FAYU SHAN¹, LANLAN LIANG¹, CHONG FENG¹, HONGBAO XU¹, ZIROU WANG¹, WEILI LIU¹, LINGLING PU¹, ZHAOLI CHEN¹, GANG CHEN^2,*, XINXING WANG^1,*

Oncology Research, Vol.31, No.4, pp. 481-493, 2023, DOI:10.32604/or.2023.029064

Abstract Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common malignant tumor. Recently, Laminin Gamma 2 (LAMC2) has been shown to be abnormally expressed in OSCC; however, how LAMC2 signaling contributes to the occurrence and development of OSCC and the role of autophagy in OSCC has not been fully explored. This study aimed to analyze the role and mechanism of LAMC2 signaling in OSCC and the involvement of autophagy in OSCC. Methods: To explore the mechanism by which LAMC2 is highly expressed in OSCC, we used small interfering RNA (siRNA) to knock down LAMC2 to further observe the changes in the… More >

TAO LI^#, XIN FU^#, JIE WANG, WEI SHANG, XIAOTONG WANG, LINYUN ZHANG, JUN LI^*

Oncology Research, Vol.31, No.3, pp. 345-359, 2023, DOI:10.32604/or.2023.028724

Abstract Temozolomide (TMZ) resistance is a major obstacle in glioma treatment. Nuclear protein-1 (NUPR1) is a regulator of glioma progression. This study investigated the mechanism of NUPR1 in TMZ resistance in hypoxia-treated glioma cells and its mechanism in modulating autophagy. We treated TMZ-resistant cells U251-TMZ and T98G-TMZ to normoxia or hypoxia and silenced NUPR1 in hypoxia-treated U251-TMZ and T98G-TMZ cells to assess cell viability, proliferation, apoptosis, LC3-II/LC3-I and p62 expressions, and autophagic flux under different concentrations of TMZ. We found that hypoxia upregulated NUPR1 expression and autophagy while NUPR1 silencing suppressed hypoxia-induced TMZ resistance and autophagy in glioma cells. We also… More > Graphic Abstract

ZICHEN SHAO^1,2,#, CHUNG-YI CHEN^3,#, XUZHOU CHEN¹, HANWU CHEN¹, MENGQIAO SU^1,2, HUI SUN^1,2, YIDAN LI^1,2, BINGHUA TU¹, ZITONG WANG¹, CHI-MING LIU^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.6, pp. 1389-1396, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.028222

Abstract Background: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common condition in middle-aged and elderly men. Enlargement of the prostate causes lower urinary tract symptoms. Capsaicin is a phytochemical extracted from chili peppers and exerts many pharmacological actions, such as anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory effects. Methods: Our study investigated the effect of capsaicin in vitro and in a mouse model in vivo. A prostatic stromal myofibroblast cell line (WPMY-1) was co-incubated with testosterone (1 µM) and different concentrations of capsaicin (10–100 µM) for 24 and 48 h. Capsaicin (10–100 µM) significantly inhibited testosterone-treated WPMY-1 cell growth at 48 h by MTT assay. The… More >

OMER ERDOGAN¹, GULEN MELIKE DEMIRBOLAT², OZGE CEVIK^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.5, pp. 1051-1063, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.028129

Abstract Background: Raloxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator, is also known to be a lysosomotropic agent. The bioavailability of raloxifene is around 2% due to extensive hepatic transport. Exosomes are nanosized vesicles that are naturally released from cells. Method: In this study, exosomes released from HeLa cervical cancer cells were loaded with raloxifene to increase its bioavailability, and an aptamer was attached to the exosome membrane for targeting only HeLa cells. Characterization of exosomes isolated from HeLa cells was performed by transmission electron microscopy, zeta sizer, and western blotting. In addition, the cytotoxic, apoptotic, autophagic, and lysosomotropic effects of the prepared… More >

YINGHUA LUO^1,#, YU ZHANG^2,#, TONG ZHANG^2,#, YANNAN LI², HUI XUE², JINGLONG CAO², WENSHUANG HOU², JIAN LIU², YUHE CUI², TING XU², CHENGHAO JIN^2,3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.5, pp. 965-975, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.027729

Abstract Marine collagen peptides (MCPs) are natural products prepared by hydrolyzing marine collagen protein through a variety of chemical methods or enzymes. MCPs have a range of structures and biological activities and are widely present in marine species. MCPs also have a small molecular weight, are easily modified, and absorbed by the body. These properties have attracted great interest from researchers studying antioxidant, anti-tumor, and anti-aging activities. MCPs of specific molecular weights have significant anti-tumor activity and no toxic side effects. Thus, MCPs have the potential use as anti-cancer adjuvant drugs. Free radicals produced by oxidation are closely related to human… More >

YU ZHANG^1,2, XI’AN ZHOU^1,2, CHUNYAN ZHANG^1,2, DENGNI LAI⁵, DONGBO LIU^1,3,4, YANYANG WU^1,2,3,4,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.4, pp. 859-868, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.026429

Abstract Background: Hyperglycemia is a typical symptom of diabetes. High glucose induces apoptosis of islet β cells. While autophagy functions in cytoprotection and autophagic cell death. The interaction between autophagy and apoptosis is important in the modulation of the function of islet β cells. Vitamin B3 can induce autophagy and inhibit islet β apoptosis.Method: The mechanism of vitamin B3-mediated protective effect on the function of islet β cells was explored by the method of western blot, immunofluorescence and flow cytometry.Results: In the present study, high glucose stress increased the apoptosis rate, while vitamin B3 reduced the apoptosis rate. The effect of… More >

NA HU^1,2,#, SHIQING ZHANG^2,3,#, AQUAN JIN², LIANYING GUO², ZHENYUN QU², JUN WANG^2,*

Oncology Research, Vol.30, No.2, pp. 89-97, 2022, DOI:10.32604/or.2022.027058

Abstract We aimed to explore the molecular mechanism that were involved in SPINK1-induced proliferation and clonogenic survival of human colorectal carcinoma (CRC) HT29 cells. Initially, we generated HT29 cells either permanently silencing or overexpressing SPINK1 protein. The results showed that SPINK1 overexpression (OE) significantly stimulated the proliferation and clonal formation of HT29 cells at the varied time points. Secondly, we found SPINK1 OE enhanced the ratio of LC3II/LC3I and the level of autophagy-related gene 5 (ATG5), whereas SPINK1 knockdown (Kd) reversed the above outcome under normal culturing and/or fasting condition in the cells, indicating its role in autophagy enhancement. Moreover, LC3-GFP-transfected… More >

HONGMEI WU^#, DI LI^#, YUANYUAN HUANG, RUYUAN LIU, XIAONIAN ZHU^*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 485-491, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.026049

Abstract Autophagy is an important metabolic process. It facilitates the recycling of intracellular substances by removing, degrading, and recycling damaged organelles, proteins, and lipids in lysosomal vacuoles and plays an important role in maintaining cellular homeostasis. Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a key serine/threonine phosphatase and one of the main cell cycle regulatory enzymes. As PP2A activity is essential for the cell, dysfunction or dysregulation of PP2A can affect various physiological processes, including autophagy. Here, we review the autophagy-related factors that target PP2A in different diseases, such as breast cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease, to maintain cell homeostasis… More >

AHMED M. ELSHAZLY^1,2, TUONG VI V. NGUYEN¹, DAVID A. GEWIRTZ^1,*

Oncology Research, Vol.30, No.1, pp. 1-12, 2022, DOI:10.32604/or.2022.026459

Abstract PARP inhibitors have proven to be effective in conjunction with conventional therapeutics in the treatment of various solid as well as hematologic malignancies, particularly when the tumors are deficient in DNA repair pathways. However, as the case with other chemotherapeutic agents, their effectiveness is often compromised by the development of resistance. PARP inhibitors have consistently been reported to promote autophagy, a process that maintains cellular homeostasis and acts as an energy source by the degradation and reutilization of damaged subcellular organelles and proteins. Autophagy can exhibit different functional properties, the most prominent being cytoprotective. In addition, both cytotoxic and non-protective… More >

KAI DANG, HAFIZ MUHAMMAD UMER FAROOQ, YUAN GAO, XIAONI DENG, AIRONG QIAN^*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.2, pp. 269-281, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.023766

Abstract As a key coordinator of metabolism, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is vitally involved in skeletal muscle maintenance. AMPK exerts its cellular effects through its function as a serine/threonine protein kinase by regulating many downstream targets and plays important roles in the development and growth of skeletal muscle. AMPK is activated by phosphorylation and exerts its function as a kinase in many processes, including synthesis and degradation of proteins, mitochondrial biogenesis, glucose uptake, and fatty acid and cholesterol metabolism. Skeletal muscle atrophy is a result of various diseases or disorders and is characterized by a decrease in muscle mass. The pathogenesis… More >