scholarly journals Camel Milk Triggers Apoptotic Signaling Pathways in Human Hepatoma HepG2 and Breast Cancer MCF7 Cell Lines through Transcriptional Mechanism

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hesham M. Korashy ◽  
Zaid H. Maayah ◽  
Adel R. Abd-Allah ◽  
Ayman O. S. El-Kadi ◽  
Abdulqader A. Alhaider

Few published studies have reported the use of crude camel milk in the treatment of stomach infections, tuberculosis and cancer. Yet, little research was conducted on the effect of camel milk on the apoptosis and oxidative stress associated with human cancer. The present study investigated the effect and the underlying mechanisms of camel milk on the proliferation of human cancer cells using anin vitromodel of human hepatoma (HepG2) and human breast (MCF7) cancer cells. Our results showed that camel milk, but not bovine milk, significantly inhibited HepG2 and MCF7 cells proliferation through the activation of caspase-3 mRNA and activity levels, and the induction of death receptors in both cell lines. In addition, Camel milk enhanced the expression of oxidative stress markers, heme oxygenase-1 and reactive oxygen species production in both cells. Mechanistically, the increase in caspase-3 mRNA levels by camel milk was completely blocked by the transcriptional inhibitor, actinomycin D; implying that camel milk increasedde novoRNA synthesis. Furthermore, Inhibition of the mitogen activated protein kinases differentially modulated the camel milk-induced caspase-3 mRNA levels. Taken together, camel milk inhibited HepG2 and MCF7 cells survival and proliferation through the activation of both the extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 2718
Author(s):  
Jinsun Kim ◽  
Sung Hee Hong ◽  
So Hyun Jeon ◽  
Min Ho Park ◽  
Cha-Gyun Shin

Among several anti-cancer therapies, chemotherapy can be used regardless of the stage of the disease. However, development of anti-cancer agents from potential chemicals must be executed very cautiously because of several problems, such as safety, drug resistance, and continuous administration. Most chemotherapeutics selectively cause cancer cells to undergo apoptosis. In this study, we tested the effects of a novel chemical, the benzothiazole derivative N-[2-[(3,5-dimethyl-1,2-oxazol-4-yl)methylsulfanyl]-1,3-benzothiazol-6-yl]-4-oxocyclohexane-1-carboxamide (PB11) on the human cell lines U87 (glioblastoma), and HeLa (cervix cancer). It was observed that this chemical was highly cytotoxic for these cells (IC50s < 50 nM). In addition, even 40 nM PB11 induced the classical apoptotic symptoms of DNA fragmentation and nuclear condensation. The increase of caspase-3 and -9 activities also indicated an increased rate of apoptosis, which was further confirmed via Western blotting analysis of apoptosis-associated proteins. Accordingly, PB11 treatment up-regulated the cellular levels of caspase-3 and cytochrome-c, whereas it down-regulated PI3K and AKT. These results suggest that PB11 induces cytotoxicity and apoptosis in cancer cells by suppressing the PI3K/AKT signaling pathways and, thus, may serve as an anti-cancer therapeutic.


2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1934578X1400901
Author(s):  
Glaucio Valdameri ◽  
Juliana C. N. Kenski ◽  
Vivian R. Moure ◽  
Marina Trombetta-Lima ◽  
Glaucia R. Martinez ◽  
...  

Flavones have received considerable attention because of their antiproliferative properties and selective effects on cancer cells, making them good candidates for use in cancer therapy. In contrast to other flavones, little is known about the effects of the flavone core structure (2-phenyl-4H-1-benzopyran-4one) on cancer cells. Here, we report that flavone induces cell death in human hepatoma HepG2 cells. Furthermore, annexin-V+/PI- and SubG1 populations of HepG2 cells increased after flavone treatment. Exposure of HepG2 to flavone did not result in either cytochrome c release into the cytosol or changes in the mitochondrial membrane potential. Treatment of HepG2 cells with flavone for 24 h reduced the accumulation of intracellular ROS, which correlated with upregulation of Gred, CuZnSOD and MnSOD mRNA levels. Taken together, our results provided useful insights into the mechanism of cell death caused by flavones, in order to evaluate their future application in hepatocarcinoma therapy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (15) ◽  
pp. 2124-2130
Author(s):  
Amany Belal

Background: For further exploration of the promising pyrrolizine scaffold and in continuation of our previous work, that proved the potential anticancer activity of the hit compound I, a new series of pyrrolizines 2-5 and 7-9 were designed and synthesized. Methods: Structures of the new compounds were confirmed by IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and elemental analysis. Antitumor activity for the prepared compounds against human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), liver (HEPG2) and colon (HCT116) cancer cell lines was evaluated using SRB assay method. Result: Compounds 2, 3 and 5 were the most potent on colon cancer cells, their IC50 values were less than 5 µM. Compounds 2, 3 and 8 were the most potent on liver cancer cells, their IC50 values were less than 10 µM. As for MCF7, compounds 2, 7, 8 and 9 were the most active with IC50 values less than 10 µM. We can conclude that combining pyrrolizine scaffold with urea gave abroad spectrum anticancer agent 2 against the three tested cell lines. Micronucleus assays showed that compounds 2, 3, 8 are mutagenic and can induce apoptosis. In addition, caspase-3 activation was evaluated and compound 2 showed increase in the level of caspase-3 (9 folds) followed by 3 (8.28 folds) then 8 (7.89 folds). Conclusion: The obtained results encourage considering these three compounds as novel anticancer prototypes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 7631
Author(s):  
Lisa Wolff ◽  
Siva Sankar Murthy Bandaru ◽  
Elias Eger ◽  
Hoai-Nhi Lam ◽  
Martin Napierkowski ◽  
...  

Pentathiepins are polysulfur-containing compounds that exert antiproliferative and cytotoxic activity in cancer cells, induce oxidative stress and apoptosis, and inhibit glutathione peroxidase (GPx1). This renders them promising candidates for anticancer drug development. However, the biological effects and how they intertwine have not yet been systematically assessed in diverse cancer cell lines. In this study, six novel pentathiepins were synthesized to suit particular requirements such as fluorescent properties or improved water solubility. Structural elucidation by X-ray crystallography was successful for three derivatives. All six underwent extensive biological evaluation in 14 human cancer cell lines. These studies included investigating the inhibition of GPx1 and cell proliferation, cytotoxicity, and the induction of ROS and DNA strand breaks. Furthermore, selected hallmarks of apoptosis and the impact on cell cycle progression were studied. All six pentathiepins exerted high cytotoxic and antiproliferative activity, while five also strongly inhibited GPx1. There is a clear connection between the potential to provoke oxidative stress and damage to DNA in the form of single- and double-strand breaks. Additionally, these studies support apoptosis but not ferroptosis as the mechanism of cell death in some of the cell lines. As the various pentathiepins give rise to different biological responses, modulation of the biological effects depends on the distinct chemical structures fused to the sulfur ring. This may allow for an optimization of the anticancer activity of pentathiepins in the future.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shigetoshi Yokoyama ◽  
Shun Nakayama ◽  
Lei Xu ◽  
Aprile L. Pilon ◽  
Shioko Kimura

AbstractNon-canonical inflammasome activation that recognizes intracellular lipopolysaccharide (LPS) causes pyroptosis, the inflammatory death of innate immune cells. The role of pyroptosis in innate immune cells is to rapidly eliminate pathogen-infected cells and limit the replication niche in the host body. Whether this rapid cell elimination process of pyroptosis plays a role in elimination of cancer cells is largely unknown. Our earlier study demonstrated that a multi-functional secreted protein, secretoglobin (SCGB) 3A2, chaperones LPS to cytosol, and activates caspase-11 and the non-canonical inflammasome pathway, leading to pyroptosis. Here we show that SCGB3A2 exhibits marked anti-cancer activity against 5 out of 11 of human non-small cell lung cancer cell lines in mouse xenographs, while no effect was observed in 6 of 6 small cell lung cancer cell lines examined. All SCGB3A2-LPS-sensitive cells express syndecan 1 (SDC1), a SCGB3A2 cell surface receptor, and caspase-4 (CASP4), a critical component of the non-canonical inflammasome pathway. Two epithelial-derived colon cancer cell lines expressing SDC1 and CASP4 were also susceptible to SCGB3A2-LPS treatment. TCGA analysis revealed that lung adenocarcinoma patients with higher SCGB3A2 mRNA levels exhibited better survival. These data suggest that SCGB3A2 uses the machinery of pyroptosis for the elimination of human cancer cells via the non-canonical inflammasome pathway, and that SCGB3A2 may serve as a novel therapeutic to treat cancer, perhaps in combination with immuno and/or targeted therapies.


Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2099 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reham Samir Hamida ◽  
Gadah Albasher ◽  
Mashael Mohammed Bin-Meferij

Green nanoparticles represent a revolution in bionanotechnology, providing opportunities to fight life-threatening diseases, such as cancer, with less risk to the environment and to human health. Here, for the first time, we systematically investigated the anticancer activity and possible mechanism of novel silver nanoparticles (N-SNPs) synthesized by Nostoc Bahar M against the MCF-7 breast cancer cells, HCT-116 colorectal adenocarcinoma cells, and HepG2 liver cancer cells, using cell viability assays, morphological characterization with inverted light and transmission electron microscopy, antioxidants and enzymes (glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione (GSH), adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)), and western blotting (protein kinase B (Akt), phosphorylated-Akt (p-Akt), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), tumor suppressor (p53), and caspase 3). N-SNPs decreased the viability of MCF-7, HCT-116, and HepG2 cells, with half-maximal inhibitory concentrations of 54, 56, and 80 µg/mL, respectively. They also significantly increased LDH leakage, enhanced oxidative stress via effects on antioxidative markers, and caused metabolic stress by significantly decreasing ATPase levels. N-SNPs caused extensive ultrastructural alterations in cell and nuclear structures, as well as in various organelles. Furthermore, N-SNPs triggered apoptosis via the activation of caspase 3 and p53, and suppressed the mTOR signaling pathway via downregulating apoptosis-evading proteins in MCF-7, HCT-116, and HepG2 cells. Ultrastructural analysis, together with biochemical and molecular analyses, revealed that N-SNPs enhanced apoptosis via the induction of oxidative stress and/or through direct interactions with cellular structures in all tested cells. The cytotoxicity of Nostoc-mediated SNPs represents a new strategy for cancer treatment via targeting various cell death pathways. However, the potential of N-SNPs to be usable and biocompatible anticancer drug will depend on their toxicity against normal cells.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 1934578X1901400
Author(s):  
Triet Thanh Nguyen ◽  
Nadine Kretschmer ◽  
Eva-Maria Pferschy-Wenzig ◽  
Olaf Kunert ◽  
Rudolf Bauer

Helicteres L. is one of the genera of the Sterculiaceae family with several remarkable activities. Previous studies revealed that terpenoids, flavonoids, and lignans are the dominant constituents of Helicteres species. However, information about this genus is scarce and unsystematic. Most of the phytochemical and pharmacological investigations have been mainly reported on Helicteres angustifolia and Helicteres isora, which are commonly used in China and Indonesia, respectively. In the present study, two terpenoids: 3β- O-acetylbetulinic acid (1) and simiarenol (2) together with three phenolic compounds: 4,4'-sulfinylbis(2-( tert-butyl)-5-methylphenol) (3), 7- O-methylisoscutellarein (4), 7,4'-di- O-methylisoscutellarein (5), and a mixture of stigmasterol and β-sitosterol were isolated and structurally elucidated from the aerial parts of Helicteres hirsuta Lour. Compounds 1-5 were tested for cytotoxicity on four human cancer cell lines: leukemia CCRF-CEM, breast MDA-MB-231, colon HCT116 and glioblastoma U251 cancer cells. Among them, compounds 1 and 3 showed moderate activity on CCRF-CEM and HCT116 cancer cells with IC50 values ranging from 14.6 to 31.5 μM (P < 0.05). This is the first time these compounds have been reported from this plant. To the best of our knowledge, compound 3 is novel in nature although it has been chemically synthesized before, and compounds 1, 2, and 4 are new to this plant family (Sterculiaceae).


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizaveta A. Kvyatkovskaya ◽  
Kseniya K. Borisova ◽  
Polina P. Epifanova ◽  
Aleksey A. Senin ◽  
Victor N. Khrustalev ◽  
...  

A 3,5a-epoxyfuro[2,3,4-de]isoquinoline scaffold, the product of ROCM of 1,4:5,8-diepoxynaphthalenes, is a promising antiproliferative agent toward breast and prostate human cancer cell lines.


Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 787
Author(s):  
Enrique García-Pérez ◽  
Dojin Ryu ◽  
Hwa-Young Kim ◽  
Hae Dun Kim ◽  
Hyun Jung Lee

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin that is potentially carcinogenic to humans. Although its mechanism remains unclear, oxidative stress has been recognized as a plausible cause for the potent renal carcinogenicity observed in experimental animals. The effect of OTA on oxidative stress parameters in two cell lines of LLC-PK1 and HK-2 derived from the kidneys of pig and human, respectively, were investigated and compared. We found that the cytotoxicity of OTA on LLC-PK1 and HK-2 cells was dose- and time-dependent in both cell lines. Furthermore, increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by OTA in both cell lines were observed in a time-dependent manner. Glutathione (GSH) was depleted by OTA at >48 h in HK-2 but not in LLC-PK1 cells. While the mRNA levels of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPX1) in LLC-PK1 were down-regulated by 0.67- and 0.66-fold, respectively, those of catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GSR), and superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD) in HK-2 were up-regulated by 2.20-, 2.24-, and 2.75-fold, respectively, after 72 h exposure to OTA. Based on these results, we conclude that HK-2 cells are more sensitive to OTA-mediated toxicity than LLC-PK1, and OTA can cause a significant oxidative stress in HK-2 as indicated by changes in the parameter evaluated.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Mazloumi Gavgani ◽  
Thomas Karlsson ◽  
Ingvild L Tangen ◽  
Andrea Papdiné Morovicz ◽  
Victoria Smith Arnesen ◽  
...  

AbstractGenes encoding for components of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway are frequently mutated in cancer, including inactivating mutations of PTEN and activating mutations of PIK3CA, encoding the PI3K catalytic subunit p110α. PIK3CB, encoding p110β, is rarely mutated, but can contribute to tumourigenesis in some PTEN-deficient tumours. The underlying molecular mechanisms are however poorly understood. By analysing cell lines and annotated clinical samples, we have previously found that p110β is highly expressed in endometrial cancer (EC) cell lines and that PIK3CB mRNA levels increase early in primary tumours correlating with lower survival. Selective inhibition of p110α and p110β led to different effects on cell signalling and cell function, p110α activity being correlated to cell survival in PIK3CA mutant cells and p110β with cell proliferation in PTEN-deficient cells. To understand the mechanisms governing the differential roles of these isoforms, we assessed their sub-cellular localisation. p110α was cytoplasmic whereas p110β was both cytoplasmic and nuclear with increased levels in both compartments in cancer cells. Immunohistochemistry of p110β in clinically annotated patient tumour sections revealed high nuclear/cytoplasmic staining ratio, which correlated significantly with higher grades. Consistently, the presence of high levels of p110β in the nuclei of EC cells, correlated with high levels of its product phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate (PtdIns(3,4,5)P3) in the nucleus. Using immunofluorescence labelling, we observed both p110β and PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 in the nucleoli of EC cell lines. The production of nucleolar PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 was dependent upon p110β activity. EC cells with high levels of nuclear PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 and p110β showed elevated nucleolar activity as assessed by the increase in 47S pre-rRNA transcriptional levels in a p110β-dependent manner. Altogether, these results present a nucleolar role for the PI3K pathway that may contribute to tumour progression in endometrial cancer.


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