Proteomics Analysis of Trastuzumab Toxicity in the H9c2 Cardiomyoblast Cell Line and its Inhibition by Carvedilol.

OBJECTIVE: Heart dysfunctions are the major complications of trastuzumab in patients with Human Epidermal growth factor Receptor-2 (HER2)-positive breast cancers. METHODS: In this study, the cytotoxicity of trastuzumab on H9c2 cardiomyoblasts was demonstrated, and the proteome changes of cells were investigated by a tandem mass tagging quantitative approach. The Differentially Abundant Proteins (DAPs) were identified and functionally enriched. RESULTS: We determined that carvedilol, a non-selective beta-blocker, could effectively inhibit trastuzumab toxicity when administrated in a proper dose and at the same time. The proteomics analysis of carvedilol co-treated cardiomyoblasts showed complete or partial reversion in expressional levels of trastuzumab-induced DAPs. CONCLUSION: Downregulation of proteins involved in the translation biological process is one of the most important changes induced by trastuzumab and reversed by carvedilol. These findings provide novel insights to develop new strategies for the cardiotoxicity of trastuzumab.

Design and characterization of biodegradable multi layered electrospun nanofibers for corneal tissue engineering applications.

Tissue engineering is one of the most promising areas for treatment of various ophthalmic diseases particularly for patients who suffer from limbal stem cell deficiency and this is due to the lack of existence of appropriate matrix for stem cell regeneration. The aim of this research project is to design and fabricate triple layered electrospun nanofibers as a suitable corneal tissue engineering scaffold and the objective is to investigate and perform various in vitro tests to find the most optimum and suitable scaffold for this purpose. Electrospun scaffolds were prepared in three layers. Poly(d, l-lactide-co-glycolide; PLGA, 50:50) nanofibers were electrospun as outer and inner layers of the scaffold and aligned type I collagen nanofibers were electrospun in the middle layer. Furthermore, the scaffolds were cross-linked by 1-ethyl-3-(3 dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride and glutaraldehyde. Structural, physical, and mechanical properties of scaffolds were investigated by using N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, contact angle measurement, tensile test, degradation, shrinkage analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, capability to support cell attachment and viability were characterized by SEM, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay, and 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining. According to the result of Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis, specific surface area of electrospun scaffold was about 23.7 m2 g-1 . Tensile tests on cross-linked scaffolds represented more suitable hydrophilicity and tensile behavior. In addition, degradation rate analysis indicated that noncross-linked scaffolds degraded faster than cross-linked one and cross-linking led to controlled shrinkage in the scaffold. The SEM analysis depicted nano-sized fibers in good shape. Also, the in vitro study represented an improved cell attachment and proliferation in the presence of human endometrial stem cells for both cross-linked and noncross-linked samples. The current study suggests the possibility of producing an appropriate substrate for successful cornea tissue engineering with a novel design.

Synthesis, Molecular Docking Study, and Cytotoxic Activity of 3,4-diaryl-5-(4-pyridinyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole.

BACKGROUND: Triaryl oxadiazoles have been proven to be useful agents against various types of cancer cell lines. Nevertheless, their mechanism of action is not fully understood. OBJECTIVE: Synthesis and cytotoxic activity of a new group of triaryl oxadiazoles; 3,4-diaryl-5-(4- pyridinyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole derivatives, will be discussed in this study. Their cytotoxic activity has been examined in 4 different cell lines by MTT method. METHOD: 3,4-Diaryl-5-(4-pyridinyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole derivatives were prepared from condensation of different imines with 4-substituted benzohydroxyiminoyl chlorides. The antiproliferative activity of the final compounds was examined in MCF-7, AGS, HT-29 and NIH3T3 cell lines by MTT assay, using different concentrations of each compound to determine their IC50. The cytotoxic activity of paclitaxel, doxorubicin and combretastatin A-4 was evaluated as positive controls. RESULTS: All compounds demonstrated cytotoxic activity in mentioned cell lines, in a dose dependent manner. Among all, 6d-2 showed the highest cytotoxicity in AGS and MCF-7 cell lines with IC50 19.84 and 9.91 respectively and 6c-2 was the most potent in HT-29 with IC50 27.60. In addition, 6c-1, one of the most potent compounds, showed an interestingly low cytotoxic effect on NIH3T3 cell line, which is a noncancerous cell line. In the molecular modeling study, all compounds had comparable binding energy in Colchicine binding site and 6c-2 had the best-predicted binding energy. CONCLUSION: Together, our data suggest that the synthesized compounds have a partially selective mechanism of action against cancer cells and possibly a lower toxic effect on normal cells, making them interesting candidates for the synthesis of new anticancer agents.

CD44-targeted docetaxel conjugate for cancer cells and cancer stem-like cells: a novel hyaluronic acid-based drug delivery system.

A CD44-targeted macromolecular conjugate of docetaxel was prepared via a pH-sensitive linkage to hyaluronic acid and was characterized using NMR, gel permeation chromatography, and differential scanning calorimetry. The conjugated species were further evaluated in terms of drug release, cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, cell cycle inhibition, and subacute toxicity in mice. Cellular microscopic studies revealed that CD44-expressing cells including MCF-7 cancer stem cells and MDA-MB-231 metastatic breast cancer cells had internalized the conjugates via a selective receptor-mediated mechanism, leading to cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase. Hyaluronic acid-docetaxel conjugates showed specific toxicity only in CD44-expressing cells in vitro, along with a decreased risk of neutropenia and dose-dependent mortality in vivo. Hyaluronic acid-drug conjugates represent a promising and efficient platform for solubilization of sparingly soluble molecules as well as active and selective targeted delivery to cancer cells and cancer stem cells.

Safety and efficacy of new 3,6-diaryl-7H-[1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]thiadiazine analogs as potential phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitors in NIH-3T3 mouse fibroblastic cells.

A novel series of potential phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE-4) inhibitors, 6-(3-(cyclopentyloxy)-4-methoxyphenyl)-3-aryl-7H-[1,2,4]triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]thiadiazines, were developed. Different concentrations of the synthesized compounds were tested on cultured NIH-3T3 cells to determine their safety and efficacy in NIH-3T3 mouse fibroblastic cells in comparison with rolipram, a selective PDE-4 inhibitor. The viability of cells was determined by (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-di-phenyltetrazoliumbromide (MTT) assay. The PDE inhibition rate was measured indirectly by determination of concentrations of extracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) using enzyme-linked immunoassay technique. The results showed that all tested compounds caused a marked increase in the concentration of cAMP, whereas the concentration of cGMP stayed approximately unchanged. The cytotoxic IC(50) of all synthesized compounds was approximately twofold greater than their required concentration for inhibition of PDE-4 (in terms of elevation of cAMP), and thus, these structures could be used to develop potent and safe inhibitors of PDE-4 enzyme.