Expression, prognostic and predictive impact of VEGF and bFGF in non-small cell lung cancer

A new model for the inference of biological entities states: Ternary Entity State Inference System

Understanding the state transitions in biological systems and identifying critical steady states are crucial for investigating disease development and discovering key therapeutic targets. To advance the study of state transitions in specific biological entities, we proposed the Ternary Entity State Inference System (T-ESIS). T-ESIS builds upon the Entity State Inference System by providing richer information on entity states, where states can take values of 0, 1, or 1/2, representing activation, inhibition, and normal states, respectively. This method infers state transition pathways based on interaction relationships and visualizes them through the Entity State Network. Furthermore, the cyclic structures within the Entity State Network capture positive and negative feedback loops, providing a topological foundation for the formation of steady states. To demonstrate the applicability of T-ESIS, entity states were modeled, and attractor analysis was conducted in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) networks. Our analysis provided valuable insights into targeted therapy for NSCLC, highlighting the potential of T-ESIS in uncovering therapeutic targets and understanding disease mechanisms. Moreover, the proposed T-ESIS framework facilitated the inference of entity state transitions and the analysis of steady states in biological systems, offering a novel approach for studying the dynamic principles of these systems. This ternary dynamic modeling approach not only deepened our understanding of biological networks but also provided a methodological reference for future research in the field.

miR-29b-3p targetedly regulates VEGF to inhibit tumor progression and cisplatin resistance through Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway in non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUNDS

Non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is a common type of lung cancer. Prior investigations have elucidated the pivotal role of miR-29b-3p in restraining tumor growth and metastasis. Nonetheless, it remains to be determined whether miR-29b-3p can effectively suppress NSCLC progression and enhance the sensitivity of NSCLC cells to cisplatin. This investigation sought to determine the mechanism by which miR-29b-3p inhibited the advancement of NSCLC and mitigated resistance to cisplatin.

METHODS

We initially assessed miR-29b-3p and VEGF levels in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Next, miR-29b-3p expression was elevated in NSCLC cell lines H1975 and A549 by overexpression plasmid transfection. Following this, a sequence of molecular biology experiments was conducted to evaluate the impact of miR-29b-3p on the biological behaviors of NSCLC cells and their resistance to cisplatin. Additionally, we predicted VEGF was a target gene of miR-29b-3p by bioinformatics analysis. We next employed western blot to evaluate the protein expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 in NSCLC cells. Finally, we elucidated the effects of VEGF and Nrf2/HO-1pathway on NSCLC progression and cisplatin resistance by in vitro assays.

RESULTS

In comparison to paracancerous tissues and human normal lung epithelial cells, the expression of miR-29b-3p was notably reduced and VEGF expression was clearly elevated in NSCLC tissues and cells. Moreover, miR-29b-3p upregulated obviously suppressed the biological activities of NSCLC cells and increased their sensitivity to cisplatin. Furthermore, in NSCLC cells, miR-29b-3p bound to VEGF and negatively regulate its transcription. Additionally, miR-29b-3p overexpression also inhibited the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway. Finally, the overexpression of VEGF and the activation of the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway reversed miR-29b-3p-mediated inhibitory effect on biological behaviors of NSCLC cells and increased the cisplatin resistance.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that miR-29b-3p impedes NSCLC cells' biological behaviors and augments their sensitivity to cisplatin by targeting VEGF to modulate the Nfr2/HO-1 signaling pathway.

Identification and validation of basic fibroblast growth factor as a prognostic biomarker for the response of lung adenocarcinoma patients to bevacizumab treatment

Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) stimulates angiogenesis, influencing the proliferation, migration, and survival of tumour cells, which have pivotal roles in tumour progression. This study investigated the prognostic significance of bFGF expression in lung adenocarcinoma treated with bevacizumab. The expression levels of bFGF were assessed in bevacizumab-treated patients with lung adenocarcinoma using immunohistochemistry. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed to evaluate prognostic potential. bFGF expression was also investigated in another independent cohort of patients with lung adenocarcinoma treated with routinechemotherapy. We also compared the PSM value of bFGF expression levels independently and in combination with epidermal growth factor receptor and vascularendothelial growth factor expression levels. A high bFGF expression level was found to be an independent prognostic factor for disease-free survival in patients receiving bevacizumab-based chemotherapy. Similar results were not observed in patients who underwent routinechemotherapy. In conclusion, the bFGF expression level may be a clinically feasible prognostic marker and bFGF is a potential therapeutic target for patients with lung adenocarcinoma receiving routinechemotherapy.

Research advances in mechanism of antiangiogenic therapy combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors for treatment of non-small cell lung cancer

Immunotherapy has changed the treatment strategy of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in recent years, among which anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies are the most used. However, the majority of patients with NSCLC do not derive benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Vascular abnormalities are a hallmark of most solid tumors and facilitate immune evasion. Thus, combining antiangiogenic therapies might increase the effectiveness of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies. In this paper, the mechanisms of anti-angiogenic agents combined with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies are illustrated, moreover, relevant clinical studies and predictive immunotherapeutic biomarkers are summarized and analyzed, in order to provide more treatment options for NSCLC patients.

Role of Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor in Cancer: Biological Activity, Targeted Therapies, and Prognostic Value

Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide; thus, it is necessary to find successful strategies. Several growth factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF, FGF2), and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), are involved in the main processes that fuel tumor growth, i.e., cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis, by activating important signaling pathways, including PLC-γ/PI3/Ca2+ signaling, leading to PKC activation. Here, we focused on bFGF, which, when secreted by tumor cells, mediates several signal transductions and plays an influential role in tumor cells and in the development of chemoresistance. The biological mechanism of bFGF is shown by its interaction with its four receptor subtypes: fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) 1, FGFR2, FGFR3, and FGFR4. The bFGF–FGFR interaction stimulates tumor cell proliferation and invasion, resulting in an upregulation of pro-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic tumor cell proteins. Considering the involvement of the bFGF/FGFR axis in oncogenesis, preclinical and clinical studies have been conducted to develop new therapeutic strategies, alone and/or in combination, aimed at intervening on the bFGF/FGFR axis. Therefore, this review aimed to comprehensively examine the biological mechanisms underlying bFGF in the tumor microenvironment, the different anticancer therapies currently available that target the FGFRs, and the prognostic value of bFGF.

Does the Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and Bcl-2 Have a Prognostic Significance in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer?

Lung cancer is the most common cause of mortality from malignant tumors worldwide. The five-year survival rate for people with advanced stages varies considerably, from 35.4% to 6.9%. The angiogenic potential of bcl2 is not well known, nor is the way in which tumor cells with excessive bcl2 expression affect VEGF production. Hypothetically, given that tumor growth, progression and metastasis are dependent on angiogenesis, the antiapoptotic effect is expected to form a link between these two molecules. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between bcl-2 and VEGF expression, clinicopathological features and survival in 216 patients with advanced NSCLC. Archival tumor tissues were examined by immunohistochemistry for the expression of bcl-2 and VEGF. Immunoreactivity for bcl-2 was observed in 41.4% of NSCLCs, 51% of squamous and 34.8% of adenocarcinomas-expressed Bcl-2. There was an inverse correlation of mononuclear stromal reaction and bcl-2 expression in adenocarcinoma (p < 0.0005). A total of 71.8% NSCLCs were VEGF positive, 56% of squamous and 82.2% of adenocarcinomas. High level of VEGF expression was significantly associated with histology type (p = 0.043), low histology grade (p = 0.014), clinical stage IV (p = 0.018), smoking history (p = 0.008) and EGFR mutations (p = 0.026). There was an inverse correlation in the expression of Bcl-2 and VEGF in NSCLC patients (p = 0.039, r = -0.163). Two-year survival of patients with unresectable NSCLC was 39.3%, and 50% of patients were alive at 17 months. Our results demonstrated no difference in survival for patients in advanced NSCLC grouped by bcl-2 and VEGF status. Additionally, we observed an inverse correlation in the expression of Bcl-2 and VEGF in NSCLC and mononuclear reaction and bcl-2 expression in adenocarcinomas.

Targeting regulation of VEGF by BPTF in non-small cell lung cancer and its potential clinical significance

PURPOSE

VEGF facilitates tumor angiogenesis, and bevacizumab targeting VEGF is used in anti-tumor therapy. It is meaningful to clarify the upstream regulatory mechanism of VEGF. BPTF is important in chromosomal remodeling, and promotes the progression of tumors. However, its role in promoting tumor angiogenesis by targeting VEGF has not been fully reported. This study aims to elucidate the expression regulation of VEGF by BPTF and its clinical significance in NSCLC.

METHODS

1. BPTF siRNA and shRNA plasmids were used to reduce the expression of BPTF by transfection in vivo and in vitro. BPTF, VEGF and CD144 expressions were examined by immunofluorescence and Western Blot. 2. The expressions of BPTF, VEGF, CD144 and CD31 were detected in lung adenocarcinoma samples by immunofluorescence, Western blot and immunohistochemical staining. 3. 26 lung adenocarcinoma patients treated by bevacizumab were divided into 2 groups according to the treatment efficacy. BPTF and VEGF expressions were analyzed.

RESULTS

1. BPTF knockdown inhibited the expression of VEGF and CD144 in vivo and in vitro. 2. Compared with para-cancer tissues, BPTF, VEGF, CD144 and CD31 were highly expressed in lung adenocarcinoma. 3. In 75 lung adenocarcinoma specimens, BPTF and VEGF overexpression was correlated with lymph node metastasis and clinical stage. The 5-year survival rate of patients with BPTF and VEGF low expression was higher, and BPTF expression was positively correlated with VEGF expression. 4. Among 26 patients treated with bevacizumab, the patients with BPTF overexpression are more sensitive to the treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

BPTF positively regulates VEGF expression and its high expression predicts a better efficacy of bevacizumab treatment in NSCLC.

Silencing of long non-coding RNA TUC338 inhibits the malignant phenotype of nasopharyngeal cancer cells via modulating the miR-1226-3p/FGF2 axis

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been suggested as essential regulators in the cancer progression. LncRNA TUC338 was found to promote the malignancy of various cancers, however, the involvement of TUC338 in nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) has not been well characterized. Here, our results found the significant overexpression of TUC338 in NPC tissues. Higher level of TUC338 was also observed in NPC cells. Interestingly, NPC patients harboring overexpressed TUC338 have worse prognosis. Functional study indicated that down-regulated TUC338 remarkably suppressed the NPC cell proliferation and cell migration. Notably, depletion of TUC338 significantly inhibited the in vivo tumor growth. Mechanistically, TUC338 acted as molecular sponge of miR-1226-3p and attenuated the negative regulation of miR-1226-3p on the expression of fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2). Down-regulation of TUC338 inhibited FGF2 expression in NPC cells and tumor tissues. Overexpression of FGF2 attenuated the suppressed NPC proliferation upon the depletion of TUC338. Our results demonstrated the novel function of TUC338/miR-1226-3p/FGF2 axis in NPC progression, suggesting the potential diagnosis and therapeutics significance of TUC338 in NPC.

Circulating microRNAs as molecular biomarkers for lung adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND: The potential of microRNAs (miRNAs) as molecular tumor biomarkers for early diagnosis and prognosis in lung cancer is still unclear. OBJECTIVE: To analyze expression of miRNAs in A549 lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) cells and in primary, non-malignant bronchial epithelial (BE) cells from healthy donors. To analyze the most prominently deregulated miRNAs in plasma samples of LUAD patients and healthy donors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The expression of 752 miRNAs in LUAD and BE cells was assessed by RT-qPCR with mean-centering restricted normalization. The relative plasma levels of 18 miRNAs in LUAD patients and healthy donors were analyzed using RT-qPCR and normalized to miR-191-5p and miR-16-3p. Putative interactions between miRNAs and their target genes were investigated in silico. RESULTS: Out of 752 miRNAs, 37 miRNAs were significantly deregulated in A549 cells compared to BE cells. MiR-15b-3p, miR-148a-3p, miR-193b-3p, and miR-195-5p were significantly deregulated in plasma samples of LUAD patients compared to donors. The target genes of those four miRNAs are involved in essential mechanisms in cancer development and progression. CONCLUSIONS: There are substantial differences between cancer and control miRNA expression in vitro and in plasma samples of LUAD patients compared to healthy donors. Four deregulated miRNAs are promising as a diagnostic biomarker for adenocarcinoma of the lung.

Sinensetin suppresses angiogenesis in liver cancer by targeting the VEGF/VEGFR2/AKT signaling pathway

Sinensetin (SIN) is a polymethoxy flavone primarily present in citrus fruits. This compound has demonstrated anticancer activity. However, the underlying mechanism of its action has not been fully understood. The present study investigated the impact of SIN on angiogenesis in a liver cancer model. In a murine xenograft tumor model, SIN inhibited the growth of HepG2/C3A human liver hepatoma cell-derived tumors and reduced the expression levels of platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 and VEGF. In HepG2/C3A cells, SIN repressed VEGF expression by downregulating hypoxia-inducible factor expression. In cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells, SIN increased apoptosis and repressed migration and tube formation. In addition, SIN decreased the phosphorylation of VEGFR2 and inhibited the AKT signaling pathway. Molecular docking demonstrated that the VEGFR2 core domain effectively combined with SIN at various important residues. Collectively, these data suggested that SIN inhibited liver cancer angiogenesis by regulating VEGF/VEGFR2/AKT signaling.

A tumor microenvironment-related mRNA-ncRNA signature for prediction early relapse and chemotherapeutic sensitivity in early-stage lung adenocarcinoma

OBJECTIVES

Postoperative early relapse of early-stage lung adenocarcinoma is implicated in poor prognosis. The purpose of our study was to develop an integrated mRNA and non-coding RNA (ncRNA) signature to identify patients at high risk of early relapse in stage I-II lung adenocarcinoma who underwent complete resection.

METHODS

Early-stage lung adenocarcinoma data from Gene Expression Omnibus database were divided into training set and testing set. Propensity score matching analysis was performed between patients in early relapse group and long-term nonrelapse group from training set. Transcriptome analysis, random survival forest and LASSO Cox regression model were used to build an early relapse-related multigene signature. The robustness of the signature was evaluated in testing set and RNA-Seq dataset from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The chemotherapy sensitivity, tumor microenvironment and mutation landscape related to the signature were explored using bioinformatics analysis.

RESULTS

Twelve mRNAs and one ncRNA were selected. The multigene signature achieved a strong power for early relapse prediction in training set (HR 3.19, 95% CI 2.16-4.72, P < 0.001) and testing set (HR 2.91, 95% CI 1.63-5.20, P = 0.002). Decision curve analyses revealed that the signature had a good clinical usefulness. Groups divided by the signature exhibited different chemotherapy sensitivity, tumor microenvironment characteristics and mutation landscapes.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicated that the integrated mRNA-ncRNA signature may be an innovative biomarker to predict early relapse of early-stage lung adenocarcinoma, and may provide more effective treatment strategies.

Clinically relevant prognostic and predictive markers for immune-checkpoint-inhibitor (ICI) therapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

BACKGROUND

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) either alone or in combination with chemotherapy have expanded our choice of agents for the palliative treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Unfortunately, not all patients will experience favorable response to treatment with ICI and may even suffer from severe side effects. Therefore, prognostic and predictive markers, beyond programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression status, are of utmost importance for decision making in the palliative treatment. This review focuses on clinical, laboratory and genetic markers, most of them easily to obtain in the daily clinical practice.

RESULTS

Recently, a number of prognostic and predictive factors in association to palliative ICI therapy have been described in NSCLC. Besides biometric parameters and clinical characteristics of the tumor, there are useful markers from routine blood sampling as well as innovative soluble genetic markers which can be determined before and during ICI treatment. Additionally, the level of evidence is noted.

CONCLUSIONS

These factors can be helpful to predict patients' outcome and tumor response to ICI. They should be implemented prospectively in ICI based clinical trials to develop reliable algorithms for palliative NSCLC treatment.

HDGF enhances VEGF‑dependent angiogenesis and FGF‑2 is a VEGF‑independent angiogenic factor in non‑small cell lung cancer

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for over 80% of all diagnosed lung cancer cases. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Most NSCLC cells overexpress vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) which plays a pivotal role in tumour angiogenesis. Anti-angiogenic therapies including VEGF-A neutralisation have significantly improved the response rates, progression-free survival and overall survival of patients with NSCLC. However, the median survival of these patients is shorter than 18 months, suggesting that NSCLC cells secrete VEGF-independent angiogenic factors, which remain unknown. We aimed to explore these factors in human NSCLC cell lines, A549, Lu99 and EBC-1 using serum-free culture, to which only EBC-1 cells could adapt. By mass spectrometry, we identified 1,007 proteins in the culture supernatant derived from EBC-1 cells. Among the identified proteins, interleukin-8 (IL-8), macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), galectin-1, midkine (MK), IL-18, galectin-3, VEGF-A, hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF), osteopontin (OPN), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and granulin (GRN) are known to be involved in angiogenesis. Tube formation, neutralisation and RNA interference assays revealed that VEGF-A and HDGF function as angiogenic factors in EBC-1 cells. To confirm whether VEGF-A and HDGF also regulate angiogenesis in the other NSCLC cell lines, we established a novel culture method. NSCLC cells were embedded in collagen gel and cultured three-dimensionally. Tube formation, neutralisation and RNA interference assays using the three-dimensional (3D) culture supernatant showed that VEGF-A and HDGF were not angiogenic factors in Lu99 cells. By gene microarray in EBC-1 and Lu99 cells, we identified 61 mRNAs expressed only in Lu99 cells. Among these mRNAs, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) and FGF-5 are known to be involved in angiogenesis. Tube formation and neutralisation assays clarified that FGF-2 functions as an angiogenic factor in Lu99 cells. These results indicate that HDGF enhances VEGF-dependent angiogenesis and that FGF-2 is a VEGF-independent angiogenic factor in human NSCLC cells.

Predictive value of serum VEGF levels for elderly patients or for patients with poor performance status receiving anti-PD-1 antibody therapy for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer

The efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in elderly and poor performance status (PS) patients is controversial, because clinical evidence is limited. This study aimed to find a predictive biomarker for the efficacy of anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) antibodies in these patient populations. We retrospectively reviewed medical records of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who were ≥ 75 years of age or classified as PS 2 and received anti-PD-1 antibody treatment between December 2015 and May 2018. We evaluated the association between the efficacy of the anti-PD-1 antibody in these patients and the clinical variables thought to affect ICI efficacy. A total of 235 patients with advanced NSCLC were treated with anti-PD-1 antibodies, among whom 31 patients were ≥ 75 years of age and 22 were PS 2. A Cox proportional hazard model showed that only high levels of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were significantly associated with a shorter progression-free survival in patients aged ≥ 75 years and those with PS 2. Among these cohorts, the overall response rate to anti-PD-1 treatment tended to be lower when serum VEGF was high compared to patients with low serum VEGF. Our results demonstrate that serum VEGF concentration may be a negative predictive biomarker in elderly and poor PS advanced NSCLC patients receiving anti-PD-1 antibody treatment. This finding may help identify patients who will not benefit from anti-PD-1 antibody therapy.

A robust six-gene prognostic signature for prediction of both disease-free and overall survival in non-small cell lung cancer

Background

The high mortality of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) emphasizes the necessity of identifying a robust and reliable prognostic signature for NSCLC patients. This study aimed to identify and validate a prognostic signature for the prediction of both disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) of NSCLC patients by integrating multiple datasets.

Methods

We firstly downloaded three independent datasets under the accessing number of GSE31210, GSE37745 and GSE50081, and then performed an univariate regression analysis to identify the candidate prognostic genes from each dataset, and identified the gene signature by overlapping the candidates. Then, we built a prognostic model to predict DFS and OS using a risk score method. Kaplan–Meier curve with log-rank test was used to determine the prognostic significance. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models were implemented to evaluate the influences of various variables on DFS and OS. The robustness of the prognostic gene signature was evaluated by re-sampling tests based on the combined GEO dataset (GSE31210, GSE37745 and GSE50081). Furthermore, a The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-NSCLC cohort was utilized to validate the prediction power of the gene signature. Finally, the correlation of the risk score of the gene signature and the Gene set variation analysis (GSVA) score of cancer hallmark gene sets was investigated.

Results

We identified and validated a six-gene prognostic signature in this study. This prognostic signature stratified NSCLC patients into the low-risk and high-risk groups. Multivariate regression and stratification analyses demonstrated that the six-gene signature was an independent predictive factor for both DFS and OS when adjusting for other clinical factors. Re-sampling analysis implicated that this six-gene signature for predicting prognosis of NSCLC patients is robust. Moreover, the risk score of the gene signature is correlated with the GSVA score of 7 cancer hallmark gene sets.

Conclusion

This study provided a robust and reliable gene signature that had significant implications in the prediction of both DFS and OS of NSCLC patients, and may provide more effective treatment strategies and personalized therapies.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12967-019-1899-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Prognosis of EGFR-mutant advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients with different intrathoracic metastatic patterns

Introduction: Lung cancer diagnosed solely with the presence of intrathoracic metastases is classified as M1a. However, intrathoracic metastases can be further divided into different patterns. The objective of our study was to analyze the differences in survival between the different metastatic patterns of intrathoracic metastases in lung adenocarcinoma patients who have epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations. Materials and Methods: Patients who were diagnosed only with intrathoracic metastasis between March 2011 and October 2016 and had EGFR-mutations were selected for this study. Prognosis was determined based on metastatic patterns by univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: A total of 137 patients (60 patients who only had pleural metastasis [Group A], 44 patients who only had contralateral lung metastasis [Group B] and 33 patients who had both pleural and contralateral lung metastasis with or without pericardial effusion [Group C]) were selected for this in the study. The median OS (overall survival) time was 38.1 (95%confidence interval [CI]: 27.8-48.4), 35.7(95%CI: 23.4-48.0), and 29.7(95%CI: 22.8-36.6) months for Group A, Group B, and Group C, respectively (p=0.037). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that Group A and Group B had higher OS compared to Group C (hazard ratio [HR]=0.524, 95%CI: 0.307-0.894, p=0.018; HR=0.473, 95%CI: 0.241-0.931, p=0.030, respectively) among lung adenocarcinoma patients with EGFR mutations. With regard to patients with pleural or contralateral metastasis only, OS benefit (p=0.579) was not significant between the two groups. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that OS benefit in Group A was significant in patients with N0-1 disease and 21L858R mutations but not in EGFR exon 19 deletions, N2-3 stage or T3-4 stage patients. Conclusion: The prognosis of EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma patients diagnosed only with intrathoracic metastasis was different, indicating that M1a staging should be refined.

Quadruplex-forming oligonucleotide targeted to the VEGF promoter inhibits growth of non-small cell lung cancer cells

BACKGROUND

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is commonly overexpressed in a variety of tumor types including lung cancer. As a key regulator of angiogenesis, it promotes tumor survival, growth, and metastasis through the activation of the downstream protein kinase B (AKT) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK 1/2) activation. The VEGF promoter contains a 36 bp guanine-rich sequence (VEGFq) which is capable of forming quadruplex (four-stranded) DNA. This sequence has been implicated in the down-regulation of both basal and inducible VEGF expression and represents an ideal target for inhibition of VEGF expression.

RESULTS

Our experiments demonstrate sequence-specific interaction between a G-rich quadruplex-forming oligonucleotide encoding a portion of the VEGFq sequence and its double stranded target sequence, suggesting that this G-rich oligonucleotide binds specifically to its complementary C-rich sequence in the genomic VEGF promoter by strand invasion. We show that treatment of A549 non-small lung cancer cells (NSCLC) with this oligonucleotide results in decreased VEGF expression and growth inhibition. The VEGFq oligonucleotide inhibits proliferation and invasion by decreasing VEGF mRNA/protein expression and subsequent ERK 1/2 and AKT activation. Furthermore, the VEGFq oligonucleotide is abundantly taken into cells, localized in the cytoplasm/nucleus, inherently stable in serum and intracellularly, and has no effect on non-transformed cells. Suppression of VEGF expression induces cytoplasmic accumulation of autophagic vacuoles and increased expression of LC3B, suggesting that VEGFq may induce autophagic cell death.

CONCLUSION

Our data strongly suggest that the G-rich VEGFq oligonucleotide binds specifically to the C-rich strand of the genomic VEGF promoter, via strand invasion, stabilizing the quadruplex structure formed by the genomic G-rich sequence, resulting in transcriptional inhibition. Strand invading oligonucleotides represent a new approach to specifically inhibit VEGF expression that avoids many of the problems which have plagued the therapeutic use of oligonucleotides. This is a novel approach to specific inhibition of gene expression.

PEGylated self-assembled enzyme-responsive nanoparticles for effective targeted therapy against lung tumors

Background

Matrix-metalloproteinases, which are overexpressed in many types of cancer, can be applied to improve the bioavailability of chemotherapeutic drugs and guide therapeutic targeting. Thus, we aimed to develop enzyme-responsive nanoparticles based on a functionalized copolymer (mPEG-Peptide-PCL), which was sensitive to matrix metalloproteinase, as smart drug vesicles for enhanced biological specificity and reduced side effects.

Results

The rate of in vitro curcumin (Cur) release from Cur-P-NPs was not markedly accelerated in weakly acidic tumor microenvironment, indicating a stable intracellular concentration and a consistent therapeutic effect. Meanwhile, P-NPs and Cur-P-NPs displayed prominent biocompatibility, biostability, and inhibition efficiency in tumor cells. In addition, Cur-P-NPs showed higher fluorescence intensity than Cur-NPs in tumor cells, implying enhanced cell permeability and targeting ability. Moreover, the internalization and intracellular transport of Cur-P-NPs were mainly via macropinocytosis. Studies of pharmacodynamics and cellular uptake in vitro and biodistribution in vivo demonstrated that Cur-P-NPs had stronger target efficiency and therapeutic effect than Cur-DMSO and Cur-NPs in tumor tissue.

Conclusion

Results indicate that Cur-P-NPs can be employed for active targeted drug delivery in cancer treatment and other biomedical applications.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12951-018-0384-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

PM2.5 exposure significantly improves the exacerbation of A549 tumor-bearing CB17-SCID mice

Here we investigate the effects and potential mechanisms of PM2.5 on tumor development in a lung cancer mouse model. Tumor-bearing mice (n = 32) were established and randomized into two groups: the PM2.5 or NS exposure group. Compared with the NS exposure group, mice in the PM2.5 exposure group showed an increased number of tumor nodules, increased BAL fluid protein levels, and elevated expressions of MMP1, IL1β and VEGF. Measurement of angiogenesis from blood serum using an angiogenesis antibody array revealed increased levels of 12 angiogenesis factors in mice after PM2.5 exposure. We also isolated bacteria from the upper respiratory tract of the mice and found that the microecosystem of the upper respiratory tract of tumor-bearing mice was perturbed by PM2.5 exposure. Our findings further establish a key link between PM2.5 and lung cancer and further elucidation of these mechanisms may reveal potential treatment strategies for lung cancer.

Efficacy of radiotherapy on intermediate and advanced lung cancer and its effect on dynamic changes of serum vascular endothelial growth factor and matrix metalloproteinase-9

The present study intended to investigate efficacy of radiotherapy in the treatment of intermediate and advanced stage lung cancer and the effects on serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). Serum levels of VEGF and MMP-9 of 77 patients with intermediate or advanced lung cancer were detected before and after the treatment. At the same time, 19 healthy people were selected as the control group. Gelatin zymography was applied to measure the activity of serum MMP-9, ELISA was performed to detect the VEGF and MMP-9 levels in the peripheral blood and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to measure the messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of VEGF and MMP-9 in serum. Results indicated that the overall response rate of radiotherapy on intermediate and advanced lung cancer reached 70.1%. Levels of serum VEGF and MMP-9 in the effective treatment group were significantly lower than those before the treatment (P<0.05). Furthermore, expression levels of VEGF and MMP-9 in the effective radiotherapy group were significantly lower than those in ineffective group (P<0.05), MMP-9 activity before treatment was significantly higher than that after treatment (P<0.05) and expression levels of VEGF and MMP-9 mRNA before treatment were significantly elevated compared with those after treatment (P<0.05). The results suggested that the expression levels of serum VEGF and MMP-9 may be useful indicators for the evaluation of the efficacy of radiotherapy in the treatment of intermediate and advanced lung cancer.

Anti-angiogenic activity and mechanism of a chemically sulfated natural glucan from Phellinus ribis

A sulfated polysaccharide named PRP-S16 was obtained by sulfation of a glucan from Phellinus ribis using the chlorosulfonic acid method. PRP-S16 could significantly block the formation of new vessels in chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM). It could also inhibit the proliferation, migration, and tube formation and significantly reduced the mRNA expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in EA.hy926 endothelial cells. Western blotting indicated that PRP-S16 down regulated the protein expression of VEGF and VEGF receptor-1 (VEGFR-1), and inhibited the phosphorylation of VEGFR-2, protein kinase B (Akt) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) in EA.hy926 cells. These findings suggest that the mechanism of action of the anti-angiogenesis activity of PRP-S16 is related to the inhibition of VEGF-induced signaling pathway. PRP-S16 might be utilized as an effective antagonist in combating diseases associated with angiogenesis.

Isolating the Role of Bevacizumab in Elderly Patients With Previously Untreated Nonsquamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Secondary Analyses of the ECOG 4599 and PointBreak Trials

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

Patient-level data from 2 phase III studies in patients with previously untreated, advanced-stage, nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were pooled to examine outcomes with bevacizumab and chemotherapy based on age.

A precision-guided MWNT mediated reawakening the sunk synergy in RAS for anti-angiogenesis lung cancer therapy

Multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) with its versatility has exhibited tremendous superiority in drug delivery. Despite plenty of researches on MWNT based delivery systems, precision-guided assistances to maximize their profitable properties are still lacking in substantive progress. We developed here a dual-targeting and co-delivery system based on MWNT for antiangiogenesis therapy in lung cancer which aimed at renin-angiotensin system (RAS) dysregulation by synergistically conducting angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT₁R) and type 2 receptor (AT₂R) pathway. In this work, iRGD peptide connected to polyethyleneimine (PEI) was linked to MWNT skeleton, accompanying with candesartan (CD) conjugated to MWNT mediated by cystamine (SS). The functionalized MWNT is assembled with plasmid AT₂ (pAT₂) to form iRGD-PEI-MWNT-SS-CD/pAT₂ complexes. iRGD and CD act as pilots for complexes to dually target symbolic ανβ3-integrin and AT₁R both overexpressed on tumor angiogenic endothelium and lung cancer cell. CD as chemotherapy showed synergistic downregulation of VEGF when combining of pAT₂ and efficiently inhibited angiogenesis. iRGD-PEI-MWNT-SS-CD/pAT₂ complexes greatly appreciated drug activities by changing drug distribution and exhibited remarkable tumor growth suppression in A549 xenograft nude mice. Our work presents that such dual-targeting strategy highly improves the delivery performance of MWNT and open a new avenue for RAS related lung cancer therapy.

Ramucirumab in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer

INTRODUCTION

Therapeutic options for treating Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) have recently increased. Ramucirumab (Cyramza), an anti-angionenic agent was approved in 2014 for treatment of several malignancies, including second-line treatment of patients with NSCLC with disease progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. Areas covered: We performed a comprehensive search of the literature focused on clinical trials with use of ramucirumab, targeting its evolution in the treatment of NSCLC. This review summarizes the results regarding its safety and efficacy. Expert opinion: Angiogenesis has been widely recognized as a quintessential feature in cancer, intrinsically mediating tumor survival and progression. Ramucirumab, an anti-VEGFR2 agent, combined with docetaxel, was FDA-approved for NSCLC patients. Results from a phase III trial have demonstrated the usefulness of this combination, with benefits in progression free survival and overall survival for NSCLC patients. A greater magnitude of benefit is seen in patients with aggressive tumor behavior. Treatment with ramucirumab is generally tolerable, however, there is potential for severe toxicity. Adverse events reported with this combination include neutropenia, febrile neutropenia and hypertension. Also, there is the intrinsic risk of bleeding resulting from the mechanism of action. As such, adverse events should be identified timely, so drug-related complications can be prevented.

Stephania Tetrandra and Ginseng-Containing Chinese Herbal Formulation NSENL Reverses Cisplatin Resistance in Lung Cancer Xenografts

Chinese Herbal Formulation, supplement energy and nourish lung (SENL), effectively enhances chemotherapeutic efficacy in lung cancer treatment and reverses multi-drug resistance (MDR) in lung cancer cells in vitro. The present study is designed to assess the effect of a New SENL (NSENL, modification of SENL) formulation on resistance to chemotherapy of cisplatin (DDP)-resistant human lung cancer cell line (A549/DDP) xenografts in nude mice. We assessed six constituents in NSENL by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). BALB/c nude mice harboring A549/DDP cell xenografts were established to assess the antitumor effect of NSENL and its impact on the expression of MDR related genes. The six constituents in NSENL, including ginsenoside Rg1, ginsenoside Rb1, ginsenoside Rg3, astragaloside IV, ophiopogonin D and tetrandrine were quantitated simultaneously by HPLC. The combination of NSENL with DDP significantly inhibited tumor growth at a rate of up to 66.8% ([Formula: see text]). In addition, NSENL as monotherapy or combined with DDP downregulated multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) at both the mRNA and protein levels ([Formula: see text]), reduced glutathione S-transferase π (GST-π) protein expression and tumor microvascular density as well as decreased phosphorylation of protein kinase B (Akt) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) ([Formula: see text]). These findings demonstrated that NSENL can reverse MDR in A549/DDP cells in vivo, an effect possibly associated with downregulation of MDR-associated genes as well as inhibition of bFGF/FGFR and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways.

Long non-coding RNA H19 promotes the proliferation of fibroblasts in keloid scarring

The expression of the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) H19 is associated with proliferation in tumors. In order to investigate whether H19 may additionally mediate the proliferation of fibroblasts in human keloid disease, the present study collected samples from 24 subjects, including 8 with keloids, 8 with normal scars and 8 normal skin controls. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction revealed that H19 levels were markedly increased in human keloids compared with normal scars and normal skin controls (P=0.017). In order to identify a potential role for H19 in the proliferative activity of human keloid fibroblasts, small interfering (si)RNA-mediated silencing experiments were performed. H19 siRNA treatment markedly inhibited the proliferation of keloid fibroblasts, as assessed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay (P=0.008). In order to identify the signaling mediators that are regulated by H19 in keloid fibroblasts, the expression levels of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were examined using western blotting. The results confirmed that knockdown of H19 inhibited mTOR and VEGF expression. In summary, the results indicate that H19 may be associated with increased proliferative activity of keloid fibroblasts, which may be mediated by mTOR and VEGF.

Prognostic Value of Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (bFGF) in Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

Background

Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is known to stimulate angiogenesis and thus to influence the proliferation, migration and survival of tumor cells. Many studies examined the relationship between human bFGF overexpression and survival in lung cancer patients, but the results have been mixed. To systematically summarize the clinical prognostic function of bFGF in lung cancer, we performed this systematic review with meta-analysis.

Method

Studies were identified by an electronic search of PubMed, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang databases, including publications prior toAugust 2014. Pooled hazard ratios (HR) for overall survival (OS) were aggregated and quantitatively analyzed by meta-analysis.

Results

Twenty-two studies (n = 2154) were evaluated in the meta-analysis. Combined HR suggested that bFGF overexpression had an adverse impact on survival of patients with lung cancer(HR = 1.202,95%CI, 1.022–1.382). Our subgroup analysis revealed that the combined HR evaluating bFGF expression on OS in operable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was 1.553 (95%CI, 1.120–1.986); the combined HR in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) was 1.667 (95%CI, 1.035–2.299). There was no significant impact of bFGF expression on survival in advanced NSCLC.

Conclusion

This meta-analysis showed that bFGF overexpression is a potential indicator of worse prognosis for patients with operable NSCLC and SCLC, but is not associated with outcome in advanced NSCLC. The data suggests that high bFGF expression is highly related to poor prognosis. Nevertheless,more high-quality studies should be performed in order to provide additional evidence for the prognostic value of bFGF in lung cancer.

miR-195 Inhibits EMT by Targeting FGF2 in Prostate Cancer Cells

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the leading causes of deaths in America. The major cause of mortality can be attributed to metastasis. Cancer metastasis involves sequential and interrelated events. miRNAs and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) are implicated in this process. miR-195 is downregulated in many human cancers. However, the roles of miR-195 in PCa metastasis and EMT remain unclear. In this study, data from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) prostate cancer database were re-analysed to detect miR-195 expression and its roles in PCa. miR-195 was then overexpressed in castration-resistant PCa cell lines, DU-145 and PC-3. The role of miR-195 in migration and invasion in vitro was also investigated, and common markers in EMT were evaluated through Western blot analysis. A luciferase reporter assay was conducted to confirm the target gene of miR-195; were validated in PCa cells. In MSKCC data re-analyses, miR-195 was poorly expressed in metastatic PCa; miR-195 could be used to diagnose metastatic PCa by measuring the corresponding expression. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) was 0.705 (P = 0.017). Low miR-195 expression was characterised with a shorter relapse-free survival (RFS) time. miR-195 overexpression suppressed cell migration, invasion and EMT. Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) was confirmed as a direct target of miR-195. FGF2 knockdown also suppressed migration, invasion and EMT; by contrast, increased FGF2 partially reversed the suppressive effect of miR-195. And data from ONCOMINE prostate cancer database showed that PCa patients with high FGF2 expression showed shorter RFS time (P = 0.046). Overall, this study demonstrated that miR-195 suppressed PCa cell metastasis by downregulating FGF2. miR-195 restoration may be considered as a new therapeutic method to treat metastatic PCa.

Traditional Chinese Medicine: Salvia miltiorrhiza Enhances Survival Rate of Autologous Adipose Tissue Transplantation in Rabbit Model

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the influence of traditional Chinese medicines: Salvia miltiorrhiza on the survival of auto-transplantation of adipose tissue in a rabbit model.

METHODS

Minced adipose tissue harvested from the scapular region was transplanted into the dorsum of the ears of New Zealand rabbits. The experimental groups were intra-peritoneally injected with S. miltiorrhiza for a total 4 weeks. The rabbits in control group were intra-peritoneally injected with normal saline. Plasma VEGF levels were assayed at week 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 after fat tissue auto-transplantation in the dorsum of rabbit ears. Graft samples were collected and measured at week 2, 4, and 12. Survival rates were calculated, and histologic morphology was evaluated. The expression of CD31 was detected by means of immune-histochemical staining to observe neo-vascularization of the auto-transplanted fat tissue. Perilipin was detected by means of immune-histochemical staining to observe the survival of fat cells.

RESULTS

At 12 weeks, the survival rates in the experimental group were statistically greater than that in the control group, respectively (p < 0.05). Plasma levels of VEGF in the experimental group at different time points were significantly higher than that in the control group (p < 0.05). Histologically, grafts in the experimental group showed better survival of adipocytes and neo-vascularization. By perilipin immuno-histochemical staining, the experimental group demonstrated better adipocyte survival.

CONCLUSIONS

In the rabbit model, S. miltiorrhiza can promote the neo-vascularization of adipose tissue grafts and significantly improves the survival rate of auto-transplanted adipose tissue.

NO LEVEL ASSIGNED

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each submission to which Evidence-Based Medicine rankings are applicable. This excludes Review Articles, Book Reviews, and manuscripts that concern Basic Science, Animal Studies, Cadaver Studies, and Experimental Studies. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

Combined Ang-2 and VEGF serum levels: holding hands as a new integral biomarker in non-small-cell lung cancers

AIM

Evaluate if serum levels of VEGF and Ang-2 are correlated in non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) and its implications in the diagnostic and prognostic of the disease.

PATIENTS & METHODS

Unselected cohort of 145 NSCLC patients and 30 control individuals. The serum levels of Ang-2 and VEGF of each patient were measured by ELISA prior to treatment.

RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS

Serum levels of Ang-2 and VEGF are correlated (p < 0.0001). High serum levels of Ang-2 and VEGF isolated and both combined (high(Ang-2/VEGF)) correlate with likelihood of presenting NSCLC (p = 0.016; p = 0.003; p < 0.0001, respectively). Serum levels of Ang-2 and high(Ang-2/VEGF) but not VEGF alone are independent prognostic factors (p = 0.001; p = 0.619; p = 0.005). High(Ang-2/VEGF) serum levels could be exploited as a new valuable integral biomarker in NSCLC.

Low-Dose Cadmium Upregulates VEGF Expression in Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells

Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal and environmental toxin. Exposure to Cd has been associated with a variety of human cancers. In this study, we performed in vitro assays to examine the effects of cadmium chloride (CdCl₂) on A549 cells, a human lung adenocarcinoma cell line. Cd does not affect proliferation, migration, or apoptosis of A549 cells at concentrations of 0.1-10 μM. At 0.5 and 1 μM, Cd increases the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) (p < 0.05, p < 0.01, respectively), but not basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF) in A549 cells. The conditioned media were collected from the A549 cells treated with 1 μM Cd and were co-cultured with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Upon treatment with the conditioned media, the proliferation and migration of HUVECs significantly increased (p < 0.01, p < 0.05, respectively), while apoptosis remained unchanged. In addition, 1 μM Cd increases the level of hypoxia inducible factor 1-α (HIF1-α), which is a positive regulator of VEGF expression. Although low-dose Cd does not directly affect the growth of lung adenocarcinoma cells, it might facilitate the development of tumors through its pro-angiogenic effects.

Association of the FAM46A gene VNTRs and BAG6 rs3117582 SNP with non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in Croatian and Norwegian populations

We analyzed for associations between a variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphism in the Family with sequence similarity 46, member A (FAM46A) gene and a single nucleotide polymorphism (rs3117582) in the BCL2-Associated Athanogene 6 (BAG6) with non small cell lung cancer in Croatian and Norwegian subjects. A total of 503 (262 Croatian and 241Norwegian) non small cell lung cancer patients and 897 controls (568 Croatian and 329 Norwegian) were analyzed. We found that the frequency of allele b (three VNTR repeats) of FAM46A gene was significantly increased in the patients compared to the healthy controls in the Croatian and the combined Croatian and Norwegian subjects. Genotype frequencies of cd (four and five VNTR repeats) and cc (four VNTR repeats homozygote) of the FAM46A gene were significantly decreased in the patients compared to the healthy controls in the Croatian and Norwegian subjects, respectively. Logistic regression analyses revealed FAM46A genotype cc to be an independent predictive factor for non small cell lung cancer risk in the Norwegian subjects after adjustment for age, gender and smoking status. This is the first study to suggest an association between the FAM46A gene VNTR polymorphisms and non small cell lung cancer. We found also that BAG6 rs3117582 SNP was associated with non small cell lung cancer in the Norwegian subjects and the combined Croatian-Norwegian subjects corroborating the earlier finding that BAG6 rs3117582 SNP was associated with lung cancer in Europeans. Logistic regression analyses revealed that genotypes and alleles of BAG6 were independent predictive factor for non small cell lung cancer risk in the Norwegian and combined Croatian-Norwegian subjects, after adjustment for age and gender.

Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2C regulates apoptosis-dependent tumor progression of non-small cell lung cancer via ERK pathway

The oncogenic role of ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2C (UBE2C) had been identified in some types of human tumors, while the clinical and biological role of UBE2C in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still elusive. Here, we have determined the specific role of UBE2C in NSCLC. Western blot and qRT-PCR were used for detecting the mRNA level and protein level of UBE2C in NSCLC samples and cell lines, respectively. Lentivirus product was used to conduct loss of function assay. qRT-PCR array was employed to detect potential downstream genes regulated by UBE2C. As the result, UBE2C mRNA level was approximately threefold overexpression in NSCLC tissues compared with normal tissues, while a sharp change was detected at protein level. Overexpression of UBE2C in lung cancer samples was correlated with advanced pathological stage. UBE2C regulated cell growth in an apoptosis-dependent way. PCR Array analysis revealed that UBE2C regulated the expression of genes associated with tumor growth, apoptosis, and angiogenesis. Furthermore, UBE2C could regulate phospho-ERK1/2 level but not STAT3, YAP, or AKT pathway, which was accompanied with the classic function of ERK pathway in cell growth and apoptosis. In conclusion, our results indicated UBE2C might be a novel therapeutic target in NSCLC.

Simultaneous irradiation of fibroblasts and carcinoma cells repress the secretion of soluble factors able to stimulate carcinoma cell migration

Stroma mediated wound healing signals may share similarities with the ones produced by tumor’s microenvironment and their modulation may impact tumor response to the various anti-cancer treatments including radiation therapy. Therefore we conducted this study, to assess the crosstalk between stromal and carcinoma cells in response to radiotherapy by genetic modulation of the stroma and irradiation. We found that fibroblasts irrespective of their RhoB status do not modulate intrinsic radiosensitivity of TC-1 but produce diffusible factors able to modify tumor cell fate. Then we found that Wt and RhoB deficient fibroblasts stimulated TC-1 migration through distinct mechanisms which are TGF-β1 and MMP-mediated respectively. Lastly, we found that simultaneous irradiation of fibroblasts and TC-1 abrogated the pro-migratory phenotype by repression of TGF-β and MMP secretion. This last result is highly relevant to the clinical situation and suggests that conversely to, the current view; irradiated stroma would not enhance carcinoma migration and could be manipulated to promote anti-tumor immune response.

Basic fibroblast growth factor shows prognostic impact on survival in operable non-small cell lung cancer patients

Background

The important role of angiogenesis displaying in tumor development and metastasis has been generally realized. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and endostatin (ES) are critical members of angiogenesis modulating the balance between pro-angiogenenic and anti-angiogenenic factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the circulating level of these factors in serum and explore their prognostic significance in 96 operable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

Methods

Pre-operational serum VEGF, bFGF, and ES were determined by commercially available enzyme-link immunosorbent assay for 96 NSCLC patients and compared to a cohort of healthy controls (n = 51). Values were correlated with clinicopathological features and overall survival (OS).

Results

The pretreatment serum levels of VEGF, bFGF and ES in NSCLC were significantly higher than in the healthy control (P < 0.001, P = 0.009 and P = 0.016, respectively). Univariate survival analysis showed that a high bFGF level correlated with shorter OS and remained an independent factor in multivariate analysis (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.918, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.061–3.464). In the squamous subtype, a high bFGF indicated a particularly poor prognosis (HR = 2.609, 95% CI, 1.188–5.729).

Conclusions

bFGF is an independent predictor of poor survival in patients with NSCLC. For patients with high serum bFGF, aggressive antitumor treatments should be given after surgery. Approaches targeting the bFGF signaling pathway should be considered as potentially promising therapeutic strategies in NSCLC, especially for the squamous subtype.

MiR-152 suppresses the proliferation and invasion of NSCLC cells by inhibiting FGF2

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate the proliferation and metastasis of cancer cells. Here, we showed that miR-152 was downregulated in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of miR-152 suppressed cell proliferation and colony formation and also limited migration and invasion. Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) was confirmed as a direct target of miR-152. FGF2 knockdown suppressed cell proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion, whereas FGF2 overexpression partially reversed the suppressive effect of miR-152. Furthermore, the presence of miR-152 was inversely correlated with FGF2 in NSCLC tissues. Overall, this study demonstrated that miR-152 suppressed the proliferation and invasion of NSCLC cells by downregulating FGF2. These findings provide novel insights with potential therapeutic applications for the treatment of NSCLC.

The effect of Lfcin-B on non-small cell lung cancer H460 cells is mediated by inhibiting VEGF expression and inducing apoptosis

Lfcin-B, an antimicrobial peptide found in various exocrine secretions of mammals, showed antitumor effects. However, the effect and relative mechanism of Lfcin-B on non-small cell lung cancer is unclear. In this study, assay of cell viability, quantitative real-time PCR, Western blot, annexin V/propidium iodide assay, flow cytometry and tumor-xenograft model were applied to elucidate the mechanism of Lfcin-B on non-small cell lung cancer NCI-H460 (H460) cells. Lfcin-B significantly suppressed the proliferation of H460 cells in vitro. Additionally, the transcription and translation of the VEGF gene in H460 cells were restrained after exposure to Lfcin-B. Moreover, the apoptosis of H460 cells was induced by Lfcin-B through stimulating caspase-3, caspase-9 and preventing survivin expression on both the transcription and translation level. Meanwhile, Lfcin-B increased the production of reactive oxygen species and suppressed the RNA of antioxidant enzymes (GPX1, GPX2, SOD3 and catalase) in H460 cells. Finally, Lfcin-B significantly prevented the tumor growth in the H460-bearing mice model. These results indicated that Lfcin-B could be a potential candidate for the treatment of lung cancer.

Relationship between serum VEGF level and radiosensitivity of patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer among asians: a meta-analysis

This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the relationships between serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) level and radiosensitivity in patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) among Asians. We searched CISCOM, CINAHL, Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, and CBM databases from their inception through October 1, 2013. Meta-analysis was performed using the STATA 12.0 software. Fourteen clinical studies were included in this meta-analysis, including five case-control studies and nine cohort studies. Our meta-analysis results revealed that levels of serum VEGF in NSCLC patients were higher than that of healthy controls. There was a significant difference in serum VEGF levels between before and after radiotherapy in NSCLC patients. Further, we found significant differences in serum VEGF levels between effective and noneffective clinical response groups pre- and postradiotherapy. Serum VEGF levels showed no significant associations with tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage and histologic grade in NSCLC patients. NSCLC patients with positive VEGF expression had shorter overall survival than those with negative VEGF expression. Our meta-analysis suggests that serum VEGF level may be a useful biomarker in predicting radiosensitivity and prognosis of NSCLC patients among Asians.

Detection of circulating vascular endothelial growth factor and matrix metalloproteinase-9 in non-small cell lung cancer using Luminex multiplex technology

It has been previously reported that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 are important for the occurrence and development of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The present study was designed to detect the serum levels of VEGF and MMP-9 in NSCLC, and to explore their diagnostic and prognostic values. A total of 543 cases were involved, of which 332 were NSCLC (272 cases in the pretreatment group and 60 cases in the postoperative group), 91 were patients with benign lung diseases and 120 were healthy controls. The serum levels of VEGF and MMP-9 were determined by Luminex multiplex technology. The serum levels of VEGF and MMP-9 were found to be significantly higher in the pretreatment group than those in the patients with benign lung diseases and healthy controls (VEGF, P<0.0001; MMP-9, P<0.0001). Compared with the pretreatment group, the serum levels of VEGF and MMP-9 in the postoperative group were significantly decreased (VEGF, P=0.005; MMP-9, P=0.002), and the levels of VEGF and MMP-9 in the pretreatment group of patients with stages III and IV were higher than those with stages I and II (VEGF, P<0.0001; MMP-9, P=0.021). In addition, the levels of VEGF and MMP-9 were found to closely correlate with lymph node metastasis (VEGF, P<0.0001; MMP-9, P<0.0001) in the pretreatment group, while being independent of other clinicopathological parameters (P>0.05). Furthermore, a positive correlation was observed between the serum levels of VEGF and MMP-9 (r=0.159; P=0.009). A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the diagnostic value of MMP-9 was higher than that of VEGF in the pretreatment group. The log-rank test indicated that the inoperable NSCLC patients with low levels of VEGF exhibited a significantly longer overall survival time than those with high VEGF levels (P<0.0001). Additionally, the serum levels of VEGF and lymph node metastasis were identified as independent prognostic factors of the inoperable NSCLC patients in a multivariate Cox regression analysis (P<0.05). These results indicated that VEGF and MMP-9 may be potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of NSCLC.

A genetic polymorphism in pre-miR-27a confers clinical outcome of non-small cell lung cancer in a Chinese population

Background

Recent evidence indicates that microRNAs (miRNAs) can function as tumor suppressors and oncogenes. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at miRNA genes can influence the maturation of miRNAs or miRNA-mediated transcriptional regulation. Our objective was to investigate the association of SNPs in deregulated miRNAs with clinical outcome in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in a Chinese population.

Methods

Deregulated miRNAs in NSCLC and their SNPs were identified through public databases. A single SNP, rs895819 in pre-miR-27a, was found suitable for selection. TaqMan assays were performed for genotyping and to assess the effect on the overall survival (OS) and chemotherapy response in 576 NSCLC patients.

Results

Log-rank test and Cox regression analysis indicated that the G allele of rs895819 was associated with shorter survival and increased risk of death in NSCLC [dominant model: 22.0 vs. 46.0 months, P<0.001; adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 1.71, 95% confidential interval (CI): 1.12–2.26]. Further stepwise regression analysis suggested that this SNP was an independently unfavorable factor for the prognosis of NSCLC and the effect remained significant in subgroup analysis stratified by clinical parameters and treatment status. Moreover, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the subjects with AG/GG genotypes of rs895819 had significantly decreased response rate to platinum-based chemotherapy compared to those with the AA genotype.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that the pre-miR-27a rs895819 polymorphism may influence NSCLC patients’ clinical outcome. Further large sample studies should be used to validate our findings.