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Zhou L, Li Y, Zheng D, Zheng Y, Cui Y, Qin L, Tang Z, Peng D, Wu Q, Long Y, Yao Y, Wong N, Lau J, Li P. Bispecific CAR-T cells targeting FAP and GPC3 have the potential to treat hepatocellular carcinoma. MOLECULAR THERAPY. ONCOLOGY 2024; 32:200817. [PMID: 38882528 PMCID: PMC11179089 DOI: 10.1016/j.omton.2024.200817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has demonstrated robust efficacy against hematological malignancies, but there are still some challenges regarding treating solid tumors, including tumor heterogeneity, antigen escape, and an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Here, we found that SNU398, a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell line, exhibited high expression levels of fibroblast activation protein (FAP) and Glypican 3 (GPC3), which were negatively correlated with patient prognosis. The HepG2 HCC cell line highly expressed GPC3, while the SNU387 cell line exhibited high expression of FAP. Thus, we developed bispecific CAR-T cells to simultaneously target FAP and GPC3 to address tumor heterogeneity in HCC. The anti-FAP-GPC3 bispecific CAR-T cells could recognize and be activated by FAP or GPC3 expressed by tumor cells. Compared with anti-FAP CAR-T cells or anti-GPC3 CAR-T cells, bispecific CAR-T cells achieved more robust activity against tumor cells expressing FAP and GPC3 in vitro. The anti-FAP-GPC3 bispecific CAR-T cells also exhibited superior antitumor efficacy and significantly prolonged the survival of mice compared with single-target CAR-T cells in vivo. Overall, the use of anti-FAP-GPC3 bispecific CAR-T cells is a promising treatment approach to reduce tumor recurrence caused by tumor antigen heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linfu Zhou
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedicine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, the CUHK-GIBH Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yao Li
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedicine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, the CUHK-GIBH Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Diwei Zheng
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedicine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, the CUHK-GIBH Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yongfang Zheng
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedicine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, the CUHK-GIBH Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yuanbin Cui
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedicine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, the CUHK-GIBH Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Le Qin
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedicine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, the CUHK-GIBH Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Health, Hong Kong Institute of Science & Innovation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Guangdong Zhaotai Cell Biology Technology Ltd., Foshan, China
| | - Zhaoyang Tang
- Guangdong Zhaotai Cell Biology Technology Ltd., Foshan, China
| | - Dongdong Peng
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedicine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, the CUHK-GIBH Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Qiting Wu
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedicine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, the CUHK-GIBH Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Youguo Long
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedicine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, the CUHK-GIBH Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yao Yao
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedicine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, the CUHK-GIBH Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Nathalie Wong
- Department of Surgery of the Faculty of Medicine, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Hong Kong, China
| | - James Lau
- Department of Surgery of the Faculty of Medicine, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Hong Kong, China
| | - Peng Li
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedicine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, the CUHK-GIBH Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Health, Hong Kong Institute of Science & Innovation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Surgery of the Faculty of Medicine, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Hong Kong, China
- Key Laboratory of Biological Targeting Diagnosis, Therapy and Rehabilitation of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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G. de Castro C, G. del Hierro A, H-Vázquez J, Cuesta-Sancho S, Bernardo D. State-of-the-art cytometry in the search of novel biomarkers in digestive cancers. Front Oncol 2024; 14:1407580. [PMID: 38868532 PMCID: PMC11167087 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1407580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite that colorectal and liver cancer are among the most prevalent tumours in the world, the identification of non-invasive biomarkers to aid on their diagnose and subsequent prognosis is a current unmet need that would diminish both their incidence and mortality rates. In this context, conventional flow cytometry has been widely used in the screening of biomarkers with clinical utility in other malignant processes like leukaemia or lymphoma. Therefore, in this review, we will focus on how advanced cytometry panels covering over 40 parameters can be applied on the study of the immune system from patients with colorectal and hepatocellular carcinoma and how that can be used on the search of novel biomarkers to aid or diagnose, prognosis, and even predict clinical response to different treatments. In addition, these multiparametric and unbiased approaches can also provide novel insights into the specific immunopathogenic mechanisms governing these malignant diseases, hence potentially unravelling novel targets to perform immunotherapy or identify novel mechanisms, rendering the development of novel treatments. As a consequence, computational cytometry approaches are an emerging methodology for the early detection and predicting therapies for gastrointestinal cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina G. de Castro
- Mucosal Immunology Lab, Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Genetics (IBGM), University of Valladolid and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Valladolid, Spain
| | - Alejandro G. del Hierro
- Mucosal Immunology Lab, Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Genetics (IBGM), University of Valladolid and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Valladolid, Spain
| | - Juan H-Vázquez
- Mucosal Immunology Lab, Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Genetics (IBGM), University of Valladolid and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Valladolid, Spain
| | - Sara Cuesta-Sancho
- Mucosal Immunology Lab, Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Genetics (IBGM), University of Valladolid and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Valladolid, Spain
| | - David Bernardo
- Mucosal Immunology Lab, Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Genetics (IBGM), University of Valladolid and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Valladolid, Spain
- Centro de Investigaciones Biomedicas en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Madrid, Spain
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El-Derby AM, Khedr MA, Ghoneim NI, Gabr MM, Khater SM, El-Badri N. Plasma-derived extracellular matrix for xenofree and cost-effective organoid modeling for hepatocellular carcinoma. J Transl Med 2024; 22:487. [PMID: 38773585 PMCID: PMC11110239 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-05230-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) causes significant cancer mortality worldwide. Cancer organoids can serve as useful disease models by high costs, complexity, and contamination risks from animal-derived products and extracellular matrix (ECM) that limit its applications. On the other hand, synthetic ECM alternatives also have limitations in mimicking native biocomplexity. This study explores the development of a physiologically relevant HCC organoid model using plasma-derived extracellular matrix as a scaffold and nutritive biomatrix with different cellularity components to better mimic the heterogenous HCC microenvironment. Plasma-rich platelet is recognized for its elevated levels of growth factors, which can promote cell proliferation. By employing it as a biomatrix for organoid culture there is a potential to enhance the quality and functionality of organoid models for diverse applications in biomedical research and regenerative medicine and to better replicate the heterogeneous microenvironment of HCC. METHOD To generate the liver cancer organoids, HUH-7 hepatoma cells were cultured alone (homogenous model) or with human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (heterogeneous model) in plasma-rich platelet extracellular matrix (ECM). The organoids were grown for 14 days and analyzed for cancer properties including cell viability, invasion, stemness, and drug resistance. RESULTS HCC organoids were developed comprising HUH-7 hepatoma cells with or without human mesenchymal stromal and endothelial cells in plasma ECM scaffolds. Both homogeneous (HUH-7 only) and heterogeneous (mixed cellularity) organoids displayed viability, cancer hallmarks, and chemoresistance. The heterogeneous organoids showed enhanced invasion potential, cancer stem cell populations, and late-stage HCC genetic signatures versus homogeneous counterparts. CONCLUSION The engineered HCC organoids system offers a clinically relevant and cost-effective model to study liver cancer pathogenesis, stromal interactions, and drug resistance. The plasma ECM-based culture technique could enable standardized and reproducible HCC modeling. It could also provide a promising option for organoid culture and scaling up.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azza M El-Derby
- Center of Excellence for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine (CESC), Zewail City of Science and Technology, October Gardens, 6th of October City, Giza, 12582, Egypt
| | - Mennatallah A Khedr
- Center of Excellence for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine (CESC), Zewail City of Science and Technology, October Gardens, 6th of October City, Giza, 12582, Egypt
| | - Nehal I Ghoneim
- Center of Excellence for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine (CESC), Zewail City of Science and Technology, October Gardens, 6th of October City, Giza, 12582, Egypt
| | - Mahmoud M Gabr
- Urology and Nephrology Center, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Sherry M Khater
- Urology and Nephrology Center, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Nagwa El-Badri
- Center of Excellence for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine (CESC), Zewail City of Science and Technology, October Gardens, 6th of October City, Giza, 12582, Egypt.
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Jiang X, Zhou R, Jiang F, Yan Y, Zhang Z, Wang J. Construction of diagnostic models for the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma using machine learning. Front Oncol 2024; 14:1401496. [PMID: 38812780 PMCID: PMC11133637 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1401496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Liver cancer is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer worldwide. A significant proportion of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are diagnosed at advanced stages, leading to unfavorable treatment outcomes. Generally, the development of HCC occurs in distinct stages. However, the diagnostic and intervention markers for each stage remain unclear. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore precise grading methods for HCC. Machine learning has emerged as an effective technique for studying precise tumor diagnosis. In this research, we employed random forest and LightGBM machine learning algorithms for the first time to construct diagnostic models for HCC at various stages of progression. We categorized 118 samples from GSE114564 into three groups: normal liver, precancerous lesion (including chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, dysplastic nodule), and HCC (including early stage HCC and advanced HCC). The LightGBM model exhibited outstanding performance (accuracy = 0.96, precision = 0.96, recall = 0.96, F1-score = 0.95). Similarly, the random forest model also demonstrated good performance (accuracy = 0.83, precision = 0.83, recall = 0.83, F1-score = 0.83). When the progression of HCC was categorized into the most refined six stages: normal liver, chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, dysplastic nodule, early stage HCC, and advanced HCC, the diagnostic model still exhibited high efficacy. Among them, the LightGBM model exhibited good performance (accuracy = 0.71, precision = 0.71, recall = 0.71, F1-score = 0.72). Also, performance of the LightGBM model was superior to that of the random forest model. Overall, we have constructed a diagnostic model for the progression of HCC and identified potential diagnostic characteristic gene for the progression of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Jiang
- Innovation Center for Cancer Research, Clinical Oncology School of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, China
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Cancer Screening and Early Diagnosis, Fuzhou, China
| | - Ruilong Zhou
- Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Fengle Jiang
- Innovation Center for Cancer Research, Clinical Oncology School of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, China
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Cancer Screening and Early Diagnosis, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yanan Yan
- Innovation Center for Cancer Research, Clinical Oncology School of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, China
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Cancer Screening and Early Diagnosis, Fuzhou, China
| | - Zheting Zhang
- Innovation Center for Cancer Research, Clinical Oncology School of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, China
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Cancer Screening and Early Diagnosis, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jianmin Wang
- Innovation Center for Cancer Research, Clinical Oncology School of Fujian Medical University, Fujian Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, China
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Cancer Screening and Early Diagnosis, Fuzhou, China
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Yang YP, Bai M, Cheng YX, Feng X, Zhang YY, Zhang YY, Liu MY, Duan YQ. Based on the prognosis model of immunogenes, the prognosis model was constructed to predict the invasion of immune genes and immune cells related to primary liver cancer and its experimental validation. Heliyon 2024; 10:e27362. [PMID: 38560168 PMCID: PMC10980948 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Primary liver cancer (PLC) is a prevalent malignancy of the digestive system characterized by insidious symptom onset and a generally poor prognosis. Recent studies have highlighted a significant correlation between the initiation and prognosis of liver cancer and the immune function of PLC patients. Purpose Revealing the expression of PLC-related immune genes and the characteristics of immune cell infiltration provides assistance for the analysis of clinical pathological parameters and prognosis of PLC patients. Methods PLC-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with a median absolute deviation (MAD > 0.5) were identified from TCGA and GEO databases. These DEGs were intersected with immune-related genes (IRGs) from the ImmPort database to obtain PLC-related IRGs. The method of constructing a prognostic model through immune-related gene pairs (IRGPs) is used to obtain IRGPs and conduct the selection of central immune genes. The central immune genes obtained from the selection of IRGPs are validated in PLC. Subsequently, the relative proportions of 22 types of immune cells in different immune risk groups are evaluated, and the differential characteristics of PLC-related immune cells are verified through animal experiments. Results Through database screening and the construction of an IRGP prognosis model, 84 pairs of IRGPs (P < 0.001) were ultimately obtained. Analysis of these 84 IRGPs revealed 11 central immune genes related to PLC, showing differential expression in liver cancer tissues compared to normal liver tissues. Results from the CiberSort platform indicate differential expression of immune cells such as naive B cells, macrophages, and neutrophils in different immune risk groups. Animal experiments demonstrated altered immune cell proportions in H22 tumor-bearing mice, validating findings from peripheral blood and spleen homogenate analyses. Conclusion Our study successfully predicted and validated PLC-related IRGs and immune cells, suggesting their potential as prognostic indicators and therapeutic targets for PLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Ping Yang
- Gansu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Min Bai
- Gansu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Yin-Xia Cheng
- Ningxia Medical University, College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yinchuan, 750000, PR China
| | - Xin Feng
- Gansu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Yan-Ying Zhang
- Gansu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Yuan-Yuan Zhang
- Gansu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Meng-Ya Liu
- Gansu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Yong-Qiang Duan
- Ningxia Medical University, College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yinchuan, 750000, PR China
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Zeng D, Yu C, Chen S, Zou L, Chen J, Xu L. Assessment of disease control rate and safety of sorafenib in targeted therapy for advanced liver cancer. World J Surg Oncol 2024; 22:93. [PMID: 38605359 PMCID: PMC11010384 DOI: 10.1186/s12957-024-03364-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The clinical efficacy and safety of sorafenib in patients with advanced liver cancer (ALC) were evaluated based on transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). METHODS 92 patients with ALC admitted to our hospital from May 2020 to August 2022 were randomly rolled into a control (Ctrl) group and an observation (Obs) group, with 46 patients in each. Patients in the Ctrl group received TACE treatment, while those in the Obs group received sorafenib molecular targeted therapy (SMTT) on the basis of the treatment strategy in the Ctrl group (400 mg/dose, twice daily, followed by a 4-week follow-up observation). Clinical efficacy, disease control rate (DCR), survival time (ST), immune indicators (CD3+, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+), and adverse reactions (ARs) (including mild fatigue, liver pain, hand-foot syndrome (HFS), diarrhea, and fever) were compared for patients in different groups after different treatments. RESULTS the DCR in the Obs group (90%) was greatly higher to that in the Ctrl group (78%), showing an obvious difference (P < 0.05). The median ST in the Obs group was obviously longer and the median disease progression time (DPT) was shorter, exhibiting great differences with those in the Ctrl group (P < 0.05). Moreover, no great difference was observed in laboratory indicators between patients in various groups (P > 0.05). After treatment, the Obs group exhibited better levels in all indicators. Furthermore, the incidence of ARs in the Obs group was lower and exhibited a sharp difference with that in the Ctrl group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION SMTT had demonstrated good efficacy in patients with ALC, improving the DCR, enhancing the immune response of the body, and reducing the incidence of ARs, thereby promoting the disease outcome. Therefore, it was a treatment method worthy of promotion and application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daolin Zeng
- Minimally Invasive Intervention Department, Ganzhou People's Hospital, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, 341000, China
| | - Chunlin Yu
- Minimally Invasive Intervention Department, Ganzhou People's Hospital, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, 341000, China
| | - Shiyao Chen
- Jiangxi Institute of Applied Science and Technology, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330012, China
| | - Long Zou
- Hepatobiliary Surgery Department, Jiangxi Province Cancer Hospital, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330029, China
| | - Junjun Chen
- Key Laboratory of Personalized Diagnosis and Treatment of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, National Health Commission (NHC), Jiangxi Cancer Hospital of Nanchang Medical College, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330029, China
| | - Linlong Xu
- Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Jiujiang First People's Hospital, 48 Taling South Road Jiujiang, Jiujiang, Jiangxi, 332000, China.
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Lu Y, Lin B, Li M. The role of alpha-fetoprotein in the tumor microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Front Oncol 2024; 14:1363695. [PMID: 38660138 PMCID: PMC11039944 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1363695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a prevalent malignant cancer worldwide, characterized by high morbidity and mortality rates. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a glycoprotein synthesized by the liver and yolk sac during fetal development. However, the serum levels of AFP exhibit a significant correlation with the onset and progression of HCC in adults. Extensive research has demonstrated that the tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a crucial role in the malignant transformation of HCC, and AFP is a key factor in the TME, promoting HCC development. The objective of this review was to analyze the existing knowledge regarding the role of AFP in the TME. Specifically, this review focused on the effect of AFP on various cells in the TME, tumor immune evasion, and clinical application of AFP in the diagnosis and treatment of HCC. These findings offer valuable insights into the clinical treatment of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Lu
- Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Intervention, Hainan Medical College, Haikou, Hainan, China
| | - Bo Lin
- Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Intervention, Hainan Medical College, Haikou, Hainan, China
| | - Mengsen Li
- Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Intervention, Hainan Medical College, Haikou, Hainan, China
- Department of Medical Oncology, Second Affiliated Hospital, Hainan Medical College, Haikou, Hainan, China
- Institution of Tumor, Hainan Medical College, Haikou, Hainan, China
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Bao Q, Zeng Y, Lou Q, Feng X, Jiang S, Lu J, Ruan B. Clinical significance of RNA methylation in hepatocellular carcinoma. Cell Commun Signal 2024; 22:204. [PMID: 38566136 PMCID: PMC10986096 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-024-01595-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary liver malignancy with high mortality rates and poor prognosis. Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic technologies have greatly enhanced the understanding of the genetic and epigenetic changes in liver cancer. Among these changes, RNA methylation, the most prevalent internal RNA modification, has emerged as a significant contributor of the development and progression of HCC. Growing evidence has reported significantly abnormal levels of RNA methylation and dysregulation of RNA-methylation-related enzymes in HCC tissues and cell lines. These alterations in RNA methylation play a crucial role in the regulation of various genes and signaling pathways involved in HCC, thereby promoting tumor progression. Understanding the pathogenesis of RNA methylation in HCC would help in developing prognostic biomarkers and targeted therapies for HCC. Targeting RNA-methylation-related molecules has shown promising potential in the management of HCC, in terms of developing novel prognostic biomarkers and therapies for HCC. Exploring the clinical application of targeted RNA methylation may provide new insights and approaches for the management of HCC. Further research in this field is warranted to fully understand the functional roles and underlying mechanisms of RNA methylation in HCC. In this review, we described the multifaceted functional roles and potential mechanisms of RNA methylation in HCC. Moreover, the prospects of clinical application of targeted RNA methylation for HCC management are discussed, which may provide the basis for subsequent in-depth research on RNA methylation in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiongling Bao
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No. 79 Qingchun Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310003, China
| | - Yifan Zeng
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No. 79 Qingchun Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310003, China
| | - Qizhuo Lou
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No. 79 Qingchun Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310003, China
| | - Xuewen Feng
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No. 79 Qingchun Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310003, China
| | - Shuwen Jiang
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No. 79 Qingchun Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310003, China
| | - Juan Lu
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No. 79 Qingchun Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310003, China.
| | - Bing Ruan
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No. 79 Qingchun Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310003, China.
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de Sousa DJM, Feitosa de Oliveira KG, Pereira IC, do Nascimento GTM, Barrense CO, Martins JA, Pereira Rêgo BDM, Oliveira da Silva TE, Carneiro da Silva FC, Torres-Leal FL. Dietary restriction and hepatic cancer: Systematic review and meta-analysis of animal studies. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2024; 196:104264. [PMID: 38341120 DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2024.104264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The effect of calorie restriction, fasting, and ketogenic diets on the treatment of liver cancer remains uncertain. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review to evaluate the effect of restrictive diets on the development and progression of liver cancer in animal models. We did a meta-analysis using the Cochrane Collaboration's Review Manager software, with the random effects model and the inverse variance technique. We examined 19 studies that were conducted between 1983 and 2020. Of these, 63.2% investigated calorie restriction, 21.0% experimented with a ketogenic diet, and 15.8% investigated the effects of fasting. The intervention lasted anything from 48 h to 221 weeks. Results showed that restrictive diets may reduce tumor incidence and progression, with a significant reduction in the risk of liver cancer development. Thereby, our results suggest that putting limits on what you eat may help treat liver cancer in more ways than one.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dallyla Jennifer Morais de Sousa
- Metabolic Diseases Glauto Tuquarre Laboratory, Metabolic Diseases, Exercise and Nutrition Research Group (DOMEN), Department of Biophysics and Physiology, Center for Health Sciences, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Brazil
| | - Kynnara Gabriella Feitosa de Oliveira
- Metabolic Diseases Glauto Tuquarre Laboratory, Metabolic Diseases, Exercise and Nutrition Research Group (DOMEN), Department of Biophysics and Physiology, Center for Health Sciences, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Brazil
| | - Irislene Costa Pereira
- Metabolic Diseases Glauto Tuquarre Laboratory, Metabolic Diseases, Exercise and Nutrition Research Group (DOMEN), Department of Biophysics and Physiology, Center for Health Sciences, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Brazil
| | - Glauto Tuquarre Melo do Nascimento
- Metabolic Diseases Glauto Tuquarre Laboratory, Metabolic Diseases, Exercise and Nutrition Research Group (DOMEN), Department of Biophysics and Physiology, Center for Health Sciences, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Brazil
| | - Clenio Oliveira Barrense
- Metabolic Diseases Glauto Tuquarre Laboratory, Metabolic Diseases, Exercise and Nutrition Research Group (DOMEN), Department of Biophysics and Physiology, Center for Health Sciences, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Brazil
| | - Jorddam Almondes Martins
- Metabolic Diseases Glauto Tuquarre Laboratory, Metabolic Diseases, Exercise and Nutrition Research Group (DOMEN), Department of Biophysics and Physiology, Center for Health Sciences, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Brazil
| | - Beatriz de Mello Pereira Rêgo
- Metabolic Diseases Glauto Tuquarre Laboratory, Metabolic Diseases, Exercise and Nutrition Research Group (DOMEN), Department of Biophysics and Physiology, Center for Health Sciences, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Brazil
| | | | | | - Francisco Leonardo Torres-Leal
- Metabolic Diseases Glauto Tuquarre Laboratory, Metabolic Diseases, Exercise and Nutrition Research Group (DOMEN), Department of Biophysics and Physiology, Center for Health Sciences, Federal University of Piauí, Teresina, Brazil.
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10
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Jiang M, Gu X, Xu Y, Wang J. Metabolism-associated molecular classification and prognosis signature of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Heliyon 2024; 10:e27587. [PMID: 38501009 PMCID: PMC10945276 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2023] [Revised: 02/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Although the fundamental processes and chemical changes in metabolic programs have been elucidated in many cancers, the expression patterns of metabolism-related genes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remain unclear. The mRNA expression profiles from the Cancer Genome Atlas included 502 tumour and 44 normal samples were extracted. We explored the biological functions and prognosis roles of metabolism-associated genes in patients with HNSCC. The results indicated that patients with HNSCC could be divided into three molecular subtypes (C1, C2 and C3) based on 249 metabolism-related genes. There were markedly different clinical characteristics, prognosis outcomes, and biological functions among the three subtypes. Different molecular subtypes also have different tumour microenvironments and immune infiltration levels. The established prognosis model with 17 signature genes could predict the prognosis of patients with HNSCC and was validated using an independent cohort dataset. An individual risk scoring tool was developed using the risk score and clinical parameters; the risk score was an independent prognostic factor for patients with HNSCC. Different risk stratifications have different clinical characteristics, biological features, tumour microenvironments and immune infiltration levels. Our study could be used for clinical risk management and to help conduct precision medicine for patients with HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengxian Jiang
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Central Hospital of Wuhan, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei Province, 430000, China
| | - Xiang Gu
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Central Hospital of Wuhan, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei Province, 430000, China
| | - Yexing Xu
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Maternal and Child Health of Hubei Province, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei Province, 430000, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hubei Province, 430000, China
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11
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Lou Y, Chen D, Gu Q, Zhu Q, Sun H. PANoptosis-related molecule CASP2 affects the immune microenvironment and immunotherapy response of hepatocellular carcinoma. Heliyon 2024; 10:e27302. [PMID: 38509889 PMCID: PMC10950493 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The involvement of molecules associated with PANoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still not well understood. Methods Various R packages were utilized to analyze within the R software. Data that was freely accessible was obtained from the databases of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC). Results Here, we comprehensively explored the role of PANoptosis-related genes in HCC. The caspase 2 (CASP2) was identified as the interest gene for further analysis. We found that CASP2 is related to the poor prognosis and worse clinical features of HCC patients. Moreover, we explored the biological pathway CASP2 is involved in and found that CASP2 is associated with multiple carcinogenic pathways. Also, we noticed that CASP2 can significantly reshape the HCC immune microenvironment and affect the response rate of immunotherapy. Analysis of drug sensitivity suggested that individuals exhibiting elevated CASP2 levels may display increased susceptibility to doxorubicin and vorinostat while demonstrating resistance towards erlotinib, lapatinib, sunitinib, and temsirolimus. Meanwhile, we explored the single-cell distribution of CASP2 in the HCC microenvironment. To enhance the clinical application of CASP2 in HCC, we constructed a prognosis model using the molecules derived from CASP2, which demonstrated good efficiency in predicting patients prognosis. Moreover, in vitro experiments indicated that CASP2 can significantly inhibits cell proliferation, invasion and migration ability of HCC cells. Conclusions Our study comprehensively explored the role of PANoptosis-related molecule CASP2 in HCC, which can provide directions for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Qi Gu
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Qi Zhu
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Hongcheng Sun
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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12
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Jia J, Zhou X, Chu Q. Mechanisms and therapeutic prospect of the JAK-STAT signaling pathway in liver cancer. Mol Cell Biochem 2024:10.1007/s11010-024-04983-5. [PMID: 38519710 DOI: 10.1007/s11010-024-04983-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Liver cancer (LC) poses a significant global health challenge due to its high incidence and poor prognosis. Current systemic treatment options, such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiofrequency ablation, and immunotherapy, have shown limited effectiveness for advanced LC patients. Moreover, owing to the heterogeneous nature of LC, it is crucial to uncover more in-depth pathogenic mechanisms and develop effective treatments to address the limitations of the existing therapeutic modalities. Increasing evidence has revealed the crucial role of the Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway in the pathogenesis of LC. The specific mechanisms driving the JAK-STAT pathway activation in LC, participate in a variety of malignant biological processes, including cell differentiation, evasion, anti-apoptosis, immune escape, and treatment resistance. Both preclinical and clinical investigations on the JAK-STAT pathway inhibitors have exhibited potential in LC treatment, thereby opening up avenues for the development of more targeted therapeutic strategies for LC. In this study, we provide an overview of the JAK-STAT pathway, delving into the composition, activation, and dynamic interplay within the pathway. Additionally, we focus on the molecular mechanisms driving the aberrant activation of the JAK-STAT pathway in LC. Furthermore, we summarize the latest advancements in targeting the JAK-STAT pathway for LC treatment. The insights presented in this review aim to underscore the necessity of research into the JAK-STAT signaling pathway as a promising avenue for LC therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- JunJun Jia
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No. 79 Qingchun Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Xuelian Zhou
- Division of Endocrinology, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Qingfei Chu
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, China.
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13
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Sheng S, Chen B, Xu R, Han Y, Mao D, Chen Y, Li C, Su W, Hu X, Zhao Q, Lowe S, Huang Y, Shao W, Yao Y. A prognostic model for Schistosoma japonicum infection-associated liver hepatocellular carcinoma: strengthening the connection through initial biological experiments. Infect Agent Cancer 2024; 19:10. [PMID: 38515119 PMCID: PMC10956344 DOI: 10.1186/s13027-024-00569-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Numerous studies have shown that Schistosoma japonicum infection correlates with an increased risk of liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC). However, data regarding the role of this infection in LIHC oncogenesis are scarce. This study aimed to investigate the potential mechanisms of hepatocarcinogenesis associated with Schistosoma japonicum infection. METHODS By examining chronic liver disease as a mediator, we identified the genes contributing to Schistosoma japonicum infection and LIHC. We selected 15 key differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and random survival forest models. Consensus clustering revealed two subgroups with distinct prognoses. Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) and Cox regression identified six prognostic DEGs, forming an Schistosoma japonicum infection-associated signature for strong prognosis prediction. This signature, which is an independent LIHC risk factor, was significantly correlated with clinical variables. Four DEGs, including BMI1, were selected based on their protein expression levels in cancerous and normal tissues. We confirmed BMI1's role in LIHC using Schistosoma japonicum-infected mouse models and molecular experiments. RESULTS We identified a series of DEGs that mediate schistosomiasis, the parasitic disease caused by Schistosoma japonicum infection, and hepatocarcinogenesis, and constructed a suitable prognostic model. We analyzed the mechanisms by which these DEGs regulate disease and present the differences in prognosis between the different genotypes. Finally, we verified our findings using molecular biology experiments. CONCLUSION Bioinformatics and molecular biology analyses confirmed a relationship between schistosomiasis and liver hepatocellular cancer. Furthermore, we validated the role of a potential oncoprotein factor that may be associated with infection and carcinogenesis. These findings enhance our understanding of Schistosoma japonicum infection's role in LIHC carcinogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuyan Sheng
- First Clinical Medical College (First Affiliated Hospital), Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
| | - Bangjie Chen
- First Clinical Medical College (First Affiliated Hospital), Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
| | - Ruiyao Xu
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Anhui Provincial Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
| | - Yanxun Han
- First Clinical Medical College (First Affiliated Hospital), Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
| | - Deshen Mao
- First Clinical Medical College (First Affiliated Hospital), Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
| | - Yuerong Chen
- First Clinical Medical College (First Affiliated Hospital), Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
| | - Conghan Li
- First Clinical Medical College (First Affiliated Hospital), Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
| | - Wenzhuo Su
- Second Clinical Medical College, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
| | - Xinyang Hu
- First Clinical Medical College (First Affiliated Hospital), Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
| | - Qing Zhao
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Anhui Provincial Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
| | - Scott Lowe
- College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kansas City University, 1750 Independence Ave, Kansas City, MO, 64106, USA
| | - Yuting Huang
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic in Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Wei Shao
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Anhui Provincial Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China.
| | - Yong Yao
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Anhui Provincial Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China.
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China.
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14
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Almalki WH, Almujri SS. The dual roles of circRNAs in Wnt/β-Catenin signaling and cancer progression. Pathol Res Pract 2024; 255:155132. [PMID: 38335783 DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2024.155132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Cancer, a complex pathophysiological condition, arises from the abnormal proliferation and survival of cells due to genetic mutations. Dysregulation of cell cycle control, apoptosis, and genomic stability contribute to uncontrolled growth and metastasis. Tumor heterogeneity, microenvironmental influences, and immune evasion further complicate cancer dynamics. The intricate interplay between circular RNAs (circRNAs) and the Wnt/β-Catenin signalling pathway has emerged as a pivotal axis in the landscape of cancer biology. The Wnt/β-Catenin pathway, a critical regulator of cell fate and proliferation, is frequently dysregulated in various cancers. CircRNAs, a class of non-coding RNAs with closed-loop structures, have garnered increasing attention for their diverse regulatory functions. This review systematically explores the intricate crosstalk between circRNAs and the Wnt/β-Catenin pathway, shedding light on their collective impact on cancer initiation and progression. The review explores the diverse mechanisms through which circRNAs modulate the Wnt/β-Catenin pathway, including sponging microRNAs, interacting with RNA-binding proteins, and influencing the expression of key components in the pathway. Furthermore, the review highlights specific circRNAs implicated in various cancer types, elucidating their roles as either oncogenic or tumour-suppressive players in the context of Wnt/β-Catenin signaling. The intricate regulatory networks formed by circRNAs in conjunction with the Wnt/β-Catenin pathway are discussed, providing insights into potential therapeutic targets and diagnostic biomarkers. This comprehensive review delves into the multifaceted roles of circRNAs in orchestrating tumorigenesis through their regulatory influence on the Wnt/β-Catenin pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Waleed Hassan Almalki
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Salem Salman Almujri
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Aseer, Saudi Arabia
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15
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Song X, Hou K, Zhou H, Yang J, Cao T, Zhang J. Liver organoids and their application in liver cancer research. Regen Ther 2024; 25:128-137. [PMID: 38226058 PMCID: PMC10788409 DOI: 10.1016/j.reth.2023.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Liver cancer, a common and intractable liver-related disease, is a malignant tumor with a high morbidity, which needs a high treatment cost but still lacks perfect clinical treatment methods. Looking for an effective platform for liver cancer study and drug screening is urgent and important. Traditional analytical methods for liver disease studies mainly rely on the 2D cell culture and animal experiments, which both cannot fully recapitulate physiological and pathological processes of human liver. For example, cell culture can only show basic functions of cells in vitro, while animal models always hold the problem of species divergence. The organoids, a 3D invitro culture system emerged in recent years, is a cell-bound body with different cell types and has partial tissue functions. The organoid technology can reveal the growth state, structure, function and characteristics of the tissue or organ, and plays an important role in reconstructing invitro experimental models that can truly simulate the human liver. In this paper, we will give a brief introduction of liver organoids and review their applications in liver cancer research, especially in liver cancer pathogenesis, drug screening, precision medicine, regenerative medicine, and other fields. We have also discussed advantages and disadvantages of organoids, as well as future directions and perspectives towards liver organoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyu Song
- Binzhou Medical University, 264003 Yantai, Shandong, China
| | - Kaifei Hou
- Binzhou Medical University, 264003 Yantai, Shandong, China
| | - Hongyan Zhou
- School of Pharmacy, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 250300 Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Jingyi Yang
- Binzhou Medical University, 264003 Yantai, Shandong, China
| | - Ting Cao
- The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 310003 Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jiayu Zhang
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Binzhou Medical University, 264003 Yantai, Shandong, China
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16
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Rezoan Hossain M, Zahra Shova FT, Akter M, Shuvo S, Ahmed N, Akter A, Haque M, Salma U, Roman Mogal M, Saha HR, Sarkar BC, Sohel M. Esculetin unveiled: Decoding its anti-tumor potential through molecular mechanisms-A comprehensive review. Cancer Rep (Hoboken) 2024; 7:e1948. [PMID: 38062981 PMCID: PMC10809201 DOI: 10.1002/cnr2.1948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The growing complexity of cancer has made it a significant concern in the medical community. Although cancer research has advanced, it is still challenging to create new effective medications due to the limitations and side effects of existing treatment strategies. These are enforcing the development of some alternative drugs from natural compounds with fewer drawbacks and side effects. AIM Therefore, this review aims to provide up-to-date, crucial, and all-encompassing data on esculetin's anticancer activity, including all relevant molecular and cellular processes based on in vivo and in vitro investigations. RESULTS According to the literature review, esculetin is available in nature and is effective against 16 different types of cancer. The general mechanism shown by esculetin is modulating signaling cascades and its related pathways, like cell proliferation, cell growth, autophagy, apoptosis, necrosis, inflammation, angiogenesis, metastasis, invasion, and DNA damage. Nanoformulation of esculetin improves this natural product's efficacy by improving water solubility. Esculetin's synergistic effects with both natural substances and conventional treatments have been shown, and this method aids in reversing resistance mechanisms by modulating resistance-related proteins. In addition, it has fewer side effects on humans than other phytochemicals and standard drugs with some good pharmacokinetic features. CONCLUSION Therefore, until standard chemotherapeutics are available in pharmaceutical markets, esculetin should be used as a therapeutic drug against various cancer types.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Fatema Tuj Zahra Shova
- Biotechnology and Genetic EngineeringMawlana Bhashani Science and Technology UniversityTangailBangladesh
| | - Munni Akter
- Department of MedicalDinajpure Nursing College (Affiliated Rajshahi University)DinajpurBangladesh
| | - Shahporan Shuvo
- Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMawlana Bhashani Science and Technology UniversityTangailBangladesh
| | - Nasim Ahmed
- Department of PharmacyMawlana Bhashani Science and Technology UniversityTangailBangladesh
| | - Afroza Akter
- Departmnet of MicrobiologyNoakhali Science and Technology UniversityNoakhaliBangladesh
| | - Munira Haque
- Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyPrimeasia UniversityDhakaBangladesh
| | - Umme Salma
- Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyPrimeasia UniversityDhakaBangladesh
| | - Md Roman Mogal
- Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMawlana Bhashani Science and Technology UniversityTangailBangladesh
| | - Hasi Rani Saha
- Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyPrimeasia UniversityDhakaBangladesh
| | | | - Md Sohel
- Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMawlana Bhashani Science and Technology UniversityTangailBangladesh
- Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyPrimeasia UniversityDhakaBangladesh
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17
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Li L, Qiu H. Asperulosidic Acid Restrains Hepatocellular Carcinoma Development and Enhances Chemosensitivity Through Inactivating the MEKK1/NF-κB Pathway. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2024; 196:1-17. [PMID: 37097403 DOI: 10.1007/s12010-023-04500-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
Asperulosidic acid (ASPA) is a plant-extracted iridoid terpenoid with tumor-suppressive and anti-inflammatory properties. At present, the antitumor function of ASPA and its related mechanisms in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells were explored. Human normal hepatocytes HL-7702 and HCC cells (Huh7 and HCCLM3) were treated with varying concentrations (0 to 200 μg/mL) of ASPA. Cell viability, proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion were checked. The expression of proteins was detected by Western blot. Furthermore, the effect of ASPA (100 μg/mL) on the sensitivity of HCC cells to chemotherapeutic agents, including doxorubicin and cisplatin, was evaluated. A subcutaneous xenografted tumor model was set up in nude mice, and the antitumor effects of ASPA were evaluated. ASPA hindered HCC cells' proliferation, migration, and invasion, and amplified their apoptosis and sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents. Additionally, ASPA inactivated the MEKK1/NF-κB pathway. Overexpression of MEKK1 increased HCC proliferation, migration, and invasion and facilitated chemoresistance. ASPA treatment alleviated the carcinogenic effect mediated by MEKK1 overexpression. MEKK1 knockdown slowed down HCC progression. However, ASPA could not exert additional antitumor effects in MEKK1 knockdown cells. In vivo results displayed that ASPA substantially curbed tumor growth and inactivated the MEKK1/NF-κB pathway in mice. All over, ASPA exerts antitumor effects in HCC by suppressing the MEKK1/NF-κB pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Li
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Hospital of Jiaxing, Affiliated Hospital of Jiaxing University, No.1882 South Zhong Huan Road, Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province, 314001, China
| | - Huiwen Qiu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Hospital of Jiaxing, Affiliated Hospital of Jiaxing University, No.1882 South Zhong Huan Road, Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province, 314001, China.
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18
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Peng F, Zhu F, Cao B, Peng L. Multidimensional Analysis of PANoptosis-Related Molecule CASP8: Prognostic Significance, Immune Microenvironment Effect, and Therapeutic Implications in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Genet Res (Camb) 2023; 2023:2406193. [PMID: 38186679 PMCID: PMC10771335 DOI: 10.1155/2023/2406193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 11/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) presents significant challenges in diagnosis and treatment. Understanding the role of PANoptosis-related molecules in HCC is crucial for advancing therapeutic strategies. Methods We conducted a comprehensive analysis using public data from the Cancer Genome Atlas, Human Protein Atlas, Tumor Immune Single Cell Hub, and STRING databases. Techniques included Kaplan-Meier survival curves, Cox regression, LASSO analysis, and various computational methods for understanding the tumor microenvironment. We also employed ClueGO, gene set enrichment analysis, and other algorithms for biological enrichment analysis. Results CASP8 emerged as a significant molecule in HCC, correlated with poor survival outcomes. Its expression was predominant in the nucleoplasm and cytosol and varied across different cancer types. Biological enrichment analysis revealed CASP8's association with critical cellular activities and immune responses. In the tumor microenvironment, CASP8 showed correlations with various immune cell types. A nomogram plot was developed for better clinical prognostication. Mutation analysis indicated a higher frequency of TP53 mutations in patients with elevated CASP8 expression. In addition, CASP8 was found to regulate YEATS2 in HCC, highlighting a potential pathway in tumor progression. Conclusions Our study underscores the multifaceted role of CASP8 in HCC, emphasizing its prognostic and therapeutic significance. The regulatory relationship between CASP8 and YEATS2 opens new avenues for understanding HCC pathogenesis and treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Peng
- The Second People's Hospital of Jingdezhen, Jingdezhen 333000, Jiangxi, China
| | - Fang Zhu
- The Second People's Hospital of Jingdezhen, Jingdezhen 333000, Jiangxi, China
| | - Baodi Cao
- The Second People's Hospital of Jingdezhen, Jingdezhen 333000, Jiangxi, China
| | - Liang Peng
- The Second People's Hospital of Jingdezhen, Jingdezhen 333000, Jiangxi, China
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19
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Bai W. The combined characteristics of cholesterol metabolism and the immune microenvironment may serve as valuable biomarkers for both the prognosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Heliyon 2023; 9:e22885. [PMID: 38125426 PMCID: PMC10730758 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) being a complex disease, commonly exhibits multifaceted presentations, rendering its treatment challenging and necessitating specific approaches. The tumor immune microenvironment is crucial in cancer treatment, and cholesterol metabolism is a key component that helps cells grow and produce vital metabolites. However, the reprogramming of cholesterol metabolism in the tumor microenvironment (TME) can promote HCC development, and cancer classifiers relating to cholesterol metabolism are currently limited. Despite significant progress, further research is needed to improve early detection, liver function, and treatment options to improve patient outcomes. Methods To evaluate the expression abundance of tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) and cholesterol metabolism in 8 types of liver cancer cells, we comprehensively evaluated the immune cell composition, extracellular matrix alterations, and activity of relevant signaling pathways in the TIME through nine liver cancer patients, stromal scoring, immune scoring, tumor purity scoring, immune infiltration analysis, and pathway enrichment. Subsequently, we utilized machine learning techniques to construct prognostic models for both cholesterol metabolism and the tumor immune microenvironment, further exploring the tumor mutation burden, immune infiltration levels, and drug sensitivity in different subtypes of HCC patients. Results Our study constructed three cancer screening models to identify HCC patients with high cholesterol metabolism and low TIME, who have a poorer prognosis. On the contrary, patients with low cholesterol metabolism and high TIME often have better prognosis. Furthermore, we identified chemical compounds, such as BPD-00008900, ML323, Doramapimod, and AZD2014, which display better chemotherapy results for high-risk patients in specific sub-groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiyu Bai
- Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650091, China
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Chen J, Chen C, Tao L, Cai Y, Wang C. A comprehensive analysis of the potential role of necroptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma using single-cell RNA Seq and bulk RNA Seq. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2023; 149:13841-13853. [PMID: 37535163 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-023-05208-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Necroptosis plays an essential role in oncogenesis and tumor progression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to investigate the role of necroptosis in the development and progression of HCC. Specifically, we constructed a prognostic prediction model using necroptosis-associated genes (NAGs) to predict patient outcomes. METHODS Using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, we analyzed gene expression and clinical data. We identified a 5-gene model associated with NAGs and explored genetic features and immune cell infiltration using the CIBERSORT algorithm. In addition, we conducted single-cell RNA sequencing to investigate the potential role of necroptosis in HCC. RESULTS We constructed a 5-gene prognostic model based on NAGs that demonstrated excellent predictive accuracy in both training and validation sets. Using multifactorial cox regression analysis, we confirmed the risk score derived from the model as an independent predictor of prognosis, surpassing other clinical characteristics. Patients with high risk scores had significantly worse prognosis than those with low risk scores. To enhance the clinical utility of the necroptosis score, we constructed an accurate nomogram. Additionally, we compared metabolic pathway and immune microenvironment differences between HCC tumors with high and low risk scores. Our single-cell RNA sequencing analyses revealed that necroptosis in HCC was primarily associated with a specific subset of macrophages. CONCLUSIONS Our study revealed the presence of two distinct necroptosis subtypes in HCC and developed a robust prognostic model with exceptional predictive accuracy. We observed significantly higher infiltration of M0 macrophages in the high-risk group. We propose that rescuing cytochrome c metabolism in HCC could serve as a potential therapeutic strategy. Furthermore, at a single-cell resolution, our analysis identified myeloid cells as the primary cells exhibiting necroptosis. Specifically, macrophages expressing CD5L, CETP, and MARCO, which may belong to a subset of tissue-resident macrophages, were found to be highly susceptible to necroptosis. These findings suggest the involvement of this specific macrophage subset in potential antitumor therapies. Our study provides novel insights into predicting patient prognosis and developing personalized therapeutic approaches for HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiakang Chen
- Department of Pathology, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Cuimin Chen
- Department of Pathology, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Lili Tao
- Department of Pathology, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yusi Cai
- Department of Pathology, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Chun Wang
- Department of Pathology, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
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21
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Romeo M, Dallio M, Scognamiglio F, Ventriglia L, Cipullo M, Coppola A, Tammaro C, Scafuro G, Iodice P, Federico A. Role of Non-Coding RNAs in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression: From Classic to Novel Clinicopathogenetic Implications. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:5178. [PMID: 37958352 PMCID: PMC10647270 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15215178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a predominant malignancy with increasing incidences and mortalities worldwide. In Western countries, the progressive affirmation of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) as the main chronic liver disorder in which HCC occurrence is appreciable even in non-cirrhotic stages, constitutes a real health emergency. In light of this, a further comprehension of molecular pathways supporting HCC onset and progression represents a current research challenge to achieve more tailored prognostic models and appropriate therapeutic approaches. RNA non-coding transcripts (ncRNAs) are involved in the regulation of several cancer-related processes, including HCC. When dysregulated, these molecules, conventionally classified as "small ncRNAs" (sncRNAs) and "long ncRNAs" (lncRNAs) have been reported to markedly influence HCC-related progression mechanisms. In this review, we describe the main dysregulated ncRNAs and the relative molecular pathways involved in HCC progression, analyzing their implications in certain etiologically related contexts, and their applicability in clinical practice as novel diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic tools. Finally, given the growing evidence supporting the immune system response, the oxidative stress-regulated mechanisms, and the gut microbiota composition as relevant emerging elements mutually influencing liver-cancerogenesis processes, we investigate the relationship of ncRNAs with this triad, shedding light on novel pathogenetic frontiers of HCC progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Romeo
- Hepatogastroenterology Division, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Piazza Miraglia 2, 80138 Naples, Italy; (M.R.); (F.S.); (L.V.); (M.C.); (A.C.); (A.F.)
| | - Marcello Dallio
- Hepatogastroenterology Division, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Piazza Miraglia 2, 80138 Naples, Italy; (M.R.); (F.S.); (L.V.); (M.C.); (A.C.); (A.F.)
| | - Flavia Scognamiglio
- Hepatogastroenterology Division, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Piazza Miraglia 2, 80138 Naples, Italy; (M.R.); (F.S.); (L.V.); (M.C.); (A.C.); (A.F.)
| | - Lorenzo Ventriglia
- Hepatogastroenterology Division, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Piazza Miraglia 2, 80138 Naples, Italy; (M.R.); (F.S.); (L.V.); (M.C.); (A.C.); (A.F.)
| | - Marina Cipullo
- Hepatogastroenterology Division, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Piazza Miraglia 2, 80138 Naples, Italy; (M.R.); (F.S.); (L.V.); (M.C.); (A.C.); (A.F.)
| | - Annachiara Coppola
- Hepatogastroenterology Division, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Piazza Miraglia 2, 80138 Naples, Italy; (M.R.); (F.S.); (L.V.); (M.C.); (A.C.); (A.F.)
| | - Chiara Tammaro
- Biochemistry Division, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Piazza Miraglia 2, 80138 Naples, Italy; (C.T.); (G.S.)
| | - Giuseppe Scafuro
- Biochemistry Division, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Piazza Miraglia 2, 80138 Naples, Italy; (C.T.); (G.S.)
| | - Patrizia Iodice
- Division of Medical Oncology, AORN Azienda dei Colli, Monaldi Hospital, Via Leonardo Bianchi, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Alessandro Federico
- Hepatogastroenterology Division, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Piazza Miraglia 2, 80138 Naples, Italy; (M.R.); (F.S.); (L.V.); (M.C.); (A.C.); (A.F.)
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22
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Ku CY, Yang XK, Xi LJ, Wang RZ, Wu BB, Dai M, Liu L, Ping ZG. Competing risks analysis of external versus internal radiation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after controlling for immortal time bias. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2023; 149:9927-9935. [PMID: 37249648 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-023-04915-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE In cohort studies on liver cancer, there are often immortal time bias and interference of competing risk events. This study proposes to explore the role of internal and external radiotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma using SEER data, using a competing risk model and controlling immortal time bias. METHODS Data of SEER from 2004 till 2015 was included. To analyze whether there was a difference in survival between HCC (hepatocellular carcinoma) patients receiving external radiation and internal radiation, we used a competing risk analysis after excluding immortal time bias, and created a nomogram to assess the risk of cancer-specific death (CSD) in hepatocellular carcinoma patients receiving radiotherapy. RESULTS Potential confounding factors adjusted, there was no significant difference in CSD between external and internal radiation therapy [HR and its 95% CI = 1.098 (0.874-1.380)]. The constructed nomogram performed better than the traditional AJCC model. The AUC and calibration curve results showed that this well-calibrated nomogram could be used to make clinical decisions regarding the prognosis and personalized treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma treated. There was no difference in the cumulative risk of death between patients with liver cancer treated with external radiation therapy and internal radiation therapy. CONCLUSION There is no difference in the cumulative risk of death between patients with liver cancer treated with external radiation therapy and internal radiation therapy. The nomogram predicts the results more accurately. These results can be used to guide the choice of treatment options for patients with HCC and to predict their survival prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao-Yue Ku
- Department of Health Statistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, No. 100 Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Xue-Ke Yang
- Department of Health Statistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, No. 100 Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Li-Jing Xi
- Department of Health Statistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, No. 100 Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Rui-Zhe Wang
- Department of Health Statistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, No. 100 Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Bin-Bin Wu
- Department of Health Statistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, No. 100 Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Man Dai
- Department of Health Statistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, No. 100 Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Li Liu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, No.100 Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan Province, People's Republic of China.
| | - Zhi-Guang Ping
- Department of Health Statistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, No. 100 Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan Province, People's Republic of China.
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23
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Chen P, Zhang L, Sun J, Xing Q, Shi D. Pre- and post-operative comprehensive nursing care versus conventional nursing care: An evaluation of quality of life, postoperative pain, adverse effects, and treatment satisfaction of patients who underwent surgeries and interventional therapies for liver cancer. Medicine (Baltimore) 2023; 102:e34643. [PMID: 37653829 PMCID: PMC10470759 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000034643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Interventional therapies including chemotherapies and radiotherapies are the most preferred treatment for liver cancer. However, these therapies have adverse effects. Therefore, careful care is required to relieve these adverse effects. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the quality of life, pain, anxiety, depression, adverse effects, and satisfaction of patients with liver cancer who received pre- and post-operative comprehensive nursing care against those of patients who received conventional nursing care. Patients with liver cancer who underwent surgeries and interventional therapies for liver cancer received pre- and post-operative comprehensive nursing care (CMN cohort, n = 105) or conventional nursing care (CNN cohort, n = 135), or did not receive any kind of nursing care (NNC cohort, n = 175). Before the non-treatment intervention(s) (BL), none of the patients had absent post-operative pain, all patients had mild or moderate anxiety and depression, and patients had ≤70 overall quality of life score. In the NNC cohort, a few of the patients reported being completely dissatisfied with overall personal satisfaction, and anxiety, depression, and overall the quality of life of patients were clinically worse during the follow-up period generally after completion of all doses of chemo radiotherapies (EL) as compared to BL. Hospital stays due to surgery, visual analog scale (VAS) score, Zung Self-rating Anxiety Scale score, the Self-rating Depression Scale score, and rehospitalization due to any reason(s) in follow-up were fewer and overall quality of life score and overall personal satisfaction score were higher for patients of the CMN cohort than those of patients at BL and those of patients of the CNN and the NNC cohorts at EL (P < .05 for all). Fever, bleeding, urinary retention, gastrointestinal disturbance, and hepatic and renal impairments reported in patients of the NNC cohort. Fever, bleeding, and urinary retention reported in patients of the CNN cohort (P < .05 for all). Nursing non-treatment intervention(s) is necessary for liver cancer patients after surgery, in the follow-up, and between 2 doses of chemoradiotherapies. Pre- and post-operative comprehensive nursing care relieves postoperative pain, psychological burden and improves quality of life in the follow-up period in patients who underwent surgeries and interventional therapies for liver cancer (Level of Evidence: IV; Technical Efficacy: Stage 5).
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Affiliation(s)
- PeiPei Chen
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary & Thyroid Breast, the first affiliated Hospital of Suchow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - LiQun Zhang
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary & Thyroid Breast, the first affiliated Hospital of Suchow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - JinFeng Sun
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary & Thyroid Breast, the first affiliated Hospital of Suchow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - QiaoYing Xing
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary & Thyroid Breast, the first affiliated Hospital of Suchow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Dan Shi
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary & Thyroid Breast, the first affiliated Hospital of Suchow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
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24
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Chen X, Wang Z, Wu Y, Lan Y, Li Y. Typing and modeling of hepatocellular carcinoma based on disulfidptosis-related amino acid metabolism genes for predicting prognosis and guiding individualized treatment. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1204335. [PMID: 37637055 PMCID: PMC10454915 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1204335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of cancer worldwide and is a major public health problem in the 21st century. Disulfidopathy, a novel cystine-associated programmed cell death, plays complex roles in various tumors. However, the relationship between disulfidoptosis and prognosis in patients with HCC remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the relationship between disulfideptosis and the prognosis of liver cancer and to develop a prognostic model based on amino acid metabolism and disulfideptosis genes. Methods We downloaded the clinicopathological information and gene expression data of patients with HCC from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases and classified them into different molecular subtypes based on the expression patterns of disulfidoptosis-associated amino acid metabolism genes (DRAGs). Patients were then classified into different gene subtypes using the differential genes between the molecular subtypes, and the predictive value of staging was assessed using survival and clinicopathological analyses. Subsequently, risk prognosis models were constructed based on Cox regression analysis to assess patient prognosis, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, somatic mutations, microsatellite instability, tumor microenvironment, and sensitivity to antitumor therapeutic agents. Results Patients were classified into two subtypes based on differential DRAGs gene expression, with cluster B having a better survival outcome than cluster A. Three gene subtypes were identified based on the differential genes between the two DRAGs molecular subtypes. The patients in cluster B had the best prognosis, whereas those in cluster C had the worst prognosis. The heat map showed better consistency in the patient subtypes obtained using both typing methods. We screened six valuable genes and constructed a prognostic signature. By scoring, we found that patients in the low-risk group had a better prognosis, higher immune scores, and more abundant immune-related pathways compared to the high-risk group, which was consistent with the tumor subtype results. Discussion In conclusion, we developed a prognostic signature of disulfidptosis-related amino acid metabolism genes to assist clinicians in predicting the survival of patients with HCC and provide a reference value for targeted therapy and immunotherapy for HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuenuo Chen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Zhijian Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yilin Wu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yinghua Lan
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yongguo Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
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25
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Cheng K, Niu J, Zhang J, Qiao Y, Dong G, Guo R, Zheng X, Song Z, Huang J, Wang J, Zhang Y. Hepatoprotective effects of chlorogenic acid on mice exposed to aflatoxin B1: Modulation of oxidative stress and inflammation. Toxicon 2023; 231:107177. [PMID: 37276986 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2023.107177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is widely distributed in crops and feeds, and ingestion of AFB1-contaminated crops is harmful to human/animal health. This study was designed to investigate hepatoprotective effects of chlorogenic acid (CGA), due to its excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, on mice exposed to AFB1. Male Kunming mice were orally fed with CGA prior to daily AFB1 exposure for 18 consecutive days. The results showed that CGA treatment reduced the serum activity of aspartate aminotransferase, hepatic malondialdehyde content and pro-inflammatory cytokines synthesis, prevented histopathological changes of the liver, increased hepatic glutathione level, catalase activity and IL10 mRNA expression in mice subjected to AFB1. Taken together, CGA exerted the protective effect on AFB1-induced hepatic damage by modulating redox status and inflammation, suggesting that CGA may be a candidate compound for the treatment of aflatoxicosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kang Cheng
- School of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jingyi Niu
- School of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Jinyan Zhang
- School of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Yining Qiao
- School of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Guorun Dong
- School of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Rui Guo
- School of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaotong Zheng
- School of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhihua Song
- School of International Education, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Jin Huang
- School of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Jinrong Wang
- School of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Yong Zhang
- School of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, People's Republic of China.
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26
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Swain AK, Pandey P, Sera R, Yadav P. Single-cell transcriptome analysis identifies novel biomarkers involved in major liver cancer subtypes. Funct Integr Genomics 2023; 23:235. [PMID: 37438675 DOI: 10.1007/s10142-023-01156-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) are the two aggressive subtypes of liver cancer (LC). Immense cellular heterogeneity and cross-talk between cancer and healthy cells make it challenging to treat these cancer subtypes. To address these challenges, the study aims to systematically characterize the tumor heterogeneity of LC subtypes using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets. The study combined 51,927 single cells from HCC, ICC, and healthy scRNA-seq datasets. After integrating the datasets, cell groups with similar gene expression patterns are clustered and cluster annotation has been performed based on gene markers. Cell-cell communication analysis (CCA) was implemented to understand the cross-talk between various cell types. Further, differential gene expression analysis and enrichment analysis were carried out to identify unique molecular drivers associated with HCC and ICC. Our analysis identified T cells, hepatocytes, epithelial cells, and monocyte as the major cell types present in the tumor microenvironment. Among them, abundance of natural killer (NK) cells in HCC, epithelial cells, and hepatocytes in ICC was detected. CCA revealed key interaction between T cells to NK cells in HCC and smooth muscle cells to epithelial cells in the ICC. Additionally, SOX4 and DTHD1 are the top differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in HCC, while keratin and CCL4 are in ICC. Enrichment analysis of DEGs reveals major upregulated genes in HCC affect protein folding mechanism and in ICC alter pathways involved in cell adhesion. The findings suggest potential targets for the development of novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of these two aggressive subtypes of LC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asish Kumar Swain
- Department of Bioscience & Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, 342030, India
| | - Prashant Pandey
- Department of Bioscience & Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, 342030, India
| | - Riddhi Sera
- Department of Bioscience & Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, 342030, India
| | - Pankaj Yadav
- Department of Bioscience & Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, 342030, India.
- School of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, 342030, India.
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27
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Fan Z, Wei X, Chen K, Wang L, Xu M. 3D Bioprinting of an Endothelialized Liver Lobule-like Construct as a Tumor-Scale Drug Screening Platform. MICROMACHINES 2023; 14:878. [PMID: 37421111 DOI: 10.3390/mi14040878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2023] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
3D cell culture models replicating the complexity of cell-cell interactions and biomimetic extracellular matrix (ECM) are novel approaches for studying liver cancer, including in vitro drug screening or disease mechanism investigation. Although there have been advancements in the production of 3D liver cancer models to serve as drug screening platforms, recreating the structural architecture and tumor-scale microenvironment of native liver tumors remains a challenge. Here, using the dot extrusion printing (DEP) technology reported in our previous work, we fabricated an endothelialized liver lobule-like construct by printing hepatocyte-laden methacryloyl gelatin (GelMA) hydrogel microbeads and HUVEC-laden gelatin microbeads. DEP technology enables hydrogel microbeads to be produced with precise positioning and adjustable scale, facilitating the construction of liver lobule-like structures. The vascular network was achieved by sacrificing the gelatin microbeads at 37 °C to allow HUVEC proliferation on the surface of the hepatocyte layer. Finally, we used the endothelialized liver lobule-like constructs for anti-cancer drug (Sorafenib) screening, and stronger drug resistance results were obtained when compared to either mono-cultured constructs or hepatocyte spheroids alone. The 3D liver cancer models presented here successfully recreate liver lobule-like morphology, and may have the potential to serve as a liver tumor-scale drug screening platform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zicheng Fan
- School of Automation, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Xiaoyun Wei
- School of Automation, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Keke Chen
- School of Automation, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Ling Wang
- School of Automation, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China
- Key Laboratory of Medical Information and 3D Bioprinting of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Mingen Xu
- School of Automation, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China
- Key Laboratory of Medical Information and 3D Bioprinting of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China
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28
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Zhang X, Zhuge J, Liu J, Xia Z, Wang H, Gao Q, Jiang H, Qu Y, Fan L, Ma J, Tan C, Luo W, Luo Y. Prognostic signatures of sphingolipids: Understanding the immune landscape and predictive role in immunotherapy response and outcomes of hepatocellular carcinoma. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1153423. [PMID: 37006285 PMCID: PMC10063861 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1153423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a complex disease with a poor outlook for patients in advanced stages. Immune cells play an important role in the progression of HCC. The metabolism of sphingolipids functions in both tumor growth and immune infiltration. However, little research has focused on using sphingolipid factors to predict HCC prognosis. This study aimed to identify the key sphingolipids genes (SPGs) in HCC and develop a reliable prognostic model based on these genes. Methods The TCGA, GEO, and ICGC datasets were grouped using SPGs obtained from the InnateDB portal. A prognostic gene signature was created by applying LASSO-Cox analysis and evaluating it with Cox regression. The validity of the signature was verified using ICGC and GEO datasets. The tumor microenvironment (TME) was examined using ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT, and potential therapeutic targets were identified through machine learning. Single-cell sequencing was used to examine the distribution of signature genes in cells within the TME. Cell viability and migration were tested to confirm the role of the key SPGs. Results We identified 28 SPGs that have an impact on survival. Using clinicopathological features and 6 genes, we developed a nomogram for HCC. The high- and low-risk groups were found to have distinct immune characteristics and response to drugs. Unlike CD8 T cells, M0 and M2 macrophages were found to be highly infiltrated in the TME of the high-risk subgroup. High levels of SPGs were found to be a good indicator of response to immunotherapy. In cell function experiments, SMPD2 and CSTA were found to enhance survival and migration of Huh7 cells, while silencing these genes increased the sensitivity of Huh7 cells to lapatinib. Conclusion The study presents a six-gene signature and a nomogram that can aid clinicians in choosing personalized treatments for HCC patients. Furthermore, it uncovers the connection between sphingolipid-related genes and the immune microenvironment, offering a novel approach for immunotherapy. By focusing on crucial sphingolipid genes like SMPD2 and CSTA, the efficacy of anti-tumor therapy can be increased in HCC cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Zhang
- Department of Pathology, the Second People’s Hospital of Foshan, Affiliated Foshan Hospital of Southern Medical University, Foshan, China
| | - Jinke Zhuge
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Hainan Cancer Hospital, Hainan, China
| | - Jinhui Liu
- Department of Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhijia Xia
- Department of General, Visceral, and Transplant Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Huixiong Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Hospital of Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel, Baotou, Inner Mongolia, China
| | - Qiang Gao
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Hao Jiang
- Department of Pathology, the Second People’s Hospital of Foshan, Affiliated Foshan Hospital of Southern Medical University, Foshan, China
| | - Yanyu Qu
- Department of Pathology, the Second People’s Hospital of Foshan, Affiliated Foshan Hospital of Southern Medical University, Foshan, China
| | - Linlin Fan
- Department of Pathology, the Second People’s Hospital of Foshan, Affiliated Foshan Hospital of Southern Medical University, Foshan, China
| | - Jiali Ma
- Department of Pathology, the Second People’s Hospital of Foshan, Affiliated Foshan Hospital of Southern Medical University, Foshan, China
| | - Chunhua Tan
- Department of Pathology, the Second People’s Hospital of Foshan, Affiliated Foshan Hospital of Southern Medical University, Foshan, China
| | - Wei Luo
- Department of General Surgery, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Yong Luo
- Department of Urology, The Second People’s Hospital of Foshan, Affiliated Foshan Hospital of Southern Medical University, Foshan, China
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Bi Y, Li S, Tang H, Wang Q, Wang Q, Yang Y, Zhang X, Shu Z, Duan Z, Chen Y, Hong F. A novel xenograft model of human hepatocellular carcinoma in immunocompetent mice based on the microcarrier-6. Transpl Immunol 2023; 76:101738. [PMID: 36368468 DOI: 10.1016/j.trim.2022.101738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors that threaten human health; thus, the establishment of an animal model with clinical features similar to human hepatocellular carcinoma is of important practical significance. METHODS Taking advantage of the novel microcarrier-6, human HCC cells were injected into immunocompetent mice to establish a novel human HCC patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model. Primary HCC cells were isolated from fresh hepatocellular carcinoma tissues, which were subsequently co-cultured with microcarrier-6 to construct a three-dimensional tumor cell culture model in vitro. The HCC-microcarrier complex was implanted into mice by subcutaneous inoculation, and the tumor formation time, tumor formation rate, and pathological manifestation were recorded. Changes of immune parameters in mice were detected by flow cytometry. RESULTS The success rate was 60% (6/10) in the establishment of hepatocellular carcinoma PDX mouse model, and the total tumor formation rate of the tumor-forming model is 90-100%. H&E staining and immunohistochemical experiments indicate that the model well retained the characteristics of the primary tumor. Interestingly, M2 macrophages in tumor-bearing mice increased significantly, and the levels of CD4+ T cells were significantly reduced. CONCLUSIONS Through the application of the microcarrier-6 in immunocompetent mice, we successfully established a novel human HCC PDX model, which can be used to better study and further elucidate the occurrence and pathogenic mechanism of HCC, improve the predictability of toxicity and drug sensitivity in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanzhen Bi
- Department of Infectious Disease, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao, Shandong, PR China
| | - Shanshan Li
- The Fourth Liver Disease Center, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, PR China; Beijing Municipal Key Laboratory of Liver Failure and Artificial Liver Treatment Research, Beijing, PR China
| | - Huixin Tang
- The Fourth Liver Disease Center, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, PR China; Beijing Municipal Key Laboratory of Liver Failure and Artificial Liver Treatment Research, Beijing, PR China
| | - Quanquan Wang
- Department of Neurology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University (Qingdao), Qingdao, Shandong, PR China
| | - Quanyi Wang
- Institute of Liver Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Shandong, PR China
| | - Yonghong Yang
- Institute of Liver Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Shandong, PR China
| | - Xiaobei Zhang
- Institute of Liver Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Shandong, PR China
| | - Zhenfeng Shu
- Shanghai Meifeng Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Shanghai, PR China
| | - Zhongping Duan
- The Fourth Liver Disease Center, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, PR China; Beijing Municipal Key Laboratory of Liver Failure and Artificial Liver Treatment Research, Beijing, PR China
| | - Yu Chen
- The Fourth Liver Disease Center, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, PR China; Beijing Municipal Key Laboratory of Liver Failure and Artificial Liver Treatment Research, Beijing, PR China.
| | - Feng Hong
- Institute of Liver Diseases, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Shandong, PR China.
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A Water-Soluble Hydrogen Sulfide Donor Suppresses the Growth of Hepatocellular Carcinoma via Inhibiting the AKT/GSK-3 β/ β-Catenin and TGF- β/Smad2/3 Signaling Pathways. JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2023; 2023:8456852. [PMID: 36925651 PMCID: PMC10014162 DOI: 10.1155/2023/8456852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a disease with high morbidity, high mortality, and low cure rate. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is widely adopted in tissue engineering and drug delivery. 5-(4-Hydroxyphenyl)-3H-1, 2-dithiol-3-thione (ADT-OH) is one of commonly used H2S donors. In our previous study, HA-ADT was designed and synthesized via coupling of HA and ADT-OH. In this study, compared with sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS, a fast H2S-releasing donor) and morpholin-4-ium (4-methoxyphenyl)-morpholin-4-ylsulfanylidenesulfido-λ5-phosphane (GYY4137, a slow H2S-releasing donor), HA-ADT showed stronger inhibitory effect on the proliferation, migration, invasion, and cell cycle of human HCC cells. HA-ADT promoted apoptosis by suppressing the expressions of phospho (p)-protein kinase B (PKB/AKT), p-glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), p-β-catenin, and also inhibited autophagy via the downregulation of the protein levels of p-Smad2, p-Smad3, and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) in human HCC cells. Moreover, HA-ADT inhibited HCC xenograft tumor growth more effectively than both NaHS and GYY4137. Therefore, HA-ADT can suppress the growth of HCC cells by blocking the AKT/GSK-3β/β-catenin and TGF-β/Smad2/3 signaling pathways. HA-ADT and its derivatives may be developed as promising antitumor drugs.
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Zhang K, Zhang Q, Jia R, Xiang S, Xu L. A comprehensive review of the relationship between autophagy and sorafenib-resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma: ferroptosis is noteworthy. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1156383. [PMID: 37181755 PMCID: PMC10172583 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1156383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) bear a heavy burden of disease and economic burden but have fewer treatment options. Sorafenib, a multi-kinase inhibitor, is the only approved drug that can be used to limit the progression of inoperable or distant metastatic HCC. However, enhanced autophagy and other molecular mechanisms after sorafenib exposure further induce drug resistance in HCC patients. Sorafenib-associated autophagy also generates a series of biomarkers, which may represent that autophagy is a critical section of sorafenib-resistance in HCC. Furthermore, many classic signaling pathways have been found to be involved in sorafenib-associated autophagy, including the HIF/mTOR signaling pathway, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and sphingolipid signaling, among others. In turn, autophagy also provokes autophagic activity in components of the tumor microenvironment, including tumor cells and stem cells, further impacting sorafenib-resistance in HCC through a special autophagic cell death process called ferroptosis. In this review, we summarized the latest research progress and molecular mechanisms of sorafenib-resistance-associated autophagy in detail, providing new insights and ideas for unraveling the dilemma of sorafenib-resistance in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kangnan Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Qinghui Zhang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Rongrong Jia
- Department of Gastroenterology, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Shihao Xiang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Shihao Xiang, ; Ling Xu,
| | - Ling Xu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Shihao Xiang, ; Ling Xu,
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Understanding the Contribution of Lactate Metabolism in Cancer Progress: A Perspective from Isomers. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 15:cancers15010087. [PMID: 36612084 PMCID: PMC9817756 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15010087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Lactate mediates multiple cell-intrinsic effects in cancer metabolism in terms of development, maintenance, and metastasis and is often correlated with poor prognosis. Its functions are undertaken as an energy source for neighboring carcinoma cells and serve as a lactormone for oncogenic signaling pathways. Indeed, two isomers of lactate are produced in the Warburg effect: L-lactate and D-lactate. L-lactate is the main end-production of glycolytic fermentation which catalyzes glucose, and tiny D-lactate is fabricated through the glyoxalase system. Their production inevitably affects cancer development and therapy. Here, we systematically review the mechanisms of lactate isomers production, and highlight emerging evidence of the carcinogenic biological effects of lactate and its isomers in cancer. Accordingly, therapy that targets lactate and its metabolism is a promising approach for anticancer treatment.
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Shi H, Zhang W, Hu B, Wang Y, Zhang Z, Sun Y, Mao G, Li C, Lu S. Whole-exome sequencing identifies a set of genes as markers of hepatocellular carcinoma early recurrence. Hepatol Int 2022; 17:393-405. [PMID: 36550350 DOI: 10.1007/s12072-022-10457-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is characterized by a high recurrence rate and poor prognosis. In recent years, the therapeutic regimen of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) antibody combined with multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors (mTKIs) has achieved better results in the clinical application of hepatocellular carcinoma. Whole-exome sequencing can reflect the mutational characteristics of patients' exons and guide the clinical selection of molecular targeting drugs more accurately, which is in line with the concept of precision medicine. METHODS We performed exome sequencing on 63 patients with HCC treated with radical surgery at our hospital and collected their clinical indexes and postoperative follow-up data. Using machine learning, a prediction model for recurrence within 1 year was constructed and the model was presented in a nomogram. Patients treated with PD-1 antibodies in combination with mTKIs after relapse were grouped by prognosis, and the valuable mutated genes were screened according to whole-exome sequencing data. The tumor tissue immune cells were analyzed using the UCSC Xena database. The expressions of target proteins were verified by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Immunohistochemistry (IHC), respectively, on commercial HCC cell lines and pathological specimens of hepatocellular carcinoma collected clinically. RESULTS The proportion of patients who relapsed within a year was 41% and the prognosis of those patients was poor. The characteristic exon mutation profile with a high frequency of variants in multiple mucin genes was present in Chinese HCC patients. Multiple nidi and 30 exon variants were brought into the prediction model with an area under the curve (AUC) = 0.94. MUC6 gene mutation was obvious in patients with an early recurrence, and MUC3A and MUC4 gene mutations were evident in patients with poorer responses to PD-1 antibodies combined with mTKIs. Those three mucins were negatively correlated with immune infiltrating cells. CONCLUSIONS We depicted the exon characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma in the Chinese population and established a predictive model for recurrence within 1 year after radical surgical treatment. Moreover, we found that mucins were worthy targets of hepatocellular carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huizhong Shi
- Medical School of China PLA, Beijing, China
- The First Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China
- Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Digital Hepatobiliary Surgery, PLA, Beijing, China
| | - Wenwen Zhang
- The First Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China
- Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Digital Hepatobiliary Surgery, PLA, Beijing, China
| | - Bingyang Hu
- The First Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China
- Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Digital Hepatobiliary Surgery, PLA, Beijing, China
| | - Yafei Wang
- The First Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China
- Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Digital Hepatobiliary Surgery, PLA, Beijing, China
- Medical College of Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Ze Zhang
- Medical School of China PLA, Beijing, China
- The First Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China
- Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Digital Hepatobiliary Surgery, PLA, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Sun
- GenomiCare Biotechnology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China
| | - Guankun Mao
- The First Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China
- Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Digital Hepatobiliary Surgery, PLA, Beijing, China
| | - Chonghui Li
- The First Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China
- Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Digital Hepatobiliary Surgery, PLA, Beijing, China
| | - Shichun Lu
- The First Medical Centre, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 100853, China.
- Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery of Chinese PLA, Beijing, China.
- Key Laboratory of Digital Hepatobiliary Surgery, PLA, Beijing, China.
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Comparative RNA-Sequencing Analysis Reveals High Complexity and Heterogeneity of Transcriptomic and Immune Profiles in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Tumors of Viral (HBV, HCV) and Non-Viral Etiology. MEDICINA (KAUNAS, LITHUANIA) 2022; 58:medicina58121803. [PMID: 36557005 PMCID: PMC9785216 DOI: 10.3390/medicina58121803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of primary liver cancer, is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality. It arises and progresses against fibrotic or cirrhotic backgrounds mainly due to infection with hepatitis viruses B (HBV) or C (HCV) or non-viral causes that lead to chronic inflammation and genomic changes. A better understanding of molecular and immune mechanisms in HCC subtypes is needed. Materials and Methods: To identify transcriptional changes in primary HCC tumors with or without hepatitis viral etiology, we analyzed the transcriptomes of 24 patients by next-generation sequencing. Results: We identified common and unique differentially expressed genes for each etiological tumor group and analyzed the expression of SLC, ATP binding cassette, cytochrome 450, cancer testis, and heat shock protein genes. Metascape functional enrichment analysis showed mainly upregulated cell-cycle pathways in HBV and HCV and upregulated cell response to stress in non-viral infection. GeneWalk analysis identified regulator, hub, and moonlighting genes and highlighted CCNB1, ACTN2, BRCA1, IGF1, CDK1, AURKA, AURKB, and TOP2A in the HCV group and HSF1, HSPA1A, HSP90AA1, HSPB1, HSPA5, PTK2, and AURKB in the group without viral infection as hub genes. Immune infiltrate analysis showed that T cell, cytotoxic, and natural killer cell markers were significantly more highly expressed in HCV than in non-viral tumors. Genes associated with monocyte activation had the highest expression levels in HBV, while high expression of genes involved in primary adaptive immune response and complement receptor activity characterized tumors without viral infection. Conclusions: Our comprehensive study underlines the high degree of complexity of immune profiles in the analyzed groups, which adds to the heterogeneous HCC genomic landscape. The biomarkers identified in each HCC group might serve as therapeutic targets.
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Li Z, Li Y, Ouyang Q, Li X, Huang J. Exosome-derived GTF2H2 from Huh7 cells can inhibit endothelial cell viability, migration, tube formation, and permeability. Tissue Cell 2022; 79:101922. [PMID: 36116407 DOI: 10.1016/j.tice.2022.101922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. Given that HCC is an extraordinarily heterogeneous malignant disease, finding an effective therapeutic strategy for treating it has been difficult. Because of the importance of angiogenesis in tumorigenesis, targeting the more homogenous HCC endothelial cells may be a better therapeutic strategy. In a unpublished manuscript, we found that the expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) and matrix metalloproteinase 2/9 (MMP2/9) were reduced in human HCC tissues that overexpressed DNA damage repair gene general transcription factor II subunit H2 (GTF2H2). This suggested that GTF2H2 may have an inhibitory effect on angiogenesis. Therefore, we hypothesized that GTF2H2 acts as an anti-angiogenesis gene. However, our results showed that GTF2H2 overexpression had no effect on endothelial cell viability, migration, or permeability. To our surprise, treating human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with the culture medium of Huh 7 cells overexpressing GTF2H2 could inhibit their viability, migration, and permeability. We then isolated the culture medium into exosomes and other components from the culture medium. Only GTF2H2-enriched exosomes could inhibit the viability, migration, tube formation, and permeability of HUVECs. Our results suggest that overexpressing GTF2H2 had no effect on HUVECs, while GTF2H2 enriched exosomes from Huh7 cells could inhibit HUVEC phenotypes such as proliferation and migration. Therefore, GTF2H2-enriched exosomes can possibly be utilized as a novel drug for treating HCC and also serve as a potential molecular target for inhibiting tumor angiogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenkun Li
- Beijing Clinical Research Institute, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 95 Yong-An Road, Xi-Cheng District, Beijing 100050, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanmeng Li
- Beijing Clinical Research Institute, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 95 Yong-An Road, Xi-Cheng District, Beijing 100050, People's Republic of China
| | - Qin Ouyang
- Beijing Clinical Research Institute, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 95 Yong-An Road, Xi-Cheng District, Beijing 100050, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaojin Li
- Beijing Clinical Research Institute, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 95 Yong-An Road, Xi-Cheng District, Beijing 100050, People's Republic of China
| | - Jian Huang
- Beijing Clinical Research Institute, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 95 Yong-An Road, Xi-Cheng District, Beijing 100050, People's Republic of China.
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He MJ, Pu W, Wang X, Zhong X, Zhao D, Zeng Z, Cai W, Liu J, Huang J, Tang D, Dai Y. Spatial metabolomics on liver cirrhosis to hepatocellular carcinoma progression. Cancer Cell Int 2022; 22:366. [DOI: 10.1186/s12935-022-02775-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the deadliest cancers and is mainly developed from chronic liver diseases such as hepatitis-B infection-associated liver cirrhosis (LC). The progression from LC to HCC makes the detection of diagnostic biomarkers to be challenging. Hence, there have been constant efforts to improve on identifying the critical and predictive changes accompanying the disease progression.
Methods
In this study, we looked to using the mass spectrometry mediated spatial metabolomics technique to simultaneous examine hundreds of metabolites in an untargeted fashion. Additionally, metabolic profiles were compared between six subregions within the HCC tissue to collect spatial information.
Results
Through those metabolites, altered metabolic pathways in LC and HCC were identified. Specifically, the amino acid metabolisms and the glycerophospholipid metabolisms experienced the most changes. Many of the altered metabolites and metabolic pathways were able to be connected through the urea cycle.
Conclusions
The identification of the key metabolites and pathways can expand our knowledge on HCC metabolic reprogramming and help us exam potential biomarkers for earlier detection of the malignant disease progression.
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Zhang J, Han H, Wang L, Wang W, Yang M, Qin Y. Overcoming the therapeutic resistance of hepatomas by targeting the tumor microenvironment. Front Oncol 2022; 12:988956. [DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.988956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for the majority of primary liver cancers and is the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Multifactorial drug resistance is regarded as the major cause of treatment failure in HCC. Accumulating evidence shows that the constituents of the tumor microenvironment (TME), including cancer-associated fibroblasts, tumor vasculature, immune cells, physical factors, cytokines, and exosomes may explain the therapeutic resistance mechanisms in HCC. In recent years, anti-angiogenic drugs and immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown satisfactory results in HCC patients. However, due to enhanced communication between the tumor and TME, the effect of heterogeneity of the microenvironment on therapeutic resistance is particularly complicated, which suggests a more challenging research direction. In addition, it has been reported that the three-dimensional (3D) organoid model derived from patient biopsies is more intuitive to fully understand the role of the TME in acquired resistance. Therefore, in this review, we have focused not only on the mechanisms and targets of therapeutic resistance related to the contents of the TME in HCC but also provide a comprehensive description of 3D models and how they contribute to the exploration of HCC therapies.
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Ahmad M, Dhasmana A, Harne PS, Zamir A, Hafeez BB. Chemokine clouding and liver cancer heterogeneity: Does it impact clinical outcomes? Semin Cancer Biol 2022; 86:1175-1185. [PMID: 35189322 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2022.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2022] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Tumor heterogeneity is a predominant feature of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) that plays a crucial role in chemoresistance and limits the efficacy of available chemo/immunotherapy regimens. Thus, a better understanding regarding the molecular determinants of tumor heterogeneity will help in developing newer strategies for effective HCC management. Chemokines, a sub-family of cytokines are one of the key molecular determinants of tumor heterogeneity in HCC and are involved in cell survival, growth, migration, and angiogenesis. Herein, we provide a panoramic insight into the role of chemokines in HCC heterogeneity at genetic, epigenetic, metabolic, immune cell composition, and tumor microenvironment levels and its impact on clinical outcomes. Interestingly, our in-silico analysis data showed that expression of chemokine receptors impacts infiltration of various immune cell populations into the liver tumor and leads to heterogeneity. Thus, it is evident that aberrant chemokines clouding impacts HCC tumor heterogeneity and understanding this phenomenon in depth could be harnessed for the development of personalized medicine strategies in future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mudassier Ahmad
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, TX 78504, United States
| | - Anupam Dhasmana
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, TX 78504, United States; Department of Biosciences and Cancer Research Institute, Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, Swami Rama Himalayan University, Dehradun, India
| | - Prateek Suresh Harne
- DHR Health Gastroenterology, 5520 Leonardo da Vinci Drive, Suite 100, Edinburg, TX 78539, United States
| | - Asif Zamir
- South Texas Center of Excellence in Cancer Research, School of Medicine, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, TX 78504, United States; DHR Health Gastroenterology, 5520 Leonardo da Vinci Drive, Suite 100, Edinburg, TX 78539, United States
| | - Bilal Bin Hafeez
- South Texas Center of Excellence in Cancer Research, School of Medicine, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, TX 78504, United States; Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, TX 78504, United States.
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Cao X, Chen H, Li Z, Li X, Yang X, Jin Q, Liang Y, Zhang J, Zhou M, Zhang N, Chen G, Du H, Zao X, Ye Y. Network pharmacology and in vitro experiments-based strategy to investigate the mechanisms of KangXianYiAi formula for hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:985084. [PMID: 36133813 PMCID: PMC9483169 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.985084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The Chinese traditional medicine KangXianYiAi formula (KXYA) is used to treat hepatic disease in the clinic. Here we aim to confirm the therapeutic effects and explore the pharmacological mechanisms of KXYA on hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We first collected and analyzed clinical data of 40 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with precancerous liver lesions under KXYA treatment. Then, the cell viability, migration, cell cycle, and apoptosis of HepAD38 cells with KXYA treatment were examined. Next, we performed network pharmacological analysis based on database mining to obtain the key target pathways and genes of KXYA treatment on HBV-related HCC. We finally analyzed the expression of the key genes between normal and HBV-related HCC tissues in databases and measured the mRNA expression of the key genes in HepAD38 cells after KXYA treatment. The KXYA treatment could reduce the liver nodule size of CHB patients, suppress the proliferation and migration capabilities, and promote apoptosis of HepAD38 cells. The key pathways of KXYA on HBV-related HCC were Cancer, Hepatitis B, Viral carcinogenesis, Focal adhesion, and PI3K-Akt signaling, and KXYA treatment could regulate the expression of the key genes including HNF4A, MAPK8, NR3C1, PTEN, EGFR, and HDAC1. The KXYA exhibited a curative effect via inhibiting proliferation, migration, and promoting apoptosis of HBV-related HCC and the pharmacological mechanism was related to the regulation of the expression of HNF4A, MAPK8, NR3C1, PTEN, EGFR, and HDAC1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Cao
- Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Hening Chen
- Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiguo Li
- Beijing Fengtai Hospital of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoke Li
- Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
- Institute of Liver Diseases, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Xianzhao Yang
- Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
- Institute of Liver Diseases, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Qiushuo Jin
- Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Chinese Internal Medicine of Ministry of Education and Beijing, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Yijun Liang
- Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Jiaxin Zhang
- Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
- Institute of Liver Diseases, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Meiyue Zhou
- Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Ningyi Zhang
- Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Guang Chen
- Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
- Institute of Liver Diseases, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Guang Chen, ; Hongbo Du, ; Xiaobin Zao, ; Yong’an Ye,
| | - Hongbo Du
- Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
- Institute of Liver Diseases, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Guang Chen, ; Hongbo Du, ; Xiaobin Zao, ; Yong’an Ye,
| | - Xiaobin Zao
- Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Chinese Internal Medicine of Ministry of Education and Beijing, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Guang Chen, ; Hongbo Du, ; Xiaobin Zao, ; Yong’an Ye,
| | - Yong’an Ye
- Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
- Institute of Liver Diseases, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Guang Chen, ; Hongbo Du, ; Xiaobin Zao, ; Yong’an Ye,
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The Association between Immune Subgroups and Gene Modules for the Clinical, Cellular, and Molecular Characteristic of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2022; 2022:7253876. [PMID: 36090895 PMCID: PMC9452932 DOI: 10.1155/2022/7253876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The heterogeneity of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is related to immune cell infiltration and genetic aberrations in the tumor microenvironment. This study aimed to identify the novel molecular typing of HCC according to the genetic and immune characteristics, to obtain accurate clinical management of this disease. We performed consensus clustering to divide 424 patients into different immune subgroups and assessed the reproducibility and efficiency in two independent cohorts with 921 patients. The associations between molecular typing and molecular, cellular, and clinical characteristics were investigated by a multidimensional bioinformatics approach. Furthermore, we conducted graph structure learning-based dimensionality reduction to depict the immune landscape to reveal the interrelation between the immune and gene systems in molecular typing. We revealed and validated that HCC patients could be segregated into 5 immune subgroups (IS1-5) and 7 gene modules with significantly different molecular, cellular, and clinical characteristics. IS5 had the worst prognosis and lowest enrichment of immune characteristics and was considered the immune cold type. IS4 had the longest overall survival, high immune activity, and antitumorigenesis, which were defined as the immune hot and antitumorigenesis types. In addition, immune landscape analysis further revealed significant intraclass heterogeneity within each IS, and each IS represented distinct clinical, cellular, and molecular characteristics. Our study provided 5 immune subgroups with distinct clinical, cellular, and molecular characteristics of HCC and may have clinical implications for precise therapeutic strategies and facilitate the investigation of immune mechanisms in HCC.
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Yue T, Xu M, Cai T, Zhu H, Pourkarim MR, De Clercq E, Li G. Gender disparity and temporal trend of liver cancer in China from 1990 to 2019 and predictions in a 25-year period. Front Public Health 2022; 10:956712. [PMID: 36091549 PMCID: PMC9459158 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.956712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective This study aims to reveal epidemiological features and trends of liver cancer (LC) in China. Methods We retrieved data from the Global Burden of Disease database 2019. Joinpoint regression was used to examine the temporal trend of LC. Future trends of LC were estimated using the Nordpred. Results The incidence, mortality, and disability-standardized life year (DALY) rate of LC declined in China from 1990 to 2019. Among >210,000 LC cases in 2019, the LC incidences were nearly 3.15 times higher in males than in females. LC cases and LC-associated deaths were mostly found among patients aged 65 to 69 years. The proportion of LC attributable to hepatitis B decreased over time, whereas the proportions of LC attributable to hepatitis C, alcohol use, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis increased modestly from 1990 to 2019. The majority of LC-associated deaths could be traced to four risk factors: smoking (20%), drug use (13.6%), alcohol use (11.7%), and high body mass index (10.1%). Based on the Nordpred prediction, there will be a steady decline in the incidence (39.0%) and mortality (38.3%) of liver cancer over a 25-year period from 2020 to 2044. Conclusion The disease burden of liver cancer in China has declined over the past 30 years. However, it remains important to control liver cancer among high-risk populations, especially elderly males with obesity, alcohol use, tobacco use, and/or drug abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Yue
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Ming Xu
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Ting Cai
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Haizhen Zhu
- Institute of Pathogen Biology and Immunology of College of Biology, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Virology, State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, Hunan University, Changsha, China
| | - Mahmoud Reza Pourkarim
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium,Health Policy Research Center, Institute of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran,Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine, Tehran, Iran
| | - Erik De Clercq
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Guangdi Li
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, China,Hunan Children's Hospital, Changsha, China,*Correspondence: Guangdi Li
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Chen W, Zhang F, Xu H, Hou X, Tang D, Dai Y. Identification and Characterization of Genes Related to the Prognosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Based on Single-Cell Sequencing. Pathol Oncol Res 2022; 28:1610199. [PMID: 36091935 PMCID: PMC9454301 DOI: 10.3389/pore.2022.1610199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The heterogeneity of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) highlights the importance of precision therapy. In recent years, single-cell RNA sequencing has been used to reveal the expression of genes at the single-cell level and comprehensively study cell heterogeneity. This study combined big data analytics and single-cell data mining to study the influence of genes on HCC prognosis. The cells and genes closely related to the HCC were screened through single-cell RNA sequencing (71,915 cells, including 34,414 tumor cells) and big data analysis. Comprehensive bioinformatics analysis of the key genes of HCC was conducted for molecular classification and multi-dimensional correlation analyses, and a prognostic model for HCC was established. Finally, the correlation between the prognostic model and clinicopathological features was analyzed. 16,880 specific cells, screened from the single-cell expression profile matrix, were divided into 20 sub-clusters. Cell typing revealed that 97% of these cells corresponded to HCC cell lines, demonstrating the high specificity of cells derived from single-cell sequencing. 2,038 genes with high variability were obtained. The 371 HCC samples were divided into two molecular clusters. Cluster 1 (C1) was associated with tumorigenesis, high immune score, immunotherapy targets (PD-L1 and CYLA-4), high pathological stage, and poor prognosis. Cluster 2 (C2) was related to metabolic and immune function, low immune score, low pathological stage, and good prognosis. Seven differentially expressed genes (CYP3A4, NR1I2, CYP2C9, TTR, APOC3, CYP1A2, and AFP) identified between the two molecular clusters were used to construct a prognostic model. We further validated the correlation between the seven key genes and clinical features, and the established prognostic model could effectively predict HCC prognosis. Our study identified seven key genes related to HCC that were used to construct a prognostic model through single-cell sequencing and big data analytics. This study provides new insights for further research on clinical targets of HCC and new biomarkers for clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenbiao Chen
- Research Center for Human Tissue and Organs Degeneration, Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, People’s Hospital of Longhua, The Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China
- Clinical Medical Research Center, Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Autoimmune Disease Precision Medicine, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Shenzhen People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, China
- Central Laboratory, People’s Hospital of Longhua, The Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China
- *Correspondence: Wenbiao Chen,
| | - Feng Zhang
- Intensive Care Unit, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Huixuan Xu
- Clinical Medical Research Center, Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Autoimmune Disease Precision Medicine, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Shenzhen People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xianliang Hou
- Clinical Medical Research Center, Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Autoimmune Disease Precision Medicine, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Shenzhen People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Donge Tang
- Clinical Medical Research Center, Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Autoimmune Disease Precision Medicine, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Shenzhen People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yong Dai
- Clinical Medical Research Center, Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Autoimmune Disease Precision Medicine, The Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Shenzhen People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, China
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Luo J, Li L, Zhu Z, Chang B, Deng F, Wang D, Lu X, Zuo D, Chen Q, Zhou J. Fucoidan inhibits EGFR redistribution and potentiates sorafenib to overcome sorafenib-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma. Biomed Pharmacother 2022; 154:113602. [PMID: 36029544 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.113602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Although sorafenib is a standard first-line molecule-targeted drug against advanced HCC, the drug resistance development and adverse side effects usually limit its efficacy. This study investigated the effect of fucoidan on the sorafenib sensitivity of sorafenib-resistant human HCC cell line HepG2-SR established by long-time exposure of HepG2 to sorafenib. We demonstrated fucoidan combined with sorafenib synergistically promoted apoptosis and cell cycle arrest whereas inhibited cell migration in HepG2-SR cells. This combination treatment effectively suppressed the cellular epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) nuclear distribution and downstream gene transcription. Interestingly, fucoidan bound the cell surface EGFR, dampening EGFR translocation to lipid raft and further nuclear distribution, restoring the sorafenib sensitivity in HepG2-SR cells. Blocking fucoidan-EGFR interaction using EGFR antibody restrained the enhanced anti-tumor effects upon the combined administration. Besides, EGFR knockdown abolished the combination treatment-improved anti-tumor efficacy. This combination also suppressed in vivo xenograft tumor growth in nude mice. Our present study uncovered that fucoidan overcame sorafenib resistance in HCC via its interaction with cell membrane EGFR and further suppression of EGFR redistribution and downstream signaling in sorafenib-resistant cells. Overall, current results suggest that simultaneous treatment of fucoidan and sorafenib might serve as a potential therapeutic strategy against sorafenib-resistant HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jialiang Luo
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China; Department of Medical Laboratory, School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China
| | - Lei Li
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China; Department of Medical Laboratory, School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China
| | - Zhengyumeng Zhu
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China; Department of Medical Laboratory, School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China
| | - Bo Chang
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China
| | - Fan Deng
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China; Department of Medical Laboratory, School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China
| | - Di Wang
- Department of Dermatology, Dermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China
| | - Xiao Lu
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China
| | - Daming Zuo
- Department of Medical Laboratory, School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China
| | - Qingyun Chen
- Medical Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China.
| | - Jia Zhou
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China; Key Laboratory of Functional Proteomics of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China.
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Kalpadakis S, Sifaki-Pistolla D, Symvoulakis EK, Kelefiotis-Stratidakis P, Vamvakas L, Mavroudis D, Lionis C. Reporting Liver Cancer Trends in the Island of Crete, Greece: Results from a Geo-Epidemiological Study. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:10166. [PMID: 36011801 PMCID: PMC9408082 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191610166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Liver cancer is one of the most frequent cancers in Europe and Greece. An increase in specific risk factors, such as metabolic syndrome and obesity, has been observed in Greece. Therefore, exploring temporal trends of liver cancer incidence and mortality is crucial. This study aims to assess the "burden" of malignant liver tumors (MLT) in Crete, Greece, in terms of incidence and mortality rates, and identify the high-risk areas on the island (i.e., municipalities), to suggest public health measures. Data were obtained from the Cancer Registry Center (CRC) and included all cases of MLT for the period 1992-2013 in Crete. Age-standardized incidence rates (ASIR), age-specific incidence rates (ASpIR), age-standardized mortality rates (ASMR), and age-specific mortality rates (ASpMR) were estimated. For the study period (1992-2013), incidence and mortality showed an increasing trend. Mean ASIR was found 15.3/100,000/year and mean ASMR 8.6/100,000/year. Age groups 65-69 and 75-79 years among men presented the highest rates of (ASIR = 39/100,000/year) and among women age groups of 75-79 and 80-84 years a mean ASIR (22/100,000/year). The five-year survival rate of MLT was 50% and the ten-year survival rate was 47% for both genders. Risk factors that were identified included personal history of cancer, family history of MLT or other cancer, degree of relationship, smoking, and obesity. Some municipalities of Crete were found to be high-risk areas for MLT, while differences were detected in incidence and mortality rates, and annual rate change among them. Estimated variation indicates further increase probably due to the lifestyle of the residents, economic crisis, and inadequate preventive measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stavros Kalpadakis
- Clinic of Social and Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Dimitra Sifaki-Pistolla
- Clinic of Social and Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Emmanouil K. Symvoulakis
- Clinic of Social and Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
| | | | - Lambros Vamvakas
- Pathology Oncology Clinic, University Hospital of Heraklion, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
- School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Mavroudis
- Pathology Oncology Clinic, University Hospital of Heraklion, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
- School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Christos Lionis
- Clinic of Social and Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
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Liu J, Xiao P, Jiang W, Wang Y, Huang Y. Diagnostic value of exosomes in patients with liver cancer: a systematic review. CLINICAL & TRANSLATIONAL ONCOLOGY : OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE FEDERATION OF SPANISH ONCOLOGY SOCIETIES AND OF THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE OF MEXICO 2022; 24:2285-2294. [PMID: 35947296 DOI: 10.1007/s12094-022-02906-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/23/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Liver cancer is a disease with high morbidity and mortality. More and more studies have shown that exosomes can be used as biomarkers for the diagnosis of liver cancer, but their diagnostic accuracy is still unclear. Therefore, this meta-analysis summarizes various studies on the diagnostic value of exosomes for liver cancer. METHODS A comprehensive search was carried out based on the set search terms in PubMed, Web of Science and Wiley until April 1, 2022. All statistical analyses were performed by STATA 17 statistical software and Review Manager 5.4. Quality Assessment for Studies of Diagnostic Accuracy 2 tool was applied to evaluate the quality of included articles. Random effects model was used to calculate various diagnostic indicators. RESULTS A total of 47 studies were included in this meta-analysis. The number of participants was 3196. The combined sensitivity, specificity and the area under the curve with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were, respectively 0.80 (0.75-0.84), 0.83 (0.79-0.87), 0.89 (0.85-0.91). CONCLUSIONS This meta-analysis shows that exosomes have good diagnostic accuracy for liver cancer and can be used as an effective biomarker for the diagnosis of liver cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jusong Liu
- Department of Transfusion, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, 25 Taiping Road, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Pan Xiao
- Department of Transfusion, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, 25 Taiping Road, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenxue Jiang
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, China
| | - Yuhan Wang
- Department of Transfusion, Yaan People's Hospital, Yaan, 625000, China
| | - Yuanshuai Huang
- Department of Transfusion, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, 25 Taiping Road, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
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Guo C, Tang Y, Yang Z, Li G, Zhang Y. Hallmark-guided subtypes of hepatocellular carcinoma for the identification of immune-related gene classifiers in the prediction of prognosis, treatment efficacy, and drug candidates. Front Immunol 2022; 13:958161. [PMID: 36032071 PMCID: PMC9399518 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.958161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), accounting for ~90% of all primary liver cancer, is a prevalent malignancy worldwide. The intratumor heterogeneity of its causative etiology, histology, molecular landscape, and immune phenotype makes it difficult to precisely recognize individuals with high mortality risk or tumor-intrinsic treatment resistance, especially immunotherapy. Herein, we comprehensively evaluated the activities of cancer hallmark gene sets and their correlations with the prognosis of HCC patients using gene set variation analysis (GSVA) and identified two HCC subtypes with distinct prognostic outcomes. Based on these subtypes, seven immune-related genes (TMPRSS6, SPP1, S100A9, EPO, BIRC5, PLXNA1, and CDK4) were used to construct a novel prognostic gene signature [hallmark-guided subtypes-based immunologic signature (HGSIS)] via multiple statistical approaches. The HGSIS-integrated nomogram suggested an enhanced predictive performance. Interestingly, oncogenic hallmark pathways were significantly enriched in the high-risk group and positively associated with the risk score. Distinct mutational landscapes and immune profiles were observed between different risk groups. Moreover, immunophenoscore (IPS) and tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE) analysis showed different sensitivities of HGSIS risk groups for immune therapy efficacy, and the pRRophetic algorithm indicated distinguishable responses for targeted/chemotherapies in different groups. KIF2C was picked out as the key target concerning HGSIS, and the top 10 small molecules were predicted to bind to the active site of KIF2C via molecular docking, which might be further used for candidate drug discovery of HCC. Taken together, our study offers novel insights for clinically significant subtype recognition, and the proposed signature may be a helpful guide for clinicians to improve the treatment regimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengbin Guo
- Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuqin Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Southwestern Chinese Medicine Resources, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Zhao Yang
- West China School of Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Gen Li
- Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Yongqiang Zhang, ; Gen Li,
| | - Yongqiang Zhang
- Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- *Correspondence: Yongqiang Zhang, ; Gen Li,
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Effect of Comprehensive Nursing Approach in Perioperative Stage of Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Interventional Therapy. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2022; 2022:6862463. [PMID: 35966746 PMCID: PMC9374545 DOI: 10.1155/2022/6862463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 07/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Objective. To examine the efficacy of a complete nursing strategy during the perioperative phase for patients undergoing interventional treatment for hepatocellular cancer. Methods. Sixty patients who were diagnosed with liver cancer and underwent interventional therapy in our hospital between February 2019 and December 2021 were recruited in this trial. All study subjects were numbered according to the time when the patients first came to our hospital, and were equally divided into a comprehensive group and a conventional group based on the odd and even number of the last number, with 30 cases in each group. Those in the conventional group received conventional nursing care, whereas patients in the comprehensive group received comprehensive nursing care. Before and after the nursing intervention, the quality of life, pain, and patient satisfaction in both groups were compared. Results. The quality of survival scores, including physical, emotional, role, social, and cognitive function scores of patients in the comprehensive group, were significantly higher than those in the conventional group (
); there was no statistically significant difference in numeric rating scales (NRS) scores between the two groups compared before treatment (
). After treatment, the NRS scores of patients in the study group were significantly lower than those of patients in the control group (
); before the intervention, the difference between the emotional state scores of patients in the two groups was not significant and not statistically significant (
), while the emotional state of patients in both groups improved after the intervention, and the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) scores of patients in the comprehensive group were lower than those in the conventional group (
); the total incidence of adverse reactions in the comprehensive group (10.00%) was significantly lower than that in the conventional group (46.67%) (
); and the total satisfaction of patients in the comprehensive group (93.33%) was significantly higher than that of patients in the conventional group (73.33%) (
). Conclusion. The intervention of a comprehensive nursing approach in the perioperative period for patients with liver cancer is remarkable as it can relieve patients' psychological burden and pain, ensure a smooth operation, improve patients' postoperative quality of life, and also help to reduce the risk of postoperative adverse reactions, effectively enhancing patients’ satisfaction, and thus deserves to be promoted in clinical practice.
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Xu W, Zhao D, Huang X, Zhang M, Yin M, Liu L, Wu H, Weng Z, Xu C. The prognostic value and clinical significance of mitophagy-related genes in hepatocellular carcinoma. Front Genet 2022; 13:917584. [PMID: 35991574 PMCID: PMC9388833 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.917584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Mitophagy has been found to play a significant part in the cancer process in a growing number of studies in recent years. However, there is still a lack of study on mitophagy-related genes' (MRGs) prognostic potential and clinical significance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: We employed bioinformatics and statistical knowledge to examine the transcriptome data of HCC patients in the TCGA and GEO databases, with the goal of constructing a multigene predictive model. Then, we separated the patients into high- and low-risk groups based on the score. The model's dependability was determined using principal components analysis (PCA), survival analysis, independent prognostic analysis, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Following that, we examined the clinical correlations, pharmacological treatment sensitivity, immune checkpoint expression, and immunological correlations between patients in high and low risk groups. Finally, we evaluated the variations in gene expression between high- and low-risk groups and further analyzed the network core genes using protein-protein interaction network analysis. Results: Prognostic models were built using eight genes (OPTN, ATG12, CSNK2A2, MFN1, PGAM5, SQSTM1, TOMM22, TOMM5). During validation, the prognostic model demonstrated high reliability, indicating that it could accurately predict the prognosis of HCC patients. Additionally, we discovered that typical HCC treatment medicines had varying impacts on patients classified as high or low risk, and that individuals classified as high risk are more likely to fail immunotherapy. Additionally, the high-risk group expressed more immunological checkpoints. The immunological status of patients in different risk categories varies as well, and patients with a high-risk score have a diminished ability to fight cancer. Finally, PPI analysis identified ten related genes with potential for research. Conclusion: Our prognostic model had good and reliable predictive ability, as well as clinical diagnosis and treatment guiding significance. Eight prognostic MRGs and ten network core genes merited further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Xu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Dongxu Zhao
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Xiaowei Huang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Man Zhang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Minyue Yin
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Lu Liu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Hongyu Wu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Zhen Weng
- Cyrus Tang Hematology Center and Ministry of Education Engineering Center of Hematological Disease, and the Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Chunfang Xu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
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Hu Y, Tang C, Zhu W, Ye H, Lin Y, Wang R, Zhou T, Wen S, Yang J, Fang C. Identification of chromosomal instability-associated genes as hepatocellular carcinoma progression-related biomarkers to guide clinical diagnosis, prognosis and therapy. Comput Biol Med 2022; 148:105896. [PMID: 35868048 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2022.105896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a type of cancer characterized by high heterogeneity and a complex multistep progression process. Significantly-altered biomarkers for HCC need to be identified. Differentially expressed genes and weighted gene co-expression network analyses were used to identify progression-related biomarkers. LASSO-Cox regression and random forest algorithms were used to construct the progression-related prognosis (PRP) score. Three chromosomal instability-associated genes (KIF20A, TOP2A, and TTK) have been identified as progression-related biomarkers. The robustness of the PRP scores were validated using four independent cohorts. Immune status was observed using the single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA). Comprehensive analysis showed that the patients with high PRP score had wider genomic alterations, more malignant phenotypes, and were in a state of immunosuppression. The diagnostic models constructed via logistic regression based on the three genes showed satisfactory performances in distinguishing HCC from cirrhotic tissues or dysplastic nodules. The nomogram combining PRP scores with clinical factors had a better performance in predicting prognosis than the tumor node metastasis classification (TNM) system. We further confirmed that KIF20A, TOP2A, and TTK were highly expressed in HCC tissues than in cirrhotic tissues. Downregulation of all three genes aggravated chromosomal instabilities in HCC and suppressed HCC cells viability both in vitro and in vivo. Overall, our study highlights the important roles of chromosomal instability-associated genes during the progression of HCC and their potential clinical diagnosis and prognostic value and provides promising new ideas for developing therapeutic strategies to improve the outcomes of HCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yueyang Hu
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, China; Institute of Digital Intelligence, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, China; Guangdong Provincial Clinical and Engineering Center of Digital Medicine, Guangzhou, 510280, China
| | - Chuanyu Tang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, China; Institute of Digital Intelligence, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, China; Guangdong Provincial Clinical and Engineering Center of Digital Medicine, Guangzhou, 510280, China
| | - Wen Zhu
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, China; Institute of Digital Intelligence, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, China; Guangdong Provincial Clinical and Engineering Center of Digital Medicine, Guangzhou, 510280, China
| | - Hanjie Ye
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, China; Institute of Digital Intelligence, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, China; Guangdong Provincial Clinical and Engineering Center of Digital Medicine, Guangzhou, 510280, China
| | - Yuxing Lin
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, China; Institute of Digital Intelligence, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, China; Guangdong Provincial Clinical and Engineering Center of Digital Medicine, Guangzhou, 510280, China
| | - Ruixuan Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, China; Institute of Digital Intelligence, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, China; Guangdong Provincial Clinical and Engineering Center of Digital Medicine, Guangzhou, 510280, China
| | - Tianjun Zhou
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, China; Institute of Digital Intelligence, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, China; Guangdong Provincial Clinical and Engineering Center of Digital Medicine, Guangzhou, 510280, China
| | - Sai Wen
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, China; Institute of Digital Intelligence, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, China; Guangdong Provincial Clinical and Engineering Center of Digital Medicine, Guangzhou, 510280, China
| | - Jian Yang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, China; Institute of Digital Intelligence, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, China; Guangdong Provincial Clinical and Engineering Center of Digital Medicine, Guangzhou, 510280, China
| | - Chihua Fang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, China; Institute of Digital Intelligence, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510280, China; Guangdong Provincial Clinical and Engineering Center of Digital Medicine, Guangzhou, 510280, China.
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Drug Discovery Using Evolutionary Similarities in Chemical Binding to Inhibit Patient-Derived Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23147971. [PMID: 35887321 PMCID: PMC9322808 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23147971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug resistance causes therapeutic failure in refractory cancer. Cancer drug resistance stems from various factors, such as patient heterogeneity and genetic alterations in somatic cancer cells, including those from identical tissues. Generally, resistance is intrinsic for cancers; however, cancer resistance becomes common owing to an increased drug treatment. Unfortunately, overcoming this issue is not yet possible. The present study aimed to evaluate a clinical approach using candidate compounds 19 and 23, which are sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA) inhibitors, discovered using the evolutionary chemical binding similarity method. mRNA sequencing indicated SERCA as the dominant marker of patient-derived anti-cancer drug-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but not of patient-derived anti-cancer drug-sensitive HCC. Candidate compounds 19 and 23 led to significant tumor shrinkage in a tumor xenograft model of anti-cancer drug-resistant patient-derived HCC cells. Our results might be clinically significant for the development of novel combinatorial strategies that selectively and efficiently target highly malignant cells such as drug-resistant and cancer stem-like cells.
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