IP10-CDR3 Reduces The Viability And Induces The Apoptosis Of Ovarian Cancer Cells By Down-Regulating The Expression Of Bcl-2 And Caspase 3

Prophylactic Administration of Gut Microbiome Metabolites Abrogated Microglial Activation and Subsequent Neuroinflammation in an Experimental Model of Japanese Encephalitis

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are gut microbial metabolic derivatives produced during the fermentation of ingested complex carbohydrates. SCFAs have been widely regarded to have a potent anti-inflammatory and neuro-protective role and have implications in several disease conditions, such as, inflammatory bowel disease, type-2 diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders. Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a neurotropic flavivirus, is associated with life threatening neuro-inflammation and neurological sequelae in infected hosts. In this study, we hypothesize that SCFAs have potential in mitigating JEV pathogenesis. Postnatal day 10 BALB/c mice were intraperitoneally injected with either a SCFA mixture (acetate, propionate, and butyrate) or PBS for a period of 7 days, followed by JEV infection. All mice were observed for onset and progression of symptoms. The brain tissue was collected upon reaching terminal illness for further analysis. SCFA-supplemented JEV-infected mice (SCFA + JEV) showed a delayed onset of symptoms, lower hindlimb clasping score, and decreased weight loss and increased survival by 3 days (p < 0.0001) upon infection as opposed to the PBS-treated JEV-infected animals (JEV). Significant downregulation of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, MCP-1, IL-6, and IFN-Υ in the SCFA + JEV group relative to the JEV-infected control group was observed. Inflammatory mediators, phospho-NF-kB (P-NF-kB) and iba1, showed 2.08 ± 0.1 and 3.132 ± 0.43-fold upregulation in JEV versus 1.19 ± 0.11 and 1.31 ± 0.11-fold in the SCFA + JEV group, respectively. Tissue section analysis exhibited reduced glial activation (JEV group─42 ± 2.15 microglia/ROI; SCFA + JEV group─27.07 ± 1.8 microglia/ROI) in animals that received SCFA supplementation prior to infection as seen from the astrocytic and microglial morphometric analysis. Caspase-3 immunoblotting showed 4.08 ± 1.3-fold upregulation in JEV as compared to 1.03 ± 0.14-fold in the SCFA + JEV group and TUNEL assay showed a reduced cellular death post-JEV infection (JEV-6.4 ± 1.5 cells/ROI and SCFA + JEV-3.7 ± 0.73 cells/ROI). Our study critically contributes to the increasing evidence in support of SCFAs as an anti-inflammatory and neuro-protective agent, we further expand its scope as a potential supplementary intervention in JEV-mediated neuroinflammation.

Molecular Mechanisms of Cassia fistula against Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Using Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Approaches

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is one of the deadliest reproductive tract malignancies that form on the external tissue covering of an ovary. Cassia fistula is popular for its anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic properties in conventional medications. Nevertheless, its molecular mechanisms are still unclear. The current study evaluated the potential of C. fistula for the treatment of EOC using network pharmacology approach integrated with molecular docking. Eight active constituents of C. fistula were obtained from two independent databases and the literature, and their targets were retrieved from the SwissTargetPrediction. In total, 1077 EOC associated genes were retrieved from DisGeNET and GeneCardsSuite databases, and 800 potential targets of eight active constituents of C. fistula were mapped to the 1077 EOC targets and intersected targets from two databases. Ultimately, 98 potential targets were found from C. fistula for EOC. Finally, the protein-protein interaction network (PPI) topological interpretation revealed AKT1, CTNNB1, ESR1, and CASP3 as key targets. This is the first time four genes have been found against EOC from C. fistula. The major enriched pathways of these candidate genes were established by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) investigations. To confirm the network pharmacology findings, the molecular docking approach demonstrated that active molecules have higher affinity for binding to putative targets for EOC suppression. More pharmacological and clinical research is required for the development of a drug to treat EOC.

A Network Pharmacology Study to Uncover the Mechanism of FDY003 for Ovarian Cancer Treatment

Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the deadliest gynecological tumors responsible for 0.21 million deaths per year worldwide. Despite the increasing interest in the use of herbal drugs for cancer treatment, their pharmacological effects in OC treatment are not understood from a systems perspective. Using network pharmacology, we determined the anti-OC potential of FDY003 from a comprehensive systems view. We observed that FDY003 suppressed the viability of human OC cells and further chemosensitized them to cytotoxic chemotherapy. Through network pharmacological and pharmacokinetic approaches, we identified 16 active ingredients in FDY003 and their 108 targets associated with OC mechanisms. Functional enrichment investigation revealed that the targets may coordinate diverse cellular behaviors of OC cells, including their growth, proliferation, survival, death, and cell cycle regulation. Furthermore, the FDY003 targets are important constituents of diverse signaling pathways implicated in OC mechanisms (eg, phosphoinositide 3-kinase [PI3K]-Akt, mitogen-activated protein kinase [MAPK], focal adhesion, hypoxia-inducible factor [HIF]-1, estrogen, tumor necrosis factor [TNF], erythroblastic leukemia viral oncogene homolog [ErbB], Janus kinase [JAK]-signal transducer and activator of transcription [STAT], and p53 signaling). In summary, our data present a comprehensive understanding of the anti-OC effects and mechanisms of action of FDY003.

High Expression of Interferon Pathway Genes CXCL10 and STAT2 Is Associated with Activated T-Cell Signature and Better Outcome of Oral Cancer Patients

To improve the survival rate of cancer patients, biomarkers for both early diagnosis and patient stratification for appropriate therapeutics play crucial roles in precision oncology. Investigation of altered gene expression and the relevant molecular pathways in cancer cells are helpful for discovering such biomarkers. In this study, we explore the potential prognostic biomarkers for oral cancer patients through systematically analyzing five oral cancer transcriptomic data sets (TCGA, GSE23558, GSE30784, GSE37991, and GSE138206). Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was individually applied to each data set and the upregulated Hallmark molecular pathways of each data set were intersected to generate 13 common pathways including interferon-α/γ pathways. Among the 5 oral cancer data sets, 43 interferon pathway genes were commonly upregulated and 17 genes exhibited prognostic values in TCGA cohort. After validating in another oral cancer cohort (GSE65858), high expressions of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) and Signal transducer and activator of transcription 2 (STAT2) were confirmed to be good prognostic biomarkers. GSEA of oral cancers stratified by CXCL10/STAT2 expression showed that activation of T-cell pathways and increased tumor infiltration scores of Type 1 T helper (Th1) and CD8+ T cells were associated with high CXCL10/STAT2 expression. These results suggest that high CXCL10/STAT2 expression can predict a favorable outcome in oral cancer patients.