Search results for "MAC"
showing 10 items of 24950 documents
Cancer therapy and treatments during COVID-19 era
2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has put a serious strain on health treatments as well at the economies of many nations. Unfortunately, there is not currently available vaccine for SARS-Cov-2/COVID-19. Various types of patients have delayed treatment or even routine check-ups and we are adapting to a virtual world. In many cases, surgeries are delayed unless they are essential. This is also true with regards to cancer treatments and screening. Interestingly, some existing drugs and nutraceuticals have been screened for their effects on COVID-19. Certain FDA approved drugs, vitamin, natural products and trace minerals may be repurposed to treat or improve the prevention of COVID-19 infections and disea…
Clinical Impact of Cystatin C/Cathepsin L and Follistatin/Activin A Systems in Breast Cancer Progression: A Preliminary Report.
2016
This study was directed to assess the clinical impact of the circulating cathepsin L, cystatin C, activin A, and follistatin in breast cancer patients. The serum concentrations of these molecules were determined by immunoenzymatic assays, and their association with some clinico-pathological parameters of breast cancer progression was evaluated. Our results identified cystatin C and activin A as predictive markers for the presence of breast cancer and bone metastasis, respectively. Therefore, these proteins may have a clinical role as circulating biomarkers in the diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of breast cancer patients.
A Pan-Cancer Approach to Predict Responsiveness to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors by Machine Learning
2019
Immunotherapy by using immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) has dramatically improved the treatment options in various cancers, increasing survival rates for treated patients. Nevertheless, there are heterogeneous response rates to ICI among different cancer types, and even in the context of patients affected by a specific cancer. Thus, it becomes crucial to identify factors that predict the response to immunotherapeutic approaches. A comprehensive investigation of the mutational and immunological aspects of the tumor can be useful to obtain a robust prediction. By performing a pan-cancer analysis on gene expression data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA, 8055 cases and 29 cancer types), we …
9-ING-41, a small-molecule glycogen synthase kinase-3 inhibitor, is active in neuroblastoma.
2018
Advanced stage neuroblastoma is a very aggressive pediatric cancer with limited treatment options and a high mortality rate. Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3β (GSK-3β) is a potential therapeutic target in neuroblastoma. Using immunohistochemical staining, we observed positive GSK-3β expression in 67% of human neuroblastomas (34 out of 51 cases). Chemically distinct GSK-3 inhibitors (AR-A014418, TDZD8 and 9-ING-41), suppressed the growth of neuroblastoma cells whereas 9-ING-41, a clinically relevant small molecule GSK-3β inhibitor with broad spectrum pre-clinical antitumor activity, being the most potent. Inhibition of GSK-3 resulted in a decreased expression of the antiapoptotic molecule XIAP and…
Doxorubicin anti-tumor mechanisms include Hsp60 post-translational modifications leading to the Hsp60/p53 complex dissociation and instauration of re…
2017
Hsp60 is a pro-carcinogenic chaperonin in certain tumor types by interfering with apoptosis and with tumor cell death. In these tumors, it is not known whether or not doxorubicin anti-tumor effects include a blockage of the pro-carcinogenic action of this protein. We used the human lung mucoepidermoid cell line NCI-H292 and different doses of doxorubicin to measure cell viability, cell cycle progression, cell senescence indicators, Hsp60 levels and its post-translational modifications as well as the release of the chaperonin into the extracellular environment. Cell viability was reduced in relation to doxorubicin dose and this was paralleled by the appearance of cell senescence markers. Con…
Immunotherapy in non-small-cell lung cancer: a bridge between research and clinical practice
2018
Lung cancer has been historically considered a poorly immunogenic disease because of the few evidence of immune responses in affected patients and the limited efficacy of immunomodulating strategies. Recent understanding of the molecular mechanisms leading to cancer immune evasion has allowed the development of a new class of drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors, which reactivate host responses with outstanding clinical benefits in a portion of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. In this review, we briefly summarize the basis of immunogenicity and immune escape of cancer, with specific focus on non-small-cell lung cancer, mechanisms underlying immune checkpoint inhibitors effica…
Efficacy and epigenetic interactions of novel DNA hypomethylating agent guadecitabine (SGI-110) in preclinical models of hepatocellular carcinoma.
2016
ABSTRACT Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a deadly malignancy characterized at the epigenetic level by global DNA hypomethylation and focal hypermethylation on the promoter of tumor suppressor genes. In most cases it develops on a background of liver steatohepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. Guadecitabine (SGI-110) is a second-generation hypomethylating agent, which inhibits DNA methyltransferases. Guadecitabine is formulated as a dinucleotide of decitabine and deoxyguanosine that is resistant to cytidine deaminase (CDA) degradation and results in prolonged in vivo exposure to decitabine following small volume subcutaneous administration of guadecitabine. Here we found that guadecitabine i…
From ancient herb to modern drug: Artemisia annua and artemisinin for cancer therapy.
2017
Artemisia annua L. is used throughout Asia and Africa as tea and press juice to treat malaria and related symptomes (fever, chills). Its active ingredient, artemisinin (ARS), has been developed as antimalarial drug and is used worldwide. Interestingly, the bioactivity is not restricted to malaria treatment. We and others found that ARS-type drugs also reveal anticancer in vitro and in vivo. In this review, we give a systematic overview of the literature published over the past two decades until the end of 2016. Like other natural products, ARS acts in a multi-specific manner against tumors. The cellular response of ARS and its derivatives (dihydroartemisinin, artesunate, artemether, arteeth…
LC3-Associated Phagocytosis (LAP): A Potentially Influential Mediator of Efferocytosis-Related Tumor Progression and Aggressiveness
2020
One aim of cancer therapies is to induce apoptosis of tumor cells. Efficient removal of the apoptotic cells requires coordinated efforts between the processes of efferocytosis and LC3-associated phagocytosis (LAP). However, this activity has also been shown to produce anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive signals that can be utilized by live tumor cells to evade immune defense mechanisms, resulting in tumor progression and aggressiveness. In the absence of LAP, mice exhibit suppressed tumor growth during efferocytosis, while LAP-sufficient mice show enhanced tumor progression. Little is known about how LAP or its regulators directly affect efferocytosis, tumor growth and treatment respons…
Repurposing of plant alkaloids for cancer therapy: Pharmacology and toxicology.
2019
Drug repurposing (or repositioning) is an emerging concept to use old drugs for new treatment indications. Phytochemicals isolated from medicinal plants have been largely neglected in this context, although their pharmacological activities have been well investigated in the past, and they may have considerable potentials for repositioning. A grand number of plant alkaloids inhibit syngeneic or xenograft tumor growth in vivo. Molecular modes of action in cancer cells include induction of cell cycle arrest, intrinsic and extrinsic apoptosis, autophagy, inhibition of angiogenesis and glycolysis, stress and anti-inflammatory responses, regulation of immune functions, cellular differentiation, a…