Durvalumab and taxane family combination therapy enhances the antitumoral effects for NSCLC: An in vitro study

Immunotherapy has lately become the most preferred cancer treatment method, and for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) first-line treatment, there are many immunotherapy options. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness and toxicity of paclitaxel (PTX), docetaxel (DTX) chemotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment (durvalumab; DVL), and their combination in NSCLC. A-549 cells were treated with DVL in combination with PTX and DTX (a quarter of the IC50 ) to investigate their anticancer effects on these cells. The MTT assay, wound healing tests, and double-staining with Annexin V/PI were used to assess the cell viability, apoptosis, and migration. The results showed that a combination of 0.35 mg/mL DVL with 6.5 μg/mL PTX and 1.75 μg/mL DTX produced a synergistic effect with CI values of 0.88, 0.37, and 0.81, respectively. Moreover, the PTX + DTX + DVL combination led to a significantly increased apoptotic rate up to 88.70 ± 3.39% in the A549 cell line compared to monotherapy (p < .001). In addition, we found that the combination therapy with these agents increased the expression level of Bax, Cas-3, p53, and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in all experimental groups. In conclusion, the results suggest that combining anti-PD-L1 antibody therapy with chemotherapy may provide a promising approach to enhance treatment outcomes and be a potentially efficacious strategy for treating NSCLC patients. Further research and clinical investigations are needed to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms and validate the therapeutic potential of these compounds in vivo.

Oxidative stress indices induced by industrial and urban PM2.5-bound metals in A549 cells

The detrimental effects of atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) on human health are of major global concern. PM_2.5-bound metals are toxic compounds that contribute to cellular damage. To investigate the toxic effects of water-soluble metals on human lung epithelial cells and their bioaccessibility to lung fluid, PM_2.5 samples were collected from both urban and industrial areas in the metropolitan city of Tabriz, Iran. Oxidative stress indices, including proline content, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), cytotoxicity, and DNA damage levels of water-soluble components of PM_2.5, were evaluated. Furthermore, an in vitro test was conducted to assess the bioaccessibility of various PM_2.5-bound metals to the respiratory system using simulated lung fluid. PM_2.5 average concentrations in urban and industrial areas were 83.11 and 97.71 μg/m³, respectively. The cytotoxicity effects of PM_2.5 water-soluble constituents from urban areas were significantly higher than in industrial areas and the IC₅₀ was found to be 96.76 ± 3.34 and 201.31 ± 5.96 μg/mL for urban and industrial PM_2.5 samples, respectively. In addition, higher PM_2.5 concentrations increased the proline content in a concentration-dependent manner in A549 cells, which plays a protective role against oxidative stress and prevents PM_2.5-induced DNA damage. Also, the partial least squares regression revealed that Be, Cd, Co, Ni, and Cr, were significantly correlated with DNA damage and proline accumulation, which caused cell damage through oxidative stress. The results of this study showed that PM_2.5-bound metals in highly polluted metropolitan city caused substantial changes in the cellular proline content, DNA damage levels and cytotoxicity in human lung A549 cells.

Simple fluorescence chemosensor for the detection of calcium ions in water samples and its application in bio-imaging of cancer cells

This article describes the design, synthesis and characterization of a sensor suitable for practical measurement of ionized calcium in water samples and cancer cells. Calcium is an important ion in living organs and works as a messenger in several cellular functions. A lack of Ca ions interrupts the immune system and can lead to several diseases. A novel magnetic-polydopamine nanoparticle (PDNP)/rhodamine B (RhB)/folic acid (FA) nanoparticle was developed for the determination of calcium ions in MCF 7 cell lysates and water samples. Furthermore, the produced nanoparticle was employed for bioimaging of folate receptor (FR)-overexpressed cancer cells. This nanoprobe displayed a bright photoluminescence emission at 576 nm under an excitation wavelength of 420 nm. In the presence of calcium ions, the fluorescence emission of the MNPs-PDNPs/RhB/FA probe was proportionally decreased from 20 ng mL-1 to 100 ng mL-1 and 0.5 μg mL-1 to 20 μg mL-1 with a lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) of about 20 ng mL-1. The developed sensor showed a low-interference manner in the presence of possible coexistence interfering ions. In addition, this nanomaterial showed excellent biocompatibility with favorable differentiation ability to attach to the FR-positive cancer cells. The MNPs-PDNPs/RhB/FA nanoparticle has been utilized for bioimaging of the MCF 7 cell with favorable differentiation ability.