Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sukhneeraj P. Kaur, Arti Verma, Hee K. Lee, Lillie M. Barnett, Payaningal R. Somanath, Brian S. Cummings
Summary: The study investigates the role of CAFs in the tumor microenvironment and the regulation of HS-5 activation by glypican-1 (GPC-1). Inhibition of GPC-1 alters cellular morphology, increases migration and contractility, and upregulates pro-inflammatory signaling and CAF marker expression in HS-5 cells. These findings suggest that GPC-1 may be a potential pharmacological target for anti-CAF therapy in cancer treatment.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Aglaia Ntokou, Jui M. Dave, Amy C. Kauffman, Maor Sauler, Changwan Ryu, John Hwa, Erica L. Herzog, Inderjit Singh, W. Mark Saltzman, Daniel M. Greif
Summary: The study reveals that macrophage-derived PDGF-B plays a critical role in pulmonary hypertension, and inhibition of lung macrophage PDGF-B using nanoparticles holds significant implications as an interventional strategy.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Junfeng Wang, Yongchun Wang, Yifan Chu, Zhixiong Li, Xingjuan Yu, Zhijie Huang, Jing Xu, Limin Zheng
Summary: Tumor-infiltrating macrophages in human hepatocellular carcinoma exhibit higher proliferative capacity, less differentiation, and are induced by tumor cell-derived adenosine and autocrine granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Local macrophage proliferation is an important mechanism for macrophage accumulation in HCC tissues and selective modulation at the source may offer a novel strategy for cancer therapy.
JOURNAL OF HEPATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chen-Lin Yu, Meng-Shih Weng, Wei-Cheng Chen, Kai-Ting Chien, Chih-Wen Chi, Ching-Hu Chung, Chia-Wen Huang, Po-Chuan Wang, Chien-Chih Chen, An-Chi Tsai, Shih-Chia Liu, Shih-Wei Wang
Summary: Moscatilin inhibits the metastatic behavior of HCC cells without cytotoxicity, potentially through the Akt/NF-kappa B signaling pathway to impede HCC invasion and uPA expression. It may serve as a potential anti-metastatic agent against human HCC progression.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Samuel Wan Ki Wong, Sze Keong Tey, Xiaowen Mao, Hiu Ling Fung, Zhi-Jie Xiao, Danny Ka Ho Wong, Lung-Yi Mak, Man-Fung Yuen, Irene Oi-Lin Ng, Jing Ping Yun, Yi Gao, Judy Wai Ping Yam
Summary: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) growth and dissemination are driven by tumor-derived small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) and the upregulation of von Willibrand factor (vWF) along HCC stages. Elevated sEV-vWF levels promote angiogenesis, tumor-endothelial adhesion, pulmonary vascular leakiness, and metastasis in late-stage HCC patients. sEV-vWF modulates endothelial cells through increased VEGF-A and FGF2 levels, with FGF2 stimulating a positive feedback response in HCC via the FGFR4/ERK1 signaling pathway. Blocking tumor-endothelial intercellular communication through anti-vWF antibody or FGFR inhibitor improves the treatment outcome of sorafenib in a patient-derived xenograft mouse model, suggesting a new therapeutic strategy.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Barbara Chiavarina, Roberto Ronca, Yukihiro Otaka, Roger Bryan Sutton, Sara Rezzola, Takehiko Yokobori, Paola Chiodelli, Regis Souche, Didier Pourquier, Antonio Maraver, Gavino Faa, Lakhdar Khellaf, Evgenia Turtoi, Tetsunari Oyama, Stephanie Gofflot, Akeila Bellahcene, Olivier Detry, Philippe Delvenne, Vincent Castronovo, Masahiko Nishiyama, Andrei Turtoi
Summary: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) play important roles in tumor microenvironment and tumorigenesis. In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), there are three major CAF populations, one of which expresses prolargin protein. Prolargin acts as an angiogenesis modulator and tumor suppressor in HCC, inhibiting the activity of pro-angiogenic proteins. Stabilizing prolargin levels in the CAF_Port subpopulation may reverse their tumor-antagonizing properties.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Olga Grigorieva, Mikhail Arbatskiy, Ekaterina Novoseletskaya, Uliana Dyachkova, Alexander Ishkin, Natalia Kalinina, Anastasia Efimenko
Summary: The activation of multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) by PDGF-BB was found to induce the expression of genes associated with senescence, but further experimental validation demonstrated that PDGF-BB still exerted mitogenic and pro-migratory effects on MSCs, enhancing their pro-angiogenic activity without significantly stimulating MSC senescence.
Article
Immunology
Huimin Tao, Mingyu Liu, Yuan Wang, Shufeng Luo, Yongquan Xu, Bin Ye, Limin Zheng, Kun Meng, Lian Li
Summary: Studies show that icaritin can suppress tumor progression and increase the survival of mice with HCC by reducing MDSC accumulation and activation, while enhancing cytotoxic T cell activity. Icaritin achieves this by downregulating splenic EMH, leading to decreased MDSC generation and activation, thereby dampening tumoral immunosuppression and promoting anti-tumor immune responses.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Jeffrey S. Morris, Manal M. Hassan, Ye Emma Zohner, Zeya Wang, Lianchun Xiao, Asif Rashid, Abedul Haque, Reham Abdel-Wahab, Yehia I. Mohamed, Karri L. Ballard, Robert A. Wolff, Bhawana George, Liang Li, Genevera Allen, Michael Weylandt, Donghui Li, Wenyi Wang, Kanwal Raghav, James Yao, Hesham M. Amin, Ahmed Omar Kaseb
Summary: The HepatoScore system proposes a novel approach for risk assessment in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, providing a global biological characterization of individual patient's disease. It significantly improves prognostic assessments, therapeutic decision making, and patient stratification within existing staging systems and prognostic factors, demonstrating strong potential for clinical application.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Manal Alfwuaires, Hany Elsawy, Azza Sedky
Summary: This study suggests that ACN can inhibit the activation of STAT3 and suppress the expression of genes associated with HCC, making it a promising therapeutic compound for the treatment of HCC and other cancers.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
I-Ta Lu, Shih-Chao Lin, Yi-Chia Chu, Ya Wen, You-Cheng Lin, Wen-Chien Cheng, Jyh-Horng Sheu, Chi-Chien Lin
Summary: The compound (-)-Agelasidine A, derived from a sea sponge, has been found to inhibit the viability of human liver cancer cells by activating both mitochondrial apoptosis and endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis.
Article
Oncology
Manja Wobus, Anna Mies, Nandini Asokan, Uta Oelschlaegel, Kristin Moebus, Susann Winter, Michael Cross, Heike Weidner, Martina Rauner, Lorenz C. Hofbauer, Martin Bornhaeuser, Uwe Platzbecker
Summary: This study shows that luspatercept can restore ineffective hematopoiesis in MDS patients by modulating the functional properties of MSCs in the bone marrow microenvironment.
Article
Oncology
Shixiang Bao, Xiaopei Jiang, Shuai Jin, Peipei Tu, Jingtao Lu
Summary: Primary liver cancer is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide, with hepatocellular carcinoma accounting for the majority of cases. Immunotherapy targeting the HCC microenvironment has shown effectiveness in treatment, with studies indicating that TGF-beta 1 can regulate the expression of PD-1 and CTLA-4 on T lymphocytes, impacting their cytotoxicity towards HCC cells.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Katie A. Thies, Anisha M. Hammer, Blake E. Hildreth, Sarah A. Steck, Jonathan M. Spehar, Raleigh D. Kladney, Jennifer A. Geisler, Manjusri Das, Luke O. Russell, Jerome F. Bey, Chelsea M. Bolyard, Robert Pilarski, Anthony J. Trimboli, Maria C. Cuitino, Christopher S. Koivisto, Daniel G. Stover, Lynn Schoenfield, Jose Otero, Jonathan P. Godbout, Arnab Chakravarti, Matthew D. Ringel, Bhuvaneswari Ramaswamy, Zaibo Li, Balveen Kaur, Gustavo Leone, Michael C. Ostrowski, Steven T. Sizemore, Gina M. Sizemore
Summary: The PDGFB-to-PDGFR beta paracrine signaling pathway plays a crucial role in promoting breast cancer brain metastases, facilitating tumor growth and metastasis.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marlen Michalski, Magdalena Bauer, Franziska Walz, Deniz Tuemen, Philipp Heumann, Petra Stoeckert, Manuela Gunckel, Claudia Kunst, Arne Kandulski, Stephan Schmid, Martina Mueller, Karsten Guelow
Summary: Despite recent advances in therapy, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prognosis remains poor. This study presents the potential of combining BH3-mimetics as a new treatment option for HCC. BH3-mimetics inhibit anti-apoptotic proteins, triggering the intrinsic apoptosis pathway. The combination of two BH3-mimetic inhibitors showed enhanced efficacy in inducing the apoptosis pathway in HCC cell lines, suggesting the potential of this approach as a new therapeutic option for HCC.