Ribavirin inhibits the growth and ascites formation of hepatocellular carcinoma through downregulation of type I CARM1 and type II PRMT5

Comparison of anti-cancer effects of platinum ribavirin and ribavirin via telomerase and Bcl-2 gene expression

Among the common treatments for cancers, chemotherapy is widely used. One of the ways to evaluate the effectiveness of anti-cancer drugs is by checking the expression of tumor markers. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the anti-cancer effects of the newly synthesized platinum ribavirin (Pt-Rb) compared to ribavirin (Rb) through biomarkers. In this study, cell lines were divided into four groups: groups A and B as healthy negative control group and untreated cancer group respectively. Group C and D were treated with, Rb and Pt-Rb, a novel anti-cancer drug, respectively. After evaluating LC50 for the drugs by MTT test, the expression of telomerase and Bcl-2 (B cell lymphoma-2) genes was evaluated using real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). The results showed a significant decrease in telomerase (0.020 ± 0.007) and Bcl-2(0.120 ± 0.005) gene expression in cancer cells treated with Pt-Rb (group D) compared to telomerase (0.040 ± 0.014) and Bcl-2(0.220 ± 0.014) treated with Rb (group C) and also between group D and telomerase (70.76 ± 0.330) and Bcl-2 (99.52 ± 0.670) in group B. The majority of the groups under investigation showed a significant difference (p < 0.05), suggesting that Pt-Rb had stronger anti-cancer effects than Rb and untreated cancer cells. Additionally, Pt-Rb treatment results demonstrated more increased apoptosis than Rb. Our results demonstrated that Pt-Rb is an effective medication in cancer treatment by lowering anti-apoptotic indicators. Therefore, this chemical has the potential to be an effective anti-cancer therapy, pending further research on animal models and then human volunteers.

Effect of anti-COVID-19 drugs on patients with cancer

The clinical treatment of patients with cancer who are also diagnosed with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been a challenging issue since the outbreak of COVID-19. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the effects of commonly used drugs for treating COVID-19 in patients with cancer. Hence, this review aims to provide a reference for the clinical treatment of patients with cancer to minimize the losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we also focused on the relationship between COVID-19, commonly used drugs for treating COVID-19, and cancer. We specifically investigated the effect of these drugs on tumor cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis. The potential mechanisms of action of these drugs were discussed and evaluated. We found that most of these drugs showed inhibitory effects on tumors, and only in a few cases had cancer-promoting effects. Furthermore, inappropriate usage of these drugs may lead to irreversible kidney and heart damage. Finally, we have clarified the use of different drugs, which can provide useful guidance for the clinical treatment of cancer patients diagnosed with COVID-19.

Metabolomics study of ribavirin in the treatment of orthotopic lung cancer based on UPLC-Q-TOF/MS

Ribavirin is a common antiviral drug, especially for patients with hepatitis C. Our recent studies demonstrated that ribavirin showed anti-tumor activity in colorectal cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma, but its effects on lung cancer remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-tumor activity of ribavirin against lung cancer and elucidate the underlying mechanism. We established orthotopic mouse model of lung cancer (LLC and GLC-82) and employed an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS)-based metabolomics approach. We found that ribavirin significantly inhibited the proliferation and colony formation of lung cancer cells. Tumor sizes of orthotopic lung cancer in ribavirin-treated groups were also significantly lower than those in control groups. Metabolomics analysis revealed that ribavirin mainly affected 5 metabolic pathways in orthotopic lung tumor models, taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism, arginine biosynthesis and arachidonic acid metabolism. Furthermore, we identified 5 upregulated metabolites including β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺), nicotinamide (NAM), taurine, ornithine and citrulline, and 7 downregulated metabolites including 1-methylnicotinamide (MNAM), S-adenosyl-l-homocysteine (SAH), N1-Methyl-2-pyridone-5-carboxamide (2PY), homocysteine (Hcy), linoleic acid, arachidonic acid (AA) and argininosuccinic acid in ribavirin-treated groups. These results provide new insight into the anti-tumor mechanism of ribavirin for lung cancer.

Synthesis methods of 1,2,3-/1,2,4-triazoles: A review

Triazole, comprising three nitrogen atoms and two carbon atoms, is divided into two isomers 1,2,3-triazole and 1,2,4-triazole. Compounds containing a triazole are one of the significant heterocycles that exhibit broad biological activities, such as antimicrobial, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, antineoplastic, antimalarial, antiviral, antiproliferative, and anticancer activities. A great quantity of drugs with a triazole structure has been developed and proved, for example, ketoconazole and fluconazole. Given the importance of the triazole scaffold, its synthesis has attracted much attention. This review summarizes the synthetic methods of triazole compounds from various nitrogen sources in the past 20 years.