The associations between serum VEGF, bFGF and endoglin levels with microvessel density and expression of proangiogenic factors in malignant and benign ovarian tumors

Transcriptome analyses reveal new insights on key determinants of perineural invasion in high-grade serous ovarian cancer

Perineural invasion (PNI) is a pathological feature of many cancers associated with poor outcomes, metastases, and recurrence. In relation to ovarian cancer (OC), there is no information about PNI's role and mechanisms. Our study found that patients with PNI-positive symptoms had significantly shorter overall survival (OS) time than patients with PNI-negative symptoms. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that PNI represented a substantial independent prognostic factor in OC patients. At the transcriptome level, it is noteworthy that PNI positivity was negatively correlated with the degree of infiltration of immune killer cells in OC tumor tissues, including macrophage, central memory CD4 T-cell, natural killer cells, monocyte, and central memory CD4 T-cell. The results of this study revealed that TAS2Rs proteins were markedly upregulated in PNI-positive OC tissues and predicted poor prognoses. Moreover, Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that the TAS2R10 protein was associated with poor prognoses and PNI in OC. Consequently, we found for the first time that PNI was a powerful predictor of poor prognosis in OC and analyzed its expression pattern and some preliminary biochemical characterization, providing new clues for guiding clinical prevention and treatment of OC.

The Mechanism of Chaiyin Particles in the Treatment of COVID-19 Based on Network Pharmacology and Experimental Verification

Objective: To explore the potential active components of Chaiyin particles (CYPs) in the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and their mechanism of action using network pharmacology and molecular docking technology. Methods: Based on the components of CYPs, we obtained potential targets of the interaction between CYPs and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The potential targets were analyzed by protein–protein interaction, gene ontology, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses. The key active components of CYPs were subjected to molecular docking with 3-chymotrypsin-like protease, angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2), RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, and papain-like protease. The components that may bind to the key target proteins of SARS-CoV-2 were screened to obtain the potential active components, targets and pathways for CYP treatment of COVID-19. The above-described network analysis results were then verified experimentally. Results: CYPs may prevent and treat COVID-19 by inhibiting the release of inflammatory factors such as IL-6 and TNF-α; participating in the AGE-Rage signaling pathway, the HIF-1 signaling pathway, and other anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and immune regulatory signaling pathways; and blocking ACE2 via fortunellin and baicalin. Conclusion: This work illustrated that CYPs mainly play an anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory role in COVID-19 prevention and treatment. The potential active components and molecular mechanism of CYPs can provide theoretical support and a pharmacological basis for further development and utilization of CYPs in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. These results provide important insights into future studies of Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) modernization and prevention.

Stress Hormones: Emerging Targets in Gynecological Cancers

In the past decade, several discoveries have documented the existence of innervation in ovarian cancer and cervical cancer. Notably, various neurotransmitters released by the activation of the sympathetic nervous system can promote the proliferation and metastasis of tumor cells and regulate immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. Therefore, a better understanding of the mechanisms involving neurotransmitters in the occurrence and development of gynecological cancers will be beneficial for exploring the feasibility of using inexpensive β-blockers and dopamine agonists in the clinical treatment of gynecological cancers. Additionally, this article provides some new insights into targeting tumor innervation and neurotransmitters in the tumor microenvironment.

Expression profiles of VEGF-A, VEGF-D and VEGFR1 are higher in distant metastases than in matched primary high grade epithelial ovarian cancer

Background

In many malignancies including ovarian cancer, different angiogenic factors have been related to poor prognosis. However, data on their relations to each other or importance as a prognostic factor in ovarian cancer is missing. Therefore, we investigated the expressions of VEGF-A, VEGF-C, and VEGF-D, and the receptors VEGFR1, VEGFR2, and VEGFR3 in patients with malignant epithelial ovarian neoplasms. We further compared expression levels between primary tumors and related distant omental metastases.

Methods

This study included 86 patients with malignant ovarian epithelial tumors and 16 related distant metastases. Angiogenic factor expression was evaluated using immunohistochemistry (n = 102) and qRT-PCR (n = 29).

Results

Compared to primary high grade serous ovarian tumors, the related omental metastases showed higher expressions of VEGF-A (p = 0.022), VEGF-D (p = 0.010), and VEGFR1 (p = 0.046). In univariate survival analysis, low epithelial expression of VEGF-A in primary tumors was associated with poor prognosis (p = 0.024), and short progression-free survival was associated with high VEGF-C (p = 0.034) and low VEGFR3 (p = 0.002). The relative expressions of VEGF-D, VEGFR1, VEGFR2, and VEGFR3 mRNA determined by qRT-PCR analyses were significantly correlated with the immunohistochemically detected levels of these proteins in primary high grade serous ovarian cancer and metastases (p = 0.004, p = 0.009, p = 0.015, and p = 0.018, respectively).

Conclusions

The expressions of VEGF receptors and their ligands significantly differed between malignant ovarian tumors and paired distant metastases. VEGF-A, VEGF-D, and VEGFR1 protein expressions seem to be higher in distant metastases than in the primary high grade serous ovarian cancer lesions.

Quantitative dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging for differentiating benign, borderline, and malignant ovarian tumors

PURPOSE

This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic performance of quantitative DCE-MRI for characterizing ovarian tumors.

METHODS

We prospectively assessed the differences of quantitative DCE-MRI parameters (K^trans, k_ep, and v_e) among 15 benign, 28 borderline, and 66 malignant ovarian tumors; and between type I (n = 28) and type II (n = 29) of epithelial ovarian carcinomas (EOCs). DCE-MRI data were analyzed using whole solid tumor volume region of interest (ROI) method, and quantitative parameters were calculated based on a modified Tofts model. The non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney U test, Pearson's chi-square test, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), variance test, and receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) were used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

The largest K^trans and k_ep values were observed in ovarian malignant tumors, followed by borderline and benign tumors (all P < 0.001). K_ep was the better parameter for differentiating benign tumors from borderline and malignant tumors, with a sensitivity of 89.3% and 95.5%, a specificity of 86.7% and 100%, an accuracy of 88.4% and 96.3%, and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.94 and 0.992, respectively, whereas K^trans was better for differentiating borderline from malignant tumors with a sensitivity of 60.7%, a specificity of 78.8%, an accuracy of 73.4%, and an AUC of 0.743. In addition, a combination with k_ep could further improve the sensitivity to 78.9%. The median K^trans and k_ep values were significantly higher in type II than in type I EOCs.

CONCLUSION

DCE-MRI with volume quantification is a technically feasible method, and can be used for the differentiation of ovarian tumors and for discriminating between type I and type II EOCs.

Hypoxia Imaging and Biological Evaluation of the Radiosensitizing Effect of Oleanolic Acid

Background and Purpose

The aim of this study was to evaluate the radiosensitizing effect of oleanolic acid (OA) on C6 rat glioma and the changes in tumor biology during radiosensitization therapy on ¹⁸F-fluoromisonidazole (¹⁸F-FMISO) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT).

Methods

The radiosensitizing effect of OA on C6 tumors was assessed in vivo by measuring the tumor inhibitory rate and rat survival time. Meanwhile, rats with C6 tumors were imaged with ¹⁸F-FMISO PET/CT during radiosensitization therapy. Tumor-to-muscle ratio (TMR) of ¹⁸F-FMISO maximum uptake was calculated by region of interest analysis. Changes in tumor biology after therapy were assessed with immunohistochemical staining. ¹⁸F-FMISO uptake was analyzed in relation to expression of tumor biomarkers including hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α, glucose transporter (Glut-1), the proliferation antigen Ki67, tumor suppressor P53, and microvessel density (MVD).

Results

The results showed that OA combined with radiation inhibited the growth rates of tumors and prolonged the survival period of tumor-bearing rats effectively (χ² = 12.5, p < 0.01). ¹⁸F-FMISO PET/CT indicated decreases in hypoxia after radiosensitization therapy. Statistical differences were observed in TMR of the irradiation group and OA combined with irradiation group (t = 3.32, p < 0.05). HIF-1α, Glut-1, Ki67, P53, and MVD expressions in tumors were downregulated by OA combined with radiation as well as with radiation alone. Additionally, there was a significant positive linear correlation between TMR and HIF-1α, Glut-1, Ki67, P53, and MVD.

Conclusions

These results suggest that OA has a radiosensitizing effect on C6 tumors in terms of tumor volume inhibition, survival extension, and multiple poor prognosis biological markers downregulation. ¹⁸F-FMISO PET/CT can be of value for tumor biology noninvasive capture and radiosensitization response evaluation.