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Singh S, Kachhawaha K, Singh SK. Comprehensive approaches to preclinical evaluation of monoclonal antibodies and their next-generation derivatives. Biochem Pharmacol 2024; 225:116303. [PMID: 38797272 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2024.116303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Biotherapeutics hold great promise for the treatment of several diseases and offer innovative possibilities for new treatments that target previously unaddressed medical needs. Despite successful transitions from preclinical to clinical stages and regulatory approval, there are instances where adverse reactions arise, resulting in product withdrawals. As a result, it is essential to conduct thorough evaluations of safety and effectiveness on an individual basis. This article explores current practices, challenges, and future approaches in conducting comprehensive preclinical assessments to ensure the safety and efficacy of biotherapeutics including monoclonal antibodies, toxin-conjugates, bispecific antibodies, single-chain antibodies, Fc-engineered antibodies, antibody mimetics, and siRNA-antibody/peptide conjugates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santanu Singh
- Laboratory of Engineered Therapeutics, School of Biochemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi, India
| | - Kajal Kachhawaha
- Laboratory of Engineered Therapeutics, School of Biochemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi, India
| | - Sumit K Singh
- Laboratory of Engineered Therapeutics, School of Biochemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi, India.
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2
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di Leandro L, Colasante M, Pitari G, Ippoliti R. Hosts and Heterologous Expression Strategies of Recombinant Toxins for Therapeutic Purposes. Toxins (Basel) 2023; 15:699. [PMID: 38133203 PMCID: PMC10748335 DOI: 10.3390/toxins15120699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The production of therapeutic recombinant toxins requires careful host cell selection. Bacteria, yeast, and mammalian cells are common choices, but no universal solution exists. Achieving the delicate balance in toxin production is crucial due to potential self-intoxication. Recombinant toxins from various sources find applications in antimicrobials, biotechnology, cancer drugs, and vaccines. "Toxin-based therapy" targets diseased cells using three strategies. Targeted cancer therapy, like antibody-toxin conjugates, fusion toxins, or "suicide gene therapy", can selectively eliminate cancer cells, leaving healthy cells unharmed. Notable toxins from various biological sources may be used as full-length toxins, as plant (saporin) or animal (melittin) toxins, or as isolated domains that are typical of bacterial toxins, including Pseudomonas Exotoxin A (PE) and diphtheria toxin (DT). This paper outlines toxin expression methods and system advantages and disadvantages, emphasizing host cell selection's critical role.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Rodolfo Ippoliti
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy; (L.d.L.); (M.C.); (G.P.)
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3
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Musa AS, Abdul Hadi MFR, Hashikin NAA, Ashour NI, Ying CK. Dosimetric assessment of Gadolinium-159 for hepatic radioembolization: Tomographic images and Monte Carlo simulation. Appl Radiat Isot 2023; 199:110916. [PMID: 37393764 DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2023.110916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
A common therapeutic radionuclide used in hepatic radioembolization is yttrium-90 (90Y). However, the absence of gamma emissions makes it difficult to verify the post-treatment distribution of 90Y microspheres. Gadolinium-159 (159Gd) has physical properties that are suitable for therapy and post-treatment imaging in hepatic radioembolization procedures. The current study is innovative for conducting a dosimetric investigation of the use of 159Gd in hepatic radioembolization by simulating tomographic images using the Geant4 application for tomographic emission (GATE) Monte Carlo (MC) simulation. For registration and segmentation, tomographic images of five patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who had undergone transarterial radioembolization (TARE) therapy were processed using a 3D slicer. The tomographic images with 159Gd and 90Y separately were simulated using the GATE MC Package. The output of simulation (dose image) was uploaded to 3D slicer to compute the absorbed dose for each organ of interests. 159Gd were able to provide a recommended dose of 120 Gy to the tumour, with normal liver and lungs absorbed doses close to that of 90Y and less than the respective maximum permitted doses of 70 Gy and 30 Gy, respectively. Compared to 90Y, 159Gd requires higher administered activity approximately 4.92 times to achieve a tumour dose of 120 Gy. Thus; this research gives new insights into the use of 159Gd as a theranostic radioisotope, with the potential to be used as a90Y alternative for liver radioembolization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Sadeq Musa
- School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, USM, Penang, Malaysia; Department of Physiology and Medical Physics, College of Medicine, University of Kerbala, 56001, Kerbala, Iraq
| | | | | | - Nabeel Ibrahim Ashour
- School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, USM, Penang, Malaysia; Department of Physics, College of Science, University of Kerbala, 56001, Kerbala, Iraq
| | - Chee Keat Ying
- Oncological & Radiological Science Cluster, Advanced Medical and Dental Institute, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 13200, Kepala Batas, Penang, Malaysia
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4
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Rahmani F, Imani Fooladi AA, Ajoudanifar H, Soleimani NA. In silico and experimental methods for designing a potent anticancer arazyme-herceptin fusion protein in HER2-positive breast cancer. J Mol Model 2023; 29:160. [PMID: 37103612 DOI: 10.1007/s00894-023-05562-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT Breast cancer is the most prevalent type of malignancies among women worldwide and is associated with serious physical and mental consequences. Current chemotherapies may lack successful outcomes; thus, the development of targeted recombinant immunotoxins is plausible. The predicted B cell and T cell epitopes of arazyme of the fusion protein are able to elicit immune response. The results of codon adaptation tool of herceptin-arazyme have improved from 0.4 to 1. The in silico immune simulation results showed significant response for immune cells. In conclusion, our findings show that the known multi-epitope fusion protein may activate humoral and cellular immune responses and maybe a possible candidate for breast cancer treatment. METHODS In this study, the selected monoclonal antibody constituting herceptin and the bacterial metalloprotease, arazyme, was used with different peptide linkers to design a novel fusion protein to predict different B cell and T cell epitopes by the means of the relevant databases. Modeler 10.1 and I-TASSER online server were used to predict and validate the 3D structure and then docked to HER2-receptor using HADDOCK2.4 web server. The molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the arazyme-linker-herceptin-HER2 complex were performed by GROMACS 2019.6 software. The sequence of arazyme-herceptin was optimized for the expression in prokaryotic host using online servers and cloned into pET-28a plasmid. The recombinant pET28a was transferred into the Escherichia coli BL21DE3. Expression and binding affinity of arazyme-herceptin and arazyme to human breast cancer cell lines (SK-BR-3/HER2 + and MDA-MB-468/HER2 -) were validated by the SDS-PAGE and cell‑ELISA, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farideh Rahmani
- Department of Microbiology, Damghan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Damghan, Iran
| | - Abbas Ali Imani Fooladi
- Applied Microbiology Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Hatef Ajoudanifar
- Department of Microbiology, Damghan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Damghan, Iran
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Efremenko E, Aslanli A, Lyagin I. Advanced Situation with Recombinant Toxins: Diversity, Production and Application Purposes. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24054630. [PMID: 36902061 PMCID: PMC10003545 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Today, the production and use of various samples of recombinant protein/polypeptide toxins is known and is actively developing. This review presents state-of-the-art in research and development of such toxins and their mechanisms of action and useful properties that have allowed them to be implemented into practice to treat various medical conditions (including oncology and chronic inflammation applications) and diseases, as well as to identify novel compounds and to detoxify them by diverse approaches (including enzyme antidotes). Special attention is given to the problems and possibilities of the toxicity control of the obtained recombinant proteins. The recombinant prions are discussed in the frame of their possible detoxification by enzymes. The review discusses the feasibility of obtaining recombinant variants of toxins in the form of protein molecules modified with fluorescent proteins, affine sequences and genetic mutations, allowing us to investigate the mechanisms of toxins' bindings to their natural receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Efremenko
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +7-(495)-939-3170; Fax: +7-(495)-939-5417
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6
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Designing a humanized immunotoxin based on DELTA-stichotoxin-Hmg2a toxin: an in silico study. J Mol Model 2022; 28:392. [DOI: 10.1007/s00894-022-05389-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Wu T, Song Z, Huang H, Jakos T, Jiang H, Xie Y, Zhu J. Construction and evaluation of GPC3-targeted immunotoxins as a novel therapeutic modality for hepatocellular carcinoma. Int Immunopharmacol 2022; 113:109393. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2022.109393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Huang L, He H, Wang K, Ma X, Chen X, Chen W, Wang X, Jiang X, Feng M. EGFRvⅢ-targeted immunotoxin combined with temozolomide and bispecific antibody for the eradication of established glioblastoma. Biomed Pharmacother 2022; 155:113659. [PMID: 36095959 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.113659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
EGFRvⅢ is an established target for immunotherapy of glioblastoma (GBM). Current study aims to explore the efficacy of EGFRvⅢ-targeted immunotoxin combined with temozolomide (TMZ) or T cell-engaged bispecific antibody for the treatment of GBM. We generated three rabbit monoclonal antibodies (R1, R2, and R6) that specifically bound to EGFRvⅢ, but not EGFR, with high affinity. Immunotoxins were made by fusing the scFv of these antibodies with engineered Pseudomonas exotoxin PE24. The in vitro cytotoxicity and specificity of the immunotoxins was rigorously validated by EGFRvⅢ and EGFR-expressed cell lines. The in vivo efficacy of immunotoxin monotherapy and in combination with TMZ or EGFRvⅢ-targeted bispecific antibody was evaluated in orthotopic and subcutaneous xenograft mouse models. EGFRvⅢ immunotoxins potently killed U87, U251 and GL261 cells that were forcefully expressing EGFRvⅢ, with IC50 values bellow 1.2 ng/ml. In a subcutaneous model, multiple intratumoral injections of immunotoxin at a dose of 2 mg/kg resulted in complete tumor regression in 3/5 of mice. In a C57BL/6 orthotopic glioblastoma model transplanted with GL261 cells that expressed a mouse version of EGFRvⅢ, two injections of 10 micrograms of immunotoxin in the lateral ventricles significantly improved the survival, with 2/5 mice being completely cured. Furthermore, in a subcutaneous xenograft model transplanted with EGFRvⅢ-expressed U87 cells, a single intratumoral injection of immuntoxin followed by i.v. injections of TMZ or EGFRvⅢ-targeted bispecific antibody achieved complete regression in mice. Taken together, EGFRvⅢ immunotoxin combined with TMZ or T cell-engaged bispecific antibody offers promise for curative treatment of GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Le Huang
- College of Life Science & Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Huixia He
- College of Life Science & Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Ke Wang
- College of Life Science & Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Xuqian Ma
- College of Life Science & Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Xin Chen
- College of Life Science & Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Wenxin Chen
- College of Life Science & Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Xuan Wang
- Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Xiaobing Jiang
- Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China.
| | - Mingqian Feng
- College of Life Science & Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China; College of Biomedicine and Health, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China.
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Mossenta M, Busato D, Dal Bo M, Macor P, Toffoli G. Novel Nanotechnology Approaches to Overcome Drug Resistance in the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Glypican 3 as a Useful Target for Innovative Therapies. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:10038. [PMID: 36077433 PMCID: PMC9456072 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231710038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second most lethal tumor, with a 5-year survival rate of 18%. Early stage HCC is potentially treatable by therapies with curative intent, whereas chemoembolization/radioembolization and systemic therapies are the only therapeutic options for intermediate or advanced HCC. Drug resistance is a critical obstacle in the treatment of HCC that could be overcome by the use of targeted nanoparticle-based therapies directed towards specific tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) to improve drug delivery. Glypican 3 (GPC3) is a member of the glypican family, heparan sulfate proteoglycans bound to the cell surface via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor. The high levels of GPC3 detected in HCC and the absence or very low levels in normal and non-malignant liver make GPC3 a promising TAA candidate for targeted nanoparticle-based therapies. The use of nanoparticles conjugated with anti-GPC3 agents may improve drug delivery, leading to a reduction in severe side effects caused by chemotherapy and increased drug release at the tumor site. In this review, we describe the main clinical features of HCC and the common treatment approaches. We propose the proteoglycan GPC3 as a useful TAA for targeted therapies. Finally, we describe nanotechnology approaches for anti-GPC3 drug delivery systems based on NPs for HCC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Mossenta
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano (CRO), IRCCS, 33081 Aviano, Italy
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Davide Busato
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano (CRO), IRCCS, 33081 Aviano, Italy
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Michele Dal Bo
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano (CRO), IRCCS, 33081 Aviano, Italy
| | - Paolo Macor
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Toffoli
- Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano (CRO), IRCCS, 33081 Aviano, Italy
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10
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A novel shiga based immunotoxin against Fn-14 receptor on colorectal and lung cancer. Int Immunopharmacol 2022; 110:109076. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2022.109076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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11
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Dicks LMT, Vermeulen W. Do Bacteria Provide an Alternative to Cancer Treatment and What Role Does Lactic Acid Bacteria Play? Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10091733. [PMID: 36144335 PMCID: PMC9501580 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10091733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. According to 2022 statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), close to 10 million deaths have been reported in 2020 and it is estimated that the number of cancer cases world-wide could increase to 21.6 million by 2030. Breast, lung, thyroid, pancreatic, liver, prostate, bladder, kidney, pelvis, colon, and rectum cancers are the most prevalent. Each year, approximately 400,000 children develop cancer. Treatment between countries vary, but usually includes either surgery, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy. Modern treatments such as hormone-, immuno- and antibody-based therapies are becoming increasingly popular. Several recent reports have been published on toxins, antibiotics, bacteriocins, non-ribosomal peptides, polyketides, phenylpropanoids, phenylflavonoids, purine nucleosides, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and enzymes with anticancer properties. Most of these molecules target cancer cells in a selective manner, either directly or indirectly through specific pathways. This review discusses the role of bacteria, including lactic acid bacteria, and their metabolites in the treatment of cancer.
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Hashemi Yeganeh H, Heiat M, Alavian SM, Rezaei E. A New Combination: Anti Glypican-3 scFv and Diphtheria Toxin with the Best Flexible Linker. Protein J 2022; 41:527-542. [PMID: 36001255 DOI: 10.1007/s10930-022-10074-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
Along with all cancer treatments, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery, targeting therapy is a new treatment manner. Immunotoxins are new recombinant structures that kill cancer cells by targeting specific antigens. Immunotoxins are composed of two parts: toxin moiety, which disrupts protein synthesis process, and antigen binding moiety that bind to antigens on the surface of cancer cells. Glypican 3 (GPC3) is an oncofetal antigen on the surface of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. In this study, truncated Diphtheria toxin (DT389) was fused to humanized scFv YP7 by one, two and three repeats of GGGGS linkers (DT389-(GGGGS)1-3YP7). In-silico and experimental investigation were performed to find out how many repeats of linker between toxin and scFv moieties are sufficient. Results of in-silico investigations revealed that the difference in the number of linkers does not have a significant effect on the main structures of the immunotoxin; however, the three-dimensional structure of two repeats of linker had a more appropriate structure compared to others with one and three linker replications. In addition, with enhancing the number of linkers, the probability of protein solubility has increased. Generally, the bioinformatics results of DT389-(GGGGS)2-YP7 structure showed that expression and folding is suitable; and YP7 scFv has appropriate orientation to bind GPC3. The experimental investigations indicated that the fusion protein was expressed as near to 50% soluble. Due to the high binding affinity of YP7 scFv and the proven potency of diphtheria in inhibiting protein synthesis, the proposed DT389-(GGGGS)2-YP7 immunotoxin is expected to function well in inhibiting HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamid Hashemi Yeganeh
- Baqiyatallah Research Center for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran.,Molecular Biology Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Science, P.O. Box 19395-5487, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Heiat
- Baqiyatallah Research Center for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Moayed Alavian
- Baqiyatallah Research Center for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ehsan Rezaei
- Molecular Biology Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Science, P.O. Box 19395-5487, Tehran, Iran.
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13
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Toxin and Immunotoxin Based Therapeutic Approaches. Toxins (Basel) 2022; 14:toxins14010063. [PMID: 35051040 PMCID: PMC8778363 DOI: 10.3390/toxins14010063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
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14
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Micali C, Russotto Y, Caci G, Ceccarelli M, Marino A, Celesia BM, Pellicanò GF, Nunnari G, Venanzi Rullo E. Loco-Regional Treatments for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in People Living with HIV. Infect Dis Rep 2022; 14:43-55. [PMID: 35076514 PMCID: PMC8788283 DOI: 10.3390/idr14010006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for approximately 75–90% of primary liver cancers and is the sixth most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. In the HIV-positive population, the risk of HCC is approximately four times higher than in the general population, with higher cancer-specific mortality than in HIV-negative patients. In most cases, HCC diagnosis is made in patients younger than the HIV-negative population and in the intermediate-advanced stage, thus limiting the therapeutic possibilities. Treatment choice in HIV-positive patients with HCC is subject to cancer staging, liver function and health status, as for HIV-negative and non-HIV-negative HCC patients. There are relatively few studies on the efficacy and safety in HIV-positive patients to date in loco-regional treatments for HCC. So far, literature shows that curative treatments such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA) have no significant differences in overall survival between HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients, as opposed to palliative treatments such as TACE, where there is a significant difference in overall survival. Although it can be assumed that the most recently discovered loco-regional therapies are applicable to HIV-positive patients with HCC in the same way as HIV-negative patients, further studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis. The purpose of our review is to evaluate these treatments, their efficacy, effectiveness, safety and their applicability to HIV-positive patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Micali
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy; (Y.R.); (G.C.); (G.N.); (E.V.R.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-090-2212032
| | - Ylenia Russotto
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy; (Y.R.); (G.C.); (G.N.); (E.V.R.)
| | - Grazia Caci
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy; (Y.R.); (G.C.); (G.N.); (E.V.R.)
| | - Manuela Ceccarelli
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, 95131 Catania, Italy; (M.C.); (A.M.); (B.M.C.)
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Department of Biomedical, Dental, Morphological and Functional Imaging Sciences, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy
| | - Andrea Marino
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, 95131 Catania, Italy; (M.C.); (A.M.); (B.M.C.)
| | - Benedetto Maurizio Celesia
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, 95131 Catania, Italy; (M.C.); (A.M.); (B.M.C.)
| | - Giovanni Francesco Pellicanò
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Department of Adult and Childhood Human Pathology “Gaetano Barresi”, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy;
| | - Giuseppe Nunnari
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy; (Y.R.); (G.C.); (G.N.); (E.V.R.)
| | - Emmanuele Venanzi Rullo
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98124 Messina, Italy; (Y.R.); (G.C.); (G.N.); (E.V.R.)
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15
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Parvin S, Sedighian H, Sohrabi E, Mahboobi M, Rezaei M, Ghasemi D, Rezaei E. Prediction of Genes Involved in Lung Cancer with a Systems Biology Approach Based on Comprehensive Gene Information. Biochem Genet 2021; 60:1253-1273. [PMID: 34855070 DOI: 10.1007/s10528-021-10163-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Over the past few years, hundreds of genes have been reported in relation to lung cancer. Systems biology studies can help validate this association and find the most valid genes to use in the diagnosis and treatment. We reviewed the candidate genes for lung cancer in 120 published articles from September 1, 1993, to September 1, 2020. We obtained 134 up- and 36 downregulated genes for lung cancer in this article. The genes extracted from the articles were imported to Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting genes/proteins (STRING) to construct the protein-protein interaction (PPI) Network and pathway enrichment. GO ontology and Reactome databases were used for describing the genes, average length of survival, and constructing networks. Then, the ClusterONE plugin of Cytoscape software was used to analyze and cluster networks. Hubs and bottleneck nodes were defined based on their degree and betweenness. Common genes between the ClusterONE plugin and network analysis consisted of seven genes (BRCA1-TP53-CASP3-PLK1-VEGFA-MDM2-CCNB1 and PLK1), and two genes (PLK1 and TYMS) were selected as survival factors. Our drug-gene network showed that CASP3, BRCA1, TP53, VEGFA, and MDM2 are common genes that are involved in this network. Also, among the drugs recognized in the drug-gene network, five drugs such as paclitaxel, oxaliplatin, carboplatin, irinotecan, and cisplatin were examined in different studies. It seems that these seven genes, with further studies and confirmatory tests, could be potential markers for lung cancer, especially PLK1 that has a significant effect on the survival of patients. We provide the novel genes into the pathogenesis of lung cancer, and we introduced new potential biomarkers for this malignancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahram Parvin
- Chemical Injuries Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Systems Biomedicine Unit, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamid Sedighian
- Applied Microbiology Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ehsan Sohrabi
- Molecular Biology Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Science, P.O. Box 19395-5487, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahdieh Mahboobi
- Applied Microbiology Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Milad Rezaei
- Biology Department, Sciences Faculty, Brujerd Branch, Islamic Azad University, Brujerd, Iran
| | - Dariush Ghasemi
- Molecular Biology Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Science, P.O. Box 19395-5487, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ehsan Rezaei
- Molecular Biology Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Science, P.O. Box 19395-5487, Tehran, Iran.
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Engineering of Cytolethal Distending Toxin B by Its Reducing Immunogenicity and Maintaining Stability as a New Drug Candidate for Tumor Therapy; an In Silico Study. Toxins (Basel) 2021; 13:toxins13110785. [PMID: 34822569 PMCID: PMC8624547 DOI: 10.3390/toxins13110785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2021] [Revised: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The cytolethal distending toxin (CDT), Haemophilus ducreyi, is one of the bacterial toxins that have recently been considered for targeted therapies, especially in cancer therapies. CDT is an A-B2 exotoxin. Its catalytic subunit (CdtB) is capable of inducing DNA double strand breaks, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in host eukaryotic cells. The sequence alignment indicates that the CdtB is structurally homologyr to phosphatases and deoxyribonucleases I (DNase I). Recently, it has been found that CdtB toxicity is mainly related to its nuclease activity. The immunogenicity of CDT can reduce its effectiveness in targeted therapies. However, the toxin can be very useful if its immunogenicity is significantly reduced. Detecting hotspot ectopic residues by computational servers and then mutating them to eliminate B-cell epitopes is a promising approach to reduce the immunogenicity of foreign protein-based therapeutics. By the mentioned method, in this study, we try to reduce the immunogenicity of the CdtB- protein sequence. This study initially screened residue of the CdtB is B-cell epitopes both linearly and conformationally. By overlapping the B-cell epitopes with the excluded conserve residues, and active and enzymatic sites, four residues were allowed to be mutated. There were two mutein options that show reduced antigenicity probability. Option one was N19F, G74I, and S161F with a VaxiJen score of 0.45 and the immune epitope database (IEDB) score of 1.80, and option two was N19F, G74I, and S161W with a VaxiJen score of 0.45 and IEDB score of 1.88. The 3D structure of the proposed sequences was evaluated and refined. The structural stability of native and mutant proteins was accessed through molecular dynamic simulation. The results showed that the mutations in the mutants caused no considerable changes in their structural stability. However, mutant 1 reveals more thermodynamic stability during the simulation. The applied approaches in this study can be used as rough guidelines for finding hot spot immunogen regions in the therapeutic proteins. Our results provide a new version of CdtB that, due to reduced immunogenicity and increased stability, can be used in toxin-based drugs such as immunotoxins.
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