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Hoffmann M, Ermler TF, Hoffmann F, Alexa R, Kranz J, Steinke N, Leypold S, Gaisa NT, Saar M. Therapeutic and Diagnostic Potential of Folic Acid Receptors and Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) Transamidase in Prostate Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:2008. [PMID: 38893127 PMCID: PMC11170984 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16112008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Due to the proliferation-induced high demand of cancer cells for folic acid (FA), significant overexpression of folate receptors 1 (FR1) is detected in most cancers. To our knowledge, a detailed characterization of FR1 expression and regulation regarding therapeutic and diagnostic feasibilities in prostate cancer (PCa) has not been described. In the present study, cell cultures, as well as tissue sections, were analyzed using Western blot, qRT-PCR and immunofluorescence. In addition, we utilized FA-functionalized lipoplexes to characterize the potential of FR1-targeted delivery into PCa cells. Interestingly, we detected a high level of FR1-mRNA in healthy prostate epithelial cells and healthy prostate tissue. However, we were able to show that PCa cells in vitro and PCa tissue showed a massively enhanced FR1 membrane localization where the receptor can finally gain its function. We were able to link these changes to the overexpression of GPI-transamidase (GPI-T) by image analysis. PCa cells in vitro and PCa tissue show the strongest overexpression of GPI-T and thereby induce FR1 membrane localization. Finally, we utilized FA-functionalized lipoplexes to selectively transfer pDNA into PCa cells and demonstrate the therapeutic potential of FR1. Thus, FR1 represents a very promising candidate for targeted therapeutic transfer pathways in PCa and in combination with GPI-T, may provide predictive imaging in addition to established diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Hoffmann
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Medical Center RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany; (T.F.E.)
- Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO), University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany (S.L.); (N.T.G.)
| | - Thomas Frank Ermler
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Medical Center RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany; (T.F.E.)
- Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO), University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany (S.L.); (N.T.G.)
| | - Felix Hoffmann
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Medical Center RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany; (T.F.E.)
- Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO), University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany (S.L.); (N.T.G.)
| | - Radu Alexa
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Medical Center RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany; (T.F.E.)
- Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO), University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany (S.L.); (N.T.G.)
| | - Jennifer Kranz
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Medical Center RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany; (T.F.E.)
- Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO), University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany (S.L.); (N.T.G.)
- Department of Urology and Kidney Transplantation, Martin Luther University, 06097 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Nathalie Steinke
- Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO), University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany (S.L.); (N.T.G.)
- Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research (IZKF), RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Sophie Leypold
- Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO), University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany (S.L.); (N.T.G.)
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Nadine Therese Gaisa
- Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO), University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany (S.L.); (N.T.G.)
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Matthias Saar
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Medical Center RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany; (T.F.E.)
- Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO), University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany (S.L.); (N.T.G.)
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Perera RH, Berg FM, Abenojar EC, Nittayacharn P, Kim Y, Wang X, Basilion JP, Exner A. Ultrasound-mediated drug-free theranostics for treatment of prostate cancer. Bioact Mater 2024; 35:45-55. [PMID: 38304914 PMCID: PMC10831121 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2023.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Lipid-shelled nanobubbles (NBs) can be visualized and activated using noninvasive ultrasound (US) stimulation, leading to significant bioeffects. Prior work demonstrates that active targeting of NBs to prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) overexpressed in prostate cancer (PCa) results in enhanced cellular internalization and prolongs NB retention with persistent, cancer-cell specific acoustic activity. In this work, we hypothesized that tumor-accumulated PSMA-NBs combined with low frequency unfocused therapeutic US (TUS) will lead to selective damage and induce a specific therapeutic effect in PSMA-expressing tumors compared to PSMA-negative tumors. We observed that the internalized NBs and cellular compartments were disrupted after the PSMA-NB + TUS (targeted NB therapy or TNT) application, yet treated cells remained intact and viable. In vivo, PSMA-expressing tumors in mice receiving TNT treatment demonstrated a significantly greater extent of apoptosis (78.4 ± 9.3 %, p < 0.01) compared to controls. TNT treatment significantly inhibited the PSMA expressing tumor growth and increased median survival time by 103 %, p < 0.001). A significant reduction in tumor progression compared to untreated control was also seen in an orthotopic rabbit PCa model. Results demonstrate that cavitation of PSMA-NBs internalized via receptor-mediated endocytosis into target PCa cells using unfocused ultrasound results in significant, tumor-specific bioeffects. The effects, while not lethal to PSMA-expressing cancer cells in vitro, result in significant in vivo reduction in tumor progression in two models of PCa. While the mechanism of action of these effects is yet unclear, it is likely related to a locally-induced immune response, opening the door to future investigations in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Felipe Matias Berg
- Department of Radiology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, SP, 05652-900, Brazil
| | - Eric Chua Abenojar
- Department of Radiology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Pinunta Nittayacharn
- Department of Radiology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University, Puttamonthon, Nakorn Pathom, 73170, Thailand
| | - Youjoung Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, 44106, OH, USA
| | - Xinning Wang
- Department of Radiology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, 44106, OH, USA
| | - James Peter Basilion
- Department of Radiology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, 44106, OH, USA
| | - Agata Exner
- Department of Radiology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, 44106, OH, USA
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Zeng Q, Zhong H, Rao H, Wang Y. Diagnostic value of circulating tumor cells in patients with thyroid cancer: a retrospective study of 1478 patients. Discov Oncol 2024; 15:114. [PMID: 38607590 PMCID: PMC11014821 DOI: 10.1007/s12672-024-00976-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Circulating tumor cell (CTC) detection is one form of liquid biopsy. It is a novel technique that is beginning to be applied in the field of thyroid cancer. The present study was designed to evaluate the diagnostic value of CTCs in patients with thyroid cancer. METHODS A total of 1478 patients were retrospectively analyzed and divided into malignant group (n = 747) and benign group (n = 731). Peripheral blood was collected, and CTCs were enriched and quantified before surgery. The baseline data of the two groups were matched by Propensity Score Matching (PSM). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of different indicators for thyroid cancer. The malignant group before PSM was further divided into subgroups according to the BRAF V600E mutation and lymphatic metastasis (N stage), and the number of CTCs in different subgroups was compared. RESULTS After 1:1 PSM, baseline characteristics of the malignant group and benign group were matched and assigned 315 cases in each group. The number of CTCs and the TPOAb values were comparable in the two groups (p > 0.05). The TgAb values [1.890 (1.110 - 16.010) vs 1.645 (1.030 - 7.073) IU/mL, p = 0.049] were significantly higher in the malignant group than in the benign group. After PSM, ROC analyses showed that the areas under the curve (AUCs) of CTC, TgAb and ultrasound were 0.537 (sensitivity 65.6%, specificity 45.8%), 0.546 (sensitivity 40.0%, specificity 70.8%) and 0.705 (sensitivity 77.1%, specificity 63.2%), respectively. The AUCs of the combined detection of 'CTC + ultrasound' (combine 1) and the combined detection of 'CTC + TgAb + ultrasound' (combine 2) were 0.718 (sensitivity 79.3%, specificity 61.7%) and 0.724 (sensitivity 78.0%, specificity 63.3%), respectively. The AUC of ultrasound was significantly higher than CTC (p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in AUC between combination 1 and ultrasound, and between combination 2 and ultrasound (p > 0.05). The number of CTCs between the N0 and N1 subgroups, and between the BRAF mutant and BRAF wild subgroups was comparable (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS As an emerging and noninvasive testing tool, the efficacy of CTCs in diagnosing thyroid cancer is limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingxin Zeng
- Department of Thyroid Surgery, Meizhou People's Hospital (Huangtang Hospital)/Meizhou Academy of Medical Sciences, No. 63, Huangtang Road, Meijiang District, Meizhou, 514031, China
| | - Haifeng Zhong
- Department of Thyroid Surgery, Meizhou People's Hospital (Huangtang Hospital)/Meizhou Academy of Medical Sciences, No. 63, Huangtang Road, Meijiang District, Meizhou, 514031, China
| | - Hui Rao
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Meizhou People's Hospital (Huangtang Hospital)/Meizhou Academy of Medical Sciences, Meizhou, China
| | - Yuedong Wang
- Department of Thyroid Surgery, Meizhou People's Hospital (Huangtang Hospital)/Meizhou Academy of Medical Sciences, No. 63, Huangtang Road, Meijiang District, Meizhou, 514031, China.
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Cao B, Liu L, Zhang R, Dong H, Shen J. Sensitivity and specificity of folate receptor α-positive circulating tumour cells in gastric cancer. Postgrad Med J 2024; 100:112-119. [PMID: 37973392 DOI: 10.1093/postmj/qgad111] [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: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 09/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE We aimed to investigate whether folate receptor α (FRα)-positive circulating tumour cells (CTCs) could be used as a noninvasive liquid biopsy approach in gastric cancer (GC). METHODS Tissue microarray and bioinformatic analyses were used to evaluate FRα expression in GC. Patients with FRα-positive CTC examinations at our institute between July 2021 and May 2022 were retrospectively evaluated. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of FRα-positive CTCs in GC. RESULTS FRα was highly expressed and associated with poor prognosis in GC based on public database. Data for 163 patients (20 with benign disease and 143 with GC) were retrospectively collected. FRα-positive CTC levels were significantly higher in the GC group than in the benign disease group (12.15 ± 1.47 FU/3 ml vs. 10.47 ± 1.63 FU/3 ml, P < 0.01). FRα-positive CTC levels were also elevated in GC patients with vessel/neuron invasion or extra-nodal tumour deposits (12.31 ± 1.47 FU/3 ml vs. 11.77 ± 1.38 FU/3 ml, P = 0.037). Areas under the curve of FRα-positive CTC levels for GC and early GC were 0.774 (P < 0.001) and 0.736 (P = 0.005). With a cut-off value of 10.95 FU/3 ml, the Youden indexes for GC and early GC were 0.502 (sensitivity = 85.2% and specificity = 65.0%) and 0.450 (sensitivity = 80.0% and specificity = 65.0%), respectively. CONCLUSION FRα-positive CTC detection by noninvasive liquid biopsy is a useful and effective approach for screening of patients with GC. KEY MESSAGES
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Affiliation(s)
- Beibei Cao
- Department of Breast Surgery, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450000, China
- Zhengzhou University People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450000, China
| | - Liang Liu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, China
| | - Rui Zhang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, China
| | - Hongliang Dong
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, China
| | - Jie Shen
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, China
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Perera RH, Berg FM, Abenojar EC, Nittayacharn P, Kim Y, Wang X, Basilion JP, Exner AA. Ultrasound-mediated drug-free theranostics for treatment of prostate cancer. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.13.555594. [PMID: 37745586 PMCID: PMC10515807 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.13.555594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Rationale Lipid-shelled nanobubbles (NBs) can be visualized and activated using noninvasive ultrasound (US) stimulation, leading to significant bioeffects. We have previously shown that active targeting of NBs to prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) overexpressed in prostate cancer (PCa) enhances the cellular internalization and prolongs retention of NBs with persistent acoustic activity (~hrs.). In this work, we hypothesized that tumor-accumulated PSMA-NBs combined with low frequency therapeutic US (TUS) will lead to selective damage and induce a therapeutic effect in PSMA-expressing tumors compared to PSMA-negative tumors. Methods PSMA-targeted NBs were formulated by following our previously established protocol. Cellular internalization of fluorescent PSMA-NBs was evaluated by confocal imaging using late endosome/lysosome staining pre- and post-TUS application. Two animal models were used to assess the technique. Mice with dual tumors (PSMA expressing and PSMA negative) received PSMA-NB injection via the tail vein followed by TUS 1 hr. post injection (termed, targeted NB therapy or TNT). Twenty-four hours after treatment mice were euthanized and tumor cell apoptosis evaluated via TUNEL staining. Mice with single tumors (either PSMA + or -) were used for survival studies. Tumor size was measured for 80 days after four consecutive TNT treatments (every 3 days). To test the approach in a larger model, immunosuppressed rabbits with orthotopic human PSMA expressing tumors received PSMA-NB injection via the tail vein followed by TUS 30 min after injection. Tumor progression was assessed via US imaging and at the end point apoptosis was measured via TUNEL staining. Results In vitro TNT studies using confocal microscopy showed that the internalized NBs and cellular compartments were disrupted after the TUS application, yet treated cells remained intact and viable. In vivo, PSMA-expressing tumors in mice receiving TNT treatment demonstrated a significantly greater extent of apoptosis (78.45 ± 9.3%, p < 0.01) compared to the other groups. TNT treatment significantly inhibited the PSMA (+) tumor growth and overall survival significantly improved (median survival time increase by 103%, p < 0.001). A significant reduction in tumor progression compared to untreated control was also seen in the rabbit model in intraprostatic (90%) and in extraprostatic lesions (94%) (p = 0.069 and 0.003, respectively). Conclusion We demonstrate for the first time the effect of PSMA-targeted nanobubble intracellular cavitation on cancer cell viability and tumor progression in two animal models. Data demonstrate that the targeted nanobubble therapy (TNT) approach relies primarily on mechanical disruption of intracellular vesicles and the resulting bioeffects appear to be more specific to target cancer cells expressing the PSMA receptor. The effect, while not lethal in vitro, resulted in significant tumor apoptosis in vivo in both a mouse and a rabbit model of PCa. While the mechanism of action of these effects is yet unclear, it is likely related to a locally-induced immune response, opening the door to future investigations in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Felipe Matias Berg
- Department of Radiology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
- Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Eric Chua Abenojar
- Department of Radiology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Pinunta Nittayacharn
- Department of Radiology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Youjoung Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Xinning Wang
- Department of Radiology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - James P. Basilion
- Department of Radiology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Agata A. Exner
- Department of Radiology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
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A Systematic Review of Circulating Tumor Cells Clinical Application in Prostate Cancer Diagnosis. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14153802. [PMID: 35954464 PMCID: PMC9367494 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14153802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/30/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Cell-dependent and cell-independent information drawn from the blood stream were merged into the attractive term “liquid biopsy” and tentatively applied to most segments of cancer management: detection, risk-stratification, personalization of care and follow-up. However, the robust science behind liquid biopsies has not been widely used, thereby remaining a latent and possibly undervalued instrument. Here, we conducted a systematic review of CTCs in prostate cancer management to summarize their use in clinical practice. Abstract The purpose of the review is to summarize the recent data on circulating tumor cells (CTC) use in clinical practice. We performed a systematic literature search using two databases (Medline and Scopus) over the past five years and the following terms: (CTC OR “circulating tumor cells” OR “liquid biopsy”) AND prostate. The primary outcome was CTC predictive value for prostate cancer (PC) progression and survival. The secondary outcomes were the CTC predictive value for therapy response and the results of CTC detection depending on the assessment method. In metastatic PC, the CTC count showed itself to be a prognostic marker in terms of clinically important features, namely survival rates and response to treatment. CTC concentration was significantly associated with the overall survival and progression-free survival rates. A strong association between the overall survival or progression-free survival rate and CTC concentration could be observed. Variant-7 androgen receptors-positive (AR-V7-positive) patients showed a poor response to androgen receptor signaling (ARS) inhibitors, but this did not compromise their response to taxanes. In localized PC, only positive Cluster of Differentiantion 82 protein (CD82+) correlated with a higher survival rate. CTC count and AR-V7 expression showed itself to be a valuable biomarker for survival in metastatic PC and response to ARS-inhibitors. CTC diagnostic performance for localized PC or for screening and early detection is not high enough to show additional value over the other biomarkers.
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