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Pervanidis KA, D'Angelo GD, Weisner J, Brandherm S, Rauh D. Akt Inhibitor Advancements: From Capivasertib Approval to Covalent-Allosteric Promises. J Med Chem 2024; 67:6052-6063. [PMID: 38592948 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c00075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Akt kinase is vital in cell growth, survival, metabolism, and migration. Dysregulation of Akt signaling is implicated in cancer and metabolic disorders. In the context of cancer, overactive Akt promotes cell survival and proliferation. This has spurred extensive research into developing Akt inhibitors as potential therapeutic agents to disrupt aberrant Akt signaling. Akt inhibitors are classified into three main types: ATP-competitive, allosteric, and covalent-allosteric inhibitors (CAAIs). ATP-competitive inhibitors compete with ATP for binding to Akt, allosteric inhibitors interact with the Pleckstrin homology (PH) domain, and covalent-allosteric inhibitors form covalent bonds, making them more potent and selective. Notably, capivasertib (AZD5363), a potent ATP-competitive Akt inhibitor, received FDA approval in November 2023 for use in combination with the estrogen receptor degrader fulvestrant to treat breast cancer. Challenges remain, including improving selectivity, identifying biomarkers to tailor treatments, and enhancing therapeutic efficacy while minimizing adverse effects. Particularly covalent-allosteric inhibitors hold promise for future more effective and personalized treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kosmas Alexandros Pervanidis
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University and Drug Discovery Hub Dortmund (DDHD), Zentrum für Integrierte Wirkstoffforschung (ZIW), Otto-Hahn-Strasse 4a, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Giovanni Danilo D'Angelo
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University and Drug Discovery Hub Dortmund (DDHD), Zentrum für Integrierte Wirkstoffforschung (ZIW), Otto-Hahn-Strasse 4a, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Jörn Weisner
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University and Drug Discovery Hub Dortmund (DDHD), Zentrum für Integrierte Wirkstoffforschung (ZIW), Otto-Hahn-Strasse 4a, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
- KyDo Therapeutics, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 15, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Sven Brandherm
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University and Drug Discovery Hub Dortmund (DDHD), Zentrum für Integrierte Wirkstoffforschung (ZIW), Otto-Hahn-Strasse 4a, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
- KyDo Therapeutics, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 15, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Daniel Rauh
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, TU Dortmund University and Drug Discovery Hub Dortmund (DDHD), Zentrum für Integrierte Wirkstoffforschung (ZIW), Otto-Hahn-Strasse 4a, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
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2
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Morimoto A, Takasugi N, Pan Y, Kubota S, Dohmae N, Abiko Y, Uchida K, Kumagai Y, Uehara T. Methyl vinyl ketone and its analogs covalently modify PI3K and alter physiological functions by inhibiting PI3K signaling. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:105679. [PMID: 38272219 PMCID: PMC10881440 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.105679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/13/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Reactive carbonyl species (RCS), which are abundant in the environment and are produced in vivo under stress, covalently bind to nucleophilic residues such as Cys in proteins. Disruption of protein function by RCS exposure is predicted to play a role in the development of various diseases such as cancer and metabolic disorders, but most studies on RCS have been limited to simple cytotoxicity validation, leaving their target proteins and resulting physiological changes unknown. In this study, we focused on methyl vinyl ketone (MVK), which is one of the main RCS found in cigarette smoke and exhaust gas. We found that MVK suppressed PI3K-Akt signaling, which regulates processes involved in cellular homeostasis, including cell proliferation, autophagy, and glucose metabolism. Interestingly, MVK inhibits the interaction between the epidermal growth factor receptor and PI3K. Cys656 in the SH2 domain of the PI3K p85 subunit, which is the covalently binding site of MVK, is important for this interaction. Suppression of PI3K-Akt signaling by MVK reversed epidermal growth factor-induced negative regulation of autophagy and attenuated glucose uptake. Furthermore, we analyzed the effects of the 23 RCS compounds with structures similar to MVK and showed that their analogs also suppressed PI3K-Akt signaling in a manner that correlated with their similarities to MVK. Our study demonstrates the mechanism of MVK and its analogs in suppressing PI3K-Akt signaling and modulating physiological functions, providing a model for future studies analyzing environmental reactive species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsushi Morimoto
- Department of Medicinal Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Nobumasa Takasugi
- Department of Medicinal Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Yuexuan Pan
- Department of Medicinal Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Sho Kubota
- Department of Medicinal Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Naoshi Dohmae
- Biomolecular Characterization Unit, Technology Platform Division, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Wako, Saitama, Japan
| | - Yumi Abiko
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Koji Uchida
- Laboratory of Food Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshito Kumagai
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Takashi Uehara
- Department of Medicinal Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.
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Domma AJ, Henderson LA, Goodrum FD, Moorman NJ, Kamil JP. Human cytomegalovirus attenuates AKT activity by destabilizing insulin receptor substrate proteins. J Virol 2023; 97:e0056323. [PMID: 37754763 PMCID: PMC10617551 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00563-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) requires inactivation of AKT to efficiently replicate, yet how AKT is shut off during HCMV infection has remained unclear. We show that UL38, an HCMV protein that activates mTORC1, is necessary and sufficient to destabilize insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1), a model insulin receptor substrate (IRS) protein. Degradation of IRS proteins in settings of excessive mTORC1 activity is an important mechanism for insulin resistance. When IRS proteins are destabilized, PI3K cannot be recruited to growth factor receptor complexes, and hence, AKT membrane recruitment, a rate limiting step in its activation, fails to occur. Despite its penchant for remodeling host cell signaling pathways, our results reveal that HCMV relies upon a cell-intrinsic negative regulatory feedback loop to inactivate AKT. Given that pharmacological inhibition of PI3K/AKT potently induces HCMV reactivation from latency, our findings also imply that the expression of UL38 activity must be tightly regulated within latently infected cells to avoid spontaneous reactivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony J. Domma
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA
| | - Lauren A. Henderson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA
| | - Felicia D. Goodrum
- Department of Immunobiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Bio5 Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Nathaniel J. Moorman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jeremy P. Kamil
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA
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4
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Amin T, Sharma RP, Mir KB, Slathia N, Chhabra S, Tsering D, Kotwal P, Bhagat M, Nandi U, Parkesh R, Kapoor KK, Goswami A. Quinoxalinone substituted pyrrolizine (4h)-induced dual inhibition of AKT and ERK instigates apoptosis in breast and colorectal cancer by modulating mitochondrial membrane potential. Eur J Pharmacol 2023; 957:175945. [PMID: 37541376 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2023.175945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 07/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
AKT and ERK 1/2 play a pivotal role in cancer cell survival, proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis. Therefore, AKT and ERK 1/2 are considered crucial targets for cancer intervention. In this study, we envisaged the role of AKT and ERK signaling in apoptosis regulation in presence of compound 4h, a novel synthetic derivative of quinoxalinone substituted spiropyrrolizines exhibiting substantial antiproliferative activity in various cancer cell lines. Structurally 4h is a spiropyrrolizine derivative. Molecular docking analysis revealed that compound 4h shows strong binding affinity with AKT-1 (-9.5 kcal/mol) and ERK2 (-9.0 kcal/mol) via binding at allosteric sites of AKT and active site of ERK2. The implications of 4h binding with these two survival kinases resulted in the obstruction for ATP binding, hence, hampering their phosphorylation dependent activation. We demonstrate that 4h mediated apoptotic induction via disruption in the mitochondrial membrane potential of MCF-7 and HCT-116 cells and 4h-mediated inhibition of survival pathways occurred in a wild type PTEN background and is diminished in PTEN-/- cells. In 4T1 mammary carcinoma model, 4h exhibited pronounced reduction in the tumor size and tumor volume at significantly low doses. Besides, 4h reached the highest plasma concentration of 5.8 μM within a period of 1 h in mice model intraperitoneally. Furthermore, 4h showed acceptable clearance with an adequate elimination half-life and satisfactory pharmacokinetic behaviour, thus proclaiming as a potential lead molecule against breast and colorectal cancer by specifically inhibiting simultaneously AKT and ERK1/2 kinases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanzeeba Amin
- Pharmacology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, 180001, India; Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | | | - Khalid Bashir Mir
- Pharmacology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, 180001, India; Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Nancy Slathia
- Department of Chemistry, University of Jammu, Jammu 180006, India
| | - Sonali Chhabra
- Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India; CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, 160036, India
| | - Dolma Tsering
- Department of Chemistry, University of Jammu, Jammu 180006, India
| | - Pankul Kotwal
- Pharmacology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, 180001, India; Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Madhulika Bhagat
- School of Biotechnology, University of Jammu, J&K, 181143, India
| | - Utpal Nandi
- Pharmacology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, 180001, India; Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Raman Parkesh
- Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India; CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, 160036, India
| | - Kamal K Kapoor
- School of Biotechnology, University of Jammu, J&K, 181143, India.
| | - Anindya Goswami
- Pharmacology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu, 180001, India; Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India.
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5
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Huang T, Cai J, Wang P, Zhou J, Zhang H, Wu Z, Zhao J, Huang Z, Deng K. Ponatinib Represses Latent HIV-1 by Inhibiting AKT-mTOR. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2023; 67:e0006723. [PMID: 37212670 PMCID: PMC10269114 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00067-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) is effective in suppressing viral replication, it does not cure HIV-1 infection due to the presence of the viral latent reservoir. Rather than reactivating the latent viruses, the "block and lock" strategy aims to shift the viral reservoir to a deeper state of transcriptional silencing, thus preventing viral rebound after ART interruption. Although some latency-promoting agents (LPAs) have been reported, none of them have been approved for clinical application due to cytotoxicity and limited efficacy; therefore, it is important to search for novel and effective LPAs. Here, we report an FDA-approved drug, ponatinib, that can broadly repress latent HIV-1 reactivation in different cell models of HIV-1 latency and in primary CD4+ T cells from ART-suppressed individuals ex vivo. Ponatinib does not change the expression of activation or exhaustion markers on primary CD4+ T cells and does not induce severe cytotoxicity and cell dysfunction. Mechanistically, ponatinib suppresses proviral HIV-1 transcription by inhibiting the activation of the AKT-mTOR pathway, which subsequently blocks the interaction between key transcriptional factors and the HIV-1 long terminal repeat (LTR). In summary, we discovered a novel latency-promoting agent, ponatinib, which could have promising significance for future applications of HIV-1 functional cure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Huang
- Institute of Human Virology, Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jinfeng Cai
- Institute of Human Virology, Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Peipei Wang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiasheng Zhou
- Institute of Human Virology, Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Haitao Zhang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Ziqi Wu
- Institute of Human Virology, Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiacong Zhao
- Institute of Human Virology, Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhanlian Huang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kai Deng
- Institute of Human Virology, Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Advanced Medical Technology Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
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6
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Dürr L, Reinhardt JK, Dobrzyński M, Hell T, Smieško M, Pertz O, Hamburger M, Garo E. A Dimerosesquiterpene and Sesquiterpene Lactones from Artemisia argyi Inhibiting Oncogenic PI3K/AKT Signaling in Melanoma Cells. J Nat Prod 2022; 85:2557-2569. [PMID: 36351173 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.2c00471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
A library of more than 2500 plant extracts was screened for activity on oncogenic signaling in melanoma cells. The ethyl acetate extract from the aerial parts of Artemisia argyi displayed pronounced inhibition of the PI3K/AKT pathway. Active compounds were tracked with the aid of HPLC-based activity profiling, and altogether 21 active compounds were isolated, including one novel dimerosequiterpenoid (1), one new disesquiterpenoid (2), three new guaianolides (3-5), 12 known sesquiterpenoids (6-17), and four known flavonoids (19-22). A new eudesmanolide derivative (13b) was isolated as an artifact formed by methanolysis. Compound 1 is the first adduct comprising a sesquiterpene lactone and a methyl jasmonate moiety. The absolute configurations of compounds 1 and 3-18 were established by comparison of their experimental and calculated ECD spectra. The absolute configuration for 2 was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. Guaianolide 8 was the most potent sesquiterpene lactone, inhibiting the PI3K/AKT pathway with an IC50 value of 8.9 ± 0.9 μM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Dürr
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jakob K Reinhardt
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Maciej Dobrzyński
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Tanja Hell
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Martin Smieško
- Division of Computational Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Olivier Pertz
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Hamburger
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Eliane Garo
- Division of Pharmaceutical Biology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
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7
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Sharma A, Bhalla S, Mehan S. PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling inhibitor chrysophanol ameliorates neurobehavioural and neurochemical defects in propionic acid-induced experimental model of autism in adult rats. Metab Brain Dis 2022; 37:1909-1929. [PMID: 35687217 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-022-01026-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder marked by social and communication deficits as well as repetitive behaviour. Several studies have found that overactivation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathways during brain development plays a significant role in autism pathogenesis. Overexpression of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway causes neurological disorders by increasing cell death, neuroinflammation, and oxidative stress. Chrysophanol, also known as chrysophanic acid, is a naturally occurring chemical obtained from the plant Rheum palmatum. This study aimed to examine the neuroprotective effect of CPH on neurobehavioral, molecular, neurochemical, and gross pathological alterations in ICV-PPA induced experimental model of autism in adult rats. The effects of ICV-PPA on PI3K/AKT/mTOR downregulation in the brain were studied in autism-like rats. Furthermore, we investigated how CPH affected myelin basic protein (MBP) levels in rat brain homogenate and apoptotic biomarkers such as caspase-3, Bax, and Bcl-2 levels in rat brain homogenate and blood plasma samples. Rats were tested for behavioural abnormalities such as neuromuscular dysfunction using an actophotometer, motor coordination using a beam crossing task (BCT), depressive behaviour using a forced swim test (FST), cognitive deficiency, and memory consolidation using a Morris water maze (MWM) task. In PPA-treated rats, prolonged oral CPH administration from day 12 to day 44 of the experimental schedule reduces autistic-like symptoms. Furthermore, in rat brain homogenates, blood plasma, and CSF samples, cellular, molecular, and cell death markers, neuroinflammatory cytokines, neurotransmitter levels, and oxidative stress indicators were investigated. The recent findings imply that CPH also restores abnormal neurochemical levels and may prevent autism-like gross pathological alterations, such as demyelination volume, in the rat brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aarti Sharma
- Neuropharmacology Division, Department of Pharmacology, ISF College of Pharmacy, Moga, Punjab, 142001, India
| | - Sonalika Bhalla
- Neuropharmacology Division, Department of Pharmacology, ISF College of Pharmacy, Moga, Punjab, 142001, India
| | - Sidharth Mehan
- Neuropharmacology Division, Department of Pharmacology, ISF College of Pharmacy, Moga, Punjab, 142001, India.
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8
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Vadla GP, Daghat B, Patterson N, Ahmad V, Perez G, Garcia A, Manjunath Y, Kaifi JT, Li G, Chabu CY. Combining plasma extracellular vesicle Let-7b-5p, miR-184 and circulating miR-22-3p levels for NSCLC diagnosis and drug resistance prediction. Sci Rep 2022; 12:6693. [PMID: 35461372 PMCID: PMC9035169 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10598-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) Non-Small Cell Lung (NSCLC) screening is associated with high false-positive rates, leading to unnecessary expensive and invasive follow ups. There is a need for minimally invasive approaches to improve the accuracy of NSCLC diagnosis. In addition, NSCLC patients harboring sensitizing mutations in epidermal growth factor receptor EGFR (T790M, L578R) are treated with Osimertinib, a potent tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). However, nearly all patients develop TKI resistance. The underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Plasma extracellular vesicle (EV) and circulating microRNA (miRNA) have been proposed as biomarkers for cancer screening and to inform treatment decisions. However, the identification of highly sensitive and broadly predictive core miRNA signatures remains a challenge. Also, how these systemic and diverse miRNAs impact cancer drug response is not well understood. Using an integrative approach, we examined plasma EV and circulating miRNA isolated from NSCLC patients versus screening controls with a similar risk profile. We found that combining EV (Hsa-miR-184, Let-7b-5p) and circulating (Hsa-miR-22-3p) miRNAs abundance robustly discriminates between NSCLC patients and high-risk cancer-free controls. Further, we found that Hsa-miR-22-3p, Hsa-miR-184, and Let-7b-5p functionally converge on WNT/βcatenin and mTOR/AKT signaling axes, known cancer therapy resistance signals. Targeting Hsa-miR-22-3p and Hsa-miR-184 desensitized EGFR-mutated (T790M, L578R) NSCLC cells to Osimertinib. These findings suggest that the expression levels of circulating hsa-miR-22-3p combined with EV hsa-miR-184 and Let-7b-5p levels potentially define a core biomarker signature for improving the accuracy of NSCLC diagnosis. Importantly, these biomarkers have the potential to enable prospective identification of patients who are at risk of responding poorly to Osimertinib alone but likely to benefit from Osimertinib/AKT blockade combination treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- G P Vadla
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - B Daghat
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - N Patterson
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - V Ahmad
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - G Perez
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - A Garcia
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - Y Manjunath
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65212, USA
| | - J T Kaifi
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65212, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - G Li
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65212, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - C Y Chabu
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA.
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65212, USA.
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
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9
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Wu CF, Wang QC, Chen R, Zhou HL, Wu TT, Du Y, Zhang NN, Zhang HM, Fan ZY, Wang LL, Hu CJ, Sang ZP, Li HL, Wang L, Tang L, Zhang JQ. Synthesis and bioevaluation of diaryl urea derivatives as potential antitumor agents for the treatment of human colorectal cancer. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 229:114055. [PMID: 34971874 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2021.114055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The development of inhibitors targeting the PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling pathway has been greatly hindered by the on-target AEs, such as hyperglycemia and hepatotoxicities. In this study, a series of diaryl urea derivatives has been designed and synthesized based on clinical candidate gedatolisib (6aa), and most of the newly synthesized derivatives showed kinase inhibitory and antiproliferative activities within nanomolar and submicromolar level, respectively. The terminal l-prolineamide substituted derivative 6 ab showed 8.6-fold more potent PI3Kα inhibitory activity (0.7 nM) and 4.6-fold more potent antiproliferative effect against HCT116 cell lines (0.11 μM) compared with control 6aa. The potential antitumor mechanism and efficacy of 6 ab in HCT116 xenograft models have also been evaluated, and found 6 ab showed comparable in vivo antitumor activity with 6aa. The safety investigations revealed that compound 6 ab exhibited more safer profiles in the selectivity of liver cells (selectivity index: >6.6 vs 1.85) and blood glucose regulation than 6aa. In addition, the in vitro stability assays also indicated our developed compound 6 ab possessed good metabolic stabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Feng Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants & College of Pharmacy, Guizhou Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Chemical Drug R&D, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, PR China
| | - Qing-Chen Wang
- Department of Pharmacy, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang, 550002, PR China
| | - Rui Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants & College of Pharmacy, Guizhou Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Chemical Drug R&D, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, PR China
| | - Hai-Ling Zhou
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Synthetic Biology and Medicine, Ministry of Education, Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center of Biopharmaceuticals, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China
| | - Ting-Ting Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants & College of Pharmacy, Guizhou Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Chemical Drug R&D, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, PR China; Department of Pharmacy, the First People's Hospital of Bijie, Bijie, 551700, PR China
| | - Yao Du
- State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants & College of Pharmacy, Guizhou Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Chemical Drug R&D, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, PR China
| | - Na-Na Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants & College of Pharmacy, Guizhou Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Chemical Drug R&D, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, PR China
| | - Hui-Min Zhang
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Synthetic Biology and Medicine, Ministry of Education, Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center of Biopharmaceuticals, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China
| | - Zu-Yan Fan
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Synthetic Biology and Medicine, Ministry of Education, Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center of Biopharmaceuticals, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China
| | - Li-Li Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants & College of Pharmacy, Guizhou Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Chemical Drug R&D, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, PR China
| | - Chu-Jiao Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants & College of Pharmacy, Guizhou Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Chemical Drug R&D, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, PR China
| | - Zhi-Pei Sang
- State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants & College of Pharmacy, Guizhou Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Chemical Drug R&D, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, PR China
| | - Hong-Liang Li
- School of Medicine, Yunnan University, 2 Cuihu North Road, Kunming, 650091, PR China
| | - Ling Wang
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Synthetic Biology and Medicine, Ministry of Education, Guangdong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center of Biopharmaceuticals, School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China.
| | - Lei Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants & College of Pharmacy, Guizhou Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Chemical Drug R&D, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, PR China.
| | - Ji-Quan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants & College of Pharmacy, Guizhou Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Chemical Drug R&D, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, PR China.
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10
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Marosi M, Nenov MN, Di Re J, Dvorak NM, Alshammari M, Laezza F. Inhibition of the Akt/PKB Kinase Increases Na v1.6-Mediated Currents and Neuronal Excitability in CA1 Hippocampal Pyramidal Neurons. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23031700. [PMID: 35163623 PMCID: PMC8836202 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
In neurons, changes in Akt activity have been detected in response to the stimulation of transmembrane receptors. However, the mechanisms that lead to changes in neuronal function upon Akt inhibition are still poorly understood. In the present study, we interrogate how Akt inhibition could affect the activity of the neuronal Nav channels with while impacting intrinsic excitability. To that end, we employed voltage-clamp electrophysiological recordings in heterologous cells expressing the Nav1.6 channel isoform and in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons in the presence of triciribine, an inhibitor of Akt. We showed that in both systems, Akt inhibition resulted in a potentiation of peak transient Na+ current (INa) density. Akt inhibition correspondingly led to an increase in the action potential firing of the CA1 pyramidal neurons that was accompanied by a decrease in the action potential current threshold. Complementary confocal analysis in the CA1 pyramidal neurons showed that the inhibition of Akt is associated with the lengthening of Nav1.6 fluorescent intensity along the axonal initial segment (AIS), providing a mechanism for augmented neuronal excitability. Taken together, these findings provide evidence that Akt-mediated signal transduction might affect neuronal excitability in a Nav1.6-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mate Marosi
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (M.M.); (M.N.N.); (J.D.R.); (N.M.D.); (M.A.)
| | - Miroslav N. Nenov
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (M.M.); (M.N.N.); (J.D.R.); (N.M.D.); (M.A.)
| | - Jessica Di Re
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (M.M.); (M.N.N.); (J.D.R.); (N.M.D.); (M.A.)
| | - Nolan M. Dvorak
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (M.M.); (M.N.N.); (J.D.R.); (N.M.D.); (M.A.)
| | - Musaad Alshammari
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (M.M.); (M.N.N.); (J.D.R.); (N.M.D.); (M.A.)
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh P.O. Box 145111, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fernanda Laezza
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; (M.M.); (M.N.N.); (J.D.R.); (N.M.D.); (M.A.)
- Center for Addiction Research, Center for Biomedical Engineering and Mitchell, Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, The University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-(409)-772-9672; Fax: +1-(409)-772-9642
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11
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Matsushima-Nishiwaki R, Yamada N, Hattori Y, Hosokawa Y, Tachi J, Hori T, Kozawa O. SERMs (selective estrogen receptor modulator), acting as estrogen receptor β agonists in hepatocellular carcinoma cells, inhibit the transforming growth factor-α-induced migration via specific inhibition of AKT signaling pathway. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0262485. [PMID: 35007301 PMCID: PMC8746762 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) interacts with estrogen receptors and acts as both an agonist or an antagonist, depending on the target tissue. SERM is widely used as a safer hormone replacement therapeutic medicine for postmenopausal osteoporosis. Regarding hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), accumulating evidence indicates gender differences in the development, and that men are at higher morbidity risk than premenopausal women, suggesting that estrogen protects against HCC. However, it remains unclear whether SERM affects the HCC progression. Previously, we have shown that transforming growth factor (TGF)-α promotes the migration of HCC cells via p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase and AKT. In the present study, we investigated whether SERM such as tamoxifen, raloxifene and bazedoxifene, affects the HCC cell migration using human HCC-derived HuH7 cells. Raloxifene and bazedoxifene but not tamoxifen, significantly suppressed the TGF-α-induced HuH7 cell migration. ERB041 and DPN, estrogen receptor (ER) β agonists, inhibited the TGF-α-induced cell migration whereas PPT, an ERα agonist, did not show the suppressive effect on the cell migration. ERB041 attenuated the TGF-α-induced phosphorylation of AKT without affecting the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and c-Jun N-terminal kinase. Raloxifene and bazedoxifene also inhibited the phosphorylation of AKT by TGF-α. Furthermore, PHTPP, an ERβ antagonist, significantly reversed the suppression by both raloxifene and bazedoxifene of the TGF-α-induced cell migration. Taken together, our results strongly indicate that raloxifene and bazedoxifene, SERMs, suppress the TGF-α-induced migration of HCC cells through ERβ-mediated inhibition of the AKT signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Noriko Yamada
- Department of Pharmacology, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
| | - Yuria Hattori
- Department of Pharmacology, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
| | - Yui Hosokawa
- Department of Pharmacology, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
| | - Junko Tachi
- Department of Pharmacology, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
| | - Takamitsu Hori
- Department of Pharmacology, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
| | - Osamu Kozawa
- Department of Pharmacology, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
- * E-mail:
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12
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Lee DG, Kim HJ, Lee Y, Kim JH, Hwang Y, Ha J, Ryoo S. 10-DEBC Hydrochloride as a Promising New Agent against Infection of Mycobacterium abscessus. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:591. [PMID: 35054777 PMCID: PMC8775589 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23020591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Mycobacterium abscessus (M. abscessus) causes chronic pulmonary infections. Its resistance to current antimicrobial drugs makes it the most difficult non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) to treat with a treatment success rate of 45.6%. Therefore, there is a need for new therapeutic agents against M. abscessus. We identified 10-DEBC hydrochloride (10-DEBC), a selective AKT inhibitor that exhibits inhibitory activity against M. abscessus. To evaluate the potential of 10-DEBC as a treatment for lung disease caused by M. abscessus, we measured its effectiveness in vitro. We established the intracellular activity of 10-DEBC against M. abscessus in human macrophages and human embryonic cell-derived macrophages (iMACs). 10-DEBC significantly inhibited the growth of wild-type M. abscessus and clinical isolates and clarithromycin (CLR)-resistant M. abscessus strains. 10-DEBC's drug efficacy did not have cytotoxicity in the infected macrophages. In addition, 10-DEBC operates under anaerobic conditions without replication as well as in the presence of biofilms. The alternative caseum binding assay is a unique tool for evaluating drug efficacy against slow and nonreplicating bacilli in their native caseum media. In the surrogate caseum, the mean undiluted fraction unbound (fu) for 10-DEBC is 5.696. The results of an in vitro study on the activity of M. abscessus suggest that 10-DEBC is a potential new drug for treating M. abscessus infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Da-Gyum Lee
- Center for Clinical Research, Masan National Tuberculosis Hospital, Changwon 51755, Korea; (D.-G.L.); (Y.H.)
| | - Hye-Jung Kim
- New Drug Development Center, KBIO OSONG Medical Innovation Foundation, Cheongju 28160, Korea; (H.-J.K.); (J.H.)
| | - Youngsun Lee
- Division of Intractable Diseases Research, Department of Chronic Diseases Convergence Research, Korea National Institute of Health, Cheongju 28160, Korea; (Y.L.); (J.-H.K.)
| | - Jung-Hyun Kim
- Division of Intractable Diseases Research, Department of Chronic Diseases Convergence Research, Korea National Institute of Health, Cheongju 28160, Korea; (Y.L.); (J.-H.K.)
| | - Yoohyun Hwang
- Center for Clinical Research, Masan National Tuberculosis Hospital, Changwon 51755, Korea; (D.-G.L.); (Y.H.)
| | - Jeongyeop Ha
- New Drug Development Center, KBIO OSONG Medical Innovation Foundation, Cheongju 28160, Korea; (H.-J.K.); (J.H.)
| | - Sungweon Ryoo
- Center for Clinical Research, Masan National Tuberculosis Hospital, Changwon 51755, Korea; (D.-G.L.); (Y.H.)
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Melis N, Carcy R, Rubera I, Cougnon M, Duranton C, Tauc M, Pisani DF. Akt Inhibition as Preconditioning Treatment to Protect Kidney Cells against Anoxia. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 23:ijms23010152. [PMID: 35008578 PMCID: PMC8745656 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23010152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Lesions issued from the ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) stress are a major challenge in human pathophysiology. Of human organs, the kidney is highly sensitive to I/R because of its high oxygen demand and poor regenerative capacity. Previous studies have shown that targeting the hypusination pathway of eIF5A through GC7 greatly improves ischemic tolerance and can be applied successfully to kidney transplants. The protection process correlates with a metabolic shift from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis. Because the protein kinase B Akt is involved in ischemic protective mechanisms and glucose metabolism, we looked for a link between the effects of GC7 and Akt in proximal kidney cells exposed to anoxia or the mitotoxic myxothiazol. We found that GC7 treatment resulted in impaired Akt phosphorylation at the Ser473 and Thr308 sites, so the effects of direct Akt inhibition as a preconditioning protocol on ischemic tolerance were investigated. We evidenced that Akt inhibitors provide huge protection for kidney cells against ischemia and myxothiazol. The pro-survival effect of Akt inhibitors, which is reversible, implied a decrease in mitochondrial ROS production but was not related to metabolic changes or an antioxidant defense increase. Therefore, the inhibition of Akt can be considered as a preconditioning treatment against ischemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Melis
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA;
| | - Romain Carcy
- Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS, LP2M, 06103 Nice, France; (R.C.); (I.R.); (M.C.); (C.D.); (M.T.)
- CHU Nice, Hôpital Pasteur 2, Service de Réanimation Polyvalente et Service de Réanimation des Urgences Vitales, 06103 Nice, France
- Laboratories of Excellence Ion Channel Science and Therapeutics, 06103 Nice, France
| | - Isabelle Rubera
- Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS, LP2M, 06103 Nice, France; (R.C.); (I.R.); (M.C.); (C.D.); (M.T.)
- Laboratories of Excellence Ion Channel Science and Therapeutics, 06103 Nice, France
| | - Marc Cougnon
- Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS, LP2M, 06103 Nice, France; (R.C.); (I.R.); (M.C.); (C.D.); (M.T.)
- Laboratories of Excellence Ion Channel Science and Therapeutics, 06103 Nice, France
| | - Christophe Duranton
- Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS, LP2M, 06103 Nice, France; (R.C.); (I.R.); (M.C.); (C.D.); (M.T.)
- Laboratories of Excellence Ion Channel Science and Therapeutics, 06103 Nice, France
| | - Michel Tauc
- Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS, LP2M, 06103 Nice, France; (R.C.); (I.R.); (M.C.); (C.D.); (M.T.)
- Laboratories of Excellence Ion Channel Science and Therapeutics, 06103 Nice, France
| | - Didier F. Pisani
- Université Côte d’Azur, CNRS, LP2M, 06103 Nice, France; (R.C.); (I.R.); (M.C.); (C.D.); (M.T.)
- Laboratories of Excellence Ion Channel Science and Therapeutics, 06103 Nice, France
- Correspondence:
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14
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He Y, Sun MM, Zhang GG, Yang J, Chen KS, Xu WW, Li B. Targeting PI3K/Akt signal transduction for cancer therapy. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2021; 6:425. [PMID: 34916492 PMCID: PMC8677728 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-021-00828-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 262] [Impact Index Per Article: 87.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway plays a crucial role in various cellular processes and is aberrantly activated in cancers, contributing to the occurrence and progression of tumors. Examining the upstream and downstream nodes of this pathway could allow full elucidation of its function. Based on accumulating evidence, strategies targeting major components of the pathway might provide new insights for cancer drug discovery. Researchers have explored the use of some inhibitors targeting this pathway to block survival pathways. However, because oncogenic PI3K pathway activation occurs through various mechanisms, the clinical efficacies of these inhibitors are limited. Moreover, pathway activation is accompanied by the development of therapeutic resistance. Therefore, strategies involving pathway inhibitors and other cancer treatments in combination might solve the therapeutic dilemma. In this review, we discuss the roles of the PI3K/Akt pathway in various cancer phenotypes, review the current statuses of different PI3K/Akt inhibitors, and introduce combination therapies consisting of signaling inhibitors and conventional cancer therapies. The information presented herein suggests that cascading inhibitors of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, either alone or in combination with other therapies, are the most effective treatment strategy for cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan He
- MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology and Key Laboratory of Functional Protein Research of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Institute of Life and Health Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Miao Miao Sun
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan Key Laboratory of Tumor Pathology, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Guo Geng Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Bioengineering Medicine, National Engineering Research Center of Genetic Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jing Yang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Bioengineering Medicine, National Engineering Research Center of Genetic Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kui Sheng Chen
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan Key Laboratory of Tumor Pathology, Zhengzhou, China.
| | - Wen Wen Xu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Bioengineering Medicine, National Engineering Research Center of Genetic Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Bin Li
- MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology and Key Laboratory of Functional Protein Research of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Institute of Life and Health Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
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15
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Farhan M, Silva M, Xingan X, Zhou Z, Zheng W. Artemisinin Inhibits the Migration and Invasion in Uveal Melanoma via Inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathway. Oxid Med Cell Longev 2021; 2021:9911537. [PMID: 34931134 PMCID: PMC8684509 DOI: 10.1155/2021/9911537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 09/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Uveal melanoma is the most common primary ocular neoplasm in adults, with many patients ending up developing liver metastasis and facing a significant reduction of their life expectancy due to the lack of efficient treatments. Artemisinin is an antimalarial drug that has been widely used in the clinic and whose anticancer properties have also been described. Its reported safety, affordability, and ability to reach the ocular tissues point that it has a potential therapeutic agent against uveal melanoma. In the present study, we found that a subantimalaria dosage of artemisinin significantly attenuated the migration and invasion potential of uveal melanoma cells, in a concentration-dependent manner. Assessment of the mechanisms underlying artemisinin anticancer action revealed that its use dramatically reduced the phosphorylation of PI3K, AKT, and mTOR in UM cells. Further inhibition of PI3K signaling, using LY294002, or of mTOR, by rapamycin, blocked the migration and invasion of UM cells similarly to artemisinin. In contrast, AKT or mTOR activator (Sc79 and MHY1485, respectively) attenuated the inhibitory effect of artemisinin on the migration and invasion abilities of UM cells, further validating that artemisinin's anticancer effect is likely to be mediated via inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Artemisinin also induced mitochondrial membrane potential loss and apoptosis of UM cells, having no significant toxic effect on normal retinal neuronal cells RGC-5 and epithelial cells D407. These findings and the reported safety of artemisinin's clinical dosage strongly suggest the therapeutic potential of artemisinin in the prevention and treatment of uveal melanomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohd Farhan
- Cancer Center and Center of Reproduction, Development & Aging, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau SAR, China
- Institute of Translation Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences and Ministry of Education Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau SAR, China
| | - Marta Silva
- Cancer Center and Center of Reproduction, Development & Aging, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau SAR, China
- Institute of Translation Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences and Ministry of Education Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau SAR, China
| | - Xing Xingan
- Cancer Center and Center of Reproduction, Development & Aging, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau SAR, China
- Institute of Translation Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences and Ministry of Education Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau SAR, China
| | - Zhiwei Zhou
- Cancer Center and Center of Reproduction, Development & Aging, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau SAR, China
- Institute of Translation Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences and Ministry of Education Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau SAR, China
| | - Wenhua Zheng
- Cancer Center and Center of Reproduction, Development & Aging, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau SAR, China
- Institute of Translation Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences and Ministry of Education Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau SAR, China
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16
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Lee SW, Kim SM, Hur W, Kang BY, Lee HL, Nam H, Yoo SH, Sung PS, Kwon JH, Jang JW, Kim SJ, Yoon SK. Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate directly ameliorates liver fibrosis by inducing hepatic stellate cell apoptosis via downregulation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0261067. [PMID: 34879114 PMCID: PMC8654182 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Antifibrotic agent for the treatment of liver fibrosis has not been developed so far. Long term treatment of chronic hepatitis B patients with antiviral drugs tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and entecavir (ETV) results in the regression of liver fibrosis, but the underlying mechanism has not been clarified. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the direct impact of TDF and ETV on liver fibrosis. Methods Activated hepatic stellate cell (HSC) cell lines were used to evaluate the effects of TDF and ETV. After treatment with each antiviral agent, cell viability, morphology, apoptotic features, autophagy and antifibrosis signalling pathways were examined. Then, collagen deposition, fibrosis markers and activated HSCs were measured in liver tissues of the liver fibrosis model mice. Results After TDF treatment, the viabilities of LX2 and HSC-T6 cells were decreased, and the cells exhibited apoptotic features, but ETV did not induce these effects. Cleavage of PARP and Caspase-3 and the inhibition of the antiapoptotic gene Bcl-xl indicated activated HSC apoptosis following TDF treatment. TDF simultaneously increased autophagy, which also regulated apoptosis through crosstalk. TDF inactivated the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling pathway, which was associated with the activation of both apoptosis and autophagy. In the liver fibrosis mouse model, the fibrotic area and activated HSC markers were decreased by TDF but not ETV treatment. Additionally, apoptotic cells were concentrated in the periportal fibrotic area after TDF treatment, which indicated the specific antifibrotic effect of TDF. Conclusions TDF directly ameliorates liver fibrosis by downregulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling pathway, which results in the apoptosis of activated HSCs. The antifibrotic effects of TDF indicate that it may be a therapeutic agent for the treatment of liver fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung Won Lee
- Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, The Catholic University Liver Research Centre, POSTECH-Catholic Biomedical Engineering Institute, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung Min Kim
- Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, The Catholic University Liver Research Centre, POSTECH-Catholic Biomedical Engineering Institute, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Wonhee Hur
- Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, The Catholic University Liver Research Centre, POSTECH-Catholic Biomedical Engineering Institute, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Byung-Yoon Kang
- Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, The Catholic University Liver Research Centre, POSTECH-Catholic Biomedical Engineering Institute, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hae Lim Lee
- Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, The Catholic University Liver Research Centre, POSTECH-Catholic Biomedical Engineering Institute, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Heechul Nam
- Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, The Catholic University Liver Research Centre, POSTECH-Catholic Biomedical Engineering Institute, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun Hong Yoo
- Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, The Catholic University Liver Research Centre, POSTECH-Catholic Biomedical Engineering Institute, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Pil Soo Sung
- Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, The Catholic University Liver Research Centre, POSTECH-Catholic Biomedical Engineering Institute, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung Hyun Kwon
- Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, The Catholic University Liver Research Centre, POSTECH-Catholic Biomedical Engineering Institute, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong Won Jang
- Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, The Catholic University Liver Research Centre, POSTECH-Catholic Biomedical Engineering Institute, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Seong-Jun Kim
- Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung Kew Yoon
- Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, The Catholic University Liver Research Centre, POSTECH-Catholic Biomedical Engineering Institute, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- * E-mail:
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17
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Yamamoto A, Sagara A, Otani K, Okada M, Yamawaki H. Chemerin-9 stimulates migration in rat cardiac fibroblasts in vitro. Eur J Pharmacol 2021; 912:174566. [PMID: 34653380 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2021.174566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Since chemerin is an adipocytokine whose concentration in blood increases in the subjects with various cardiac diseases, chemerin may be involved in pathogenesis of cardiac diseases. In the present study, we examined the effects of chemerin-9, an active fragment of chemerin, on functions of cardiac fibroblasts, which are involved in pathophysiology of cardiac diseases. Primary cardiac fibroblasts were enzymatically isolated from adult male Wistar rats. Migration of cardiac fibroblasts was measured by a Boyden chamber assay and a scratch assay. Phosphorylation of Akt and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) was measured by Western blotting. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was measured by 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluoresein staining. Chemerin-9 significantly stimulated migration in cardiac fibroblasts. Chemerin-9 significantly stimulated phosphorylation of Akt and ERK as well as ROS production. An Akt pathway inhibitor, LY294002, an ERK pathway inhibitor, PD98059, an antagonist of chemokine-like receptor 1 (CMKLR1), 2-(α-Napththoyl) ethyltrimethylammonium iodide, or an antioxidant, N-acetyl-L-cysteine prevented the migration induced by chemerin-9. In summary, we for the first time revealed that chemerin-9 stimulates migration perhaps through the ROS-dependent activation of Akt and ERK via CMKLR1 in cardiac fibroblasts. It is proposed that chemerin plays a role in the pathogenesis of cardiac diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsunori Yamamoto
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmacology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Kitasato University, Higashi 23 Bancho 35-1, Towada, Aomori, 034-8628, Japan
| | - Ayumi Sagara
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmacology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Kitasato University, Higashi 23 Bancho 35-1, Towada, Aomori, 034-8628, Japan
| | - Kosuke Otani
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmacology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Kitasato University, Higashi 23 Bancho 35-1, Towada, Aomori, 034-8628, Japan
| | - Muneyoshi Okada
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmacology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Kitasato University, Higashi 23 Bancho 35-1, Towada, Aomori, 034-8628, Japan
| | - Hideyuki Yamawaki
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmacology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Kitasato University, Higashi 23 Bancho 35-1, Towada, Aomori, 034-8628, Japan.
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18
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Li G, Zhang C, Liang W, Zhang Y, Shen Y, Tian X. Berberine regulates the Notch1/PTEN/PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and acts synergistically with 17-AAG and SAHA in SW480 colon cancer cells. Pharm Biol 2021; 59:21-30. [PMID: 33417512 PMCID: PMC7808376 DOI: 10.1080/13880209.2020.1865407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT Berberine (BBR) is used to treat diarrhoea and gastroenteritis in the clinic. It was found to have anticolon cancer effects. OBJECTIVE To study the anticolon cancer mechanism of BBR by connectivity map (CMAP) analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS CMAP based mechanistic prediction was conducted by comparing gene expression profiles of 10 μM BBR treated MCF-7 cells with that of clinical drugs such as helveticoside, ianatoside C, pyrvinium, gossypol and trifluoperazine. The treatment time was 12 h and two biological replications were performed. The DMSO-treated cells were selected as a control. The interaction between 100 μM BBR and target protein was measured by cellular thermal shift assay. The protein expression of 1-9 μM BBR treated SW480 cells were measured by WB assay. Apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) of 1-9 μM BBR treated SW480 cells were measured by flow cytometry and Hoechst 33342 staining methods. RESULTS CMAP analysis found 14 Hsp90, HDAC, PI3K or mTOR protein inhibitors have similar functions with BBR. The experiments showed that BBR inhibited SW480 cells proliferation with IC50 of 3.436 μM, induced apoptosis, autophage, MMP depolarization and arrested G1 phase of cell cycle at 1.0 μM. BBR dose-dependently up-regulated PTEN, while inhibited Notch1, PI3K, Akt and mTOR proteins at 1.0-9.0 μM (p < 0.05). BBR also acted synergistically with Hsp90 and HDAC inhibitor (0.01 μM) in SW480 cells at 0.5 and 1.0 μM. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS The integrative gene expression-based chemical genomic method using CMAP analysis may be applicable for mechanistic studies of other multi-targets drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ge Li
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, PR China
| | - Chuang Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, PR China
| | - Wei Liang
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, PR China
| | - Yanbing Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, PR China
| | - Yunheng Shen
- School of Pharmacy, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, PR China
| | - Xinhui Tian
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, PR China
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19
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Gonzalez-Valdivieso J, Garcia-Sampedro A, Hall AR, Girotti A, Arias FJ, Pereira SP, Acedo P. Smart Nanoparticles as Advanced Anti-Akt Kinase Delivery Systems for Pancreatic Cancer Therapy. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2021; 13:55790-55805. [PMID: 34788541 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c14592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers partly due to late diagnosis, poor drug delivery to the target site, and acquired resistance to therapy. Therefore, more effective therapies are urgently needed to improve the outcome of patients. In this work, we have tested self-assembling genetically engineered polymeric nanoparticles formed by elastin-like recombinamers (ELRs), carrying a small peptide inhibitor of the protein kinase Akt, in both PANC-1 and patient-derived pancreatic cancer cells (PDX models). Nanoparticle cell uptake was measured by flow cytometry, and subcellular localization was determined by confocal microscopy, which showed a lysosomal localization of these nanoparticles. Furthermore, metabolic activity and cell viability were significantly reduced after incubation with nanoparticles carrying the Akt inhibitor in a time- and dose-dependent fashion. Self-assembling 73 ± 3.2 nm size nanoparticles inhibited phosphorylation and consequent activation of Akt protein, blocked the NF-κB signaling pathway, and triggered caspase 3-mediated apoptosis. Furthermore, in vivo assays showed that ELR-based nanoparticles were suitable devices for drug delivery purposes with long circulating time and minimum toxicity. Hence, the use of these smart nanoparticles could lead to the development of more effective treatment options for pancreatic cancer based on the inhibition of Akt.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Gonzalez-Valdivieso
- Smart Biodevices for NanoMed Group, University of Valladolid, Paseo Belén, Valladolid 47011, Spain
| | - Andres Garcia-Sampedro
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital Campus, University College London, Pond Street, London NW3 2QG, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew R Hall
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital Campus, University College London, Pond Street, London NW3 2QG, United Kingdom
- Sheila Sherlock Liver Centre, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London NW3 2QG, United Kingdom
| | - Alessandra Girotti
- BIOFORGE (Group for Advanced Materials and Nanobiotechnology), CIBER-BBN, University of Valladolid, Paseo Belén, Valladolid 47011, Spain
| | - Francisco Javier Arias
- Smart Biodevices for NanoMed Group, University of Valladolid, Paseo Belén, Valladolid 47011, Spain
| | - Stephen P Pereira
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital Campus, University College London, Pond Street, London NW3 2QG, United Kingdom
| | - Pilar Acedo
- Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital Campus, University College London, Pond Street, London NW3 2QG, United Kingdom
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20
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Torregroza C, Glashoerster CO, Feige K, Stroethoff M, Raupach A, Heinen A, Hollmann MW, Huhn R. Mediation of the Cardioprotective Effects of Mannitol Discovered, with Refutation of Common Protein Kinases. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222212471. [PMID: 34830353 PMCID: PMC8625521 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222212471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 11/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The osmodiuretic agent Mannitol exerts cardioprotection against ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury when applied as a pre- and/or postconditioning stimulus. Previously, we demonstrated that these properties are mediated via the activation of mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium (mKATP) channels. However, considering Mannitol remains in the extracellular compartment, the question arises as to which receptor and intracellular signaling cascades are involved in myocardial protection by the osmodiuretic substance. Protein kinase B (Akt) and G (PKG), as part of the reperfusion injury salvage kinase (RISK) and/or endothelial nitric oxide (eNOS)/PKG pathway, are two well-investigated intracellular targets conferring myocardial protection upstream of mitochondrial potassium channels. Adenosine receptor subtypes have been shown to trigger different cardioprotective pathways, for example, the reperfusion injury. Further, Mannitol induces an increased activation of the adenosine 1 receptor (A1R) in renal cells conferring its nephroprotective properties. Therefore, we investigated whether (1) Akt and PKG are possible signaling targets involved in Mannitol-induced conditioning upstream of the mKATP channel and/or whether (2) cardioprotection by Mannitol is mediated via activation of the A1R. All experiments were performed on male Wistar rats in vitro employing the Langendorff isolated heart perfusion technique with infarct size determination as the primary endpoint. To unravel possible protein kinase activation, Mannitol was applied in combination with the Akt (MK2206) or PKG (KT5823) inhibitor. In further groups, an A1R blocker (DPCPX) was given with or without Mannitol. Preconditioning with Mannitol (Man) significantly reduced the infarct size compared to the control group. Co-administration of the A1R blocker DPXPC fully abolished myocardial protection of Mannitol. Interestingly and in contrast to the initial hypothesis, neither administration of the Akt nor the PKG blocker had any impact on the cardioprotective properties of Mannitol-induced preconditioning. These results are quite unexpected and show that the protein kinases Akt and PKG—as possible targets of known protective signaling cascades—are not involved in Mannitol-induced preconditioning. However, the cardioprotective effects of Mannitol are mediated via the A1R.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Torregroza
- Department of Anesthesiology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Duesseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Moorenstr. 5, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany; (C.T.); (C.O.G.); (M.S.); (A.R.); (R.H.)
| | - Chiara O. Glashoerster
- Department of Anesthesiology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Duesseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Moorenstr. 5, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany; (C.T.); (C.O.G.); (M.S.); (A.R.); (R.H.)
| | - Katharina Feige
- Department of Anesthesiology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Duesseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Moorenstr. 5, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany; (C.T.); (C.O.G.); (M.S.); (A.R.); (R.H.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Martin Stroethoff
- Department of Anesthesiology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Duesseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Moorenstr. 5, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany; (C.T.); (C.O.G.); (M.S.); (A.R.); (R.H.)
| | - Annika Raupach
- Department of Anesthesiology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Duesseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Moorenstr. 5, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany; (C.T.); (C.O.G.); (M.S.); (A.R.); (R.H.)
| | - André Heinen
- Institute of Cardiovascular Physiology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Duesseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Universitaetsstr. 1, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany;
| | - Markus W. Hollmann
- Department of Anesthesiology, Amsterdam University Medical Center (AUMC), Location AMC, Meiberdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
| | - Ragnar Huhn
- Department of Anesthesiology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Duesseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf, Moorenstr. 5, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany; (C.T.); (C.O.G.); (M.S.); (A.R.); (R.H.)
- Department of Anesthesiology, Kerckhoff-Clinic GmbH, Benekestr. 2-8, 61231 Bad Nauheim, Germany
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21
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Zughaibi TA, Suhail M, Tarique M, Tabrez S. Targeting PI3K/Akt/mTOR Pathway by Different Flavonoids: A Cancer Chemopreventive Approach. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222212455. [PMID: 34830339 PMCID: PMC8621356 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222212455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/13/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is, globally, one of the main causes of death. Even though various therapies are available, they are still painful because of their adverse side effects. Available treatments frequently fail due to unpromising responses, resistance to classical anticancer drugs, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and low accessibility to tumor tissues. Developing novel strategies to minimize adverse side effects, improve chemotherapy sensitivity, and control cancer progression is needed. Many studies have suggested small dietary molecules as complementary treatments for cancer patients. Different components of herbal/edible plants, known as flavonoids, have recently garnered attention due to their broad biological properties (e.g., antioxidant, antiviral, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic, anticancer, hepatoprotective, and cardioprotective). These flavonoids have shown anticancer activity by affecting different signaling cascades. This article summarizes the key progress made in this area and discusses the role of flavonoids by specifically inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in various cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Torki A. Zughaibi
- King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia;
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohd Suhail
- King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia;
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Correspondence: (M.S.); (S.T.); Tel.: +966-533018148 (M.S.); +966-126401000 (ext. 25185) (S.T.); Fax: +966-126952076 (S.T.)
| | - Mohammad Tarique
- Department of Child Health, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA;
| | - Shams Tabrez
- King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia;
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Correspondence: (M.S.); (S.T.); Tel.: +966-533018148 (M.S.); +966-126401000 (ext. 25185) (S.T.); Fax: +966-126952076 (S.T.)
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22
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Król SK, Bębenek E, Dmoszyńska-Graniczka M, Sławińska-Brych A, Boryczka S, Stepulak A. Acetylenic Synthetic Betulin Derivatives Inhibit Akt and Erk Kinases Activity, Trigger Apoptosis and Suppress Proliferation of Neuroblastoma and Rhabdomyosarcoma Cell Lines. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:12299. [PMID: 34830180 PMCID: PMC8624615 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222212299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) and rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), the most common pediatric extracranial solid tumors, still represent an important clinical challenge since no effective treatment is available for metastatic and recurrent disease. Hence, there is an urgent need for the development of new chemotherapeutics to improve the outcome of patients. Betulin (Bet), a triterpenoid from the bark of birches, demonstrated interesting anti-cancer potential. The modification of natural phytochemicals with evidenced anti-tumor activity, including Bet, is one of the methods of receiving new compounds for potential implementation in oncological treatment. Here, we showed that two acetylenic synthetic Bet derivatives (ASBDs), EB5 and EB25/1, reduced the viability and proliferation of SK-N-AS and TE671 cells, as measured by MTT and BrdU tests, respectively. Moreover, ASBDs were also more cytotoxic than temozolomide (TMZ) and cisplatin (cis-diaminedichloroplatinum [II], CDDP) in vitro, and the combination of EB5 with CDDP enhanced anti-cancer effects. We also showed the slowdown of cell cycle progression at S/G2 phases mediated by EB5 using FACS flow cytometry. The decreased viability and proliferation of pediatric cancers cells after treatment with ASBDs was linked to the reduced activity of kinases Akt, Erk1/2 and p38 and the induction of apoptosis, as investigated using Western blotting and FACS. In addition, in silico analyses of the ADMET profile found EB5 to be a promising anti-cancer drug candidate that would benefit from further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylwia K. Król
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Lublin, Chodźki 1, 20-093 Lublin, Poland; (M.D.-G.); (A.S.)
| | - Ewa Bębenek
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Sosnowiec, Medical University of Silesia, Jagiellońska 4, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland; (E.B.); (S.B.)
| | - Magdalena Dmoszyńska-Graniczka
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Lublin, Chodźki 1, 20-093 Lublin, Poland; (M.D.-G.); (A.S.)
| | - Adrianna Sławińska-Brych
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Akademicka 19, 20-033 Lublin, Poland;
| | - Stanisław Boryczka
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Sosnowiec, Medical University of Silesia, Jagiellońska 4, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland; (E.B.); (S.B.)
| | - Andrzej Stepulak
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Lublin, Chodźki 1, 20-093 Lublin, Poland; (M.D.-G.); (A.S.)
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23
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Lu ZN, Shan Q, Hu SJ, Zhao Y, Zhang GN, Zhu M, Yu DK, Wang JX, He HW. Discovery of 1,8-naphthalidine derivatives as potent anti-hepatic fibrosis agents via repressing PI3K/AKT/Smad and JAK2/STAT3 pathways. Bioorg Med Chem 2021; 49:116438. [PMID: 34610571 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2021.116438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Liver fibrosis is one of the most common pathological consequences of chronic liver diseases (CLD). To develop effective antifibrotic strategies, a novel class of 1-(substituted phenyl)-1,8-naphthalidine-3-carboxamide derivatives were designed and synthesized. By means of the collagen type I α 1 (COL1A1)-based screening and cytotoxicity assay in human hepatic stellate cell (HSC) line LX-2, seven compounds were screened out from total 60 derivatives with high inhibitory effect and relatively low cytotoxicity for further COL1A1 mRNA expression analysis. It was found that compound 17f and 19g dose-dependently inhibited the expression of fibrogenic markers, including α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), matrix metalloprotein 2 (MMP-2), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) on both mRNA and protein levels. Further mechanism studies indicated that they might suppress the hepatic fibrogenesis via inhibiting both PI3K/AKT/Smad and non-Smad JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathways. Furthermore, 19g administration attenuated hepatic histopathological injury and collagen accumulation, and reduced fibrogenesis-associated protein expression in liver tissues of bile duct ligation (BDL) rats, showing significant antifibrotic effect in vivo. These findings identified 1,8-naphthalidine derivatives as potent anti-hepatic fibrosis agents, and provided valuable information for further structure optimization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen-Ning Lu
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Qi Shan
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Shang-Jiu Hu
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Yue Zhao
- Beijing Changping Technology Innodevelop Group, Beijing 102200, China
| | - Guo-Ning Zhang
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Mei Zhu
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Dong-Ke Yu
- Personalized Drug Therapy Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Department of Pharmacy, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610072, China
| | - Ju-Xian Wang
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
| | - Hong-Wei He
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
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Chen W, Zhao S, Yu W, Rao T, Ruan Y, Zhu S, Xia Y, Song H, Cheng F. SC66 inhibits the proliferation and induces apoptosis of human bladder cancer cells by targeting the AKT/β-catenin pathway. J Cell Mol Med 2021; 25:10684-10697. [PMID: 34687144 PMCID: PMC8581318 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.17005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Bladder cancer (BC) is a major disease of the genitourinary tract, and chemotherapy is one of the main treatments commonly used at present. SC66 is a new type of allosteric AKT inhibitor that is reported to play an effective inhibitory role in the progression of many other types of tumours, but there is no reported research on its role in BC. In this study, we found that SC66 significantly inhibited the proliferation and EMT‐mediated migration and invasion of T24 and 5637 cells. In addition, experiments confirmed that SC66 achieved its antitumour effect by inducing cell apoptosis and affecting the cell cycle. Luciferase assays confirmed that SC66 exerted an antitumour effect through the AKT/β‐catenin signalling pathway, and this inhibitory effect was reversed after the addition of the β‐catenin signalling pathway activator, CHIR‐99021. In addition, animal studies have shown that, compared with the control group, the experimental group with SC66 intraperitoneal injection showed significantly reduced the tumour weight and volume in nude mice with T24 tumours and that SC66 combined with cisplatin achieved better inhibition on tumours. Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry staining confirmed that SC66 inhibited the EMT process in vivo and induced apoptosis through the AKT/β‐catenin signalling pathway. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that SC66 exerts a significant antitumour effect through the AKT/β‐catenin signalling pathway, thereby providing a new potential treatment for BC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wu Chen
- Department of UrologyRenmin Hospital of Wuhan UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Sheng Zhao
- Department of UrologyRenmin Hospital of Wuhan UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Weimin Yu
- Department of UrologyRenmin Hospital of Wuhan UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Ting Rao
- Department of UrologyRenmin Hospital of Wuhan UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Yuan Ruan
- Department of UrologyRenmin Hospital of Wuhan UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Shaoming Zhu
- Department of UrologyRenmin Hospital of Wuhan UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Yuqi Xia
- Department of UrologyRenmin Hospital of Wuhan UniversityWuhanChina
| | - Hongfei Song
- Department of UrologyQianjiang Central HospitalQianjiangChina
| | - Fan Cheng
- Department of UrologyRenmin Hospital of Wuhan UniversityWuhanChina
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25
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Pungsrinont T, Kallenbach J, Baniahmad A. Role of PI3K-AKT-mTOR Pathway as a Pro-Survival Signaling and Resistance-Mediating Mechanism to Therapy of Prostate Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:11088. [PMID: 34681745 PMCID: PMC8538152 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222011088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and androgen receptor (AR)-targeted therapy are the gold standard options for treating prostate cancer (PCa). These are initially effective, as localized and the early stage of metastatic disease are androgen- and castration-sensitive. The tumor strongly relies on systemic/circulating androgens for activating AR signaling to stimulate growth and progression. However, after a certain point, the tumor will eventually develop a resistant stage, where ADT and AR antagonists are no longer effective. Mechanistically, it seems that the tumor becomes more aggressive through adaptive responses, relies more on alternative activated pathways, and is less dependent on AR signaling. This includes hyperactivation of PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway, which is a central signal that regulates cell pro-survival/anti-apoptotic pathways, thus, compensating the blockade of AR signaling. The PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway is well-documented for its crosstalk between genomic and non-genomic AR signaling, as well as other signaling cascades. Such a reciprocal feedback loop makes it more complicated to target individual factor/signaling for treating PCa. Here, we highlight the role of PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling as a resistance mechanism for PCa therapy and illustrate the transition of prostate tumor from AR signaling-dependent to PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway-dependent. Moreover, therapeutic strategies with inhibitors targeting the PI3K-AKT-mTOR signal used in clinic and ongoing clinical trials are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Aria Baniahmad
- Institute of Human Genetics, Jena University Hospital, 07747 Jena, Germany; (T.P.); (J.K.)
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26
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DeSelm L, Huck B, Lan R, Neagu C, Potnick J, Xiao Y, Chen X, Jones R, Richardson TE, Heasley BH, Haxell T, Moore J, Tian H, Georgi K, Rohdich F, Sutton A, Johnson T, Mochalkin I, Jackson J, Lin J, Crowley L, Machl A, Clark A, Wilker E, Sherer B, Goutopoulos A. Identification of Clinical Candidate M2698, a Dual p70S6K and Akt Inhibitor, for Treatment of PAM Pathway-Altered Cancers. J Med Chem 2021; 64:14603-14619. [PMID: 34596404 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Herein, we report the discovery of a novel class of quinazoline carboxamides as dual p70S6k/Akt inhibitors for the treatment of tumors driven by alterations to the PI3K/Akt/mTOR (PAM) pathway. Through the screening of in-house proprietary kinase library, 4-benzylamino-quinazoline-8-carboxylic acid amide 1 stood out, with sub-micromolar p70S6k biochemical activity, as the starting point for a structurally enabled p70S6K/Akt dual inhibitor program that led to the discovery of M2698, a dual p70S6k/Akt inhibitor. M2698 is kinase selective, possesses favorable physical, chemical, and DMPK profiles, is orally available and well tolerated, and displayed tumor control in multiple in vivo studies of PAM pathway-driven tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lizbeth DeSelm
- Discovery Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts 01821, United States
| | - Bayard Huck
- Discovery Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts 01821, United States
| | - Ruoxi Lan
- Discovery Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts 01821, United States
| | - Constantin Neagu
- Discovery Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts 01821, United States
| | - Justin Potnick
- Discovery Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts 01821, United States
| | - Yufang Xiao
- Discovery Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts 01821, United States
| | - Xiaoling Chen
- Discovery Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts 01821, United States
| | - Reinaldo Jones
- Discovery Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts 01821, United States
| | - Thomas E Richardson
- SCYNEXIS, Inc., 1 Evertrust Plaza, 13th Floor, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302, United States
| | - Brian H Heasley
- SCYNEXIS, Inc., 1 Evertrust Plaza, 13th Floor, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302, United States
| | - Thomas Haxell
- SCYNEXIS, Inc., 1 Evertrust Plaza, 13th Floor, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302, United States
| | - Joseph Moore
- SCYNEXIS, Inc., 1 Evertrust Plaza, 13th Floor, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302, United States
| | - Hui Tian
- Discovery Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts 01821, United States
| | - Katrin Georgi
- Discovery Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts 01821, United States
| | - Felix Rohdich
- Discovery Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts 01821, United States
| | - Amanda Sutton
- Discovery Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts 01821, United States
| | - Theresa Johnson
- Discovery Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts 01821, United States
| | - Igor Mochalkin
- Discovery Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts 01821, United States
| | - Jennifer Jackson
- Discovery Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts 01821, United States
| | - Jing Lin
- Discovery Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts 01821, United States
| | - Lindsey Crowley
- Discovery Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts 01821, United States
| | - Andreas Machl
- Discovery Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts 01821, United States
| | - Anderson Clark
- Discovery Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts 01821, United States
| | - Erik Wilker
- Discovery Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts 01821, United States
| | - Brian Sherer
- Discovery Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts 01821, United States
| | - Andreas Goutopoulos
- Discovery Technologies, Medicinal Chemistry, EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts 01821, United States
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Vieira TF, Martins FG, Moreira JP, Barbosa T, Sousa SF. In Silico Identification of Possible Inhibitors for Protein Kinase B (PknB) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26206162. [PMID: 34684743 PMCID: PMC8541300 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26206162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
With tuberculosis still being one of leading causes of death in the world and the emergence of drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), researchers have been seeking to find further therapeutic strategies or more specific molecular targets. PknB is one of the 11 Ser/Thr protein kinases of Mtb and is responsible for phosphorylation-mediated signaling, mainly involved in cell wall synthesis, cell division and metabolism. With the amount of structural information available and the great interest in protein kinases, PknB has become an attractive target for drug development. This work describes the optimization and application of an in silico computational protocol to find new PknB inhibitors. This multi-level computational approach combines protein–ligand docking, structure-based virtual screening, molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations. The optimized protocol was applied to screen a large dataset containing 129,650 molecules, obtained from the ZINC/FDA-Approved database, Mu.Ta.Lig Virtual Chemotheca and Chimiothèque Nationale. It was observed that the most promising compounds selected occupy the adenine-binding pocket in PknB, and the main interacting residues are Leu17, Val26, Tyr94 and Met155. Only one of the compounds was able to move the active site residues into an open conformation. It was also observed that the P-loop and magnesium position loops change according to the characteristics of the ligand. This protocol led to the identification of six compounds for further experimental testing while also providing additional structural information for the design of more specific and more effective derivatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana F. Vieira
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (T.F.V.); (F.G.M.); (J.P.M.); (T.B.)
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM-Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Fábio G. Martins
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (T.F.V.); (F.G.M.); (J.P.M.); (T.B.)
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM-Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Joel P. Moreira
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (T.F.V.); (F.G.M.); (J.P.M.); (T.B.)
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM-Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Tiago Barbosa
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (T.F.V.); (F.G.M.); (J.P.M.); (T.B.)
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM-Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
| | - Sérgio F. Sousa
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; (T.F.V.); (F.G.M.); (J.P.M.); (T.B.)
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, BioSIM-Departamento de Biomedicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- Correspondence:
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28
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Gandelman M, Dansithong W, Kales SC, Paul S, Maag G, Aoyama E, Zakharov A, Rai G, Dexheimer T, Whitehill BM, Sun H, Jadhav A, Simeonov A, Henderson MJ, Huynh DP, Pulst SM, Scoles DR. The AKT modulator A-443654 reduces α-synuclein expression and normalizes ER stress and autophagy. J Biol Chem 2021; 297:101191. [PMID: 34520759 PMCID: PMC8482485 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulation of α-synuclein is a main underlying pathological feature of Parkinson's disease and α-synucleinopathies, for which lowering expression of the α-synuclein gene (SNCA) is a potential therapeutic avenue. Using a cell-based luciferase reporter of SNCA expression we performed a quantitative high-throughput screen of 155,885 compounds and identified A-443654, an inhibitor of the multiple functional kinase AKT, as a potent inhibitor of SNCA. HEK-293 cells with CAG repeat expanded ATXN2 (ATXN2-Q58 cells) have increased levels of α-synuclein. We found that A-443654 normalized levels of both SNCA mRNA and α-synuclein monomers and oligomers in ATXN2-Q58 cells. A-443654 also normalized levels of α-synuclein in fibroblasts and iPSC-derived dopaminergic neurons from a patient carrying a triplication of the SNCA gene. Analysis of autophagy and endoplasmic reticulum stress markers showed that A-443654 successfully prevented α-synuclein toxicity and restored cell function in ATXN2-Q58 cells, normalizing the levels of mTOR, LC3-II, p62, STAU1, BiP, and CHOP. A-443654 also decreased the expression of DCLK1, an inhibitor of α-synuclein lysosomal degradation. Our study identifies A-443654 and AKT inhibition as a potential strategy for reducing SNCA expression and treating Parkinson's disease pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mandi Gandelman
- Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | | | - Stephen C Kales
- Department of Neurology, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Sharan Paul
- Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Gentrie Maag
- Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Erika Aoyama
- Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Alexey Zakharov
- Department of Neurology, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Ganesha Rai
- Department of Neurology, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Thomas Dexheimer
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Brooke M Whitehill
- Department of Neurology, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Hongmao Sun
- Department of Neurology, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Ajit Jadhav
- Department of Neurology, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Anton Simeonov
- Department of Neurology, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Mark J Henderson
- Department of Neurology, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Duong P Huynh
- Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Stefan M Pulst
- Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Daniel R Scoles
- Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
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Yin P, Cui S, Liao X, Yao X. Galectin‑3 blockade suppresses the growth of cetuximab‑resistant human oral squamous cell carcinoma. Mol Med Rep 2021; 24:685. [PMID: 34328195 PMCID: PMC8365594 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2021.12325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a cancer associated with high mortality (accounting for 3.1/100,000 deaths per year in Brazil in 2013) and a high frequency of amplification in the expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Treatment with the EGFR inhibitor cetuximab leads to drug resistance in patients with OSCC due to unknown mechanisms. Galectin‑3 (Gal‑3) is a β‑galactoside binding lectin that regulates multiple signaling pathways in cells. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of Gal‑3 in cetuximab‑resistant (cet‑R) OSCC. The OSCC HSC3 cell line was selected to establish a mouse xenograft model, which was treated with cetuximab to induce resistance. Subsequently, a Gal‑3 inhibitor was used to treat cet‑R tumors, and the tumor volume was monitored. The expression of Gal‑3, phosphorylated (p)‑ERK1/2 and p‑Akt was assessed using immunohistochemistry. The combined effect of cetuximab and the Gal‑3 inhibitor on HSC3 tumor xenografts was also investigated. HSC3 cells were cultured in vitro to investigate the regulatory effects of Gal‑3 on ERK1/2 and Akt via western blotting. In addition, the effects of the Gal‑3 inhibitor on the proliferation, colony formation, invasion and apoptosis of HSC3 cells were investigated by performing Cell Counting Kit‑8, colony formation, Transwell and apoptosis assays, respectively. In cet‑R OSCC tumors, increased expression of Gal‑3, p‑ERK1/2 and p‑Akt was observed. Further research demonstrated that Gal‑3 regulated the expression of both ERK1/2 and Akt in HSC3 cells by promoting phosphorylation. Moreover, the Gal‑3 inhibitor decreased the proliferation and invasion, but increased the apoptosis of cet‑R HSC3 cells. In addition, the Gal‑3 inhibitor suppressed the growth of cet‑R tumors. Collectively, the results indicated that the Gal‑3 inhibitor and cetuximab displayed a synergistic inhibitory effect on OSCC tumors. In summary, the present study demonstrated that Gal‑3 may serve an important role in cet‑R OSCC. The combination of cetuximab and the Gal‑3 inhibitor may display a synergistic antitumor effect, thereby inhibiting the development of cetuximab resistance in OSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Yin
- Department of Stomatology, Beijing Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 110112, P.R. China
| | - Shuanlong Cui
- Department of Stomatology, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050011, P.R. China
| | - Xiangling Liao
- Department of Stomatology, Beijing Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 110112, P.R. China
| | - Xiaoguang Yao
- Department of Surgery, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050011, P.R. China
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Integrative Medicine on Liver-Kidney Patterns, Institute of Integrative Medicine, College of Integrative Medicine, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050011, P.R. China
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30
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Li L, Fang H, Yu YH, Liu SX, Yang ZQ. Liquiritigenin attenuates isoprenaline‑induced myocardial fibrosis in mice through the TGF‑β1/Smad2 and AKT/ERK signaling pathways. Mol Med Rep 2021; 24:686. [PMID: 34328199 PMCID: PMC8365605 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2021.12326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Myocardial fibrosis is a pathological process characterized by excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix in myocardial interstitial spaces. Myocardial fibrosis is a fundamental process in ventricular remodeling and a primary contributor to the progression of heart failure. Liquiritigenin (LQ) is a flavanone compound with anti‑oxidative, anti‑carcinogenic, anti‑inflammatory and estrogenic properties. The present study aimed to investigate the regulatory potential of LQ treatment in a mouse model of isoprenaline (ISO)‑induced cardiac fibrosis and in cultured H9C2 cardiomyocytes stimulated with angiotensin II (Ang II). The treatment of ISO‑induced mice with LQ significantly decreased the levels of cardiac injury‑related proteins in the serum and ECM accumulation in mouse heart tissues. LQ treatment also effectively alleviated cardiac dysfunction in ISO‑treated mice. Further analyses revealed that LQ inhibited ISO‑induced collagen formation and activation of the transforming growth factor‑β1 (TGF‑β1)/Smad2 and protein kinase B (AKT)/extracellular signal‑regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathways. As a major pathological event in myocardial fibrosis, the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes has been considered a key mechanism contributing to impaired left ventricle performance. The pretreatment of rat cardiomyocytes with LQ significantly reduced the apoptosis of H9C2 cells, and inhibited Ang II‑induced activation of the TGF‑β1/Smad2 and AKT/ERK pathways. In conclusion, the present study revealed that LQ ameliorated ISO‑induced myocardial fibrosis in mice and inhibited the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes in vitro by inhibiting the TGF‑β1/Smad2 and AKT/ERK signaling pathways. These results suggested the anti‑fibrotic and cardioprotective potential of LQ in fibrosis, thus supporting the use of LQ for the management of cardiomyocyte injury and myocardial fibrosis in patients with cardiac diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Li
- Department of Ultrasonography, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310012, P.R. China
| | - Hui Fang
- Department of Ultrasonography, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310012, P.R. China
| | - Yong-Hong Yu
- Department of Ultrasonography, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310012, P.R. China
| | - Shan-Xin Liu
- Department of Cardiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310000, P.R. China
| | - Zhi-Qiang Yang
- Type‑B Ultrasonic Room, Heart Center, The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310000, P.R. China
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Cervellera C, Russo M, Dotolo S, Facchiano A, Russo GL. STL1, a New AKT Inhibitor, Synergizes with Flavonoid Quercetin in Enhancing Cell Death in A Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Cell Line. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26195810. [PMID: 34641354 PMCID: PMC8510450 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26195810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Using a pharmacophore model based on the experimental structure of AKT-1, we recently identified the compound STL1 (ZINC2429155) as an allosteric inhibitor of AKT-1. STL1, was able to reduce Ser473 phosphorylation, thus inhibiting the PI3K/AKT pathway. Moreover, we demonstrated that the flavonoid quercetin downregulated the phosphorylated and active form of AKT. However, in this case, quercetin inhibited the PI3K/AKT pathway by directly binding the kinases CK2 and PI3K. In the present work, we investigated the antiproliferative effects of the co-treatment quercetin plus STL1 in HG-3 cells, derived from a patient affected by chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Quercetin and STL1 in the mono-treatment maintained the capacity to inhibit AKT phosphorylation on Ser473, but did not significantly reduce cell viability. On the contrary, they activated a protective form of autophagy. When the HG-3 cells were co-treated with quercetin and STL1, their association synergistically (combination index < 1) inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis. The combined treatment caused the switch from protective to non-protective autophagy. This work demonstrated that cytotoxicity could be enhanced in a drug-resistant cell line by combining the effects of different inhibitors acting in concert on PI3K and AKT kinases.
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MESH Headings
- Antioxidants/pharmacology
- Apoptosis
- Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics
- Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism
- Cell Proliferation
- Drug Synergism
- Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/drug effects
- Humans
- Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/drug therapy
- Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/metabolism
- Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/pathology
- Protein Kinase Inhibitors/pharmacology
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/antagonists & inhibitors
- Quercetin/pharmacology
- Tumor Cells, Cultured
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Lim WJ, Lee M, Oh Y, Fang XQ, Lee S, Lim CH, Park J, Lim JH. Statins Decrease Programmed Death-Ligand 1 (PD-L1) by Inhibiting AKT and β-Catenin Signaling. Cells 2021; 10:cells10092488. [PMID: 34572136 PMCID: PMC8472538 DOI: 10.3390/cells10092488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Retrospective observational studies have reported that statins improve clinical outcomes in patients previously treated with programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)-targeting monoclonal antibodies for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) and advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In multiple mouse cancer models, de novo synthesis of mevalonate and cholesterol inhibitors was found to synergize with anti-PD-1 antibody therapy. In the present study, we investigated whether statins affect programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in cancer cells. Four statins, namely simvastatin, atorvastatin, lovastatin, and fluvastatin, decreased PD-L1 expression in melanoma and lung cancer cells. In addition, we found that AKT and β-catenin signaling involved PD-L1 suppression by statins. Our cellular and molecular studies provide inspiring evidence for extending the clinical evaluation of statins for use in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitor-based cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Woo-Jin Lim
- Department of Biomedical Chemistry, College of Biomedical & Health Science, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Korea; (W.-J.L.); (Y.O.); (X.-Q.F.); (S.L.); (C.-H.L.); (J.P.)
- Department of Applied Life Science, Graduate School, BK21 Program, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Korea
| | - Mingyu Lee
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA;
| | - Yerin Oh
- Department of Biomedical Chemistry, College of Biomedical & Health Science, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Korea; (W.-J.L.); (Y.O.); (X.-Q.F.); (S.L.); (C.-H.L.); (J.P.)
| | - Xue-Quan Fang
- Department of Biomedical Chemistry, College of Biomedical & Health Science, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Korea; (W.-J.L.); (Y.O.); (X.-Q.F.); (S.L.); (C.-H.L.); (J.P.)
- Department of Applied Life Science, Graduate School, BK21 Program, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Korea
| | - Sujin Lee
- Department of Biomedical Chemistry, College of Biomedical & Health Science, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Korea; (W.-J.L.); (Y.O.); (X.-Q.F.); (S.L.); (C.-H.L.); (J.P.)
| | - Chang-Hoon Lim
- Department of Biomedical Chemistry, College of Biomedical & Health Science, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Korea; (W.-J.L.); (Y.O.); (X.-Q.F.); (S.L.); (C.-H.L.); (J.P.)
| | - Jooho Park
- Department of Biomedical Chemistry, College of Biomedical & Health Science, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Korea; (W.-J.L.); (Y.O.); (X.-Q.F.); (S.L.); (C.-H.L.); (J.P.)
| | - Ji-Hong Lim
- Department of Biomedical Chemistry, College of Biomedical & Health Science, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Korea; (W.-J.L.); (Y.O.); (X.-Q.F.); (S.L.); (C.-H.L.); (J.P.)
- Department of Applied Life Science, Graduate School, BK21 Program, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Korea
- Diabetes and Bio-Research Center, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Korea
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +82-43-840-3567
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Zheng XD, Huang Y, Li H. Regulatory role of Apelin-13-mediated PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in the glucose and lipid metabolism of mouse with gestational diabetes mellitus. Immunobiology 2021; 226:152135. [PMID: 34521048 DOI: 10.1016/j.imbio.2021.152135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the regulatory mechanism of Apelin-13-mediated PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in the glucose and lipid metabolism of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) mouse. METHODS GDM mice models were established and treated with Apelin-13 and/or PI3K/AKT inhibitor LY294002. Then, the indicators of glucose and lipid metabolism and the levels of inflammatory factors were detected. Besides, the levels of indicators of oxidative stress in the placenta of mice were measured. Western blotting was also carried out to determine the expression of PI3K/AKT pathway-related proteins in all groups. RESULTS In comparison with the Control group, mice in the GDM group presented with the continuous increase in the level of FBG as the time went on, while FINS level decreased evidently. Besides, the fetus alive ratio in the GDM group was much lower with significant increased weight of fetal mouse and weight of placenta; the mice had significant decreased levels of IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α and MCP-1, and in the placenta, the levels of SOD, GPx, GSH and CAT were also reduced evidently, with significant downregulation of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-AKT/AKT. However, indicators above in the GDM mice treated with Apelin-13 had significant improvement as compared to those in the GDM group, and the improvement was reversed by LY294002 treatment. CONCLUSION Apelin-13, possibly by activating the PI3K/AKT pathway, could improve the glucose and lipid metabolism, reduce the damage caused by oxidative stress and inflammatory reaction, and protect the pancreas islet, thereby improving the pregnancy outcome of GDM mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Dan Zheng
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jingzhou Central Hospital, Jingzhou City 434020, Hubei Province, PR China
| | - Yi Huang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jingzhou Central Hospital, Jingzhou City 434020, Hubei Province, PR China
| | - Hui Li
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jingzhou Central Hospital, Jingzhou City 434020, Hubei Province, PR China.
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Che J, Dai X, Gao J, Sheng H, Zhan W, Lu Y, Li D, Gao Z, Jin Z, Chen B, Luo P, Yang B, Hu Y, He Q, Weng Q, Dong X. Discovery of N-((3 S,4 S)-4-(3,4-Difluorophenyl)piperidin-3-yl)-2-fluoro-4-(1-methyl-1 H-pyrazol-5-yl)benzamide (Hu7691), a Potent and Selective Akt Inhibitor That Enables Decrease of Cutaneous Toxicity. J Med Chem 2021; 64:12163-12180. [PMID: 34375113 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Rash is one of the primary dose-limiting toxicities of Akt (protein kinase B) inhibitors in clinical trials. Here, we demonstrate the inhibition of Akt2 isozyme may be a driver for keratinocyte apoptosis, which promotes us to search for new selective Akt inhibitors with an improved cutaneous safety property. According to our previous research, compound 2 is selected for further optimization for overcoming the disadvantages of compound 1, including high Akt2 inhibition and high toxicity against HaCaT keratinocytes. The dihedral angle-based design and molecular dynamics simulation lead to the identification of Hu7691 (B5) that achieves a 24-fold selectivity between Akt1 and Akt2. Hu7691 exhibits low activity in inducing HaCaT apoptosis, promising kinase selectivity, and excellent anticancer cell proliferation potencies. Based on the superior results of safety property, pharmacokinetic profile, and in vivo efficacy, the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) approved the investigational new drug (IND) application of Hu7691.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinxin Che
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Drug Discovery and Design, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoyang Dai
- Center for Drug Safety Evaluation and Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Jian Gao
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Drug Discovery and Design, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Haichao Sheng
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Drug Discovery and Design, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Wenhu Zhan
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Drug Discovery and Design, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Yang Lu
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Drug Discovery and Design, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Dan Li
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Drug Discovery and Design, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Zizheng Gao
- Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Zegao Jin
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Drug Discovery and Design, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Binhui Chen
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Drug Discovery and Design, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Peihua Luo
- Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Bo Yang
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Drug Discovery and Design, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
- Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Yongzhou Hu
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Drug Discovery and Design, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Qiaojun He
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Drug Discovery and Design, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
- Center for Drug Safety Evaluation and Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
- Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
- Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310018, P. R. China
- Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
| | - Qinjie Weng
- Center for Drug Safety Evaluation and Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
- Institute of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
- Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310018, P. R. China
| | - Xiaowu Dong
- Hangzhou Institute of Innovative Medicine, Institute of Drug Discovery and Design, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
- Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310018, P. R. China
- Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, P. R. China
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Yamaguchi T, Yoshimura T, Ohara T, Fujisawa M, Tong G, Matsukawa A. PolyI:C suppresses TGF-β1-induced Akt phosphorylation and reduces the motility of A549 lung carcinoma cells. Mol Biol Rep 2021; 48:6313-6321. [PMID: 34390443 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-021-06625-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUNDS Epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a critical process involved in the invasion and metastasis of cancer, including lung cancer (LC). Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β is one of factors capable of inducing EMT. Polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (polyI:C), a synthetic agonist for toll-like receptor (TLR) 3, can enhance immune responses and has been used as an adjuvant for cancer vaccines; however, it remains unclear whether it influences other process, such as EMT. In the present study, we examined the effects of polyI:C on TGF-β-treated A549 human LC cells. METHODS AND RESULTS By in vitro cell proliferation assay, polyI:C showed no effect on the growth of A549 cells treated with TGF-β1 at the concentration range up to 10 μg/ml; however, it markedly suppressed the motility in a cell scratch and a cell invasion assay. By Western blotting, polyI:C dramatically decreased TGF-β1-induced Ak strain transforming (Akt) phosphorylation and increased phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) expression without affecting the Son of mothers against decapentaplegic (Smad) 3 phosphorylation or the expression level of E-cadherin, N-cadherin or Snail, indicating that polyI:C suppressed cell motility independently of the 'cadherin switching'. The Akt inhibitor perifosine inhibited TGF-β1-induced cell invasion, and the PTEN-specific inhibitor VO-OHpic appeared to reverse the inhibitory effect of polyI:C. CONCLUSION PolyI:C has a novel function to suppress the motility of LC cells undergoing EMT by targeting the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway partly via PTEN and may prevent or reduce the metastasis of LC cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Yamaguchi
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, 2-5-1 Shikata, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan
| | - Teizo Yoshimura
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, 2-5-1 Shikata, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan
| | - Toshiaki Ohara
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, 2-5-1 Shikata, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan
| | - Masayoshi Fujisawa
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, 2-5-1 Shikata, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan
| | - Gao Tong
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, 2-5-1 Shikata, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan
| | - Akihiro Matsukawa
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, 2-5-1 Shikata, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan.
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Zhu M, Shan J, Xu H, Xia G, Xu Q, Quan K, Liu X, Dai M. Glaucocalyxin A suppresses osteoclastogenesis induced by RANKL and osteoporosis induced by ovariectomy by inhibiting the NF-κB and Akt pathways. J Ethnopharmacol 2021; 276:114176. [PMID: 33933570 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2021.114176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Revised: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Glaucocalyxin A (GLA), the most abundant active component of the aboveground sections of Rabdosia japonica (Burm. f.) Hara var. glaucocalyx (Maxim.) Hara, possesses various pharmacological activities, such as antioxidant, antithrombosis, anticoagulation, antibacterial, antitumor, anti-inflammatory activities. According to previous studies, inflammation is closely associated with osteoclast differentiation and activity. Although GLA has demonstrated effective anti-inflammatory properties, its effects on osteoclast differentiation remain unclear. AIM OF THE STUDY To examine the possible inhibitory effects of GLA and its molecular mechanisms in osteogenesis induced by RANKL as well as ovariectomy (OVX)-induced osteoporosis (OP) in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining, F-actin staining, and a bone resorption pit assay were applied for identifying the effects of GLA on the differentiation of osteoclasts and the function of bone resorption. The mRNA expression of the genes related to osteoclast differentiation was measured by quantitative PCR. Protein expression of nuclear factor of activated T-cells, cytoplasmic 1 (NFATc1), c-fos and phosphorylation of inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa B (IκBα), protein kinase B (AKT), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and p38 in RANKL-induced osteoclasts was determined using western blotting. The effect of GLA on OP was studied using a mouse model of OVX. RESULTS At nontoxic concentrations ≤0.5 μM in vitro, GLA suppressed the formation of osteoclasts induced by RANKL with the decreased number and area size of TRAP-positive multinuclear osteoclasts, and the resorption of bone function by reducing F-actin ring number and bone resorption pit areas. It also reduced the expression of the genes specific for osteoclasts, which included genes encoding NFATc1, cathepsin K, c-fos, TRAP, vacuolar-type ATPase d2, and dendritic cell-specific transmembrane protein. Moreover, GLA repressed NF-κB and Akt pathway activation induced by RANKL. Micro-CT analysis of femur samples indicated decreased bone loss and greater trabecular bone density after GLA treatment, which showed that GLA played a protective role by inhibiting bone loss in OVX-induced OP mice in vivo. CONCLUSIONS Our study is the first to show that GLA has significant therapeutic potential in OP, which is the disease of osteoclast increase caused by estrogen deficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meisong Zhu
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Artificial Joints Engineering and Technology Research Center of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang, Jiangxi province, 330006, China.
| | - Jing Shan
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Artificial Joints Engineering and Technology Research Center of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang, Jiangxi province, 330006, China.
| | - Huaen Xu
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Artificial Joints Engineering and Technology Research Center of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang, Jiangxi province, 330006, China.
| | - Guoming Xia
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Artificial Joints Engineering and Technology Research Center of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang, Jiangxi province, 330006, China.
| | - Qiang Xu
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Artificial Joints Engineering and Technology Research Center of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang, Jiangxi province, 330006, China.
| | - Kun Quan
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Artificial Joints Engineering and Technology Research Center of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang, Jiangxi province, 330006, China.
| | - Xuqiang Liu
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Artificial Joints Engineering and Technology Research Center of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang, Jiangxi province, 330006, China.
| | - Min Dai
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Artificial Joints Engineering and Technology Research Center of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang, Jiangxi province, 330006, China.
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Liu Y, Li S, Gao Z, Li S, Tan Q, Li Y, Wang D, Wang Q. Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) Promotes Cardiac Hypertrophy via a PI3K-AKT-mTOR-Dependent Mechanism. Cardiovasc Toxicol 2021; 21:655-668. [PMID: 34021461 PMCID: PMC8211584 DOI: 10.1007/s12012-021-09657-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) is an enzyme for tryptophan metabolism, involved in immune cell differentiation/maturation and cancer biology. IDO1 is also expressed in cardiomyocytes, but its roles in the cardiovascular system are not fully understood. Here, we reported the functions of IDO1 during cardiac hypertrophy. Quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot experiments demonstrated the upregulation of IDO1 mRNA and protein levels in human and hypertrophic mouse hearts, as well as in angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced hypertrophic rat cardiomyocytes. IDO1 activity and metabolite product kynurenine were upregulated in rodent hypertrophic hearts and cardiomyocytes. Inhibition of IDO1 activity with PF-06840003 reduced Ang II-induced cardiac hypertrophy and rescued cardiac function in mice. siRNA-mediated knockdown of Ido1 repressed Ang II-induced growth in cardiomyocyte size and overexpression of hypertrophy-associated genes atrial natriuretic peptide (Anp or Nppa), brain natriuretic peptide (Bnp or Nppb), β-myosin heavy chain (β-Mhc or Myh7). By contrast, adenovirus-mediated rat Ido1 overexpression in cardiomyocytes promoted hypertrophic growth induced by Ang II. Mechanism analysis showed that IDO1 overexpression was associated with PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling to activate the ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (S6K1), which promoted protein synthesis in Ang II-induced hypertrophy of rat cardiomyocytes. Finally, we provided evidence that inhibition of PI3K with pictilisib, AKT with perifosine, or mTOR with rapamycin, blocked the effects of IDO1 on protein synthesis and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in Ang II-treated cells. Collectively, our findings identify that IDO1 promotes cardiomyocyte hypertrophy partially via PI3K-AKT-mTOR-S6K1 signaling.
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MESH Headings
- Adult
- Aged
- Animals
- Cardiomegaly/drug therapy
- Cardiomegaly/enzymology
- Cardiomegaly/pathology
- Case-Control Studies
- Cells, Cultured
- Disease Models, Animal
- Female
- Humans
- Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase/antagonists & inhibitors
- Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase/genetics
- Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase/metabolism
- Kynurenine/metabolism
- Male
- Mice
- Middle Aged
- Myocytes, Cardiac/drug effects
- Myocytes, Cardiac/enzymology
- Myocytes, Cardiac/pathology
- Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/metabolism
- Protein Kinase Inhibitors/pharmacology
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/antagonists & inhibitors
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism
- Rats, Sprague-Dawley
- Signal Transduction
- TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/antagonists & inhibitors
- TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism
- Rats
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Liu
- Emergency Department, First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, China
| | - Shuang Li
- Emergency Department, First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, China
| | - Zhanqun Gao
- Emergency Department, First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, China
| | - Shuangjia Li
- Emergency Department, First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, China
| | - Qingyun Tan
- Department of Anesthesiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, China
| | - Yanmei Li
- Emergency Department, First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, China
| | - Dongwei Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, China.
| | - Qingdong Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, China.
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Abstract
Approximately 70% of invasive breast cancers have some degree of dependence on the estrogen hormone for cell proliferation and growth. These tumors have estrogen and/or progesterone receptors (ER/PR+), generally referred to as hormone receptor positive (HR+) tumors, as indicated by the presence of positive staining and varying intensity levels of estrogen and/or progesterone receptors on immunohistochemistry. Therapies that inhibit ER signaling pathways, such as aromatase inhibitors (letrozole, anastrozole, exemestane), selective ER modulators (tamoxifen), and ER down-regulators (fulvestrant), are the mainstays of treatment for hormone-receptor-positive breast cancers. However, de novo or acquired resistance to ER targeted therapies is present in many tumors, leading to disease progression. The PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway is implicated in sustaining endocrine resistance and has become the target of many new drugs for ER+ breast cancer. This article reviews the function of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mTOR pathway and the various classes of PI3K pathway inhibitors that have been developed to disrupt this pathway signaling for the treatment of hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer.
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MESH Headings
- Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/pharmacology
- Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use
- Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis
- Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy
- Breast Neoplasms/genetics
- Breast Neoplasms/pathology
- Class I Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/antagonists & inhibitors
- Class I Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/genetics
- Class I Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism
- DNA Mutational Analysis
- Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/drug effects
- Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/genetics
- Female
- Humans
- Mutation
- Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/diagnosis
- Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/drug therapy
- Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/genetics
- Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/pathology
- Neoplasm Staging
- Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors/metabolism
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/antagonists & inhibitors
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism
- Receptors, Estrogen/antagonists & inhibitors
- Receptors, Estrogen/metabolism
- Receptors, Progesterone/antagonists & inhibitors
- Receptors, Progesterone/metabolism
- Signal Transduction/drug effects
- Signal Transduction/genetics
- TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/antagonists & inhibitors
- TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism
- Treatment Outcome
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara E Nunnery
- Breast Cancer Program, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC), Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 2220 Pierce Avenue, 777 PRB, Nashville, TN, 37232-6307, USA
| | - Ingrid A Mayer
- Breast Cancer Program, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC), Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 2220 Pierce Avenue, 777 PRB, Nashville, TN, 37232-6307, USA.
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Abstract
Cinnamaldehyde (CA), as an active compound isolated from the bark of Cinnamomum cassia, has been reported to possess the anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic, and anti-oxidant properties. However, the possible effects and underlying mechanisms of CA on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have not been revealed yet. In the present study, we found that CA obviously improved the type II collagen-induced RA in rats, accompanied with decreasing pro-inflammatory factors, proliferation and metastasis. In addition, CA decreased the expression levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in RA-FLSs. Besides, CA remarkably inhibited the proliferation, downregulated the EdU-positive cells, and promoted apoptosis of RA-FLSs by CCK-8, EdU and flow cytometry analysis. Moreover, the results of wound healing, transwell migration and invasion assays showed that CA inhibited the migration and invasion of RA-FLSs. Further, western blot experiment showed CA inhibited the activation of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in RA-FLSs. Finally, 740Y-P, the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway activator, could reverse the effects of CA on the proliferation and metastasis in RA-FLSs. In conclusion, we confirmed that CA exhibited potential therapeutic properties against RA via suppressing proliferation and metastasis of RA-FLSs by blockage of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Therefore, our study provides evidence that CA may emerge as a therapeutic option for RA treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Li
- Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yue Wang
- Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China.
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Nayim P, Mbaveng AT, Sanjukta M, Rikesh J, Kuete V, Sudhir K. CD24 gene inhibition and TIMP-4 gene upregulation by Imperata cylindrica's root extract prevents metastasis of CaSki cells via inhibiting PI3K/Akt/snail signaling pathway and blocking EMT. J Ethnopharmacol 2021; 275:114111. [PMID: 33848610 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2021.114111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Imperata cylindrica (L.) Raeusch (Gramineae) is a medicinal spice traditionally used in the treatment of hypertension and cancer. AIM OF THE STUDY To assess the anti-metastatic potential of the methanol extract of I. cylindrica roots and determined its mechanisms of action. MATERIAL AND METHODS The growth inhibition activity of I. cylindrica root extract in vitro and in vivo in human cervical cancer. The scratch assay and Boyden Chamber assay were used to determine the anti-migrative and anti-invasion actions of the plant extract. The whole-genome gene expression profiling using RNA-Seq was performed to determine the differentially expressed genes in CaSki cells after exposure to I. cylindrica to identify its targeted genes related to metastasis. Using protein analysis (western blotting) and gene expression analysis (RTqPCR), the targeted pathways of the key genes that were initially identified with RNA-Seq, were evaluated. RESULTS I. cylindrica extract showed dose-dependent cytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo in mice bearing tumors. Furthermore, I. cylindrica root extract significantly inhibited cell migration and cell invasion. After the genome-wide transcriptome analysis, we found that important genes involved in cancer progression and metastasis of cervical cancer, that is, CD24 and TIMP-4 were significantly downregulated and upregulated, respectively. Moreover, I. cylindrica root extract significantly inhibited the PI3/AKT/Snail signaling pathway and blocked the EMT of CaSki cells. CONCLUSION These findings provide an anti-metastatic mechanism of action of I. cylindrica root extract toward the human cervical cancer suggesting that this plant maybe developed into selective chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Nayim
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon; National Centre for Biological Sciences - Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Bangalore, India.
| | - Armelle T Mbaveng
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon.
| | - Mukherjee Sanjukta
- National Centre for Biological Sciences - Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Bangalore, India.
| | - Jain Rikesh
- Aix-Marseille Université - CNRS UMR 7288, Institut de Biologie Du Développement de Marseille, Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne UMR 7283 and Turing Center for Living Systems. Marseille, France.
| | - Victor Kuete
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon.
| | - Krishna Sudhir
- National Centre for Biological Sciences - Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Bangalore, India.
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Wei J, Huang L, Li D, He J, Li Y, He F, Fang W, Wei G. Total Flavonoids of Engelhardia roxburghiana Wall. Leaves Alleviated Foam Cells Formation through AKT/mTOR-Mediated Autophagy in the Progression of Atherosclerosis. Chem Biodivers 2021; 18:e2100308. [PMID: 34259387 DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.202100308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Engelhardia roxburghiana Wall. is a traditional Chinese medicine used for treating cardiovascular diseases. Our previous study has implicated potential effects of total flavonoids of Engelhardia roxburghiana Wall. (TFER) against hyperlipidemia. The aim of the study is to uncover the effects and underlying mechanisms of TFER on foam cells formation after atherosclerosis. We used high fat diet (HFD) induced Apoe-/- mice and oxidized density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) induced THP-1 cells to mimic process of atherosclerosis in vivo and in vitro, respectively. Lipid accumulation, inflammation response, autophagosomes formation and expressions of autophagy related target genes were assessed. Our present study demonstrated TFER (500 mg/kg) alleviated macrophage infiltration and lipid accumulation in thoracic aortas of HFD-treated mice. In ox-LDL-treated THP-1 cells, MDC staining and Western blot analysis all indicated that the TFER (200 μg/ml) reduced foam cells formation and IL-1β releasing, activated autophagy through suppressing AKT/mTOR signaling, significantly regulating expressions of AKT, p-AKT, mTOR, p-mTOR, Beclin 1, LC3-II, p62. It is suggested that TFER alleviated atherosclerosis progression in vivo and in vitro through reducing foam cells formation and inflammatory responses, and the possible mechanism may be due to the activation of macrophage autophagy by inhibiting AKT and mTOR phosphorylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Wei
- Department of Pharmacology, Guangxi Institute of Chinese Medicine and Pharmaceutical Science, Nanning, 530022, P. R. China
| | - Liangliang Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Basic Medical Sciences and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, P. R. China
| | - Dongmei Li
- Department of Pharmacology, Guangxi Institute of Chinese Medicine and Pharmaceutical Science, Nanning, 530022, P. R. China
| | - Junhui He
- Department of Pharmacology, Guangxi Institute of Chinese Medicine and Pharmaceutical Science, Nanning, 530022, P. R. China
| | - Yanjing Li
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Quality Standards, Nanning, 530022, P. R. China
| | - Fei He
- Department of Pharmacology, Guangxi Institute of Chinese Medicine and Pharmaceutical Science, Nanning, 530022, P. R. China
| | - Weirong Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Basic Medical Sciences and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, P. R. China
| | - Guining Wei
- Department of Pharmacology, Guangxi Institute of Chinese Medicine and Pharmaceutical Science, Nanning, 530022, P. R. China
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Zheng Y, Xie L, Xu S, Yan W, Zhang H, Meng Y, Liu J, Wei X. Effects of miR-202-5p silencing PIK3CA gene expression on proliferation, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of cervical cancer SiHa cells through inhibiting PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway activation. Mol Cell Biochem 2021; 476:4031-4044. [PMID: 34244973 DOI: 10.1007/s11010-021-04211-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
To explore the mechanism of miR-202-5p targeting the expression of PIK3CA and mediating the activation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway on the proliferation, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of cervical cancer. The objects of study were 105 cases of cervical cancer and their corresponding normal tissues. qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of miR-202-5p and PIK3CA in adjacent normal tissue and cervical cancer tissue. Dual luciferase reporter assay was used to verify the targeting relationship between miR-202-5p and PIK3CA gene. Human cervical cancer cell lines HPV-16E6, SiHa, HeLa, and CaSki were purchased for our cell experiments. The expression levels of PIK3CA in the cells were detected by qRT-PCR. The cell line with higher expression levels was selected to complete the follow-up experiment. The cultured cells were transfected and divided into the miR-202-5p mimic NC group, miR-202-5p mimic group, miR-202-5p inhibitor NC group, miR-202-5p inhibitor group, siRNA-PIK3CA NC group, siRNA-PIK3CA group, miR-202-5p inhibitor NC + siRNA-PIK3CA NC group, miR-202-5p inhibitor + siRNA-PIK3CA NC group, and miR-202-5p inhibitor + siRNA-PIK3CA group. QRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of miR-202-5p. Western blot and qRT-PCR were applied to detect the mRNA and protein expression levels of related pathway proteins (PIK3CA, PI3K, PTEN, p-Akt1, and p-mTOR) and epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related factors (N-cadherin, E-cadherin, and vimentin). Cell proliferation was detected by plate colony formation assay. Transwell assay was used to detect the invasion ability of each group. When compared with the adjacent tissues, PIK3CA mRNA expression level was significantly increased and miR-202-5p expression level was significantly decreased in cervical cancer tissues (all P < 0.05). PIK3CA was a target gene of miR-202-5p. The mRNA expression level of PIK3CA in SiHa cervical cancer cells was significantly higher than that in CaSki, HeLa, and HPV-16E6 cells (all P < 0.05), and SiHa cervical cancer cells were selected to complete the follow-up experiments. When compared with the corresponding NC group, the expression of miR-202-5p in miR-202-5p mimic group was increased. In addition, the mRNA and protein expression levels of E-cadherin and PTEN in miR-202-5p mimic and siRNA-PIK3CA groups were increased, and the protein expression of p-Akt1 and p-mTOR was decreased, and also, the mRNA and protein expression levels of PIK3CA, PI3K, N-cadherin, and vimentin were decreased (all P < 0.05); in miR-202-5p inhibitor group, the expression levels of miR-202-5p, E-cadherin, and PTEN decreased, the protein expression of p-Akt1 and p-mTOR increased, and the mRNA and protein expression of PIK3CA, PI3K, N-cadherin, and vimentin increased in miR-202-5p inhibitor group (all P < 0.05); in miR-202-5p inhibitor + siRNA-PIK3CA group, the expression of miR-202-5p decreased (P < 0.05), but the mRNA and protein expression of PIK3CA, PI3K, p-Akt1, p-mTOR, N-cadherin, E-cadherin, and vimentin had no significant changes (all P > 0.05). When compared with the corresponding NC group, the number of cell clones in miR-202-5p mimic group and siRNA-PIK3CA group was decreased, and the invasion ability of miR-202-5p inhibitor group was increased, and the invasion ability was enhanced (all P < 0.05); miR-202-5p inhibitor + siRNA-PIK3CA group showed no significant change in the number of cell clones and the rate of invasion (P > 0.05). In conclusion, the overexpression of miR-202-5p can suppress PIK3CA gene expression and the activation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway to suppress the proliferation, invasion, and EMT of cervical cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Zheng
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, No. 89 Donggang Road, Yuhua District, Shijiazhuang City, 050031, Hebei Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Lei Xie
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, No. 89 Donggang Road, Yuhua District, Shijiazhuang City, 050031, Hebei Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuwen Xu
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, No. 89 Donggang Road, Yuhua District, Shijiazhuang City, 050031, Hebei Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Weidong Yan
- Training & Research Support Center, Shijiazhuang Camps of the Army Engineering University, Shijiazhuang City, 050031, Hebei Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongzhen Zhang
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, No. 89 Donggang Road, Yuhua District, Shijiazhuang City, 050031, Hebei Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Yali Meng
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, No. 89 Donggang Road, Yuhua District, Shijiazhuang City, 050031, Hebei Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Jingqiao Liu
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, No. 89 Donggang Road, Yuhua District, Shijiazhuang City, 050031, Hebei Province, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xujing Wei
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, No. 89 Donggang Road, Yuhua District, Shijiazhuang City, 050031, Hebei Province, People's Republic of China.
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Alcon C, Zañudo JGT, Albert R, Wagle N, Scaltriti M, Letai A, Samitier J, Montero J. ER+ Breast Cancer Strongly Depends on MCL-1 and BCL-xL Anti-Apoptotic Proteins. Cells 2021; 10:1659. [PMID: 34359829 PMCID: PMC8304651 DOI: 10.3390/cells10071659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most frequent type of cancer and the major cause of mortality in women. The rapid development of various therapeutic options has led to the improvement of treatment outcomes; nevertheless, one-third of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive patients relapse due to cancer cell acquired resistance. Here, we use dynamic BH3 profiling (DBP), a functional predictive assay that measures net changes in apoptotic priming, to find new effective treatments for ER+ breast cancer. We observed anti-apoptotic adaptations upon treatment that pointed to metronomic therapeutic combinations to enhance cytotoxicity and avoid resistance. Indeed, we found that the anti-apoptotic proteins BCL-xL and MCL-1 are crucial for ER+ breast cancer cells resistance to therapy, as they exert a dual inhibition of the pro-apoptotic protein BIM and compensate for each other. In addition, we identified the AKT inhibitor ipatasertib and two BH3 mimetics targeting these anti-apoptotic proteins, S63845 and A-1331852, as new potential therapies for this type of cancer. Therefore, we postulate the sequential inhibition of both proteins using BH3 mimetics as a new treatment option for refractory and relapsed ER+ breast cancer tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Alcon
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), 08028 Barcelona, Spain; (C.A.); (J.S.)
| | | | - Reka Albert
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802-6300, USA;
| | - Nikhil Wagle
- Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; (J.G.T.Z.); (N.W.)
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA;
| | - Maurizio Scaltriti
- Human Oncology & Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA;
| | - Anthony Letai
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA;
| | - Josep Samitier
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), 08028 Barcelona, Spain; (C.A.); (J.S.)
- Department of Electronics and Biomedical Engineering, University of Barcelona (UB), 08028 Barcelona, Spain
- Networking Biomedical Research Center in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Joan Montero
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), 08028 Barcelona, Spain; (C.A.); (J.S.)
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Abstract
Family with sequence similarity 84, member B (FAM84B) has recently emerged as an oncoprotein in multiple types of cancer. However, whether FAM84B modulates the progression of glioma has not been determined. The goals of this work were to assess the possible relationship between FAM84B and glioma. Our data revealed high FAM84B level in glioma specimens and exhibited that the overexpression of FAM84B was correlated with a low survival rate in glioma patients. Cellular functional assays showed that silencing of FAM84B prohibited the proliferation and invasion, and induced the apoptosis of glioma cells. Further results determined that the knockdown of FAM84B remarkably decreased the levels of phosphorylated Akt and glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β, and active β-catenin. Inhibition of Akt abolished the FAM84B-mediated promotion effects on Wnt/β-catenin pathway. The subcutaneous xenograft assay confirmed that the silencing of FAM84B significantly prohibited the tumorigenicity of glioma cells in vivo. Collectively, the findings from this work demonstrate that the downregulation of FAM84B exhibits a cancer-suppressive role in human glioma through the regulation of Akt/GSK-3β/β-catenin pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minjuan Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Chengliang Li
- Department of General Practice, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Wei Shi
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
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Du W, Gao A, Herman JG, Wang L, Zhang L, Jiao S, Guo M. Methylation of NRN1 is a novel synthetic lethal marker of PI3K-Akt-mTOR and ATR inhibitors in esophageal cancer. Cancer Sci 2021; 112:2870-2883. [PMID: 33931924 PMCID: PMC8253287 DOI: 10.1111/cas.14917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Revised: 04/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Wnt, PI3K-Akt-mTOR, and NF-κB pathways were reported to be involved in DNA damage repair (DDR). DDR-deficient cancers become critically dependent on backup DNA repair pathways. Neuritin 1 (NRN1) is reported to be involved in PI3K-Akt-mTOR, and its role in DDR remains unclear. Methylation-specific PCR, siRNA, flow cytometry, esophageal cancer cell lines, and xenograft mouse models were used to examine the role of NRN1 in esophageal cancer. The expression of NRN1 is frequently repressed by promoter region methylation in human esophageal cancer cells. NRN1 was methylated in 50.4% (510/1012) of primary esophageal cancer samples. NRN1 methylation is associated significantly with age (P < .001), tumor size (P < .01), TNM stage (P < .001), differentiation (P < .001) and alcohol consumption (P < .05). We found that NRN1 methylation is an independent prognostic factor for poor 5-y overall survival (P < .001). NRN1 inhibits colony formation, cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and induces apoptosis and G1/S arrest in esophageal cancer cells. NRN1 suppresses KYSE150 and KYSE30 cells xenografts growth in nude mice. PI3K signaling is reported to activate ATR signaling by targeting CHK1, the downstream component of ATR. By analyzing the synthetic efficiency of NVP-BEZ235 (PI3K inhibitor) and VE-822 (an ATR inhibitor), we found that the combination of NVP-BEZ235 and VE-822 increased cytotoxicity in NRN1 methylated esophageal cancer cells, as well as KYSE150 cell xenografts. In conclusion, NRN1 suppresses esophageal cancer growth both in vitro and in vivo by inhibiting PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling. Methylation of NRN1 is a novel synthetic lethal marker for PI3K-Akt-mTOR and ATR inhibitors in human esophageal cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wushuang Du
- Department of OncologyChinese PLA General HospitalBeijingChina
- Department of Gastroenterology & HepatologyChinese PLA General HospitalBeijingChina
| | - Aiai Gao
- Department of Gastroenterology & HepatologyChinese PLA General HospitalBeijingChina
| | - James G. Herman
- UPMC Hillman Cancer CenterUniversity of PittsburghPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Lidong Wang
- Henan Key Laboratory for Esophageal Cancer ResearchZhengzhou UniversityZhengzhouChina
| | - Lirong Zhang
- Henan Key Laboratory for Esophageal Cancer ResearchZhengzhou UniversityZhengzhouChina
| | - Shunchang Jiao
- Department of OncologyChinese PLA General HospitalBeijingChina
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Cell Engineering & AntibodyBeijingChina
| | - Mingzhou Guo
- Department of Gastroenterology & HepatologyChinese PLA General HospitalBeijingChina
- Henan Key Laboratory for Esophageal Cancer ResearchZhengzhou UniversityZhengzhouChina
- State Key Laboratory of Kidney DiseasesChinese PLA General HospitalBeijingChina
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Meng F, Liu J, Dai J, Lian H, Jiang S, Li Q, Wu M, Wang W, Wang D, Zhao D, Liu C, Qiu C, Li C. PPM1F in Dentate Gyrus Modulates Anxiety-Related Behaviors by Regulating BDNF Expression via AKT/JNK/p-H3S10 Pathway. Mol Neurobiol 2021; 58:3529-3544. [PMID: 33745117 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-021-02340-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety is a serious psychiatric disorder, with a higher incidence rate in women than in men. Protein phosphatase Mg2+/Mn2+-dependent 1F (PPM1F), a serine/threonine phosphatase, has been shown to have multiple biological and cellular functions. However, the effects of PPM1F and its neuronal substrates on anxiety remain largely unclear. In this study, we showed that chronic restraint stress (CRS) induced anxiety-related behaviors only in female mice, while acute restraint stress (ARS) produced anxiety-related behaviors in both male and female mice in light-dark and elevated plus maze tests and induced upregulation of PPM1F and downregulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in the hippocampus. Adeno-associated virus-mediated overexpression of PPM1F or conditional knockout of BDNF in dentate gyrus (DG) led to a more pronounced anxiety-related behavior in female than in male mice as indicated by the behavioral evaluations. Meanwhile, overexpression of PPM1F in the DG decreased total Bdnf exon-specific messenger RNA expression in the hippocampus with the decreased binding activity of phosphorylated H3S10 to its individual promoters in female mice. Furthermore, we identified that overexpression of PPM1F decreased the phosphorylation levels of AKT and JNK in the hippocampus of female mice. These results may suggest that PPM1F regulates anxiety-related behaviors by modulating BDNF expression and H3S10 phosphorylation-mediated epigenetic modification, which may be served as potentially pathological genes associated with anxiety or other mental diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fantao Meng
- Institute for Metabolic & Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, No. 661 Huanghe 2nd Road, Binzhou, 256603, Shandong, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Institute for Metabolic & Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, No. 661 Huanghe 2nd Road, Binzhou, 256603, Shandong, China
| | - Juanjuan Dai
- Cancer Research Institute, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China
| | - Haifeng Lian
- Department of Gastroenterology, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China
| | - Shujun Jiang
- Department of Physiology, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, China
| | - Qiongyu Li
- Department of Gastroenterology, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China
| | - Min Wu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, Binzhou, Shandong, China
| | - Wentao Wang
- Institute for Metabolic & Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, No. 661 Huanghe 2nd Road, Binzhou, 256603, Shandong, China
| | - Dan Wang
- Institute for Metabolic & Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, No. 661 Huanghe 2nd Road, Binzhou, 256603, Shandong, China
| | - Di Zhao
- Institute for Metabolic & Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, No. 661 Huanghe 2nd Road, Binzhou, 256603, Shandong, China
| | - Cuilan Liu
- Institute for Metabolic & Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, No. 661 Huanghe 2nd Road, Binzhou, 256603, Shandong, China
| | - Changyun Qiu
- Institute for Metabolic & Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, No. 661 Huanghe 2nd Road, Binzhou, 256603, Shandong, China
| | - Chen Li
- Institute for Metabolic & Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Binzhou Medical University Hospital, No. 661 Huanghe 2nd Road, Binzhou, 256603, Shandong, China.
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Xiao Q, Teng Y, Xu C, Pan W, Yang H, Zhao J, Zhou Q. Role of PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway in Nucleus Pulposus Cells. Biomed Res Int 2021; 2021:9941253. [PMID: 34307680 PMCID: PMC8270693 DOI: 10.1155/2021/9941253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the role of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in nucleus pulposus (NP) cells. METHODS Nucleus pulposus (NP) cells were isolated from SD rat, and thereafter, passage three (P3) NP cells were divided into the following experimental groups: control, PI3K/AKT agonist IGF-1 (25 ng/ml, 50 ng/ml, and 100 ng/ml), and PI3K/AKT inhibitor LY294002 (5 μM, 10 μM, and 20 μM). Flow cytometry and BrdU cell proliferation assays were performed to assess apoptosis and the proliferation rate of NP cells. Western blot analysis was performed to examine the protein expression level of Col II, Col X, Aggrecan, and MMP13. RESULTS PI3K/AKT inhibitor LY294002 increased the rate of apoptosis in NP cells when compared to the control and decreased the proliferation rate when compared to control. Moreover, LY294002 decreased the protein expression level of Col-II and Aggrecan in NP cells. At the same time, LY294002 increased the protein expression level of MMP13 and Col-X in NP cells. Through activating PI3K/AKT, IGF-1 increased the proliferation rate when compared to control and decreased the rate of apoptosis when compared to control. Additionally, IGF-1 decreased the protein expression level of MMP13 and Col-X and increased Col-II and Aggrecan in NP cells. CONCLUSION The inhibition of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway accelerated the apoptosis of NP cells and facilitated the extracellular matrix degradation. However, the activation of PI3K/AKT pathway partly prevented the NP cell from apoptosis and promoted their proliferation. Meanwhile, its activation also delayed the loss of extracellular matrix.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quan Xiao
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Affiliated Lianshui People's Hospital of Kangda College of Nanjing Medical Universty, Lianshui, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yun Teng
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Changming Xu
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Affiliated Lianshui People's Hospital of Kangda College of Nanjing Medical Universty, Lianshui, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wei Pan
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Affiliated Huai'an Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Huai'an, Jiangsu 223002, China
| | - Hanshi Yang
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Affiliated Huai'an Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Huai'an, Jiangsu 223002, China
| | - Jiali Zhao
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Affiliated Huai'an Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Huai'an, Jiangsu 223002, China
| | - Quan Zhou
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Affiliated Huai'an Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Huai'an, Jiangsu 223002, China
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Sadeghi F, Afkhami A, Madrakian T, Ghavami R. Computational study on subfamilies of piperidine derivatives: QSAR modelling, model external verification, the inter-subset similarity determination, and structure-based drug designing. SAR QSAR Environ Res 2021; 32:433-462. [PMID: 33960256 DOI: 10.1080/1062936x.2021.1891568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2020] [Accepted: 02/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
A new subset of furan-pyrazole piperidine derivatives was used for QSAR model development. These compounds exhibit good Akt1 inhibitory activity; moreover, antiproliferative activities in vitro against OVCAR-8 (Human ovarian carcinoma cells) and HCT116 (human colon cancer cells), were confirmed for them. Based on the relevant three-dimensional (3D) and 2D autocorrelation descriptors, selected by genetic algorithm (GA), multiple linear regression (MLR) was established on half maximal-inhibitory concentration (IC50), in Akt1 and cancer cell lines independently. Robustness, stability, and predictive ability of the models were evaluated using external and internal validation (r2: 0.742-0.832, Q2LOO: 0.684-0.796, RMSE: 0.247-0.299, F: 32.283-57.578, and r2y-random: 0.049-0.080). Furthermore, in the new strategy, each of the evaluated models was generalized to two other subfamilies of piperidines to simultaneously compare the activities and structural similarity of these three subsets. Probably, structural similarity can be more considered as a criterion of similarity in the mechanism of action. Also, external verification of suggested predictive models was performed by another subset. Finally, by focusing on M64 as the most potent in vivo antitumor compound, 15 new derivatives were designed and six potent candidates were proposed for further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Sadeghi
- Faculty of Chemistry, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran
| | - A Afkhami
- Faculty of Chemistry, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran
- Department of Chemistry, D-8 International University, Hamedan, Iran
| | - T Madrakian
- Faculty of Chemistry, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran
| | - R Ghavami
- Chemometrics Laboratory, Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran
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Gong S, Hao X, Bi Y, Yang C, Wang W, Mickael HK, Zhang Y, Chen S, Qian Z, Huang F, Wei D, Yu W. Hepatitis E viral infection regulates estrogen signaling pathways: Inhibition of the cAMPK-PKA-CREB and PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathways. J Med Virol 2021; 93:3769-3778. [PMID: 33128390 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.26641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2020] [Revised: 10/17/2020] [Accepted: 10/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection has become a global concern with high mortality rates among pregnant women, especially those in their third trimester of pregnancy. Estrogen plays an important role in mediating the body, regulating physiological and pathological processes. Estrogen is activated by binding to estrogen receptors (ERs) and mediates rapid signaling events by pathways that involve transmembrane ERs. Our previous study had confirmed that high estrogen levels during pregnancy are associated with high HEV titers. However, the association between HEV infection and estrogen signaling pathways remains unclear. In the present study, the regulation of estrogen signaling pathways by HEV infection was evaluated. Results demonstrated that HEV infection significantly inhibits the cAMP-PKA-CREB and PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathways, but is independent of the Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK signaling pathway. In summary, the increasing estrogen levels and highly activated ERα during pregnancy aggravates HEV replication. The exacerbation of HEV replication, in turn, inhibits ERα expression and suppresses both cAMP-PKA-CREB and PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shilin Gong
- Medical School, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, PR China
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Kunming, PR China
| | - Xianhui Hao
- Medical School, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, PR China
| | - Yanhong Bi
- Medical School, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, PR China
| | - Chenchen Yang
- Medical School, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, PR China
| | - Wenjing Wang
- Medical School, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, PR China
| | - Houfack K Mickael
- Medical School, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, PR China
| | - Yike Zhang
- Medical School, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, PR China
| | - Shuangfeng Chen
- Medical School, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, PR China
| | - Zhongyao Qian
- Medical School, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, PR China
| | - Fen Huang
- Medical School, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, PR China
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Kunming, PR China
| | - Daqiao Wei
- Medical School, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, PR China
| | - Wenhai Yu
- Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming, PR China
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Teng Y, Fan Y, Ma J, Lu W, Liu N, Chen Y, Pan W, Tao X. The PI3K/Akt Pathway: Emerging Roles in Skin Homeostasis and a Group of Non-Malignant Skin Disorders. Cells 2021; 10:cells10051219. [PMID: 34067630 PMCID: PMC8156939 DOI: 10.3390/cells10051219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration, along with angiogenesis and metabolism. Additionally, it could mediate skin development and homeostasis. There is much evidence to suggest that dysregulation of PI3K/Akt pathway is frequently associated with several human cutaneous malignancies like malignant melanoma (MM), basal cell carcinoma (BCC), and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), as well as their poor outcomes. Nevertheless, emerging roles of PI3K/Akt pathway cascade in a group of common non-malignant skin disorders including acne and psoriasis, among others, have been recognized. The enhanced understanding of dysfunction of PI3K/Akt pathway in patients with these non-malignant disorders has offered a solid foundation for the progress of updated therapeutic targets. This article reviews the latest advances in the roles of PI3K/Akt pathway and their targets in the skin homeostasis and progression of a wide range of non-malignant skin disorders and describes the current progress in preclinical and clinical researches on the involvement of PI3K/Akt pathway targeted therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Teng
- Department of Dermatology, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, People’s Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou 310014, China; (Y.T.); (Y.F.); (J.M.); (W.L.)
| | - Yibin Fan
- Department of Dermatology, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, People’s Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou 310014, China; (Y.T.); (Y.F.); (J.M.); (W.L.)
| | - Jingwen Ma
- Department of Dermatology, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, People’s Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou 310014, China; (Y.T.); (Y.F.); (J.M.); (W.L.)
| | - Wei Lu
- Department of Dermatology, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, People’s Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou 310014, China; (Y.T.); (Y.F.); (J.M.); (W.L.)
| | - Na Liu
- Graduate School of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu 233000, China; (N.L.); (Y.C.)
| | - Yingfang Chen
- Graduate School of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu 233000, China; (N.L.); (Y.C.)
| | - Weili Pan
- Department of Dermatology, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, People’s Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou 310014, China; (Y.T.); (Y.F.); (J.M.); (W.L.)
- Correspondence: (W.P.); (X.T.)
| | - Xiaohua Tao
- Department of Dermatology, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, People’s Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou 310014, China; (Y.T.); (Y.F.); (J.M.); (W.L.)
- Correspondence: (W.P.); (X.T.)
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