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Experimental Parasitology Dec 2022The naturally occurring polyether ionophore salinomycin was previously found to display promising anti-proliferative activity against bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma...
The naturally occurring polyether ionophore salinomycin was previously found to display promising anti-proliferative activity against bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei. Here, we report the evaluation of 20-deoxysalinomycin, a naturally occurring homolog to salinomycin, for trypanocidal and cell swelling activity. The concentration of 20-deoxysalinomycin required to reduce the growth rate of bloodstream-form trypanosomes by 50% was determined to be 0.12 μM and found to be 8 times more trypanocidal than that of salinomycin. Moreover, 20-deoxysalinomycin and salinomycin displayed similar cytotoxic activity against human HL-60 cells. Measured as the ratio of cytotoxic to trypanocidal activity, 20-deoxysalinomycin thus exhibits a four-fold higher selectivity compared to salinomycin. The stronger trypanocidal activity of 20-deoxysalinomycin is attributed to an enhanced ability to induce cell swelling in trypanosomes. The findings support 20-deoxysalinomycin as a useful lead in the rational development of new and improved anti-trypanosomal drugs.
Topics: Humans; Trypanocidal Agents; Trypanosoma brucei brucei; HL-60 Cells
PubMed: 36273616
DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2022.108414 -
Biomolecules Dec 2020The biological activity of the enzyme glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) is fulfilled by two paralogs named GSK3α and GSK3β, which possess both redundancy and specific... (Review)
Review
The biological activity of the enzyme glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) is fulfilled by two paralogs named GSK3α and GSK3β, which possess both redundancy and specific functions. The upregulated activity of these proteins is linked to the development of disorders such as neurodegenerative disorders (ND) and cancer. Although various chemical inhibitors of these enzymes restore the brain functions in models of ND such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), and reduce the proliferation and survival of cancer cells, the particular contribution of each paralog to these effects remains unclear as these molecules downregulate the activity of both paralogs with a similar efficacy. Moreover, given that GSK3 paralogs phosphorylate more than 100 substrates, the simultaneous inhibition of both enzymes has detrimental effects during long-term inhibition. Although the GSK3β kinase function has usually been taken as the global GSK3 activity, in the last few years, a growing interest in the study of GSK3α has emerged because several studies have recognized it as the main GSK3 paralog involved in a variety of diseases. This review summarizes the current biological evidence on the role of GSK3α in AD and various types of cancer. We also provide a discussion on some strategies that may lead to the design of the paralog-specific inhibition of GSK3α.
Topics: Alzheimer Disease; Animals; Brain Neoplasms; Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal; Female; Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3; HL-60 Cells; Humans; Inhibitory Concentration 50; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Molecular Docking Simulation; Multiple Myeloma; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Phosphorylation; Prostatic Neoplasms; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 33339170
DOI: 10.3390/biom10121683 -
Scientific Reports Oct 2019The present study investigated the effect of cladribine (CLA) and six of its derivatives containing a formamidine group at position 6 (CLA-FDM, CLA-FPAZ, CLA-FPIR,...
The present study investigated the effect of cladribine (CLA) and six of its derivatives containing a formamidine group at position 6 (CLA-FDM, CLA-FPAZ, CLA-FPIR, CLA-FPIP, CLA-FHEX, and CLA-FMOR) on acute promyelocytic, lymphoblastic, and acute monocytic leukemia cells. The role of ATR kinase in deoxycytidine kinase (dCK) activation in response to DNA damage was assessed. The presence of DNA lesions was assessed by measurement phosphorylation of H2AX and by using the alkaline comet assay with proteinase K post-treatment following assessment of the cell cycle. Apoptotic events such as alterations in intracellular calcium concentration, caspase-3/7 activity and increased sub-G1 cell population were measured. CLA derivatives were highly effective against leukemic cells, showing high cytotoxicity, causing DNA fragmentation, and inducing DNA-protein cross-links in leukemic cells. CLA-FMOR showed the highest efficacy. CLA derivatives increased the levels of intracellular calcium ions, caspase-3/7 and the percentage of sub-G1 apoptotic cells and blocked cells in the S phase of the cell cycle to a greater extent than free CLA. The selective ATR inhibitor VE-821 significantly suppressed the increase in dCK activity and decreased basal dCK activity. The present results suggested that ATR kinase controls dCK activity in response to synthetic CLA derivatives.
Topics: Adenosine; Amidines; Antineoplastic Agents; Apoptosis; Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated Proteins; Caspases; Cell Line; Cell Line, Tumor; Cladribine; DNA Fragmentation; HL-60 Cells; Humans; Leukemia, Monocytic, Acute; Pyrazines; S Phase; Sulfones; THP-1 Cells
PubMed: 31575977
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-50509-1 -
Mutation Research. Reviews in Mutation... 2020An underappreciated aspect of human mutagenicity biomonitoring is tissue specificity reflected in different assays, especially those that measure events that can only... (Review)
Review
An underappreciated aspect of human mutagenicity biomonitoring is tissue specificity reflected in different assays, especially those that measure events that can only occur in developing bone marrow (BM) cells. Reviewed here are 9 currently-employed human mutagenicity biomonitoring assays. Several assays measure chromosome-level events in circulating T-lymphocytes (T-cells), i.e., traditional analyses of aberrations, translocation studies involving chromosome painting and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and determinations of micronuclei (MN). Other T-cell assays measure gene mutations. i.e., hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoriboslytransferase (HPRT) and phosphoribosylinositol glycan class A (PIGA). In addition to the T-cell assays, also reviewed are those assays that measure events in peripheral blood cells that necessarily arose in BM cells, i.e., MN in reticulocytes; glycophorin A (GPA) gene mutations in red blood cells (RBCs), and PIGA gene mutations in RBC or granulocytes. This review considers only cell culture- or cytometry-based assays to describe endpoints measured, methods, optimal sampling times, and sample summaries of typical quantitative and qualitative results. However, to achieve its intended focus on the target cells where events occur, kinetics of the cells of peripheral blood that derive at some point from precursor cells are reviewed to identify body sites and tissues where the genotoxic events originate. Kinetics indicate that in normal adults, measured events in T-cells afford global assessments of in vivo mutagenicity but are not specific for BM effects. Therefore, an agent's capacity for inducing mutations in BM cells cannot be reliably inferred from T-cell assays as the magnitude of effect in BM, if any, is unknown. By contrast, chromosome or gene level mutations measured in RBCs/reticulocytes or granulocytes must originate in BM cells, i.e. in RBC or granulocyte precursors, thereby making them specific indicators for effects in BM. Assays of mutations arising directly in BM cells may quantitatively reflect the mutagenicity of potential leukemogenic agents.
Topics: Adult; Bone Marrow; Chromosome Aberrations; Erythrocytes; Glycophorins; Humans; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; Mutagenicity Tests; Mutation; Reticulocytes
PubMed: 33339577
DOI: 10.1016/j.mrrev.2020.108341 -
Cancers Aug 2020All-trans retinoic acid (RA), which is the dietary bioactive derivative obtained from animal (retinol) and plant sources (beta-carotene), is a physiological lipid signal... (Review)
Review
All-trans retinoic acid (RA), which is the dietary bioactive derivative obtained from animal (retinol) and plant sources (beta-carotene), is a physiological lipid signal of both embryonic and postembryonic development. During pregnancy, either RA deficiency or an excessive RA intake is teratogenic. Too low or too high RA affects not only prenatal, but also postnatal, developmental processes such as myelopoiesis and mammary gland morphogenesis. In this review, we mostly focus on emerging RA-regulated epigenetic mechanisms involving RA receptor alpha (RARA) and Annexin A8 (ANXA8), which is a member of the Annexin family, as well as ANXA8 regulatory microRNAs (miRNAs). The first cancer showing ANXA8 upregulation was reported in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), which induces the differentiation arrest of promyelocytes due to defective RA signaling caused by RARA fusion genes as the PML-RARA gene. Over the years, ANXA8 has also been found to be upregulated in other cancers, even in the absence of RARA fusion genes. Mechanistic studies on human mammary cells and mammary glands of mice showed that ANXA8 upregulation is caused by genetic mutations affecting RARA functions. Although not all of the underlying mechanisms of ANXA8 upregulation have been elucidated, the interdependence of RA-RARA and ANXA8 seems to play a relevant role in some normal and tumorigenic settings.
PubMed: 32823855
DOI: 10.3390/cancers12082275 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2022Quinolinones have been known for a long time as broad-spectrum synthetic antibiotics. More recently, the anticancer potential of this group of compounds has been...
Quinolinones have been known for a long time as broad-spectrum synthetic antibiotics. More recently, the anticancer potential of this group of compounds has been investigated. Following this direction, we obtained a small library of 3-methylidene-1-sulfonyl-2,3-dihydroquinolin-4(1)-ones with various substituents at positions 1, 2, 6, and 7 of the quinolinone ring system. The cytotoxic activity of the synthesized analogs was tested in the MTT assay on two cancer cell lines in order to determine the structure-activity relationship. All compounds produced high cytotoxic effects in MCF-7, and even higher in HL-60 cells. 2-Ethyl-3-methylidene-1-phenylsulfonyl-2,3-dihydroquinolin-4(1)-one, which was over 5-fold more cytotoxic for HL-60 than for normal HUVEC cells, was selected for further tests. This analog was shown to inhibit proliferation and induce DNA damage and apoptosis in HL-60 cells.
Topics: Antineoplastic Agents; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; HL-60 Cells; Humans; Molecular Structure; Quinolones; Structure-Activity Relationship
PubMed: 35684532
DOI: 10.3390/molecules27113597 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Aug 2019Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a neoplastic disorder resulting from clonal proliferation of poorly differentiated immature myeloid cells. Distinct genetic and... (Review)
Review
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a neoplastic disorder resulting from clonal proliferation of poorly differentiated immature myeloid cells. Distinct genetic and epigenetic aberrations are key features of AML that account for its variable response to standard therapy. Irrespective of their oncogenic mutations, AML cells produce elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). They also alter expression and activity of antioxidant enzymes to promote cell proliferation and survival. Subsequently, selective targeting of redox homeostasis in a molecularly heterogeneous disease, such as AML, has been an appealing approach in the development of novel anti-leukemic chemotherapeutics. Naphthoquinones are able to undergo redox cycling and generate ROS in cancer cells, which have made them excellent candidates for testing against AML cells. In addition to inducing oxidative imbalance in AML cells, depending on their structure, naphthoquinones negatively affect other cellular apparatus causing neoplastic cell death. Here we provide an overview of the anti-AML activities of naphthoquinone derivatives, as well as analysis of their mechanism of action, including induction of reduction-oxidation imbalance, alteration in mitochondrial transmembrane potential, Bcl-2 modulation, initiation of DNA damage, and modulation of MAPK and STAT3 activity, alterations in the unfolded protein response and translocation of FOX-related transcription factors to the nucleus.
Topics: Cell Differentiation; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation; Cell Survival; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; HL-60 Cells; Humans; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute; MAP Kinase Signaling System; Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial; Naphthoquinones; Reactive Oxygen Species
PubMed: 31466259
DOI: 10.3390/molecules24173121 -
Nature Jun 2020Advances in genetics and sequencing have identified a plethora of disease-associated and disease-causing genetic alterations. To determine causality between genetics and...
Advances in genetics and sequencing have identified a plethora of disease-associated and disease-causing genetic alterations. To determine causality between genetics and disease, accurate models for molecular dissection are required; however, the rapid expansion of transcriptional populations identified through single-cell analyses presents a major challenge for accurate comparisons between mutant and wild-type cells. Here we generate mouse models of human severe congenital neutropenia (SCN) using patient-derived mutations in the GFI1 transcription factor. To determine the effects of SCN mutations, we generated single-cell references for granulopoietic genomic states with linked epitopes, aligned mutant cells to their wild-type equivalents and identified differentially expressed genes and epigenetic loci. We find that GFI1-target genes are altered sequentially, as cells go through successive states of differentiation. These insights facilitated the genetic rescue of granulocytic specification but not post-commitment defects in innate immune effector function, and underscore the importance of evaluating the effects of mutations and therapy within each relevant cell state.
Topics: Animals; Candida albicans; Cell Lineage; DNA-Binding Proteins; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Granulocyte Precursor Cells; Humans; Immunity, Innate; Male; Mice; Mice, Transgenic; Mutation; Neutropenia; Neutrophils; Transcription Factors
PubMed: 32494068
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2227-7 -
Nutrients Jul 2023Unripe (uRO) contains various natural polyphenols with beneficial physiological activities and is particularly rich in ellagic acid (EA). EA has ameliorated type 2...
Unripe (uRO) contains various natural polyphenols with beneficial physiological activities and is particularly rich in ellagic acid (EA). EA has ameliorated type 2 inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness in animal models of eosinophilic asthma. EA is metabolized by the gut microbiota to urolithin A (UA), which exhibits anti-inflammatory properties. However, it remains unclear whether uRO, EA, and UA reduce inflammatory responses and oxidative stress in respiratory epithelial cells and neutrophils. In this study, inflammation was induced in A549 (human lung epithelial cells) and dHL-60 cells (neutrophil-like cells differentiated from human promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells) and treated with various concentrations of water extract of uRO (uRO-w), EA, and UA. EA, uRO-w and UA suppressed the inflammatory cytokine and chemokine levels and reduced the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 in A549 cells stimulated with IL-1β. As a result of analyzing the mechanism by which these inflammatory molecules are expressed, it was found that EA, uRO-w, and UA regulated corticosteroid-sensitive mitogen activated protein kinase, nuclear factor κB, and corticosteroid-insensitive AKT. In addition, uRO-w, EA, and UA significantly reduced reactive oxygen species levels in phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-stimulated dHL-60 cells and inhibited neutrophil extracellular trap formation. Therefore, our results suggest that uRO-w, EA, and UA are potential therapeutic agents for preventing and treating inflammatory respiratory diseases.
Topics: Animals; Humans; HL-60 Cells; Ellagic Acid; Rubus; A549 Cells; Inflammation
PubMed: 37571300
DOI: 10.3390/nu15153364 -
Anti-cancer Drugs Oct 2019Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (Peg-Dox) treatment resulted in a good outcome for patients with lymphoma and multiple myeloma, with reduced cardiotoxicity and an...
Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (Peg-Dox) treatment resulted in a good outcome for patients with lymphoma and multiple myeloma, with reduced cardiotoxicity and an improved pharmacokinetic profile when compared to those of conventional doxorubicin. However, the use of Peg-Dox in myeloid neoplasms remains poorly studied. In this study, we first tested the role of Peg-Dox in the killing of myeloid cell lines and of primary myeloid leukemia cells. Then, a Peg-Dox-based protocol was used to treat patients with myeloid neoplasms. The results showed that the Peg-Dox and Peg-Dox-based protocols had a similar killing ability in myeloid cell lines and in primary myeloid leukemia cells compared to that of conventional doxorubicin. The complete remission rate was 87.5% and 100% for patients with refractory/relapsed acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome with excess blasts, respectively, after treatment with Peg-Dox. All patients developed grade 3 or 4 hematological toxicity and recovered approximately 2 weeks after completing chemotherapy. No deaths or other severe complications were reported. Our results showed that Peg-Dox can be used in the treatment of myeloid neoplasms with high rates of complete remission and with mild complications.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Cell Line, Tumor; Child; Doxorubicin; Female; HL-60 Cells; Humans; K562 Cells; Male; Middle Aged; Multiple Myeloma; Polyethylene Glycols; Young Adult
PubMed: 31283544
DOI: 10.1097/CAD.0000000000000811