Asiatic acid re-sensitizes multidrug-resistant A549/DDP cells to cisplatin by down regulating long non-coding RNA metastasis associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1/β-catenin signaling

Crosstalk between lncRNAs and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways in lung cancers: From cancer progression to therapeutic response

Lung cancer (LC) is considered to have the highest mortality rate around the world. Because there are no early diagnostic signs or efficient clinical alternatives, distal metastasis and increasing numbers of recurrences are a challenge in the clinical management of LC. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have recently been recognized as a critical regulator involved in the progression and treatment response to LC. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway has been shown to influence LC occurrence and progress. Therefore, discovering connections between Wnt signaling pathway and lncRNAs may offer new therapeutic targets for improving LC treatment and management. In this review, the purpose of this article is to present possible therapeutic approaches by reviewing particular relationships, key processes, and molecules associated to the beginning and development of LC.

Asiatic acid inhibits rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocyte growth through the Nrf2/HO-1/NF-κB signaling pathway

Asiatic acid (AA) is generally recognized in the treatment of various diseases and has significant advantages in the treatment of various inflammatory diseases. The treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with AA is a completely new entry point. RA is a complex autoimmune inflammatory disease, and despite the involvement of different immune and nonimmune cells in the pathogenesis of RA, fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) play a crucial role in the progression of the disease. si-Nrf2 was transfected in RA-FLS and the cells were treated with AA. MTT assay and colony formation assay were used to detect the effect of AA on the viability and formation of clones of RA-FLS, respectively. Moreover, the apoptosis of RA-FLS was observed by Hoechst 33342 staining and flow cytometry. Western blot was applied to measure the expression of the Nrf2/HO-1/NF-κB signaling pathway-related proteins. Compared with the control group, RA-FLS proliferation, and clone formation were significantly inhibited by the increase of AA concentration, and further experiments showed that AA-induced apoptosis of RA-FLS. In addition, AA activated the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway to inhibit NF-κB protein expression. However, the knockdown of Nrf2 significantly offsets the effects of AA on the proliferation, apoptosis, and Nrf2/HO-1/NF-κB signaling pathway of RA-FLS cells. AA can treat RA by inhibiting the proliferation and inducing the apoptosis of RA-FLS. The mechanism may be related to the activation of the Nrf2/HO-1/NF-κB pathway.

Polyphyllin II (PPII) Enhances the Sensitivity of Multidrug-resistant A549/DDP Cells to Cisplatin by Modulating Mitochondrial Energy Metabolism

BACKGROUND/AIM

Cisplatin resistance often leads to treatment futility and elevated mortality rates in patients with lung cancer. One promising strategy to address this challenge involves the integration of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with chemotherapeutic drugs. Currently, the potential synergistic effect and underlying mechanism of polyphyllin II (PPII) and cisplatin combination in combating cisplatin (DDP) resistance in lung cancer remain unexplored.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this study, we established a cisplatin resistance model using A549 cells and explored the underlying mechanisms of PPII in combination with cisplatin in A549/DDP resistant cells. Specifically, we assessed the impact of PPII combined with cisplatin on A549/DDP cell proliferation, viability, and the expression of apoptosis-related proteins. To gain deeper insights into the underlying mechanism, we examined the effects of PPII and cisplatin on mitochondrial function in A549/DDP cells.

RESULTS

This combination induced cell cycle arrest at both the S phase and G2/M phase in A549/DDP cells, thereby promoting apoptosis. Western blotting confirmed that DDP acted synergistically with PPII to enhance the expression of apoptotic proteins, diminish the expression of anti-apoptotic proteins, and promote the expression of anti-proliferation proteins in the mitochondrial pathway of A549/DDP cells.

CONCLUSION

The combination of PPII and cisplatin effectively modulated the mitochondrial function, thereby reversing drug resistance in A549/DDP cells. This innovative combination therapy shows significant promise as a novel strategy for overcoming cisplatin resistance in lung cancer.

The significance of the crosstalk between ubiquitination or deubiquitination and ncRNAs in non-small cell lung cancer

Lung cancer (LC) remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with extremely high morbidity and mortality rates. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most critical type of LC. It seriously threatens the life and health of patients because of its early metastasis, late clinical symptoms, limited early screening methods, and poor treatment outcomes. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), participate in cell proliferation, metastasis, and chemoresistance. Several previous studies have proven that ncRNAs are vital regulators of tumorigenesis. Ubiquitination plays the most crucial role in protein post-translational modification (PTM). Deubiquitination and ubiquitination form a homeostasis. In summary, ubiquitination and deubiquitination play essential roles in mediating the degradation or overexpression of a range of crucial proteins in various cancers. A growing number of researchers have found that interactions between ncRNAs and ubiquitination (or deubiquitination) play a crucial role in NSCLC. This review presents several typical examples of the important effects of ncRNAs and ubiquitination (or deubiquitination) in NSCLC, aiming to provide more creative ideas for exploring the diagnosis and treatment of NSCLC.