Anti-tumor Angiogenesis Research Articles

Progress in the study of anti-tumor effects and mechanisms of vitexin.

Vitexin (apigenin-8-C-beta-D-glucopyranoside) is a natural flavonoid derivative with anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, anti-asthma, anti-epilepsy, and other therapeutic effects. It is extracted from pearl millet, hawthorn, pigeon bean, mung bean, and other medicinal plants. Vitexin has received widespread attention because of its significant anti-tumor effect. It induces apoptosis and anti-tumor angiogenesis, inhibits tumor cell migration and invasion, regulates tumor cell autophagy and immunity, and increases patient sensitivity to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. It has a significant anti-tumor effect on breast, prostate, liver, cervical, and colon cancers, gliomas, and other malignant tumors. This review demonstrates the latest research progress on the anti-tumor effects and potential mechanisms of vitexin. It summarizes its anti-tumor mechanism to provide new theoretical support and reference for cancer treatment.

Reciprocal Dynamics of Metabolism and mRNA Translation in Tumor Angiogenesis.

Angiogenesis, the process of formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing vasculature, is essential for tumor growth and metastasis. Anti-angiogenic treatment targeting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling is a powerful tool to combat tumor growth; however, anti-tumor angiogenesis therapy has shown limited efficacy, with survival benefits ranging from only a few weeks to months. Compensation by upregulation of complementary growth factors and switches to different modes of vascularization have made these types of therapies less effective. Recent evidence suggests that targeting specific players in endothelial metabolism is a valuable therapeutic strategy against tumor angiogenesis. Although it is clear that metabolism can modulate the translational machinery, the reciprocal relationship between metabolism and mRNA translational control during tumor angiogenesis is not fully understood. In this review, we explore emerging examples of how endothelial cell metabolism affects mRNA translation during the formation of blood vessels. A deeper comprehension of these mechanisms could lead to the development of innovative therapeutic strategies for both physiological and pathological angiogenesis.

Tissue-resident memory CD103+CD8+ T cells in colorectal cancer: its implication as a prognostic and predictive liver metastasis biomarker

BackgroundTissue-resident memory CD103+CD8+ T cells (CD103+CD8+ TRMs) are important components of anti-tumor immunity. However, the significance of CD103+CD8+ TRMs in colorectal cancer (CRC) and their advantages remain unclear.MethodsClinical data and specimens were used to evaluate the significance of CD103+CD8+ TRMs in CRC. A mouse subcutaneous tumorigenesis model and colony-formation assay were conducted to evaluate the anti-tumor effects of CD103+CD8+ TRMs. Finally, the infiltration density and function of CD103+CD8+ TRMs in the tumors were evaluated using flow cytometry.ResultsIn this study, we showed that highly infiltrated CD103+CD8+ TRMs were associated with earlier clinical stage and negative VEGF expression in CRC patients and predicted a favorable prognosis for CRC/CRC liver metastases patients. Interestingly, we also found that CD103+CD8+ TRMs may have predictive potential for whether CRC develops liver metastasis in CRC. In addition, we found a positive correlation between the ratio of the number of α-SMA+ vessels to the sum of the number of α-SMA+ and CD31+ vessels in CRC, and the infiltration level of CD103+CD8+ TRMs. In addition, anti-angiogenic therapy promoted infiltration of CD103+CD8+ TRMs and enhanced their ability to secrete interferon (IFN)-γ, thus further improving the anti-tumor effect. Moreover, in vivo experiments showed that compared with peripheral blood CD8+ T cells, CD103+CD8+ TRMs infused back into the body could also further promote CD8+ T cells to infiltrate the tumor, and they had a stronger ability to secrete IFN-γ, which resulted in better anti-tumor effects.ConclusionWe demonstrated that CD103+CD8+ TRMs have the potential for clinical applications and provide new ideas for combined anti-tumor therapeutic strategies, such as anti-tumor angiogenesis therapy and CAR-T combined immunotherapy.

Efficacy and safety of PD-1 inhibitors plus metronomic oral vinorelbine in elderly pre-treated patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer.

e20556 Background: The subsequent therapy of elderly non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without driver oncogene has always been a challenge due to the poor performance status and multiple comorbidities, especially in those who acquired resistance to programmed cell death protein 1/programmed death-ligand 1 [PD-(L)1] blockade. Metronomic chemotherapy (MCT) is the frequent administration of chemotherapy drugs at lower doses each time which shows a better safety profile, antitumor angiogenesis, and immune modulatory effects compared with traditional chemotherapy. Here we designed an observational study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of PD-1 inhibitors plus metronomic oral vinorelbine(mOV) in elderly pre-treated metastatic NSCLC. Methods: Patients aged 65 years and above who had been histologically or cytologically confirmed unresectable stage III and IV NSCLC were recruited for this study. All the pts had no EGFR mutation, ALK fusions, or ROS1 fusions and received at least one systematic treatment. Pts received PD-1 inhibitors combined with mOV (30mg, TIW1, day 1-3-5 per week) for 6 cycles, followed by PD-1 inhibitors maintenance until disease progression or intolerable toxicities. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). The secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and safety. Results: From May 2020 to June 2023, 23 pts were enrolled in the study. The median age was 70 with 18(78%) males. Median follow-up time was 22.8 months (range 3.9months-41.9months). The median PFS was 5.13 months (95%Cl: 3.1 months-7.1 months) and the median OS was 28.1 months (95%Cl: (15.2 months-NA). The ORR and DCR were 13% (95%C1: 1.44%-27.6%) and 69.6% (95%Cl: 49.2%-89.9%), respectively. The PFS (p = 0.459, HR = 0.671 95%CI 0.233-1.932) and OS (p = 0.483, HR = 1.607 95%CI 0.426-6.056) were similar between those pts who previously received immunotherapy (N = 16, 69.5%) and not. PD-L1 TPS didn’t affect the patient’s PFS (<1% vs≥1%, p = 0.078, HR = 2.648 95%CI 0.895-7.835 ) and OS(<1% vs≥1%, p = 0.306, HR = 2.202 95%CI 0.485-9.989). Adverse events (AEs) of any grade were observed in 20(86.9%) pts of which grade III-IV AEs occurred in 4 (17.4%) pts. These grade III-IV events consisted of interstitial pneumonia, pulmonary infection, leukopenia, and neutropenia. Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) occurred in 4 (17.4%) pts, of which grade III irAEs occurred in 2 (8.7%) patients with interstitial pneumonia. No grade 4 irAEs and grade 5 adverse events even occurred. Conclusions: The regimen of PD-1 inhibitors plus mOV for the subsequent therapy showed good overall survival benefits and safety in elderly patients with metastatic NSCLC without driver oncogene which suggests it is worth further exploration.

Pre-coating cRGD-modified bovine serum albumin enhanced the anti-tumor angiogenesis of siVEGF-loaded chitosan-based nanoparticles by manipulating the protein corona composition

Chitosan-based nanoparticles inevitably adsorb numerous proteins in the bloodstream, forming a protein corona that significantly influences their functionality. This study employed a pre-coated protein corona using cyclic Arg-Gly-Asp peptide (cRGD)-modified bovine serum albumin (BcR) to confer tumor-targeting capabilities on siVEGF-loaded chitosan-based nanoparticles (CsR/siVEGF NPs) and actively manipulated the serum protein corona composition to enhance their anti-tumor angiogenesis. Consequently, BcR effectively binds to the nanoparticles' surface, generating nanocarriers of appropriate size and stability that enhance the inhibition of endothelial cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and tube formation, as well as suppress tumor proliferation and angiogenesis in tumor-bearing nude mice. Proteomic analysis indicated a significant enrichment of serotransferrin, albumin, and proteasome subunit alpha type-1 in the protein corona of BcR-precoated NPs formed in the serum of tumor-bearing nude mice. Additionally, there was a decrease in proteins associated with complement activation, immunoglobulins, blood coagulation, and acute-phase responses. This modification resulted in an enhanced impact on anti-tumor angiogenesis, along with a reduction in opsonization and inflammatory responses. Therefore, pre-coating of nanoparticles with a functionalized albumin corona to manipulate the composition of serum protein corona emerges as an innovative approach to improve the delivery effectiveness of chitosan-based carriers for siVEGF, targeting the inhibition of tumor angiogenesis.

Unveiling the experimental proof of the anticancer potential of ginsenoside Rg3 (Review).

Ginsenoside Rg3 (GS-Rg3), a sterol molecule isolated from ginseng, has demonstrated various immunological properties, including inhibition of cancer cell proliferation and metastasis, reversal of drug resistance and enhancement of chemotherapy sensitivity. The recent surge in attention towards GS-Rg3 can be attributed to its potential as an antitumor angiogenesis agent and as a therapeutic candidate for immunotherapy. The development of GS-Rg3 as an agent for these purposes has accelerated research on its mechanisms of action. The present review summarizes recent studies investigating the antitumor activity of GS-Rg3 and its underlying mechanisms, as well as providing essential information for future studies on GS-Rg3.

Targeted anti-cancer therapy: Co-delivery of VEGF siRNA and Phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) via cRGD-modified lipid nanoparticles for enhanced anti-angiogenic efficacy

Anti-tumor angiogenesis therapy, targeting the suppression of blood vessel growth in tumors, presents a potent approach in the battle against cancer. Traditional therapies have primarily concentrated on single-target techniques, with a specific emphasis on targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor, but have not reached ideal therapeutic efficacy. In response to this issue, our study introduced a novel nanoparticle system known as CS-siRNA/PEITC&L-cRGD NPs. These chitosan-based nanoparticles have been recognized for their excellent biocompatibility and ability to deliver genes. To enhance their targeted delivery capability, they were combined with a cyclic RGD peptide (cRGD). Targeted co-delivery of gene and chemotherapeutic agents was achieved through the use of a negatively charged lipid shell and cRGD, which possesses high affinity for integrin αvβ3 overexpressed in tumor cells and neovasculature. In this multifaceted approach, co-delivery of VEGF siRNA and phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) was employed to target both tumor vascular endothelial cells and tumor cells simultaneously. The co-delivery of VEGF siRNA and PEITC could achieve precise silencing of VEGF, inhibit the accumulation of HIF-1α under hypoxic conditions, and induce apoptosis in tumor cells. In summary, we have successfully developed a nanoparticle delivery platform that utilizes a dual mechanism of action of anti-tumor angiogenesis and pro-tumor apoptosis, which provides a robust and potent strategy for the delivery of anti-cancer therapeutics.

THBS1 promotes angiogenesis and accelerates ESCC malignant progression by the HIF-1/VEGF signaling pathway.

Previously, we demonstrated that the expression of THBS1 is increased in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tissues and is correlated with lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis, indicating that THBS1 might be a candidate oncogene in ESCC. In this study, we future studied the specific role of THBS1 in ESCC and its molecular mechanism. Silencing THBS1 expression resulted in inhibition of cell migration and cell invasion of ESCC cells, the decrease of colony formation and proliferation. Tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro was decreased when cultured with conditioned medium from THBS1-silenced cells. The expression of CD31, a marker for blood vessel endothelial cells, was decreased in tumor tissues derived from THBS1-silenced tumors in vivo. Silencing THBS1 leaded the decreased of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), HIF-1β, and VEGFA protein. The expression of p-ERK and p-AKT were declined in HUVECs following incubation with conditioned medium from THBS1-silenced ESCC cells compared conditioned medium from control cells. Furthermore, the treatment with bevacizumab boosted the decrease of the p-ERK and p-AKT levels in HUVECs incubated with the conditioned medium from THBS1-silenced ESCC cells. THBS1 silencing combined with bevacizumab blocked VEGF, inhibited to the tube formation, colony formation and migration of HUVECs, which were superior to that of bevacizumab alone. We presumed that THBS1 can enhance HIF-1/VEGF signaling and subsequently induce angiogenesis by activating the AKT and ERK pathways in HUVECs, resulting in bevacizumab resistance. THBS1 would be a potential target in tumor antiangiogenesis therapies.

Reprogramming the pancreatic cancer stroma and immune landscape by a silicasome nanocarrier delivering nintedanib, a protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor

The prevailing desmoplastic stroma and immunosuppressive microenvironment within pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) pose substantial challenges to therapeutic intervention. Despite the potential of protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) inhibitors in mitigating the desmoplastic stromal response and enhancing the immune milieu, their efficacy is curtailed by suboptimal pharmacokinetics (PK) and insufficient tumor penetration. To surmount these hurdles, we have pioneered a novel strategy, employing lipid bilayer-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (termed "silicasomes") as a carrier for the delivery of Nintedanib. Nintedanib, a triple PTK inhibitor that targets vascular endothelial growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor and fibroblast growth factor receptors, was encapsulated in the pores of silicasomes via a remote loading mechanism for weak bases. This innovative approach not only enhanced pharmacokinetics and intratumor drug concentrations but also orchestrated a transformative shift in the desmoplastic and immune landscape in a robust orthotopic KRAS-mediated pancreatic carcinoma (KPC) model. Our results demonstrate attenuation of vascular density and collagen content through encapsulated Nintedanib treatment, concomitant with significant augmentation of the CD8+/FoxP3+ T-cell ratio. This remodeling was notably correlated with tumor regression in the KPC model. Strikingly, the synergy between encapsulated Nintedanib and anti-PD-1 immunotherapy further potentiated the antitumor effect. Both free and encapsulated Nintedanib induced a transcriptional upregulation of PD-L1 via the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway. In summary, our pioneering approach involving the silicasome carrier not only improved antitumor angiogenesis but also profoundly reshaped the desmoplastic stromal and immune landscape within PDAC. These insights hold excellent promise for the development of innovative combinatorial strategies in PDAC therapy.

Preliminary efficacy and safety of camrelizumab plus metronomic oral vinorelbine as first-line therapy for people aged 70 and above with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from a phase II trial.

e14677 Background: Traditional platinum-based combination chemotherapy used as the standard first‐line treatment for advanced NSCLC poses potential safety risk for patients (pts) aged 70 years and above. Moreover, data on immune checkpoint inhibitors treating older pts with lung cancer in the current pivotal trials is limited. Metronomic chemotherapy (MCT) is the frequent administration of chemotherapy drugs at lower doses each time. Compared with traditional chemotherapy, MCT shows better safety profile and antitumor angiogenesis and immunomodulatory effects. Camrelizumab, an anti-PD-1 inhibitor, demonstrated encouraging efficacy in NSCLC (CameL study and CameL-sq study). Here, we designed a phase II trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of camrelizumab plus metronomic oral vinorelbine (mOV) as first-line therapy for Chinese older pts with advanced NSCLC. Methods: Key inclusion factors were pts aged 70 years and above, histologically or cytologically confirmed unresectable stage III and IV NSCLC without positive EGFR mutation, ALK fusions or ROS1 fusions, ECOG performance status 0-2, no previous systematic treatment. Pts received camrelizumab (200mg, D1, q3w) combined with mOV (30mg, tiw1, day 1-3-5 per week) for 6 cycles, followed by camrelizumab monotherapy maintenance until disease progression or intolerable side effects. The primary endpoint was progression free survival (PFS). The secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), duration of response (DoR) and safety. Results: From March 2021 to November 2022, 12 pts were evaluable for inclusion in the study. The median age was 77 (range: 70-85) with 8 (67%) males. Median follow-up was 7.2 months (range 2.8 months-22.1 months). The median PFS was 9.3 months (95%CI: 3.9 months-14.7 months). The one-year OS rate was 66.3%. The ORR and DCR were 50% (95%CI: 25.4%-74.6%) and 83.3% (95%CI: 50.9%-90.1%), respectively. Pts with positive or negative PD-L1 responded similarly to the treatment (respectively at 5/8 and 1/2 on ORR). The median OS and DoR have not been reached. Adverse events (AEs) with any grade were observed in 10 (83.3%) pts, of which grade III-IV AEs were observed in 2 (16.7%) pts with neutropenia and interstitial pneumonia, respectively. Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) occurred in 3 (25%) pts, of which grade III-IV irAEs occurred in one (8.3%) patient with interstitial pneumonia. No grade 5 adverse event happened. Conclusions: The regimen of camrelizumab plus mOV for the first-line therapy for older NSCLC pts showed initial promising efficacy and safety profile, which suggests it is worth further exploration. Clinical trial information: ChiCTR2100049487 .

Combination of immune checkpoint blockade and targeted gene regulation of angiogenesis for facilitating antitumor immunotherapy.

The rapid development of tumor immunotherapy has improved the management of patients with cancer. However, several key problems of tumor immunotherapy, including the insufficient activation of effector T cells, poor tumor invasion, and poor immune killing ability, lead to a low response rate. In the present study, a synergistic strategy was developed by combining in situ tumor vaccines, gene-mediated downregulation of tumor angiogenesis, and anti-PD-L1 therapy. In situ tumor vaccines and antitumor angiogenesis were achieved by codelivering unmethylated cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-silencing gene (shVEGF) via a hyaluronic acid (HA)-modified HA/PEI/shVEGF/CpG system. Necrotic tumor cells and CpG adjuvants formed in situ tumor vaccines and activated the host immune response. Moreover, VEGF silencing reduced tumor angiogenesis and prompted the homogeneous distribution of tumor blood vessels to facilitate immune cell infiltration. Meanwhile, anti-angiogenesis also improved the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. To further improve the specific tumor-killing effect, an anti-PD-L1 antibody was introduced for immune checkpoint blockade, thereby boosting antitumor immune responses. The combination therapy strategy presented in the present study could act in the multiple stages of the tumor immunotherapy cycle, which is expected to offer a new avenue for clinical tumor immunotherapy.

Selenium speciation determines the angiogenesis effect through regulating selenoproteins to trigger ROS-mediated cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest

Tumor angiogenesis is closely related to tumor development, immune escape, and drug resistance. Therefore, the development of effective anti-tumor angiogenesis drugs is of great research significance. Although the current clinical angiogenesis inhibitors have achieved certain efficacy, they also pose the problems of limited and short duration of efficacy, drug resistance, and intrinsic toxicity. Anti-tumor angiogenesis strategies targeting endothelial cells (ECs) have attracted widespread attention in the development of highly effective and low toxicity anti-angiogenesis inhibitors. Studies have verified that the trace element selenium (Se) can inhibit tumor growth by inhibiting tumor angiogenesis through different mechanisms. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether Se speciation has different effects on anti-tumor angiogenesis. Herein, we found that Se exhibited effective anti-angiogenic activity, and its mechanisms of activity were determined by its chemical speciation. Organic Se can significantly inhibit tumor angiogenesis by targeting thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) to trigger cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest and by increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in ECs. Inorganic Se can induce cell cycle arrest and increase ROS production in ECs, showing promising anti-angiogenic effects. Se nanoparticles (SeNPs) slightly inhibit tumor angiogenesis by inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest and by increasing the production of ROS. In summary, this study elucidates the anti-angiogenic activity of Se speciation control with a view to providing a scientific reference for the design and development of novel Se-based highly effective and low toxicity angiogenesis inhibitors.

Effect of Chitosan Drug-Loaded Nanoparticles on Proliferation of Gastric Cancer Cells and Expression of Prdx6 Protein

Since there are many problems in the clinical application of traditional chemotherapy drugs for gastric cancer (GC), including poor water solubility and insufficient targeting, the preparation of docetaxel nanoparticles (NPs) with chitosan (CS) as the carrier under nanotechnology can improve its water solubility and targeting and thus improve the bioavailability and antitumor effect. GX1 was used as a GC target molecule, N-deoxycholic acid (DCA) hydroxyethyl CS was used as a nanodrug carrier, and docetaxel was used as an antitumor angiogenesis drug to fabricate GC target NPs. The physical characterization was analyzed, the sustained release performance was further analyzed, and the anticancer performance was tested from in vitro and in vivo perspectives. After the NPs were transfected into GC cells, Prdx6 protein level in the cancer cells was determined by western blotting, and the survival rate of GC cells was determined by cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8). Experiments showed that the encapsulation efficiency and drug loading rate of GC-targeted NPs reached 51.8% and 24.3%, respectively. The average particle size was 148.7 nm, and the surface showed smooth and homogeneous aggregation. docetaxel in the NPs belongs to pH-responsive sustained release, and the drug diffusion type belongs to non-Fickian diffusion. in vitro tests showed that GX1 can improve the uptake rate of the NPs by gastric vascular endothelial cells, and in vivo tests showed that the NPs can greatly limit the growth rate of GC tumors in nude mice (P < 0.01). Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) results of tumor sections showed that NPs could induce a large amount of tumor cell apoptosis. The expression of Prdx6 protein in GC cells was decreased after transfection with NPs (P < 0.05), and NPs notably inhibited the proliferation of GC cells (P < 0.01).

Efficacy and safety of endostar combined with cisplatin in treatment of non-small cell lung cancer with malignant pleural effusion: A meta-analysis

Although there are new treatments for non-small cell lung cancer with malignant pleural effusion, these therapies are prone to recurrent pleural effusion and poor in efficacy. And recombinant human endostatin is a new type of anti-tumor angiogenesis drug independently developed in my country. It has the effect of inhibiting tumor angiogenesis, inhibiting tumor proliferation and differentiation, and effectively inhibiting the formation and recurrence of malignant pleural effusion. Therefore, this study is aim to systematically review the efficacy and safety of intrapleural injection of endostar combined with cisplatin in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with malignant pleural effusion. Databases including Cochrane Library, PubMed, CBM, Embase, CNKI, and WanFang Data were searched to collect randomized controlled trials about endostar combined with cisplatin for NSCLC with malignant pleural effusion from inception to April 2022. Two reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias in included studies. Finally, the meta-analysis was made by using RevMan 5.4.1 software. A total of 11 randomized controlled trials involving 814 patients were finally included. The results of the meta-analysis showed that: The overall response rate and the improvement rate of quality of life in the endostar combined with cisplatin group were higher than that of the cisplatin alone group (relative risk = 1.58, 95% confidence interval = 1.42-1.76, P < .00001; relative risk = 1.63, 95% confidence interval = 1.38-1.93, P < .00001, respectively). Meanwhile, there were no significant differences between the 2 groups in the incidence of gastrointestinal reaction, the incidence of leucopenia, the incidence of thrombocytopenia, and the incidence of hypodynamia (all P values > .05). Compared with cisplatin, intrapleural injection of endostar combined with cisplatin could improve the overall response rate and the quality of life of NSCLC patients with malignant pleural effusion. Due to the limited quality and quantity of included studies, more high-quality studies are needed to verify the above conclusion.

Interventional effect of processing temperature on anti-angiogenesis of Coptis chinensis and screening of active components by UPLC-MS/MS on quail chick chorioallantoic membrane model

Ethnopharmacological relevanceCoptis chinensis Franch. (CC), as a commonly used heat-clearing and toxin-resolving traditional Chinese herbal medicine, has gained increased attention for its anti-tumor activity. However, little is known about the anti-tumor angiogenesis effect of CC and its possible bioactive components. Also, it has been shown that temperature affects the quality of CC, albeit whether and how it affects the anti-angiogenic activity of CC is currently unknown. Aim of the studyTo determine the processing temperatures (40, 60, 80, 120, 140, 150, 160 and 200 °C) at which CC has the strongest anti-angiogenic effect and speculate the possible bioactive components. Materials and methodsThe q-CAM model was constructed to explore the anti-angiogenesis agents of CC. The angiogenesis inhibition effects of CC samples at different processing temperatures and its seven alkaloids were determined based on morphological observation and vascular area proportion analysis. UPLC-MS/MS was employed to screen the potent active components of CC on anti-angiogenesis. ResultsAll the intervention by CC at different processing temperatures and its seven alkaloids could inhibit angiogenesis on q-CAM vessels, as evidenced by a poor vasular development in morphological observation and a low vascular area proportion in vascular quantitative analysis, most evident in CC processed at 40 °C and palmatine. LC-MS revealed that palmatine displayed strongest inhibitory effect on q-CAM vessels with a high absorption due to its stable structure. And the maternal nucleus transformation phenomenon of CC alkaloids was found in the quail embryo metabolism. ConclusionsThe q-CAM models in conjunction with the UPLC-MS/MS technique could be a useful tool for assessing tumor angiogenesis and screening tumor-targeted medicines. Processing temperature can affect the anti-angiogenesis effect of CC because of its function on the content of alkaloids, and palmatine can be considered as a prospective anti-angiogenic drug.

Targeting OPA1-Mediated Mitochondrial Fusion Contributed to Celastrol's Anti-Tumor Angiogenesis Effect.

Celastrol, an active triterpenoid extracted from one of the most famous traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), Tripterygium wilfordii Hook.f., is a novel anti-cancer drug with significant anti-angiogenesis activity. However, the exact molecular mechanisms underlying its anti-tumor angiogenesis effect remain unclear. The process of angiogenesis needs lots of energy supply, which mostly derives from mitochondria, the "energy factory" in our body. This study shows that celastrol exerts visible suppression on tumor growth and angiogenesis in a cell-derived xenograft (CDX). Likewise, it reduced the tube formation and migration of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), suppressed the energy metabolism of mitochondria in the Seahorse XF Mito Stress Test, and triggered mitochondrial fragmentation and NF-κB activation. Mechanically, celastrol downregulated the expression of mitochondrial-sharping protein optic atrophy protein 1 (OPA1), which was further estimated by the OPA1 knockdown model of HUVECs. Specifically, celastrol directly suppressed OPA1 at the mRNA level by inhibiting the phosphorylation of STAT3, and stattic (STAT3 inhibitor) showed the same effects on OPA1 suppression and anti-angiogenesis activity. Overall, this study indicates that celastrol inhibits tumor angiogenesis by suppressing mitochondrial function and morphology via the STAT3/OPA1/P65 pathway and provides new insight for mitochondrion-targeted cancer therapy.

Nanosized zingerone-triggered anti-angiogenesis contributes to tumor suppression in human hepatocellular carcinoma

Suppression of tumor angiogenesis has become one of the most important means of antitumorigenesis, tumor development, and metastasis. Therefore, developing novel anti-angiogenic agents for tumor therapeutics is an important issue. Phytochemicals possess numerous effective antitumorigenesis properties and can inhibit cell growth and metastasis and are thus regarded as promising candidates for use as chemopreventive agents and chemotherapeutic adjuvants. In our previous study, we fabricated phytochemical-derived carbon dot-zingerone nanoparticles (zingerone NPs) and demonstrated their potent antitumorigenesis in vivo and in vitro against human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we further validated the roles of zingerone NPs in antitumor angiogenesis. Here, two human endothelial cell lines, EA.hy293 and HUVECs, and two hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines, SK-Hep-1 and Huh7, were utilized to investigate the effects of zingerone NPs on antitumor angiogenesis. Our data demonstrated that zingerone NPs significantly inhibited the viability of human endothelial EA.hy296 cells and HUVECs. Moreover, zingerone NPs revealed superior anti-angiogenic effects on cell invasiveness, in vitro tube formation, and ex vivo rat aorta ring angiogenesis. By verifying zingerone NP-mediated molecular mechanisms of anti-angiogenesis, we found that zingerone NPs significantly decreased the protein expression of VEGF and VEGFR in endothelial cells. Moreover, zingerone NPs downregulated VEGF expression in hepatoma cell lines. The hepatoma Huh7 xenograft model also showed that zingerone NPs markedly attenuated tumor angiogenesis through inhibition of VEGF and CD31 expression. In addition, we also demonstrated that zingerone NPs significantly suppressed tumorigenesis by inhibiting VEGF-mediated PI3K/Akt/mTOR axis signaling and Akt/eNOS signaling in endothelial and hepatocellular carcinoma cells. These results suggest that the phytochemical-derived carbon dots-zingerone NPs possess superior characteristics in antitumor angiogenesis and antitumorigenesis. Altogether, our study provides recent advances in zingerone NPs as anti-angiogenic agents to enhance chemopreventive and anticancer effects for future tumor therapeutic strategies.

A Cohort Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Value of CT Perfusion Imaging in Patients with Metastatic Osteosarcoma after Chemotherapy.

Objective A case-control study was conducted to explore the efficacy of cohort study and value of CT perfusion imaging in patients with metastatic osteosarcoma after chemotherapy. Methods Eighty patients with metastatic osteosarcoma treated in our hospital from March 2020 to December 2021 were divided into two groups. According to their different treatment methods, the chemotherapy+antiangiogenesis group had 36 cases and the chemotherapy group had 44 cases. All patients were scanned by 64-slice spiral CT before and after treatment. The differences of tumor volume and perfusion parameters before and after treatment were compared, and the correlation between perfusion parameters and tumor microvessel density (MVD) was analyzed. The receiver working curve (ROC curve) was used to evaluate the efficacy of the two groups after chemotherapy. Results Blood flow (BF), blood volume (BV), Pallak blood volume (PBV), and time to start (TTS) in the antitumor angiogenesis+chemotherapy group were significantly lower than those before treatment (P < 0.05). Microvessel density was positively correlated with PS, BF, BV, and PBV (P < 0.05). The reduction rate of BV and BF in the remission group after treatment was significantly higher than that in the nonremission group. When the BV and BF decline rates were 47.37% and 21.53% and the areas under the curve were 0.968 and 0.916, respectively, the diagnostic effect was the best. When the decrease rate of BV was 47.48% and the decrease rate of BF was 21.55%, the sensitivity was 94.72% and 89.56% and the specificity was 91.31% and 91.31%. Conclusion The reduction rate of BV and BF in CT perfusion imaging is of high value in evaluating the efficacy of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in patients with NSCLC and can provide more objective basis for observing the changes and judging the prognosis of osteosarcoma after treatment.

A double DNAzyme-loaded MnO2 versatile nanodevice for precise cancer diagnosis and Self-Sufficient synergistic gene therapy

Tumors progression is usually characterized by proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis, and it leads to uncontrolled tissue growth and blocks the mechanism of apoptosis. Therefore, targeted angiogenesis and anti-apoptosis is considered promising therapeutic strategy for cancer prevention and treatment. Herein, we report a versatile and intelligent MnO2-PEI-DNAzymes (MnPDs) nanodevice for self-sufficient anti-tumor angiogenesis and pro-apoptosis synergistic gene silencing, coupling multi-target bimodal in situ imaging. Intracellularly, the multifunctional charge-reversal MnPDs undergo reduction and lysis by the overexpressed GSH, actualizing enhanced MR imaging and sufficient DNAzyme cofactors in tumor tissue, and enabling miRNA-155 and telomerase biomarkers dual-fluorescence imaging. Under the precise multimodal imaging, the dual DNAzymes enable self-sufficient Early growth response-1 (EGR1) and Survivin (SUR) mRNAs synergistic silencing, effectively inhibiting tumor angiogenesis and anti-apoptotic. Considering that accurate and efficient therapy has become a trend in cancer therapy, our proposed self-sustaining multifunctional nanodevice is promising for broad clinical applications.

Astragalus-Scorpion Drug Pair Inhibits the Development of Prostate Cancer by Regulating GDPD4-2/PI3K/AKT/mTOR Pathway and Autophagy.

Objective: Prostate cancer (PCa) is an epithelial malignancy of the prostate that currently lacks effective treatment. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can play an anticancer role through regulating the immune system, anti-tumor angiogenesis, regulating tumor cell apoptosis, autophagy dysfunction, and other mechanisms. This study attempted to explore the active ingredients and potential mechanism of action of the Astragalus–Scorpion (A–S) drug pair in PCa, in order to provide new insights into the treatment of PCa. Methods: Network pharmacology was used to analyze the A–S drug pair and PCa targets. Bioinformatics analysis was used to analyze the LncRNAs with significant differences in PCa. The expression of LC3 protein was detected by immunofluorescence. CCK8 was used to detect cell proliferation. The expressions of GDPD4-2, AC144450.1, LINC01513, AC004009.2, AL096869.1, AP005210.1, and BX119924.1 were detected by RT-qPCR. The expression of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and autophagy-related proteins were detected by western blot. LC-MS/MS was used to identify the active components of Astragalus and Scorpion. Results: A–S drug pair and PCa have a total of 163 targets, which were mainly related to the prostate cancer and PI3K/AKT pathways. A–S drug pair inhibited the formation of PCa, promoted the expression of LC3Ⅱ and Beclin1 proteins, and inhibited the expression of P62 and PI3K–AKT pathway proteins in PCa mice. Astragaloside IV and polypeptide extract from scorpion venom (PESV) were identified as the main active components of the A–S drug pair. GDPD4-2 was involved in the treatment of PCa by Astragaloside IV-PESV. Silencing GDPD4-2 reversed the therapeutic effects of Astragaloside IV-PESV by regulating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Conclusion: Astragaloside IV-PESV is the main active components of A–S drug pair treated PCa by regulating the GDPD4-2/PI3K–AKT/mTOR pathway and autophagy.