Bacterial Antigens Reduced the Inhibition Effect of Capsaicin on Cal 27 Oral Cancer Cell Proliferation

Unlocking the potential of capsaicin in oral health (Review)

Capsaicin is a bioactive compound found prominently in Capsicum annuum L. plants and takes on a pivotal role in their characteristic spiciness. Previous studies have delved into the potential analgesic effect of capsaicin in various oral conditions, such as oral neuropathic pain, trigeminal neuralgia, oral mucositis, temporomandibular joint disorders and burning mouth syndrome. Capsaicin has also demonstrated promise in inhibiting the proliferation of different oral cancer cell lines. Its antimicrobial properties have also been shown to inhibit the growth of oral pathogens associated with dental caries, periodontitis and oral candidiasis. However, to harness its benefits effectively, more studies are required to establish optimal dosages for pain relief while minimizing adverse effects. In addition, investigation of the effect of capsaicin on nonpathogenic oral bacteria and viruses is warranted. Human-based research is crucial for elucidating the biomolecular mechanisms underlying the properties of capsaicin, potentially leading to the development of more effective interventions for oral health problems.

Lipopolysaccharide-Educated Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Facilitate Malignant Progression of Ovarian Cancer Cells via the NF-kB/IL-6/JAK2 Signal Transduction

Gram-negative bacteria increase in ovarian cancer (OC) tissues, but its association with OC progression remains largely unknown. The present study aimed to investigate whether and how cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) pretreated by the main components of bacterial outer membrane lipopolysaccharide (LPS) influence the malignancy of OC cells. Specifically, the culture medium of LPS-preconditioned CAFs (LPS-CM) further accelerated cell proliferation, colony formation and tumorigenesis of OC cells SKOV3 and HEY A8, compared with culture medium of CAFs. Next, we found that LPS pretreatment activated the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB) pathway in CAFs to secret cytokines, including interleukin 1β (IL-1β), interleukin 6 (IL-6), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), etc. Neutralization of IL-6 in LPS-CM abolished the promoting effect of LPS-CM on cell proliferation, survival and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in SKOV3 and HEY A8 cells. Mechanistically, LPS-CM activated the Janus kinases 2 (JAK2)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling pathway, while application with JAK2 inhibitor also reversed the promoting effect of LPS-CM on malignancy of OC cells. In summary, LPS-pretreated CAFs IL-6-dependently accelerate OC progression via activating the JAK2/STAT3 signal pathway, which enriches our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying ovaries-colonized gram-negative bacteria in OC progression.

Nutritional Support for Liver Diseases

The liver is a key organ that is responsible for the metabolism of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates and the absorption and storage of micronutrients. Unfortunately, the prevalence of chronic liver diseases at various stages of advancement in the world population is significant. Due to the physiological function of the liver, its dysfunction can lead to malnutrition and sarcopenia, and the patient's nutritional status is an important prognostic factor. This review discusses key issues related to the diet therapy of patients with chronic liver diseases, as well as those qualified for liver transplantation and in the postoperative period.

Postbiotics in oncology: science or science fiction?

The gut microbiome has been increasingly understood to play a critical role in carcinogenesis and cancer disease progression. The most recent research advancements have shown that different tools of microbiota manipulation contribute to gut microbiome-immune-oncology axis modulation, offering exciting opportunities for targeted interventions aimed at improving the efficacy of established anti-cancer therapy. Postbiotics are a new entry among the biotics showing beneficial effects on human health while not requiring living cells to obtain the health effect and therefore not subjected to food safety rules for live microorganisms. Postbiotics are recently defined as the "preparation of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that confers a health benefit on the host" and have gradually become the focus of the scientific community. Since the beginning of research on this topic, numerous studies about postbiotics have been proven to strengthen the gut barrier, reduce inflammation, and promote antimicrobial activity. However, research on the potential application of cancer therapy is still at the early stages of its efforts to uncover all the secrets surrounding postbiotics. This review aims to increase our understanding of the anti-cancer effect of postbiotics throughout a "bibliographic journey" on the biological activity of their components, including exopolysaccharides, cell wall fragments, tryptophan metabolites, enzymes, bacterial lysates, extracellular vesicles, and short-chain fatty acids, highlighting their perspective as a new supportive therapeutic method of treatment and identifying the literature gaps where further research is needed.

A Bioinformatics Approach to Mine the Microbial Proteomic Profile of COVID-19 Mass Spectrometry Data

Mass spectrometry (MS) is one of the key technologies used in proteomics. The majority of studies carried out using proteomics have focused on identifying proteins in biological samples such as human plasma to pin down prognostic or diagnostic biomarkers associated with particular conditions or diseases. This study aims to quantify microbial (viral and bacterial) proteins in healthy human plasma. MS data of healthy human plasma were searched against the complete proteomes of all available viruses and bacteria. With this baseline established, the same strategy was applied to characterize the metaproteomic profile of different SARS-CoV-2 disease stages in the plasma of patients. Two SARS-CoV-2 proteins were detected with a high confidence and could serve as the early markers of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The complete bacterial and viral protein content in SARS-CoV-2 samples was compared for the different disease stages. The number of viral proteins was found to increase significantly with the progression of the infection, at the expense of bacterial proteins. This strategy can be extended to aid in the development of early diagnostic tests for other infectious diseases based on the presence of microbial biomarkers in human plasma samples.

Proliferation and Apoptosis Pathways and Factors in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Oral cancer is the most common form of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and most frequently presents as oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), which is associated with an alarmingly high mortality rate. Internationally, a plethora of research to further our understanding of the molecular pathways related to oral cancer is performed. This research is of value for early diagnosis, prognosis, and the investigation of new drugs that can ameliorate the harmful effects of oral cancer and provide optimal patient outcomes with minimal long-term complications. Two pathways on which the progression of OSCC depends on are those of proliferation and apoptosis, which overlap at many junctions. Herein, we aim to review these pathways and factors related to OSCC progression. Publicly available search engines, PubMed and Google Scholar, were used with the following keywords to identify relevant literature: oral cancer, proliferation, proliferation factors, genes, mutations, and tumor suppressor. We anticipate that the use of information provided through this review will further progress translational cancer research work in the field of oral cancer.

ML218 HCl Is More Efficient Than Capsaicin in Inhibiting Bacterial Antigen-Induced Cal 27 Oral Cancer Cell Proliferation

The bacterial antigen, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and disruptions in calcium channels are independently known to influence oral cancer progression. Previously, we found that bacterial antigens, LPS and lipoteichoic acid (LTA) act as confounders during the action of capsaicin on Cal 27 oral cancer proliferation. As calcium channel drugs may affect oral cancer cell proliferation, we investigated the effect of ML218 HCl, a T-type voltage-gated calcium channel blocker, on the proliferation of Cal 27 oral cancer cells. We hypothesized that ML218 HCl could effectively reduce LPS-induced oral cancer cell proliferation. LPS and LTA antigens were added to Cal 27 oral cancer cells either prior to and/or concurrently with ML218 HCl treatment, and the efficacy of the treatment was evaluated by measuring Cal 27 proliferation, cell death and apoptosis. ML218 HCl inhibited oral cancer cell proliferation, increased apoptosis and cell death, but their efficacy was significantly reduced in the presence of bacterial antigens. ML218 HCl proved more effective than capsaicin in reducing bacterial antigen-induced Cal 27 oral cancer cell proliferation. Our results also suggest an interplay of proliferation factors during the bacterial antigens and calcium channel drug interaction in Cal 27. Bacterial antigen reduction of drug efficacy should be considered for developing newer pharmacological agents or testing the efficacy of the existing oral cancer chemotherapeutic agents. Finally, voltage gated calcium channel drugs should be considered for future oral cancer research.