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Kofman K, Levin M. Bioelectric pharmacology of cancer: A systematic review of ion channel drugs affecting the cancer phenotype. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024; 191:25-39. [PMID: 38971325 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2024.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024]
Abstract
Cancer is a pernicious and pressing medical problem; moreover, it is a failure of multicellular morphogenesis that sheds much light on evolutionary developmental biology. Numerous classes of pharmacological agents have been considered as cancer therapeutics and evaluated as potential carcinogenic agents; however, these are spread throughout the primary literature. Here, we briefly review recent work on ion channel drugs as promising anti-cancer treatments and present a systematic review of the known cancer-relevant effects of 109 drugs targeting ion channels. The roles of ion channels in cancer are consistent with the importance of bioelectrical parameters in cell regulation and with the functions of bioelectric signaling in morphogenetic signals that act as cancer suppressors. We find that compounds that are well-known for having targets in the nervous system, such as voltage-gated ion channels, ligand-gated ion channels, proton pumps, and gap junctions are especially relevant to cancer. Our review suggests further opportunities for the repurposing of numerous promising candidates in the field of cancer electroceuticals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina Kofman
- Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, USA; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, USA.
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Pio-Lopez L, Levin M. Aging as a loss of morphostatic information: A developmental bioelectricity perspective. Ageing Res Rev 2024; 97:102310. [PMID: 38636560 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2024.102310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Maintaining order at the tissue level is crucial throughout the lifespan, as failure can lead to cancer and an accumulation of molecular and cellular disorders. Perhaps, the most consistent and pervasive result of these failures is aging, which is characterized by the progressive loss of function and decline in the ability to maintain anatomical homeostasis and reproduce. This leads to organ malfunction, diseases, and ultimately death. The traditional understanding of aging is that it is caused by the accumulation of molecular and cellular damage. In this article, we propose a complementary view of aging from the perspective of endogenous bioelectricity which has not yet been integrated into aging research. We propose a view of aging as a morphostasis defect, a loss of biophysical prepattern information, encoding anatomical setpoints used for dynamic tissue and organ homeostasis. We hypothesize that this is specifically driven by abrogation of the endogenous bioelectric signaling that normally harnesses individual cell behaviors toward the creation and upkeep of complex multicellular structures in vivo. Herein, we first describe bioelectricity as the physiological software of life, and then identify and discuss the links between bioelectricity and life extension strategies and age-related diseases. We develop a bridge between aging and regeneration via bioelectric signaling that suggests a research program for healthful longevity via morphoceuticals. Finally, we discuss the broader implications of the homologies between development, aging, cancer and regeneration and how morphoceuticals can be developed for aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Léo Pio-Lopez
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Mitteldorf J. Biological Clocks: Why We Need Them, Why We Cannot Trust Them, How They Might Be Improved. BIOCHEMISTRY. BIOKHIMIIA 2024; 89:356-366. [PMID: 38622101 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297924020135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Late in life, the body is at war with itself. There is a program of self-destruction (phenoptosis) implemented via epigenetic and other changes. I refer to these as type (1) epigenetic changes. But the body retains a deep instinct for survival, and other epigenetic changes unfold in response to a perception of accumulated damage (type (2)). In the past decade, epigenetic clocks have promised to accelerate the search for anti-aging interventions by permitting prompt, reliable, and convenient measurement of their effects on lifespan without having to wait for trial results on mortality and morbidity. However, extant clocks do not distinguish between type (1) and type (2). Reversing type (1) changes extends lifespan, but reversing type (2) shortens lifespan. This is why all extant epigenetic clocks may be misleading. Separation of type (1) and type (2) epigenetic changes will lead to more reliable clock algorithms, but this cannot be done with statistics alone. New experiments are proposed. Epigenetic changes are the means by which the body implements phenoptosis, but they do not embody a clock mechanism, so they cannot be the body's primary timekeeper. The timekeeping mechanism is not yet understood, though there are hints that it may be (partially) located in the hypothalamus. For the future, we expect that the most fundamental measurement of biological age will observe this clock directly, and the most profound anti-aging interventions will manipulate it.
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McMillen P, Levin M. Optical Estimation of Bioelectric Patterns in Living Embryos. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2745:91-102. [PMID: 38060181 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3577-3_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Fluorescent lifetime imaging (FLIM) is a powerful tool for visualizing physiological parameters in vivo. We present here a 3-dye strategy for mapping bioelectric patterns in living Xenopus laevis embryos leveraging the quantitative power of fluorescent lifetime imaging. We discuss a general strategy for disentangling physiological artifacts from true bioelectric signals, a method for dye delivery via transcardial injection, and how to visualize and interpret the fluorescent lifetime of the dyes in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick McMillen
- Department of Biology, Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Department of Biology, Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA.
- Wyss Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Lagasse E, Levin M. Future medicine: from molecular pathways to the collective intelligence of the body. Trends Mol Med 2023; 29:687-710. [PMID: 37481382 PMCID: PMC10527237 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2023.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023]
Abstract
The remarkable anatomical homeostasis exhibited by complex living organisms suggests that they are inherently reprogrammable information-processing systems that offer numerous interfaces to their physiological and anatomical problem-solving capacities. We briefly review data suggesting that the multiscale competency of living forms affords a new path for biomedicine that exploits the innate collective intelligence of tissues and organs. The concept of tissue-level allostatic goal-directedness is already bearing fruit in clinical practice. We sketch a roadmap towards 'somatic psychiatry' by using advances in bioelectricity and behavioral neuroscience to design methods that induce self-repair of structure and function. Relaxing the assumption that cellular control mechanisms are static, exploiting powerful concepts from cybernetics, behavioral science, and developmental biology may spark definitive solutions to current biomedical challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Lagasse
- McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Michael Levin
- Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
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Muñoz-Rodríguez D, Bourqqia-Ramzi M, García-Esteban MT, Murciano-Cespedosa A, Vian A, Lombardo-Hernández J, García-Pérez P, Conejero F, Mateos González Á, Geuna S, Herrera-Rincon C. Bioelectrical State of Bacteria Is Linked to Growth Dynamics and Response to Neurotransmitters: Perspectives for the Investigation of the Microbiota-Brain Axis. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:13394. [PMID: 37686197 PMCID: PMC10488255 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241713394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Inter-cellular communication is mediated by a sum of biochemical, biophysical, and bioelectrical signals. This might occur not only between cells belonging to the same tissue and/or animal species but also between cells that are, from an evolutionary point of view, far away. The possibility that bioelectrical communication takes place between bacteria and nerve cells has opened exciting perspectives in the study of the gut microbiota-brain axis. The aim of this paper is (i) to establish a reliable method for the assessment of the bioelectrical state of two bacterial strains: Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) and Limosilactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri); (ii) to monitor the bacterial bioelectrical profile throughout its growth dynamics; and (iii) to evaluate the effects of two neurotransmitters (glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid-GABA) on the bioelectrical signature of bacteria. Our results show that membrane potential (Vmem) and the proliferative capacity of the population are functionally linked in B. subtilis in each phase of the cell cycle. Remarkably, we demonstrate that bacteria respond to neural signals by changing Vmem properties. Finally, we show that Vmem changes in response to neural stimuli are present also in a microbiota-related strain L. reuteri. Our proof-of-principle data reveal a new methodological approach for the better understanding of the relation between bacteria and the brain, with a special focus on gut microbiota. Likewise, this approach will open exciting perspectives in the study of the inter-cellular mechanisms which regulate the bi-directional communication between bacteria and neurons and, ultimately, for designing gut microbiota-brain axis-targeted treatments for neuropsychiatric diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Muñoz-Rodríguez
- Biomathematics Unit, Data Analysis & Computational Tools for Biology Research Group, Department of Biodiversity, Ecology & Evolution, and Modeling, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
- Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Marwane Bourqqia-Ramzi
- Biomathematics Unit, Data Analysis & Computational Tools for Biology Research Group, Department of Biodiversity, Ecology & Evolution, and Modeling, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
- Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Maria Teresa García-Esteban
- Department of Genetics, Physiology and Microbiology, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain (A.V.)
| | - Antonio Murciano-Cespedosa
- Biomathematics Unit, Data Analysis & Computational Tools for Biology Research Group, Department of Biodiversity, Ecology & Evolution, and Modeling, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
- Neuro-Computing and Neuro-Robotics Research Group, Neural Plasticity Research Group Instituto Investigación Sanitaria Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC), Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Alejandro Vian
- Department of Genetics, Physiology and Microbiology, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain (A.V.)
| | - Juan Lombardo-Hernández
- Biomathematics Unit, Data Analysis & Computational Tools for Biology Research Group, Department of Biodiversity, Ecology & Evolution, and Modeling, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
- Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Pablo García-Pérez
- Biomathematics Unit, Data Analysis & Computational Tools for Biology Research Group, Department of Biodiversity, Ecology & Evolution, and Modeling, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Francisco Conejero
- Biomathematics Unit, Data Analysis & Computational Tools for Biology Research Group, Department of Biodiversity, Ecology & Evolution, and Modeling, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Álvaro Mateos González
- NYU-ECNU Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Shanghai New York University, Shanghai 200122, China;
| | - Stefano Geuna
- Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Celia Herrera-Rincon
- Biomathematics Unit, Data Analysis & Computational Tools for Biology Research Group, Department of Biodiversity, Ecology & Evolution, and Modeling, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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