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Es comunicación (formato panel) a congreso internacional ; In this work we developed a new synthetic strategy towards the solomonamides. a novel class of cyclopeptides of marine origin. The described synthetic approach utilized an olefin metathesis reaction to form the [15]-membered ring contained in these natural products. During the synthetic process, a diverse set of analogues was generated and we evaluated their potential antitumor activity in vitro. For this purpose we performed in vitro proliferation assays, determining the IC50 values of the compounds in a panel of tumor cell lines. In addition, we evaluated the possible antiangiogenic effects of these solomonamide analogues by using in vitro endothelial cell differentiation assays. Our results showed that the potential antitumor and antiangiogenic activity of the studied analogues depended on their chemical structure, suggesting that the presence of specific functional groups could be responsible of their biological activity. Further studies are needed to understand the basis of the observed activities in endothelial and tumor cells. ; Our experimental work is supported by grants BIO2014-56092-R (MINECO and FEDER) and P12-CTS-1507 (Andalusian Government and FEDER) and funds from group BIO-267 (Andalusian Government). The "CIBER de Enfermedades Raras" is an initiative from the ISCIII (Spain). This communicaction has the support of a travel grant "Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech"

Euphorbia tirucalli L. is commonly used to treat various pathologies, including cancer. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a crude extract of E. tirucalli on the development of Ehrlich solid tumors and immune function. We prepared an extract by macerating the aerial parts of the plant with 80% ethanol (1:10 g/v) for 15 days. Its effects on tumor development were assessed in male Swiss mice (n=10). The mice were injected subcutaneously with 10⁶ tumor cells and then treated by gavage daily with the extract (33.33, 67, and 133.34 mg kg-1) or saline (0.5% ethanol) for 30 days. The treatment had no toxic effect and did not reduce tumor growth. However, the weight of tumor mass was lowest in the mice treated with extract at 67 mg kg-1. Immunomodulatory activity was evaluated in mice (n=8), with and without tumors, treated with the extract (67 mg kg-1), under the same conditions as described above for 7 and 14 days. Lymphoproliferation, NK activity and IL-12, TNF-a, IFN-y, and IL-10 levels did not differ significantly between the groups. However, IL-4 levels were reduced in the E. tirucalli treated groups at 7 and 14 days when compared to the controls. We concluded that the extract is not toxic and cannot inhibit Ehrlich solid tumor development. Its immunomodulatory activity involves its ability to modulate IL-4 levels.

There is an urgent need for antitumor bioactive agents with minimal or no side effects over normal adjacent cells. Fucoidan is a marine-origin polymer with known antitumor activity. However, there are still some concerns about its application due to the inconsistent experimental results, specifically its toxicity over normal cells and the mechanism behind its action. Herein, three fucoidan extracts (FEs) have been tested over normal and breast cancer cell lines. From cytotoxicity results, only one of the extracts shows selective antitumor behavior (at 0.2 mg mLâ 1), despite similarities in sulfation degree and carbohydrates composition. Although the three FEs present different molecular weights, depolymerization of selected samples discarded Mw as the key factor in the antitumor activity. Significant differences in sulfates position and branching are observed, presenting FE 2 the higher branching degree. Based on all these experimental data, it is believed that these last two properties are the ones that influence the cytotoxic effects of fucoidan extracts. ; The authors would like to thank the funding from projects 0687_NOVOMAR_1_P, cofunded by INTERREG 2007-2013/POCTEP, CarbPol_u_Algae (EXPL/MAR-BIO/0165/2013), and IF/00376/2014/CP1212/CT0015, funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, FCT, and ComplexiTE (ERC-2012-ADG 20120216-321266), funded by the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Development. The authors would also like to thank FCT, Portugal, for the scholarship of A.S.F. (SFRH/BD/102471/2014), fellowship of C.N. (SFRH/BPD/100627/2014), Investigator grants of A.M. (IF/00376/2014), R.N.-C. (IF/00373/2014), and I.P. (IF/00032/2013) and the financial support to CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007679, FCT UID/CTM/50011/2013) and OOPNA (UID/OUI/00062/2013), through national founds and cofinanced by the FEDER, within the PT2020 Partnership ...

Dissertação de mestrado em Genética Molecular ; Mushrooms and their compounds are widely appreciated, not only for their nutritional but also for their medicinal properties. In fact, the search for various bioactive properties in different mushroom extracts or in the compounds isolated from those mushroom has been the focus of attention from the scientific community working in the area of natural products. The present work has focused on the study of the antitumor and immunomodulatory properties of extracts from three different mushrooms. Thus, the first aim of the present work was to gain insight into the mechanism of action of a methanolic extract of Cordyceps militaris in the non-small cell lung cancer cell line NCI-H460, since this extract had previously been shown to have tumour cell growth inhibitory activity in this cell line in particular. In addition, the second aim was to study the immunomodulatory activity of the Suillus luteus polysachararidic (PLS) extract and of the Morchella esculenta phenolic extract, using the monocytic THP-1 cell line which differentiates into machrophages upon stimulation. The response of NCI-H460 cells to the methanolic extract of C. militaris was studied regarding its effect on cellular viability, proliferation, cell cycle profile, apoptosis and DNA damage. Results showed that treatment with the methanolic extract of C. militaris caused a decrease in NCI-H460 cellular proliferation, a cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 and an increase in apoptosis. Interestingly, treatment with the extract was shown to increase the cellular levels of p53 and p21. Moreover, this study also showed evidence of cellular DNA damage caused by this extract, since increased levels of P-H2A.X and 53BP1 foci/cell were observed. Overall, this part of the work suggested that the methanolic extract of C. militaris affected NCI-H460 cellular viability through a mechanism which involved DNA damage and p53 activation. In addition, preliminary experiments were carried out to gain insight into the immunomodulatory ...

Cordyceps militaris contains many kinds of bioactive components with the various physiological activities, but has less natural sources of fruiting bodies. Compared with the fruiting bodies from the same origin, the fermented mycelia contained significantly higher amount of protein, crude fat and polysaccharides. The mycelia had more amount of the total amino acids, with proline (3.84 ± 0.12 g 100g-1), leucine (2.96 ± 0.10 g 100g-1), and aspartic acid (2.68 ± 0.06 g 100g-1) as the top three aboundant amino acids, while glutamic acid (3.56 ± 0.07 g 100g-1), aspartic acid (2.52 ± 0.13 g 100g-1), and valine (2.35 ± 0.11 g 100g-1) in fruiting bodies. The tested minerals in the mycelia were much more than those in fruiting bodies, especially Selenium which was nondetectable in fruiting bodies. However, the mycelia had lower level of cordycepin and mannitol. The mycelia also exhibited higher antitumor activity against six tested human cancer cell lines, with the range of IC50 (μg ml-1) from 25.03 ± 1.37 to 39.81 ± 0.54. In the animal test for liver cancer cell Hep G2, even high-dose treatment (250 mg kg-1 BW/day) of the extract of the mycelia inhibited the growth of tumor by only 27.6%, significantly lower than the positive control, CTX (30 mg kg-1 BW/day), but had no influence on body weight. The results confirm the potential of cultivated mycelia to be a good substitute of natural products.

This manuscript presents the synthesis, structural characterization, and antitumor evaluation of new monoquaternary salts derived from various N-heterocycles. For quinoline and quinoxaline, respectively, unexpected H-bonded mixtures of the reactants have been obtained. To assess their potential antitumor activity, the comprehensive panel of NCI's 60 human cancer cell lines was employed. Remarkably, mixtures 3g and 3h displayed significant inhibitory activity against leukemia, melanoma, and colon cancer cell lines. Furthermore, mixtures 3g and 3h displayed good cytotoxicity on MCF7 breast cancer cells, but not on normal fibroblasts, at 2.5x10-5 M, showing promise for therapeutic applications.

This study was supported by the Regional Government of Andalusia (Project P11-CTS-7651 and assistance to the CTS-107 group). ; The role of the induction of oxidative stress as the mechanism of action of many antitumor drugs is acquiring an increasing interest. In such cases, the antitumor therapy success may be conditioned by the antioxidants present in our own body, which can be synthesized de novo (endogenous) or incorporated through the diet and nutritional supplements (exogenous). In this paper, we have reviewed different aspects of antioxidants, including their classification, natural sources, importance in diet, consumption of nutritional supplements, and the impact of antioxidants on health. Moreover, we have focused especially on the study of the interaction between antioxidants and antitumor therapy, considering both radiotherapy and chemotherapy. In this regard, we found that the convenience of administration of antioxidants during cancer treatment still remains a very controversial issue. In general terms, antioxidants could promote or suppress the effectiveness of antitumor treatment and even protect healthy tissues against damage induced by oxidative stress. The effects may depend on many factors discussed in the paper. These factors should be taken into consideration in order to achieve precise nutritional recommendations for patients. The evidence at the moment suggests that the supplementation or restriction of exogenous antioxidants during cancer treatment, as appropriate, could contribute to improving its efficiency. ; Junta de Andalucia P11-CTS-7651

[EN] The induction of senescence produces a stable cell cycle arrest in cancer cells, thereby inhibiting tumor growth; however, the incomplete immune cell-mediated clearance of senescent cells may favor tumor relapse, limiting the long-term anti-tumorigenic effect of such drugs. A combination of senescence induction and the elimination of senescent cells may, therefore, represent an efficient means to inhibit tumor relapse. In this study, we explored the antitumor efficacy of a combinatory senogenic and targeted senolytic therapy in an immunocompetent orthotopic mouse model of the aggressive triple negative breast cancer subtype. Following palbociclib-induced senogenesis and senolysis by treatment with nano-encapsulated senolytic agent navitoclax, we observed inhibited tumor growth, reduced metastases, and a reduction in the systemic toxicity of navitoclax. We believe that this combination treatment approach may have relevance to other senescence-inducing chemotherapeutic drugs and additional tumor types. Significance: While the application of senescence inducers represents a successful treatment strategy in breast cancer patients, some patients still relapse, perhaps due to the subsequent accumulation of senescent cells in the body that can promote tumor recurrence. We now demonstrate that a combination treatment of a senescence inducer and a senolytic nanoparticle selectively eliminates senescent cells, delays tumor growth, and reduces metastases in a mouse model of aggressive breast cancer. Collectively, our results support targeted senolysis as a new therapeutic opportunity to improve outcomes in breast cancer patients. ; The M.O. laboratory members thank the financial support from the Spanish Government (project SAF2017-84689-R (MINECO/AEI/FEDER, EU)) and the Generalitat Valenciana (project PROMETEO/2019/065). The R.M. laboratory members thank the financial support from the Spanish Government (projects RTI2018-100910-B-C41 and RTI2018-101599-B-C22 (MCUI/FEDER, EU) and the Generalitat Valenciana (project ...

Qingyi He,2,* Xiaohui Wang,3,* Xing Zhang,4 Huifang Han,4 Baosan Han,5 Jianzhong Xu,2 Kanglai Tang,2 Zhiren Fu,1 Hao Yin1,4 1Department of Surgery, Organ Transplant Center, Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, Shanghai Second Military Medical School, 2Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, 3Department of General Surgery, Bayinguoleng Mengguzizhizhou People's Hospital, Korla, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China; 4Department of Surgery, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; 5Department of Surgery, Shanghai Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai, People's Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workAbstract: The traditional xenograft subcutaneous pancreatic cancer model is notorious for its low incidence of tumor formation, inconsistent results for the chemotherapeutic effects of drug molecules of interest, and a poor predictive capability for the clinical efficacy of novel drugs. These drawbacks are attributed to a variety of factors, including inoculation of heterogeneous tumor cells from patients with different pathological histories, and use of poorly defined Matrigel®. In this study, we aimed to tissue-engineer a pancreatic cancer model that could readily cultivate a pancreatic tumor derived from highly homogenous CD24+CD44+ pancreatic cancer stem cells delivered by a well defined electrospun scaffold of poly(glycolide-co-trimethylene carbonate) and gelatin. The scaffold supported in vitro tumorigenesis from CD24+CD44+ cancer stem cells for up to 7 days without inducing apoptosis. Moreover, CD24+CD44+ cancer stem cells delivered by the scaffold grew into a native-like mature pancreatic tumor within 8 weeks in vivo and exhibited accelerated tumorigenesis as well as a higher incidence of tumor formation than the traditional model. In the scaffold model, we discovered that oxaliplatin-gemcitabine (OXA-GEM), a chemotherapeutic regimen, induced tumor regression whereas gemcitabine alone only capped tumor growth. The mechanistic study attributed the superior antitumorigenic performance of OXA-GEM to its ability to induce apoptosis of CD24+CD44+ cancer stem cells. Compared with the traditional model, the scaffold model demonstrated a higher incidence of tumor formation and accelerated tumor growth. Use of a tiny population of highly homogenous CD24+CD44+ cancer stem cells delivered by a well defined scaffold greatly reduces the variability associated with the traditional model, which uses a heterogeneous tumor cell population and poorly defined Matrigel. The scaffold model is a robust platform for investigating the antitumorigenesis mechanism of novel chemotherapeutic drugs with a special focus on cancer stem cells.Keywords: pancreatic cancer, cancer stem cell, electrospun scaffold, gemcitabine, oxaliplatin

Bee bread (BB) is a fermented mixture of plant pollen, honey, and bee saliva that worker bees use as food for larvae, and for young bees to produce royal jelly. In the present study, five BB samples, collected from Apis mellifera iberiensis hives located in different apiaries near Bragança, in the northeast region of Portugal, and one BB commercial sample were characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a diode array detector and electrospray mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-ESI/MS) in terms of phenolic compounds, such as flavonoid glycoside derivatives. Furthermore, the samples were screened, using in vitro assays, against different human tumor cell lines, MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma), NCI-H460 (non-small cell lung cancer), HeLa (cervical carcinoma) and HepG2 (hepatocellular carcinoma), and also against non-tumor liver cells (porcine liver cells, PLP2). The main phenolic compounds found were flavonol derivatives, mainly quercetin, kaempferol, myricetin, isorhamnetin and herbacetrin glycoside derivatives. Thirty-two compounds were identified in the six BB samples, presenting BB1 and BB3 with the highest contents (6802 and 6480 µg/g extract, respectively) and the highest number of identified compounds. Two isorhamnetin glycoside derivatives, isrohamnetin-O-hexosyl-O-rutinoside and isorhamnetin-O-pentosyl-hexoside, were the most abundant compounds present in BB1; on the other hand, quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside was the most abundant flavonol in BB3. However, it was not possible to establish a correlation between the flavonoids and the observed low to moderate cytotoxicity (ranging from > 400 to 68 µg/mL), in which HeLa and NCI-H460 cell lines were the most susceptible to the inhibition. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report characterizing glycosidic flavonoids in BB samples, contributing to the chemical knowledge of this less explored bee product. ; The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support to CIMO (Pest-OE/AGR/UI0690/2013) and L. Barros grant (SFRH/BPD/107855/2015). Also, to POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006984 (LA LSRE-LCM), funded by FEDER, through POCI-COMPETE2020 and FCT. The GIP-USAL is financially supported by the Spanish Government through the project AGL2015-64522-C2-2-R. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were biosynthesized using the cell free supernatant of putative probiotic Lactobacillus paracasei A26. Several biological activities of biogenic AgNPs were investigated in respect to in vitro anti-oxidant and anti-tumor potentials. Anti-oxidant potentials were screened in terms of free radical scavenging activity against two free radicals, 2, 2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and resazurin dye. AgNPs exhibited a potent scavenging activity against resazurin dye (91±0.046%) with an EC50 concentration of 146.823 µg/ml, while scavenging of DPPH was significantly (P≤0.05) reduced to 72.330±0.114% using a higher EC50 concentration of 176.12 µg/ml. The anti-tumor potentials of biogenic AgNPs were studied in relation to the cytotoxicity against two human breast cancer cell lines (CAL-51 and MCF7), using crystal violet dye assay. The viability of AgNPs-treated cancerous cells was significantly decreased in a time- and concentration manner, as compared to insignificant cytotoxic effects against the normal cell line. However, the anti-proliferative activity of AgNPs did not exceed the value of 63.85±0.019% in both cancer cell lines. CAL-51 cells were the most sensitive to the introduced AgNPs, with a maximum decrease in viability of 49.889±0.021% being reached using an IC50 value of 98.65µg/ml for 48h exposure time. The inhibition percentage was increased to 60.13±0.005% when the used IC50 value was significantly declined to 40.73µg/ml with an exposure time expanded to 72h. MCF7 cells showed lower sensitivity than CAL-51 cells, but with a similar inhibition trend of 59.523±0.01% with an IC50 concentration of 66.54 µg/ml for 48h which was increased to 63.857±0.019% when the IC50 was reduced to 62.63 µg/ml and the exposure time expanded to 72h. The morphological changes of AgNPs-treated cells were apparent at 72h exposure time, with cells showing apoptotic-like features such as shrinkage and losing of regular fusiform shape. Moreover, cells became detached to surfaces and from each other.

Oncolytic virotherapy represents a promising alternative for cancer treatment; however, viral delivery to the tumor represents a major challenge. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) chemotax to tumors, and can serve as a viral delivery tool. Previously, we demonstrated antitumor therapeutic efficacy for mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) infected with the oncolytic human adenovirus ICOVIR5 (Celyvir) for treatment of neuroblastoma patients. Given the lack of suitable immunocompetent preclinical models, the mechanism underlying Celyvir antitumor activity remains unknown. In this study, we used the syngeneic murine CMT64 cell line as a human adenovirus-semi-permissive tumor model and demonstrate the homing capacity of mouse Celyvir (mCelyvir) to CMT64 tumors. We found that the combined treatment of mCelyvir and intratumoral injections (i.t.) of ICOVIR5 was more effective than treatment with i.t. ICOVIR5 alone. Interestingly, the superior therapeutic effect of the combined therapy was associated with a higher tumor infiltration of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. Our findings suggest that the use of MSCs as carriers of oncolytic adenovirus can improve the clinical efficacy of anti-cancer virotherapy, not only by driving the adenovirus to tumors, but also through their potential to recruit T cells. ; This work was supported by grants from the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias (PI05/2217; PI08/0029; PI14CIII/00005), RTICC (RD12/0036/0015; RD12/0036/0027) and the Madrid Regional Government (S-BIO-0204-2006, MesenCAM; P2010/BMD-2420, CellCAM) in Spain to JG-C. ER and TC are supported by the "Sara Borrell" program of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III. The experiments were approved by the appropriate committees. ; Sí