Hesperetin regulates transforming growth factor-β1/Smads pathway to suppress epithelial-mesenchymal transition -mediated invasion and migration in cervical cancer cell

Modulation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 signaling pathways in cancer angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis by natural compounds: a comprehensive and critical review

Tumor cells employ multiple signaling mediators to escape the hypoxic condition and trigger angiogenesis and metastasis. As a critical orchestrate of tumorigenic conditions, hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is responsible for stimulating several target genes and dysregulated pathways in tumor invasion and migration. Therefore, targeting HIF-1 pathway and cross-talked mediators seems to be a novel strategy in cancer prevention and treatment. In recent decades, tremendous efforts have been made to develop multi-targeted therapies to modulate several dysregulated pathways in cancer angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis. In this line, natural compounds have shown a bright future in combating angiogenic and metastatic conditions. Among the natural secondary metabolites, we have evaluated the critical potential of phenolic compounds, terpenes/terpenoids, alkaloids, sulfur compounds, marine- and microbe-derived agents in the attenuation of HIF-1, and interconnected pathways in fighting tumor-associated angiogenesis and invasion. This is the first comprehensive review on natural constituents as potential regulators of HIF-1 and interconnected pathways against cancer angiogenesis and metastasis. This review aims to reshape the previous strategies in cancer prevention and treatment.

Bruceine D suppresses CAF-promoted TNBC metastasis under TNF-α stimulation by inhibiting Notch1-Jagged1/NF-κB(p65) signaling

BACKGROUND

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has a poor prognosis because of its high degree of malignancy and the lack of effective treatment options. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) comprise the most abundant stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME), leading to functional impairments and facilitating tumor metastasis. Excessive TNF-α further promotes cross-talk between different cells in TME. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop more effective therapies and potential drugs that target the key factors that promote TNBC metastasis.

PURPOSE

The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Bruceine D, an active compound derived from the Chinese herb Brucea javanica, in inhibiting metastasis and elucidate the underlying mechanism of action in TNBC.

METHODS

In vitro, the clonogenic and the Transwell assays were used to assess the effects of Bruceine D on the proliferation, migration and invasion abilities of co-cultured CAFs and MDA-MB-231 (4T1) cells under TNF-α stimulation. TNF-α, IL-6, CXCL12, TGF-β1, and MMP9 levels in the supernatant of co-cultured cells were determined using ELISA. Western blotting was utilized to detect the expression levels of proteins related to the Notch1-Jagged1/NF-κB(p65) pathway. In vivo, the anti-tumor growth and anti-metastatic effectiveness of Bruceine D was evaluated by determining tumor weight, number of metastatic lesions, and pathological changes in the tumor and lung/liver tissues. The inhibitory effect of Bruceine D on α-SMA+ CAFs activation and CAF-medicated extracellular matrix remodeling was accessed using immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and Masson and Sirius Red staining. The expression levels of Notch1, Jagged1 and p-NF-κB(p65) proteins in the primary tumors were measured by immunohistochemistry and western blotting.

RESULTS

In vitro, Bruceine D significantly inhibited the migration and invasion of co-cultured CAFs and MDA-MB-231 (4T1) cells under TNF-α stimulation, reduced the expression of tumor-promoting and matrix-remodeling cytokines secreted by CAFs, and hindered the mutual activation of Notch1-Jagged1 and NF-κB(p65). In vivo, Bruceine D significantly suppressed tumor growth and the formation of lung and liver metastases by decreasing TNF-α stimulated α-SMA+ CAFs activation, collagen fibers, MMPs production, and inhibited Notch1-Jagged1/NF-κB(p65) signaling in TNBC-bearing mice.

CONCLUSION

Bruceine D effectively weakened the "tumor-CAF-inflammation" network by inhibiting the mutual activation of Notch1-Jagged1 and NF-κB(p65) and thereby suppressed TNBC metastasis. This study first explored that Bruceine D disrupted the cross-talk between CAFs and tumor cells under TNF-α stimulation to inhibit the metastasis of TNBC, and highlighted the potential of Bruceine D as therapeutic agent for suppressing tumor metastasis.

A comparative analysis of phyto-components on EGFR binding, viability, and migration in HPV positive ME180 and HPV negative C33A cervical cancer cells

A need for effective implementation of cervical cancer (CC) even in developed countries insist the urge for developing an effective drug molecule to treat CC. Previously, we showed an inverse correlation between survival of CC patients and epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor (EGFR) levels. Newer tyrosine kinase inhibitors to treat CC are being constantly pursued. In this context, the proposed study is an attempt to perform a comparative analysis using 20 phyto-components to determine the effective lead molecule. Molecular docking was utilized to determine the comparative efficacy of 20 phyto-components in binding to EGFR. It was then validated by cell viability, mitochondrial membrane potential, apoptosis, migration, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-2) in human papilloma virus (HPV) positive and HPV negative CC cells using top nine phyto-components based on computational screening. Computational analysis identified nine phyto-components out of which five compounds were effective in reducing the survival, mitochondrial membrane potential, apoptosis, migration, and MMP-2 secretion. EGCG, plumbagin, quercetin, emodin, and naringenin were identified as effective molecules in attenuating CC survival, proliferation, and migration.

Anti-Cancer Potential of Phytochemicals: The Regulation of the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition

A biological process called epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) allows epithelial cells to change into mesenchymal cells and acquire some cancer stem cell properties. EMT contributes significantly to the metastasis, invasion, and development of treatment resistance in cancer cells. Current research has demonstrated that phytochemicals are emerging as a potential source of safe and efficient anti-cancer medications. Phytochemicals could disrupt signaling pathways related to malignant cell metastasis and drug resistance by suppressing or reversing the EMT process. In this review, we briefly describe the pathophysiological properties and the molecular mechanisms of EMT in the progression of cancers, then summarize phytochemicals with diverse structures that could block the EMT process in different types of cancer. Hopefully, these will provide some guidance for future research on phytochemicals targeting EMT.

The Role of Cytokines in Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Gynaecological Cancers: A Systematic Review

Chronic inflammation has been closely linked to the development and progression of various cancers. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process involving the acquisition of mesenchymal features by carcinoma cells and is an important link between inflammation and cancer development. Inflammatory mediators in the tumour micro-environment, such as cytokines and chemokines, can promote EMT changes in cancer cells. The aim of this systematic review is to analyse the effect of cytokines on EMT in gynaecological cancers and discuss their possible therapeutic implications. A search of the databases CINAHL, Cochrane, Embase, Medline, PubMed, TRIP, and Web of Science was performed using the keywords: "cytokines" AND "epithelial mesenchymal transition OR transformation" AND "gynaecological cancer". Seventy-one articles reported that various cytokines, such as TGF-β, TNF-α, IL-6, etc., promoted EMT changes in ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancers. The EMT changes included from epithelial to mesenchymal morphological change, downregulation of the epithelial markers E-cadherin/β-catenin, upregulation of the mesenchymal markers N-cadherin/vimentin/fibronectin, and upregulation of the EMT-transformation factors (EMT-TF) SNAI1/SNAI2/TWIST/ZEB. Cytokine-induced EMT can lead to gynaecological cancer development and metastasis and hence novel therapies targeting the cytokines or their EMT signalling pathways could possibly prevent cancer progression, reduce cancer recurrence, and prevent drug-resistance.

Recent Progress in the Hesperetin Delivery Regimes: Significance of Pleiotropic Actions and Synergistic Anticancer Efficacy

BACKGROUND

In the plant kingdom, flavonoids are widely distributed with multifunctional immunomodulatory actions. Hesperetin (HST) remains one of the well-studied compounds in this domain, initially perceived in citrus plants as an aglycone derivative of hesperidin (HDN).

OBSERVATIONS

Natural origin, low in vivo toxicity, and pleiotropic functional essence are the foremost fascinations for HST use as an anticancer drug. However, low aqueous solubility accompanied with a prompt degradation by intestinal and hepatocellular enzymes impairs HST physiological absorption.

MOTIVATION

Remedies attempted herein comprise the synthesis of derivatives and nanocarrier (NC)-mediated delivery. As the derivative synthesis aggravates the structural complexity, NC-driven HST delivery has emerged as a sustainable approach for its sustained release. Recent interest in HST has been due to its significant anticancer potential, characterized via inhibited cell division (proliferation), new blood vessel formation (angiogenesis), forceful occupation of neighboring cell's space (invasion), migration to erstwhile physiological locations (metastasis) and apoptotic induction. The sensitization of chemotherapeutic drugs (CDs) by HST is driven via stoichiometrically regulated synergistic actions. Purpose and Conclusion: This article sheds light on HST structure-function correlation and pleiotropic anticancer mechanisms, in unaided and NC-administered delivery in singular and with CDs synergy. The discussion could streamline the HST usefulness and long-term anticancer efficacy.

Hesperidin Reversed Long-Term N-methyl-N-nitro-N-Nitroguanidine Exposure Induced EMT and Cell Proliferation by Activating Autophagy in Gastric Tissues of Rats

Gastric cancer is a common malignant tumor worldwide. N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitroguanidine (MNNG) is one of the most important inducing factors of gastric cancer. Autophagy can affect the occurrence and development of gastric cancer, but the mechanism is not clear. Chemoprevention has been shown to be a rational and very promising approach to the prevention of gastric cancer. Hesperidin is a citrus flavone, an abundant polyphenol in citrus fruits and traditional Chinese medicine. It has an excellent phytochemistry that plays an intervention role in gastric cancer. However, it is unclear whether long-term exposure to MNNG will affect the occurrence of gastric cancer by regulating autophagy and whether hesperidin can play an intervention role in this process. In the present study, we demonstrated that long-term MNNG exposure inhibits autophagy in stomach tissues of rats, promotes the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process and cell proliferation and suppresses the activity of the PI3K/AKT pathway. We further found that after rapamycin-activated autophagy, long-term MNNG exposure promoted cell proliferation and EMT were inhibited. In addition, hesperidin promotes autophagy and the activity of the PI3K/AKT pathway, as well as the suppression of proliferation and EMT in the stomach tissues of rats. Our findings indicate that hesperidin reverses MNNG-induced gastric cancer by activating autophagy and the PI3K/AKT pathway, which may provide a new basis for the early prevention and treatment of MNNG-induced gastric cancer.