Cytotoxicity of curcumin derivatives in ALK positive non-small cell lung cancer

Research on curcumin mediating immunotherapy of colorectal cancer by regulating cancer associated fibroblasts

The objective was to investigate curcumin's (Cur) function and associated molecular mechanisms in regulating tumor immunity in colon cancer. Primary cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) from mouse CT26 colon cancer tumors were isolated. Validation of primary CAFs using immunofluorescence assay was done. Cell Counting Kit-8 experiments, real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR), and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay experiments were conducted to investigate how curcumin affected the growth and cytokine secretion functions of CAFs. The effect of curcumin on regulating PD-L1 expression on CT26 cells through CAFs in vitro was explored through coculture of CAFs and tumor cells, qPCR, and western blot experiments. A mouse colon cancer cell model was established in Balb/c nude mice to explore the effect of curcumin on colon tumor cells. Changes in the tumor microenvironment were detected by flow cytometry to explore the synergistic effect of curcumin combined with anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody in the treatment of mouse colon cancer. In vitro, curcumin prevented the growth and TGF-β secretion of CT26 cells. At the same time, curcumin inhibited the secretion of TGF-β by CAFs, thereby downregulating the PD-L1 expression of CT26 cells. In vivo, curcumin combined with anti-PD-1 antibodies can further enhance the inhibitory effect of PD-1 antibodies on tumors and increase the number of tumor-suppressing immune cells in the tumor microenvironment, such as M1 macrophages and CD8 T cells, thus inhibiting tumors. Immune M2 macrophages, regulatory T cells, and other cells were reduced. In conclusion, curcumin reduces the expression of PD-L1 in colon cancer cells and improves the tumor immune microenvironment by inhibiting the proliferation of CAFs and the secretion of TGF-β. Curcumin and anti-PD-1 treatment have synergistic inhibitory effects on colon cancer.

Curcumin Derivatives in Medicinal Chemistry: Potential Applications in Cancer Treatment

Curcumin, a naturally occurring compound found in the rhizome of Curcuma plants, particularly in turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), exhibits a broad range of biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. Curcumin has demonstrated effectiveness in inhibiting tumor growth, arousing interest for its potential in treating various cancers, such as breast, lung, prostate, and brain cancers. However, the clinical application of curcumin is limited due to its low chemical stability, poor water solubility, and low bioavailability. In response to these challenges, structural modifications of curcumin have been explored to improve its pharmacological properties, including enhanced anticancer selectivity index and bioavailability. This review highlights promising chemical modifications of curcumin that could lead to the development of more effective anticancer therapies. By functionalizing the parent curcumin molecule, researchers aim to create more stable and bioavailable compounds with enhanced therapeutic potential, making curcumin derivatives promising candidates for medical applications.

The second-generation curcumin analogue RL71 elicits G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in canine osteosarcoma cells

Canine osteosarcoma is an aggressive cancer, comprising 85% of canine bone neoplasms. Current treatment practices of surgery and chemotherapy increase 1-year survival by only 45%. The curcumin analogue RL71, has demonstrated potent in vitro and in vivo efficacy in several models of human breast cancer through increased apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate efficacy of curcumin analogues in two canine osteosarcoma cell lines. Osteosarcoma cell viability was assessed using the sulforhodamine B assay and mechanisms of action were determined by analysing the levels of cell cycle and apoptotic regulatory proteins via Western blotting. Further evidence was obtained using flow cytometry to detect cell cycle distribution and the number of apoptotic cells. RL71 was the most potent curcumin analogue with EC50 values of 0.64 ± 0.04 and 0.38 ± 0.009 μM (n = 3) in D-17 (commercial) and Gracie canine osteosarcoma cells, respectively. RL71 significantly increased the ratio of cleaved-caspase 3 to pro-caspase 3 and the level of apoptotic cells at the 2× and 5× EC50 concentration (p < 0.001, n = 3). Furthermore, at the same concentration, RL71 significantly increased the number of cells in the G2/M phase. In conclusion, RL71 has potent cytotoxic activity in canine osteosarcoma cells triggering G2/M arrest and apoptosis at concentrations achievable in vivo. Future research should further investigate molecular mechanisms for these changes in other canine osteosarcoma cell lines prior to in vivo investigation.

Mechanisms of synergistic suppression of ALK-positive lung cancer cell growth by the combination of ALK and SHP2 inhibitors

Lung cancer is a major cause of cancer-related deaths. Alectinib is the first line of treatment for patients with ALK-positive lung cancer, but the survival rate beyond 2-3 years is low. Co-targeting secondary oncogenic drivers such as SHP2 is a potential strategy for improving drug efficacy. This is because SHP2 is expressed ubiquitously, but ALK expression is largely restricted to cancer cells. Thus, the combination of ALK and SHP2 inhibitors may provide a way to restrict synergistic cytotoxicity to cancer cells only, by reducing the dose of SHP2 inhibitors required for anticancer action and minimising SHP2-dependent systemic toxicity. The objective of this study was to investigate whether the combination of a SHP2 inhibitor (SHP099) with alectinib would synergistically suppress the growth of ALK-positive lung cancer cells. Our results demonstrated that the drug combination significantly and synergistically decreased cell viability at relatively low concentrations in ALK-positive H3122 and H2228 cells, due to G1 cell cycle arrest and increased apoptosis because of suppressed downstream RAS/MAPK signalling. The drug combination also induced the expression of mediators of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway, Bim and cleaved caspase-3, and modulated the expression of cell cycle mediators cyclin D1, cyclin B1, and phosphorylated CDK1.

Curcumin and Its Analogs in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment: Challenges and Expectations

Researchers have made crucial advances in understanding the pathogenesis and therapeutics of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), improving our understanding of lung tumor biology and progression. Although the survival of NSCLC patients has improved due to chemoradiotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy, overall NSCLC recovery and survival rates remain low. Thus, there is an urgent need for the continued development of novel NSCLC drugs or combination therapies with less toxicity. Although the anticancer effectiveness of curcumin (Cur) and some Cur analogs has been reported in many studies, the results of clinical trials have been inconsistent. Therefore, in this review, we collected the latest related reports about the anti-NSCLC mechanisms of Cur, its analogs, and Cur in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents via the Pubmed database (accessed on 18 June 2022). Furthermore, we speculated on the interplay of Cur and various molecular targets relevant to NSCLC with discovery studio and collected clinical trials of Cur against NSCLC to clarify the role of Cur and its analogs in NSCLC treatment. Despite their challenges, Cur/Cur analogs may serve as promising therapeutic agents or adjuvants for lung carcinoma treatment.

Experimental Determination of Cancer Drug Targets with Independent Mechanisms of Resistance

Mathematical modelling of tumour mutation dynamics has suggested that cancer drug targets that have different resistance mechanisms should be good candidates for combination treatment. This is because the development of mutations that cause resistance to all drugs at once should arise relatively infrequently. However, it is difficult to identify drug targets fulfilling this requirement for particular cancers. Here we present four experimental criteria that we argue are necessary (but not sufficient) conditions that drug combinations should meet in order to be considered for combination drug treatment aimed at delaying or overcoming cancer drug resistance. We present the results of our own experiments - guided by these criteria - using anaplastic lymphoma kinase mutated lung cancer cells. Each set of experiments demonstrate results for different drug combinations. We conclude that the combination of ALK and MEK inhibitors come closest to meeting all our criteria.

2-Chloro-4,6-bis{(E)-3-methoxy-4-[(4-methoxybenzyl)oxy]styryl}pyrimidine: Synthesis, Spectroscopic and Computational Evaluation

A novel curcumin analog namely 2-chloro-4,6-bis{(E)-3-methoxy-4-[(4-methoxybenzyl)oxy]-styryl}pyrimidine (compound 7) was synthesized by three-step reaction. The condensation reaction of protected vanillin with 2-chloro-4,6-dimethylpyrimidine (6) was the most efficient step, resulting in a total yield of 72%. The characterization of compound 7 was performed by 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), as well as high-resolution mass spectrometry. The experimental spectrometric data were compared with the theoretical spectra obtained by the density functional theory (DFT) method, showing a perfect match between them. UV-visible spectroscopy and steady-state fluorescence emission studies were performed for compound 7 in solvents of different polarities and the results were correlated with DFT calculations. Compound 7 showed a solvatochromism effect presenting higher molar extinction coefficient (log ε = 4.57) and fluorescence quantum yield (ϕ = 0.38) in toluene than in acetonitrile or methanol. The simulation of both frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs) and molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) suggested that the experimental spectra profile in toluene was not interfered by a possible charge transfer. These results are an indication of a low probability of compound 7 in reacting with unsaturated phospholipids in future applications as a fluorescent dye in biological systems.

The Role of Curcumin in Cancer Treatment

Curcumin is a polyphenol extracted from the rhizomes of the turmeric plant, Curcuma longa which has anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. Chronic inflammation is associated with the development of cancer. Curcumin acts on the regulation of various immune modulators, including cytokines, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and reactive oxygen species (ROS), which partly explains its anticancer effects. It also takes part in the downregulation of growth factors, protein kinases, oncogenic molecules and various signaling pathways, such as nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling. Clinical trials of curcumin have been completed or are ongoing for various types of cancer. This review presents the molecular mechanisms of curcumin in different types of cancer and the evidence from the most recent clinical trials.

ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer; potential combination drug treatments

Advances in chromosomally rearranged ALK positive non-small cell lung cancer have been dramatic in only the last few years. Survival times have improved dramatically due to the introduction of ever more efficacious ALK inhibitors. These improvements have been due largely to improvements in blood-brain barrier penetration and the breadth of ligand binding pocket mutations against which the drugs are effective. However, the advances maybe slow as compared to the frequency of cancers with compound resistance mutations are appearing, suggesting the need to develop multiple ALK inhibitors to target different compound mutations.Another research area that promises to provide further gains is the use of drug combinations, with an ALK inhibitor combined with a drug targeting a "second driver" to overcome resistance. In this review, the range of secondary targets for ALK+ lung cancer and the potential for their clinical success are reviewed.

The effect of metformin in EML4-ALK+ lung cancer alone and in combination with crizotinib in cell and rodent models

Cell based studies have suggested that the diabetes drug metformin may combine with the anaplastic lymphoma kinase receptor (ALK) inhibitor crizotinib to increase ALK positive lung cancer cell killing and overcome crizotinib resistance. We therefore tested metformin alone and in combination with crizotinib in vivo, by employing a xenograft mouse model of ALK positive lung cancer. We found that 14 days of daily oral metformin (100 mg/kg) alone had a moderate but statistically significant effect on tumour growth suppression, but in combination with crizotinib, produced no greater tumour suppression than crizotinib (25 mg/kg) alone. We also reassessed the effect of metformin on EML₄-ALK positive lung cancer (H3122) cell viability. Although metformin alone did have a moderate effect on cell viability (30% suppression) this was only at a clinically irrelevant concentration (5 mM) and there was no additive effect with cytotoxic concentrations of crizotinib. Moreover, metformin did not overcome crizotinib resistance in our resistant cells. Nevertheless, we were able to show that metformin induces a G1-cell cycle arrest and apoptosis alone and in combination with crizotinib. Also, consistent with earlier work, the addition of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) to EML₄-ALK positive cancer cells reduced cell killing by crizotinib. We therefore hypothesised that the effect of metformin in vivo was not due to direct cytotoxicity on cancer cells, but by modulation of IGF-1 expression. We therefore measured levels of IGF-1 in plasma taken from mice treated with metformin, but found no difference between the drug treatment and control groups. We further hypothesised that the effect of metformin could be due to modulation of thrombospondin 1 (TSP-1), which metformin has been proposed to regulatein vivo, but again we found no difference between the experimental groups. Finally, we investigated the potential for liver and kidney toxicity, as well as CYP3A based interactions, from the combination of metformin with crizotinib.

Versatile role of curcumin and its derivatives in lung cancer therapy

Lung cancer is a main cause of death all over the world with a high incidence rate. Metastasis into neighboring and distant tissues as well as resistance of cancer cells to chemotherapy demand novel strategies in lung cancer therapy. Curcumin is a naturally occurring nutraceutical compound derived from Curcuma longa (turmeric) that has great pharmacological effects, such as anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and antidiabetic. The excellent antitumor activity of curcumin has led to its extensive application in the treatment of various cancers. In the present review, we describe the antitumor activity of curcumin against lung cancer. Curcumin affects different molecular pathways such as vascular endothelial growth factors, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), mammalian target of rapamycin, PI3/Akt, microRNAs, and long noncoding RNAs in treatment of lung cancer. Curcumin also can induce autophagy, apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest to reduce the viability and proliferation of lung cancer cells. Notably, curcumin supplementation sensitizes cancer cells to chemotherapy and enhances chemotherapy-mediated apoptosis. Curcumin can elevate the efficacy of radiotherapy in lung cancer therapy by targeting various signaling pathways, such as epidermal growth factor receptor and NF-κB. Curcumin-loaded nanocarriers enhance the bioavailability, cellular uptake, and antitumor activity of curcumin. The aforementioned effects are comprehensively discussed in the current review to further direct studies for applying curcumin in lung cancer therapy.