TGF Beta Induces Vitamin D Receptor and Modulates Mitochondrial Activity of Human Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Mini-encyclopedia of mitochondria-relevant nutraceuticals protecting health in primary and secondary care-clinically relevant 3PM innovation

Despite their subordination in humans, to a great extent, mitochondria maintain their independent status but tightly cooperate with the "host" on protecting the joint life quality and minimizing health risks. Under oxidative stress conditions, healthy mitochondria promptly increase mitophagy level to remove damaged "fellows" rejuvenating the mitochondrial population and sending fragments of mtDNA as SOS signals to all systems in the human body. As long as metabolic pathways are under systemic control and well-concerted together, adaptive mechanisms become triggered increasing systemic protection, activating antioxidant defense and repair machinery. Contextually, all attributes of mitochondrial patho-/physiology are instrumental for predictive medical approach and cost-effective treatments tailored to individualized patient profiles in primary (to protect vulnerable individuals again the health-to-disease transition) and secondary (to protect affected individuals again disease progression) care. Nutraceuticals are naturally occurring bioactive compounds demonstrating health-promoting, illness-preventing, and other health-related benefits. Keeping in mind health-promoting properties of nutraceuticals along with their great therapeutic potential and safety profile, there is a permanently growing demand on the application of mitochondria-relevant nutraceuticals. Application of nutraceuticals is beneficial only if meeting needs at individual level. Therefore, health risk assessment and creation of individualized patient profiles are of pivotal importance followed by adapted nutraceutical sets meeting individual needs. Based on the scientific evidence available for mitochondria-relevant nutraceuticals, this article presents examples of frequent medical conditions, which require protective measures targeted on mitochondria as a holistic approach following advanced concepts of predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine (PPPM/3PM) in primary and secondary care.

Latent-Transforming Growth Factor β-Binding Protein 1/Transforming Growth Factor β1 Complex Drives Antitumoral Effects upon ERK5 Targeting in Melanoma

Melanoma is the deadliest skin cancer, with a poor prognosis in advanced stages. Available treatments have improved survival, although long-term benefits still are unsatisfactory. The mitogen-activated protein kinase extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 (ERK5) promotes melanoma growth, and ERK5 inhibition determines cellular senescence and the senescence-associated secretory phenotype. Here, latent-transforming growth factor β-binding protein 1 (LTBP1) mRNA was found to be up-regulated in A375 and SK-Mel-5 BRAFV600E melanoma cells after ERK5 inhibition. In keeping with a key role of LTBP1 in regulating transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), TGF-β1 protein levels were increased in lysates and conditioned media of ERK5-knockdown (KD) cells, and were reduced upon LTBP1 KD. Both LTBP1 and TGF-β1 proteins were increased in melanoma xenografts in mice treated with the ERK5 inhibitor XMD8-92. Moreover, treatment with conditioned media from ERK5-KD melanoma cells reduced cell proliferation and invasiveness, and TGF-β1-neutralizing antibodies impaired these effects. In silico data sets revealed that higher expression levels of both LTBP1 and TGFB1 mRNA are associated with better overall survival of melanoma patients, and that increased LTBP1 or TGF-β1 expression proved a beneficial role in patients treated with anti-PD1 immunotherapy, making a possible immunosuppressive role of LTBP1/TGF-β1 unlikely upon ERK5 inhibition. This study, therefore, identifies additional desirable effects of ERK5 targeting, providing evidence of an ERK5-dependent tumor-suppressive role of TGF-β in melanoma.

Integrated clinical analysis and data mining assessed the impact of NOX4 on the immune microenvironment and prognosis of pancreatic cancer

Background

The tumor microenvironment (TME) of pancreatic cancer is complex. which forms forms a microenvironment with high immunosuppression, ischemia and hypoxia, which promotes tumor proliferation and migration, inhibit the anti-tumor immune response. NOX4 plays an important role in tumor microenvironment and has a significant relationship with the occurrence, development and drug resistance of tumor.

Methods

Firstly, NOX4 expression in pancreatic cancer tissues under different pathological conditions was detected by applying immunohistochemical staining of tissue microarray (TMA). Transcriptome RNA sequencing data and clinical data of 182 pancreatic cancer samples were downloaded and collated from the UCSC xena database. 986 NOX4-related lncRNAs were filtered by Spearman correlation analysis. prognosis-related NOX4-related lncRNAs and NRlncSig Score were finally obtained by univariate and multivariate Cox regression with Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (Lasso) analysis in pancreatic cancer patients. we plotted Kaplan -Meier and time-dependent ROC curves (ROC) to assess the validity in predicting the prognosis of pancreatic cancer. The ssGSEA analysis was applied to explore the immune microenvironment of pancreatic cancer patients as well as to discuss the immune cells and immune status separately.

Results

We found that a mature tumor marker, NOX4, play different roles in different clinical subgroups by immunohistochemical analysis and clinical data. Finally, 2 NOX4-related lncRNAs were determined by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis, univariate Cox analysis and multivariate COX analysis. The ROC curve and DCA curve showed that NRS Score had better predictive ability than independent prognosis-related lncRNA and other clinicopathologic indicators. We obtained the relative abundance of 28 infiltrating immune cells by ssGSEA analysis and found a significant positive correlation between the abundance of anti-tumor immune cells and tumor-promoting immune cells in the risk-classified microenvironment. No matter NRS Score or AC092667.2, RP11-349A8.3 was significantly correlated with immune infiltrating cells. Meanwhile, the IC50 of conventional chemotherapeutic agents in high-score group were significantly lower than those in low-score group.

Conclusion

As a mature tumor marker, NOX4-related lncRNAs provide new research strategies for prognostic evaluation, molecular mechanism and clinical treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Whey Derivatives and Galactooligosaccharides Stimulate the Wound Healing and the Function of Human Keratinocytes through the NF-kB and FOXO-1 Signaling Pathways

Skin repair requires the activation of keratinocytes and is mediated by controlled inflammation and cell migration and proliferation, ending with the regeneration of well-differentiated cell layers. Whey derivatives contain galactooligosaccharides (GOS), which have potential beneficial effects on wound healing due to their activity as toll-like receptor ligands, although their direct nonprebiotic effects in the skin have not yet been described. In this study, we investigated the effects of different whey-derived products and purified GOS on a human keratinocyte cell line. We found that the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-8 (IL-8) was upregulated by nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) signaling triggered by whey derivatives and GOS and that wound healing was accelerated by promoting cell migration and the loss of E-cadherin in the absence of epithelial–mesenchymal transition. Interestingly, the treatments enhanced the mitochondrial function in association with the translocation of the Forkhead Box O1 (FOXO-1) transcription factor. Finally, we detected the increased expression of the differentiation markers induced by GOS and whey derivatives. All together, our results show that GOS-containing products can promote wound closure and skin health by direct activity on keratinocyte functions. Among the preparations tested, the fermented compound produced by autochthonous microorganisms was the most active in modulating keratinocyte activity, supporting the biological value of whey derivatives for health.

Immunohistochemical Detection of the Presence of Vitamin D Receptor in Childhood Solid Tumors

Background: Our previous work has shown a correlation between lower vitamin D levels in children with cancer and adverse prognosis. It suggests that supplying vitamin D is reasonable. VDR expression in childhood solid tumors has been linked to tumor characteristics and patient survival in only a few studies. Methods: For this study, 177 children with solid tumors were selected whose biopsies and tumor tissue formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue blocks were available for immunohistochemical analysis at Semmelweis University, Budapest (Hungary). Results: We found that non-significant VDR expression was associated with a significantly less favorable prognosis (p = 0.0061) in the examined childhood solid tumors. There was a clinically significant association; non-significant VDR expression had more than 14-fold odds of an unfavorable prognosis (OR = 14.74). The rate of VDR expression differed significantly between tumor types (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: In conclusion, VDR expression measured by IHC staining is inversely associated with aggressive characteristics in different childhood cancers. The downregulation of VDR expression in more aggressive childhood cancers suggests that functional vitamin D activity may slow or block cancer progression.