Ruxolitinib: a steroid sparing agent in chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Inhibition of the Janus-associated kinases (JAK) with ruxolitinib (RUX) reduces graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in preclinical and clinical models. In total 19 allograft recipients with moderate/severe steroid-dependent chronic GVHD received RUX as ≥2nd line salvage. RUX was well tolerated, and led to complete/partial resolution of oral (92/7%), cutaneous (82/0%), hepatic (71/28%), gastro-intestinal (75/17%), musculoskeletal (33/67%), pulmonary (0/80%), scleroderma (0/75%), vaginal (0/75%), and ocular (0/100%) chronic GVHD. Overall 18 achieved partial response and 1 complete response according to NIH Consensus Criteria. Responses occurred early and were sustained which enabled discontinuation (68%) or reduction of steroids to physiologic doses (21%). We conclude that RUX is an effective steroid-sparing agent in chronic GVHD.

Resveratrol-mediated downregulation of Rictor attenuates autophagic process and suppresses UV-induced skin carcinogenesis.

Macroautophagy is a cellular response to various environmental stresses that ensures lysosomal degradation of long-lived and damaged proteins and cellular organelles. It occurs through the formation of an autophagosome, which then fuses with a lysosome to form an autolysosome. Depending on the cellular context, autophagy may promote cancer cell survival or it may serve as a mechanism of tumor suppression. Herein, we show that resveratrol, a natural phytoalexin, induces premature senescence in human A431 SCC cells, and that resveratrol-induced premature senescence is associated with a blockade of autolysosome formation, as assessed by the absence of colocalization of LC3 and Lamp-2, markers for autophagosomes and lysosomes, respectively. Further, we show that resveratrol downregulates the level of Rictor, a component of mTORC2, leading to decreased RhoA-GTPase and altered actin cytoskeleton organization. Exogenous overexpression of Rictor restores RhoA-GTPase activity and actin cytoskeleton network, and decreases resveratrol-induced senescence-associated ß-gal activity, indicating a direct role of Rictor in senescence induction. Rictor is overexpressed in UV-induced murine SCCs, whereas its expression is diminished by oral administration of resveratrol. These data indicate that resveratrol attenuates autophagic process via Rictor, and suggest that downregulation of Rictor may be a mechanism of tumor suppression associated with premature senescence.