Highly Sensitive Hill-Type Small-Molecule pH Probe That Recognizes the Reversed pH Gradient of Cancer Cells

Background: Cancer is a complex disease involving genetic and epigenetic alteration that allows cells to escape normal homeostasis. Kinases play a crucial role in signaling pathways that regulate cell functions. Deregulation of kinases leads to a variety of pathological changes, activating cancer cell proliferation and metastases. The molecular mechanism of cancer is complex and the dysregulation of tyrosine kinases like Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK), Bcr-Abl (Fusion gene found in patient with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), JAK (Janus Activated Kinase), Src Family Kinases (SFKs), ALK (Anaplastic lymphoma Kinase), c-MET (Mesenchymal- Epithelial Transition), EGFR (Epidermal Growth Factor receptor), PDGFR (Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Receptor), RET (Rearranged during Transfection) and VEGFR (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor) plays major role in the process of carcinogenesis. Recently, kinase inhibitors have overcome many problems of traditional cancer chemotherapy as they effectively separate out normal, non-cancer cells as well as rapidly multiplying cancer cells. Methods: Electronic databases were searched to explore the small molecule tyrosine kinases by polyphenols with the help of docking study (Glide-7.6 program interfaced with Maestro-v11.3 of Schrödinger 2017) to show the binding energies of polyphenols inhibitor with different tyrosine kinases in order to differentiate between the targets. Results: From the literature survey, it was observed that the number of polyphenols derived from natural sources alters the expression and signaling cascade of tyrosine kinase in various tumor models. Therefore, the development of polyphenols as a tyrosine kinase inhibitor against targeted proteins is regarded as an upcoming trend for chemoprevention. Conclusion: In this review, we have discussed the role of polyphenols as chemoreceptive which will help in future for the development and discovery of novel semisynthetic anticancer agents coupled with polyphenols.

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Fer and FerT Govern Mitochondrial Susceptibility to Metformin and Hypoxic Stress in Colon and Lung Carcinoma Cells

Cells ◽

10.3390/cells10010097 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 97

Author(s):

Odeya Marciano ◽

Linoy Mehazri ◽

Sally Shpungin ◽

Alexander Varvak ◽

Eldad Zacksenhaus ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cancer Cells ◽

Aerobic Glycolysis ◽

Metastatic Cancer ◽

Carcinoma Cells ◽

Metabolic Adaptation ◽

Hypoxic Stress ◽

Lung Carcinoma Cells ◽

Metabolic Role ◽

Highly Sensitive ◽

Anticancer Treatment

Aerobic glycolysis is an important metabolic adaptation of cancer cells. However, there is growing evidence that reprogrammed mitochondria also play an important metabolic role in metastatic dissemination. Two constituents of the reprogrammed mitochondria of cancer cells are the intracellular tyrosine kinase Fer and its cancer- and sperm-specific variant, FerT. Here, we show that Fer and FerT control mitochondrial susceptibility to therapeutic and hypoxic stress in metastatic colon (SW620) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC-H1299) cells. Fer- and FerT-deficient SW620 and H1299 cells (SW∆Fer/FerT and H∆Fer/FerT cells, respectively) become highly sensitive to metformin treatment and to hypoxia under glucose-restrictive conditions. Metformin impaired mitochondrial functioning that was accompanied by ATP deficiency and robust death in SW∆Fer/FerT and H∆Fer/FerT cells compared to the parental SW620 and H1299 cells. Notably, selective knockout of the fer gene without affecting FerT expression reduced sensitivity to metformin and hypoxia seen in SW∆Fer/FerT cells. Thus, Fer and FerT modulate the mitochondrial susceptibility of metastatic cancer cells to hypoxia and metformin. Targeting Fer/FerT may therefore provide a novel anticancer treatment by efficient, selective, and more versatile disruption of mitochondrial function in malignant cells.

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Bifunctional Diblock DNA-Mediated Synthesis of Nanoflower-Shaped Photothermal Nanozymes for a Highly Sensitive Colorimetric Assay of Cancer Cells

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces ◽

10.1021/acsami.0c21109 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Zhaohui Wei ◽

Yuefan Yu ◽

Shengqiang Hu ◽

Xinyao Yi ◽

Jianxiu Wang

Keyword(s):

Cancer Cells ◽

Colorimetric Assay ◽

Highly Sensitive

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Novel small molecule inhibitor of Kpnβ1 induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in cancer cells

Experimental Cell Research ◽

10.1016/j.yexcr.2021.112637 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 112637

Author(s):

Aderonke Ajayi-Smith ◽

Pauline van der Watt ◽

Nonkululeko Mkwanazi ◽

Sarah Carden ◽

John O. Trent ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Cycle ◽

Cell Cycle Arrest ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Small Molecule ◽

Small Molecule Inhibitor ◽

Cycle Arrest ◽

Molecule Inhibitor ◽

Apoptosis In Cancer Cells

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Mutant p53L194F Harboring Luminal-A Breast Cancer Cells Are Refractory to Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Arrest in Response to MortaparibPlus, a Multimodal Small Molecule Inhibitor

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers13123043 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (12) ◽

pp. 3043

Author(s):

Ahmed Elwakeel ◽

Anissa Nofita Sari ◽

Jaspreet Kaur Dhanjal ◽

Hazna Noor Meidinna ◽

Durai Sundar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Cell Cycle ◽

Cell Cycle Arrest ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Small Molecule ◽

Breast Cancer Cells ◽

Luminal A ◽

Molecular Analyses ◽

Cycle Arrest ◽

Mcf 7

We previously performed a drug screening to identify a potential inhibitor of mortalin–p53 interaction. In four rounds of screenings based on the shift in mortalin immunostaining pattern from perinuclear to pan-cytoplasmic and nuclear enrichment of p53, we had identified MortaparibPlus (4-[(1E)-2-(2-phenylindol-3-yl)-1-azavinyl]-1,2,4-triazole) as a novel synthetic small molecule. In order to validate its activity and mechanism of action, we recruited Luminal-A breast cancer cells, MCF-7 (p53wild type) and T47D (p53L194F) and performed extensive biochemical and immunocytochemical analyses. Molecular analyses revealed that MortaparibPlus is capable of abrogating mortalin–p53 interaction in both MCF-7 and T47D cells. Intriguingly, upregulation of transcriptional activation function of p53 (as marked by upregulation of the p53 effector gene—p21WAF1—responsible for cell cycle arrest and apoptosis) was recorded only in MortaparibPlus-treated MCF-7 cells. On the other hand, MortaparibPlus-treated T47D cells exhibited hyperactivation of PARP1 (accumulation of PAR polymer and decrease in ATP levels) as a possible non-p53 tumor suppression program. However, these cells did not show full signs of either apoptosis or PAR-Thanatos. Molecular analyses attributed such a response to the inability of MortaparibPlus to disrupt the AIF–mortalin complexes; hence, AIF did not translocate to the nucleus to induce chromatinolysis and DNA degradation. These data suggested that the cancer cells possessing enriched levels of such complexes may not respond to MortaparibPlus. Taken together, we report the multimodal anticancer potential of MortaparibPlus that warrants further attention in laboratory and clinical studies.

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A Dual-Channel Hill-Type Small-Molecule pH Probe

Analytical Methods ◽

10.1039/d1ay00868d ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Fang Hu ◽

Yunxia Huang ◽

Yansheng Xiao ◽

Yanchun Li ◽

Xiao Luo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Small Molecule ◽

Transition Width ◽

Ph Probe ◽

Dual Channel ◽

Unique Approach

By combining a Hill-type pH probe and a pH-insensitive naphthalimide fluorophore, We synthesized a FRET-based ratiometric pH probe (PHHF), exhibiting a reduced pH transition width, representing a unique approach for...

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