Cytochalasin H Inhibits Angiogenesis via the Suppression of HIF-1α Protein Accumulation and VEGF Expression through PI3K/AKT/P70S6K and ERK1/2 Signaling Pathways in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells

Exploring the Impact of Novel Anti-Cancer Therapies on Jaw Osteonecrosis and Other Bones: A Comprehensive Review

Osteonecrosis is a debilitating condition characterized by the loss of blood supply to the bones, leading to bone death. This condition can impact various bones, including the jaw, which significantly affects patients' quality of life by causing difficulties in swallowing, feeding, chewing, and speaking, along with swollen, painful mucous membranes and chronic sinusitis. Osteonecrosis can arise due to treatment with antiresorptive drugs. However, there is a growing number of reports of osteonecrosis following novel targeted anti-cancer treatments, such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and biological therapies. The pathogenesis of osteonecrosis is linked to the side effects of the antiangiogenic mechanisms of these medications, leading to a disrupted blood flow. Our review aims to examine recent insights into osteonecrosis triggered by new anti-cancer drugs. Most reports focus on the osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ); however, we discovered that some authors have described cases of osteonecrosis affecting the femoral head or elbow following novel anti-cancer treatments. Prevention is a key component in managing osteonecrosis. Therefore, a comprehensive risk assessment should always be performed before and during anti-cancer therapy.

Paecilins Q and R: Antifungal Chromanones Produced by the Endophytic Fungus Pseudofusicoccum stromaticum CMRP4328

Chemical investigation of the endophyte Pseudofusicoccum stromaticum CMRP4328 isolated from the medicinal plant Stryphnodendron adstringens yielded ten compounds, including two new dihydrochromones, paecilins Q (1: ) and R (2: ). The antifungal activity of the isolated metabolites was assessed against an important citrus pathogen, Phyllosticta citricarpa. Cytochalasin H (6: ) (78.3%), phomoxanthone A (3: ) (70.2%), phomoxanthone B (4: ) (63.1%), and paecilin Q (1: ) (50.5%) decreased in vitro the number of pycnidia produced by P. citricarpa, which are responsible for the disease dissemination in orchards. In addition, compounds 3: and 6: inhibited the development of citrus black spot symptoms in citrus fruits. Cytochalasin H (6: ) and one of the new compounds, paecilin Q (1: ), appear particularly promising, as they showed strong activity against this citrus pathogen, and low or no cytotoxic activity. The strain CMRP4328 of P. stromaticum and its metabolites deserve further investigation for the control of citrus black spot disease.

PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, hypoxia, and glucose metabolism: Potential targets to overcome radioresistance in small cell lung cancer

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a highly aggressive tumor type for which limited therapeutic progress has been made. Platinum-based chemotherapy with or without thoracic radiotherapy remains the backbone of treatment, but most patients with SCLC acquire therapeutic resistance. Given the need for more effective therapies, better elucidation of the molecular pathogenesis of SCLC is imperative. The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is frequently activated in SCLC and strongly associated with resistance to ionizing radiation in many solid tumors. This pathway is an important regulator of cancer cell glucose metabolism, and its activation probably effects radioresistance by influencing bioenergetic processes in SCLC. Glucose metabolism has three main branches-aerobic glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, and the pentose phosphate pathway-involved in radioresistance. The interaction between the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and glucose metabolism is largely mediated by hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) signaling. The PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway also influences glucose metabolism through other mechanisms to participate in radioresistance, including inhibiting the ubiquitination of rate-limiting enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway. This review summarizes our understanding of links among the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, hypoxia, and glucose metabolism in SCLC radioresistance and highlights promising research directions to promote cancer cell death and improve the clinical outcome of patients with this devastating disease.

Effects of Camrelizumab Combined with First-Line Chemotherapy on Serum SCC, VEGF Levels, and Adverse Reactions in Patients with Advanced Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lung

Objective

To study the effects of camrelizumab accompanied by first-line chemotherapy on serum SCC, VEGF levels, and adverse reactions in people undergoing advanced lung squamous cell carcinoma.

Methods

Data sources of the study subjects were 60 people suffering from advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the lung hospitalized from January 2018 to October 2019. They were assigned to two groups, including the control group and the observation group in a random manner, and each consisted of 30 patients. Those in the observation group received camrelizumab (SHR-1210), and gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GP) chemotherapy were treated in the control group. Finally, according to the results, we compare the data of patients in both groups so as to find out the similarities and differences.

Results

Among them, the effective efficiency of clinical treatment in the control group reached 36.67%, and that in the observation group reached 56.67%. Intuitively, it can be concluded that the control group showed lower results than the observed group. The observed group turned out to have higher periodic survival and progression free survival (PFS) of patients than the other group. During and after the cycle treatment, the data of SCC and VEGF were reduced to some extent, but the control group appeared to have a more evident reduction rate than the other group.

Conclusion

SHR-1210 combined with chemotherapy has a considerable effect in practical application and has excellent clinical performance.

Osimertinib: Another medication related to osteonecrosis of the jaws? A case report and literature review

Introduction: Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is an oral complication in cancer patients being treated with either antiresorptives, mainly denosumab and bisphosphonates, or antiangiogenic drugs. Osimertinib is a third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) for the treatment of patients with EGFR T790M advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). TKI-induced osteonecrosis of the jaw has been reported in recent years, but these cases almost occur in combination with bisphosphonates, and the data on MRONJ associated to osimertinib is scarce.

Case report: We reported a case of MRONJ associated only with osimertinib. A 69-year-old female patient with NSCLC developed MRONJ after 4 years of treatment with osimertinib. Six months ago, she felt persistent pain and swelling in the right maxilla. After 3 months of pain, her dentist extracted one tooth in the right maxilla under local anesthesia. We examined her gingiva and found fistula and pus spillage. A digital volume tomography scan revealed sequestrum. The patient underwent surgical debridement of the necrotic bone under general anesthesia and administered intravenous antibiotics at the hospital. Histopathological analysis of the bone biopsy revealed a diagnosis of MRONJ.

Conclusion: This report provides evidence that osimertinib monotherapy can cause MRNOJ, and has a contribution to explore the formation mechanism of MRONJ. For those patients who take osimertinib, routine oral examinations and monitoring should be performed before and during treatment, as well as prompt closure of wounds and antibiotic treatment to avoid infection after invasive oral surgery such as tooth extraction.

Targeting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathway in Lung Cancer: An Update Regarding Potential Drugs and Natural Products

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers and has a high mortality rate. Due to its high incidence, the clinical management of the disease remains a major challenge. Several reports have documented a relationship between the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/ protein kinase B (AKT)/ mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway and lung cancer. The recognition of this pathway as a notable therapeutic target in lung cancer is mainly due to its central involvement in the initiation and progression of the disease. Interest in using natural and synthetic medications to target these signaling pathways has increased in recent years, with promising results in vitro, in vivo, and in clinical trials. In this review, we focus on the current understanding of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling in tumor development. In addition to the signaling pathway, we highlighted the therapeutic potential of recently developed PI3K/AKT/mTOR inhibitors based on preclinical and clinical trials.

Antitumor effect and molecular mechanism of fucoidan in NSCLC

Background

Fucoidan, a water-soluble polysaccharide, exerts anticoagulant and antiviral functions. It was recently reported that fucoidan also exerts an antitumor function. Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. The aim of this study was to investigate anti-tumor,apoptosis and anti-metastasis effects of fucoidan in both cell-based assays and mouse xenograft model, as well as to clarify possible role of m-TOR pathway in the protection.

Methods

In vitro: Different concentrations of fucoidan were given to act on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines A549 and H1650. The effects of fucoidan on cell proliferation were observed by detecting cyclin expression levels, CCK8 and EDU experiments and cloning experiments. The apoptotic level was detected by flow cytometry and the apoptotic protein level was detected by Westernblot. By detecting the expression of adhesion molecules, the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family, and Transwell cell invasion and migration experiment, the effect of fucoidan on cell adhesion, invasion and migration was observed. Meanwhile the effect of fucoidan on angiogenesis was observed by detecting the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).

In vivo experiment: An animal model of NSCLC cell mouse subcutaneous xenograft tumor was established to analyze the correlation between the consumption of fucoidan and the size and volume of xenograft tumor through gross observation. Through immunohistochemical staining and immunofluorescence double staining, ki67 and cell adhesion molecules (E-cadherin, N-cadherin and CD31) and VEGF-A in the tumor were detected, and the correlation between the amount of fucoidan and the above indexes was analyzed.

Results

Fucoidan inhibited the proliferation and angiogenesis of NSCLC cells via the mTOR pathway and promoted their apoptosis by increasing the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Not only that, fucoidan inhibited NSCLC cell invasion via epithelial–mesenchymal transformation (EMT). The mice fed fucoidan exhibited significant reductions in tumor volumes and weights. These indicators (Ki67, VEGF-A,N-cadherin) were decreased and E-cadherin expression was up-regulated in A549 mice that treated with fucoidan. The results showed that fucoidan inhibited tumor proliferation in vivo by affecting the expression of related proteins.

Conclusion

Fucoidan conveys antitumor effects and our results represent an ideal therapeutic agent for NSCLC.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12906-020-03191-0.

Cytochalasin H isolated from mangrove-derived endophytic fungus inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition and cancer stemness via YAP/TAZ signaling pathway in non-small cell lung cancer cells

Our previous studies have isolated cytochalasin H (CyH) from endophytic fungus derived from mangrove and found that CyH induced apoptosis and inhibited migration and angiogenesis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. In this study, we further investigated the effect of CyH on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer stemness of A549 and NCI-H460 NSCLC cells and the underlying mechanisms, especially the role of YAP/ TAZ signaling pathway in the process. Our results showed that CyH significantly inhibited invasive ability and the sphere formation of NSCLC cells. The expression of E-cadherin, an EMT epithelial marker, was obviously up-regulated, while the expression of Vimentin and N-cadherin, the EMT mesenchymal markers, was dramatically down-regulated by CyH treatment in NSCLC cells. Moreover, the expression of EMT-associated transcription factors including Slug, Twist1, and Snail1 and stemness markers including Nanog, Sox-2, and Oct-4 was significantly down-regulated by CyH treatment in NSCLC cells. Additionally, CyH significantly down-regulated YAP and TAZ expression and up-regulated LAST1/2 and MST1/2 expression, and CyH inhibited the interaction between YAP and TEAD. Furthermore, YAP knockdown abolished the effect of CyH on the expression of EMT- and stemness-related markers in NSCLC cells. Taken together, these results suggest that CyH inhibits EMT and cancer stemness of NSCLC cells via the regulation of YAP/TAZ signaling pathway.

Beyond Conventional: The New Horizon of Anti-Angiogenic microRNAs in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Therapy

GLOBOCAN 2018 identified lung cancer as the leading oncological pathology in terms of incidence and mortality rates. Angiogenesis is a key adaptive mechanism of numerous malignancies that promotes metastatic spread in view of the dependency of cancer cells on nutrients and oxygen, favoring invasion. Limitation of the angiogenic process could significantly hamper the disease advancement through starvation of the primary tumor and impairment of metastatic spread. This review explores the basic molecular mechanisms of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) angiogenesis, and discusses the influences of the key proangiogenic factors-the vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF2), several matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs-MMP-2, MMP-7, MMP-9) and hypoxia-and the therapeutic implications of microRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) throughout the entire process, while also providing critical reviews of a number of microRNAs, with a focus on miR-126, miR-182, miR-155, miR-21 and let-7b. Finally, current conventional NSCLC anti-angiogenics-bevacizumab, ramucirumab and nintedanib-are briefly summarized through the lens of evidence-based medicine.

microRNA-646 inhibits angiogenesis of endothelial progenitor cells in pre-eclamptic pregnancy by targeting the VEGF-A/HIF-1α axis

Pre-eclampsia is a complication that occurs during pregnancy, the pathological feature of which is a change in vascular endothelial homeostasis. microRNA (miR)-646 is an anti-angiogenic miRNA that has been indicated to exhibit potential anti-angiogenic effects in endothelial cells cultured in vitro and in ischemia-induced angiogenesis. However, whether miR-646 has therapeutic potential in placental angiogenesis in pre-eclampsia remains to be determined. In the current study, human peripheral blood-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) were isolated to study the coordination between miR-646, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α expression in preeclampsia EPCs. EPCs were isolated from human peripheral blood to demonstrate a potential interaction between miR-646 and targets (VEGF-A) in vitro. The number of EPCs and the expression of miR-646 in patients with preeclampsia was detected, and the effects of miR-646 on EPC function and preeclampsia angiogenesis was assessed. Clinical specimens demonstrated that miR-646 expression was enhanced in pregnancy with preeclampsia. The results indicated that miR-646 suppressed EPCs multiplication, differentiation and migration. miR-646 was observed to exert an anti-angiogenic function by suppressing the expression of angiogenic cytokines VEGF-A and HIF-1α. Additionally, luciferase results displayed that miR-646 downregulated VEGF-A expression by directly binding to a specific sequence in its 3'-untranslated region. The results of the current study demonstrated that the miR-646/VEGF-A/HIF-1α axis is significant for angiogenic properties of EPCs in vitro and in vivo placental vasculogenesis. The results of the present study provide a new insight into microRNA regulation of vessel homeostasis and angiogenesis, and a basis for alternative treatments for patients with pre-eclampsia.

Spalt-Like Protein 4 (SALL4) Promotes Angiogenesis by Activating Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (VEGFA) Signaling

Background

Spalt-like protein 4 (SALL4) is a nuclear transcription factor central to early embryonic development, especially for regulating pluripotency of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and sustaining ESCs self-renewal. Aberrant re-expression of SALL4 in adult tissues is involved in tumorigenesis and cancer progression. However, the role of SALL4 in angiogenesis remains elusive. Here, we determined the potential action of SALL4 on proliferation, migration, and tube formation of endothelial cells.

Material/Methods

HUVECs were infected with lentiviral particles expressing shRNA against SALL4. QRT-PCR and immunoblotting analysis were carried out to evaluate knockdown efficiency at mRNA and protein levels. Cell proliferation was measured by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry was conducted to analyze cell cycle distribution. Wound-healing and Transwell migration assays were performed to evaluate cell motility. In addition, we determined the role of SALL4 on angiogenesis by tube formation assay, and Western blot analysis was used to assess the effect of SALL4 downregulation on VEGFA expression.

Results

We found that SALL4 downregulation resulted in decreased proliferation. Cell cycle analysis revealed that SALL4 knockdown impeded cell cycle progression and induced cell cycle arrest at G1 phase. We also found that silencing of SALL4 decreased the capacity of wound healing and cell migration in HUVECs. Furthermore, tube formation assay showed that loss of SALL4 inhibited HUVECs angiogenesis. We also observed that SALL4 knockdown reduced the level of VEGFA in HUVECs.

Conclusions

In conclusion, these results support that by promoting proliferation, cell cycle progression, migration, and tube formation, SALL4 is involved in the process of angiogenesis through modulating VEGFA expression.

Hypoxia: Overview on Hypoxia-Mediated Mechanisms with a Focus on the Role of HIF Genes

Hypoxia represents a frequent player in a number of malignancies, contributing to the development of the neoplastic disease. This review will discuss the means by which hypoxia powers the mechanisms behind cancer progression, with a majority of examples from lung cancer, the leading malignancy in terms of incidence and mortality rates (the frequent reference toward lung cancer is also for simplification purposes and follow up of the global mechanism in the context of a disease). The effects induced by low oxygen levels are orchestrated by hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) which regulate the expression of numerous genes involved in cancer progression. Hypoxia induces epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis through a complex machinery, by mediating various pathways such as TGF-β, PI3k/Akt, Wnt, and Jagged/Notch. Concomitantly, hypoxic environment has a vast implication in angiogenesis by stimulating vessel growth through the HIF-1α/VEGF axis. Low levels of oxygen can also promote the process through several other secondary factors, including ANGPT2, FGF, and HGF. Metabolic adaptations caused by hypoxia include the Warburg effect-a metabolic switch to glycolysis-and GLUT1 overexpression. The switch is achieved by directly increasing the expression of numerous glycolytic enzymes that are isoforms of those found in non-malignant cells.