue in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, the amelioration of AP by limonin was associated with reduced levels of inflammation initiators (IL-6, IL-1β, CCL2, and TNF-α). Mechanistically, we found that limonin suppressed the Janus Activating Kinase 2 (JAK2)/Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling pathway, as evident by the decreased levels of JAK2 and p-STAT3. And activation of JAK2 using JAK2 activator rescued the protective effects of limonin on AP. Thus, our results demonstrate that limonin can ameliorate AP in two mice models via suppressing JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Xia
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Yijie Gu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Jiaqing Shen
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Lu Zheng
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Chunfang Xu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Deng J, Huang M, Wu H. Protective effect of limonin against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity via activating nuclear factor - like 2 and Sirtuin 2 signaling pathways. Bioengineered 2021; 12:7975-7984. [PMID: 34565300 PMCID: PMC8806972 DOI: 10.1080/21655979.2021.1985299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory effects of limonin have been established, here, we aim to explore whether limonin can induce protective effects against doxorubicin (DOX)-mediated cardiotoxicity which limits its clinical application. We found that limonin attenuated DOX-mediated cytoxicology of myocardial cell line H9C2 by measuring cell viability and reactive oxygen species (ROS) level. Additionally, limonin ameliorates DOX-induced cardiac injury in rat by examining the activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration, and histopathological changes. Mechanistically, it was shown that limonin partially abrogated the inhibition of Nuclear factor – like 2 and Sirtuin 2 signaling induced by DOX. Furthermore, limonin-mediated protective effects on DOX-mediated cytoxicology of H9C2 were rescued by a Sirt2-specific inhibitor or siRNA against Sirt2. Thus, this work reveals that limonin can suppress DOX-mediated cardiotoxicity by activating Nrf2 and Sirt2 signaling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jie Deng
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, PR China
| | - Min Huang
- Department of Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, PR China
| | - Hao Wu
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, PR China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
CDK1 promotes the stemness of lung cancer cells through interacting with Sox2. Clin Transl Oncol 2021; 23:1743-1751. [PMID: 33721187 DOI: 10.1007/s12094-021-02575-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The promoting roles of cyclin dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) have been revealed in various tumors, however, its effects in the progression of cancer stem cells are still confusing. This work aims to explore the roles of CDK1 in regulating the stemness of lung cancer cells. METHODS Online dataset analysis was performed to evaluate the correlation between CDK1 exression and the survival of lung cancer patients. RT-qPCR, western blot, cell viability, sphere-formation analysis and ALDH activity detection were used to investigate the roles of CDK1 on lung cancer cell stemness, viability and chemotherapeutic sensitivity. Immunocoprecipitation (Co-IP) analysis and rescuing experiments were performed to reveal the underlying mechanisms contributing to CDK1-mediated effects on lung cancer cell stemness. RESULTS CDK1 mRNA expression was negatively correlated with the overall survival of lung cancer patients and remarkably increased in tumor spheres formed by lung cancer cells compared to the parental cells. Additionally, CDK1 positively regulated the stemness of lung cancer cells. Mechanistically, CDK1 could interact with Sox2 protein, but not other stemness markers (Oct4, Nanog and CD133). Furthermore, CDK1 increased the phosphorylation, cytoplasm-nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity of Sox2 protein in lung cancer cells. Moreover, CDK1 positively regulated the stemness of lung cancer cells in a Sox2-dependent manner. Finally, we revealed that inhibition of CDK1 enhanced the chemotherapeutic sensitivity, which was also rescued by Sox2 overexpression. CONCLUSIONS This work reveals a novel CDK1/Sox2 axis responsible for maintaining the stemness of lung cancer cells.
Collapse
|
6
|
Xu Y, Wang Q, Li X, Chen Y, Xu G. Itraconazole attenuates the stemness of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells via triggering ferroptosis. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY 2021; 36:257-266. [PMID: 32951314 DOI: 10.1002/tox.23031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 08/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Radiotherapy is a common therapy method for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treatment; however, radioresistance greatly limits the clinical efficiency and prognosis of NPC patients. Therefore, it is extremely urgent to reveal the underlying mechanism contributing to radioresistance and find possible diagnostic biomarkers. Here, we collected the spheroids formed by NPC cells, which had been confirmed to hold the stem cell-like traits, and found that these spheroids exhibited a certain degree of radioresistance. Additionally, NPC spheroids displayed a certain degree of ferroptosis resistance, as evident by the decrease of iron concentration in lysosomes and lipid peroxides oxygen, and increase of glutathione (GSH) level. Furthermore, we revealed that itraconazole triggered the ferroptosis of NPC spheroids, which is characterized as the increase of iron concentration and lipid peroxides oxygen, and decrease of GSH level, and decreased the cell viability of NPC spheroids. Notably, itraconazole partially reversed the radioresistance of NPC spheroids. Mechanistically, we found that itraconazole can sequester iron in lysosome and thus trigger ferroptosis; this is essential for itraconazole-mediated attenuation on NPC spheroid stemness. Therefore, this study provides evidences showing that itraconazole might be used for killing NPC stem cells and thus attenuate radioresistance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ying Xu
- Department of Health Management, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Qian Wang
- Department of Health Management, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Xiaozhen Li
- Department of Health Management, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yingyan Chen
- Department of Health Management, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Gang Xu
- Department of Health Management, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Ren Y, Kinghorn AD. Development of Potential Antitumor Agents from the Scaffolds of Plant-Derived Terpenoid Lactones. J Med Chem 2020; 63:15410-15448. [PMID: 33289552 PMCID: PMC7812702 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c01449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Naturally occurring terpenoid lactones and their synthetic derivatives have attracted increasing interest for their promising antitumor activity and potential utilization in the discovery and design of new antitumor agents. In the present perspective article, selected plant-derived five-membered γ-lactones and six-membered δ-lactones that occur with terpenoid scaffolds are reviewed, with their structures, cancer cell line cytotoxicity and in vivo antitumor activity, structure-activity relationships, mechanism of action, and the potential for developing cancer chemotherapeutic agents discussed in each case. The compounds presented include artemisinin (ART, 1), parthenolide (PTL, 2), thapsigargin (TPG, 3), andrographolide (AGL, 4), ginkgolide B (GKL B, 5), jolkinolide B (JKL B, 6), nagilactone E (NGL E, 7), triptolide (TPL, 8), bruceantin (BRC, 9), dichapetalin A (DCT A, 10), and limonin (LMN, 11), and their naturally occurring analogues and synthetic derivatives. It is hoped that this contribution will be supportive of the future development of additional efficacious anticancer agents derived from natural products.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yulin Ren
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, United States
| | - A. Douglas Kinghorn
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, United States
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Zhao Q, Sun P, Qin S, Liu J. Acylglycerol kinase promotes the stemness of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells by promoting β-catenin translocation to the nucleus through activating PI3K/Akt pathway. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY 2020; 35:1299-1307. [PMID: 32652857 DOI: 10.1002/tox.22994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Recent evidences show that acylglycerol kinase (AGK) expression is related to the occurrence and development of various human cancers. However, its roles in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) progression are still unclear. This work aims to explore the roles of AGK in NPC cell stemness. It was shown that AGK expression was higher in NPC tissues compared to the adjacent tissues. Online dataset analysis revealed that AGK expression was negatively correlated with the overall survival of NPC patients. Gain and loss of functional experiments demonstrated that AGK positively regulated the stemness of NPC cells, as evident by the change of the tumor sphere-formation ability, ALDH1 activity and expression of stemness critical regulators. KEGG analysis were performed to determine the potential pathways of AGK involved in NPC cell stemness and showed that the PI3K/Akt pathway exhibited the most correlation with AGK expression. Further mechanistic studies confirmed that AGK promoted the stemness of NPC cells through activating the PI3K/Akt pathway, and thus enhancing β-catenin accumulation in nucleus. This study demonstrates a novel AGK/PI3K/Akt/β-catenin axis involving in NPC cell stemness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qi Zhao
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Peng Sun
- Department of Otolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Songbing Qin
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Jisheng Liu
- Department of Otolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Wang X, Zhang X, Qiu C, Yang N. STAT3 Contributes to Radioresistance in Cancer. Front Oncol 2020; 10:1120. [PMID: 32733808 PMCID: PMC7358404 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.01120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Radiotherapy has been used in the clinic for more than one century and it is recognized as one of the main methods in the treatment of malignant tumors. Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription 3 (STAT3) is reported to be upregulated in many tumor types, and it is believed to be involved in the tumorigenesis, development and malignant behaviors of tumors. Previous studies also found that STAT3 contributes to chemo-resistance of various tumor types. Recently, many studies reported that STAT3 is involved in the response of tumor cells to radiotherapy. But until now, the role of the STAT3 in radioresistance has not been systematically demonstrated. In this study, we will review the radioresistance induced by STAT3 and relative solutions will be discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xuehai Wang
- Department of Otolaryngology, Weihai Municipal Hospital, Shandong University, Weihai, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University and Institute of Brain and Brain-Inspired Science, Shandong University, Jinan, China.,Shandong Key Laboratory of Brain Function Remodeling, Jinan, China
| | - Chen Qiu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Ning Yang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University and Institute of Brain and Brain-Inspired Science, Shandong University, Jinan, China.,Shandong Key Laboratory of Brain Function Remodeling, Jinan, China
| |
Collapse
|