Search

Introduction: FGFR1 is a well known molecular target for anticancer therapy. Many studies have proved that the regulation of FGFR1 activity is a promising therapeutic approach to treat a series of cancers. Therefore, the development of potent inhibitors has consequently become a key focus in the present drug discovery, and it is encouraging that several highly selective FGFR1 inhibitors have been identified from various sources in recent years. Areas covered: This article reviews patents and patent applications related to selective FGFR1 inhibitors published from 2010 to 2016. This summary highlights about 15 patents from different pharmaceutical companies and academic research groups. We used Baidu and NCBI search engines to find relevant patents as a search term. Expert opinion: In the past few years, considerable progress has been made in the identification and development of selective FGFR1 inhibitors in use. At present, at least 10 inhibitors of FGFR1 are in clinical trials, and several agents have shown encouraging results under experimental conditions. Given the fact that FGFR1 plays a crucial role in the regulation of cancer and other diseases, we hope that it will gain further attraction from pharmaceutical companies and encourage development of more novel, safe and efficient FGFR1 inhibitors in the future.

Four μ 2 -Cl bridged dinuclear metal complexes with isoquinoline ligands, (MPDQ) 2 Zn 2 Cl 4 (1) (MPDQ=4.5-methylenedioxy-1-pyridinedihydroisoquinoline), (PYP) 2 Zn 2 Cl 4 (2) (PYP=5-pyridin-2-yl-[1,3]dioxolo[4,5-g]isoquinoline), (MPDQ) 2 Mn 2 Cl 4 (3),and (PYP) 2 Mn 2 Cl 4 (4) were synthesized and characterized. All complexes exhibited strong proliferation inhibition activity against various cancer cells. The underlying molecular mechanisms through which they caused the cancer cell death were also elucidated. Induction of apoptosis in MGC-803 cells by complex 2 was evidenced by annexin V + /PI - detection and DiD/DAPI staining assay. Further investigation revealed that complex 2 was able to induce intrinsic pathway-dependent apoptosis in cancer cells by triggering DNA damage which was caused by the overproduction of reactive oxygen species. Based on these studies, we suggest that Zn(II) complexes containing isoquinoline ligands can be developed as candidates for anti-cancer chemotherapeutics., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Emerging evidence indicates that β-galactoside-α2,3-sialyltransferase III (ST3Gal3) involves in development, inflammation, neoplastic transformation, and metastasis. However, the role of ST3Gal3 in regulating cancer chemoresistance remains elusive. Herein, we investigated the functional effects of ST3Gal3 in cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells. We found that the levels of ST3Gal3 mRNA differed significantly among ovarian cancer cell lines. HO8910PM cells that have high invasive and metastatic capacity express elevated ST3Gal3 mRNA and are resistant to cisplatin, comparing to SKOV3 cells that have a lower level of ST3Gal3 expression and are more chemosensitive to cisplatin. We found that the expression of ST3Gal3 has reverse correlation with the dosage of cisplatin used in both SKOV3 and HO8910PM cells, and high dose of cisplatin could down-regulate ST3Gal3 expression. We then examined the functional effects of ST3Gal3 knockdown in cancer cell lines using FACS analysis. The number of apoptotic cells was much higher in cells if ST3Gal3 expression was knocked down by siRNA and/or by treating cells with higher dosage of cisplatin in comparison to control cells. Interestingly, in HO8910PM cells with ST3Gal3 knockdown, the levels of caspase 8 and caspase 3 proteins increased, which was more obvious in cells treated with both ST3Gal3 knockdown and cisplatin, suggesting that ST3Gal3 knockdown synergistically enhanced cisplatin-induced apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells. Taken together, these results uncover an alternative mechanism of cisplatin-resistance through ST3Gal3 and open a window for effective prevention of chemoresistance and relapse of ovarian cancer by targeting ST3Gal3., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Oxymatrine (OMT), one of the main active components of extracts from the dry roots of Sophora flavescens, has been reported to possess many pharmacological properties including cancer-preventive and anti-cancer effects. The aim of the present study is to explore the efficiency of combination therapy with OMT and oxaliplatin (OXA) and identify the in vitro and in vivo cytotoxicity on colon cancer lines (HT29 and SW480) and mice model. Cells were treated with OMT and/or OXA and subjected to cell viability, colony formation, apoptosis, cell cycle, western blotting, xenograft tumorigenicity assay and immunohistochemistry. The results demonstrated that OMT and OXA inhibited the proliferation of colon cancer cells, and combination therapy of OMT and OXA resulted in a combination index < 1, indicating a synergistic effect. Co-treatment with OMT and OXA caused G0/G1 phase arrest by upregulating P21, P27 and downregulating cyclin D, and induced apoptosis through decreasing the expression of p-PI3K, p-AKT, p-mTOR, p-p70S6K. In addition, pretreatment with a specific PI3K/AKT activator (IGF-1) significantly neutralized the pro-apoptotic activity of OXA + OMT, demonstrating the important role of PI3K/AKT in this process. Moreover, in nude mice model, co-treatment displayed more efficient inhibition of tumor weight and volume on SW480 xenograft mouse model than single-agent treatment with OXA or OMT. Immunohistochemistry analysis suggests the combinations greatly suppressed tumor proliferation, which consistent with our in vitro results. In conclusion, our findings highlight that the combination therapy with OMT and OXA exerted synergistic antitumor effects in colon cancer cells through PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and combination treatment with OMT and OXA would be a promising therapeutic strategy for colon carcinoma treatment.

A series of group-10 metal complexes 1-14 of oxoisoaporphine derivatives were designed and synthesized. 1-14 were more selectively cytotoxic to Hep-G2 cells comparing with normal liver cells. In vitro cytotoxicity results showed that complexes 1-6, 7, 8, 10 and 11, especially 3, were telomerase inhibitors targeting c-myc, telomeric, and bcl-2 G4s and triggered cell senescence and apoptosis; they also caused telomere/DNA damage and S phase arrest. In addition, 1-6 also caused mitochondrial dysfunction. Notably, 3 with 6-amino substituted ligand L a exhibited less side effects than 6 with 8-amino substituted ligand L b and cisplatin, but similar tumor growth inhibition efficacy in BEL-7402 xenograft model. Complex 3 has the potential to be developed as an effective anticancer agent.

A series of chiral β-lactam bridged analogues (3-substituted 1,4-diaryl-2-azetidinones) of combretastatin A-4 (CA-4) were synthesized asymmetrically, and their antitumor activities were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. The cocrystal structure of tubulin in complex with compound 9 was determined by X-ray crystallography, which showed that 9 binds to the same site as colchicine with similar binding mode, and the absolute configuration of its C-4 was first identified and demonstrated to be critically important for their antiproliferative activities.

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) have been implicated in multiple malignant tumors, and HDAC inhibitors (HDACIs) exert anti-cancer effects. However, the expression of HDACs and the anti-tumor mechanism of HDACIs in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) have not yet been elucidated. In this study, we found that expression of HDACs 2, 3, and 8 were up-regulated in CCA tissues and those patients with high expression of HDAC2 and/or HDAC3 had a worse prognosis. In CCA cells, two HDACIs, trichostatin (TSA) and vorinostat (SAHA), suppressed proliferation and induced apoptosis and G2/M cycle arrest. Microarray analysis revealed that TACC3 mRNA was down-regulated in CCA cells treated with TSA. TACC3 was highly expressed in CCA tissues and predicted a poor prognosis in CCA patients. TACC3 knockdown induced G2/M cycle arrest and suppressed the invasion, metastasis, and proliferation of CCA cells, both in vitro and in vivo. TACC3 overexpression reversed the effects of its knockdown. These findings suggest TACC3 may be a useful prognostic biomarker for CCA and is a potential therapeutic target for HDACIs.

A series of novel 1,2,3-triazole-linked isosteviol derivatives were designed and synthesized via Huisgen-click reaction. Their cytotoxicities in vitro against HCT-116 and JEKO-1 cells were screened. The preliminary bioassays indicated that most of the title compounds exhibited noteworthy cytotoxic activities. Particularly, the compound 10b revealed the most potent inhibitory activities against HCT-116 cells with IC 50 value of 2.987±0.098μM, which was better than that (3.906±0.261μM) of positive control cisplatin. On the basis of these bioactivity data, hologram quantitative structure-activity relationship (HQSAR) was performed, and a statistically reliable model with good predictive power (r 2 =0.848, q 2 =0.544 and R 2 pred =0.982) was achieved. Additionally, the contribution maps derived from the optimal model explained the individual atomic contributions to the activity for each molecule., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is characterized by the t(9;22) (q34;q11)-associated Bcr-Abl fusion gene, which is an essential element of clinical diagnosis. As a traditional Chinese medicine, realgar has been widely used for the treatment of various diseases for >1,500 years. Inspired by nano-drug, realgar nanoparticles (NPs) have been prepared with an average particle size of <100 nm in a previous work. Compared with coarse realgar, the realgar NPs have higher bioavailability. As a principal constituent protein of caveolae, caveolin-1 (Cav-1) participates in regulating various cellular physiological and pathological processes including tumorigenesis and tumor development. In previous studies, it was found that realgar NPs can inhibit several types of tumor cell proliferation. However, the therapeutic effect of realgar NPs on CML has not been fully elucidated. In the present paper, it was demonstrated that realgar NPs can inhibit the proliferation of K562 cells and degrade Bcr-Abl fusion protein effectively. Both apoptosis and autophagy were activated in a dose-dependent manner in realgar NPs treated cells, and the induction of autophagy was associated with class I phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin pathway. Morphological analysis indicated that realgar NPs induced differentiation effectively in CML cells. Furthermore, it was identified that Cav-1 might play a crucial role in realgar NP therapy. In order to study the effects of Cav-1 on K562 cells during realgar NP treatment, a Cav-1 overexpression cell model was established by using transient transfection. The results indicated that Cav-1 overexpression inhibited K562 cell proliferation, promoted endogenic autophagy, and increased the sensitivity of K562 cells to realgar NPs. Therefore, the results demonstrated that realgar NPs degraded Bcr-Abl oncoprotein, while the underlying mechanism might be related to apoptosis and autophagy, and Cav-1 might be considered as a potential target for clinical comprehensive therapy of CML., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

DNA alkylators busulfan (B) and melphalan (M) act synergistically with gemcitabine (G) against lymphoma cells. To further improve the cytotoxicity, we combined them with the histone deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat (P) and proteasome inhibitor bortezomib (V). Lymphoma cell lines U937 and J45.01, and patient-derived cell samples were exposed to these drugs and the effects on cell proliferation and apoptosis were quantified. The combination BMGPV was found to exert strong synergistic cytotoxicity. Drug exposure to these cells activated the ATM pathway and modified histones at the epigenetic level. Cell death was triggered by the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), permeabilization of the mitochondrial membrane, upregulation of proapoptotic factors, and activation of caspases. Downregulation of anti-apoptotic proteins c-MYC, MCL-1, and BCL-2 and inhibition of the prosurvival PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway, culminated in apoptosis. The results of this study support a clinical trial using BMGPV as a possible pre-transplant conditioning regimen for relapsed/refractory lymphoma patients.

A series of novel chromeno[4,3-c]pyrazol-4(2H)-one containing carbonyl or oxime derivatives (4a-n, 5a-n) have been synthesized and evaluated their biological activities as phosphatidyl inositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors. Out of them, compound 5l showed the most potent antiproliferative activities against HCT-116 with IC 50 of 0.10 µM in vitro, and exhibited the most potent activity for PI3Kα with the value of 0.012 µM. Docking simulation of 5l into PI3Kα active site were performed to determine the probable binding model, and it indicated that compound 5l could be optimized as a potential inhibitor of PI3Kα in the further study.

The development of novel anti-pancreatic cancer agents is extremely important. Here, we investigated the anti-pancreatic cancer activity by NPC-26, a novel mitochondrion interfering compound. We showed that NPC-26 was anti-proliferative and cytotoxic to human pancreatic cancer cells, possibly via inducing caspase-9-dependent cell apoptosis. Pharmacological inhibition or shRNA-mediated silence of caspase-9 attenuated NPC-26-induced pancreatic cancer cell death and apoptosis. Further, NPC-26 treatment led to mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening in the cancer cells, which was evidenced by mitochondrial depolarization, ANT-1(adenine nucleotide translocator-1)-Cyp-D (cyclophilin-D) association and oxidative phosphorylation disturbance. mPTP blockers (cyclosporin and sanglifehrin A) or shRNA-mediated knockdown of key mPTP components (Cyp-D and ANT-1) dramatically attenuated NPC-26-induced pancreatic cancer cell apoptosis. Importantly, we showed that NPC-26, at a low concentration, potentiated gemcitabine-induced mPTP opening and subsequent pancreatic cancer cell apoptosis. In vivo, NPC-26 intraperitoneal injection significantly suppressed the growth of PANC-1 xenograft tumors in nude mice. Meanwhile, NPC-26 sensitized gemcitabine-mediated anti-pancreatic cancer activity in vivo. In summary, the results of this study suggest that NPC-26, alone or together with gemcitabine, potently inhibits pancreatic cancer cells possibly via disrupting mitochondrion.

The synthesis and preliminary evaluation of derivatives of docetaxel with novel amino acid as a linker named as LK-193˜LK-196 was described. The C2'-modified compound LK-196 behaves as a prodrug; that is, docetaxel is generated upon exposure to human plasma. The compound was also found to have greatly improved water solubility. The pharmacodynamic results showed LK-196 had the self-evident inhibitory effect on tumor growth in vivo, which is a promising candidate for further biological evaluation., (© 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S.)

Interleukin-15 has been implicated as a promising cytokine for cancer immunotherapy, while folate receptor α (FRα) has been shown to be a potentially useful target for colon cancer therapy. Herein, we developed F-PLP/pIL15, a FRα-targeted lipoplex loading recombinant interleukin-15 plasmid (pIL15) and studied its antitumor effects in vivo using a CT26 colon cancer mouse model. Compared with control (normal saline) treatment, F-PLP/pIL15 significantly suppressed tumor growth in regard to tumor weight (P < 0.001) and reduced tumor nodule formation (P < 0.001). Moreover, when compared to other lipoplex-treated mice, F-PLP/pIL15-treated mice showed higher levels of IL15 secreted in the serum (P < 0.001) and ascites (P < 0.01). These results suggested that the targeted delivery of IL15 gene might be associated with its in vivo antitumor effects, which include inducing tumor cell apoptosis, inhibiting tumor proliferation and promoting the activation of immune cells such as T cells and natural killer cells. Furthermore, hematoxylin and eosin staining of vital organs following F-PLP/pIL15 treatment showed no detectable toxicity, thus indicating that intraperitoneal administration may be a viable route of delivery. Overall, these results suggest that F-PLP/pIL15 may serve as a potential targeting preparation for colon cancer therapy., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interests.

A new iron(III) complex (1) of 5-nitro-8-hydroxylquinoline (HNOQ) was synthesized and structurally characterized in its solid state and solution state by IR, UV-Vis, electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS, elemental analysis, conductivity and X-ray single crystal diffraction analysis. The DNA binding study suggested that complex 1 interacted with calf thymus (ct)-DNA mainly via an intercalative binding mode. By 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, the in vitro cytotoxicity of complex 1, comparing with HNOQ and cisplatin, was screened towards a series of tumor cell lines as well as the normal liver cell line HL-7702. Complex 1 showed higher cytotoxicity towards the tested tumor cell lines but lower cytotoxicity towards HL-7702 than HNOQ, in which the T-24 was the most sensitive cell line for 1. Complex 1 caused G2 phase cell cycle arrest and induced cell apoptosis in T-24 cells in a dose-dependent mode, evidenced by changes in cell morphology. Targeting the mitochondrial pathway due to the redox potential of Fe(III)/Fe(II), the apoptotic mechanism in T-24 cells treated by 1 was investigated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) detection, intracellular [Ca(2+)] measurement and caspase-9 and caspase-3 activity assay. It suggested that complex 1 induced cell apoptosis by triggering the caspase-9 and caspase-3 activation via a mitochondrion-mediated pathway.

Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) acts as a primary writer for di- and tri-methylation of histone H3 at lysine 27. This protein plays an essential role in silencing gene expression. Enhancer of zeste 2 (EZH2), the catalytic subunit of PRC2, is considered as a promising therapeutic target for cancer. GSK126, a specific inhibitor of EZH2, is undergoing phase I trials for hypermethylation-related cancers. In addition, many derivatives of GSK126 are also commonly used in laboratory investigations. However, studies on the mechanism and drug development of EZH2 are limited by the absence of structural diversity of these inhibitors because they share similar SAM-like scaffolds. In this study, we generated a pharmacophore model based on reported EZH2 inhibitors and performed in silico screenings. Experimental validations led to the identification of two novel EZH2 inhibitors, DCE&#95;42 and DCE&#95;254, with IC50 values of 23 and 11μM, respectively. They also displayed significant anti-proliferation activity against lymphoma cell lines. Thus, we discovered potent EZH2 inhibitors with novel scaffold using combined in silico screening and experimental study. Results from this study can also guide further development of novel specific EZH2 inhibitors., (Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Oxaliplatin (OXP) was reported to show low anti-tumor activity when used alone and to display side effects; this low activity was attributed to high partitioning to erythrocytes and low accumulation in tumors. Thermosensitive liposomes (TSL) were considered able to specifically deliver drugs to heated tumors and to resolve the OXP distribution problem. Regretfully, TSL encapsulating doxorubicin did not demonstrate significant improvement in progression-free survival. Drug release below 41°C and significant leakage were considered major reasons for the failure. The purpose of this study was to acquire OXP TSL with rapid release at the triggered temperature and high stability at body temperature and at storage temperatures. A small quantity of poloxamer 188 was introduced into the TSL formulation to stabilize the encapsulated drug. It was shown that the addition of poloxamer 188 had no influence on the TSL characteristics. More than 90% of OXP was released within 10 min at 42°C, and less than 15% was released within 60 min at temperatures below 39°C. TSL were stable at 37°C for 96 h and at 4°C for 6 months. The anti-tumor activity of TSL at the dose of 2.5 mg/kg was certified to be equal to those of OXP injection and non-thermosensitive liposomes (NTSL) at the dose of 5 mg/kg, and significant improvement of tumor inhibition was observed in TSL compared with injection and NTSL at the same dose. It was also shown from the histological transmutation of tumors that TSL had stronger anti-tumor activity. Therefore, it could be concluded that TSL composed of a proper amount of poloxamer had rapid release and high stability, and OXP TSL would be anticipated to exert prominent anti-tumor activity in the clinic.

Folic acid (FA)-γ cyclodextrin (γ CD)-C60 was synthesized in this study as a carrier for tumor-targeted drug delivery to enhance the anticancer effect of carboplatin (CBP). FA-γ CD and C60-CBP were prepared and C60-CBP was then entrapped into FA-γ CD through host-guest effect. FA-γ CD-C60 significantly increased the intracellular uptake and release of CBP, thereby providing higher cytotoxicity against the HeLa cells with high expression of folate receptor (FR). In vivo experiments revealed that FA-γ CD-C60-CBP had more significant anticancer effects than CBP alone, showing no obvious toxic effects on zebrafish at concentration as high as 500 μg/mL. These results suggest that FA-γ CD-C60 may provide an effective strategy for administration of antineoplastics, with great promise in future targeted therapy for cancers.

A series of novel isosteviol derivatives bearing amino alcohol and thiourea fragments have been stereo-selectively synthesized and screened for their in vitro cytotoxic activities against three human cancer cell lines (HCT-116, HGC-27 and JEKO-1). The results demonstrated that these compounds exhibited prominent cytotoxicities. Especially, the compound Iw displayed the most potent anticancer activities against HCT-116 cell with IC50 value of 1.450 μM. On the basis of this bioassay results, these derivatives were further investigated by the hologram quantitative structure-activity relationship (HQSAR) technique. The optimal HQSAR model with q(2) = 0.663, r(2) = 0.895, SEE = 0.179 was generated using A/B/H/Ch as fragment distinction parameters and 4-7 as fragment size. This model was employed to predict the cytotoxic activities of test set compounds, and the predicted values were in good agreement with the experimental results. The contribution maps derived from the optimal model explained the individual atomic contribution to the total activity of single molecule., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

By targeting a new binding region at the interface between αβ-tubulin heterodimers at the colchicine binding site, we designed a series of 7-substituted 1-methyl-1,4-dihydroindeno[1,2-c]pyrazoles as potential tubulin polymerization inhibitors. Among the compounds synthesized, 2-(6-ethoxy-3-(3-ethoxyphenylamino)-1-methyl-1,4-dihydroindeno[1,2-c]pyrazol-7-yloxy)acetamide 6a and 2-(6-ethoxy-3-(3-ethoxyphenylamino)-1-methyl-1,4-dihydroindeno[1,2-c]pyrazol-7-yloxy)-N-hydroxyacetamide 6n showed noteworthy low nanomolar potency against HepG2, Hela, PC3, and MCF-7 cancer cell lines. In mechanism studies, 6a inhibited tubulin polymerization and disorganized microtubule in A549 cells by binding to tubulin colchicine binding site. 6a arrested A549 cells in G2/M phase that was related to the alterations in the expression of cyclin B1 and p-cdc2. 6a induced A549 cells apoptosis through the activation of caspase-3 and PARP. In addition, 6a inhibited capillary tube formation in a concentration-dependent manner. In nonsmall cell lung cancer xenografts mouse model, 6a suppressed tumor growth by 59.1% at a dose of 50 mg/kg (ip) without obvious toxicity, indicating its in vivo potential as anticancer agent.

Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with t(8;21) is a heterogeneous disease. Identifying AML patients with t(8;21) who have a poor prognosis despite achieving remission is important for determining the best subsequent therapy. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of Wilm tumor gene-1 (WT1) transcript levels and cellular homolog of the viral oncogene v-KIT receptor tyrosine kinase (C-KIT) mutations at diagnosis, and RUNX1-RUNX1T1 transcript levels after the second consolidation chemotherapy cycle on outcomes., Methods: Eighty-eight AML patients with t(8;21) who received chemotherapy only or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) were included. Patients who achieved remission, received two or more cycles of consolidation chemotherapy, and had a positive measureable residual disease (MRD) test result (defined as <3-log reduction in RUNX1-RUNX1T1 transcript levels compared to baseline) after 2-8 cycles of consolidation chemotherapy were recommended to receive allo-HSCT. Patients who had a negative MRD test result were recommended to receive further chemotherapy up to only 8 cycles. WT1 transcript levels and C-KIT mutations at diagnosis, and RUNX1-RUNX1T1 transcript levels after the second consolidation chemotherapy cycle were tested., Results: Patients who had a C-KIT mutation had significantly lower WT1 transcript levels than patients who did not have a C-KIT mutation (6.7% ± 10.6% vs. 19.5% ± 19.9%, P < 0.001). Low WT1 transcript levels (≤5.0%) but not C-KIT mutation at diagnosis, a positive MRD test result after the second cycle of consolidation chemotherapy, and receiving only chemotherapy were independently associated with high cumulative incidence of relapse in all patients (hazard ratio [HR] = 3.53, 2.30, and 11.49; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.64-7.62, 1.82-7.56, and 4.43-29.82; P = 0.002, 0.034, and <0.001, respectively); these conditions were also independently associated with low leukemia-free survival (HR = 3.71, 2.33, and 5.85; 95% CI 1.82-7.56, 1.17-4.64, and 2.75-12.44; P < 0.001, 0.016, and <0.001, respectively) and overall survival (HR = 3.50, 2.32, and 4.34; 95% CI 1.56-7.82, 1.09-4.97, and 1.98-9.53; P = 0.002, 0.030, and <0.001, respectively) in all patients., Conclusions: Testing for WT1 transcript levels at diagnosis in patients with AML and t(8;21) may predict outcomes in those who achieve remission. A randomized study is warranted to determine whether allo-HSCT can improve prognosis in these patients.

Purpose: Combination therapy of sorafenib and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) has shown benefits in treating advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of TACE + sorafenib., Methods: MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and the ISI Web of Knowledge were searched (until 31 December 2013) for studies comparing TACE and TACE + sorafenib in treating patients with advanced HCC. Sensitivity and quality assessments were performed., Results: Five comparative studies (2 were randomized control trials) that included 899 patients were used in the meta-analysis. Patients treated with TACE + sorafenib had better prognoses in terms of time to progression (TTP) compared to those with TACE + placebo or TACE alone; hazard ratios (HRs) ranged from 0.40 to 0.87, with the combined HR 0.61 (95 % CI 0.39-0.95, p = 0.031). However, the combined HR for overall survival (OS) did not differ significantly between patients treated with TACE + sorafenib and those with TACE + placebo or TACE alone (combined HR = 0.79, 95 % CI = 0.54-1.16, p = 0.235). Sensitivity analysis indicated the findings for TTP may be overly influenced by at least one of the studies., Conclusions: In summary, our meta-analysis found that TACE + sorafenib can improve TTP. We did not find the combined therapy improved OS. Additional randomized controlled studies are necessary to further investigate the clinical benefit of TACE + sorafenib in treating advanced HCC.

Abnormal accumulation of β-catenin protein, a key transcriptional activator required for Wnt signaling, is the hallmark of many tumor types, including colon cancer. In normal cells, β-catenin protein level is tightly controlled by a multiprotein complex through the proteosome pathway. Mutations in the components of the β-catenin degradation complex, such as adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) and Axin, lead to β-catenin stabilization and the constitutive activation of target genes. Since the signal transduction of Wnt/β-catenin is mainly mediated by protein-protein interactions, this pathway has been particularly refractory to conventional target-based small-molecule screening. Here we designed a cellular high-content imaging assay to detect β-catenin protein through immunofluorescent staining in the SW480 colon cancer cell line, which has elevated β-catenin endogenously. We demonstrate that the assay is robust and specific to screen a focused biologically diverse chemical library set against known targets that play diverse cellular functions. We identified a number of hits that reduce β-catenin levels without causing cell death. These hits may serve as tools to understand the dynamics of β-catenin degradation. This study demonstrates that detecting cell-based β-catenin protein stability is a viable approach to identifying novel mechanisms of β-catenin regulation as well as small molecules of therapeutic potential., (© 2015 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.)

Bortezomib, a clinical drug for multiple myeloma (MM) and mantle cell lymphoma, exhibits complex mechanisms of action, which vary depending on the cancer type and the critical genetic alterations of each cancer. Here we investigated the signaling mechanisms of bortezomib in mouse B lymphoma and human MM cells deficient in a new tumor suppressor gene, TRAF3. We found that bortezomib consistently induced up-regulation of the cell cycle inhibitor p21(WAF1) and the pro-apoptotic protein Noxa as well as cleavage of the anti-apoptotic protein Mcl-1. Interestingly, bortezomib induced the activation of NF-κB1 and the accumulation of the oncoprotein c-Myc, but inhibited the activation of NF-κB2. Furthermore, we demonstrated that oridonin (an inhibitor of NF-κB1 and NF-κB2) or AD 198 (a drug targeting c-Myc) drastically potentiated the anti-cancer effects of bortezomib in TRAF3-deficient malignant B cells. Taken together, our findings increase the understanding of the mechanisms of action of bortezomib, which would aid the design of novel bortezomib-based combination therapies. Our results also provide a rationale for clinical evaluation of the combinations of bortezomib and oridonin (or other inhibitors of NF-κB1/2) or AD 198 (or other drugs targeting c-Myc) in the treatment of lymphoma and MM, especially in patients containing TRAF3 deletions or relevant mutations., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Two metal complexes of NiLCl2 (1) and [PtLCl]Cl (2) with 4-([2,2':6',2″-terpyridin]-4'-yl)-N,N-diethylaniline (L) were synthesized and characterized. 1 and 2 exhibited selective cytotoxicity to T-24 cells more than L, compared with the normal liver cell line (HL-7702). Various experiments showed that L, 1 and 2 caused T-24 cell cycle arrest at S phase, as shown by the down-regulation of cdc25 A, cyclin A, cyclin B and CDK2 and the up-regulation of p21, p27 and p53. Furthermore, complexes 1 and 2, especially complex 2, acted as telomerase inhibitors targeting c-myc G-quadruplex DNA and triggered cell apoptosis. In addition, 1 and 2 also caused mitochondrial dysfunction. Taken together, we found that 1 and 2 exerted their cytotoxic activity mainly via inhibiting telomerase by interaction with c-myc quadruplex and disruption of mitochondrial function., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide. However, the inherent limitations of traditional surgery and insensitivity to radiation and chemotherapy result in failing treatment and poor prognosis. In recent years, the development and advances of nanotechnology has brought new hope for the diagnosis and treatment of HCC. This article reviews the development of nanoparticles used for cancer detection, diagnosis and treatment due to their large specific surface area and unique optical, electronic and magnetic properties. Moreover, studies have shown that after intended surface modification, nano-carriers can achieve active targeting effect, which improves the efficiency of chemotherapeutic drugs and decreases their side effects. In this review, we provide an overview of these studies results, patents about novel nanomaterials and conclude with a discussion about future development.

Purpose: Preclinical studies show that inhibition of aurora kinases in melanoma tumors induces senescence and reduces tumor growth, but does not cause tumor regression. Additional preclinical models are needed to identify agents that will synergize with aurora kinase inhibitors to induce tumor regression., Experimental Design: We combined treatment with an aurora kinase A inhibitor, MLN8237, with agents that activate death receptors (Apo2L/TRAIL or death receptor 5 agonists) and monitored the ability of this treatment to induce tumor apoptosis and melanoma tumor regression using human cell lines and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mouse models., Results: We found that this combined treatment led to apoptosis and markedly reduced cell viability. Mechanistic analysis showed that the induction of tumor cell senescence in response to the AURKA inhibitor resulted in a decreased display of Apo2L/TRAIL decoy receptors and increased display of one Apo2L/TRAIL receptor (death receptor 5), resulting in enhanced response to death receptor ligand/agonists. When death receptors were activated in senescent tumor cells, both intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways were induced independent of BRAF, NRAS, or p53 mutation status. Senescent tumor cells exhibited BID-mediated mitochondrial depolarization in response to Apo2L/TRAIL treatment. In addition, senescent tumor cells had a lower apoptotic threshold due to decreased XIAP and survivin expression. Melanoma tumor xenografts of one human cell line and one PDX displayed total blockage of tumor growth when treated with MLN8237 combined with DR5 agonist antibody., Conclusions: These findings provide a strong rationale for combining senescence-inducing therapeutics with death receptor agonists for improved cancer treatment., (©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.)

Breast cancer resistance to therapy can result from expression of antiapoptotic genes. Survivin is an antiapoptotic gene that is over expressed in most human tumors. RNA interference using short interfering RNA (siRNA) can be used to specifically inhibit survivin expression. A novel siRNA targeting survivin was used to process MCF-7 cells. Cellular survivin mRNA and protein levels were determined by real-time qRT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. Cellular morphology and cell cycle were determined by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. Cell proliferation was measured by MTT assay. Our data showed that the novel survivin-targeted siRNA could efficiently knockdown the expression of survivin, inhibit cell proliferation and cell cycle, especially at the G2/M checkpoint. These data suggest that the siRNA has potential for therapeutic applications.

Antitumor vaccine, which is promising for tumor therapy, has been extensively studied. Some encouraging results of chemically synthetic vaccine designs based on the tumor-associated antigen mucin 1 have been achieved. However, some shortcomings such as low efficiency and difficult purification restrict their clinical application. To overcome these difficulties, we designed a novel antitumor vaccine of glycopeptide nanoconjugates based on the multilayer self-assembly through the interaction of positive and negative charges. This vaccine formed the spherical structure and effectively activated the macrophage in vitro. Besides, it also induced high titer of antibodies against mucin 1 glycopeptide. The induced antibodies could highly bind to the tumor cells and effectively kill them by activation of the complement dependent cytotoxicity complex. This novel strategy provides a new way for the development of simple and effective antitumor vaccine.

Three transition metal complexes with isoquinoline derivatives: [(MPDQ)2Zn(C2H5OH)ClO4]ClO4 (1) (MPDQ = 4,5-methylenedioxy-1-pyridinedihydroisoquinoline), [(PYP)2Zn(H2O)](ClO4)2 (2) (PYP = 5-pyridin-2-yl-[1,3]dioxolo[4,5-g]isoquinoline) and [(MPDQ)2Ni(CH3OH)ClO4]ClO4 (3) were synthesized and fully characterized. All complexes exhibited strong proliferation inhibition activity against various tested cancer cells with high selectivity to tumour and normal cells. BEL-7404 cells were found most sensitive to complex 2 by inducing apoptosis. The process involved the mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization, PARP-proteins cleavage, Bcl-2, p53, p21 expression and caspase family members' activation. Taking these findings into account, it can propose that complex 2 induce cancer cell apoptosis via mitochondrial pathways. The interaction of complex 2 with DNA investigated by fluorescence, CD and viscosity indicated that complex 2 interact with DNA mainly via intercalation., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Epigenetic dysregulation has emerged as an important mechanism in cancer. Alterations in epigenetic machinery have become a major focus for targeted therapies. The current report describes the discovery and biological activity of a cyclopropylamine containing inhibitor of Lysine Demethylase 1 (LSD1), GSK2879552. This small molecule is a potent, selective, orally bioavailable, mechanism-based irreversible inactivator of LSD1. A proliferation screen of cell lines representing a number of tumor types indicated that small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) is sensitive to LSD1 inhibition. The subset of SCLC lines and primary samples that undergo growth inhibition in response to GSK2879552 exhibit DNA hypomethylation of a signature set of probes, suggesting this may be used as a predictive biomarker of activity., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Complexes of yttrium(III) and dysprosium(III) with the traditional Chinese medicine active ingredient oxoglaucine (OG), namely [Y(OG)2(NO3)3]·CH3OH (1) and [Dy(OG)2(NO3)3]·H2O (2), were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, ESI-MS, (1)H and (13)C NMR as well as single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. In vitro the complexes exhibited higher anticancer activity than the free ligand OG against the tested cancer cell lines. Among the tested cell lines, HepG2 is the most sensitive to the complexes. Complex 2 can trigger DNA damage in HepG2 cells, resulting in cell cycle arrest in the S phase and leading to cell apoptosis. The S phase cell-cycle arrest is caused via the ATM (ataxia-telangiectasia mutated)-Chk2-Cdc25A pathway. Chk2 is phosphorylated and activated in an ATM-dependent manner. It, in turn, phosphorylates Cdc25A phosphatise on serine124, causing the inactivation of Cdc25A in ubiquitin-mediated proteolytic degradation. The cyclin-Cdk complexes of the S phase could also be inhibited by limited supply of cyclins A and E. This irreversible cell cycle arrest process ultimately induces mitochondria-involved apoptotic cell death via the activation of Bcl-2 protein. Complex e2 ffectively inhibited tumour growth in the BEL-7402 xenograft mouse model and exhibited higher safety in vivo than cisplatin.

High dose methylprednisolone (HDMP) has been an effective salvage therapy for patients with relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), while little is known about the exact mechanisms implicated in glucocorticoid-induced cell death. To explore the mechanism of glucocorticoid-induced cell death, we investigated the effect of HDMP on canonical Wnt signaling which emerged as a key pathway implicated in the pathogenesis of CLL. In this study, the human CLL cell line MEC-1 was incubated with various concentrations of methylprednisolone. Cell proliferation activity was detected by CCK8 assay, the apoptotic effect was evaluated by TUNEL assay. Western blot was used to detect active-caspase 3, and the key proteins in Wnt signaling pathway (LEF-1, β-catenin). RT-PCR was performed to assess the mRNA levels of β-catenin, LEF-1, c-myc and cyclin D1. We observed that high concentration of methylprednisolone could suppress the proliferation activity of MEC-1 cells, promote the relative expression of active-caspase 3, and induce apoptotic cell death. Furthermore, methylprednisolone could inhibit LEF-1 protein expression, consequently down-regulate mRNA levels of c-myc and cyclin D1, but could not affect the transcription level of β-catenin and LEF-1 mRNA. The results of this study indicate that methylprednisolone can suppress Wnt signaling pathway by down-regulating LEF-1 protein expression, indicating a novel mechanism for HDMP therapy in CLL.

A new anthracycline derivative, anthracene-9-imidazoline hydrazone (9-AIH), was synthesized and selected as an antitumor ligand to afford a copper(II) complex of 9-AIH, cis-[Cu(II)Cl2(9-AIH)] (1). Complex 1 was structurally characterized by IR, elemental analysis, ESI-MS and single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. By MTT assay, it was revealed that 1 showed overall a higher in vitro cytotoxicity than 9-AIH towards a panel of human tumour cell lines, with IC50 values from 0.94–3.68 μM, in which the BEL-7404 cell line was the most sensitive to 1. By spectral analyses and gel electrophoresis, the DNA binding affinity of 9-AIH and 1 was determined. 9-AIH was suggested to bind with DNA in an intercalative mode, with a quenching constant of 1.04 × 10(4) M(−1) on the EB–DNA complex. While for 1, both intercalative and covalent binding modes were suggested. By flow cytometry, 1 was found to block the cell cycle of BEL-7404 cells in a dose-dependent mode, in which it induced the G2/M phase arrest at 0.5 μM and induced the S phase arrest at higher concentrations of 1.0 or 2.0 μM. From the cellular morphological observations under different fluorescence probe staining, a dose-dependent manner of 1 to induce cell apoptosis in the late stage was suggested. Comparatively, equivalent apoptotic cells, respectively, in the early and late stages were found when incubated with 2.0 μM of 9-AIH. The mitochondrial membrane potential measured by JC-1 staining and the ROS generation in cells detected using a DCFH-DA probe suggested that the cell apoptosis induced by 1 might undergo the ROS-related mitochondrial pathway. Accordingly, the mutant p53 expression was found to be suppressed and the caspase cascade (caspase-9/3) was consequently activated by 1. This action mechanism for 1 in the BEL-7404 cells was unique and was not found in the presence of 9-AIH under the same conditions, indicating their different antitumor mechanism. Furthermore, the in vivo acute toxicity of 1 tested on mice indicated that 1 should be a high cytotoxic antitumor agent, with the LD50 value in the range of 32–45 mg kg(−1), which is much higher than that of 9-AIH. From the above results, the central Cu(II) of 1 in the coordinated mode with 9-AIH was believed to play a key role in exerting both the high cytotoxicity and the effective antitumor mechanism.

Cancer remains a major cause of death in the world to date. A variety of anticancer drugs have been used in clinical chemotherapy, acting on the particular oncogenic abnormalities that are responsible for malignant transformation and progression. Interestingly, some of these anticancer drugs are developed from natural sources such as plants, marine organisms, and microorganisms. Over the past decades, a family of naturally occuring molecules, namely sesterterpenoids, has been isolated from different organisms and they exhibit significant potential in the inhibition of tumor cells in vitro, while the molecular targets of these compounds and their functional mechanisms are still obscure. In this review, we summarize and discuss the functions of these sesterterpenoids in the inhibition of cancer cells. Moreover, we also highlight and discuss chemical structure-activity relationships of some compounds, demonstrating their pervasiveness and importance in cancer therapy.

Three water-soluble ruthenium(II) complexes with chiral 4-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl)-formamide oxoaporphine (FOA) were synthesized and characterized. It was found that these ruthenium(II) complexes exhibited considerable in vitro anticancer activities and that they were the effective stabilizers of telomeric and G-quadruplex-DNA (G4-DNA) in promoter of c-myc, which acted as a telomerase inhibitor targeting G4-DNA and induced cell senescence and apoptosis. Interestingly, the in vitro anticancer activity of 6 (LC-003) was higher than those of 4 (LC-001) and 5 (LC-002), more selective for BEL-7404 cells than for normal HL-7702 cells, and preferred to activate caspases-3/9. The different biological behaviors of the ruthenium complexes could be correlated with the chiral nature of 4-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl)-formamide oxoaporphine. More significantly, 6 exhibited effective inhibitory on tumor growth in BEL-7402 xenograft mouse model and higher in vivo safety than cisplatin. These mechanistic insights indicate that 6 displays low toxicity and can be a novel anticancer drug candidate.

Background: Clinical trials of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-targeted agents added to standard treatment have been efficacious for HER2-positive (HER2+) advanced breast cancer. To our knowledge, no meta-analysis has evaluated HER2-targeted therapy including trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) and pertuzumab for HER2-positive breast caner and ranked the targeted treatments. We performed a network meta-analysis of both direct and indirect comparisons to evaluate the effect of adding HER2-targeted agents to standard treatment and examined side effects., Methods: We performed a Bayesian-framework network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to compare 6 HER2-targeted treatment regimens and 1 naïve standard treatment (NST, without any-targeted drugs) in targeted treatment of HER2+ breast cancer in adults. These treatment regimens were T-DM1, LC (lapatinib), HC (trastuzumab), PEC (pertuzumab), LHC (lapatinib and trastuzumab), and PEHC (pertuzumab and trastuzumab). The main outcomes were overall survival and response rates. We also examined side effects of rash, LVEF (left ventricular ejection fraction), fatigue, and gastrointestinal disorders, and performed subgroup analysis for the different treatment regimens in metastatic or advanced breast cancer., Results: We identified 25 articles of 21 trials, with data for 11,276 participants. T-DM1 and PEHC were more efficient drug regimens with regard to overall survival as compared with LHC, LC, HC and PEC. The incidence of treatment-related rash occurs more frequently in the patients who received LC treatment regimen than PEHC and T-DM1 and HC. In subgroup analysis, T-DM1 was associated with increased overall survival as compared with LC and HC. PEHC was associated with increased overall response as compared with LC, HC, and NST., Conclusions: Overall, the regimen of T-DM1 as well as pertuzumab in combination with trastuzumab and docetaxel is efficacious with fewer side effects as compared with other regimens, especially for advanced HER2+ breast cancer., Impact: This study suggests that both T-DM1 and PEHC therapy are potentially and equally useful treatments for HER2+ breast cancer.

Background: Many patients experience nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy treatment. Evidence demonstrates that electroacupuncture is beneficial for controlling chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). However, the acupoint or matching acupoint with the best efficacy for controlling CINV still remains unidentified., Methods/design: This study consists of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with four parallel arms: a control group and three electroacupuncture groups (one with Neiguan (PC6), one with Zhongwan (CV12), and one with both PC6 and CV12). The control group received standard antiemetic only, while the other three groups received electroacupuncture stimulation with different acupoints besides the standard antiemetic. The intervention is done once daily from the first day (day 1) to the fourth day (day 4) during chemotherapy treatment. The primary outcome measures include frequency of nausea, vomiting and retching. The secondary outcome measures are the grade of constipation and diarrhea, electrogastrogram, assessment of quality of life, assessment of anxiety and depression, and other adverse effects during the chemotherapy. Assessments are scheduled from one day pre-chemotherapy (day 0) to the fifth day of chemotherapy (day 5). Follow-ups are done from day 6 to day 21., Discussion: The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of electro-acupuncture with different acupoints in the management of CINV., Trial Registration: The register number of randomized controlled trial is NCT02195908 . The date of registration was 21 July 2014.

The combination of a chemotherapeutic drug with a P-glycoprotein (P-gp) inhibitor has emerged as a promising strategy for treating multidrug resistance (MDR) cancer. To ensure that two drugs can be co-delivered to the tumor region and quickly released in tumor cells, tumor-targeted and pH-sensitive polymeric micelles were designed and prepared by combining cationic ring-opening polymerization of 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline (EOz) with anionic ring-opening polymerization of D,L-lactide (LA), and then encapsulating doxorubicin (DOX) and D-alpha-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS1000) into the micelles self-assembled by poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)-poly(D,L-lactide) (PEOz-PLA) and DSPE-PEG-folate. PEOz-PLA exhibited a low critical micelle concentration and negligible cytotoxicity. The micelles enabled the rapid release of DOX when pH decreased from 7.4 to 5.0. The targeting ability of the micelles was demonstrated by in vitro flow cytometry in KBv cells and in vivo real time near-infrared fluorescence imaging in KBv tumor-bearing nude mice. The efficiency of MDR reversion for the micelles was testified by enhancement of intracellular DOX accumulation and cytotoxicity. The efficient drug delivery by the micelles was attributed to synergistic effects of folate-mediated targeting, pH-triggered drug release and TPGS1000-aroused P-gp inhibition. Therefore, the designed multifunctional polymeric micelles may have significant promise for therapeutic application of MDR cancer., (Copyright © 2015 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A series of hybrids of scopoletin and substituted cinnamic acid were designed, synthesized and evaluated in vitro and in vivo against five human tumor cell lines [MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, A549, HCT-116, and HeLa] with doxorubicin as the positive control. Compounds 17a, 17b, 17c and 17g exhibited potent cytotoxic activity. Especially, compound 17b displayed broad spectrum activity with IC50 values ranging from 0.249 μM to 0.684 μM. Moreover, in a preliminary pharmacological study, 17b not only remarkably induced cellular apoptosis, but also clearly induced A549 cells cycle arrest at S phase. In vivo study showed that 17b significantly suppressed tumor growth in a dose-dependent manner without causing the loss of the mean body weight of mice, which was superior to doxorubicin. These preliminary results indicate that 17b is an optimal anti-cancer leading compound and merit further structural modification., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Two G-quadruplex ligands [Pt(L(a))(DMSO)Cl] (Pt1) and [Pt(L(b))(DMSO)Cl] (Pt2) have been synthesized and fully characterized. The two complexes are more selective for SK-OV-3/DDP tumor cells versus normal cells (HL-7702). It was found that both Pt1 and Pt2 could be a telomerase inhibitor targeting G-quadruplex DNA. This is the first report demonstrating that telomeric, c-myc, and bcl-2 G-quadruplexes and caspase-3/9 preferred to bind with Pt2 rather than Pt1, which also can induce senescence and apoptosis. The different biological behavior of Pt1 and Pt2 may correlate with the presence of a 6-hydroxyl group in L(b). Importantly, Pt1 and Pt2 exhibited higher safety in vivo and more effective inhibitory effects on tumor growth in the HCT-8 and NCI-H460 xenograft mouse model, compared with cisplatin. Taken together, these mechanistic insights indicate that both Pt1 and Pt2 display low toxicity and could be novel anticancer drug candidates.

[Pt(Q)2] (1) and [Pt(MQ)2] (2) exhibited enhanced cytotoxicity against BEL-7404, Hep-G2, NCI-H460, T-24, A549 tumor cells but low cytotoxicity on normal HL-7702 cells. 1 and 2 could cause the cell cycle arrest in G2 and S phase, respectively. While pifithrin-α, a specific p53 inhibitor, induced cell cycle arrest in G1 phase. Although 1, 2 and pifithrin-α caused serious inhibition on p53, 1 and 2 significantly cause the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and increase of the reactive oxygen species level, cytochrome c, apaf-1 and caspase-3/9 ratio in BEL-7404 cells. 1 and 2 may trigger the cell apoptosis through a mitochondrial dysfunction pathway whereas pifithrin-α does not. The interactions of 1 and 2 with DNA are most probably via an intercalation., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Lupeol, a dietary triterpene, present in many fruits and medicinal plants, has been reported to possess many pharmacological properties including anti-cancer activities both in vitro and in vivo. However, the precise mechanism involved remains largely unknown. The present study is conducted to investigate the anti-cancer activity and the underlying mechanisms of lupeol on human pancreatic cancer proliferating cell nuclear antigen 1 (PCNA-1) cells in vitro and in vivo. Lupeol significantly inhibited the proliferation of the cells in dose- and time-dependent manners and induced apoptosis as well as cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase by upregulating P21 and P27 and downregulating cyclin D1. The expression of apoptosis-related proteins in cells was evaluated by western blot analysis, and we found that lupeol induced cell apoptosis by decreasing the levels of p-AKT and p-ERK. In addition, pretreatment with a specific PI3K/AKT activator (IGF-1) significantly neutralized the pro-apoptotic activity of lupeol in PCNA-1 cells, demonstrating the important role of AKT in this process. More importantly, our in vivo studies showed that administration of lupeol decreased tumor growth in a dose-dependent manner. Immunohistochemistry analysis demonstrated the downregulation of p-AKT and p-ERK in tumor tissues following lupeol treatment, consistent with the in vitro results. Therefore, these findings indicate that lupeol can inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis as well as cell cycle arrest of PCNA-1 cells and might offer a therapeutic potential advantage for human pancreatic cancer chemoprevention or chemotherapy.

This study aimed to identify the key pathways and to explore the mechanism of sorafenib in inhibiting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The gene expression profile of GSE33621, including 6 sorafenib treated group and 6 control samples, was downloaded from the GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus) database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in HCC samples were screened using the ΔΔCt method with the homogenized internal GAPDH. Also, the functions and pathways of DEGs were analyzed using the DAVID. Moreover, the significant pathways of DEGs that involved in HCC were analyzed based on the Latent pathway identification analysis (LPIA). A total of 44 down-regulated DEGs were selected in HCC samples. Also, there were 84 biological pathways that these 44 DEGs involved in. Also, LPIA showed that Osteoclast differentiation and hsa04664-Fc epsilon RI signaling pathway was the most significant interaction pathways. Moreover, Apoptosis, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, Chagas disease, and T cell receptor signaling pathway were the significant pathways that interacted with hsa04664. In addition, DEGs such as AKT1 (v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 1), TNF (tumor necrosis factor), SYK (spleen tyrosine kinase), and PIK3R1 (phosphoinositide-3-kinase, regulatory subunit 1 (alpha)) were the common genes that involved in the significant pathways. Several pathway interaction pairs that caused by several downregulated genes such as SYK, PI3K, AKT1, and TNF, were identified play curial role in sorafenib treated HCC. Sorafenib played important inhibition roles in HCC by affecting a complicate pathway interaction network.

A novel X-shaped four-armed gemini-like peglyated distearylglycerol (Gemini-PEG2K-GCDS), with two hydrophilic PEG heads and two hydrophobic stearic acid tails, was successfully synthesized and used as a nanomicellar carrier for delivery of doxorubicin. The critical micelle concentration of the amphiphilic copolymer was higher than 10(-6). Mean particle size and zeta potential of DOX-encapsulated Gemini-PEG2K-GCDS nanomicelles (DOX-GNMs) was 20.4nm and+3.91mv, respectively. Encapsulation efficiency of DOX-GNMs was as high as 94.6 and DOX release was pH-dependent from DOX-GNMs, ensuring the stability of nanomicelles in blood circulation and rapid release of DOX in tumor cells. Pharmacokinetic studies in rats following i.v. administration, DOX-GNMs demonstrated longer retention in blood and larger AUC (19.1-fold of t1/2 and 12.9-fold of AUC) compared with DOX solutions (DOX-Sol). Tissue distribution studies indicate that DOX-GNMs had higher tumor accumulation (4.6-fold) and lower heart toxicity in H22 tumor-bearing mice (17.4-fold) at 48h after administration in comparison with DOX-Sol. Moreover, IC50 of DOX-GNMs increased by 3.3-fold, 2.0-fold and 2.3-fold compared with DOX-Sol in P-gp over-expressing MCF-7/Adr cells after 24h, 48h and 72h, internalized via macropinocytosis-mediated and clathrin-mediated endocytosis. This study suggests that Gemini-PEG2K-GCDS nanomicelle is a promising long circulating delivery system for anti-tumor drugs via extended blood circulation and improved tumor distribution., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Dual endosomal pH-sensitive micelles were designed and fabricated to deliver doxorubicin (DOX) for treating breast cancer based on a poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEOz)-DOX (PEOz-hyd-DOX) conjugate. PEOz-hyd-DOX was successfully synthesized by connecting DOX to PEOz via an acid cleavable hydrazone linker and self-assembled into nanosized micelles, which further physically encapsulated DOX. The conjugate and DOX-loaded conjugate micelles displayed faster release of DOX at pH 5.0 than at pH 7.4. This pH-dependent release behavior might assist the quick diffusion of DOX from acidic endosomes or lysosomes and the intracellular transfer into the nucleus after internalization, which was confirmed by confocal laser scanning microscopy images. As expected, PEOz-hyd-DOX conjugate and DOX-loaded conjugate micelles maintained cytotoxicity of DOX. In addition, the dual endosomal pH-sensitive micelles were found to substantially enhance antitumor efficacy and reduce side effects compared with free DOX. Therefore, PEOz-hyd-DOX conjugate-based micelles might be potential drug delivery vehicles of DOX for safe and effective breast cancer therapy.

A new platinum(II) complex of [Pt(II)(L) (pn)]Cl·2H2O (1) (pn = 1,3-propanediamine) with 2-(4-methoxy-phenyl)imidazo [4,5-f]-[1,10]phenanthrolin (H-L) was synthesized and characterized. In complex 1, the platinum adopts a four-coordinated square planar geometry. Complex 1 exhibited selective cytotoxicity against NCI-H460, BEL-7402, SK-OV-3, SK-OV-3/DDP and HeLa cell lines with IC50 values in the micromolar range (9.7-35.8 μM), but low cytotoxicity toward normal human liver HL-7702 cells. Complex 1 caused HeLa cell cycle arrest at S phase and it induced HeLa apoptosis by the activation of caspase-3/9. Various experiments showed that complex 1 preferred to bind with G-quadruplex in c-myc. Taken together, we found that complex 1 exerted its antitumor activity mainly via inhibiting telomerase by interaction with c-myc quadruplex and activation of caspase-3/9., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Background: Preoperative 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemoradiotherapy is a standard treatment for locally advanced colorectal cancer (CRC). However, CRC cells often develop chemoradiation resistance (CRR). Recent studies have shown that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) plays critical roles in a myriad of biological processes and human diseases, as well as chemotherapy resistance. Since the roles of lncRNAs in 5-FU-based CRR in human CRC cells remain unknown, they were investigated in this study., Materials and Methods: A 5-FU-based concurrent CRR cell model was established using human CRC cell line HCT116. Microarray expression profiling of lncRNAs and mRNAs was undertaken in parental HCT116 and 5-FU-based CRR cell lines., Results: In total, 2,662 differentially expressed lncRNAs and 2,398 mRNAs were identified in 5-FU-based CRR HCT116 cells when compared with those in parental HCT116. Moreover, 6 lncRNAs and 6 mRNAs found to be differentially expressed were validated by quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis for the differentially expressed mRNAs indicated involvement of many, such as Jak- STAT, PI3K-Akt and NF-kappa B signaling pathways. To better understand the molecular basis of 5-FU-based CRR in CRC cells, correlated expression networks were constructed based on 8 intergenic lncRNAs and their nearby coding genes., Conclusions: Changes in lncRNA expression are involved in 5-FU-based CRR in CRC cells. These findings may provide novel insight for the prognosis and prediction of response to therapy in CRC patients.

Tumor vasculature is an important target in cancer treatment. Two distinct vasculartargeting therapeutic strategies are applied to attack cancer cells indirectly. The antiangiogenic approach intervenes in the neovascularization processes and blocks the formation of new blood vessels, while th e antivascular approach targets the established tumor blood vessels, making vascular shutdown and resulting in rapid haemorrhagic necrosis and tumor cell death. A number of compounds with diverse structural scaffolds have been designed to target tumor vasculature and they are called vascular disrupting agents (VDAs). The biological or ligand-directed VDAs utilize antibodies, peptides or growth factors to deliver toxins or pro-coagulants or proapoptotic affectors to tumor-related blood vessels, while the small-molecule VDAs selectively target tumor blood vessels and have little effects on the normal endothelium. Among the small-molecule VDAs, the tubulin colchicine binding site inhibitors have been extensively studied and many of them have entered the clinical trials, including CA-4P, CA-1P, AVE8062, OXi4503, CKD-516, BNC105P, ABT-751, CYT- 997, ZD6126, NPI-2358, MN-029 and EPC2407. This review makes a summary of the small-molecule VDAs in clinical developments and highlights some potential VDA leads or candidates for the treatment of tumors.

Purpose: This paper describes the incidence of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) after highly or moderately emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC or MEC) for cancer in six Asia Pacific countries., Methods: Sequential adult patients naïve to chemotherapy and scheduled to receive at least two cycles of single-day HEC or MEC were enrolled in this prospective observational study. Patients completed the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) Antiemesis Tool on post-chemotherapy days 2 and 6 to record acute-phase (first 24 h) and delayed-phase (days 2-5) CINV., Results: There were 648 evaluable patients (318 HEC, 330 MEC) from Australia (n = 74), China (153), India (88), Singapore (57), South Korea (151), and Taiwan (125). Mean (SD) patient age was 56 (12) and 58% of patients were women; the most common primary cancers were breast (27%), lung (22%), and colon (20%). Overall in cycle 1, complete response (no emesis or rescue antiemetics) was recorded by 69% (95% confidence interval (CI), 66-73) of all evaluable patients, with country percentages ranging from 55 to 78% (p < 0.001). After HEC, no emesis was recorded by 75% and no nausea by 38% of patients. After MEC, 80% had no emesis and 50% no nausea. Acute-phase CINV was better controlled than delayed-phase CINV, and the control of nausea was the lowest of any CINV measure in all phases. In a CINV perception survey, physicians tended to overestimate emesis rate and underestimate nausea rate., Conclusions: CINV remains a substantial problem, and country-specific information about CINV can be useful in developing strategies to improve outcomes for patients undergoing chemotherapy.