Hallmarks of cancer: the next generation

M6A-mediated molecular patterns and tumor microenvironment infiltration characterization in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most predominant RNA epigenetic regulation in eukaryotic cells. Numerous evidence revealed that m6A modification exerts a crucial role in the regulation of tumor microenvironment (TME) cell infiltration in several tumors. Nevertheless, the potential role and mechanism of m6A modification in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains unknown. mRNA expression data and clinical information from GSE102349, and GSE53819 datasets obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) was used for differential gene expression and subsequent analysis. Consensus clustering was used to identify m6A-related molecular patterns of 88 NPC samples based on prognostic m6A regulators using Univariate Cox analysis. The TME cell-infiltrating characteristics of each m6A-related subclass were explored using single-sample gene set enrichment (ssGSEA) algorithm and CIBERSORT algotithm. DEGs between two m6A-related subclasses were screened using edgeR package. The prognostic signature and predicated nomogram were constructed based on the m6A-related DEGs. The cell infiltration and expression of prognostic signature in NPC was determined using immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis. Chi-square test was used to analysis the significance of difference of the categorical variables. And survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier plots and log-rank tests. The NPC samples were divided into two m6A-related subclasses. The TME cell-infiltrating characteristics analyses indicated that cluster 1 is characterized by immune-related and metabolism pathways activation, better response to anit-PD1 and anti-CTLA4 treatment and chemotherapy. And cluster 2 is characterized by stromal activation, low expression of HLA family and immune checkpoints, and a worse response to anti-PD1 and anti-CTLA4 treatment and chemotherapy. Furthermore, we identified 1558 DEGs between two m6A-related subclasses and constructed prognostic signatures to predicate the progression-free survival (PFS) for NPC patients. Compared to non-tumor samples, REEP2, TMSB15A, DSEL, and ID4 were upregulated in NPC samples. High expression of REEP2 and TMSB15A showed poor survival in NPC patients. The interaction between REEP2, TMSB15A, DSEL, ID4, and m6A regulators was detected. Our finding indicated that m6A modification plays an important role in the regulation of TME heterogeneity and complexity.

Immunotherapy resistance in solid tumors: mechanisms and potential solutions

While the emergence of immunotherapies has fundamentally altered the management of solid tumors, cancers exploit many complex biological mechanisms that result in resistance to these agents. These encompass a broad range of cellular activities - from modification of traditional paradigms of immunity via antigen presentation and immunoregulation to metabolic modifications and manipulation of the tumor microenvironment. Intervening on these intricate processes may provide clinical benefit in patients with solid tumors by overcoming resistance to immunotherapies, which is why it has become an area of tremendous research interest with practice-changing implications. This review details the major ways cancers avoid both natural immunity and immunotherapies through primary (innate) and secondary (acquired) mechanisms of resistance, and it considers available and emerging therapeutic approaches to overcoming immunotherapy resistance.

The critical role of tumor microbiome in cancer immunotherapy

In recent years, the microbiome has shown an integral role in cancer immunotherapy and has become a prominent and widely studied topic. A full understanding of the interactions between the tumor microbiome and various immunotherapies offers opportunities for immunotherapy of cancer. This review scrutinizes the composition of the tumor microbiome, the mechanism of microbial immune regulation, the influence of tumor microorganisms on tumor metastasis, and the interaction between tumor microorganisms and immunotherapy. In addition, this review also summarizes the challenges and opportunities of immunotherapy through tumor microbes, as well as the prospects and directions for future related research. In conclusion, the potential of microbial immunotherapy to enhance treatment outcomes for cancer patients should not be underestimated. Through this review, it is hoped that more research on tumor microbial immunotherapy will be done to better solve the treatment problems of cancer patients.

Agent-based modeling in cancer biomedicine: applications and tools for calibration and validation

Computational models are not just appealing because they can simulate and predict the development of biological phenomena across multiple spatial and temporal scales, but also because they can integrate information from well-established in vitro and in vivo models and test new hypotheses in cancer biomedicine. Agent-based models and simulations are especially interesting candidates among computational modeling procedures in cancer research due to the capability to, for instance, recapitulate the dynamics of neoplasia and tumor - host interactions. Yet, the absence of methods to validate the consistency of the results across scales can hinder adoption by turning fine-tuned models into black boxes. This review compiles relevant literature that explores strategies to leverage high-fidelity simulations of multi-scale, or multi-level, cancer models with a focus on verification approached as simulation calibration. We consolidate our review with an outline of modern approaches for agent-based models' validation and provide an ambitious outlook toward rigorous and reliable calibration.

Bidirectional crosstalk between the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and immunotherapy: A bibliometric study

Immunotherapy has recently attracted considerable attention. However, currently, a thorough analysis of the trends associated with the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and immunotherapy is lacking. In this study, we used bibliometric tools to provide a comprehensive overview of the progress in EMT-immunotherapy research. A total of 1,302 articles related to EMT and immunotherapy were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC). The analysis indicated that in terms of the volume of research, China was the most productive country (49.07%, 639), followed by the United States (16.89%, 220) and Italy (3.6%, 47). The United States was the most influential country according to the frequency of citations and citation burstiness. The results also suggested that Frontiers in Immunotherapy can be considered as the most influential journal with respect to the number of articles and impact factors. "Immune infiltration," "bioinformatics analysis," "traditional Chinese medicine," "gene signature," and "ferroptosis" were found to be emerging keywords in EMT-immunotherapy research. These findings point to potential new directions that can deepen our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the combined effects of immunotherapy and EMT and help develop strategies for improving immunotherapy.

A landscape of checkpoint blockade resistance in cancer: underlying mechanisms and current strategies to overcome resistance

The discovery of immune checkpoints and the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have achieved a durable response in advanced-stage cancer patients. However, there is still a high proportion of patients who do not benefit from ICI therapy due to a lack of response when first treated (primary resistance) or detection of disease progression months after objective response is observed (acquired resistance). Here, we review the current FDA-approved ICI for the treatment of certain solid malignancies, evaluate the contrasting responses to checkpoint blockade in different cancer types, explore the known mechanisms associated with checkpoint blockade resistance (CBR), and assess current strategies in the field that seek to overcome these mechanisms. In order to improve current therapies and develop new ones, the immunotherapy field still has an unmet need in identifying other molecules that act as immune checkpoints, and uncovering other mechanisms that promote CBR.

Advances in targeted therapy of cholangiocarcinoma

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a malignant tumor originating in the bile duct and its branching epithelium. Due to its high heterogeneity, there are no specific clinical indications at the early stage, the diagnosis is often in advanced CCA. With surgical resection, the 5-year postoperative survival rate (long-term survival rate) is very poor. The regimen of gemcitabine combined with platinum has been used as the first-line chemotherapy for advanced patients. In recent years, targeted therapy for a variety of malignant tumors has made great progress, showing good efficacy and safety in advanced CCA. However, the current targeted therapy of CCA still has many challenges, such as adverse reactions, drug resistance, and individual differences. Therefore, the researches need to further explore the targeted therapy mechanism of CCA malignancies in depth, develop more effective and safe drugs, and accurately formulate plans based on patient characteristics to further improve patient prognosis in the future. This article reviews the recent progress of targeted therapy for CCA, aiming to provide a strategy for the research and clinical work of targeted therapy for CCA.

TFTG: A comprehensive database for human transcription factors and their targets

Transcription factors (TFs) are major contributors to gene transcription, especially in controlling cell-specific gene expression and disease occurrence and development. Uncovering the relationship between TFs and their target genes is critical to understanding the mechanism of action of TFs. With the development of high-throughput sequencing techniques, a large amount of TF-related data has accumulated, which can be used to identify their target genes. In this study, we developed TFTG (Transcription Factor and Target Genes) database (http://tf.liclab.net/TFTG), which aimed to provide a large number of available human TF-target gene resources by multiple strategies, besides performing a comprehensive functional and epigenetic annotations and regulatory analyses of TFs. We identified extensive available TF-target genes by collecting and processing TF-associated ChIP-seq datasets, perturbation RNA-seq datasets and motifs. We also obtained experimentally confirmed relationships between TF and target genes from available resources. Overall, the target genes of TFs were obtained through integrating the relevant data of various TFs as well as fourteen identification strategies. Meanwhile, TFTG was embedded with user-friendly search, analysis, browsing, downloading and visualization functions. TFTG is designed to be a convenient resource for exploring human TF-target gene regulations, which will be useful for most users in the TF and gene expression regulation research.

The implications for urological malignancies of non-coding RNAs in the the tumor microenvironment

Urological malignancies are a major global health issue because of their complexity and the wide range of ways they affect patients. There's a growing need for in-depth research into these cancers, especially at the molecular level. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) – these don't code for proteins but are crucial in controlling genes – and the tumor microenvironment (TME), which is no longer seen as just a background factor but as an active player in cancer progression. Understanding how ncRNAs and the TME interact is key for finding new ways to diagnose and predict outcomes in urological cancers, and for developing new treatments. This article reviews the basic features of ncRNAs and goes into detail about their various roles in the TME, focusing specifically on how different ncRNAs function and act in urological malignancies.

Utility of artificial intelligence in a binary classification of soft tissue tumors

Soft tissue tumors (STTs) pose diagnostic and therapeutic challenges due to their rarity, complexity, and morphological overlap. Accurate differentiation between benign and malignant STTs is important to set treatment directions, however, this task can be difficult. The integration of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) models can potentially be helpful in classifying these tumors. The aim of this study was to investigate AI and machine learning tools in the classification of STT into benign and malignant categories. This study consisted of three components: (1) Evaluation of whole-slide images (WSIs) to classify STT into benign and malignant entities. Five specialized soft tissue pathologists from different medical centers independently reviewed 100 WSIs, representing 100 different cases, with limited clinical information and no additional workup. The results showed an overall concordance rate of 70.4% compared to the reference diagnosis. (2) Identification of cell-specific parameters that can distinguish benign and malignant STT. Using an image analysis software (QuPath) and a cohort of 95 cases, several cell-specific parameters were found to be statistically significant, most notably cell count, nucleus/cell area ratio, nucleus hematoxylin density mean, and cell max caliper. (3) Evaluation of machine learning library (Scikit-learn) in differentiating benign and malignant STTs. A total of 195 STT cases (156 cases in the training group and 39 cases in the validation group) achieved approximately 70% sensitivity and specificity, and an AUC of 0.68. Our limited study suggests that the use of WSI and AI in soft tissue pathology has the potential to enhance diagnostic accuracy and identify parameters that can differentiate between benign and malignant STTs. We envision the integration of AI as a supportive tool to augment the pathologists' diagnostic capabilities.

Bibliometric analysis of research trends and topic areas in traditional Chinese medicine therapy for lymphoma

CONTEXT

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is effective as a cancer treatment modality. However, this is the first bibliometric analysis of TCM in lymphoma treatment.

OBJECTIVE

This study explores the current trends and research topics of TCM in treating lymphoma from 2000 to 2023.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We searched within the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) for publications on TCM in lymphoma treatment, spanning 2000 to 2023. Subsequently, we employed a comprehensive approach utilizing CiteSpace software and VOSviewer to visually analyze research trends, authors, institutions, co-cited references, and keywords.

RESULTS

From January 1, 2000, to August 31, 2023, annual scientific publications on TCM for lymphoma treatment have steadily increased. Among the leading institutions in this field, the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and the Fujian Medical University occupied the top positions. Regarding the authors, Jun Peng, Jiumao Lin, and Hongwei Chen emerged as the top three contributors. In the co-citation analysis of references, the top three co-cited references were authored by Hanahan D, Elmore S, and Livak KJ with citations numbered 13, 14, and 17, respectively. In particular, keywords reflecting current emerging trends included 'pathway', 'traditional Chinese medicine', 'oxidative stress', and 'macrophage polarization'.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

This bibliometric analysis provides a comprehensive overview of TCM for lymphoma treatment. This analysis identified the predominant trends and research topics in the field. The findings are expected to be of significant value for researchers who focus on TCM in lymphoma treatment, helping them better understand the development of this field.

MTHFD2-mediated redox homeostasis promotes gastric cancer progression under hypoxic conditions

OBJECTIVES

Cancer cells undergo metabolic reprogramming to adapt to high oxidative stress, but little is known about how metabolic remodeling enables gastric cancer cells to survive stress associated with aberrant reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Here, we aimed to identify the key metabolic enzymes that protect gastric cancer (GC) cells from oxidative stress.

METHODS

ROS level was detected by DCFH-DA probes. Multiple cell biological studies were performed to identify the underlying mechanisms. Furthermore, cell-based xenograft and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model were performed to evaluate the role of MTHFD2 in vivo.

RESULTS

We found that overexpression of MTHFD2, but not MTHFD1, is associated with reduced overall and disease-free survival in gastric cancer. In addition, MTHFD2 knockdown reduces the cellular NADPH/NADP+ ratio, colony formation and mitochondrial function, increases cellular ROS and cleaved PARP levels and induces in cell death under hypoxia, a hallmark of solid cancers and a common inducer of oxidative stress. Moreover, genetic or pharmacological inhibition of MTHFD2 reduces tumor burden in both tumor cell lines and patient-derived xenograft-based models.

DISCUSSION

our study highlights the crucial role of MTHFD2 in redox regulation and tumor progression, demonstrating the therapeutic potential of targeting MTHFD2.

Untargeted serum and gastric metabolomics and network pharmacology analysis reveal the superior efficacy of zingiberis rhizoma recens-/euodiae fructus-processed Coptidis Rhizoma on gastric ulcer rats

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Zingiberis rhizoma recens-/wine-/euodiae fructus-processed Coptidis Rhizoma (CR, zCR/wCR/eCR) are the commonly used processed products of CR in clinic. After being processed with different excipients, the efficacy of CR will change accordingly. I.e., wCR could resolve excessive heat of the upper energizer, zCR could eliminate gastric heat and harmonize the stomach, eCR could smooth the liver and harmonize the stomach. However, the underlying mechanisms were still unclear.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To further verify the differential efficacy of the three processed CR products and compare the mechanisms on gastric ulcer.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

First, a GU model, whose onset is closely related to the heat in stomach and the disharmony between liver and stomach, was established, and the therapeutic effects of zCR/wCR/eCR/CR were evaluated by pathologic observation and measurement of cytokine levels. Second, metabolomics analysis and network pharmacology were conducted to reveal the differential intervening mechanism of zCR/eCR on GU. Third, the predicted mechanisms from metabolomics analysis and network pharmacology were validated using western blotting, flow cytometry and immunofluorescence.

RESULTS

zCR/wCR/eCR/CR could alleviate the pathologic damage to varying degrees. In metabolomics research, fewer metabolic pathways were enriched in serum samples, and most of them were also present in the results of gastric tissue samples. The gastroprotective, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-apoptotic effects of zCR/wCR/eCR/CR might be due to their interference on histidine, arachidonic acid, and glycerophospholipids metabolism. Quantitative results indicated that zCR/eCR had a better therapeutic effect than wCR/CR in treating GU. A comprehensive analysis of metabolomics and network pharmacology revealed that zCR and eCR exerted anti-GU effects via intervening in five core targets, including AKT, TNF, IL6, IL1B and PPARG. In the validation experiment, zCR/eCR could significantly reverse the abnormal expression of proteins related to apoptosis, inflammation, oxidative stress, gastric function, as well as the PI3K/AKT signaling pathways.

CONCLUSION

zCR and eCR could offer gastroprotective benefits by resisting inflammation and apoptosis, inhibiting gastric-acid secretion, as well as strengthening gastric mucosal defense and antioxidant capacity. Integrating network pharmacology and metabolomics analysis could reveal the acting mechanism of drugs and promote the development of medications to counteract GU.

The interplay between mitochondrial dynamics and autophagy: From a key homeostatic mechanism to a driver of pathology

The complex relationship between mitochondrial dynamics and autophagy illustrates how two cellular housekeeping processes are intimately linked, illuminating fundamental principles of cellular homeostasis and shedding light on disparate pathological conditions including several neurodegenerative disorders. Here we review the basic tenets of mitochondrial dynamics i.e., the concerted balance between fusion and fission of the organelle, and its interplay with macroautophagy and selective mitochondrial autophagy, also dubbed mitophagy, in the maintenance of mitochondrial quality control and ultimately in cell viability. We illustrate how conditions of altered mitochondrial dynamics reverberate on autophagy and vice versa. Finally, we illustrate how altered interplay between these two key cellular processes participates in the pathogenesis of human disorders affecting multiple organs and systems.

Attenuation of DNA base oxidation in post-surgery colorectal stage III patients at subsequent follow-ups

DNA damage caused by oxidative reactions plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC). In a previous cross-sectional study, CRC patients diagnosed with regional disease (stage III) exhibited a higher level of DNA base oxidation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) 2-9 months post-surgery compared to those with localized disease (stage I-II). To further explore this observation over time, the present study aimed to investigate DNA base oxidation in CRC patients with localized versus regional disease 6 and 12 months after the initial measurements. The present study included patients enrolled in the randomized controlled trial Norwegian Dietary Guidelines and Colorectal Cancer Survival (CRC-NORDIET). The standard comet assay, modified with the lesion-specific enzyme formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylase (Fpg), was applied to measure DNA base oxidation in PBMCs at the 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Of the 255 patients assessed at baseline, 156 were included at the 6-month follow-up, with 89 of these patients included in the 12-month follow-up. In contrast to our observation at baseline, there were no significant differences in the levels of DNA base oxidation between patients diagnosed with localized disease and those with regional involvement at the 6- and 12-month follow-up visits (P = 0.81 and P = 0.09, respectively). Patients with stage III disease exhibited a significant decrease in the levels of DNA base oxidation from baseline to 6 months (P < 0.01) and baseline to 12 months (P = 0.03), but no significant difference from 6 to 12 months (P = 0.80). In conclusion, the initially elevated levels of DNA base oxidation in PBMCs, observed 2-9 months post-surgery in patients diagnosed with regional disease (stage III), subsequently decreased to levels comparable to patients with localized disease (stage I-II) at the 6- and 12-month follow-ups.

Modeling the heterogeneous apoptotic response of caspase-mediated signaling in tumor cells

Resisting apoptosis is a hallmark of cancer. For this reason, it may be possible to force cancer cells to die by targeting components along the apoptotic signaling pathway. However, apoptosis signaling is challenging to understand due to dynamic and complex behaviors of ligands, receptors, and intracellular signaling components in response to cancer therapy. In this work, we forecast the apoptotic response based on the combined impact of these features. We expanded a previously established mathematical model of caspase-mediated apoptosis to include extracellular activation and receptor dynamics. In addition, three potential threshold values of caspase-3 necessary for the activation of apoptosis were selected to forecast which cells become apoptotic over time. We first vary ligand and receptor levels with the number of intracellular signaling proteins remaining consistent. Then, we vary the intracellular protein molecules in each simulated tumor cell to forecast the response of a heterogeneous population. By leveraging the benefits of computational modeling, we investigate the combined effect of several factors on the onset of apoptosis. This work provides quantitative insights for how the apoptotic signaling response can be forecasted, and precisely triggered, amongst heterogeneous cells via extracellular activation.

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors as anticancer agents: An outlook on clinical progress, synthetic strategies, biological activity, and structure-activity relationship

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) is considered an essential component in case of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) damage, response by sensing DNA damage and engaging DNA repair proteins. Those proteins repair the damaged DNA via an aspect of posttranslational modification, known as poly (ADP-Ribosyl)ation (PARylation). Specifically, PARP inhibitors (PARPi) have shown better results when administered alone in a variety of cancer types with BRCA (Breast Cancer gene) mutation. The clinical therapeutic benefits of PARP inhibitors have been diminished by their cytotoxicity, progression of drug resistance, and limitation of indication, regardless of their tremendous clinical effectiveness. A growing number of PARP-1 inhibitors, particularly those associated with BRCA-1/2 mutations, have been identified as potential cancer treatments. Recently, several researchers have identified various promising scaffolds, which have resulted in the resuscitation of the faith in PARP inhibitors as cancer therapies. This review provided a comprehensive update on the anatomy and physiology of the PARP enzyme, the profile of FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and CFDA (China Food and Drug Administration)-approved drugs, and small-molecule inhibitors of PARP, including their synthetic routes, biological evaluation, selectivity, and structure-activity relationship.

Elucidating the mechanism of action of Isobavachalcone induced autophagy and apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer by network pharmacology and experimental validation methods

BACKGROUND

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths, and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for the majority of lung cancer-related mortality. In recent years, there have been numerous treatments for non-small cell lung cancer, but the cure and survival rates are still extremely low. Isobavachalcone (IBC) belongs to the chalcone component of the traditional Chinese medicine Psoralea corylifolia L., and is a unique Protein kinase B (AKT) pathway inhibitor with significant anticancer effects. Previous studies have shown that IBC possess a variety of biological properties, including anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. This study focused on the use of network pharmacology analysis, molecular docking technology and experimental validation to elucidate the potential mechanisms of IBC for the treatment of NSCLC.

METHODS

Screening key genes and pathways of IBC action in NSCLC using network pharmacology. The IBC target genes were from The Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ETCM) and BATMAN-TCM databases, the NSCLC target genes were from GeneCards, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) and The Therapeutic Target database (TTD) databases, both of which were taken as intersecting genes for protein-protein interaction network analysis and enrichment analysis, and the binding energies of the compounds to the core targets were further verified by molecular docking. Cell lines in vitro experiments were then performed to further unravel the mechanism of IBC for NSCLC.

RESULTS

A total of 279 potential targets were retrieved by searching the intersection of IBC and NSCLC targets. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis indicated that 6 targets, including AKT1, RXRA, NCOA1, RXRB, RARA, PPARG were hub genes. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis suggested that IBC treatment of NSCLC mainly involves steroid binding, transcription factor activity, Pathways in cancer, cAMP signaling pathway, Adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway. Among them, the AMPK signaling pathway, which contained the largest number of enriched genes, may play a greater role in the treatment of NSCLC. Then, the results of in vitro experiment indicated that IBC could inhibit proliferation of NSCLC cells and induce cell autophagy and apoptosis. The results also showed that IBC could increase the protein expression of AMPK and decrease the protein expression of AKT and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), suggesting that IBC can treat NSCLC by inducing cellular autophagy and apoptosis as well as modulating AMPK and AKT signaling pathways.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, this study provided a new insight into the protective mechanism of IBC against NSCLC through network pharmacology and experimental validation.

Dual-targeted NAMPT inhibitors as a progressive strategy for cancer therapy

In mammals, nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) is a crucial enzyme in the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) synthesis pathway catalyzing the condensation of nicotinamide (NAM) with 5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophosphate (PRPP) to produce nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN). Given the pivotal role of NAD+ in a range of cellular functions, including DNA synthesis, redox reactions, cytokine generation, metabolism, and aging, NAMPT has become a promising target for many diseases, notably cancer. Therefore, various NAMPT inhibitors have been reported and classified as first and second-generation based on their chemical structures and design strategies, dual-targeted being one. However, most NAMPT inhibitors suffer from several limitations, such as dose-dependent toxicity and poor pharmacokinetic properties. Consequently, there is no clinically approved NAMPT inhibitor. Hence, research on discovering more effective and less toxic dual-targeted NAMPT inhibitors with desirable pharmacokinetic properties has drawn attention recently. This review summarizes the previously reported dual-targeted NAMPT inhibitors, focusing on their design strategies and advantages over the single-targeted therapies.

Integrated multi-omics profiling reveals a clinically relevant molecular feature and potential therapeutic target on phyllodes tumors of breast

Phyllodes tumors (PTs) has an increased risk of local relapse and distant metastases. Molecular features correlating to histologic grade and aggressive behavior of PTs are poorly characterized. Here, whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed to explore genetic mutations in 61 samples of fibroepithelial breast tumors, including 16 fibroadenomas (FAs), 18 benign PTs, 19 borderline PTs, and 8 malignant PTs. Our work clearly shows that FA, benign PT, borderline PT, and malignant PT are independent entities at the genomic level. They may exist as hidden sub-clones carrying specific genetic alterations. Malignant PT-specific mutations present a multi-gene co-mutational pattern suggesting a synergistic effect of co-mutated genes in processes associated with malignant behavior. Moreover, we made a combined genomic and transcriptomic analysis, which presented a mutated gene-based interaction with expression profiles. We found that EGFR mutations (c.710C > T, c.758A > G, c.1295A > G, and c.2156G > C) serve as a hub of interaction network in borderline PTs, which suggests EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFRi) might be effective for borderline PTs. We found TP53 mutations (c.730G > T, c.844C > T, and c.1019delA) serves as a hub event of molecular changes of malignant PTs. Thus, our study based on the omics platforms of genome and transcriptome provides a better understanding of relapse process and the potential targeted therapy in PTs, which is pivotal in improving molecular-guided patient selection and designing clinically relevant combination strategies.

The F-actin bundler SWAP-70 promotes tumor metastasis

Dynamic rearrangements of the F-actin cytoskeleton are a hallmark of tumor metastasis. Thus, proteins that govern F-actin rearrangements are of major interest for understanding metastasis and potential therapies. We hypothesized that the unique F-actin binding and bundling protein SWAP-70 contributes importantly to metastasis. Orthotopic, ectopic, and short-term tail vein injection mouse breast and lung cancer models revealed a strong positive dependence of lung and bone metastasis on SWAP-70. Breast cancer cell growth, migration, adhesion, and invasion assays revealed SWAP-70's key role in these metastasis-related cell features and the requirement for SWAP-70 to bind F-actin. Biophysical experiments showed that tumor cell stiffness and deformability are negatively modulated by SWAP-70. Together, we present a hitherto undescribed, unique F-actin modulator as an important contributor to tumor metastasis.

Integration RNA bulk and single cell RNA sequencing to explore the change of glycolysis-related immune microenvironment and construct prognostic signature in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Glycolysis is an indispensable process for tumor cell,but the effect of glycolysis on the prognosis and immune cell infiltration of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is not clear.

METHODS

Based on RNA bulk and single cell RNA sequencing data of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma from The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA) and GSE195832, the effect of glycolysis level on immune cell infiltration was analyzed. Then, we obtained the prognostic genes related to glycolysis through survival analysis to construct prognostic risk signature. Our sample and GSE65858 datasets are used as external verification datasets to verify the validity of the signature. Finally, we used Western blot and cell function assays to determine the relationship between risk genes and glycolysis and the function of prognostic genes.

RESULT

The level of glycolysis was related to the prognosis of head and neck tumors (P = 0.0044). The results of immune infiltration analysis of TCGA database showed that high level glycolysis subgroup had less infiltration of macrophages, T cells and monocytes. Results of single cell sequencing analysis validates the above results. Additionally, Five risk genes(MUCL1,TRIML2,RAB3B,SPINK6,IGSF11) were selected to construct signature.Risk score was an independent prognostic factor(P < 0.01). The external validation set also shows the same result. In vitro functional and Western blot assays confirmed that the above five genes affect tumor function and related to the process of glycolysis.

CONCLUSION

Glycolysis-related risk signatures can be used to predict the prognosis and immune infiltration of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Integration of proteomic and metabolomic analysis reveal distinct metabolic alterations of prostate cancer-associated fibroblasts compared to normal fibroblasts from patient's stroma samples

The prostate gland is a complex and heterogeneous organ composed of epithelium and stroma. Whilst many studies into prostate cancer focus on epithelium, the stroma is known to play a key role in disease with the emergence of a cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) phenotype associated upon disease progression. In this work, we studied the metabolic rewiring of stromal fibroblasts following differentiation to a cancer-associated, myofibroblast-like, phenotype. We determined that CAFs were metabolically more active compared to normal fibroblasts. This corresponded with a heightened lipogenic metabolism, as both reservoir species and building block compounds. Interestingly, lipid metabolism affects mitochondria functioning yet the mechanisms of lipid-mediated functions are unclear. Data showing oxidised fatty acids and glutathione system are elevated in CAFs, compared to normal fibroblasts, strengthens the hypothesis that increased metabolic activity is related to mitochondrial activity. This manuscript describes mechanisms responsible for the altered metabolic flux and shows that prostate cancer-derived extracellular vesicles can increase basal respiration in normal fibroblasts, mirroring that of the disease-like phenotype. This indicates that extracellular vesicles derived from prostate cancer cells may drive an altered oxygen-dependent metabolism associated to mitochondria in CAFs.

ELAPOR1 induces the classical/progenitor subtype and contributes to reduced disease aggressiveness through metabolic reprogramming in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a heterogeneous disease with distinct molecular subtypes described as classical/progenitor and basal-like/squamous PDAC. We hypothesized that integrative transcriptome and metabolome approaches can identify candidate genes whose inactivation contributes to the development of the aggressive basal-like/squamous subtype. Using our integrated approach, we identified endosome-lysosome associated apoptosis and autophagy regulator 1 (ELAPOR1/KIAA1324) as a candidate tumor suppressor in both our NCI-UMD-German cohort and additional validation cohorts. Diminished ELAPOR1 expression was linked to high histological grade, advanced disease stage, the basal-like/squamous subtype, and reduced patient survival in PDAC. In vitro experiments demonstrated that ELAPOR1 transgene expression not only inhibited the migration and invasion of PDAC cells but also induced gene expression characteristics associated with the classical/progenitor subtype. Metabolome analysis of patient tumors and PDAC cells revealed a metabolic program associated with both upregulated ELAPOR1 and the classical/progenitor subtype, encompassing upregulated lipogenesis and downregulated amino acid metabolism. 1-Methylnicotinamide, a known oncometabolite derived from S-adenosylmethionine, was inversely associated with ELAPOR1 expression and promoted migration and invasion of PDAC cells in vitro. Taken together, our data suggest that enhanced ELAPOR1 expression promotes transcriptome and metabolome characteristics that are indicative of the classical/progenitor subtype, whereas its reduction associates with basal-like/squamous tumors with increased disease aggressiveness in PDAC patients. These findings position ELAPOR1 as a promising candidate for diagnostic and therapeutic targeting in PDAC.

Lactate dehydrogenase B as a metabolism-related marker for immunotherapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most common malignancies. Lactate dehydrogenase family genes (LDHs) play a critical role in tumor metabolism, but their functions in HNSCC have not been investigated thoroughly. Thus, we aimed to explore the value of LDHs in HNSCC.

METHODS

The association between LDHs expression and mutations, methylation, copy number variations (CNVs), alternative splicing (AS) and competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) was investigated in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The expression level of LDHs in OSCC tissues and adjacent normal tissues was verified by qPCR. Algorithms, such as ssGSEA, ESTIMATE, xCell and TIDE were utilized to analyze the characteristics of immune infiltration. Pathway alternations were enriched by GO, GSEA and KEGG analysis. The Mantel test was employed to elucidate the correlation between metabolism and the tumor microenvironment (TME). Subsequently, MTT and colony formation assays were utilized to assess the impact of LDHB knockdown on cellular proliferation. Additionally, ATP and lactate assays were performed to examine metabolic alterations. Co-culture experiments further investigated the effect of LDHB knockdown on T cell differentiation.

RESULTS

LDHs were completely analyzed in multiple databases, among which LDHB was differentially expressed in HNSCC and significantly associated with prognosis. Low LDHB expression had better clinicopathological characteristics. Downregulated LDHB expression was associated with enhanced immune cell infiltration and could influence tumor metabolism. Despite having worse cytotoxic T lymphocyte dysfunction, the LDHBlow group was predicted to respond more favorably to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) therapy. Moreover, the correlation between metabolism and TME was depicted. In vitro, LDHB knockdown resulted in inhibited cell proliferation, increased lactate levels and decreased ATP levels, while promoted the Th1 differentiation of T cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study provided a comprehensive analysis of the LDHs and illustrated low LDHB expression could inhibit tumor cell proliferation and ATP production by influencing metabolism, with improved immune cell infiltration and better response to immunotherapy.

Effects of essential amino acid (EAA) and glutamine supplementation on skeletal muscle wasting in acute, subacute, and postacute conditions

Under optimal physiological conditions, muscle mass maintenance is ensured by dietary protein, which balances the amino acid loss during the post-absorption period and preserves the body's protein homeostasis. Conversely, in critical clinical conditions (acute, subacute or postacute), particularly those related to hypomobility or immobility, combined with malnutrition, and local/systemic inflammation, the loss of muscle mass and strength can be quantitatively significant. A decline of more than 1% in muscle mass and of more than 3% in muscle strength has been registered in subjects with aged 20-37 yr after just five days of bed rest, similarly to those observed during one year of age-related decline in individuals over the age of 50. Loss of muscle mass and strength can have a dramatic effect on subjects' functional capacities, on their systemic metabolic control and on the amino acid reserve function, all of which are fundamental for the maintenance of other organs' and tissues' cell processes. References available indicate that the average 1%-2% reduction per day of muscle mass in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) could represent an independent predictor of hospital mortality and physical disability in the five years following hospitalization. After just a few days or weeks of administration, supplementation with EAAs and glutamine has shown significant effects in maintaining muscle size and strength, which are typically negatively affected by some acute/subacute or postacute critical conditions (muscle recovery after surgery, oncology patients, ICU treatments), especially in the elderly or in those with pre-existing degenerative diseases. In this review, we focused on the theoretical bases and the most relevant clinical studies of EAA and glutamine supplementation as a single compound, with the aim of clarifying whether their combined use in a blend (EAAs-glutamine) could be potentially synergistic to prevent disease-related muscle wasting and its impact on the duration and quality of patients' clinical course.

Pro-cancer role of CD276 as a novel biomarker for clear cell renal cell carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a common malignant tumor with a high incidence in males and the elderly, and clear cell RCC (ccRCC) is the most common RCC subtype. ccRCC is highly metastatic with a poor prognosis. Therefore, it is crucial to obtain a detailed understanding of the molecular mechanism of ccRCC and to identify suitable biomarkers to realize early diagnosis and improve prognosis.

METHODS

We analyzed data from the Cancer Genome Atlas, investigated the overall differential expression of CD276 in ccRCC, and evaluated the influence of CD276 on patient survival and prognosis. We also performed gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and pathway enrichment analysis and investigated cell infiltration and drug responsiveness to further assess the regulatory effect of CD276 on ccRCC. Furthermore, we verified CD276 expression in RCC cell lines and control cell lines.

RESULTS

The CD276 expression level in ccRCC samples was higher than that in corresponding samples adjacent to the tumors. Moreover, high CD276 expression levels were positively correlated with poor prognosis in patients with RCC. GSEA revealed that CD276 was significantly involved in immune-related pathways, and the level of CD276 expression was confirmed as associated with immune cell infiltration to some extent. Notably, some drugs were predicted to act on CD276, and this was confirmed by molecular docking. Furthermore, high levels of CD276 expression in RCC cell lines were verified.

CONCLUSION

CD276 expression was significantly increased in ccRCC tissues and cells and positively correlated with patient prognosis. CD276 is a potential prognostic biomarker of ccRCC. Overall, this study provides a potential therapeutic strategy for ccRCC.

Assessing genotoxic effects of plastic leachates in Drosophila melanogaster

Plastic polymers were largely added with chemical substances to be utilized in the items and product manufacturing. The leachability of these substances is a matter of concern given the wide amount of plastic waste, particularly in terrestrial environments, where soil represents a sink for these novel contaminants and a possible pathway of human health risk. In this study, we integrated genetic, molecular, and behavioral approaches to comparatively evaluate toxicological effects of plastic leachates, virgin and oxodegradable polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE), in Drosophila melanogaster, a novel in vivo model organism for environmental monitoring studies and (eco)toxicological research. The results of this study revealed that while conventional toxicological endpoints such as developmental times and longevity remain largely unaffected, exposure to plastic leachates induces chromosomal abnormalities and transposable element (TE) activation in neural tissues. The combined effects of DNA damage and TE mobilization contribute to genome instability and increase the likelihood of LOH events, thus potentiating tumor growth and metastatic behavior ofRasV12 clones. Collectively, these findings indicate that plastic leachates exert genotoxic effects in Drosophila thus highlighting potential risks associated with leachate-related plastic pollution and their implications for ecosystems and human health.

IL-33-dependent NF-κB activation inhibits apoptosis and drives chemoresistance in acute myeloid leukemia

BACKGROUND

Despite recent advances in therapeutic regimens, the prognosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains poor. Following our previous finding that interleukin-33 (IL-33) promotes cell survival along with activated NF-κB in AML, we further investigated the role of NF-κB during leukemia development.

METHODS

Flow cytometry was performed to value the apoptosis and proliferation. qRT-PCR and western blot were performed to detect the expression of IL-6, active caspase 3, BIRC2, Bcl-2, and Bax, as well as activated NF-κB p65 and AKT. Finally, xenograft mouse models and AML patient samples were used to verify the findings observed in AML cell lines.

RESULTS

IL-33-mediated NF-κB activation in AML cell lines contributes to a reduction in apoptosis, an increase in proliferation rate as well as a decrease in drug sensitivity, which were reversed by NF-κB inhibitor, Bay-117085. Moreover, IL-33 decreased the expression of active caspase-3 while increasing the levels of BIRC2, Bcl-2, and Bax, and these effects were blocked by Bay-117085. Additionally, NF-κB activation induced by IL-33 increases the production of IL-6 and autocrine activation of AKT. Co-culture of bone marrow stroma with AML cells resulted in increased IL-33 expression by leukemia cells, along with decreased apoptosis level and reduced drug sensitivity. Finally, we confirmed the in vivo pro-tumor effect mediated by IL-33/ NF-κB axis using a xenograft model of AML.

CONCLUSION

Our data indicate that IL-33/IL1RL1-dependent signaling contributes to AML cell activation of NF-κB, which in turn causes autocrine IL-6-induced activation of pAKT, supporting IL-33/NF-κB/pAKT as a potential target for AML therapy.

Lactate-induced activation of tumor-associated fibroblasts and IL-8-mediated macrophage recruitment promote lung cancer progression

Alterations in the tumor microenvironment are closely associated with the metabolic phenotype of tumor cells. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a pivotal role in tumor growth and metastasis. Existing studies have suggested that lactate produced by tumor cells can activate CAFs, yet the precise underlying mechanisms remain largely unexplored. In this study, we initially identified that lactate derived from lung cancer cells can promote nuclear translocation of NUSAP1, subsequently leading to the recruitment of the transcriptional complex JUNB-FRA1-FRA2 near the DESMIN promoter and facilitating DESMIN transcriptional activation, thereby promoting CAFs' activation. Moreover, DESMIN-positive CAFs, in turn, secrete IL-8, which recruits TAMs or promotes M2 polarization of macrophages, further contributing to the alterations in the tumor microenvironment and facilitating lung cancer progression. Furthermore, we observed that the use of IL-8 receptor antagonists, SB225002, or Navarixin, significantly reduced TAM infiltration and enhanced the therapeutic efficacy of anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 treatment. This finding indicates that inhibiting IL-8R activity can attenuate the impact of CAFs on the tumor microenvironment, thus restraining the progression of lung cancer.

Enhanced pyroptosis induction with pore-forming gene delivery for osteosarcoma microenvironment reshaping

Osteosarcoma is the most common malignant bone tumor without efficient management for improving 5-year event-free survival. Immunotherapy is also limited due to its highly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Pore-forming gasdermins (GSDMs)-mediated pyroptosis has gained increasing concern in reshaping TME, however, the expressions and relationships of GSDMs with osteosarcoma remain unclear. Herein, gasdermin E (GSDME) expression is found to be positively correlated with the prognosis and immune infiltration of osteosarcoma patients, and low GSDME expression was observed. A vector termed as LPAD contains abundant hydroxyl groups for hydrating layer formation was then prepared to deliver the GSDME gene to upregulate protein expression in osteosarcoma for efficient TME reshaping via enhanced pyroptosis induction. Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations analysis proved that the hydroxyl groups increased LPAD hydration abilities by enhancing coulombic interaction. The upregulated GSDME expression together with cleaved caspase-3 provided impressive pyroptosis induction. The pyroptosis further initiated proinflammatory cytokines release, increased immune cell infiltration, activated adaptive immune responses and create a favorable immunogenic hot TME. The study not only confirms the role of GSDME in the immune infiltration and prognosis of osteosarcoma, but also provides a promising strategy for the inhibition of osteosarcoma by pore-forming GSDME gene delivery induced enhanced pyroptosis to reshape the TME of osteosarcoma.

The mechanism and clinical application of farnesyl diphosphate farnesyltransferase 1 in cancer metabolism

Cancer poses a significant risk to human well-being. Among the crucial characteristics of cancer is metabolic reprogramming. To meet the relentless metabolic needs, cancer cells enhance cholesterol metabolism within the adverse tumor microenvironment. Reprograming cholesterol metabolism includes a series of modifications in the synthesis, absorption, esterification, and metabolites associated with cholesterol. These adjustments have a strong correlation with the proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and other characteristics of malignant tumors. FDFT1, also known as farnesyl diphosphate farnesyltransferase 1, is an enzyme crucial in the process of cholesterol biosynthesis. Its significant involvement in tumor metabolism has garnered considerable interest. The significance of FDFT1 in cancer metabolism cannot be overstated, as it actively interacts with cancer cells. This paper aims to analyze and consolidate the mechanism of FDFT1 in cancer metabolism and explore its clinical application. The goal is to contribute new strategies and targets for the prevention and treatment of cancer metabolism.

Combining dynamics of serum inflammatory and nutritional indicators as novel biomarkers in immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer with bone metastases

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to investigate the association of the dynamics of serum inflammatory and nutritional indicators with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) response in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with bone metastases, and to develop a novel predictive scoring system based on these indicators.

METHODS

Patients with NSCLC having bone metastases treated with ICIs were categorized as: the development cohort (January 2016 to March 2021, n = 60) and the validation cohort (April 2021 to June 2023, n = 40). Serum indicators of inflammation and nutrition such as C-reactive protein (CRP), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), albumin, prognostic nutritional index (PNI) were investigated before and six weeks after ICI initiation. The correlations of these dynamics with bone metastasis response rate (BoMRR) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed. A scoring system consisting of independent predictors was developed (IMMUNO-SCORE) and correlations with clinical outcomes were validated using the validation cohort.

RESULTS

In the development cohort, multivariable analysis showed that NLR and PNI dynamics and CRP, NLR, and PNI dynamics were independent predictors of BoMRR and OS, respectively. The IMMUNO-SCORE consisting of NLR and PNI dynamics, which were the common predictors of the clinical outcomes, was significantly correlated with BoMRR (p < 0.01) and OS (p < 0.001) in cross-validation. The area under the curve of the score (0.786) was higher than individual NLR and PNI dynamics (0.72 and 0.684).

CONCLUSION

Dynamics in NLR and PNI were demonstrated as biomarkers of treatment response and prognosis in ICI treatment of NSCLC with bone metastases, and the score combining these biomarkers was significantly correlated with clinical outcomes.

Glucose-induced RYBP suppresses tumor cell aerobic glycolysis and migration

RYBP (Ring 1 and YY1 binding protein) has been frequently reported to play an important role during body development, stem cell differentiation, apoptosis and tumorigenesis, but whether RYBP carries out additional functions remains mysterious. Here, we demonstrated that RYBP protein levels elevate with increasing glucose concentration in cell culture medium in human tumorigenic cell lines, but an opposite trend was observed in non-tumorigenic cells. Mechanistic exploration disclosed that glucose inhibits polyubiquitination and proteasomal degradation, leading to RYBP stabilization in tumor cells. Further study showed that RYBP inhibits the glycolysis of tumor cells, as both extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) and lactate production increase when RYBP is knocked down, and decrease when RYBP is over-expressed, and this effect is unrelated to the glucose uptake ability of tumor cells. The functional study showed that RYBP is involved in the regulation of glucose on tumor cell migration. Compared to low glucose culture and their wildtypes, high glucose significantly enhanced tumor cell migration in RYBP knockdown or knockout tumor cells. Taken together, our current study uncovered a previously unknown function of RYBP in tumor metabolism, and this finding will enhance the exploration of the interplay between RYBP and nutrients during tumor cell metabolic reprogramming.

Energy stress-activated AMPK phosphorylates Snail1 and suppresses its stability and oncogenic function

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly lethal malignancy with limited therapy options. Aberrant metabolism, a key hallmark of human cancers, plays a crucial role in tumor progression, therapeutic responses and TNBC-related death. However, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, we delineate a previously unrecognized role of aberrant glucose metabolism in regulating the turnover of Snail1, which is a key transcriptional factor of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and critically contributes to the acquisition of stemness, metastasis and chemo-resistance. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), when activated in response to glucose deprivation, directly phosphorylates Snail1 at Ser11. Such a phosphorylation modification of Snail1 facilitates its recruitment of the E3 ligase FBXO11 and promotes its degradation, thereby suppressing stemness, metastasis and increasing cellular sensitivity to chemotherapies in vitro and in vivo. Clinically, histological analyses reveal a negative correlation between p-AMPKα and Snail1 in TNBC specimens. Taken together, our findings establish a novel mechanism and functional significance of AMPK in linking glucose status to Snail1-dependent malignancies and underscore the potential of AMPK agonists as a promising therapeutic strategy in the management of TNBC.

Effect of luteolin on glioblastoma's immune microenvironment and tumor growth suppression

BACKGROUND

Glioblastoma is the most malignant and prevalent primary human brain tumor, and the immunological microenvironment controlled by glioma stem cells is one of the essential elements contributing to its malignancy. The use of medications to ameliorate the tumor microenvironment may give a new approach for glioma treatment.

METHODS

Glioma stem cells were separated from clinical patient-derived glioma samples for molecular research. Other studies, including CCK8, EdU, Transwell, and others, supported luteolin's ability to treat glioma progenitor cells. Network pharmacology and molecular docking models were used to study the drug target, and qRT-PCR, WB, and IF were used to evaluate the molecular mechanism. Intracranial xenografts were examined using HE and IHC, while macrophage polarization was examined using FC.

RESULTS

We originally discovered that luteolin inhibits glioma stem cells. IL6 released by glioma stem cells is blocked during medication action and inhibits glioma stem cell proliferation and invasion via the IL6/STAT3 signaling pathway. Additionally, luteolin inhibits the secretion of TGFβ1, affects the polarization function of macrophages in the microenvironment, inhibits the polarization of M2 macrophages in TAM, and further inhibits various functions of glioma stem cells by affecting the IL6/STAT3 signaling pathway, luteolin crosstalk TGFβ1/SMAD3 signaling pathway, and so on.

CONCLUSIONS

Through the suppression of the immunological microenvironment and inhibition of the IL6/STAT3 signaling pathway, our study determined the inhibitory effect of luteolin on glioma stem cells. This medication's dual inhibitory action, which has a significant negative impact on the glioma stem cells' malignant process, makes it both a viable anti-glioma medication and a candidate for targeted glioma microenvironment therapy.

Immune-inflammatory modulation by natural products derived from edible and medicinal herbs used in Chinese classical prescriptions

BACKGROUND

Edible and medicinal herbs1 (EMHs) refer to a class of substances with dual attribution of food and medicine. These substances are traditionally used as food and also listed in many international pharmacopoeias, including the European Pharmacopoeia, the United States Pharmacopoeia, and the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Some classical formulas that are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine include a series of EMHs, which have been shown to be effective with obvious characteristics and advantages. Notably, these EMHs and Chinese classical prescriptions2 (CCPs) have also attracted attention in international herbal medicine research because of their low toxicity and high efficiency as well as the rich body of experience for their long-term clinical use.

PURPOSE

Our purpose is to explore the potential therapeutic effect of EMHs with immune-inflammatory modulation for the study of modern cancer drugs.

STUDY DESIGN

In the present study, we present a detailed account of some EMHs used in CCPs that have shown considerable research potential in studies exploring modern drugs with immune-inflammatory modulation.

METHODS

Approximately 500 publications in the past 30 years were collected from PubMed, Web of Science and ScienceDirect using the keywords, such as natural products, edible and medicinal herbs, Chinese medicine, classical prescription, immune-inflammatory, tumor microenvironment and some related synonyms. The active ingredients instead of herbal extracts or botanical mixtures were focused on and the research conducted over the past decade were discussed emphatically and analyzed comprehensively.

RESULTS

More than ten natural products derived from EMHs used in CCPs are discussed and their immune-inflammatory modulation activities, including enhancing antitumor immunity, regulating inflammatory signaling pathways, lowering the proportion of immunosuppressive cells, inhibiting the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, immunosuppressive factors, and inflammatory mediators, are summarized.

CONCLUSION

Our findings demonstrate the immune-inflammatory modulating role of those EMHs used in CCPs and provide new ideas for cancer treatment in clinical settings.

Plant-derived extracellular vesicles as a promising anti-tumor approach: A comprehensive assessment of effectiveness, safety, and mechanisms

BACKGROUND

Plant-derived extracellular vesicles (PDEs) are expected to be a compelling alternative for cancer treatment due to their low cytotoxicity, low immunogenicity, high yield, and potential anti-tumor efficacy. Despite the significant advantages of PDEs, the reliable evidence for PDEs as promising anti-tumor approach remains unsystematic and insufficient. Some challenges remain for the clinical application and large-scale industrial production of PDEs.

PURPOSE

Through systematic evaluation and meta-analysis, the objective was to provide scientific, systematic and reliable preclinical evidence to support the clinical use of PDEs in cancer therapy.

METHODS

The search for relevant literature, conducted up to March 2024, encompassed various databases including Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, CNKI, Wanfang Data, and the China Science and Technology Journal Database. The SYRCLE´s risk of bias tool was used to assess the methodological quality of the animal studies. For overall effect analysis and subgroup analysis, RevMan 5.4 and Stata 12.0 were utilized.

RESULTS

The analysis incorporated a total of 38 articles, comprising 29 in vivo studies and 9 in vitro studies. Meta-analysis indicated that PDEs significantly reduced cancer cell activity and induced apoptosis, reduced tumor volume and tumor weight when used as therapeutic agents, as well as exhibited synergistic anti-cancer via combination therapy. Additionally, PDEs-drugs exerted stronger inhibition of tumor volume compared to the free drug or commercial liposome-drugs. Their therapeutic effects were closely related to regulating tumor cell biological behavior and remodeling the tumor microenvironment. The safety was associated with administration route of PDEs, oral administration was currently preferred until more in-depth studies on the safety of other methods are conducted.

CONCLUSIONS

The meta-analysis revealed that PDEs have systematic and reliable preclinical evidence in preclinical studies of cancer therapy, and their efficacy and certain safety could support the clinical application of PDEs in cancer therapy. Of course, further researches are required for large-scale industrial production to meet the needs of clinical applications.

Multi-omics analysis reveals epigenetically regulated processes and patient classification in lung adenocarcinoma

Aberrant DNA methylation is a hallmark of many cancer types. Despite our knowledge of epigenetic and transcriptomic alterations in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), we lack robust multi-modal molecular classifications for patient stratification. This is partly because the impact of epigenetic alterations on lung cancer development and progression is still not fully understood. To that end, we identified disease-associated processes under epigenetic regulation in LUAD. We performed a genome-wide expression-methylation Quantitative Trait Loci (emQTL) analysis by integrating DNA methylation and gene expression data from 453 patients in the TCGA cohort. Using a community detection algorithm, we identified distinct communities of CpG-gene associations with diverse biological processes. Interestingly, we identified a community linked to hormone response and lipid metabolism; the identified CpGs in this community were enriched in enhancer regions and binding regions of transcription factors such as FOXA1/2, GRHL2, HNF1B, AR, and ESR1. Furthermore, the CpGs were connected to their associated genes through chromatin interaction loops. These findings suggest that the expression of genes involved in hormone response and lipid metabolism in LUAD is epigenetically regulated through DNA methylation and enhancer-promoter interactions. By applying consensus clustering on the integrated expression-methylation pattern of the emQTL-genes and CpGs linked to hormone response and lipid metabolism, we further identified subclasses of patients with distinct prognoses. This novel patient stratification was validated in an independent patient cohort of 135 patients and showed increased prognostic significance compared to previously defined molecular subtypes.

Acetaminophen induces mitochondrial apoptosis through proteasome dysfunctions

Acetaminophen is a known antipyretic and non-opioid analgesic for mild pain and fever. Numerous studies uncover their hidden chemotherapeutics applications, including chronic cancer pain management. Acetaminophen also represents an anti-proliferative effect in some cancer cells. Few studies also suggest that the use of Acetaminophen can trigger apoptosis and impede cellular growth. However, Acetaminophen's molecular potential and precise mechanism against improper cellular proliferation and use as an effective anti-proliferative agent still need to be better understood. Here, our current findings show that Acetaminophen induces proteasomal dysfunctions, resulting in aberrant protein accumulation and mitochondrial abnormalities, and consequently induces cell apoptosis. We observed that the Acetaminophen treatment leads to improper aggregation of ubiquitylated expanded polyglutamine proteins, which may be due to the dysfunctions of proteasome activities. Our in-silico analysis suggests the interaction of Acetaminophen and proteasome. Furthermore, we demonstrated the accumulation of proteasome substrates and the depletion of proteasome activities after treating Acetaminophen in cells. Acetaminophen induces proteasome dysfunctions and mitochondrial abnormalities, leading to pro-apoptotic morphological changes and apoptosis successively. These results suggest that Acetaminophen can induce cell death and may retain a promising anti-proliferative effect. These observations can open new possible molecular strategies in the near future for developing and designing specific and effective proteasome inhibitors, which can be helpful in conjugation with other anti-tumor drugs for their better efficiency.

Hypoxia-induced TRPM7 promotes glycolytic metabolism and progression in hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Hypoxia disrupts glucose metabolism in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily M, member 7 (TRPM7) plays an ontogenetic role. Thus, we aimed to explore the regulation of TRPM7 by hypoxia-induced factor (HIF) and its underlying mechanisms in HCC.

METHODS

hypoxia was induced in multiple HCC cells using 1% O2 or CoCl2 treatment, and subsequently blocked using siRNAs targeting HIF-1α or HIF-2α as well as a HIF-1α protein synthesis inhibitor. The levels of HIF-1α and TRPM7 were assessed using quantitative PCR (qPCR) and Western blot analysis. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and luciferase assays were performed to observe the regulation of TRPM7 promoter regions by HIF-1α. A PCR array was utilized to screen glucose metabolism-related enzymes in HEK293 cells overexpressing TRPM7 induced by tetracycline, and then verified in TRPM7-overexpressed huh7 cells. Finally, CCK-8, transwell, scratch and tumor formation experiments in nude mice were conducted to examine the effect of TRPM7 on proliferation and metastasis in HCC.

RESULTS

Exposure to hypoxia led to increase the levels of TRPM7 and HIF-1α in HCC cells, which were inhibited by HIF-1α siRNA or enhanced by HIF-1α overexpression. HIF-1α directly bound to two hypoxia response elements (HREs) in the TRPM7 promoter. Several glycolytic metabolism-related enzymes, were simultaneously upregulated in HEK293 and huh7 cells overexpressing TRPM7 during hypoxia. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that TRPM7 promoted the proliferation and metastasis of HCC cells.

CONCLUSIONS

TRPM7 was directly transcriptionally regulated by HIF-1α, leading to glycolytic metabolic reprogramming and the promotion of HCC proliferation and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Our findings suggest that TRPM7 might be a potential diagnostic indicator and therapeutic target for HCC.

A Retrospective Study of 291 Patients With Head and Neck Sarcomas: Treatment, Outcomes, and Prognostic Factors

AIMS

Sarcomas constitute a group of rare malignant neoplasms, commonly subcategorized into soft tissue sarcomas (STS) and bone sarcomas. This study aims to describe the treatment modalities and outcome of head and neck sarcoma (HNS) patients in western Denmark and to identify prognostic factors for overall survival and recurrence in HNS patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The Aarhus sarcoma registry, The National Danish Sarcoma Database, and the Danish National Pathology Registry were used to identify HNS adult patients diagnosed between 1979 and 2022.

RESULTS

Altogether, 291 patients were included in this study. The prevalent histological subtypes were undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (16%; 48/291) and leiomyosarcoma (15%; 44/291) for STS patients (n = 230) and chondrosarcoma (10%; 28/291) and osteosarcoma (7%; 19/291) for bone sarcoma patients (n = 61). Surgery with curative intent was performed in 71% (164/230) and 70% (43/61) of STS and bone sarcoma patients, respectively. Clear resection was achieved in 59% (97/164) of STS patients and 44% (19/43) of bone sarcoma patients. Eighty-nine patients relapsed (STS n = 66, bone sarcoma n = 23) after a median time of 2.7/5.5 years for STS/bone sarcoma patients. The five-year overall survival rates were 45% for STS patients and 66% for bone sarcoma patients. The following factors were significantly, negatively associated with overall survival in STS patients: Age (hazard ratio (HR)) = 1.02, p < 0.001), tumour size ≥5 cm (HR = 1.75, p = 0.003), metastatic disease (HR = 3.17, p < 0.001), high grade tumour (HR = 2.24, p = 0.004), previous cancer (HR = 2.84, p < 0.001), and high Aarhus composite biomarker score (ACBS) (HR = 4.56, p = 0.001). For relapse in STS patients, higher tumour grade (HR = 3.19, p = 0.014), intralesional margins (HR = 2.84, p < 0.001), ≥2 previous cancers (HR = 3.00, p = 0.004), and high ACBS (HR = 3.29, p = 0.047), were negatively associated. For bone sarcomas only higher age (HR = 1.02, p = 0.049) and intralesional margins (HR = 2.91, p = 0.042) were significant negative factors for overall survival.

CONCLUSION

Multiple prognostic factors for overall survival and relapse were identified, especially for STS patients.

Nerve-tumor crosstalk in tumor microenvironment: From tumor initiation and progression to clinical implications

The autonomic nerve system (ANS) innervates organs and tissues throughout the body and maintains functional balance among various systems. Further investigations have shown that excessive activation of ANS not only causes disruption of homeostasis, but also may promote tumor formation. In addition, the dynamic interaction between nerve and tumor cells in the tumor microenvironment also regulate tumor progression. On the one hand, nerves are passively invaded by tumor cells, that is, perineural invasion (PNI). On the other hand, compared with normal tissues, tumor tissues are subject to more abundant innervation, and nerves can influence tumor progression through regulating tumor proliferation, metastasis and drug resistance. A large number of studies have shown that nerve-tumor crosstalk, including PNI and innervation, is closely related to the prognosis of patients, and contributes to the formation of cancer pain, which significantly deteriorates the quality of life for patients. These findings suggest that nerve-tumor crosstalk represents a potential target for anti-tumor therapies and the management of cancer pain in the future. In this review, we systematically describe the mechanism by which nerve-tumor crosstalk regulates tumorigenesis and progression.

Blockage of TMEM189 induces G2/M arrest and inhibits the growth of breast tumors

Cancer is the major cause of premature death in humans worldwide, demanding more efficient therapeutics. Aberrant cell proliferation resulting from the loss of cell cycle regulation is the major hallmark of cancer, so targeting cell cycle is a promising strategy to combat cancer. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the dysregulation of cell cycle of cancer cells remains poorly understood. TMEM189, a newly identified protein, plays roles in the biosynthesis of ethanolamine plasmalogen and the regulation of autophagy. Here, we demonstrated that the expression level of TMEM189 was negatively correlated with the survival rate of the cancer patients. TMEM189 deficiency significantly suppresses the cancer cell proliferation and migration, and causes cell cycle G2/M arrest both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, TMEM189 depletion suppressed the growth of breast tumors in vivo. Taken together, our work indicated that TMEM189 promotes cancer progression by regulating cell cycle G2/M transition, suggesting that it is a promising target in cancer therapy.

Isolation, identification, and characterization of α- asarone, from hydromethanolic leaf extract of Acorus calamus L. and its apoptosis-inducing mechanism in A549 cells

Due to the presence of several active secondary metabolites, the traditional Indian and Chinese medicinal herb Acorus calamus L. has been utilized for both medical and culinary purposes since ancient times. A recent report has underscored the promising cytotoxic effect of A. calamus leaves extract against non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells. Thus, we want to separate the bioactive substance from the hydromethanolic extract of A. calamus leaves in the current investigation. Thin-layer chromatography was used to separate the compounds and different spectroscopic methods (UV, FTIR, NMR, and LCMS/MS) were used for the structure prediction. α-asarone was found to be the main bioactive compound present and it was isolated from A. calamus leaves extract. It exerted a good cytotoxic effect with an IC50 value of 21.43 ± 1.27 μM against A549 cells and IC50 value of 324.12 ± 1.32 μM against WI-38 cells. The induction of apoptosis in A549 cells by α-asarone was reaffirmed by the diverse differential staining methods including DAPI, Acridine Orange/Ethidium Bromide, and Giemsa staining. Additionally, α-asarone induced mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) dissipation with a concomitant increase in the production of ROS. Furthermore, it also increased expressions of caspase-3, caspase-9, caspase-8, DR4, and DR5 genes in A549 cells. In conclusion, α-asarone-induced apoptotic cell death in non-small lung cancer cells (A549) as a result of loss of mitochondrial function, increased ROS production, subsequent activation of an internal and extrinsic caspase pathway, and altered expression of genes controlling apoptosis. As a whole, α-asarone is a plausible therapeutic agent for managing lung cancer. HIGHLIGHTSIsolation of bioactive compound from hydromethanolic leaves extract of Acorus calamus L. by thin layer chromatography.Structural elucidation of the bioactive compound was carried out using different methods like UV analysis, FTIR, NMR, and LC-MS/MS analysis.A plausible mode of action revealed that α-asarone can induce apoptosis in lung cancer cells (A549).Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

FPR3 reprograms glycolytic metabolism and stemness in gastric cancer via calcium-NFATc1 pathway

Aerobic glycolysis accelerates tumor proliferation and progression, and inhibitors or drugs targeting abnormal cancer metabolism have been developing. Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) significantly contribute to tumor initiation, metastasis, therapy resistance, and recurrence. Formyl peptide receptor 3 (FPR3), a member of FPR family, involves in inflammation, tissue repair, and angiogenesis. However, studies in exploring the regulatory mechanisms of aerobic glycolysis and CSCs by FPR3 in gastric cancer (GC) remain unknown. Here, we demonstrated that overexpressed FPR3 suppressed glycolytic capacity and stemness of tumor cells, then inhibited GC cells proliferation. Mechanistically, FPR3 impeded cytoplasmic calcium ion flux and hindered nuclear factor of activated T cells 1 (NFATc1) nuclear translocation, leading to the transcriptional inactivation of NFATc1-binding neurogenic locus notch homolog protein 3 (NOTCH3) promoter, subsequently obstructing NOTCH3 expression and the AKT/mTORC1 signaling pathway, and ultimately downregulating glycolysis. Additionally, NFATc1 directly binds to the sex determining region Y-box 2 (SOX2) promoter and modifies stemness in GC. In conclusion, our work illustrated that FPR3 played a negative role in GC progression by modulating NFATc1-mediated glycolysis and stemness in a calcium-dependent manner, providing potential insights into cancer therapy.

Inhibition of glycolysis and Src/Akt signaling reduces Caveolin-1-enhanced metastasis

Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, making the development of novel, more effective therapies imperative to alleviate patient suffering. Metabolic switching is a hallmark of cancer cells that facilitates metastasis. Cancer cells obtain most of their energy and intermediate metabolites, which are required to proliferate and metastasize, through aerobic glycolysis. Previous work from our laboratory has shown that Caveolin-1 (CAV1) expression in cancer cells promotes glycolysis and metastasis. Here, we sought to determine if limiting glycolysis reduced CAV1-enhanced metastasis and to identify the mechanism(s) involved. We evaluated the effects of the glycolysis inhibitor 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) in metastatic melanoma and breast cancer cell lines expressing or not CAV1. Non-cytotoxic concentrations of 2-DG (1 mM) inhibited the migration of B16-F10 melanoma and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. CAV1-mediated activation of Src/Akt signaling was required for CAV1-enhanced migration and was blocked in the presence of 2-DG. Moreover, inhibition of Akt reduced CAV1-enhanced lung metastasis of B16-F10 cells. Collectively, these findings highlight the importance of CAV1-induced metabolic reprogramming for metastasis and point towards possible therapeutic approaches to prevent metastatic disease by inhibiting glycolysis and Src/Akt signaling.

Therapeutic implications of signaling pathways and tumor microenvironment interactions in esophageal cancer

Esophageal cancer (EC) is significantly influenced by the tumor microenvironment (TME) and altered signaling pathways. Downregulating these pathways in EC is essential for suppressing tumor development, preventing metastasis, and enhancing therapeutic outcomes. This approach can increase tumor sensitivity to treatments, enhance patient outcomes, and inhibit cancer cell proliferation and spread. The TME, comprising cellular and non-cellular elements surrounding the tumor, significantly influences EC's development, course, and treatment responsiveness. Understanding the complex relationships within the TME is crucial for developing successful EC treatments. Immunotherapy is a vital TME treatment for EC. However, the heterogeneity within the TME limits the application of anticancer drugs outside clinical settings. Therefore, identifying reliable microenvironmental biomarkers that can detect therapeutic responses before initiating therapy is crucial. Combining approaches focusing on EC signaling pathways with TME can enhance treatment outcomes. This integrated strategy aims to interfere with essential signaling pathways promoting cancer spread while disrupting factors encouraging tumor development. Unraveling aberrant signaling pathways and TME components can lead to more focused and efficient treatment approaches, identifying specific cellular targets for treatments. Targeting the TME and signaling pathways may reduce metastasis risk by interfering with mechanisms facilitating cancer cell invasion and dissemination. In conclusion, this integrative strategy has significant potential for improving patient outcomes and advancing EC research and therapy. This review discusses the altered signaling pathways and TME in EC, focusing on potential future therapeutics.

The ERK inhibitor GDC-0994 selectively inhibits growth of BRAF mutant cancer cells

BRAF or RAS mutation-induced aberrant activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway is frequently observed in human cancers. As the key downstream node of MAPK pathway, ERK1/2 is as an important therapeutic target. GDC-0994 (ravoxertinib), an orally bioavailable, highly selective small-molecule inhibitor of ERK1/2, showed acceptable safety and pharmacodynamic profile in a recent phase I clinical trial. In this study, we investigated dependence of the anti-tumor effect of ERK inhibitor GDC-0994 on genetic alterations in the MAPK pathway. The results showed that GDC-0994 sharply inhibited cell proliferation and colony formation and induced remarkable G1 phase cell-cycle arrest in cancer cells harboring BRAF mutation but had little effect on cell behaviors in most RAS mutant or wild-type cell lines. The expression of a large number of genes, particularly the genes in the cell cycle pathway, were significantly changed after GDC-0994 treatment in BRAF mutant cells, while no remarkable expression change of such genes was observed in wild-type cells. Moreover, GDC-0994 selectively inhibited tumor growth in a BRAF mutant xenograft mice model. Our findings demonstrate a BRAF mutation-dependent anti-tumor effect of GDC-0994 and provide a rational strategy for patient selection for ERK1/2 inhibitor treatment.

MicroRNA-409: Molecular functions and clinical applications in cancer

Late diagnosis is one of the main reasons for high mortality rates in cancer patients. Therefore, investigating the molecular mechanisms involved in tumor progression can improve the cancer diagnosis in the early stages of the tumor progression. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have important roles in regulation of cell growth, proliferation, metabolism, and migration. Since, deregulation of miR-409 has been reported in a wide range of cancers, in the present review, we investigated the molecular mechanisms of miR-409 during tumor progression and invasion. It has been shown that miR-409 functions as a tumor suppressor in different tumor types. MiR-409 can reduce tumor cell proliferation, growth, and migration by regulation of signaling pathways, cellular metabolism, transcription factors, and cellular adhesion. This review can be an effective step in introducing miR-409 as a non-invasive marker in cancer patients.