Harnessing of Programmed Necrosis for Fighting against Cancers

Chemotherapy has long been considered as one of useful strategies for cancer treatment. It is primarily based on the apoptosis that can selectively kill cancer cells. However, cancer cells can progressively develop an acquired resistance to apoptotic cell death, rendering refractory to chemo- and radiotherapies. Although the mechanism by which cells attained resistance to drug remains to be clarified, it might be caused by either pumping out of them or interfering with apoptotic signal cascades in response to cancer drugs. In case that cancer cells are defective in some part of apoptotic machinery by repeated exposure to anticancer drugs, alternative cell death mechanistically distinct from apoptosis could be adopted to remove cancer cells refractory to apoptosis-inducing agents. This review will mainly deal with harnessing of necrotic cell death, specifically, programmed necrosis and practical uses. Here, we begin with various defects of apoptotic death machinery in cancer cells, and then provide new perspective on programmed necrosis as an alternative anticancer approach.     

缺血再灌注损伤脑微血管内皮细胞Necroptosis模型的建立

目的:采用拟缺血再灌注损伤结合z-VAD-FMK(Benzyloxyearbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone,z-VAD-FMK)干预,探索一种脑微血管内皮细胞(Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells,BMECs)Necroptosis模型。方法:首先利用原代大鼠脑微血管内皮细胞,采用氧糖剥夺及复氧复糖方法,筛选出拟缺血再灌注损伤时间点。在拟缺血再灌注模型基础上,予Casepase抑制剂z-VAD-FMK 20μmol/L干预,采用CCK-8检测细胞活性;透射电镜观察细胞超微结构;Annexin V-FITC/PI(Propidium Iodide)双染色法检测细胞死亡方式。结果:确定氧糖剥夺2 h复氧复糖8 h,作为拟缺血再灌注时间点;z-VADFMK作用于拟缺血再灌注损伤BMECs后,细胞活性无统计学意义;z-VAD-FMK干预组在电镜下呈现明显的Necroptosis特征;流式检测显示,各象限细胞比率无明显变化,但Necroptosis特异性抑制剂Nec-1可显著降低Q2象限细胞比率,提示z-VAD-FMK干预抑制了细胞晚期凋亡,诱导了Necroptosis的发生。结论:z-VAD-FMK可诱导拟缺血再灌注脑微血管内皮细胞发生Necroptosis,为以后研究缺血性脑中风necroptosis机制提供了细胞实验模型。     

LCL161联合Z-VAD-FMK对人乳腺癌细胞MCF-7和MDA-MB-231增殖的影响

目的 探讨第二个线粒体衍生的半胱氨酸蛋白酶激动剂小分子(Smac)类似物LCL161联合天冬氨酸蛋白水解酶(caspase)抑制剂Z-VAD-FMK诱导细胞发生坏死性凋亡对人乳腺癌细胞MCF-7和MDA-MB-231增殖的影响。方法 体外培养MCF-7、MDA-MB-231细胞株。噻唑蓝(MTT)法检测2种细胞株空白对照组、Z-VAD-FMK组(10 mmol/L)、LCL161(1 μmol/L)组及LCL161+Z-VAD-FMK组存活率,并应用透视电子显微镜观察各组细胞凋亡亚微结构。Nec-1预处理后,MTT法检测2种细胞株空白对照组、Nec-1组(20 mmol/L),LCL161(1 μmol/L)组及LCL161+Nec-1组细胞存活率。Annexin V-FITC/PI双染法检测空白对照组、LCL161组、Z-VAD组、Nec-1组、LCL161+Z-VAD组、LCL161+Nec-1组、LCL161+Z-VAD+Nec-1组细胞凋亡率。裸鼠成瘤实验观察空白对照组、LCL161组、LCL161+Z-VAD-FMK组裸鼠活体内MCF-7细胞株移植瘤体积和质量。结果 (1)MTT法检测结果显示,LCL161+Z-VAD-FMK组的MDA-MB-231和MCF-7细胞株的存活率均低于其他各组,差异均有统计学意义(P值均＜0.01)。透视电子显微镜观察到LCL161+Z-VAD-FMK组细胞具有凋亡和坏死共同存在的特征性形态学改变。(2)Nec-1预处理后,MTT法检测结果显示,与空白对照组及Nec-1组相比较,LCL161组和Nec-1+LCL161组的MDA-MB-231和MCF-7细胞的OD值明显降低,表明其细胞存活率较低,差异均有统计学意义(P值均＜0.05);但LCL-161组与Nec-1+LCL161组比较,MDA-MB-231和MCF-7细胞存活率差异均无统计学意义(P值均＞0.05)。(3)Annexin V-FITC/PI双染法结果显示,与其他各组相比,LCL161+Z-VAD-FMK组和LCL161组两种细胞株凋亡率明显增高,LCL161+Z-VAD-FMK组亦高于LCL161组,差异均有统计学意义(P值均＜0.01)。(4)15只裸鼠成功建立MCF-7细胞裸鼠成瘤模型,给药后第20天时LCL161组和LCL161+Z-VAD-FMK组肿瘤体积和质量均低于空白对照组,差异均有统计学意义(P值均＜0.05),而LCL161组与LCL161+Z-VAD-FMK组的肿瘤体积和质量差异均无统计学意义(P值均＞0.05)。结论 体外实验验证LCL161+Z-VAD-FMK在乳腺癌细胞中能通过诱发坏死性凋亡抑制肿瘤增殖,但是对雌激素受体阳性乳腺癌体内作用需要进一步验证。     

Ligand-based substituent-anchoring design of selective receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 necroptosis inhibitors for ulcerative colitis therapy

Receptor-interacting protein (RIP) kinase 1 is involved in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases including ulcerative colitis (UC) by regulating necroptosis and inflammation. Our group previously identified TAK-632 (5) as an effective necroptosis inhibitor by dual-targeting RIP1 and RIP3. In this study, using ligand-based substituent-anchoring design strategy, we focused on the benzothiazole ring to obtain a series of TAK-632 analogues showing significantly improving on the anti-necroptosis activity and RIP1 selectivity over RIP3. Among them, a conformational constrained fluorine-substituted derivative (25) exhibited 333-fold selectivity for RIP1 (K_d = 15 nmol/L) than RIP3 (K_d > 5000 nmol/L). This compound showed highly potent activity against cell necroptosis (EC₅₀ = 8 nmol/L) and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) induced by TNF-α in vivo. Especially, it was able to exhibit remarkable anti-inflammatory treatment efficacy in a DSS-induced mouse model of UC. Taken together, the highly potent, selective, orally active anti-necroptosis inhibitor represents promising candidate for clinical treatment of UC.     

程序性坏死与晚期动脉粥样硬化

动脉粥样硬化是一种与血脂异常、高血压、吸烟、肥胖等因素相关的慢性炎症性疾病。程序性坏死是一种可调控的坏死,参与多种炎症性疾病的病理过程。近年有研究认为程序性坏死在晚期动脉粥样硬化的进展中具有重要作用,因此,研究并调控程序性坏死可以为延缓动脉粥样硬化进展、稳定动脉粥样硬化斑块提供新思路。     

Non-apoptotic cell death-based cancer therapy: Molecular mechanism,pharmacological modulators,and nanomedicine

As an emerging cancer therapeutic target, non-apoptotic cell death such as ferroptosis, necroptosis and pyroptosis, etc., has revealed significant potential in cancer treatment for bypassing apoptosis to enhance the undermined therapeutic efficacy triggered by apoptosis resistance. A variety of anticancer drugs, synthesized compounds and natural products have been proven recently to induce non-apoptotic cell death and exhibit excellent anti-tumor effects. Moreover, the convergence of nanotechnology with functional materials and biomedicine science has provided tremendous opportunities to construct non-apoptotic cell death-based nanomedicine for innovative cancer therapy. Nanocarriers are not only employed in targeted delivery of non-apoptotic inducers, but also used as therapeutic components to induce non-apoptotic cell death to achieve efficient tumor treatment. This review first introduces the main characteristics, the mechanism and various pharmacological modulators of different non-apoptotic cell death forms, including ferroptosis, necroptosis, pyroptosis, autophagy, paraptosis, lysosomal-dependent cell death, and oncosis. Second, we comprehensively review the latest progresses of nanomedicine that induces various forms of non-apoptotic cell death and focus on the nanomedicine targeting different pathways and components. Furthermore, the combination therapies of non-apoptotic cell death with photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, immunotherapy and other modalities are summarized. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives in this regard are also discussed.     

Resveratrol Prevents Vibrio vulnificus-Induced Sepsis by Attenuating Necroptosis

Objective This study investigated how the natural phytophenol and potent SIRT1 activator resveratrol(RSV) regulate necroptosis during Vibrio vulnificus(V. vulnificus)-induced sepsis and the potential mechanism.Methods The effect of RSV on V. vulnificus cytolysin(VVC)-induced necroptosis was analyzed in vitro using CCK-8 and Western blot assays. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, western blot, and immunohistochemistry and survival analyses wer...     

Preliminary evidence for the presence of multiple forms of cell death in diabetes cardiomyopathy

Diabetic mellitus (DM) is a common degenerative chronic metabolic disease often accompanied by severe cardiovascular complications (DCCs) as major causes of death in diabetic patients with diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) as the most common DCC. The metabolic disturbance in DCM generates the conditions/substrates and inducers/triggers and activates the signaling molecules and death executioners leading to cardiomyocyte death which accelerates the development of DCM and the degeneration of DCM to heart failure. Various forms of programmed active cell death including apoptosis, pyroptosis, autophagic cell death, autosis, necroptosis, ferroptosis and entosis have been identified and characterized in many types of cardiac disease. Evidence has also been obtained for the presence of multiple forms of cell death in DCM. Most importantly, published animal experiments have demonstrated that suppression of cardiomyocyte death of any forms yields tremendous protective effects on DCM. Herein, we provide the most updated data on the subject of cell death in DCM, critical analysis of published results focusing on the pathophysiological roles of cell death, and pertinent perspectives of future studies.