bims-nurfca 2023-08-13 papers

Issue of 2023–08–13
six papers selected by
Caner Geyik, Istinye University

Eur J Histochem. 2023 Aug 07. 67(3):

Quercetin reverses 5-fluorouracil resistance in colon cancer cells by modulating the NRF2/HO-1 pathway.

Zhongzhu Tang, Lei Wang, Yunwang Chen, Xiaomin Zheng, Runyu Wang, Bingxue Liu, Shiqi Zhang, Huimin Wang.

Quercetin (Que) has been proven to enhance the chemosensitivity of multiple cancers, including colon cancer (CC). However, whether the combination of Que and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) has a synergistic effect on drug-resistant CC cells has not previously been reported. The effect of Que (5 and 10 μg/mL) on cell vitality and apoptosis of CC and CC drug-resistant cells was examined using a cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and flow cytometry. After cells were treated with 5-FU (10, 40 μg/mL), Que (10 μM, 40 μM), or 5-FU in combination with Que, cell proliferation, apoptosis, oxidative stress-related factors, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) pathway-related factors were examined by colony formation assay, flow cytometry, ELISA, ROS kit, immunofluorescence assay, and Western blot. The results showed that 5-FU reduced cell viability and induced apoptosis of CC as well as 5-FU-resistant CC cells. Que further restrained the proliferation, oxidative stress-related factors (SOD, CAT, GPx, and GR), ROS production, and induced apoptosis in CC cells and 5-FU-resistant CC cells induced by 5-FU. Moreover, the combination of Que and 5-FU attenuated the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway-related marker levels in CC cells and 5-FU-resistant CC cells. Therefore, our results suggest that Que reverses 5-FU resistance in CC cells via modulating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4081/ejh.2023.3719

Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jul 26. pii: 11975. [Epub ahead of print]24(15):

Paradox: Curcumin, a Natural Antioxidant, Suppresses Osteosarcoma Cells via Excessive Reactive Oxygen Species.

Chunfeng Xu, Mingjie Wang, Behrouz Zandieh Doulabi, Yuanyuan Sun, Yuelian Liu.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is an aggressive tumor with a rare incidence. Extended surgical resections are the prevalent treatment for OS, which may cause critical-size bone defects. These bone defects lead to dysfunction, weakening the post-surgical quality of patients' life. Hence, an ideal therapeutic agent for OS should simultaneously possess anti-cancer and bone repair capacities. Curcumin (CUR) has been reported in OS therapy and bone regeneration. However, it is not clear how CUR suppresses OS development. Conventionally, CUR is considered a natural antioxidant in line with its capacity to promote the nuclear translocation of a nuclear transcription factor, nuclear factor erythroid 2 (NRF2). After nuclear translocation, NRF2 can activate the transcription of some antioxidases, thereby circumventing excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are deleterious to cells. Intriguingly, this research demonstrated that, in vitro, 10 and 20 μM CUR increased the intracellular ROS in MG-63 cells, damaged cells' DNA, and finally caused apoptosis of MG-63 cells, although increased NRF2 protein level and the expression of NRF2-regulated antioxidase genes were identified in those two groups.

Keywords: NRF2; ROS; apoptosis; curcumin; osteosarcoma

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241511975

Chemosphere. 2023 Aug 08. pii: S0045-6535(23)01983-5. [Epub ahead of print] 139716

Low-dose antimony exposure promotes prostate cancer proliferation by inhibiting ferroptosis via activation of the Nrf2-SLC7A11-GPX4 pathway.

Jianxi Shi, Chunlei Ma, Zhiwen Zheng, Tianxiao Zhang, Zhaopeng Li, Xiaoyu Sun, Zhen He, Zhihong Zhang, Changwen Zhang.

Antimony (Sb) is a typical environmental pollutant. With the development of industrialization, antimony is widely used in daily life and enters the human body through the food chain, water source, air pollution, and other channels. The risk of antimony exposure has emerged as one of the public's major health concerns. Current research on antimony shows that antimony has certain biological toxicity, and antimony exposure may be one of the carcinogenic risk factors for bladder cancer, prostate cancer (PCa), and other cancers. But the molecular mechanism of antimony exposure in PCa is still unclear. Our results showed that serum antimony levels were significantly higher in PCa patients than in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and high levels of serum antimony were associated with poorer prognosis in PCa. We demonstrate that antimony exposure promotes PCa progression in vivo and in vitro. In addition, our results also showed that low-dose antimony exposure resulted in increased GSH, increased GPX4 expression, and decreased Fe2+. Since GPX4 and Fe2+ are important molecular features in the mechanism of ferroptosis, we further found that low-dose antimony exposure can inhibit RSL3-induced ferroptosis and promote PCa proliferation. Finally, our study demonstrates that low-dose antimony exposure promotes Nrf2 expression, increases the expression level of SLC7A11, and then increases the expression of GPX4, inhibits ferroptosis, and promotes PCa progression. Taken together, our experimental results suggest that low-dose antimony exposure promotes PCa cell proliferation by inhibiting ferroptosis through activation of the Nrf2-SLC7A11-GPX4 pathway. These findings highlight the link between low-dose antimony exposure and the Nrf2-SLC7A11-GPX4 ferroptosis pathway, providing a new potential direction for the prevention and treatment of PCa.

Keywords: Antimony; Ferroptosis; Nrf2-SLC7A11-GPX4 pathway; Prostate cancer (PCa)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139716

Molecules. 2023 Jul 30. pii: 5759. [Epub ahead of print]28(15):

Unlocking the Potential: Novel NSAIDs Hybrids Unleash Chemopreventive Power toward Liver Cancer Cells through Nrf2, NF-κB, and MAPK Signaling Pathways.

Maria Narożna, Violetta Krajka-Kuźniak, Barbara Bednarczyk-Cwynar, Wanda Baer-Dubowska.

HCC is a highly aggressive malignancy with limited treatment options. In this study, novel conjugates of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)-Ibuprofen and Ketoprofen-with oleanolic acid oximes derivatives (OAO) were synthesized, and their activity as modulators of signaling pathways involved in HCC pathogenesis was evaluated in normal THLE-2 liver cells, and HCC-derived HepG2 cells. The results demonstrated that conjugation with OAO derivatives reduces the cytotoxicity of parent compounds in both cell lines. In THLE-2 cells, treatment with conjugates resulted in increased activation of the Nrf2-ARE pathway. An opposite effect was observed in HepG2 cells. In the later reduction of NF-κB, it was observed along with modulation of MAPK signaling pathways (AKT, ERK, p38, p70S6K, and JNK). Moreover, STAT3, STAT5, and CREB transcription factors on protein levels were significantly reduced as a result of treatment with IBU- and KET-OAO derivatives conjugates. The most active were conjugates with OAO-morpholide. Overall, the findings of this study demonstrate that IBU-OAO and KET-OAO derivative conjugates modulate the key signaling pathways involved in hepatic cancer development. Their effect on specific signaling pathways varied depending on the structure of the conjugate. Since the conjugation of IBU and KET with OAO derivatives reduced their cytotoxicity, the conjugates may be considered good candidates for the prevention of liver cancer.

Keywords: HCC; Ibuprofen; Ketoprofen; MAPK; NF-κB; NSAIDs; Nrf2; liver cancer; oleanolic acid oximes

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28155759

Nat Metab. 2023 Aug 07.

Asparagine restriction enhances CD8+ T cell metabolic fitness and antitumoral functionality through an NRF2-dependent stress response.

J N Rashida Gnanaprakasam, Bhavana Kushwaha, Lingling Liu, Xuyong Chen, Siwen Kang, Tingting Wang, Teresa A Cassel, Christopher M Adams, Richard M Higashi, David A Scott, Gang Xin, Zihai Li, Jun Yang, Andrew N Lane, Teresa W-M Fan, Ji Zhang, Ruoning Wang.

Robust and effective T cell immune surveillance and cancer immunotherapy require proper allocation of metabolic resources to sustain energetically costly processes, including growth and cytokine production. Here, we show that asparagine (Asn) restriction on CD8+ T cells exerted opposing effects during activation (early phase) and differentiation (late phase) following T cell activation. Asn restriction suppressed activation and cell cycle entry in the early phase while rapidly engaging the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2)-dependent stress response, conferring robust proliferation and effector function on CD8+ T cells during differentiation. Mechanistically, NRF2 activation in CD8+ T cells conferred by Asn restriction rewired the metabolic program by reducing the overall glucose and glutamine consumption but increasing intracellular nucleotides to promote proliferation. Accordingly, Asn restriction or NRF2 activation potentiated the T cell-mediated antitumoral response in preclinical animal models, suggesting that Asn restriction is a promising and clinically relevant strategy to enhance cancer immunotherapy. Our study revealed Asn as a critical metabolic node in directing the stress signaling to shape T cell metabolic fitness and effector functions.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-023-00856-1