Tioconazole and Chloroquine Act Synergistically to Combat Doxorubicin-Induced Toxicity via Inactivation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR Signaling Mediated ROS-Dependent Apoptosis and Autophagic Flux Inhibition in MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells

Synergistic effects of bee venom, hesperidin, and piperine with tamoxifen on apoptotic and angiogenesis biomarker molecules against xerographic MCF-7 injected rats

Breast cancer ranks as the second leading most significant of mortality for women. Studies have demonstrated the potential benefits of natural compounds in cancer treatment and prevention, either in isolation or in conjunction with chemotherapy. In order to improve Tamoxifen's therapeutic efficacy in in-vivo studies, our research sought to determine the effects of hesperidin, piperine, and bee venom as natural compounds, as well as their combination effect with or without Tamoxifen. First, 132 female albino rats were equally divided into six groups and five subgroups, and breast cancer was induced in the selected groups by xenografting of MCF7 cells. Second, the effect of single and best ratio combinations treatment from previous in vitro studies were selected. Next, tumorous mammary glands were collected for apoptotic and antiapoptotic biomarkers and cell cycle analysis. Single or combined natural products with or without Tamoxifen revealed a significant up-regulation in apoptotic genes Bax and Casp3 and a downregulation of antiapoptotic and angiogenesis genes Bcl-2 and VEGF genes. We found that cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase was exclusively caused by Tamoxifen and/ or hesperidin. However, the cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase is a result of the combination of piperine and bee venom, with or without Tamoxifen by using the flow cytometric technique. Our research concludes that bee venom, hesperidin, and piperine can synergistically enhance to increase Tamoxifen's efficiency in the management of breast cancer.

Chloroquine and Chemotherapeutic Compounds in Experimental Cancer Treatment

Chloroquine (CQ) and its derivate hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), the compounds with recognized ability to suppress autophagy, have been tested in experimental works and in clinical trials as adjuvant therapy for the treatment of tumors of different origin to increase the efficacy of cytotoxic agents. Such a strategy can be effective in overcoming the resistance of cancer cells to standard chemotherapy or anti-angiogenic therapy. This review presents the results of the combined application of CQ/HCQ with conventional chemotherapy drugs (doxorubicin, paclitaxel, platinum-based compounds, gemcitabine, tyrosine kinases and PI3K/Akt/mTOR inhibitors, and other agents) for the treatment of different malignancies obtained in experiments on cultured cancer cells, animal xenografts models, and in a few clinical trials. The effects of such an approach on the viability of cancer cells or tumor growth, as well as autophagy-dependent and -independent molecular mechanisms underlying cellular responses of cancer cells to CQ/HCQ, are summarized. Although the majority of experimental in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that CQ/HCQ can effectively sensitize cancer cells to cytotoxic agents and increase the potential of chemotherapy, the results of clinical trials are often inconsistent. Nevertheless, the pharmacological suppression of autophagy remains a promising tool for increasing the efficacy of standard chemotherapy, and the development of more specific inhibitors is required.

"In-silico Design and Development of Novel Hydroxyurea Lipid Drug Conjugates for Breast Cancer Therapy Targeting PI3K/AKT/mTOR Pathway"

Hydroxyurea (HU) has shown promise in breast cancer treatment, but its hydrophilic nature limits its efficacy. Therefore, conjugating HU with lipids could increase its liphophilicity and improve its cellular uptake, leading to increased efficacy and reduced toxicity. The PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway is an attractive therapeutic target in cancer not only because it is the second most frequently altered pathway after p53, but also because it serves as a convergence point for many stimuli. The aim of this study is to design and develop novel hydroxyurea lipid drug conjugates for breast cancer therapy targeting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway using in-silico and in-vitro approaches. The conjugates are designed and docked with the proteins selected for each target like PI3K (PDB ID;2JDO), AKT (PDB ID;3APF), mTOR (PDB ID;4JST). The conjugates with higher docking scores are taken for ADME studies and molecular dynamics. Stearic, lauric, palmitic, myristic and linolenic acids have been used for the conjugation. The conjugates are synthesized and characterized. The HLB calculation and partition coefficient are carried out to find the improvement in liphophilicity of the conjugates compared to hydroxyurea. Finally, the in-vitro cytotoxicity studies are performed with MCF -7 cell lines and the compound HU-MA (hydroxyurea with myristic acid) with low IC50 is considered as the compound having good activity with compound code. These conjugates have been shown to have improved drug solubility and better cellular uptake compared to free hydroxyurea, which can increase drug efficacy.

Impact of Suramin on Key Pathological Features of Sporadic Alzheimer's Disease-Derived Forebrain Neurons

Background

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by disrupted proteostasis and macroautophagy (hereafter "autophagy"). The pharmacological agent suramin has known autophagy modulation properties with potential efficacy in mitigating AD neuronal pathology.

Objective

In the present work, we investigate the impact of forebrain neuron exposure to suramin on the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, a major regulator of autophagy, in comparison with rapamycin and chloroquine. We further investigate the effect of suramin on several AD-related biomarkers in sporadic AD (sAD)-derived forebrain neurons.

Methods

Neurons differentiated from ReNcell neural progenitors were used to assess the impact of suramin on the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway relative to the autophagy inducer rapamycin and autophagy inhibitor chloroquine. Mature forebrain neurons were differentiated from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) sourced from a late-onset sAD patient and treated with 100μM suramin for 72 h, followed by assessments for amyloid-β, phosphorylated tau, oxidative/nitrosative stress, and synaptic puncta density.

Results

Suramin treatment of sAD-derived neurons partially ameliorated the increased p-Tau(S199)/Tau ratio, and fully remediated the increased glutathione to oxidized nitric oxide ratio, observed in untreated sAD-derived neurons relative to healthy controls. These positive results may be due in part to the distinct increases in Akt/mTOR pathway mediator p-p70S6K noted with suramin treatment of both ReNcell-derived and iPSC-derived neurons. Longer term neuronal markers, such as synaptic puncta density, were unaffected by suramin treatment.

Conclusions

These findings provide initial evidence supporting the potential of suramin to reduce the degree of dysregulation in sAD-derived forebrain neurons in part via the modulation of autophagy.

Effect of Gubenyiliu formula II and its disassembled prescriptions on cell autophagy in breast cancer through PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway

The aim of this study is to reveal the mechanism of Gubenyiliu II (GYII) inhibiting autophagy in breast cancer and the effect of its disassembled prescriptions, Quxie (QX) and Fuzheng (FZ), which cause autophagy difference on tumor growth. After a breast cancer in situ tumor model was established, mice were randomly distributed into different groups: model, GYII, QX, FZ and tamoxifen groups, and treated correspondingly. Then, the tumor volumes and weights were monitored. Immunohistochemistry detected the contents of microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3), phosphorylated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (p-PI3K), phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-AKT) and phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR) in tumor tissues. Furthermore, 4T1 cells were administrated with the 20% contained serum. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion were measured using cell counting kit-8 and transwell assays. Electron microscopy and flow cytometry detected autophagy and apoptosis. The content of LC3 was measured by immunofluorescence. Western blot detected the protein levels of LC3, Beclin1, p-PI3K/PI3K, p-AKT/AKT and p-mTOR/mTOR in tumor tissues and 4T1 cells. GYII, QX and FZ treatment significantly reduced the tumor volumes and weights in breast cancer tumor-bearing mice. The cell proliferation, migration and invasion were restrained, and cell apoptosis and autophagy were promoted in GYII, QX and FZ groups. Moreover, GYII, QX and FZ increased the expression of LC3 in 4T1 cells and tumor tissues and decreased the phosphorylation levels of PI3K, AKT and mTOR in tumor tissues. The protein levels of LC3 and Beclin1 were upregulated, and p-PI3K/PI3K, p-AKT/AKT and p-mTOR/mTOR were downregulated in tumor tissues and 4T1 cells of treatment groups. Our study confirmed that GYII could treat breast cancer by restraining the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway-mediated autophagy. While QX focuses on inhibiting tumor growth, FZ acts on inhibiting tumor metastasis.

Enhancing Anti-Cancer Therapy with Selective Autophagy Inhibitors by Targeting Protective Autophagy

Autophagy is a process of eliminating damaged or unnecessary proteins and organelles, thereby maintaining intracellular homeostasis. Deregulation of autophagy is associated with several diseases including cancer. Contradictory dual roles of autophagy have been well established in cancer. Cytoprotective mechanism of autophagy has been extensively investigated for overcoming resistance to cancer therapies including radiotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy. Selective autophagy inhibitors that directly target autophagic process have been developed for cancer treatment. Efficacies of autophagy inhibitors have been tested in various pre-clinical cancer animal models. Combination therapies of autophagy inhibitors with chemotherapeutics are being evaluated in clinal trials. In this review, we will focus on genetical and pharmacological perturbations of autophagy-related proteins in different steps of autophagic process and their therapeutic benefits. We will also summarize combination therapies of autophagy inhibitors with chemotherapies and their outcomes in pre-clinical and clinical studies. Understanding of current knowledge of development, progress, and application of cytoprotective autophagy inhibitors in combination therapies will open new possibilities for overcoming drug resistance and improving clinical outcomes.

Current Molecular Combination Therapies Used for the Treatment of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death for women worldwide. While monotherapy (single agent) treatments have been used for many years, they are not always effective, and many patients relapse after initial treatment. Moreover, in some patients the response to therapy becomes weaker, or resistance to monotherapy develops over time. This is especially problematic for metastatic breast cancer or triple-negative breast cancer. Recently, combination therapies (in which two or more drugs are used to target two or more pathways) have emerged as promising new treatment options. Combination therapies are often more effective than monotherapies and demonstrate lower levels of toxicity during long-term treatment. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of current combination therapies, including molecular-targeted therapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy. We also describe the molecular basis of breast cancer and the various treatment options for different breast cancer subtypes. While combination therapies are promising, we also discuss some of the challenges. Despite these challenges, the use of innovative combination therapy holds great promise compared with traditional monotherapies. In addition, the use of multidisciplinary technologies (such as nanotechnology and computer technology) has the potential to optimize combination therapies even further.

HSP90AA1 promotes the inflammation in human gingival fibroblasts induced by Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide via regulating of autophagy

BACKGROUND

Peri-implantitis of tooth seriously affects the life quality of patients. This study aimed to investigate the role of HSP90AA1 in the inflammatory of human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) induced by porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide (Pg-LPS), and to provide a potential therapeutic target for clinical treatment of peri-implantitis.

METHODS

Pg-LPS (0.1, 1, 10 μg/mL) was used to construct the inflammatory model of HGFs to evaluate the effect of Pg-LPS on HGFs. Then HSP90AA1-siRNA was transfected to construct HSP90AA1 low expression HGFs cell line, and 3-MA was also added. After that, cell viability, apoptosis, the contents of inflammatory cytokines were detected by CCK-8, flow cytometry and ELISA assay, respectively. Intracellular ROS, the expressions of HSP90α, HSP90β were detected by immunofluorescence. The levels of HSP90AA1, p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65, LC3 II/I, ATG5, Beclin-1 and TLR protein were detected by western blot.

RESULTS

Pg-LPS treatment didn't affect the viability of HGFs cells, but induced the cell apoptosis and ROS generation, increased the contents of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and the protein expressions of HSP90AA1, p-NF-κBp65/NF-κBp65, LC3II/I, ATG5, and Beclin-1 in HGFs. While HSP90AA1-siRNA transfected into Pg-LPS induced HGFs significantly reduced the HSP90AA1, HSP90α, HSP90β expression, decreased the inflammatory factors, ROS generation, cell apoptosis rate, and autophagy-related proteins and TLR2/4 protein levels. What's more, the addition of autophagy inhibitor 3-MA further promote the effect of HSP90AA1-siRNA on Pg-LPS treated HGFs.

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed that HSP90AA1 promoted the inflammatory response of Pg-LPS induced HGFs by regulating autophagy. The addition of 3-MA further confirmed that autophagy may mediate siHSP90AA1 to enhance the inflammatory response.

Drug Repurposing in Cancer Therapy: Influence of Patient’s Genetic Background in Breast Cancer Treatment

Cancer is among the leading causes of death worldwide and it is estimated that in 2040 more than 29 million people will be diagnosed with some type of cancer. The most prevalent type of cancer in women, worldwide, is breast cancer, a type of cancer associated with a huge death rate. This high mortality is mainly a consequence of the development of drug resistance, which is one of the major challenges to overcome in breast cancer treatment. As a result, research has been focused on finding novel therapeutical weapons, specifically ones that allow for a personalized treatment, based on patients’ characteristics. Although the scientific community has been concerned about guaranteeing the quality of life of cancer patients, researchers are also aware of the increasing costs related to cancer treatment, and efforts have been made to find alternatives to the development of new drugs. The development of new drugs presents some disadvantages as it is a multistep process that is time- and money-consuming, involving clinical trials that commonly fail in the initial phases. A strategy to overcome these disadvantages is drug repurposing. In this review, we focused on describing potential repurposed drugs in the therapy of breast cancer, considering their pharmacogenomic profile, to assess the relationship between patients’ genetic variations and their response to a certain therapy. This review supports the need for the development of further fundamental studies in this area, in order to investigate and expand the knowledge of the currently used and novel potential drugs to treat breast cancer. Future clinical trials should focus on developing strategies to group cancer patients according to their clinical and biological similarities and to discover new potential targets, to enable cancer therapy to be more effective and personalized.

Integrated Metabolomics and Network Pharmacology to Establish the Action Mechanism of Qingrekasen Granule for Treating Nephrotic Syndrome

Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is a clinical syndrome resulting from abnormal glomerular permeability, mainly manifesting as edema and proteinuria. Qingrekasen granule (QRKSG), a Chinese Uyghur folk medicine, is a single-flavor preparation made from chicory (Cichorium intybus L.), widely used in treating dysuria and edema. Chicory, the main component in QRKSG, effectively treats edema and protects kidneys. However, the active components in QRKSG and its underlying mechanism for treating NS remain unclear. This study explored the specific mechanism and composition of QRKSG on an NS rat model using integrated metabolomics and network pharmacology. First, metabolomics explored the relevant metabolic pathways impacted by QRKSG in the treatment of NS. Secondly, network pharmacology further explored the possible metabolite targets. Afterward, a comprehensive network was constructed using the results from the network pharmacology and metabolomics analysis. Finally, the interactions between the active components and targets were predicted by molecular docking, and the differential expression levels of the target protein were verified by Western blotting. The metabolomics results showed “D-Glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism” and “Alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism” as the main targeted metabolic pathways for treating NS in rats. AKT1, BCL2L1, CASP3, and MTOR were the core QRKSG targets in the treatment of NS. Molecular docking revealed that these core targets have a strong affinity for flavonoids, terpenoids, and phenolic acids. Moreover, the expression levels of p-PI3K, p-AKT1, p-mTOR, and CASP3 in the QRKSG group significantly decreased, while BCL2L1 increased compared to the model group. These findings established the underlying mechanism of QRKSG, such as promoting autophagy and anti-apoptosis through the expression of AKT1, CASP3, BCL2L1, and mTOR to protect podocytes and maintain renal tubular function.

Ethoxyquin Inhibits the Progression of Murine Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma through the Inhibition of Autophagy and LDH

Cancer cells exhibit an increased glycolysis rate for ATP generation (the Warburg effect) to sustain an increased proliferation rate. In tumor cells, the oxidation of pyruvate in the Krebs cycle is substituted by lactate production, catalyzed by LDH. In this study, we use ethoxyquin (EQ) as a novel inhibitor to target LDH in murine Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) and as a combination therapy to improve the therapeutic efficacy of the conventional chemotherapy drug, cisplatin (CIS). We investigated the anti-tumor effect of EQ on EAC-bearing mice and checked whether EQ can sustain the anti-tumor potential of CIS and whether it influences LDH activity. Treatment with EQ had evident anti-tumor effects on EAC as revealed by the remarkable decrease in the expression of the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-2 and by a significant increase in the expression of apoptotic genes (BAX and caspase-3). EQ also caused a significant decrease in the autophagic activity of EAC cells, as shown by a reduction in the fluorescence intensity of the autophagosome marker. Additionally, EQ restored the altered hematological and biochemical parameters and improved the disrupted hepatic tissues of EAC-bearing mice. Co-administration of EQ and CIS showed the highest anti-tumor effect against EAC. Collectively, our findings propose EQ as a novel inhibitor of LDH in cancer cells and as a combinatory drug to increase the efficacy of cisplatin. Further studies are required to validate this therapeutic strategy in different cancer models and preclinical trials.

Highlights on selected growth factors and their receptors as promising anticancer drug targets

Growth factor receptors (GFRs) and receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) are groups of proteins mediating a plethora of physiological processes, including cell growth, proliferation, survival, differentiation and migration. Under certain circumstances, expression of GFRs and subsequently their downstream kinase signaling are deregulated by genetic, epigenetic, and somatic changes leading to uncontrolled cell division in many human diseases, most notably cancer. Cancer cells rely on growth factors to sustain the increasing need to cell division and metabolic reprogramming through cancer-associated activating mutations of their receptors (i.e., GFRs). In this review, we highlight the recent advances of selected GFRs and their ligands (growth factors) in cancer with emphasis on structural and functional differences. We also interrogate how overexpression and/or hyperactivation of GFRs contribute to cancer initiation, development, progression, and resistance to conventional chemo- and radiotherapies. Novel approaches are being developed as anticancer agents to target growth factor receptors and their signaling pathways in different cancers. Here, we illustrate how the current knowledge of GFRs biology, and their ligands lead to development of targeted therapies to inhibit and/or block the activity of growth factors, GFRs and downstream kinases to treat diseases such as cancer.