Vistusertib improves pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis by modulating inflammatory/oxidative stress mediators via suppressing the mTOR signalling.

INTRODUCTION: Inflammation and oxidative stress are key factors in the development of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) by promoting the differentiation of fibroblasts through modulating various pathways including Wnt/ß-catenin, TGF-ß and mTOR signalling. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: This study aimed to evaluate the effects and elucidate the mechanisms of vistusertib (VSB) in treating pulmonary inflammation/fibrosis, specifically by targeting the mTOR pathway using various in vitro and in vivo models. RESULTS: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation model in macrophages (RAW 264.7), epithelial (BEAS-2B) and endothelial (HMVEC-L) cells revealed that treatment with VSB significantly reduced the IL-6, TNF-α, CCL2, and CCL7 expression. TGF-ß induced differentiation was also significantly reduced upon VSB treatment in fibrotic cells (LL29 and DHLF). Further, bleomycin-induced inflammation and fibrosis models demonstrated that treatment with VSB significantly ameliorated the severe inflammation, and lung architectural distortion, by reducing the inflammatory markers expression/levels, inflammatory cells and oxidative stress indicators. Further, fibrosis model results exhibited that, VSB treatment significantly reduced the α-SMA, collagen and TGF-ß expressions, improved the lung architecture and restored lung functions. CONCLUSION: Overall, this study uncovers the anti-inflammatory/anti-fibrotic effects of VSB by modulating the mTOR activation. Although VSB was tested for lung fibrosis, it can be tested for other fibrotic disorders to improve the patient's survival and quality of life.

Copper nitroprusside analogue nanoparticles against melanoma: detailed in vitro and in vivo investigation.

Melanoma is the most invasive and lethal form of skin cancer that arises from the malignant transformation of specialized pigment-producing cell melanocytes. Nanomedicine represents an important prospect to mitigate the difficulties and provide significant benefits to cure melanoma. In the present study, we investigated in vitro and in vivo therapeutic efficacies of copper nitroprusside analogue nanoparticles (abbreviated as CuNPANP) towards melanoma. Initially, in vitro anti-cancer activities of CuNPANP towards melanoma cells (B16F10) were evaluated by several experiments such as [methyl-3H]-thymidine incorporation assay, cell cycle and apoptosis assays using FACS analysis, ROS generation using DCFDA, DHE and DAF2A reagents, internalization of nanoparticles through ICP-OES analysis, co-localization of the nanoparticles using confocal microscopy, JC-1 staining to investigate the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and immunofluorescence studies to analyze the expressions of cytochrome-c, Ki-67, E-cadherin as well as phalloidin staining to analyze the cytoskeletal integrity. Further, the in vivo therapeutic effectiveness of the nanoparticles was established towards malignant melanoma by inoculating B16F10 cells in the dorsal right abdomen of C57BL/6J mice. The intraperitoneal administration of CuNPANP inhibited tumor growth and increased the survivability of melanoma mice. The in vivo immunofluorescence studies (Ki-67, CD-31, and E-cadherin) and TUNEL assay further support the anti-cancer and apoptosis-inducing potential of CuNPANP, respectively. Finally, various signaling pathways and molecular mechanisms involved in anti-cancer activities were further evaluated by Western blot analysis. The results altogether indicated the potential use of copper-based nanomedicines for the treatment of malignant melanoma.

Therapeutic Potential of Silver Nitroprusside Nanoparticles for Melanoma.

Melanoma has gained considerable attention due to its high mortality and morbidity rate worldwide. The currently available treatment options are associated with several limitations such as nonspecificity, drug resistance, easy clearance, low efficacy, toxicity-related issues, etc. To this end, nanotechnology has garnered significant attention for the treatment of melanoma. In the present manuscript, we have demonstrated the in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity of silver nitroprusside nanoparticles (abbreviated as AgNNPs) against melanoma. The AgNNPs exhibit cytotoxicity against B16F10 cells, which has been investigated by several in vitro experiments including [methyl 3H]-thymidine incorporation assay, cell cycle and apoptosis analysis by flow cytometry, and ROS generation through DCFDA, DHE, and DAF2A reagents. Further, the internalization of nanoparticles was determined by ICPOES analysis, while their colocalization was analyzed by confocal microscopy. Additionally, JC-1 staining is performed to examine mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). Cytoskeleton integrity was observed by phalloidin staining. Expression of different markers (Ki-67, cytochrome c, and E-cadherin) was checked using an immunofluorescence assay. The in vivo therapeutic efficacy of AgNNPs has been validated in the melanoma model established by inoculating B16F10 cells into the dorsal right abdomen of C57BL/6J mice. The intraperitoneal administration of AgNNPs reduced melanoma growth and increased the survivability of tumor-bearing mice. The in vivo immunofluorescence studies (Ki-67, CD31, and E-cadherin) and TUNEL assay support the inhibitory and apoptotic nature of AgNNPs toward melanoma, respectively. Furthermore, the various signaling pathways and molecular mechanisms involved in anticancer activity are evaluated by Western blot analysis. These findings altogether demonstrate the promising anticancer potential of AgNNPs toward melanoma.

ROS mediated Cu[Fe(CN)5NO] nanoparticles for triple negative breast cancer: A detailed study in preclinical mouse model.

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive form of tumor, more prevalent in younger women resulting in poor survival rate (2nd in cancer deaths) because of its asymptomatic existence. The most popular and convenient approach for the treatment of TNBC is chemotherapy which is associated with several limitations. Considering the importance of nanotechnology in health care system, in the present manuscript, we have designed and developed a simple, efficient, cost effective, and ecofriendly method for the synthesis of copper nitroprusside analogue nanoparticles (Cu[Fe(CN)5NO] which is abbreviated as CuNPANP that may be the potential anti-cancer nanomedicine for the treatment of TNBC. Copper (present in CuNPANP) is used because of its affordability, nutritional value and various biomedical applications. The CuNPANP are thoroughly characterized using several analytical techniques. The in vitro cell viability (in normal cells) and the ex vivo hemolysis assay reveal the biocompatible nature of CuNPANP. The anti-cancer activity of the CuNPANP is established in TNBC cells (MDA-MB-231 and 4T1) through several in vitro assays along with plausible mechanisms. The intraperitoneal administration of CuNPANP in orthotopic breast tumor model by transplanting 4T1 cells into the mammary fat pad of BALB/c mouse significantly inhibits the growth of breast carcinoma as well as increases the survival time of tumor-bearing mice. These results altogether potentiate the anti-cancer efficacy of CuNPANP as a smart therapeutic nanomedicine for treating TNBC in near future after bio-safety evaluation in large animals.

Biochanin A Ameliorates Imiquimod-Induced Psoriasis-Like Skin Inflammation in Mice by Modulating the NF-κB and MAPK Signaling Pathways.

Psoriasis is a chronic skin inflammatory disorder characterized by the hyper-activation of the immune system and the over-proliferation of epidermal keratinocytes. This study aimed to investigate the anti-psoriatic activity of Biochanin A (BCA), a phytomolecule with known anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties, using the IMQ-induced psoriasis-like mouse model. Network pharmacology analysis was performed to investigate the targetability of Biochanin A (BCA) against psoriasis. Psoriasis-like skin inflammation was established using BALB/c mice by topical application of IMQ (5%). BCA cream (0.3%, 1%, 3%) was applied on the skin regions every day for 6 days. The skin phenotypes-erythema and scaling were scored every day. On the 7th day, skin tissues were collected for gene expression analysis, histopathological analysis, cytokine levels determination, and western blot analysis for signaling mechanisms. The network pharmacology analysis has identified 57 common targets between psoriasis and BCA. The topical application of IMQ induced a typical psoriasis-like skin phenotype including redness, skin thickening, and plaque formation. Upon BCA treatment, the psoriasis-like symptoms were significantly reduced in a dose-dependent manner. The targets identified by the network pharmacology (MMP9, EGFR, and PTGS2) and the pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression were found to be significantly elevated in IMQ controls, and upon BCA treatment they were found significantly reduced. The release of cytokines linked to psoriasis (IL-17A and IL-23) were significantly reduced upon BCA treatment. Furthermore, our findings demonstrated that BCA treatment alleviated the psoriasis-like symptoms via modulating NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways. Our results demonstrate the therapeutic potential of BCA against IMQ-induced psoriasis-like skin inflammation.

Toxicity study of pro-angiogenic casein manganese oxide nanoparticles: an in vitro and in vivo approach.

Recently, we have demonstrated casein manganese oxide nanoparticles (CMnNP) that exhibit pro-angiogenic property established through different in vitro and in vivo experiments. The CMnNP was explored for therapeutic angiogenesis for treatment of wounds and recovery of hindlimb ischemia in pre-clinical mouse prototypical. It is well known that to translate any therapeutic nanoparticle for future clinical applications, their biosafety evaluation in small and large animals is essential. Herein, in the current study, the biosafety and bioavailability of the CMnNP have been explored by a systematic toxicity profiling study in C57BL/6J mice model. Initially, the in vitro cytotoxic effects of CMnNP were validated in RAW 264.7 cells. Later, the CMnNP was administered intraperitoneally with different doses (50, 300, and 2000 mg/kg b.wt./day) at different time points of exposure (acute: 2 weeks, sub-chronic: 4 weeks as well as chronic exposure: 8 and 20 weeks) with reference to the maximum tolerable dose (MTD) of CMnNP as per the OECD guidelines. The blood hematological and serum biochemical parameters of CMnNP treatment groups indicate negligible changes similar to untreated group. The histopathological examination of CMnNP-treated vital organs (lung, spleen, liver, brain, kidney, and heart) illustrates no major changes even at higher doses. Further, the biodistribution and excretion study depicts normal clearance of CMnNP. Additionally, the serum cytokine levels were normal in the therapeutic dose of CMnNP. The results altogether indicate that the non-toxic nature of CMnNP makes them useful as future therapeutic angiogenic agent for the treatment of various diseases where angiogenesis plays an important role.

Mindin (SPON2) Is Essential for Cutaneous Fibrogenesis in a Mouse Model of Systemic Sclerosis.

Systemic sclerosis is a fibrotic disease that initiates in the skin and progresses to internal organs, leading to a poor prognosis. Unraveling the etiology of a chronic, multifactorial disease such as systemic sclerosis has been aided by various animal models that recapitulate certain aspects of the human pathology. We found that the transcription factor SNAI1 is overexpressed in the epidermis of patients with systemic sclerosis, and a transgenic mouse recapitulating this expression pattern is sufficient to induce many clinical features of the human disease. Using this mouse model as a discovery platform, we have uncovered a critical role for the matricellular protein Mindin (SPON2) in fibrogenesis. Mindin is produced by SNAI1 transgenic skin keratinocytes and aids fibrogenesis by inducing early inflammatory cytokine production and collagen secretion in resident dermal fibroblasts. Given the dispensability of Mindin in normal tissue physiology, targeting this protein holds promise as an effective therapy for fibrosis.