Mikania micrantha extract enhances cutaneous wound healing activity through the activation of FAK/Akt/mTOR cell signaling pathway.

Mikania micrantha (MM) has been traditionally used for various health benefits, including mental health, anti-inflammatory, wound dressing, and healing of sores. However, the molecular mechanisms and dose required for the wound healing activity of MM have yet to be reported. Therefore, a study was conducted to evaluate the wound healing potential of a cold methanolic extract of MM through in vitro and in vivo studies. Human dermal fibroblast adult (HDFa) cells were treated with 0 (control), 75 ng/ml, 125 ng/ml, 250 ng/ml, and 500 ng/ml of MMmethanolic extract (MME) for 24 h. MME at 75 ng/ml has significantly (p˂0.05) promoted HDFa cell proliferation and migration. Further, MME has also been shown to enhance the invasiveness of human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs), indicating the neovasculature for wound healing. The tube formation assay demonstrated a significant (p<0.05) increase in the angiogenic effect of the MME starting at a concentration of 75 ng/ml as compared to the control. Treatment of excision wounds in Wistar rats with 5% and 10% MME ointment significantly enhanced wound contraction compared to control animals. Incision wounds in rats treated with 5% and 10% MME showed a significant (p<0.01) increase in tensile strength compared to control. HDFa cells, and granulation tissue collected on day 14 post-wounding, revealed the modulation of the FAK/Akt/mTOR cell signaling pathway during the enhancement of wound healing. The results of gel zymography showed increased activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the HDFa cells after treatment with the extract.  It is concluded that MMEcan potentially accelerate cutaneous wound healing.

Identification of potential therapeutic targets associated with diagnosis and prognosis of colorectal cancer patients based on integrated bioinformatics analysis.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common malignancy of digestive system with significant mortality rate. CRC patients with comparable clinical symptoms or at similar stages of the disease have different outcomes. This underlying clinical result is almost inevitably due to genetic heterogeneity. Therefore, the current study aimed to highlight gene signatures during CRC and unveil their potential mechanisms through bioinformatic analysis. The gene expression profiles (GSE28000, GSE33113, GSE44861, and GSE37182) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, and the differential expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in normal tissues and tumor tissue samples of CRC patients. In total, 8931 DEGs were identified in CRC, including 411 up-regulated genes and 166 down-regulated genes. Further, a protein-protein interaction network was constructed and the highly related genes were clustered using the Molecular Complex Detection algorithm (MCODE) to retrieve the core interaction in different genes' crosstalk. The screened hub genes were subjected to functional enrichment analysis. GO analysis results showed that up-regulated DEGs were significantly enriched in biological processes (BP), including cell division, cell cycle, and cell proliferation; the down-regulated DEGs were significantly enriched in BP, including cellular homeostasis, detoxification, defense response, intracellular signaling cascade. Additionally, KEGG pathway analysis displayed the up-regulated DEGs were enriched in the cell cycle, TNF signaling, chemokine signaling pathway, while the down-regulated DEGs were enriched in NF-kB signaling, mineral reabsorption. Furthermore, the overall survival and expression levels of hub genes were detected by the UALCAN database and were further validated using Human Protein Atlas database. Taken together the identified DEGs (MT2A, CCNB1, DLGAP5, CCNA2, CXCL2, and RACGAP1) enhance our understanding of the molecular pathways that underpin CRC pathogenesis and could be exploited as molecular targets and diagnostic biomarkers for CRC therapy.

Therapeutic Targeting Hypoxia-Inducible Factor (HIF-1) in Cancer: Cutting Gordian Knot of Cancer Cell Metabolism.

Metabolic alterations are one of the hallmarks of cancer, which has recently gained great attention. Increased glucose absorption and lactate secretion in cancer cells are characterized by the Warburg effect, which is caused by the metabolic changes in the tumor tissue. Cancer cells switch from oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) to aerobic glycolysis due to changes in glucose degradation mechanisms, a process known as "metabolic reprogramming". As a result, proteins involved in mediating the altered metabolic pathways identified in cancer cells pose novel therapeutic targets. Hypoxic tumor microenvironment (HTM) is anticipated to trigger and promote metabolic alterations, oncogene activation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and drug resistance, all of which are hallmarks of aggressive cancer behaviour. Angiogenesis, erythropoiesis, glycolysis regulation, glucose transport, acidosis regulators have all been orchestrated through the activation and stability of a transcription factor termed hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), hence altering crucial Warburg effect activities. Therefore, targeting HIF-1 as a cancer therapy seems like an extremely rational approach as it is directly involved in the shift of cancer tissue. In this mini-review, we present a brief overview of the function of HIF-1 in hypoxic glycolysis with a particular focus on novel therapeutic strategies currently available.

Apigenin and kaempferol as novel renoprotective agent against cisplatin-induced toxicity: an in vitro study.

Cisplatin is one of the highly consumed and potent antineoplastic drugs. However, its side effects in normal tissues, notably nephrotoxicity, is a major stumbling block and dose-limiting factor. Renoprotective approaches are being developed, however, the protective benefits are usually only partial implying the need for combinatorial strategies. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the nephroprotective efficacy of apigenin and kaempferol as dietary supplements against cisplatin-induced renal injury using human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cells as our in vitro model. Our findings from MTT data, morphology studies, comet and ROS analysis suggest that CIS 11.36 µM + API 12.5 µg/mL and CIS 11.36 µM + KMP 25 µg/mL protects against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. Results of western blot analysis further suggest the involvement of NGAL in the API and KMP mediated nephroprotection. Collectively, our studies suggest that API and KMP are promising candidates to be further developed as renoprotective agents against cisplatin-induced toxicity.

Kaempferol and Apigenin suppresses the stemness properties of TNBC cells by modulating Sirtuins.

Sirtuins (SIRTs) overexpression serves as a potential therapeutic target for TNBC because it is associated with bioactivities of cancer stem cells (CSCs), resistance to chemotherapy, and metastasis. Irrespective of the availability of synthetic SIRT inhibitors, new SIRT inhibitors with enhanced potency and lesser side effects serve as current unmet needs. Therefore, bioactive dietary compounds; kaempferol (KMP) and apigenin (API) were investigated for their anti-SIRTs potential. We observed KMP and API inhibits cellular proliferation by DNA damage and S-phase cell cycle arrest in TNBC Cells. They also suppress stemness properties in TNBCs as observed in experiments of mammosphere formation and clonogenic potential. Our mechanistic approach indicated that KMP and API inhibited SIRT3 and SIRT6 proteins, as evidenced by our in silico and in vitro experiment. Collectively, our studies suggest that KMP and API are promising candidates to be further developed as sirtuin modulators against TNBCs.

Reckoning apigenin and kaempferol as a potential multi-targeted inhibitor of EGFR/HER2-MEK pathway of metastatic colorectal cancer identified using rigorous computational workflow.

In the past two decades, the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) has been revolutionized as multiple cytotoxic, biological, and targeted drugs are being approved. Unfortunately, tumors treated with single targeted agents or therapeutics usually develop resistance. According to pathway-oriented screens, mCRC cells evade EGFR inhibition by HER2 amplification and/or activating Kras-MEK downstream signaling. Therefore, treating mCRC patients with dual EGFR/HER2 inhibitors, MEK inhibitors, or the combination of the two drugs envisaged to prevent the resistance development which eventually improves the overall survival rate. In the present study, we aimed to screen potential phytochemical lead compounds that could multi-target EGFR, HER2, and MEK1 (Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase) using a computer-aided drug design approach that includes molecular docking, endpoint binding free energy calculation using MM-GBSA, ADMET, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Docking studies revealed that, unlike all other ligands, apigenin and kaempferol exhibit the highest docking score against all three targets. Details of ADMET analysis, MM/GBSA, and MD simulations helped us to conclusively determine apigenin and kaempferol as potentially an inhibitor of EGFR, HER2, and MEK1 apigenin and kaempferol against mCRC at a systemic level. Additionally, both apigenin and kaempferol elicited antiangiogenic properties in a dose-dependent manner. Collectively, these findings provide the rationale for drug development aimed at preventing CRC rather than intercepting resistance.

Identification of natural inhibitors against prime targets of SARS-CoV-2 using molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation and MM-PBSA approaches.

The recently emerged COVID-19 has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization as to date; no therapeutic drug/vaccine is available for the treatment. Due to the lack of time and the urgency to contain the pandemic, computational screening appears to be the best tool to find a therapeutic solution. Accumulated evidence suggests that many phyto-compounds possess anti-viral activity. Therefore, we identified possible phyto-compounds that could be developed and used for COVID-19 treatment. In particular, molecular docking was used to prioritize the possible active phyto-compounds against two key targets namely RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2. In this study, an antiviral drug- Remdesivir (RdRp inhibitor) and Darunavir (Mpro inhibitor) are used as reference drugs. This study revealed that phyto-molecules- Mulberroside-A/C/E/F, Emblicanin A, Nimbolide, and Punigluconin showed high binding affinity against RdRp while Andrographolides, Mulberrosides, Anolignans, Chebulic acid, Mimusopic acid, and Punigluconin showed better binding affinity against Mpro as compared with the reference drug. Furthermore, ADME profiles validated the drug-likeness properties of prioritized phyto-compounds. Besides, to assess the stability, MD simulations studies were performed along with reference inhibitors for Mpro (Darunavir) and RdRp (Remdesivir). Binding free energy calculations (MM-PBSA) revealed the estimated value (ΔG) of Mpro_Darunavir; Mpro_Mulberroside E; RdRp_Remdesivir and RdRp_Emblicanin A were -111.62 ± 6.788, -141.443 ± 9.313, 30.782 ± 5.85 and -89.424 ± 3.130 kJmol-1, respectively. Taken together, the study revealed the potential of these phyto-compounds as inhibitors of RdRp and Mpro inhibitor that could be further validated against SARS-CoV-2 for clinical benefits.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Sulforaphane-cisplatin combination inhibits the stemness and metastatic potential of TNBCs via down regulation of sirtuins-mediated EMT signaling axis.

BACKGROUND: Sulforaphane (SFN) is a naturally occurring organosulfur compound found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, brussels sprouts and cabbage. SFN is known for its multiple therapeutic properties, such as HDAC inhibitory, chemo preventive and anti-cancer effects. Cisplatin (CIS) has limited effect against metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Additionally, CIS impose severe side effects to normal cells, and later TNBC cells develops resistance. Studies suggest that the overexpression of sirtuins (SIRTs) promotes CIS resistance and metastasis by activating epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) pathway in TNBC. PURPOSE: In view of the above information, we investigated the therapeutic efficacy of SFN, in combination with CIS against TNBC metastasis and CIS resistance. METHODS: The anti-cancerous effect of SFN-CIS combination on human TNBC cell lines was demonstrated by utilizing MTT assay and, apoptosis and cell cycle assay followed by FACS analysis. The synergistic effect of SFN-CIS combination on the experimental metastasis was demonstrated by utilizing migration, invasion, chemotaxis, mammosphere and colony formation assay on human TNBC MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 cells. The role of SIRTs-mediated EMT signaling axis in the metastasis and chemoresistance was investigated by western blotting technique as well as sirtuin activity tests. This was further validated by using Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis. RESULTS: We found that SFN-CIS combination synergistically inhibits cellular growth of MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 cells. More importantly, SFN was found to protect normal kidney cells from CIS-induced toxicity. Further, SFN-CIS combination was found to synergistically inhibit metastatic-events via significantly altering EMT markers which was further associated with the suppression of SIRTs functions in TNBC cells. ChIP analysis validated that SFN-CIS combination suppresses EMT mechanism through altered chromatin modifications at E-cadherin promoter resulting in its re-expression. CONCLUSION: The results of the current study suggests that CIS when supplemented with SFN, inhibits metastasis and stemness potential of TNBC cells by down regulating SIRTs-mediated EMT cascade. Overall this study affirms that, this novel combination could be a promising strategy against SIRT-mediated TNBC metastasis and CIS-resistance.

Centchroman prevents metastatic colonization of breast cancer cells and disrupts angiogenesis via inhibition of RAC1/PAK1/ß-catenin signaling axis.

AIMS: We have previously reported that Centchroman (CC), an oral contraceptive drug, inhibits breast cancer progression and metastasis. In this study, we investigated whether CC inhibits local invasion of tumor cells and/or their metastatic colonization with detailed underlying mechanisms. MAIN METHODS: The effect of CC on the experimental metastasis and spontaneous metastasis was demonstrated by using tail-vein and orthotopic 4T1-syngeneic mouse tumor models, respectively. The anti-angiogenic potential of CC was evaluated using well established in vitro and in vivo models. The role of RAC1/PAK1/ß-catenin signaling axis in the metastasis was investigated and validated using siRNA-mediated knockdown of PAK1 as well as by pharmacological PAK1-inhibitor. KEY FINDINGS: The oral administration of CC significantly suppressed the formation of metastatic lung nodules in the 4T1-syngeneic orthotopic as well as experimental metastatic models. More importantly, CC treatment suppressed the tube formation and migration capacities of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and inhibited pre-existing vasculature as well as the formation of neovasculature. The suppression of migration and invasion capacities of metastatic breast cancer cells upon CC treatment was associated with the inhibition of small GTPases (Rac1 and Cdc42) concomitant with the downregulation of PAK1 and downstream ß-catenin signaling. In addition, CC upregulated the expression of miR-145, which is known to target PAK1. SIGNIFICANCE: This study warrants the repurposing of CC as a potential therapeutic agent against metastatic breast cancer.

Emerging role of sirtuins in breast cancer metastasis and multidrug resistance: Implication for novel therapeutic strategies targeting sirtuins.

Sirtuins (SIRTs), a class III histone deacetylases (HDACs) that require NAD+ as a cofactor and include SIRT1-7 proteins in mammals. Accumulative evidence has established that every sirtuin possesses exclusive and poised biology, implicating their role in the regulation of multifaceted biological functions leading to breast cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis. This article provides an outline of recent developments in the role of sirtuins in breast cancer metastasis and development of multidrug resistance (MDR). In addition, we have also highlighted the impending prospects of targeting SIRTs to overcome MDR to bring advancement in breast cancer management. Further, this review will focus on strategies for improving the activity and efficacy of existing cancer therapeutics by combining (adjuvant treatment/therapy) them with sirtuin inhibitors/modulators. All available as well as newly discovered synthetic and dietary sirtuin inhibitors, activators/modulators have been extensively reviewed and compiled to provide a rationale for targeting sirtuins. Further, we discuss their potential in developing future therapeutics against sirtuins proposing their use along with conventional chemotherapeutics to overcome the problem of breast cancer metastasis and MDR.

Binding Insight of Anti-HIV Phytocompounds with Prime Targets of HIV: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Despite intense efforts, AIDS is difficult to tackle by current anti-retroviral therapy (ART) due to its side effects; therefore, there is an urgent need to discover potential, multitarget and low-cost anti-HIV compounds. OBJECTIVE: We have shown that few phytocompounds can potentially inhibit the prime targets of HIV namely GP120 envelope protein, reverse transcriptase, protease, integrase and ribonulcease. In this study, top ranked prioritized compounds were subjected to Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation in order to study the conformational dynamics and integrity of crucial interaction in the receptor sites. METHODS: The system was built for selected protein-ligand complex using TIP3P water model and OPLS_2005 force field. Trajectories were recorded up to 20 ns simulation time in Desmond module of Schrödinger software. RESULTS: As a result of a comprehensive analysis of molecular properties and dynamics of the complexes, it has been concluded that Chebulic acid, Curcumin and Mulberroside C could be developed as envelope glycoprotein GP120 inhibitor, reverse transcriptase inhibitor and protease inhibitor respectively. However, the fluctuation of Chebulic acid with respect to integrase and ribonuclease protein was higher during the simulation. CONCLUSION: These findings can aid in the designing of the structural properties for more effective anti-HIV compounds against the given targets.

Pharmacophore modeling, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation for screening and identifying anti-dengue phytocompounds.

Dengue is a fast spreading mosquito borne viral disease that poses a serious threat to human health. Lack of therapeutic drugs and vaccines signify that more resources need to be explored. Accumulated evidence has suggested that plants offer a vast reservoir for antiviral drug discovery which are safe for human consumption. Plant-based drug discovery is a complex and time-consuming process as plants possess rich repository of chemically diverse compounds. Various in silico methods can make this process simple and economic. We, therefore, performed pharmacophore mapping, molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion) prediction to screen potential candidates against dengue. In particular, combined pharmacophore mapping and molecular docking were used to prioritize the potentially active ligands from a ligand library. Biological activities of plant based ligands were predicted using 3D-QSAR pharmacophore modeling. Interaction between proteins, namely, envelope G protein, NS2B/NS3 protease, NS5 methyltransferase, NS1, NS5 polymerase and active plant-based ligands (pIC50 > 5.1) were analyzed using molecular docking. Best docked complex, namely, envelope G protein-mulberroside C, NS2B-NS3 protease-curcumin, NS5 methyltransferase-chebulic acid, NS1-mulberroside A, NS5 methyltransferase-punigluconin and NS5 methyltransferase-chebulic acid were further subjected to MD simulations study to assess the fluctuation and conformational changes during protein-ligand interaction. ADME studies were performed to assess their drug-likeness properties. Collectively, these in silico results helped to identify the potential plant-based hits against the various receptors of dengue virus which can be further validated by bioactivity-based experiments.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Structure-based identification of novel sirtuin inhibitors against triple negative breast cancer: An in silico and in vitro study.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive disease exemplified by a poor prognosis, greater degrees of relapse, the absence of hormonal receptors for coherent utilization of targeted therapy, poor response to currently available therapeutics and development of chemoresistance. Aberrant activity of sirtuins (SIRTs) has strong implications in the metastatic and oncogenic progression of TNBC. Synthetic SIRT inhibitors are effective, however, they have shown adverse side effects emphasizing the need for plant-derived inhibitors (PDIs). In the current study, we identified potential plant-derived sirtuin inhibitors using in silico approach i.e. molecular docking, ADMET and molecular dynamics simulations (MD). Docking studies revealed that Sulforaphane, Kaempferol and Apigenin exhibits the highest docking scores against SIRT1 & 5, 3 and 6 respectively. ADMET analysis of above hits demonstrated drug-like profile. MD of prioritized SIRTs-PDIs complexes displayed stability with insignificant deviations throughout the trajectory. Furthermore, we determined the effect of our prioritized molecules on cellular viability, global activity as well as protein expression of sirtuins and stemness of TNBC cells utilizing in vitro techniques. Our in vitro findings complements our in silico results. Collectively, these findings provide a better insight into the structural basis of sirtuin inhibition and can facilitate drug design process for TNBC management.

Structure based virtual screening, 3D-QSAR, molecular dynamics and ADMET studies for selection of natural inhibitors against structural and non-structural targets of Chikungunya.

The transmission of mosquito-borne Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has large epidemics worldwide. Till date, there are neither anti-viral drugs nor vaccines available for the treatment of Chikungunya. Accumulated evidences suggest that some natural compounds i.e., Epigallocatechin gallate, Harringtonine, Apigenin, Chrysin, Silybin, etc. have the capability to inhibit CHIKV replication in vitro. Natural compounds are known to possess less or no side effects. Therefore, natural compound in its purified or crude extracts form could be the preeminent and safe mode of therapies for Chikungunya. Wet lab screening and identification of natural compounds against Chikungunya targets is a time consuming and expensive exercise. In the present study, we used in silico techniques like receptor-ligand docking, Molecular dynamic (MD), Three Dimensional Quantitative Structure Activity Relation (3D-QSAR) and ADME properties to screen out potential compounds. Aim of the study is to identify potential lead/s from natural sources using in silico techniques that can be developed as a drug like molecule against Chikungunya infection and replication. Three softwares were used for molecular docking studies. Potential ligands selected by docking studies were subsequently subjected 3D-QSAR studies to predict biological activity. Based on docking scores and pIC50 value, potential anti-Chikungunya compounds were identified. Best docked receptor-ligands were also subjected to MD for more accurate estimation. Lipinski's rule and ADME studies of the identified compounds were also studied to assess their drug likeness properties. Results of in silico findings, led to identification of few best fit compounds of natural origin against targets of Chikungunya virus which may lead to discovery of new drugs for Chikungunya. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Molecular docking, QSAR and ADMET based mining of natural compounds against prime targets of HIV.

AIDS is one of the multifaceted diseases and this underlying complexity hampers its complete cure. The toxicity of existing drugs and emergence of multidrug-resistant virus makes the treatment worse. Development of effective, safe and low-cost anti-HIV drugs is among the top global priority. Exploration of natural resources may give ray of hope to develop new anti-HIV leads. Among the various therapeutic targets for HIV treatment, reverse transcriptase, protease, integrase, GP120, and ribonuclease are the prime focus. In the present study, we predicted potential plant-derived natural molecules for HIV treatment using computational approach, i.e. molecular docking, quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR), and ADMET studies. Receptor-ligand binding studies were performed using three different software for precise prediction - Discovery studio 4.0, Schrodinger and Molegrow virtual docker. Docking scores revealed that Mulberrosides, Anolignans, Curcumin and Chebulic acid are promising candidates that bind with multi targets of HIV, while Neo-andrographolide, Nimbolide and Punigluconin were target-specific candidates. Subsequently, QSAR was performed using biologically proved compounds which predicted the biological activity of compounds. We identified Anolignans, Curcumin, Mulberrosides, Chebulic acid and Neo-andrographolide as potential natural molecules for HIV treatment from results of molecular docking and 3D-QSAR. In silico ADMET studies showed drug-likeness of these lead molecules. Structure similarities of identified lead molecules were compared with identified marketed drugs by superimposing both the molecules. Using in silico studies, we have identified few best fit molecules of natural origin against identified targets which may give new drugs to combat HIV infection after wet lab validation.

Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC chemo sensitize human breast cancer cells via downregulation of prolactin-mediated JAK2/STAT5A signaling.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC (MP) is an ancient Indian medicinal plant traditionally used to treat Parkinson's disease. L-Dopa (LD), precursor of dopamine is abundantly found in the seeds of MP. L-dopa is a natural inhibitor of prolactin (PRL) hormone which is required to maintain lactation in women but it's over production (hyperprolactinemia) plays critical role in advancement of breast cancer. AIM OF THE STUDY: We aim to examine the pharmacological effect of LD and MP on this hyperprolactinemia associated breast cancer and related signaling for effective management of the disease. We also investigated chemo-sensitizing effect of MP on hyperprolactinemia-mediated cisplatin resistance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Methanolic seed extract of MP were prepared and analysed using HPLC. Effect of LD and MP on the cellular viability of breast cancer cells (T47D, MCF-7, MDA-MB-468 and MDA-MB-231) were evaluated using MTT assay. Further, effect of LD and MP on colony forming potential, DNA damage, cell cycle distribution and apoptosis was determined using agar/agarose method, comet assay and annexin and PI method followed by FACS analysis. To reveal the molecular mechanism involved in the anti-cancer activity of MP, transcriptional and translational level analysis of the key proteins involved in the PRL-mediated signaling, was performed using RT-PCR and western blot analysis. The effect of MP extract on PRL-mediated signaling was validated using dopaminergic agonist bromocriptine. MP extract and cisplatin was given in different combination with appropriate controls to check their effect on chemo-resistivity of breast cancer cells. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated that MP seed extract has the potential to inhibit cellular proliferation of PRL expressing T47D and MCF-7 breast cancer cells via induction of DNA damage, G1 phase of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis more effectively as compare to LD. Further, MP-mediated anti-cancerous effect was associated with the downregulation of PRL expression, further suppressing the JAK2/STAT5A/Cyclin D1 signaling pathway which has been validated using dopaminergic agonist bromocriptine. Cancer-related hyperprolactinemia confers cisplatin resistance, we observed that MP via PRL inhibition, enhances cisplatin efficacy after their combinatorial treatment in breast cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, our study suggests that MP could be recommended as dietary supplement along with the chemotherapeutic agents against breast cancer.

Lung Cancer Stem Cells: An Epigenetic Perspective.

Lung cancer remains the major cause of human mortality among all the cancer types despite the colossal amount of efforts to prevent the cancer onset and to provide the appropriate cure. Recent reports have identified that important contributors of lung cancer-related mortality are the drug resistance and aggressive tumor relapse, the characteristics contributed by the presence of lung cancer stem cells (CSCs). The identification of lung CSCs is inherently complex due to the quiescent nature of lung epithelium, which makes the distinction between the normal lung epithelium and lung CSCs difficult. Recently, multiple researches have helped in the identification of lung CSCs based on the presence or absence of certain specific types of stem cell markers. Maintenance of lung CSCs is chiefly mediated through the epigenetic modifications of their genome. In this review, we will discuss about the origin of lung CSCs and the role of epigenetic modifications in their maintenance. We will also discuss in brief the major lung CSC markers and the therapeutic approaches to selectively target this population of cells.

Cucurbitacin B inhibits breast cancer metastasis and angiogenesis through VEGF-mediated suppression of FAK/MMP-9 signaling axis.

Available breast cancer therapeutic strategies largely target the primary tumor but are ineffective against tumor metastasis and angiogenesis. In our current study, we determined the effect of Cucurbitacin B (CuB), a plant triterpenoid, on the metastatic and angiogenic potential of breast cancer cells. CuB was found to inhibit cellular proliferation and induce apoptosis in breast cancer cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Further, CuB-treatment significantly inhibited the migratory and invasive potential of highly metastatic breast cancer MDA-MB-231 and 4T1 cells at sub-IC50 concentrations, where no significant apoptosis was observed. CuB was also found to inhibit migratory, invasive and tube-forming capacities of HUVECs in vitro. In addition, inhibition of pre-existing vasculature in chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane ex vivo further supports the anti-angiogenic effect of CuB. CuB-mediated anti-metastatic and anti-angiogenic effects were associated with the downregulation of VEGF/FAK/MMP-9 signaling, which has been validated by using FAK-inhibitor (FI-14). CuB-treatment resulted in a significant inhibition of VEGF-induced phosphorylation of FAK and MMP-9 expressions similar to the action of FI-14. CuB was also found to decrease the micro-vessel density as evidenced by the decreased expression of CD31, a marker for neovasculature. Further, CuB-treatment inhibited tumor growth, lung metastasis and angiogenesis in a highly metastatic 4T1-syngeneic mouse mammary cancer. Collectively, our findings suggest that CuB inhibited breast cancer metastasis and angiogenesis, at least in part, through the downregulation of VEGF/FAK/MMP-9 signaling.

Cucurbitacin B inhibits the stemness and metastatic abilities of NSCLC via downregulation of canonical Wnt/ß-catenin signaling axis.

Lack of effective anti-metastatic drugs creates a major hurdle for metastatic lung cancer therapy. For successful lung cancer treatment, there is a strong need of newer therapeutics with metastasis-inhibitory potential. In the present study, we determined the anti-metastatic and anti-angiogenic potential of a natural plant triterpenoid, Cucurbitacin B (CuB) against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) both in vitro and in vivo. CuB demonstrated a strong anti-migratory and anti-invasive ability against metastatic NSCLC at nanomolar concentrations. CuB also showed significant tumor angiogenesis-inhibitory effects as evidenced by the inhibition of migratory, invasive and tube-forming capacities of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. CuB-mediated inhibition of angiogenesis was validated by the inhibition of pre-existing vasculature in chick embryo chorio-allantoic membrane and matrigel plugs. Similarly, CuB inhibited the migratory behavior of TGF-ß1-induced experimental EMT model. The CuB-mediated inhibition of metastasis and angiogenesis was attributable to the downregulation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling axis, validated by siRNA-knockdown of Wnt3 and Wnt3a. The CuB-mediated downregulation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling was also validated using 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK)-induced lung tumorigenesis model in vivo. Collectively, our findings suggest that CuB inhibited the metastatic abilities of NSCLC through the inhibition of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling axis.

Epigenetic targets in cancer and aging: dietary and therapeutic interventions.

INTRODUCTION: Epigenetic regulation plays a critical role in normal growth and embryonic development by controlling the transcriptional activities of several genes. A growing number of epigenetic changes have been reported in the regulation of key genes involved in cancer and aging. Drugs with epigenetic modulatory activities, mainly histone deacetylase and DNA methyltransferase inhibitors, have received wider attention in aging and cancer research. AREAS COVERED: In this review, we summarize the major epigenetic alterations in cancer and aging, with special emphasis on possible therapeutic targets and interventions by dietary as well as bioactive phytochemicals. EXPERT OPINION: Some epigenetic-targeting drugs have received FDA approval and many others are undergoing different phases of clinical trials for cancer therapy. In addition to the synthetic compounds, several bioactive phytochemicals and dietary interventions, such as caloric restriction, have been shown to possess epigenetic modulatory activities in multiple cancers. These epigenetic modulators have been shown to delay aging and minimize the risk of cancer both in preclinical as well as clinical models. Therefore, knowledge of bioactive phytochemicals along with dietary interventions can be utilized for cancer prevention and therapy both alone and with existing drugs to achieve optimum efficacy.