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Telomerase is activated in human papillomavirus (HPV) positive cervical cancer and targeting telomeres offers a novel anticancer therapeutic strategy. In this study, the telomere targeting properties, the cytotoxic as well as the pro-apoptotic effects of hexane (IV-HE) and dichloromethane (IV-DF) fractions from Inula viscosa L. extracts were investigated on human cervical HeLa and SiHa cancer cells. Our data demonstrate that IV-HE and IV-DF extracts were able to inhibit cell growth in HeLa and SiHa cells in a dose-dependent manner and studied resistant cell lines exhibited a resistance factor less than 2 when treated with the extracts. IV-HE and IV-DF extracts were able to inhibit telomerase activity and to induce telomere shortening as shown by telomeric repeat amplification protocol and TTAGGG telomere length assay, respectively. The sensitivity of fibroblasts to the extracts was increased when telomerase was expressed. Finally, IV-HE and IV-DF were able to induce apoptosis as evidenced by an increase in annexin-V labeling and caspase-3 activity. This study provides the first evidence that the IV-HE and IV-DF extracts from Inula viscosa L. target telomeres induce apoptosis and overcome drug resistance in tumor cells. Future studies will focus on the identification of the molecules involved in the anticancer activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulation of annexing concentration and localization were investigated in thyroid tissues of hypothyroid [methylthiouracil (MeSur) treatment], euthyroid (control) and hyperthyroid [thyroxine (T4) treatment] rats. A low level of circulating thyroid hormones induces a decrease of total thyroid calcium-binding protein concentration when compared with the concentration in unstimulated animals. Conversely, concentrations of annexing I, II and V increase. The accumulation of these proteins in two subcellular compartments (cytosolic and particulate fractions) can be reversed by addition of thyroid hormones. The finding of a specific increase in annexing concentration in thyroid-hormone-deficient rats, with a general decrease of the total calcium-binding protein content points to a very important role of these proteins in the cells Furthermore, hyperthyroidism gives opposite results. To investigate the transduction pathway of annexing I-, II- and V-induced biosynthesis by thyroid hormones in thyroid glands, we used cultured pig thyroid cells as in vitro model system. In previous work, we have shower that annexing concentrations and localization are under TSH control via the adenylate cyclase pathway. In the presence of MeSur (in the culture medium), the protein-binding iodine remains low, indicative of weak thyroid hormone synthesis (data not shown) and that the annexing content is unchanged. These results suggest that, in thyroid tissue, an indirect mechanism links thyroid hormones to annexing expressions via the TSH feed-back loop, and excludes autocrine regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Conventional chemotherapeutic treatment of colorectal cancer has low efficiency because of its high toxicity. Several studies identified natural compounds as potential antitumor agents by inducing cancer cell cycle arrest or apoptosis and exhibiting a potential synergy in drug combination therapy. Natural compounds derived from plants represent an important source of pharmacologic agents toward several diseases. For example, the Tunisian Thymelaeaceae plants are used in folk medicine for the treatment of different pathologies such as diabetes and hypertension., Objective: The Thymelaea hirsuta L. extracts were evaluated for their anti-tumoral activities and their adjuvant potential that could be used in conventional colorectal cancer therapy., Methods: Fractionation of total methanolic extract from the plant leaves provided 4 fractions using vacuum liquid chromatography. The cytotoxic activities of these fractions were tested toward colorectal cancer cells., Results: Ethyl acetate fraction (E2 fraction) induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis by activating caspase-3. E2 fraction inhibited cell invasion by reducing integrin α5 expression and FAK phosphorylation. Moreover, E2 fraction potentialized colorectal cancer cells to 5-FU treatment., Conclusion: The selected plant Thymelaea hirsuta is the source of natural compounds that inhibited cell growth and invasion and induced cell cycle arrest in colorectal cancer cells. The most interesting result was their potential synergy in 5-FU combination treatment. Further analysis will identify the active compounds and confirm their role in chemotherapeutic treatment by sensitizing colorectal cancer cell to anti-cancer drugs., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Tomentosin, a natural sesquiterpene lactone purified from of Inula viscosa L., was investigated for its anti-proliferative, telomere shortening, and apoptotic effects on human cervical cancer HeLa and SiHa cell lines. Tomentosin was found to inhibit the growth of SiHa and HeLa cell lines in dose and time-dependent manner (IC 50 values of 7.10 ± 0.78 μM and 5.87 ± 0.36 μM, respectively after 96 h of treatment). As evidenced by TTAGGG telomere length assay, tomentosin target specifically the telomeric overhang lengthening. This was confirmed by the evaluation of the cytotoxic effects of tomentosin in the foetal fibroblast Wi38 and JW10 cells which were derived from Wi38 and express hTERT, the telomerase catalytic subunit. We found that JW10 cells are 4.7-fold more sensitive to tomentosin which argues for telomere as its specific target. Furthermore, we found that tomentosin mediate this cytotoxic effect by inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase. Morphological features of treated cells, as evidenced by Hoechst 33324 staining, revealed that the cytotoxic effect was due to induction of apoptosis. This was accompanied by pro-caspase-3 cleavage, an increase in caspase-3 activity and a cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Moreover, tomentosin induced a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) and an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS), accompanied by a decrease in Bcl-2 expression. This indicates that tomentosin-induced apoptosis may involve a mitochondria-mediated signaling pathway. This study provides the first evidence that tomentosin targets telomere machinery and induces apoptosis in cervical cancer cells. The molecular mechanism underlying tomentosin-induced apoptosis may involve a mitochondria-mediated signaling pathway. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 1689-1698, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Resistance to etoposide has been associated with the overexpression of P-glycoprotein and MRP1 in human tumor cells. However, the role of BCRP in resistance to etoposide has not been clearly established, especially the significance of arginine 482 mutations in drug transport (cellular uptake and efflux). Different levels of resistance to etoposide have been recently observed in cells expressing BCRP in terms of cytotoxicity. The aim of this work was to study the effects of these mutations on the functional involvement of BCRP in etoposide transport. HEK293 cells were transfected with an empty vector (HEK/V), the vector bearing the wild-type BCRP (HEK/R482), the mutant arginine-482-glycine (HEK/R482G) or the mutant arginine-482-threonine (HEK/R482T). MTT assay was used to study the cytotoxic effect of etoposide and [3H]-etoposide was used to determine cellular drug uptake and efflux. Data show that HEK/R482G cells displayed the highest levels of resistance to etoposide. Cellular [3H]-etoposide uptake was lower in HEK/R482, HEK/R482G and HEK/R482T cells compared to HEK/V cells. In addition, cellular [3H]-etoposide uptake in HEK/R482G was the lowest. Drug efflux measurements showed that fumitremorgin C was able to increase the residual cellular [3H]-etoposide uptake in BCRP-transfected cells and especially in HEK/R482G ones. Our data show that the R482G mutation in BCRP is able to increase efflux of etoposide and that mutation analysis at codon 482 may be of clinical importance in cancers treated with etoposide.

The selection pressure for resistance to chemotherapy is accompanied by the enhanced expression of ABC proteins and increased cellular glycosphingolipid content. Thus, a possible connection between glycosphingolipid metabolism and ABC proteins in drug resistance has been suggested. In the present study, we established two human multidrug-resistant (MDR) cell lines derived from MESSA sarcoma cells by culturing with increasing concentrations of doxorubicin (DX5 cells) or doxorubicin together with cyclosporin A (GARF cells). Both resistant cell lines overexpressed the MDR1 gene and the wild-type P-glycoprotein at the same level. The cyclosporin derivative PSC833, a potent inhibitor of P-glycoprotein, sensitized DX5 but not GARF cells to the cytotoxic effects of daunorubicin. Moreover, PSC833 increased the nuclear accumulation of daunorubicin and the cellular accumulation of [3H]vinblastine in the DX5 but not in the GARF cells. The cellular incorporation of [3H]-cyclosporin A was lower in DX5 cells compared to MESSA and GARF cells, which incorporated the same level of [3H]-cyclosporin A. Sphingolipid analysis showed that the lactosylceramide level was 2.5- and 5-fold higher in DX5 and GARF cells, respectively, than in MESSA cells. Whereas the pharmacological inhibition of lactosylceramide synthesis was able to reverse only partially the resistance of GARF cells to daunorubicin without significant increase in nuclear accumulation of the drug, the same treatment before the co-treatment with PSC833 and daunorubicin increased the cytotoxic effect of daunorubicin and its nuclear accumulation. These data suggest a possible relationship between lactosylceramide levels and the resistance of P-glycoprotein to modulation by MDR modulators.