In silico, in vitro and in vivo studies: Dibutyl phthalate promotes prostate cancer cell proliferation by activating Forkhead Box M1 and remission after Natura-α pretreatment.

Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) is widely used in perfumes, cosmetics, shampoos and medical devices. It is ubiquitous in the environment and greatly endangers people's health. Several studies have reported that being exposed to it can promote the development of lung cancer, breast cancer, hepatoma, and multiple myeloma. However, there are still few studies on the specific molecular mechanism and prevention methods of DBP promoting the progression of prostate cancer. This study, in silico, in vitro and in vivo, aims to explore the promoting effect of DBP on prostate cancer cell proliferation. In silico analysis, we obtained a set of DBP interactive genes by utilizing TCGA, CTD and GEO database. These genes are mainly enriched in cell cycle regulatory pathways and they have high degree of homogeneity. We found that these genes shared one transcription factor - Forkhead Box M1 (FOXM1) by performing Chip-X Enrichment Analysis (Version 3.0). FOXM1, once called the 2010 Molecule of the Year, aberrantly expressed in up to 20 kinds of tumors. In vitro experiments, we used DBP at concentrations of 10-8 M and 5 * 10-7 M to treat C4-2 and PC3 cells for 6 days, respectively. Cell viability was promoted significantly. When Natura-α was added in the background of above-mentioned concentration of DBP, this effect was significantly inhibited. In addition, we also found that DBP can interfering with the efficacy of enzalutamide therapy. The introduction of Natura-α can also reverse this phenomenon. In vivo, subcutaneous tumor formation experiments in nude mice, 800 mg/kg/day DBP can promote the growth of prostate cancer. This phenomenon was suppressed when Natura-α (100 mg/kg/day) was added. Based on the results of the above three levels, we confirmed that DBP can target FOXM1 to promote prostate cancer cell proliferation. Natura-α can reverse its cancer-promoting effect. This study provides new insights into the impact of DBP on prostate cancer.

Comprehensive investigation into cuproptosis in the characterization of clinical features, molecular characteristics, and immune situations of clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Background: Copper-induced cell death has been widely investigated in human diseases as a form of programmed cell death (PCD). The newly recognized mechanism underlying copper-induced cell death provided us creative insights into the copper-related toxicity in cells, and this form of PCD was termed cuproptosis. Methods: Through consensus clustering analysis, ccRCC patients from TCGA database were classified into different subgroups with distinct cuproptosis-based molecular patterns. Analyses of clinical significance, long-term survival, and immune features were performed on subgroups accordingly. The cuproptosis-based risk signature and nomogram were constructed and validated relying on the ccRCC cohort as well. The cuproptosis scoring system was generated to better characterize ccRCC patients. Finally, in vitro validation was conducted using ccRCC clinical samples and cell lines. Result: Patients from different subgroups displayed diverse clinicopathological features, survival outcomes, tumor microenvironment (TME) characteristics, immune-related score, and therapeutic responses. The prognostic model and cuproptosis score were well validated and proved to efficiently distinguish the high risk/score and low risk/score patients, which revealed the great predictive value. The cuproptosis score also tended out to be intimately associated with the prognosis and immune features of ccRCC patients. Additionally, the hub cuproptosis-associated gene (CAG) FDX1 presented a dysregulated expression pattern in human ccRCC samples, and it was confirmed to effectively promote the killing effects of copper ionophore elesclomol as a direct target. In vitro functional assays revealed the prominent anti-cancer role of FDX1 in ccRCC. Conclusion: Cuproptosis played an indispensable role in the regulation of TME features, tumor progression, and long-term prognosis of ccRCC.