Roflumilast treatment inhibits lung carcinogenesis in benzo(a)pyrene-induced murine lung cancer model

Roflumilast inhibits tumor growth and migration in STK11/LKB1 deficient pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is a malignant tumor of the digestive system. It is highly aggressive, easily metastasizes, and extremely difficult to treat. This study aimed to analyze the genes that might regulate pancreatic cancer migration to provide an essential basis for the prognostic assessment of pancreatic cancer and individualized treatment. A CRISPR knockout library directed against 915 murine genes was transfected into TB 32047 cell line to screen which gene loss promoted cell migration. Next-generation sequencing and PinAPL.py- analysis was performed to identify candidate genes. We then assessed the effect of serine/threonine kinase 11 (STK11) knockout on pancreatic cancer by wound-healing assay, chick agnosia (CAM) assay, and orthotopic mouse pancreatic cancer model. We performed RNA sequence and Western blotting for mechanistic studies to identify and verify the pathways. After accelerated Transwell migration screening, STK11 was identified as one of the top candidate genes. Further experiments showed that targeted knockout of STK11 promoted the cell migration and increased liver metastasis in mice. Mechanistic analyses revealed that STK11 knockout influences blood vessel morphogenesis and is closely associated with the enhanced expression of phosphodiesterases (PDEs), especially PDE4D, PDE4B, and PDE10A. PDE4 inhibitor Roflumilast inhibited STK11-KO cell migration and tumor size, further demonstrating that PDEs are essential for STK11-deficient cell migration. Our findings support the adoption of therapeutic strategies, including Roflumilast, for patients with STK11-mutated pancreatic cancer in order to improve treatment efficacy and ultimately prolong survival.

The role of inflammation in cadmium nephrotoxicity: NF-κB comes into view

Kidney diseases are major health problem and understanding the underlined mechanisms that lead to kidney diseases are critical research points with a marked potential impact on health. Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal that occurs naturally and can be found in contaminated food. Kidneys are the most susceptible organ to heavy metal intoxication as it is the main route of waste excretion. The harmful effects of Cd were previously well proved. Cd induces inflammatory responses, oxidative injury, mitochondrial dysfunction and disturbs Ca²⁺ homeostasis. The nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) is a cellular transcription factor that regulates inflammation and controls the expression of many inflammatory cytokines. Therefore, great therapeutic benefits can be attained from NF-κB inhibition. In this review we focused on certain compounds including cytochalasin D, mangiferin, N-acetylcysteine, pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, roflumilast, rosmarinic acid, sildenafil, sinapic acid, telmisartan and wogonin and certain plants as Astragalus Polysaccharide, Ginkgo Biloba and Thymus serrulatus that potently inhibit NF-κB and effectively counteracted Cd-associated renal intoxication. In conclusion, the proposed NF-κB involvement in Cd-renal intoxication clarified the underlined inflammation associated with Cd-nephropathy and the beneficial effects of NF-κB inhibitors that make them the potential to substantially optimize treatment protocols for Cd-renal intoxication.

Enzymatic, morphological, and genotoxic effects of benzo[a]pyrene in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Fish have defense systems that are capable of repairing damages caused by xenobiotics like benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), so the aims of this study were to identify BaP toxicity in melanomacrophages (MMs) cytoskeleton, evaluate the melanin area in MMs, and analyze genotoxicity. Rainbow trout juveniles (n = 24) were split in 48h and 7d treatments that received 2 mg/kg of BaP. After the experiment, blood samples were collected and liver was removed, to proceed with the analysis: EROD activity, MMs melanin area quantification, melanosomes movements, and a genotoxicity test. The results revealed increased in EROD activity after 48-h and 7-day BaP exposure. The group 7d displayed a reduction in MMs pigmented area, melanosomes aggregation, in addition to an increased frequency of micronucleus. By means of the EROD assay, it was possible to confirm the activation of BaP biotransformation system. The impairment of the melanosomes' movements possibly by an inactivation of the protein responsible for the pigment dispersion consequently affects the melanin area and thus might negatively impact the MMs detoxification capacity. In addition to this cytotoxicity, the increased frequency of micronucleus might also indicate the genotoxicity of BaP in this important fish species.

Protective Effect of Quercetin, a Flavonol against Benzo(a)pyrene-Induced Lung Injury via Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, Angiogenesis and Cyclooxygenase-2 Signalling Molecule

Quercetin (Qu) is an important polyphenolic flavonoid which exhibits tremendous antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and other health promoting effects. The aim of the current study was to explore the therapeutic role of Qu on benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P]-induced lung injury in rats. B(a)P was given to the rats at dose of 50 mg/kg b.w. for continues 8 weeks through oral gavage. The rats were treated with Qu at dose of 50 mg/kg b.w prior 30 min before the oral administration of B(a)P. The effects of Qu were studied by measuring the level of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), anti-oxidant enzymes, lipid peroxidation, inflammatory cytokines, lung tissues architecture and expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). The level of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β (27.30 vs. 22.80 pg/mL), IL-6 (90.64 vs. 55.49 pg/mL) and TNF-α (56.64 vs. 40.49 pg/mL) increased significantly and antioxidant enzymes decreased significantly in benzopyrene-induced lung injury in comparison to the control group. The treatment with Qu potentially reversed the effects of B(a)P to a great extent, as it led to the enhancement of antioxidant enzymes and decreased proinflammatory cytokines level. A significant surge of VEGF level was noticed in the B(a)P group as compared to the control group, while the Qu treatment groups exhibited less angiogenesis as lower level of VEGF levels, compared with the B(a)P treatment group. The Qu treatment significantly decreased the degrees of histopathological changes and collagen deposition in B(a)P-induced lung injury. The B(a)P-treated group showed higher cytoplasmic expression of COX-2 protein, which significantly decreased in the Qu treatment group. These outcomes recommend an effective role of Qu in the protection of lung injury against B(a)P through the regulation of the inflammatory factors, oxidative stress and the maintenance lung tissue architecture.

Novel redox-sensitive thiolated TPGS based nanoparticles for EGFR targeted lung cancer therapy

Novel glutathione (GSH) redox-sensitive thiolated vitaminE-PEG1000-succinate (TPGH-SH) was synthesized by conjugating TPGS with 4-amino thiophenol (4-ATP) and confirmed by FTIR and NMR studies. Following, docetaxel (DTX) loaded, cetuximab (CTB) conjugated redox sensitive TPGS-SH nanoparticles (TPGS-SH NP) were prepared by dialysis method and screened for size, charge, DTX entrapment, which revealed that size, surface charge and percent entrapment are in the range of 183-227 nm, +18 to +26 mV and 68-71%. SEM, TEM, AFM have reflected the spherical and uniform size of NP with a smooth surface. In-vitro release studies were performed in media containing different concentrations of GSH to study their effect on drug release and drug release of up to 94.5%, at pH 5.5, GSH 20 mM, is observed within 24 h. The pH/redox sensitivity studies revealed the better stability of NP at higher pH and lower GSH concentrations. In-vitro cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, migration and apoptotic assays, performed on A549 cells, have proved that targeted formulation produced higher cytotoxicity (significantly less IC50 value) and uptake and also prevented cell migration. Pharmacokinetic and histopathological screening were performed on CF rats, which demonstrated promising results. The in-vivo efficacy studies on benzo(a)pyrene induced mice lung cancer model showed that targeted TPGS-SH NP has significantly reduced the cell number than the model control.

Scope of adjuvant therapy using roflumilast, a PDE-4 inhibitor against COVID-19

The recent pandemic of COVID-19 caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) presents an extraordinary challenge to identify effective drugs for prevention and treatment. The pathogenesis implicate acute respiratory disorder (ARD) which is attributed to significantly triggered "cytokine storm" and compromised immune system. This article summarizes the likely benefits of roflumilast, a Phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE-4) inhibitor as a comprehensive support COVID-19 pathogenesis. Roflumilast, a well-known anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory drug, is protective against respiratory models of chemical and smoke induced lung damage. There is significant data which demonstrate the protective effect of PDE-4 inhibitor in respiratory viral models and is likely to be beneficial in combating COVID-19 pathogenesis. Roflumilast is effective in patients with severe COPD by reducing the rate of exacerbations with the improvement of the lung function, which might further be beneficial for better clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients. However, further clinical trials are warranted to examine this conjecture.

Formulation and in vivo efficacy study of cetuximab decorated targeted bioadhesive nanomedicine for non-small-cell lung cancer therapy

Aim: To design, optimize and evaluate docetaxel-loaded chitosan nanoparticles with (targeted) and without (nontargeted) cetuximab conjugation for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Materials & methods: Risk-assessment, optimization, in vitro characterizations, stability assessments, release studies, cell-culture studies were performed along with histopathology, pharmacokinetic and anticancer efficacy studies. Results: The nanoparticles of desired particle size (152.59 ± 3.90 nm to 180.63 ± 5.21 nm) which could sustain drug release for up to 70 h, were obtained. The cell-culture studies demonstrated the superiority of the formulations over Docel™. The pharmacokinetic evaluation showed the excellent systemic bioavailability of prepared NPs. The histopathology screening revealed lesser toxicity of both the nontargeted and targeted formulations. The targeted nanoformulation significantly reduced tumor growth than the nontargeted formulation and Docel. Conclusion: These results demonstrate the therapeutic potential of the prepared nanoformulation. After proper clinical validation, it could be a promising approach for the treatment of NSCLC.

Synthesis, antitumor activity, and molecular docking study of 2-cyclopentyloxyanisole derivatives: mechanistic study of enzyme inhibition

A series of 24 compounds was synthesised based on a 2-cyclopentyloxyanisole scaffold 3–14 and their in vitro antitumor activity was evaluated. Compounds 4a, 4b, 6b, 7b, 13, and 14 had the most potent antitumor activity (IC₅₀ range: 5.13–17.95 μM), compared to those of the reference drugs celecoxib, afatinib, and doxorubicin. The most active derivatives 4a, 4b, 7b, and 13 were evaluated for their inhibitory activity against COX-2, PDE4B, and TNF-α. Compounds 4a and 13 potently inhibited TNF-α (IC₅₀ values: 2.01 and 6.72 μM, respectively) compared with celecoxib (IC₅₀=6.44 μM). Compounds 4b and 13 potently inhibited COX-2 (IC₅₀ values: 1.08 and 1.88 μM, respectively) comparable to that of celecoxib (IC₅₀=0.68 μM). Compounds 4a, 7b, and 13 inhibited PDE4B (IC₅₀ values: 5.62, 5.65, and 3.98 μM, respectively) compared with the reference drug roflumilast (IC₅₀=1.55 μM). The molecular docking of compounds 4b and 13 with the COX-2 and PDE4B binding pockets was studied.

Highlights

Antitumor activity of new synthesized cyclopentyloxyanisole scaffold was evaluated.

The powerful antitumor 4a, 4b, 6b, 7b & 13 were assessed as COX-2, PDE4B & TNF-α inhibitors.

Compounds 4a, 7b, and 13 exhibited COX-2, PDE4B, and TNF-α inhibition.

Compounds 4b and 13 showed strong interactions at the COX-2 and PDE4B binding pockets.

Antitumor activity of Cuphea ignea extract against benzo(a)pyrene-induced lung tumorigenesis in Swiss Albino mice

Lung cancer has one of the highest mortality rates among various types of cancer and is the most frequent cancer in the world. The incidence of lung cancer is increasing rapidly, in parallel with an increased incidence of smoking. Effective chemoprevention may be an alternative strategy to control the incidence of lung cancer. Thus, the objective of current work was to ascertain the possible preventive and therapeutic efficacies of Cuphea ignea extract in a mouse model of lung tumorigenesis and its cytotoxicity toward the A549 human lung cancer cell line. Lung tumorigenesis was induced by the oral administration of benzo(a)pyrene (50 mg/kg b.w.) twice per week to Swiss albino mice for 4 weeks. Benzo(a)pyrene-treated mice were orally administered C. ignea (300 mg/kg body weight, 5 days/week) for 2 weeks before or 9 weeks after the first benzo(a)pyrene dose, for a total of 21 weeks. At the end of the administration period, various parameters were measured in the serum and lung tissues. The results revealed that the oral administration of benzo(a)pyrene resulted in increases in relative lung weight, serum levels of tumor markers (ADA, AHH, and LDH), and the inflammatory marker NF-κB, and a decreased total antioxidant capacity compared with the control. In addition, decreased levels of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, with a concomitant increase in lipid peroxidation, metalloproteinases (MMP-2 and MMP-12), and the angiogenic marker VEGF were detected in lung tissues. Moreover, benzo(a)pyrene administration induced the upregulation of PKCα, COX-2, and Bcl-2 expression, with the downregulation of BAX and caspase-3 expression. C. ignea treatment alleviated all alterations in these parameters, which was further confirmed by the histopathological analysis of lung tissues. The findings of the current work provide the first verification of the preventive and therapeutic potentials of C. ignea extract against benzo(a)pyrene-induced lung tumorigenesis in mice.

Houttuynia cordata Thunb. and its bioactive compound 2-undecanone significantly suppress benzo(a)pyrene-induced lung tumorigenesis by activating the Nrf2-HO-1/NQO-1 signaling pathway

Background

Lung cancer remains the most common cause of cancer-related deaths, with a high incidence and mortality in both sexes worldwide. Chemoprevention has been the most effective strategy for lung cancer prevention. Thus, exploring novel and effective candidate agents with low toxicity for chemoprevention is essential and urgent. Houttuynia cordata Thunb. (Saururaceae) (H. cordata), which is a widely used herbal medicine and is also popularly consumed as a healthy vegetable, exhibits anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antitumor activity. However, the chemopreventive effect of H. cordata against benzo(a)pyrene (B[a]P)-initiated lung tumorigenesis and the underlying mechanism remain unclear.

Methods

A B[a]P-stimulated lung adenocarcinoma animal model in A/J mice in vivo and a normal lung cell model (BEAS.2B) in vitro were established to investigate the chemopreventive effects of H. cordata and its bioactive compound 2-undecanone against lung tumorigenesis and to clarify the underlying mechanisms.

Results

H. cordata and 2-undecanone significantly suppressed B[a]P-induced lung tumorigenesis without causing obvious systemic toxicity in mice in vivo. Moreover, H. cordata and 2-undecanone effectively decreased B[a]P-induced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction and further notably protected BEAS.2B cells from B[a]P-induced DNA damage and inflammation by significantly inhibiting phosphorylated H2A.X overexpression and interleukin-1β secretion. In addition, H. cordata and 2-undecanone markedly activated the Nrf2 pathway to induce the expression of the antioxidative enzymes heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO-1). Nrf2 silencing by transfection with Nrf2 siRNA markedly decreased the expression of HO-1 and NQO-1 to diminish the reductions in B[a]P-induced ROS overproduction, DNA damage and inflammation mediated by H. cordata and 2-undecanone.

Conclusions

H. cordata and 2-undecanone could effectively activate the Nrf2-HO-1/NQO-1 signaling pathway to counteract intracellular ROS generation, thereby attenuating DNA damage and inflammation induced by B[a]P stimulation and playing a role in the chemoprevention of B[a]P-induced lung tumorigenesis. These findings provide new insight into the pharmacological action of H. cordata and indicate that H. cordata is a novel candidate agent for the chemoprevention of lung cancer.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s13046-019-1255-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Therapeutic opportunities in colon cancer: Focus on phosphodiesterase inhibitors

Despite novel technologies, colon cancer remains undiagnosed and 25% of patients are diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer. Resistant to chemotherapeutic agents is one of the major problems associated with treating colon cancer which creates the need to develop novel agents targeting towards newer targets. A phosphodiesterase is a group of isoenzyme, which, hydrolyze cyclic nucleotides and thereby lowers intracellular levels of cAMP and cGMP leading to tumorigenic effects. Many in vitro and in vivo studies have confirmed increased PDE expression in different types of cancers including colon cancer. cAMP-specific PDE inhibitors increase intracellular cAMP that leads to activation of effector molecules-cAMP-dependent protein kinase A, exchange protein activated by cAMP and cAMP gated ion channels. These molecules regulate cellular responses and exert its anticancer role through different mechanisms including apoptosis, inhibition of angiogenesis, upregulating tumor suppressor genes and suppressing oncogenes. On the other hand, cGMP specific PDE inhibitors exhibit anticancer effects through cGMP dependent protein kinase and cGMP dependent cation channels. Elevation in cGMP works through activation of caspases, suppression of Wnt/b-catenin pathway and TCF transcription leading to inhibition of CDK and survivin. These studies point out towards the fact that PDE inhibition is associated with anti-proliferative, anti-apoptotic and anti-angiogenic pathways involved in its anticancer effects in colon cancer. Thus, inhibition of PDE enzymes can be used as a novel approach to treat colon cancer. This review will focus on cAMP and cGMP signaling pathways leading to tumorigenesis and the use of PDE inhibitors in colon cancer.

Cancer Stem Cells: Emergent Nature of Tumor Emergency

A functional analysis of 167 genes overexpressed in Krebs-2 tumor initiating cells was performed. In the first part of the study, the genes were analyzed for their belonging to one or more of the three groups, which represent the three major phenotypic manifestation of malignancy of cancer cells, namely (1) proliferative self-sufficiency, (2) invasive growth and metastasis, and (3) multiple drug resistance. 96 genes out of 167 were identified as possible contributors to at least one of these fundamental properties. It was also found that substantial part of these genes are also known as genes responsible for formation and/or maintenance of the stemness of normal pluri-/multipotent stem cells. These results suggest that the malignancy is simply the ability to maintain the stem cell specific genes expression profile, and, as a consequence, the stemness itself regardless of the controlling effect of stem niches. In the second part of the study, three stress factors combined into the single concept of "generalized cellular stress," which are assumed to activate the expression of these genes, were defined. In addition, possible mechanisms for such activation were identified. The data obtained suggest the existence of a mechanism for the de novo formation of a pluripotent/stem phenotype in the subpopulation of "committed" tumor cells.

Roflumilast enhances cisplatin-sensitivity and reverses cisplatin-resistance of ovarian cancer cells via cAMP/PKA/CREB-FtMt signalling axis

OBJECTIVE

We previously demonstrated the roflumilast inhibited cell proliferation and increased cell apoptosis in ovarian cancer. In this study, we aimed to investigate the roles of roflumilast in development of cisplatin (DDP)-sensitive and -resistant ovarian cancer.

METHODS

OVCAR3 and SKOV3 were selected and the corresponding DDP-resistant cells were constructed. Cell viability, proliferation, apoptosis, cycle were performed. Expression cAMP, PKA, CREB, phosphorylation of CREB and FtMt were detected. The roles of roflumilast in development of DDP-sensitive and -resistant ovarian cancer were confirmed by xenograft model.

RESULTS

Roflumilast + DDP inhibited cell proliferation, and induced cell apoptosis and G0/G1 arrest in OVCAR3 and SKOV3 cells, roflumilast induced expression of FtMt, the activity of cAMP and PKA and phosphorylation of CREB in ovarian cancer cells and the above-effect were inhibited by H89. Downregulation of CREB inhibited the roflumilast-increased DDP sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells, and the roflumilast-induced FtMt expression and phosphorylation of CREB. Also, roflumilast reversed cisplatin-resistance, and induced expression of FtMt and activation of cAMP/PKA/CREB in DDP-resistant ovarian cancer cells. Similarly, treated with H89 or downregulation of CREB inhibited the changes induced by roflumilast. In vivo, roflumilast inhibited the development of SKOV3 or SKOV3-DDP-R xenograft models.

CONCLUSIONS

Roflumilast enhanced DDP sensitivity and reversed the DDP resistance of ovarian cancer cells via activation of cAMP/PKA/CREB pathway and upregulation of the downstream FtMt expression, which has great promise in clinical treatment.

Design, synthesis, and molecular modeling of heterocyclic bioisostere as potent PDE4 inhibitors

A new hybrid template was designed by combining the structural features of phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitors with several heterocyclic moieties which present an integral part in the skeleton of many apoptotic agents. Thirteen compounds of the synthesized hybrids displayed higher inhibitory activity against PDE4B than the reference drug, roflumilast. Further investigation indicated that compounds 13b and 20 arrested the cell cycle at the G2/M phase and the pre-G1 phase, and induced cell death by apoptosis of A549 cells in a caspase-dependent manner.

Inhibitors of phosphodiesterase as cancer therapeutics

Phosphodiesterases (PDEs) are a class of enzymes that hydrolyze cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) which is involved in many physiological processes including visual transduction, cell proliferation and differentiation, cell-cycle regulation, gene expression, inflammation, apoptosis, and metabolic function. PDEs are composed of 11 different families and each family contains different subtypes. The distribution, expression, regulation mode and sensitivity to inhibitors of each subtype are different, and they are involved in cancer, inflammation, asthma, depression, erectile dysfunction and other pathological processes of development. A large number of studies have shown that PDEs play an important role in the development of tumors by affecting the intracellular level of cAMP and/or cGMP and PDEs could become diagnostic markers or therapeutic targets. This review will give a brief overview of the expression and regulation of PDE families in the process of tumorigenesis and their anti-tumor inhibitors, which may guide the design of novel therapeutic drugs targeting PDEs for anticancer agent.