Screening and introduction of key cell cycle microRNAs deregulated in colorectal cancer by integrated bioinformatics analysis

Identification and analysis of the molecular targets of statins in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in the world. According to several types of research, statins may impact the development and treatment of CRC. This work aimed to use bioinformatics to discover the relationship between statin targets and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in CRC patients and determine the possible molecular effect of statins on CRC suppression. We used CRC datasets from the GEO database to select CRC-related DEGs. DGIdb and STITCH databases were used to identify gene targets of subtypes of statin. Further, we identified the statin target of CRC DEGs hub genes by using a Venn diagram of CRC DEGs and statin targets. Funrich and enrichr databases were carried out for the KEGG pathway and gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis, respectively. GSE74604 and GSE10950 were used to identify CRC DEGs. After analyzing datasets,1370 genes were identified as CRC DEGs, and 345 targets were found for statins. We found that 35 genes are CRC DEGs statin targets. We found that statin targets in CRC were enriched in the receptor and metallopeptidase activity for molecular function, cytoplasm and plasma membrane for cellular component, signal transduction, and cell communication for biological process genes were substantially enriched based on FunRich enrichment. Analysis of the KEGG pathways revealed that the overexpressed DEGs were enriched in the IL-17, PPAR, and Toll-like receptor signaling pathways. Finally, CCNB1, DNMT1, AURKB, RAC1, PPARGC1A, CDKN1A, CAV1, IL1B, and HSPD1 were identified as hub CRC DEGs statin targets. The genetic and molecular aspects of our findings reveal that statins might have a therapeutic effect on CRC.

Impact of curcumin on ferroptosis-related genes in colorectal cancer: Insights from in-silico and in-vitro studies

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is responsible for a significant number of cancer-related fatalities worldwide. Researchers are investigating the therapeutic potential of ferroptosis, a type of iron-dependent controlled cell death, in the context of CRC. Curcumin, a natural compound found in turmeric, exhibits anticancer properties. This study explores the effects of curcumin on genes related to ferroptosis (FRGs) in CRC. To gather CRC data, we used the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases, while FRGs were obtained from the FerrDb database and PubMed. We identified 739 CRC differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in CRC and discovered 39 genes that were common genes between FRGs and CRC DEGs. The DEGs related to ferroptosis were enriched with various biological processes and molecular functions, including the regulation of signal transduction and glucose metabolism. Using the Drug Gene Interaction Database (DGIdb), we predicted drugs targeting CRC-DEGs and identified 17 potential drug targets. Additionally, we identified eight essential proteins related to ferroptosis in CRC, including MYC, IL1B, and SLC1A5. Survival analysis revealed that alterations in gene expression of CDC25A, DDR2, FABP4, IL1B, SNCA, and TFAM were associated with prognosis in CRC patients. In SW480 human CRC cells, treatment with curcumin decreased the expression of MYC, IL1B, and EZH2 mRNA, while simultaneously increasing the expression of SLCA5 and CAV1. The findings of this study suggest that curcumin could regulate FRGs in CRC and have the potential to be utilized as a therapeutic agent for treating CRC.