RETRA induces necroptosis in cervical cancer cells through RIPK1, RIPK3, MLKL and increased ROS production.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most prevalent cancer in women worldwide, predominantly infected with human papillomavirus (HPV). The current chemo and radiotherapies are mostly futile due to acquired resistance to apoptosis and warrant new therapeutic approaches targeting potent non-apoptotic cell death pathways to eliminate cervical cancer cells. Induction of necroptosis by pharmaceutical interventions is emerging as a promising tool in multiple apoptotic resistant cancer cells. RETRA (REactivation of Transcriptional Reporter Activity) is a small molecule known to induce expression of p53 regulated genes in mutant (mt) p53 cells but, detailed mechanisms of its anticancer effects are poorly known. The present study investigated the potentials of RETRA as an anticancer agent and found that it induces necroptosis selectively in cervical cancer cells irrespective of p53 status through the phosphorylation of receptor-interacting protein kinase 1,3 (RIPK1, RIPK3) and mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL) with no cytotoxic effects in normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). RETRA-treated cells also displayed necroptotic morphology of disintegrated plasma membranes with intact nuclei and also showed cell cycle arrest at the S phase with the upregulation of p21 and downregulation of cyclin-D3. Intriguingly, the combinatorial approach of using RETRA with Necrostain-1, a known inhibitor of necroptosis, reversed the effect of RETRA and rescued cell death. Moreover, induction of necroptosis by RETRA is associated with mitochondrial hyperpolarization and elevated ROS production. Collectively, these findings suggest that RETRA induces cell death via necroptosis with increased production of ROS, accentuating the therapeutic implication of RETRA in cervical cancer cells.

Emerging neuroprotective interventions in periventricular leukomalacia - A systematic review of preclinical studies.

INTRODUCTION: Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) is a result of various antenatal, intrapartum, or postnatal insults to the developing brain and is an important harbinger of cerebral palsy in preterm neonates. There is no proven therapy for PVL. This calls for appraisal of targeted therapies that have been investigated in animal models to evaluate their relevance in a clinical research context. AREAS COVERED: This systematic review identifies interventions that were evaluated in preclinical studies for neuroprotective efficacy against PVL. We identified 142 studies evaluating various interventions in PVL animal models (search method is detailed in section 2). EXPERT OPINION: Interventions that have yielded significant results in preclinical research, and that have been evaluated in a limited number of clinical trials include stem cells, erythropoietin, and melatonin. Many other therapeutic modalities evaluated in preclinical studies have been identified, but more data on their neuroprotective potential in PVL must be garnered before they can be considered for clinical trials. Because most of the tested interventions had only a partial efficacy, a combination of interventions that could be synergistic should be investigated in future preclinical studies. Furthermore, since the nature and pattern of perinatal insults to preterm brain predisposing it to PVL are substantially variable, individualized approaches for the choice of appropriate neuroprotective interventions tailored to different subgroups of preterm neonates should be explored.

A Study on Longevity of Immune Response after Vaccination with Salmonella Typhi Vi Conjugate Vaccine (Pedatyph™) in Children.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Owing to the limitations of the conventional polysaccharide vaccines, global efforts have been made to develop conjugated polysaccharide vaccines for typhoid. Duration of immune response induced by these vaccines is critical to define the efficacy and frequency of required booster dose. This study was done to determine the duration of immune response following vaccination with Salmonella Typhi Vi conjugate vaccine (Pedatyph™) in children and to assess the booster effect of second dose of conjugate typhoid vaccine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty children were recalled from a cohort of 400 children, who received one dose or two doses of PedaTyph™, 30 months after vaccination. Ten non-vaccinated children were also recalled. Their serum samples were assessed by ELISA for anti Vi antibody. RESULTS: Significantly high titers of anti-Vi polysaccharide IgG antibodies were present in vaccinated children even after 30 months of vaccination as compared to non-vaccinated children. Geometric mean titers (GMT) with 95% confidence intervals were 14 (4.8-29.8), 17 (7.4-33) and 6.4 (0.8-12) µg/ml for single dose, two doses and control group respectively. The children in two doses group had higher antibody titers as compared to single dose group. However, the difference was not significant. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSION: PedaTyph™ was found to induce long term immune response as evidenced by presence of significant anti-Vi polysaccharide antibodies after 30 months of vaccination. No significant advantage of two doses regimen over one dose was found. Hence one dose vaccination with PedaTyph™ is suggested.

Toll-like receptor ligands synergize through distinct dendritic cell pathways to induce T cell responses: implications for vaccines.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) may need to cooperate with each other to be effective in detecting imminent infection and trigger immune responses. Understanding is still limited about the intracellular mechanism of this cooperation. We found that when certain TLRs are involved, dendritic cells (DCs) establish unidirectional intracellular cross-talk, in which the MyD88-independent TRIF-dependent pathway amplifies the MyD88-dependent DC function through a JNK-dependent mechanism. The amplified MyD88-dependent DC function determines the induction of the T cell response to a given vaccine in vivo. Therefore, our study revealed an underlying TLR mechanism governing the functional, nonrandom interplay among TLRs for recognition of combinatorial ligands that may be dangerous to the host, providing important guidance for design of novel synergistic molecular vaccine adjuvants.