Selectively Targeting Breast Cancer Stem Cells By 8-Quinolinol and Niclosamide

Abstract Background Cancer maintenance, metastatic dissemination and drug-resistance are sustained by cancer stem cells (CSCs). Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the breast cancer subtype with the highest numbers of CSCs and poorest prognosis. Here, we aimed to identify potential drugs targeting CSCs to be further employed in combination with standard chemotherapy in TNBC treatment. Methods The anti-CSC efficacy of up to 17 small-drugs was tested in TNBC cell lines using cell viability assays on differentiated cancer cells and CSCs. Then, the effect of 2 selected drugs (8-quinolinol -8Q- and niclosamide -NCS-) in the cancer stemness hallmarks were evaluated using mammosphere growth, cell invasion, migration and anchorage-independent growth assays. Changes in the expression of stemness genes upon 8Q or NCS treatment were also evaluated. Moreover, the potential synergism of 8Q and NCS with PTX on the CSC proliferation and on stemness-related signaling pathways was evaluated using TNBC cell lines, CSC-reporter sublines, and CSCenriched mammospheres. Finally, the efficacy of the NCS in combination with PTX was analyzed in vivo using an orthotopic mice model of MDA-MB-231 cells. Results Among all tested drug candidates, 8Q and NCS showed remarkable specific anti-CSC activity in terms of CSC viability, migration, invasion and anchorage independent growth reduction in vitro. Moreover, specific 8Q/PTX and NCS/PTX ratios at which both drugs displayed a synergistic effect in different TNBC cell lines were identified. The solely use of PTX increased the relative presence of CSCs in TNBC cells, whereas the combination with 8Q and NCS counteracted this pro-CSC activity of PTX whilst significantly reducing cell viability. In vivo, the combination of NCS with PTX reduced tumor growth, and limited the dissemination of the disease by reducing the circulating tumor cells and the incidence of lung metastasis. Conclusions The combination of 8Q and NCS with PTX at established ratios inhibits both, the proliferation of differentiated cancer cells and the viability of CSCs, opening a way to more efficacious TNBC treatments.

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Selectively Targeting Breast Cancer Stem Cells by 8-Quinolinol and Niclosamide

10.21203/rs.3.rs-686641/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Patricia Cámara-Sánchez ◽

Zamira V. Díaz-Riascos ◽

Natalia García-Aranda ◽

Petra Gener ◽

Joaquin Seras-Franzoso ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Stem Cells ◽

Cancer Stem Cells ◽

Cell Viability ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Breast Cancer Subtype ◽

Anchorage Independent Growth ◽

Tnbc Cell

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Phytochemicals inhibit migration of triple negative breast cancer cells by targeting kinase signaling

BMC Cancer ◽

10.1186/s12885-019-6479-2 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Pradip Shahi Thakuri ◽

Megha Gupta ◽

Sunil Singh ◽

Ramila Joshi ◽

Eric Glasgow ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Cell Migration ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Protein Kinases ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Triple Negative Breast Cancer ◽

Triple Negative ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Tnbc Cell

Abstract Background Cell migration and invasion are essential processes for metastatic dissemination of cancer cells. Significant progress has been made in developing new therapies against oncogenic signaling to eliminate cancer cells and shrink tumors. However, inherent heterogeneity and treatment-induced adaptation to drugs commonly enable subsets of cancer cells to survive therapy. In addition to local recurrence, these cells escape a primary tumor and migrate through the stroma to access the circulation and metastasize to different organs, leading to an incurable disease. As such, therapeutics that block migration and invasion of cancer cells may inhibit or reduce metastasis and significantly improve cancer therapy. This is particularly more important for cancers, such as triple negative breast cancer, that currently lack targeted drugs. Methods We used cell migration, 3D invasion, zebrafish metastasis model, and phosphorylation analysis of 43 protein kinases in nine triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines to study effects of fisetin and quercetin on inhibition of TNBC cell migration, invasion, and metastasis. Results Fisetin and quercetin were highly effective against migration of all nine TNBC cell lines with up to 76 and 74% inhibitory effects, respectively. In addition, treatments significantly reduced 3D invasion of highly motile TNBC cells from spheroids into a collagen matrix and their metastasis in vivo. Fisetin and quercetin commonly targeted different components and substrates of the oncogenic PI3K/AKT pathway and significantly reduced their activities. Additionally, both compounds disrupted activities of several protein kinases in MAPK and STAT pathways. We used molecular inhibitors specific to these signaling proteins to establish the migration-inhibitory role of the two phytochemicals against TNBC cells. Conclusions We established that fisetin and quercetin potently inhibit migration of metastatic TNBC cells by interfering with activities of oncogenic protein kinases in multiple pathways.

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A Nuclear-Directed Ribonuclease Variant Targets Cancer Stem Cells and Inhibits Migration and Invasion of Breast Cancer Cells

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers13174350 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (17) ◽

pp. 4350

Author(s):

Jessica Castro ◽

Giusy Tornillo ◽

Gerardo Ceada ◽

Beatriz Ramos-Neble ◽

Marlon Bravo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Stem Cells ◽

Cancer Stem Cells ◽

Tumor Cell ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Tumor Cells ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Breast Cancer Cells ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Tumor Cell Lines

Despite the significant advances in cancer research made in recent years, this disease remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. In part, this is due to the fact that after therapy, a subpopulation of self-renewing tumor cells can survive and promote cancer relapse, resistance to therapies and metastasis. Targeting these cancer stem cells (CSCs) is therefore essential to improve the clinical outcome of cancer patients. In this sense, multi-targeted drugs may be promising agents targeting CSC-associated multifocal effects. We have previously constructed different human pancreatic ribonuclease (RNase) variants that are cytotoxic for tumor cells due to a non-classical nuclear localization signal introduced in their sequence. These cytotoxic RNases affect the expression of multiple genes involved in deregulated metabolic and signaling pathways in cancer cells and are highly cytotoxic for multidrug-resistant tumor cell lines. Here, we show that these cytotoxic nuclear-directed RNases are highly selective for tumor cell lines grown in 3D, inhibit CSCs’ development and diminish the self-renewal capacity of the CSCs population. Moreover, these human RNase variants reduce the migration and invasiveness of highly invasive breast cancer cells and downregulate N-cadherin expression.

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Stage-specific embryonic antigen-3 (SSEA-3) and β3GalT5 are cancer specific and significant markers for breast cancer stem cells

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1522602113 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 113 (4) ◽

pp. 960-965 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Sarah K. C. Cheung ◽

Po-Kai Chuang ◽

Han-Wen Huang ◽

Wendy W. Hwang-Verslues ◽

Candy Hsin-Hua Cho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Stem Cells ◽

Cancer Stem Cells ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Embryonic Stem ◽

Cancer Therapies ◽

New Cancer Therapies ◽

Globo Series

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.

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Repurposing of Fluvastatin as an Anticancer Agent against Breast Cancer Stem Cells via Encapsulation in a Hyaluronan-Conjugated Liposome

Pharmaceutics ◽

10.3390/pharmaceutics12121133 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (12) ◽

pp. 1133

Author(s):

Ji Yu ◽

Dae Shin ◽

Jin-Seok Kim

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Stem Cells ◽

Cancer Stem Cells ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Breast Cancer Cells ◽

Body Weight Loss ◽

Breast Cancer Stem Cells ◽

Anticancer Efficacy

Fluvastatin (FLUVA), which is a common anti-hypercholesterolemia drug, exhibits potential anticancer activity as it suppresses the proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis of breast cancer cells via inhibiting 3-hydroxy-methyl glutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase. In this study, hyaluronan-conjugated FLUVA-encapsulating liposomes (HA-L-FLUVA) were evaluated for their anticancer efficacy in vitro and in vivo. The particle size, zeta potential, and encapsulation efficiency of HA-L-FLUVA were 158.36 ± 1.78 nm, −24.85 ± 6.26 mV, and 35%, respectively. Growth inhibition of breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) by HA-L-FLUVA was more effective than that by free FLUVA. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of FLUVA, L-FLVUA, and HA-L-FLUVA were 0.16, 0.17, and 0.09 μM, respectively. The in vivo anticancer effect of HA-L-FLUVA in combination with doxorubicin (DOX) was more effective than that of free FLUVA, free DOX, and HA-L-FLUVA. The longest survival of mice was achieved by treatment with FLUVA (15 mg/kg) and HA-L-FLUVA (15 mg/kg) + DOX (3 mg/kg), followed by HA-L-FLUVA (15 mg/kg), Dulbecco’s phosphate buffered saline, and DOX (3 mg/kg). No more than 10% body weight loss was observed in the mice injected with FLUVA, indicating that the drug was not toxic. Taken together, these results indicate that HA-L-FLUVA could serve as an effective anticancer drug by inhibiting the growth of both breast cancer cells and cancer stem cells.

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MiR-137 Suppresses Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Stemness and Tumorigenesis by Perturbing BCL11A-DNMT1 Interaction

Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry ◽

10.1159/000491526 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 47 (5) ◽

pp. 2147-2158 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Feiyu Chen ◽

Na Luo ◽

Yu Hu ◽

Xin Li ◽

Kejing Zhang

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Stem Cells ◽

Cancer Stem Cells ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Tumor Development ◽

Cancer Stemness ◽

Normal Tissues ◽

Tumor Tissues

Background/Aims: Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is resistant to conventional chemotherapy due to high proportions of cancer stem cells (CSCs). The aim of this study is to unravel the miR-137-mediated regulatory mechanism of B-cell lymphoma/leukemia 11A (BCL11A) in TNBC. Methods: A corhort of 34 TNBC tumor tissues and paired adjacent normal tissues, as well as 25 non-TNBC tumor tissues and paired adjacent normal tissues were collected post-operatively from patients with breast cancer. Q-PCR was performed to determine the mRNA levels of miR-137 and BCL11A in breast tissues and cell lines. Bioinformatics analysis and dual luciferase reporter assay were used to verify the direct interaction between miR-137 and BCL11A. After up-/down-regulation of BCL11A, miR-137, or DNMT1 via lentiviral transduction in TNBC cell lines SUM149 and MDA-MB-231 cells, Q-PCR and Western blot assays were used to detect the expression levels of BCL11A, DNA methyltransferases 1 (DNMT1), and Islet-1 (ISL1). Mammosphere assay was conducted to assess tumorosphere formation ability of cells, coupled with flow cytometry to determine the percentage of breast cancer stem cells. Co-immunoprecipitation assay was used to determine the interaction between BCL11A and DNMT1. Xenograft tumorigenesis assay was performed to monitor tumor formation in vivo. Results: BCL11A was highly expressed in TNBC, whereas miR-137 was significantly lower in both TNBC tissues and cell lines. miR-137 suppressed BCL11A expression at both mRNA and protein levels by directly targeting its 3’UTR. In both SUM149 and MDA-MB-231 cells, overexpression of miR-137 or knockdown of BCL11A reduced the number of tumoroshperes and the percentage of cancer stem cells in vitro, and inhibited tumor development in vivo. Furthermore, BCL11A interacted with DNMT1 in TNBC cells. Silencing of either BCL11A or DNMT1 impaired cancer stemness and tumorigenesis of TNBC via suppressing ISL1 expression both in vitro, and in vivo. Conclusions: By perturbing BCL11A-DNMT1 interaction, miR-137 impairs cancer stemness and suppresses tumor development in TNBC.

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A triple-drug nanotherapy to target breast cancer cells, cancer stem cells, and tumor vasculature

Cell Death and Disease ◽

10.1038/s41419-020-03308-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sara El-Sahli ◽

Khang Hua ◽

Andrew Sulaiman ◽

Jason Chambers ◽

Li Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Stem Cells ◽

Cancer Stem Cells ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Ex Vivo ◽

Chemotherapeutic Agents ◽

Hybrid Nanoparticles ◽

Cancer Drug ◽

Vascular Disrupting Agent

AbstractTriple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive subtype of breast cancer, accounting for the majority of breast cancer-related death. Due to the lack of specific therapeutic targets, chemotherapeutic agents (e.g., paclitaxel) remain the mainstay of systemic treatment, but enrich a subpopulation of cells with tumor-initiating capacity and stem-like characteristics called cancer stem cells (CSCs); thus development of a new and effective strategy for TNBC treatment is an unmet medical need. Cancer nanomedicine has transformed the landscape of cancer drug development, allowing for a high therapeutic index. In this study, we developed a new therapy by co-encapsulating clinically approved drugs, such as paclitaxel, verteporfin, and combretastatin (CA4) in polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticles (NPs) made of FDA-approved biomaterials. Verteporfin is a drug used in the treatment of macular degeneration and has recently been found to inhibit the Hippo/YAP (Yes-associated protein) pathway, which is known to promote the progression of breast cancer and the development of CSCs. CA4 is a vascular disrupting agent and has been tested in phase II/III of clinical trials. We found that our new three drug-NP not only effectively inhibited TNBC cell viability and cell migration, but also significantly diminished paclitaxel-induced and/or CA4-induced CSC enrichment in TNBC cells, partially through inhibiting the upregulated Hippo/YAP signaling. Combination of verteporfin and CA4 was also more effective in suppressing angiogenesis in an in vivo zebrafish model than single drug alone. The efficacy and application potential of our triple drug-NPs were further assessed by using clinically relevant patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. Triple drug-NP effectively inhibited the viability of PDX organotypic slide cultures ex vivo and stopped the growth of PDX tumors in vivo. This study developed an approach capable of simultaneously inhibiting bulk cancer cells, CSCs, and angiogenesis.

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Standardized Extract from Caesalpinia spinosa is Cytotoxic Over Cancer Stem Cells and Enhance Anticancer Activity of Doxorubicin

The American Journal of Chinese Medicine ◽

10.1142/s0192415x16500956 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 44 (08) ◽

pp. 1693-1717 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Tito A. Sandoval ◽

Claudia P. Urueña ◽

Mónica Llano ◽

Alejandra Gómez-Cadena ◽

John F. Hernández ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Stem Cells ◽

Cancer Stem Cells ◽

Synergistic Effect ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Resistant Cell ◽

Chemotherapeutic Agents ◽

Significant Activity ◽

Short Treatment

Cancer stem cells (CSC) are the primary cell type responsible for metastasis and relapse. ABC-transporters are integral membrane proteins involved in the translocation of substrates across membranes protecting CSC from chemotherapeutic agents. A plant extract derived from C. spinosa (P2Et) previously investigated for its antitumor activity has been shown to reduce lung and spleen metastasis in mice that have been transplanted with breast cancer cells, suggesting that P2Et has a significant activity against cancer stem cells (CSC). P2Et extract was thoroughly characterized by HPLC/MS. The cytotoxicity of P2Et extract was evaluated using a MTT assay in human and murine cell lines with different profiles of resistance, by Pgp overexpression or by enrichment in cancer stem cells. The synergistic effect of P2Et with doxorubicin was evaluated in vitro in several cell lines and in vivo in mice transplanted with TS/A cells, a highly resistant cell line and enriched in CD44[Formula: see text]CD24[Formula: see text]CSC. The chromatographic fingerprint of P2Et extract revealed 13 gallotannins. We also found that P2Et extract was cytotoxic to cells regardless of their resistant phenotype. Similarly, complementary activities were observed as drug efflux reversion and antioxidant activity. Short-treatment with P2Et extract, revealed a synergistic effect with doxorubicin in resistant cell lines. In vivo the P2Et increases mice survival in a TS/A breast cancer model associated with augmentation of calreticulin expression. Our results suggest that P2Et treatment could be used as adjuvant along with conventional chemotherapy to treat tumors with a MDR phenotype or with high frequency of CSC.

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miR-1275 Targets MDK/AKT Signaling to Inhibit Breast Cancer Chemoresistance by Lessening the Properties of Cancer Stem Cells

10.21203/rs.3.rs-957515/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Xu Han ◽

Ge Ma ◽

Xinyang Wang ◽

Jingyue Fu ◽

Jingyi Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Stem Cells ◽

Cancer Stem Cells ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Breast Cancer Cells ◽

Akt Signaling ◽

Plasma Samples ◽

Knock Out

Abstract Background: Chemoresistance is a major obstacle in the neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) of locally advanced breast cancer (LABC). Identification of miRNAs as prognostic biomarkers may help overcome chemoresistance of breast cancer (BC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression level of miR-1275 in plasma samples and the biological functions in the chemoresistance of BC.Methods: The expression levels of miR-1275 in plasma samples and cells were measured by RT-qPCR. The associations between the expression levels of miR-1275 and clinicopathological features were studied. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing was used to construct miR-1275 knock-out cells. CCK-8, colony formation assays, epirubicin accumulation assay and xenograft tumor models were used to detect the sensitivity of breast cancer cells to epirubicin in vitro and in vivo. Mammosphere formation assay, flow cytometry analysis and western blot analyses were used to evaluate the effects of miR-1275 on cancer stem cells (CSCs) characteristics in BC cells. Dual-luciferase reporter, RNA pulldown, ELISA and IHC were used to verify the relationship between the expression of miR-1275 and Midkine (MDK). Results: We found that miR-1275 was significantly downregulated in plasma from patients resistant to chemotherapy with LABC and in chemoresistant breast cancer cell lines, while patients with low levels of miR-1275 show poor overall survival. Mir-1275 knock-out promoted chemoresistance in breast cancer cells by increasing the properties of cancer stem cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, we identified that Midkine was determined to be direct downstream protein of miR-1275 which initiated PI3K/Akt signaling in breast cancer cells.Conclusions: We demonstrated that the high expression level of miR-1275 in plasma predicted better response to NCT. The reduction of miR-1275 promoted BC cells chemoresistance by increasing CSC properties via targeting MDK/AKT axis. The potential of miR-1275 as a new prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target of breast cancer patients was identified.

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An Extract of Taro (Colocasia esculenta) Mediates Potent Inhibitory Actions on Metastatic and Cancer Stem Cells by Tumor Cell-Autonomous and Immune-Dependent Mechanisms

Breast Cancer Basic and Clinical Research ◽

10.1177/11782234211034937 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

pp. 117822342110349

Author(s):

Namita Kundu ◽

Xinrong Ma ◽

Stephen Hoag ◽

Fang Wang ◽

Ahmed Ibrahim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Stem Cells ◽

Cancer Stem Cells ◽

Tumor Cell ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Nk Cell ◽

Cancer Therapeutics ◽

Colocasia Esculenta ◽

Biologically Active ◽

Tumor Cell Migration

The taro plant, Colocasia esculenta, contains bioactive proteins with potential as cancer therapeutics. Several groups have reported anti-cancer activity in vitro and in vivo of taro-derived extracts (TEs). We reported that TE inhibits metastasis in a syngeneic murine model of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC). Purpose: We sought to confirm our earlier studies in additional models and to identify novel mechanisms by which efficacy is achieved. Methods: We employed a panel of murine and human breast and ovarian cancer cell lines to determine the effect of TE on tumor cell viability, migration, and the ability to support cancer stem cells. Two syngeneic models of TNBC were employed to confirm our earlier report that TE potently inhibits metastasis. Cancer stem cell assays were employed to determine the ability of TE to inhibit tumorsphere-forming ability and to inhibit aldehyde dehydrogenase activity. To determine if host immunity contributes to the mechanism of metastasis inhibition, efficacy was assessed in immune-compromised mice. Results: We demonstrate that viability of some, but not all cell lines is inhibited by TE. Likewise, tumor cell migration is inhibited by TE. Using 2 immune competent, syngeneic models of TNBC, we confirm our earlier findings that tumor metastasis is potently inhibited by TE. We also demonstrate, for the first time, that TE directly inhibits breast cancer stem cells. Administration of TE to mice elicits expansion of several spleen cell populations but it was not known if host immune cells contribute to the mechanism by which TE inhibits tumor cell dissemination. In novel findings, we now show that the ability of TE to inhibit metastasis relies on immune T-cell-dependent, but not B cell or Natural Killer (NK)-cell-dependent mechanisms. Thus, both tumor cell-autonomous and host immune factors contribute to the mechanisms underlying TE efficacy. Our long-term goal is to evaluate TE efficacy in clinical trials. Most of our past studies as well as many of the results reported in this report were carried out using an isolation protocol described earlier (TE). In preparation for a near future clinical trial, we have now developed a strategy to isolate an enriched taro fraction, TE-method 2, (TE-M2) as well as a more purified subfraction (TE-M2F1) which can be scaled up under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) conditions for evaluation in human subjects. We demonstrate that TE-M2 and TE-M2F1 retain the anti-metastatic properties of TE. Conclusions: These studies provide further support for the continued examination of biologically active components of Colocasia esculenta as potential new therapeutic entities and identify a method to isolate sufficient quantities under GMP conditions to conduct early phase clinical studies.

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