1
|
Martínez-Campa C, Álvarez-García V, Alonso-González C, González A, Cos S. Melatonin and Its Role in the Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) in Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:956. [PMID: 38473317 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16050956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a cell-biological program that occurs during the progression of several physiological processes and that can also take place during pathological situations such as carcinogenesis. The EMT program consists of the sequential activation of a number of intracellular signaling pathways aimed at driving epithelial cells toward the acquisition of a series of intermediate phenotypic states arrayed along the epithelial-mesenchymal axis. These phenotypic features include changes in the motility, conformation, polarity and functionality of cancer cells, ultimately leading cells to stemness, increased invasiveness, chemo- and radioresistance and the formation of cancer metastasis. Amongst the different existing types of the EMT, type 3 is directly involved in carcinogenesis. A type 3 EMT occurs in neoplastic cells that have previously acquired genetic and epigenetic alterations, specifically affecting genes involved in promoting clonal outgrowth and invasion. Markers such as E-cadherin; N-cadherin; vimentin; and transcription factors (TFs) like Twist, Snail and ZEB are considered key molecules in the transition. The EMT process is also regulated by microRNA expression. Many miRNAs have been reported to repress EMT-TFs. Thus, Snail 1 is repressed by miR-29, miR-30a and miR-34a; miR-200b downregulates Slug; and ZEB1 and ZEB2 are repressed by miR-200 and miR-205, respectively. Occasionally, some microRNA target genes act downstream of the EMT master TFs; thus, Twist1 upregulates the levels of miR-10b. Melatonin is an endogenously produced hormone released mainly by the pineal gland. It is widely accepted that melatonin exerts oncostatic actions in a large variety of tumors, inhibiting the initiation, progression and invasion phases of tumorigenesis. The molecular mechanisms underlying these inhibitory actions are complex and involve a great number of processes. In this review, we will focus our attention on the ability of melatonin to regulate some key EMT-related markers, transcription factors and micro-RNAs, summarizing the multiple ways by which this hormone can regulate the EMT. Since melatonin has no known toxic side effects and is also known to help overcome drug resistance, it is a good candidate to be considered as an adjuvant drug to conventional cancer therapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Martínez-Campa
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Cantabria and Instituto de Investigación Valdecilla (IDIVAL), 39011 Santander, Spain
| | - Virginia Álvarez-García
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Cantabria and Instituto de Investigación Valdecilla (IDIVAL), 39011 Santander, Spain
| | - Carolina Alonso-González
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Cantabria and Instituto de Investigación Valdecilla (IDIVAL), 39011 Santander, Spain
| | - Alicia González
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Cantabria and Instituto de Investigación Valdecilla (IDIVAL), 39011 Santander, Spain
| | - Samuel Cos
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Cantabria and Instituto de Investigación Valdecilla (IDIVAL), 39011 Santander, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Li L, Lin M, Luo J, Sun H, Zhang Z, Lin D, Chen L, Feng S, Lin X, Zhou R, Song J. Loss of keratin 23 enhances growth inhibitory effect of melatonin in gastric cancer. Mol Med Rep 2024; 29:22. [PMID: 38099343 PMCID: PMC10784722 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2023.13145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
To investigate the effect of keratin 23 (KRT23) on the anticancer activity of melatonin (MLT) against gastric cancer (GC) cells, microarray analysis was applied to screen differentially expressed genes in AGS GC cells following MLT treatment. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of KRT23 in GC cells and normal gastric epithelial cell line GES‑1. KRT23 knockout was achieved by CRISPR/Cas9. Assays of cell viability, colony formation, cell cycle, electric cell‑substrate impedance sensing and western blotting were conducted to reveal the biological functions of KRT23‑knockout cells without or with MLT treatment. Genes downregulated by MLT were enriched in purine metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, genetic information processing and cell cycle pathway. Expression levels of KRT23 were downregulated by MLT treatment. Expression levels of KRT23 in AGS and SNU‑216 GC cell lines were significantly higher compared with normal gastric epithelial cell line GES‑1. KRT23 knockout led to reduced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and p38, arrest of the cell cycle and inhibition of GC cell proliferation. Moreover, KRT23 knockout further enhanced the inhibitory activity of MLT on the tumor cell proliferation by inhibiting the phosphorylation of p38/ERK. KRT23 knockout contributes to the antitumor effects of MLT in GC via suppressing p38/ERK phosphorylation. In the future, KRT23 might be a potential prognostic biomarker and a novel molecular target for GC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Li Li
- Key Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Cancer (Fujian Medical University), Ministry of Education, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, P.R. China
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, The School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, P.R. China
| | - Meifang Lin
- Department of Pathology, Affiliated Zhongshan Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361004, P.R. China
| | - Jianhua Luo
- Key Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Cancer (Fujian Medical University), Ministry of Education, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, P.R. China
| | - Huaqin Sun
- Center of Translational Hematology, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350001, P.R. China
| | - Zhiguang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Cancer (Fujian Medical University), Ministry of Education, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, P.R. China
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, The School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, P.R. China
| | - Dacen Lin
- Key Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Cancer (Fujian Medical University), Ministry of Education, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, P.R. China
| | - Lushan Chen
- Department of Pathology, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian 350001, P.R. China
| | - Sisi Feng
- Key Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Cancer (Fujian Medical University), Ministry of Education, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, P.R. China
| | - Xiuping Lin
- Key Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Cancer (Fujian Medical University), Ministry of Education, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, P.R. China
| | - Ruixiang Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Cancer (Fujian Medical University), Ministry of Education, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, P.R. China
- Department of Histology and Embryology, The School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, P.R. China
| | - Jun Song
- Key Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Cancer (Fujian Medical University), Ministry of Education, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, P.R. China
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, The School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108, P.R. China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Rafiyan M, Davoodvandi A, Reiter RJ, Mansournia MA, Rasooli Manesh SM, Arabshahi V, Asemi Z. Melatonin and cisplatin co-treatment against cancer: A mechanistic review of their synergistic effects and melatonin's protective actions. Pathol Res Pract 2024; 253:155031. [PMID: 38103362 DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2023.155031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Combination chemotherapy appears to be a preferable option for some cancer patients, especially when the medications target multiple pathways of oncogenesis; individuals treated with combination treatments may have a better prognosis than those treated with single agent chemotherapy. However, research has revealed that this is not always the case, and that this technique may just enhance toxicity while having little effect on boosting the anticancer effects of the medications. Cisplatin (CDDP) is a chemotherapeutic medicine that is commonly used to treat many forms of cancer. However, it has major adverse effects such as cardiotoxicity, skin necrosis, testicular toxicity, and nephrotoxicity. Many research have been conducted to investigate the effectiveness of melatonin (MLT) as an anticancer medication. MLT operates in a variety of ways, including decreasing cancer cell growth, causing apoptosis, and preventing metastasis. We review the literature on the role of MLT as an adjuvant in CDDP-based chemotherapies and discuss how MLT may enhance CDDP's antitumor effects (e.g., by inducing apoptosis and suppressing metastasis) while protecting other organs from its adverse effects, such as cardio- and nephrotoxicity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mahdi Rafiyan
- School of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran; Student Research Committee, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
| | - Amirhossein Davoodvandi
- Student Research Committee, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran; Cancer Immunology Project (CIP), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran.
| | - Russel J Reiter
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, UT Health. Long School of Medicine, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Mohammad Ali Mansournia
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Vajiheh Arabshahi
- Research Center for Biochemistry and Nutrition in Metabolic Diseases, Institute for Basic Sciences, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
| | - Zatollah Asemi
- Research Center for Biochemistry and Nutrition in Metabolic Diseases, Institute for Basic Sciences, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
| |
Collapse
|