In Vitro Cytotoxicity and Aromatase Inhibitory Activity of Flavonoids: Synthesis, Molecular Docking and In silico ADME Prediction.

BACKGROUND: Many natural and synthetic flavonoids have been studied and documented by inhibiting aromatase enzymes for their anti-cancer activity against breast carcinoma. The aromatase enzyme is a possible target for the estrogen's positive breast cancer receptor. OBJECTIVE: Hence, a series of flavonoids have been synthesized and assessed for their in vitro cytotoxicity and aromatase inhibitory activity. METHODS: 39 Flavonoids were synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic techniques, and their computational study was performed using the maestro version of the Schrodinger. In silico ADME properties were checked by QikProp software. A total of 18 compounds were evaluated based on the docking score using cytotoxicity assay in human breast cancer cell line MCF-7. RESULTS: Of the 18 compounds tested, 07 compounds, namely 2b, 8b, 14b, 15b, 19b, 24b, and 30b flavonoids were found to be more active with their IC50 values of 20.73 µM, 1.636 µM, 16.08 µM, 22.02 µM, 15.75 µM, 0.345 µM and 16.08 µM, respectively, compared with the reference drug letrozole. The in vitro aromatase inhibitory activity of six compounds 2b, 8b, 14b, 19b, 24b, and 30b was conducted using a fluorogenic assay kit. The values of IC50 for compounds 2b and 24b were found to be 0.31 µM and 0.36 µM, respectively. CONCLUSION: Therefore, it was concluded that compounds 2b and 24b had a potent inhibitory effect of aromatase compared with letrozole with an IC50 value of 0.86 µM. At the same time, the other compounds 8b, 14b, 30b, and 19b were considered to have similar aromatase inhibitory activity. Hence, their essential aromatase inhibitory activities make them good lead candidates for developing potent inhibitors of aromatase.

Influence of TLR4 and TLR9 polymorphisms and haplotypes on multiple hrHPV infections and HPV16 copy number in cervical cancer and cervicitis.

Genetic polymorphism in pathogen recognition receptors tends to influence infection, disease susceptibility, and progression. We analyzed the association of TLR4 and TLR9 gene polymorphisms with multiple hrHPV infections and HPV16 copy number in cervicitis and cervical cancer. A total of 440 cervical cancer, cervicitis, and healthy individuals were studied using PCR-based assays. Student t-test, chi-square test, Welch's t-test, and Fisher's Exact test were utilized to evaluate the association of HPV infection with polymorphisms. Haploview and FAMHAP were used to analyze haplotype association with HPV infection and viral load. Study results revealed HPV45 infection as the most common one in cervical cancer after HPV16, and one-fourth HPV positive cervical cancer patients possessed multiple HPV infections. Mean HPV16 copy number of 264.4 ± 58.7 and 2.1 ± 3.3 copies/cell was detected in cervical cancer and cervicitis, respectively. TLR4 rs10759931 was protective against multiple hrHPV infections. TLR4 haplotype ACAC was associated with an increased risk of multiple hrHPV infections. TLR9 SNPs rs187084, rs352140, and rs352139 were associated with decreased risk of high HPV16 copy number. Augmentation of efforts for the multivalent HPV vaccination in India is suggested. The analyzed polymorphisms were shown to modulate hrHPV co-infections and HPV16 viral load that warrants further analysis.

A review of methods for detecting single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the Toll-like receptor gene family.

The Toll-like receptors play an essential role in immunity through targeting the pathogen-associated molecular patterns. Nucleotide variations in TLR genes, especially single-nucleotide polymorphisms, have been shown to alter host immune susceptibility to several infections and diseases. Since TLR genes' polymorphisms can be a promising biomarker, ongoing investigations aim to develop, optimize and validate SNP detection methods. This review discusses various TLR SNP detection methods, either used extensively or occasionally, but having a vast potential in high-throughput settings. Methods such as PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism, TaqMan® assay, direct sequencing and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization - time of flight mass spectroscopy MS are frequently used methods whereas Illumina GoldenGate® assay, reverse hybridization technology, PCR-confronting two-pair primers, KBiosciences KASPar® SNP assay, SNP stream®, PCR-fluorescence hybridization and SNaPshot® are powerful but sporadically used methods. We suggest that, for individual laboratories, the detection method of choice depends on a combination of factors such as throughput volume, reproducibility, feasibility and cost-effectiveness.

Coumarin-carbazole based functionalized pyrazolines: synthesis, characterization, anticancer investigation and molecular docking.

A series of novel pyrazoline scaffolds from coumarin-carbazole chalcones were synthesized. We explored various acetyl, amide, and phenyl substituents at the N-1 position of the pyrazoline core. The synthesized compounds were characterized by FTIR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, DEPT, and mass spectroscopic techniques. The in vitro cytotoxicity study of all the synthesized compounds was evaluated against HeLa, NCI-H520 and NRK-52E cell lines. Compounds 4a and 7b became the most active compounds and exhibited their potential to arrest the cell cycle progression and induce apoptosis in both the cell lines. In addition, molecular docking studies revealed a higher binding affinity of both the molecules with CDK2 protein. Based on the obtained results, a comprehensive analysis is warranted to establish the role of compounds 4a and 7b as promising cancer therapeutic agents.

Author Correction: Association of TLR4 and TLR9 polymorphisms and haplotypes with cervical cancer susceptibility.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Association of TLR4 and TLR9 gene polymorphisms and haplotypes with cervicitis susceptibility.

BACKGROUND: Cervicitis is one of the major health problems amongst women caused by infection of various pathogens including Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) as well as human papillomavirus (HPV), and persistent cervical inflammation is one of the etiologic agents of cervical cancer. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play an important role in the recognition and subsequent elimination of these pathogens. Variations in the Toll-like receptor genes influence susceptibility to pathogens as well as disease progression independently. METHODS: Ten single nucleotide polymorphisms, five each of TLR4 and TLR9 genes were analyzed among 130 cervicitis patients and 150 controls either using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism or allele specific-PCR. RESULTS: T. vaginalis infection was found at the highest frequency (30.7%) as compared to C. trachomatis (1.5%), N. gonorrhoeae (2.3%) and HPV (4.6%) infections in cervicitis patients. TLR4 rs11536889 CC (age-adjusted OR, 2.469 [95% CI, 1.499 to 4.065]; p < 0.001) and TLR9 rs187084 TC (age-adjusted OR, 2.165 [95% CI, 1.267-3.699]; p = 0.005) genotypes showed the higher distribution in cervicitis patients compared to controls. In addition, TLR4 rs11536889 C allele was shown to increase the risk of cervicitis (age-adjusted OR, 1.632 [95% CI, 1.132 to 2.352]; p = 0.009) compared to controls. The TLR4 haplotype GCA (OR, 0.6 [95% CI, 0.38-0.95]; p = 0.0272) and TLR9 haplotype GTA (OR, 1.99 [95% CI, 1.14-3.48]; p = 0.014) were found to be associated with decreased and increased risk of cervicitis respectively. CONCLUSIONS: TLR4 and TLR9 polymorphisms, as well as haplotypes were shown to modulate the cervicitis risk.

Association of TLR4 and TLR9 polymorphisms and haplotypes with cervical cancer susceptibility.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TLR genes may serve as a crucial marker for early susceptibility of various cancers including cervical cancer. The present study was therefore designed to ascertain the role of TLR4 and TLR9 SNPs and haplotypes to hrHPV infection and cervical cancer susceptibility. The study included 110 cervical cancer biopsies and 141 cervical smears from age-matched healthy controls of Gujarati ethnicity of Western India. hrHPV 16 and 18 were detected using Real-time PCR. Eight SNPs, four each in TLR4 and TLR9 were analyzed using Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism and Allele-Specific PCR. HPV 16 and 18 were detected in 68% cervical cancer cases. TLR4 rs4986790, rs1927911 and TLR9 rs187084 showed association with HPV 16/18 infection. CC and CT genotypes of TLR4 rs11536889 and rs1927911 respectively, and TC, CC genotypes of TLR9 rs187084, as well as minor alleles of TLR4 rs4986790 and TLR9 rs187084, were associated with the increased risk of cervical cancer. Stage-wise analysis revealed TLR9 rs187084 and rs352140 to be associated with early-stage cancer. TLR4 haplotype GTAC and TLR9 haplotype GATC were associated with the increased risk of cervical cancer while TLR4 haplotype GCAG was associated with the decreased risk. TLR4 haplotype GCAG and TLR9 haplotype GATC showed association with increased susceptibility to hrHPV infection. In conclusion, the present study revealed association of TLR4 and TLR9 polymorphisms and haplotypes with hrHPV infection and cervical cancer risk. Further evaluation of a larger sample size covering diverse ethnic populations globally is warranted.

TLR4 Polymorphisms and Expression in Solid Cancers.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a type of pattern-recognition receptor (PRR) that are part of the innate immune system known to recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns and thereby play a crucial role in host immune response. Among the various known TLRs, TLR4 is one of the most extensively studied PRRs expressed by immune, certain nonimmune, and tumor cells. When TLR4 binds with the bacterial lipopolysaccharide, it induces production of proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and effector molecules as part of the immune response. Continuous exposure to pathogens and TLR4 signaling results in chronic inflammation that may further lead to malignant transformation. TLR4 is a highly polymorphic gene, and genetic variations are known to influence host immune response, leading to dysregulation of signaling pathway, which may affect an individual's susceptibility to various diseases, including cancer. Furthermore, TLR4 expression in different tumor types may also serve as a marker for tumor proliferation, differentiation, metastasis, prognosis, and patient survival. This review aims to summarize various reports related to TLR4 polymorphisms and expression patterns and their influences on different cancer types with a special focus on solid tumors.

Absence of toll-like receptor 9 Pro99Leu polymorphism in cervical cancer.

Background: Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) plays a key role in the elimination of viral pathogens by recognising their CpG DNA. Polymorphisms in the TLR9 gene may influence their recognition and subsequent elimination. Therefore, the present study was designed to elucidate the role of a rare unexplored TLR9 gene polymorphism C296T/ Pro99Leu (rs5743844) in cervical cancer susceptibility among Indian women. Methods: The genotyping of TLR9 Pro99Leu polymorphism in 110 cervical cancer patients and 141 healthy controls was performed by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Results: The genotype frequency detected in both cervical cancer and control populations was 1.0 (CC), 0.0 (CT) and 0.0 (TT); while the allele frequency was found to be 1.0 (C) and 0.0 (T). Conclusions: The present study demonstrates no involvement of TLR9 C296T/ Pro99Leu polymorphism in cervical cancer susceptibility and supports minor allele frequency (MAF) (0.0002) status of the same as no nucleotide variation was detected in any of the study subjects.