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Lins FV, Bispo ECI, Rodrigues NS, Silva MVS, Carvalho JL, Gelfuso GM, Saldanha-Araujo F. Ibrutinib Modulates Proliferation, Migration, Mitochondrial Homeostasis, and Apoptosis in Melanoma Cells. Biomedicines 2024; 12:1012. [PMID: 38790974 PMCID: PMC11117653 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12051012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2024] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Ibrutinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor with a broad spectrum of action, has been successfully explored to treat hematological and solid cancers. Herein, we investigated the anti-cancer effect of Ibrutinib on melanoma cell lines. Cytotoxicity was evaluated using the MTT assay. Apoptosis, mitochondrial membrane potential, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, cell proliferation, and cell cycle stages were determined by flow cytometry. LDH release and Caspase 3/7 activity were determined by colorimetric and luminescent assays, respectively. Cell migration was evaluated by wound scratch assay. Gene expression was determined by real-time PCR. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis of melanoma clinical samples was performed using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID). MTT assays showed that Ibrutinib is toxic for MeWo, SK-MEL-28, and WM164 cells. The annexin V/PI staining, Caspase 3/7 activity, and LDH release in MeWo cells revealed that apoptosis is the primary mechanism of death caused by Ibrutinib. Corroborating such observation, we identified that Ibrutinib treatment impairs the mitochondrial membrane potential of such cells and significantly increases the transcriptional levels of the pro-apoptotic factors ATM, HRK, BAX, BAK, CASP3, and CASP8. Furthermore, Ibrutinib showed antimetastatic potential by inhibiting the migration of MeWo cells. Finally, we performed a functional enrichment analysis and identified that the differential expression of Ibrutinib-target molecules is associated with enrichment of apoptosis and necrosis pathways in melanoma samples. Taken together, our results clearly suggest that Ibrutinib can be successfully explored as an effective therapeutic approach for melanomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda Vitelli Lins
- Laboratório de Hematologia e Células-Tronco, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, DF, Brazil; (F.V.L.); (E.C.I.B.); (N.S.R.)
- Children’s Medical Center Research Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Elizabete Cristina Iseke Bispo
- Laboratório de Hematologia e Células-Tronco, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, DF, Brazil; (F.V.L.); (E.C.I.B.); (N.S.R.)
| | - Naomí Souza Rodrigues
- Laboratório de Hematologia e Células-Tronco, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, DF, Brazil; (F.V.L.); (E.C.I.B.); (N.S.R.)
| | - Maria Victória Souto Silva
- Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Biociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, DF, Brazil; (M.V.S.S.); (J.L.C.)
| | - Juliana Lott Carvalho
- Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Biociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, DF, Brazil; (M.V.S.S.); (J.L.C.)
| | - Guilherme Martins Gelfuso
- Laboratório de Medicamentos, Alimentos e Cosméticos, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, DF, Brazil;
| | - Felipe Saldanha-Araujo
- Laboratório de Hematologia e Células-Tronco, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, DF, Brazil; (F.V.L.); (E.C.I.B.); (N.S.R.)
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Liu YS, Wang JX, Jin GY, Hu MH, Wang XD. Combination Therapy with a TLR7 Agonist and a BRD4 Inhibitor Suppresses Tumor Growth via Enhanced Immunomodulation. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:663. [PMID: 38203835 PMCID: PMC10779224 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010663] [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: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/01/2024] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
JQ-1 is a typical BRD4 inhibitor with the ability to directly fight tumor cells and evoke antitumor immunity via reducing the expression of PD-L1. However, problems arise with the development of JQ-1 in clinical trials, such as marked lymphoid and hematopoietic toxicity, leading to the investigation of combination therapy. SZU-101 is a TLR7 agonist designed and synthesized by our group with potent immunostimulatory activity. Therefore, we hypothesized that combination therapy of SZU-101 and JQ-1 would target innate immunity and adaptive immunity simultaneously, to achieve a better antitumor efficacy than monotherapy. In this study, the repressive effects of the combination administration on tumor growth and metastasis were demonstrated in both murine breast cancer and melanoma models. In 4T1 tumor-bearing mice, i.t. treatment with SZU-101 in combination with i.p. treatment with JQ-1 suppressed the growth of tumors at both injected and uninjected sites. Combination therapy increased M1/M2 ratio in TAMs, decreased PD-L1 expression and promoted the recruitment of activated CD8+ T cells in the TME. In summary, the improved therapeutic efficacy of the novel combination therapy appears to be feasible for the treatment of a diversity of cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Ming-Hao Hu
- Nation-Regional Engineering Lab for Synthetic Biology of Medicine, International Cancer Center, School of Pharmacy, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen 518060, China; (Y.-S.L.); (J.-X.W.); (G.-Y.J.)
| | - Xiao-Dong Wang
- Nation-Regional Engineering Lab for Synthetic Biology of Medicine, International Cancer Center, School of Pharmacy, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen 518060, China; (Y.-S.L.); (J.-X.W.); (G.-Y.J.)
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Wu Y, Yang Z, Cheng K, Bi H, Chen J. Small molecule-based immunomodulators for cancer therapy. Acta Pharm Sin B 2022; 12:4287-4308. [PMID: 36562003 PMCID: PMC9764074 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2022.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy has led to a paradigm shift in the treatment of cancer. Current cancer immunotherapies are mostly antibody-based, thus possessing advantages in regard to pharmacodynamics (e.g., specificity and efficacy). However, they have limitations in terms of pharmacokinetics including long half-lives, poor tissue/tumor penetration, and little/no oral bioavailability. In addition, therapeutic antibodies are immunogenic, thus may cause unwanted adverse effects. Therefore, researchers have shifted their efforts towards the development of small molecule-based cancer immunotherapy, as small molecules may overcome the above disadvantages associated with antibodies. Further, small molecule-based immunomodulators and therapeutic antibodies are complementary modalities for cancer treatment, and may be combined to elicit synergistic effects. Recent years have witnessed the rapid development of small molecule-based cancer immunotherapy. In this review, we describe the current progress in small molecule-based immunomodulators (inhibitors/agonists/degraders) for cancer therapy, including those targeting PD-1/PD-L1, chemokine receptors, stimulator of interferon genes (STING), Toll-like receptor (TLR), etc. The tumorigenesis mechanism of various targets and their respective modulators that have entered clinical trials are also summarized.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kui Cheng
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Drug Metabolism, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Huichang Bi
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Drug Metabolism, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Jianjun Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Drug Metabolism, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
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Xing J, Jia Z, Li Y, Han Y. Construction of immunotherapy-related prognostic gene signature and small molecule drug prediction for cutaneous melanoma. Front Oncol 2022; 12:939385. [PMID: 35957907 PMCID: PMC9358033 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.939385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Cutaneous melanoma (CM), a kind of skin cancer with a high rate of advanced mortality, exhibits a wide variety of driver and transmitter gene alterations in the immunological tumor microenvironment (TME) associated with tumor cell survival and proliferation. Methods We analyzed the immunological infiltration of TME cells in normal and malignant tissues using 469 CM and 556 normal skin samples. We used a single sample gene set enrichment assay (ssGSEA) to quantify the relative abundance of 28 cells, then used the LASSO COX regression model to develop a riskScore prognostic model, followed by a small molecule drug screening and molecular docking validation, which was then validated using qRT-PCR and IHC. Results We developed a prognosis model around seven essential protective genes for the first time, dramatically elevated in tumor tissues, as did immune cell infiltration. Multivariate Cox regression results indicated that riskScore is an independent and robust prognostic indicator, and its predictive value in immunotherapy was verified. Additionally, we identified Gabapentin as a possible small molecule therapeutic for CM. Conclusions A riskScore model was developed in this work to analyze patient prognosis, TME cell infiltration features, and treatment responsiveness. The development of this model not only aids in predicting patient response to immunotherapy but also has significant implications for the development of novel immunotherapeutic agents and the promotion of tailored treatment regimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahua Xing
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, The First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
- School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Ziqi Jia
- Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Li
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, The First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Yan Han, ; Yan Li,
| | - Yan Han
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, The First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Yan Han, ; Yan Li,
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Ernst M, Giubellino A. The Current State of Treatment and Future Directions in Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10040822. [PMID: 35453572 PMCID: PMC9029866 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10040822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Malignant melanoma is the leading cause of death among cutaneous malignancies. While its incidence is increasing, the most recent cancer statistics show a small but clear decrease in mortality rate. This trend reflects the introduction of novel and more effective therapeutic regimens, including the two cornerstones of melanoma therapy: immunotherapies and targeted therapies. Immunotherapies exploit the highly immunogenic nature of melanoma by modulating and priming the patient’s own immune system to attack the tumor. Treatments combining immunotherapies with targeted therapies, which disable the carcinogenic products of mutated cancer cells, have further increased treatment efficacy and durability. Toxicity and resistance, however, remain critical challenges to the field. The present review summarizes past treatments and novel therapeutic interventions and discusses current clinical trials and future directions.
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