Pretreatment of Anthocyanin from the Fruit of Vitis coignetiae Pulliat Acts as a Potent Inhibitor of TNF-α Effect by Inhibiting NF-κB-Regulated Genes in Human Breast Cancer Cells

Potential of natural flavonoids to target breast cancer angiogenesis (review)

Angiogenesis is the process by which new blood vessels form and is required for tumour growth and metastasis. It helps in supplying oxygen and nutrients to tumour cells and plays a crucial role in the local progression and distant metastasis of, and development of treatment resistance in, breast cancer. Tumour angiogenesis is currently regarded as a critical therapeutic target; however, anti-angiogenic therapy for breast cancer fails to produce satisfactory results, owing to issues such as inconsistent efficacy and significant adverse reactions. As a result, new anti-angiogenic drugs are urgently needed. Flavonoids, a class of natural compounds found in many foods, are inexpensive, widely available, and exhibit a broad range of biological activities, low toxicity, and favourable safety profiles. Several studies find that various flavonoids inhibit angiogenesis in breast cancer, indicating great therapeutic potential. In this review, we summarize the role of angiogenesis in breast cancer and the potential of natural flavonoids as anti-angiogenic agents for breast cancer treatment. We discuss the value and significance of nanotechnology for improving flavonoid absorption and utilization and anti-angiogenic effects, as well as the challenges of using natural flavonoids as drugs.

Polyphenols—Ensured Accessibility from Food to the Human Metabolism by Chemical and Biotechnological Treatments

Polyphenols are plant-based compounds famous for their positive impact on both human health and the quality of food products. The benefits of polyphenols are related to reducing cardiovascular diseases, cholesterol management, cancers, and neurological disorders in humans and increasing the shelf life, management of oxidation, and anti-microbial activity in food products. The bioavailability and bio-accessibility of polyphenols are of the highest importance to secure their impact on human and food health. This paper summarizes the current state-of-the-art approaches on how polyphenols can be made more accessible in food products to contribute to human health. For example, by using food processing methods including various technologies, such as chemical and biotechnological treatments. Food matrix design and simulation procedures, in combination with encapsulation of fractionated polyphenols utilizing enzymatic and fermentation methodology, may be the future technologies to tailor specific food products with the ability to ensure polyphenol release and availability in the most suitable parts of the human body (bowl, intestine, etc.). The development of such new procedures for utilizing polyphenols, combining novel methodologies with traditional food processing technologies, has the potential to contribute enormous benefits to the food industry and health sector, not only reducing food waste and food-borne illnesses but also to sustain human health.

Discovery of Promising Inhibitors of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR), Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2), Estrogen Receptor (ER), and Phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase a (PI3Ka) for Personalized Breast Cancer Treatment

Despite the rapid developments and advancements to improve treatments, Breast cancer remains one of the deadliest health challenges and the most frequently diagnosed tumor. One of the major problems with treatment is the unique difference that each cancerous cell exhibits. As a result, treatment of breast cancer has now become more personalized based on the specific features of the tumor such as overexpression of growth factor receptors (Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2)), hormone receptors (Human Estrogen receptor alpha (ER)) and kinases involved in pivotal signaling associated with growth (Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)). Several chemotherapeutic agents have been developed to curb the menace, but the associated adverse drug effects cannot be overlooked. To this end, this study employed a molecular modeling approach to identify novel compounds of natural origin that can potentially antagonize the receptors (mentioned above) associated with the pathophysiology of breast cancer and at the same time pose very little or no side effects. The results of the molecular model of biological interactions between a library of 118 anthocyanins and the binding pockets of the protein targets identified 5 compounds (Pelargonin, Delphinidin 3-O-rutinoside, Malvin, Cyanidin-3-(6-acetylglucoside), and Peonidin 3-O-rutinoside) with good binding affinities to the protein targets. Further MM-GBSA calculations returned high binding energies. The specific molecular interactions between the compounds and the targets were analyzed and reported herein. Also, all the compounds exhibited good pharmacokinetic profiles and are therefore recommended for further analyses as they could be explored as new treatment options for a broad range and personalized breast cancer treatments.

Influence of Plasma-Isolated Anthocyanins and Their Metabolites on Cancer Cell Migration (HT-29 and Caco-2) In Vitro: Results of the ATTACH Study

Cancer mortality is mainly due to metastasis. Therefore, searching for new therapeutic agents suppressing cancer cell migration is crucial. Data from human studies regarding effects of anthocyanins on cancer progression, however, are scarce and it is unclear whether physiological concentrations of anthocyanins and their metabolites reduce cancer cell migration in vivo. In addition, interactions with chemotherapeutics like 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) are largely unknown. Thus, we combined a placebo-controlled, double-blinded, cross-over study with in vitro migration studies of colon cancer cell lines to examine the anti-migratory effects of plasma-isolated anthocyanins and their metabolites (PAM). Healthy volunteers (n = 35) daily consumed 0.33 L of an anthocyanin-rich grape/bilberry juice and an anthocyanin-depleted placebo juice for 28 days. PAM were isolated before and after intervention by solid-phase extraction. HT-29 and Caco-2 cells were incubated with PAM in a Boyden chamber. Migration of HT-29 cells was significantly inhibited by PAM from juice but not from placebo. In contrast, Caco-2 migration was not affected. Co-incubation with 5-FU and pooled PAM from volunteers (n = 10), which most effectively inhibited HT-29 migration, further reduced HT-29 migration in comparison to 5-FU alone. Therefore, PAM at physiological concentrations impairs colon cancer cell migration and may support the effectiveness of chemotherapeutics.

Curcuminoids as Modulators of EMT in Invasive Cancers: A Review of Molecular Targets With the Contribution of Malignant Mesothelioma Studies

Curcuminoids, which include natural acyclic diarylheptanoids and the synthetic analogs of curcumin, have considerable potential for fighting against all the characteristics of invasive cancers. The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a fundamental process for embryonic morphogenesis, however, the last decade has confirmed it orchestrates many features of cancer invasiveness, such as tumor cell stemness, metabolic rewiring, and drug resistance. A wealth of studies has revealed EMT in cancer is in fact driven by an increasing number of parameters, and thus understanding its complexity has now become a cornerstone for defining future therapeutic strategies dealing with cancer progression and metastasis. A specificity of curcuminoids is their ability to target multiple molecular targets, modulate several signaling pathways, modify tumor microenvironments and enhance the host’s immune response. Although the effects of curcumin on these various parameters have been the subject of many reviews, the role of curcuminoids against EMT in the context of cancer have never been reviewed so far. This review first provides an updated overview of all EMT drivers, including signaling pathways, transcription factors, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) and tumor microenvironment components, with a special focus on the most recent findings. Secondly, for each of these drivers the effects of curcumin/curcuminoids on specific molecular targets are analyzed. Finally, we address some common findings observed between data reported in the literature and the results of investigations we conducted on experimental malignant mesothelioma, a model of invasive cancer representing a useful tool for studies on EMT and cancer.

Effect of food processing on antioxidants, their bioavailability and potential relevance to human health

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Processing alters the amount, matrix interaction, and structure of antioxidants.

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It is not easy to dissociate processing effects from food matrix effects.

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It is still difficult to make general statements on the effects of processing on bioavailability.

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Facilitated release by heat, pressure, etc. contributes to increased bioaccessibility.

It has long been recognized that the antioxidants present in fresh plant materials may be very different to those we ingest via our foods. This is often due to the use of food processing strategies involving thermal/non-thermal treatments. Current research mostly focuses on determining what is present in vegetative starting materials; how this is altered during processing; how this influences activity in the gut and following uptake into bloodstream; and which in vivo physiological effects this may have on human body. Having a better understanding of these different steps and their importance in a health-and-nutrition-context will place us in a better position to breed for improved crop varieties and to advise the food industry on how to optimize processing strategies to enhance biochemical composition of processed foods. This review provides an overview of what is currently known about the influence which food processing treatments can have on antioxidants and gives some pointers as to their potential relevance.

NF-κB as a regulator of cancer metastasis and therapy response: A focus on epithelial-mesenchymal transition

Metastasis of tumor cells is a complex challenge and significantly diminishes the overall survival and prognosis of cancer patients. The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a well-known mechanism responsible for the invasiveness of tumor cells. A number of molecular pathways can regulate the EMT mechanism in cancer cells and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) is one of them. The nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 can induce the transcription of several genes involved in EMT induction. The present review describes NF-κB and EMT interaction in cancer cells and their association in cancer progression. Due to the oncogenic role NF-κB signaling, its activation enhances metastasis of tumor cells via EMT induction. This has been confirmed in various cancers including brain, breast, lung and gastric cancers, among others. The ZEB1/2, transforming growth factor-β, and Slug as inducers of EMT undergo upregulation by NF-κB to promote metastasis of tumor cells. After EMT induction driven by NF-κB, a significant decrease occurs in E-cadherin levels, while N-cadherin and vimentin levels undergo an increase. The noncoding RNAs can potentially also function as upstream mediators and modulate NF-κB/EMT axis in cancers. Moreover, NF-κB/EMT axis is involved in mediating drug resistance in tumor cells. Thus, suppressing NF-κB/EMT axis can also promote the sensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents.

Review On Documented Medicinal Plants Used For The Treatment Of Cancer

Background:

Cancer is a frightful disease and it is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Naturally derived compounds are gaining interest of research workers as they have less toxic side effects as compared to currently used treatments such as chemotherapy. Plants are the pool of chemical compounds which provides a promising future for research on cancer.

Objective:

This review paper provides updated information gathered on medicinal plants and isolated phytoconstituents used as anticancer agents and summarises the plant extracts and their isolated chemical constituents exhibiting anticancer potential on clinical trials.

Methods:

An extensive bibliographic investigation was carried out by analysing worldwide established scientific databases like SCOPUS, PUBMED, SCIELO, ScienceDirect, Springerlink, Web of Science, Wiley, SciFinder and Google Scholar etc. In next few decades, herbal medicine may become a new epoch of medical system.

Results:

Many researches are going on medicinal plants for the treatment of cancer but it is a time to increase further experimental studies on plant extracts and their chemical constituents to find out their mechanism of action at molecular level.

Conclusion:

The article may help many researchers to start off further experimentation that might lead to the drugs for the cancer treatment.

Exploring the Molecular Mechanism of Cinnamic Acid-Mediated Cytotoxicity in Triple Negative MDA-MB-231 Breast Cancer Cells

BACKGROUND

Cinnamic Acid (CA), also known as 3-phenyl-2-propenoic acid, is a naturally occurring aromatic fatty acid found commonly in cinnamon, grapes, tea, cocoa, spinach and celery. Various studies have identified CA to have anti-proliferative action on glioblastoma, melanoma, prostate and lung carcinoma cells.

OBJECTIVE

Our objective was to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the cytotoxic effect of CA in killing MDA-MB-231 triple negative breast cancer cells.

METHODS

We performed MTT assay and trypan blue assay to determine cell viability and cell death, respectively. Comet analysis was carried out to investigate DNA damage of individual cells. Furthermore, AO/EtBr assay and sub-G1 analysis using flow cytometry were used to study apoptosis. Protein isolation followed by immunoblotting was used to observe protein abundance in treated and untreated cancer cells.

RESULTS

Using MTT assay, we have determined CA to reduce cell viability in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and tumorigenic HEK 293 cells but not in normal NIH3T3 fibroblast cells. Subsequently, trypan blue assay and comet assay showed CA to cause cell death and DNA damage, respectively, in the MDA-MB-231 cells. Using AO/EtBr staining and sub-G1 analysis, we further established CA to increase apoptosis. Additionally, immunoblotting showed the abundance of TNFA, TNF Receptor 1 (TNFR1) and cleaved caspase-8/-3 proapoptotic proteins to increase with CA treatment. Subsequently, blocking of TNFA-TNFR1 signalling by small molecule inhibitor, R-7050, reduced the expression of cleaved caspase-8 and caspase-3 at the protein level.

CONCLUSION

Thus, from the above observations, we can conclude that CA is an effective anticancer agent that can induce apoptosis in breast cancer cells via TNFA-TNFR1 mediated extrinsic apoptotic pathway.

Eriodictyol inhibits glioblastoma migration and invasion by reversing EMT via downregulation of the P38 MAPK/GSK-3β/ZEB1 pathway

Eriodictyol (ERD) is a natural flavonoid that exists in many vegetables and fruits, especially citrus fruits. It has been proven to have many pharmacological effects, such as antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. Our previous study showed that eriodictyol could inhibit the proliferation and induce the apoptosis of glioblastoma cells by downregulating the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB pathway and restraining its migration and invasion. However, the mechanism by which eriodictyol prevents glioblastoma metastasis is still unknown. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key process for many cancer metastases; it also confers locomotivity to tumor cells, including glioblastoma. In this study, we found that eriodictyol can suppress the migration and invasion of glioblastoma A172 and U87 MG cell lines by suppressing the EMT markers - N-cadherin and E-cadherin through Wound healing and Transwell assays, Western blot, RT-qPCR, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry. Further research revealed that the mechanism could be connected with downregulation of the P38 MAPK/GSK-3β/ZEB1 signaling pathway. These findings can provide a new idea for the treatment of glioblastoma.

Anthocyanins Derived from Vitis coignetiae Pulliat Contributes Anti-Cancer Effects by Suppressing NF-κB Pathways in Hep3B Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells and In Vivo

We previously demonstrated that anthocyanins from the fruits of Vitis coignetiae Pulliat (AIMs) induced the apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. However, many researchers argued that the concentrations of AIMs were too high for in vivo experiments. Therefore, we performed in vitro at lower concentrations and in vivo experiments for the anti-cancer effects of AIMs. AIMs inhibited the cell proliferation of Hep3B cells in a dose-dependent manner with a maximum concentration of 100 µg/mL. AIMs also inhibited the invasion and migration at 100 µg/mL concentration with or without the presence of TNF-α. To establish the relevance between the in vitro and in vivo results, we validated their effects in a Xenograft model of Hep3B human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. In the in vivo test, AIMs inhibited the tumorigenicity of Hep3B cells in the xenograft mouse model without showing any clinical signs of toxicity or any changes in the body weight of mice. AIMs inhibited the activation NF-κB and suppressed the NF-κB-regulated proteins, intra-tumoral microvessel density (IMVD) and the Ki67 activity of Hep3B xenograft tumors in athymic nude mice. In conclusion, this study indicates that AIMs have anti-cancer effects (inhibition of proliferation, invasion, and angiogenesis) on human hepatocellular carcinoma xenograft through the inhibition of NF-κB and its target protein.

Anthocyanins Isolated from Vitis coignetiae Pulliat Enhances Cisplatin Sensitivity in MCF-7 Human Breast Cancer Cells through Inhibition of Akt and NF-κB Activation

Anthocyanins isolated from Vitis coignetiae Pulliat (Meoru in Korea) (AIMs) have various anti-cancer properties by inhibiting Akt and NF-κB which are involved in drug resistance. Cisplatin (CDDP) is one of the popular anti-cancer agents. Studies reported that MCF-7 human breast cancer cells have high resistance to CDDP compared to other breast cancer cell lines. In this study, we confirmed CDDP resistance of MCF-7 cells and tested whether AIMs can overcome CDDP resistance of MCF-7 cells. Cell viability assay revealed that MCF-7 cells were more resistant to CDDP treatment than MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells exhibiting aggressive and high cancer stem cell phenotype. AIMs significantly augmented the efficacy of CDDP with synergistic effects on MCF-7 cells. Molecularly, Western blot analysis revealed that CDDP strongly increased Akt and moderately reduced p-NF-κB and p-IκB and that AIMs inhibited CDDP-induced Akt activation, and augmented CDDP-induced reduction of p-NF-κB and p-IκB in MCF-7 cells. In addition, AIMs significantly downregulated an anti-apoptotic protein, XIAP, and augmented PARP-1 cleavage in CDDP-treated MCF-7 cells. Moreover, under TNF-α treatment, AIMs augmented CDDP efficacy with inhibition of NF-κB activation on MCF-7 cells. In conclusion, AIMs enhanced CDDP sensitivity by inhibiting Akt and NF-κB activity of MCF-7 cells that show relative intrinsic CDDP resistance.