Targeting Notch1 and proteasome as an effective strategy to suppress T-cell lymphoproliferative neoplasms

Nutritional Preconditioning of Apigenin Alleviates Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury via the Mitochondrial Pathway Mediated by Notch1/Hes1

Apigenin (Api), a natural flavone found in high amounts in several herbs, has shown potent cardioprotective effects in clinical studies, although the underlying mechanisms are not clear. We hypothesized that Api protects the myocardium from simulated ischemia/reperfusion (SI/R) injury via nutritional preconditioning (NPC). Rats fed with Api-containing food showed improvement in cardiac functions; lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine phosphokinase (CPK) activities; infarct size; apoptosis rates; malondialdehyde (MDA) levels; caspase-3, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and catalase (CAT) activities; and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) compared to those fed standard chow following SI/R injury. In addition, Api pretreatment significantly improved the viability, decreased the LDH activity and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, alleviated the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), prevented the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP), and decreased the caspase-3 activity, cytochrome c (Cyt C) release, and apoptosis induced by SI/R in primary cardiomyocytes. Mechanistically, Api upregulated Hes1 expression and was functionally neutralized by the Notch1 γ-secretase inhibitor GSI, as well as the mPTP opener atractyloside (Atr). Taken together, Api protected the myocardium against SI/R injury via the mitochondrial pathway mediated by the Notch1/Hes1 signaling pathway.

Combining a GSI and BCL-2 inhibitor to overcome melanoma's resistance to current treatments

Major limitations of current melanoma treatments are for instances of relapse and the lack of therapeutic options for BRAF wild-type patients who do not respond to immunotherapy. Many studies therefore focus on killing resistant subpopulations, such as Melanoma Initiating Cells (MICs) to prevent relapse. Here we examined whether combining a GSI (γ-Secretase Inhibitor) with ABT-737 (a small molecule BCL-2/BCL-XL/BCL-W inhibitor) can kill both the non-MICs (bulk of melanoma) and MICs. To address the limitations of melanoma therapies, we included multiple tumor samples of patients relapsed from current treatments, with a diverse genetic background (with or without the common BRAF, NRAS or NF1 mutations) in these studies. Excitingly, the combination treatment reduced cell viability and induced apoptosis of the non-MICs; disrupted primary spheres, decreased the ALDH+ cells, and inhibited the self-renewability of the MICs in multiple melanoma cell lines and relapsed patient samples. Using a low-cell-number mouse xenograft model, we demonstrated that the combination significantly reduced the tumor initiating ability of MIC-enriched cultures from relapsed patient samples. Mechanistic studies also indicate that cell death is NOXA-dependent. In summary, this combination may be a promising strategy to address treatment relapse and for triple wild-type patients who do not respond to immunotherapy.

Effects of berberine, curcumin, resveratrol alone and in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs and signal transduction inhibitors on cancer cells-Power of nutraceuticals

Over the past fifty years, society has become aware of the importance of a healthy diet in terms of human fitness and longevity. More recently, the concept of the beneficial effects of certain components of our diet and other compounds, that are consumed often by different cultures in various parts of the world, has become apparent. These "healthy" components of our diet are often referred to as nutraceuticals and they can prevent/suppress: aging, bacterial, fungal and viral infections, diabetes, inflammation, metabolic disorders and cardiovascular diseases and have other health-enhancing effects. Moreover, they are now often being investigated because of their anti-cancer properties/potentials. Understanding the effects of various natural products on cancer cells may enhance their usage as anti-proliferative agents which may be beneficial for many health problems. In this manuscript, we discuss and demonstrate how certain nutraceuticals may enhance other anti-cancer drugs to suppress proliferation of cancer cells.

High KIF2A expression predicts unfavorable prognosis in diffuse large B cell lymphoma

Kinesin family member 2A (KIF2A), a conserved motor protein, plays a critical role in the pathogenesis and prognosis of several malignant tumors. The aim of the present study was to investigate KIF2A expression in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), evaluate the association between KIF2A expression and the clinical parameters of the disease, and determine its prognostic value. KIF2A expression was evaluated in 134 DLBCL and 57 reactive hyperplasia samples using immunohistochemistry on a tissue microarray. The correlations between KIF2A expression with clinical parameters and prognosis were estimated using univariate and multivariate analyses. The expression of KIF2A was significantly higher in DLBCL tissue samples compared with those from subjects with reactive hyperplasia (P=0.002). Furthermore, increased expression of KIF2A protein in DLBCL was related to Ann Arbor stage (P=0.027) and international prognostic index (IPI) score (P=0.01). The survival analysis showed that KIF2A expression (P=0.016), serum LDH level (P=0.049), and IPI score (P<0.001) were independent prognostic markers for DLBCL. Our findings also confirmed that downregulating KIF2A expression decreased tumor cell viability, accompanied by downregulation of pAKT levels. Taken together, these data provide the first evidence that increased KIF2A expression predicts poor prognosis in patients with DLBCL, and a rationale for treatment of DLBCL by targeting KIF2A.