Remodeling of hepatic stellate cells orchestrated the stroma-derived oxaliplatin-resistance through CCN3 paracrine in hepatocellular carcinoma

CYP2E1 triggered GRP78/ATF6/CHOP signaling axis inhibit apoptosis and promotes progression of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) is an enzyme, primarily involved in the metabolism of xenobiotics and procarcinogens. The present study was designed to investigate the potential role of CYP2E1 triggered endoplasmic reticulum stress in the progression of HCC through inhibition of apoptosis. In vitro CYP2E1 promotes HepG2 cell migration, reduced chromatin condensation, enhanced intracellular ROS accumulation and induce cell cycle progression. Conversely this effect was averted by CYP2E1 siRNA, selective inhibitor Diallyl sulphide (DAS) and antioxidants (vitamin C and E). In vivo Diethylnitrosamine (DEN) induced HCC rats showed decreased body weight and increased relative liver weight. Moreover, macro trabecular-massive HCC (MTM-HCC) histological subtyping showed pathological features like well-differentiated tumors, micro-trabecular and pseudo glandular patterns, megakaryocytes and cholestasis. Masson's trichrome staining revealed an intensive accumulation of collagen fibers in the extracellular matrix (ECM). Increased CYP2E1, VEGF and PCNA enhance the carcinogenicity as revealed in immunohistochemistry results. Immunoblot analysis showed reduced expression of copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) and manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) in cytosolic as well as mitochondrial fraction of rat liver tissue respectively. Also, increased level of CYP2E1 stimulated the upregulation of unfolded proteins response (UPR) and ER stress-related proteins such as Glucose regulatory protein 78 (GRP78), activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6) and CCAAT enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) homologous protein (CHOP). Meanwhile, CYP2E1 stimulated ER-stress reduces BCL2 and downregulates the cleaved caspase 3 thus suppresses apoptosis. in. Furthermore, immunofluorescence revealed increased expression level of α-SMA in the HCC rat liver tissue. The level of CYP2E1 mRNA was significantly increased. Altogether, these findings indicate that CYP2E1 has a dynamic role in the pathogenesis of HCC and might be a budding agent in liver carcinogenesis therapy.

β-Lapachone Exerts Anticancer Effects by Downregulating p53, Lys-Acetylated Proteins, TrkA, p38 MAPK, SOD1, Caspase-2, CD44 and NPM in Oxaliplatin-Resistant HCT116 Colorectal Cancer Cells

β-lapachone (β-Lap), a topoisomerase inhibitor, is a naturally occurring ortho-naphthoquinone phytochemical and is involved in drug resistance mechanisms. Oxaliplatin (OxPt) is a commonly used chemotherapeutic drug for metastatic colorectal cancer, and OxPt-induced drug resistance remains to be solved to increase chances of successful therapy. To reveal the novel role of β-Lap associated with OxPt resistance, 5 μM OxPt-resistant HCT116 cells (HCT116-OxPt-R) were generated and characterized via hematoxylin staining, a CCK-8 assay and Western blot analysis. HCT116-OxPt-R cells were shown to have OxPt-specific resistance, increased aggresomes, upregulated p53 and downregulated caspase-9 and XIAP. Through signaling explorer antibody array, nucleophosmin (NPM), CD37, Nkx-2.5, SOD1, H2B, calreticulin, p38 MAPK, caspase-2, cadherin-9, MMP23B, ACOT2, Lys-acetylated proteins, COL3A1, TrkA, MPS-1, CD44, ITGA5, claudin-3, parkin and ACTG2 were identified as OxPt-R-related proteins due to a more than two-fold alteration in protein status. Gene ontology analysis suggested that TrkA, Nkx-2.5 and SOD1 were related to certain aggresomes produced in HCT116-OxPt-R cells. Moreover, β-Lap exerted more cytotoxicity and morphological changes in HCT116-OxPt-R cells than in HCT116 cells through the downregulation of p53, Lys-acetylated proteins, TrkA, p38 MAPK, SOD1, caspase-2, CD44 and NPM. Our results indicate that β-Lap could be used as an alternative drug to overcome the upregulated p53-containing OxPt-R caused by various OxPt-containing chemotherapies.

The role of CCNs in controlling cellular communication in the tumor microenvironment

The Cellular communication network (CCN) family of growth regulatory factors comprises six secreted matricellular proteins that promote signal transduction through cell-cell or cell-matrix interaction. The diversity of functionality between each protein is specific to the many aspects of healthy and cancer biology. For example, CCN family proteins modulate cell adhesion, proliferation, migration, invasiveness, apoptosis, and survival. In addition, the expression of each protein regulates many biological and pathobiological processes within its microenvironment to regulate angiogenesis, inflammatory response, chondrogenesis, fibrosis, and mitochondrial integrity. The collective range of CCN operation remains fully comprehended; however, understanding each protein's microenvironment may draw more conclusions about the abundance of interactions and signaling cascades occurring within such issues. This review observes and distinguishes the various roles a CCN protein may execute within distinct tumor microenvironments and the biological associations among them. Finally. We also review how CCN-family proteins can be used in nano-based therapeutic implications.

Deciphering the possible reciprocal loop between hepatic stellate cells and cancer cells in the tumor microenvironment of the liver

Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs)/myofibroblasts are the important sources of cancer-associated fibroblasts in the liver tumor microenvironment (TME). The crosstalk between activated HSCs and tumor cells mediates HCC progression, metastasis, tumor cell survival, angiogenesis and chemoresistance. In TME, HCC cells secrete various soluble factors responsible for the phenotypic activation of quiescent HSCs. Tumor cells use activated HSC-derived extracellular matrix (ECM) for migration and invasion. Further, in liver TME, activated HSCs and sinusoidal endothelial cells engage in a crosstalk that causes the secretion of angiogenesis and metastasis-related growth factors and cytokines. Activated HSCs and immune cells crosstalk to decrease immune surveillance in the liver TME by increasing the population of T regulatory cells and M2 macrophages or myeloid-derived suppressor cells. Thus, HSCs play a vital role in liver TME cell interactions. Therefore, a deep understanding of HSCs activation and their crosstalk with cancer and immune cells in TME may lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies to target HCC.

Anti-cancer activity of sustained release capsaicin formulations

Capsaicin (trans-8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-noneamide) is a hydrophobic, lipophilic vanilloid phytochemical abundantly found in chili peppers and pepper extracts. Several convergent studies show that capsaicin displays robust cancer activity, suppressing the growth, angiogenesis and metastasis of several human cancers. Despite its potent cancer-suppressing activity, the clinical applications of capsaicin as a viable anti-cancer drug have remained problematic due to its poor bioavailability and aqueous solubility properties. In addition, the administration of capsaicin is associated with adverse side effects like gastrointestinal cramps, stomach pain, nausea and diarrhea and vomiting. All these hurdles may be circumvented by encapsulation of capsaicin in sustained release drug delivery systems. Most of the capsaicin-based the sustained release drugs have been tested for their pain-relieving activity. Only a few of these formulations have been investigated as anti-cancer agents. The present review describes the physicochemical properties, bioavailability, and anti-cancer activity of capsaicin-sustained release agents. The asset of such continuous release capsaicin formulations is that they display better solubility, stability, bioavailability, and growth-suppressive activity than the free drug. The encapsulation of capsaicin in sustained release carriers minimizes the adverse side effects of capsaicin. In summary, these capsaicin-based sustained release drug delivery systems have the potential to function as novel chemotherapies, unique diagnostic imaging probes and innovative chemosensitization agents in human cancers.

Anti-Tumor Role of CAMK2B in Remodeling the Stromal Microenvironment and Inhibiting Proliferation in Papillary Renal Cell Carcinoma

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is variable across tumor types and has diverse effects on malignant progression, based on the type and number of infiltrating stromal cells. In particular, TME effector genes and their competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks play a critical role in regulating malignant tumor progression. However, the core effector molecules involved in TME modulation of kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma (KIRP) are poorly understood. To address this question, a cohort containing 233 KIRP patients was derived from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, and the data were processed using the ESTIMATE algorithm. We further evaluated the relationship between immune scores (ISs) and stromal scores (SSs) and disease progression and found that high SSs were associated with a poor prognosis in KIRP. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were therefore screened based on SS scores, resulting in 2509 DEGs, including 1668 mRNAs, 783 long noncoding (lnc)RNAs, and 58 micro (mi)RNAs. DEGs were then filtered using the random variance and subjected to hierarchical clustering using EPCLUST. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was used to assess the prognostic capacity of these DEGs and identify target ceRNA networks, and lncRNA GUSBP11/miR-432-5p/CAMK2B in the turquoise module was selected as a promising ceRNA network. From this analysis CAMK2B was selected as the core gene predicted to be involved in stromal TMA regulation. We therefore explored the expression and function of CAMK2B in vitro and in vivo and provide evidence that this protein promotes stromal TME remodulation and inhibits proliferation in KIRP. Lastly, we show that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), transforming growth factor (TGF)β, and close homolog of L1 (CHL1) act as downstream effectors of CAMK2B in KIRP. Thus, in this study, we show that the TME determines prognosis of KIRP patients via the core effector molecule CAMK2B, which mediates both microenvironmental remodeling and tumor progression. Based on these findings, we propose that remodeling of the stromal microenvironment could represent an improved therapeutic approach relative to immunotherapy for KIRP.

The CCN axis in cancer development and progression

Since the authors first reviewed this subject in 2016 significant progress has been documented in the CCN field with advances made in the understanding of how members of the CCN family of proteins, CCN1-6, contribute to the pathogenesis and progression, positive and negative, of a larger variety of cancers. As termed matricellular proteins, and more recently the connective communication network, it has become clearer that members of the CCN family interact complexly with other proteins in the extracellular microenvironment, membrane signaling proteins, and can also operate intracellularly at the transcriptional level. In this review we expand on this earlier information providing new detailed information and insights that appropriate a much greater involvement and importance of their role in multiple aspects of cancer. Despite all the new information many more questions have been raised and intriguing results generated that warrant greater investigation. In order to permit the reader to smoothly integrate the new information we discuss all relevant CCN members in the context of cancer subtypes. We have harmonized the nomenclature with CCN numbering for easier comparisons. Finally, we summarize what new has been learned and provide a perspective on how our knowledge about CCN1-6 is being used to drive new initiatives on cancer therapeutics.

Hepatic stellate cells in the injured liver: Perspectives beyond hepatic fibrosis

Over the last two decades, our understanding of the pathological role of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in fibrotic liver disease has increased dramatically. As HSCs are identified as the principal collagen-producing cells in the injured liver, several experimental and clinical studies have targeted HSCs to treat liver fibrosis. However, HSCs also play a critical role in developing nonfibrotic liver diseases such as cholestasis, portal hypertension, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Therefore, this review exclusively focuses on the role of activated HSCs beyond hepatic fibrosis. In cholestasis conditions, elevated bile salts and bile acids activate HSCs to secrete collagen and other extracellular matrix products, which cause biliary fibrosis and cholangitis. In the chronically injured liver, autocrine and paracrine signaling from liver sinusoidal endothelial cells activates HSCs to induce portal hypertension via endothelin-1 release. In the tumor microenvironment (TME), activated HSCs are the major source of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF). The crosstalk between activated HSC/CAF and tumor cells is associated with tumor cell proliferation, migration, metastasis, and chemoresistance. In TME, activated HSCs convert macrophages to tumor-associated macrophages and induce the differentiation of dendritic cells (DCs) and monocytes to regulatory DCs and myeloid-derived suppressor cells, respectively. This differentiation, in turn, increases T cells proliferation and induces their apoptosis leading to reduced immune surveillance in TME. Thus, HSCs activation in chronically injured liver is a critical process involved in the progression of cholestasis, portal hypertension, and liver cancer.

Development and validation of epithelial mesenchymal transition-related prognostic model for hepatocellular carcinoma

Epithelial cell transformation (EMT) plays an important role in the pathogenesis and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to establish a genetic risk model to evaluate HCC prognosis based on the expression levels of EMT-related genes. The data of HCC patients were collected from TCGA and ICGC databases. Gene expression differential analysis, univariate analysis, and lasso combined with stepwise Cox regression were used to construct the prognostic model. Kaplan–Meier curve, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration analysis, Harrell’s concordance index (C-index), and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to evaluate the predictive ability of the risk model or nomogram. GO and KEGG were used to analyze differently expressed EMT genes, or genes that directly or indirectly interact with the risk-associated genes. A 10-gene signature, including TSC2, ACTA2, SLC2A1, PGF, MYCN, PIK3R1, EOMES, BDNF, ZNF746, and TFDP3, was identified. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis showed a significant prognostic difference between high- and low-risk groups of patients. ROC curve analysis showed that the risk score model could effectively predict the 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates of patients with HCC. The nomogram showed a stronger predictive effect than clinical indicators. C-index, DCA, and calibration analysis demonstrated that the risk score and nomogram had high accuracy. The single sample gene set enrichment analysis results confirmed significant differences in the types of infiltrating immune cells between patients in the high- and low-risk groups. This study established a new prediction model of risk gene signature for predicting prognosis in patients with HCC, and provides a new molecular tool for the clinical evaluation of HCC prognosis.

Anxiety is a potential effect modifier of the association between red and processed meat consumption and cancer risk: findings from the NutriNet-Santé cohort

PURPOSE

Red and processed meats are recognized by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as probably carcinogenic and carcinogenic to humans, respectively. Heme iron has been proposed as a central factor responsible for this effect. Furthermore, anxiety affects the intestinal barrier function by increasing intestinal permeability. The objective of this work was to assess how anxiety modifies the association between red and processed meat consumption and cancer risk in the NutriNet-Santé prospective cohort (2009-2019).

METHODS

Using multi-adjusted Cox models in a sample of 101,269 subjects, we studied the associations between the consumption of red and processed meat, the amount of heme iron coming from these meats and overall, colorectal, prostate, and breast cancer risks, overall and separately among participants with and without anxiety.

RESULTS

An increase in red and processed meat consumption was associated with an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer in the total population (HR for an increase of 50 g/day = 1.18 (1.01-1.37), p = 0.03). After stratification on anxiety, the HR 50 g/day was 1.42 (1.03-1.94, p = 0.03) in anxious participants and 1.12 (0.94-1.33, p = 0.20) in other participants. Similar trends were observed for overall cancer risk. Analyses conducted with heme iron also provided similar results.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results strengthen the existing body of evidence supporting that red and processed meat consumption and heme iron intake are associated with an increased risk of overall and more specifically colorectal cancer, and suggest that anxiety modifies these associations, with an increased risk in anxious participants.