The polyphenolic alcohol resveratrol has demonstrated promising activities for the prevention and treatment of cancer. Different modes of action have been described for resveratrol including the ...activation of sirtuins, which represent the class III histone deacetylases (HDACs). However, little is known about the activity of resveratrol on the classical HDACs of class I, II and IV, although these classes are involved in cancer development or progression and inhibitors of HDACs (HDACi) are currently under investigation as promising novel anticancer drugs. We could show by in silico docking studies that resveratrol has the chemical structure to inhibit the activity of different human HDAC enzymes. In vitro analyses of overall HDAC inhibition and a detailed HDAC profiling showed that resveratrol inhibited all eleven human HDACs of class I, II and IV in a dose-dependent manner. Transferring this molecular mechanism into cancer therapy strategies, resveratrol treatment was analyzed on solid tumor cell lines. Despite the fact that hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is known to be particularly resistant against conventional chemotherapeutics, treatment of HCC with established HDACi already has shown promising results. Testing of resveratrol on hepatoma cell lines HepG2, Hep3B and HuH7 revealed a dose-dependent antiproliferative effect on all cell lines. Interestingly, only for HepG2 cells a specific inhibition of HDACs and in turn a histone hyperacetylation caused by resveratrol was detected. Additional testing of human blood samples demonstrated a HDACi activity by resveratrol ex vivo. Concluding toxicity studies showed that primary human hepatocytes tolerated resveratrol, whereas in vivo chicken embryotoxicity assays demonstrated severe toxicity at high concentrations. Taken together, this novel pan-HDACi activity opens up a new perspective of resveratrol for cancer therapy alone or in combination with other chemotherapeutics. Moreover, resveratrol may serve as a lead structure for chemical optimization of bioavailability, pharmacology or HDAC inhibition.
Epigenetic alterations are a hallmark of cancer that govern the silencing of genes. Up to now, 5-azacytidine (5-aza-CR, Vidaza) and 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC, Dacogen) are the only clinically ...approved DNA methyltransferase inhibitors (DNMTi). Current effort tries to exploit DNMTi application beyond acute leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome, especially to solid tumors. Although both drugs only differ by a minimal structural difference, they trigger distinct molecular mechanisms that are highly relevant for a rational choice of new combination therapies. Therefore, we investigated cell death pathways in vitro in human hepatoma, colon, renal, and lung cancer cells and in vivo in chorioallantoic membrane and xenograft models. Real-time cancer cell monitoring and cytokine profiling revealed a profoundly distinct response pattern to both drugs. 5-aza-dC induced p53-dependent tumor cell senescence and a high number of DNA double-strand breaks. In contrast, 5-aza-CR downregulated p53, induced caspase activation and apoptosis. These individual response patterns of tumor cells could be verified in vivo in chorioallantoic membrane assays and in a hepatoma xenograft model. Although 5-aza-CR and 5-aza-dC are viewed as drugs with similar therapeutic activity, they induce a diverse molecular response in tumor cells. These findings together with other reported differences enable and facilitate a rational design of new combination strategies to further exploit the epigenetic mode of action of these two drugs in different areas of clinical oncology.
Kaempferol is a natural polyphenol belonging to the group of flavonoids. Different biological functions like inhibition of oxidative stress in plants or animal cells and apoptosis induction have been ...directly associated with kaempferol. The underlying mechanisms are only partially understood. Here we report for the first time that kaempferol has a distinct epigenetic activity by inhibition of histone deacetylases (HDACs). In silico docking analysis revealed that it fits into the binding pocket of HDAC2, 4, 7 or 8 and thereby binds to the zinc ion of the catalytic center. Further in vitro profiling of all conserved human HDACs of class I, II and IV showed that kaempferol inhibited all tested HDACs. In clinical oncology, HDAC inhibitors are currently under investigation as new anticancer compounds. Therefore, we studied the effect of kaempferol on human-derived hepatoma cell lines HepG2 and Hep3B as well as on HCT-116 colon cancer cells and found that it induces hyperacetylation of histone complex H3. Furthermore, kaempferol mediated a prominent reduction of cell viability and proliferation rate. Interestingly, toxicity assays revealed signs of relevant cellular toxicity in primary human hepatocytes only starting at 50 μM as well as in an in vivo chicken embryotoxicity assay at 200 μM.
In conclusion, the identification of a novel broad inhibitory capacity of the natural compound kaempferol for human-derived HDAC enzymes opens up the perspective for clinical application in both tumor prevention and therapy. Moreover, kaempferol may serve as a novel lead structure for chemical optimization of pharmacokinetics, pharmacology or inhibitory activities.
Since its market launch in 2007, the endoscopic OTSC clipping system has been the object of intensive clinical research. These data were systematically collected for post-market clinical follow-up ...(PMCF). The aim of the study was the systematic review of the efficacy and safety of the OTSC System. The PMCF database was systematically searched for clinical data on OTSC therapy of GI hemorrhage (H), acute leaks/perforations (AL) and chronic leaks/fistulae (CL). Major outcomes were successful clip application and durable hemostasis/closure of defects. Comprehensive pooled success proportions were established by meta-analytical methods. Four-hundred-fifty-seven publications were reviewed. Fifty-eight articles comprising 1868 patients fulfilled criteria to be included in the analysis. These consisted of retrospective analyses, prospective observational trials, one randomized-controlled trial (STING) and one quasi-controlled study (FLETRock). The pooled proportion analysis revealed high overall proportions of technical success: H - mean 93.0% 95%CI 90.2-95.4, AL-mean 89.7% 95%CI 85.9-92.9 and CL-mean 83.8% 95%CI 76.9-89.7. Pooled durable clinical success proportions were: H-mean 87.5% 95%CI 80.5-93.2, AL-mean 81.4% 95%CI 77.0-85.3 and CL-mean 63.0% 95%CI 53.0-72.3. By pooling all clinical data gained, we conclude that OTSC application in GI hemorrhage and closure of GI lesions is safe and effective in real clinical use.
Gossypol, a sesquiterpenoid found in cotton seeds, exerts anticancer effects on several tumor entities due to inhibition of DNA synthesis and other mechanisms. In clinical oncology, histone ...deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) are applied as anticancer compounds. In this study, we examined whether gossypol harbors HDAC inhibiting activity. In vitro analyses showed that gossypol inhibited class I, II, and IV HDAC, displaying the capability to laterally interact with the respective catalytic center and is, therefore, classified as a pan-HDAC inhibitor. Next, we studied the effects of gossypol on human-derived hepatoma (HepG2) and colon carcinoma (HCT-116) cell lines and found that gossypol induced hyperacetylation of histone protein H3 and/or tubulin within 6 h. Furthermore, incubation with different concentrations of gossypol (5-50 µM) over a time period of 96 h led to a prominent reduction in cellular viability and proliferation of hepatoma (HepG2, Hep3B) and colon carcinoma (HCT-116, HT-29) cells. In-depth analysis of underlying mechanisms showed that gossypol induced apoptosis via caspase activation. For pre-clinical evaluation, toxicity analyses showed toxic effects of gossypol in vitro toward non-malignant primary hepatocytes (PHH), the colon-derived fibroblast cell line CCD-18Co, and the intestinal epithelial cell line CCD 841 CoN at concentrations of ≥5 µM, and embryotoxicity in chicken embryos at ≥2.5 µM. In conclusion, the pronounced inhibitory capacity of gossypol on cancer cells was characterized, and pan-HDACi activity was detected in silico, in vitro, by inhibiting individual HDAC isoenzymes, and on protein level by determining histone acetylation. However, for clinical application, further chemical optimization is required to decrease cellular toxicity.
Isothiocyanates from plants of the order Brassicales are considered promising cancer chemotherapeutic phytochemicals. However, their selective cytotoxicity on liver cancer has been barely researched. ...Therefore, in the present study, we systematically studied the chemotherapeutic potency of 4-methylthiobutyl isothiocyanate (MTBITC). Selective toxicity was investigated by comparing its effect on liver cancer cells and their chemoresistant subpopulations to normal primary hepatocytes and liver tissue slices. Additionally, in a first assessment, the in vivo tolerability of MTBITC was investigated in mice. Growth arrest at G2/M and apoptosis induction was evident in all in vitro cancer models treated with MTBITC, including populations with cancer initiating characteristics. This was found independent from TP53; however cell death was delayed in p53 compromised cells as compared to wt-p53 cells which was probably due to differential BH3 only gene regulation i. e. Noxa and its antagonist A1. In normal hepatocytes, no apoptosis or necrosis could be detected after repeated administration of up to 50 µM MTBITC. In mice, orally applied MTBITC was well tolerated over 18 days of treatment for up to 50 mg/kg/day, the highest dose tested. In conclusion, we could show here that the killing effect of MTBITC has a definite selectivity for cancer cells over normal liver cells and its cytotoxicity even applies for chemoresistant cancer initiating cells. Our study could serve for a better understanding of the chemotherapeutic properties of isothiocyanates on human liver-derived cancer cells.
The vigilant observation of medical devices during post-market surveillance (PMS) for identifying safety-relevant incidents is a non-trivial task. A wide range of sources has to be monitored in order ...to integrate all accessible data about the safety and performance of a medical device. PMS needs to be supported by an efficient search strategy and the possibility to create complex search queries by domain experts.
We use ontologies to support the specification of search queries and the preparation of the document corpus, which contains all relevant documents. In this paper, we present (1) the Search Ontology (SON) v2.0, (2) an Excel template for specifying search queries, and (3) the Search Ontology Generator (SONG), which generates complex queries out of the Excel template. Based on our approach, a service-oriented architecture was designed, which supports and assists domain experts during PMS. Comprehensive testing confirmed the correct execution of all SONG functions. The applicability of our method and of the developed tools was evaluated by domain experts. The test persons concordantly rated our solution after a short period of training as highly user-friendly, intuitive and well applicable for supporting PMS.
The Search Ontology is a promising domain-independent approach to specify complex search queries. Our solution allows advanced searches for relevant documents in different domains using suitable domain ontologies.
Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) is able to kill cancer cells via receptor-mediated cell death requiring adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Clinical usage of TNF so far is largely limited by its profound ...hepatotoxicity. Recently, it was found in the murine system that specific protection of hepatocytes against TNF's detrimental effects can be achieved by fructose-mediated ATP depletion therein. Before employing this quite attractive selection principle in a first clinical trial, we here comprehensively investigated the interdependence between ATP depletion and TNF hepatotoxicity in both in vitro and ex vivo experiments based on usage of primary patient tissue materials.
Primary human hepatocytes, and both non-tumorous and tumorous patient-derived primary liver tissue slices were used to elucidate fructose-induced ATP depletion and TNF-induced cytotoxicity.
PHH as well as tissue slices prepared from non-malignant human liver specimen undergoing a fructose-mediated ATP depletion were both demonstrated to be protected against TNF-induced cell death. In contrast, due to tumor-specific overexpression of hexokinase II, which imposes a profound bypass on hepatocytic-specific fructose catabolism, this was not the case for human tumorous liver tissues.
Normal human liver tissues can be protected transiently against TNF-induced cell death by systemic pretreatment with fructose used in non-toxic/physiologic concentrations. Selective TNF-targeting of primary and secondary tumors of the liver by transient and specific depletion of hepatocytic ATP opens up a new clinical avenue for the TNF-based treatment of liver cancers.
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