Meloxicam Inhibits Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression and Enhances the Sensitivity of Immunotherapy via the MicroRNA-200/PD-L1 Pathway

NOS2 and COX-2 Co-Expression Promotes Cancer Progression: A Potential Target for Developing Agents to Prevent or Treat Highly Aggressive Breast Cancer

Nitric oxide (NO) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) exert profound biological impacts dictated by their chemistry. Understanding their spatial distribution is essential for deciphering their roles in diverse biological processes. This review establishes a framework for the chemical biology of NO and RNS, exploring their dynamic reactions within the context of cancer. Concentration-dependent signaling reveals distinctive processes in cancer, with three levels of NO influencing oncogenic properties. In this context, NO plays a crucial role in cancer cell proliferation, metastasis, chemotherapy resistance, and immune suppression. Increased NOS2 expression correlates with poor survival across different tumors, including breast cancer. Additionally, NOS2 can crosstalk with the proinflammatory enzyme cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) to promote cancer progression. NOS2 and COX-2 co-expression establishes a positive feed-forward loop, driving immunosuppression and metastasis in estrogen receptor-negative (ER-) breast cancer. Spatial evaluation of NOS2 and COX-2 reveals orthogonal expression, suggesting the unique roles of these niches in the tumor microenvironment (TME). NOS2 and COX2 niche formation requires IFN-γ and cytokine-releasing cells. These niches contribute to poor clinical outcomes, emphasizing their role in cancer progression. Strategies to target these markers include direct inhibition, involving pan-inhibitors and selective inhibitors, as well as indirect approaches targeting their induction or downstream effectors. Compounds from cruciferous vegetables are potential candidates for NOS2 and COX-2 inhibition offering therapeutic applications. Thus, understanding the chemical biology of NO and RNS, their spatial distribution, and their implications in cancer progression provides valuable insights for developing targeted therapies and preventive strategies.

Cascade Co8FeS8@Co1-xS nano-enzymes trigger efficiently apoptosis-ferroptosis combination tumor therapy

This study involved the preparation of Metal Organic Frameworks (MOF)-derived Co8FeS8@Co1-xS nanoenzymes with strong interfacial interactions. The nanoenzymes presented the peroxidase (POD)-like activity and the oxidation activity of reduced glutathione (GSH). Accordingly, the dual activities of Co8FeS8@Co1-xS provided a self-cascading platform for producing significant amounts of hydroxyl radical (•OH) and depleting reduced glutathione, thereby inducing tumor cell apoptosis and ferroptosis. More importantly, the Co8FeS8@Co1-xS inhibited the anti-apoptosis protein B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and activated caspase family proteins, which caused tumor cell apoptosis. Simultaneously, Co8FeS8@Co1-xS affected the iron metabolism-related genes such as Heme oxygenase-1 (Hmox-1), amplifying the Fenton response and promoting apoptosis and ferroptosis. Therefore, the nanoenzyme synergistically killed anti-apoptotic tumor cells carrying Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) mutations. Furthermore, Co8FeS8@Co1-xS demonstrated good biocompatibility, which paved the way for constructing a synergistic catalytic nanoplatform for an efficient tumor treatment.

Effect of miRNA-200b on the proliferation of liver cancer cells via targeting SMYD2/p53 signaling pathway

OBJECTIVES

Our previous study has verified that high level of SET and MYND domain-containing protein 2 (SMYD2) plays an important role in acquiring aggressive ability for liver cancer cells in hepatocellular carcinoma. MiR-200b as a tumor suppressor gene involves in a variety of cancers. This study aims to investigate the correlation between miR-200b and SMYD2 in hepatocellular carcinoma and the underlying mechanism.

METHODS

Firstly, the levels of SMYD2 and miR-200b in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and matched adjacent non-tumor liver tissues were tested with real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting. Secondly, we evaluated the interaction between miR-200b and SMYD2 using dual-luciferase reporter assay. Thirdly, we elucidated the effect of miR-200b on SMYD2 and its downstream targets p53/CyclinE1. Finally, we silenced SMYD2 in hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines to investigate its effect on tumor proliferation and cell cycle progression, and further confirmed the correlation among SMYD2 and p53/CyclinE1.

RESULTS

Compared with the matched adjacent non-tumor liver tissues, miR-200b was obviously decreased, and SMYD2 was significantly increased in hepatocellular carcinoma (both P<0.05). Spearman's rank correlation revealed that miR-200b expression was negatively correlated with SMYD2 (P<0.01). Computer algorithm and dual-luciferase reporter assay revealed that miR-200b directly targeted and suppressed SMYD2 in HEK 293T cells. The down-regulated miR-200b expression promoted hepatoma cell proliferation (P<0.05) and increased SMYD2 expression(P<0.01), while the up-regulated expression of miR-200b had an opposite effect. The knockdown of SMYD2 suppressed the proliferation of MHCC-97L cells (P<0.01), down-regulated CyclinE1, and up-regulated p53 expression (both P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

MiR-200b is involved in hepatocellular carcinoma progression via targeting SMYD2 and regulating SMYD2/p53/CyclinE1 signaling pathway and may be used as a potential target for hepatocellular carcinoma treatment.

Non-Invasive Biomarkers for Immunotherapy in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives

Simple Summary

The search for non-invasive biomarkers is a hot topic in modern oncology, since a tissue biopsy has significant limitations in terms of cost and invasiveness. The treatment perspectives have been significantly improved after the approval of immunotherapy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma; therefore, the quick identification of responders is crucial to define the best therapeutic strategy. In this review, the current knowledge on the available non-invasive biomarkers of the response to immunotherapy is described.

Abstract

The treatment perspectives of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have deeply changed after the introduction of immunotherapy. The results in responders show improved survival compared with Sorafenib, but only one-third of patients achieve a significant benefit from treatment. As the tumor microenvironment exerts a central role in shaping the response to immunotherapy, the future goal of HCC treatment should be to identify a proxy of the hepatic tissue condition that is easy to use in clinical practice. Therefore, the search for biomarkers that are accurate in predicting prognosis will be the hot topic in the therapeutic management of HCC in the near future. Understanding the mechanisms of resistance to immunotherapy may expand the patient population that will benefit from it, and help researchers to find new combination regimens to improve patients’ outcomes. In this review, we describe the current knowledge on the prognostic non-invasive biomarkers related to treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors, focusing on serological markers and gut microbiota.