TNF: a tumor-suppressing factor or a tumor-promoting factor?

Dual-Energy Computed Tomography Parameters Combined With Inflammatory Indicators Predict Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis in Papillary Thyroid Cancer

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Cervical lymph node metastasis (CLNM) is considered a marker of papillar Fethicy thyroid cancer (PTC) progression and has a potential impact on the prognosis of PTC. The purpose of this study was to screen for predictors of CLNM in PTC and to construct a predictive model to guide the surgical approach in patients with PTC.

METHODS

This is a retrospective study. Preoperative dual-energy computed tomography images of 114 patients with pathologically confirmed PTC between July 2019 and April 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The dual-energy computed tomography parameters [iodine concentration (IC), normalized iodine concentration (NIC), the slope of energy spectrum curve (λHU)] of the venous stage cancer foci were measured and calculated. The independent influencing factors for predicting CLNM were determined by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis, and the prediction models were constructed. The clinical benefits of the model were evaluated using decision curves, calibration curves, and receiver operating characteristic curves.

RESULTS

The statistical results show that NIC, derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (dNLR), prognostic nutritional index (PNI), gender, and tumor diameter were independent predictors of CLNM in PTC. The AUC of the nomogram was .898 (95% CI: .829-.966), and the calibration curve and decision curve showed that the prediction model had good predictive effect and clinical benefit, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The nomogram constructed based on dual-energy CT parameters and inflammatory prognostic indicators has high clinical value in predicting CLNM in PTC patients.

Interleukin-24-mediated antitumor effects against human glioblastoma via upregulation of P38 MAPK and endogenous TRAIL-induced apoptosis and LC3-II activation-dependent autophagy

BACKGROUND

Melanoma differentiation-associated gene 7 (Mda-7) encodes IL-24, which can induce apoptosis in cancer cells. A novel gene therapy approach to treat deadly brain tumors, recombinant mda-7 adenovirus (Ad/mda-7) efficiently kills glioma cells. In this study, we investigated the factors affecting cell survival and apoptosis and autophagy mechanisms that destroy glioma cells by Ad/IL-24.

METHODS

Human glioblastoma U87 cell line was exposed to a multiplicity of infections of Ad/IL-24. Antitumor activities of Ad/IL-24 were assessed by cell proliferation (MTT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release analysis. Using flow cytometry, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis were investigated. Using the ELISA method, the tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) level was determined as an apoptosis-promoting factor and Survivin level as an anti-apoptotic factor. The expression levels of TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand(TRAIL) and P38 MAPK genes were assessed by the Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT‑qPCR) method. The expression levels of caspase-3 and protein light chain 3-II (LC3-II) proteins were analyzed by flow cytometry as intervening factors in the processes of apoptosis and autophagy in the cell death signaling pathway, respectively.

RESULTS

The present findings demonstrated that transduction of IL-24 inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis in glioblastoma. Compared with cells of the control groups, Ad/IL24-infected U87 cells exhibited significantly increased elevated caspase-3, and TNF-α levels, while the survivin expression was decreased. TRAIL was shown to be upregulated in tumor cells after Ad/IL-24 infection and studies of the apoptotic cascade regulators indicate that Ad/IL-24 could further enhance the activation of apoptosis through the TNF family of death receptors. In the current study, we demonstrate that P38 MAPK is significantly activated by IL-24 expression. In addition, the overexpression of mda-7/IL-24 in GBM cells induced autophagy, which was triggered by the upregulation of LC3-II.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study demonstrates the antitumor effect of IL-24 on glioblastoma and may be a promising therapeutic approach for GBM cancer gene therapy.

Acidosis significantly alters immune checkpoint expression profiles of T cells from oesophageal adenocarcinoma patients

Tumour acidosis contributes to cancer progression by inhibiting anti-tumour immunity. However, the effect of acidosis on anti-tumour T cell phenotypes in oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) is unknown. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of acidosis on anti-tumour T cell profiles and if immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) could enhance anti-tumour T cell immunity under acidosis. Acidic conditions substantially altered immune checkpoint expression profiles of OAC patient-derived T cells, upregulating TIM-3, LAG-3 and CTLA-4. Severe acidosis (pH 5.5) significantly decreased the percentage of central memory CD4⁺ T cells, an effect that was attenuated by ICB treatment. ICB increased T cell production of IFN-γ under moderate acidosis (pH 6.6) but not severe acidosis (pH 5.5) and decreased IL-10 production by T cells under severe acidic conditions only. A link between lactate and metastasis was also depicted; patients with nodal metastasis had higher serum lactate levels (p = 0.07) which also positively correlated with circulating levels of pro-angiogenic factor Tie-2. Our findings establish that acidosis-induced upregulation of immune checkpoints on T cells may potentially contribute to immune evasion and disease progression in OAC. However, acidic conditions curtailed ICB efficacy, supporting a rationale for utilizing systemic oral buffers to neutralize tumour acidity to improve ICB efficacy. Study schematic-PBMCs were isolated from OAC patients (A) and expanded ex vivo for 7 days using anti-CD3/28 +IL-2 T cell activation protocol (B) and further cultured for 48 h under increasing acidic conditions in the absence or presence of immune checkpoint blockade (nivolumab, ipilimumab or dual nivolumab + ipilimumab) (C). Immunophenotyping was then carried out to assess immune checkpoint expression profiles and anti-tumour T cell phenotypes (D). Serum lactate was assessed in OAC patients (E-F) and levels were correlated with patient demographics (G) and the levels of circulating immune/pro-angiogenic cytokines that were determined by multiplex ELISA (H). Key Findings-severe acidic conditions upregulated multiple immune checkpoints on T cells (I). Efficacy of ICB was curtailed under severe acidic conditions (J). Circulating lactate levels positively correlated with circulating levels of pro-angiogenic factor tie-2 and higher serum lactate levels were found in patients who had nodal metastasis (K).

The association between amniotic fluid-derived inflammatory mediators and the risk of retinopathy of prematurity

Prenatal and perinatal infections and inflammation appear to associated with the development of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). In this study, we evaluated whether inflammatory mediators in amniotic fluid (AF) retrieved during cesarean delivery influence the development of ROP in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. This retrospective study included 16 and 32 VLBW infants who did and did not develop any stage of ROP, respectively. Each infant with ROP was matched with 2 infants without ROP based on days of ventilation care, gestational age, and birth weight. AF was obtained during cesarean delivery, and the levels of intra-amniotic inflammatory mediators such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-8, MMP-9, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were measured using a Human Magnetic Luminex assay (R&D Systems, Minneapolis, MN). The differences in the levels of inflammatory mediators according to the presence or absence of ROP were compared. In patients who developed ROP, the level of MMP-2 in the AF was significantly increased (P = .011), whereas the levels of IL-10 and TNF-α were significantly decreased (P = .028 and .046, respectively) compared with those in infants who did not develop ROP. The levels of the other mediators were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Multivariate regression analysis showed that MMP-2 was a risk factor for the development of ROP (odds ratio, 2.445; 95% confidence interval, 1.170-5.106; P = .017). The concentration of MMP-2 in AF is an independent factor in the development of ROP. Further studies are needed to determine whether the levels of inflammatory mediators in AF affect the ROP severity.

Oxyfluorfen induces hepatotoxicity through lipo-sugar accumulation and inflammation in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Oxyfluorfen (OXY) is widely used in agriculture as a herbicide, resulting in its continuous accumulation in the environment. The presence of OXY can be detected in soil and rivers. However, until now, the potential toxicity of OXY to aquatic organisms has not been evaluated. In this study, zebrafish was used as a model animal to evaluate OXY-induced liver toxicity. The study found that 0.25, 0.5, and 1 mg/L of OXY affected the early development of zebrafish and severely damaged the lipid and sugar metabolism in the liver of zebrafish larvae. Furthermore, a metabolic function disorder caused liver damage. OXY also caused inflammation by upregulating the inflammatory factors IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α, and activated the apoptotic pathway to inhibit hepatocyte proliferation, resulting in zebrafish liver toxicity. Our research showed that OXY had certain toxic effects on zebrafish development and liver and could cause potential harm to other aquatic organisms and humans.

In Silico Investigation of the Biological Implications of Complex DNA Damage with Emphasis in Cancer Radiotherapy through a Systems Biology Approach

Different types of DNA lesions forming in close vicinity, create clusters of damaged sites termed as “clustered/complex DNA damage” and they are considered to be a major challenge for DNA repair mechanisms resulting in significant repair delays and induction of genomic instability. Upon detection of DNA damage, the corresponding DNA damage response and repair (DDR/R) mechanisms are activated. The inability of cells to process clustered DNA lesions efficiently has a great impact on the normal function and survival of cells. If complex lesions are left unrepaired or misrepaired, they can lead to mutations and if persistent, they may lead to apoptotic cell death. In this in silico study, and through rigorous data mining, we have identified human genes that are activated upon complex DNA damage induction like in the case of ionizing radiation (IR) and beyond the standard DNA repair pathways, and are also involved in cancer pathways, by employing stringent bioinformatics and systems biology methodologies. Given that IR can cause repair resistant lesions within a short DNA segment (a few nm), thereby augmenting the hazardous and toxic effects of radiation, we also investigated the possible implication of the most biologically important of those genes in comorbid non-neoplastic diseases through network integration, as well as their potential for predicting survival in cancer patients.

Risk of solid cancers overall and by subtypes in patients with psoriatic arthritis treated with TNF inhibitors - a Nordic cohort study

OBJECTIVES

To investigate whether TNF inhibitors (TNFi) are associated with increased risk of solid cancer in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

METHODS

From the Nordic clinical rheumatology registers (CRR) here: SRQ/ARTIS (Sweden), DANBIO (Denmark), NOR-DMARD (Norway), ROB-FIN (Finland) and ICEBIO (Iceland) we identified PsA patients who started a first TNFi 2001-2017 (n = 9655). We identified patients with PsA not treated with biologics from (i) the CRR (n = 14 809) and (ii) the national patient registers (PR, n = 31 350). By linkage to the national cancer registers, we collected information on incident solid cancer overall and for eight cancer types. We used Cox regression to estimate hazard ratio (HR) with 95% CI of cancer (per country and pooled) in TNFi-exposed vs biologics-naïve, adjusting for age, sex, calendar period, comorbidities and disease activity. We also assessed standardized incidence ratios (SIR) in TNFi-exposed PsA vs the general population (GP).

RESULTS

We identified 296 solid cancers among the TNFi-exposed PsA patients (55 850 person-years); the pooled adjusted HR for solid cancer overall was 1.0 (0.9-1.2) for TNFi-exposed vs biologics-naïve PsA from the CRR, and 0.8 (0.7-1.0) vs biologics-naïve PsA from the PRs. There were no significantly increased risks for any of the cancer types under study. The pooled SIR of solid cancer overall in TNFi treated PsA vs GP was 1.0 (0.9-1.1).

CONCLUSION

In this large cohort study from five Nordic countries, we found no increased risk of solid cancer in TNFi-treated PsA patients, neither for solid cancer overall nor for eight common cancer types.

Prediction of lymph node metastasis in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma using the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-to-neutrophil ratio

Background

Lymph node metastasis in a variety of tumors is associated with systemic inflammatory markers. However, this association has not been reported in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC). This study aimed to investigate how the preoperative neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet‐to‐neutrophil ratio (PNR) in OTSCC patients correlated with the occurrence of OTSCC and lymph node metastasis.

Methods

The data of 73 patients with primary OTSCC who underwent surgical resection were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with other malignant tumors, patients who had received radiotherapy or chemotherapy before surgery, and patients with active inflammation were excluded. The enrolled patients were divided into groups N₀ (no early‐stage lymph node metastasis) and N₁ (early‐stage lymph node metastasis). Venous blood samples were collected before surgery and at the third week after surgery and subjected to complete blood counting in a blood analyzer. Eighty‐seven healthy people were included as a control group. In addition, the NLR and PNR in OTSCC patients were compared with those in the controls, and the postoperative NLR and PNR of group N₀ were compared with those of group N₁.

Results

The NLR was significantly higher in the OTSCC patients than the controls (p < 0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.595. Further comparison of the NLR and PLR between group N₀ and group N₁ showed that when NLR was ≤1.622, and the probability of early‐stage lymph node metastasis in OTSCC patients was 73.3%, and when PNR was >60.889, the probability was 86.7%. In re‐examination 3 weeks postoperatively, the NLR and PNR were not significantly different between groups.

Conclusion

The NLR has certain reference value for the diagnosis of OTSCC. The preoperative NLR and PNR can be used to predict early‐stage lymph node metastasis in patients with histopathologically confirmed OTSCC.

Studies in lung cancer cytokine proteomics: a review

INTRODUCTION

Proteins are molecules that have role in the progression of the diseases. Proteomics is a tool that can play an effective role in identifying diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers for lung cancer. Cytokines are proteins that play a decisive role in activating body's immune system in lung cancer. They can increase the growth of the tumor (oncogenic cytokines) or limit tumor growth (anti-tumor cytokines) by regulating related signaling pathways such as proliferation, growth, metastasis, and apoptosis.

AREAS COVERED

In the present study, a total of 223 papers including 196 research papers and 27 review papers, extracted from PubMed and Scopus and published from 1997 to present, are reviewed. The most important involved-cytokines in lung cancer including TNF-α, IFN- γ, TGF-β, VEGF and interleukins such as IL-6, IL-17, IL-8, IL-10, IL-22, IL-1β and IL-18 are introduced. Also, the pathological and biological role of such cytokines in cancer signaling pathways is explained.

EXPERT OPINION

In lung cancer, the cytokine expression changes under the physiological conditions of the immune system, and inflammatory cytokines are associated with the progression of lung cancer. Therefore, the cytokine expression profile can be used in the diagnosis, prognosis, prediction of therapeutic responses, and survival of patients with lung cancer.

Molecular mechanisms and clinical management of cancer bone metastasis

As one of the most common metastatic sites of malignancies, bone has a unique microenvironment that allows metastatic tumor cells to grow and flourish. The fenestrated capillaries in the bone, bone matrix, and bone cells, including osteoblasts and osteoclasts, together maintain the homeostasis of the bone microenvironment. In contrast, tumor-derived factors act on bone components, leading to subsequent bone resorption or excessive bone formation. The various pathways involved also provide multiple targets for therapeutic strategies against bone metastases. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the mechanism of bone metastases. Based on the general process of bone metastases, we specifically highlight the complex crosstalk between tumor cells and the bone microenvironment and the current management of cancer bone metastases.

Effects of serum from breast cancer surgery patients receiving perioperative dexmedetomidine on breast cancer cell malignancy: A prospective randomized controlled trial

Adrenergic receptors (ARs) have gained attention for their involvement in breast cancer (BC) progression. Dexmedetomidine, a selective α₂ -AR agonist, has been reported to increase the malignancy of BC cells in vitro or stimulate tumor growth in mice. However, clinical evidence is lacking. Clinical research in this area is important as dexmedetomidine is widely used in BC surgery patients. Here we allocated 24 women with primary BC to the dexmedetomidine group (who received a total dose of 2 μg kg^-1 dexmedetomidine perioperatively) or to the control group (who received the same volume of normal saline). Venous blood was obtained from all patients immediately upon entering the operating room and 24 hours postoperatively. Serum was then exposed to MCF-7 cells at a concentration of 10% for 24 hours. Cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were analyzed using EdU, Transwell, and Matrigel methods, respectively. We found that postoperative serum from those who received dexmedetomidine was associated with significantly increased cell proliferation, migration, and invasion compared with preoperative serum when used to culture MCF-7 cells. The mean percentage change from post to preoperative values in these cell functions was significantly larger in the dexmedetomidine group than in the control group (proliferation, 30.44% vs 8.45%, P = .0024; migration, 15.90% vs 3.25%, P = .0015; invasion, 8.17% vs 2.13%, P = .04). In conclusion, these findings suggest that in patients undergoing surgery for primary BC, perioperative administration of dexmedetomidine might influence the serum milieu in a way that favors the malignancy of MCF-7 cells. Clinical trial registration: NCT03108937.

A meta-analysis of biologic therapies on risk of new or recurrent cancer in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and a prior malignancy

Objectives

To explore the risk of new and recurrent cancer in adult RA patients with prior malignancy and subsequently exposed to biologic therapies.

Methods

Separate searches were performed of PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library and conference proceedings for observational studies reporting cancer incidence or recurrence in patients with RA and prior malignancy treated with biologics and conventional synthetic DMARDs (csDMARDs). Mantel-Haenszel fixed-effects method was conducted to calculate relative risk and 95% CI.

Results

A total of 12 studies involving 13 598 patients and 32 473 patient-years of follow-up were included (10, 3 and 1 studies for TNF inhibitors [TNFi], rituximab and anakinra, respectively). The crude incidence of new and recurrent cancer per 1000 patient-years were 34.4 for TNFi, 32.3 for rituximab, 32.3 for anakinra and 31.8 for csDMARDs. In the quantitative meta-analysis, biologics were not associated with an increased risk of new or recurrent cancer compared with csDMARDs in patients with RA and prior cancer (TNFi: relative risk = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.83, 1.09; rituximab: relative risk = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.52, 1.53). Secondary analyses of stratification of cancer types, the interval between initiation of TNFi and prior cancer diagnosis, and duration of TNFi exposure, found similar results.

Conclusion

Compared with csDMARDs, there is no increased risk of developing cancer overall or some specific subtypes in RA patients with a prior cancer receiving biologics. More investigations are warranted to explore the risk of cancer development in individual cancer as well as to determine optimal time to initiate biologic therapy after the diagnosis of cancer or completion of cancer treatment.

Association of expression of inflammatory response genes and DNA repair genes in colorectal carcinoma

Inflammation is an important etiological factor of colorectal carcinoma and may be related to colorectal carcinoma growth and proliferation. This study aimed to verify whether the presence of chronic inflammation represented by tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-2, interleukin-6, and interleukin-10 gene expression is related to hMLH1, hMSH2, hMSH6, and PMS2 gene expression and the corresponding protein levels of these genes from the DNA repair system. A total of 83 patients were operated on for curative or palliative colorectal carcinoma. Expression of the inflammatory response genes tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-2, interleukin-6, and interleukin-10 as well as expression of the hMLH1, hMSH2, hMSH6, and PMS2 genes of the DNA repair system (mismatch repair) and the expression levels of the corresponding mismatch repair proteins were measured in neoplastic tissue by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Associations were observed between hMSH6 mRNA expression and interleukin-2 mRNA expression (p = 0.026) as well as between hMLH1 and hMSH2 gene expression and tumor necrosis factor-α gene expression (p = 0.042). Higher tissue levels of interleukin-2 and tumor necrosis factor-α gene expression were associated with lower hMSH6, hMLH1, and hMSH2 gene expression.

Mechanism of Iron Oxide-Induced Macrophage Activation: The Impact of Composition and the Underlying Signaling Pathway

Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) have emerging anticancer applications via polarizing tumor-associated macrophages from tumor-promoting phenotype (M2) to tumor-suppressing phenotype (M1). However, the underlying mechanism and structure-function relationship remain unclear. We report magnetite IONPs are more effective compared to hematite in M1 polarization and tumor suppression. Moreover, magnetite IONPs specifically rely on interferon regulatory factor 5 signaling pathway for M1 polarization and down-regulate M2-assoicated arginase-1. This study provides new understandings and paves the way for designing advanced iron-based anticancer technologies.

Roles of DNA repair enzyme OGG1 in innate immunity and its significance for lung cancer

Cytokines are pivotal mediators of the immune response, and their coordinated expression protects host tissue from excessive damage and oxidant stress. Nevertheless, the development of lung pathology, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and ozone-induced lung injury, is associated with oxidant stress; as evidence, there is a significant increase in levels of the modified guanine base 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) in the genome. 8-OxoG is primarily recognized by 8-oxoguanine glycosylase 1 (OGG1), which catalyzes the first step in the DNA base excision repair pathway. However, oxidant stress in the cell transiently halts enzymatic activity of substrate-bound OGG1. The stalled OGG1 facilitates DNA binding of transactivators, including NF-κB, to their cognate sites to enable expression of cytokines and chemokines, with ensuing recruitments of inflammatory cells. Hence, defective OGG1 will modulate the coordination between innate and adaptive immunity through excessive oxidant stress and cytokine dysregulation. Both oxidant stress and cytokine dysregulation constitute key elements of oncogenesis by KRAS, which is mechanistically coupled to OGG1. Thus, analysis of the mechanism by which OGG1 modulates gene expression helps discern between beneficial and detrimental effects of oxidant stress, exposes a missing functional link as a marker, and yields a novel target for lung cancer.

Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors and Cancer Recurrence in Swedish Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Use of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) in patients with a history of cancer remains a clinical dilemma.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether TNFi treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with increased risk for cancer recurrence.

DESIGN

Population-based cohort study based on linkage of nationwide registers.

SETTING

Sweden.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients with RA who started TNFi treatment between 2001 and 2015, after being diagnosed with cancer, and matched patients with RA and a history of the same cancer who had never received biologics.

MEASUREMENTS

The primary outcome was the first recurrence of cancer. Adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs), taking into account time, cancer type, and whether the cancer was invasive or in situ (or tumor, node, metastasis [TNM] classification system stage in a subset of patients).

RESULTS

Among 467 patients who started TNFi treatment (mean time after cancer diagnosis, 7.9 years), 42 had cancer recurrences (9.0%; mean follow-up, 5.3 years); among 2164 matched patients with the same cancer history, 155 had recurrences (7.2%; mean follow-up, 4.3 years) (HR, 1.06 [95% CI, 0.73 to 1.54). Hazard ratios were close to 1 in analyses of patient subsets matched on cancer stage or with similar time from index cancer diagnosis to the start of TNFi treatment, as well as in unmatched analyses. Several CIs had upper limits close to 2.

LIMITATION

The outcome algorithm was partly nonvalidated, and channeling bias was possible if patients with a better index cancer prognosis were more likely to receive TNFi.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that TNFi treatment is not associated with increased risk for cancer recurrence in patients with RA, although meaningful risk increases could not be ruled out completely.

PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE

ALF (an agreement in Stockholm County Council concerning medical education and research in health and medical care), the Swedish Cancer Society, the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research, and the Swedish Research Council.

Subdiaphragmatic vagotomy promotes tumor growth and reduces survival via TNFα in a murine pancreatic cancer model

This study analyses the effects of vagotomy on tumor growth and survival in a murine, pancreatic cancer model in wild-type and TNFα-knockout (−/−) mice.

Throughout many operative procedures in the upper gastrointestinal tract the partial or complete transection of the vagus nerve or its local nerve fibers is unavoidable. Thereby its anti-inflammatory effects in residual tumor tissue may get lost. This effect may be mediated by tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) secreting TNFα.

In an orthotopic murine pancreatic cancer model subdiaphragmatic vagotomy versus sham surgery was performed. The impact on tumor growth was monitored in wild type and TNFα −/− mice using MRI. TAMs as well as expression levels of TNFα were analyzed using immunohistochemistry. The role of TNFα on tumor growth and migration was examined in vitro. Vagotomised mice showed increased tumor growth with macroscopic features of invasive growth and had a shorter survival time. The loss of vagal modulation led to significantly increased TNFα levels in tumors and considerably elevated numbers of TAMs. In vitro TNFα significantly stimulated growth (p < 0.05) and migration (p < 0.05) of pancreatic cancer cells. TNFα −/− mice survived significantly longer after tumor implantation (p < 0.05), with vagotomy not affecting the prognosis of these animals (p > 0.05).

Vagotomy can increase tumor growth and worsen survival in a murine pancreatic cancer model mediated through TAMs and TNFα. Hence, the suppression of TAMs and the modulation of TNFα dependent pathways could offer new perspectives in immunotherapies of pancreatic cancer patients especially with remaining vital tumor cells and lost vagal modulation.

Immunomodulatory Effect of Agave tequilana Evaluated on an Autoimmunity Like-SLE Model Induced in Balb/c Mice with Pristane

In this work, the immunomodulatory activity of the acetone extract and the fructans obtained from Agave tequilana were evaluated, on the systemic autoimmunity type-SLE model generated by the administration of 2,6,10,14-tetramethylpentadecane (TMPD, also known as pristane) on Balb/c female mice. The systemic autoimmunity type-SLE was observed seven months after the application of TMPD, in which the animals from the negative control group (animals with damage and without any other treatment) developed articular inflammation, proteinuria, an increment of the antinuclear antibody titters and tissue pro-inflammatory cytokines levels (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α e IFN-γ) as well as the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. The administration of the different treatments and the extracts of A. tequilana, provoked the decrease of: articular inflammation, the development of proteinuria, ssDNA/dsDNA antinuclear antibody titters and cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-γ and IL-10. The phytochemical analysis of the acetone extract identified the presence of the following compounds: β-sitosterol glycoside; 3,7,11,15-tetramethyl-2-hexadecen-1-ol (phytol); octadecadienoic acid-2,3-dihydroxypropyl ester; stigmasta-3,5-dien-7-one; cycloartenone and cycloartenol. Therefore, A. tequilana contains active compounds with the capacity to modify the evolution of the systemic autoimmunity type-SLE on a murine model.

The role of miR-130a in cancer

MicroRNAs (miRs) are short and highly conserved non-coding RNAs molecules consisting of 18-25 nucleotides that regulate gene expression at post-transcriptional level by direct binding to complementary binding sites within the 3'untranslated region (3'UTR) of target mRNAs. New evidences have demonstrated that miRNAs play an important role in diverse physiological processes, including regulating cell growth, apoptosis, metastasis, drug resistance, and invasion. In chromosomes 11 and 22 of the miR-130 family, paralogous miRNA sequences, miR-130a and miR-130b are situated, respectively. MiR-130a has participated in different pathogenesis, including hepatocellular carcinoma, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, glioblastoma, prostate carcinoma, leukemia, etc. Most important of all, more and more evidences indicate that miR-130a is associated with drug resistance and acts as an intermediate in PI3 K/Akt/PTEN/mTOR, Wnt/β-catenin and NF-kB/PTEN drug resistance signaling pathways. Drug resistance has emerged as a major obstacle to successful treatment of cancer nowadays and in this review, we will reveal the function of miR-130a in cancer, especially in drug resistance. Therefore, it will provide a new therapeutic target for the treatment of cancer, especially in chemotherapy.

Protumoral TSP50 Regulates Macrophage Activities and Polarization via Production of TNF-α and IL-1β, and Activation of the NF-κB Signaling Pathway

Testes-specific protease 50 (TSP50) is abnormally overexpressed in many kinds of cancers and promotes cell proliferation and migration. However, whether TSP50 can influence the tumor microenvironment, especially the function of immune cells in the microenvironment, remains largely unknown. We demonstrated that exposure to the conditioned medium from TSP50-overexpressing cells, or co-culture with TSP50-overexpressing cells, enhanced the cytokine production and phagocytic activities of macrophages, and induced M2b polarization. Further investigation showed that production of TNF-α and IL-1β was strongly induced by TSP50 in TSP50-overexpressing cells. TSP50-induced TNF-α and IL-1β were main factors that mediated the effects of TSP50-overexpressing cells on macrophages. The NF-κB pathway could be activated in macrophages upon the treatment of conditioned medium of TSP50-overexpressing cells and its activation is necessary for the observed effects on macrophages. Taken together, our results suggested that oncogenic TSP50 expressed in cells could activate surrounding macrophages and induce M2b polarization, partly through inducing TNF-α/ IL-1β secretion and subsequent NF-κB pathway activation. This implies a potential mechanism by which oncogene TSP50 regulates tumor microenvironment to support tumor development.

TNF inhibitor therapy and risk of breast cancer recurrence in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a nationwide cohort study

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the risk of breast cancer recurrence in rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-patients with tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) treatment and a history of breast cancer, taking several breast cancer, comorbidity and RA-related prognostic factors into account.

METHODS

143 female TNFi-treated patients (1999-2010) with RA and a history of breast cancer before start of TNFi were identified through register linkages, and matched 1:1 from a cohort of 1598 comparable biologics-naive individuals. 120 TNFi-treated and 120 matched biologics-naive individuals with a history of equally recent/distant breast cancer met the eligibility criteria and comprised the final study population. The primary outcome was first recurrence of breast cancer. Through register-linkages and chart review, individuals were followed until 2011. HRs for recurrence were calculated using Cox regression.

RESULTS

The median time from breast cancer diagnosis until TNFi-treatment/start of follow-up was 9.4 years. Modest differences in breast cancer characteristics and/or treatment among TNFi-treated and biologics-naive individuals were noted at time of breast cancer diagnosis. Median follow-up from TNFi start was 4.9 years (4.6 years among biologics-naive). Among the TNFi-treated, 9 developed a breast cancer recurrence (crude incidence rate 15/1000 person-years) during follow-up, compared with 9 among the matched biologics-naive (16/1000 person-years). The adjusted corresponding HR was 1.1 (95% CI 0.4 to 2.8).

CONCLUSIONS

Among patients with RA and a history of breast cancer, those who started TNFi-treatment did not experience more breast cancer recurrences than patients with RA treated otherwise. The generalisability of our findings to women with a very recent or a poor prognosis of breast cancer remains unknown.

NF-κB-modulated miR-130a targets TNF-α in cervical cancer cells

Background

Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) induces a variety of biological processes through transcriptional gene control whose products are components in various signaling pathways. MicroRNAs are a small endogenous non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression and are involved in tumorigenesis. Using human cervical cancer cell lines, this study aimed to investigate whether NF-κB could regulate miR-130a expression and the functions and targets of miR-130a.

Methods

We used the HeLa and C₃₃A cervical cancer cell lines that were transfected with NF-κB or miR-130a overexpression plasmids to evaluate their effects on cell growth. We utilized bioinformatics, a fluorescent reporter assay, qRT-PCR and Western blotting to identify downstream target genes.

Results

In HeLa and C₃₃A cells, NF-κB and miR-130a overexpression promoted cell growth, but genetic knockdowns suppressed growth. TNF-α was identified as a target of miR-130a by binding in a 3’-untranslated region (3’UTR) EGFP reporter assay and by Western blot analysis. Furthermore, low TNF-α concentrations stimulated NF-κB activity and then induced miR-130a expression, and TNF-α overexpression rescued the effects of miR-130a on cervical cancer cells.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that TNF-α can activate NF-κB activity, which can reduce miR-130a expression, and that miR-130a targets and downregulates TNF-α expression. Hence, we shed light on the negative feedback regulation of NF-κB/miR-130a/TNF-α/NF-κB in cervical cancer and may provide insight into the carcinogenesis of cervical cancer.

Immune-epithelial crosstalk at the intestinal surface

The intestinal tract is one of the most complex organs of the human body. It has to exercise various functions including food and water absorption, as well as barrier and immune regulation. These functions affect not only the gut itself, but influence the overall health of the organism. Diseases involving the gastrointestinal tract such as inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer therefore severely affect the patient's quality of life and can become life-threatening. Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) play an important role in intestinal inflammation, infection, and cancer development. IECs not only constitute the first barrier in the gut against the lumen, they also constantly signal information about the gut lumen to immune cells, thereby influencing their behaviour. In contrast, by producing various antimicrobial peptides, IECs shape the microbial community within the gut. IECs also respond to cytokines and other mediators of immune cells in the lamina propria. Interactions between epithelial cells and immune cells in the intestine are responsible for gut homeostasis, and modulations of this crosstalk have been reported in studies of gut diseases. This review discusses the wide field of immune-epithelial interactions and shows the importance of immune-epithelial crosstalk in the intestine to gut homeostasis and the overall health status.

The role of inflammation in gastric cancer

Gastric cancer, despite its declining incidence rate, is still the second cause of cancer-related death worldwide, killing 750,000 people each year and remaining the second common type of cancer. The best examples of inflammation-associated cancer in human beings may be gastric cancer. Understanding the molecular mechanism of the inflammation in gastric carcinogenesis is important for developing new strategies against gastric cancer.

Macrophages in multiple myeloma: emerging concepts and therapeutic implications

Multiple myeloma, a clonal plasma cell malignancy, has long provided a prototypic model to study regulatory interactions between malignant cells and their microenvironment. Myeloma-associated macrophages have historically received limited scrutiny, but recent work points to central and non-redundant roles in myeloma niche homeostasis. The evidence supports a paradigm of complex, dynamic and often mutable interactions between macrophages and other cellular constituents of the niche. We and others have shown that macrophages support myeloma cell growth, viability and drug resistance through both contact-mediated and non-contact-mediated mechanisms. These tumor-beneficial roles have evolved in opposition to, or in parallel with, intrinsic pro-inflammatory and tumoricidal properties. Thus, simple blockade of protective "don't eat me" signals on the surface of myeloma cells leads to macrophage-mediated myeloma cell killing. Macrophages also enhance the tumor-supportive role of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) in the niche: importantly, this interaction is bidirectional, producing a distinct state of macrophage polarization that we termed "MSC-educated macrophages." The intriguing pattern of cross-talk between macrophages, MSCs and tumor cells highlights the myeloma niche as a dynamic multi-cellular structure. Targeted reprogramming of these interactions harbors significant untapped therapeutic potential, particularly in the setting of minimal residual disease, the main obstacle toward a cure.

Upregulation of CD9 in ovarian cancer is related to the induction of TNF-α gene expression and constitutive NF-κB activation

Ovarian cancer is a gynecological cancer with a high death rate. We utilized global gene expression profiles of ovarian carcinomas obtained by complementary DNA (cDNA) microarray to identify ovarian cancer-specific proteins. CD9 was upregulated in ovarian carcinomas, and overexpression of the CD9 protein was detected in ovarian carcinomas by immunohistochemistry. CD9 was also overexpressed in several cancer cell lines, including ovarian cancer cells. In order to elucidate the biological significance of highly expressed CD9 in cancer cells, functional studies of CD9 were performed by ectopic expression, knockdown of CD9 using small interfering RNA (siRNA) and blockage of CD9 activity using the CD9-specific monoclonal antibody ALB6. Ectopic CD9 induced cell survival. In order to identify signaling pathways related to CD9, the gene expressions of CD9/SKOV3 cells were analyzed by cDNA microarray. Among the many upregulated genes, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α was induced in CD9/SKOV3 cells. The effect of overexpressed CD9 on the downstream signaling events of TNF-α was further investigated. In CD9/SKOV3 cells, the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB)-signaling pathway was constitutively activated. Knockdown of CD9 by siRNA and blockage of CD9 activity by ALB6 in ovarian cancer cells demonstrated that constitutive activation of NF-κB is CD9 dependent and that CD9 is involved in anti-apoptosis. A CD9 functional study was performed in an ovarian cancer-xenograft mouse by injecting ALB6 into the peritoneum. ALB6 resulted in reduced tumor weight compared with that of control IgG(1). Collectively, these results demonstrate that CD9 functions as an oncogene and represents a target for the development of cancer-specific therapeutics.

TNFα enhances the motility and invasiveness of prostatic cancer cells by stimulating the expression of selective glycosyl- and sulfotransferase genes involved in the synthesis of selectin ligands

Sialyl Lewis x (sLe(x)) plays an important role in cancer metastasis. But, the mechanism for its production in metastatic cancers remains unclear. The objective of current study was to examine the effects of a proinflammatory cytokine on the expression of glycosyltransferase and sulfotransferase genes involved in the synthesis of selectin ligands in a prostate cancer cell line. Androgen-independent human lymph node-derived metastatic prostate cancer cells (C-81 LNCaP), which express functional androgen receptor and mimic the castration-resistant advanced prostate cancer, were used. TNFα treatment of these cells increased their binding to P-, E- and L-selectins, anti-sLe(x) antibody, and anti-6-sulfo-sialyl Lewis x antibody by 12%, 240%, 43%, 248% and 21%, respectively. Also, the expression of C2GnT-1, B4GalT1, GlcNAc6ST3, and ST3Gal3 genes was significantly upregulated. Further treatment of TNFα-treated cells with either anti-sLe(x) antibody or E-selectin significantly suppressed their in vitro migration (81% and 52%, respectively) and invasion (45% and 56%, respectively). Our data indicate that TNFα treatment enhances the motility and invasion properties of LNCaP C-81 cells by increasing the formation of selectin ligands through stimulation of the expression of selective glycosyl- and sulfotransferase genes. These results support the hypothesis that inflammation contributes to cancer metastasis.