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Walweel N, Aydin O. Enhancing Therapeutic Efficacy in Cancer Treatment: Integrating Nanomedicine with Autophagy Inhibition Strategies. ACS OMEGA 2024; 9:27832-27852. [PMID: 38973850 PMCID: PMC11223161 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.4c02234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2024] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024]
Abstract
The complicated stepwise lysosomal degradation process known as autophagy is in charge of destroying and eliminating damaged organelles and defective cytoplasmic components. This mechanism promotes metabolic adaptability and nutrition recycling. Autophagy functions as a quality control mechanism in cells that support homeostasis and redox balance under normal circumstances. However, the role of autophagy in cancer is controversial because, mostly depending on the stage of the tumor, it may either suppress or support the disease. While autophagy delays the onset of tumors and slows the dissemination of cancer in the early stages of tumorigenesis, numerous studies demonstrate that autophagy promotes the development and spread of tumors as well as the evolution and development of resistance to several anticancer drugs in advanced cancer stages. In this Review, we primarily emphasize the therapeutic role of autophagy inhibition in improving the treatment of multiple cancers and give a broad overview of how its inhibition modulates cancer responses. There have been various attempts to inhibit autophagy, including the use of autophagy inhibitor drugs, gene silencing therapy (RNA interference), and nanoparticles. In this Review, all these topics are thoroughly covered and illustrated by recent studies and field investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nada Walweel
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38039, Turkey
- NanoThera
Lab, ERFARMA-Drug Application and Research Center, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38280, Turkey
| | - Omer Aydin
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38039, Turkey
- NanoThera
Lab, ERFARMA-Drug Application and Research Center, Erciyes University, Kayseri 38280, Turkey
- ERNAM-Nanotechnology
Research and Application Center, Erciyes
University, Kayseri 38039, Turkey
- ERKAM-Clinical-Engineering
Research and Implementation Center, Erciyes
University, Kayseri 38030, Turkey
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Liu Y, Sun Q, Wei X. Strategies and techniques for preclinical therapeutic targeting of PI3K in oncology: where do we stand in 2024? Expert Opin Ther Targets 2024; 28:221-232. [PMID: 38646899 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2024.2342522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway is an important signaling pathway in eukaryotic cells that is activated in a variety of cancers and is also associated with treatment resistance. This signaling pathway is an important target for anticancer therapy and holds great promise for research. At the same time PI3K inhibitors have a general problem that they have unavoidable toxic side effects. AREAS COVERED This review provides an explanation of the role of PI3K in the development and progression of cancer, including several important mutations, and a table listing the cancers caused by these mutations. We discuss the current landscape of PI3K inhibitors in preclinical and clinical trials, address the mechanisms of resistance to PI3K inhibition along with their associated toxic effects, and highlight significant advancements in preclinical research of this field. Furthermore, based on our study and comprehension of PI3K, we provide a recapitulation of the key lessons learned from the research process and propose potential measures for improvement that could prove valuable. EXPERT OPINION The PI3K pathway is a biological pathway of great potential value. However, the reduction of its toxic side effects and combination therapies need to be further investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyan Liu
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, Department of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiu Sun
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, Department of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
- West China Medical Publishers, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiawei Wei
- Laboratory of Aging Research and Cancer Drug Target, Department of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
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Lin Y, Wu Y, Zhang Q, Tu X, Chen S, Pan J, Xu N, Lin M, She P, Niu G, Chen Y, Li H. RPTOR blockade suppresses brain metastases of NSCLC by interfering the ceramide metabolism via hijacking YY1 binding. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2024; 43:1. [PMID: 38163890 PMCID: PMC10759737 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-023-02874-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ceramide metabolism is crucial in the progress of brain metastasis (BM). However, it remains unexplored whether targeting ceramide metabolism may arrest BM. METHODS RNA sequencing was applied to screen different genes in primary and metastatic foci and whole-exome sequencing (WES) to seek crucial abnormal pathway in BM + and BM-patients. Cellular arrays were applied to analyze the permeability of blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the activation or inhibition of pathway. Database and Co-Immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) assay were adopted to verify the protein-protein interaction. Xenograft and zebrafish model were further employed to verify the cellular results. RESULTS RNA sequencing and WES reported the involvement of RPTOR and ceramide metabolism in BM progress. RPTOR was significantly upregulated in BM foci and increased the permeability of BBB, while RPTOR deficiency attenuated the cell invasiveness and protected extracellular matrix. Exogenous RPTOR boosted the SPHK2/S1P/STAT3 cascades by binding YY1, in which YY1 bound to the regions of SPHK2 promoter (at -353 ~ -365 nt), further promoting the expression of SPHK2. The latter was rescued by YY1 RNAi. Xenograft and zebrafish model showed that RPTOR blockade suppressed BM of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and impaired the SPHK2/S1P/STAT3 pathway. CONCLUSION RPTOR is a key driver gene in the brain metastasis of lung cancer, which signifies that RPTOR blockade may serve as a promising therapeutic candidate for clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Lin
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Shengli Clinical Medical College, Fujian Medical University, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou, 350001, Fujian, China
| | - Yun Wu
- Department of General Practice Medicine, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou, 350001, China
| | - Qiangzu Zhang
- The High Performance Computing Research Center, Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100095, China
| | - Xunwei Tu
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Shengli Clinical Medical College, Fujian Medical University, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou, 350001, Fujian, China
| | - Sufang Chen
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Shengli Clinical Medical College, Fujian Medical University, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou, 350001, Fujian, China
| | - Junfan Pan
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Shengli Clinical Medical College, Fujian Medical University, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou, 350001, Fujian, China
| | - Nengluan Xu
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Shengli Clinical Medical College, Fujian Medical University, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou, 350001, Fujian, China
| | - Ming Lin
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Shengli Clinical Medical College, Fujian Medical University, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou, 350001, Fujian, China
| | - Peiwei She
- The Centre for Experimental Research in Clinical Medicine, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou, 350001, Fujian, China
| | - Gang Niu
- The High Performance Computing Research Center, Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100095, China.
| | - Yusheng Chen
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Shengli Clinical Medical College, Fujian Medical University, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou, 350001, Fujian, China.
| | - Hongru Li
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Shengli Clinical Medical College, Fujian Medical University, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou, 350001, Fujian, China.
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Big Data Engineering, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Shengli Clinical College of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350001, Fujian, China.
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Antarctic krill extracts enhance muscle regeneration and muscle function via mammalian target of rapamycin regulation. J Funct Foods 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jff.2023.105483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
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Biological Activities and Phytochemicals of Lungworts (Genus Pulmonaria) Focusing on Pulmonaria officinalis. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/app12136678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Lungworts (members of genus Pulmonaria), especially Pulmonaria officinalis, have been used as medicinal plants in folk and traditional medicine. The potential biological activities of lungworts, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-neurodegenerative, skin whitening, anticoagulant, antibacterial, anti-anemic, anticonvulsant, and wound-healing properties, have been observed in different studies. More than 90 phytochemicals belonging to pharmacologically active phytochemical classes have been reported for lungworts, which can be considered as one of the important contributors to the biological properties along with micronutrients. However, safety studies and clinical trials are missing for lungworts to establish most of their potential biological properties. Similarly, in vivo studies are lacking for anti-inflammatory and anti-neurodegenerative disorders and more in vivo studies are required to strengthen the knowledge of their antioxidant, anticoagulant, and anti-convulsant properties. A comprehensive compilation of the phytochemicals and biological properties of lungworts is also lacking in the literature, which can provide future direction for further pharmacological research. Hence, an attempt has been made in this study to compile the phytochemicals and biological properties to not only provide the resources for the design of further research to develop the pharmacological application of lungworts, but also to highlight the gaps and provide suggestions for future development.
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Pathobiology and Therapeutic Relevance of GSK-3 in Chronic Hematological Malignancies. Cells 2022; 11:cells11111812. [PMID: 35681507 PMCID: PMC9180032 DOI: 10.3390/cells11111812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Revised: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) is an evolutionarily conserved, ubiquitously expressed, multifunctional serine/threonine protein kinase involved in the regulation of a variety of physiological processes. GSK-3 comprises two isoforms (α and β) which were originally discovered in 1980 as enzymes involved in glucose metabolism via inhibitory phosphorylation of glycogen synthase. Differently from other proteins kinases, GSK-3 isoforms are constitutively active in resting cells, and their modulation mainly involves inhibition through upstream regulatory networks. In the early 1990s, GSK-3 isoforms were implicated as key players in cancer cell pathobiology. Active GSK-3 facilitates the destruction of multiple oncogenic proteins which include β-catenin and Master regulator of cell cycle entry and proliferative metabolism (c-Myc). Therefore, GSK-3 was initially considered to be a tumor suppressor. Consistently, GSK-3 is often inactivated in cancer cells through dysregulated upstream signaling pathways. However, over the past 10–15 years, a growing number of studies highlighted that in some cancer settings GSK-3 isoforms inhibit tumor suppressing pathways and therefore act as tumor promoters. In this article, we will discuss the multiple and often enigmatic roles played by GSK-3 isoforms in some chronic hematological malignancies (chronic myelogenous leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, multiple myeloma, and B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas) which are among the most common blood cancer cell types. We will also summarize possible novel strategies targeting GSK-3 for innovative therapies of these disorders.
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Oleksak P, Nepovimova E, Chrienova Z, Musilek K, Patocka J, Kuca K. Contemporary mTOR inhibitor scaffolds to diseases breakdown: A patent review (2015–2021). Eur J Med Chem 2022; 238:114498. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Vergani E, Busico A, Dugo M, Devecchi A, Valeri B, Cossa M, Di Guardo L, De Cecco L, Feltrin E, Valle G, Deho P, Frigerio S, Lalli L, Gallino G, Del Vecchio M, Santinami M, Pruneri G, Tamborini E, Rivoltini L, Sensi M, Vallacchi V, Rodolfo M. Genetic layout of melanoma lesions associates to BRAF/MEK-targeted therapy resistance and to transcriptional profiles. J Invest Dermatol 2022; 142:3030-3040.e5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2022.04.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 04/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Braun C, Weichhart T. mTOR-dependent immunometabolism as Achilles' heel of anticancer therapy. Eur J Immunol 2021; 51:3161-3175. [PMID: 34648202 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202149270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Immune cells are important constituents of the tumor microenvironment and essential in eradicating tumor cells during conventional therapies or novel immunotherapies. The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway senses the intra- and extracellular nutrient status, growth factor supply, and cell stress-related changes to coordinate cellular metabolism and activation dictating effector and memory functions in mainly all hematopoietic immune cells. In addition, the mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) and mTORC2 are frequently deregulated and become activated in cancer cells to drive cell transformation, survival, neovascularization, and invasion. In this review, we provide an overview of the influence of mTOR complexes on immune and cancer cell function and metabolism. We discuss how mTOR inhibitors aiming to target cancer cells will influence immunometabolic cell functions participating either in antitumor responses or favoring tumor cell progression in individual immune cells. We suggest immunometabolism as the weak spot of anticancer therapy and propose to evaluate patients according to their predominant immune cell subtype in the cancer tissue. Advances in metabolic drug development that hold promise for more effective treatments in different types of cancer will have to consider their effects on the immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clarissa Braun
- Center of Pathobiochemistry and Genetics, Institute of Medical Genetics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Clinical Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Weichhart
- Center of Pathobiochemistry and Genetics, Institute of Medical Genetics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Yu L, Wei J, Liu P. Attacking the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway for targeted therapeutic treatment in human cancer. Semin Cancer Biol 2021; 85:69-94. [PMID: 34175443 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2021.06.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 152] [Impact Index Per Article: 50.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2021] [Revised: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Cancer is the second leading cause of human death globally. PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling is one of the most frequently dysregulated signaling pathways observed in cancer patients that plays crucial roles in promoting tumor initiation, progression and therapy responses. This is largely due to that PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling is indispensable for many cellular biological processes, including cell growth, metastasis, survival, metabolism, and others. As such, small molecule inhibitors targeting major kinase components of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway have drawn extensive attention and been developed and evaluated in preclinical models and clinical trials. Targeting a single kinase component within this signaling usually causes growth arrest rather than apoptosis associated with toxicity-induced adverse effects in patients. Combination therapies including PI3K/Akt/mTOR inhibitors show improved patient response and clinical outcome, albeit developed resistance has been reported. In this review, we focus on revealing the mechanisms leading to the hyperactivation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling in cancer and summarizing efforts for developing PI3K/Akt/mTOR inhibitors as either mono-therapy or combination therapy in different cancer settings. We hope that this review will facilitate further understanding of the regulatory mechanisms governing dysregulation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR oncogenic signaling in cancer and provide insights into possible future directions for targeted therapeutic regimen for cancer treatment, by developing new agents, drug delivery systems, or combination regimen to target the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. This information will also provide effective patient stratification strategy to improve the patient response and clinical outcome for cancer patients with deregulated PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Le Yu
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | | | - Pengda Liu
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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