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Advanced Pharmaceutical Bulletin Mar 2024Spironolactone (SPN), which is classified as an anti-androgen, has demonstrated efficacy in treating acne. This study aimed to utilize ultrasonication to create a...
PURPOSE
Spironolactone (SPN), which is classified as an anti-androgen, has demonstrated efficacy in treating acne. This study aimed to utilize ultrasonication to create a chitosan-coated nano lipid carrier (NLC) for enhancing the delivery of SPN to the skin and treating acne.
METHODS
Various hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) values were investigated to optimize the SPN-NLCs. Photon correlation spectroscopy, attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were employed to characterize the solid state of SPN in nanoparticle form. Additionally, the optimized formulation was used in a double-blind, randomized clinical trial.
RESULTS
Reducing the HLB of the surfactant mixtures resulted in a reduction in the size of SPNNLCs. The formula with the smallest particle diameter (238.4±0.74 nm) and the lowest HLB value (9.65) exhibited the highest encapsulation efficiency (EE) of 79.88±1.807%. Coating the optimized SPN-NLC with chitosan increased the diameter, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential (ZP), and EE. In vitro skin absorption studies demonstrated sustained release profiles for chitosan-coated SPN-NLC. In the double-blind trial, a gel containing chitosan-coated SPN-NLC effectively treated mild to moderate acne vulgaris, leading to improved healing and reduced lesion count after 8 weeks of therapy compared to the placebo. It successfully addressed both non-inflammatory and inflammatory lesions without adverse effects on the skin.
CONCLUSION
The findings indicate that chitosan-coated SPN-NLCs have the potential as nanoparticles for targeted SPN delivery to the skin, offering novel options for the treatment of acne vulgaris.
PubMed: 38585452
DOI: 10.34172/apb.2024.011 -
International Journal of Clinical... Jun 2024Triplet therapy, androgen receptor signaling inhibitors (ARSIs) plus docetaxel plus androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT), is a novel guideline-recommended treatment for... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Impact of disease volume on survival efficacy of triplet therapy for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and network meta-analysis.
BACKGROUND
Triplet therapy, androgen receptor signaling inhibitors (ARSIs) plus docetaxel plus androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT), is a novel guideline-recommended treatment for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC). However, the optimal selection of the patient most likely to benefit from triplet therapy remains unclear.
METHODS
We performed a systematic review, meta-analysis, and network meta-analysis to assess the oncologic benefit of triplet therapy in mHSPC patients stratified by disease volume and compare them with doublet treatment regimens. Three databases and meeting abstracts were queried in March 2023 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating patients treated with systemic therapy for mHSPC stratified by disease volume. Primary interests of measure were overall survival (OS). We followed the PRISMA guideline and AMSTAR2 checklist.
RESULTS
Overall, eight RCTs were included for meta-analyses and network meta-analyses (NMAs). Triplet therapy outperformed docetaxel plus ADT in terms of OS in both patients with high-(pooled HR: 0.73, 95%CI 0.64-0.84) and low-volume mHSPC (pooled HR: 0.71, 95%CI 0.52-0.97). There was no statistically significant difference between patients with low- vs. high-volume in terms of OS benefit from adding ARSI to docetaxel plus ADT (p = 0.9). Analysis of treatment rankings showed that darolutamide plus docetaxel plus ADT (90%) had the highest likelihood of improved OS in patients with high-volume disease, while enzalutamide plus ADT (84%) had the highest in with low-volume disease.
CONCLUSIONS
Triplet therapy improves OS in mHSPC patients compared to docetaxel-based doublet therapy, irrespective of disease volume. However, based on treatment ranking, triplet therapy should preferably be considered for patients with high-volume mHSPC while those with low-volume are likely to be adequately treated with ARSI + ADT.
Topics: Humans; Male; Androgen Antagonists; Androgen Receptor Antagonists; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Docetaxel; Network Meta-Analysis; Prostatic Neoplasms; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Tumor Burden
PubMed: 38582807
DOI: 10.1007/s10147-024-02485-4 -
Cancer Reports (Hoboken, N.J.) Apr 2024Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men. Central nervous system (CNS) involvement in prostate cancer which manifests as cerebral, leptomeningeal, or...
BACKGROUND
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men. Central nervous system (CNS) involvement in prostate cancer which manifests as cerebral, leptomeningeal, or dural involvement is uncommon and occurs late in the course of disease.
CASE
A 60-year-old patient with castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) presented with headache and fatigue. Evaluation revealed bone marrow and leptomeningeal involvement. The patient treated by whole brain radiotherapy, leuprolide, weekly docetaxel and daily 1000 mg abiraterone. Complete blood count (CBC) and CNS symptoms improved and the patient is alive after 11 months with excellent performance status.
CONCLUSION
Leptomeningeal involvement in prostate cancer is rare and is associated with a poor prognosis but the possibility of such event should be considered in patients with new onset progressive CNS symptoms. New treatment strategies such as combination of docetaxel and abiraterone added to androgen deprivation therapy (triplet therapy) might improve outcome in these patients.
Topics: Male; Humans; Middle Aged; Docetaxel; Androgen Antagonists; Bone Marrow; Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 38577848
DOI: 10.1002/cnr2.2041 -
JAAD Case Reports May 2024
PubMed: 38576901
DOI: 10.1016/j.jdcr.2023.08.027 -
Communications Biology Apr 2024Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor (DSRCT) is a rare, pediatric cancer caused by the EWSR1::WT1 fusion protein. DSRCT predominantly occurs in males, which comprise...
Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor (DSRCT) is a rare, pediatric cancer caused by the EWSR1::WT1 fusion protein. DSRCT predominantly occurs in males, which comprise 80-90% of the patient population. While the reason for this male predominance remains unknown, one hypothesis is that the androgen receptor (AR) plays a critical role in DSRCT and elevated testosterone levels in males help drive tumor growth. Here, we demonstrate that AR is highly expressed in DSRCT relative to other fusion-driven sarcomas and that the AR antagonists enzalutamide and flutamide reduce DSRCT growth. However, despite these findings, which suggest an important role for AR in DSRCT, we show that DSRCT cell lines form xenografts in female mice at the same rate as male mice and AR depletion does not significantly alter DSRCT growth in vitro. Further, we find that AR antagonists reduce DSRCT growth in cells depleted of AR, establishing an AR-independent mechanism of action. These findings suggest that AR dependence is not the reason for male predominance in DSRCT and that AR-targeted therapies may provide therapeutic benefit primarily through an AR-independent mechanism that requires further elucidation.
Topics: Child; Humans; Male; Female; Animals; Mice; Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor; Receptors, Androgen; Benzamides; Nitriles; Phenylthiohydantoin
PubMed: 38575753
DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06003-0 -
European Urology Jul 2024The utility of prostate radiotherapy (RT) is unclear in men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) receiving intensified systemic therapy with... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
The utility of prostate radiotherapy (RT) is unclear in men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) receiving intensified systemic therapy with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and androgen receptor pathway inhibitors (ARPIs). We performed a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to investigate the role of prostate RT in low-volume mHSPC.
METHODS
Bibliographic databases and conference proceedings were searched through July 2023 for RCTs evaluating the addition of ARPIs or prostate RT to standard of care (SOC) systemic therapy, defined as ADT or ADT plus docetaxel, for the initial treatment of mHSPC. We focused exclusively on aggregate data from the low-volume mHSPC subpopulation in these trials. We pooled the treatment arms into four groups: SOC, SOC plus ARPI, SOC plus RT, and SOC plus ARPI plus RT. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS). To compare treatment strategies, a fixed-effects Bayesian network meta-analysis was undertaken, while a Bayesian network meta-regression was performed to account for across-trial differences in docetaxel use as part of SOC and in proportions of patients with de novo presentation.
KEY FINDINGS AND LIMITATIONS
Ten RCTs comprising 4423 patients were eligible. The Surface Under the Cumulative Ranking Curve scores were 0.0006, 0.45, 0.62, and 0.94 for SOC, SOC plus RT, SOC plus ARPI, and SOC plus ARPI plus RT, respectively. On a meta-regression, in a population with de novo mHSPC and no docetaxel use, we did not find sufficient evidence of a difference in OS between SOC plus ARPI plus RT versus SOC plus ARPI (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.76; 95% credible interval: 0.51-1.16) and SOC plus RT versus SOC plus ARPI (HR: 1.10; 95% credible interval: 0.92-1.42).
CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS
There was some evidence that SOC plus ARPI plus RT reduced mortality compared with the next best strategy of SOC plus ARPI in patients with low-volume de novo mHSPC. A meta-analysis with individual patient data or an RCT is needed to confirm these findings.
Topics: Humans; Male; Prostatic Neoplasms; Network Meta-Analysis; Androgen Antagonists; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Neoplasm Metastasis
PubMed: 38570246
DOI: 10.1016/j.eururo.2024.03.018 -
JACC. Basic To Translational Science Mar 2024Low testosterone (T), common in aging men, associates with cardiovascular disease. We investigated whether follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which is affected by T,...
Low testosterone (T), common in aging men, associates with cardiovascular disease. We investigated whether follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which is affected by T, modulates the cardiovascular effects associated with low T or castration. FSHβ:low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) mice, untreated or castrated (orchiectomy, gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist or antagonist), demonstrated significantly less atherogenesis compared with similarly treated LDLR mice, but not following FSH delivery. Smaller plaque burden in LDLR mice receiving gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonists vs agonists were nullified in FSHβ:LDLR mice. Atherosclerotic and necrotic plaque size and macrophage infiltration correlated with serum FSH/T. In patients with prostate cancer, FSH/T following androgen-deprivation therapy initiation predicted cardiovascular events. FSH facilitates cardiovascular disease when T is low or eliminated.
PubMed: 38559622
DOI: 10.1016/j.jacbts.2023.10.010 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Apr 2024Mammalian switch/sucrose nonfermentable (mSWI/SNF) ATPase degraders have been shown to be effective in enhancer-driven cancers by functioning to impede oncogenic...
Mammalian switch/sucrose nonfermentable (mSWI/SNF) ATPase degraders have been shown to be effective in enhancer-driven cancers by functioning to impede oncogenic transcription factor chromatin accessibility. Here, we developed AU-24118, an orally bioavailable proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) degrader of mSWI/SNF ATPases (SMARCA2 and SMARCA4) and PBRM1. AU-24118 demonstrated tumor regression in a model of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) which was further enhanced with combination enzalutamide treatment, a standard of care androgen receptor (AR) antagonist used in CRPC patients. Importantly, AU-24118 exhibited favorable pharmacokinetic profiles in preclinical analyses in mice and rats, and further toxicity testing in mice showed a favorable safety profile. As acquired resistance is common with targeted cancer therapeutics, experiments were designed to explore potential mechanisms of resistance that may arise with long-term mSWI/SNF ATPase PROTAC treatment. Prostate cancer cell lines exposed to long-term treatment with high doses of a mSWI/SNF ATPase degrader developed SMARCA4 bromodomain mutations and ABCB1 (ATP binding cassette subfamily B member 1) overexpression as acquired mechanisms of resistance. Intriguingly, while SMARCA4 mutations provided specific resistance to mSWI/SNF degraders, ABCB1 overexpression provided broader resistance to other potent PROTAC degraders targeting bromodomain-containing protein 4 and AR. The ABCB1 inhibitor, zosuquidar, reversed resistance to all three PROTAC degraders tested. Combined, these findings position mSWI/SNF degraders for clinical translation for patients with enhancer-driven cancers and define strategies to overcome resistance mechanisms that may arise.
Topics: Male; Humans; Rats; Mice; Animals; Adenosine Triphosphatases; Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant; Cell Line; Chromatin; Mammals; Androgen Receptor Antagonists; DNA Helicases; Nuclear Proteins; Transcription Factors
PubMed: 38557192
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2322563121 -
Urologic Oncology Jun 2024The incidence of nonmetastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC) is not well defined in contemporary practice. The aim of this study is to describe the...
OBJECTIVES
The incidence of nonmetastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC) is not well defined in contemporary practice. The aim of this study is to describe the incidence and patterns of treatment of nmCRPC over the last 6 years at a single high-volume Australian health institution.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS
All men newly diagnosed with prostate cancer at Western Health, Melbourne from January 2016 to December 2021 were included in the study. Those diagnosed with nonmetastatic prostate cancer and treated with medical or surgical castration for biochemical failure post attempted curative therapy were retrospectively reviewed for signs of castration resistance using prostate specific antigen (PSA) and testosterone biochemical markers up until October 2022.
RESULTS
From January 2016 to December 2021, 822 patients were diagnosed with prostate cancer, 590 had localized disease, 373 underwent definitive locoregional therapy, and 31 went on to have biochemical recurrence and were commenced on androgen deprivation therapy. Twenty-five patients had undetectable PSA levels and were classified as having nonmetastatic castrate sensitive prostate cancer (nmCSPC), whilst the remaining 6 patients experienced a rising PSA and were thus classified as nmCRPC. The incidence rate of nmCRPC was 228 cases per 100,000 person-years. The median age at the time of prostate biopsy was 74 years (interquartile range [IQR] 64-79) in the nmCRPC group and 62 years (IQR 57-69) in the nmCSPC group. The median prebiopsy PSA (ng/ml) in the nmCRPC and nmCSPC groups were 27.5 (IQR 19.9-50.4), and 16.5 (IQR 9.0-26.0), respectively. The median duration from prostate cancer diagnosis to onset of nmCRPC was 24 months (IQR 17-29) and the median PSA doubling time was 3.4 months (IQR 2.2-5.7).
CONCLUSIONS
Thus, nmCRPC is an uncommon disease. Further population-based studies are required to better understand the incidence of nmCRPC.
Topics: Humans; Male; Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant; Aged; Retrospective Studies; Middle Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Incidence; Androgen Antagonists; Prostate-Specific Antigen
PubMed: 38555235
DOI: 10.1016/j.urolonc.2024.03.005 -
Pharmacological Research May 2024In American men, the incidence of prostate cancer (PC) is the highest among all types of cancer, making it the second leading cause of mortality associated with cancer.... (Review)
Review
In American men, the incidence of prostate cancer (PC) is the highest among all types of cancer, making it the second leading cause of mortality associated with cancer. For advanced or metastatic PC, antiandrogen therapies are standard treatment options. The administration of these treatments unfortunately carries the potential risk of inducing neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC). Neuroendocrine differentiation (NED) serves as a crucial indicator of prostate cancer development, encompassing various factors such as phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR), Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1), AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), miRNA. The processes of autophagy and ferroptosis (an iron-dependent form of programmed cell death) play pivotal roles in the regulation of various types of cancers. Clinical trials and preclinical investigations have been conducted on many signaling pathways during the development of NEPC, with the deepening of research, autophagy and ferroptosis appear to be the potential target for regulating NEPC. Due to the dual nature of autophagy and ferroptosis in cancer, gaining a deeper understanding of the developmental programs associated with achieving autophagy and ferroptosis may enhance risk stratification and treatment efficacy for patients with NEPC.
Topics: Humans; Ferroptosis; Autophagy; Male; Prostatic Neoplasms; Animals; Signal Transduction; Antineoplastic Agents; Neuroendocrine Tumors
PubMed: 38554788
DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2024.107162