Role of inflammation in the development of colorectal cancer

Author(s):  
Sridhar Muthusami ◽  
R. Ileng Kumaran ◽  
Kokelavani Nampalli Babu ◽  
Sneha Krishnamoorthy ◽  
Akash Guruswamy ◽  
...  

: Chronic inflammation can lead to the development of many diseases including cancer. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that includes both ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) are risk factors for the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). Many cytokines produced primarily by the gut immune cells either during or in response to localized inflammation in the colon and rectum are known to stimulate the complex interactions between the different cell types in the gut environment resulting in acute inflammation. Subsequently, chronic inflammation together with genetic and epigenetic changes has been shown to lead to the development and progression of CRC. Various cell types present in the colon such as enterocytes, Paneth cells, goblet cells and macrophages express receptors for inflammatory cytokines and respond to tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), IL-6 and other cytokines. Among the several cytokines produced, TNF-α and IL-1β are the key proinflammatory molecules that play critical roles in the development of CRC. The current review is intended to consolidate the published findings to focus on the role of proinflammatory cytokines, namely TNF-α and IL-1β, on inflammation (and the altered immune response) in the gut, to better understand the development of CRC in IBD, using various experimental model systems, preclinical and clinical studies. Moreover, this review also highlights the current therapeutic strategies available (monotherapy and combination therapy), to alleviate the symptoms or treat inflammationassociated CRC by using monoclonal antibodies or aptamers to block proinflammatory molecules, inhibitors of tyrosine kinases in inflammatory signaling cascade, competitive inhibitors of proinflammatory molecules, and the nucleic acid drugs like small activating RNAs (saRNAs) or microRNA (miRNA) mimics to activate tumor suppressor or repress oncogene/proinflammatory cytokine gene expression.

Author(s):  
Sridhar Muthusami ◽  
Ilangovan Ramachandran ◽  
Sneha Krishnamoorthy ◽  
Yuvaraj Sambandam ◽  
Satish Ramalingam ◽  
...  

: The development of colorectal cancer (CRC) is a multi-stage process. The inflammation of the colon as in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) such as ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn’s disease (CD) is often regarded as the initial trigger for the development of CRC. Many cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and several interleukins (ILs) are known to exert proinflammatory actions, and inflammation initiates or promotes tumorigenesis of various cancers, including CRC through differential regulation of microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs). miRNAs can be oncogenic miRNAs (oncomiRs) or anti-oncomiRs/tumor suppressor miRNAs, and they play key roles during colorectal carcinogenesis. However, the functions and molecular mechanisms of regulation of miRNAs involved in inflammation-associated CRC are still anecdotal and largely unknown. Consolidating the published results and offering perspective solutions to circumvent CRC, the current review is focused on the role of miRNAs and their regulation in the development of CRC. We have also discussed the model systems adapted by researchers to delineate the role of miRNAs in inflammation-associated CRC.


1996 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Simón ◽  
A Tsafriri ◽  
A Pellicer ◽  
ML Polan

A brief look at the history of cytokine research shows that the term ‘lymphokine’ was first described in 1969 as the product of sensitized lymphocytes exposed to specific antigens. To eliminate the incorrect notion that such proteins can be produced only by lymphocytes, Cohenet al.(1974) proposed the term ‘cytokines’ to indicate their production also by nonlymphoid cells.2After a long-persisting reluctance, it seems that ‘cytokine’ is becoming the prevalent term for these proteins. Meanwhile, a group of participants at the Second International Lymphokine Workshop held in 1979 proposed the term ‘interleukin’ in order to develop, ‘a system of nomenclature based on the protein's ability to act as communication signals between different populations of leukocytes’.3They introduced the names IL-I and IL-2 for two important cytokines. Since then the number of described interleukins reached 16 and this number may increase. Furthermore, notwithstanding this previous notion, interleukins are now known to be produced in a variety of tissues other than leucocytes and affect the functions of many and diverse somatic cell types (e.g. IL-1 or IL-6). Therefore, while many cytokines are now termed as interleukins, others continue to be known by their old names [e.g. tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)], suggesting that they had been recognized earlier, but all of them are included under the generic name of cytokines.


2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (11) ◽  
pp. 5797-5802 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marlene S. Orandle ◽  
Andrew G. MacLean ◽  
Vito G. Sasseville ◽  
Xavier Alvarez ◽  
Andrew A. Lackner

ABSTRACT Inflammatory cytokines are believed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of human immunodeficiency virus type 1-associated encephalitis. To examine this in the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected macaque model of neuroAIDS, inflammatory cytokine gene expression was evaluated in the brains of macaques infected with pathogenic SIVmac251 by reverse transcriptase PCR. Interleukin-1 beta was readily detected in the brains of all animals evaluated, regardless of infection status or duration of infection. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) transcripts were undetectable in the brains of uninfected control animals but were upregulated at 7 and 14 days postinoculation. At the terminal stage of infection, TNF-α and IFN-γ transcripts were coexpressed in the brains of four of five animals with SIV encephalitis (SIVE). Within an encephalitic brain, TNF-α and IFN-γ transcripts were detected in six of seven regions with histologic evidence of SIVE, suggesting a direct relationship between neuropathology and altered cytokine gene expression. With combined fluorescent in situ hybridization and immunofluorescence, TNF-α-expressing cells were frequently identified as CD68-positive macrophages within perivascular lesions. These observations provide evidence that cytokines produced by activated inflammatory macrophages are an important element in the pathogenesis of SIVE.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 3267
Author(s):  
Filip Rolski ◽  
Przemysław Błyszczuk

Heart disease is a leading cause of death with unmet clinical needs for targeted treatment options. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) represents a master pro-inflammatory cytokine that plays an important role in many immunopathogenic processes. Anti-TNF-α therapy is widely used in treating autoimmune inflammatory disorders, but in case of patients with heart disease, this treatment was unsuccessful or even harmful. The underlying reasons remain elusive until today. This review summarizes the effects of anti-TNF-α treatment in patients with and without heart disease and describes the involvement of TNF-α signaling in a number of animal models of cardiovascular diseases. We specifically focused on the role of TNF-α in specific cardiovascular conditions and in defined cardiac cell types. Although some mechanisms, mainly in disease development, are quite well known, a comprehensive understanding of TNF-α signaling in the failing heart is still incomplete. Published data identify pathogenic and cardioprotective mechanisms of TNF-α in the affected heart and highlight the differential role of two TNF-α receptors pointing to the complexity of the TNF-α signaling. In the light of these findings, it seems that targeting the TNF-α pathway in heart disease may show therapeutic benefits, but this approach must be more specific and selectively block pathogenic mechanisms. To this aim, more research is needed to better understand the molecular mechanisms of TNF-α signaling in the failing heart.


Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 967
Author(s):  
Micaely Cristina dos Santos Tenório ◽  
Nayara Gomes Graciliano ◽  
Fabiana Andréa Moura ◽  
Alane Cabral Menezes de Oliveira ◽  
Marília Oliveira Fonseca Goulart

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a medicine widely used to treat paracetamol overdose and as a mucolytic compound. It has a well-established safety profile, and its toxicity is uncommon and dependent on the route of administration and high dosages. Its remarkable antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity is the biochemical basis used to treat several diseases related to oxidative stress and inflammation. The primary role of NAC as an antioxidant stems from its ability to increase the intracellular concentration of glutathione (GSH), which is the most crucial biothiol responsible for cellular redox imbalance. As an anti-inflammatory compound, NAC can reduce levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukins (IL-6 and IL-1β) by suppressing the activity of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB). Despite NAC’s relevant therapeutic potential, in several experimental studies, its effectiveness in clinical trials, addressing different pathological conditions, is still limited. Thus, the purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the medicinal effects and applications of NAC to human health based on current therapeutic evidence.


2000 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. 3153-3157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Østergaard ◽  
Runa Vavia Yieng-Kow ◽  
Thomas Benfield ◽  
Niels Frimodt-Møller ◽  
Frank Espersen ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The polysaccharide fucoidin is a selectin blocker that inhibits leukocyte recruitment into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) during experimental pneumococcal meningitis. In the present study, the effect of fucoidin treatment on the release of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 (IL-1), and IL-8 into the CSF was investigated. Rabbits (n = 7) were treated intravenously with 10 mg of fucoidin/kg of body weight every second hour starting 4 h after intracisternal inoculation of ∼106 CFU of Streptococcus pneumoniae type 3 (untreated control group, n = 7). CSF samples were obtained every second hour during a 16-h study period. Treatment with fucoidin caused a consistent and significant decrease in CSF IL-1 levels (in picograms per milliliter) between 12 and 16 h (0 versus 170, 0 versus 526, and 60 versus 1,467, respectively;P < 0.02). A less consistent decrease in CSF TNF-α levels was observed in the fucoidin-treated group, but with no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). In contrast, there was no attenuation in CSF IL-8 levels. Indeed, there was a significant increase in CSF IL-8 levels (in picograms per milliliter) in the fucoidin-treated group at 10 and 12 h (921 versus 574 and 1,397 versus 569, respectively;P < 0.09). In conclusion, our results suggest that blood-derived leukocytes mainly are responsible for the release of IL-1 and to some degree TNF-α into the CSF during pneumococcal meningitis, whereas IL-8 may be produced by local cells within the brain.


2001 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 215-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Su ◽  
Christian N. Theodosis ◽  
Robert J. Schneider

ABSTRACT Chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) promotes a high level of liver disease and cancer in humans. The HBV HBx gene encodes a small regulatory protein that is essential for viral replication and is suspected to play a role in viral pathogenesis. HBx stimulates cytoplasmic signal transduction pathways, moderately stimulates a number of transcription factors, including several nuclear factors, and in certain settings sensitizes cells to apoptosis by proapoptotic stimuli, including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and etopocide. Paradoxically, HBx activates members of the NF-κB transcription factor family, some of which are antiapoptotic in function. HBx induces expression of Myc protein family members in certain settings, and Myc can sensitize cells to killing by TNF-α. We therefore examined the roles of NF-κB, c-Myc, and TNF-α in apoptotic killing of cells by HBx. RelA/NF-κB is shown to be induced by HBx and to suppress HBx-mediated apoptosis. HBx also induces c-Rel/NF-κB, which can promote apoptotic cell death in some contexts or block it in others. Induction of c-Rel by HBx was found to inhibit its ability to directly mediate apoptotic killing of cells. Thus, HBx induction of NF-κB family members masks its ability to directly mediate apoptosis, whereas ablation of NF-κB reveals it. Investigation of the role of Myc protein demonstrates that overexpression of Myc is essential for acute sensitization of cells to killing by HBx plus TNF-α. This study therefore defines a specific set of parameters which must be met for HBx to possibly contribute to HBV pathogenesis.


2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 530-538
Author(s):  
Aysun Çetin ◽  
İhsan Çetin ◽  
Semih Yılmaz ◽  
Ahmet Şen ◽  
Göktuğ Savaş ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Limited research is available concerning the relationship between oxidative stress and inflammation parameters, and simultaneously the effects of rosuvastatin on these markers in patients with hypercholesterolemia. We aimed to investigate the connection between cytokines and oxidative stress markers in patients with hypercholesterolemia before and after rosuvastatin treatment. Methods The study consisted of 30 hypercholesterolemic patients diagnosed with routine laboratory tests and 30 healthy participants. The lipid parameters, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), paraoxonase-1 (PON1) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in controls and patients with hypercholesterolemia before and after 12-week treatment with rosuvastatin (10 mg/kg/day), were analyzed by means of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results It was found that a 12-week cure with rosuvastatin resulted in substantial reductions in IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α and MDA levels as in rising activities of PON1 in patients with hypercholesterolemia. Before treatment, the PON1 levels were significantly negatively correlated with TNF-α and IL-6 in control group, while it was positively correlated with TNF-α in patients. Conclusion Our outcomes provide evidence of protected effect of rosuvastatin for inflammation and oxidative damage. It will be of great interest to determine whether the correlation between PON1 and cytokines has any phenotypic effect on PON1.


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