Article
Plant Sciences
Dipti Tonk, Abdul Mujib, Mehpara Maqsood, Mir Khusrau, Ali Alsughayyir, Yaser Hassan Dewir
Summary: This study investigated the effect of Fusarium oxysporum on the yields of vinblastine and vincristine alkaloids in Catharanthus roseus embryos. The addition of F. oxysporum extract improved the growth of callus biomass and enhanced the accumulation of vinblastine and vincristine in the tissues. Low doses of the Fusarium treatment resulted in high germination rates and longer shoot and root lengths of somatic embryos. The yields of vinblastine and vincristine were measured, with the highest and increased yields observed in F. oxysporum-amended tissues.
Editorial Material
Hematology
Franco Locatelli
Summary: In this article, the authors conducted a systematic review meta-analysis of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) studies and found that the survival benefit of vincristine (VCR)/steroid pulses in maintenance therapy is no longer present in contemporary trials. Decreasing or removing these pulses also reduces toxicity rates. This finding has implications for future trials in childhood ALL, particularly in reducing treatment-related toxicities.
Review
Plant Sciences
Anamika Paul, Krishnendu Acharya, Nilanjan Chakraborty
Summary: The demand for natural products has led to increased interest in the medicinal plant Catharanthus roseus. This plant is known for its traditional pharmacological applications and its rich phytochemical composition, particularly alkaloids. Among these alkaloids, vinblastine and vincristine are of great importance as expensive anti-cancer compounds. This review provides an overview of the biosynthesis, extraction, detection, mode of action, and limitations of vinblastine and vincristine, aiming to contribute to the understanding of their mechanism of action and potential side effects. The need for increasing the production of these alkaloids using cost-effective biotechnological methods is also highlighted.
SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Barthelemy Diouf, Claudia Wing, John C. Panetta, Donnie Eddins, Wenwei Lin, Wenjian Yang, Yiping Fan, Deqing Pei, Cheng Cheng, Shannon M. Delaney, Wei Zhang, Erik J. Bonten, Kristine R. Crews, Steven W. Paugh, Lie Li, Burgess B. Freeman, Robert J. Autry, Jordan A. Beard, Daniel C. Ferguson, Laura J. Janke, Kirsten K. Ness, Taosheng Chen, Stanislav S. Zakharenko, Sima Jeha, Ching-Hon Pui, Mary V. Relling, M. Eileen Dolan, William E. Evans
Summary: The research discovered a method to enhance the cytotoxic effect of Vincristine on leukemia cells, prolong the survival of mice, while reducing neurotoxicity. This finding may offer a strategy to increase the drug's anticancer effects while minimizing peripheral neuropathy.
CTS-CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Koji Wada, Masuo Goto, Hisano Tanaka, Megumi Mizukami, Yuji Suzuki, Kuo-Hsiung Lee, Hiroshi Yamashita
Summary: Although many diterpenoid alkaloids have been evaluated for their antiproliferative activity, little is known about the effects of hetisine-type C20-diterpenoid alkaloids and their derivatives. In this study, a total of 43 novel derivatives were prepared and their antiproliferative effects against human cancer cell lines were evaluated. The results showed that some newly synthesized derivatives exhibited significant suppressive effects, suggesting that these compounds could be potential candidates for overcoming triple-negative breast cancer.
Review
Neurosciences
Stefanie Geisler
Summary: Vincristine and bortezomib are effective chemotherapeutics for hematological cancers, but they can cause peripheral neuropathy as a main side effect, leading to potential permanent disability. Research using various cellular and animal models has shown that bortezomib induces transcriptional programs in the dorsal root ganglia, resulting in neuroinflammatory pathways and central sensitization, while vincristine has direct toxic effects on axons. These findings provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of vincristine- and bortezomib-induced neuropathies and potential avenues for developing treatments to prevent or reverse them, ultimately improving patients' quality of life during and after cancer therapy.
EXPERIMENTAL NEUROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Tracy L. Rose, Michael R. Harrison, Allison M. Deal, Sundhar Ramalingam, Young E. Whang, Blaine Brower, Mary Dunn, Chelsea K. Osterman, Hillary M. Heiling, Marc A. Bjurlin, Angela B. Smith, Matthew E. Nielsen, Hung-Jui Tan, Eric Wallen, Michael E. Woods, Daniel George, Tian Zhang, Anthony Drier, William Y. Kim, Matthew I. Milowsky
Summary: The study evaluated the safety and efficacy of gemcitabine and cisplatin in combination with pembrolizumab as neoadjuvant therapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Results showed improved pathologic downstaging and acceptable safety profile, with ongoing phase 3 trial for further validation.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
M. S. van der Heijden, G. Sonpavde, T. Powles, A. Necchi, M. Burotto, M. Schenker, J. P. Sade, A. Bamias, P. Beuzeboc, J. Bedke, J. Oldenburg, G. Chatta, Y. Urun, D. Ye, Z. He, B. P. Valderrama, J. H. Ku, Y. Tomita, J. Filian, L. Wang, D. Purcea, M. Y. Patel, F. Nasroulah, M. D. Galsky
Summary: In patients with previously untreated advanced urothelial carcinoma, combination therapy with nivolumab plus gemcitabine-cisplatin resulted in significantly better outcomes compared to gemcitabine-cisplatin alone.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Michas Antoszczak, Kieran Gadsby-Davis, Dietmar Steverding, Adam Huczy
Summary: Salinomycin (SAL) is a natural compound with a broad spectrum of biological effects. In this study, novel urea and thiourea analogs of C20-epi-aminosalinomycin were synthesized and evaluated for their trypanocidal and cytotoxic activities. Among the tested compounds, 4b and 4d showed the most potent antitrypanosomal activity and were capable of inducing faster cell swelling in bloodstream-form trypanosomes compared to the reference compound SAL. These findings suggest that C20-epi-aminosalinomycin derivatives have the potential to be developed into improved trypanocidal drugs.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Bo Li, Jun Wu, Lei Tang, Xu Lian, Zhongwen Li, Wenfang Duan, Tong Qin, Xintong Zhao, Yuhua Hu, Chi Zhang, Tianlei Li, Jie Hao, Wenxuan Zhang, Jihong Zhang, Song Wu
Summary: Seventeen C20-O-alkyl/benzyl oxime derivatives were synthesized by a concise and effective method, and showed improved antiproliferative activity against colorectal, gastric, and breast cancer cells compared to salinomycin. The derivatives can coordinate potassium ions and adjust cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations, potentially due to their better ion binding and transport ability. Additionally, they exhibited lower neurotoxic risk, indicating higher selectivity indexes.
ORGANIC & BIOMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Yang Li, Thomas Drabison, Mahesh Nepal, Richard H. Ho, Alix F. Leblanc, Alice A. Gibson, Yan Jin, Wenjian Yang, Kevin M. Huang, Muhammad Erfan Uddin, Mingqing Chen, Duncan F. DiGiacomo, Xihui Chen, Sobia Razzaq, Jeffrey R. Tonniges, Dana M. McTigue, Alice S. Mims, Maryam B. Lustberg, Yijia Wang, Amanda B. Hummon, William E. Evans, Sharyn D. Baker, Guido Cavaletti, Alex Sparreboom, Shuiying Hu
Summary: Vincristine is a chemotherapeutic drug used for treating malignant diseases, but it causes a dose-limiting neurotoxicity. This study identified OATP1B3 as a transporter regulating vincristine accumulation in neurons. Inhibition of OATP1B2 protected mice from vincristine-induced neurotoxicity, and α-tocopherol was identified as a biomarker for OATP1B2 function. These findings provide insights into the mechanism of vincristine-induced neurotoxicity and suggest the potential use of transporter inhibitors to prevent this side effect.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Aniekan Ekpenyong Owen, Annika Preiss, Angus McLuskie, Chang Gao, Gavin Peters, Michael Buehl, Amit Kumar
Summary: Urea derivatives and polyureas are important compounds with diverse applications. However, the conventional synthesis methods involving toxic reagents pose risks to the environment and human health. In this study, a catalytic reaction using safer reagents was developed to synthesize urea derivatives and polyureas. The method demonstrated high efficiency and atom economy, achieving moderate to quantitative yields of various compounds. Mechanistic insights were also provided through experiments and computational analysis.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nao Iguchi, Sarah L. Hecht, Dexiang Gao, Duncan T. Wilcox, Anna P. Malykhina, Nicholas G. Cost
Summary: This study investigated the effects of Vincristine on lower urinary tract (LUT) function in pediatric patients. The results showed that Vincristine caused changes in urinary frequency, bladder capacity, and bladder activity. The study also found sex differences in the effects of Vincristine, with females and males showing different responses. These findings suggest that follow-up urological assessment may be beneficial for pediatric cancer patients treated with Vincristine.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Patrick J. Leavey, Nadia N. Laack, Mark D. Krailo, Allen Buxton, R. Lor Randall, Steven G. DuBois, Damon R. Reed, Holcombe E. Grier, Douglas S. Hawkins, Bruce Pawel, Helen Nadel, Richard B. Womer, G. Douglas Letson, Mark Bernstein, Kenneth Brown, Alexis Maciej, Paul Chuba, Atif A. Ahmed, Daniel J. Indelicato, Dian Wang, Neyssa Marina, Richard Gorlick, Katherine A. Janeway, Leo Mascarenhas
Summary: The study aimed to test whether the addition of VTC to interval compressed chemotherapy improved survival outcomes for Ewing sarcoma patients. The results showed no difference in survival outcomes between the two groups, with age and primary site not affecting the EFS event risk, but age >= 18 years being associated with increased risk of death at 5 years.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Amit Kumar, James Luk
Summary: The study introduces a method for catalytic hydrogenation of various urea derivatives to produce amines and methanol with high yields using ruthenium or iridium Macho pincer complex catalysts. Additionally, the concept is expanded to demonstrate the first example of hydrogenative depolymerization of polyureas to produce diamines and methanol with moderate yields.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2021)
