Research Progress of Heavy Ion Radiotherapy for Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

SIRT1 silencing ameliorates malignancy of non-small cell lung cancer via activating FOXO1

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), being the most prevalent and lethal malignancy affecting the lungs, poses a significant threat to human health. This research aims at illustrating the precise role and related mechanisms of silent information regulator type-1 (SIRT1) in NSCLC progression. The expression pattern of SIRT1 in NSCLC cell lines was examined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Functional assays in NSCLC cell lines validated the biological capabilities of SIRT1 on malignant phenotypes, and its impact on tumorigenicity was further evaluated in vivo. In addition, the FOXO1 inhibitor AS1842856 was applied to verify the role of SIRT1 on FOXO pathway in vitro. SIRT1 expression was prominently elevated in NSCLC cell lines. The depletion of SIRT1 retarded the capabilities of proliferation, migration and invasion, while enhancing apoptosis in NSCLC cells. Furthermore, SIRT1 silencing restricted the tumorigenesis of NSCLC in vivo. Additionally, AS1842856 treatment ameliorated the inhibitory effect of SIRT1 deficiency on malignant phenotypes in NSCLC cells. SIRT1 deletion exerted an anti-oncogenic role in NSCLC via activation of FOXO1.

Chuanxiong Renshen Decoction Inhibits Alzheimer's Disease Neuroinflammation by Regulating PPARγ/NF-κB Pathway

Background and Aim

Previous studies of our research group have shown that Chuanxiong Renshen Decoction (CRD) has the effect of treating AD, but the exact mechanism of its effect is still not clarified. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect and mechanism of CRD on AD neuroinflammation.

Materials and Methods

Morris Water Maze (MWM) tests were employed to assess the memory and learning capacity of AD mice. HE and Nissl staining were used to observe the neural cells of mice. The expression of Iba-1 and CD86 were detected by immunohistochemical staining. Utilize UHPLC-MS/MS metabolomics techniques and the KEGG to analyze the metabolic pathways of CRD against AD. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced BV2 microglia cells to construct a neuroinflammatory model. The expression of Iba-1 and CD86 were detected by immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. The contents of TNF-α and IL-1β were detected by ELISA. Western blot assay was used to detect the expression of PPARγ, p-NF-κB p65, NF-κB p65 proteins and inflammatory cytokines iNOS and COX-2 in PPARγ/NF-κB pathway with and without PPARγ inhibitor GW9662.

Results

CRD ameliorated the learning and memory ability of 3×Tg-AD mice, repaired the damaged nerve cells in the hippocampus, reduced the area of Iba-1 and CD86 positive areas in both the hippocampus and cortex regions, as well as attenuated serum levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in mice. CRD-containing serum significantly decreased the expression level of Iba-1, significantly reduced the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β, significantly increased the protein expression of PPARγ, and significantly decreased the proteins expression of iNOS, COX-2 and p-NF-κB p65 in BV2 microglia cells. After addition of PPARγ inhibitor GW9662, the inhibitory effect of CRD-containing serum on NF-κB activation was significantly weakened.

Conclusion

CRD can activate PPARγ, regulating PPARγ/NF-κB signaling pathway, inhibiting microglia over-activation and reducing AD neuroinflammation.

A future directions of renal cell carcinoma treatment: combination of immune checkpoint inhibition and carbon ion radiotherapy

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is considered radio- and chemo-resistant. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have demonstrated significant clinical efficacy in advanced RCC. However, the overall response rate of RCC to monotherapy remains limited. Given its immunomodulatory effects, a combination of radiotherapy (RT) with immunotherapy is increasingly used for cancer treatment. Heavy ion radiotherapy, specifically the carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT), represents an innovative approach to cancer treatment, offering superior physical and biological effectiveness compared to conventional photon radiotherapy and exhibiting obvious advantages in cancer treatment. The combination of CIRT and immunotherapy showed robust effectiveness in preclinical studies of various tumors, thus holds promise for overcoming radiation resistance of RCC and enhancing therapeutic outcomes. Here, we provide a comprehensive review on the biophysical effects of CIRT, the efficacy of combination treatment and the underlying mechanisms involved in, as well as its therapeutic potential specifically within RCC.

Label-Free Ratiometric Homogeneous Electrochemical Strategy Based on Exonuclease III-Aided Signal Amplification for Facile and Rapid Detection of miR-378

MiR-378 is abnormally expressed in various cancers, such as hepatocellular carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, and nonsmall cell lung cancer. Here, we developed a label- and immobilization-free ratiometric homogeneous electrochemical strategy based on exonuclease III (Exo III) for the facile and rapid determination of miR-378. Two 3'-protruding hairpin DNA probes (HPs) are designed in this strategy. Doxorubicin (DOX) and potassium ferrocyanide (Fe2+) were used as label-free probes to produce a response signal (IDOX) and a reference signal (IFe2+) in the solution phase. When no target was present in the solution, the HP was stable, most of the DOX was intercalated in the stem of the HP, and the diffusion rate of DOX was significantly reduced, resulting in reduced electrochemical signal response. When miR-378 was present, double-cycle signal amplification triggered by Exo III cleavage was initiated, ultimately disrupting the hairpin structures of HP1 and HP2 and releasing a large amount of DOX into the solution, yielding a stronger electrochemical signal, which was low to 50 pM. This detection possesses excellent selectivity, demonstrating high application potential in biological systems, and offers simple and low-cost electrochemical detection for miR-378.

Expression of lncRNA LINC00943 in lung squamous cell carcinoma and its relationship with tumor progression

BACKGROUND

Molecular biology has been applied to the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of various diseases, and long noncoding RNA LINC00943 (lncRNA LINC00943; LINC00943) plays an important role in a variety of cancers. Therefore, this study explored the prognostic role of LINC00943 in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) and understood its impact on the development of LUSC.

METHODS

There are 89 LUSC patients were involved in current assay. By detecting the expression of LINC00943 and miR-196b-5p in tissues and cells, LINC00943 and its correlation with the characteristics of clinical data were analyzed. The biological function of LINC00943 was studied by Transwell migration and invasion assays. In addition, Pearson correlation coefficient and luciferase activity experiments were chosen to characterize the relationship between LINC00943 and miR-196b-5p and explore the mechanism of LINC00943.

RESULTS

Compared with normal controls, LINC00943 expression in LUSC tissues and cells was significantly reduced, miR-196b-5p was markedly increased, there was a negative correlation between LINC00943 and miR-196b-5p. According to the in vitro cell experiments, migration and invasion of LUSC cells were suppressed by overexpression of LINC00943. Besides, LINC00943 was demonstrated to have prognostic power and targeting miR-196b-5p was involved in the progression of LUSC.

CONCLUSIONS

Overexpression of LINC00943 was molecular sponge for miR-196b-5p that controlled the deterioration of LUSC, which had great potential as a prognostic biomarker for LUSC.

Variolin B from sea sponge against lung cancer: a multitargeted molecular docking with fingerprinting and molecular dynamics simulation study

Lung Cancer is the one that causes more fatalities in the world compared to other cancers, and its uniqueness is that it can be found in both males and females. However, recent data has shown that males are more affected due to lifestyle habits like smoking, tobacco consumption and inhaling polluted air. The World Health Organization has kept lung cancer on its priority list as it causes 1.8 million deaths worldwide each year, and the predictions show that the cases are going to increase year by year, and by 2050, there can be 3.8 million new cases and 3.2 million deaths, and the global health system is not prepared for it. Also, finding drug candidates that can help shrink cancerous cells and lead to their death is essential to reduce global mortality. The system needs drug compounds that can inhibit multiple paths together not to enter drug resistance quickly and to reduce costs. Our study identified a compound named Variolin B (DB08694) that belongs to the organic compounds class of pyrrolopyridines. The identified compound can inhibit multiple proteins, drastically reducing the global burden. Variolin B was identified as a potential candidate against lung cancer using the multisampling algorithm such as HTVS, SP, and XP, followed by MM\GBSA calculations showing the docking score of -9.245 Kcal/mol to -5.92 Kcal/mol. Also, we have validated it with ADMET predictions and molecular fingerprinting to analyse the interaction patterns. Further, the study was extended to molecular dynamics simulations for 100 ns to understand the complex stability and simulative interactions. The complex's overall molecular dynamics simulation helped us understand that the identified candidate is stable with the lowest deviation and fluctuations.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

The scheme, and regulative mechanism of pyroptosis, ferroptosis, and necroptosis in radiation injury

Radiotherapy (RT) stands as the primary treatment for tumors, but it inevitably causes damage to normal cells. Consequently, radiation injury is a crucial consideration for radiation oncologists during therapy planning. Cell death including apoptosis, autophagy, pyroptosis, ferroptosis, and necroptosis play significant roles in tumor treatment. While previous studies elucidated the induction of apoptosis and autophagy by ionizing radiation (IR), recent attention has shifted to pyroptosis, ferroptosis, and necroptosis, revealing their effects induced by IR. This review aims to summarize the strategies employed by IR, either alone or in combination therapy, to induce pyroptosis, ferroptosis, and necroptosis in radiation injury. Furthermore, we explore their effects and molecular pathways, shedding light on their roles in radiation injury. Finally, we summarize the regulative agents for these three types of cell death and their mechanisms. In summary, optimizing radiation dose, dose rate, and combined treatment plans to minimize radiation damage and enhance the killing effect of RT is a key focus.

From Basic Radiobiology to Translational Radiotherapy

The Special Issue, entitled "From basic radiobiology to translational radiotherapy", highlights recent advances in basic radiobiology and the potential to improve radiotherapy in translational research [...].