Sensitization of Cancer Cells to Cancer Therapies by Isoflavone and Its Synthetic Derivatives

Author(s):  
Fazlul H. Sarkar ◽  
Yiwei Li
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 482-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milena Kostadinova ◽  
Milena Mourdjeva

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are localized throughout the adult body as a small population in the stroma of the tissue concerned. In injury, tissue damage, or tumor formation, they are activated and leave their niche to migrate to the site of injury, where they release a plethora of growth factors, cytokines, and other bioactive molecules. With the accumulation of data about the interaction between MSCs and tumor cells, the dualistic role of MSCs remains unclear. However, a large number of studies have demonstrated the natural anti-tumor properties inherent in MSCs, so this is the basis for intensive research for new methods using MSCs as a tool to suppress cancer cell development. This review focuses specifically on advanced approaches in modifying MSCs to become a powerful, precision- targeted tool for killing cancer cells, but not normal healthy cells. Suppression of tumor growth by MSCs can be accomplished by inducing apoptosis or cell cycle arrest, suppressing tumor angiogenesis, or blocking mechanisms mediating metastasis. In addition, the chemosensitivity of cancer cells may be increased so that the dose of the chemotherapeutic agent used could be significantly reduced.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liuting Yu ◽  
Yao Guo ◽  
Zhiguang Chang ◽  
Dengyang Zhang ◽  
Shiqiang Zhang ◽  
...  

Platelets are essential components in the tumor microenvironment. For decades, clinical data have demonstrated that cancer patients have a high risk of thrombosis that is associated with adverse prognosis and decreased survival, indicating the involvement of platelets in cancer progression. Increasing evidence confirms that cancer cells are able to induce production and activation of platelets. Once activated, platelets serve as allies of cancer cells in tumor growth and metastasis. They can protect circulating tumor cells (CTCs) against the immune system and detachment-induced apoptosis while facilitating angiogenesis and tumor cell adhesion and invasion. Therefore, antiplatelet agents and platelet-based therapies should be developed for cancer treatment. Here, we discuss the mechanisms underlying the bidirectional cancer-platelet crosstalk and platelet-based therapeutic approaches.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Everardo Mares-Mares ◽  
Santiago Gutiérrez-Vargas ◽  
Luis Pérez-Moreno ◽  
Leandro G. Ordoñez-Acevedo ◽  
José E. Barboza-Corona ◽  
...  

The objective of this research was to identify and characterize the encoded peptides present in nut storage proteins ofCarya illinoinensis. It was found, through in silico prediction, proteomic analysis, and MS spectrometry, that bioactive peptides were mainly found in albumin and glutelin fractions. Glutelin was the major fraction with ~53% of the nut storage proteins containing at least 21 peptides with different putative biological activities, including antihypertensives, antioxidants, immunomodulators, protease inhibitors, and inhibitors of cell cycle progression in cancer cells. Data showed that using 50 μg/mL tryptic digests of enriched peptides obtained from nut glutelins is able to induce up to 19% of apoptosis in both HeLa and CasKi cervical cancer cells. To our knowledge, this is the first report that shows the potential value of the nut-encoded peptides to be considered as adjuvants in cancer therapies.


NAR Cancer ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Taejoo Hwang ◽  
Shelley Reh ◽  
Yerkin Dunbayev ◽  
Yi Zhong ◽  
Yoko Takata ◽  
...  

Abstract DNA polymerase theta (POLQ)-mediated end joining (TMEJ) is a distinct pathway for mediating DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair. TMEJ is required for the viability of BRCA-mutated cancer cells. It is crucial to identify tumors that rely on POLQ activity for DSB repair, because such tumors are defective in other DSB repair pathways and have predicted sensitivity to POLQ inhibition and to cancer therapies that produce DSBs. We define here the POLQ-associated mutation signatures in human cancers, characterized by short insertions and deletions in a specific range of microhomologies. By analyzing 82 COSMIC (Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer) signatures, we found that BRCA-mutated cancers with a higher level of POLQ expression have a greatly enhanced representation of the small insertion and deletion signature 6, as well as single base substitution signature 3. Using human cancer cells with disruptions of POLQ, we further show that TMEJ dominates end joining of two separated DSBs (distal EJ). Templated insertions with microhomology are enriched in POLQ-dependent distal EJ. The use of this signature analysis will aid in identifying tumors relying on POLQ activity.


2015 ◽  
Vol 113 (4) ◽  
pp. 960-965 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah K. C. Cheung ◽  
Po-Kai Chuang ◽  
Han-Wen Huang ◽  
Wendy W. Hwang-Verslues ◽  
Candy Hsin-Hua Cho ◽  
...  

The discovery of cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are responsible for self-renewal and tumor growth in heterogeneous cancer tissues, has stimulated interests in developing new cancer therapies and early diagnosis. However, the markers currently used for isolation of CSCs are often not selective enough to enrich CSCs for the study of this special cell population. Here we show that the breast CSCs isolated with CD44+CD24-/loSSEA-3+ or ESAhiPROCRhiSSEA-3+ markers had higher tumorigenicity than those with conventional markers in vitro and in vivo. As few as 10 cells with CD44+CD24-/loSSEA-3+ formed tumor in mice, compared with more than 100 cells with CD44+CD24-/lo. Suppression of SSEA-3 expression by knockdown of the gene encoding β-1,3-galactosyltransferase 5 (β3GalT5) in the globo-series pathway, led to apoptosis in cancer cells specifically but had no effect on normal cells. This finding is further supported by the analysis of SSEA-3 and the two related globo-series epitopes SSEA4 and globo-H in stem cells (embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells) and various normal and cancer cells, and by the antibody approach to target the globo-series glycans and the late-stage clinical trials of a breast cancer vaccine.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (19) ◽  
pp. 7345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Zakaria Nassef ◽  
Daniela Melnik ◽  
Sascha Kopp ◽  
Jayashree Sahana ◽  
Manfred Infanger ◽  
...  

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in females. The incidence has risen dramatically during recent decades. Dismissed as an “unsolved problem of the last century”, breast cancer still represents a health burden with no effective solution identified so far. Microgravity (µg) research might be an unusual method to combat the disease, but cancer biologists decided to harness the power of µg as an exceptional method to increase efficacy and precision of future breast cancer therapies. Numerous studies have indicated that µg has a great impact on cancer cells; by influencing proliferation, survival, and migration, it shifts breast cancer cells toward a less aggressive phenotype. In addition, through the de novo generation of tumor spheroids, µg research provides a reliable in vitro 3D tumor model for preclinical cancer drug development and to study various processes of cancer progression. In summary, µg has become an important tool in understanding and influencing breast cancer biology.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masmudur M. Rahman ◽  
Grant McFadden

Oncolytic viruses are one of the most promising novel therapeutics for malignant cancers. They selectively infect and kill cancer cells while sparing the normal counterparts, expose cancer- specific antigens and activate the host immune system against both viral and tumor determinants. Oncolytic viruses can be used as monotherapy or combined with existing cancer therapies to become more potent. Among the many types of oncolytic viruses that have been developed thus far, members of poxviruses are the most promising candidates against diverse cancer types. This review summarizes recent advances that are made with oncolytic myxoma virus (MYXV), a member of the Leporipoxvirus genus. Unlike other oncolytic viruses, MYXV infects only rabbits in nature and causes no harm to humans or any other non-leporid animals. However, MYXV can selectively infect and kill cancer cells originating from human, mouse and other host species. This selective cancer tropism and safety profile have led to the testing of MYXV in various types of preclinical cancer models. The next stage will be successful GMP manufacturing and clinical trials that will bring MYXV from bench to bedside for the treatment of currently intractable malignancies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 392 (12) ◽  
pp. 1491-1502
Author(s):  
Seyed Navid Goftari ◽  
Hamid Sadeghian ◽  
Ahmad Reza Bahrami ◽  
Fatemeh Maleki ◽  
Maryam M. Matin

Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (15) ◽  
pp. 2753 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Esposito ◽  
Alessandro Bianco ◽  
Rosita Russo ◽  
Antimo Di Maro ◽  
Carla Isernia ◽  
...  

A large range of chronic and degenerative diseases can be prevented through the use of food products and food bioactives. This study reports the health benefits and biological activities of the Urtica dioica (U. dioica) edible plant, with particular focus on its cancer chemopreventive potential. Numerous studies have attempted to investigate the most efficient anti-cancer therapy with few side effects and high toxicity on cancer cells to overcome the chemoresistance of cancer cells and the adverse effects of current therapies. In this regard, natural products from edible plants have been assessed as sources of anti-cancer agents. In this article, we review current knowledge from studies that have examined the cytotoxic, anti-tumor and anti-metastatic effects of U. dioica plant on several human cancers. Special attention has been dedicated to the treatment of breast cancer, the most prevalent cancer among women and one of the main causes of death worldwide. The anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects of U. dioica have been demonstrated on different human cancers, investigating the properties of U. dioica at cellular and molecular levels. The potent cytotoxicity and anti-cancer activity of the U. dioica extracts are due to its bioactive natural products content, including polyphenols which reportedly possess anti-oxidant, anti-mutagenic and anti-proliferative properties. The efficacy of this edible plant to prevent or mitigate human cancers has been demonstrated in laboratory conditions as well as in experimental animal models, paving the way to the development of nutraceuticals for new anti-cancer therapies.


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