Quantification of Volatile Aldehydes Deriving from In Vitro Lipid Peroxidation in the Breath of Ventilated Patients

Exhaled aliphatic aldehydes were proposed as non-invasive biomarkers to detect increased lipid peroxidation in various diseases. As a prelude to clinical application of the multicapillary column–ion mobility spectrometry for the evaluation of aldehyde exhalation, we, therefore: (1) identified the most abundant volatile aliphatic aldehydes originating from in vitro oxidation of various polyunsaturated fatty acids; (2) evaluated emittance of aldehydes from plastic parts of the breathing circuit; (3) conducted a pilot study for in vivo quantification of exhaled aldehydes in mechanically ventilated patients. Pentanal, hexanal, heptanal, and nonanal were quantifiable in the headspace of oxidizing polyunsaturated fatty acids, with pentanal and hexanal predominating. Plastic parts of the breathing circuit emitted hexanal, octanal, nonanal, and decanal, whereby nonanal and decanal were ubiquitous and pentanal or heptanal not being detected. Only pentanal was quantifiable in breath of mechanically ventilated surgical patients with a mean exhaled concentration of 13 ± 5 ppb. An explorative analysis suggested that pentanal exhalation is associated with mechanical power—a measure for the invasiveness of mechanical ventilation. In conclusion, exhaled pentanal is a promising non-invasive biomarker for lipid peroxidation inducing pathologies, and should be evaluated in future clinical studies, particularly for detection of lung injury.     

Design of Enzymatically Cleavable Prodrugs of a Potent Platinum‐Containing Anticancer Agent

Using a versatile synthetic approach, a new class of potential ester prodrugs of highly potent, but systemically too toxic, platinum–acridine anticancer agents was generated. The new hybrids contain a hydroxyl group, which has been masked with a cleavable lipophilic acyl moiety. Both butanoic (butyric) and bulkier 2‐propanepentanoic (valproic) esters were introduced. The goals of this design were to improve the drug‐like properties (e.g., logD) and to reduce the systemic toxicity of the pharmacophore. Two distinct pathways by which the target compounds undergo effective ester hydrolysis, the proposed activating step, have been confirmed: platinum‐assisted, self‐immolative ester cleavage in a low‐chloride environment (LC‐ESMS, NMR spectroscopy) and enzymatic cleavage by human carboxylesterase‐2 (hCES‐2) (LC‐ESMS). The valproic acid ester derivatives are the first example of a metal‐containing agent cleavable by the prodrug‐converting enzyme. They show excellent chemical stability and reduced systemic toxicity. Preliminary results from screening in lung adenocarcinoma cell lines (A549, NCI‐H1435) suggest that the mechanism of the valproic esters may involve intracellular deesterification.     

Synthesis of Small‐Molecule Fluorescent Probes for the In Vitro Imaging of Calcium‐Activated Potassium Channel KCa3.1

Small‐molecule probes for the in vitro imaging of K_Ca3.1 channel‐expressing cells were developed. Senicapoc, showing high affinity and selectivity for the K_Ca3.1 channels, was chosen as the targeting component. BODIPY dyes 15 – 20 were synthesized and connected by a Cu^I‐catalyzed azide–alkyne [3+2]cycloaddition with propargyl ether senicapoc derivative 8 , yielding fluorescently labeled ligands 21 – 26 . The dimethylpyrrole‐based imaging probes 25 and 26 allow staining of K_Ca3.1 channels in NSCLC cells. The specificity was shown by removing the punctate staining pattern by pre‐incubation with senicapoc. The density of K_Ca3.1 channels detected with 25 and by immunostaining was identical. The punctate structure of the labeled channels could also be observed in living cells. Molecular modeling showed binding of the senicapoc‐targeting component towards the binding site within the ion channel and orientation of the linker with the dye along the inner surface of the ion channel.     

From a Medicinal Mushroom Blend a Direct Anticancer Effect on Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A Preclinical Study on Lung Metastases

Bioactive metabolites isolated from medicinal mushrooms (MM) used as supportive treatment in conventional oncology have recently gained interest. Acting as anticancer agents, they interfere with tumor cells and microenvironment (TME), disturbing cancer development/progression. Nonetheless, their action mechanisms still need to be elucidated. Recently, using a 4T1 triple-negative mouse BC model, we demonstrated that supplementation with Micotherapy U-Care, a MM blend, produced a striking reduction of lung metastases density/number, paralleled by decreased inflammation and oxidative stress both in TME and metastases, together with QoL amelioration. We hypothesized that these effects could be due to either a direct anticancer effect and/or to a secondary/indirect impact of Micotherapy U-Care on systemic inflammation/immunomodulation. To address this question, we presently focused on apoptosis/proliferation, investigating specific molecules, i.e., PARP1, p53, BAX, Bcl2, and PCNA, whose critical role in BC is well recognized. We revealed that Micotherapy U-Care is effective to influence balance between cell death and proliferation, which appeared strictly interconnected and inversely related (p53/Bax vs. Bcl2/PARP1/PCNA expression trends). MM blend displayed a direct effect, with different efficacy extent on cancer cells and TME, forcing tumor cells to apoptosis. Yet again, this study supports the potential of MM extracts, as adjuvant supplement in the TNBC management.     

Metabolomics of lung cancer: Analytical platforms and their applications

Lung cancer is the leading type of cancer worldwide in terms of the number of new cases and is responsible for the largest number of deaths due to poor prognosis and difficult early detection. Due to its ability to detect numerous small molecular metabolites simultaneously, metabolomics has been widely used for the assessment of global metabolic changes in a living organism to discover candidate biomarkers for cancer diagnosis, investigate the development of cancer, and provide insights into the underlying pathophysiology. This review will mainly describe recent developments in lung cancer metabolomics in terms of early‐stage detection, biomarker discovery and mechanism exploration by using nuclear magnetic resonance, liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, and capillary electrophoresis–mass spectrometry in the last 10 years. The sample collection and metabolite extraction methods are also summarized.     

非小细胞肺癌外周血有核细胞miRNA表达特点研究

miRNA在非小细胞肺癌的发生发展中发挥重要作用,为了解非小细胞肺癌患者外周血有核细胞的miRNA表达特征及其作用,采用第二代高通量测序技术对7例非小细胞肺癌患者和7例对照的外周血有核细胞miRNA表达水平进行检测,比较非小细胞肺癌患者与对照的外周血有核细胞miRNA表达特征,分析两者miRNA表达水平差异情况,共鉴定出非小细胞肺癌患者与对照的外周血有核细胞中有显著表达差异的miRNA 209种,其中肺癌样本miRNA表达上调的有138种,表达下调的有71种.研究结果显示非小细胞肺癌患者与对照样本的外周血有核细胞中miRNA表达具有显著差异,其中部分已被证实参与肿瘤发生、发展等过程.     

CeO2纳米颗粒对A549细胞的保护作用

探讨了CeO2纳米颗粒对体外培养的人肺腺癌细胞A549的生物效应.使用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)对CeO2纳米颗粒进行了表征,采用噻唑蓝比色法测定了不同质量浓度CeO2纳米颗粒悬液对A549细胞活性的影响,对其抗氧化能力进行了检测,并且测定了30 nm CeO2作用24 h后细胞中的超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)和谷胱甘肽(G...     

治疗非小细胞肺癌脑转新药:Zorifertinib

新药Zorifertinib是阿斯利康公司针对非小细胞肺癌(NSCLC)脑转研发的一种表皮生长因子酪氨酸激酶抑制剂(EGFR-TKI),对EGFR 19外显子缺失和EGFR 21外显子L858R突变有高选择性和高抑制性,相较于其他EGFR-TKIs的突出优势是具有优秀的血脑屏障渗透性。临床研究表明Zorifertinib可以在脑内达到等同血浆的药物浓度,有效抑制脑内肿瘤生长,减少脑内肿瘤面积,并且预防脑内肿瘤形成。本文将对该新药的作用机制、研发历程、药代动力学、临床研究和安全性进行综述,为广大研究者以及今后的临床应用提供参考。     

转录靶向性KDR启动子调控双自杀基因治疗肺癌的实验研究

从人肺癌细胞株中克隆KDR基因的启动子(kinasedomainreceptorpromotor,KDRp),构建KDR基因启动子调控的双自杀基因(CDglyTK)真核表达质粒pcDNA3-KDRp-CdglyTK,将其导入ECV304、L9981和NL9980细胞,建立相应的转基因细胞系,并应用不同的前药处理。体内、外实验结果显示:KDR启动子调控的双自杀基因在KDR高表达人肺癌细胞和人脐静脉内皮细胞靶向表达,而在KDR不表达的正常细胞或正常血管内皮细胞中未检测到双自杀基因表达;联合应用5-FC和GCV处理,对转双自杀基因细胞的杀伤作用显著高于单独应用5-FC或GCV,且二者显示了良好的药物协同作用。     

Ultraperformance convergence chromatography‐high resolution tandem mass spectrometry for lipid biomarker profiling and identification

Lipids represent biologically ubiquitous and highly dynamic molecules in terms of abundance and structural diversity. Whereas the potential for lipids to inform on disease/injury is promising, their unique characteristics make detection and identification of lipids from biological samples analytically demanding. We report the use of ultraperformance convergence chromatography (UPC²), a variant of supercritical fluid chromatography, coupled to high‐resolution, data‐independent tandem mass spectrometry for characterization of total lipid extracts from mouse lung tissue. The UPC² platform resulted in lipid class separation and when combined with orthogonal column chemistries yielded chromatographic separation of intra‐class species based on acyl chain hydrophobicity. Moreover, the combined approach of using UPC² with orthogonal column chemistries, accurate mass measurements, time‐aligned low‐ and high‐collision energy total ion chromatograms, and positive and negative ion mode product ion spectra correlation allowed for confident lipid identification. Of great interest was the identification of differentially expressed ceramides that were elevated 24 h post whole thorax lung irradiation. The identification of lipids that were elevated 24 h post‐irradiation signifies a unique opportunity to investigate early mechanisms of action prior to the onset of clinical symptoms in the whole thorax lung irradiation mouse model.