Liposome-mediated induction of apoptosis of human hepatoma cells by c-myc antisense phosphorothioate oligodeoxynucleotide and 5-fluorouracil

Antisense oligonucleotide is a promising intervention for liver diseases

As the body's critical metabolic organ, the liver plays an essential role in maintaining proper body homeostasis. However, as people's living standards have improved and the number of unhealthy lifestyles has increased, the liver has become overburdened. These have made liver disease one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Under the influence of adverse factors, liver disease progresses from simple steatosis to hepatitis, to liver fibrosis, and finally to cirrhosis and cancer, followed by increased mortality. Until now, there has been a lack of accepted effective treatments for liver disease. Based on current research, antisense oligonucleotide (ASO), as an alternative intervention for liver diseases, is expected to be an effective treatment due to its high efficiency, low toxicity, low dosage, strong specificity, and additional positive characteristics. In this review, we will first introduce the design, modification, delivery, and the mechanisms of ASO, and then summarize the application of ASO in liver disease treatment, including in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), hepatitis, liver fibrosis, and liver cancer. Finally, we discuss challenges and perspectives on the transfer of ASO drugs into clinical use. This review provides a current and comprehensive understanding of the integrative and systematic functions of ASO for its use in liver disease.

Phosphorothioate‑modified antisense oligonucleotides against human telomerase reverse transcriptase sensitize cancer cells to radiotherapy

Emergence of resistance, unavoidable systemic toxicity and unsatisfactory efficacy arethe main obstacles for traditional cancer therapy. Combination with phosphorothioate modified antisense oligonucleotides (PS‑ASODN) against human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) may enhance the therapeutic effect of irradiation. However, the effect of PS‑ASODN against hTERT on the anti‑tumor effects of irradiation in liver cancer remain unclear. In the current study, Walker 256 cells were transfected with hTERT PS‑ASODN. Cell proliferation and cell viability were measured using the MTT assay and cell senescence was examined by SA‑β‑gal staining. Telomerase activity was determined by telomeric repeat amplification protocol‑polymerase chain reaction‑ELISA. Cell apoptosis was assayed by flow cytometry and DNA damage was determined by the comet assay.The PS‑ASODN was demonstrated to have an inhibitory effect on cell proliferation and accelerated effect on cell senescence by inhibiting telomerase activity. PS‑ASODN promoted the irradiation‑induced inhibition of cell viability and telomerase activity, and irradiation‑induced DNA damage and cell apoptosis via the activation of apoptosis‑associated proteins. Taken together, these results indicated that combined treatment of PS‑ASODN with irradiation significantly enhanced tumor inhibition. Therefore, PS‑ASODN provides an experimental foundation for gene therapy and is proposed for application in clinical treatment of liver cancer combined with radiotherapy.