The Role of Kinase Modulators in Cellular Senescence for Use in Cancer Treatment

Extraction, Isolation of Bioactive Compounds and Therapeutic Potential of Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.)

Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is a herbaceous annual plant of the Cruciferous family, the Cabbage genus. This oilseed crop is widely used in many areas of industry and agriculture. High-quality oil obtained from rapeseed can be found in many industrial food products. To date, extracts with a high content of biologically active substances are obtained from rapeseed using modern extraction methods. Brassica napus L. seeds contain polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, carotenoids, phytosterols, flavonoids, vitamins, glucosinolates and microelements. The data in this review show that rapeseed biocompounds have therapeutic effects in the treatment of various types of diseases. Some studies indicate that rapeseed can be used as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiviral, hypoglycemic and anticancer agent. In the pharmaceutical industry, using rapeseed as an active ingredient may help to develop new forms drugs with wide range of therapeutic effects. This review focuses on aspects of the extraction of biocompounds from rapeseed and the study of its pharmacological properties.

Identification of senescence-related subtypes, establishment of a prognosis model, and characterization of a tumor microenvironment infiltration in breast cancer

Breast cancer is a malignancy with the highest incidence and mortality in women worldwide. Senescence is a model of arrest in the cell cycle, which plays an important role in tumor progression, while the prognostic value of cellular senescence-related genes (SRGs) in evaluating immune infiltration and clinical outcomes of breast cancer needs further investigation. In the present study, we identified two distinct molecular subtypes according to the expression profiles of 278 SRGs. We further explored the dysregulated pathways between the two subtypes and constructed a microenvironmental landscape of breast cancer. Subsequently, we established a senescence-related scoring signature based on the expression of four SRGs in the training set (GSE21653) and validated its accuracy in two validation sets (GSE20685 and GSE25055). In the training set, patients in the high-risk group had a worse prognosis than patients in the low-risk group. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that risk score was an independent prognostic indicator. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis proved the predictive accuracy of the signature. The prognostic value of this signature was further confirmed in the validation sets. We also observed that a lower risk score was associated with a higher pathological response rate in patients with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. We next performed functional experiments to validate the results above. Our study demonstrated that these cellular senescence patterns effectively grouped patients at low or high risk of disease recurrence and revealed their potential roles in the tumor–immune–stromal microenvironment. These findings enhanced our understanding of the tumor immune microenvironment and provided new insights for improving the prognosis of breast cancer patients.

Senescence in pulmonary arterial hypertension: is there a link?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Cellular senescence has been recognized as a promising target in the treatment of many cardiovascular diseases. The pathways involved in the development of senescence share many similarities with pathobiological mechanisms of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). But the potential of senolytics to improve pulmonary hemodynamics and to reduce vascular remodelling in PAH has thus far not been investigated in depth.

RECENT FINDINGS

PAH does not seem to be a disease of only young people since the mean age of PAH patients is constantly increasing. Changes in expression of senescence biomarkers related to cell cycle arrest, namely upregulation of the tumour suppressor protein p53 and the cell cycle inhibitors p16ink4A an p21cip1 as well as an increase in apoptosis resistance biomarker Bcl2 (B-cell lymphoma 2) and development of senescence-associated phenotype characterized by excessive production of matrix metalloproteinase 2 and interleukin 6 were demonstrated in PAH patients. Initiatives to link the senescence-modulating effect of certain compounds to clinically relevant outcomes in PAH are still limited.

SUMMARY

Further exploration of the role of senescence in the pathobiology of PAH may point to new relevant treatment strategies. Identification of the cell-specific senescence biomarkers which can be used in vivo, could further promote identification of clinically relevant pathways and design of clinical studies which will help to establish effective therapeutic use of senolytic compounds.

Integrative analysis the characterization of peroxiredoxins in pan-cancer

Background

Peroxiredoxins (PRDXs) are an antioxidant enzymes protein family involved in several biological functions such as differentiation, cell growth. In addition, previous studies report that PRDXs play critical roles in the occurrence and development of carcinomas. However, few studies have conducted systematic analysis of PRDXs in cancers. Therefore, the present study sought to explore the molecular characteristics and potential clinical significance of PRDX family members in pan cancer and further validate the function of PRDX6 in bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA).

Methods

A comprehensive analysis of PRDXs in 33 types of cancer was performed based on the TCGA database. This involved an analysis of mRNA expression profiles, genetic alterations, methylation, prognostic values, potential biological pathways and target drugs. Moreover, both the gain and loss of function strategies were used to assess the importance and mechanism of PRDX6 in the cell cycle of BLCA.

Result

Analysis showed abnormal expression of PRDX1-6 in several types of cancer compared to normal tissues. Univariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis showed that expression levels of PRDX1, PRDX4 and PRDX6 were mostly associated with poor survival of OS, DSS and PFI, and PRDX2 and PRDX3 with favorable survival. In addition, the expression of PRDX genes were positively correlated with CNV and negatively with methylation. Moreover, analysis based on PharmacoDB dataset showed that the augmented levels of PRDX1, PRDX3 and PRDX6 were significantly correlated with EGFR/VEGFR inhibitor drugs. Furthermore, knocking down of PRDX6 inhibited growth of cancer cells through the JAK2-STAT3 in bladder cell lines.

Conclusions

PRDXs are potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for several carcinomas, especially for BLCA. In addition, PRDX6 could regulate proliferation of cancer cell via JAK2-STAT3 pathway and involve into the process of cell cycle in BLCA.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12935-021-02064-x.

IL-6 derived from therapy-induced senescence facilitates the glycolytic phenotype in glioblastoma cells

Activation of the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) pathway induces the glial differentiation of glioblastoma (GBM) cells, but the fate of differentiated cells remains poorly understood. Transcriptome analyses have revealed significant changes in the cell cycle- and senescence-related pathways in differentiated GBM cells induced by dibutyryl cAMP (dbcAMP). Further investigations showed that reactive oxygen species (ROS) derived from enhanced mitochondrial function are involved in senescence induction and proliferation inhibition. Moreover, we found that IL-6 from dbcAMP- or temozolomide (TMZ)-induced senescent cells facilitates the glycolytic phenotype of GBM cells and that inhibiting the IL-6-related pathway hinders the proglycolytic effect of either agent. In patient-derived GBM xenograft models, a specific antibody targeting the IL-6 receptor tocilizumab (TCZ) significantly prolongs the survival time of TMZ-treated mice. Taken together, these results suggest that both the differentiation-inducing agent dbcAMP and the chemotherapy drug TMZ are able to drive GBM cells to senescence, and the latter releases IL-6 to potentiate glycolysis, suggesting that IL-6 is a target for adjuvant chemotherapy in GBM treatment.

Cancer Response to Therapy-Induced Senescence: A Matter of Dose and Timing

Cellular senescence participates to fundamental processes like tissue remodeling in embryo development, wound healing and inhibition of preneoplastic cell growth. Most senescent cells display common hallmarks, among which the most characteristic is a permanent (or long lasting) arrest of cell division. However, upon senescence, different cell types acquire distinct phenotypes, which also depend on the specific inducing stimuli. Senescent cells are metabolically active and secrete a collection of growth factors, cytokines, proteases, and matrix-remodeling proteins collectively defined as senescence-associated secretory phenotype, SASP. Through SASP, senescent cells modify their microenvironment and engage in a dynamic dialog with neighbor cells. Senescence of neoplastic cells, at least temporarily, reduces tumor expansion, but SASP of senescent cancer cells as well as SASP of senescent stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment may promote the growth of more aggressive cancer subclones. Here, we will review recent data on the mechanisms and the consequences of cancer-therapy induced senescence, enlightening the potentiality and the risk of senescence inducing treatments.

Brassicaceae-Derived Anticancer Agents: Towards a Green Approach to Beat Cancer

Cancer is the main cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Although a large variety of therapeutic approaches have been developed and translated into clinical protocols, the toxic side effects of cancer treatments negatively impact patients, allowing cancer to grow. Brassica metabolites are emerging as new weapons for anti-cancer therapeutics. The beneficial role of the consumption of brassica vegetables, the most-used vegetables in the Mediterranean diet, particularly broccoli, in the prevention of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and obesity, has been well-documented. In this review, we discuss the anti-tumor effects of the bioactive compounds from Brassica vegetables with regard to the compounds and types of cancer against which they show activity, providing current knowledge on the anti-cancer effects of Brassica metabolites against major types of tumors. In addition, we discuss the impacts of industrial and domestic processing on the compounds’ functional properties before their consumption as well as the main strategies used to increase the content of health-promoting metabolites in Brassica plants through biofortification. Finally, the impacts of microbiota on the compounds’ bioactivity are considered. This information will be helpful for the further development of efficacious anti-cancer drugs.

The pan-cancer landscape of netrin family reveals potential oncogenic biomarkers

Recent cancer studies have found that the netrin family of proteins plays vital roles in the development of some cancers. However, the functions of the many variants of these proteins in cancer remain incompletely understood. In this work, we used the most comprehensive database available, including more than 10000 samples across more than 30 tumor types, to analyze the six members of the netrin family. We performed comprehensive analysis of genetic change and expression of the netrin genes and analyzed epigenetic and pathway relationships, as well as the correlation of expression of these proteins with drug sensitivity. Although the mutation rate of the netrin family is low in pan-cancer, among the tumor patients with netrin mutations, the highest number are Uterine Corpus Endometrial Carcinoma patients, accounting for 13.6% of cases (54 of 397). Interestingly, the highest mutation rate of a netrin family member is 38% for NTNG1 (152 of 397). Netrin proteins may participate in the development of endocrine-related tumors and sex hormone-targeting organ tumors. Additionally, the participation of NTNG1 and NTNG2 in various cancers shows their potential for use as new tumor markers and therapeutic targets. This analysis provides a broad molecular perspective of this protein family and suggests some new directions for the treatment of cancer.

Label-Free Fluorescent Kinase and Phosphatase Enzyme Assays with Supramolecular Host-Dye Pairs

The combination of the macrocyclic hosts p-sulfonatocalix[4]arene and cucurbit[7]uril with the fluorescent dyes lucigenin and berberine affords two label-free enzyme assays for the detection of kinase and phosphatase activity by fluorescence monitoring. In contrast to established assays, no substrate labeling is required. Since phosphorylation is one of the most important regulatory mechanisms in biological signal transduction, the assays should be useful for identification of inhibitors and activators in high-throughput screening (HTS) format for drug discovery.

Synthesis and anti-cancer activities of glycosides and glycoconjugates of diterpenoid isosteviol

A series of glycosides and glycoconjugates of diterpenoid isosteviol (16-oxo-ent-beyeran-19-oic acid) with various monosaccharide residues were synthesized and their cytotoxicity against some human cancer and normal cell lines was assayed. Most of the synthesized compounds demonstrated moderate to significant cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines M-HeLa and MCF-7. Three lead compounds exhibited selective cytotoxic activities against M-HeLa (IC50 = 10.0-15.1 μM) that were three times better than the cytotoxicity of the anti-cancer drug Tamoxifen (IC50 = 28.0 μM). Moreover, the lead compounds were not cytotoxic with respect to the normal human cell line Chang liver (IC50 > 100 μM), whereas Tamoxifen inhibited the viability of normal human Chang liver cells with an IC50 value of 46.0 μM. It was determined that the cytotoxicity of the lead compounds was due to induction of apoptosis proceeding along the mitochondrial pathway. The cytotoxic activity of the synthesized compounds substantially depended on the nature of the monosaccharide residue and its position, that is, whether the monosaccharide residue was attached directly to the isosteviol skeleton or was moved away from it by means of a polymethylene linker.

Tumor growth fueled by spurious senescence phenotypes

Cancer treatments can induce a form of senescence that halts cellular division while allowing continued secretion of tumor-promoting proteins. We recently found that antiangiogenic treatment resistance can lead to a transient hijacking of the senescence-controlled secretory machinery that, when therapeutically targeted during treatment cessation, can blunt rebound tumor growth.

Tenovin-1 Induces Senescence and Decreases Wound-Healing Activity in Cultured Rat Primary Astrocytes

Brain aging induces neuropsychological changes, such as decreased memory capacity, language ability, and attention; and is also associated with neurodegenerative diseases. However, most of the studies on brain aging are focused on neurons, while senescence in astrocytes has received less attention. Astrocytes constitute the majority of cell types in the brain and perform various functions in the brain such as supporting brain structures, regulating blood-brain barrier permeability, transmitter uptake and regulation, and immunity modulation. Recent studies have shown that SIRT1 and SIRT2 play certain roles in cellular senescence in peripheral systems. Both SIRT1 and SIRT2 inhibitors delay tumor growth in vivo without significant general toxicity. In this study, we investigated the role of tenovin-1, an inhibitor of SIRT1 and SIRT2, on rat primary astrocytes where we observed senescence and other functional changes. Cellular senescence usually is characterized by irreversible cell cycle arrest and induces senescence- associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) activity. Tenovin-1-treated astrocytes showed increased SA-β-gal-positive cell number, senescence-associated secretory phenotypes, including IL-6 and IL-1β, and cell cycle-related proteins like phospho-histone H3 and CDK2. Along with the molecular changes, tenovin-1 impaired the wound-healing activity of cultured primary astrocytes. These data suggest that tenovin-1 can induce cellular senescence in astrocytes possibly by inhibiting SIRT1 and SIRT2, which may play particular roles in brain aging and neurodegenerative conditions.

The Enigmatic Protein Kinase C-eta

Protein kinase C (PKC), a multi-gene family, plays critical roles in signal transduction and cell regulation. Protein kinase C-eta (PKCη) is a unique member of the PKC family since its regulation is distinct from other PKC isozymes. PKCη was shown to regulate cell proliferation, differentiation and cell death. It was also shown to contribute to chemoresistance in several cancers. PKCη has been associated with several cancers, including renal cell carcinoma, glioblastoma, breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, and acute myeloid leukemia. However, mice lacking PKCη were more susceptible to tumor formation in a two-stage carcinogenesis model, and it is downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma. Thus, the role of PKCη in cancer remains controversial. The purpose of this review article is to discuss how PKCη regulates various cellular processes that may contribute to its contrasting roles in cancer.

Structure-Based Classification and Anti-Cancer Effects of Plant Metabolites

A variety of malignant cancers affect the global human population. Although a wide variety of approaches to cancer treatment have been studied and used clinically (surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy), the toxic side effects of cancer therapies have a negative impact on patients and impede progress in conquering cancer. Plant metabolites are emerging as new leads for anti-cancer drug development. This review summarizes these plant metabolites with regard to their structures and the types of cancer against which they show activity, organized by the organ or tissues in which each cancer forms. This information will be helpful for understanding the current state of knowledge of the anti-cancer effects of various plant metabolites against major types of cancer for the further development of novel anti-cancer drugs.

Special Issue: Kinase inhibitors

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