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Xi C, Palani C, Takezaki M, Shi H, Horuzsko A, Pace BS, Zhu X. Simvastatin-Mediated Nrf2 Activation Induces Fetal Hemoglobin and Antioxidant Enzyme Expression to Ameliorate the Phenotype of Sickle Cell Disease. Antioxidants (Basel) 2024; 13:337. [PMID: 38539870 PMCID: PMC10968127 DOI: 10.3390/antiox13030337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a pathophysiological condition of chronic hemolysis, oxidative stress, and elevated inflammation. The transcription factor Nrf2 is a master regulator of oxidative stress. Here, we report that the FDA-approved oral agent simvastatin, an inhibitor of hydroxymethyl-glutaryl coenzyme A reductase, significantly activates the expression of Nrf2 and antioxidant enzymes. Simvastatin also induces fetal hemoglobin expression in SCD patient primary erythroid progenitors and a transgenic mouse model. Simvastatin alleviates SCD symptoms by decreasing hemoglobin S sickling, oxidative stress, and inflammatory stress in erythroblasts. Particularly, simvastatin increases cellular levels of cystine, the precursor for the biosynthesis of the antioxidant reduced glutathione, and decreases the iron content in SCD mouse spleen and liver tissues. Mechanistic studies suggest that simvastatin suppresses the expression of the critical histone methyltransferase enhancer of zeste homolog 2 to reduce both global and gene-specific histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation. These chromatin structural changes promote the assembly of transcription complexes to fetal γ-globin and antioxidant gene regulatory regions in an antioxidant response element-dependent manner. In summary, our findings suggest that simvastatin activates fetal hemoglobin and antioxidant protein expression, modulates iron and cystine/reduced glutathione levels to improve the phenotype of SCD, and represents a therapeutic strategy for further development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caixia Xi
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA; (C.X.); (C.P.)
- Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA (A.H.)
| | - Chithra Palani
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA; (C.X.); (C.P.)
| | - Mayuko Takezaki
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA; (C.X.); (C.P.)
| | - Huidong Shi
- Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA (A.H.)
| | - Anatolij Horuzsko
- Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA (A.H.)
| | - Betty S. Pace
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA; (C.X.); (C.P.)
- Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA (A.H.)
| | - Xingguo Zhu
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA; (C.X.); (C.P.)
- Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA (A.H.)
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Jing Z, Yuan W, Wang J, Ni R, Qin Y, Mao Z, Wei F, Song C, Zheng Y, Cai H, Liu Z. Simvastatin/hydrogel-loaded 3D-printed titanium alloy scaffolds suppress osteosarcoma via TF/NOX2-associated ferroptosis while repairing bone defects. Bioact Mater 2024; 33:223-241. [PMID: 38045570 PMCID: PMC10689208 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2023.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Postoperative anatomical reconstruction and prevention of local recurrence after tumor resection are two vital clinical challenges in osteosarcoma treatment. A three-dimensional (3D)-printed porous Ti6Al4V scaffold (3DTi) is an ideal material for reconstructing critical bone defects with numerous advantages over traditional implants, including a lower elasticity modulus, stronger bone-implant interlock, and larger drug-loading space. Simvastatin is a multitarget drug with anti-tumor and osteogenic potential; however, its efficiency is unsatisfactory when delivered systematically. Here, simvastatin was loaded into a 3DTi using a thermosensitive poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA)-polyethylene glycol (PEG)-PLGA hydrogel as a carrier to exert anti-osteosarcoma and osteogenic effects. Newly constructed simvastatin/hydrogel-loaded 3DTi (Sim-3DTi) was comprehensively appraised, and its newfound anti-osteosarcoma mechanism was explained. Specifically, in a bone defect model of rabbit condyles, Sim-3DTi exhibited enhanced osteogenesis, bone in-growth, and osseointegration compared with 3DTi alone, with greater bone morphogenetic protein 2 expression. In our nude mice model, simvastatin loading reduced tumor volume by 59%-77 % without organic damage, implying good anti-osteosarcoma activity and biosafety. Furthermore, Sim-3DTi induced ferroptosis by upregulating transferrin and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase 2 levels in osteosarcoma both in vivo and in vitro. Sim-3DTi is a promising osteogenic bone substitute for osteosarcoma-related bone defects, with a ferroptosis-mediated anti-osteosarcoma effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zehao Jing
- Department of Orthopedics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
- Engineering Research Center of Bone and Joint Precision Medicine, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Spinal Disease Research, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Wanqiong Yuan
- Department of Orthopedics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
- Engineering Research Center of Bone and Joint Precision Medicine, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Spinal Disease Research, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiedong Wang
- Department of Orthopedics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
- Engineering Research Center of Bone and Joint Precision Medicine, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Spinal Disease Research, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Renhua Ni
- Department of Orthopedics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
- Engineering Research Center of Bone and Joint Precision Medicine, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Spinal Disease Research, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu Qin
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhinan Mao
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Feng Wei
- Department of Orthopedics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
- Engineering Research Center of Bone and Joint Precision Medicine, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Spinal Disease Research, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Chunli Song
- Department of Orthopedics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
- Engineering Research Center of Bone and Joint Precision Medicine, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Yufeng Zheng
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, People's Republic of China
| | - Hong Cai
- Department of Orthopedics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
- Engineering Research Center of Bone and Joint Precision Medicine, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhongjun Liu
- Department of Orthopedics, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
- Engineering Research Center of Bone and Joint Precision Medicine, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Spinal Disease Research, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
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Yuan W, Ren X, Zhu J, Huang J, Zhang W, Zhang C, Guan Z, Wang H, Leng H, Song C. Single-intraosseous simvastatin injection suppresses cancers via activating CD8 + T cells. Biomed Pharmacother 2022; 155:113665. [PMID: 36095962 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.113665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapies provide effective strategies for cancer treatment. Cholesterol induces CD8+ T cell exhaustion, which inhibits antitumor immunity. CD8+ T cells are derived from bone marrow and transport and function in bone marrow, where provides more porous cavities for drugs to access the circulation than other solid organs. We previously found that single-dose intraosseous (i.o.) injection of simvastatin suppresses breast cancer development and prolongs survival, but the exact mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we found the antitumor activity of simvastatin i.o. mainly depended on CD8+ T cells. Simvastatin i.o. increased the percentage and cytotoxicity of CD8+ T cells and downregulated the expression of PD-1, TIM3 and CTLA4 in CD8+ T cells in vivo. Simvastatin promoted the activation, proliferation and cytotoxicity of tumor antigen-specific CD8+ T cells in vitro. Furthermore, Simvastatin i.o. suppressed cancers by activating the T-cell antigen receptor signaling pathway. Taken together, simvastatin i.o. effectively suppresses cancer progression, which would be a potential strategy for cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanqiong Yuan
- Department of Orthopedics, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Rd., Haidian District, Beijing, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Spinal Disease, 49 North Garden Rd., Haidian District, Beijing, China; Engineering Research Center of Bone and Joint Precision Medicine, 49 North Garden Rd., Haidian District, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoqing Ren
- Department of Pharmacy, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Rd., Haidian District, Beijing, China
| | - Junxiong Zhu
- Department of Orthopedics, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Rd., Haidian District, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Huang
- Department of Orthopedics, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Rd., Haidian District, Beijing, China
| | - Wang Zhang
- Department of Orthopedics, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Rd., Haidian District, Beijing, China
| | - Chenggui Zhang
- Department of Orthopedics, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Rd., Haidian District, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiyuan Guan
- Department of Orthopedics, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Rd., Haidian District, Beijing, China
| | - Hong Wang
- Department of Orthopedics, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Rd., Haidian District, Beijing, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Spinal Disease, 49 North Garden Rd., Haidian District, Beijing, China; Engineering Research Center of Bone and Joint Precision Medicine, 49 North Garden Rd., Haidian District, Beijing, China
| | - Huijie Leng
- Department of Orthopedics, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Rd., Haidian District, Beijing, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Spinal Disease, 49 North Garden Rd., Haidian District, Beijing, China; Engineering Research Center of Bone and Joint Precision Medicine, 49 North Garden Rd., Haidian District, Beijing, China
| | - Chunli Song
- Department of Orthopedics, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 North Garden Rd., Haidian District, Beijing, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Spinal Disease, 49 North Garden Rd., Haidian District, Beijing, China; Engineering Research Center of Bone and Joint Precision Medicine, 49 North Garden Rd., Haidian District, Beijing, China.
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Simvastatin in the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer: A Review. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2022; 2022:3827933. [PMID: 35873646 PMCID: PMC9303163 DOI: 10.1155/2022/3827933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Drug repositioning and drug reuse are the heated topics in the field of oncology in recent years. These two concepts refer to seeking effective drugs for cancer that are not originally intended to treat cancer. The survival benefits are then analyzed by combining the re-positioned drugs with conventional cancer treatment methods. Simvastatin is a clinically commonly used hyperlipidemia drug and exerts the effect of preventing cardiovascular diseases. Recent studies have found that simvastatin has great potential in the treatment of colorectal cancer, and a large number of clinical studies have used simvastatin as an adjuvant drug to help treat metastatic colorectal cancer.
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Wang J, Wu Z, Peng Y, Li W, Liu G, Tang Y. Pathway-Based Drug Repurposing with DPNetinfer: A Method to Predict Drug-Pathway Associations via Network-Based Approaches. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 61:2475-2485. [PMID: 33900090 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c00009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Identification of drug-pathway associations plays an important role in pathway-based drug repurposing. However, it is time-consuming and costly to uncover new drug-pathway associations experimentally. The drug-induced transcriptomics data provide a global view of cellular pathways and tell how these pathways change under different treatments. These data enable computational approaches for large-scale prediction of drug-pathway associations. Here we introduced DPNetinfer, a novel computational method to predict potential drug-pathway associations based on substructure-drug-pathway networks via network-based approaches. The results demonstrated that DPNetinfer performed well in a pan-cancer network with an AUC (area under curve) = 0.9358. Meanwhile, DPNetinfer was shown to have a good capability of generalization on two external validation sets (AUC = 0.8519 and 0.7494, respectively). As a case study, DPNetinfer was used in pathway-based drug repurposing for cancer therapy. Unexpected anticancer activities of some nononcology drugs were then identified on the PI3K-Akt pathway. Considering tumor heterogeneity, seven primary site-based models were constructed by DPNetinfer in different drug-pathway networks. In a word, DPNetinfer provides a powerful tool for large-scale prediction of drug-pathway associations in pathway-based drug repurposing. A web tool for DPNetinfer is freely available at http://lmmd.ecust.edu.cn/netinfer/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiye Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Zengrui Wu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Yayuan Peng
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Weihua Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Guixia Liu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Yun Tang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
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Mortezaee K. Enriched cancer stem cells, dense stroma, and cold immunity: Interrelated events in pancreatic cancer. J Biochem Mol Toxicol 2021; 35:e22708. [PMID: 33491255 DOI: 10.1002/jbt.22708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Cold tumors generally show low mutational burden and low infiltration of effector T cells. The pancreas, prostate, ovary, breast, and colon are placed into the category of cold tumors. In such tumors, effector T cells are either excluded from the tumor area or taken away from being in contact with tumor cells. The stromal reaction in the form of desmoplasia is important for the pathogenesis of tumors like the pancreas. Besides acting as a barrier for the penetration of drugs into the tumor area, the dense stroma presumably creates an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), which accounts for low responses from tumor to immunotherapy. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are an important part of the immunosuppressive complex within the TME. The presence of CSCs within the TME is related negatively to the activity of the antitumor immune system. Here, the question is how desmoplastic aggregates can influence the functionality of CSCs for promoting a cold pancreatic tumor immunity? This review is aimed at responding to this question, the disruption of which can be an effective strategy for improving responses from cold tumors to immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keywan Mortezaee
- Cancer and Immunology Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran
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