Prognostic Significance of Nuclear Factor Kappa B Expression in Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer Patients Treated Definitively With Concurrent Chemoradiation

The polymethoxylated flavone hexamethylquercetagetin suppresses NF-κB signaling and inhibits cell survival in cervical carcinoma

Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) contributes to the development and progression of cervical carcinoma. To construct a xenograft model, Ca Ski cells were subcutaneously inoculated into BALB/c nude mice. The relative protein expression of NF-κB p65, p-p65, IκBα, and p-IκBα were detected in hexamethylquercetagetin (HTQC) treated cervical carcinoma cells with or without tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α stimulation, or representative tumors tissues in xenograft mice. HTQC could prohibit NF-κB-derived luciferase activity in Ca Ski and C-33 A cells and inhibit the relative NF-κB p-p65 and p-IκBα expression with or without TNFα stimulation. At the same time, HTQC inhibited in vitro cell survival in a concentration-dependent manner and suppressed the tumor volume and weight in xenograft models. In summary, HTQC functions as an NF-κB inhibitor to prohibit the survival and proliferation of cervical carcinoma, which can be considered as an NF-κB target remedy in future clinical practice.

Prevotella as the hub of the cervicovaginal microbiota affects the occurrence of persistent human papillomavirus infection and cervical lesions in women of childbearing age via host NF-κB/C-myc

There is evidence that coinfection of cervicovaginal high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) and bacteria is common in women of childbearing age. However, the relationship between bacterial vaginosis (BV) and persistent HR-HPV infection in women of childbearing age and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we determined whether BV affects persistent HR-HPV infection in women aged 20-45 years and explored the possible mechanisms of their interactions. From January 1 to April 30, 2020, we recruited women aged 20-45 years with and without BV at a ratio of 1:2 from Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital. All women were followed up at 0, 12, and 24 months. A BV assay, HR-HPV genotyping and cervical cytology were performed at each follow-up. At 0 months, additional vaginal secretions and cervical exfoliated cells were collected for 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing, bacterial metabolite determination, and POU5F1B, C-myc, TLR4, NF-κB, and hTERT quantification. A total of 920 women were included. The abundance of Prevotella (p = 0.016) and Gardnerella (p = 0.027) were higher, whereas the abundance of Lactobacillus was lower (p = 0.001) in women with persistent HR-HPV infection and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL). The abundance of Prevotella (p = 0.025) and Gardnerella (p = 0.018) increased in the vaginas of women with persistent HPV16 infection, whereas only the abundance of Prevotella (p = 0.026) was increased in women with persistent HPV18 infection. The abundance of Prevotella in the vagina was significantly positively correlated with the expression levels of TLR4, NF-κB, C-myc, and hTERT in host cervical cells (p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that overgrowth of Prevotella in the vagina may influence the occurrence of persistent HR-HPV infection-related cervical lesions through host NF-κB and C-myc signaling.

Prediction of the Mechanisms by Which Quercetin Enhances Cisplatin Action in Cervical Cancer: A Network Pharmacology Study and Experimental Validation

Yimucao has been used as an herbal medicine to treat gynecological diseases. Common genes of Yimucao active compounds were investigated using network pharmacology. The components and targets of Yimucao were retrieved from the TCMSP database. Cervical cancer targets were collected from GeneCards, TTD, DisGeNET, and KEGG. Cisplatin-related genes were downloaded from GeneWeaver. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was created using the STRING database. A drug-bioactive compound-disease-target network was constructed using Cytoscape. GO and KEGG analyses were performed to investigate common targets of quercetin and cisplatin in cervical cancer. We found that quercetin was the highly bioactive compound in Yimucao. The drug-bioactive compound-disease-target network contained 93 nodes and 261 edges. Drug-related key targets were identified, including EGFR, IL6, CASP3, VEGFA, MYC, CCND1, ERBB2, FOS, PPARG, and CASP8. Core targets were primarily related to the response to metal ions, cellular response to xenobiotic stimulus, and transcription factor complex. The KEGG pathway analysis revealed that quercetin and cisplatin may affect cervical cancer through platinum drug resistance and the p53 and HIF-1 pathways. Furthermore, quercetin combined with cisplatin downregulated the expression of EGFR, MYC, CCND1, and ERBB2 proteins and upregulated CASP8 expression in HeLa and SiHa cells. Functionally, quercetin enhanced cisplatin-induced anticancer activity in cervical cancer cells. Our results indicate that quercetin can be used to overcome cisplatin resistance in cervical cancer cells.

Impact of p53, HIF1a, Ki-67, CA-9, and GLUT1 Expression on Treatment Outcomes in Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer Patients Treated With Definitive Chemoradiation Therapy

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to assess the association between pretreatment p53, hypoxia inducible factor 1a (HIF1a), Ki-67, carbonic anhydrase-9 (CA-9), and glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) expression in locally advanced cervical cancer patients treated definitively with concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CRT) and treatment outcomes including overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), local-regional control (LC), and distant metastases-free survival (DMFS).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Twenty-eight patients treated definitively and consecutively for cervical cancer with CRT had p53, HIF1a, Ki-67, CA-9, and GLUT1 protein expression assessed and scored semiquantitatively by 3 pathologists, blinded to the treatment outcomes. Outcomes were stratified by p53 (H-score: <15 vs. ≥15), HIF1a (H-score: <95 vs. ≥95), Ki-67 (labeling index <41% vs. ≥41%), CA-9 (H-score: <15 vs. ≥15), and GLUT1 (H-score: <175 vs. ≥175) expression. OS, PFS, LC, and DMFS rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and differences between groups were evaluated by the log-rank test.

RESULTS

Notable clinical characteristics of the cohort included median age of 51 years (range: 32 to 74 y), FIGO stage IIB disease (57.2%), clinical node-negative disease (64.3%), squamous cell carcinoma (89.3%), and adenocarcinoma (10.7%). Treatment outcomes included 5-year OS (57.2%), PFS (48.1%), LC (72.1%), and DMFS (62.9%). For HIF1a H-score <95 and ≥95, the 5-year OS (52.0% and 68.4%, P=0.58), PFS (53.0% and 40.9%, P=0.75), LC (71.6% and 68.2%, P=0.92), and DMFS (59.7% and 52.0%, P=0.91) were not significantly different. For Ki-67 labeling index <41% and ≥41%, the 5-year OS (44.9% and 66.6%, P=0.35), PFS (38.9% and 55.4%, P=0.53), LC (57.7% and 85.7%, P=0.22), and DMFS (67.3% and 61.0%, P=0.94) were not significantly different. For CA-9 H-score <15 and ≥15, the 5-year OS (54.4% and 66.7%, P=0.39), PFS (57.3% and 40.0%, P=0.87), LC (70.0% and 70.0%, P=0.95), and DMFS (70.0% and 46.7%, P=0.94) were not significantly different. For GLUT1 H-score <175 and ≥175, the 5-year OS (43.6% and 43.6%, P=0.32), PFS (55.6% and 49.5%, P=0.72), LC (72.9% and 71.5%, P=0.97), and DMFS (62.5% and 59.6%, P=0.76) were not significantly different. For p53, H-score <15 and ≥15, the 5-year OS (62% and 53%), PFS (63% and 30.3%), LC (87.5% and 52%), and DMFS (79.6% and 41.6%).

CONCLUSIONS

In this study population, HIF1a, Ki-67, CA-9, and GLUT1 expression did not predict treatment response or outcomes in locally advanced cervical cancer patients treated definitively with CRT. There was a nonstatistically significant trend towards worse outcomes with p53 expression.

Sulfasalazine synergistically enhances the inhibitory effects of imatinib against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells by targeting NFκB, BCR/ABL, and PI3K/AKT signaling pathway-related proteins

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related fatalities worldwide. Identification of second-line therapies for patients with progressive HCC is urgently required as the use of sorafenib and/or regorafenib remains unsatisfactory. Imatinib, a small-molecule kinase inhibitor, is used to treat certain types of cancer, and nuclear factor κB (NFκB) is a positive regulator of cancer cell expansion. The combined use of tyrosine kinase and NFκB inhibitors may have potential for treating HCC. The aim of this work was to assess the potential anticarcinogenic effects of imatinib and sulfasalazine alone or in combination on the human HCC cell lines HEPG2 and Huh-7. Both drugs were shown to affect the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B, phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of translation (p-STAT-3), breakpoint cluster region protein/Abelson proto-oncogene and NFκB pathways. At the transcriptional level, imatinib and sulfasalazine were found to synergistically down-regulate c-MET gene expression. When compared with the activities of either medication alone, combined use of imatinib and sulfasalazine enhanced inhibition of HCC cell proliferation and extended induction of apoptosis. In summary, the presented data suggest that sulfasalazine synergistically potentiates the antitumor effects of imatinib.