Chronic pain is a risk factor for incident Alzheimer's disease: a nationwide propensity-matched cohort using administrative data.

Introduction: Chronic pain (CP) is one of the most disabling conditions in the elderly and seems to be a risk factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). Only one study, using national administrative health databases, assessed and demonstrated that chronic pain (all types of pain) was a risk factor for dementia, but without assessing the impact of pain medications. Method: To assess the impact of all types of chronic pain and the long-term use of pain medications on the person-years incidence of ADRD, a retrospective nationwide healthcare administrative data study was performed using the national inter-regime health insurance information system (SNIIRAM) to the French national health data system (SNDS). Incident people >50 years old with chronic pain, defined by at least 6-months duration analgesics treatment or by a diagnosis/long-term illness of chronic pain between 2006 and 2010, were included. Chronic pain individuals were matched with non-CP individuals by a propensity score. Individuals were followed up from 9 to 13 years to identify occurrences of ADRD from 2006. Results: Among 64,496 French individuals, the incidence of ADRD was higher in the chronic pain population than control (1.13% vs. 0.95%, p <0.001). Chronic pain increases the risk of ADRD (HR = 1.23) and the incidence of ADRD was higher for women and increased significantly with age. Discussion: Our study highlights the importance of prevention, diagnosis, and management of chronic pain in elderly to reduce the risk of development and/or worsening of dementia.

Prevalence of Chronic Pain Among People with Dementia: A Nationwide Study Using French Administrative Data.

OBJECTIVE: Alzheimer's disease or Related Dementia (ADRD) is known to disturb pain perception and reduce the ability to report it, resulting in underestimation by practitioners and sub-optimal medical management. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of all types of CP among people with ADRD. DESIGN: Nationwide cross-sectional study. SETTINGS: French community-dwelling and nursing home residents. PARTICIPANTS: People with ADRD, >40 years old, treated with cholinesterase inhibitors or memantine, or with a diagnosis/long-term illness of ADRD and matched with a comparison sample. SETTINGS: French community-dwelling and nursing home residents. PARTICIPANTS: People with ADRD, >40 years old, treated with cognitive stimulants (cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine) or with a diagnosis/long-term illness of ADRD and matched with a comparison sample (non-ADRD). MEASUREMENTS: The capture-recapture method was performed to provide estimates of the prevalence of CP. People treated with analgesic drugs for ≥6 months consecutively or with a medical diagnosis of CP (ICD-10 codes) or referred to a pain center were considered as having CP. RESULTS: A total of 48,288 individuals were included, of which 16,096 had ADRD and 32,192 without ADRD. The estimated prevalence of CP in people with ADRD was from 57.7% [52.9;63.3] to 57.9%[53.0;63.9], and slightly higher than the non-ADRD sample (from 49.9%[47.0;53.2] to 50.4%[47.3;53.9], p <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of CP among people living with ADRD was at least the same as or better than individuals without ADRD. This result should alert practitioners' attention to the need for effective pain assessment and management in this population who has difficulties to express and feel pain.

Intravenous misuse of slow-release oral morphine capsules: how much morphine is injected?

BACKGROUND: The injection of morphine from morphine sulfate capsules containing sustained-release microbeads (Skenan®) is a practice frequently described by French intravenous opioid users. They seek an injectable form of substitution for heroin. Depending on how the syringe is prepared, the morphine rates may vary. The dosage of the capsule, the temperature of the dissolving water and the type of filter used have been identified as the parameters most likely to influence the final quantity of morphine in solution before intravenous injection. The aim of our study was to determine the amounts of morphine actually injected, according to the different preparation modalities described by people who inject morphine and the harm reduction equipment made available to them. METHODS: Different morphine syringes were prepared by varying the dosage of the capsule (100 or 200 mg), the temperature of the dissolving water before adding morphine, ambient (≈ 22 °C) or heat (≈ 80 °C) and four filtration devices: risk reduction Steribox® cotton, risk reduction filter "Sterifilt®", "Wheel" filter and cigarette filter. The quantification of the morphine in the syringe body was carried out by liquid phase chromatography coupled with a mass spectrometry detector. RESULTS: The best extraction yields were obtained with heated water, independently of dosages (p < 0.01). Yields of 100 mg capsules varied according to the filter (p < 0.01) and the water temperature (p < 0.01), with maximum yields obtained for solutions dissolved in heated water, then filtered with the "Wheel" filter (83 mg). The yields of the 200 mg capsules varied according to the temperature of the water (p < 0.01), without difference according to the filter used (p > 0.01), and maximum yields obtained for solutions dissolved in heated water (95 mg). CONCLUSIONS: No procedure for dissolving Skenan® led to the complete dissolution of the morphine it contains. Whatever the variations in preparation conditions, the extraction rates of the 200 mg morphine capsules were lower than those of 100 mg, without the risk reduction filters adversely impacting morphine extraction. Offering an injectable substitution to persons who inject morphine would make it possible to reduce the risks and damage, particularly overdoses, associated with variations in dosage due to preparation methods.

Adjuvant Vaccination with Allogenic Dendritic Cells Significantly Prolongs Overall Survival in High-Grade Gliomas: Results of a Phase II Trial.

Immunotherapy for cancer treatment has gained increased attention in recent years. Recently, our group reported the case of a patient with glioblastoma who underwent vaccination based on dendritic cells and experienced a strong Th1 immune response together with near-complete tumor remission. Here we report the results of a phase I/II prospective, non-controlled clinical trial with 37 patients harboring glioblastoma or grade 4 astrocytomas. At the time of first recurrence after surgery, patients began receiving monthly intradermal injections of allogenic DC-autologous tumor cell hybridomas. Overall survival, quality of life, and immunological profiles were assessed prospectively. Compared with patients in the Genomic Data Commons data bank, overall survival for vaccinated patients with glioblastoma was 27.6 ± 2.4 months (vs. 16.3 ± 0.7, log-rank p < 0.001, hazard ratio 0.53, 95%CI 0.36-0.78, p < 0.01), and it was 59.5 ± 15.9 for vaccinated astrocytoma grade 4 patients (vs. 19.8 ± 2.5, log-rank p < 0.05, hazard ratio 0.18, 95%CI 0.05-0.62, p < 0.01). Furthermore, seven vaccinated patients (two IDH-1-mutated and five wild type) remain alive at the time of this report (overall survival 47.9 months, SD 21.1, range: 25.4-78.6 months since diagnosis; and 34.2 months since recurrence, range: 17.8 to 40.7, SD 21.3). We believe that the data reported here can foster the improvement of treatment protocols for high-grade gliomas based on cellular immunotherapy.

Advances in Alzheimer's disease's pharmacological treatment.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia in the elderly. Several hypotheses emerged from AD pathophysiological mechanisms. However, no neuronal protective or regenerative drug is available nowadays. Researchers still work in drug development and are finding new molecular targets to treat AD. Therefore, this study aimed to summarize main advances in AD pharmacological therapy. Clinical trials registered in the National Library of Medicine database were selected and analyzed accordingly to molecular targets, therapeutic effects, and safety profile. The most common outcome was the lack of efficacy. Only seven trials concluded that tested drugs were safe and induced any kind of therapeutic improvement. Three works showed therapeutic effects followed by toxicity. In addition to aducanumab recent FDA approval, antibodies against amyloid-ß (Aß) showed no noteworthy results. 5-HT6 antagonists, tau inhibitors and nicotinic agonists' data were discouraging. However, anti-Aß vaccine, BACE inhibitor and anti-neuroinflammation drugs showed promising results.

Characterization of Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolates and Comparison of Methods of Susceptibility to Vancomycin.

S. aureus are among the main bacteria causing problems related to multidrug resistance in nosocomial infections. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out a reliable and rapid diagnosis for the identification of the bacteria and characterization of its susceptibility profile, especially vancomycin, which is an alternative treatment against multidrug-resistant (MDR) S. aureus. Thus, the goal of this study was to characterize isolates of S. aureus regarding the resistance and virulence and to check the susceptibility to vancomycin, through different methods, for comparative purposes. Seventeen antimicrobials were tested to assess the susceptibility profile. It was evaluated the presence of identification (nuc), resistance (mecA and blaZ), biofilm (icaA and icaD) and siderophore (sfaD and sbnD) genes. The susceptibility to vancomycin was evaluated by Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) by broth microdilution (BMD), E-test, commercial panel (Kit), and Phoenix equipment. Most S. aureus (93,33%) was classified as MDR. These isolates were 100% positive for nuc, mecA, icaA, icaD, and sfaD genes; 96.67% for sbnD and 33.33% for blaZ. In relation to BMD, all methods correctly classified the susceptibility of the isolates; however, regarding the exact MIC value for vancomycin, Phoenix showed agreement of 63.33%, E-test (33.33%) and Kit (26.66%). In conclusion, most of S. aureus was considered MDR. Also, they presented resistance, biofilm production, and siderophores genes, showing the pathogenic potential of these bacteria. Besides, the Phoenix test was considered the most effective, as it presents advantages, such as identification of the microorganism and a greater number of antimicrobials tested at a time.

Near-Complete Remission of Glioblastoma in a Patient Treated with an Allogenic Dendritic Cell-Based Vaccine: The Role of Tumor-Specific CD4+T-Cell Cytokine Secretion Pattern in Predicting Response and Recurrence.

Immunotherapy has brought hope to the fight against glioblastoma, but its efficacy remains unclear. We present the case of CST, a 25-year-old female patient with a large right-hemisphere glioblastoma treated with a dendritic-tumor cell fusion vaccine. CST showed a near-complete tumor response, with a marked improvement in her functional status and simultaneous increases in tumor-specific CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. Two months before recurrence, the frequency of tumor-specific T cells decreased, while that of IL-17 and CD4+ T cells increased. CST passed away 15 months after enrollment. In this illustrative case, the tumor-specific CD4+ T-cell numbers and phenotype behaved as treatment efficacy biomarkers, highlighting the key role of the latter in glioblastoma immunotherapy.

Sustainable Drug Discovery of Multi-Target-Directed Ligands for Alzheimer's Disease.

The multifactorial nature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a reason for the lack of effective drugs as well as a basis for the development of "multi-target-directed ligands" (MTDLs). As cases increase in developing countries, there is a need of new drugs that are not only effective but also accessible. With this motivation, we report the first sustainable MTDLs, derived from cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL), an inexpensive food waste with anti-inflammatory properties. We applied a framework combination of functionalized CNSL components and well-established acetylcholinesterase (AChE)/butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) tacrine templates. MTDLs were selected based on hepatic, neuronal, and microglial cell toxicity. Enzymatic studies disclosed potent and selective AChE/BChE inhibitors (5, 6, and 12), with subnanomolar activities. The X-ray crystal structure of 5 complexed with BChE allowed rationalizing the observed activity (0.0352 nM). Investigation in BV-2 microglial cells revealed antineuroinflammatory and neuroprotective activities for 5 and 6 (already at 0.01 µM), confirming the design rationale.

Phosphoethanolamine induces caspase-independent cell death by reducing the expression of C-RAF and inhibits tumor growth in human melanoma model.

Phosphoethanolamine (PEA) is a fundamental precursor during the biosynthesis of cell membranes phospholipids. In the past few years, it has been described as a potential antitumor agent. In previous studies, we demonstrated that PEA showed antitumor properties in vitro and in vivo in a wide range of tumor cell lines. Herein, we showed that PEA possesses cytotoxic properties and notably revealed to induce caspase-independent cell death. Of interest, we provided evidence that PEA inhibits melanoma cells proliferation through the reduction of C-RAF. Molecular docking of PEA evidenced that this compound indeed fits satisfactory in the binding site located between the dimers of C-RAF protein with 107,01 Šand score of -29,62. Also, PEA arrested A2058 cells at G2/M phase in the cell cycle. Moreover, cell proliferation, migration and adhesion capacities of A2058 cells were also inhibited by PEA. Most importantly, PEA inhibited tumor growth of melanoma tumors and prolonged survival rate of mice. Also, PEA induced a significant immune response in a syngeneic metastatic melanoma model. Taken together, these data indicate that PEA is a promising candidate for future developments in cancer field.

Edelfosine: An Antitumor Drug Prototype.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is the most prevalent cancer and a high fatality disease. Despite of all available therapeutic approaches, drug resistance of chemotherapy agents for patients remain as an obstacle. New drugs integrating immunotherapeutic and conventional cytotoxic effects is a powerful strategy for the treatment of cancer to overcome this limitation. Antineoplastic phospholipids combine both of these activities by affecting lipid metabolism and signaling through lipid rafts. Therefore, they emerge as interesting scaffolds for designing new drugs. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate antineoplastic phospholipids as scaffolds for designing new drugs for lung cancer treatment. METHODS: The initial screening in A549 cells was performed by MTT assay. Others cytotoxic effects were evaluated in A549 cells by clonogenic assay, Matrigel 3D culture and flow cytometry analyses of cell cycle, apoptosis, mitochondrial membrane electronic potential and superoxide production. Immunological effects of ED were accessed on dendritic cells (DCs) and the expression of some markers were evaluated by flow cytometry. In vivo lung colonization analysis was performed after intravenously injection of A549 cells and daily treatment with ED. RESULTS: Herein, ED showed to be the most efficient compound concerning cytotoxic, thereby, ED was selected for following tests. ED showed a cytotoxic profile in both monolayer and 3D culture and also in vivo models using A549 cells. This profile is due to G0/G1 phase cellular arrest and apoptosis drove by mitochondrial membrane depolarization and superoxide overproduction. Moreover, ED modulated DCs toward an activated pattern by the increased expression of CD83 and a remarkable decreased expression of PD-L1/CD274 on DCs membrane. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, ED is an interesting antitumor drug prototype due to not only its direct cellular cytotoxicity but also given its immunological features.

Expression of hypoxia-induced factor-1 alpha in early-stage and in metastatic oral squamous cell carcinoma.

To investigate hypoxia-induced factor-1 alpha expression in distinct oral squamous cell carcinoma subtypes and topographies and correlate with clinicopathological data. Hypoxia-induced factor-1 alpha expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry in 93 cases of OSCC. Clinical and histopathological data were reviewed from medical records. Hypoxia-induced factor-1 alpha status was distinct according to tumor location, subtype and topography affect. In superficial oral squamous cell carcinomas, most tumor cells overexpressed hypoxia-induced factor-1 alpha, whereas hypoxia-induced factor-1 alpha was restricted to the intratumoral region in conventional squamous cell carcinomas. All basaloid squamous cell carcinomas exhibited downregulation of hypoxia-induced factor-1 alpha. Interestingly, metastatic lymph nodes (91.7%, p = 0.001) and the intratumoral regions of corresponding primary tumors (58.3%, p = 0.142) showed hypoxia-induced factor-1 alpha-positive tumor cells. Overall survival was poor in patients with metastatic lymph nodes. Hypoxia-induced factor-1 alpha has distinct expression patterns in different oral squamous cell carcinoma subtypes and topographies, suggesting that low oxygen tension promotes the growth pattern of superficial and conventional squamous cell carcinoma, but not basaloid squamous cell carcinoma. Indeed, a hypoxic environment may facilitate regional metastasis, making it a useful diagnostic and prognostic marker in primary tumors.

Evaluation of cytotoxic effect of the combination of a pyridinyl carboxamide derivative and oxaliplatin on NCI-H1299 human non-small cell lung carcinoma cells.

Even with all improvements in both diagnostic and therapeutic techniques, lung cancer remains as the most lethal and prevalent cancer in the world. Therefore, new therapeutic drugs and new strategies of drug combination are necessary to provide treatments that are more efficient. Currently, standard therapy regimen for lung cancer includes platinum drugs, such as cisplatin, oxaliplatin, and carboplatin. Besides of the better toxicity profile of oxaliplatin when compared with cisplatin, peripheral neuropathy remains as a limitation of oxaliplatin dose. This study presents LabMol-12, a new pyridinyl carboxamide derivative with antileishmanial and antichagasic activity, as a new hit for lung cancer treatment, which induces apoptosis dependent of caspases in NCI-H1299 lung cancer cells both in monolayer and 3D culture. Moreover, LabMol-12 allows a reduction of oxaliplatin dose when they are combined, thereby, it is a relevant strategy for reducing the side effects of oxaliplatin with the same response. Molecular modeling studies corroborated the biological findings and suggested that the combined therapy can provide a better therapeutically profile effects against NSCLC. All these findings support the fact that the combination of oxaliplatin and LabMol-12 is a promising drug combination for lung cancer.

Toward chelerythrine optimization: Analogues designed by molecular simplification exhibit selective growth inhibition in non-small-cell lung cancer cells.

A series of novel chelerythrine analogues was designed and synthesized. Antitumor activity was evaluated against A549, NCI-H1299, NCI-H292, and NCI-H460 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines in vitro. The selectivity of the most active analogues and chelerythrine was also evaluated, and we compared their cytotoxicity in NSCLC cells and non-tumorigenic cell lines, including human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and LL24 human lung fibroblasts. In silico studies were performed to establish structure-activity relationships between chelerythrine and the analogues. The results showed that analogue compound 3f induced significant dose-dependent G0/G1 cell cycle arrest in A549 and NCI-H1299 cells. Theoretical studies indicated that the molecular arrangement and electron characteristics of compound 3f were closely related to the profile of chelerythrine, supporting its activity. The present study presents a new and simplified chelerythrinoid scaffold with enhanced selectivity against NSCLC tumor cells for further optimization.

Copper(II) complexes with naringenin and hesperetin: cytotoxic activity against A 549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells and investigation on the mode of action.

Copper(II) complexes [Cu(H2O)2 (L1)(phen)](ClO4) (1) and [Cu(H2O)(L2)(phen)](ClO4) (2) (HL1 = naringenin; HL2 = hesperetin) were obtained, in which an anionic flavonoid ligand is attached to the metal center along with 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) as co-ligand. Complexes (1) and (2) were assayed for their cytotoxic activity against A549 lung carcinoma and against normal lung fibroblasts (LL-24) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). We found IC50 = 16.42 µM (1) and IC50 = 5.82 µM (2) against A549 tumor cells. Complexes (1) and (2) exhibited slight specificity, being more cytotoxic against malignant than against non-malignant cells. 1 and 2 induced apoptosis on A549 cells in a mitochondria-independent pathway, and showed antioxidant activity. The antioxidant effect of the complexes could possibly improve their apoptotic action, most likely by a PI3K-independent reduction of autophagy. Complexes (1) and (2) interact in vitro with calf thymus DNA by an intercalative binding mode. EPR data indicated that 1 and 2 interact with human serum albumin (HSA) forming mixed ligand species.

Implantação das Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais nos cursos de Odontologia: opinião de formandos de uma universidade pública / Implantation of the National Curriculum Guidelines in Dental Courses: opinions of final year students in a public university

Este estudo investigou a opinião de formandos em Odontologia de uma universidade pública sobre as Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais (DCN) implantadas no curso. Foi realizado um estudo transversal quanti-qualitativo com aplicação de questionário aos primeiros concluintes do curso (em 2010, 2011 e 2012) após a implantação do novo currículo em uma universidade pública da região Centro-Oeste em 2006. Foi realizada estatística descritiva e análise de conteúdo temática. Dos 158 respondentes (taxa de resposta=98,8%), 60,8% relataram que já tinham ouvido falar das DCN e 36,7% tinham lido total ou parcialmente o documento das diretrizes. 63,9% dos formandos tiveram uma opinião negativa sobre a mudança curricular e esta foi associada a não leitura das DCN. Na análise qualitativa das justificativas para as opiniões, três categorias emergiram: estrutura curricular, processos de ensino-aprendizagem e perfil do egresso. As opiniões foram conflitantes na maioria dos aspectos e revelaram questões que necessitam de maior aprofundamento. Parte dos problemas ou equívocos apontados pelos estudantes referem-se à operacionalização do curso e requerem medidas de ajustes para sua superação. Concluiu-se que houve pouco conhecimento das DCN e predomínio de opiniões negativas acerca do currículo vigente entre os formandos (AU).

This study investigated opinions of final year dental students in a public university regarding the National Curriculum Guidelines (NCG) set out in the beginning of the 2000s. A cross sectional quantitative and qualitative study was conducted using a questionnaire applied to the first graduates under the new curriculum (in 2010, 2011 and 2012) of a public university in Midwest Brazil from 2006. Descriptive statistics and content analysis were carried out. Of the 158 respondents (response rate=98.8%), 60.8% reported they were aware of the NCG and 36.7% had read the reference document totally or in part. 63.9% of them had a negative opinion and this was associated to the lack of reading the reference document. In the qualitative analysis of the reasons for the answers, three categories emerged: curriculum structure, teaching-learning processes and graduate profile. Opinions were mostly conflicting and revealed points needing a deeper understanding. Part of the problems or equivocal aspects pointed out by the students refer to the operationalization of the course and require measures of adjustments. It was concluded that there was low awareness of the NCG reference document and predominantly negative opinions regarding the curriculum among the students (AU).

Camphene isolated from essential oil of Piper cernuum (Piperaceae) induces intrinsic apoptosis in melanoma cells and displays antitumor activity in vivo.

Natural monoterpenes were isolated from the essential oil of Piper cernuum Vell. (Piperaceae) leaves. The crude oil and the individual monoterpenes were tested for cytotoxicity in human tumor cell lineages and B16F10-Nex2 murine melanoma cells. In the present work we demonstrate the activity of camphene against different cancer cells, with its mechanism of action being investigated in vitro and in vivo in murine melanoma. Camphene induced apoptosis by the intrinsic pathway in melanoma cells mainly by causing endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, with release of Ca(2+) together with HmgB1 and calreticulin, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and up regulation of caspase-3 activity. Importantly, camphene exerted antitumor activity in vivo by inhibiting subcutaneous tumor growth of highly aggressive melanoma cells in a syngeneic model, suggesting a promising role of this compound in cancer therapy.

Designing and exploring active N'-[(5-nitrofuran-2-yl) methylene] substituted hydrazides against three Trypanosoma cruzi strains more prevalent in Chagas disease patients.

Chagas disease affects around 8 million people worldwide and its treatment depends on only two nitroheterocyclic drugs, benznidazole (BZD) and nifurtimox (NFX). Both drugs have limited curative power in chronic phase of disease. Nifuroxazide (NF), a nitroheterocyclic drug, was used as lead to design a set of twenty one compounds in order to improve the anti-Trypanosoma cruzi activity. Lipinski's rules were considered in order to support drug-likeness designing. The set of N'-[(5-nitrofuran-2-yl) methylene] substituted hydrazides was assayed against three T. cruzi strains, which represent the discrete typing units more prevalent in human patients: Y (TcII), Silvio X10 cl1 (TcI), and Bug 2149 cl10 (TcV). All the derivatives, except one, showed enhanced trypanocidal activity against the three strains as compared to BZD. In the Y strain 62% of the compounds were more active than NFX. The most active compound was N'-((5-nitrofuran-2-yl) methylene)biphenyl-4-carbohydrazide (C20), which showed IC50 values of 1.17 ± 0.12 µM; 3.17 ± 0.32 µM; and 1.81 ± 0.18 µM for Y, Silvio X10 cl1, and Bug 2149 cl10 strains, respectively. Cytotoxicity assays with human fibroblast cells have demonstrated high selectivity indices for several compounds. Exploratory data analysis indicated that primarily topological, steric/geometric, and electronic properties have contributed to the discrimination of the set of investigated compounds. The findings can be helpful to drive the designing, and subsequently, the synthesis of additional promising drugs against Chagas disease.

RPF151, a novel capsaicin-like analogue: in vitro studies and in vivo preclinical antitumor evaluation in a breast cancer model.

Capsaicin, the primary pungent component of the chili pepper, has antitumor activity. Herein, we describe the activity of RPF151, an alkyl sulfonamide analogue of capsaicin, against MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. RPF151 was synthetized, and molecular modeling was used to compare capsaicin and RPF151. Cytotoxicity of RPF151 on MDA-MB-231 was also evaluated by the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Cell cycle analysis, by flow cytometry, and Western blot analysis of cycle-related proteins were used to evaluate the antiproliferative mechanisms. Apoptosis was evaluated by phosphatidyl-serine externalization, cleavage of Ac-YVAD-AMC, and Bcl-2 expression. The production of reactive oxygen species was evaluated by flow cytometry. RPF151 in vivo antitumor effects were investigated in murine MDA-MB-231 model. This study shows that RPF151 downregulated p21 and cyclins A, D1, and D3, leading to S-phase arrest and apoptosis. Although RPF151 has induced the activation of TRPV-1 and TRAIL-R1/DR4 and TRAIL-2/DR5 on the surface of MDA-MB-231 cells, its in vivo antitumor activity was TRPV-1-independent, thus suggesting that RPF151 should not have the same pungency-based limitation of capsaicin. In silico analysis corroborated the biological findings, showing that RPF151 has physicochemical improvements over capsaicin. Overall, the activity of RPF151 against MDA-MB-231 and its lower pungency suggest that it may have a relevant role in cancer therapy.

Synergistic anti-tumor effects of the combination of a benzofuroxan derivate and sorafenib on NCI-H460 human large cell lung carcinoma cells.

Lung cancer is the most frequent and lethal human cancer in the world. Because is still an unsolved health issue, new compounds or therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. Furoxans are presented as potentials candidates for lung cancer treatment. Accordingly, we evaluated the efficacy of a benzofuroxan derivative, BFD-22, alone and combined with sorafenib against NCI-H460 cell line. We showed that BFD-22 has cytotoxic effects on the NCI-H460 cells. Importantly, the Combination Index (CI) evaluation revels that BFD-22 combined with sorafenib has a stronger cytotoxic effect. In addition, the combination induces apoptosis through extrinsic pathway, leading to TRAIL-R1/DR4-triggered apoptosis. Furthermore, BFD-22 combined with sorafenib increases ROS production and simultaneously reduces perlecan expression in the NCI-H460 cells. In accordance, tumor cells were arrested in the S-phase, and these anti-proliferative effects also inhibit cell migration. This is the first study reporting an advantage of BFD-22 combined with sorafenib as a new therapeutic strategy in the fight against lung cancer.

Novel capsaicin analogues as potential anticancer agents: synthesis, biological evaluation, and in silico approach.

A novel class of benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-ylmethyl alkyl/aryl amide and ester analogues of capsaicin were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against human and murine cancer cell lines (B16F10, SK-MEL-28, NCI-H1299, NCI-H460, SK-BR-3, and MDA-MB-231) and human lung fibroblasts (MRC-5). Three compounds (5f, 6c, and 6e) selectively inhibited the growth of aggressive cancer cells in the micromolar (µM) range. Furthermore, an exploratory data analysis pointed at the topological and electronic molecular properties as responsible for the discrimination process regarding the set of investigated compounds. The findings suggest that the applied designing strategy, besides providing more potent analogues, indicates the aryl amides and esters as well as the alkyl esters as interesting scaffolds to design and develop novel anticancer agents.