CAPE promotes TRAIL-induced apoptosis through the upregulation of TRAIL receptors via activation of p38 and suppression of JNK in SK-Hep1 hepatocellular carcinoma cells

A review on the impact of TRAIL on cancer signaling and targeting via phytochemicals for possible cancer therapy

Anticancer therapies have been the continual pursuit of this age. Cancer has been ravaging all across the globe breathing not just threats but demonstrating them. Remedies for cancer have been frantically sought after. Few have worked out, yet till date, the available cancer therapies have not delivered a holistic solution. In a world where the search for therapies is levitating towards natural remedies, solutions based on phytochemicals are highly prospective attractions. A lot has been achieved with inputs from plant resources, providing numerous natural remedies. In the current review, we intensely survey the progress achieved in the treatment of cancer through phytochemicals-based programmed cell death of cancer cells. More specifically, we have further reviewed and discussed the role of phytochemicals in activating apoptosis via Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (TRAIL), which is a cell protein that can attach to certain molecules in cancer cells, killing cancer cells. The objective of this review is to enlist the various phytochemicals that are available for specifically contributing towards triggering the TRAIL cell protein-mediated cancer therapy and to point out the research gaps that require future research motivation. This is the first review of this kind in this research direction.

Therapeutic efficacy of caffeic acid phenethyl ester in cancer therapy: An updated review

Nowadays, there is a lot of public and scientific interest in using phytochemicals to treat human ailments. Existing cancer medicines still run across obstacles, despite significant advancements in the field. For instance, chemotherapy may result in severe adverse effects, increased drug resistance, and treatment failure. Natural substances that are phytochemically derived provide innovative approaches as potent therapeutic molecules for the treatment of cancer. Bioactive natural compounds may enhance chemotherapy for cancer by increasing the sensitivity of cancer cells to medicines. Propolis has been found to interfere with the viability of cancer cells, among other phytochemicals. Of all the components that make up propolis, caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) (a flavonoid) has been the subject of the most research. It demonstrates a broad spectrum of therapeutic uses, including antitumor, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, and cardioprotective effects. Studies conducted in vitro and in vivo have demonstrated that CAPE specifically targets genes involved in cell death, cell cycle regulation, angiogenesis, and metastasis. By altering specific signaling cascades, such as the NF-κB signaling pathway, CAPE can limit the proliferation of human cancer cells. This review highlights the research findings demonstrating the anticancer potential of CAPE with a focus on multitargeted molecular and biological implications in various cancer models.

Smac mimetics and TRAIL cooperate to induce MLKL-dependent necroptosis in Burkitt's lymphoma cell lines

Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) is a highly aggressive form of B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The clinical outcome in children with BL has improved over the last years but the prognosis for adults is still poor, highlighting the need for novel treatment strategies. Here, we report that the combinational treatment with the Smac mimetic BV6 and TRAIL triggers necroptosis in BL when caspases are blocked by zVAD.fmk (TBZ treatment). The sensitivity of BL cells to TBZ correlates with MLKL expression. We demonstrate that necroptotic signaling critically depends on MLKL, since siRNA-induced knockdown and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of MLKL profoundly protect BL cells from TBZ-induced necroptosis. Conversely, MLKL overexpression in cell lines expressing low levels of MLKL leads to necroptosis induction, which can be rescued by pharmacological inhibitors, highlighting the important role of MLKL for necroptosis execution. Importantly, the methylation status analysis of the MLKL promoter reveals a correlation between methylation and MLKL expression. Thus, MLKL is epigenetically regulated in BL and might serve as a prognostic marker for treatment success of necroptosis-based therapies. These findings have crucial implications for the development of new treatment options for BL.

Chemical and biological characteristics of propolis from Apis mellifera caucasica from the Ardahan and Erzurum provinces of Turkey: a comparative study

The aim of this study was to compare the biological activities of ethanolic propolis extracts of Apis mellifera caucasica obtained from Ardahan and Erzurum provinces of Turkey. Samples were tested for antioxidant, anticytotoxic, anticarcinogenic, antibacterial, and antifungal potentials using different techniques. Propolis samples from the two provinces had different mineral and organic compositions related to their geographical origin. The ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) test showed superiority of Ardahan propolis over the Erzurum. Regardless of origin and the presence of mitomycin C in the culture medium, propolis enhanced human peripheral lymphocyte viability, which depended on the duration and propolis concentration. Antiperoxidative activity on MCF-7 breast cancer cells was concentration-dependent. Erzurum propolis showed the highest anticarcinogenic activity at the concentrations of 62.5 μg/mL and 125 μg/ mL, which dropped at higher concentrations. All propolis samples also showed antibacterial activity against the tested human pathogens similar to ampicillin and penicillin controls, except for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. However, they did not exert any antifungal activity against Candida albicans and Yarrowia lipolytica. In conclusion, propolis samples from both provinces showed promising biological activities, but further research should focus on finding the right concentrations for optimal effect and include the cell necrosis pathway to get a better idea of the anticarcinogenic effects.

Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester Rescues Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension through the Inhibition of AKT/ERK-Dependent PDGF/HIF-1α In Vitro and In Vivo

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by pulmonary arterial proliferation and remodeling, resulting in a specific increase in right ventricle systolic pressure (RVSP) and, ultimately right ventricular failure. Recent studies have demonstrated that caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) exerts a protective role in NF-κB-mediated inflammatory diseases. However, the effect of CAPE on PAH remains to be elucidated. In this study, monocrotaline (MCT) was used to establish PAH in rats. Two weeks after the induction of PAH by MCT, CAPE was administrated by intraperitoneal injection once a day for two weeks. Pulmonary hemodynamic measurements and pulmonary artery morphological assessments were examined. Our results showed that administration of CAPE significantly suppressed MCT-induced vascular remodeling by decreasing the HIF-1α expression and PDGF-BB production, and improved in vivo RV systolic performance in rats. Furthermore, CAPE inhibits hypoxia- and PDGF-BB-induced HIF-1α expression by decreasing the activation of the AKT/ERK pathway, which results in the inhibition of human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (hPASMCs) proliferation and prevention of cells resistant to apoptosis. Overall, our data suggest that HIF-1α is regarded as an alternative target for CAPE in addition to NF-κB, and may represent a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of PAH diseases.

Lipocalin 2 inversely regulates TRAIL sensitivity through p38 MAPK-mediated DR5 regulation in colorectal cancer

TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) induces apoptosis through death receptors (DRs)4 and/or 5 expressed on the cell surface. Multiple clinical trials are underway to evaluate the antitumor activity of recombinant human TRAIL and agonistic antibodies to DR4 or DR5. However, their therapeutic potential is limited by the high frequency of cancer resistance. In this study, we provide evidence demonstrating the role of lipocalin 2 (LCN2) in the TRAIL-mediated apoptosis of human colorectal cancer (CRC). By analyzing the mRNA expression data of 71 CRC tissues from patients, we found that DR5 was preferentially expressed in CRC tissues with a low LCN2 expression level compared to tissues with a high LCN2 expression level. Moreover, we analyzed the association between DR5 and LCN2 expression and this analysis revealed that DR5 expression in CRC tended to be inversely associated with LCN2 expression. By contrast, no association was found between the DR4 and LCN2 expression levels. The expression patterns of LCN2 in human CRC cell lines also exhibited an inverse association with DR5 expression. The knockdown of LCN2 by siRNA in the TRAIL‑resistant CRC cells expressing high levels of LCN2 led to a significant increase in TRAIL-induced apoptosis through the upregulation of DR5 protein and mRNA expression. The mechanism through which LCN2 silencing sensitized the CRC cells to TRAIL was dependent on the extrinsic pathway of apoptosis. In addition, we identified that the knockdown of LCN2 enhanced the sensitivity of the cells to TRAIL through the p38 MAPK/CHOP-dependent upregulation of DR5. Taken together, the findings of this study suggest that LCN2 is responsible for TRAIL sensitivity and LCN2 may thus prove to be a promising target protein in DR-targeted CRC therapy.

Inhibited effects of CAPE-pNO2 on cervical carcinoma in vivo and in vitro and its detected metabolites

The development of advanced cervical cancer therapies is a particularly urgent need due to the strong side effects and toxicities of current treatments. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) exhibits broad-spectrum antitumor activities and little toxicity or side effects. In our previous study, caffeic acid para-nitro phenethyl ester (CAPE-pNO₂) significantly improved the effect of anti-platelet aggregation and attenuated myocardial ischemia. Based on this finding, we aimed to further explore the antitumor activity of CAPE-pNO₂ in cervical cancer cells and tumor xenografts. In addition, we assessed the biotransformation of CAPE-pNO₂ in cervical cancer cells. Our study demonstrated that both CAPE and CAPE-pNO₂ can inhibit cell proliferation via the induction of G2/M cell cycle arrest. More importantly, CAPE-pNO₂ dramatically induced cell apoptosis via significant down-regulation of pro-caspase-3, pro-caspase-9, Bcl-2, Cyclin B1 and Cdc2 and up-regulation of cleaved-caspase-3, Bax, CytoC and P21^Cip1. Moreover, CAPE and CAPE-pNO₂ significantly suppressed the growth and angiogenesis of nude mice xenografts. CAPE and CAPE-pNO₂ were found to degrade into four and six metabolites, respectively. The metabolites of CAPE and CAPE-pNO₂ were different, and the major metabolic pathway may be phase II reactions. These results suggest that CAPE-pNO₂ induced cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest via a strong regulatory effect on relevant apoptotic proteins. Therefore, CAPE-pNO₂ should be further studied as a potent anti-cancer agent.

Paclitaxel enhances tumoricidal potential of TRAIL via inhibition of MAPK in resistant gastric cancer cells

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) holds promise for cancer therapy due to its unique capacity to selectively trigger apoptosis in cancer cells. However, TRAIL therapy is greatly hampered by its resistance. A preclinical successful strategy is to identify combination treatments that sensitize resistant cancers to TRAIL. In the present study, we fully assessed TRAIL sensitivity in 9 gastric cancer cell lines. We found combined administration of paclitaxel (PTX) markedly enhanced TRAIL-induced apoptosis in resistant cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. The sensitization to TRAIL was accompanied by activation of mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, upregulation of TRAIL receptors and downregulation of anti-apoptotic proteins including C-IAP1, C-IAP2, Livin and Mcl-1. Noticeably, we found PTX could suppress the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Inhibition of MAPKs using specific inhibitors (ERK inhibitor U0126, JNK inhibitor SP600125 and P38 inhibitor SB202190) facilitated TRAIL-mediated apoptosis and cytotoxicity. Additionally, SP600125 upregulated TRAL receptors as well as downregulated C-IAP2 and Mcl-1 suggesting the anti-apoptotic role of JNK. Thus, PTX-induced suppression of MAPKs may contribute to restoring TRAIL senstitivity. Collectively, our comprehensive analyses gave new insight into the role of PTX on enhancing TRAIL sensitivity, and provided theoretical references on the development of combination treatment in TRAIL-resistant gastric cancer.

Marine Drugs Regulating Apoptosis Induced by Tumor Necrosis Factor-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (TRAIL)

Marine biomass diversity is a tremendous source of potential anticancer compounds. Several natural marine products have been described to restore tumor cell sensitivity to TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL)-induced cell death. TRAIL is involved during tumor immune surveillance. Its selectivity for cancer cells has attracted much attention in oncology. This review aims at discussing the main mechanisms by which TRAIL signaling is regulated and presenting how marine bioactive compounds have been found, so far, to overcome TRAIL resistance in tumor cells.

CAPE Analogs Induce Growth Arrest and Apoptosis in Breast Cancer Cells

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death amongst women worldwide. As a result, many have turned their attention to new alternative approaches to treat this disease. Caffeic acid phenylethyl ester (CAPE), a well-known active compound from bee propolis, has been previously identified as a strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and anticancer molecule. In fact, CAPE is well documented as inducing cell death by inhibiting NFκB and by inducing pro-apoptotic pathways (i.e., p53). With the objective of developing stronger anticancer compounds, we studied 18 recently described CAPE derivatives for their ability to induce apoptosis in breast cancer cell lines. Five of the said compounds, including CAPE, were selected and subsequently characterised for their anticancer mechanism of action. We validated that CAPE is a potent inducer of caspase-dependent apoptosis. Interestingly, some newly synthesized CAPE derivatives also showed greater cell death activity than the lead CAPE structure. Similarly to CAPE, analog compounds elicited p53 activation. Interestingly, one compound in particular, analog 10, induced apoptosis in a p53-mutated cell line. These results suggest that our new CAPE analog compounds may display the capacity to induce breast cancer apoptosis in a p53-dependent and/or independent manner. These CAPE analogs could thus provide new therapeutic approaches for patients with varying genotypic signatures (such as p53 mutations) in a more specific and targeted fashion.

Targeting TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) receptor by natural products as a potential therapeutic approach for cancer therapy

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) has been shown to selectively induce apoptotic cell death in various tumor cells by engaging its death-inducing receptors (TRAIL-R1 and TRAIL-R2). This property has led to the development of a number of TRAIL-receptor agonists such as the soluble recombinant TRAIL and agonistic antibodies, which have shown promising anticancer activity in preclinical studies. However, besides activating caspase-dependent apoptosis in several cancer cells, TRAIL may also activate nonapoptotic signal transduction pathways such as nuclear factor-kappa B, mitogen-activated protein kinases, AKT, and signal transducers and activators of transcription 3, which may contribute to TRAIL resistance that is being now frequently encountered in various cancers. TRAIL resistance can be overcome by the application of efficient TRAIL-sensitizing pharmacological agents. Natural compounds have shown a great potential in sensitizing cells to TRAIL treatment through suppression of distinct survival pathways. In this review, we have summarized both apoptotic and nonapoptotic pathways activated by TRAIL, as well as recent advances in developing TRAIL-receptor agonists for cancer therapy. We also briefly discuss combination therapies that have shown great potential in overcoming TRAIL resistance in various tumors.

Growth inhibition of human liver carcinoma HepG2 cells and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of Murdannia bracteata (C.B. Clarke) Kuntze ex J.K. Morton extracts

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The juice of the entire fresh herb and infusion of dried sample of Murdannia bracteata are consumed to treat liver cancer and diabetes in Malaysia. However, no scientific evidence of these bioactivities has been reported.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

To verify the therapeutic potentials of sequential extracts and infusion of this plant by determining its cytotoxicity against human liver carcinoma HepG2 cells and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. The cytotoxic activities of the extracts against HepG2 were determined using a methylene blue assay, and an α-glucosidase inhibitory assay was used to assess anti-diabetic activity. The molecular basis of the anti-hepatocellular carcinoma activity of the most active extract was determined using RT-PCR. Chemical profiling of the most active extract was performed using GC-MS and UPLC analyses.

RESULTS

The results obtained from the cytotoxic screening revealed the dose-dependent growth inhibition of the HepG2 cells by only the hexane extract, with an EC50 value of 37.17±1.00 µg/ml. The HepG2 cell death was found to be apoptotic in nature and based on the significant biphasic induction of caspase-3, suggesting that the extract inhibited cell growth through a caspase-3-dependent pathway. The hexane extract also displayed α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, with an EC50 of 117.04±2.34 µg/ml. GC-MS analysis revealed that α-tocopherol was the major volatile compound in the hexane extract, and two phenolics (apigenin and caffeic acid derivatives) were detected using UPLC.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on various published reports, it could be suggested that α-tocopherol and apigenin derivatives might be involved in the apoptosis-based cytotoxicity of the active extract of this plant against HepG2 carcinoma cells. The effects of this plant in the treatment of diabetes can be related to the presence of α-glucosidase inhibitors, such as the caffeic acid derivative identified in the active extract.

Hepatocellular carcinoma: targeting of oncogenic signaling networks in TRAIL resistant cancer cells

Apoptotic response in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells is impaired because of interconnectivity of proteins into complexes and signaling networks that are highly divergent in time and space. TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) has emerged as an attractive anticancer agent reported to selectively induce apoptosis in cancer cells. Although diametrically opposed roles of TRAIL are reported both as an inducer of apoptosis and regulator of metastasis, overwhelmingly accumulating experimental evidence highlighting apoptosis inducing activity of TRAIL is directing TRAIL into clinical trials. Insights from TRAIL mediated signaling in HCC research are catalyzing new lines of study that should not only explain molecular mechanisms of disease but also highlight emerging paradigms in restoration of TRAIL mediated apoptosis in resistant cancer cells. It is becoming progressively more understandable that phytochemicals derived from edible plants have shown potential in modelling their interactions with their target proteins. Rapidly accumulating in vitro and in-vivo evidence indicates that phytonutrients have anticancer activity in rodent models of hepatocellular carcinoma. In this review we bring to limelight how phytonutrients restore apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells by rebalancing pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic proteins. Evidence has started to emerge, that reveals how phytonutrients target pharmacologically intractable proteins to suppress cancer. Target-based small-molecule discovery has entered into the mainstream research in the pharmaceutical industry and a better comprehension of the genetics of patients will be essential for identification of responders and non-responders.

YM155 sensitizes triple-negative breast cancer to membrane-bound TRAIL through p38 MAPK- and CHOP-mediated DR5 upregulation

Because available treatments have limited efficacy in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), the identification of new therapeutic strategies to improve patients' outcome is urgently needed. In our study, we investigated the effects of the administration of the small molecule selective survivin suppressant YM155, alone or in association with CD34+ cells transduced with a replication-deficient adenovirus encoding the human tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) gene (CD34-TRAIL+ cells), in three TNBC cell models. YM155 exposure significantly impaired TNBC cell growth and selectively modulated survivin expression at both mRNA and protein level. In addition, co-culturing YM155-treated TNBC cells with CD34-TRAIL+ cells resulted in markedly increased cytotoxic effect and apoptotic response in comparison with single treatments. Such a chemosensitizing effect was observed only in TNBC cells inherently expressing DR5 and relied on the ability of YM155 to upregulate DR5 expression through a p38 MAPK- and CHOP-dependent mechanism. YM155/CD34-TRAIL+ combination also showed a significant inhibitory effect on the growth of DR5-expressing TNBC cells following xenotransplantation into NOD/SCID mice, in the absence of toxicity. Overall, our data (i) provide, for the first time, evidence that YM155 sensitizes TNBC cells to CD34-TRAIL+ cells-induced apoptosis by a mechanism involving the downregulation of survivin and the simultaneous p38 MAPK- and CHOP-mediated upregulation of DR5, and (ii) suggest the combination of YM155 with TRAIL-armed CD34+ progenitor cells as a promising therapeutic option for patients with TNBC expressing DR5.