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Lung cancer is one of the major causes of cancer-related deaths in the world. Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer, and small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is the most aggressive subtype of lung cancer. Proper therapies for SCLC have not yet been developed. However, new molecules have been designed and big innovation in treating SCLC has been achieved. Platinum-based antitumor drugs like cisplatin and carboplatin have several disadvantages including side effects, cisplatin-resistant tumors and limited solubility in aqueous media. Thus, two novel chiral aminoalcohol-based bis(phosphinite) ligands containing (η6-p-cymene)-Ru(II)-phosphinite and bis(phosphinite)–Pd(II) complexes were synthesized and evaluated for anticancer activity. In this study, the results showed that complex 1 has the strongest cytotoxic effects on SCLC and NSCLC cell lines. On the other hand, cisplatin, ruthenium and palladium complexes are capable to induce apoptosis. Especially, complexes 1 and 2 can induce apoptosis for both SCLC and NSCLC. When compared to the qRT-PCR and TUNEL results, we obtained a significant correlation between apoptotic index and p21, Bax gene expressions. This work revealed the potential of the synthesized complexes as anticancer agents with cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic activity as leading compounds for further anticancer researches. © 2020, Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are 20–24-nucleotide-long noncoding RNAs that bind to the untranslated region (3? UTR) of their target mRNAs. The importance of miRNAs in medicine has grown rapidly in the 20 years since the discovery of them. As the regulatory function of miRNAs on biological processes was discovered, they were advocated to play a role in the underlying mechanisms of human pathogenesis. Functional studies have confirmed that miRNAs are promising in preclinical development through deregulation of genes targeted by miRNAs in many cancer cases. In this chapter, we summarize the miRNAs identified for some specific types of cancer and their functions. Besides, miRNAs function as cancer biomarker and their benefits to diagnosis and treatment of cancer are also discussed. © 2022, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are 20-24-nucleotide-long noncoding RNAs that bind to the untranslated region (3' UTR) of their target mRNAs. The importance of miRNAs in medicine has grown rapidly in the 20 years since the discovery of them. As the regulatory function of miRNAs on biological processes was discovered, they were advocated to play a role in the underlying mechanisms of human pathogenesis. Functional studies have confirmed that miRNAs are promising in preclinical development through deregulation of genes targeted by miRNAs in many cancer cases. In this chapter, we summarize the miRNAs identified for some specific types of cancer and their functions. Besides, miRNAs function as cancer biomarker and their benefits to diagnosis and treatment of cancer are also discussed.

Asherman syndrome (AS) occurs due to fibrosis or uterine adhesions as a result of damage to the basal layer of the endometrium. The aim of this study is investigating the effects of adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cell (ADMSC) application on the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), miRNA-98, miRNA199a in endometrial tissue in rats with AS. Study groups were designed as, control (C), Asherman syndrome (AS), AS + oral estrogen (ASO), AS + ADMSC (ASSC), AS + oral estrogen + ADMSC (ASSCO) with 7 samples in each group. Characterization and differentiation experiments were performed in ADMSC obtained. Two weeks after the development of the AS, ADMSC therapy was applied. BrdU (5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine) labeling was performed to show the presence of ADMSC in the tissues. Rats were sacrificed after 8 weeks and bilateral uterine horn resection was performed. Tissues were fixed in formaldehyde. After routine tissue follow-up, sections were taken and evaluated with hematoxylin eosin staining. VEGF1 and IGF1 expressions were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining and western blot analysis. Expression changes of miR-98 and miR-199a were detected by RT-PCR. Our results showed that stem cells and estrogen giving together reduced inflammation and fibrosis in the endometrium. Immunohistochemistry and western blot results suggested that this effect was achieved especially through IGF-1. In our study, decreased miR-98 and miR-199a expressions were determined in Asherman syndrome. Furthermore, no changes of miRNA expressions were observed in treatment groups. © 2020, Springer Nature B.V.

Scientists are increasingly focusing attention on natural products of plant origin for use as agents in cancer protection and treatment. Cyclamen L. tuber extracts contain saponin glycosides that have been shown to have anti-cancer and other biological activities. The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is thought to enhance malignant tumour progress. The transcriptional repressor zinc-finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) is an important inducer of EMT in different human tumours and has recently been shown to boost invasion by tumour cells. In this study, we investigated the effects of endemic Cyclamen pseudibericum (CP) saponin-rich tuber extract on the capacity of non-small cell lung cancer line A549 cells to proliferate, invade and migrate and also examined the expression levels of several invasion–migration-related microRNAs (miRNAs) to identify those which directly targeted ZEB1. The cytotoxicity effect of the CP extract on the A549 cancer cells was determined by the luminometric method. The half-minimal (50%) inhibitory concentration dose in the A549 cells was determined to be 41.64 ± 2.35 µg/mL. Using the Matrigel invasion chamber system and the wound healing assay we observed that the CP extract suppressed the invasion and migration capacity of A549 cells, respectively. The expression of miRNAs in A549 cells was evaluated by real-time PCR. Our data showed that overexpression of miRNA miR-200c hindered the EMT by increasing the expression of E-cadherin and decreasing the expression of both N-cadherin and vimentin through the direct targeting of ZEB1. These findings suggest that the saponin-rich tuber extract of CP may have considerable anti-cancer properties in lung cancer. Further studies are required to examine in detail the molecular-based mechanism involved in the EMT process of the extract along with isolation and identification of active saponin components. © 2018, The Japanese Society of Pharmacognosy and Springer Japan KK, part of Springer Nature.

In this study, the potential antioxidant, antiproliferative and hepatoprotective effects of Crataegus meyeri Pojark. were investigated. The antioxidant activity of the ethanolic flower extracts was evaluated by using DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and β-carotene–linoleic acid assays. Total phenolic contents were also measured. The results obtained showed that C. meyeri can act as a high radical scavenger reaching 88.67%. In vitro antiproliferative activity for the same extracts was determined by MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay against PC3 and PC14 cells. The extracts of the plant at concentrations of 0.5, 1 and 1.25% were administered orally to the three experimental groups, including partially hepatectomized rats for 42 days. At the end of the experimental period, animals were sacrificed, and blood was collected for the assessment of serum levels of ALT (alanine aminotransferase), AST (aspartate aminotransferase) and GGT (gamma-glutamyltransferase). In biochemical assay, a significant decrease in the levels of serum ALT and AST was found in the experimental groups. Practical Applications The antioxidant activity studies on Crataegus species have exhibited that these species possess considerable antioxidant potential because of their polyphenolic compounds such as flavonoids and procyanidines. In this study, the findings are consistent with these observations. However, our results also demonstrated that C. meyeri exerts a protective effect against partial hepatectomy-induced liver injury in rats and could provide a new potential approach to inhibit the proliferation of human non-small cell lung cancer cells.

Cyclamen coum is a traditional medicinal plant in the Turkey. Its anticancer properties and whether cyclamen extract induces any cytotoxicity in solid cancer cell lines have not been thoroughly investigated previously. Therefore we examined cytotoxic effects on cervical cells; HeLa and non small cell lung cancer cell, H1299, lines; Cyclamen extract induced cellular death of both HeLa and H1299 cells in a dose dependent manner. We also analyzed the capacity of cyclamen extract to induce apoptosis by the TUNEL method. Here, for the first time we report that the extract of Cyclamen coum, an endemic plant for Turkey, Bulgaria, Georgia and the Middle East can induce cytotoxicity via apoptosis in HeLa and H1299 cells. These results imply that cyclamen extract can be further analyzed to potentially find novel anticancer compounds.