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Wang X, Pan S, Chen L, Liang C, Zhu Y, Zhou K, Shi X. Sijunzi decoction enhances sensitivity of colon cancer cells to NK cell destruction by modulating P53 expression. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2024; 329:118115. [PMID: 38580190 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.118115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Sijunzi Decoction (SJZD), a traditional Chinese herbal remedy, is frequently employed in the treatment of various cancers, including colon cancer. Previous research suggests that SJZD plays a pivotal role in modulating the immune system and enhancing immunity against tumors. However, the precise role of SJZD in combating colon cancer and its potential molecular functions in regulating natural killer cells remain elusive. AIMS OF THE STUDY To elucidate the potential mechanism underlying the anticolon cancer effects of SJZD in synergy with natural killer (NK) cells through both in vivo and in vitro experiments. MATERIALS AND METHODS In vivo experiments: A subcutaneous tumor mouse model of colon cancer and in vivo NK cell depletion experiments were conducted to observe the anticolon cancer effects of SJZD. Flow cytometry assessed immune cell depletion in mouse spleens, while immunohistochemical (IHC) staining detected the expression of apoptotic genes in tumor tissues. In vitro experiments: The mechanism by which SJZD regulates the sensitization of colon cancer cells to NK cells was investigated using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), western blotting (WB), and co-culture experiments with NK cells. RESULTS Sijunzi Decoction (SJZD) significantly impeded tumor growth in mice; however, NK cell depletion markedly attenuated the tumor-suppressive effect of SJZD. Immunohistochemical (IHC) results indicated that SJZD increased the expression of P53, death receptor 4 (DR4), and death receptor 5 (DR5) in tumor tissues. In vitro experiments, 24 h SJZD-pretreated colon cancer cells showed a substantial elevation in P53, DR4, and DR5 levels, and the activity of colon cancer cells significantly diminished after co-culture with NK cells. These effects of SJZD were reversed with the addition of the P53 inhibitor pifithrin-α (PFT-α), resulting in reduced inhibition of colon cancer cells by NK cells. CONCLUSION SJZD enhances the levels of DR4 and DR5 through the modulation of P53 expression, consequently increasing the sensitivity of colon cancer cells to NK cell-mediated killing. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for the clinical application of SJZD in patients with colon cancer. In this study, we first investigated the effect of SJZD on subcutaneous tumor growth in mice with colon cancer using in vivo assays and assessed the impact of NK cells on the anticolon cancer effect of SJZD in vivo through NK cell depletion. In vitro experiments were conducted to explore the potential mechanism of action of SJZD in NK cell-mediated anticolon cancer effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinxin Wang
- Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200062, China.
| | - Shufang Pan
- Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200062, China.
| | - Liangyan Chen
- Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200062, China.
| | - Chengchen Liang
- Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200062, China.
| | - Yueyi Zhu
- Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200062, China.
| | - Ke Zhou
- Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200062, China.
| | - Xiaolan Shi
- Putuo Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200062, China.
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Chu D, Chen L, Li W, Zhang H. An exosomes-related lncRNA prognostic model correlates with the immune microenvironment and therapy response in lung adenocarcinoma. Clin Exp Med 2024; 24:104. [PMID: 38761234 PMCID: PMC11102376 DOI: 10.1007/s10238-024-01319-x] [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: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
Recent research highlights the significance of exosomes and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cancer progression and drug resistance, but their role in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is not fully understood. We analyzed 121 exosome-related (ER) mRNAs from the ExoBCD database, along with mRNA and lncRNA expression profiles of TCGA-LUAD using "DESeq2", "survival," "ConsensusClusterPlus," "GSVA," "estimate," "glmnet," "clusterProfiler," "rms," and "pRRophetic" R packages. This comprehensive approach included univariate cox regression, unsupervised consensus clustering, GSEA, functional enrichment analysis, and prognostic model construction. Our study identified 134 differentially expressed ER-lncRNAs, with 19 linked to LUAD prognosis. These ER-lncRNAs delineated two patient subtypes, one with poorer outcomes. Additionally, 286 differentially expressed genes were related to these ER-lncRNAs, 261 of which also correlated with LUAD prognosis. We constructed an ER-lncRNA-related prognostic model and calculated an ER-lncRNA-related risk score (ERS), revealing that a higher ERS correlates with poor overall survival in both the Meta cohort and two validation cohorts. The ERS potentially serves as an independent prognostic factor, and the prognostic model demonstrates superior predictive power. Notably, significant differences in the immune landscape were observed between the high- and low-ERS groups. Drug sensitivity analysis indicated varying responses to common chemotherapy drugs based on ERS stratification, with the high-ERS group showing greater sensitivity, except to rapamycin and erlotinib. Experimental validation confirmed that thymidine kinase 1 enhances lung cancer invasion, metastasis, and cell cycle progression. Our study pioneers an ER-lncRNA-related prognostic model for LUAD, proposing that ERS-based risk stratification could inform personalized treatment strategies to improve patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daifang Chu
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Tangdu Hospital, Air Force Military Medical University, 569 Xinsi Road, Xi'an, 710038, Shaanxi, China
| | - Liulin Chen
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Tangdu Hospital, Air Force Military Medical University, 569 Xinsi Road, Xi'an, 710038, Shaanxi, China
| | - Wangping Li
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Tangdu Hospital, Air Force Military Medical University, 569 Xinsi Road, Xi'an, 710038, Shaanxi, China.
| | - Haitao Zhang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Tangdu Hospital, Air Force Military Medical University, 569 Xinsi Road, Xi'an, 710038, Shaanxi, China.
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Liu P, Ying J, Guo X, Tang X, Zou W, Wang T, Xu X, Zhao B, Song N, Cheng J. An exploration of the effect of Chinese herbal compound on the occurrence and development of large intestine cancer and intestinal flora. Heliyon 2024; 10:e23533. [PMID: 38173486 PMCID: PMC10761579 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
This study was conducted to observe the effect of Chinese herbal compound on the treatment of colon cancer using AOM/DSS-induced C57BL/6J colon cancer mice and to validate potential influence on intestinal flora of mice. A colorectal cancer (CRC) mouse model was built with a total of 50 C57BL/6J mice that were induced by administrating AOM/DSS. These experimental animals were split up into 5 groups, a control group, a model group, and low-, medium- and high-dose Chinese herbal compound groups. All mice were given Chinese herbal compound treatment, and the colon tissues of each group were harvested with the length measured and the number of colon polyps accounted. The Ki-67 expression in the colon tissues was detected via immuno-histochemistry. Relative quantification of the expression of genes and proteins was determined through qPCR and WB assays. Contents of IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-10 in serum and colon tissues of mice were determined by ELISA. An additional 16S rRNA sequencing analysis was implemented for the identification of mouse intestinal flora. The results suggested that all low-, medium- or high-dose Chinese herbal compound could markedly inhibit the shortening of colon length and significant number reduction of colon polyps in the model group. The relative expression of genes and proteins (PCNA, Muc16, and MMP-9) associated with proliferation in mouse colon tissues were inhibited. In addition, compared with the model group, the contents of IL-6, TNF-α, and IFN-γ in serum and colon tissues were substantially decreased in the high-dose Chinese herbal compound group, thereby reducing the structure damage in colon tissues and the infiltration degree of inflammatory cells. Besides, the expression of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB protein was markedly decreased. The 16S rRNA sequencing analysis demonstrated that mice in the model group had decreased intestinal flora diversity, and there were significant changes in flora abundance and amino acid metabolism between the control group and the model group. Taken together, the treatment of Chinese herbal compound against CRC in this study might be regulated by the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway, and the imbalance in intestinal flora was also closely related to CRC occurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pingyu Liu
- Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, 410208, Hunan, China
| | - Jian Ying
- Department of Oncology, Chongqing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing, 400021, China
| | - Xin Guo
- Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, 410208, Hunan, China
| | - Xiaohui Tang
- Department of Oncology, Chongqing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing, 400021, China
| | - Wenjuan Zou
- Department of Oncology, Chongqing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing, 400021, China
| | - Tiantian Wang
- Department of Emergency Intensive Care, Chongqing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing, 400021, China
| | - Xinyi Xu
- Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, 410208, Hunan, China
| | - Bin Zhao
- Department of Oncology, Chongqing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing, 400021, China
| | - Na Song
- Department of Oncology, Chongqing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing, 400021, China
| | - Jun Cheng
- Department of Oncology, Chongqing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing, 400021, China
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Fu Y, Huang Z, Huang J, Xiong J, Liu H, Wan X. Metabolism-related gene vaccines and immune infiltration in ovarian cancer: A novel risk score model of machine learning. J Gene Med 2024; 26:e3568. [PMID: 37455244 DOI: 10.1002/jgm.3568] [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: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The present study aims to develop a metabolic gene signature to evaluate the survival rate of ovarian cancer (OC) patients and analyze the potential mechanisms of metabolic genes in OC because the difficulty in early detection of OC often leads to poor treatment outcomes. METHODS A non-negative matrix factorization algorithm was applied to determine molecular subtypes according to metabolism genes. To build a risk prognosis model, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator multivariate Cox analysis was carried out with weighted correlation network analysis (WCGNA). Glycolytic flux and mitochondrial function were evaluated by conducting seahorse analysis. RESULTS On the basis of metabolism-related genes, the two subtypes of OC samples present in The Cancer Genome Atlas database were distinguished. An analysis of WGCNA identified 1056 genes. Lastly, a 10-gene signature (CMAS, ADH1B, PLA2G2D, BHMT, CACNA1C, AADAC, ALOX12, CYP2R1, SCN1B and ME1) was constructed that demonstrated promising performance in predicting outcome in patients with OC. The RiskScore of the gene signature was linked to microenvironment cell infiltration and immune checkpoint. Higher RiskScores were associated with poorer results for OC patients. Seahorse analysis shows the influence of CMAS in cell energy metabolism. CONCLUSIONS In the present study, a novel marker for evaluating the survival of OC patients was developed through the creation of a gene signature incorporating metabolism-related genes. Our knowledge of immunotherapy and microenvironment cell infiltration may be enriched by evaluating metabolism-related gene modification patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiyuan Fu
- Department of Obstetrics, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zheng Huang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Jiezhen Huang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Jian Xiong
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Huishu Liu
- Department of Obstetrics, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiaoyan Wan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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Zhang L, Xu C, Wang SH, Ge QW, Wang XW, Xiao P, Yao QH. Cancer-associated fibroblast-related gene signatures predict survival and drug response in patients with colorectal cancer. Front Genet 2022; 13:1054152. [PMID: 36506313 PMCID: PMC9732269 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1054152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play an important role in the tumorigenesis, immunosuppression and metastasis of colorectal cancer (CRC), and can predict poor prognosis in patients with CRC. The present study aimed to construct a CAFs-related prognostic signature for CRC. Methods: The clinical information and corresponding RNA data of CRC patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. The Estimation of STromal and Immune cells in MAlignant Tumor tissues (ESTIMATES) and xCell methods were applied to evaluate the tumor microenvironment infiltration from bulk gene expression data. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was used to construct co-expression modules. The key module was identified by calculating the module-trait correlations. The univariate Cox regression and least absolute shrinkage operator (LASSO) analyses were combined to develop a CAFs-related signature for the prognostic model. Moreover, pRRophetic and Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) algorithms were utilized to predict chemosensitivity and immunotherapy response. Human Protein Atlas (HPA) databases were employed to evaluate the protein expressions. Results: ESTIMATES and xCell analysis showed that high CAFs infiltration was associated with adverse prognoses. A twenty-gene CAFs-related prognostic signature (CAFPS) was established in the training cohort. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses reveled that CRC patients with higher CAFs risk scores were associated with poor prognosis in each cohort. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses verified that CAFPS was as an independent prognostic factor in predicting overall survival, and a nomogram was built for clinical utility in predicting CRC prognosis. Patients with higher CAFs risk scores tended to not respond to immunotherapy, but were more sensitive to five conventional chemotherapeutic drugs. Conclusion: In summary, the CAFPS could serve as a robust prognostic indicator in CRC patients, which might help to optimize risk stratification and provide a new insight into individual treatments for CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Zhang
- Department of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chao Xu
- Department of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - Si-Han Wang
- The Second College of Clinical Medicine, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qin-Wen Ge
- The First College of Clinical Medicine, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiao-Wei Wang
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Zhejiang Hospital, Hangzhou, China
| | - Pan Xiao
- Department of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qing-Hua Yao
- Department of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, China,Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Oncology Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China,Key Laboratory of Head and Neck Cancer Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China,*Correspondence: Qing-Hua Yao,
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Sun X, Li Z, Meng F, Huang X, Wang J, Song J, Sun L, Zhang P. Cuproptosis associated genes affect prognosis and tumor microenvironment infiltration characterization in lung adenocarcinoma. Am J Cancer Res 2022; 12:4545-4565. [PMID: 36381320 PMCID: PMC9641400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Cuproptosis, a newly discovered mechanism of programmed cell death, is important for detailing the metabolic aspects of cancer progression and thereby guiding cancer therapy. An exciting era of translational medicine has led to the rapid development of countless immunotherapeutic strategies. The existing successful cancer immunotherapies have sparked new hope for patients with solid and hematologic malignancies. Hence, it is important to characterize the link between the cuproptosis process and the immunity status in the tumor microenvironment (TME) in Lung Adenocarcinoma (LUAD), which may be able to predict patient's prognosis. In this study, we systematically assessed 10 cuproptosis-associated genes (CAGs) and comprehensively characterized the relationship between cuproptosis and the molecular characteristics and immune cell infiltration of tumor tissue, prognosis and clinical treatment of patients. Subsequently, the CAG_score for predicting overall survival (OS) was established and its reliable predictive ability in LUAD patients was confirmed. Next, we created a highly reliable nomogram to facilitate the clinical viability of the CAG_score. The low CAG_score group, with lower immune cell infiltration, and mutation burden, had a significantly superior OS, which was associated with a better response to immunotherapy. The present study revealed that cuproptosis play a significant role in TME regulation in LUAD. Collectively, we identified a prognostic CAGs-related signature for LUAD patients. This signature may contribute to clarifying the characteristics of TME and enable the exploration of more potent immunotherapy strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinti Sun
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tianjin Medical University General HospitalTianjin, China
| | - Zesheng Li
- Tianjin Neurological Institute, Key Laboratory of Post-Neuroinjury Neuro-repair and Regeneration in Central Nervous System, Ministry of Education and Tianjin City, Tianjin Medical University General HospitalTianjin, China
| | - Fei Meng
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tianjin Medical University General HospitalTianjin, China
| | - Xingqi Huang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tianjin Medical University General HospitalTianjin, China
| | - Jianyao Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tianjin Medical University General HospitalTianjin, China
| | - Jiaming Song
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Lung Cancer Metastasis and Tumor Microenvironment, Lung Cancer Institute, Tianjin Medical University General HospitalTianjin, China
| | - Linao Sun
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tianjin Medical University General HospitalTianjin, China
| | - Peng Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tianjin Medical University General HospitalTianjin, China
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