Long non-coding RNA CASC9/microRNA-590-3p axis participates in lutein-mediated suppression of breast cancer cell proliferation

Marine anticancer drugs in modulating miRNAs and antioxidant signaling

Several marine drugs exert anticancer effects by inducing oxidative stress, which becomes overloaded and kills cancer cells when redox homeostasis is imbalanced. The downregulation of antioxidant signaling induces oxidative stress, while its upregulation attenuates oxidative stress. Marine drugs have miRNA-modulating effects against cancer cells. However, the potential antioxidant targets of such drugs have been rarely explored. This review aims to categorize the marine-drug-modulated miRNAs that downregulate their antioxidant targets, causing oxidative stress in anticancer treatments. We also categorize the downregulation of oxidative-stress-inducing miRNAs in antioxidant protection among non-cancer cells. We summarize the putative antioxidant targets of miRNA-modulating marine drugs by introducing a bioinformatics tool (miRDB). Finally, the marine drugs affecting antioxidant targets are surveyed. In this way, the connections between marine drugs and their modulating miRNA and antioxidant targets are innovatively categorized to provide a precise network for exploring their potential anticancer functions and protective effects on non-cancer cells.

The multifaceted mechanisms of Dihydrotanshinone I in the treatment of tumors

The morbidity and mortality of malignant tumors are progressively rising on an annual basis. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) holds promise as a possible therapeutic agent for the avoidance or therapy of malignant tumors. Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (Danshen), a traditional Asian functional food, has therapeutic characteristics in application for the treatment of malignant tumors. Dihydrotanshinone I (DHTS) is the principal lipophilic phenanthraquinone compound found in Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, whose anti-tumor effect has attracted widespread attention. The anti-tumor effects include inhibiting cancer cell proliferation, triggering apoptosis of tumor cells, inducing ferroptosis in tumor cells, inhibiting tumor cell invasion and metastasis, and improving drug resistance of tumor cells. In this paper, we summarized and analyzed the mechanisms and targets of anti-tumor effect of DHTS, providing new ideas and establishing a solid theoretical basis for the future advancement and clinical treatment of DHTS.

LncRNA CASC9 activated by STAT3 promotes the invasion of breast cancer and the formation of lymphatic vessels by enhancing H3K27ac-activated SOX4

Numerous long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are abnormally expressed in breast cancer (BC), but the underlying mechanisms remain large unknown. Here, we aimed to investigate the functions and mechanisms of lncRNA cancer susceptibility candidate 9 (CASC9) in BC. Western blotting and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) were performed to assess gene and protein expression, respectively. The proliferative and metastatic abilities of BC cells were tested by cell counting kit-8 and transwell assays, respectively. The formation of lymphatic vessels was detected by tube formation assay. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and dual luciferase reporter assays were performed to verify molecular interactions. CASC9 was found to be highly expressed in BC tissues and cell lines, and ectopic overexpression was positively associated with tumor volume, TNM stage, and lymph node metastasis. In addition, CASC9 silencing significantly inhibited the proliferation and invasion of BC cells, as well as BC-associated invasion and formation of lymphatic vessels of human dermal lymphatic endothelial cells. Mechanical studies demonstrated that CASC9 could be transcriptionally activated by STAT3 and elevate SOX4 expression by enhancing the acetylation of its promoter region. Our results illustrated that STAT3-activated CASC9 served as a tumor-promoting gene involved in promoting BC invasion and BC-associated formation of lymphatic vessels by upregulating SOX4 through altering H3K27ac level. This finding elucidated a new underlying network of CASC9 in the metastasis of BC.

Therapeutic Role of Carotenoids in Blood Cancer: Mechanistic Insights and Therapeutic Potential

Blood cancers are characterized by pathological disorders causing uncontrolled hematological cell division. Various strategies were previously explored for the treatment of blood cancers, including chemotherapy, Car-T therapy, targeting chimeric antigen receptors, and platelets therapy. However, all these therapies pose serious challenges that limit their use in blood cancer therapy, such as poor metabolism. Furthermore, the solubility and stability of anticancer drugs limit efficacy and bio-distribution and cause toxicity. The isolation and purification of natural killer cells during Car-T cell therapy is a major challenge. To cope with these challenges, treatment strategies from phyto-medicine scaffolds have been evaluated for blood cancer treatments. Carotenoids represent a versatile class of phytochemical that offer therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of cancer, and specifically blood cancer. Carotenoids, through various signaling pathways and mechanisms, such as the activation of AMPK, expression of autophagy biochemical markers (p62/LC3-II), activation of Keap1-Nrf2/EpRE/ARE signaaling pathway, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), increased level of reactive oxygen species, cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (c-PARP), c-caspase-3, -7, decreased level of Bcl-xL, cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase, and decreasing STAT3 expression results in apoptosis induction and inhibition of cancer cell proliferation. This review article focuses the therapeutic potential of carotenoids in blood cancers, addressing various mechanisms and signaling pathways that mediate their therapeutic efficacy.

Circular RNA circ_UBAP2 facilitates the progression of osteosarcoma by regulating microRNA miR-637/high-mobility group box (HMGB) 2 axis

Circular RNA circ_UBAP2 has been reported to be closely associated with various tumors. The present work focused on exploring the roles of circ_UBAP2 and its molecular mechanism in osteosarcoma (OS). Circ_UBAP2, miR-637, and high-mobility group box (HMGB) 2 levels in OS cells and tissues were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The relationship between miR-637 and circ_UBAP2, as well as between miR-637 and HMGB2, was predicted and examined through bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter gene experiments. Moreover, OS cell growth, invasion, migration, and apoptosis were detected using the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), Transwell and flow cytometry assays, respectively. HMGB2 protein levels were measured using Western blotting. Xenograft tumor formation assay was also performed. Circ_UBAP2 showed high expression levels in OS tissues and cells, which was directly proportional to metastasis and clinical stage of OS. The overexpression of circ_UBAP2 enhanced the growth, invasion, and migration of OS cells, but suppressed their apoptosis. In contrast, circ_UBAP2 silencing had opposite effects. Furthermore, miR-637 served as a downstream target of circ_UBAP2, which played opposite roles to circ_UBAP2 in OS. More importantly, HMGB2 served as miR-637's downstream target. The xenograft experiments in nude mice also proved that knockdown of circ_UBAP2 could increase miR-637 expression, but decrease HMGB2 expression, thus alleviating OS progression. Mechanistically, circ_UBAP2 exerts a cancer-promoting effect on OS by downregulating miR-637 and upregulating the expression of HMGB2. Circ_UBAP2 plays a promoting role in OS, and the circ_UBAP2/miR-637/HMGB2 axis is involved in OS progression.

Long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) CASC9/microRNA(miR)-590-3p/sine oculis homeobox 1 (SIX1)/NF-κB axis promotes proliferation and migration in breast cancer

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)–microRNA–mRNA signaling axes have recently been shown to have a key role in the development of breast cancer (BC). In this study, we investigated how the cancer susceptibility candidate 9 (CASC9) gene affects the cell growth, invasion, migration, and apoptosis of BC cells. The levels of microRNA-590-3p (miR-590-3p), CASC9, and the sine oculis homeobox 1 (SIX1) gene were determined through qRT-PCR. We conducted cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assays to assess cell proliferation, transwell assays to detect cell migration/invasion, and flow cytometry to evaluate cell apoptosis. StarBase v2.0 was used to predict interactions between miR-590-3p and SIX1 or CASC9, and dual-luciferase reporter assays were used to verify these predictions. CASC9 protein was overexpressed in BC cells and tissues, while CASC9 knockdown inhibited BC cell growth, invasion, and migration and promoted apoptosis. Additionally, we verified that CASC9 competes for binding with miR-590-3p. Moreover, SIX1 was determined to be a target of miR-590–3p, and SIX1 expression was inhibited by miR-590-3p overexpression. CASC9 enhanced BC development by downregulating miR-590-3p and upregulating SIX1 during the activation of the NF-κB pathway. These data suggest that the CASC9/miR-590-3p/SIX1/NF-κB axis is involved in breast cancer progression, providing insight into the function of CASC9 in breast cancer development.