scholarly journals New Insight to Overcome Tumor Resistance: An Overview from Cellular to Clinical Therapies

Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1131
Author(s):  
Giulia Mitola ◽  
Paolo Falvo ◽  
Francesco Bertolini

Disease relapse caused by drug resistance still represents a major clinical hurdle in cancer treatments. Tumor cells may take advantage of different intracellular and genetic systems attenuating the drug effects. Resistant cells or minimal residual disease (MRD) cells have strong clinical relevance, as they might give rise to secondary tumors when the therapy is concluded. Thus, MRDs are crucial therapeutic targets in order to prevent tumor relapse. Therefore, several groups aim at understanding how MRDs are orginated, characterizing their molecular features, and eradicating them. In this review, we will describe MRD from a genetic, evolutionary, and molecular point of view. Moreover, we will focus on the new in vitro, in vivo, preclinical, and clinical studies that aim at eradicating tumor resistance.

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (12) ◽  
pp. 699-710
Author(s):  
Irasema Mendieta ◽  
Gabriel Rodríguez-Gómez ◽  
Bertha Rueda-Zarazúa ◽  
Julia Rodríguez-Castelán ◽  
Winniberg Álvarez-León ◽  
...  

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common solid childhood tumor, and all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) is used as a treatment to decrease minimal residual disease. Molecular iodine (I2) induces differentiation and/or apoptosis in several neoplastic cells through activation of PPARγ nuclear receptors. Here, we analyzed whether the coadministration of I2 and ATRA increases the efficacy of NB treatment. ATRA-sensitive (SH-SY5Y), partially-sensitive (SK-N-BE(2)), and non-sensitive (SK-N-AS) NB cells were used to analyze the effect of I2 and ATRA in vitro and in xenografts (Foxn1 nu/nu mice), exploring actions on cellular viability, differentiation, and molecular responses. In the SH-SY5Y cells, 200 μM I2 caused a 100-fold (0.01 µM) reduction in the antiproliferative dose of ATRA and promoted neurite extension and neural marker expression (tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and tyrosine kinase receptor alpha (Trk-A)). In SK-N-AS, the I2 supplement sensitized these cells to 0.1 μM ATRA, increasing the ATRA-receptor (RARα) and PPARγ expression, and decreasing the Survivin expression. The I2 supplement increased the mitochondrial membrane potential in SK-N-AS suggesting the participation of mitochondrial-mediated mechanisms involved in the sensibilization to ATRA. In vivo, oral I2 supplementation (0.025%) synergized the antitumor effect of ATRA (1.5 mg/kg BW) and prevented side effects (body weight loss and diarrhea episodes). The immunohistochemical analysis showed that I2 supplementation decreased the intratumoral vasculature (CD34). We suggest that the I2 + ATRA combination should be studied in preclinical and clinical trials to evaluate its potential adjuvant effect in addition to conventional treatments.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reem Habib Mohamad Ali Ahmad ◽  
Marc Fakhoury ◽  
Nada Lawand

: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the progressive loss of neurons leading to cognitive and memory decay. The main signs of AD include the irregular extracellular accumulation of amyloidbeta (Aβ) protein in the brain and the hyper-phosphorylation of tau protein inside neurons. Changes in Aβ expression or aggregation are considered key factors in the pathophysiology of sporadic and early-onset AD and correlate with the cognitive decline seen in patients with AD. Despite decades of research, current approaches in the treatment of AD are only symptomatic in nature and are not effective in slowing or reversing the course of the disease. Encouragingly, recent evidence revealed that exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) can delay the development of AD and improve memory. This review paper discusses findings from in vitro and in vivo studies that investigate the link between EMF and AD at the cellular and behavioural level, and highlights the potential benefits of EMF as an innovative approach for the treatment of AD.


Blood ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 136 (2) ◽  
pp. 210-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eun Ji Gang ◽  
Hye Na Kim ◽  
Yao-Te Hsieh ◽  
Yongsheng Ruan ◽  
Heather A. Ogana ◽  
...  

Abstract Resistance to multimodal chemotherapy continues to limit the prognosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This occurs in part through a process called adhesion-mediated drug resistance, which depends on ALL cell adhesion to the stroma through adhesion molecules, including integrins. Integrin α6 has been implicated in minimal residual disease in ALL and in the migration of ALL cells to the central nervous system. However, it has not been evaluated in the context of chemotherapeutic resistance. Here, we show that the anti-human α6-blocking Ab P5G10 induces apoptosis in primary ALL cells in vitro and sensitizes primary ALL cells to chemotherapy or tyrosine kinase inhibition in vitro and in vivo. We further analyzed the underlying mechanism of α6-associated apoptosis using a conditional knockout model of α6 in murine BCR-ABL1+ B-cell ALL cells and showed that α6-deficient ALL cells underwent apoptosis. In vivo deletion of α6 in combination with tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment was more effective in eradicating ALL than treatment with a TKI (nilotinib) alone. Proteomic analysis revealed that α6 deletion in murine ALL was associated with changes in Src signaling, including the upregulation of phosphorylated Lyn (pTyr507) and Fyn (pTyr530). Thus, our data support α6 as a novel therapeutic target for ALL.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji-wen Cheng ◽  
Li-xia Duan ◽  
Yang Yu ◽  
Pu Wang ◽  
Jia-le Feng ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) play a crucial role in cancer development and tumor resistance to therapy in prostate cancer, but the influence of MSCs on the stemness potential of PCa cells by cell–cell contact remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of direct contact of PCa cells with MSCs on the stemness of PCa and its mechanisms. Methods First, the flow cytometry, colony formation, and sphere formation were performed to determine the stemness of PCaMSCs, and the expression of stemness-related molecules (Sox2, Oct4, and Nanog) was investigated by western blot analysis. Then, we used western blot and qPCR to determine the activity levels of two candidate pathways and their downstream stemness-associated pathway. Finally, we verified the role of the significantly changed pathway by assessing the key factors in this pathway via in vitro and in vivo experiments. Results We established that MSCs promoted the stemness of PCa cells by cell–cell contact. We here established that the enhanced stemness of PCaMSCs was independent of the CCL5/CCR5 pathway. We also found that PCaMSCs up-regulated the expression of Notch signaling-related genes, and inhibition of Jagged1-Notch1 signaling in PCaMSCs cells significantly inhibited MSCs-induced stemness and tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions Our results reveal a novel interaction between MSCs and PCa cells in promoting tumorigenesis through activation of the Jagged1/Notch1 pathway, providing a new therapeutic target for the treatment of PCa.


Dose-Response ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 155932582098216
Author(s):  
Bing Wang ◽  
Kaoru Tanaka ◽  
Takanori Katsube ◽  
Kouichi Maruyama ◽  
Yasuharu Ninomiya ◽  
...  

Radioadaptive response (RAR) describes a phenomenon in a variety of in vitro and in vivo systems that a low-dose of priming ionizing radiation (IR) reduces detrimental effects of a subsequent challenge IR at higher doses. Among in vivo investigations, studies using the mouse RAR model (Yonezawa Effect) showed that RAR could significantly extenuate high-dose IR-induced detrimental effects such as decrease of hematopoietic stem cells and progenitor cells, acute radiation hematopoietic syndrome, genotoxicity and genomic instability. Meanwhile, it has been demonstrated that diet intervention has a great impact on health, and dietary restriction shows beneficial effects on numerous diseases in animal models. In this work, by using the mouse RAR model and mild dietary restriction (MDR), we confirmed that combination of RAR and MDR could more efficiently reduce radiogenotoxic damage without significant change of the RAR phenotype. These findings suggested that MDR may share some common pathways with RAR to activate mechanisms consequently resulting in suppression of genotoxicity. As MDR could also increase resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy in normal cells, we propose that combination of MDR, RAR, and other cancer treatments (i.e., chemotherapy and radiotherapy) represent a potential strategy to increase the treatment efficacy and prevent IR risk in humans.


2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (10) ◽  
pp. 2168-2191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bronson A. Haynes ◽  
Li Fang Yang ◽  
Ryan W. Huyck ◽  
Eric J. Lehrer ◽  
Joshua M. Turner ◽  
...  

Objective: Endothelial cells (EC) in obese adipose tissue (AT) are exposed to a chronic proinflammatory environment that may induce a mesenchymal-like phenotype and altered function. The objective of this study was to establish whether endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) is present in human AT in obesity and to investigate the effect of such transition on endothelial function and the endothelial particulate secretome represented by extracellular vesicles (EV). Approach and Results: We identified EndoMT in obese human AT depots by immunohistochemical co-localization of CD31 or vWF and α-SMA (alpha-smooth muscle actin). We showed that AT EC exposed in vitro to TGF-β (tumor growth factor-β), TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-α), and IFN-γ (interferon-γ) undergo EndoMT with progressive loss of endothelial markers. The phenotypic change results in failure to maintain a tight barrier in culture, increased migration, and reduced angiogenesis. EndoMT also reduced mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and glycolytic capacity of EC. EVs produced by EC that underwent EndoMT dramatically reduced angiogenic capacity of the recipient naïve ECs without affecting their migration or proliferation. Proteomic analysis of EV produced by EC in the proinflammatory conditions showed presence of several pro-inflammatory and immune proteins along with an enrichment in angiogenic receptors. Conclusions: We demonstrated the presence of EndoMT in human AT in obesity. EndoMT in vitro resulted in production of EV that transferred some of the functional and metabolic features to recipient naïve EC. This result suggests that functional and molecular features of EC that underwent EndoMT in vivo can be disseminated in a paracrine or endocrine fashion and may induce endothelial dysfunction in distant vascular beds.


Blood ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 79 (10) ◽  
pp. 2694-2700 ◽  
Author(s):  
DR Rill ◽  
RC Moen ◽  
M Buschle ◽  
C Bartholomew ◽  
NK Foreman ◽  
...  

Abstract Autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) is widely used as treatment for malignant disease. Although the major cause of treatment failure is relapse, it is unknown if this arises entirely because of residual disease in the patient or whether contaminating cells in the rescuing marrow contribute. Attempts to purge marrow of its putative residual malignant cells may delay hematopoietic reconstitution and are of uncertain efficacy. We now describe how retrovirus-mediated gene transfer may be used to elucidate the source of relapse after ABMT for acute myeloid leukemia and to evaluate the efficacy of purging. Clonogenic myeloid leukemic blast cells in patient marrow can be transduced with the NeoR gene-containing helper-free retrovirus, LNL6, with an efficacy of 0% to 23.5% (mean, 10.5%). Transduced colonies grow in selective media and the presence of the marker gene can be confirmed in individual malignant colonies by polymerase chain reaction. If such malignant cells remain in harvested “remission” marrow, they will therefore be marked after exposure to LNL6. Detection of the marker gene in the malignant cells present at any later relapse would be firm evidence that residual disease contributed to disease recurrence, and would permit rapid subsequent evaluation of purging techniques. The technique also marks normal marrow progenitors from patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia. These colony-forming cells can be detected in long-term marrow cultures at a frequency of 1% to 18% for up to 10 weeks after exposure to the vector. Animal models and analysis of probability tables both suggest that these levels of marking in vitro are sufficient to provide information about the mechanisms of relapse and the biology of marrow regeneration in vivo. These preclinical data form part of the basis for current clinical studies of gene transfer into marrow before ABMT.


2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Jacob Strouse ◽  
Irena Ivnitski-Steele ◽  
Hadya M. Khawaja ◽  
Dominique Perez ◽  
Jerec Ricci ◽  
...  

Chemotherapeutics tumor resistance is a principal reason for treatment failure, and clinical and experimental data indicate that multidrug transporters such as ATP-binding cassette (ABC) B1 and ABCG2 play a leading role by preventing cytotoxic intracellular drug concentrations. Functional efflux inhibition of existing chemotherapeutics by these pumps continues to present a promising approach for treatment. A contributing factor to the failure of existing inhibitors in clinical applications is limited understanding of specific substrate/inhibitor/pump interactions. We have identified selective efflux inhibitors by profiling multiple ABC transporters against a library of small molecules to find molecular probes to further explore such interactions. In our primary screening protocol using JC-1 as a dual-pump fluorescent reporter substrate, we identified a piperazine-substituted pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine substructure with promise for selective efflux inhibition. As a result of a focused structure-activity relationship (SAR)–driven chemistry effort, we describe compound 1 (CID44640177), an efflux inhibitor with selectivity toward ABCG2 over ABCB1. Compound 1 is also shown to potentiate the activity of mitoxantrone in vitro as well as preliminarily in vivo in an ABCG2-overexpressing tumor model. At least two analogues significantly reduce tumor size in combination with the chemotherapeutic topotecan. To our knowledge, low nanomolar chemoreversal activity coupled with direct evidence of efflux inhibition for ABCG2 is unprecedented.


2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomson Patrick Joseph ◽  
Warren Chanda ◽  
Arshad Ahmed Padhiar ◽  
Samana Batool ◽  
Shao LiQun ◽  
...  

Cancer is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality around the globe. For certain types of cancer, chemotherapy drugs have been extensively used for treatment. However, severe side effects and the development of resistance are the drawbacks of these agents. Therefore, development of new agents with no or minimal side effects is of utmost importance. In this regard, natural compounds are well recognized as drugs in several human ailments, including cancer. One class of fungi, “mushrooms,” contains numerous compounds that exhibit interesting biological activities, including antitumor activity. Many researchers, including our own group, are focusing on the anticancer potential of different mushrooms and the underlying molecular mechanism behind their action. The aim of this review is to discuss PI3K/AKT, Wnt-CTNNB1, and NF-κB signaling pathways, the occurrence of genetic alterations in them, the association of these aberrations with different human cancers and how different nodes of these pathways are targeted by various substances of mushroom origin. We have given evidence to propose the therapeutic attributes and possible mode of molecular actions of various mushroom-originated compounds. However, anticancer effects were typically demonstrated in in vitro and in vivo models and very limited number of studies have been conducted in the human population. It is our belief that this review will help the research community in designing concrete preclinical and clinical studies to test the anticancer potential of mushroom-originated compounds on different cancers harboring particular genetic alteration(s).


2021 ◽  
Vol 95 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.S. El-Wakil ◽  
H.F. Abdelmaksoud ◽  
T.S. AbouShousha ◽  
M.M.I. Ghallab

Abstract Our work aimed to evaluate the possible effect of Annona muricata (Graviola) leaf extract on Trichinella spiralis in in vitro and in vivo studies. Trichinella spiralis worms were isolated from infected mice and transferred to three culture media – group I (with no drugs), group II (contained Graviola) and group III (contained albendazole) – then they were examined using the electron microscope. In the in vivo study, mice were divided into five groups: GI (infected untreated), GII (prophylactically treated with Graviola for seven days before infection), GIII (infected and treated with Graviola), GIV (infected and treated with albendazole) and GV (infected and treated with a combination of Graviola plus albendazole in half doses). Drug effects were assessed by adults and larvae load beside the histopathological small intestinal and muscular changes. A significant reduction of adult and larval counts occurred in treated groups in comparison to the control group. Histopathologically, marked improvement in the small intestinal and muscular changes was observed in treated groups. Also, massive destruction of the cultured adults’ cuticle was detected in both drugs. This study revealed that Graviola leaves have potential activity against trichinellosis, especially in combination with albendazole, and could serve as an adjuvant to anti-trichinellosis drug therapy.


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