Enhancing Anti-Tumor Activity of Sorafenib Mesoporous Silica Nanomatrix in Metastatic Breast Tumor and Hepatocellular Carcinoma via the Co-Administration with Flufenamic Acid

Fenamates: Forgotten treasure for cancer treatment and prevention: Mechanisms of action, structural modification, and bright future

Fenamates as classical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents are widely used for relieving pain. Preclinical studies and epidemiological data highlight their chemo-preventive and chemotherapeutic potential for cancer. However, comprehensive reviews of fenamates in cancer are limited. To accelerate the repurposing of fenamates, this review summarizes the results of fenamates alone or in combination with existing chemotherapeutic agents. This paper also explores targets of fenamates in cancer therapy, including COX, AKR family, AR, gap junction, FTO, TEAD, DHODH, TAS2R14, ion channels, and DNA. Besides, this paper discusses other mechanisms, such as regulating Wnt/β-catenin, TGF-β, p38 MAPK, and NF-κB pathway, and the regulation of the expressions of Sp, EGR-1, NAG-1, ATF-3, ErbB2, AR, as well as the modulation of the tumor immune microenvironment. Furthermore, this paper outlined the structural modifications of fenamates, highlighting their potential as promising leads for anticancer drugs.

Surface Modification of Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Application in Targeted Delivery Systems of Antitumour Drugs

The problem of tumour therapy has attracted the attention of many researchers for many decades. One of the promising strategies for the development of new dosage forms to improve oncology treatment efficacy and minimise side effects is the development of nanoparticle-based targeted transport systems for anticancer drugs. Among inorganic nanoparticles, mesoporous silica deserves special attention due to its outstanding surface properties and drug-loading capability. This review analyses the various factors affecting the cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, and biocompatibility of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), constituting a key aspect in the development of safe and effective drug delivery systems. Special attention is paid to technological approaches to chemically modifying MSNs to alter their surface properties. The stimuli that regulate drug release from nanoparticles are also discussed, contributing to the effective control of the delivery process in the body. The findings emphasise the importance of modifying MSNs with different surface functional groups, bio-recognisable molecules, and polymers for their potential use in anticancer drug delivery systems.

AKR1C3 in carcinomas: from multifaceted roles to therapeutic strategies

Aldo-Keto Reductase Family 1 Member C3 (AKR1C3), also known as type 5 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17β-HSD5) or prostaglandin F (PGF) synthase, functions as a pivotal enzyme in androgen biosynthesis. It catalyzes the conversion of weak androgens, estrone (a weak estrogen), and PGD2 into potent androgens (testosterone and 5α-dihydrotestosterone), 17β-estradiol (a potent estrogen), and 11β-PGF2α, respectively. Elevated levels of AKR1C3 activate androgen receptor (AR) signaling pathway, contributing to tumor recurrence and imparting resistance to cancer therapies. The overexpression of AKR1C3 serves as an oncogenic factor, promoting carcinoma cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis, and is correlated with unfavorable prognosis and overall survival in carcinoma patients. Inhibiting AKR1C3 has demonstrated potent efficacy in suppressing tumor progression and overcoming treatment resistance. As a result, the development and design of AKR1C3 inhibitors have garnered increasing interest among researchers, with significant progress witnessed in recent years. Novel AKR1C3 inhibitors, including natural products and analogues of existing drugs designed based on their structures and frameworks, continue to be discovered and developed in laboratories worldwide. The AKR1C3 enzyme has emerged as a key player in carcinoma progression and therapeutic resistance, posing challenges in cancer treatment. This review aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of AKR1C3's role in carcinoma development, its implications in therapeutic resistance, and recent advancements in the development of AKR1C3 inhibitors for tumor therapies.

Therapeutic potential and novel formulations of ursolic acid and its derivatives: an updated review

Plants produce biologically active metabolites that have been utilised to cure a variety of severe and persistent illnesses. There is a possibility that understanding how these bioactive molecules work would allow researchers to come up with better treatments for diseases including malignancy, cardiac disease and neurological disorders. A triterpene called ursolic acid (UA) is a pentacyclic prevalent triterpenoid found in fruits, leaves, herbs and blooms. The biological and chemical aspects of UA, as well as their presence, plant sources and biosynthesis, and traditional and newer technologies of extraction, are discussed in this review. Because of its biological function in the creation of new therapeutic techniques, UA is a feasible option for the evolution and medical management of a wide range of medical conditions, including cancer and other life threatening diseases. Despite this, the substance's poor solubility in aquatic environments makes it unsuitable for medicinal purposes. This hurdle was resolved in many different ways. The inclusion of UA into various pharmaceutical delivery approaches was found to be quite effective in this respect. This review also describes the properties of UA and its pharmacokinetics, as well as therapeutic applications of UA for cancer, inflammatory and cardiovascular diseases, in addition to its anti-diabetic, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective and anti-microbial properties. Some of the recent findings related to novel nano-sized carriers as a delivery system for UA and the patents related to the applications of UA and its various derivatives are covered in this review. The analytical study of UA, oleanolic acid and other phytoconstituents by UV, HPLC, high-performance thin-layer chromatography and gas chromatography is also discussed. In the future, UA could be explored in vivo using various animal models and, in addition, the regulatory status regarding UA needs to be explored. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Single-cell analysis reveals that Jinwu Gutong capsule attenuates the inflammatory activity of synovial cells in osteoarthritis by inhibiting AKR1C3

Jinwu Gutong capsule (JGC) is a traditional Chinese medicine formula for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). Synovitis is a typical pathological change in OA and promotes disease progression. Elucidating the therapeutic mechanism of JGC is crucial for the precise treatment of OA synovitis. In this study, we demonstrate that JGC effectively inhibits hyperproliferation, attenuates inflammation, and promotes apoptosis of synovial cells. Through scRNA-seq data analysis of OA synovitis, we dissected two distinct cell fates that influence disease progression (one fate led to recovery while the other fate resulted in deterioration), which illustrates the principles of fate determination. By intersecting JGC targets with synovitis hub genes and then mimicking picomolar affinity interactions between bioactive compounds and binding pockets, we found that the quercetin-AKR1C3 pair exhibited the best affinity, indicating that this pair constitutes the most promising molecular mechanism. In vitro experiments confirmed that the expression of AKR1C3 in synovial cells was reduced after JGC addition. Further overexpression of AKR1C3 significantly attenuated the therapeutic efficacy of JGC. Thus, we revealed that JGC effectively treats OA synovitis by inhibiting AKR1C3 expression.

AKR1C3-dependent lipid droplet formation confers hepatocellular carcinoma cell adaptability to targeted therapy

Rationale: Increased lipid droplet (LD) formation has been linked to tumor metastasis, stemness, and chemoresistance in various types of cancer. Here, we revealed that LD formation is critical for the adaptation to sorafenib in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. We aim to investigate the LD function and its regulatory mechanisms in HCC. Methods: The key proteins responsible for LD formation were screened by both metabolomics and proteomics in sorafenib-resistant HCC cells and further validated by immunoblotting and immunofluorescence staining. Biological function of AKR1C3 was evaluated by CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing. Isotopic tracing analysis with deuterium³-labeled palmitate or carbon13-labeled glucose was conducted to investigate fatty acid (FA) and glucose carbon flux. Seahorse analysis was performed to assess the glycolytic flux and mitochondrial function. Selective AKR1C3 inhibitors were used to evaluate the effect of AKR1C3 inhibition on HCC tumor growth and induction of autophagy. Results: We found that long-term sorafenib treatment impairs fatty acid oxidation (FAO), leading to LD accumulation in HCC cells. Using multi-omics analysis in cultured HCC cells, we identified that aldo-keto reductase AKR1C3 is responsible for LD accumulation in HCC. Genetic loss of AKR1C3 fully depletes LD contents, navigating FA flux to phospholipids, sphingolipids, and mitochondria. Furthermore, we found that AKR1C3-dependent LD accumulation is required for mitigating sorafenib-induced mitochondrial lipotoxicity and dysfunction. Pharmacologic inhibition of AKR1C3 activity instantly induces autophagy-dependent LD catabolism, resulting in mitochondrial fission and apoptosis in sorafenib-resistant HCC clones. Notably, manipulation of AKR1C3 expression is sufficient to drive the metabolic switch between FAO and glycolysis. Conclusions: Our findings revealed that AKR1C3-dependent LD formation is critical for the adaptation to sorafenib in HCC through regulating lipid and energy homeostasis. AKR1C3-dependent LD accumulation protects HCC cells from sorafenib-induced mitochondrial lipotoxicity by regulating lipophagy. Targeting AKR1C3 might be a promising therapeutic strategy for HCC tumors.

Antitumor Activity of the Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Coated with Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin and Doxorubicin Complex In Vitro and In Vivo

Various metal oxide nanomaterials have been widely used as carriers to prepare pH-sensitive nanomedicines to respond to the acidic tumor microenvironment promoting antitumor efficiency. Herein, we used zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) as metal oxide nanomaterial coated with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMHP) and doxorubicin (DOX) complex (LMHP-DOX) to prepare ZnO-LD NPs for controllable pH-triggered DOX release on the targeted site. Our results indicated that the released DOX from ZnO-LD NPs was pH-sensitive. The oxygen produced by ZnO-LD NPs in H₂O₂ solution was observed in in vitro experiment. The ZnO-LD NPs entered into both PC-3M and 4T1 tumor cells via clathrin-mediated endocytosis and micropinocytosis pathway. The intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by ZnO-LD NPs could significantly increase the caspase 3/7 level, leading to tumor cell apoptosis. The in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity was confirmed in PC-3M and 4T1 cell lines or tumor-bearing mice models. The in vivo and in vitro tumor images via second-order nonlinearity of ZnO-LD NPs indicated that ZnO-LD NPs could penetrate deep into the tumor tissues. Therefore, the ZnO-LD NPs developed in our study could provide an efficient approach for the preparation of pH-sensitive nano delivery systems suitable for tumor therapy and imaging.

Screening for Potential Therapeutic Agents for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer by Targeting Ferroptosis

Ferroptosis is a form of non-apoptotic and iron-dependent cell death originally identified in cancer cells. Recently, emerging evidence showed that ferroptosis-targeting therapy could be a novel promising anti-tumour treatment. However, systematic analyses of ferroptosis-related genes for the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the development of antitumor drugs exploiting the ferroptosis process remain rare. This study aimed to identify genes related to ferroptosis and NSCLC and to initially screen lead compounds that induce ferroptosis in tumor cells. We downloaded mRNA expression profiles and NSCLC clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas database to explore the prognostic role of ferroptosis-related genes. Four prognosis-associated ferroptosis-related genes were screened using univariate Cox regression analysis and the lasso Cox regression analysis, which could divide patients with NSCLC into high- and low-risk groups. Then, based on differentially expressed risk- and ferroptosis-related genes, the negatively correlated lead compound flufenamic acid (FFA) was screened through the Connective Map database. This project confirmed that FFA induced ferroptosis in A549 cells and inhibited growth and migration in a dose-dependent manner through CCK-8, scratch, and immunofluorescence assays. In conclusion, targeting ferroptosis might be a therapeutic alternative for NSCLC.

Polymorphism and cocrystal salt formation of 2-((2,6-dichlorophenyl)amino)benzoic acid, harvest of a second form of 2-((2,6-dimethylphenyl)amino)benzoic acid, and isomorphism between the two systems

Isomorphism and isostructurality were observed between form I of 2-((2,6-dimethylphenyl)amino)benzoic acid and its analog 2-((2,6-dichlorophenyl)amino)benzoic acid, which suggests double Cl–CH3 exchange also leads to structural similarity.

pH-Sensitive Molecular-Switch-Containing Polymer Nanoparticle for Breast Cancer Therapy with Ferritinophagy-Cascade Ferroptosis and Tumor Immune Activation

Ferritin internalized into tumor cells is degraded and releases iron ions via ferritinophagy. Iron ions participate in Fenton reaction to produce reactive oxygen species for lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis. Inhibition of indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) decreases tryptophan elimination to induce T cells activation for tumor immunosuppression relief. The active tumor targeting nanoparticles containing ferritin and a pH-sensitive molecular-switch (FPBC@SN) are developed to utilize ferritinophagy-cascade ferroptosis and tumor immunity activation for cancer therapy. FPBC@SN disintegrates in acidic cytoplasm and releases sorafenib (SRF) and IDO inhibitor (NLG919). SRF upregulates nuclear receptor coactivator 4 (NCOA4) to induce ferritin and endogenous iron pool degradation by ferritinophagy, then obtained iron ions participate in the Fenton reaction to produce lipid peroxide (LPO). Meanwhile, SRF blocks glutathione synthesis to downregulate glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) which can scavenge LPO as a different pathway from ferritinophagy to promote ferroptosis in tumor cells. NLG919 inhibits IDO to reduce tryptophan metabolism, so immunity in tumors is aroused to anti-tumor. In vitro and in vivo experiments prove FPBC@SN inhibits tumor cell growth and metastasis, indicating the potential of FPBC@SN for breast cancer therapy based on the combination of ferritinophagy-cascade ferroptosis and tumor immunity activation.

Progress in Application of Nanotechnology in Sorafenib

Dysregulation of the tyrosine kinase signaling pathway is closely related to tumor development, and tyrosine kinase inhibitors are important targets for potential anticancer strategies. In particular, sorafenib, as a representative drug of multitarget tyrosine kinase inhibitors, has an important clinical status and is widely used for treating various solid tumors and diabetic complications. However, poor aqueous solubility of sorafenib, poor bioavailability of commonly used oral dose forms, poor accumulation at tumor sites, and severe off-target effects that tend to induce intolerable systemic side effects in patients have greatly reduced its therapeutic efficiency and limited its extensive clinical application. To improve the properties of sorafenib, increase the efficiency of clinical treatment, and overcome the increasingly prominent phenomenon of sorafenib resistance, multiple investigations have been conducted. Numerous studies have reported that the properties of nanomaterials, such as small particle size, large specific surface area, high surface activity and high adsorption capacity, make nanotechnology promising for the construction of ideal sorafenib nanodelivery systems to achieve timed and targeted delivery of sorafenib to tumors, prolong the blood circulation time of the drug, improve the utilization efficiency of the drug and reduce systemic toxic side effects. This review summarizes the progress of research applications in nanotechnology related to sorafenib, discusses the current problems, and expresses expectations for the prospect of clinical applications of sorafenib with improved performance.

Fenamates as Potential Therapeutics for Neurodegenerative Disorders

Neurodegenerative disorders are desperately lacking treatment options. It is imperative that drug repurposing be considered in the fight against neurodegenerative diseases. Fenamates have been studied for efficacy in treating several neurodegenerative diseases. The purpose of this review is to comprehensively present the past and current research on fenamates in the context of neurodegenerative diseases with a special emphasis on tolfenamic acid and Alzheimer's disease. Furthermore, this review discusses the major molecular pathways modulated by fenamates.