Aldo-Keto Reductase 1C3 Mediates Chemotherapy Resistance in Esophageal Adenocarcinoma via ROS Detoxification

AKR1C3 promotes progression and mediates therapeutic resistance by inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition and angiogenesis in small cell lung cancer

OBJECTIVE

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a high-grade neuroendocrine tumor characterized by initial sensitivity to chemotherapy, followed by the development of drug resistance. The underlying mechanisms of resistance in SCLC have not been fully elucidated. Aldo-keto reductase family 1 member C3 (AKR1C3), is known to be associated with chemoradiotherapy resistance in diverse tumors. We aim to evaluate the prognostic significance and immune characteristics of AKR1C3 and investigate its potential role in promoting drug resistance in SCLC.

METHODS

81 postoperative SCLC tissues were used to analyze AKR1C3 prognostic value and immune features. The tissue microarrays were employed to validate the clinical significance of AKR1C3 in SCLC. The effects of AKR1C3 on SCLC cell proliferation, migration, apoptosis and tumor angiogenesis were detected by CCK-8, wound healing assay, transwell assay, flow cytometry and tube formation assay.

RESULTS

AKR1C3 demonstrated the highest expression level compared to other AKR1C family genes, and multivariate cox regression analysis identified it as an independent prognostic factor for SCLC. High AKR1C3 expression patients who underwent chemoradiotherapy experienced significantly shorter overall survival (OS). Furthermore, AKR1C3 was involved in the regulation of the tumor immune microenvironment in SCLC. Silencing of AKR1C3 led to the inhibition of cell proliferation and migration, while simultaneously promoting apoptosis and reducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in SCLC.

CONCLUSION

AKR1C3 promotes cell growth and metastasis, leading to drug resistance through inducing EMT and angiogenesis in SCLC.

Cordycepin, a bioactive compound from Cordyceps spp., moderates Alzheimer's disease-associated pathology via anti-oxidative stress and autophagy activation

Alzheimer's causes cognitive dysfunction. This study investigated the neuro-promoting effects of cordycepin on amyloid-beta precursor protein (APP) synthesis in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. Cordycepin was found to boost SH-SY5Y cell proliferation and decreased AD pathology. APP, PS1, and PS2 were downregulated whereas ADAM10 and SIRT1 were upregulated by cordycepin. Cordycepin also reduced APP secretion in a dose-dependent manner. Cordycepin alleviated oxidative stress by the upregulation of GPX and SOD, as well as autophagy genes (LC3, ATG5, and ATG12). Cordycepin activity was also found to be SIRT1-dependent. Therefore, cordycepin may relieve the neuronal degeneration caused by APP overproduction, and oxidative stress.

Structure-guided optimization of 3-hydroxybenzoisoxazole derivatives as inhibitors of Aldo-keto reductase 1C3 (AKR1C3) to target prostate cancer

AKR1C3 is an enzyme that is overexpressed in several types of radiotherapy- and chemotherapy-resistant cancers. Despite AKR1C3 is a validated target for drug development, no inhibitor has been approved for clinical use. In this manuscript, we describe our study of a new series of potent AKR1C3-targeting 3-hydroxybenzoisoxazole based inhibitors that display high selectivity over the AKR1C2 isoform and low micromolar activity in inhibiting 22Rv1 prostate cancer cell proliferation. In silico studies suggested proper substituents to increase compound potency and provided with a mechanistic explanation that could clarify their different activity, later confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Both the in-silico studies and the crystallographic data highlight the importance of 90° rotation around the single bond of the biphenyl group, in ensuring that the inhibitor can adopt the optimal binding mode within the active pocket. The p-biphenyls that bear the meta-methoxy, and the ortho- and meta-trifluoromethyl substituents (in compounds 6a, 6e and 6f respectively) proved to be the best contributors to cellular potency as they provided the best IC50 values in series (2.3, 2.0 and 2.4 μM respectively) and showed no toxicity towards human MRC-5 cells. Co-treatment with scalar dilutions of either compound 6 or 6e and the clinically used drug abiraterone led to a significant reduction in cell proliferation, and thus confirmed that treatment with both CYP171A1-and AKR1C3-targeting compounds possess the potential to intervene in key steps in the steroidogenic pathway. Taken together, the novel compounds display desirable biochemical potency and cellular target inhibition as well as good in-vitro ADME properties, which highlight their potential for further preclinical studies.

AKR1C3 in carcinomas: from multifaceted roles to therapeutic strategies

Aldo-Keto Reductase Family 1 Member C3 (AKR1C3), also known as type 5 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17β-HSD5) or prostaglandin F (PGF) synthase, functions as a pivotal enzyme in androgen biosynthesis. It catalyzes the conversion of weak androgens, estrone (a weak estrogen), and PGD2 into potent androgens (testosterone and 5α-dihydrotestosterone), 17β-estradiol (a potent estrogen), and 11β-PGF2α, respectively. Elevated levels of AKR1C3 activate androgen receptor (AR) signaling pathway, contributing to tumor recurrence and imparting resistance to cancer therapies. The overexpression of AKR1C3 serves as an oncogenic factor, promoting carcinoma cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis, and is correlated with unfavorable prognosis and overall survival in carcinoma patients. Inhibiting AKR1C3 has demonstrated potent efficacy in suppressing tumor progression and overcoming treatment resistance. As a result, the development and design of AKR1C3 inhibitors have garnered increasing interest among researchers, with significant progress witnessed in recent years. Novel AKR1C3 inhibitors, including natural products and analogues of existing drugs designed based on their structures and frameworks, continue to be discovered and developed in laboratories worldwide. The AKR1C3 enzyme has emerged as a key player in carcinoma progression and therapeutic resistance, posing challenges in cancer treatment. This review aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of AKR1C3's role in carcinoma development, its implications in therapeutic resistance, and recent advancements in the development of AKR1C3 inhibitors for tumor therapies.

Evaluation of Cd-induced cytotoxicity in primary human keratinocytes

An increasing number of studies have investigated the effects of Cd on human health. Cd-induced dermatotoxicity is an important field of research, but numerous studies have focused on the effects of Cd on the human skin. Moreover, most studies have been performed using HaCaT cells but not primary keratinocytes. In this study, we provide the results describing the cytotoxic effects of Cd exposure on primary human epidermal keratinocytes obtained from different donors. The subtoxic concentration of cadmium chloride was determined via MTT assay, and transcriptomic analysis of the cells exposed to this concentration (25 µM) was performed. As in HaCaT cells, Cd exposure resulted in increased ROS levels, cell cycle arrest, and induction of apoptosis. In addition, we report that exposure to Cd affects zinc and copper homeostasis, induces metallothionein expression, and activates various signaling pathways, including Nrf2, NF-kB, TRAIL, and PI3K. Cd induces the secretion of various cytokines (IL-1, IL-6, IL-10, and PGE2) and upregulates the expression of several cytokeratins, such as KRT6B, KRT6C, KRT16, and KRT17. The results provide a better understanding of the mechanisms of cadmium-induced cytotoxicity and its effect on human epidermal skin cells.

Screening and identification of genes related to ferroptosis in keratoconus

Corneal keratoconus (KC) is a dilated (ectatic) corneal disease characterized by a central thinning of the cornea, which causes protrusion into a conical shape that seriously affects vision. However, due to the complex etiology of keratoconus, its entire mechanism remains unclear and there is no mechanism-directed treatment method. Ferroptosis is a novel programmed cell death mechanism related to lipid peroxidation, stress, and amino acid metabolism, which plays a crucial role in various diseases. This study aimed to explore the relationship between keratoconus and ferroptosis, to provide new insights into the mechanism of keratoconus development, and potential treatment options based on further elucidation of this mechanism. The corresponding mRNA microarray expression matrix data of KC patients were obtained from GEO database (GSE204791). Weighted co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and support vector machine recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE) were selected to screen hub genes, which were overlapped with ferroptosis genes (FRGs) from FerrDb. GO and GSEA were performed to analyze differential pathways, ssGSEA was used to determine immune status, and then, feasible drugs were predicted by gene-drug network. Additionally, we predicted the miRNA and IncRNA of hub genes to identify the underlying mechanism of disease so as to predict treatment for the disease. The epithelial transcriptome from keratoconus tissue mRNA microarray data (GSE204791) was extracted for the main analysis, including eight epithelial cells and eight epithelial control cells. The differential genes that were overlapped by WGCAN, SVM-RFE and FRGs were mainly related to oxidative stress, immune regulation, cellular inflammation, and metal ion transport. Through further analysis, aldo-keto reductase family 1 member C3 (AKR1C3) was selected, and negatively correlated with mature CD56 natural killer (NK) cells and macrophages. Then, gene-drug interaction network analysis and miRNA prediction were performed through the website. It was concluded that four immune-related drugs (INDOMETHACIN, DAUNORUBICIN, DOXORUBICIN, DOCETAXEL) and a miRNA (has-miR-184) were screened to predict potential drugs and targets for disease treatment. To our knowledge, this was the first report of KC being associated with ferroptosis and prompted search for differential genes to predict drug targets of gene immunotherapy. Our findings provided insight and a solid basis for the analysis and treatment of KC.

Transcriptome Profiling of Circulating Tumor Cells to Predict Clinical Outcomes in Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer

The clinical utility of circulating tumor cells (CTC) as a non-invasive multipurpose biomarker is broadly recognized. The earliest methods for enriching CTCs from whole blood rely on antibody-based positive selection. The prognostic utility of CTC enumeration using positive selection with the FDA-approved CellSearch^TM system has been demonstrated in numerous studies. The capture of cells with specific protein phenotypes does not fully represent cancer heterogeneity and therefore does not realize the prognostic potential of CTC liquid biopsies. To avoid this selection bias, CTC enrichment based on size and deformability may provide better fidelity, i.e., facilitate the characterization of CTCs with any phenotype. In this study, the recently FDA-approved Parsortix^® technology was used to enrich CTCs from prostate cancer (PCa) patients for transcriptome analysis using HyCEAD^TM technology. A tailored PCa gene panel allowed us to stratify metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients with clinical outcomes. In addition, our findings suggest that targeted CTC transcriptome profiling may be predictive of therapy response.

Aldose reductase and cancer metabolism: The master regulator in the limelight

It is strongly established that metabolic reprogramming mediates the initiation, progression, and metastasis of a variety of cancers. However, there is no common biomarker identified to link the dysregulated metabolism and cancer progression. Recent studies strongly advise the involvement of aldose reductase (AR) in cancer metabolism. AR-mediated glucose metabolism creates a Warburg-like effect and an acidic tumour microenvironment in cancer cells. Moreover, AR overexpression is associated with the impairment of mitochondria and the accumulation of free fatty acids in cancer cells. Further, AR-mediated reduction of lipid aldehydes and chemotherapeutics are involved in the activation of factors promoting proliferation and chemo-resistance. In this review, we have delineated the possible mechanisms by which AR modulates cellular metabolism for cancer proliferation and survival. An in-depth understanding of cancer metabolism and the role of AR might lead to the use of AR inhibitors as metabolic modulating agents for the therapy of cancer.

AKR1C3 suppresses ferroptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma through regulation of YAP/SLC7A11 signaling pathway

AKR1C3 is frequently overexpressed and it is a validated therapeutic target in various tumors including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our previous study showed that AKR1C3 facilitated HCC proliferation and metastasis by forming a positive feedback loop of AKR1C3-NF-κB-STAT3. Ferroptosis is a form of iron-dependent cell death driven by iron-dependent accumulation of lipid reactive oxygen species and plays an important role in tumor suppression. However, little is known about the role of AKR1C3 in ferroptosis susceptibility. In this study, we found that knockdown of AKR1C3 potently enhanced the sensitivity of HCC cells to ferroptosis inducers both in vitro and in vivo. Overexpression of AKR1C3 protected against ferroptosis in HCC cells. Mechanistically, AKR1C3 regulated ferroptosis through YAP/SLC7A11 signaling in HCC. AKR1C3 knockdown led to a decrease in YAP nuclear translocation, resulted in the inhibition of cystine transporter SLC7A11, and a subsequent increase in the intracellular levels of ferrous iron and ultimately ferroptosis. Moreover, we found that the combination of AKR1C3 and SLC7A11 was a strong predictor of poor prognosis in HCC. Collectively, these findings identify a novel role of AKR1C3 in ferroptosis, and highlighting a candidate therapeutic target to potentially improve the effect of ferroptosis-based antitumor therapy.

Comparative Analysis of Coumarin Profiles in Different Parts of Peucedanum japonicum and Their Aldo-Keto Reductase Inhibitory Activities

Peucedanum japonicum (Umbelliferae) is widely distributed throughout Southeast Asian countries. The root of this plant is used in traditional medicine to treat colds and pain, whereas the young leaves are considered an edible vegetable. In this study, the differences in coumarin profiles for different parts of P. japonicum including the flowers, roots, leaves, and stems were compared using ultra-performance liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Twenty-eight compounds were tentatively identified, including three compounds found in the genus Peucedanum for the first time. Principal component analysis using the data set of the measured mass values and intensities of the compounds exhibited distinct clustering of the flower, leaf, stem, and root samples. In addition, their anticancer activities were screened using an Aldo-keto reductase (AKR)1C1 assay on A549 human non-small-cell lung cancer cells and the flower extract inhibited AKR1C1 activity. Based on these results, seven compounds were selected as potential markers to distinguish between the flower part versus the root, stem, and leaf parts using an orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis. This study is the first to provide information on the comparison of coumarin profiles from different parts of P. japonicum as well as their AKR1C1 inhibitory activities. Taken together, the flowers of P. japonicum offer a new use related to the efficacy of overcoming anticancer drug resistance, and may be a promising source for the isolation of active lead compounds.

Knockdown of AKR1C3 Promoted Sorafenib Sensitivity Through Inhibiting the Phosphorylation of AKT in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background

Sorafenib, which can induce ferroptosis, is a multikinase inhibitor for enhancing survival in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, a considerable challenge for the treatment of HCC is sorafenib resistance. Therefore, targeting the relationship between sorafenib resistance and ferroptosis genes may provide a novel approach for the treatment of HCC.

Materials and Methods

We analyzed the gene expression and clinicopathological factors from The Cancer Genome Atlas Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma (TCGA-LIHC), International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC), and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases (GSE109211/GSE62813). The statistical analysis was conducted in R. Cell proliferation was assayed by MTT, cell colony-forming assay, and wound healing assay. Immunofluorescence assay and Western blot were used to evaluate the expression of AKT.

Results

Many ferroptosis-related genes were upregulated in the sorafenib-resistant group. Aldo-keto reductase 1C3 (AKR1C3) was highly expressed in sorafenib-resistant patients, and the high expression of AKR1C3 was associated with the poor prognosis of patients from the TCGA and ICGC databases. MTT and colony-forming assays showing AKR1C3 overexpression enhanced the proliferation of HCC cells and acute sorafenib resistance. Knockdown of AKR1C3 inhibited the proliferation of HCC cells and increased the drug sensitivity of sorafenib. Immunofluorescence assay and Western blot proved that AKR1C3 promoted the phosphorylation of AKT.

Conclusion

AKR1C3 can induce sorafenib resistance through promoting the phosphorylation of AKT in HCC. AKR1C3 inhibitors may be used in conjunction with sorafenib to become a better therapeutic target for HCC.

Transcriptomic Profiling Reveals AKR1C1 and AKR1C3 Mediate Cisplatin Resistance in Signet Ring Cell Gastric Carcinoma via Autophagic Cell Death

Signet ring cell gastric carcinoma (SRCGC) is a lethal malignancy that has developed drug resistance to cisplatin therapies. The aim of this study was to characterize the acquisition of the cisplatin-resistance SRCGC cell line (KATO/DDP cells) and to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying cisplatin resistance. Transcriptomic and bioinformatic analyses were used to identify the candidate gene. This was confirmed by qPCR and Western blot. Aldoketoreductase1C1 and 1C3 (AKR1C1 and AKR1C3) were the most promising molecules in KATO/DDP cells. A specific inhibitor of AKR1C1 (5PBSA) and AKR1C3 (ASP9521) was used to enhance cisplatin-induced KATO/DPP cell death. Although cisplatin alone induced KATO/DDP apoptosis, a combination treatment of cisplatin and the AKR1C inhibitors had no influence on percent cell apoptosis. In conjunction with the autophagy inhibitor, 3MA, attenuated the effects of 5PBSA or ASP9521 to enhance cisplatin-induced cell death. These results indicated that AKR1C1 and 1C3 regulated cisplatin-induced KATO/DDP cell death via autophagy. Moreover, cisplatin in combination with AKR1C inhibitors and N-acetyl cysteine increased KATO/DDP cells' viability when compared with a combination treatment of cisplatin and the inhibitors. Taken together, our results suggested that AKR1C1 and 1C3 play a crucial role in cisplatin resistance of SRCGC by regulating redox-dependent autophagy.