MXD3 as an onco-immunological biomarker encompassing the tumor microenvironment, disease staging, prognoses, and therapeutic responses in multiple cancer types

Development and verification of a novel risk model related to ubiquitination linked with prognosis and therapeutic response in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Increasing evidence highlights the important role of ubiquitination in cancer. The objective of our study is to establish a reliable marker for predicting clinical outcomes and treatment responses in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) using genes related to ubiquitination (URGs). The URGs subtypes were identified using consensus clustering based on TCGA-KIRC, and a signature containing the prognostic differentially expressed genes of the subtypes was determined using LASSO and Cox regression analysis. To demonstrate the strength of the signature, verification analyses were performed on both E-MTAB-1980 and TCGA-KIRC test datasets. We developed a nomogram to enhance the effectiveness of our predictive tool. Risk genes expression was determined through RT-qPCR. Six genes were combined to create the URGs signature, which had a highly correlated with patient prognosis in patients with ccRCC. A nomogram was developed based on the URGs signature and clinicopathological characteristics. We found that the predictive power was substantially greater than the other individual predictors. Moreover, the study on the immune microenvironment revealed significant variations in the levels of immune cells and the expression of immune checkpoint genes among the groups categorized as high-risk and low-risk. Furthermore, it was found that immunotherapy yielded better outcomes in cohorts with low risk. The URGs signature might serve as a novel and powerful prognosis biomarker and offer a momentous reference for individualized treatment for patients in ccRCC.

Identification of the shared gene MXD3 signatures and biological mechanism in patients with hip pain and prostate cancer

Prostate cancer (PRAD) is recognized as having a significant effect on systemic illnesses. This study examined possible immune cells, metabolic pathways, and genes that may explain the interaction between PRAD and hip pain. We used information retrieved from the Cancer Genome Atlas and the Gene Expression Omnibus databases. To find common genes, we utilized differential expression analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis. The genes that were shared were subjected to pathway enrichment studies using Gene Ontology and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. Additionally, hub genes were analyzed using LASSO regression, and a receiver operating characteristic curve was generated based on the screening outcomes. The genes for the nodes were chosen in a protein-protein interaction network that was built. Single-sample gene-set enrichment analysis was performed to identify the differentially expressed genes. Immunohistochemistry staining confirmed hub gene expression, and single-sample gene-set enrichment analysis assessed immune cell infiltration. We concluded by comparing MAX dimerization protein 3 (MXD3) and MAX interactor 1 (MXI1) expression in tumor tissues using Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection and violin plots in the Tumor lmmune Single-cell Hub database. After analyzing the intersection of the differentially expressed genes and weighted gene co-expression network analysis-significant module genes, we determined that MXD3 was the best shared diagnostic biomarker for PRAD and hip pain. One potential predictor of PRAD development was the MXI1 node gene, which was found in the protein-protein interaction network. The analyses revealed that MXD3 had a relatively positive correlation with neutrophil and T-helper cell infiltration levels, whereas MXI1 had a negative correlation with mast and Tgd cell levels. Tumors had lower levels of MXI1 expression and higher levels of MXD3 expression compared to normal tissues. Endothelial cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, and smooth muscle cells were all found to express MXI1. This is the first study to investigate the close genetic link between hip pain and PRAD using bioinformatics technologies. The 2 most significant genes involved in crosstalk between PRAD and hip pain were MXD3 and MXI1. The immunological responses triggered by T cells, mast cells, and neutrophils may be crucial in the relationship between PRAD and hip pain.

Cross-modal integration of bulk RNA-seq and single-cell RNA sequencing data to reveal T-cell exhaustion in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a relatively common malignancy clinically and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Recent studies have identified T-cell exhaustion as playing a crucial role in the pathogenesis of CRC. A long-standing challenge in the clinical management of CRC is to understand how T cells function during its progression and metastasis, and whether potential therapeutic targets for CRC treatment can be predicted through T cells. Here, we propose DeepTEX, a multi-omics deep learning approach that integrates cross-model data to investigate the heterogeneity of T-cell exhaustion in CRC. DeepTEX uses a domain adaptation model to align the data distributions from two different modalities and applies a cross-modal knowledge distillation model to predict the heterogeneity of T-cell exhaustion across diverse patients, identifying key functional pathways and genes. DeepTEX offers valuable insights into the application of deep learning in multi-omics, providing crucial data for exploring the stages of T-cell exhaustion associated with CRC and relevant therapeutic targets.

Proteogenomic insights into the biology and treatment of pan-melanoma

Melanoma is one of the most prevalent skin cancers, with high metastatic rates and poor prognosis. Understanding its molecular pathogenesis is crucial for improving its diagnosis and treatment. Integrated analysis of multi-omics data from 207 treatment-naïve melanomas (primary-cutaneous-melanomas (CM, n = 28), primary-acral-melanomas (AM, n = 81), primary-mucosal-melanomas (MM, n = 28), metastatic-melanomas (n = 27), and nevi (n = 43)) provides insights into melanoma biology. Multivariate analysis reveals that PRKDC amplification is a prognostic molecule for melanomas. Further proteogenomic analysis combined with functional experiments reveals that the cis-effect of PRKDC amplification may lead to tumor proliferation through the activation of DNA repair and folate metabolism pathways. Proteome-based stratification of primary melanomas defines three prognosis-related subtypes, namely, the ECM subtype, angiogenesis subtype (with a high metastasis rate), and cell proliferation subtype, which provides an essential framework for the utilization of specific targeted therapies for particular melanoma subtypes. The immune classification identifies three immune subtypes. Further analysis combined with an independent anti-PD-1 treatment cohort reveals that upregulation of the MAPK7-NFKB signaling pathway may facilitate T-cell recruitment and increase the sensitivity of patients to immunotherapy. In contrast, PRKDC may reduce the sensitivity of melanoma patients to immunotherapy by promoting DNA repair in melanoma cells. These results emphasize the clinical value of multi-omics data and have the potential to improve the understanding of melanoma treatment.

The causal relationship of serum uric acid on colorectal cancer: A Mendelian randomization study

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a significant public health issue owing to its widespread occurrence and substantial morbidity and mortality rates. Recent studies have highlighted serum uric acid (SUA) level as a probable risk factor for CRC; however, the inconsistency in these findings has created doubt. We performed a Mendelian randomization (MR) study utilizing extensive cohort data from the UK BioBank and the NHGRI-EBI Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) Catalog to investigate the causal connection between SUA levels and CRC incidence. Our MR study addresses the constraints of earlier studies, including limited sample sizes and inconsistent results. Considering SUA levels as the exposure and CRC as the outcome, the inverse variance-weighted (IVW) approach in MR showed that the odds ratios (ORs) for CRC for each unit increase in SUA were 0.232 (95% confidence interval [CI] of OR 0.094-0.570; P = .001) and 0.551 (95% CI of OR 0.325-0.934; P = .027). Pleiotropic tests and sensitivity analysis confirmed minimal horizontal pleiotropy and the robustness of causality. Our research deepens the understanding of the association between SUA levels and CRC, offering insights into prevention strategies and patient outcomes prediction.

Small-molecule inhibitor HI-TOPK-032 improves NK-92MI cell infiltration into ovarian tumours

The effectiveness of natural killer (NK) cells transferred adoptively in combating solid tumours is limited by challenges such as their difficulty in penetrating tumours from the bloodstream and maintaining viability without the support of interleukin-2 (IL-2). Genetically modified NK-92MI cells, which can release IL-2 to sustain their viability, have been identified as a promising alternative. This adaptation addresses the negative consequences of systemic IL-2 administration. The role of PSD-95/discs large/ZO-1 (PDZ)-binding kinase (PBK) in cancer development is recognized, but its effects on immunity are not fully understood. This study explores how PBK expression influences the ability of NK-92MI cells to infiltrate ovarian tumours. Elevated levels of PBK expression have been found in various cancers, including ovarian cancer (OV), with analyses showing higher PBK mRNA levels in tumour tissues compared to normal ones. Immunohistochemistry has confirmed increased PBK expression in OV tissues. Investigations into PBK's role in immune regulation reveal its association with immune cell infiltration, indicating a potentially compromised immune environment in OV with high PBK expression. The small-molecule inhibitor HI-TOPK-032, which inhibits PBK, enhances the cytotoxicity of NK-92MI cells toward OV cells. It increases the production of interferon-γ and tumour necrosis factor-α, reduces apoptosis and encourages cell proliferation. Mechanistic studies showed that contact with OV cells treated with HI-TOPK-032 upregulates CD107a on NK-92 cells. In vivo studies demonstrated that HI-TOPK-032 improves the antitumour effects of NK-92MI cells in OVCAR3Luc xenografts, extending survival without significant side effects. Safety assessments in mice confirm HI-TOPK-032's favourable safety profile, highlighting its potential as a viable antitumour therapy. These results suggest that combining NK-92MI cells with HI-TOPK-032 enhances antitumour effectiveness against OV, indicating a promising, safe and effective treatment strategy that warrants further clinical investigation.

The Predictive Value of Neutrophil Extracellular Trap-Related Risk Score in Prognosis and Immune Microenvironment of Colorectal Cancer Patients

Colorectal cancer (CRC) has brought great healthy burden for patients. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) have been explored in several tumors, while it remains largely unclear in CRC. CRC-related data were downloaded from Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus databases. Then, a NET risk score was built after univariate Cox and LASSO Cox regression analysis. Prognostic value was evaluated via survival analysis, stratification analysis, and ROC analysis. The functional enrichment analysis was conducted basing on bulk and scRNA-seq data. The immune landscape difference was analyzed using CIBERSORT, XCell, and MCPcounter portals. NET risk score was built for CRC patients, basing on G0S2, HIST1H2BC, CRISPLD2, and IL17A. In TCGA-CRC and validation datasets, regardless of age or gender, high-risk CRC patients had significantly worse prognosis, besides higher NET risk score was mainly found in samples with MSI-H and advanced T, N, and M stages. Employing multiple databases, we noticed that M0 and M2 Macrophages infiltrated the most in high-risk CRC patients, besides M2 Macrophages and neutrophils showed positive correlation with NET risk score. A novel reliable prognostic NET risk score was developed for CRC patients, and high-risk patients had unfavorable prognosis with advanced disease status.

A novel risk signature based on liquid-liquid phase separation-related genes reveals prognostic and tumour microenvironmental features in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma(ccRCC) is one of the most common malignancies. However, there are still many barriers to its underlying causes, early diagnostic techniques and therapeutic approaches.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)- Kidney renal clear cell (KIRC) cohort differentially analysed liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS)-related genes from the DrLLPS website. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses and LASSO regression analyses were used to construct prognostic models. The E-MTAB-1980 cohort was used for external validation. Then, potential functions, immune infiltration analysis, and mutational landscapes were analysed for the high-risk and low-risk groups. Finally, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) experiments as well as single-cell analyses validated the genes key to the model.

RESULTS

We screened 174 LLPS-related genes in ccRCC and constructed a risk signature consisting of five genes (CLIC5, MXD3, NUF2, PABPC1L, PLK1). The high-risk group was found to be associated with worse prognosis in different subgroups. A nomogram constructed by combining age and tumour stage had a strong predictive power for the prognosis of ccRCC patients. In addition, there were differences in pathway enrichment, immune cell infiltration, and mutational landscapes between the two groups. The results of qRT-PCR in renal cancer cell lines and renal cancer tissues were consistent with the biosignature prediction. Three single-cell data of GSE159115, GSE139555, and GSE121636 were analysed for differences in the presence of these five genes in different cells.

CONCLUSIONS

We developed a risk signature constructed based on the five LLPS-related genes and can have a high ability to predict the prognosis of ccRCC patients, further providing a strong support for clinical decision-making.

Identification of a novel stemness-related signature with appealing implications in discriminating the prognosis and therapy responses for prostate cancer

PURPOSE

Cancer stemness represents the tumor-initiation and self-renewal potentials of cancer stem cells. It is involved in prostate cancer progression and resistance to therapy. Herein, we aimed to unveil the stemness features, establish a novel prognostic model, and identify potential therapeutic targets.

METHODS

26 stemness-related signatures were obtained from StemChecker. The expression profiles and clinical traits of TCGA-PRAD were obtained from TCGA and cBioPortal, respectively. GSE5446 and GSE70769 cohorts were acquired from GEO. PRAD_MSKCC cohort was also retrieved via the cBioPortal. The consensus clustering method was used for stemness subclusters classification. WGCNA was used to identify hub genes related to the stemness subcluster. The most important feature was explored in vitro.

RESULTS

Prostate cancer patients of TCGA-PRAD were divided into two subclusters (C1 and C2) based on the enrichment scores of the 26 stemness-related signatures. C1 was characterized by decreased survival, rich infiltrations of M0 macrophages and regulatory T cells, minimum sensitivity to chemotherapy, and a low response to immunotherapy. Hub genes of the red module with the highest correlation with C1 were subsequently identified by WGCNA and subjected to stemness-related risk model construction based on the machine-learning framework. Prostate cancer patients with high stemness scores had unfavorable prognosis, immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, minimum sensitivity to chemotherapy, and a low response to immunotherapy. MXD3, the most important factor of the model, can regulate the stemness traits of prostate cancer cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study depicted the stemness landscapes of prostate cancer and characterized two subclusters with diverse prognoses and tumor immune microenvironments. A stemness-risk signature was developed and demonstrated prospective implications in predicting prognosis and precision medicine.

Computational identification of novel signature of T2DM-induced nephropathy and therapeutic bioactive compounds from Azanza garckeana

OBJECTIVES

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most prevalent secondary complications associated with diabetes mellitus. Decades of research have implicated multiple pathways in the etiology and pathophysiology of diabetic nephropathy. There has been no reliable predictive biomarkers for the onset or progression of DN and no successful treatments are available.

METHODS

In the present study, we explored the datasets of RNA sequencing data from patients with Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM)-induced nephropathy to identify a novel gene signature. We explored the target bioactive compounds identified from Azanza garckeana, a medicinal plant commonly used by the traditional treatment of diabetes nephropathy.

RESULTS

Our analysis identified lymphotoxin beta (LTB), SRY-box transcription factor 4 (SOX4), SOX9, and WAP four-disulfide core domain protein 2 (WFDC2) as novel signatures of T2DM-induced nephropathy. Additional analysis revealed the pathological involvement of the signature in cell-cell adhesion, immune, and inflammatory responses during diabetic nephropathy. Molecular docking and dynamic simulation at 100 ns conducted studies revealed that among the three compounds, Terpinen-4-ol exhibited higher binding efficacies (binding energies (ΔG) = -3.9~5.5 kcal/mol) against the targets. The targets, SOX4, and SOX9 demonstrated higher druggability towards the three compounds. WFDC2 was the least attractive target for the compounds.

CONCLUSION

The present study was relevant in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment follow up of patients with diabetes induced nephropathy. The study provided an insight into the therapeutic application of the bioactive principles from Azanza garckeana. Continued follow-up invitro validations study are ongoing in our laboratory.

Identification of INFG/STAT1/NOTCH3 as γ-Mangostin's potential targets for overcoming doxorubicin resistance and reducing cancer-associated fibroblasts in triple-negative breast cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a very aggressive subtype of breast cancer characterized by drug resistance and distant metastasis. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are considered a major contributor to TNBC's drug resistance. Thus targeting and eliminating CSCs have been vigorously researched. However, the precise targetable molecular networks responsible for CSC genesis remain unclear; this conundrum is mainly due to the high heterogeneity of the TNBC tumor microenvironment (TME). The cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are one of the most abundant cellular components of the TME. Emerging studies indicate that CAFs facilitate TNBC's progression by establishing a pro-tumor TME. Hence, identifying the molecular networks involved in CAF transformation and CAF-associated oncogenesis are essential areas to be explored. Through a bioinformatics approach, we identified INFG/STAT1/NOTCH3 as a molecular link between CSCs and CAF. DOX-resistant TNBC cell lines showed increased expression of INFG/STAT1/NOTCH3 and CD44 and were associated with increased self-renewal ability and CAF-transformative ability. Downregulation of STAT1 significantly reduced the tumorigenic properties of MDA-MB-231 and -468 cells and their CAF-transforming potential. Our molecular docking analysis suggested that gamma mangostin (gMG), a xanthone, formed complexes with INFG/STAT1/NOTCH3 better than celecoxib. We then demonstrated that gMG treatment reduced the tumorigenic properties similarly observed in STAT1-knocked down conditions. Finally, we utilized a DOX-resistant TNBC tumoroid-bearing mouse model to demonstrate that gMG treatment significantly delayed tumor growth, reduced CAF generation, and improved DOX sensitivity. Further investigations are warranted for clinical translation.

Attenuation of hyperglycemia-associated dyslipidemic, oxidative, cognitive, and inflammatory crises via modulation of neuronal ChEs/NF-κB/COX-2/NOx, and hepatorenal functional deficits by the Tridax procumbens extract

Tridax procumbens (cotton buttons) is a flowering plant with a medicinal reputation for treating infections, wounds, diabetes, and liver and kidney diseases. The present research was conducted to evaluate the possible protective effects of the T. procumbens methanolic extract (TPME) on an experimentally induced type 2 diabetes rat model. Wistar rats with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes were randomly allocated into five groups of five animals each, viz., a normal glycemic group (I), diabetic rats receiving distilled water group (II), diabetic rats with 150 (III) and 300 mg/kg of TPME (IV) groups, and diabetic rats with 100 mg/kg metformin group (V). All treatments were administered for 21 consecutive days through oral gavage. Results: Administration of the T. procumbens extract to diabetic rats significantly restored alterations in levels of fasting blood glucose (FBG), body weight loss, serum and pancreatic insulin levels, and pancreatic histology. Furthermore, T. procumbens significantly attenuated the dyslipidemia (increased cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in diabetic rats), serum biochemical alterations (alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine phosphatase (ALP), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, uric acid, and urea) and full blood count distortion in rats with STZ-induced diabetes. The TPME also improved the antioxidant status as evidenced by increased superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA); and decreased levels of cholinesterases (acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE)), and proinflammatory mediators including nuclear factor (NF)-κB, cyclooxygenase (COX)- 2, and nitrogen oxide (NOx) in the brain of rats with STZ-induced diabetes compared to rats with STZ-induced diabetes that received distilled water. However, TPME treatment failed to attenuate the elevated monoamine oxidases and decreased dopamine levels in the brain of rats with STZ-induced diabetes. Extract characterization by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) identified isorhamnetin (retention time (RT)= 3.69 min, 8.8%), bixin (RT: 25.06 min, 4.72%), and lupeol (RT: 25.25 min, 2.88%) as the three most abundant bioactive compounds that could be responsible for the bioactivity of the plant. In conclusion, the TPME can be considered a promising alternative therapeutic option for managing diabetic complications owing to its antidiabetic, antihyperlipidemic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects in rats with STZ-prompted diabetes.

Identification of molecular subtypes and a prognostic signature based on chromatin regulators related genes in prostate cancer

The clinical and molecular phenotypes of prostate cancer (PCa) exhibit substantial heterogeneity, ranging from indolent to metastatic disease. In this study, we aimed to identify PCa subtypes and construct a gene signature that can predict the recurrence-free survival (RFS) of PCa patients based on chromatin regulators genes (CRGs). Strikingly, we identified two heterogeneous subtypes with distinct clinical and molecular characteristics. Furthermore, by performing differential analysis between the two CRGs subtypes, we successfully constructed a gene signature to predict PCa prognosis. The signature, comprising four genes (MXD3, SSTR1, AMH and PPFIA2), was utilized to classify PCa patients into two risk groups; the high-risk group was characterized by poor prognosis and more aggressive clinical features. Moreover, we investigated the immune profile, mutation landscape and molecular pathways in each of the groups. Additionally, drug-susceptibility testing was performed to explore sensitive drugs for high-risk patients. Furthermore, we found that MXD3 downregulation suppressed the proliferation of PCa cell lines in vitro. Overall, our results highlight the signature based on CRGs as a powerful tool for predicting RFS of PCa patients, as well as an indicator for personalized treatment of those patients.

Cancer of the Liver and its Relationship with Diabetes mellitus

A high increase witnessed in type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) globally has increasingly posed a serious threat to global increases in liver cancer with the association between diabetes mellitus type II and the survival rate in liver cancer patients showing unstable findings. An increase in the development and progression of chronic liver disease from diabetes mellitus patients may be connected to cancer of the liver with several links such as Hepatitis B and C virus and heavy consumption of alcohol. The link between T2DM patients and liver cancer is centered on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) which could be a serious threat globally if not clinically addressed. Several reports identified metformin treatment as linked to a lower risk of liver cancer prognosis while insulin treatment or sulphonylureas posed a serious threat. Mechanistically, the biological linkage between diabetes type II mellitus and liver cancer are still complex to understand with only the existence of a relationship between NAFLD and high level of energy intake and diabetes mellitus induces hepatic damage, increased liver weight thereby causes multiple pro-inflammatory cytokines that lead to the development of liver cancer. Therefore, this review gives an account of the pathophysiological importance of liver cancer position with T2DM, with the role of NAFLD as an important factor that bridges them.

Transcriptomic discovery of a theranostic signature (SERPINE1/MMP3/COL1A1/SPP1) for head and neck squamous cell carcinomas and identification of antrocinol as a candidate drug

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) are prevalent malignancies with a disappointing prognosis, necessitating the search for theranostic biomarkers for better management. Based on a meta-analysis of transcriptomic data containing ten clinical datasets of HNSCC and matched nonmalignant samples, we identified SERPINE1/MMP3/COL1A1/SPP1 as essential hub genes as the potential theranostic biomarkers. Our analysis suggests these hub genes are associated with the extracellular matrix, peptidoglycans, cell migration, wound-healing processes, complement and coagulation cascades, and the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway within the tumor microenvironment. Also, these hub genes were associated with tumor-immune infiltrating cells and immunosuppressive phenotypes of HNSCC. Further investigation of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohorts revealed that these hub genes were associated with staging, metastasis, and poor survival in HNSCC patients. Molecular docking simulations were performed to evaluate binding activities between the hub genes and antrocinol, a novel small-molecule derivative of an anticancer phytochemical antrocin previously discovered by our group. Antrocinol showed high affinities to MMP3 and COL1A1. Notably, antrocinol presented satisfactory drug-like and ADMET properties for therapeutic applications. These results hinted at the potential of antrocinol as an anti-HNSCC candidate via targeting MMP3 and COL1A1. In conclusion, we identified hub genes: SERPINE1/MMP3/COL1A1/SPP1 as potential diagnostic biomarkers and antrocinol as a potential new drug for HNSCC.

Large-scale transcriptomic analysis of coding and non-coding pathological biomarkers, associated with the tumor immune microenvironment of thyroid cancer and potential target therapy exploration

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most prevalent endocrine malignancy with a steadily increasing global incidence in recent decades. The pathogenesis of PTC is poorly understood, and the present diagnostic protocols are deficient. Thus, identifying novel prognostic biomarkers to improve our understanding of the mechanisms of pathogenesis, diagnosis, and designing therapeutic strategies for PTC is crucial. In this study, we integrated 27 PTC transcriptomic datasets and identified overlapping differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed microRNAs, collectively known as thyroid tumor-enriched proteins (TTEPs), and TTEmiRs, respectively. Our integrated bioinformatics analysis revealed that TTEPs were associated with tumor stages, poor surgical outcomes, distant metastasis, and worse prognoses in PTC cohorts. In addition, TTEPs were found to be associated with tumor immune infiltrating cells and immunosuppressive phenotypes of PTC. Enrichment analysis suggested the association of TTEPs with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), cell-matrix remodeling, and transcriptional dysregulation, while the TTEmiRs (miR-146b-5p and miR-21-5p) were associated with the modulation of the immune response, EMT, migration, cellular proliferation, and stemness. Molecular docking simulations were performed to evaluate binding affinities between TTEPs and antrocinnamomin, antcin, and antrocin, the bioactive compounds from one of the most reputable Taiwan indigenous medicinal plants (Antrodia camphorata). Our results revealed that antcin exhibited higher binding efficacies toward FN1, ETV5, and NRCAM, whereas antrocin demonstrated the least. Among the targets, fibronectin (FN1) demonstrated high ligandability potential for the compounds whereas NRCAM demonstrated the least. Collectively, our results hinted at the potential of antcin for targeting TTEPs. In conclusion, this comprehensive bioinformatics analysis strongly suggested that TTEPs and TTEmiRs could be used as potential diagnostic biomarker signatures and be exploited as potential targets for therapeutics development.

Preclinical anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of Azanza garckeana in STZ-induced glycemic-impaired rats, and pharmacoinformatics of it major phytoconstituents

The quest for novel anti-diabetic medication from medicinal plants is very important since they contain bioactive phytochemicals that offer better activity and safety compared to conventional therapy. In the present study, in vitro, in vivo and in silico approaches were explored to evaluate the anti-inflammatory, antioxidants, and hypoglycemic activities of the crude methanol extract of Azanza garckeana pulp. Our in vitro analysis revealed that the extract contains total phenols (260.80 ± 2.23 mg/100 g) and total flavonoids (10.28 ± 1.29 mg/100 g) contents, and demonstrated dose-dependent in vitro antioxidants activities in; DPPH (IC₅₀ =141.30 ± 1.64 µg/mL), FRAP (IC₅₀ =155.07 ± 1.03 µg/mL), LPO (IC₅₀ =184.96 ± 2.01 µg/mL), and ABTS (IC₅₀ =162.56 ± 1.14 µg/mL) assays; anti-inflammatory activities in: membrane stabilization (IC₅₀ =141.34 ± 0.46 µg/mL), protein denaturation (IC₅₀ =203.61 ± 2.35 µg/mL) and proteinase activities (IC₅₀₌f 171.35 ± 1.56 µg/mL) assays; and hypoglycemic activities in: α- amylase (IC₅₀ 277.85 ± 2.51 µg/mL), and glucose uptake by yeast cells assays. In vivo analysis revealed that the extract exhibited dose-dependent anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic activities and improved the weight gain in STZ-induced diabetic rats. In addition, the extract attenuated oxidative stress and increased the activities of SOD, catalase, GSH while depleting the level of LPO in STZ induced diabetic rats. Consequently, the liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) characterization of A. garckeana pulp, revealed the presence of 2-Hexadecen-1-ol,3,7,11,15-tetramethyl-,(2E,7 R,11 R)-, nonyl flavanone, testolactone and 6-(Benzyloxy)- 4,4-Dimethyl-2-Chromanone. These compounds were subjected to pharmacoinformatics analysis among which testolactone and 6-(Benzyloxy)- 4,4-Dimethyl-2-Chromanone demonstrated the best drug-likeness, pharmacokinetics, and also exhibited potential hypoglycemic and anti-inflammatory properties. Altogether, the present study provides preclinical evidence of the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic activities of A. garckeana extract suggesting its potential applications for the development of alternative therapy for diabetes and its associated inflammatory condition.

Luteolin-Rich Extract of Thespesia garckeana F. Hoffm. (Snot Apple) Contains Potential Drug-Like Candidates and Modulates Glycemic and Oxidoinflammatory Aberrations in Experimental Animals

The present study evaluated the polyphenolic contents and hypoglycemic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects of the diethyl ether fraction of Thespesia garckeana using various in vitro and in vivo models. Total phenol and flavonoid contents of the extract were $613.65\pm 2.38$ and $152.83\pm 1.56$  mg/100 g dry weight, respectively. The extract exhibited in vitro antioxidant activities against DPPH, FRAP, LPO, and ABTS with respective half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of $30.91\pm 0.23$ , $16.81\pm 0.51$ , $41.29\pm 1.82$ , and $42.39\pm 2.24$  μg/mL. In vitro anti-inflammatory studies using membrane stabilization, protein denaturation, and proteinase activities revealed the effectiveness of the extract with respective IC50 values of $54.45\pm 2.89$ , $93.62\pm 3.04$ , and $56.60\pm 2.34$  μg/mL, while in vitro hypoglycemic analysis of the extract revealed inhibition of α-amylase (IC50 $64.59\pm 3.29$  μg/mL) and enhancement of glucose uptake by yeast cells. Interestingly, the extract demonstrated in vivo hypoglycemic and anti-inflammatory effects in streptozotocin- (STZ-) induced diabetic and xylene-induced ear swelling models, respectively. In addition, the extract improved insulin secretion, attenuated pancreatic tissue distortion and oxidative stress, and increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and reduced glutathione (GSH), while reducing the concentration of LPO in the diabetic rats. A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis identified the presence of catechin ( $6.81e-1$  ppm), rutin ( $8.46e-1$  ppm), myricetin, apigenin ( $4.019e-1$  ppm), and luteolin (15.09 ppm) with respective retention times (RTs) of 13.64, 24.269, 27.781, 29.58, and 32.23 min, and these were subjected to a pharmacoinformatics analysis, which revealed their drug-likeness and good pharmacokinetic properties. A docking analysis hinted at the potential of luteolin, the most abundant compound in the extract, for targeting glucose-metabolizing enzymes. Thus, the present study provides preclinical insights into the bioactive constituents of T. garckeana, its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and its potential for the treatment of diabetes.

Identification of a novel immune-inflammatory signature of COVID-19 infections, and evaluation of pharmacokinetics and therapeutic potential of RXn-02, a novel small-molecule derivative of quinolone

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic and respiratory infection that has enormous damage to human lives and economies. It is caused by SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), a non-pair-stranded positive-sense RNA virus. With increasing global threats and few therapeutic options, the discovery of new potential drug targets and the development of new therapy candidates against COVID-19 are urgently needed. Based on these premises, we conducted an analysis of transcriptomic datasets from SARS-CoV-2-infected patients and identified several SARS-CoV-2 infection signatures, among which TNFRSF5/PTPRC/IDO1/MKI67 appeared to be the most pertinent signature. Subsequent integrated bioinformatics analysis identified the signature as an important immunomodulatory and inflammatory signature of SARS-CoV-2 infection. It was suggested that this gene signature mediates the interplay of immune and immunosuppressive cells leading to infiltration-exclusion of effector memory T cells in the lungs, which is of translation relevance for developing novel SARS-CoV-2 drug and vaccine candidates. Consequently, we designed and synthesized a novel small-molecule quinoline derivative (RXn-02) and evaluated its pharmacokinetics in rats, revealing a peak plasma concentration (Cmax) and time to Cmax (Tmax) of 1.756 μg/mL and 0.6 h, respectively. Values of the area under the curve (AUC) (0–24 h) and AUC (0 h∼∞) were 18.90 and 71.20 μg h/mL, respectively. Drug absorption from the various regional segments revealed that the duodenum (49.84%), jejunum (47.885%), cecum (1.82%), and ileum (0.32%) were prime sites of RXn-02 absorption. No absorption was detected from the stomach, and the least was from the colon (0.19%). Interestingly, RXn-02 exhibited in vitro antiproliferative activities against hub gene hyper-expressing cell lines; A549 (IC₅₀ = 48.1 μM), K-562 (IC₅₀ = 100 μM), and MCF7 (IC₅₀ = 0.047 μM) and against five cell lines originating from human lungs (IC₅₀ range of 33.2–69.5 μM). In addition, RXn-02 exhibited high binding efficacies for targeting the TNFRSF5/PTPRC/IDO1/MK signature with binding affinities (ΔG) of −6.6, −6.0, −9.9, −6.9 kcal/mol respectively. In conclusion, our study identified a novel signature of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis. RXn-02 is a drug-like candidate with good in vivo pharmacokinetics and hence possesses great translational relevance worthy of further preclinical and clinical investigations for treating SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Dissecting Immunosuppressive Cell Communication Patterns Reveals JunB Proto-Oncogene (JUNB) Shaping a Non-Inflamed Tumor Microenvironment

Background: Immunosuppressive cell interactions are responsible for tumor progression and metastasis, as well as anti-tumor immune dysfunction. However, the communication pattern remains unclear.

Methods: We first integrated two single-cell RNA-seq datasets (GSE72056 and GSE103322) of different tumor types to increase the diversity of immunosuppressive cells. Then, based on the analysis results of the communication network, gene regulatory network (GRN), and highly activated pathways, we identified the hub gene in the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). To further explore the molecular features of the identified gene, we performed several in silico analysis and in vitro experiments including qRT-PCR and CCK-8 assay.

Results: Four types of immunosuppressive cells were identified, including cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs), and regulatory T cells (Tregs). Based on GRNs and the interactions of immunosuppressive cells and tumor cells, we constructed an intercellular communication signature that divided the pan-cancer TME into two clusters with distinct immunological features and different responses to immunotherapy. In combination with pathway analysis, JunB proto-oncogene (JUNB) was identified as the hub gene of the immunosuppressive TME, and it designed a non-inflamed TME of bladder cancer according to evidence that JUNB was negatively correlated with immunomodulators, chemokines, major histocompatibility complex molecules, immune cell infiltration abundances, anti-cancer immune response, and immune checkpoint inhibitors. Moreover, JUNB may predict an unfavorable response to immunotherapy. The signaling network of the four types of cells demonstrated the dominant roles of CAFs and TAMs in the TME. Further investigation uncovered that the complement signal was highly activated in the interactions between subpopulations of the inflammatory phenotype of CAFs and TAMs. Functional experiment results demonstrated the upregulated JUNB in bladder cancer tissues and low-immunity-score tissues. In addition, CAFs showed a pro-tumor proliferation effect via JUNB.

Conclusion: Our findings gave insights into the immunosuppressive TME communication network and provided potential therapeutic targets.

Leveraging Bulk and Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Data of NSCLC Tumor Microenvironment and Therapeutic Potential of NLOC-15A, A Novel Multi-Target Small Molecule

Lung cancer poses a serious threat to human health and has recently been tagged the most common malignant disease with the highest incidence and mortality rate. Although epidermal growth factor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have significantly improved the prognosis of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with EGFR mutations, patients often develop resistance to these drugs. There is therefore a need to identify new drug candidates with multitarget potential for treating NSCLC. We hereby provide preclinical evidence of the therapeutic efficacy of NLOC-015A a multitarget small-molecule inhibitor of EGFR/mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase 1 (MAP2K1)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) for the treatment NSCLC. Our multi-omics analysis of clinical data from cohorts of NSCLC revealed that dysregulation of EGFR/MAP2K1/mTOR/YAP1 signaling pathways was associated with the progression, therapeutic resistance, immune-invasive phenotypes, and worse prognoses of NSCLC patients. Analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing datasets revealed that MAP2K1, mTOR, YAP1 and EGFR were predominantly located on monocytes/macrophages, Treg and exhaustive CD8 T cell, and are involved in M2 polarization within the TME of patients with primary and metastatic NSCLC which further implied gene’s role in remodeling the tumor immune microenvironment. A molecular-docking analysis revealed that NLOC-015A bound to YAP1, EGFR, MAP kinase/extracellular signal-related kinase kinase 1 (MEK1), and mTOR with strong binding efficacies ranging –8.4 to –9.50 kcal/mol. Interestingly, compared to osimertinib, NLOC-015 bound with higher efficacy to the tyrosine kinase (TK) domains of both T790M and T790M/C797S mutant-bearing EGFR. Our in vitro studies and sequencing analysis revealed that NLOC-015A inhibited the proliferation and oncogenic phenotypes of NSCLC cell lines with concomitant downregulation of expression levels of mTOR, EGFR, YAP1, and MEK1 signaling network. We, therefore, suggest that NLOC-015A might represent a new candidate for treating NSCLC via acting as a multitarget inhibitor of EGFR, mTOR/NF-κB, YAP1, MEK1 in NSCLC.

Multi-Omics Analysis of MCM2 as a Promising Biomarker in Pan-Cancer

Minichromosome maintenance 2 (MCM2) is a member of the minichromosomal maintenance family of proteins that mainly regulates DNA replication and the cell cycle and is involved in regulating cancer cell proliferation in various cancers. Previous studies have reported that MCM2 plays a pivotal role in cell proliferation and cancer development. However, few articles have systematically reported the pathogenic roles of MCM2 across cancers. Therefore, the present pan-cancer study was conducted. Various computational tools were used to investigate the MCM2 expression level, genetic mutation rate, and regulating mechanism, immune infiltration, tumor diagnosis and prognosis, therapeutic response and drug sensitivity of various cancers. The expression and function of MCM2 were examined by Western blotting and CCK-8 assays. MCM2 was significantly upregulated in almost all cancers and cancer subtypes in The Cancer Genome Atlas and was closely associated with tumor mutation burden, tumor stage, and immune therapy response. Upregulation of MCM2 expression may be correlated with a high level of alterations rate. MCM2 expression was associated with the infiltration of various immune cells and molecules and markedly associated with a poor prognosis. Western blotting and CCK-8 assays revealed that MCM2 expression was significantly upregulated in melanoma cell lines. Our results also suggested that MCM2 promotes cell proliferation in vitro by activating cell proliferation pathways such as the Akt signaling pathways. This study explored the oncogenic role of MCM2 across cancers, provided data on the underlying mechanisms of these cancers for further research and demonstrated that MCM2 may be a promising target for cancer immunotherapy.

SOCS3 Acts as an Onco-immunological Biomarker With Value in Assessing the Tumor Microenvironment, Pathological Staging, Histological Subtypes, Therapeutic Effect, and Prognoses of Several Types of Cancer

The suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) family contains eight members, including SOCS1–7 and CIS, and SOCS3 has been shown to inhibit cytokine signal transduction in various signaling pathways. Although several studies have currently shown the correlations between SOCS3 and several types of cancer, no pan-cancer analysis is available to date. We used various computational tools to explore the expression and pathogenic roles of SOCS3 in several types of cancer, assessing its potential role in the pathogenesis of cancer, in tumor immune infiltration, tumor progression, immune evasion, therapeutic response, and prognostic. The results showed that SOCS3 was downregulated in most The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cancer datasets but was highly expressed in brain tumors, breast cancer, esophageal cancer, colorectal cancer, and lymphoma. High SOCS3 expression in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and brain lower-grade glioma (LGG) were verified through immunohistochemical experiments. GEPIA and Kaplan–Meier Plotter were used, and this bioinformatics analysis showed that high SOCS3 expression was associated with a poor prognosis in the majority of cancers, including LGG and GBM. Our analysis also indicated that SOCS3 may be involved in tumor immune evasion via immune cell infiltration or T-cell exclusion across different types of cancer. In addition, SOCS3 methylation was negatively correlated with mRNA expression levels, worse prognoses, and dysfunctional T-cell phenotypes in various types of cancer. Next, different analytical methods were used to select genes related to SOCS3 gene alterations and carcinogenic characteristics, such as STAT3, SNAI1, NFKBIA, BCL10, TK1, PGS1, BIRC5, TMC8, and AFMID, and several biological functions were identified between them. We found that SOCS3 was involved in cancer development primarily through the JAK/STAT signaling pathway and cytokine receptor activity. Furthermore, SOCS3 expression levels were associated with immunotherapy or chemotherapy for numerous types of cancer. In conclusion, this study showed that SOCS3 is an immune-oncogenic molecule that may possess value as a biomarker for diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of several types of cancer in the future.

Combination Treatment of Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Vitamin C Exhibited Promising Therapeutic Effect against Oxidative Impairment of the Liver in Methotrexate-Intoxicated Mice

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is the main cause of liver damage mediated by the excretion of toxic active drug metabolites. Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin C have potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic effects that could offer protection against oxidative stress and liver damage. This study evaluated the hepatoprotective effect of omega-3 and vitamin C alone as well as in a combined form in methotrexate- (MTX-) induced acute liver injury in mice. Male ICR mice of seven groups (7 mice per group) were used. Groups 1 (control group) and 2 (MTX) received 0.9% saline/day (po) for 9 days. Groups 3 and 4 received 100 and 200 mg/kg bw/day omega-3 (po), respectively, for 9 days. Groups 5 and 6 received 100 and 200 mg/kg bw/day vitamin C (po), respectively, for 9 days, while group 7 received omega-3 (100 mg/kg bw/day) and vitamin C (100 mg/kg bw/day) (po) for 9 days. All animals in groups 2 to 7 received 20 mg/kg/day MTX (I.P.) once on the 10th day. Our results revealed that MTX significantly induced the elevation of transaminases, alkaline phosphates (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and malonaldehyde (MDA) while depleting the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) when compared to the control group. Treatment with omega-3 fatty acids or vitamin C significantly attenuated the antioxidants and biochemical alterations in a dose-independent manner. Our molecular docking study of ligand-receptor interaction revealed that both ascorbic acid and omega-3 docked well to the binding cavity of LDH with high binding affinities of -5.20 and -4.50 kcal/mol, respectively. The histopathological features were also improved by treatment with omega-3 and vitamin C. The combined form of omega-3 and vitamin C showed a remarkable improvement in the liver enzymes, oxidative stress biomarkers, and the histopathological architecture of the mice. Conclusively, the combination of omega-3 and vitamin C demonstrated a synergistic therapeutic effect against MTX-intoxicated mice, hence representing a potential novel strategy for the management of drug-induced liver disorders.

Identification of DPP4/CTNNB1/MET as a Theranostic Signature of Thyroid Cancer and Evaluation of the Therapeutic Potential of Sitagliptin

Simple Summary

In recent years, the incidence of thyroid cancer has been increasing globally, with papillary thyroid cancer (PTCa) being the most prevalent pathological type. Although PTCa has been regarded to be slow growing and has a good prognosis, in some cases, PTCa can be aggressive and progress despite surgery and radioactive iodine treatment. Therefore, searching for new targets and therapies is required. We utilized bioinformatics analyses to identify critical theranostic markers for PTCa. We found that DPP4/CTNNB1/MET is an oncogenic signature that is overexpressed in PTCa and associated with disease progression, distant metastasis, treatment resistance, immuno-evasive phenotypes, and poor clinical outcomes. Interestingly, our in silico molecular docking results revealed that sitagliptin, an antidiabetic drug, has strong affinities and potential for targeting DPP4/CTNNB1/MET signatures, even higher than standard inhibitors of these genes. Collectively, our findings suggest that sitagliptin could be repurposed for treating PTCa.

Abstract

In recent years, the incidence of thyroid cancer has been increasing globally, with papillary thyroid cancer (PTCa) being the most prevalent pathological type, accounting for approximately 80% of all cases. Although PTCa has been regarded to be slow growing and has a good prognosis, in some cases, PTCa can be aggressive and progress despite surgery and radioactive iodine treatment. In addition, most cancer treatment drugs have been shown to be cytotoxic and nonspecific to cancer cells, as they also affect normal cells and consequently cause harm to the body. Therefore, searching for new targets and therapies is required. Herein, we explored a bioinformatics analysis to identify important theranostic markers for THCA. Interestingly, we identified that the DPP4/CTNNB1/MET gene signature was overexpressed in PTCa, which, according to our analysis, is associated with immuno-invasive phenotypes, cancer progression, metastasis, resistance, and unfavorable clinical outcomes of thyroid cancer cohorts. Since most cancer drugs were shown to exhibit cytotoxicity and to be nonspecific, herein, we evaluated the anticancer effects of the antidiabetic drug sitagliptin, which was recently shown to possess anticancer activities, and is well tolerated and effective. Interestingly, our in silico molecular docking results exhibited putative binding affinities of sitagliptin with DPP4/CTNNB1/MET signatures, even higher than standard inhibitors of these genes. This suggests that sitagliptin is a potential THCA therapeutic, worthy of further investigation both in vitro and in vivo and in clinical settings.

Identification of a Novel Theranostic Signature of Metabolic and Immune-Inflammatory Dysregulation in Myocardial Infarction, and the Potential Therapeutic Properties of Ovatodiolide, a Diterpenoid Derivative

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a multifactorial global disease, recognized as one of the leading causes of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Timely and correct diagnoses and effective treatments could significantly reduce incidence of complications and improve patient prognoses. In this study, seven unconventional differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (MAN2A2, TNFRSF12A, SPP1, CSNK1D, PLAUR, PFKFB3, and CXCL16, collectively termed the MTSCPPC signature) were identified through integrating DEGs from six MI microarray datasets. The pathological and theranostic roles of the MTSCPPC signature in MI were subsequently analyzed. We evaluated interactions of the MTSCPPC signature with ovatodiolide, a bioactive compound isolated from Anisomeles indica (L.) Kuntze, using in silico molecular docking tools and compared it to specific inhibitors of the members of the MTSCPPC signature. Single-cell transcriptomic analysis of the public databases revealed high expression levels of the MTSCPPC signature in immune cells of adult human hearts during an MI event. The MTSCPPC signature was significantly associated with the cytokine–cytokine receptor interactions, chemokine signaling, immune and inflammatory responses, and metabolic dysregulation in MI. Analysis of a micro (mi)RNA regulatory network of the MTSCPPC signature suggested post-transcriptional activation and the roles of miRNAs in the pathology of MI. Our molecular docking analysis suggested a higher potential for ovatodiolide to target MAN2A2, CSNK1D, and TNFRSF12A. Collectively, the results derived from the present study further advance our understanding of the complex regulatory mechanisms of MI and provide a potential MI theranostic signature with ovatodiolide as a therapeutic candidate.

Sterculia tragacantha Lindl Leaf Extract Ameliorates STZ-Induced Diabetes, Oxidative Stress, Inflammation and Neuronal Impairment

Background

Sterculia tragacantha is a medicinal plant commonly used in the western part of Nigeria, for managing diabetes mellitus. However, there is a dearth of scientific information on the antidiabetic and neuroprotective properties of the plant.

Methods

The in silico, in vitro and in vivo models were used to evaluate the antioxidants, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective potential of aqueous extract of Sterculia tragacantha leaf (AESTL) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Thirty (30) male albino rats (155.34±6.33 g) were intraperitoneal injected with 40 mg/kg of freshly prepared streptozotocin and were divided into 5 groups (A-E) of 6 animals each. Groups A–D were treated with 0, 150 and 300 mg/kg of AESTL, and 200 mg/kg body weight of metformin respectively, while group E serve as the normal control.

Results

The results of in vitro analysis revealed dose-dependent antioxidant activities; ABTS (IC₅₀ = 63.03±2.57 μg/mL), DPPH (117.49±2.35 μg/mL), FRAP (15.19±0.98 mmol/100g), TAC (43.38±0.96 mg/100g), hypoglycaemic effect; α-amylase (IC₅₀ = 77.21±4.35 μg/mL) and α-glucosidase (IC₅₀ = 443.25±12.35), and anti-cholinesterase; AChE (IC₅₀ = 113.07±3.42 μg/mL) and BChE (IC₅₀ = 87.50±4.32 μg/mL) activities of AESTL. In vivo study revealed dose-dependent hypoglycemic effect and body weight improvement in rats treated with the AESTL. In addition, AESTL improved the antioxidant status and attenuated STZ-induced dysregulations of Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase, cholinesterases and neurotransmitters in the brain tissue of experimental rats. The results also demonstrated that AESTL could regulate anti-inflammatory response via inhibition of COX-2/NO signaling axis in the brain of diabetic rats. Molecular docking analysis revealed that epicatechin and procyanidin B2, the bioactive compounds from AESTL, docked well to the binding cavities of acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, α-amylase and α-glucosidase with binding affinities ranges between –8.0 and –11.4 kcal/mol, suggesting that these compounds are the bioactive component that could be responsible for the antidiabetic and neuroprotective activities of AESTL.

Conclusion

The results of the present study strongly suggested that the AESTL extract could be very useful for halting diabetes progression and its associated neuroinflammation complications.

Identification of NSP3 (SH2D3C) as a Prognostic Biomarker of Tumor Progression and Immune Evasion for Lung Cancer and Evaluation of Organosulfur Compounds from Allium sativum L. as Therapeutic Candidates

The multi-domain non-structural protein 3 (NSP3) is an oncogenic molecule that has been concomitantly implicated in the progression of coronavirus infection. However, its oncological role in lung cancer and whether it plays a role in modulating the tumor immune microenvironment is not properly understood. In the present in silico study, we demonstrated that NSP3 (SH2D3C) is associated with advanced stage and poor prognoses of lung cancer cohorts. Genetic alterations of NSP3 (SH2D3C) co-occurred inversely with Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) alterations and elicited its pathological role via modulation of various components of the immune and inflammatory pathways in lung cancer. Our correlation analysis suggested that NSP3 (SH2D3C) promotes tumor immune evasion via dysfunctional T-cell phenotypes and T-cell exclusion mechanisms in lung cancer patients. NSP3 (SH2D3C) demonstrated a high predictive value and association with therapy resistance in lung cancer, hence serving as an attractive target for therapy exploration. We evaluated the in silico drug-likeness and NSP3 (SH2D3C) target efficacy of six organosulfur small molecules from Allium sativum using a molecular docking study. We found that the six organosulfur compounds demonstrated selective cytotoxic potential against cancer cell lines and good predictions for ADMET properties, drug-likeness, and safety profile. E-ajoene, alliin, diallyl sulfide, 2-vinyl-4H-1,3-dithiin, allicin, and S-allyl-cysteine docked well into the NSP3 (SH2D3C)-binding cavity with binding affinities ranging from -4.3~-6.70 Ă and random forest (RF) scores ranging from 4.31~5.26 pKd. However, S-allyl-cysteine interaction with NSP3 (SH2D3C) is unfavorable and hence less susceptible to NSP3 ligandability. In conclusion, our study revealed that NSP3 is an important onco-immunological biomarker encompassing the tumor microenvironment, disease staging and prognosis in lung cancer and could serve as an attractive target for cancer therapy. The organosulfur compounds from A. sativum have molecular properties to efficiently interact with the binding site of NSP3 and are currently under vigorous preclinical study in our laboratory.

Transcriptomic-Based Identification of the Immuno-Oncogenic Signature of Cholangiocarcinoma for HLC-018 Multi-Target Therapy Exploration

Cholangiocarcinomas (CHOLs), hepatobiliary malignancies, are characterized by high genetic heterogeneity, a rich tumor microenvironment, therapeutic resistance, difficulty diagnosing, and poor prognoses. Current knowledge of genetic alterations and known molecular markers for CHOL is insufficient, necessitating the need for further evaluation of the genome and RNA expression data in order to identify potential therapeutic targets, clarify the roles of these targets in the tumor microenvironment, and explore novel therapeutic drugs against the identified targets. Consequently, in our attempt to explore novel genetic markers associated with the carcinogenesis of CHOL, five genes (SNX15, ATP2A1, PDCD10, BET1, and HMGA2), collectively termed CHOL-hub genes, were identified via integration of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from relatively large numbers of samples from CHOL GEO datasets. We further explored the biological functions of the CHOL-hub genes and found significant enrichment in several biological process and pathways associated with stem cell angiogenesis, cell proliferation, and cancer development, while the interaction network revealed high genetic interactions with a number of onco-functional genes. In addition, we established associations between the CHOL-hub genes and tumor progression, metastasis, tumor immune and immunosuppressive cell infiltration, dysfunctional T-cell phenotypes, poor prognoses, and therapeutic resistance in CHOL. Thus, we proposed that targeting CHOL-hub genes could be an ideal therapeutic approach for treating CHOLs, and we explored the potential of HLC-018, a novel benzamide-linked small molecule, using molecular docking of ligand-receptor interactions. To our delight, HLC-018 was well accommodated with high binding affinities to binding pockets of CHOL-hub genes; more importantly, we found specific interactions of HLC-018 with the conserved sequence of the AT-hook DNA-binding motif of HMGA2. Altogether, our study provides insights into the immune-oncogenic phenotypes of CHOL and provides valuable information for our ongoing experimental validation.

In vivo Pharmacokinetic and Anticancer Studies of HH-N25, a Selective Inhibitor of Topoisomerase I, and Hormonal Signaling for Treating Breast Cancer

PURPOSE

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer globally, and the leading cause of cancer-associated mortality among women. The efficacy of most clinical chemotherapies is often limited by poor pharmacokinetics and the development of drug resistance by tumors. In a continuing effort to explore small molecules as alternative therapies, we herein evaluated the therapeutic potential of HH-N25, a novel nitrogen-substituted anthra[1,2-c][1,2,5]thiadiazole-6,11-dione derivative.

METHODS

We evaluated the in vivo pharmacokinetic properties and maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of HH-N25 in rats. We also characterized the compound for in vitro and in vivo anticancer activities and its inhibitory effects against DNA topoisomerases and hormonal signaling in breast cancer. Furthermore, we used molecular docking to analyse the ligand-receptor interactions between the compound and the targets.

RESULTS

The maximum serum concentration (Cmax), half-life (t1/2 beta), mean residence time (MRT), oral clearance (CL/f), and apparent volume of distribution (VD/f) of HH-N25 were 1446.67 ± 312.05 ng/mL, 4.51 ± 0.27 h, 2.56 ± 0.16 h, 8.32 ± 1.45 mL/kg/h, and 1.26 ± 0.15 mL/kg, respectively, after single-dose iv administration at 3 mg/kg body weight. HH-N25 had potent anticancer activity against a panel of human breast cancer cell lines with 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50) ranging 0.045±0.01~4.21±0.05 µM. The drug also demonstrated marked in vivo anticancer activity at a tolerated dose and prolonged the survival duration of mice without unacceptable toxicities based on body weight changes in human tumor xenograft models. In addition, HH-N25 exhibited a dose-dependent inhibition of topoisomerase I and ligand-mediated activities of progesterone and androgen receptors.

CONCLUSION

HH-N25 represents a new molecular entity that selective suppressed TOP1 and hormonal signaling, and shows potent antitumor activities in human breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. HH-N25 thus represents a promising anticancer agent that warrants further preclinical and clinical exploration.