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Bani N, Rahmani F, Shakour N, Amerizadeh F, Khalili-Tanha G, Khazaei M, Hassanian SM, Kerachian MA, Abbaszadegan MR, Mojarad M, Hadizadeh F, Ferns GA, Avan A. Wortmannin Inhibits Cell Growth and Induces Apoptosis in Colorectal Cancer Cells by Suppressing the PI3K/AKT Pathway. Anticancer Agents Med Chem 2024; 24:916-927. [PMID: 38584531 DOI: 10.2174/0118715206296355240325113920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Revised: 03/02/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a significant contributor to mortality, often exacerbated by metastasis and chemoresistance. Novel therapeutic strategies are imperative to enhance current treatments. The dysregulation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway is implicated in CRC progression. This study investigates the therapeutic potential of Wortmannin, combined with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), to target the PI3K/Akt pathway in CRC. METHODS Anti-migratory and antiproliferative effects were assessed through wound healing and MTT assays. Apoptosis and cell cycle alterations were evaluated using Annexin V/Propidium Iodide Apoptosis Assay. Wortmannin's impact on the oxidant/antioxidant equilibrium was examined via ROS, SOD, CAT, MDA, and T-SH levels. Downstream target genes of the PI3K/AKT pathway were analyzed at mRNA and protein levels using RTPCR and western blot, respectively. RESULTS Wortmannin demonstrated a significant inhibitory effect on cell proliferation, modulating survivin, cyclinD1, PI3K, and p-Akt. The PI3K inhibitor attenuated migratory activity, inducing E-cadherin expression. Combined Wortmannin with 5-FU induced apoptosis, increasing cells in sub-G1 via elevated ROS levels. CONCLUSION This study underscores Wortmannin's potential in inhibiting CRC cell growth and migration through PI3K/Akt pathway modulation. It also highlights its candidacy for further investigation as a promising therapeutic option in colorectal cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nastaran Bani
- Department of Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Medical Genetics Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Farzad Rahmani
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Neda Shakour
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Student Research Committee, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Forouzan Amerizadeh
- Department of Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Ghazaleh Khalili-Tanha
- Department of Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Majid Khazaei
- Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Seyed Mahdi Hassanian
- Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Mohammad Amin Kerachian
- Department of Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Medical Genetics Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Abbaszadegan
- Department of Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Medical Genetics Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Majid Mojarad
- Department of Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Medical Genetics Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Farzin Hadizadeh
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Biotechnology Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Gordon A Ferns
- Department of Medical Education, Brighton & Sussex Medical School, Falmer, Brighton, Sussex BN1 9PH, UK
| | - Amir Avan
- Department of Medical Genetics and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Medical Genetics Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
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Zhang Z, Zhao Y, Wang Y, Zhao Y, Guo J. Autophagy/ferroptosis in colorectal cancer: Carcinogenic view and nanoparticle-mediated cell death regulation. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 238:117006. [PMID: 37669735 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023]
Abstract
The cell death mechanisms have a long history of being evaluated in diseases and pathological events. The ability of triggering cell death is considered to be a promising strategy in cancer therapy, but some mechanisms have dual functions in cancer, requiring more elucidation of underlying factors. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a disease and malignant condition of colon and rectal that causes high mortality and morbidity. The autophagy targeting in CRC is therapeutic importance and this cell death mechanism can interact with apoptosis in inhibiting or increasing apoptosis. Autophagy has interaction with ferroptosis as another cell death pathway in CRC and can accelerate ferroptosis in suppressing growth and invasion. The dysregulation of autophagy affects the drug resistance in CRC and pro-survival autophagy can induce drug resistance. Therefore, inhibition of protective autophagy enhances chemosensitivity in CRC cells. Moreover, autophagy displays interaction with metastasis and EMT as a potent regulator of invasion in CRC cells. The same is true for ferroptosis, but the difference is that function of ferroptosis is determined and it can reduce viability. The lack of ferroptosis can cause development of chemoresistance in CRC cells and this cell death mechanism is regulated by various pathways and mechanisms that autophagy is among them. Therefore, current review paper provides a state-of-art analysis of autophagy, ferroptosis and their crosstalk in CRC. The nanoparticle-mediated regulation of cell death mechanisms in CRC causes changes in progression. The stimulation of ferroptosis and control of autophagy (induction or inhibition) by nanoparticles can impair CRC progression. The engineering part of nanoparticle synthesis to control autophagy and ferroptosis in CRC still requires more attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhibin Zhang
- Chengde Medical College, College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengde, Hebei, 067000, China.
| | - Yintao Zhao
- Chengde Medical College, Chengde, Hebei, 067000, China
| | - Yuman Wang
- Chengde Medical College, Chengde, Hebei, 067000, China
| | - Yutang Zhao
- Chengde Medical College, Chengde, Hebei, 067000, China
| | - Jianen Guo
- Chengde Medical College, Chengde, Hebei, 067000, China
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Ye J, Zhang J, Zhu Y, Wang L, Jiang X, Liu B, He G. Targeting autophagy and beyond: Deconvoluting the complexity of Beclin-1 from biological function to cancer therapy. Acta Pharm Sin B 2023; 13:4688-4714. [PMID: 38045051 PMCID: PMC10692397 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2023.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Beclin-1 is the firstly-identified mammalian protein of the autophagy machinery, which functions as a molecular scaffold for the assembly of PI3KC3 (class III phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase) complex, thus controlling autophagy induction and other cellular trafficking events. Notably, there is mounting evidence establishing the implications of Beclin-1 in diverse tumorigenesis processes, including tumor suppression and progression as well as resistance to cancer therapeutics and CSC (cancer stem-like cell) maintenance. More importantly, Beclin-1 has been confirmed as a potential target for the treatment of multiple cancers. In this review, we provide a comprehensive survey of the structure, functions, and regulations of Beclin-1, and we discuss recent advances in understanding the controversial roles of Beclin-1 in oncology. Moreover, we focus on summarizing the targeted Beclin-1-regulating strategies in cancer therapy, providing novel insights into a promising strategy for regulating Beclin-1 to improve cancer therapeutics in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Ye
- Department of Dermatology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Jin Zhang
- Department of Dermatology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Yanghui Zhu
- Department of Dermatology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Lian Wang
- Department of Dermatology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
- Laboratory of Dermatology, Clinical Institute of Inflammation and Immunology (CIII), Frontiers Science Center for Disease Related Molecular Network, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Xian Jiang
- Department of Dermatology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Bo Liu
- Department of Dermatology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Gu He
- Department of Dermatology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
- Laboratory of Dermatology, Clinical Institute of Inflammation and Immunology (CIII), Frontiers Science Center for Disease Related Molecular Network, Chengdu 610041, China
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Ghorbanzadeh Neghab M, Jalili-Nik M, Soltani A, Afshari AR, Hassanian SM, Rafatpanah H, Rezaee SA, Sadeghnia HR, Ataei Azimi S, Mashkani B. Rigosertib is more potent than wortmannin and rapamycin against adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma. Biofactors 2023; 49:1174-1188. [PMID: 37345860 DOI: 10.1002/biof.1985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
Human T lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection can cause adult T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia (ATLL), an incurable, chemotherapy-resistant malignancy. In a quest for new therapeutic targets, our study sought to determine the levels of AKT, mTOR, and PI3K in ATLL MT-2 cells, HTLV-1 infected NIH/3T3 cells (Inf-3T3), and HTLV-1 infected patients (Carrier, HAM/TSP, and ATLL). Furthermore, the effects of rigosertib, wortmannin, and rapamycin on the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway to inhibit the proliferation of ATLL cells were examined. The results showed that mRNA expression of Akt/PI3K/mTOR was down-regulated in carrier, HAM/TSP, and ATLL patients, as well as MT-2, and Inf-3T3 cells, compared to the healthy individuals and untreated MT-2 and Inf-3T3 as controls. However, western blotting revealed an increase in the phosphorylated and activated forms of AKT and mTOR. Treating the cells with rapamycin, wortmannin, and rigosertib decreased the phosphorylated forms of Akt and mTOR and restored their mRNA expression levels. Using these inhibitors also significantly boosted the expression of the pro-apoptotic genes, Bax/Bcl-2 ratio as well as the expression of the tumor suppressor gene p53 in the MT-2 and Inf-3T3cells. Rigosertib was more potent than wortmannin and rapamycin in inducing sub-G1 and G2-M cell cycle arrest, as well as late apoptosis in the Inf-3T3 and MT-2 cells. It also synergized the cytotoxic effects of vincristine. These findings demonstrate that HTLV-1 downregulation of the mRNA level may occur as a negative feedback response to increased PI3K-Akt-mTOR phosphorylation by HTLV-1. Therefore, using rigosertib alone or in combination with common chemotherapy drugs may be beneficial in ATLL patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mohammad Jalili-Nik
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Arash Soltani
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Surgical Oncology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Amir R Afshari
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran
| | - Seyed Mahdi Hassanian
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Houshang Rafatpanah
- Department of Medical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Seyed Abdolrahim Rezaee
- Department of Medical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Hamid R Sadeghnia
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Sajad Ataei Azimi
- Department of Hematology Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Baratali Mashkani
- Bioinformatics Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
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Zhang L, Zhu Y, Zhang J, Zhang L, Chen L. Inhibiting Cytoprotective Autophagy in Cancer Therapy: An Update on Pharmacological Small-Molecule Compounds. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:966012. [PMID: 36034776 PMCID: PMC9403721 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.966012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Autophagy is a self-degradation process in which damaged proteins and organelles are engulfed into autophagosomes for digestion and eventually recycled for cellular metabolism to maintain intracellular homeostasis. Accumulating studies have reported that autophagy has the Janus role in cancer as a tumor suppressor or an oncogenic role to promote the growth of established tumors and developing drug resistance. Importantly, cytoprotective autophagy plays a prominent role in many types of human cancers, thus inhibiting autophagy, and has been regarded as a promising therapeutic strategy for cancer therapy. Here, we focus on summarizing small-molecule compounds inhibiting the autophagy process, as well as further discuss other dual-target small-molecule compounds, combination strategies, and other strategies to improve potential cancer therapy. Therefore, these findings will shed new light on exploiting more small-molecule compounds inhibiting cytoprotective autophagy as candidate drugs for fighting human cancers in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijuan Zhang
- Department of Pharmacy, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Personalized Drug Therapy Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Yuxuan Zhu
- Department of Pharmacy, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Personalized Drug Therapy Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Jiahui Zhang
- Sichuan Engineering Research Center for Biomimetic Synthesis of Natural Drugs, School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
- School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design and Discovery of Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Lan Zhang
- Sichuan Engineering Research Center for Biomimetic Synthesis of Natural Drugs, School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
- *Correspondence: Lan Zhang, ; Lu Chen,
| | - Lu Chen
- Department of Pharmacy, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Personalized Drug Therapy Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- *Correspondence: Lan Zhang, ; Lu Chen,
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Zhang B, Liu L. Autophagy is a double-edged sword in the therapy of colorectal cancer. Oncol Lett 2021; 21:378. [PMID: 33777202 PMCID: PMC7988732 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2021.12639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. The limitations of colorectal cancer treatment include various types of multidrug resistance and the contingent damage to neighboring normal cells caused by chemotherapy. Macroautophagy/autophagy and apoptosis are essential mechanisms involved in cancer cell regulation of chemotherapy. Autophagy can either cause cancer cell death or promote tumor survival during colorectal cancer. Given that autophagy is involved in chemotherapy of colorectal cancer, an improved insight into the potential interactions between apoptosis and autophagy is crucial. The present review aimed to summarize the involvement of autophagy in the regulation of colorectal cancer and its association with chemotherapy. Furthermore, the role of natural product extraction, novel chemicals and small molecules, as well as radiation, which induce autophagy in colorectal cancer cells, were reviewed. Finally, the present review aimed to provide an outlook for the regulation of autophagy as a novel approach to the treatment of cancer, particularly chemotherapy-resistant colorectal cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Zhang
- Medical Laboratory for Radiation Research, Beijing Institute for Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment, Beijing 100093, P.R. China.,College of Food Science and Engineering, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning 121000, P.R. China
| | - Lantao Liu
- Medical Laboratory for Radiation Research, Beijing Institute for Occupational Disease Prevention and Treatment, Beijing 100093, P.R. China
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