scholarly journals Emerging Molecular Receptors for the Specific-Target Delivery of Ruthenium and Gold Complexes into Cancer Cells

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 3153
Author(s):  
João Franco Machado ◽  
João D. G. Correia ◽  
Tânia S. Morais
Keyword(s):  
Progesterone Receptors ◽  
Biological Evaluation ◽  
Cell Organelles ◽  
Gold Complexes ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Cancer Types ◽  
Organometallic Molecules ◽  
G Protein Coupled

Cisplatin and derivatives are highly effective in the treatment of a wide range of cancer types; however, these metallodrugs display low selectivity, leading to severe side effects. Additionally, their administration often results in the development of chemoresistance, which ultimately results in therapeutic failure. This scenario triggered the study of other transition metals with innovative pharmacological profiles as alternatives to platinum, ruthenium- (e.g., KP1339 and NAMI-A) and gold-based (e.g., Auranofin) complexes being among the most advanced in terms of clinical evaluation. Concerning the importance of improving the in vivo selectivity of metal complexes and the current relevance of ruthenium and gold metals, this review article aims to survey the main research efforts made in the past few years toward the design and biological evaluation of target-specific ruthenium and gold complexes. Herein, we give an overview of the inorganic and organometallic molecules conjugated to different biomolecules for targeting membrane proteins, namely cell adhesion molecules, G-protein coupled receptors, and growth factor receptors. Complexes that recognize the progesterone receptors or other targets involved in metabolic pathways such as glucose transporters are discussed as well. Finally, we describe some complexes aimed at recognizing cell organelles or compartments, mitochondria being the most explored. The few complexes addressing targeted gene therapy are also presented and discussed.

scholarly journals Synthesis, Biological Evaluation and Docking Studies of Chalcone and Flavone Analogs as Antioxidants and Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Díaz-Rubio ◽  
Rufina Hernández-Martínez ◽  
Arturo Estolano-Cobián ◽  
Daniel Chávez-Velasco ◽  
Ricardo Salazar-Aranda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors ◽  
Acetylcholinesterase Activity ◽  
Biological Evaluation ◽  
Chemotherapeutic Agents ◽  
Acetylcholinesterase Inhibition ◽  
Ache Inhibitors ◽  
Antioxidant Agents ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Β Carotene

Several oxidative processes are related to a wide range of human chronic and degenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s disease, which also has been related to cholinergic processes. Therefore, search for new or improved antioxidant molecules with acetylcholinesterase activity is essential to offer alternative chemotherapeutic agents to support current drug therapies. A series of chalcone (2a–2k) and flavone (3a–3k) analogs were synthesized, characterized, and evaluated as acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors, and antioxidant agents using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•), 2-2′-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS•), and β-carotene/linoleic acid bleaching assay. Compounds more active were 3j and 2k in DPPH with EC50 of 1 × 10−8 and 5.4 × 10−3 μg/mL, respectively; 2g and 3i in ABTS (1.14 × 10−2 and 1.9 × 10−3 μg/mL); 2e, 2f, 3f, 2j, and 3j exceeded the α-tocopherol control in the β-carotene assay (98–99% of antioxidant activity). At acetylcholinesterase inhibition assay, flavones were more active than chalcones; the best results were compounds 2d and 3d (IC50 21.5 and 26.8 µg/mL, respectively), suggesting that the presence of the nitro group enhances the inhibitory activity. The docking of these two structures were made to understand their interactions with the AChE receptor. Although further in vivo testing must be performed, our results represent an important step towards the identification of improved antioxidants and acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.

scholarly journals Anticancer Opportunity Created by Loss of Tumor Suppressor Genes

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 729-731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xue Hui-Ying ◽  
Zhang Da-Hong ◽  
Ji Li-Juan ◽  
Lu Xiao-Jie
Keyword(s):  
Colon Cancer ◽  
Tumor Suppressor Genes ◽  
Synthetic Lethality ◽  
Essential Gene ◽  
Colon Cancer Cells ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Cancer Types

Deletion of oncosuppressors occurs frequently in the cancer genome. A great deal of effort has been made to therapeutically restore the lost function of oncosuppressors, with little clinically translatable success, however. Reassuringly, besides the disappointing restoration endeavors, oncosuppressor loss can be therapeutically exploited in several other ways, such as the “synthetic lethality” strategies and the “therapeutic vulnerability” created by codeletion of neighboring genes. The study by Liu et al showed that codeletion of p53 and a neighboring essential gene POLR2A rendered colon cancer cells highly sensitive to further inhibition of POLR2A both in vitro and in vivo. In recent years, several studies have reported similar phenomenon in a wide range of cancer types. In this focus article, we will introduce several kinds of anticancer opportunities created by the loss of oncosuppressors and discuss their mechanisms. Given the frequency of oncosuppressor loss in cancer, its therapeutic exploitation rather merits further investigation and may open a new window for oncotherapy.

scholarly journals Phospholipase C-β1 Signaling Affects Reproductive Behavior, Ovulation, and Implantation

Endocrinology ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 150 (7) ◽  
pp. 3259-3266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Panayiotis Filis ◽  
Tamsin Lannagan ◽  
Ashley Thomson ◽  
Alison A. Murray ◽  
Peter C. Kind ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Phospholipase C ◽  
Reproductive Behavior ◽  
Gonadal Development ◽  
G Protein Coupled Receptors ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Reproductive Processes ◽  
G Protein Coupled

Infertility can result from a wide range of defects, from behavioral, through germ cell development and maturation, to fertilization or embryo development. Many of the hormones regulating these processes signal via G protein-coupled receptors, which in turn activate a range of plasma membrane enzymes including phospholipase C (PLC)-β isoforms. Transgenic mice lacking functional Plc-β1 (Plc-β1 KO mice) have been noted to have severely impaired fertility, but there has been little study of the reproductive processes affected by lack of this enzyme. This study examined reproductive behavior, gonadal development, fertilization, and implantation in Plc-β1 KO mice. Male and female Plc-β1 KO mice exhibited impaired reproductive behavior. No other defect in reproduction was noted in males, raising the possibility that the reduced fertility of Plc-β1 KO males could be due solely to impaired behavior. In contrast, female Plc-β1 KO mice exhibited both behavioral and nonbehavioral defects. Plc-β1 KO females ovulated only in response to exogenous hormones, with a large proportion of in vivo embryos recovered on embryonic d 4.5 exhibiting abnormal morphology. In addition, uteri of pregnant Plc-β1 KO females exhibited an implantation defect, with poor embryo attachment and a failure to up-regulate cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA.

scholarly journals Novel nuclear role of HDAC6 in prognosis and therapeutic target for colorectal cancer

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. García-Domínguez ◽  
Lourdes Hontecillas-Prieto ◽  
Maciej Kaliszczak ◽  
Miaomiao He ◽  
Miguel Angel Burguillos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Histone Acetylation ◽  
Chromatin Structure ◽  
Therapeutic Target ◽  
Gene Array ◽  
Disease Free Survival ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Cancer Types ◽  
Chromatin Relaxation

AbstractHistone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) inhibition is a potential treatment of a wide range of cancer types via the acetylation of diverse proteins in the cytoplasm. However, the regulation of histone acetylation and the maintenance of higher-order chromatin structure remains unidentified. Here, we investigated the effect of selective inhibition of HDAC6 by histone acetylation, chromatin relaxation assays, co-immunoprecipitation, acetylome peptide array and in vivo RNA microarray. Our data shows that nuclear HDAC6 physically interacts with the Histone 4 lysine 12 residue, and that HDAC6 inhibition increases acetylation specifically at this residue in several cancer types. Inhibition induces major chromatin structure modulation, but has no equivalent effect on knockout HDAC6-/- MEF cells. We identified several novel HDAC6-deacetylated substrates and high expression of HDAC6 in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissue association with reduced levels of H4K12ac and independent of the key CRC driver mutations, but positively associated with EGFR expression. Furthermore, in vivo HDAC6 inhibition induces significant tumor regression in a CRC xenograft mice model with significant changes in the expression of functional nuclear genes. We also demonstrated that a DNA damaging agent in combination with selective HDAC6 inhibition is effective and acts synergistically, inducing chromatin relaxation and increased cell death in CRC cells. CRC tissues (Normal versus tumor; n=58 matched pairs) together with TCGA data analysis of 467 CRC patients showed that high HDAC6 expression is associated with metastasis, overall and disease-free survival, and is an independent risk factor of CRC stage progression. Our findings designate a new role for nuclear HDAC6 both in cancer prognosis and as a new therapeutic target for CRC and other types of cancer.HighlightHistone deacetylases 6 activity; Chromatin relaxation; Histone modifications; Gene array; DOX: doxorubicin; OXA: oxaliplatin; 5-FU: fluorouracil; Ac: acetylation; MNase: Micrococal nuclease.

Tumor Reversion: Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transition as a Critical Step in Managing the Tumor-Microenvironment Cross-Talk

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (32) ◽  
pp. 4705-4715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariano Bizzarri ◽  
Alessandra Cucina ◽  
Sara Proietti
Keyword(s):  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Cross Talk ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Pharmacological Intervention ◽  
Molecular Events ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Cancer Types ◽  
Mesenchymal Epithelial Transition

Tumour reversion represents a promising field of investigation. The occurrence of cancer reversion both in vitro and in vivo has been ascertained by an increasing number of reports. The reverting process may be triggered in a wide range of different cancer types by both molecular and physical cues. This process encompasses mandatorily a change in the cell-stroma interactions, leading to profound modification in tissue architecture. Indeed, cancer reversion may be obtained by only resetting the overall burden of biophysical cues acting on the cell-stroma system, thus indicating that conformational changes induced by cell shape and cytoskeleton remodelling trigger downstream the cascade of molecular events required for phenotypic reversion. Ultimately, epigenetic regulation of gene expression (chiefly involving presenilin-1 and translationally controlled tumour protein) and modulation of a few critical biochemical pathways trigger the mesenchymal-epithelial transition, deemed to be a stable cancer reversion. As cancer can be successfully ‘reprogrammed’ by modifying the dynamical cross-talk with its microenvironment thus the cell-stroma interactions must be recognized as targets for pharmacological intervention. Yet, understanding cancer reversion remains challenging and refinement in modelling such processes in vitro as well as in vivo is urgently warranted. This new approach bears huge implications, from both a theoretical and clinical perspective, as it may facilitate the design of a novel anticancer strategy focused on mimicking or activating the tumour reversion pathway.

scholarly journals Microfluidics-Assisted Size Tuning and Biological Evaluation of PLGA Particles

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Camilla Operti ◽  
Yusuf Dölen ◽  
Jibbe Keulen ◽  
Eric A.W. van Dinther ◽  
Carl G. Figdor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Suppressor Cells ◽  
Drug Carriers ◽  
Production Method ◽  
Biological Evaluation ◽  
Particle Uptake ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Formulation Parameters

Polymeric particles made up of biodegradable and biocompatible polymers such as poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) are promising tools for several biomedical applications including drug delivery. Particular emphasis is placed on the size and surface functionality of these systems as they are regarded as the main protagonists in dictating the particle behavior in vitro and in vivo. Current methods of manufacturing polymeric drug carriers offer a wide range of achievable particle sizes, however, they are unlikely to accurately control the size while maintaining the same production method and particle uniformity, as well as final production yield. Microfluidics technology has emerged as an efficient tool to manufacture particles in a highly controllable manner. Here, we report on tuning the size of PLGA particles at diameters ranging from sub-micron to microns using a single microfluidics device, and demonstrate how particle size influences the release characteristics, cellular uptake and in vivo clearance of these particles. Highly controlled production of PLGA particles with ~100 nm, ~200 nm and >1000 nm diameter is achieved through modification of flow and formulation parameters. Efficiency of particle uptake by dendritic cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells isolated from mice is strongly correlated with particle size and is most efficient for ~100 nm particles. Particles systemically administered to mice mainly accumulate in liver and ~100 nm particles are cleared slower. Our study shows the direct relation between the particle size varied through microfluidics and the pharmacokinetics behavior of particles, which provides a further step towards the establishment of a customizable production process to generate tailor-made nanomedicines.

scholarly journals Characterization of the Rhesus Cytomegalovirus US28 Locus

2003 ◽  
Vol 77 (19) ◽  
pp. 10404-10413 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. E. T. Penfold ◽  
T. L. Schmidt ◽  
D. J. Dairaghi ◽  
P. A. Barry ◽  
T. J. Schall
Keyword(s):  
Viral Entry ◽  
Intracellular Signaling ◽  
Northern Analysis ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Reverse Transcription Pcr ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Infected Cells ◽  
G Protein Coupled

ABSTRACT Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) US28 (and the related open reading frame [ORF] US27) are G-protein-coupled receptor homologs believed to play a role in viral pathogenesis. In vitro, US28 has been shown to bind and internalize ligands, as well as activate intracellular signaling in response to certain chemokines, and to initiate the migration of smooth muscle cells to chemokine gradients. To assess the role of US28 in vivo, we examined the rhesus model and sequenced and characterized the rhesus CMV US28 locus. We found that rhesus CMV carries five tandem homologs of US28, all widely divergent from US28 and from each other. By reverse transcription-PCR and Northern analysis, we demonstrated expression of these ORFs in infected cells. With stable cell lines expressing these ORFs, we analyzed the homolog's binding and signaling characteristics across a wide range of chemokines and found one (RhUS28.5) to have a ligand binding profile similar to that of US28. In addition, we localized US28 and the rhesus CMV homolog RhUS28.5 to the envelope of infectious virions, suggesting a role in viral entry or cell tropism.

scholarly journals SNAP-tagged nanobodies enable reversible optical control of a G protein-coupled receptor via a remotely tethered photoswitchable ligand

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Farrants ◽  
Amanda Acosta Ruiz ◽  
Vanessa A. Gutzeit ◽  
Dirk Trauner ◽  
Kai Johnsson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
G Protein ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor ◽  
Receptor Activation ◽  
Metabotropic Glutamate ◽  
Extracellular Signals ◽  
Physiological Processes ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
G Protein Coupled

AbstractG protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) mediate the transduction of extracellular signals into complex intracellular responses. Despite their ubiquitous roles in physiological processes and as drug targets for a wide range of disorders, the precise mechanisms of GPCR function at the molecular, cellular, and systems levels remain partially understood. In order to dissect the function of individual receptors subtypes with high spatiotemporal precision, various optogenetic and photopharmacological approaches have been reported that use the power of light for receptor activation and deactivation. Here, we introduce a novel and, to date, most remote way of applying photoswitchable orthogonally remotely-tethered ligands (PORTLs) by using a SNAP-tag fused nanobody. Our nanobody-photoswitch conjugates (NPCs) can be used to target a GFP-fused metabotropic glutamate receptor by either gene-free application of purified complexes or co-expression of genetically encoded nanobodies to yield robust, reversible control of agonist binding and subsequent downstream activation. By harboring and combining the selectivity and flexibility of both nanobodies and self-labelling enzymes, we set the stage for targeting endogenous receptors in vivo.

scholarly journals Peptide Receptor Targeting in Cancer: The Somatostatin Paradigm

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Barbieri ◽  
Adriana Bajetto ◽  
Alessandra Pattarozzi ◽  
Monica Gatti ◽  
Roberto Würth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tumor Cells ◽  
Antitumor Agents ◽  
Exocrine Secretion ◽  
Receptor Subtypes ◽  
Functional Roles ◽  
Cancer Types ◽  
Receptor Biology ◽  
G Protein Coupled

Peptide receptors involved in pathophysiological processes represent promising therapeutic targets. Neuropeptide somatostatin (SST) is produced by specialized cells in a large number of human organs and tissues. SST primarily acts as inhibitor of endocrine and exocrine secretion via the activation of five G-protein-coupled receptors, named sst1–5, while in central nervous system, SST acts as a neurotransmitter/neuromodulator, regulating locomotory and cognitive functions. Critical points of SST/SST receptor biology, such as signaling pathways of individual receptor subtypes, homo- and heterodimerization, trafficking, and cross-talk with growth factor receptors, have been extensively studied, although functions associated with several pathological conditions, including cancer, are still not completely unraveled. Importantly, SST exerts antiproliferative and antiangiogenic effects on cancer cells in vitro, and on experimental tumors in vivo. Moreover, SST agonists are clinically effective as antitumor agents for pituitary adenomas and gastro-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. However, SST receptors being expressed by tumor cells of various tumor histotypes, their pharmacological use is potentially extendible to other cancer types, although to date no significant results have been obtained. In this paper the most recent findings on the expression and functional roles of SST and SST receptors in tumor cells are discussed.

scholarly journals G-Protein Coupled Receptor-Ligand Dissociation Rates and Mechanisms from τRAMD Simulations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daria B. Kokh ◽  
Rebecca C. Wade
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Dynamics ◽  
G Protein ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Dissociation Rate ◽  
Allosteric Modulation ◽  
Ligand Dissociation ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Dissociation Mechanisms ◽  
G Protein Coupled

There is a growing appreciation of the importance of drug-target binding kinetics for lead optimization. For G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), which mediate signaling over a wide range of timescales, the drug dissociation rate is often a better predictor of in vivo efficacy than binding affinity, although it is more challenging to compute. Here, we assess the ability of the τ-Random Acceleration Molecular Dynamics (τRAMD) approach to reproduce relative residence times and reveal dissociation mechanisms and the effects of allosteric modulation for two important membrane-embedded drug targets: the β2-adrenergic receptor and the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M2. The dissociation mechanisms observed in the relatively short RAMD simulations (in which molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed using an additional force with an adaptively assigned random orientation applied to the ligand) are in general agreement with much more computationally intensive conventional MD and metadynamics simulations. Remarkably, although decreasing the magnitude of the random force generally reduces the number of egress routes observed, the ranking of ligands by dissociation rate is hardly affected and agrees well with experiment. The simulations also reproduce changes in residence time due to allosteric modulation and reveal associated changes in ligand dissociation pathways.

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