聚乙烯亚胺介导siRNA和顺铂协同抗肿瘤治疗

用聚乙烯亚胺(PEI)为载体,介导siRNA(siSurvivin)沉默肿瘤细胞抗凋亡基因survivin,并与抗癌药物(顺铂)进行协同抗肿瘤治疗.凝胶阻滞电泳实验显示,PEI能够对siRNA进行有效复合,在PEI/siRNA质量比为0.4时实现完全阻滞.细胞耐药性实验证明了耐顺铂细胞(A549DDP细胞)的survivin基因过度表达且耐顺铂能力是顺铂敏感细胞(A549细胞)的8倍.RT-PCR实验验证了PEI担载siSurvivin后对survivin基因实现了有效沉默,与顺铂药物共同作用后不影响基因沉默效果.细胞凋亡实验验证了基因与药物协同作用后细胞的凋亡率达到60.9％,而单独药物或PEI/siSurvivin复合物分别作用后的细胞凋亡率仅分别为30.2％和19.8％.细胞增殖实验进一步验证了PEI介导siSurvivin与顺铂联合治疗能够实现有效地协同抗肿瘤效果.     

铂类抗肿瘤药物与蛋白质的作用机理

铂类抗肿瘤药物在癌症化疗中被广泛应用,通常认为铂类药物通过与肿瘤细胞的DNA形成交联物,抑制DNA复制,造成DNA损伤,进而诱导细胞凋亡.然而,近年来的研究表明,铂类药物在进入细胞核与DNA结合之前,会与细胞内外的多种蛋白质发生复杂的相互作用.这些作用一方面会影响铂类药物的运输、代谢以及与DNA靶点的作用,从而对铂类药物的药效、耐药性产生影响;另一方面,铂类药物的作用会影响蛋白质的活性,与铂类药物的毒副作用以及蛋白质靶点所贡献的药效紧密相连.本文将从这两方面介绍近年来铂类药物与蛋白质相互作用研究取得的进展、小分子化合物对铂类药物与蛋白质作用的影响,并对铂类药物与非抗癌作用靶点蛋白的作用进行了介绍,以及研究这些相互作用的常用方法.     

基于核酸修饰新策略的抗肿瘤铂配合物设计

肿瘤已成为严重威胁人类健康的重大疾病之一。以顺铂为首的铂类抗肿瘤药物一直是化疗首选药物。但是长期用药导致的一系列的毒副作用如肾毒性、耳毒性和耐药性等极大地限制了铂类配合物的发展与应用。本文针对目前铂类药物所处形势重点综述了新一代铂类药物的设计研发方法：（1）研发具有新颖结构的铂类药物,例如经过改造的反式铂类配合物、多核铂类配合物、Pt（Ⅳ）配合物等;（2）发展新的抗肿瘤靶点,例如以G-四螺旋DNA（G4-DNA）为靶点,为寻找更有效的铂类抗肿瘤药物提供新的思路。同时通过列举最新研究成果,分析药物的抗肿瘤机理及在克服顺铂耐药性机理方面的研究进展,提出铂类药物的设计研发方法,让读者了解铂类抗肿瘤药物的发展历程和未来的发展趋势。     

快速线扫描拉曼成像技术在研究CaSki细胞凋亡过程中的应用

应用快速线扫描拉曼成像技术研究了在抗肿瘤药物顺铂诱导下宫颈癌Ca Ski细胞凋亡过程中细胞色素c、蛋白质和脂质等的时空变化规律.结果表明,细胞色素c与蛋白质的相对拉曼峰强可以反映细胞凋亡程度.与常用的表征细胞活性的噻唑蓝(MTT)实验的统计方法相比,利用拉曼成像技术可以更灵敏地观察到细胞凋亡早期生物活性分子的变化,从而在单细胞水平检测细胞凋亡过程,为解析药物与细胞的作用机制提供分子水平信息.     

顺铂,碳铂与鸟苷,L—蛋氨酸反应动力学比较研究

自发现顺铂具有抗癌活性以来,人们一直致力于它的抗癌机理研究。很多结果表明顺铂与蛋白质核苷酸(DNA)作用时主要与DNA中鸟嘌呤的N_7配位,通过形成链内交联作用造成DNA损伤。顺铂在显示抗癌活性的同时,也表现出较强的毒副作用,有文献认为毒性可能与形成Pt—S键抑制生物体内的巯基酶有关。     

环已二胺铂(Ⅱ)类配合物跨人红细胞膜动力学研究

60年代未, Rosenberg和 Van Camp首先发现了顺式二氯二氨合铂 ?具有抗肿瘤活性 [1]。虽然顺铂用于抗癌药疗效很高,但它的毒副作用也较大。因此寻找高效、低毒的铂类抗癌药,进行了数千种铂配合物的合成,但目前用于临床的仅有几个。顺铂的抗癌机制已进行了大量研究。普遍认为它的靶分子是 DNA,它能抑制 DNA的合成 [2]。然而顺铂在临床上的毒副作用已经表明它作用的靶分子不仅仅是 DNA。细胞膜是铂类配合物进入细胞内的第一道屏障,因此研究不同铂类配合物与细胞膜的作用不仅对进一步认识这类抗癌药物的药理和毒性机制具有重要意义,…     

抗肿瘤多核铂配合物的研究

多核铂配合物作为非经典铂抗肿瘤药物,其抗肿瘤机制与现有铂类抗肿瘤药物不同,因而在克服现有铂类抗肿瘤药物耐药性方面有着巨大的潜力。本文综述了多核铂类抗肿瘤药物的研究进展,以连接铂原子的桥配体结构的不同,可分为六大类:以烷基二胺及其衍生物为桥的多核铂配合物、以含氮杂环为桥的多核铂配合物、以羧酸根为桥的多核铂配合物、以卤素离子为桥的多核铂配合物、以含硫配体为桥的多核铂配合物及以其他配体为桥的多核铂配合物。本文还介绍了这几类多核铂配合物的抗肿瘤机理及在克服顺铂耐药性机理方面的研究进展。     

钌多吡啶配合物的合成、表征及其与DNA相互作用的研究

二十世纪七十年代,顺铂作为抗肿瘤药物在临床上的广泛使用,使无机过渡金属配合物的抗肿瘤活性成为生物医药领域的研究热点之一;随后研究者在数千个铂系金属配合物中又筛选出了毒性相对较低的广谱抗肿瘤药物卡铂和环硫铂[1].但是临床上化疗药物的疗效、毒副作用和肿瘤细胞的耐药性等问题仍是生物医药领域亟待解决的关键问题之一.钌和钌配合物在生物体内易于吸收和代谢,属于低毒性的化合物;而且钌配合物具有与铂配合物相似的分子结构,能够以插入方式、沟结合方式和静电作用方式与DNA分子交联,干扰核酸的生物功能.国际上已普遍认为,钌配合物将成为最有前途的抗肿瘤药物之一[2].     

顺铂与DNA键合机制的CNDO/2研究

本文用CNDO/2法研究了顺铂与DNA键合的机制.计算结果指出,在所考虑的几个模型配合物中,从Pt-N_7间重叠集居和双原子能分析,以顺铂与两个鸟嘌呤的N_7键合形成[(NH_3)_2PtG_2]~(2 )的可能性最大,因而支持了顺铂和DNA的相邻两个鸟嘌呤的N_7键合的链内交联机制.但是,螯合机理不能完全排除,在一定条件下,顺铂可能与一个鸟嘌呤的N_7和O键合形成一定量的螯合物.然而,由于它较[(NH_3)_2PtG_2]~(2 )不稳定,因此,不能成为顺铂伤害癌细胞的主要原因.至于链内交联机理如何造成DNA复制障碍尚待进一步研究.     

抗癌药物的先驱——顺铂

顺铂在人类抗癌历程中发挥着里程碑式的作用,本文重点介绍顺铂的作用机理、致毒机理和细胞对其产生耐药性的机理,并由此指出铂类药物所存在的缺陷以及发展方向。     

A Platinum(IV) Anticancer Prodrug Targeting Nucleotide Excision Repair To Overcome Cisplatin Resistance

DNA damage response plays a key role not only in maintaining genome integrity but also in mediating the antitumor efficacy of DNA‐damaging antineoplastic drugs. Herein, we report the rational design and evaluation of a Pt^IV anticancer prodrug inhibiting nucleotide excision repair (NER), one of the most pivotal processes after the formation of cisplatin‐induced DNA damage that deactivates the drug and leads to drug resistance in the clinic. This dual‐action prodrug enters cells efficiently and causes DNA damage while simultaneously inhibiting NER to promote apoptotic response. The prodrug is strongly active against the proliferation of cisplatin‐resistant human cancer cells with an up to 88‐fold increase in growth inhibition compared with cisplatin, and the prodrug is much more active than a mixture of cisplatin and an NER inhibitor. Our study highlights the importance of targeting downstream pathways after the formation of Pt‐induced DNA damage as a novel strategy to conquer cisplatin resistance.     

Monochalcoplatin: An Actively Transported,Quickly Reducible,and Highly Potent PtIV Anticancer Prodrug

Recently, Pt^IV prodrugs have attracted much attention as the next generation of platinum‐based antineoplastic drug candidates. Here we report the discovery and evaluation of monochalcoplatin, a monocarboxylated Pt^IV prodrug that is among the most cytotoxic Pt^IV prodrugs to date. Compared with its dicarboxylated counterpart chalcoplatin, monochalcoplatin accumulates astonishingly effectively and rapidly in cancer cells, which is not ascribed to its lipophilicity. The prodrug is quickly reduced, causes DNA damage, and induces apoptosis, resulting in superior cytotoxicity with IC₅₀ values in the nanomolar range in both cisplatin‐sensitive and ‐resistant cells; these IC₅₀ values are up to 422‐fold higher than that of cisplatin. A detailed mechanistic study reveals that monochalcoplatin actively enters cells through a transporter‐mediated process. Moreover, monochalcoplatin shows significant antitumor activity in an in vivo colorectal tumor model. Our study implies a practical strategy for the design of more effective Pt^IV prodrugs to conquer drug resistance by tuning both cellular uptake pathways and activation processes.     

Monochalcoplatin: An Actively Transported,Quickly Reducible,and Highly Potent PtIV Anticancer Prodrug

Recently, Pt^IV prodrugs have attracted much attention as the next generation of platinum‐based antineoplastic drug candidates. Here we report the discovery and evaluation of monochalcoplatin, a monocarboxylated Pt^IV prodrug that is among the most cytotoxic Pt^IV prodrugs to date. Compared with its dicarboxylated counterpart chalcoplatin, monochalcoplatin accumulates astonishingly effectively and rapidly in cancer cells, which is not ascribed to its lipophilicity. The prodrug is quickly reduced, causes DNA damage, and induces apoptosis, resulting in superior cytotoxicity with IC₅₀ values in the nanomolar range in both cisplatin‐sensitive and ‐resistant cells; these IC₅₀ values are up to 422‐fold higher than that of cisplatin. A detailed mechanistic study reveals that monochalcoplatin actively enters cells through a transporter‐mediated process. Moreover, monochalcoplatin shows significant antitumor activity in an in vivo colorectal tumor model. Our study implies a practical strategy for the design of more effective Pt^IV prodrugs to conquer drug resistance by tuning both cellular uptake pathways and activation processes.     

Self‐assembled Lipid Nanoparticles for Ratiometric Codelivery of Cisplatin and siRNA Targeting XPF to Combat Drug Resistance in Lung Cancer

DNA damage repair through the nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway is one of the major reasons for the decreased antitumor efficacy of platinum‐based anticancer drugs that have been widely applied in the clinic. Inhibiting the intrinsic NER function may enhance the antitumor activity of cisplatin and conquer cisplatin resistance. Herein, we report the design, optimization, and application of a self‐assembled lipid nanoparticle (LNP) system to simultaneously deliver a cisplatin prodrug together with siRNA targeting endonuclease xeroderma pigmentosum group F (XPF), a crucial component in the NER pathway. The LNP is able to efficiently encapsulate both the platinum prodrug and siRNA molecules with a tuned ratio. Both platinum prodrug and XPF‐targeted siRNA are efficiently carried into cells and released; the former damages DNA and the latter specifically downregulates both mRNA and protein levels of XPF to potentiate the platinum drug, leading to enhanced expression levels of apoptosis markers and improved cytotoxicity in both cisplatin‐sensitive and ‐resistant human lung cancer cells. Our results demonstrate an effective approach to utilize a multi‐targeted nanoparticle system that can specifically silence an NER‐related gene to promote apoptosis induced by cisplatin, especially in cisplatin‐refractory tumors.     

Role of Bcl-2 Family Proteins in Photodynamic Therapy Mediated Cell Survival and Regulation

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment modality that involves three components: combination of a photosensitizer, light and molecular oxygen that leads to localized formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The ROS generated from this promising therapeutic modality can be lethal to the cell and leads to consequential destruction of tumor cells. However, sometimes the ROS trigger a stress response survival mechanism that helps the cells to cope with PDT-induced damage, resulting in resistance to the treatment. One preferred mechanism of cell death induced by PDT is apoptosis, and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family proteins have been described as a major determinant of life or death decision of the death pathways. Apoptosis is a cellular self-destruction mechanism to remove old cells through the biological event of tissue homeostasis. The Bcl-2 family proteins act as a critical mediator of a life–death decision of cells in maintaining tissue homeostasis. There are several reports that show cancer cells developing resistance due to the increased interaction of the pro-survival Bcl-2 family proteins. However, the key mechanisms leading to apoptosis evasion and drug resistance have not been adequately understood. Therefore, it is critical to understand the mechanisms of PDT resistance, as well as the Bcl-2 family proteins, to give more insight into the treatment outcomes. In this review, we describe the role of Bcl-2 gene family proteins’ interaction in response to disease progression and PDT-induced resistance mechanisms.     

Valproic Acid Promotes Apoptosis and Cisplatin Sensitivity Through Downregulation of H19 Noncoding RNA in Ovarian A2780 Cells

Cisplatin resistance is one of the main limitations in the treatment of ovarian cancer, which is partly mediated by long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). H19 is a lncRNA involving in cisplatin resistance in cancers. Valproic acid (VPA) is a commonly used drug for clinical treatment of seizure disorders. In addition, this drug may display its effects through regulation of noncoding RNAs controlling gene expression. The aim of the present study was the investigation of VPA treatment effect on H19 expression in ovarian cancer cells and also the relation of the H19 levels with apoptosis and cisplatin resistance. Briefly, treatment with VPA not only led to significant increase in apoptosis rate, but also increased the cisplatin sensitivity of A2780/CP cells. We found that following VPA treatment, the expression of H19 and EZH2 decreased, but the expression of p21 and PTEN increased significantly. To investigate the involvement of H19 in VPA-induced apoptosis and cisplatin sensitivity, H19 was inhibited by a specific siRNA. Our results demonstrate that H19 knockdown by siRNA induced apoptosis and sensitized the A2780/CP cells to cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity. These data indicated that VPA negatively regulates the expression of H19 in ovarian cancer cells, which subsequently leads to apoptosis induction, cell proliferation inhibition, and overwhelming to cisplatin resistance. The implication of H19→EZH2→p21/PTEN pathway by VPA treatment suggests that we could repurpose an old drug, valproic acid, as an effective drug for treatment of ovarian cancer in the future.     

Autophagy in UV Damage Response

UV radiation exposure from sunlight and artificial tanning beds is the major risk factor for the development of skin cancer and skin photoaging. UV‐induced skin damage can trigger a cascade of DNA damage response signaling pathways, including cell cycle arrest, DNA repair and, if damage is irreparable, apoptosis. Compensatory proliferation replaces the apoptotic cells to maintain skin barrier integrity. Disruption of these processes can be exploited to promote carcinogenesis by allowing the survival and proliferation of damaged cells. UV radiation also induces autophagy, a catabolic process that clears unwanted or damaged proteins, lipids and organelles. The mechanisms by which autophagy is activated following UV exposure, and the functions of autophagy in UV response, are only now being clarified. Here, we summarize the current understanding of the mechanisms governing autophagy regulation by UV, the roles of autophagy in regulating cellular response to UV‐induced photodamage and the implications of autophagy modulation in the treatment and prevention of photoaging and skin cancer.     

Multiple pathways of recombination define cellular responses to cisplatin

BACKGROUND: Cisplatin is a DNA-damaging drug used for treatment of testicular tumors. The toxicity of cisplatin probably results from its ability to form DNA adducts that inhibit polymerases. Blocked replication represents a particular challenge for tumor cells, which are committed to unremitting division. Recombination provides a mechanism by which replication can proceed despite the presence of lesions and therefore could be significant for managing cisplatin toxicity. RESULTS: Recombination-deficient Escherichia coli mutants were strikingly sensitive to cisplatin when compared with the parental strain. Our data identified both daughter-strand gap and double-strand break recombination pathways as critical for survival following treatment with cisplatin. Although it is established that nucleotide excision repair (NER) significantly protects against cisplatin toxicity, most recombination-deficient strains were as sensitive to the drug as the NER-deficient uvrA mutant. Recombination/NER deficient double mutants were more sensitive to cisplatin than the corresponding single mutants, suggesting that recombination and NER pathways play independent roles in countering cisplatin toxicity. Cisplatin was a potent recombinogen in comparison with the trans isomer and canonical alkylating agents. Mitomycin C, which like cisplatin, forms DNA cross-links, was also recombinogenic at minimally toxic doses. CONCLUSIONS: We have demonstrated that all of the major recombination pathways are critical for E. coli survival following treatment with cisplatin. Moreover, recombination pathways act independently of NER and are of equal importance to NER as genoprotective systems against cisplatin toxicity. Taken together, these results shed new light on how cells survive and succumb to this widely used anticancer drug.     

Prodigiosin Sensitizes Sensitive and Resistant Urothelial Carcinoma Cells to Cisplatin Treatment

Cisplatin-based treatment is the standard of care therapy for urothelial carcinomas. However, complex cisplatin resistance mechanisms limit the success of this approach. Both apoptosis and autophagy have been shown to contribute to this resistance. Prodigiosin, a secondary metabolite from various bacteria, exerts different biological activities including the modulation of these two cellular stress response pathways. We analyzed the effect of prodigiosin on protein levels of different autophagy- and apoptosis-related proteins in cisplatin-sensitive and -resistant urothelial carcinoma cells (UCCs). Furthermore, we investigated the effect on cell viability of prodigiosin alone or in combination with cisplatin. We made use of four different pairs of cisplatin-sensitive and -resistant UCCs. We found that prodigiosin blocked autophagy in UCCs and re-sensitized cisplatin-resistant cells to apoptotic cell death. Furthermore, we found that prodigiosin is a potent anticancer agent with nanomolar IC₅₀ values in all tested UCCs. In combination studies, we observed that prodigiosin sensitized both cisplatin-sensitive and -resistant urothelial carcinoma cell lines to cisplatin treatment with synergistic effects in most tested cell lines. These effects of prodigiosin are at least partially mediated by altering lysosomal function, since we detected reduced activities of cathepsin B and L. We propose that prodigiosin is a promising candidate for the therapy of cisplatin-resistant urothelial carcinomas, either as a single agent or in combinatory therapeutic approaches.     

Cyclometalated Ruthenium(II) Anthraquinone Complexes Exhibit Strong Anticancer Activity in Hypoxic Tumor Cells

Hypoxia is the critical feature of the tumor microenvironment that is known to lead to resistance to many chemotherapeutic drugs. Six novel ruthenium(II) anthraquinone complexes were designed and synthesized; they exhibit similar or superior cytotoxicity compared to cisplatin in hypoxic HeLa, A549, and multidrug‐resistant (A549R) tumor cell lines. Their anticancer activities are related to their lipophilicity and cellular uptake; therefore, these physicochemical properties of the complexes can be changed by modifying the ligands to obtain better anticancer candidates. Complex 1 , the most potent member of the series, is highly active against hypoxic HeLa cancer cells (IC₅₀=0.53 μM ). This complex likely has 46‐fold better activity than cisplatin (IC₅₀=24.62 μM ) in HeLa cells. This complex tends to accumulate in the mitochondria and the nucleus of hypoxic HeLa cells. Further mechanistic studies show that complex 1 induced cell apoptosis during hypoxia through multiple pathways, including those of DNA damage, mitochondrial dysfunction, and the inhibition of DNA replication and HIF‐1α expression, making it an outstanding candidate for further in vivo studies.