Berberine and Cisplatin Exhibit Synergistic Anticancer Effects on Osteosarcoma MG-63 Cells by Inhibiting the MAPK Pathway

Berberine (BBR) has been reported to have potent anticancer activity and can increase the anticancer effects of chemotherapy drugs. The present study aims to investigate whether BBR and cisplatin (DDP) exert synergistic effects on the osteosarcoma (OS) MG-63 cell line. In the present study, MG-63 cells were treated with BBR and DDP alone or in combination. The effects of these therapeutics on cell viability, colony formation, migration, invasion, nuclear morphology, apoptosis, and the cell cycle, as well as their role in regulating the expression of proteins related to apoptosis, the cell cycle, and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, were determined. The results demonstrated that BBR or DDP significantly inhibited the proliferation of MG-63 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The combination treatment of BBR and DDP exerted a prominent inhibitory effect on proliferation and colony formation. Furthermore, the results showed that the combination treatment of BBR and DDP enhanced the inhibition of cell migration and invasion and reversed the changes in nuclear morphology. The results showed that the combination treatment of BBR and DDP induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase. Mechanistically, the combination treatment of BBR and DDP inhibited the expression of MMP-2/9, Bcl-2, CyclinD1, and CDK4, enhanced the expression of Bax and regulated the activity of the MAPK pathway. Collectively, our data suggest that the combination therapy of BBR and DDP markedly enhanced OS cell death.     

Synergistic Roles of Curcumin in Sensitising the Cisplatin Effect on a Cancer Stem Cell-Like Population Derived from Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cell Lines

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) represent a small subpopulation within a tumour. These cells possess stem cell-like properties but also initiate resistance to cytotoxic agents, which contributes to cancer relapse. Natural compounds such as curcumin that contain high amounts of polyphenols can have a chemosensitivity effect that sensitises CSCs to cytotoxic agents such as cisplatin. This study was designed to investigate the efficacy of curcumin as a chemo-sensitiser in CSCs subpopulation of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using the lung cancer adenocarcinoma human alveolar basal epithelial cells A549 and H2170. The ability of curcumin to sensitise lung CSCs to cisplatin was determined by evaluating stemness characteristics, including proliferation activity, colony formation, and spheroid formation of cells treated with curcumin alone, cisplatin alone, or the combination of both at 24, 48, and 72 h. The mRNA level of genes involved in stemness was analysed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to evaluate the effect of curcumin on the CSC niche. A combined treatment of A549 subpopulations with curcumin reduced cellular proliferation activity at all time points. Curcumin significantly (p < 0.001) suppressed colonies formation by 50% and shrank the spheroids in CSC subpopulations, indicating inhibition of their self-renewal capability. This effect also was manifested by the down-regulation of SOX2, NANOG, and KLF4. Curcumin also regulated the niche of CSCs by inhibiting chemoresistance proteins, aldehyde dehydrogenase, metastasis, angiogenesis, and proliferation of cancer-related proteins. These results show the potential of using curcumin as a therapeutic approach for targeting CSC subpopulations in non-small cell lung cancer.     

Effect of pH and mobile phase additives on the chromatographic behaviour of an amide‐embedded stationary phase: Cyanocobalamin and its diaminemonochloro‐platinum(II) conjugate as a case study

Several mobile phase additives (i.e., organic acids and their ammonium salts) were used to modulate the chromatographic retention of cyanocobalamin and its cis‐diaminemonochloroplatinum(II) conjugate, depending on the specific nature of the stationary phase. Regardless of the mobile phase additive, the positively charged cyanocobalamin‐cis‐diaminemonochloroplatinum(II) conjugate was systematically less retained than cyanocobalamin on a conventional octadecyl‐silica column. In contrast, the amide‐embedded C18 column exhibited a progressive increase in the conjugate retention time upon changing the mobile phase additive from organic (acetic, formic and trifluoroacetic) acids to ammonium salts, ultimately leading to an inversion of the elution order. This change of retention was interpreted by invoking the interplay between hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonding between the conjugate and the polar amide groups and the ion‐pairing ability of the lyophilic counterions, whereby the acetate anion was found to be the most suitable to control the solute retention.     

用单分子磁镊研究顺铂导致的DNA凝聚

本文报道了用单分子磁镊研究抗癌药顺铂导致的DNA凝聚过程.结果表明,当拉力比较小时,DNA凝聚的长度-时间曲线是连续缩短和阶跃缩短并存的复杂曲线.而当拉力较大但又不足以阻止DNA的凝聚时,凝聚曲线为连续缩短的双曲线.增加顺铂浓度只会增大凝聚速度而不会改变反应曲线的形状.实验结果与下列成环凝聚模型一致：在水溶液中顺铂能够与DNA形成双臂加合物,也能形成单臂加合物.当顺铂使DNA长链上相距较远的碱基间发生远程交联时,形成小环,导致DNA凝聚.小环间的进一步交联会引起DNA的完全凝聚.DNA凝聚产物十分稳定. 关键词： 顺铂 DNA凝聚 单分子操纵 抗癌药     

顺铂:从意外合成到抗癌应用

19世纪中叶,顺铂在实验室意外合成。18世纪末到19世纪80年代,以原子-分子论为基础的配合物理论,对顺铂结构的探索从依赖宏观现象和经验归纳发展为微观层面的假说演绎。19世纪末,电子的发现使得配合物理论进入电子时代,并因此对顺铂结构有了新的解释。20世纪60年代,顺铂的抗癌价值得以发现,至今仍不断改良顺铂以减弱其副作用。顺铂的合成和抗癌应用过程,包含着对物质由表及里的认识过程,展现了化学家认识物质、改造物质的动态发展过程,对化学研究和化学教育均有重要的启示。     

基于对异丙基甲苯和二甲基双胍的对称双核钌(Ⅱ)配合物的合成及其体外抗癌活性

在碱性水溶液中合成了一种对称双核桥联配合物(NH₄)₂[Ru(Cym)(L)]₂Cl₂·4H₂O(1)(Cym=对异丙基甲苯,H₂L=1,1-二甲基双胍)。采用红外光谱、核磁共振谱和X射线单晶衍射进行了结构表征,结晶水数目由热重分析法得出。采用MTT法测定了其对4种人癌细胞系HepG-2、A549、Hela、MCF-7的细胞毒性,以临床用药顺铂为对照,结果表明该配合物对HepG-2(肝细胞癌,HCC)的作用与顺铂相当。     

Resveratrol Enhances Inhibition Effects of Cisplatin on Cell Migration and Invasion and Tumor Growth in Breast Cancer MDA-MB-231 Cell Models In Vivo and In Vitro

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a refractory type of breast cancer that does not yet have clinically effective drugs. The aim of this study is to investigate the synergistic effects and mechanisms of resveratrol combined with cisplatin on human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 (MDA231) cell viability, migration, and invasion in vivo and in vitro. In vitro, MTS assays showed that resveratrol combined with cisplatin inhibits cell viability as a concentration-dependent manner, and produced synergistic effects (CI < 1). Transwell assay showed that the combined treatment inhibits TGF-β1-induced cell migration and invasion. Immunofluorescence assays confirmed that resveratrol upregulated E-cadherin expression and downregulated vimentin expression. Western blot assay demonstrated that resveratrol combined with cisplatin significantly reduced the expression of fibronectin, vimentin, P-AKT, P-PI3K, P-JNK, P-ERK, Sma2, and Smad3 induced by TGF-β1 (p < 0.05), and increased the expression of E-cadherin (p < 0.05), respectively. In vivo, resveratrol enhanced tumor growth inhibition and reduced body weight loss and kidney function impairment by cisplatin in MDA231 xenografts, and significantly reduced the expressions of P-AKT, P-PI3K, Smad2, Smad3, P-JNK, P-ERK, and NF-κB in tumor tissues (p < 0.05). These results indicated that resveratrol combined with cisplatin inhibits the viability of breast cancer MDA231 cells synergistically, and inhibits MDA231 cells invasion and migration through Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) approach, and resveratrol enhanced anti-tumor effect and reduced side of cisplatin in MDA231 xenografts. The mechanism may be involved in the regulations of PI3K/AKT, JNK, ERK and NF-κB expressions.     

负载顺铂的泊洛沙姆温敏凝胶用于小鼠宫颈癌的局部化疗

为了探讨载有顺铂的温敏凝胶对小鼠宫颈癌的局部化疗作用,制备了载有顺铂的泊洛沙姆温敏凝胶,并通过流变学、体外溶蚀、体外释放等技术手段表征其结构和性能,采用鼠源宫颈癌U14细胞制备了原位宫颈/阴道癌模型,将载药凝胶灌注入荷瘤鼠阴道,评价载药凝胶对小鼠宫颈/阴道癌的抑制作用。结果表明,载有顺铂的泊洛沙姆温敏凝胶经阴道给药后对小鼠宫颈/阴道癌的抑瘤率可达到63.1%,可有效抑制小鼠宫颈癌的生长,而系统安全性则远远高于静脉注射顺铂。因此,载有顺铂的温敏凝胶有可能成为一种新型的宫颈癌治疗剂型。