scholarly journals Flavonoids Targeting HIF-1: Implications on Cancer Metabolism

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 130
Author(s):  
Marek Samec ◽  
Alena Liskova ◽  
Lenka Koklesova ◽  
Sandra Mersakova ◽  
Jan Strnadel ◽  
...  

Tumor hypoxia is described as an oxygen deprivation in malignant tissue. The hypoxic condition is a consequence of an imbalance between rapidly proliferating cells and a vascularization that leads to lower oxygen levels in tumors. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is an essential transcription factor contributing to the regulation of hypoxia-associated genes. Some of these genes modulate molecular cascades associated with the Warburg effect and its accompanying pathways and, therefore, represent promising targets for cancer treatment. Current progress in the development of therapeutic approaches brings several promising inhibitors of HIF-1. Flavonoids, widely occurring in various plants, exert a broad spectrum of beneficial effects on human health, and are potentially powerful therapeutic tools against cancer. Recent evidences identified numerous natural flavonoids and their derivatives as inhibitors of HIF-1, associated with the regulation of critical glycolytic components in cancer cells, including pyruvate kinase M2(PKM2), lactate dehydrogenase (LDHA), glucose transporters (GLUTs), hexokinase II (HKII), phosphofructokinase-1 (PFK-1), and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK). Here, we discuss the results of most recent studies evaluating the impact of flavonoids on HIF-1 accompanied by the regulation of critical enzymes contributing to the Warburg phenotype. Besides, flavonoid effects on glucose metabolism via regulation of HIF-1 activity represent a promising avenue in cancer-related research. At the same time, only more-in depth investigations can further elucidate the mechanistic and clinical connections between HIF-1 and cancer metabolism.

2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 727-735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael I. Koukourakis ◽  
Søren M. Bentzen ◽  
Alexandra Giatromanolaki ◽  
George D. Wilson ◽  
Frances M. Daley ◽  
...  

Purpose Randomized controlled trials have generally shown a benefit from accelerated radiotherapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, the large randomized United Kingdom trial CHART (Continuous Hyperfractionated Accelerated Radiotherapy) failed to show a benefit of strongly accelerated over standard radiotherapy (RT) in 918 patients with HNSCC. In this study, we investigated the impact of tumor hypoxia on the outcome of HNSCC patients in the CHART trial. There are two distinct hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs) that control different gene response pathways and we assessed them both with endogenous markers of hypoxia, hypoxia inducible factor HIF-2 alpha (HIF-2) and carbonic anhydrase CA9, an indicator of HIF-1 alpha (HIF-1) function. Methods Tissue from pre-RT biopsies performed in 198 of 918 patients recruited was analyzed for the immunohistochemical expression of HIF-2 and CA9. Results A significant association of high HIF2 and of high CA9 reactivity with poor locoregional control (P < .0001 and P = .0002, respectively) and poor survival (P = .0004 and 0.002, respectively) was noted. In multivariate analysis, HIF-2 and CA9 maintained their independent prognostic significance. Coexpression of both pathways had an additive effect, supporting their independent role. The uni-directional hypothesis, that a benefit from randomization to CHART should be seen in the nonhypoxic tumors, was supported by the data (one-tailed P = .04). Conclusion Expression of endogenous markers of hypoxia for the HIF-1 and HIF-2 pathway is strongly associated with radiotherapy failure. Using immunohistochemical methods it is possible to identify subgroups of HNSCC patients who are highly curable with radiotherapy, or who are excellent candidates for clinical trials on hypoxia-targeting drugs in two distinct pathways.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (21) ◽  
pp. 5444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Archid ◽  
Solass ◽  
Tempfer ◽  
Königsrainer ◽  
Adolph ◽  
...  

: Patients with peritoneal metastasis (PM) of gastrointestinal and gynecological origin present with a nutritional deficit characterized by increased resting energy expenditure (REE), loss of muscle mass, and protein catabolism. Progression of peritoneal metastasis, as with other advanced malignancies, is associated with cancer cachexia anorexia syndrome (CAS), involving poor appetite (anorexia), involuntary weight loss, and chronic inflammation. Eventual causes of mortality include dysfunctional metabolism and energy store exhaustion. Etiology of CAS in PM patients is multifactorial including tumor growth, host response, cytokine release, systemic inflammation, proteolysis, lipolysis, malignant small bowel obstruction, ascites, and gastrointestinal side effects of drug therapy (chemotherapy, opioids). Metabolic changes of CAS in PM relate more to a systemic inflammatory response than an adaptation to starvation. Metabolic reprogramming is required for cancer cells shed into the peritoneal cavity to resist anoikis (i.e., programmed cell death). Profound changes in hexokinase metabolism are needed to compensate ineffective oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria. During the development of PM, hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) plays a key role in activating both aerobic and anaerobic glycolysis, increasing the uptake of glucose, lipid, and glutamine into cancer cells. HIF-1α upregulates hexokinase II, phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1), pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK), pyruvate kinase muscle isoenzyme 2 (PKM2), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and glucose transporters (GLUT) and promotes cytoplasmic glycolysis. HIF-1α also stimulates the utilization of glutamine and fatty acids as alternative energy substrates. Cancer cells in the peritoneal cavity interact with cancer-associated fibroblasts and adipocytes to meet metabolic demands and incorporate autophagy products for growth. Therapy of CAS in PM is challenging. Optimal nutritional intake alone including total parenteral nutrition is unable to reverse CAS. Pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) stabilized nutritional status in a significant proportion of PM patients. Agents targeting the mechanisms of CAS are under development.


2003 ◽  
Vol 285 (5) ◽  
pp. E1021-E1027 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audrey L. Hildebrandt ◽  
Henriette Pilegaard ◽  
P. Darrell Neufer

Cellular adaptations to endurance training are influenced by the intensity and duration of exercise. To examine the impact of exercise intensity and duration on the acute transcriptional regulation of metabolic genes in red (RG) and white (WG) gastrocnemius muscle, rats completed either low-intensity [∼50% maximal O2 uptake (V̇o2 max)] treadmill exercise (LIE) for 45 min, LIE for 180 min, or high-intensity (∼75% V̇o2 max) exercise (HIE) for 45 min. LIE for 45 min activated ( P < 0.05) transcription of the pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase-4 (PDK4), uncoupling protein-3 (UCP3), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and hexokinase II (HK II) genes in RG within 1 h after exercise. In WG, transcription of PDK4, UCP3, HKII, and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) was also induced, whereas transcription of the HO-1 gene did not change. In RG, extending LIE duration from 45 to 180 min elicited a similar activation of PDK4 and UCP3 (∼15-fold) but a far greater increase in HO-1 (>30-fold) and HKII transcription (>25-fold). In WG, extending LIE for 180 min induced a much greater and prolonged (through 2- to 4-h recovery) activation of PDK4, UCP3 (both >200-fold), and HO-1 (>10-fold). HIE elicited a similar pattern of gene activation to LIE in both RG and WG, with the exception that HIE triggered >10-fold activation of HO-1 in WG. These data provide evidence that both the intensity and the duration of exercise affect the transcriptional regulation of metabolic genes in muscle in a fiber type-specific manner, possibly reflecting the relative stress imposed by the exercise bout.


Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 102
Author(s):  
Román Martí-Díaz ◽  
María F. Montenegro ◽  
Juan Cabezas-Herrera ◽  
Colin R. Goding ◽  
José Neptuno Rodríguez-López ◽  
...  

Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α is constitutively expressed in melanoma cells under normoxic conditions and its elevated expression correlates with the aggressiveness of melanoma tumors. Here, we used acriflavine, a potent inhibitor of HIF-1α dimerization, as a tool to investigate whether HIF-1α-regulated pathways contribute to the growth of melanoma cells under normoxia. We observed that acriflavine differentially modulated HIF-1α-regulated targets in melanoma under normoxic conditions, although acriflavine treatment resulted in over-expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), its action clearly downregulated the expression of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK1), a well-known target of HIF-1α. Consequently, downregulation of PDK1 by acrifavine resulted in reduced glucose availability and suppression of the Warburg effect in melanoma cells. In addition, by inhibiting the AKT and RSK2 phosphorylation, acriflavine also avoided protective pathways necessary for survival under conditions of oxidative stress. Interestingly, we show that acriflavine targets activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) for proteasomal degradation while suppressing the expression of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), a master regulator of melanocyte development and a melanoma oncogene. Since acriflavine treatment results in the consistent death of melanoma cells, our results suggest that inhibition of HIF-1α function in melanoma could open new avenues for the treatment of this deadly disease regardless of the hypoxic condition of the tumor.


2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e16068-e16068
Author(s):  
G. P. McVey ◽  
S. C. Morgan ◽  
R. Vergis ◽  
C. Corbishley ◽  
K. Thomas ◽  
...  

e16068 Background: Dose escalation improves the efficacy of prostate cancer radiotherapy (RT) at the cost of increased toxicity. Tumor hypoxia causes radioresistance, so the benefit of RT dose escalation may be greater in more hypoxic cancers. Methods: Cases had localized prostate cancer treated with neo-adjuvant androgen deprivation and radical RT at the Royal Marsden in two randomized trials of dose escalation (64 vs 74Gy). Tumour expression of three markers (vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hypoxia inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α), and osteopontin) was assessed immunohistochemically using a semi-quantitative scale by a uro-pathologist, and analyzed with respect to freedom from biochemical failure (FFBF) using the Phoenix definition. Expression of each marker was dichotomised about the median for analysis of the impact of dose-escalation on outcome. Results: 201 cases with a median follow-up of 7 years were evaluable. Seven-year FFBF was 67% vs 40% (HR: 0.42, 95% CI 0.26–0.7, p=0.001) for 74 Gy versus 64Gy, respectively, among cases with high osteopontin expression, and 70% vs 82% (HR: 1.41, 95% CI 0.53–3.76, p=0.49) for 74Gy vs 64Gy among cases with low osteopontin expression. The benefit of RT dose escalation was similar regardless of VEGF or HIF- 1α expression. Conclusions: These data generate the hypothesis that osteopontin expression could inform RT dose individualisation. If validated, patients with low tumor expression of osteopontin could elect to receive less toxic, standard dose RT. No significant financial relationships to disclose.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lungwani Muungo

Tumor hypoxia and hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) activationare associated with cancer progression. Here, we demonstrate thatthe transcription factor TAp73 opposes HIF-1 activity through anontranscriptional mechanism, thus affecting tumor angiogenesis.TAp73-deficient mice have an increased incidence of spontaneousand chemically induced tumors that also display enhanced vascularization.Mechanistically, TAp73 interacts with the regulatory subunit(α) of HIF-1 and recruits mouse double minute 2 homolog intothe protein complex, thus promoting HIF-1α polyubiquitination andconsequent proteasomal degradation in an oxygen-independentmanner. In human lung cancer datasets, TAp73 strongly predictsgood patient prognosis, and its expression is associated with lowHIF-1 activation and angiogenesis. Our findings, supported by invivo and clinical evidence, demonstrate a mechanism for oxygenindependentHIF-1 regulation, which has important implicationsfor individualizing therapies in patients with cancer.


Author(s):  
Ilma Robo

The treatment of periodontal diseases, mainly of their origin, with the most common clinical manifestation in form of gingival inflammation, is manifold and powerful, including: mechanical therapy, antibiotic, antiseptic and various approaches to treatment, which are recommended to be used within a short period of time. New therapeutic approaches have been proven as alternative treatment to conventional therapy, or in combination with conventional therapies, to reduce the number of periodontopathic pathogens in gingival sulcus. HBOT has a detrimental effect on periodontal microorganisms, as well as beneficial effects on the healing of periodontal tissue, increasing oxygen pressure in gingival pockets. Our study is aimed at reviewing the current published literature on hyperbaric oxygen therapy and focuses on role of HBOT as a therapeutic measure for the individual with periodontal disease in general and for the impact on the recovery of gingival inflammation. HBOT and periodontal treatment together, reduce up to 99% of the gram-negative anaerobic load of subgingival flora. HBOT, significantly reduces subgingival anaerobic flora. Clinical effects in 2-year follow-up of treated patients are sensitive. Reduction of gingival hemorrhage indexes, depth of peritoneum, plaque index, occurs in cases of combination of HBOT and detraction. Reduced load persists up to 2 months after therapy. The significant increase in connective tissue removal starts at the end of 2nd week, to achieve the maximum in week 3-6 of application. HBOT used for re-implantation, stimulates the healing of periodontal membrane, pulp, prevents root resorption, healing of periodontal lining tissues. HBOT, significantly reduces the hemorrhage index with 1.2 value difference, 0.7mm probe depth, reduces gingival fluid by 2. HGH exposure is increased by gingival blood flow, with a difference of 2 in measured value. The therapeutic effects of HBOT in the value of the evaluation index can be saved up to 1-year post treatment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (26) ◽  
pp. 2945-2959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiangping Deng ◽  
Yijiao Peng ◽  
Jingduo Zhao ◽  
Xiaoyong Lei ◽  
Xing Zheng ◽  
...  

Rapid tumor growth is dependent on the capability of tumor blood vessels and glycolysis to provide oxygen and nutrients. Tumor hypoxia is a common characteristic of many solid tumors, and it essentially happens when the growth of the tumor exceeds the concomitant angiogenesis. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) as the critical transcription factor in hypoxia regulation is activated to adapt to this hypoxia situation. Flavonoids, widely distributed in plants, comprise many polyphenolic secondary metabolites, possessing broadspectrum pharmacological activities, including their potentiality as anticancer agents. Due to their low toxicity, intense efforts have been made for investigating natural flavonoids and their derivatives that can be used as HIF-1α inhibitors for cancer therapy during the past few decades. In this review, we sum up the findings concerning the inhibition of HIF-1α by natural flavonoids in the last few years and propose the idea of designing tumor vascular and glycolytic multi-target inhibitors with HIF-1α as one of the targets.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Yeram Park ◽  
Deunsol Hwang ◽  
Hun-Young Park ◽  
Jisu Kim ◽  
Kiwon Lim

Aims. Hypoxic exposure improves glucose metabolism. We investigated to validate the hypothesis that carbohydrate (CHO) oxidation could increase in mice exposed to severe hypoxic conditions. Methods. Seven-week-old male ICR mice (n=16) were randomly divided into two groups: the control group (CON) was kept in normoxic condition (fraction of inspired O2=21%) and the hypoxia group (HYP) was exposed to hypoxic condition (fraction of inspired O2=12%, ≈altitude of 4,300 m). The CON group was pair-fed with the HYP group. After 3 weeks of hypoxic exposure, we measured respiratory metabolism (energy expenditure and substrate utilization) at normoxic conditions for 24 hours using an open-circuit calorimetry system. In addition, we investigated changes in carbohydrate mechanism-related protein expression, including hexokinase 2 (HK2), pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (PDK4), and regulator of the genes involved in energy metabolism (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha, PGC1α) in soleus muscle. Results. Energy expenditure (EE) and CHO oxidation over 24 hours were higher in the HYP group by approximately 15% and 34% (p<0.001), respectively. Fat oxidation was approximately 29% lower in the HYP group than the CON group (p<0.01). Body weight gains were significantly lower in the HYP group than in the CON group (CON vs. HYP; 1.9±0.9 vs. −0.3±0.9; p<0.001). Hypoxic exposure for 3 weeks significantly reduced body fat by approximately 42% (p<0.001). PDH and PGC1α protein levels were significantly higher in the HYP group (p<0.05). Additionally, HK2 was approximately 21% higher in the HYP group. Conclusions. Hypoxic exposure might significantly enhance CHO oxidation by increasing the expression of PDH and HK2. This investigation can be useful for patients with impaired glucose metabolism, such as those with type 2 diabetes.


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