Targeting inhibitors of apoptosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma in vitro

Head and neck cancer, which predominantly arises from the oral mucosa, represents the sixth most common malignancy worldwide. These cancer cells can be resistant to programmed cell death triggered by extrinsic stimuli due to innate overexpression of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs). The cellular protein second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases (SMAC) can antagonize IAP-induced caspase inhibition and thus trigger apoptosis. Here, we investigate the cell death-sensitizing effects of the SMAC mimetic LCL161 alone and in combination with Fas ligand (FasL) using a panel of six cell lines. Fas receptor (FasR) expression was analyzed by flow cytometry. Cells were treated with FasL and LCL161 alone or in combination, and cytotoxicity was measured using crystal violet assays. Annexin V and cell viability assays using zVAD-fmk and Necrostatin-1 (Nec-1) were carried out to assess the type of programmed cell death induced by LCL161. To demonstrate the sensitizing effects of LCL161, we employed the t-test to compare the effects of FasL alone and in combination with LCL161. Linear regression analysis was performed to determine initial and half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC₁₀ and IC₅₀, respectively). Distinct FasR expression was detected in each cell line. Four of six cell lines were significantly sensitized to FasL by LCL161 (p < 0.05), and synergistic effects were observed (y < 1). Moreover, the initially resistant cell line SCC-25 was effectively sensitized to FasL by LCL161. Annexin V FACS analysis demonstrated apoptosis-sensitizing and apoptosis-inducing effects of LCL161 across all cell lines. Using specific cell death inhibitors (zVAD-fmk and Nec-1), we demonstrated that LCL161-initiated apoptosis could not be prevented, highlighting the proapoptotic potential of this mimetic in these cells. Our findings show the effectiveness of apoptotic sensitization of OSCC cells by LCL161 in combination with FasL, thus confirming the importance of an IAP-targeting therapeutic approach for oral squamous cell carcinoma.     

Caloric restriction and chronic inflammatory diseases

A reduction in calorie intake [caloric restriction (CR)] appears to consistently decrease the biological rate of aging in a variety of organisms as well as protect against age-associated diseases including chronic inflammatory disorders such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Although the mechanisms behind this observation are not fully understood, identification of the main metabolic pathways affected by CR has generated interest in finding molecular targets that could be modulated by CR mimetics. This review describes the general concepts of CR and CR mimetics as well as discusses evidence related to their effects on inflammation and chronic inflammatory disorders. Additionally, emerging evidence related to the effects of CR on periodontal disease in non-human primates is presented. While the implementation of this type of dietary intervention appears to be challenging in our modern society where obesity is a major public health problem, CR mimetics could offer a promising alternative to control and perhaps prevent several chronic inflammatory disorders including periodontal disease.     

蟾蜍灵诱导HL-60细胞凋亡过程中对Bcl-2、Survivin、Smac/DIABLO表达的影响

目的 研究蟾蜍灵在诱导HL-60细胞凋亡过程中，对线粒体凋亡途径相关基因Bcl-2、Bax、Survivin及Smac／DIABLO表达的影响。方法 采用锥虫蓝拒染法检测细胞存活情况，细胞形态学观察及流式细胞术检测细胞凋亡，Western blot分析Bcl-2、Bax、Smac／DIABLO、Survivin及caspase-3蛋白表达，RT-PCR检测SurvivinmRNA表达。结果 蟾蜍灵抑制HL-60细胞增殖，24，48及72h的，IC50值分别为25．8，8．0及2．1nmol/L。蟾蜍灵大于50．0nmol/L时可明显诱导HL-60细胞凋亡。50．0nmol／L蟾蜍灵作用6，12，24及48h，Bcl-2蛋白表达分别下调至作用前的88．6％，53．3％，19．2％及9．5％，而Bax蛋白表达无明显变化，Bcl-2／Bax比值由2．0分别降至1．7，1．1，0．4及0．2。Survivin蛋白表达分别下调至作用前的75．2％，54．8％，37．5％及20．3％；Survivin mRNA表达在作用6，12和24h后分别下调至作用前的85．7％，39．4％和12．5％，在作用48h后几乎检测不到。50．0nmol／L蟾蜍灵作用12，24及48h，线粒体部分的Smac／DIABLO蛋白表达分别下调至作用前的77．5％，21．2％及15．3％，而胞浆部分的Smac／DIABLO蛋白表达分别上调至作用前的1．4，2．0．及3．5倍。蟾蜍灵作用8～48h可检测到caspase-3的活化亚基。结论 蟾蜍灵诱导的HL-60细胞凋亡与Bcl-2及Survivin表达下调、线粒体释放Smac／DIABLO及caspase-3活化有关。     

Pharmacological control of blood sugar

Diabetes is a chronic and progressive metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycaemia. The two main types of diabetes are type 1 diabetes (T1DM) where there is complete lack of insulin and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) which may be due to a combination of insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency due to impaired β-cell function. Good control of blood glucose near physiological limits is vital to reduce long-term microvascular and macrovascular complications of diabetes. Insulin replacement is a life-saving measure in individuals with T1DM whereas the mainstay of therapy in T2DM includes oral agents, non-insulin injectables (incretin mimetics) and insulin. In T2DM, the incretin mimetics have revolutionized recent treatment options by reducing blood glucose, promoting weight loss and improving β-cell function. Moreover, the emergence of a new class of drugs such as the sodium–glucose transporter inhibitors for patients with T2DM holds much promise. Despite the availability of several drugs to treat this chronic debilitating condition, the management of hyperglycaemia remains challenging. The role of diet, lifestyle changes and patient education is of paramount importance and should be pursued aggressively. This review will look at drugs currently used to optimize blood glucose control and briefly discuss the role of newer therapeutic agents.     

c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase-induced proteasomal degradation of c-FLIPL/S and Bcl2 sensitize prostate cancer cells to Fas- and mitochondria-mediated apoptosis by tetrandrine

Tetrandrine, a constituent of Chinese herb Stephania tetrandra, causes cell death in prostate cancer, but the molecular mechanisms leading to apoptosis is not known. Here we demonstrated that tetrandrine selectively inhibits the growth of prostate cancer PC3 and DU145 cells compared to normal prostate epithelial PWR-1E cells. Tetrandrine-induced cell death in prostate cancer cells is caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated activation of c-Jun NH₂-terminal kinase (JNK1/2). JNK1/2-mediated proteasomal degradation of c-FLIP_L/S and Bcl₂ proteins are key events in the sensitization of prostate cancer cells to Fas- and mitochondria-mediated apoptosis by tetrandrine. Tetrandrine-induced JNK1/2 activation caused the translocation of Bax to mitochondria by disrupting its association with Bcl₂ which was accompanied by collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), cytosolic release of cytochrome c and Smac, and apoptotic cell death. Additionally, tetrandrine-induced JNK1/2 activation increased the phosphorylation of Bcl₂ at Ser70 and facilitated its degradation via the ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal pathway. In parallel, tetrandrine-mediated ROS generation also caused the induction of ligand-independent Fas-mediated apoptosis by activating procaspase-8 and Bid cleavage. Inhibition of procaspase-8 activation attenuated the cleavage of Bid, loss of MMP and caspase-3 activation suggest that tetrandrine-induced Fas-mediated apoptosis is associated with the mitochondrial pathway. Furthermore, most of the signaling effects of tetrandrine on apoptosis were significantly attenuated in the presence of antioxidant N-acetyl-l-cysteine, thereby confirming the involvement of ROS in these events. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that tetrandrine-induced apoptosis in prostate cancer cells is initiated by ROS generation and that both intrinsic and extrinsic pathway contributes to cell death.     

Designed nanomolar small-molecule inhibitors of Ena/VASP EVH1 interaction impair invasion and extravasation of breast cancer cells

Battling metastasis through inhibition of cell motility is considered a promising approach to support cancer therapies. In this context, Ena/VASP-depending signaling pathways, in particular interactions with their EVH1 domains, are promising targets for pharmaceutical intervention. However, protein–protein interactions involving proline-rich segments are notoriously difficult to address by small molecules. Hence, structure-based design efforts in combination with the chemical synthesis of additional molecular entities are required. Building on a previously developed nonpeptidic micromolar inhibitor, we determined 22 crystal structures of ENAH EVH1 in complex with inhibitors and rationally extended our library of conformationally defined proline-derived modules (ProMs) to succeed in developing a nanomolar inhibitor (Kd=120 nM,MW=734 Da). In contrast to the previous inhibitor, the optimized compounds reduced extravasation of invasive breast cancer cells in a zebrafish model. This study represents an example of successful, structure-guided development of low molecular weight inhibitors specifically and selectively addressing a proline-rich sequence-recognizing domain that is characterized by a shallow epitope lacking defined binding pockets. The evolved high-affinity inhibitor may now serve as a tool in validating the basic therapeutic concept, i.e., the suppression of cancer metastasis by inhibiting a crucial protein–protein interaction involved in actin filament processing and cell migration.

Metastasis is a complex multistep process (1, 2) employing, among others, mechanisms governing actin cytoskeleton dynamics involving integrin signaling and actin regulatory proteins (3–5). So far, all approved antimetastatic drugs antagonize integrins (6) or inhibit downstream kinases (7, 8) (SI Appendix, Fig. S1). In the metastatic setting however, these drugs appear to have only limited success (9–13) and 5-y survival is not increasing satisfactorily (14, 15), making new approaches in antimetastatic drug development essential to meet this urgent medical need.The enabled/vasodilator stimulated phosphoprotein protein family (Ena/VASP) acts as a crucial hub in cell migration by linking actin filaments to invadopodia and focal adhesions (16–22). Due to their role in the transformation of benign lesions into invasive and metastatic cancer, Ena/VASP proteins are discussed as part of the invasive signature and as a marker of breast carcinogenesis (23–25). At the advanced tumor stage, the protein family is overexpressed (26–28), which has been shown to increase migration speed in vivo (29) and to potentiate invasiveness (30). Yet, no sufficiently potent probes to interfere with Ena/VASP in vivo have been reported.The three vertebrate Ena/VASP family members, enabled homolog (ENAH), VASP, and Ena-VASP-like (EVL), share a tripartite structural organization in which two Ena/VASP homology domains (EVH1 and EVH2) are separated by a more divergent proline-rich central part. Interactions of the EVH2 domain are involved in the elongation and protection of barbed-end actin filaments from capping proteins and tetramerization (31, 32). EVH1 folds into a structured globular domain that interacts with proteins at focal adhesions (33), the leading edge (34, 35), and invadopodia (36, 37) by recognizing the motif [F/W/L/Y]PxϕP (35, 38) (ϕ hydrophobic, x any; SI Appendix, Fig. S3) in poly-L-proline type II helix (PPII) conformation.In the course of our research into small molecules as potential inhibitors of protein–protein interactions (39) we recently in silico designed and stereo-selectively synthesized scaffolds, coined ProMs, which mimic pairs of prolines in PPII conformation (40). The modular combination of different ProMs thereby allowed us to generate nonpeptidic secondary-structure mimetics that fulfill the steric requirements of the addressed proline-rich motif-recognizing domain (41–47). For the EVH1 domain, our proof-of-concept study yielded a canonically binding, nontoxic, cell-membrane-permeable, 706-Da inhibitor 1 (Fig. 1A) composed of two different ProM scaffolds and 2-chloro-(L)-phenylalanine (2-Cl-Phe) (40). While the synthetic inhibitor 1 represents the compound with the highest reported affinity toward Ena/VASP EVH1 domains, a further improvement was required for in vivo experiments. Here we report successful structure-based optimization of inhibitor 1 based on 22 high-resolution crystal structures of ENAH EVH1 in complex with different inhibitors (SI Appendix, Tables S1–S6), including the well-resolved C-terminal binding epitope TEDEL of ActA from Listeria monocytogenes (48). Newly identified interaction sites adjacent to the C terminus of 1 were addressed by in silico designed and stereo-selectively synthesized modifications of the ProM-1 scaffold (Fig. 1A). While drastically increasing the affinity against a rather flat protein surface we conserved structural simplicity, low molecular weight, nontoxicity, and cell-membrane permeability. Potent compounds against Ena/VASP were shown to also act in vivo, i.e., by inhibiting cancer cell extravasation in zebrafish at only 1 μM, thereby paving the way for future preclinical studies.Open in a separate windowFig. 1.(A) Structure of the first-generation Ena/VASP EVH1 inhibitor 1. All compositions share the N-acetylated 2-chloro-phenylalanine unit (blue) attached to a central ProM-2 scaffold (red). Esterification of the C terminus renders the inhibitors cell-membrane permeable (40). (B) General (modular) architecture of nonpeptidic, conformationally preorganized inhibitors used in this study. Structural variation (pink) was achieved by replacing the C-terminal ProM-1 unit (green) by ProM-9, ProM-13, ProM-12, ProM-15, or ProM-17 (Table 1).     

外源性Bax基因过表达对神经母细胞瘤SH-SY5Y细胞株Smac蛋白表达的影响

目的观察Bcl-2相关X蛋白（Bax）基因过表达对人神经母细胞瘤SH-SY5Y细胞第二个线粒体来源的半胱氨酸酶的激活剂（Smac）蛋白表达的影响。方法采用脂质体Lipofectamine 2000将携带人Bax基因的过表达质粒转入SH-SY5Y细胞（转染组）,同时设空载体组和未转染组。通过G-418筛选后获得转入目的基因的细胞克隆。Hoechst33258染色观察凋亡细胞,免疫印迹法法检测细胞中Bax、Smac蛋白表达,免疫荧光染色检测Bax、Smac蛋白在细胞中的分布。结果转染后用G-418持续筛选2周可获得G418抗性的细胞克隆。Smac主要分布于胞质,Bax主要位于细胞核。转染组SH-SY5Y细胞Bax蛋白表达水平（1.067±0.036）较空载体组（0.436±0.035）和未转染组（0.444±0.046）显著增高（P〈0.05）;转染组Smac蛋白表达水平（1.408±0.044）相比空载体组（0.708±0.021）和未转染组（0.748±0.041）显著增高（P〈0.05）;空载体和未转染组细胞Bax和Snac蛋白表达均无显著差异（P〉0.05）。转染组较未转染组细胞凋亡率显著增加（P〈0.05）。结论外源性Bax基因转入人神经母细胞瘤细胞中并稳定过表达,能够上调Smac蛋白表达,促进细胞凋亡。     

Optimization of Drug-Like Properties of Nonsteroidal Glucocorticoid Mimetics and Identification of a Clinical Candidate

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Fisetin inhibits growth,induces G2/M arrest and apoptosis of human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells: role of mitochondrial membrane potential disruption and consequent caspases activation

Non‐melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs), one of the most common neoplasms, cause serious morbidity and mortality. Therefore, identification of non‐toxic phytochemicals for prevention/treatment of NMSCs is highly desirable. Fisetin (3,3′,4′,7‐tetrahydroxyflavone), a dietary flavonoid, present in fruits and vegetables possesses anti‐oxidant and antiproliferative properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the chemotherapeutic potential of fisetin in cultured human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells. Treatment of A431 cells with fisetin (5–80 μm ) resulted in a significant decrease in cell viability in a dose‐ and time‐dependent manner. Employing clonogenic assay, we found that fisetin treatment significantly reduced colony formation in A431 cells. Fisetin treatment of A431 cells resulted in G₂/M arrest and induction of apoptosis. Furthermore, treatment of A431 cells with fisetin resulted in (i) decreased expression of anti‐apoptotic proteins (Bcl2; Bcl‐xL and Mcl‐1); (ii) increased expression of pro‐apoptotic proteins (Bax, Bak and Bad); (iii) disruption of mitochondrial potential; (iv) release of cytochrome c and Smac/DIABLO from mitochondria; (v) activation of caspases; and (vi) cleavage of Poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase (PARP) protein. Pretreatment of A431 cells with the pan‐caspase inhibitor (Z‐VAD‐FMK) blocked fisetin‐induced cleavage of caspases and PARP. Taken together, these data provide evidence that fisetin possesses chemotherapeutic potential against human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells. Overall, these results suggest that fisetin could be developed as a novel therapeutic agent for the management of NMSCs.     

Hormone-based therapies in the regulation of fuel metabolism and body weight

Background: The integrated central actions of hormones secreted from pancreatic islets, the gut and adipocytes regulate both energy homeostasis and body weight. Dysregulation in these neurohormonal pathways probably contributes to pathogenesis of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Objective: To examine hormone-based therapies targeting these interrelated pathways as potential treatments for obesity and diabetes. Methods: Preclinical and clinical data on therapies based on hormones secreted from the pancreas (glucagon, insulin, amylin and pancreatic polypeptide), gut (glucagon-like peptide-1, glucose dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, cholecystokinin and peptide YY) and adipose tissue (leptin and adiponectin) as potential treatments for diabetes and obesity are reviewed. Results/conclusions: In diabetes, hormone-based treatments have translated into new clinical platforms including insulin analogs, the GLP-1-like peptide receptor agonist exenatide and amylinomimetic pramlintide, which due to their complex interplay and the progressive nature of diabetes, can be utilized in different settings. Various peptide hormones and agonists/antagonists are currently under investigation as new approaches to treatment of obesity and diabetes.