Targeting of BCL-2 Family Members during Anticancer Treatment: A Necessary Compromise between Individual Cell and Ecosystemic Responses?

Luteolin as a potential therapeutic candidate for lung cancer: Emerging preclinical evidence

Lung cancer is a prevalent malignant tumor and a leading cause of cancer-related fatalities globally. However, current treatments all have limitations. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify a readily available therapeutic agent to counteract lung cancer development and progression. Luteolin is a flavonoid derived from vegetables and herbs that possesses preventive and therapeutic effects on various cancers. With the goal of providing new directions for the treatment of lung cancer, we review here the recent findings on luteolin so as to provide new ideas for the development of new anti-lung cancer drugs. The search focused on studies published between January 1995 and January 2024 that explored the use of luteolin in lung cancer. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in the SCOPUS, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Web of Science databases using the keywords "luteolin" and "lung cancer." By collecting previous literature, we found that luteolin has multiple mechanisms of therapeutic effects, including promotion of apoptosis in lung cancer cells; inhibition of tumor cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis; and modulation of immune responses. In addition, it can be used as an adjuvant to radio-chemotherapy and helps to ameliorate cancer complications. This review summarizes the structure, natural sources, physicochemical properties and pharmacokinetics of luteolin, and focuses on the anti-lung cancer mechanism of luteolin, so as to provide new ideas for the development of new anti-lung cancer drugs.

Cytotoxic Activity, Anti-Migration and In Silico Study of Black Ginger (Kaempferia parviflora) Extract against Breast Cancer Cell

Metastatic breast cancer remains the leading cause of death in women worldwide. This condition necessitates extensive research to find an effective treatment, one of which is the natural medicine approach. Kaempferia parviflora (KP) is a plant believed to possess anticancer properties. Therefore, this study aims to determine KP's bioactive compound, cytotoxic, and anti-migration activity in the highly metastatic breast cancer cell line model 4T1, also in the breast cancer cell model MCF-7 and noncancerous cell line NIH-3T3. Maceration with ethanol (EEKP) and infusion with distilled water (EWKP) was used for extraction. The MTT assay was used to test for cytotoxicity, and the scratch wound healing assay was used to test for the inhibition of migration. Phytochemical profiling of EEKP was performed using UHPLC-MS, and the results were studied for in silico molecular docking. Result showed that EEKP had a better cytotoxic activity than EWKP with an IC₅₀ value of 128.33 µg/mL (24 h) and 115.09 µg/mL (48 h) on 4T1 cell line, and 138.43 µg/mL (24 h) and 124.81 µg/mL (48 h) on MCF-7 cell line. Meanwhile, no cytotoxic activity was observed at concentrations ranging from 3-250 µg/mL in NIH-3T3. EEKP also showed anti-migration activity in a concentration of 65 µg/mL. Mass Spectrophotometer (MS) structures from EEKP are 5-Hydroxy-7,4'-dimethoxyflavanone (HDMF), 5-Hydro-7,8,2'-trimethoxyflavanone (HTMF), Retusine, and Denbinobin. The in silico docking was investigated for receptors Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, ERK2, and FAK, as well as their activities. In silico result indicates that HTMF and denbinobin are bioactive compounds responsible for EEKP's cytotoxic and anti-migration activity. These two compounds and standardized plant extract can be further studied as potential breast cancer treatment candidates.

NA1-115-7, from Zygogynum pancheri, is a new selective MCL-1 inhibitor inducing the apoptosis of hematological cancer cells but non-toxic to normal blood cells or cardiomyocytes

The overexpression of antiapoptotic members (BCL-2, BCL-xL, MCL-1, etc.) of the BCL-2 family contributes to tumor development and resistance to chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Synthetic inhibitors targeting these proteins have been developed, and some hematological malignancies are now widely treated with a BCL-2 inhibitor (venetoclax). However, acquired resistance to venetoclax or chemotherapy drugs due to an upregulation of MCL-1 has been observed, rendering MCL-1 an attractive new target for treatment. Six MCL-1 inhibitors (S64315, AZD-5991, AMG-176, AMG-397, ABBV-467 and PRT1419) have been evaluated in clinical trials since 2016, but some were affected by safety issues and none are currently used clinically. There is, therefore, still a need for alternative molecules. We previously described two drimane derivatives as the first covalent BH3 mimetics targeting MCL-1. Here, we described the characterization and biological efficacy of one of these compounds (NA1-115-7), isolated from Zygogynum pancheri, a plant belonging to the Winteraceae family. NA1-115-7 specifically induced the apoptosis of MCL-1-dependent tumor cells, with two hours of treatment sufficient to trigger cell death. The treatment of lymphoma cells with NA1-115-7 stabilized MCL-1, disrupted its interactions with BAK, and rapidly induced apoptosis through a BAK- and BAX-mediated process. Importantly, a similar treatment with NA1-115-7 was not toxic to erythrocytes, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, platelets, or cardiomyocytes. These results highlight the potential of natural products for use as specific BH3 mimetics non-toxic to normal cells, and they suggest that NA1-115-7 may be a promising tool for use in cancer treatment.

Therapeutic approaches targeting CD95L/CD95 signaling in cancer and autoimmune diseases

Cell death plays a pivotal role in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis. Key players in the controlled induction of cell death are the Death Receptors (DR). CD95 is a prototypic DR activated by its cognate ligand CD95L triggering programmed cell death. As a consequence, alterations in the CD95/CD95L pathway have been involved in several disease conditions ranging from autoimmune diseases to inflammation and cancer. CD95L-induced cell death has multiple roles in the immune response since it constitutes one of the mechanisms by which cytotoxic lymphocytes kill their targets, but it is also involved in the process of turning off the immune response. Furthermore, beyond the canonical pro-death signals, CD95L, which can be membrane-bound or soluble, also induces non-apoptotic signaling that contributes to its tumor-promoting and pro-inflammatory roles. The intent of this review is to describe the role of CD95/CD95L in the pathophysiology of cancers, autoimmune diseases and chronic inflammation and to discuss recently patented and emerging therapeutic strategies that exploit/block the CD95/CD95L system in these diseases.