Suppression of cancer stem-like phenotypes in NCI-H460 lung cancer cells by vanillin through an Akt-dependent pathway

Promising Combinatorial Therapeutic Strategies against Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) presents a complex and diverse disease, exhibiting variations at individuals' cellular and histological levels. This complexity gives rise to different subtypes and genetic mutations, posing challenges for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. Nevertheless, continuous progress in medical research and therapies is continually shaping the landscape of NSCLC diagnosis and management. The treatment of NSCLC has undergone significant advancements in recent years, especially with the emergence of targeted therapies that have shown remarkable efficacy in patients with actionable mutations. This has ushered in the era of personalized medicine in NSCLC treatment, with improvements in molecular and immunohistochemical techniques contributing to enhanced progression-free survival. This review focuses on the latest progress, challenges, and future directions in developing targeted therapies for NSCLC, including tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), DNA-damaging agents, immunotherapy regimens, natural drug therapy, and nanobodies. Furthermore, recent randomized studies have demonstrated enhanced overall survival in patients receiving different targeted and natural drug therapies.

Regulating POLR3G by MicroRNA-26a-5p as a promising therapeutic target of lung cancer stemness and chemosensitivity

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) identified in lung cancer exhibit resistance to chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted therapy. Therefore, a technology for controlling CSCs is needed to overcome such resistance to cancer therapy. Various evidences about the association between epithelial-mesenchymal transition related transcriptomic alteration and acquisition of CSC phenotype have been proposed recently. Down-regulated miR-26a-5p is closely related to mesenchymal-like lung cancer cell lines. These findings suggest that miR-26a-5p might be involved in lung cancer stemness. RNA polymerase III subunit G (POLR3G) was selected as a candidate target of miR-26a-5p related to cancer stemness. It was found that miR-26a-5p directly regulates the expression of POLR3G.Overexpression of miR-26a-5p induced a marked reduction of colony formation and sphere formation. Co-treatment of miR-26a-5p and paclitaxel decreased cell growth, suggesting that miR-26a-5p might play a role as a chemotherapy sensitizer. In the cancer genome atlas data, high miR-26a-5p and low POLR3G expression were also related to higher survival rate of patients with lung adenocarcinoma. These results suggest that miR-26a-5p can suppress lung cancer stemness and make cancer cell become sensitive to chemotherapy. This finding provides a novel insight into a potential lung cancer treatment by regulating stemness.

Inhibitory Effect and Mechanism of Ursolic Acid on Cisplatin-Induced Resistance and Stemness in Human Lung Cancer A549 Cells

The survival rate of lung cancer patients remains low largely due to chemotherapy resistance during treatment, and cancer stem cells (CSCs) may hold the key to targeting this resistance. Cisplatin is a chemotherapy drug commonly used in cancer treatment, yet the mechanisms of intrinsic cisplatin resistance have not yet been determined because lung CSCs are hard to identify. In this paper, we proposed a mechanism relating to the function of ursolic acid (UA), a new drug, in reversing the cisplatin resistance of lung cancer cells regulated by CSCs. Human lung cancer cell line A549 was selected as the model cell and treated to become a cisplatin-resistant lung cancer cell line (A549-CisR), which was less sensitive to cisplatin and showed an enhanced capability of tumor sphere formation. Furthermore, in the A549-CisR cell line expression, levels of pluripotent stem cell transcription factors Oct-4, Sox-2, and c-Myc were increased, and activation of the Jak2/Stat3 signaling pathway was promoted. When UA was applied to the cisplatin-resistant cells, levels of the pluripotent stem cell transcription factors were restrained by the inhibition of the Jak2/Stat3 signaling pathway, which reduced the enrichment of tumor stem cells, and in turn, reversed cisplatin resistance in lung cancer cells. Hence, as a potential antitumor drug, UA may be able to inhibit the enrichment of the lung CSC population by inhibiting the activation of the Jak2-Stat3 pathway and preventing the resistance of lung cancer cells to cisplatin.

Natural Products as Anticancer Agents: Current Status and Future Perspectives

Natural products have been an invaluable and useful source of anticancer agents over the years. Several compounds have been synthesized from natural products by modifying their structures or by using naturally occurring compounds as building blocks in the synthesis of these compounds for various purposes in different fields, such as biology, medicine, and engineering. Multiple modern and costly treatments have been applied to combat cancer and limit its lethality, but the results are not significantly refreshing. Natural products, which are a significant source of new therapeutic drugs, are currently being investigated as potential cytotoxic agents and have shown a positive trend in preclinical research and have prompted numerous innovative strategies in order to combat cancer and expedite the clinical research. Natural products are becoming increasingly important for drug discovery due to their high molecular diversity and novel biofunctionality. Furthermore, natural products can provide superior efficacy and safety due to their unique molecular properties. The objective of the current review is to provide an overview of the emergence of natural products for the treatment and prevention of cancer, such as chemosensitizers, immunotherapeutics, combinatorial therapies with other anticancer drugs, novel formulations of natural products, and the molecular mechanisms underlying their anticancer properties.

Regulation of Tumor and Metastasis Initiation by Chemokine Receptors

Tumor-initiating cells (TICs) are a rare sub-population of cells within the bulk of a tumor that are major contributors to tumor initiation, metastasis, and chemoresistance. TICs have a stem-cell-like phenotype that is dictated by the expression of master regulator transcription factors, including OCT4, NANOG, and SOX2. These transcription factors are expressed via activation of multiple signaling pathways that drive cancer initiation and progression. Importantly, these same signaling pathways can be activated by select chemokine receptors. Chemokine receptors are increasingly being revealed as major drivers of the TIC phenotype, as their signaling can lead to activation of stemness-controlling transcription factors. Additionally, the cell surface expression of chemokine receptors provides a unique therapeutic target to disrupt signaling pathways that control the expression of master regulator transcription factors and the TIC phenotype. This review summarizes the master regulator transcription factors known to dictate the TIC phenotype, along with the complex signaling pathways that can mediate their expression and the chemokine receptors that are most upstream of this phenotype.

A peptide translated from circPPP1R12A promotes the malignancy of non-small cell lung cancer cells through AKT signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

Recent literature have indicated that the malignancy of cancer cells is modulated by hsa_circ_0000423 (named circPPP1R12A) through the way of translating protein. Herein, we investigated the role and latent mechanisms of circPPP1R12A in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC).

METHODS

CircPPP1R12A expression was measured by qRT-PCR. The malignancy of NSCLC was determined by CCK-8, TUNEL assay, Wound healing, Transwell and Western blotting assays. The underlying mechanisms of circPPP1R12A were confirmed by Western blotting and qRT-PCR assays.

RESULTS

CircPPP1R12A expression in NSCLC tissues was higher than that of neighboring normal tissues. CircPPP1R12A showed an upregulated expression in NSCLC cells. Upregulation of circPPP1R12A could promote the cell viability of NSCLC cells and reduce the apoptosis of NSCLC cells, while it could not promote cell invasion and migration. The reduction of cell viability and apoptosis was discovered in NSCLC cells with the silencing of circPPP1R12A, but circPPP1R12A knockdown does not inhibit cell invasion and migration. There was something interesting that circPPP1R12A encoding protein circPPP1R12A-73aa was found in NSCLC cells. Mutations in circPPP1R12a-73AA might disrupt the function of circPPP1ra-73AA in A549 and H1299 cells. Next, we found that circPPP1R12A caused the increased growth of NSCLC cells by activating AKT signaling pathway.

CONCLUSION

In summary, our study proved that NSCLC cell proliferation was promoted by circPPP1R12A-73aa translated from circPPP1R12A through the AKT pathway, which could throw some light on the understanding of the mechanism of NSCLC.

Impact of Cancer Stem Cells and Cancer Stem Cell-Driven Drug Resiliency in Lung Tumor: Options in Sight

Causing a high mortality rate worldwide, lung cancer remains an incurable malignancy resistant to conventional therapy. Despite the discovery of specific molecular targets and new treatment strategies, there remains a pressing need to develop more efficient therapy to further improve the management of this disease. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are considered the root of sustained tumor growth. This consensus corroborates the CSC model asserting that a distinct subpopulation of malignant cells within a tumor drives and maintains tumor progression with high heterogeneity. Besides being highly tumorigenic, CSCs are highly refractory to standard drugs; therefore, cancer treatment should be focused on eliminating these cells. Herein, we present the current knowledge of the existence of CSCs, CSC-associated mechanisms of chemoresistance, the ability of CSCs to evade immune surveillance, and potential CSC inhibitors in lung cancer, to provide a wider insight to drive a more efficient elimination of this pro-oncogenic and treatment-resistant cell fraction.

E-liquids and vanillin flavoring disrupts retinoic acid signaling and causes craniofacial defects in Xenopus embryos

Environmental teratogens such as smoking are known risk factors for developmental disorders such as cleft palate. While smoking rates have declined, a new type of smoking, called vaping is on the rise. Vaping is the use of e-cigarettes to vaporize and inhale an e-liquid containing nicotine and food-like flavors. There is the potential that, like smoking, vaping could also pose a danger to the developing human. Rather than waiting for epidemiological and mammalian studies, we have turned to an aquatic developmental model, Xenopus laevis, to more quickly assess whether e-liquids contain teratogens that could lead to craniofacial malformations. Xenopus, like zebrafish, has the benefit of being a well-established developmental model and has also been effective in predicting whether a chemical could be a teratogen. We have determined that embryonic exposure to dessert flavored e-liquids can cause craniofacial abnormalities, including an orofacial cleft in Xenopus. To better understand the underlying mechanisms contributing to these defects, transcriptomic analysis of the facial tissues of embryos exposed to a representative dessert flavored e-liquid vapor extract was performed. Analysis of differentially expressed genes in these embryos revealed several genes associated with retinoic acid metabolism or the signaling pathway. Consistently, retinoic acid receptor inhibition phenocopied the craniofacial defects as those embryos exposed to the vapor extract of the e-liquid. Such malformations also correlated with a group of common differentially expressed genes, two of which are associated with midface birth defects in humans. Further, e-liquid exposure sensitized embryos to forming craniofacial malformations when they already had depressed retinoic acid signaling. Moreover, 13-cis-retinoic acid treatment could significantly reduce the e-liquid induced malformation in the midface. Such results suggest the possibility of an interaction between retinoic acid signaling and e-liquid exposure. One of the most popular and concentrated flavoring chemicals in dessert flavored e-liquids is vanillin. Xenopus embryos exposed to this chemical closely resembled embryos exposed to dessert-like e-liquids and a retinoic acid receptor antagonist. In summary, we determined that e-liquid chemicals, in particular vanillin, can cause craniofacial defects potentially by dysregulating retinoic acid signaling. This work warrants the evaluation of vanillin and other such flavoring additives in e-liquids on mammalian development.

Caffeine Induces G0/G1 Cell Cycle Arrest and Inhibits Migration through Integrin αv, β3, and FAK/Akt/c-Myc Signaling Pathway

Lung cancer is recognized as a major cause of mortality worldwide owing to its metastatic activity. Given the lack of solid information regarding the possible effects of caffeine, one of the most consumed natural psychoactive substances, on molecular signaling pathways implicated in the aggressive behavior of lung cancer, our study aimed to evaluate the effect and mechanism of caffeine on metastasis-related mechanisms. The results revealed that caffeine treatment at concentrations of 0-500 µM caused no direct cytotoxic effects on NCI-H23 cells. Treatment of cells with caffeine showed good potential to inhibit cell proliferation at 48 h and induced significant cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase. Concerning metastasis, caffeine was shown to reduce filopodia formation, inhibit migration and invasion capability, and reduce the ability of cancer cells to survive and grow in an anchorage-independent manner. Moreover, caffeine could attenuate the formation of 3D tumor spheroids in cancer stem cell (CSC)-enriched populations. With regard to mechanisms, we found that caffeine significantly altered the integrin pattern of the treated cells and caused the downregulation of metastasis-associated integrins, namely, integrins αv and β3. Subsequently, the downstream signals, including protein signaling and transcription factors, namely, phosphorylated focal adhesion kinase (p-FAK), phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-Akt), cell division cycle 42 (Cdc42), and c-Myc, were significantly decreased in caffeine-exposed cells. Taken together, our novel data on caffeine-inhibiting mechanism in relation to metastasis in lung cancer could provide insights into the impact of caffeine intake on human diseases and conditions.

Stereospecific inhibition of AMPK by (R)-crizotinib induced changes to the morphology and properties of cancer and cancer stem cell-like cells

Crizotinib is used in the clinic for treating patients with ALK- or ROS1-positive non-small-cell lung carcinoma. The objective of the present study was to determine if crizotinib enantiomers could induce changes to the properties of cancer and cancer stem cell (CSC)-like cells at a high concentration (∼ 3 μM). While (R)-crizotinib induced changes in morphologies or sizes of cells, (S)-crizotinib did not. Pretreatment with (R)-crizotinib suppressed the proliferation of cancer or CSC-like cells in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. In vivo administration of (R)-crizotinib inhibited the growth of tumors formed from CSC-like cells by 72%. %. Along with the morphological changes induced by (R)-crizotinib, the expression levels of CD44 (NCI-H23 and HCT-15), ALDH1 (NCI-H460), nanog (PC-3), and Oct-4A (CSC-like cells), which appear to be specific marker proteins, were greatly changed, suggesting that changes in cellular properties accompanied the morphological changes in the cells. The expression levels of Snail, Slug, and E-cadherin were also greatly altered by (R)-crizotinib. Among several signal transduction molecules examined, AMPK phosphorylation appeared to be selectively inhibited by (R)-crizotinib. BML-275 (an AMPK inhibitor) and AMPKα2 siRNA efficiently induced morphological changes to all types of cells examined, suggesting that (R)-crizotinib might cause losses of characteristics of cancer or CSCs via inhibition of AMPK. These results indicate that (R)-crizotinib might be an effective anticancer agent that can cause alteration in cancer cell properties.

Hydroquinone 5-O-Cinnamoyl Ester of Renieramycin M Suppresses Lung Cancer Stem Cells by Targeting Akt and Destabilizes c-Myc

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are distinct cancer populations with tumorigenic and self-renewal abilities. CSCs are drivers of cancer initiation, progression, therapeutic failure, and disease recurrence. Thereby, novel compounds targeting CSCs offer a promising way to control cancer. In this study, the hydroquinone 5-O-cinnamoyl ester of renieramycin M (CIN-RM) was demonstrated to suppress lung cancer CSCs. CIN-RM was toxic to lung cancer cells with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration of around 15 µM. CIN-RM suppressed CSCs by inhibiting colony and tumor spheroid formation. In addition, the CSC population was isolated and treated and the CSCs were dispatched in response to CIN-RM within 24 h. CIN-RM was shown to abolish cellular c-Myc, a central survival and stem cell regulatory protein, with the depletion of CSC markers and stem cell transcription factors ALDH1A1, Oct4, Nanog, and Sox2. For up-stream regulation, we found that CIN-RM significantly inhibited Akt and consequently decreased the pluripotent transcription factors. CIN-RM also inhibited mTOR, while slightly decreasing p-GSK3β (Ser9) but rarely affected the protein kinase C (PKC) signal. Inhibiting Akt/mTOR induced ubiquitination of c-Myc and promoted degradation. The mechanism of how Akt regulates the stability of c-Myc was validated with the Akt inhibitor wortmannin. The computational analysis further confirmed the strong interaction between CIN-RM and the Akt protein with a binding affinity of −10.9 kcal/mol at its critical active site. Taken together, we utilized molecular experiments, the CSC phenotype, and molecular docking methods to reveal the novel suppressing the activity of this compound on CSCs to benefit CSC-targeted therapy for lung cancer treatment.

Pongol Methyl Ether Inhibits Akt and Suppresses Cancer Stem Cell Phenotypes in Lung Cancer Cells

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are an important therapeutic target. The therapeutic agents targeting CSCs should lead to improved clinical outcomes. Here we have demonstrated the CSC-suppressing activity of pongol methyl ether (PME), a pure compound from Millettia erythrocalyx.

METHODS

CSC-suppressing effects were evaluated by spheroid formation assay and detection of CSC markers. The related CSC cell signals were evaluated by Western blot, immunofluorescence and molecular docking analysis. Proteins affected by PME treatment were subjected to bioinformatic analysis. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed by the Search Tool for Interactions of Chemicals (STITCH). The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) mapper were used to confirm the underlying pathways.

RESULTS

PME (5-25 µM) significantly suppressed the ability of lung cancer cells to form colonies, grow in an anchorage-independent manner and generate tumour spheroids. PME at 25 µM significantly decreased the CSC markers (CD133 and ALDH1A1) and pluripotent transcription factors (Oct4 and Nanog). Akt, the key upstream signal of CSC control, was significantly decreased by the PME treatment. The molecular docking indicated that PME was bound to Akt-1 with a binding affinity of -9.2 kcal/mol greater than the Akt-1 inhibitor (reference compound; CQW). The STITCH network identified a total of 15 proteins interacted in PPI networks, and Akt-1 was identified as a central protein. The KEGG mapper indicated that the selected CSC markers were mostly involved in the 'signalling pathways regulating pluripotency of stem cells' pathway map and Akt, Oct4 and Nanog were the regulatory proteins in the dominant pathway. In addition, PME (10-25 µM) can suppress spheroid formation and reduce CSC-specific marker expression in patient-derived primary lung cancer cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study revealed a novel pharmacological effect and the underlying mechanism of PME that can attenuate CSC phenotypes in lung cancer cells and may be developed for lung cancer therapy.

Mechanisms exploration of Xiaojin Pills on lung cancer based on metabolomics and network pharmacology

OBJECTIVES

This study was designed to evaluate the pharmacological activity and therapeutic mechanism of Xiaojin Pills (XJW) on lung cancer.

METHODS

Mice were orally administered with Xiaojin Pills for 21 days. Tumour samples were collected to evaluate the antilung cancer effect, and blood samples were collected to identify differential metabolites with metabolomics. Through the analysis of network pharmacology, the active ingredients and targets related to XJW therapy for lung cancer were filtered.

KEY FINDINGS

Different expression of seven metabolites related to seven pathways, including Arachidonic acid metabolism, Citrate cycle, tryptophan metabolism, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, primary bile acid biosynthesis and nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism, were demonstrated to explain the efficacy of XJW in the treatment of lung cancer. Furthermore, a total of 19 active ingredients (ursolic acid, α-thujone, pelargonidin, succinic acid, boswellic acid, muscone, daidzein, xanthorrhizol, isoeugenol, oleic acid, β-caryophyllene, vanillin, β-sitosterol, lupeol, palmitic acid, eugenol, methylbutenol, β-elemene and quercetin) acted directly on 9 targets (CAT, PTGS2, PTGS1, CTH, ABTA, ALT1, ME2, AGXT and AGXT 2) and regulated 3 out of 7 metabolites (3-Hydroxyanthranilic acid, Pyruvate and Prostaglandin G2).

CONCLUSIONS

Through metabolomics and network pharmacology analyses, this study demonstrated that the major metabolites of XJW in treating lung cancer were regulated by multitarget and multicomponent interaction network.

Jorunnamycin A Suppresses Stem-Like Phenotypes and Sensitizes Cisplatin-Induced Apoptosis in Cancer Stem-Like Cell-Enriched Spheroids of Human Lung Cancer Cells

It has been recognized that cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) in tumor tissue crucially contribute to therapeutic failure, resulting in a high mortality rate in lung cancer patients. Due to their stem-like features of self-renewal and tumor formation, CSCs can lead to drug resistance and tumor recurrence. Herein, the suppressive effect of jorunnamycin A, a bistetrahydroisoquinolinequinone isolated from Thai blue sponge Xestospongia sp., on cancer spheroid initiation and self-renewal in the CSCs of human lung cancer cells is revealed. The depletion of stemness transcription factors, including Nanog, Oct-4, and Sox2 in the lung CSC-enriched population treated with jorunnamycin A (0.5 μM), resulted from the activation of GSK-3β and the consequent downregulation of β-catenin. Interestingly, pretreatment with jorunnamycin A at 0.5 μM for 24 h considerably sensitized lung CSCs to cisplatin-induced apoptosis, as evidenced by upregulated p53 and decreased Bcl-2 in jorunnamycin A-pretreated CSC-enriched spheroids. Moreover, the combination treatment of jorunnamycin A (0.5 μM) and cisplatin (25 μM) also diminished CD133-overexpresssing cells presented in CSC-enriched spheroids. Thus, evidence on the regulatory functions of jorunnamycin A may facilitate the development of this marine-derived compound as a novel chemotherapy agent that targets CSCs in lung cancer treatment.

Ovalitenone Inhibits the Migration of Lung Cancer Cells via the Suppression of AKT/mTOR and Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition

Cancer metastasis is the major cause of about 90% of cancer deaths. As epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is known for potentiating metastasis, this study aimed to elucidate the effect of ovalitenone on the suppression of EMT and metastasis-related behaviors, including cell movement and growth under detached conditions, and cancer stem cells (CSCs), of lung cancer cells. Methods: Cell viability and cell proliferation were determined by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazo-liumbromide (MTT) and colony formation assays. Cell migration and invasion were analyzed using a wound-healing assay and Boyden chamber assay, respectively. Anchorage-independent cell growth was determined. Cell protrusions (filopodia) were detected by phalloidin-rhodamine staining. Cancer stem cell phenotypes were assessed by spheroid formation. The proteins involved in cell migration and EMT were evaluated by Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence staining. Results: Ovalitenone was used at concentrations of 0–200 μM. While it caused no cytotoxic effects on lung cancer H460 and A549 cells, ovalitenone significantly suppressed anchorage-independent growth, CSC-like phenotypes, colony formation, and the ability of the cancer to migrate and invade cells. The anti-migration activity was confirmed by the reduction of filopodia in the cells treated with ovalitenone. Interestingly, we found that ovalitenone could significantly decrease the levels of N-cadherin, snail, and slug, while it increased E-cadherin, indicating EMT suppression. Additionally, the regulatory signaling of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), ATP-dependent tyrosine kinase (AKT), the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and cell division cycle 42 (Cdc42) was suppressed by ovalitenone. Conclusions: The results suggest that ovalitenone suppresses EMT via suppression of the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. In addition, ovalitenone exhibited potential for the suppression of CSC phenotypes. These data reveal the anti-metastasis potential of the compound and support the development of ovalitenone treatment for lung cancer therapy.

The oncogenic potential of NANOG: An important cancer induction mediator

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a unique population in the tumor, but they only comprise 2%-5% of the tumor bulk. Although CSCs share several features with embryonic stem cells, CSCs can give rise to the tumor cells. CSCs overexpress embryonic transcription factor NANOG, which is downregulated in differentiated tissues. This transcription factor confers CSC's stemness, unlimited self-renewal, metastasis, invasiveness, angiogenesis, and drug-resistance with the assistance of WNT, OCT4, SOX2, Hedgehog, BMI-1, and other complexes. NANOG facilitates CSCs development via multiple pathways, like angiogenesis and lessening E-cadherin expression levels, which paves the road for metastasis. Moreover, NANOG represses apoptosis and leads to drug-resistance. This review aims to highlight the pivotal role of NANOG and the pertained pathways in CSCs. Also, this current study intends to demonstrate that targeting NANOG can dimmish the CSCs, sensitize the tumor to chemotherapy, and eradicate the cancer cells.

Vanillin Prevents Doxorubicin-Induced Apoptosis and Oxidative Stress in Rat H9c2 Cardiomyocytes

Doxorubicin (doxo) is an effective anticancer compound in several tumor types. However, as a consequence of oxidative stress induction and ROS overproduction, its high cardiotoxicity demands urgent attention. Vanillin possesses antioxidant, antiproliferative, antidepressant and anti-glycating properties. Therefore, we investigated the potential vanillin protective effects against doxo-induced cardiotoxicity in H9c2 cells. Using multiparametric approach, we demonstrated that vanillin restored both cell viability and damage in response to doxo exposure. Contextually, vanillin decreased sub-G1 appearance and caspase-3 and PARP1 activation, reducing the doxo-related apoptosis induction. From a mechanistic point of view, vanillin hindered doxo-induced ROS accumulation and impaired the ERK phosphorylation. Notably, besides the cardioprotective effects, vanillin did not counteract the doxo effectiveness in osteosarcoma cells. Taken together, our results suggest that vanillin ameliorates doxo-induced toxicity in H9c2 cells, opening new avenues for developing alternative therapeutic approaches to prevent the anthracycline-related cardiotoxicity and to improve the long-term outcome of antineoplastic treatment.

Novel porous iron phthalocyanine based metal–organic framework electrochemical sensor for sensitive vanillin detection

A novel electrochemical sensor based on an iron phthalocyanine (FePc) MOF for the sensitive detection of vanillin.

Elucidation of The Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Vanillin In Lps-Activated THP-1 Cells

Vanillin, a kind of phenolic compound, is naturally found in food and beverage and widely used as a flavoring agent. In view of the safety and universality of vanillin, exploring the functions of vanillin on human is of great value. Thus, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated THP-1 cells were selected as the cell model to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of vanillin in this study. On the basis of the results, vanillin markedly suppressed the expression of inflammatory cytokines (that is, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8), mediators (NO, iNOS, PGE2, and COX-2), and NLRP3 inflammasome (that is, NLRP3, ASC, and caspase-1), blocked the LPS-induced activation of the NF-κB/IκBα/AP-1 signaling pathway, and activated the gene expression of the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway. In addition, it was confirmed that vanillin was unable to react with LPS due to the results of quantification by HS-SPME-GC-MS. Hence, vanillin could effectively attenuate LPS-induced inflammatory response by regulating the expression of intracellular signaling pathways in THP-1 cells. It is a potent anti-inflammatory component found in food and beverage. These findings might contribute to the overall understanding of the potential health benefits of vanillin for food application. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: In this study, the anti-inflammatory effect of vanillin (VA) was evaluated by ELISA, real-time PCR, and western blot in LPS-induced THP-1 cells. The hypothesis that VA could react with LPS was excluded due to the results of quantification by HS-SPME-GC-MS. On the basis of the result, vanillin could effectively attenuate LPS-induced inflammatory response in THP-1 cells and was a potent anti-inflammatory component natural in food and beverage. These findings might contribute to the overall understanding of the potential health benefits of vanillin for food application.

Lumichrome Inhibits Human Lung Cancer Cell Growth and Induces Apoptosis via a p53-Dependent Mechanism

Lumichrome, a major derivative of riboflavin, may exhibit pharmacological activity against cancer cells. Riboflavin is a vitamin found in food, however, certain evidence has suggested its possible potentiating effects on cancer progression. Here, we have shown for the first time that unlike riboflavin, lumichrome can suppress lung cancer cell growth and reduce survival in both normal and anchorage-independent conditions. In addition, lumichrome induced apoptosis in lung cancer cells via a p53-dependent mitochondrial mechanism with substantial selectivity, shown by its lesser toxicity to the normal primary dermal papilla cells. The potency of lumichrome in killing lung cancer cells was found to be comparable to that of cisplatin, a standard chemotherapeutic drug for lung cancer treatment. With regard to the mechanism, lumichrome significantly upregulated p53 and decreased its downstream target BCL-2. Such a shift of BCL-2 family protein balance further activated caspase-9 and -3 and finally executed apoptosis. Furthermore, lumichrome potentially suppressed cancer stem cells (CSCs) in lung cancer by dramatically suppressing CSC markers together with the CSC-maintaining cell signaling namely protein kinase B (AKT) and β-catenin. To conclude, the present study has unraveled a novel role and mechanism of lumichrome against lung cancer that may benefit the development of the compound for management of the disease.

5-O-Acetyl-Renieramycin T from Blue Sponge Xestospongia sp. Induces Lung Cancer Stem Cell Apoptosis

Lung cancer is one of the most significant cancers as it accounts for almost 1 in 5 cancer deaths worldwide, with an increasing incident rate. Management of the cancer has been shown to frequently fail due to the ability of the cancer cells to resist therapy as well as metastasis. Recent evidence has suggested that the poor response to the current treatment drugs and the ability to undergo metastasis are driven by cancer stem cells (CSCs) within the tumor. The discovery of novel compounds able to suppress CSCs and sensitize the chemotherapeutic response could be beneficial to the improvement of clinical outcomes. Herein, we report for the first time that 5-O-acetyl-renieramycin T isolated from the blue sponge Xestospongia sp. mediated lung cancer cell death via the induction of p53-dependent apoptosis. Importantly, 5-O-acetyl-renieramycin T induced the death of CSCs as represented by the CSC markers CD44 and CD133, while the stem cell transcription factor Nanog was also found to be dramatically decreased in 5-O-acetyl-renieramycin T-treated cells. We also found that such a CSC suppression was due to the ability of the compound to deplete the protein kinase B (AKT) signal. Furthermore, 5-O-acetyl-renieramycin T was able to significantly sensitize cisplatin-mediated apoptosis in the lung cancer cells. Together, the present research findings indicate that this promising compound from the marine sponge is a potential candidate for anti-cancer approaches.

Melatonin reduces lung cancer stemness through inhibiting of PLC, ERK, p38, β-catenin, and Twist pathways

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancer in cancer-related deaths worldwide, which is characterized by its strong metastatic potential. The melatonin hormone secreted by the pineal grand has an antioxidant effect and protects cells against carcinogenic substances. However, the effects of melatonin in lung cancer stemness are largely unknown. We found that melatonin reduces CD133 expression by ~50% in lung cancer cell lines, while results of a sphere formation assay showed that melatonin inhibits lung cancer stemness. These effects of melatonin were reversed when the cell lines were incubated with phospholipase C (PLC), ERK/p38, and a β-catenin activator. Transfection with Twist siRNA augmented the inhibitory effects of melatonin, indicating that melatonin suppresses lung cancer stemness by inhibiting the PLC, ERK/p38, β-catenin, and Twist signaling pathways. We also found CD133 expression is positively correlated with Twist expression in lung cancer specimens. Melatonin shows promise in the treatment of lung cancer stemness and deserves further study.

Anti-Neuroinflammatory Effects of Vanillin Through the Regulation of Inflammatory Factors and NF-κB Signaling in LPS-Stimulated Microglia

Microglia, resident macrophages of the central nervous system (CNS), is responsible for immune responses and homeostasis of the CNS. Microglia plays a complex role in neuroinflammation, which has been implicated in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Therefore, therapeutic agents that suppress the microglia-mediated inflammatory response could potentially be used in the prevention or treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Vanillin, a primary component of vanilla bean extract, has anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antitumor properties. However, the effects of vanillin on the anti-neuroinflammatory responses of microglial cells are still poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the mechanism by which vanillin induces anti-neuroinflammatory responses in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BV-2 microglial cells. We found that vanillin significantly decreased the production of nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Vanillin also reduced the protein levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), as well as the mRNA expression levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6. Moreover, vanillin inhibited the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and nuclear factor (NF)-κB. Collectively, these results suggest that vanillin has anti-neuroinflammatory properties and may act as a natural therapeutic agent for neuroinflammatory diseases.

Vanillin-Ameliorated Development of Azoxymethane/Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Murine Colorectal Cancer: The Involvement of Proteasome/Nuclear Factor-κB/Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Pathways

Vanillin is a natural dietary flavoring widely used in the food industry. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the common malignancies in the world. Chronic intestinal inflammation is a risk factor for the development of CRC. We have previously found that vanillin improves and prevents colitis in mice. Here we evaluated the inhibitory activities of vanillin on a mouse model of colitis-induced CRC. Mice were challenged intraperitoneally with azoxymethane (AOM) and orally with dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). Various dosages of vanillin were orally administered for 13 consecutive weeks. Vanillin alleviated the development of tumors in AOM/DSS-induced mice. The total number of tumors in 100 mg/kg vanillin group was significantly reduced by 57.14 ± 7.67%, compared with sham group. Gene expression analysis showed that vanillin downregulated the expression levels of proteasome genes in colon tissues. Moreover, vanillin at 10 mM significantly suppressed proteasome activities in HCT-116 cells by 41.27 ± 0.41%. Furthermore, vanillin diminished the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and reduced the number of p65-positive cells, proliferating cells, and granulocytes in colon tissues with statistical significance. In conclusion, our data suggested that vanillin was a bioactive compound that ameliorated the development of AOM/DSS-induced colon cancer in mice. Moreover, the amelioration of vanillin might be associated with the downregulation of proteasome, nuclear factor-κB, and MAPK pathways.

Cypripedin, a phenanthrenequinone from Dendrobium densiflorum, sensitizes non-small cell lung cancer H460 cells to cisplatin-mediated apoptosis

The life-threatening potential of lung cancer has increased over the years due to its acquisition of chemotherapeutic resistance, especially to cisplatin, a first-line therapy. In response to this development, researchers have turned their attention to several compounds derived from natural origins, including cypripedin (CYP), a phenanthrenequinone substance extracted from Dendrobium densiflorum. The aim of the present study was to investigate the ability of CYP to induce apoptosis and enhance cisplatin-mediated death of human lung cancer NCI-H460 cells using cell viability and apoptosis assays. The induction of apoptosis by CYP was observed at a concentration of > 50 μM with the appearance of morphological changes, including DNA condensation and chromatin fragmentation. Together with, CYP was able to activate caspase-3 and downregulate the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. Also, a non-cytotoxic dose of CYP synergistically potentiated the effect of cisplatin in non-small cell lung cancer line H460 cells, which clearly exhibited the apoptotic phenotype. Western blot analysis revealed that the underlying mechanism involved the downregulation of anti-apoptotic Bcl-xL, whereas the levels of other apoptotic regulatory proteins were not altered. This study provides interesting information on the potent effect of CYP as a chemotherapeutic sensitizer that could be further developed to improve the clinical outcomes of lung cancer patients.

Evidence of vanillin binding to CAMKIV explains the anti-cancer mechanism in human hepatic carcinoma and neuroblastoma cells

Human calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV (CAMKIV) is a member of Ser/Thr kinase family, and is associated with different types of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Vanillin is a natural compound, a primary component of the extract of the vanilla bean which possesses varieties of pharmacological features including anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-tumor. Here, we have investigated the binding mechanism and affinity of vanillin to the CAMKIV which is being considered as a potential drug target for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. We found that vanillin binds strongly to the active site cavity of CAMKIV and stabilized by a large number of non-covalent interactions. We explored the utility of vanillin as anti-cancer agent and found that it inhibits the proliferation of human hepatocyte carcinoma (HepG2) and neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, vanillin treatment resulted into the significant reduction in the mitochondrial membrane depolarization and ROS production that eventually leads to apoptosis in HepG2 and SH-SY5Y cancer cells. These findings may offer a novel therapeutic approach by targeting the CAMKIV using natural product and its derivative with a minimal side effect.

Potential mechanisms of CD133 in cancer stem cells

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have emerged as an underlying cause of cancer relapse and resistance to treatment. Initially, biomarkers were used to identify and isolate distinct cell populations. Several CSC markers have been identified from many types of tumors, and these markers are also being used for isolation and enrichment of CSCs. Cluster of differentiation CD133 is a well-characterized CSC marker, and it is involved in tumor cell proliferation, metastasis, tumorigenesis, and recurrence, as well as chemo- and radio-resistance. However, the mechanisms involved in CD133-mediated induction of CSC properties have not yet been elucidated. Here, we introduce and summarize the functions of CD133 in CSCs and suggest new mechanisms that may be of note in our approach to developing novel cancer therapies.