Review
Biology
Jan Skubnik, Vladimira Svobodova Pavlicova, Tomas Ruml, Silvie Rimpelova
Summary: Vincristine is a commonly used compound in cancer treatment, known for its strong anticancer activity but also for its neurotoxic side effects. Despite limitations, it continues to play a crucial role in combination therapy.
Article
Oncology
Lucas Moreno, Steven G. DuBois, Julia Glade Bender, Audrey Mauguen, Nick Bird, Vickie Buenger, Michela Casanova, Francois Doz, Elizabeth Fox, Lia Gore, Douglas S. Hawkins, Shai Izraeli, David T. W. Jones, Pamela R. Kearns, Jan J. Molenaar, Karsten Nysom, Stefan Pfister, Gregory Reaman, Malcolm Smith, Brenda Weigel, Gilles Vassal, Christian Michel Zwaan, Xavier Paoletti, Alexia Iasonos, Andrew D. J. Pearson
Summary: There is a growing need to evaluate innovative drugs for childhood cancer using combination strategies. Combinations of anticancer therapies should be developed on the basis of mechanism of action and robust preclinical evaluation. An optimized, agreed approach to the design and evaluation of early-phase pediatric combination trials will accelerate drug development and benefit all stakeholders.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Nobuyuki Takahashi, Zhonglin Hao, Liza C. Villaruz, Jun Zhang, Jimmy Ruiz, W. Jeffrey Petty, Hirva Mamdani, Jonathan W. Riess, Jorge Nieva, Jose M. Pachecho, Alexander D. Fuld, Elaine Shum, Aman Chauhan, Samantha Nichols, Hirity Shimellis, Jessie Mcglone, Linda Sciuto, Danielle Pinkiert, Chante Graham, Meenakshi Shelat, Robbie Kattappuram, Melissa Abel, Brett Schroeder, Deep Upadhyay, Manan Krishnamurthy, Ajit Kumar Sharma, Rajesh Kumar, Justin Malin, Christopher W. Schultz, Shubhank Goyal, Christophe E. Redon, Yves Pommier, Mirit I. Aladjem, Steven D. Gore, Seth M. Steinberg, Rasa Vilimas, Parth Desai, Anish Thomas
Summary: The addition of berzosertib to topotecan treatment did not improve progression-free survival for patients with relapsed SCLC, but significantly improved overall survival.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Aryse Martins Melo, Vanice Rodrigues Poester, Mariana Trapaga, Cristina Wayne Nogueira, Gilson Zeni, Marife Martinez, Gabriele Sass, David A. Stevens, Melissa Orzechowski Xavier
Summary: Diphenyl diselenide (PhSe)(2) showed promising in vitro antifungal activity against Aspergillus species, with synergistic or additive effects observed when combined with voriconazole and caspofungin. However, in the in vivo experimental model, (PhSe)(2) did not significantly prolong survival in mice, indicating the need for further research to determine its potential applicability in aspergillosis treatment.
Article
Oncology
Piotr J. Wysocki, Mateusz Lobacz, Pawel Potocki, Lukasz Kwinta, Anna Michalowska-Kaczmarczyk, Agnieszka Slowik, Kamil Konopka, Anna Buda-Nowak
Summary: In this retrospective analysis, the safety and activity of metronomic chemotherapy (MC) based on topotecan or a combination of topotecan and cyclophosphamide were evaluated in advanced ovarian cancer patients. MC demonstrated clinically meaningful activity and good safety profile in this difficult population. The study also suggested that overweight or obese patients had significantly better outcomes with MC than patients with BMI <25 kg/m(2).
Article
Polymer Science
Xiaonong Zhang, Peng Zhang, Chunsheng Xiao, Xuesi Chen
Summary: A ROS-responsive targeted anticancer drug delivery system was developed by embedding NBC-modified DNase I in a DNase-degradable DNA nanogel, allowing drug release upon intracellular ROS stimulation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ozge Cengiz Mat, Pinar Alisan Suna, Munevver Baran, Ayse Ceyhan, Arzu Yay
Summary: Doxorubicin may cause ovarian damage, but supplementation with 1 mg of selenium can alleviate this toxicity by improving antioxidant mechanisms, reducing inflammation and apoptosis, and restoring ovarian architecture.
JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMICAL AND MOLECULAR TOXICOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Chih-Hung Guo, Simon Hsia, Chieh-Han Chung, Yi-Chun Lin, Min-Yi Shih, Pei-Chung Chen, Guoo-Shyng W. Hsu, Ciou-Ting Fan, Chia-Lin Peng
Summary: The combination treatment of fish oil (FO) and selenium (Se) with low-dose Avastin enhances therapeutic efficacy against triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in a dose-dependent manner by targeting multiple signaling pathways in membrane, cytoplasmic, and nucleic targets. This combination treatment inhibits tumor growth and metastasis, down-regulates proangiogenic factors, and alters key signaling molecules, leading to increased apoptosis and inhibition of cancer progression.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
In Seon Jeon, Jae Do Yoo, Smriti Gurung, Minseong Kim, Chanju Lee, Eun Jung Park, Rang-Woon Park, Byungheon Lee, Soyoun Kim
Summary: The use of ferritin nanocages displaying PD-L1pep1 shows potential as an effective immunotherapy by specifically targeting PD-L1 expressed on cancer cells and restoring T cell activities. In a mouse model, these nanocages demonstrated antitumor activity and were more potent when encapsulating the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin compared to a monoclonal antibody against PD-L1. This suggests that ferritin nanocages could be a promising immunotherapeutic nanomedicine for solid tumors.
Review
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Sruthi Sritharan, Nageswaran Sivalingam
Summary: Doxorubicin is a widely used chemotherapeutic drug for cancer treatment, inducing cell death through various mechanisms and aiding in immune clearance of tumor cells, but its applicability is limited by the development of chemoresistance and cardiotoxicity. Various formulations and co-treatments are essential in reducing toxicity and combating resistance. Further research into the molecular mechanisms of chemoresistance development is crucial for improving patient survivability and preventing cancer relapse.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hai-Bing Yang, Zhao-Yang Lu, Wei Yuan, Wei-Dong Li, Shang Mao
Summary: Selenium may protect against DOX-induced cardiotoxicity by regulating the Nrf2-NLRP3 pathway, including reducing myocardial injury, inhibiting oxidative damage and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression, promoting Nrf2 expression, and preventing NLRP3 inflammasome activation.
BIOLOGICAL TRACE ELEMENT RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ravindra D. Mule, Akhilesh Kumar, Shashank P. Sancheti, B. Senthilkumar, Himanshu Kumar, Nitin T. Patil
Summary: This study reports the development of a library of benzo[a]quinolizinium-based Au(i) complexes and identifies BQ-AurIPr as a novel redox-active complex with potent anticancer properties. BQ-AurIPr efficiently generates DAMPs and enhances the immunogenicity of cancer cells, making it more effective than FDA-approved drugs known to induce ICD.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Juan Pablo Davila-Vega, Ana Carolina Gastelum-Hernandez, Sayra N. Serrano-Sandoval, Sergio O. Serna-Saldivar, Janet A. Guitierrez-Uribe, Jorge Milan-Carrillo, M. Carmen Martinez-Cuesta, Daniela Guardado-Felix
Summary: Selenium is an important micronutrient with various functions in anticancer processes. It can act as a modulator in anticancer mechanisms depending on its chemical form and dosage. Different selenocompounds have been reported to have crucial roles as chemopreventive agents and show promising results in cancer therapies. This review compiles studies on the molecular-level anticancer effects of Selenium and its potential as a chemopreventive and cancer treatment.
BIOLOGICAL TRACE ELEMENT RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Puja Ghosh, Himja Tiwari, Jaya Lakkakula, Arpita Roy, Talha Bin Emran, Summya Rashid, Saad Alghamdi, Bodour S. Rajab, Mazen Almehmadi, Mamdouh Allahyani, Abdulelah Aljuaid, Ahad Amer Alsaiari, Rohit Sharma, Ahmad O. Babalghith
Summary: Despite advancements in the biomedical field, clinically approved cancer therapeutics are mostly limited to chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy. There is a growing demand for targeted drug delivery using nanomaterials to mitigate the cardiotoxicity and side effects associated with current treatment strategies. In this review, the use of modified liposomes encapsulating the commonly used drug doxorubicin (DOX) is explored for the treatment of various types of cancer, showing potential for enhanced efficiency and site-specific drug delivery.
MATERIALS TODAY ADVANCES
(2022)
Review
Oncology
John C. Dawson, Alan Serrels, Dwayne G. Stupack, David D. Schlaepfer, Margaret C. Frame
Summary: Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is commonly overexpressed in cancer and involved in various oncogenic processes and resistance mechanisms, making FAK inhibitors most effective as combination therapies in selected patient populations.
NATURE REVIEWS CANCER
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Orsolya Domotor, Ricardo G. Teixeira, Gabriella Spengler, Fernando Avecilla, Fernanda Marques, Oscar A. Lenis-Rojas, Cristina P. Matos, Rodrigo F. M. de Almeida, Eva A. Enyedy, Ana Isabel Tomaz
Summary: In this study, two Ru(II)-polypyridyl compounds were prepared and characterized. The solid-state structure was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. The solubility, stability, and lipophilicity of the complexes were investigated under physiological mimetic conditions, as well as their potential uptake by passive diffusion. The complexes exhibited cytotoxicity on ovarian and colon cancer cells and induced late apoptosis and necrosis. They showed weak binding to human serum albumin but significant binding to calf thymus DNA.
JOURNAL OF INORGANIC BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Andreina Henriquez-Figuereo, Cristina Moran-Serradilla, Eduardo Angulo-Elizari, Carmen Sanmartin, Daniel Plano
Summary: Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of infectious diseases caused by protozoa, with a high incidence and prevalence in developing countries. Economic factors hinder the management of these diseases, and there is a lack of effective drugs and high costs. This study aims to identify novel chalcogen-derived molecules against Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, and human African trypanosomiasis (HAT).
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tamas Pivarcsik, Vivien Posa, Hilda Kovacs, Nora May, Gabriella Spengler, Szonja P. Posa, Szilard Toth, Zeinab Nezafat Yazdi, Csilla Ozvegy-Laczka, Imre Ugrai, Istvan Szatmari, Gergely Szakacs, Eva A. Enyedy
Summary: This article investigates a novel 5-nitro-8-hydroxyquinoline-proline hybrid and its Rh(eta(5)-C5Me5) and Ru(eta(6)-p-cymene) complexes, which have excellent solubility in water and show inhibitory effects on sensitive and multidrug-resistant cells.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shirley A. R. Sancha, Nikoletta Szemeredi, Gabriella Spengler, Maria-Jose U. Ferreira
Summary: In order to overcome multidrug resistance in cancer chemotherapy, lycorine, a major Amaryllidaceae alkaloid isolated from Pancratium maritimum, was derivatized to obtain 31 new compounds. These compounds showed significant activity in the study of anticancer drug resistance.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tatsiana Petrasheuskaya, Ferenc Kovacs, Nora Igaz, Andrea Ronavari, Balint Hajdu, Laura Bereczki, Nora May, Gabriella Spengler, Bela Gyurcsik, Monika Kiricsi, Eva Frank, Eva A. Enyedy
Summary: A series of novel estradiol-based salicylaldehyde (thio)semicarbazones and their Cu(II) complexes were synthesized and characterized. The Cu(II)-estradiol-semicarbazone complex structure was determined by X-ray crystallography. The Cu(II) complexes of estradiol-TSC and its N,N-dimethyl derivative showed high cytotoxicity against cancer cells and significant activity against Staphylococcus aureus bacteria strain. Estradiol-TSCs exhibited efficient antioxidant activity, which was decreased by complexation with Cu(II) ions. The exchange of estrone moiety to estradiol did not significantly affect the physicochemical and biological properties.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nora Astrain-Redin, Irene Talavera, Esther Moreno, Maria J. Ramirez, Nuria Martinez-Saez, Ignacio Encio, Arun K. Sharma, Carmen Sanmartin, Daniel Plano
Summary: Nowadays, Se-containing molecules, such as ebselen, have demonstrated well-established preventive effects against cancer and Alzheimer's disease. In this study, a total of 39 Se-derivatives were synthesized and tested for their antioxidant and antiproliferative activities. Compound 13a showed concentration- and time-dependent radical scavenging activity, while compounds 14a and 17a exhibited high activity in certain cancer cell lines. Compound 14a also showed promising potential as an anti-Alzheimer agent.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Peter Balis, Andrea Berenyiova, Anton Misak, Marian Grman, Zuzana Rostakova, Iveta Waczulikova, Sona Cacanyiova, Enrique Dominguez-Alvarez, Karol Ondrias
Summary: Phthalic selenoanhydride, when dissolved in physiological buffer, releases various reactive selenium species including H2Se. It is a potential compound for selenium supplementation and exerts various biological effects, although its effect on the cardiovascular system is still unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effects of R-Se on rat hemodynamic parameters and vasoactive properties in isolated arteries, and the results suggest that R-Se acts on vascular smooth muscle cells, which may explain its effects on rat hemodynamic parameters.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Pawel Zagrodzki, Agnieszka Wiesner, Monika Marcinkowska, Marek Jamrozik, Enrique Dominguez-Alvarez, Katarzyna Bierla, Ryszard Lobinski, Joanna Szpunar, Jadwiga Handzlik, Agnieszka Galanty, Shela Gorinstein, Pawel Pasko
Summary: Due to selenium deficiency in humans, the search for new organic molecules containing this element in plant biofortification is important. This study evaluated selenium organic esters based on benzoselenoate scaffolds, with additional halogen atoms and various functional groups. The study aimed to discover the relationships between molecular characteristics of these compounds and the amount of sulfur phytochemicals in kale sprouts. The statistical model revealed a correlation structure between the molecular descriptors of selenium compounds and the biochemical features of the sprouts.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Elek Ferencz, Gabriella Spengler, Istvan Zupko, Martin Vollar, Zoltan Peter Zomborszki, Norbert Kusz, Judit Hohmann, Balazs Kovacs, Dezso Csupor, Eszter Laczko-Zold, Boglarka Csupor-Loffler
Summary: Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) is an invasive plant in Europe used in folk medicine. The chemical composition of its above-ground parts is well-studied, but less is known about the metabolites of the roots. In this study, several compounds were isolated from the root extracts, including a new compound called thiophene E (6). Thiophene E exhibited cytotoxic and antiproliferative effects on A-431 epidermoid skin cancer cells. Another compound, taraxerol-3-O-acetate, showed slight antiproliferative effect on gynecological cancer cell lines. These findings highlight the need for further studies on the safety of ragweed root.
ZEITSCHRIFT FUR NATURFORSCHUNG SECTION C-A JOURNAL OF BIOSCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Balint Racz, Annamaria Kincses, Krisztian Laczi, Gabor Rakhely, Enrique Dominguez-alvarez, Gabriella Spengler
Summary: Recently, the anticancer activity of symmetrical selenoesters was investigated in sensitive and resistant human colon adenocarcinoma cells. The compounds showed synergistic interaction with doxorubicin and exhibited ABCB1 inhibitory and apoptosis-inducing effects. Transcriptome analysis revealed that symmetrical selenoesters may influence the redox state of cells and interfere with metastasis formation.
Article
Plant Sciences
Bara Krizkovska, Lan Hoang, Daniela Brdova, Kristyna Klementova, Nikoletta Szemeredi, Anna Louckova, Olga Kronusova, Gabriella Spengler, Petr Kastanek, Jana Hajslova, Jitka Viktorova, Jan Lipov
Summary: Salvia officinalis L., Sambucus nigra L., Matricaria chamomilla L., Agrimonia eupatoria L., Fragaria vesca L., and Malva sylvestris L. are plants that have been used in European folk medicine for treating skin wounds and infections. This study investigated their potential as adjuvants for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The results showed that Malva sylvestris had the highest antimicrobial activity, while Fragaria vesca and Sambucus nigra demonstrated potential as efflux pump inhibitors. Overall, these plants have potential for improving antibiotic treatment.
JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Janos P. Meszaros, Hilda Kovacs, Gabriella Spengler, Ferenc Kovacs, Eva Frank, Eva A. Enyedy
Summary: A salicylhydroxamic acid-estradiol hybrid molecule (E2HA) was synthesized, which forms high-stability complexes with essential metal ions (iron, copper) and exhibits moderate anticancer activity in human cancer cell lines.
JOURNAL OF INORGANIC BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Andreina Henriquez-Figuereo, Esther Moreno, Carmen Sanmartin, Daniel Plano
Summary: This work focuses on the design, synthesis, and biological activities of new selenoester derivatives and thioester homologs with potential as therapeutic candidates for leishmaniasis. These compounds showed structural similarities to antileishmanial drugs and exhibited high sensitivity against Leishmania infantum, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis. Four selanylacetic acid derivatives demonstrated significant leishmanicidal characteristics and pharmacological synergism with the oral drug miltefosine.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nora Astrain-Redin, Asif Raza, Ignacio Encio, Arun K. Sharma, Daniel Plano, Carmen Sanmartin
Summary: Oxidative stress provides cancer cells with advantages for disease progression. Se-containing molecules with anticancer and antioxidant activity were synthesized and showed potent radical scavenging and anticancer activity. New Se derivatives resembling natural products exhibited high radical scavenging activity and antiproliferative effects.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Itziar Galarreta-Rodriguez, Mikel Etxebeste-Mitxeltorena, Esther Moreno, Daniel Plano, Carmen Sanmartin, Saad Megahed, Neus Feliu, Wolfgang J. Parak, Eneko Garaio, Izaskun Gil de Muro, Luis Lezama, Idoia Ruiz de Larramendi, Maite Insausti
Summary: In this study, a drug carrier nanosystem based on Fe3O4 nanoparticles with large heating power was designed. The nanosystem showed high selectivity against colon cancer cells and demonstrated good efficacy as a magnetic hyperthermia inductor.