Combined Expression of HGFR with Her2/neu, EGFR, IGF1R, Mucin-1 and Integrin α2β1 Is Associated with Aggressive Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Mechanisms of myocardial toxicity of antitumor drugs and potential therapeutic strategies: A review of the literature

With the successive development of chemotherapy drugs, good results have been achieved in clinical application. However, myocardial toxicity is the biggest challenge. Anthracyclines, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and platinum drugs are widely used. Targeted drug delivery, nanomaterials and dynamic imaging evaluation are all emerging research directions. This article reviews the recent literature on the use of targeted nanodrug delivery and imaging techniques to evaluate the myocardial toxicity of antineoplastic drugs, and discusses the potential mechanisms.

α2β1 Integrin specific inhibitor BTT-3033 promotes paclitaxel-induced apoptosis in human ovarian cancer cells

Background and purpose

The new plan of using molecular targeted agents in combination with cytotoxic drugs may represent a promising strategy to increase the efficacy of chemotherapy. Hence, we examined whether α2β1 integrin-specific inhibitor, BTT-3033, could modulate the susceptibility of OVCAR3 and SKOV3 ovarian cancer cells to paclitaxel (PTX).

Experimental approach

Ovarian cancer cell lines were treated with BTT-3033 and different concentrations of PTX. To determine the mechanisms involved in the PTX/BTT-3033 combination-induced cell death, cell viability, apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and caspase-3 activity were evaluated.

Findings/Results

Both BTT-3033 (≥ 1 μM) and PTX (≥ 0.01 μM) suppressed the proliferation of OVCAR3 and SKOV3 cells in a concentration-related manner. Pretreatment with BTT-3033 (1 μM), followed by PTX-induced synergistic antiproliferative effects, decreased the IC50 values of PTX from 0.45 to 0.03 μM in OVCAR3 and 0.35 to 0.02 μM in SKOV3 cells. All of the coefficients of drug interaction for various PTX and BTT-3033 combinations were found to be less than 1. Moreover, PTX/BTT-3033 combination induced more apoptotic cells (from 4.2% to 87.0% in OVCAR3 and 2.4% to 88.5% in SKOV3) than PTX alone. Combination therapy also decreased MMP and increased the caspase-3 activity. Additionally, we found that the PTX/BTT-3033 combination enhanced ROS production in OVCAR3 and SKOV3 cells.

Conclusion and implications

BTT-3033 has demonstrated the ability to enhance the susceptibility of ovarian cancer cells to PTX by inducing MMP loss, ROS production, and mitochondrial apoptosis, therefore this combination therapy might represent a promising strategy for ovarian cancer treatment.

Mucins 3A and 3B Are Expressed in the Epithelium of Human Large Airway

Aberrant mucus secretion is a hallmark of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Expression of the membrane-tethered mucins 3A and 3B (MUC3A, MUC3B) in human lung is largely unknown. In this observational cross-sectional study, we recruited subjects 45-65 years old from the general population of Stockholm, Sweden, during the years 2007-2011. Bronchial mucosal biopsies, bronchial brushings, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were retrieved from COPD patients (n = 38), healthy never-smokers (n = 40), and smokers with normal lung function (n = 40). Protein expression of MUC3A and MUC3B in bronchial mucosal biopsies was assessed by immunohistochemical staining. In a subgroup of subjects (n = 28), MUC3A and MUC3B mRNAs were quantified in bronchial brushings using microarray. Non-parametric tests were used to perform correlation and group comparison analyses. A value of p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. MUC3A and MUC3B immunohistochemical expression was localized to ciliated cells. MUC3B was also expressed in basal cells. MUC3A and MUC3B immunohistochemical expression was equal in all study groups but subjects with emphysema had higher MUC3A expression, compared to those without emphysema. Smokers had higher mRNA levels of MUC3A and MUC3B than non-smokers. MUC3A and MUC3B mRNA were higher in male subjects and correlated negatively with expiratory air flows. MUC3B mRNA correlated positively with total cell concentration and macrophage percentage, and negatively with CD4/CD8 T cell ratio in BALF. We concluded that MUC3A and MUC3B in large airways may be a marker of disease or may play a role in the pathophysiology of airway obstruction.