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Singh MT, Thaggikuppe Krishnamurthy P, Magham SV. Harnessing the synergistic potential of NK1R antagonists and selective COX-2 inhibitors for simultaneous targeting of TNBC cells and cancer stem cells. J Drug Target 2024; 32:258-269. [PMID: 38252517 DOI: 10.1080/1061186x.2024.2309568] [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: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) lacks the expression of oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), rendering it unresponsive to endocrine therapy and HER2 targeted treatments. Though certain chemotherapeutics targeting the cell cycle have shown efficacy to a certain extent, the presence of chemotherapy-resistant cancer stem cells (CSCs) presents a significant challenge in tackling TNBC. Multiple lines of evidence suggest the upregulation of neuropeptide Substance P (SP), its NK-1 receptor (NK1R) and the Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme in TNBC patients. Upregulation of the SP/NK1R system and COX-2 influences major signalling pathways involved in cell proliferation, growth, survival, angiogenesis, inflammation, metastasis and stem cell activity. The simultaneous activation and crosstalk between the pathways activated by SP/NK1R and COX-2 consequently increase the levels of key regulators of self-renewal pathways in CSCs, promoting stemness. The combination therapy with NK1R antagonists and COX-2 inhibitors can simultaneously target TNBC cells and CSCs, thereby enhancing treatment efficacy and reducing the risk of recurrence and relapse. This review discusses the rationale for combining NK1R antagonists and COX-2 inhibitors for the better management of TNBC and a novel strategy to deliver drug cargo precisely to the tumour site to address the challenges associated with off-target binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madhu Tanya Singh
- Department of Pharmacology, JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Ooty, The Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Praveen Thaggikuppe Krishnamurthy
- Department of Pharmacology, JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Ooty, The Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Sai Varshini Magham
- Department of Pharmacology, JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Ooty, The Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, India
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Zhu Z, Li T, Wang H, Jiao L. AQP5 promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition and tumor growth through activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in triple-negative breast cancer. Mutat Res 2024; 829:111868. [PMID: 38959561 DOI: 10.1016/j.mrfmmm.2024.111868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 05/22/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Emerging data identifies aquaporin 5 (AQP5) as a vital player in many kinds of cancers. Over expression of AQP5 was associated with increased metastasis and poor prognosis, suggesting that AQP5 may facilitate cancer cell proliferation and migration. Our previous studies also showed that AQP3 and AQP5 were highly expressed in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and the expression of AQP3 and AQP5 in TNBC tissue was positive correlated with advanced clinical stage. OBJECTIVE We aim to investigate the role of AQP5 in TNBC oncogenesis and development. METHODS MDA-MB-231 cells were transfected with siRNA-AQP5 and AQP5 overexpression vector to establish a differential expression system for AQP5. Cell proliferation and apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells were detected by CCK-8 (Cell Counting Kit-8) and FCM (flow cytometry), respectively. Cell migration and invasion abilities were evaluated by wound healing assay and transwell assay. The qRT-PCR and western blot assays were used to study the effect of AQP5 expression level on the expression of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) related molecules. The effects of ICG-001, a Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway inhibitor, on the invasive and migratory capabilities of overexpressed AQP5 cells and downstream molecules were measured. RESULTS 1. The expression of AQP5 in the MDA-MB-231 cells was significantly higher than that in the MCF-10A cells. 2. Up-regulation of AQP5 significantly promoted the proliferation, migration and invasion of TNBC cells, while inhibited the cell apoptosis; in addition, up-regulation of AQP5 increased the expression of Bcl-2 and decreased the expression of Caspase-3. However, knockdown of AQP5 presented the adverse effects of AQP5 overexpression. 3. Overexpressed AQP5 induced the overexpression of EMT-related factors, which further promoted the migration and invasion of cells. 4. Overexpression of AQP5 could up-regulate the expression of β-catenin in the nucleus followed by increasing the expression levels of downstream genes in Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Moreover, ICG-001, the inhibitor of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, could significantly attenuate the effect of overexpression of AQP5 on cells, further confirming that AQP5 may promote the proliferation, migration and invasion of TNBC cells by activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS In the TNBC cells, AQP5 modulates the expression levels of EMT-related proteins through activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, thus enhancing the cell proliferation, migration and invasion while inhibiting the cell apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengcai Zhu
- Department of General Surgery, The Affiliated Taizhou People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou, Jiangsu 215300, PR China
| | - Tao Li
- Department of General Surgery, The Affiliated Taizhou People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou, Jiangsu 215300, PR China
| | - Honggang Wang
- Department of General Surgery, The Affiliated Taizhou People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou, Jiangsu 215300, PR China
| | - Lianghe Jiao
- Department of General Surgery, The Affiliated Taizhou People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou, Jiangsu 215300, PR China.
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Kabil MF, Mahmoud MY, Bakr AF, Zaafar D, El-Sherbiny IM. Switching indication of PEGylated lipid nanocapsules-loaded with rolapitant and deferasirox against breast cancer: Enhanced in-vitro and in-vivo cytotoxicity. Life Sci 2022; 305:120731. [PMID: 35753435 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2022.120731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Breast cancer (BC) is considered the leading cause of mortality and morbidity among adult women worldwide, and it is associated with many genetic or hormonal factors. Despite the advanced therapeutic and theranostic strategies for BC treatment, cancer metastasis and relapse are often observed among patients which lead to therapeutic failure. Accordingly, among the repositioned medication against BC proliferation is neurokinin receptor antagonists and iron chelating agents especially rolapitant HCl (RP) and deferasirox (DFO). However, RP and DFO are classified as class II with low aqueous solubility. Both drugs were nanoformulated into PEGylated lipid nanocapsules (LNCs) for enhancing their aqueous solubility and augmenting their efficacy. RP-LNCs, DFO-LNCs and their combinations were evaluated according to particle size (PS), zeta potential, polydispersity index (PDI) and surface morphology. Importantly, the antitumor effect of these novel molecules and their nanoforms was evaluated against the suppression of Ehrlich Ascites tumor model using female mice. Results revealed that RP-LNCs, DFO-LNCs and RP/DFO-LNCs exerted PS from 45.23 ± 3.54 to 60.1 ± 3.32 nm with PDI around 0.20 which indicates homogenous particles distribution. Also, RP-LNCs, DFO-LNCs and RP/DFO-LNCs displayed surface charges of +16.6 ± 6.9, -13.3 ± 5.82 and - 20.2 ± 5.40 mV, respectively. The obtained LNCs conferred a high potent cytotoxic effect against MCF7 cancer cells as compared to parent drugs, with IC50 of 10.86 ± 0.89, 3.34 ± 0.99 and 2.24 ± 0.97 μg/mL for RP-LNCs, DFO-LNCs and RP/DFO-LNCs, respectively. The in-vivo pharmacodynamics effect of the developed nano-formulations showed superior antitumor effect for the individual drugs rather than their combinations as compared to the control group. The current study confirmed the potential of RP and DFO nanoforms as promising therapeutic agents for BC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Fawzi Kabil
- Nanomedicine Lab, Center for Materials Science, Zewail City of Science and Technology, 6th of October City, Giza, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Y Mahmoud
- Department of Toxicology and Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
| | - Alaa F Bakr
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
| | - Dalia Zaafar
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Modern University for Technology and Information, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim M El-Sherbiny
- Nanomedicine Lab, Center for Materials Science, Zewail City of Science and Technology, 6th of October City, Giza, Egypt.
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García-Aranda M, Téllez T, McKenna L, Redondo M. Neurokinin-1 Receptor (NK-1R) Antagonists as a New Strategy to Overcome Cancer Resistance. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14092255. [PMID: 35565383 PMCID: PMC9102068 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14092255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Nowadays, the identification of new therapeutic targets that allow for the development of treatments, which as monotherapy, or in combination with other existing treatments can contribute to improve response rates, prognosis and survival of oncologic patients, is a priority to optimize healthcare within sustainable health systems. Recent studies have demonstrated the role of Substance P (SP) and its preferred receptor, Neurokinin 1 Receptor (NK-1R), in human cancer and the potential antitumor activity of NK-1R antagonists as an anticancer treatment. In this review, we outline the relevant studies published to date regarding the SP/NK-1R complex as a key player in human cancer and also evaluate if the repurposing of already marketed NK-1R antagonists may be useful in the development of new treatment strategies to overcome cancer resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marilina García-Aranda
- Research and Innovation Unit, Hospital Costa del Sol, Autovía A-7, km 187, 29603 Marbella, Spain; (M.G.-A.); (L.M.)
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), C/Dr. Miguel Díaz Recio, 28, 29010 Málaga, Spain
- Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas (REDISSEC) and Red de Investigación en Cronicidad, Atención Primaria y Promoción de la Salud (RICAPPS), Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), 29010 Málaga, Spain;
- Surgical Specialties, Biochemistry and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Málaga, 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - Teresa Téllez
- Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas (REDISSEC) and Red de Investigación en Cronicidad, Atención Primaria y Promoción de la Salud (RICAPPS), Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), 29010 Málaga, Spain;
- Surgical Specialties, Biochemistry and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Málaga, 29010 Málaga, Spain
| | - Lauraine McKenna
- Research and Innovation Unit, Hospital Costa del Sol, Autovía A-7, km 187, 29603 Marbella, Spain; (M.G.-A.); (L.M.)
| | - Maximino Redondo
- Research and Innovation Unit, Hospital Costa del Sol, Autovía A-7, km 187, 29603 Marbella, Spain; (M.G.-A.); (L.M.)
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), C/Dr. Miguel Díaz Recio, 28, 29010 Málaga, Spain
- Red de Investigación en Servicios de Salud en Enfermedades Crónicas (REDISSEC) and Red de Investigación en Cronicidad, Atención Primaria y Promoción de la Salud (RICAPPS), Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), 29010 Málaga, Spain;
- Surgical Specialties, Biochemistry and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Málaga, 29010 Málaga, Spain
- Correspondence:
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Mehboob R, Gilani SA, Hassan A, Sadaf, Tanvir I, Javaid S, Khalid S, Hasan S, Waseem H, Alwazzan A, Munoz M. Prognostic Significance of Substance P/Neurokinin 1 Receptor and Its Association with Hormonal Receptors in Breast Carcinoma. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 2021:5577820. [PMID: 34692834 PMCID: PMC8528600 DOI: 10.1155/2021/5577820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Expression and immunolocalization of Substance P (SP)/Neurokinin-1 Receptor (NK-1R) in breast carcinoma (BC) patients and its association with routine proliferative markers (ER, PR, HER2/neu, and Ki-67) were evaluated. A cross-sectional study was performed on 34 cases of BC. There were 23 cases of group A (grade III), 8 of group B (grade II), and only 3 cases of group C (grade I). All samples were then processed for SP and NK-1R immunohistochemistry for few cases. 14/23 cases (61%) of group A, 7/8 cases (88%) of group B, and 2/3 (67%) cases of group C were SP positive. Overall, strong staining (≥10% tumor cells), labeled as "+3," was observed in 9/14 (64.2%) cases of group A and 1/8 (12.5%) cases of group B. Moderate staining labelled as "+2" (in ≥10% tumor cells) was observed in 3/14 (21.4%) cases of group A and 4/8 (50%) cases of group B. Weak positive staining "+1" was observed in only 2/14 (14.28%) cases of group A, 2/8 (25%) cases of group B, and all 2/2 (100%) cases of group C. SP and NK-1R are overexpressed in breast carcinomas, and there is significant association between the grade of tumor and their overexpression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riffat Mehboob
- Research Unit, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
- Lahore Medical Research Center, LLP, Lahore, Pakistan
- Lino Rossi Research Center, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Syed Amir Gilani
- Research Unit, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Amber Hassan
- Research Unit, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Sadaf
- Center for Research in Molecular Medicine, The University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Imrana Tanvir
- Department of Pathology, King Abdulaziz University, Rabigh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Shaista Javaid
- Center for Research in Molecular Medicine, The University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Sidra Khalid
- Lahore Medical Research Center, LLP, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Sana Hasan
- Punjab Health Care Commission, Lahore, Pakistan
| | | | - Ahmad Alwazzan
- Division of Gynecology Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Miguel Munoz
- Research Laboratory on Neuropeptides (IBIS), Virgen del Rocío University Hospital, Seville, Spain
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Significance of the Overexpression of Substance P and Its Receptor NK-1R in Head and Neck Carcinogenesis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13061349. [PMID: 33802704 PMCID: PMC8002440 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13061349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The objective of our study has been, through a systematic review and meta-analysis, to increase the scientific evidence on the implications of SP and its receptor NK-1R in head and neck carcinogenesis. We searched studies published before May-2020 without date and publication language restrictions (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus). We evaluated the quality of the studies included (QUIPS tool). We performed heterogeneity, sensitivity, small-study effects, and subgroup analyses. A total 16 studies and 1308 cases met inclusion criteria. Qualitative evaluation demonstrated that not all studies were performed with the same scientific rigor, finding the greatest risk of bias in the study confounding and prognostic factors measurement domains. Quantitative evaluation showed a greater SP/NK-1R overexpression in malignant head and neck lesions compared to benign lesions (p = 0.02), and that expression was observed in malignant salivary gland pathology. Likewise, we found a higher overexpression of NK-1R compared to SP (p = 0.02). In conclusion, the results of this systematic review and meta-analysis show evidence that the upregulation of SP and NK-1R are oncogenic events involved in head and neck carcinogenesis, probably acting in the early stages of malignization. In addition, there is evidence of a greater relevance of the upregulation of the NK-1R receptor compared to SP, which highlights the interest in deepening the development of targeted therapies on the receptor. Future studies assessing the relationships between SP/NK-1R among subjects with head and neck tumors could consider the recommendations given in this systematic review and meta-analysis to improve and standardize future research.
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Argueta DA, Aich A, Lei J, Kiven S, Nguyen A, Wang Y, Gu J, Zhao W, Gupta K. β-endorphin at the intersection of pain and cancer progression: Preclinical evidence. Neurosci Lett 2020; 744:135601. [PMID: 33387660 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2020.135601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
We examined the association between endogenous opioid β-endorphin, cancer progression and pain in a transgenic mouse model of breast cancer, with a rat C3(1) simian virus 40 large tumor antigen fusion gene (C3TAg). C3TAg mice develop ductal epithelial atypia at 8 weeks, progression to intra-epithelial neoplasia at 12 weeks, and invasive carcinoma with palpable tumors at 16 weeks. Consistent with invasive carcinoma at 4 months of age, C3TAg mice demonstrate a significant increase in hyperalgesia compared to younger C3TAg or control FVBN mice without tumors. Our data show that the growing tumor contributes to circulating β-endorphin. As an endogenous ligand of mu opioid receptor, β-endorphin has analgesic activity. Paradoxically, we observed an increase in pain in transgenic breast cancer mice with significantly high circulating and tumor-associated β-endorphin. Increased circulating β-endorphin correlates with increasing tumor burden. β-endorphin induced the activation of mitogenic and survival-promoting signaling pathways, MAPK/ERK 1/2, STAT3 and Akt, observed by us in human MDA-MB-231 cells suggesting a role for β-endorphin in breast cancer progression and associated pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donovan A Argueta
- Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Anupam Aich
- Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Jianxun Lei
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Stacy Kiven
- Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Aithanh Nguyen
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Ying Wang
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA; Department of Anesthesia, Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Joshua Gu
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA; Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Weian Zhao
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA; Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA; Edwards Life Sciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Kalpna Gupta
- Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA; Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA; Southern California Institute for Research and Education, VA Medical Center, Long Beach, CA, USA.
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