p53 mediated transcriptional regulation of long non-coding RNA by 1-hydroxy-1-norresistomycin triggers intrinsic apoptosis in adenocarcinoma lung cancer

Nickel-doped vanadium pentoxide (Ni@V2O5) nanocomposite induces apoptosis targeting PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in skin cancer: An in vitro and in vivo study

In the present study, the vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) nickel-doped vanadium pentoxide (Ni@V2O5) was prepared and determined for in vitro anticancer activity. The structural characterization of the prepared V2O5 and Ni@V2O5 was determined using diverse morphological and spectroscopic analyses. The DRS-UV analysis displayed the absorbance at 215 nm for V2O5 and 331 nm for Ni@V2O5 as the primary validation of the synthesis of V2O5 and Ni@V2O5. The EDS spectra exhibited the presence of 30% of O, 69% of V, and 1% of Ni and the EDS mapping showed the constant dispersion. The FE-SEM and FE-TEM analysis showed the V2O5 nanoparticles are rectangle-shaped and nanocomposites have excellent interfaces between nickel and V2O5. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) investigation of Ni@V2O5 nanocomposite endorses the occurrence of elements V, O, and Ni. The in vitro MTT assay clearly showed that the V2O5 and Ni@V2O5 have significantly inhibited the proliferation of B16F10 skin cancer cells. In addition, the nanocomposite produces the endogenous reactive oxygen species in the mitochondria, causes the mitochondrial membrane and nuclear damage, and consequently induces apoptosis by caspase 9/3 enzymatic activity in skin cancer cells. Also, the western blot analysis showed that the nanocomposite suppresses the oncogenic marker proteins such as PI3K, Akt, and mTOR in the skin cancer cells. Together, the results showed that Ni@V2O5 can be used as an auspicious anticancer agent against skin cancer.

N-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-2-phenazinamine from Nocardiopsis exhalans induces p53-mediated intrinsic apoptosis signaling in lung cancer cell lines

The present study aims to investigate the effect and the molecular mechanism of N-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-2-phenazinamine (NHP) isolated from Nocardiopsis exhalans against the proliferation of human lung cancer cells. The cytotoxic activity of NHP against A549 and H520 cells was determined using MTT assay. The cytotoxic activity of NHP against A549 and H520 lung cancer cells showed excellent activity at 75 μg/mL and damage the mitochondrial membrane and nucleus by generating oxidative stress. NHP causes nuclear condensation and induces apoptosis which was confirmed using AO/EB and PI/DAPI dual staining assay. Moreover, the NHP downregulates the oncogenic genes such as IL-8, TNFα, MMPs and BcL2 and also upregulates the expression of apoptosis marker genes such as Cyto C, p53, p21, caspase 9/3 in A549 and H520 human lung cancer cells. Considering the strong anticancer activity of NHP against lung cancer, NHP may be further evaluated as a potential anticancer drug for the treatment of lung cancer.

Non-coding RNA-related antitumor mechanisms of marine-derived agents

In the last two decades, natural active substances have attracted great attention in developing new antitumor drugs, especially in the marine environment. A series of marine-derived compounds or derivatives with potential antitumor effects have been discovered and developed, but their mechanisms of action are not well understood. Emerging studies have found that several tumor-related signaling pathways and molecules are involved in the antitumor mechanisms of marine-derived agents, including noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). In this review, we provide an update on the regulation of marine-derived agents associated with ncRNAs on tumor cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle, invasion, migration, drug sensitivity and resistance. Herein, we also describe recent advances in marine food-derived ncRNAs as antitumor agents that modulate cross-species gene expression. A better understanding of the antitumor mechanisms of marine-derived agents mediated, regulated, or sourced by ncRNAs will provide new biomarkers or targets for potential antitumor drugs from preclinical discovery and development to clinical application.

Piperazine tethered bergenin heterocyclic hybrids: design, synthesis, anticancer activity, and molecular docking studies

In an attempt to develop natural product-based anticancer agents, a series of novel piperazine-linked bergenin heterocyclic hybrids bearing arylthiazolyl (5a-e), benzothiazolyl (10a-i), and arylsulfonyl (13a-o) were synthesized using the classical Mannich reaction and evaluated for their anticancer activity. All the synthesized derivatives were assessed for in vitro cytotoxic activity against a panel of human cancer and normal cell lines and the results showed that most of the compounds exhibited significant cytotoxic activity against cancer cells and mild cytotoxicity against normal cells. In particular, the compounds 5a, 5c, 10f, and 13o showed potent cytotoxic activity against tongue and oral cancer cell lines compared to the parent compound (<100 μM). Considering the efficacy, the compounds 5a, 5c, 10f, and 13o were subjected to cell cycle analysis and the results indicated that the compounds mitigated the cell cycle progression at the G0/G1 phase in the tongue and oral cancer cell lines. Subsequently, the annexin V/PI staining assay demonstrated that the compounds 5a, 5c, 10f, and 13o induced early and late apoptosis against tongue cancer and necrosis against oral cancer. Further, gene expression analysis revealed that 5a, 5c, and 13o treatment regulated the BAX and BcL-2 expression and also the selected compounds significantly reduced the expression level of vimentin, oct-4, and nanog. In addition, molecular docking studies revealed that the selected derivatives have strong binding energy with the BcL2 protein and downregulates the expression. Taken together, the study results implied that these compounds are promising anticancer candidates by modulating the epithelial to mesenchymal transition axis and could be considered for further development of novel anticancer drugs.

Structural Characterization, Antimicrobial, Antibiofilm, Antioxidant, Anticancer and Acute Toxicity Properties of N-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-2-phenazinamine From Nocardiopsis exhalans (KP149558)

The present study aimed to isolate and identify potential drugs from marine actinomycete Nocardiopsis exhalans and screen them for biomedical applications. The cell-free culture of N. exhalans was extracted with ethyl acetate and the solvent extract showed six fractions in thin-layer chromatography. The fractions were subjected to column chromatography for purification and evaluated for activity against human clinical pathogens. Fraction 4 showed significant activity and was identified as N-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-2-phenazinamine (NHP) using spectral analyses. Further, NHP showed excellent biofilm inhibitory activity against human clinical pathogens Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. The in vitro antioxidant activity confirmed that NHP is scavenging the oxidative stress-enhancing molecules. The anti-proliferative activity of NHP against human breast cancer cells showed significant activity at 300 µg/ml and less cytotoxic activity against normal cells. Additionally, the toxicity assessment against zebrafish revealed that NHP does not cause any toxicity in the important organs. The results highlight N. exhalans as a promising candidate for the development of antibiotics with potential therapeutic applications.

Synthesis and antiproliferative activities of novel piscidinol a derivatives as potential anticancer agents

Piscidinol A (1), a major compound isolated from Aphanamixis polystachya, showed modest anticancer activity against cancer cell lines. Subsequently, a series of analogues were synthesised by modification of the key structural functionalities of this high yield natural product and assessed for their anticancer potential against various cancer cell lines. Among the tested derivatives, the compounds 6e and 6i are significantly reduced the cell viability at 5.38 and 5.02 µM against DU145 prostate cancer cells, respectively. Additionally, both the compounds arrested the cell cycle at S phase and induced the late apoptosis in DU145 cells. Together, the results demonstrated that the compounds 6e and 6i could be a promising lead for the development of anticancer agents against DU145 and well worth further investigation aiming to generate potential anticancer agents.

Promising bioactive compounds from the marine environment and their potential effects on various diseases

Background

The marine environment hosts a wide variety of species that have evolved to live in harsh and challenging conditions. Marine organisms are the focus of interest due to their capacity to produce biotechnologically useful compounds. They are promising biocatalysts for new and sustainable industrial processes because of their resistance to temperature, pH, salt, and contaminants, representing an opportunity for several biotechnological applications. Encouraged by the extensive and richness of the marine environment, marine organisms’ role in developing new therapeutic benefits is heading as an arable field.

Main body of the abstract

There is currently much interest in biologically active compounds derived from natural resources, especially compounds that can efficiently act on molecular targets, which are involved in various diseases. Studies are focused on bacteria and fungi, isolated from sediments, seawater, fish, algae, and most marine invertebrates such as sponges, mollusks, tunicates, coelenterates, and crustaceans. In addition to marine macro-organisms, such as sponges, algae, or corals, marine bacteria and fungi have been shown to produce novel secondary metabolites (SMs) with specific and intricate chemical structures that may hold the key to the production of novel drugs or leads. The marine environment is known as a rich source of chemical structures with numerous beneficial health effects. Presently, several lines of studies have provided insight into biological activities and neuroprotective effects of marine algae, including antioxidant, anti-neuroinflammatory, cholinesterase inhibitory activity, and neuronal death inhibition.

Conclusion

The application of marine-derived bioactive compounds has gained importance because of their therapeutic uses in several diseases. Marine natural products (MNPs) display various pharmaceutically significant bioactivities, including antibiotic, antiviral, neurodegenerative, anticancer, or anti-inflammatory properties. The present review focuses on the importance of critical marine bioactive compounds and their role in different diseases and highlights their possible contribution to humanity.

Identification of Meat Quality Determining Marker Genes in Fibroblasts of Bovine Muscle Using Transcriptomic Profiling

In the present study, we comparatively analyzed the transcriptomic profiling of fibroblasts derived from two different muscles, biceps femoris and longissimus dorsi with significant difference in the meat quality and tenderness. EBSeq algorithm was applied to analyze the data, and genes were considered to be significantly differentially expressed if the false discovery rate value was <0.05, the P value was <0.01, and the fold change was >0.585. The results revealed that 253 genes were differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (170 genes were upregulated, and 83 were downregulated) and more than 100 DEGs were probably associated with intramuscular fat deposition, tenderness, and toughness, which are driving the meat quality and were involved in biological processes such as collagen synthesis, cell differentiation, and muscle tissue and fiber development; molecular functions such as chemokine activity and collagen activity; cellular components such as cytoplasm and myofibril; and pathways such as collagen signaling and metabolic pathways. A gene-act network and a co-expression network revealed the close relationship between intramuscular fat deposition and meat tenderness. The expressions of 20 DEGs were validated by real-time PCR, and the results suggested that the DEGs are correlated with RNA-seq data and play crucial roles in muscle growth, development processes, toughness, and tenderness of the meat. Together, the genome-wide transcriptome analysis revealed that various genes are responsible for toughness and tenderness variance in the difference muscles of beef.

Inhibition of gastric cancer cell apoptosis by long noncoding RNA TRPM2-AS via mitogen-activated protein kinase and activators of transduction-3

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Long noncoding RNA TRPM2-AS has emerged as a novel regulator in cancer initiation and progression of various cancers. However, the function and underlying mechanism of TRPM2-AS in the progression of gastric cancer (GC) remain poorly understood.

METHODS

GEO and TCGA databases were used for isolation of differential lncRNA expression. TRPM2-AS expression levels in GC tissues and cells were measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction method. TRPM2-AS subcellular location was detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis. The functional roles of TRPM2-AS in cells were analyzed by loss and gain function assays.

RESULTS

By using bioinformatics and quantitative polymerase chain reaction methods, TRPM2-AS expression levels were proved to be upregulated in GSE70880 dataset, TCGA database, and 26 GC tissues, which was partly induced by SP1. The results of clinical assays showed that TRPM2-AS could be an indicator for early-stage GC diagnosis. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis showed that TRPM2-AS was located in both nucleus and cytoplasm. Functional experiments displayed that knockdown of TRPM2-AS inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion in GC cells. Furthermore, depression of TRPM2-AS suppressed cell growth though promotion of cell apoptosis. The expression levels of cleaved PARP, caspase 9, caspase 3, and Bax were significantly increased in BGC823 with TRPM2-AS knockdown. In addition, knockdown of TRPM2-AS reduced and phosphorylate signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 and increased and phosphorylate p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that SP1-regulated TRPM2-AS is involved in GC cell apoptosis probably via p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 pathways, indicating that TRPM2-AS might be a potential therapeutic target in GC.

P53 vs NF-κB: the role of nuclear factor-kappa B in the regulation of p53 activity and vice versa

The onco-suppressor p53 is a transcription factor that regulates a wide spectrum of genes involved in various cellular functions including apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, senescence, autophagy, DNA repair and angiogenesis. p53 and NF-κB generally have opposing effects in cancer cells. While p53 activity is associated with apoptosis induction, the stimulation of NF-κB has been demonstrated to promote resistance to programmed cell death. Although the transcription factor NF-κB family is considered as the master regulator of cancer development and maintenance, it has been mainly studied in relation to its ability to regulate p53. This has revealed the importance of the crosstalk between NF-κB, p53 and other crucial cell signaling pathways. This review analyzes the various mechanisms by which NF-κB regulates the activity of p53 and the role of p53 on NF-κB activity.

Revisiting cancer hallmarks: insights from the interplay between oxidative stress and non-coding RNAs

Cancer is one of the most common disease worldwide, with complex changes and certain traits which have been described as “The Hallmarks of Cancer.” Despite increasing studies on in-depth investigation of these hallmarks, the molecular mechanisms associated with tumorigenesis have still not yet been fully defined. Recently, accumulating evidence supports the observation that microRNAs and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), two main classes of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), regulate most cancer hallmarks through their binding with DNA, RNA or proteins, or encoding small peptides. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), the byproducts generated during metabolic processes, are known to regulate every step of tumorigenesis by acting as second messengers in cancer cells. The disturbance in ROS homeostasis leads to a specific pathological state termed “oxidative stress”, which plays essential roles in regulation of cancer progression. In addition, the interplay between oxidative stress and ncRNAs is found to regulate the expression of multiple genes and the activation of several signaling pathways involved in cancer hallmarks, revealing a potential mechanistic relationship involving ncRNAs, oxidative stress and cancer. In this review, we provide evidence that shows the essential role of ncRNAs and the interplay between oxidative stress and ncRNAs in regulating cancer hallmarks, which may expand our understanding of ncRNAs in the cancer development from the new perspective.

Long noncoding RNA VCAN-AS1 contributes to the progression of gastric cancer via regulating p53 expression

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most frequent malignancies worldwide. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are found to be largely implicated in various cancers, including GC. However, the function of lncRNA VCAN antisense RNA 1 (VCAN-AS1) in GC remains unclear. Herein, we observed a low level of VCAN-AS1 in normal gastric tissues through NCBI and UCSC, and that VCAN-AS1 upregulation in GC tissues was related to poor prognosis by TCGA. Furthermore, VCAN-AS1 was found markedly enhanced in GC tissues and cell lines, while its upregulation was related with clinical outcomes of GC patients. Besides this, silencing VCAN-AS1 represses cell proliferation, migration, and invasion but enhances apoptosis. More important, we discovered that VCAN-AS1 expression was negatively correlated with wild-type p53 levels in GC tissues and that p53 was negatively modulated by VCAN-AS1 in GC cells. Furthermore, p53 suppression reversed the repression of VCAN-AS1 silence on the biological processes of AGS cells. Intriguingly, we identified that both VCAN-AS1 and TP53 can bind with eIF4A3, one of the core proteins in the exon junction complex. Also, we confirmed that VCAN-AS1 negatively regulates TP53 expression by competitively binding with eIF4A3. Our findings disclosed that VCAN-AS1 contributes to GC progression through interacting with eIF4A3 to downregulate TP53 expression, indicating that VCAN-AS1 is a novel therapeutic strategy for GC treatment.

Multifunctionality of gold nanoparticles: Plausible and convincing properties

In a couple of decades, nanotechnology has become a trending area in science due to it covers all subject that combines diverse range of fields including but not limited to chemistry, physics and medicine. Various metal and metal oxide nanomaterials have been developed for wide range applications. However, the application of gold nanostructures and nanoparticles has been received more attention in various biomedical applications. The unique property of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is surface plasmon resonance (SPR) that determine the size, shape and stability. The wide surface area of AuNPs eases the proteins, peptides, oligonucleotides, and many other compounds to tether and enhance the biological activity of AuNPs. AuNPs have multifunctionality including antimicrobial, anticancer, drug and gene delivery, sensing applications and imaging. This state-of-the-art review is focused on the role of unique properties of AuNPs in multifunctionality and its various applications.

[Expression of NUF2 in breast cancer and its clinical significance]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the expression of the cell division- associated gene NUF2 in breast cancer and its clinical significance.

METHODS

The expression of NUF2 in breast cancer tissues was analyzed using Oncomine database. The relationship between the expression of NUF2 and the prognosis of breast cancer was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier Plotter database. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and GEO database were used to investigate the effect of NUF2 on gene enrichment. The String database was utilized to analyze the proteins associated with NUF2. The TIMER database was analyzed to assess the correlations of NUF2 with BUB1, MAD2L1 and MYC. The expressions of NUF2 mRNA in 8 pairs of breast cancer tissues and adjacent tissues were verified by q-PCR.

RESULTS

Compared with that in normal breast tissue, NUF2 was significantly overexpressed in breast cancer (P &lt; 0.001). The overall survival time (HR = 1.52, P = 0.015) and the recurrence-free survival time (HR = 1.85, P = 3.2e-14) of the patients with high NUF2 expression were significantly shorter than those of patients with low NUF2 expression. In patients with high NUF2 expression, the enriched genes were involved mainly in cell cycle, P53, G2/M, DNA repair, MYC, and PI3K-AKT-MTOR signaling pathways, which were associated with tumor proliferation, invasion, metastasis and stemness. Combination of the results of String database, gene enrichment and TIMER database analyses suggested that NUF2 interacted directly with BUB1, MAD2L1, and MYC, which could promote the progression of breast cancer. The results of q-PCR showed that NUF2 expression was up-regulated in 6 cancer tissues and down-regulated in 2 cancer tissues.

CONCLUSIONS

NUF2 gene is overexpressed in breast cancer, and its expression level is important in predicting the prognosis of breast cancer.

In vitro and in silico approaches of antibiofilm activity of 1-hydroxy-1-norresistomycin against human clinical pathogens

In the present study, an attempt has been made to explore the antibiofilm activity of bioactive compound 1-hydroxy-1-norresistomycin (HNM) derived from coral mucus associated actinomycete Streptomyces variabilis. Initially, different concentration of HNM inhibited the biofilm formation of human clinical pathogens Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae and Staphylococcus aureus was determined using crystal-violet staining assay. The light microscopic analysis showed that HNM reduced the biofilm formation and adherence of bacterial cells on the surface of coverslip. HNM also damages the 3D architecture with reduced thickness as well as cell aggregation of biofilm forming bacteria analysed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). In addition, HNM also demonstrated the efficiency in inhibiting theoretical adhesion by altering the surface hydrophobicity that can potentially hamper cellular adhesion and prevent biofilm formation. Furthermore, the molecular docking showed the significant interaction between HNM and key biofilm forming proteins proved an excellent antibiofilm activity of HNM. Together, these results suggest that the HNM can serve as potential antibiofilm agent in controlling the infections of E. coli, V. cholerae and S. aureus.

Chemical fabrication of graphene oxide nanosheets attenuates biofilm formation of human clinical pathogens

Graphene oxide (GO) has been recently attracted considerable interest for its potential applications in physical, chemical and biological properties. In the present study, the GO nanosheets were prepared by a chemical exfoliation technique using a modified Hummers method. Initially, the prepared GO nanosheets were confirmed by UV-vis spectroscopy and further characterized by FE-SEM, Edax, HR-TEM and SAED that demonstrated the formation of GO nanosheets with few layers flat sheet structure with hexagonal lattice crystalline nature. The FTIR spectra revealed the presence of various oxygen containing functional groups has been produced from graphite plane by exfoliation technique. The prepared GO nanosheets showed excellent antibiotic resistant activity against planktonic bacteria and more effective to damage the established biofilms and inhibits the biofilm formation of human clinical pathogens like E. coli and P. aeruginosa. Further, the GO nanosheets were found to be non-toxic to normal mammalian cells and there are no apparent morphological changes were observed in control and treated cells. In conclusion, GO nanosheets were effectively preventing the formation of biofilms and kills the represent bacteria that suggested the GO nanosheets could be used for the prevention and treatment of biofilm-related infections.