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Zamani M, Bozorg-Ghalati F, Mokarram P. Melittin as an Activator of the Autophagy and Unfolded Protein Response Pathways in Colorectal HCT116 Cell Line. IRANIAN BIOMEDICAL JOURNAL 2024; 28:46-52. [PMID: 38445441 PMCID: PMC10994640 DOI: 10.61186/ibj.3993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Background The potential anticancer effect of melittin has motivated scientists to find its exact molecular mechanism of action. There are few data on the effect of melittin on the UPR and autophagy as two critical pathways involved in tumorigenesis of colorectal and drug resistance. This study aimed to investigate the effect of melittin on these pathways in the colorectal cancer (CRC) HCT116 cells. Methods MTT method was carried out to assess the cytotoxicity of melittin on the HCT116 cell line for 24, 48, and 72 h. After selecting the optimal concentrations and treatment times, the gene expression of autophagy flux markers (LC3-βII and P62) and UPR markers (CHOP and XBP-1s) were determined using qRT-PCR. The protein level of autophagy initiation marker (Beclin1) was also determined by Western blotting. Results MTT assay showed a cytotoxic effect of melittin on the HCT116 cells. The increase in LC3-βII and decrease in P62 mRNA expression levels, along with the elevation in the Beclin1 protein level, indicated the stimulatory role of melittin on the autophagy. Melittin also significantly enhanced the CHOP and XBP-1s expressions at mRNA level, suggesting the positive role of the melittin on the UPR activation. Conclusion This study shows that UPR and autophagy can potentially be considered as two key signaling pathways in tumorigenesis, which can be targeted by the BV melittin in the HCT116 cells. Further in vivo evaluations are recommended to verify the obtained results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mozhdeh Zamani
- Autophagy Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | | | - Pooneh Mokarram
- Autophagy Research Center, Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
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Yan R, Dai W, Mao Y, Yu G, Li W, Shu M, Xu B. Melittin inhibits tumor cell migration and enhances cisplatin sensitivity by suppressing IL-17 signaling pathway gene LCN2 in castration-resistant prostate cancer. Prostate 2023; 83:1430-1445. [PMID: 37517867 DOI: 10.1002/pros.24605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Melittin is a small molecule polypeptide extracted from the abdominal cavity of bees, which is used to treat inflammatory diseases and relieve pain. However, the antitumor effect of melittin and its mechanisms remain unclear, especially in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). METHODS Through CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, wound healing assay and Transwell migration assay, we explored the effect of melittin on CRPC cell lines. In addition, with microarray analysis, gene ontology analysis and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes analysis, this study identified key genes and signaling pathways that influence the growth of PC-3 cells. Meanwhile, the effect of melittin on CRPC was also verified through subcutaneous tumor formation experiments. Finally, we also tested the relevant indicators of human prostate cancer (PCa) specimens through immunohistochemistry and H&E stating. RESULTS Here, melittin was verified to inhibit the cell proliferation and migration of CPRC. Moreover, RNA-sequence analysis demonstrated that Interleukin-17 (IL-17) signaling pathway gene Lipocalin-2 (LCN2) was downregulated by melittin treatment in CRPC. Further investigation revealed that overexpression of LCN2 was able to rescue tumor suppression and cisplatin sensitivity which melittin mediated. Interestingly, the expression of LCN2 is highly related to metastasis in PCa. CONCLUSIONS In brief, our study indicates that LCN2 plays an oncogenic role in CRPC and melittin may be selected as an attractive candidate for CRPC therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rucheng Yan
- Department of Urology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P. R. China
| | - Weiwei Dai
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, P. R. China
| | - Yuanshen Mao
- Department of Urology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P. R. China
| | - Guopeng Yu
- Department of Urology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P. R. China
| | - Wenfeng Li
- Department of Urology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P. R. China
| | - Minfeng Shu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, P. R. China
| | - Bin Xu
- Department of Urology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P. R. China
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Małek A, Strzemski M, Kurzepa J, Kurzepa J. Can Bee Venom Be Used as Anticancer Agent in Modern Medicine? Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:3714. [PMID: 37509375 PMCID: PMC10378503 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15143714] [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: 06/18/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Honey bee venom in its composition contains many biologically active peptides and enzymes that are effective in the fight against diseases of various etiologies. The history of the use of bee venom for medicinal purposes dates back thousands of years. There are many reports in the literature on the pharmacological properties of bee venom and/or its main components, e.g., anti-arthritic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial or neuroprotective properties. In addition, both crude venom and melittin exhibit cytotoxic activity against a wide range of tumor cells, with significant anti-metastatic activity in pre-clinical studies. Due to the constantly increasing incidence of cancer, the development of new therapeutic strategies in oncology is a particular challenge for modern medicine. A review paper discusses the various properties of bee venom with an emphasis on its anticancer properties. For this purpose, the PubMed database was searched, and publications related to "bee", "venom", "cancer" from the last 10 years were selected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agata Małek
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Medical University of Lublin, Chodźki 4a, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
| | - Maciej Strzemski
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Medical University of Lublin, Chodźki 4a, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
| | - Joanna Kurzepa
- 1st Department of Radiology, Medical University of Lublin, Jaczewskiego 8, 20-090 Lublin, Poland
| | - Jacek Kurzepa
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Medical University of Lublin, Chodźki 4a, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
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Ertilav K, Nazıroğlu M. Honey bee venom melittin increases the oxidant activity of cisplatin and kills human glioblastoma cells by stimulating the TRPM2 channel. Toxicon 2023; 222:106993. [PMID: 36528210 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2022.106993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Melittin (MLT) treatment is believed to enhance tumor cell death, apoptotic, and oxidative cytotoxic effects of cisplatin (CSP) via the modulation of Ca2+ channels in several cancer lines. The activation of TRPM2 mediated anticancer and CSP resistance actions via mitochondrial Ca2+ and Zn2+ accumulation-induced mitochondrial reactive free oxygen species (MitSOX) in the glioblastoma cells. The aim was to elucidate the effects of CSP and MLT combination via the TRPM2 stimulation on the tumor cell viability, cell number, cell death (propidium iodide/Hoechst rate), apoptosis, and MitSOX levels in the DBTRG-05MG cells. In the DBTRG-05MG cells, we induced four groups as control, MLT (2.5 μg/ml for 24 h), CSP (25 μM for 24 h), and CSP + MLT. The CSP-induced intracellular Ca2+ influxes to the TRPM2 activation were increased in the cells from coming H2O2 and ADP-Ribose. The influxes were decreased in the cells by the incubations of TRPM2 antagonists (ACA and carvacrol). The incubation of CSP increased the parameters of intracellular Ca2+ responses, mitochondria function, cytosolic free Zn2+ accumulation, apoptosis (caspase -3, -8, and -9), and MitSOX generation in the tumor cells. After the treatment of MLT with/without CSP, the parameters were further increased in the cells. In conclusion, the treatment of MLT increased the anticancer, tumor cell death, apoptotic, and oxidant effects of CSP in the glioblastoma tumor cells via activating the TRPM2. As a result, TRPM2 stimulation by MLT may be utilized as a successful agent in the CSP treatment of glioblastoma tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kemal Ertilav
- Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, Suleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey
| | - Mustafa Nazıroğlu
- Neuroscience Research Center, Suleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey; BSN Health, Analysis and Innovation Ltd., Goller Bolgesi Teknokenti, Isparta, Turkey.
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Shi P, Xie S, Yang J, Zhang Y, Han S, Su S, Yao H. Pharmacological effects and mechanisms of bee venom and its main components: Recent progress and perspective. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:1001553. [PMID: 36238572 PMCID: PMC9553197 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1001553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Bee venom (BV), a type of defensive venom, has been confirmed to have favorable activities, such as anti-tumor, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-infectivity effects, etc. This study reviewed the recent progress on the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of BV and its main components against cancer, neurological disorders, inflammatory diseases, pain, microbial diseases, liver, kidney, lung and muscle injury, and other diseases in literature during the years 2018–2021. The related target proteins of BV and its main components against the diseases include Akt, mTOR, JNK, Wnt-5α, HIF-1α, NF-κB, JAK2, Nrf2, BDNF, Smad2/3, AMPK, and so on, which are referring to PI3K/Akt/mTOR, MAPK, Wnt/β-catenin, HIF-1α, NF-κB, JAK/STAT, Nrf2/HO-1, TrkB/CREB/BDNF, TGF-β/Smad2/3, and AMPK signaling pathways, etc. Further, with the reported targets, the potential effects and mechanisms on diseases were bioinformatically predicted via Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway, disease ontology semantic and enrichment (DOSE) and protein-protein interaction (PPI) analyses. This review provides new insights into the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of BV and its main components on diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiying Shi
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine Resource and Bee Products, College of Animal Sciences (College of Bee Science), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- State and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Natural Biotoxins, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Peiying Shi, ; Hong Yao,
| | - Shihui Xie
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine Resource and Bee Products, College of Animal Sciences (College of Bee Science), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jiali Yang
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine Resource and Bee Products, College of Animal Sciences (College of Bee Science), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yi Zhang
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine Resource and Bee Products, College of Animal Sciences (College of Bee Science), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Shuo Han
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine Resource and Bee Products, College of Animal Sciences (College of Bee Science), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Songkun Su
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine Resource and Bee Products, College of Animal Sciences (College of Bee Science), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Hong Yao
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Peiying Shi, ; Hong Yao,
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Whelan R, Hargaden GC, Knox AJS. Modulating the Blood-Brain Barrier: A Comprehensive Review. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:1980. [PMID: 34834395 PMCID: PMC8618722 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13111980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The highly secure blood-brain barrier (BBB) restricts drug access to the brain, limiting the molecular toolkit for treating central nervous system (CNS) diseases to small, lipophilic drugs. Development of a safe and effective BBB modulator would revolutionise the treatment of CNS diseases and future drug development in the area. Naturally, the field has garnered a great deal of attention, leading to a vast and diverse range of BBB modulators. In this review, we summarise and compare the various classes of BBB modulators developed over the last five decades-their recent advancements, advantages and disadvantages, while providing some insight into their future as BBB modulators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rory Whelan
- School of Biological and Health Sciences, Technological University Dublin, Central Quad, Grangegorman, D07 XT95 Dublin, Ireland;
- Chemical and Structural Biology, Environmental Sustainability and Health Institute, Technological University Dublin, D07 H6K8 Dublin, Ireland
| | - Grainne C. Hargaden
- School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Technological University Dublin, Central Quad, Grangegorman, D07 XT95 Dublin, Ireland;
| | - Andrew J. S. Knox
- School of Biological and Health Sciences, Technological University Dublin, Central Quad, Grangegorman, D07 XT95 Dublin, Ireland;
- Chemical and Structural Biology, Environmental Sustainability and Health Institute, Technological University Dublin, D07 H6K8 Dublin, Ireland
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