β-elemene enhances anticancer bone neoplasms efficacy of paclitaxel through regulation of GPR124 in bone neoplasms cells

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the anticancer effects of β-elemene and paclitaxel for bone neoplasms. MTT assay, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, flow cytometry and immunostaining were used to analyze the combined effects of β-elemene and paclitaxel both in vitro and in vivo. The results demonstrated that combined treatment of β-elemene and paclitaxel (β-elemene-paclitaxel) significantly inhibited growth and aggressiveness of U-2OS cells compared with either β-elemene or paclitaxel treatment alone. It was demonstrated that β-elemene promoted paclitaxel-induced apoptosis of U-2OS cells. Anti-apoptosis B-cell lymphoma (Bcl)-2 and Bcl-w genes were downregulated and pro-apoptotic Bcl-2-associated agonist of cell death and caspase-3 genes were upregulated in U-2OS cells following treatment with β-elemene-paclitaxel. Treatment of β-elemene-paclitaxel arrested the cell cycle and decreased cyclin-dependent kinase, cyclin-B1, P21 and P27 expression levels and decreased resistant genes alterations of ATP binding cassette subfamily B member 1, LDL receptor related protein and TS in U-2OS cells. Results demonstrated that β-elemene-paclitaxel decreased G-protein coupled receptor 124 (GPR124), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, matrix metallopeptidase (MMP)-3, MMP-9 expression levels and increased endostatin, TIMP metallopeptidase inhibitor (TIMP)-1, TIMP-2 expression in U-2OS cells. In vivo assay demonstrated that β-elemene-paclitaxel treatment inhibited tumor growth of BALB/c-nu/nu nude mice and prolonged survival rate of tumor-bearing mice. Immunostaining demonstrated that β-elemene-paclitaxel treatment increased apoptotic bodies, GPR124 and increased endostatin, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 expression in tumor tissues. In conclusion, these results suggest that the combined treatment of β-elemene-paclitaxel is more effective at inhibiting bone neoplasm growth than β-elemene or paclitaxel single treatment GPR124.

Serum HER2 levels are increased in cats with mammary carcinomas and predict tissue HER2 status

HER2 is overexpressed in about 30% of feline mammary carcinomas (FMC) and in 15-30% of breast cancers. Women with HER2-positive breast tumors are associated with shorter survival. This study aimed to optimize the detection and quantification of serum HER2 (sHER2) in cats and to evaluate its potential in diagnosing cats with mammary carcinomas (MC) overexpressing HER2. A prospective study was conducted in 60 queens showing MC and 20 healthy animals. Pre-operative serum samples were collected for sHER2 quantification using two immunoassays: ELISA and Dot blot assay. sHER2 levels were compared with tissue HER2 status assessed by immunohistochemistry. Queens with FMC showed significantly higher mean levels of sHER2 by both ELISA and Dot blot assay. A significant difference in the sHER2 levels was also found between cats with HER2-positive MC and those with low-expressing HER2 MC. A significant correlation between sHER2 levels and tumor HER2 status was also found, particularly when ELISA was used (r = 0.58, p < 0.0001). The value of 10 ng/ml was proposed as the optimal cutoff for both immunoassays by ROC analysis. Like in humans, sHER2 levels are increased in cats with MC HER2-positive, strongly suggesting that evaluation of sHER2 levels can be very useful in feline oncology. The results show that ELISA and Dot blot assay can replace the immunohistochemistry technique, due to their efficacy and lower costs for diagnostic purposes and for monitoring the response to anti-HER2 therapies in cats.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in human and pet tumours with special reference to breast cancer: a comparative review

Tyrosine kinase receptors (TKRs) play a key role in tumour cell proliferation and survival since they are involved in endothelial cell activation leading to tumour neoangiogenesis. In particular, vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFRs), platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR), stem cell factor receptor (c-KitR), and colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1) are overexpressed or constitutively activated in human and pet malignancies. A variety of small molecule inhibitors targeting specific tyrosine kinases (known as tyrosine kinase inhibitors or TKIs) have recently been approved, or are under investigation, for the treatment of human cancer. TKI application in animal cancer is however relatively recent. This review aims to illustrate the major aspects of tyrosine kinase dysfunctions, with special regard to human and animal cancer of the mammary gland, providing an update on the background of the anti-angiogenic and anti-neoplastic properties of TKIs in human and veterinary cancer.