Salinomycin disturbs Golgi function and specifically affects cells in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition

Absorption and transport mechanism of colloidal nanoparticles (CNPs) in lamb soup based on Caco-2 cell

Soup is an important presence in diet, but its absorption and transport mechanism by the human body remains unclear. In this study, Caco-2 intact cell and monolayer cell models were constructed to simulate small intestine absorption on colloidal nanoparticles (CNPs) isolated from lamb soup. The intracellular localization of CNPs was viewed by laser confocal microscopy (LSCM). CNPs uptake and release pathways were explored by differences in CNPs concentrations in 5 endocytosis inhibitor models and 4 exocytosis inhibitor models. Results indicated that CNPs endocytosis by Caco-2 cells was restrained by Nystatin and Cytochalasin D, with exocytosis being inhibited by Nocodazole and Monensin. Therefore, the major absorption pathways for CNPs were caveolin-dependent endocytosis, macropinocytosis and phagocytosis. The major transport pathways were microtubule-vesicle-mediated protein transport to the membrane and transportation between the Golgi apparatus and membrane. This study may provide theoretical support for the transport mechanism of soup products in the small intestine.

Combination of monensin and erlotinib synergistically inhibited the growth and cancer stem cell properties of triple-negative breast cancer by simultaneously inhibiting EGFR and PI3K signaling pathways

BACKGROUND

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) are recognized as a highly challenging subset of cells, renowned for their heightened propensity for relapse and unfavorable prognosis. Monensin, an ionophoric antibiotic, has been reported to exhibit significant therapeutic efficacy against various cancers, especially CSCs. Erlotinib is classified as one of the EGFR-TKIs and has been previously identified as a promising therapeutic target for TNBC. Our research aims to assess the effectiveness of combination of monensin and erlotinib as a potential treatment strategy for TNBC.

METHODS

The combination of monensin and erlotinib was assessed for its potential anticancer activity through various in vitro assays, including cytotoxicity assay, colony formation assay, wound healing assay, transwell assay, mammosphere formation assay, and proportion of CSCs assay. Additionally, an in vivo study using tumor-bearing nude mice was conducted to evaluate the inhibitory effect of the monensin and erlotinib combination on tumor growth.

RESULTS

The results indicated that combination of monensin with erlotinib synergistically inhibited cell proliferation, the migration rate, the invasion ability and decreased the CSCs proportion, and CSC markers SOX2 and CD133 in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, the primary proteins involved in the signaling pathways of the EGFR/ERK and PI3K/AKT are simultaneously inhibited by the combination treatment of monensin and erlotinib in vivo and in vitro.

CONCLUSIONS

The simultaneous inhibition of the EGFR/ERK and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathways by the combination of monensin and erlotinib exhibited a synergistic effect on suppressing tumor proliferation and cancer cell stemness in TNBC.

The Golgi Apparatus as an Anticancer Therapeutic Target

Although the discovery of the Golgi apparatus (GA) was made over 125 years ago, only a very limited number of therapeutic approaches have been developed to target this complex organelle. The GA serves as a modification and transport center for proteins and lipids and also has more recently emerged as an important store for some ions. The dysregulation of GA functions is implicated in many cellular processes associated with cancer and some GA proteins are indeed described as cancer biomarkers. This dysregulation can affect protein modification, localization, and secretion, but also cellular metabolism, redox status, extracellular pH, and the extracellular matrix structure. Consequently, it can directly or indirectly affect cancer progression. For these reasons, the GA is an appealing anticancer pharmacological target. Despite this, no anticancer drug specifically targeting the GA has reached the clinic and few have entered the clinical trial stage. Advances in nanodelivery approaches may help change this scenario by specifically targeting tumor cells and/or the GA through passive, active, or physical strategies. This article aims to examine the currently available anticancer GA-targeted drugs and the nanodelivery strategies explored for their administration. The potential benefits and challenges of modulating and specifically targeting the GA function in the context of cancer therapy are discussed.