4-thiazolidinone-based derivatives rosiglitazone and pioglitazone affect the expression of antioxidant enzymes in different human cell lines

Role of 4-Thiazolidinone-Pyrazoline/Indoline Hybrids Les-4369 and Les-3467 in BJ and A549 Cell Lines

Cancer is one of the most important problems of modern societies. Recently, studies have reported the anticancer properties of rosiglitazone related to its ability to bind peroxisome proliferator receptor γ (PPARγ), which has various effects on cancer and can inhibit cell proliferation. In this study, we investigated the effect of new 4-thiazolidinone (4-TZD) hybrids Les-4369 and Les-3467 and their effect on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, metabolic activity, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, caspase-3 activity, and gene and protein expression in human foreskin fibroblast (BJ) cells and lung adenocarcinoma (A549) cells. The ROS production and caspase-3 activity were mainly increased in the micromolar concentrations of the studied compounds in both cell lines. Les-3467 and Les-4369 increased the mRNA expression of PPARG, P53 (tumor protein P53), and ATM (ATM serine/threonine kinase) in the BJ cells, while the mRNA expression of these genes (except PPARG) was mainly decreased in the A549 cells treated with both of the tested compounds. Our results indicate a decrease in the protein expression of AhR, PPARγ, and PARP-1 in the BJ cells exposed to 1 µM Les-3467 and Les-4369. In the A549 cells, the protein expression of AhR, PPARγ, and PARP-1 increased in the treatment with 1 µM Les-3467 and Les-4369. We have also shown the PPARγ modulatory properties of Les-3467 and Les-4369. However, both compounds prove weak anticancer properties evidenced by their action at high concentrations and non-selective effects against BJ and A549 cells.

Targeting PPARs for therapy of atherosclerosis: A review

Atherosclerosis, a chief pathogenic factor of cardiovascular disease, is associated with many factors including inflammation, dyslipidemia, and oxidative stress. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are nuclear receptors and are widely expressed with tissue- and cell-specificity. They control multiple genes that are involved in lipid metabolism, inflammatory response, and redox homeostasis. Given the diverse biological functions of PPARs, they have been extensively studied since their discovery in 1990s. Although controversies exist, accumulating evidence have demonstrated that PPAR activation attenuates atherosclerosis. Recent advances are valuable for understanding the mechanisms of action of PPAR activation. This article reviews the recent findings, mainly from the year of 2018 to present, including endogenous molecules in regulation of PPARs, roles of PPARs in atherosclerosis by focusing on lipid metabolism, inflammation, and oxidative stress, and synthesized PPAR modulators. This article provides information valuable for researchers in the field of basic cardiovascular research, for pharmacologists that are interested in developing novel PPAR agonists and antagonists with lower side effects as well as for clinicians.

Crosstalk between the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) as a key factor in the metabolism of silver nanoparticles in neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells in vitro

The potential usefulness of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in anticancer therapy has been postulated for many years. However, little is known to date about the exact impact of such NPs on intracellular detoxication pathways. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the impact of AgNPs on the AhR-PPARγ-CYP1A1 pathway in neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells. The obtained results showed a decrease in the metabolic activity of the SH-SY5Y cells at the 50 and 100 μg/mL concentrations with an increase in caspase-3 activity. An increase in the intercellular ROS production was observed at the 1 and 10 μg/mL concentrations. The co-treatment of the AgNP-treated cells with the AhR and PPARγ inhibitors abolished the effect of the tested AgNPs in the SH-SY5Y cells. In turn, the CYP1A1 activity assay showed a decrease in this parameter in the AgNP-treated cells. Moreover, the gene expression analysis demonstrated that AgNPs were able to increase the AhR and CYP1A1 mRNA expression and decrease the PPARγ gene expression after the 6-h treatment. In turn, an increase in the AhR and PPARγ protein expression was observed after 24 h. Summarizing, the study shows for the first time that AgNPs with a 5-nm diameter size are able to exert a cytotoxic effect on SH-SH5Y cells in a ROS-dependent manner affect the AhR-PPARγ-CYP1A1 pathway inter alia by inhibiting the activity of CYP1A1. This is important due to given present research approaches using such NPs as enhancer agents in the modern PPARγ inhibitor-based anticancer therapy.

Targeting Nuclear Receptors in Lung Cancer—Novel Therapeutic Prospects

Lung cancer, the second most commonly diagnosed cancer, is the major cause of fatalities worldwide for both men and women, with an estimated 2.2 million new incidences and 1.8 million deaths, according to GLOBOCAN 2020. Although various risk factors for lung cancer pathogenesis have been reported, controlling smoking alone has a significant value as a preventive measure. In spite of decades of extensive research, mechanistic cues and targets need to be profoundly explored to develop potential diagnostics, treatments, and reliable therapies for this disease. Nuclear receptors (NRs) function as transcription factors that control diverse biological processes such as cell growth, differentiation, development, and metabolism. The aberrant expression of NRs has been involved in a variety of disorders, including cancer. Deregulation of distinct NRs in lung cancer has been associated with numerous events, including mutations, epigenetic modifications, and different signaling cascades. Substantial efforts have been made to develop several small molecules as agonists or antagonists directed to target specific NRs for inhibiting tumor cell growth, migration, and invasion and inducing apoptosis in lung cancer, which makes NRs promising candidates for reliable lung cancer therapeutics. The current work focuses on the importance of various NRs in the development and progression of lung cancer and highlights the different small molecules (e.g., agonist or antagonist) that influence NR expression, with the goal of establishing them as viable therapeutics to combat lung cancer.

4-Thiazolidinone-based derivatives do not affect differentiation of mouse embryo fibroblasts (3T3-L1 cell line) into adipocytes

Nowadays, diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM) is a serious problem in western European societies and in the United States. Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are a broad group of compounds used to decrease insulin resistance in TDM2. To date, it has been believed that TZDs act mainly through activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ). The PPARγ receptor is important in differentiation of preadipocytes into mature adipocytes. Therefore, given the potential of structurally related thiopyrano[2,3-d]thiazoles Les-2194 and Les-3377 and 4-thiazolidinone derivative Les-3640 to interact with the PPARγ receptor, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of the 4-thiazolidinone-based derivatives mentioned above on the process of 3T3-L1 cell line differentiation into adipocytes. In the first part of our study, we prove that Les-2194, Les-3377, and Les-3640 are cytotoxic to 3T3-L1 cells. In the next stage, we determine that Les-2194, Les-3377, and Les-3640 stimulate lipid accumulation (using the ORO staining method) and induce specific gene expression (Dlk1, Fabp4, Vegfa, Pai-1, Resistin, Adiponectin, and Pparγ). Our data show that rosiglitazone, pioglitazone, Les-2194, and Les-3640 at a concentration of 2 μM do not affect 3T3-L1 cell viability and do not activate the apoptotic process. Only Les-3377 decreased the number and metabolism of the cells. Although all the studied compounds influenced the expression of Dlk1, Fabp4, Vegfa, Pai-1, Resistin, Adiponectin, and Pparγ genes, none of them caused gene expression similar to that induced by rosiglitazone or pioglitazone. The ORO staining showed that rosiglitazone and pioglitazone induced lipid accumulation in the 3T3-L1 cell line, which is a marker of mature adipocytes. Only rosiglitazone increased Pparγ protein expression after 14 days of differentiation.