Protopine/Gemcitabine Combination Induces Cytotoxic or Cytoprotective Effects in Cell Type-Specific and Dose-Dependent Manner on Human Cancer and Normal Cells

Design, Synthesis, and Antitumor Evaluation of an Opioid Growth Factor Bioconjugate Targeting Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) presents a formidable challenge with high lethality and limited effective drug treatments. Its heightened metastatic potential further complicates the prognosis. Owing to the significant toxicity of current chemotherapeutics, compounds like [Met5]-enkephalin, known as opioid growth factor (OGF), have emerged in oncology clinical trials. OGF, an endogenous peptide interacting with the OGF receptor (OGFr), plays a crucial role in inhibiting cell proliferation across various cancer types. This in vitro study explores the potential anticancer efficacy of a newly synthesized OGF bioconjugate in synergy with the classic chemotherapeutic agent, gemcitabine (OGF-Gem). The study delves into assessing the impact of the OGF-Gem conjugate on cell proliferation inhibition, cell cycle regulation, the induction of cellular senescence, and apoptosis. Furthermore, the antimetastatic potential of the OGF-Gem conjugate was demonstrated through evaluations using blood platelets and AsPC-1 cells with a light aggregometer. In summary, this article demonstrates the cytotoxic impact of the innovative OGF-Gem conjugate on pancreatic cancer cells in both 2D and 3D models. We highlight the potential of both the OGF-Gem conjugate and OGF alone in effectively inhibiting the ex vivo pancreatic tumor cell-induced platelet aggregation (TCIPA) process, a phenomenon not observed with Gem alone. Furthermore, the confirmed hemocompatibility of OGF-Gem with platelets reinforces its promising potential. We anticipate that this conjugation strategy will open avenues for the development of potent anticancer agents.

An innovative and universal dual-signal ratiometric spectro-electrochemical imprinted sensor design for sandwich type detection of anticancer-drug, gemcitabine, in serum samples; cross validation via computational modeling

An innovative and universal imprinted sensor design for sandwich type detection of gemcitabine (GMT) in human serum samples is described. GMT is widely used in the treatment of different tumors, such as lung, ovarian, pancreatic, and breast cancer. The serum albumin-drug interaction was translated to design a multifunctional, ratiometric and dual mode silver nanoparticle based probe (BSA-Ag nanoprobe), as a read out system. Subsequently, polypyrrol imprinted drug receptor sites was engineered to selectively capture the GMT on the transducer surface. The GMT was sandwiched between imprinted receptor surface and BSA-Ag nanoprobe to generate the spectro-electrochemical signals. The formation of nanoprobe was confirmed through various characterization techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy, Dynamic light scattering (DLS), and UV-Visible (UV-Vis) analysis, while each step of sensor fabrication was characterized via field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), Static water Contact angle measurements, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Different variable parameters were optimized to improve the analytical performance of the sensor design. Under optimal conditions, spectro-electrochemical sensor permitted linear ranges between 1 and 200 μmol L-1 and 0.5-200 μmol L-1, with limits of detection (LOD) of 0.4 μmol L-1 and 0.15 μmol L-1 respectively. Furthermore, the designed sensor successfully differentiated the serum samples of lung cancer patients and healthy volunteers. The obtained results were validated with standard Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analysis of the patients and healthy volunteer's serum samples. Lastly, density functional theory (DFT) and molecular docking calculations revealed the enhanced GMT binding capability of molecularly imprinted polypyrrole and molecular level interaction between the GMT and BSA, to validate the sandwich sensor design.

Combined chemotherapy based on bioactive black phosphorus for pancreatic cancer therapy

Pancreatic cancer is the most aggressive malignant tumor with difficulty in early diagnosis, very short survival time in advanced stage, and lack of effective treatment options. In this work, a novel combination chemotherapy strategy based on bioactive black phosphorus (BP) and gemcitabine (GEM) is developed for efficient treatment of pancreatic cancer. The combined cell cycle blockage in G2/M phase induced by BP and G0/G1 phase by GEM results in synergistic killing of pancreatic cancer cells with the combination index (CI) < 1. The iRGD modified zein nanoparticles co-loaded with BP quantum dots (BPQDs) and GEM are designed and prepared as a targeted nanoplatform (BP-GEM@NPs). After intravenous injection, the in vivo distribution and pharmacokinetics results demonstrate that BP-GEM@NPs shows excellent tumor targeting capability and significantly prolonged blood circulation time. The targeted co-delivery of BPQDs and GEM induces much more pancreatic tumor cell apoptosis and synergistically inhibits tumor growth in both subcutaneous xenograft and orthotopic models. Meanwhile, BP-GEM@NPs exhibit good biocompatibility without bring adverse effects. This work indicates the great potential of BP-GEM@NPs as a combination chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer and provides insights into development of biomedicine by exploring the intrinsic bioactivities of nanomaterials.

Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Protopine through MAPK and NF-κB Signaling Regulation in HepG2 Cell

Protopine is a substance used for hemostasis with an anti-inflammatory action and is one of the substances that are actively undergoing experiments to confirm their utility as anticancer agents. This study examined the molecular changes in the cellular signaling pathways associated with inflammatory responses in phorbol 12-myristate 13 acetate (PMA)-induced human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (Hep G2). The inhibition of PMA-induced phosphorylation of I-κB in HepG2, the effect of protopine on the MAPK signals, the inhibition of COX-2 activity, and the inhibition of MMP-9 as a medium of inflammatory response were evaluated by Western blot and qPCR. The effect of protopine on the survival rates in HepG2 cells was evaluated and found to be stable to a processing concentration of up to 40μM. Subsequent Western blot analyses showed that protopine blocks the transfer of the MAPKs cell signals induced by PMA and the transfer of the subunit of the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) to the nucleolus. Protopine inhibited the kappa alpha (I-κBα) phosphorylation in the cytosol and blocked PMA-induced inflammation via COX-2 activity inhibition. The expression of MMP-9 at the gene and protein levels, which is associated with cell migration and metastasis, was reduced by protopine.

Identification and Quantification, Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacological Activities, and Botanical Preparations of Protopine: A Review

Through pharmacological activity research, an increasing number of natural products and their derivatives are being recognized for their therapeutic value. In recent years, studies have been conducted on Corydalis yanhusuo W.T. Wang, a valuable medicinal herb listed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Protopine, one of its components, has also become a research hotspot. To illustrate the identification, metabolism, and broad pharmacological activity of protopine and the botanical preparations containing it for further scientific studies and clinical applications, an in-depth and detailed review of protopine is required. We collected data on the identification and quantification, metabolism and pharmacokinetics, pharmacological activities, and botanical preparations of protopine from 1986 to 2021 from the PubMed database using “protopine” as a keyword. It has been shown that protopine as an active ingredient of many botanical preparations can be rapidly screened and quantified by a large number of methods (such as the LC-ESI-MS/MS and the TLC/GC-MS), and the possible metabolic pathways of protopine in vivo have been proposed. In addition, protopine possesses a wide range of pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory, anti-platelet aggregation, anti-cancer, analgesic, vasodilatory, anticholinesterase, anti-addictive, anticonvulsant, antipathogenic, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, and cytotoxic and anti-proliferative activities. In this paper, the identification and quantification, metabolism and pharmacokinetics, pharmacological activities, and botanical preparations of protopine are reviewed in detail to lay a foundation for further scientific research and clinical applications of protopine.

Protopine triggers apoptosis via the intrinsic pathway and regulation of ROS/PI3K/Akt signalling pathway in liver carcinoma

Background

Protopine is an isoquinoline alkaloid that possesses various biological activities including the anti-tumour activity. However, the effects of protopine on liver carcinoma cells are still elusive. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of protopine on liver carcinoma cells both in vitro and in vivo.

Methods

MTT assay was performed to measure the cell viability. Wound healing and transwell assays were conducted to assess the motility of cells. Cellular apoptosis and ROS levels were measured by the flow cytometry. Western blotting assay was used to measure the change of proteins. The cytotoxicity of protopine was also evaluated in xenograft mice.

Results

Protopine inhibited viabilities and triggered apoptosis via the intrinsic pathway in a caspase-dependent manner in liver carcinoma cells. Furthermore, protopine also induced accumulation of intracellular ROS which further led to the inhibition of PI3K/Akt signalling pathway. Finally, in vivo study showed that protopine also repressed tumour growth in xenograft mice without noticeable toxicity.

Conclusions

Protopine might be used as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of liver carcinoma.