Superior cuproptotic efficacy of diethyldithiocarbamate-Cu4O3 nanoparticles over diethyldithiocarbamate-Cu2O nanoparticles in metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma.

Metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HC) is a serious health concern. The stemness of cancer stem cells (CSCs) is a key driver for HC tumorigenesis, apoptotic resistance, and metastasis, and functional mitochondria are critical for its maintenance. Cuproptosis is Cu-dependent non-apoptotic pathway (mitochondrial dysfunction) via inactivating mitochondrial enzymes (pyruvate dehydrogenase "PDH" and succinate dehydrogenase "SDH"). To effectively treat metastatic HC, it is necessary to induce selective cuproptosis (for halting cancer stemness genes) with selective oxidative imbalance (for increasing cell susceptibility to cuproptosis and inducing non-CSCs death). Herein, two types of Cu oxide nanoparticles (Cu4O3 "C(I + II)" NPs and Cu2O "C(I)" NPs) were used in combination with diethyldithiocarbamate (DD, an aldehyde dehydrogenase "ALDH" inhibitor) for comparative anti-HC investigation. DC(I + II) NPs exhibited higher cytotoxicity, mitochondrial membrane potential, and anti-migration impact than DC(I) NPs in the treated human HC cells (HepG2 and/or Huh7). Moreover, DC(I + II) NPs were more effective than DC(I) NPs in the treatment of HC mouse groups. This was mediated via higher selective accumulation of DC(I + II) NPs in only tumor tissues and oxidant activity, causing stronger selective inhibition of mitochondrial enzymes (PDH, SDH, and ALDH2) than DC(I)NPs. This effect resulted in more suppression of tumor and metastasis markers as well as stemness gene expressions in DC(I + II) NPs-treated HC mice. In addition, both nanocomplexes normalized liver function and hematological parameters. The computational analysis found that DC(I + II) showed higher binding affinity to most of the tested enzymes. Accordingly, DC(I + II) NPs represent a highly effective therapeutic formulation compared to DC(I) NPs for metastatic HC.

Ablative Radiation Therapy to Restrain Everything Safely Treatable (ARREST): A Phase 1 Study of Stereotactic Ablative Radiation Therapy for Polymetastatic Disease.

PURPOSE: This phase 1 study aimed to assess the safety and feasibility of SABR therapy delivery to all sites of polymetastatic disease (>10 metastases). METHODS AND MATERIALS: A 3 + 3 study design was used with 5 dose levels from 6 Gy (6 Gy × 1) to 30 Gy (6 Gy weekly × 5). Dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was defined as any grade 4 or 5 toxicity or more than 3 grade 3 toxicities within 6 weeks of treatment. The primary endpoint was the maximal tolerated dose, defined as the dose level where ≥2/6 of patients experienced DLT. Secondary endpoints included quality of life (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General and European Quality of Life 5 Dimension 5 Level) at 6 weeks posttreatment, progression-free survival, and overall survival. RESULTS: Thirteen patients were accrued: 12 Gy (n = 3), 18 Gy (n = 3), 24 Gy (n = 4), and 30 Gy (n = 3), and 207 lesions were treated. Nine patients (69%) had acute toxicity: grade 1 (n = 6, 46%), grade 2 (n = 2, 15%; n = 1 pneumonitis and n = 1 fatigue), and grade 3 (n = 1, 7.7% neutropenia). There were no grade 4 or 5 toxicities. Mean ± SD quality of life (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General and European Quality of Life 5 Dimension 5 Level health state) was 80.4 ± 21.9 and 77.4 ± 20.9 at baseline versus 76.4 ± 21.8 and 68.0 ± 24.2 at 6-week follow-up, respectively (p = .009 and p = .055, respectively). With a median follow-up of 8.7 months posttreatment (IQR, 2.4-24 months), 8 of 13 patients had disease progression (62%). The median and 12-month progression-free survival were 3.6 months and 11.3%, respectively. The median and 12-month overall survival were 13.8 months and 62%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In this phase 1 trial, SABR therapy for polymetastatic disease was technically feasible with acceptable acute toxicity at dose levels up to 30 Gy (6 Gy weekly × 5). DLT was not observed.

Synthesis, Docking, and DFT Studies on Novel Schiff Base Sulfonamide Analogues as Selective COX-1 Inhibitors with Anti-Platelet Aggregation Activity.

Selective COX-1 inhibitors are preferential therapeutic targets for platelet aggregation and clotting responses. In this study, we examined the selective COX-1-inhibitory activities of four newly synthesized compounds, 10-13, along with their abilities to inhibit platelet aggregation against ADP and collagen. The target compounds 10-13 were synthesized using the conventional method, sonication, and microwave-assisted methods. Microanalytical and spectral data were utilized to elucidate the structures of the new compounds 10-13. Additionally, a spectral NMR experiment [NOESY] was conducted to emphasize the configuration around the double bond of the imine group C=N. The obtained results revealed no observed correlation between any of the neighboring protons, suggesting that the configuration at the C=N double bond is E. Biological results revealed that all the screened compounds 10-13 might serve as selective COX-1 inhibitors. They showed IC50 values ranging from 0.71 µM to 4.82 µM against COX-1 and IC50 values ranging from 9.26 µM to 15.24 µM against COX-2. Their COX-1 selectivity indices ranged between 2.87 and 18.69. These compounds show promise as promising anti-platelet aggregation agents. They effectively prevented platelet aggregation induced by ADP with IC50 values ranging from 0.11 µM to 0.37 µM, surpassing the standard aspirin with an IC50 value of 0.49 µM. Additionally, they inhibited the platelet aggregation induced by collagen with IC50 values ranging from 0.12 µM to 1.03 µM, demonstrating superior efficacy compared to aspirin, which has an IC50 value of 0.51 µM. In silico molecular modeling was performed for all the target compounds within the active sites of COX-1 and COX-2 to rationalize their selective inhibitory activities towards COX-1. It was found that the binding interactions of the designed compounds within the COX-1 active site had remained unaffected by the presence of celecoxib. Molecular modeling and DFT calculations using the B3LYP/6-31+G (d,p) level were performed to study the stability of E-forms with respect to Z-forms for the investigated compounds. A strong correlation was observed between the experimental observations and the quantum chemical descriptors.

Chemical synthesis and functional evaluation of glycopeptides and glycoproteins containing rare glycosyl amino acid linkages.

Covering: 1987 to 2023Naturally existing glycoproteins through post-translational protein glycosylation are highly heterogeneous, which not only impedes the structure-function studies, but also hinders the development of their potential medical usage. Chemical synthesis represents one of the most powerful tools to provide the structurally well-defined glycoforms. Being the key step of glycoprotein synthesis, glycosylation usually takes place at serine, threonine, and asparagine residues, leading to the predominant formation of the O- and N-glycans, respectively. However, other amino acid residues containing oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and nucleophilic carbon atoms have also been found to be glycosylated. These diverse glycoprotein linkages, occurring from microorganisms to plants and animals, play also pivotal biological roles, such as in cell-cell recognition and communication. The availability of these homogenous rare glycopeptides and glycoproteins can help decipher the glyco-code for developing therapeutic agents. This review highlights the chemical approaches for assembly of the functional glycopeptides and glycoproteins bearing these "rare" carbohydrate-amino acid linkages between saccharide and canonical amino acid residues and their derivatives.

Inducing Long Lasting B Cell and T Cell Immunity Against Multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2 Through Mutant Bacteriophage Qß-Receptor Binding Domain Conjugate.

More than 3 years into the global pandemic, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remains a significant threat to public health. Immunities acquired from infection or current vaccines fail to provide long term protection against subsequent infections, mainly due to their fast-waning nature and the emergence of variants of concerns (VOCs) such as Omicron. To overcome these limitations, SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein receptor binding domain (RBD)-based epitopes are investigated as conjugates with a powerful carrier, the mutant bacteriophage Qß (mQß). The epitope design is critical to eliciting potent antibody responses with the full length RBD being superior to peptide and glycopeptide antigens. The full length RBD conjugated with mQß activates both humoral and cellular immune systems in vivo, inducing broad spectrum, persistent, and comprehensive immune responses effective against multiple VOCs including Delta and Omicron variants, rendering it a promising vaccine candidate.

A comprehensive synthetic library of poly-N-acetyl glucosamines enabled vaccine against lethal challenges of Staphylococcus aureus.

Poly-ß-(1-6)-N-acetylglucosamine (PNAG) is an important vaccine target, expressed on many pathogens. A critical hurdle in developing PNAG based vaccine is that the impacts of the number and the position of free amine vs N-acetylation on its antigenicity are not well understood. In this work, a divergent strategy is developed to synthesize a comprehensive library of 32 PNAG pentasaccharides. This library enables the identification of PNAG sequences with specific patterns of free amines as epitopes for vaccines against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), an important human pathogen. Active vaccination with the conjugate of discovered PNAG epitope with mutant bacteriophage Qß as a vaccine carrier as well as passive vaccination with diluted rabbit antisera provides mice with near complete protection against infections by S. aureus including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Thus, the comprehensive PNAG pentasaccharide library is an exciting tool to empower the design of next generation vaccines.

Recent advances in the synthesis of extensive libraries of heparan sulfate oligosaccharides for structure-activity relationship studies.

Heparan sulfate (HS) is a linear, sulfated and highly negatively-charged polysaccharide that plays important roles in many biological events. As a member of the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) family, HS is commonly found on mammalian cell surfaces and within the extracellular matrix. The structural complexities of natural HS polysaccharides have hampered the comprehension of their biological functions and structure-activity relationships (SARs). Although the sulfation patterns and backbone structures of HS can be major determinants of their biological activities, obtaining significant amounts of pure HS from natural sources for comprehensive SAR studies is challenging. Chemical and enzyme-based synthesis can aid in the production of structurally well-defined HS oligosaccharides. In this review, we discuss recent innovations enabling the syntheses of large libraries of HS and how these libraries can provide insights into the structural preferences of various HS binding proteins.

Combination of Osimertinib and Olaparib Therapy to Treat Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer and High-Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma: A Case Report.

We present the case of a 75-year-old female with simultaneous EGFR-mutated stage IV lung cancer and advanced BRCA2-mutated ovarian cancer, treated with a unique regimen. In this case report, the patient was treated with alternating months of osimertinib and olaparib to control her lung and ovarian cancers, respectively. When both diseases showed progression, the patient underwent a trial of concurrent therapy with both drugs, yet this was discontinued due to patient-reported adverse side effects. Combination targeted drug therapy may be required to treat complex diagnoses such as dual malignancies. However, combination drug therapy consisting of osimertinib and olaparib has not previously been explored. This case report represents the first to demonstrate osimertinib and olaparib combination therapy as a unique treatment regimen for concurrent lung and ovarian cancers. These two drugs can either be given in an alternating way or given together, short-term, with a higher but tolerable toxicity profile.

Laying performance, genetic parameters, and the expression of FSHß, LHß, FSHR, and LHR genes in Japanese quails selected for early egg production.

Investigating the impact of early egg production selection (the first 90 d of laying) on egg production features, cumulative selection response (CSR), and the mRNA expression of gonadotropins (FSHß and LHß), and their receptors (FSHR and LHR), in Japanese quails was the goal. The selection experiment involved 1293 females in all, 257 from the base group and 1036 from the 4 selected generations. Age and body weight at sexual maturity (ASM, BWSM), weight of the first egg (WFE), days to the first 10 eggs (DF10E), egg mass for the first 10 eggs (EMF10E), egg weight (EW), egg number at the first 90 d of laying (EN90D), and egg mass at the first 90 d of laying (EM90D) were all recorded. Most egg production traits had heritability estimates that were low to moderate and ranged from 0.17 to 0.33., where the highest estimates were reported for EN90D (0.33) and BWSM (0.32). With the exception of EN90D, low to moderate positive genetic correlations were observed between ASM and other egg production traits (0.17-0.44). The fourth generation showed significantly (P < 0.05) lower ASM and DF10E but higher BWSM, WFE, EN90D, EM10E, and EM90D when compared with the base generation. CSR were significant (P < 0.05) for ASM (-6.67 d), BWSM (27.13 g), WFE (0.93 g), DF10E (-1.25 d), EN90D (7.24 egg), EM10E (10.57 g), and EM90D (140.0 g). FSHß, LHß, FSHR, and LHR gene mRNA expression was considerably (P < 0.05) greater in the fourth generation compared to the base generation. In conclusion, selection programs depending on the efficiency of egg production (EN90D) could improve the genetic gain of egg production traits and upregulate the mRNA expression of FSHß, LHß, FSHR, and LHR genes in selected quails (fourth generation). These findings might help to enhance breeding plans and create commercial lines of high egg production Japanese quails.