ROCK2 interacts with p22phox to phosphorylate p47phox and to control NADPH oxidase activation in human monocytes

Free Radical Inhibition Using a Water-Soluble Curcumin Complex, NDS27: Mechanism Study Using EPR, Chemiluminescence, and Docking

There is a growing interest in the use of natural compounds to tackle inflammatory diseases and cancers. However, most of them face the bioavailability and solubility challenges to reaching cellular compartments and exert their potential biological effects. Polyphenols belong to that class of molecules, and numerous efforts have been made to improve and overcome these problems. Curcumin is widely studied for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties as well as its use as an anticancer agent. However, its poor solubility and bioavailability are often a source of concern with disappointing or unexpected results in cellular models or in vivo, which limits the clinical use of curcumin as such. Beside nanoparticles and liposomes, cyclodextrins are one of the best candidates to improve the solubility of these molecules. We have used lysine and cyclodextrin to form a water-soluble curcumin complex, named NDS27, in which potential anti-inflammatory effects were demonstrated in cellular and in vivo models. Herein, we investigated for the first time its direct free radicals scavenging activity on DPPH/ABTS assays as well as on hydroxyl, superoxide anion, and peroxyl radical species. The ability of NDS27 to quench singlet oxygen, produced by rose bengal photosensitization, was studied, as was the inhibiting effect on the enzyme-catalyzed oxidation of the co-substrate, luminol analog (L012), using horseradish peroxidase (HRP)/hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) system. Finally, docking was performed to study the behavior of NDS27 in the active site of the peroxidase enzyme.

Tumour-associated macrophages: versatile players in the tumour microenvironment

Tumour-Associated Macrophages (TAMs) are one of the pivotal components of the tumour microenvironment. Their roles in the cancer immunity are complicated, both pro-tumour and anti-cancer activities are reported, including not only angiogenesis, extracellular matrix remodeling, immunosuppression, drug resistance but also phagocytosis and tumour regression. Interestingly, TAMs are highly dynamic and versatile in solid tumours. They show anti-cancer or pro-tumour activities, and interplay between the tumour microenvironment and cancer stem cells and under specific conditions. In addition to the classic M1/M2 phenotypes, a number of novel dedifferentiation phenomena of TAMs are discovered due to the advanced single-cell technology, e.g., macrophage-myofibroblast transition (MMT) and macrophage-neuron transition (MNT). More importantly, emerging information demonstrated the potential of TAMs on cancer immunotherapy, suggesting by the therapeutic efficiency of the checkpoint inhibitors and chimeric antigen receptor engineered cells based on macrophages. Here, we summarized the latest discoveries of TAMs from basic and translational research and discussed their clinical relevance and therapeutic potential for solid cancers.