Natural compound chaetocin induced DNA damage and apoptosis through reactive oxygen species-dependent pathways in A549 lung cancer cells and in vitro evaluations.

There is an urgent need for potential pharmaceutics for lung cancer treatment due to the increased number of lung cancer deaths and the resistance of cancer cells to present therapeutics. The present work aims to discover the anticancer potential of the natural compound chaetocin as a therapeutic for lung cancer treatment. Results showed the significance of chaetocin-induced cell growth inhibition by the expression of G2 /M phase arrest and reactive oxygen species (ROS) dependent apoptosis in A549 lung cancer cells. Results concluded that chaetocin could produce ROS and nuclear damage against A549 lung cancer cells. Interestingly, chaetocin exhibits a significant level of CD47 that down-regulates the expression of CD47 at mRNA levels. PBMC biocompatibility study revealed that chaetocin is non-toxic to normal cells. Overall, experimental results suggested that chaetocin induces A549 cell apoptosis, by causing ROS and nuclear damage activation pathways. In the future, chaetocin might be an effective bio-safe anticancer agent for lung cancer treatments.

Liver resection versus transarterial chemoembolization for the initial treatment of Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage B hepatocellular carcinoma.

AIMS: Current evidence supporting the efficacy of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC)-B hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is controversial. The aim of this systematic review was to compare the benefits of liver resection (LR) versus TACE in BCLC-B HCC. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive literature review of the EMBASE, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Chinese Biomedical Literature databases for retrospective or prospective studies evaluating the efficacy of LR and TACE for the treatment of BCLC-B HCC. RESULTS: Eleven studies incorporating 3366 patients were included in this analysis. 1-year (RR 0.52 95% CI 0.43-0.63, p < 0.001; I2 = 59%, p = 0.006), 3-year (RR 0.63 95% CI 0.59-0.67, p < 0.001; I2 = 16%, p = 0.29), and 5-year (RR 0.69 95% CI 0.63-0.75, p < 0.001; I2 = 56%, p = 0.021) OS were significantly improved in BCLC-B HCC patients that underwent LR compared to those that underwent TACE. Child-Pugh A liver disease (B vs. A) (HR 1.45 95% CI 1.17-1.79, p < 0.001; I2 = 0%, p = 0.49) and AFP levels (> 400 vs. ≤ 400 ng/ml) (HR 1.36 95% CI 1.09-1.71, p = 0.007; I2 = 90%, p = 0.001) were associated with improved OS. CONCLUSION: Liver resection had significant survival benefits over TACE in selected BCLC-B HCC patients in comparison to TACE. However, LR was associated with a significantly increased incidence of treatment-related mortality and infection compared to TACE.

Danshensu, a major water-soluble component of Salvia miltiorrhiza, enhances the radioresponse for Lewis Lung Carcinoma xenografts in mice.

The molecule 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-hydroxypropanoic acid (danshensu), a herbal preparation used in traditional Chinese medicine, has been found to possess potential antitumor and anti-angiogenesis effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of the combination of radiation therapy (RT) with danshensu in the treatment of Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) xenografts, whilst exploring and evaluating the mechanism involved. In total, 8-week old female C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned into 3 groups to receive: RT, RT + cisplatin and RT + danshensu, respectively, when LLC reached 100-150 mm3. Each group was divided into 7 subgroups according to the different irradiation doses that were administered. Tumor growth curves were created and the sensitization enhancement ratios of the drugs were calculated. The experiment was then repeated, and the 4 groups of tumor-bearing mice were treated with natural saline, danshensu, RT + danshensu and RT, respectively. The mice were sacrificed on day 7, and tumor tissue and blood were collected to determine microvessel density, the expression of proangiogenic factors, and the levels of blood thromboxane B2 and 6-keto-prostaglandin-F1α. Tumor hypoxia was also detected using in vivo fluorescence imaging. With respect to LLC xenografts, treatment with danshensu + RT significantly enhanced the effects of tumor growth inhibition (P<0.05). Furthermore, tumor vasculature was remodeled and microcirculation was improved, which significantly reduced tumor hypoxia (P<0.05). The present study demonstrated that danshensu significantly enhanced the radioresponse of LLC xenografts in mice. The mechanism involved may be associated with the alleviation of tumor cell hypoxia following treatment with danshensu + RT, caused by the improvement of tumor microcirculation and the remodeling of tumor vasculature.