Metabolomics Insights into the Differential Response of Breast Cancer Cells to the Phenolic Compounds Hydroxytyrosol and Luteolin

Unlocking the effective alliance of β-lapachone and hydroxytyrosol against triple-negative breast cancer cells

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is characterised by its aggressiveness and resistance to chemotherapy, demanding the development of effective strategies against its unique characteristics. Derived from lapacho tree bark, β-lapachone (β-LP) selectively targets cancer cells with elevated levels of the detoxifying enzyme NQO1. Hydroxytyrosol (HT) is a phenolic compound derived from olive trees with important anticancer properties that include the inhibition of cancer stem cells (CSCs) and metastatic features in TNBC, as well as relevant antioxidant activities by mechanisms such as the induction of NQO1. We aimed to study whether these compounds could have synergistic anticancer activity in TNBC cells and the possible role of NQO1. For this pourpose, we assessed the impact of β-LP (0.5 or 1.5 μM) and HT (50 and 100 μM) on five TNBC cell lines. We demonstrated that the combination of β-LP and HT exhibits anti-proliferative, pro-apoptotic, and cell cycle arrest effects in several TNBC cells, including docetaxel-resistant TNBC cells. Additionally, it effectively inhibits the self-renewal and clonogenicity of CSCs, modifying their aggressive phenotype. However, the notable impact of the β-LP-HT combination does not appear to be solely associated with the levels of the NQO1 protein and ROS. RNA-Seq analysis revealed that the combination's anticancer activity is linked to a strong induction of endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis through the unfolded protein response. In conclusion, in this study, we demonstrated how the combination of β-LP and HT could offer an affordable, safe, and effective approach against TNBC.

Luteolin, a flavone ingredient: Anticancer mechanisms, combined medication strategy, pharmacokinetics, clinical trials, and pharmaceutical researches

Current pharmaceutical research is energetically excavating the pharmacotherapeutic role of herb-derived ingredients in multiple malignancies' targeting. Luteolin is one of the major phytochemical components that exist in various traditional Chinese medicine or medical herbs. Mounting evidence reveals that this phytoconstituent endows prominent therapeutic actions on diverse malignancies, with the underlying mechanisms, combined medication strategy, and pharmacokinetics elusive. Additionally, the clinical trial and pharmaceutical investigation of luteolin remain to be systematically delineated. The present review aimed to comprehensively summarize the updated information with regard to the anticancer mechanism, combined medication strategies, pharmacokinetics, clinical trials, and pharmaceutical researches of luteolin. The survey corroborates that luteolin executes multiple anticancer effects mainly by dampening proliferation and invasion, spurring apoptosis, intercepting cell cycle, regulating autophagy and immune, inhibiting inflammatory response, inducing ferroptosis, and pyroptosis, as well as epigenetic modification, and so on. Luteolin can be applied in combination with numerous clinical anticarcinogens and natural ingredients to synergistically enhance the therapeutic efficacy of malignancies while reducing adverse reactions. For pharmacokinetics, luteolin has an unfavorable oral bioavailability, it mainly persists in plasma as glucuronides and sulfate-conjugates after being metabolized, and is regarded as potent inhibitors of OATP1B1 and OATP2B1, which may be messed with the pharmacokinetic interactions of miscellaneous bioactive substances in vivo. Besides, pharmaceutical innovation of luteolin with leading-edge drug delivery systems such as host-guest complexes, nanoparticles, liposomes, nanoemulsion, microspheres, and hydrogels are beneficial to the exploitation of luteolin-based products. Moreover, some registered clinical trials on luteolin are being carried out, yet clinical research on anticancer effects should be continuously promoted.

Possible Participation of Adenine Nucleotide Translocase ANT1 in the Cytotoxic Action of Progestins, Glucocorticoids, and Diclofenac on Tumor Cells

A comparative analysis of the cytostatic effects of progestins (gestobutanoyl, megestrol acetate, amol, dienogest, and medroxyprogesterone acetate), glucocorticoids (hydrocortisone, dexamethasone), and diclofenac on tumor cells was carried out in order to confirm their in silico predicted probabilities experimentally. The results showed the different sensitivity of HeLa, MCF-7, Hep-2, K-562, and Wi-38 cell lines to progestins, glucocorticoids, and diclofenac. The minimum IC50 was found for progestin gestobutanoyl (GB) as 18 µM for HeLa cells, and varied from 31 to 38 µM for MCF-7, Hep-2, and K-562. Glucocorticoids and diclofenac were much less cytotoxic in the HeLa, MCF-7, and Hep-2 cell lines than progestins, with IC50 values in the range of 150-3000 μM. Myelogenous leukemia K-562 cells were the least sensitive to the action of progestins and glucocorticoids but the most sensitive to diclofenac, which showed a pronounced cytotoxic effect with an IC50 of 31 μM. As we have shown earlier, progestins can uniquely modulate MPTP opening via the binding of adenine nucleotide translocase. On this basis, we evaluated the expression of adenylate nucleotide translocase ANT1 (SLC25 A4) as a possible participant in cytotoxic action in these cell lines after 48 h incubation with drugs. The results showed that progestins differently regulated ANT1 expression in different cell lines. Gestobutanoyl had the opposite effect on ANT1 expression in the HeLa, K562, and Wi-38 cells compared with the other progestins. It increased the ANT1 expression more than twofold in the HeLa and K562 cells but had no influence on the Wi-38 cells. Glucocorticoids and diclofenac increased ANT1 expression in the Wi-38 cells and decreased it in the K562, MCF-7, and Hep-2 cells. The modulation of ANT1 expression discovered in our study can be a new explanation of the cytotoxic and cytoprotective effects of hormones, which can vary depending on the cell type. ANT isoforms in normal and cancerous cells could be a new target for steroid hormone and anti-inflammatory drug action.