Metastasis-Associated Protein 1 Is Involved in Angiogenesis after Transarterial Chemoembolization Treatment

One-day examination of triple nuclear medicine imaging and application in evaluating transarterial embolization

A diagnosis based on multiple nuclear medicine imaging (NMI) was more comprehensive in approaching the nature of pathological changes. In this research, a method to realize triple NMIs within one day was developed based on the reasonable arrangements of 68Ga-RGD PET/CT specialized on neovascularization, 99mTc-HL-91 SPECT/CT specialized on hypoxia and 18F-FDG PET/CT specialized on tumor metabolism. Feasibility was verified in evaluating the therapeutic effects of transarterial embolization (TAE) performed on rabbit models with VX2 tumor. Radiation dosimetry was carried out to record the radiation exposure from multiple injections of radiopharmaceuticals. In results, the one-day examination of triple NMIs manifested the diversity of the postoperative histological changes, including the local neovascularization induced by embolization, hypoxic state of embolized tissues, and suppression of tumor metabolism. More importantly, radiation dosage from radiopharmaceuticals was limited below 5.70 ± 0.90 mSv. In conclusion, the strong timeliness and complementarity of one-day examination of triple nuclear medicine imaging made it clinically operative and worthy of popularizing. There was flexibility in combining distinct NMIs according to the clinical demands, so as to provide comprehensive information for diagnosis.

Hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy combined with lenvatinib and PD-1 inhibitors versus lenvatinib and PD-1 inhibitors for HCC refractory to TACE

BACKGROUND AND AIM

The study aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) combined with lenvatinib and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) versus lenvatinib and ICIs for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) refractoriness.

METHODS

Patients with intermediate or advanced TACE-refractory HCC who received lenvatinib and ICIs with or without HAIC between 2020 and 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. The tumor response, overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were evaluated and compared between the two groups. Factors affecting OS and PFS were identified with univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses.

RESULTS

A total of 121 patients were enrolled, with 58 patients assigned to the HAIC-Len-ICI group and 63 patients assigned to the Len-ICI group. A higher objective response rate and disease control rate were found in the HAIC-Len-ICI group than in the Len-ICI group (48.30% vs 23.80%, P = 0.005; 87.90% vs 69.80%, P = 0.02, respectively). The median OS was 24.0 months in the HAIC-Len-ICI group and 13.0 months in the Len-ICI group (P = 0.001). The median PFS was 13.0 months in the HAIC-Len-ICI group and 7.2 months in the Len-ICI group (P < 0.001). Multivariable analyses suggested that the presence of cirrhosis, Child-Pugh B stage, and HAIC-Len-ICI therapy option were prognostic factors for OS and PFS. The incidences of any grade and grade 3/4 TRAEs were both comparable between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

HAIC combined with lenvatinib and ICIs yielded better OS, PFS, ORR, and DCR than lenvatinib-ICI therapy in patients with HCC refractory to TACE, with manageable adverse events.

Unravelling the Mystery inside Cells by Using Single-Molecule Fluorescence Imaging

Live-cell imaging is a powerful technique to study the dynamics and mechanics of various biological molecules like proteins, organelles, DNA, and RNA. With the rapid evolution of optical microscopy, our understanding of how these molecules are implicated in the cells' most critical physiological roles deepens. In this review, we focus on how spatiotemporal nanoscale live-cell imaging at the single molecule level allows for profound contributions towards new discoveries in life science. This review will start by summarizing how single-molecule tracking has been used to analyze membrane dynamics, receptor-ligand interactions, protein-protein interactions, inner- and extra-cellular transport, gene expression/transcription, and whole organelle tracking. We then move on to how current authors are trying to improve single-molecule tracking and overcome current limitations by offering new ways of labeling proteins of interest, multi-channel/color detection, improvements in time-lapse imaging, and new methods and programs to analyze the colocalization and movement of targets. We later discuss how single-molecule tracking can be a beneficial tool used for medical diagnosis. Finally, we wrap up with the limitations and future perspectives of single-molecule tracking and total internal reflection microscopy.

Metastasis-associated protein 1-mediated antitumor and anticancer activity of dietary stilbenes for prostate cancer chemoprevention and therapy

Dietary bioactive polyphenols that demonstrate beneficial biological functions including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activity hold immense promise as effective and safe chemopreventive and chemosensitizing natural anticancer agents. The underlying molecular mechanisms of polyphenols' multiple effects are complex and these molecules are considered promising targets for chemoprevention and therapy. However, the development of novel personalized targeted chemopreventive and therapeutic strategies is essential for successful therapeutic outcomes. In this review, we highlight the potential of metastasis-associated protein 1 (MTA1)-targeted anticancer and antitumor effects of three dietary stilbenes, namely resveratrol, pterostilbene, and gnetin C, for prostate cancer management. MTA1, an epigenetic reader and master transcriptional regulator, plays a key role in all stages of prostate cancer progression and metastasis. Stilbenes inhibit MTA1 expression, disrupt the MTA1/histone deacetylase complex, modulate MTA1-associated Epi-miRNAs and reduce MTA1-dependent inflammation, cell survival, and metastasis in prostate cancer in vitro and in vivo. Overall, the MTA1-targeted strategies involving dietary stilbenes may be valuable for effective chemoprevention in selected subpopulations of early stage prostate cancer patients and for combinatorial strategies with conventional chemotherapeutic drugs against advanced metastatic prostate cancer.

A Nomogram Model for Predicting the Response to Transcatheter Arterial Embolization in Patients With Symptomatic Hepatic Hemangioma

Background: Transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) is regarded as an effective treatment for patients with symptomatic hepatic hemangioma. However, few studies have evaluated the efficacy of TAE alone for treating hepatic hemangioma. The aim of this study was to identify the factors that influence the response to TAE and formulate a quantitative nomogram to optimize the individualized management of hepatic hemangioma.

Methods: We retrospectively studied 276 patients treated with TAE for hepatic hemangioma at our center from January 2011 to December 2019. The full cohort was randomly divided into training and validation cohorts. After assessing the potential predictive factors for the efficacy of TAE in the training cohort, a nomogram model was established and evaluated by discrimination and calibration.

Results: During follow-up, the symptom relief rate was 100%. The tumor blood supply (p < 0.001), tumor number (p = 0.004), and tumor size (p = 0.006) were identified as significant predictors of the failure of tumor shrinkage in response to TAE. The nomogram model showed favorable discrimination and calibration, with a C-index of 0.775 (95% CI, 0.705–0.845) in the training cohort, which was further confirmed in the validation cohort (C-index 0.768; 95% CI, 0.680–0.856). The side effects of TAE were relatively minor and included mainly abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, and the presence of elevated hepatic transaminases.

Conclusion: TAE is a safe and effective treatment for symptomatic hepatic hemangioma. The established nomogram performed well for the estimation of the effect of TAE in patients with hepatic hemangioma and can facilitate the selection of patients who would benefit most from the treatment.

MiR-543 promotes tumorigenesis and angiogenesis in non-small cell lung cancer via modulating metastasis associated protein 1

OBJECTIVE

This study is aimed to explore the role of miR-543 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and verify whether miR-543 targets metastasis associated protein 1 (MTA1) to affect tumorigenesis and angiogenesis in NSCLC.

METHODS

Firstly, miR-543 mimic and inhibitor were transfected into A549 cells and H1299 cells. The cells proliferation was tested by MTT and clone formation. The cells apoptosis was analyzed by cytometry. Tube formation assay was used to measure the vascularization of cells. qRT-PCR and Western Blot were used to measure the MTA1 expression. Dual-luciferase assay was used to analyze whether miR-543 targets MTA1. Secondly, MTA1 mimic and inhibitor were transfected into cells to analyze the effect of MTA1 on proliferation and angiogenesis in NSCLC cells. Lastly, the nude mice were used to verify the effect of miR-543 on tumorigenesis and angiogeneisis in NSCLC via modulating MATA1.

RESULTS

miR-543 overexpression could apparently promote cells proliferation and angiogeneisis in NSCLC cells. Meanwhile, the MTA1 expression was increased after transfecting miR-543 mimic. Dual luciferase reporter assay revealed MTA1 was a downstream target of miR-543. Further studies showed that inhibition of MTA1 weakened the role of miR-543 overexpression in NSCLC cells. Vivo experiments revealed that miR-543 promoted cells proliferation and angiogenesis in tumor tissues via modulating MTA1.

CONCLUSION

miR-543 could target MTA1 to promote tumorigenesis and angiogenesis in NSCLC via targeting MTA1.

Metastasis-Associated 1 (MTA1) Gene Expression Promotes Angiogenesis in Mouse Xenografts from Human Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) Cells

BACKGROUND This study aimed to investigate the effects of metastasis-associated 1 (MTA1) gene expression and gene silencing in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells in vitro and on angiogenesis in tumor xenografts in vivo in nude mice. MATERIAL AND METHODS Human H460 and H1299 NSCLC cell lines underwent transfection with lentiviral transfer plasmids (lenti) and short-interfering RNA (si-RNA) and included a control group, a lenti-MTA1 group, a lenti-si-MTA1 group, a lenti control group, and a si-RNA control group. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect MTA1 gene expression after cell transfection. MTA1 transfection was more effective in H460 cells, which were selected for further in vivo studies. Sixty Balb/c nude mice, containing human H460 cell tumor xenografts, included a control group (N=20), a lenti-MTA1 group (N=20), and a lenti-si-MTA1 group (N=20). Tumor tissue immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of MTA1 protein and microvessel density (MVD) using CD31. Western blot was used to quantify the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), angiopoietin 1/2 (Ang1/2), hypoxia-inducible factor 1-a (HIF-1a), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). RESULTS MTA1 silencing with si-RNA significantly reduced the tumor growth rate in nude mice (p<0.01), reduced tumor MVD, and 70% of mice survived for more than 30 days. MTA1 overexpression resulted in the death of all mice at 30 days after tumor inoculation and upregulated the expression of COX-2, Ang1/2, HIF-1a and VEGF, which were down-regulated by MTA1 silencing. CONCLUSIONS MTA1 gene expression promoted angiogenesis in mouse xenografts from human NSCLC cells.