SHAHID KARIM^1,*, ALANOUD NAHER ALGHANMI¹, MAHA JAMAL¹, HUDA ALKREATHY¹, ALAM JAMAL², HIND A. ALKHATABI³, MOHAMMED BAZUHAIR¹, AFTAB AHMAD^4,5

Oncology Research, Vol.32, No.5, pp. 817-830, 2024, DOI:10.32604/or.2024.048988

Abstract Cancer frequently develops resistance to the majority of chemotherapy treatments. This study aimed to examine the synergistic cytotoxic and antitumor effects of SGLT2 inhibitors, specifically Canagliflozin (CAN), Dapagliflozin (DAP), Empagliflozin (EMP), and Doxorubicin (DOX), using in vitro experimentation. The precise combination of CAN+DOX has been found to greatly enhance the cytotoxic effects of doxorubicin (DOX) in MCF-7 cells. Interestingly, it was shown that cancer cells exhibit an increased demand for glucose and ATP in order to support their growth. Notably, when these medications were combined with DOX, there was a considerable inhibition of glucose consumption, as well as reductions in… More > Graphic Abstract

BIN LI^1,2,3,#, YUCHENG SHENG^4,#, XIAOYING XU⁴, SHENGCUN WANG³, HONGYAN SONG³, JINGYUAN LI³, HAONAN JI¹, QINGHUA WANG³, XIAODI ZHOU^1,*, LONGJU QI^2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.48, No.4, pp. 601-611, 2024, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2024.047404

Abstract Objective: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive disorder characterized by intricate structural and functional alterations in the kidneys, attributable to diverse causative factors. Notably, the therapeutic promise of miR-145-5p in addressing renal pathologies has been discerned. This investigation seeks to elucidate the functional role of miR-145-5p in injured kidneys by subjecting human glomerular mesangial cells (HGMCs) to stimulation with Angiotensin II (AngII). Materials and Methods: Cellular viability and the levels of inflammatory mediators were evaluated utilizing Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and western blot methodologies, both in the presence of AngII incubation and in… More >

JINGLONG CAO^1,#, SHUMEI LI^2,#, TONG ZHANG^1,#, JIAN LIU¹, WENSHUANG HOU¹, ANQI WANG¹, CHANG WANG^3,4,*, CHENGHAO JIN^1,3,5,*

BIOCELL, Vol.48, No.2, pp. 313-325, 2024, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.043474

Abstract Background: Valtrate (Val) was extracted from the Valeriana jatamansi Jones plant, had good antitumor activity. However, its precise molecular mechanism in cancer cells was still unclear. This study investigated the effect of Val on gastric cancer (GC) cells and its potential molecular mechanism. Methods: Cell viability was examined by CCK-8 assay. Cell cycle, apoptosis, and Reactive oxygen species (ROS) level were analyzed by flow cytometry. The migration effect of Val on AGS cells was analyzed by transwell and wound-healing assay. The expression levels of proteins were analyzed by western blot. Results: The cell viability assay results demonstrated that Val significantly… More > Graphic Abstract

DONGQIN WANG^1,4, YAN SHI¹, ZHIQIANG WANG⁴, JING ZHANG², LUYAO WANG², HONGYU MA³, SHUHUA SHI², XIAOFU LIAN², HUA HUANG⁴, XIAOJING WANG^1,*, CHAOQUN LIAN^4,*

BIOCELL, Vol.48, No.1, pp. 111-122, 2024, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.046903

Abstract Introduction: Among all malignant tumors of the digestive system, pancreatic carcinoma exhibits the highest mortality rate. Currently, prevention and effective treatment are urgent issues that need to be addressed. Methods: The study focused on meiotic nuclear divisions 1 (MND1), integrating data from the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database with prognostic survival analysis. Simultaneously, experiments at cellular level were employed to demonstrate the effect of MND1 on the proliferation and migration of PC. The small-molecule inhibitor of MND1 was used to suppress the migration of PC cells by knocking down MND1 using small interfering RNA (siRNA) in Patu-8988 and… More >

HUI LI¹, CHENGFANG ZHOU², MEI KUANG², YUN LIU^1,*, JIEPING CHEN^1,2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.10, pp. 2177-2186, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.029373

Abstract Fizzy-related protein homolog 1 (FZR1) mainly functions as a specific activator of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) in the cell cycle and controls the G0 and G1 phases of the cell cycle. We highlight recent work that has studied the role of FZR1 in tumorigenesis, growth, differentiation, and genome stability through cell-cycle control. We summarize the current state of knowledge regarding FZR1 structure, function, and the distinct ways of APC/C dysregulation in solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. We also discuss novel approaches for targeting the FZR1 as a cancer therapy and research area for future work. More >

FU-MING TSAI¹, PING-HSUN LU^2,3, LU-KAI WANG⁴, CHAN-YEN KUO¹, MAO-LIANG CHEN¹, CHUN-HUA WANG^5,6,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.8, pp. 1793-1802, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.030093

Abstract Background: Cisplatin is a chemotherapeutic agent commonly used clinically for the treatment of various human cancers. Patients often reduce the use of cisplatin due to its side effects, which in turn affects its treatment. This study explored the mechanism of action of safflower extract as an adjuvant traditional Chinese medicine for chemotherapy. Methods: Primary human follicle dermal papilla cells (HFDPCs) were used as target cells for cisplatin-induced damage to hair cells. Western blotting was used to investigate the molecular targets of cisplatin and safflower extract in causing HFDPCs damage. Cell survival and cell cycle were analyzed by mitochondrial staining reagent… More >

MARIA-LUISA VEISAGA^1,2, MARIAM AHUMADA², STACY SORIANO², LEONARDO ACUNA³, WEI ZHANG³, IVY LEUNG², ROBERT BARNUM², MANUEL A. BARBIERI^1,2,3,4,5,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.8, pp. 1835-1852, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.029076

Abstract Backgorund: Fruits and seed extracts of Annona montana have significant cytotoxic potential in several cancer cells. This study evaluates the effect of A. montana leaves hexane extract on several signaling cascades and gene expression in metastatic breast cancer cells upon insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) stimulation. Methods: MTT assay was performed to determine the proliferation of cancer cells. Propidium iodide staining and flow cytometry analysis of Annexin V binding was utilized to measure the progression of the cell cycle and the induction of apoptosis. Protein expression and phosphorylation were determined by western blotting analysis to examine the underlying cellular mechanism triggered… More >

TING ZHOU^1,#, PEIYING FU^1,#, DONG CHEN², RONGHUA LIU^1,*

Oncology Research, Vol.31, No.5, pp. 769-785, 2023, DOI:10.32604/or.2023.030166

Abstract Late-stage ovarian cancer (OC) has a poor prognosis and a high metastasis rate, but the underlying molecular mechanism is unclear. RNA binding proteins (RBPs) play important roles in posttranscriptional regulation in the contexts of neoplasia and tumor metastasis. In this study, we explored the molecular functions of a canonical RBP, Transformer 2β homolog (TRA2B), in cancer cells. TRA2B knockdown in HeLa cells and subsequent whole-transcriptome RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis revealed the TRA2B-regulated alternative splicing (AS) profile. We disrupted TRA2B expression in epithelial OC cells and performed a series of experiments to confirm the resulting effects on OC cell proliferation, apoptosis… More >

PRIYANKA SOLANKI¹, NISARG RANA¹, PRAKASH C. JHA², ANU MANHAS^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.4, pp. 707-729, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.026615

Abstract Cancer is considered one of the most lethal diseases responsible for causing deaths worldwide. Although there have been many breakthroughs in anticancer development, cancer remains the major cause of death globally. In this regard, targeting cancer-causing enzymes is one of the efficient therapeutic strategies. Biological functions like cell cycle, transcription, metabolism, apoptosis, and other depend primarily on cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). These enzymes help in the replication of DNA in the normal cell cycle process, and deregulation in the functioning of any CDK can cause abnormal cell growth, which leads to cancer. This review is focused on anticancer drug discovery against… More >

NADEZHDA PALKINA, EKATERINA SERGEEVA, TATIANA RUKSHA^*

Oncology Research, Vol.29, No.6, pp. 393-400, 2021, DOI:10.32604/or.2022.025816

Abstract Melanoma is one of the most aggressive types of malignant tumors, commonly affecting young individuals. The treatment of metastatic tumors remains obscure due to the resistance of tumor cells to drugs mediated by various mechanisms. The acquisition of a resistant phenotype is associated with both genetic and epigenetic alterations in cancer cells. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate whether microRNA (miR)-204-5p could promote alterations in the cell cycle and apoptosis of dacarbazine (DTIC)-treated melanoma cells. Quantitative real time PCR showed that transfection of DTIC-treated SK-MEL-2 melanoma cells with miR-204-5p mimics significantly upregulated miR-204-5p. However, flow cytometric analysis revealed that… More >