The critical role of calcineurin/NFAT (C/N) pathways and effective antitumor prospect for colorectal cancers.

Transcription factors (TFs) like a nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) and its controller calcineurin are highly expressed in primary intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) due to delamination, damage by tumor-associated flora and selective activation in the intestinal tract tumor are crucial in the progression and growth of colorectal cancer (CRC). This study sought to summarize the current findings concerning the dysregulated calcineurin/NFAT (C/N) signaling involved in CRC initiation and progression. These signalings include proliferation, T-cell functions, and glycolysis with high lactate production that remodels the acidosis, which genes in tumor cells provide an evolutionary advantage, or even increased their attack phenotype. Moreover, the relationship between C/N and gut microbiome in CRC, especially role of NFAT and toll-like receptor signaling in regulating intestinal microbiota are also discussed. Furthermore, this review will discuss the proteins and genes relating to C/N induced acidosis in CRC, which includes ASIC2 regulated C/N1 and TFs associated with the glycolytic by-product that affect T-cell functions and CRC cell growth. It is revealed that calcineurin or NFAT targeting to antitumor, selective calcineurin inhibition or targets in NFAT signaling may be useful for clinical treatment of CRC. This can further aid in the identification of specific targets via cancer patient-personalized approach. Future studies should be focused on targeting to C/N or TLR signaling by the combination of therapeutic agents to regulate T-cell functions and gut microbiome for activating potent anticancer property with the prospect of potentiating the antitumor therapy for CRC.

Structure-activity relationship study of permethyl ningalin B analogues as P-glycoprotein chemosensitizers.

A novel series of permethyl ningalin B analogues were synthesized and evaluated for their P-glycoprotein (P-gp)-modulating activities in a P-gp-overexpressing breast cancer cell line (LCC6MDR). Compounds 35 and 37, which possess one methoxy group and one benzyloxy group at aryl ring C, displayed the most potent P-gp-modulating activity. A 1 µM concentration of 35 and 37 resensitized LCC6MDR cells toward paclitaxel by 42.7-fold, with respective EC50 values of 93.5 and 110.0 nM. Their mechanism of P-gp modulation is associated with an increase in intracellular drug accumulation. Their advantages also include low cytotoxicity (IC50 for L929 fibroblast >100 µM) and high therapeutic indexes (>909 after normalization with their EC50 values). 35 is not a substrate of P-gp. They are potentially dual-selective modulators for both P-gp and breast cancer resistance protein transporters. The present study demonstrates that these new compounds can be employed as effective and safe modulators of P-gp-mediated drug resistance in cancer cells.